US-12626989-B2 - Electricity storage module

US12626989B2US 12626989 B2US12626989 B2US 12626989B2US-12626989-B2

Abstract

An electricity storage module according to the present invention is provided with: a plurality of arranged cylindrical electricity storage devices; and an upper holder which holds the upper end parts of the plurality of electricity storage devices, while being provided with a plurality of containing parts that is formed of a thermoplastic resin. The upper holder comprises an upper support member which is formed of a thermosetting resin and supports electricity storage devices adjacent to each other, while being positioned between the adjacent electricity storage devices. In comparison to the thermoplastic resin, the thermosetting resin is not susceptible to deformation or melting event if heat is applied thereto.

Inventors

Hirotaka OGINO
CHIFUMI MURAYAMA
Jiro Muratsu
Koichi Sawada

Assignees

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20200828
Priority Date: 20190830

Claims (10)

1 . An energy storage module comprising: an array of multiple cylindrical energy storage devices; and a first holder that holds an end portion, located on one side, of each of the multiple energy storage devices and has multiple first containers made of a first material, wherein: the first holder includes a first support member that is located between two adjacent energy storage devices of the multiple energy storage devices to support the two adjacent energy storage devices, and that is made of a second material, the second material has a property of being less likely to deform or melt even when heated than the first material, the first support member comprises a first face and a second face opposite to the first face in an arrangement direction that is a direction in which the two adjacent energy storage devices are arranged, the first face supporting a first energy storage device of the two adjacent energy storage devices and the second face supporting a second energy storage device of the two adjacent energy storage devices in the arrangement direction, and the first support member has a base that is bridged over end surfaces, located on one side, of the adjacent energy storage devices, and a standing portion that stands on the base and is inserted between the outer peripheries of the adjacent energy storage devices.
2 . The energy storage module according to claim 1 , wherein the first support member is in contact with an end surface, located on one side, of each of the adjacent energy storage devices.
3 . The energy storage module according to claim 2 , wherein each of the multiple energy storage devices comprises an electrode group that includes a first electrode and a second electrode, a cylindrical outer can that contains the electrode group with an electrolyte, and a sealing body that seals an opening of the outer can while being electrically insulated from the outer can, the sealing body is electrically connected to the first electrode, the outer can is electrically connected to the second electrode, and the end surface, located on the one side, is the top surface of the sealing body.
4 . The energy storage module according to claim 1 , wherein the first support member is in contact with an outer periphery of each of the adjacent energy storage devices.
5 . An energy storage module comprising: an array of multiple cylindrical energy storage devices; and a first holder that holds an end portion, located on one side, of each of the multiple energy storage devices and has multiple first containers made of a first material, wherein: the first holder includes a first support member that is located between two adjacent energy storage devices of the multiple energy storage devices to support the two adjacent energy storage devices, and that is made of a second material, the second material has a property of being less likely to deform or melt even when heated than the first material, the first support member comprises a first face and a second face opposite to the first face in an arrangement direction that is a direction in which the two adjacent energy storage devices are arranged, the first face supporting a first energy storage device of the two adjacent energy storage devices and the second face supporting a second energy storage device of the two adjacent energy storage devices in the arrangement direction, the first support member is disposed in a void formed in the first holder, and in the first container of the first holder, a groove is formed in a surface facing the energy storage device along a circumferential direction of the energy storage device, the groove communicates with the void, and the second material is disposed in the groove.
6 . The energy storage module according to claim 5 , wherein a diameter of an end portion, located on one side, of the energy storage device is smaller than a diameter of another portion of the energy storage device.
7 . The energy storage module according to claim 6 , wherein an inner periphery of the first container of the first holder is in contact with an outer periphery of a portion of the energy storage device having a larger diameter.
8 . The energy storage module according to claim 5 , wherein an outer surface of the first holder has an injection hole that communicates with the void.
9 . The energy storage module according to claim 5 , wherein the void is defined by the first holder and outer surfaces of the adjacent energy storage devices.
