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US-12626988-B2 - Battery pack

US12626988B2US 12626988 B2US12626988 B2US 12626988B2US-12626988-B2

Abstract

A battery pack includes: a plurality of battery cells arranged side by side in a first direction, each of the plurality of battery cells including a plurality of electrode terminals disposed side by side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a case member that accommodates the plurality of battery cells, the case member including a side surface portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the first direction or in a direction orthogonal to the second direction and a reinforcing rib provided on the side surface portion. The reinforcing rib extends in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction or in a direction obliquely intersecting the third direction.

Inventors

  • Yuya MOGI
  • Satoru Matsuyama

Assignees

  • Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230222
Priority Date
20220225

Claims (10)

  1. 1 . A battery pack, comprising: a plurality of stacks, each of the plurality of stacks including a plurality of battery cells arranged side by side in a first direction, each of the plurality of battery cells including a plurality of electrode terminals disposed side by side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and separators; and a case member including a sealed inner space that accommodates the plurality of stacks, a side surface portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the first direction or in a direction orthogonal to the second direction, and a reinforcing rib provided on the side surface portion, wherein the reinforcing rib extends in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction or in a direction obliquely intersecting the third direction, the plurality of stacks is arranged in the second direction and in direct abutment with the side surface portion, the side surface portion includes a pair of side surfaces located on both sides of the plurality of stacks in the first direction, respectively, the reinforcing rib is provided on an outer side of each of the pair of side surfaces, the outer side facing away from the sealed inner space, the pair of side surfaces defines the sealed inner space and directly supports the plurality of stacks in the first direction, the case member includes a first flange and a second flange, each of the first flange and the second flange protruding with respect to the side surface portion in the first direction and extending in the second direction, the first flange and the second flange are separated from each other along the third direction, and the reinforcing rib extends from the first flange to reach the second flange.
  2. 2 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib extends across a whole of the side surface portion of the case member in the third direction.
  3. 3 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib is joined to each of the first flange and the second flange.
  4. 4 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib is provided at a position separated from a central axis of the plurality of battery cells in the second direction.
  5. 5 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib extends across a whole of the side surface portion of the case member in the third direction, and the reinforcing rib is provided at a position separated from a central axis of the plurality of battery cells in the second direction.
  6. 6 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib is composed of a material same as a material of the side surface portion of the case member.
  7. 7 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib extends across a whole of the side surface portion of the case member in the third direction, and the reinforcing rib is composed of a material same as a material of the side surface portion of the case member.
  8. 8 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising: a cooling plate including a coolant path; and a coolant tube that communicates with the coolant path of the cooling plate, wherein the reinforcing rib includes a supporting portion that supports the coolant tube.
  9. 9 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of reinforcing ribs including the reinforcing rib, wherein each of the plurality of reinforcing ribs extends across an entirety of the side surface portion of the case member in the third direction.
  10. 10 . The battery pack according to claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of reinforcing ribs is at a position to avoid overlapping the plurality of battery cells of the plurality of stacks in the first direction.

Description

This nonprovisional application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-028193 filed on Feb. 25, 2022 with the Japan Patent Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present technology relates to a battery pack. Description of the Background Art There has been conventionally known a battery pack having a case member in which a plurality of battery cells are accommodated. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2019-197622 illustrates a battery pack having a case in which a battery stack constituted of cells each having a discharge valve is accommodated. Further, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2012-104467 discloses a structure in which a reinforcing rib surrounds a side surface of a battery pack in a lateral direction. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION When expansion force of a battery cell becomes large, an amount of deformation and generated stress of the case member also tend to be large. Use of a material having a large allowable stress (for example, a high-tensile steel plate or the like) to improve a load capacity is a factor for increased cost. From a viewpoint of suppressing the amount of deformation and generated stress of the case member due to the expansion force of the battery cell, there is still room for improvement in the conventional battery pack. An object of the present technology is to provide a battery pack to effectively receive expansion force of a battery cell and reduce amount of deformation and generated stress of a case member. A battery pack according to the present technology includes: a plurality of battery cells arranged side by side in a first direction, each of the plurality of battery cells including a plurality of electrode terminals disposed side by side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a case member that accommodates the plurality of battery cells, the case member including a side surface portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the first direction or in a direction orthogonal to the second direction and a reinforcing rib provided on the side surface portion. The reinforcing rib extends in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction or in a direction obliquely intersecting the third direction. The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery cell. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing battery cells and a case member (except for a cover member) that accommodates the battery cells. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the case member (except for the cover portion) of a battery pack. FIG. 4 is a side view of the case member. FIG. 5 is an external view of the battery pack. FIG. 6 is a first diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 7 is a second diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 8 is a third diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 9 is a fourth diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 10 is a fifth diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 11 is a sixth diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 12 is a seventh diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 13 is an eighth diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 14 is a ninth diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 15 is a tenth diagram showing an exemplary reinforcing rib arrangement. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a modification of the case member (except for the cover portion) of the battery pack. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a supporting portion for a coolant tube. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described. It should be noted that the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference characters, and may not be described repeatedly. It should be noted that in the embodiments described below, when reference is made to number, amount, and the like, the scope of the present technology is not necessarily limited to the number, amount, and the like unless otherwise stated particularly. Further, in the embodiments described below, each component is not necessarily essential to the present technology unless otherwise stated particularly. Further, the present technology is not limited to one that necessarily exhibits all the functions and effects stated in the present embodiment. It should be noted that in the present specification, the terms “comprise”, “include”, and “have” are open-end terms. That is, when a certain configuration is included, a configuration other than the foregoing configuration may or may not be includ