Power supply device, vehicle equipped with power supply device, and power storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11901582-B2
Application number	US-201816954759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2018
Priority date	Dec 25, 2017
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

A power supply device disposes an end plate at each end of a battery stack in a stacked direction of the battery stack, and couples a binding bar to the end plate, so as to fix battery cells. The binding bar includes a plate-shaped bar that extends in the stacked direction of the battery stack, and an engagement block that is fixed to the plate-shaped bar and protrudes as a face opposing an outer peripheral face of the end plate. The End plate includes a fitting part to which the engagement block is guided, and a stopper. The fitting part is disposed on the outer peripheral face of the end plate. The stopper is disposed closer to the battery stack with respect to the fitting part, and abuts the engagement block.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power supply device comprising:
a battery stack configured to have a plurality of battery cells stacked together;
a pair of end plates disposed at both ends of the battery stack in a stacked direction of the battery stack; and
a binding bar configured to have both ends of the binding bar coupled to the pair of end plates, wherein
the binding bar includes a plate-shaped bar that extends in the stacked direction of the battery stack, and an engagement block that is fixed to the plate-shaped bar and protrudes as a face opposing an outer peripheral face of one of the pair of end plates, and
the one of the pair of end plates includes a fitting part to which the engagement block is guided, on the outer peripheral face of the one of the pair of end plates, and includes a stopper that is disposed at a side of the battery stack with respect to the fitting part and abuts the engagement block,
wherein the binding bar further includes a fixed region at each end of the binding bar, the fixed region to be fixed to an outermost major surface of a corresponding end plate of the pair of end plates located outward from the stopper in the stacked direction,
the fixed region protrudes farther inward than the engagement block in a direction perpendicular to the stacked direction, and
the fixed region is configured to abut the outermost major surface of the corresponding end plate in the stacked direction.

2. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed region corresponds to a bent region of the plate-shaped bar.

3. The power supply device according to claim 2 , wherein
the fixed region is formed of the bent region of the plate-shaped bar, and
when a U-shaped curved part is formed at a corner of the bent region, an unpressed clearance is formed between the fixed region and each of the pair of end plates.

4. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the fixed region is integrally formed with the engagement block, and
the fixed region corresponds to an end of the engagement block having an L-shaped cross sectional shape.

5. The power supply device according to claim 4 , wherein
the fixed region is integrally formed with the engagement block, and
when a U-shaped curved part is formed at a corner of the fixed region, an unpressed clearance is formed between the fixed region and the one of the pair of end plates.

6. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed region is fixed to an outer face of the one of the pair of end plates with a bolt.

7. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein an unpressed clearance is formed between an inner side of a corner of the fixed region and the one of the pair of end plates.

8. The power supply device according to claim 7 , wherein
when a cutout is formed at a corner of the one of the pair of end plates, the corner of the one of the pair of end plates opposing the inner side of the corner of the fixed region, the unpressed clearance is formed between the binding bar and the one of the pair of end plates.

9. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed region has a shape narrowing in substantial width toward a fixed part at a tip end of the fixed region, the fixed part to be fixed to the each of the pair of end plates.

10. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the engagement block is fixed to the plate-shaped bar in a welded configuration.

11. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the plate-shaped bar and the engagement block is made of any one of iron, an iron alloy, stainless steel (SUS), aluminum, and an aluminum alloy.

12. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the engagement block has a thickness (t) of more than or equal to 1 mm.

13. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the engagement block has a width (K) in the stacked direction of the plurality of battery cells, the width (k) of more than or equal to 3 mm.

14. The power supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper has a width (h) in the stacked direction of the plurality of battery cells, the width (h) of more than or equal to 3 mm.

15. An electric vehicle equipped with the power supply device according to claim 1 , the electric vehicle further comprising:
a motor for driving, the motor to which the power supply device supplies power;
a vehicle body on which each of the power supply device and the motor is mounted; and
a wheel configured to be operated by the motor to drive the vehicle body.

16. A power storage device equipped with the power supply device according to claim 1 , the power storage device further comprising:
a power supply controller configured to control charging to and discharging from the power supply device, wherein the power supply controller allows battery cells to be charged by power from an externally connected device and controls charging to the battery cells.

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Sanyo Electric Co
• Panasonic Holdings Corp

Inventors

• Terauchi Shinobu
• Omura Tetsuji

Classifications

• H01M50/502 Primary

  Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing · CPC title

• H01M10/46

  Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• H01M50/209 Primary

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/224

  Metals · CPC title

• H01M50/264

  for cells or batteries, e.g. straps, tie rods or peripheral frames · CPC title