10 . An energy storage module comprising: multiple cylindrical energy storage devices, each of the multiple energy storage devices having a first terminal and a second terminal at an end portion located on one side, the multiple energy storage devices being arranged so that the end portions, located on the one side, are aligned on the same side; and a second holder that holds the other side of each of the multiple energy storage devices and is made of a first material, wherein: the second holder includes a second support member that is located between two adjacent energy storage devices of the multiple energy storage device and supports the two adjacent energy storage devices together between the two adjacent energy storage devices and is made of a second material, the second material has a property of being less likely to deform or melt even when heated than the first material, the second support member comprises a first face and a second face opposite to the first face in an arrangement direction that is a direction in which the two adjacent energy storage devices are arranged, the first face supporting a first energy storage device of the two adjacent energy storage devices and the second face supporting a second energy storage device of the two adjacent energy storage devices in the arrangement direction, the second support member is disposed in a void formed in the second holder, and in the second holder, a groove is formed in a surface facing the energy storage device along a circumferential direction of the energy storage device, the groove communicates with the void, and the second material is disposed in the groove.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is the U.S. National Phase under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2020/032582, filed on Aug. 28, 2020, which in turn claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2019-158656, filed on Aug. 30, 2019, Japanese Application No. 2019-178244, filed on Sep. 30, 2019, Japanese Application No. 2020-130121, filed on Jul. 31, 2020, the entire disclosures of which Applications are incorporated by reference herein. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an energy storage module with an array of multiple cylindrical energy storage devices. BACKGROUND Conventional energy storage modules with an array of multiple energy storage devices are widely known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an energy storage module in which the upper and lower end portions of an array of multiple cylindrical batteries are each held by a holder. CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: International Publication No. 2018/003468 SUMMARY Technical Problem In an energy storage module with multiple cylindrical batteries, if the holders soften or melt when one energy storage device goes into thermal runaway, the thermally runaway energy storage device will be close to or contact with the adjacent energy storage devices, increasing the risk of similar fires. In the energy storage module of Patent Literature 1, the holders are made of thermosetting resin to solve the problem of thermal runaway; however, curing resin is more difficult to process than, for example, thermoplastic resin, and tends to be larger when molded, while thermosetting resin has a higher specific gravity than other resins and tends to make the energy storage module heavier. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an energy storage module capable of exhibiting increased reliability and having smaller and lighter holders. Solution to Problem An energy storage module of one aspect of the present disclosure includes: an array of multiple cylindrical energy storage devices; and a first holder that holds an end portion, located on one side, of each of the multiple energy storage devices and has multiple first containers made of a first material, wherein the first holder has a first support member that is located between the adjacent energy storage devices to support the adjacent energy storage devices, and that is made of a second material, and the second material has a property of being less likely to deform or melt even when heated than the first material. Advantageous Effects of Invention One aspect of the present disclosure can provide an energy storage module capable of having smaller and lighter holders and exhibiting excellent reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an energy storage module which is an example of an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of an upper holder. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the upper holder. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of an energy storage module which is another example of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of a groove representing an upper support member. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a lower holder. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the lower holder. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of a groove of the lower holder. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of a lower holder which is another example of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a lower support member. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of an energy storage module which is another example of the embodiment. FIG. 12 is an oblique view of the lower holder viewed from the bottom. FIG. 13 is a bottom view of a heat-conductive material contained in the lower holder, viewed from below. FIG. 14 is an oblique view of an energy storage module viewed from below to explain a process for manufacturing the energy storage module. FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the lower holder of the energy storage module, viewed from below. FIG. 16 is an oblique view of an energy storage module viewed from below to explain a process for manufacturing a conventional energy storage module. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The shapes, materials, and number of items described below are illustrated for the purpose of explanation, and can be changed as necessary according to the specifications of an energy storage module. In the following description, equivalent elements in all drawings are denoted by the same reference numeral. An example of an embodiment, an energy storage module 10, will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of the energy storage module 10. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view along line A1-A1 in FIG. 2, which will be described later. The energy storage module 10 is used mainly as a power source for producing power. For example, the energy storage module 1