Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Current producing cell – elements – subcombinations and... – Cell enclosure structure – e.g. – housing – casing – container,...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-24
2004-08-10
Ryan, Patrick (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Current producing cell, elements, subcombinations and...
Cell enclosure structure, e.g., housing, casing, container,...
C180S068500, C429S178000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06773850
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shock-absorbing structure of a battery cover designed to protect battery electrodes and so on in a battery connecting plate (which serially connects together batteries of a vehicle such as an electric car etc.) at the time of a vehicle collision.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-155232, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a power source for a vehicle such as an electric car, a hybrid car (powered by electricity and gasoline), etc., a plurality of batteries are serially connected together to provide a battery block (battery assembly), and then opposite ends of this battery block are covered with covers or the like, and this power source device is mounted within a vehicle body.
FIG. 12
shows one form of a battery connecting plate for connecting a plurality of batteries together.
The battery connecting plates
70
and
71
are attached to opposite ends of a battery block
72
, respectively, and each of these battery connecting plates has a plurality of juxtaposed bus bars
75
(made of electrically-conductive metal) mounted on an elongate casing (plate body)
74
made of a synthetic resin.
Each of the bus bars
75
has two insertion holes
78
for respectively passing externally-threaded-type positive and negative electrodes
76
and
77
of the corresponding adjacent batteries
73
therethrough, and these bus bars
75
are fixedly secured to the casing
74
by press-fitting, insert-molding or other ways. Each of the electrodes
76
and
77
is connected and fastened to the bus bar
75
by a nut
79
.
Bus bars
83
, each having one insertion hole
82
, are fixedly secured respectively to opposite ends of the front battery connecting plate
70
. The positive electrode
76
of the battery
73
, disposed at one end portion of the battery block
72
, and the negative electrode
77
of the battery
73
, disposed at the other end of the battery block
72
, are connected respectively to power wires (not shown), each having a terminal, through the respective bus bars
83
.
A cover
80
is pivotably mounted on the casing
74
, and when the cover
80
is closed, the bus bars
75
and
83
, the electrodes
76
and
77
and the nuts
79
within receiving portions
81
are protected by this cover.
In the above structure, the cover
80
is formed integrally with the casing
74
through hinges. However, as shown in
FIG. 13
, there is also the case where there are provided a cover
61
and a casing
62
which are separate from each other, and are made of a synthetic resin. In either case, the cover
61
,
80
is fixed to the casing
62
,
74
by retaining members etc.
In
FIG. 13
, reference numeral
10
denotes an externally-threaded-type electrode of a battery (not shown), and reference numeral
11
denotes a nut for connecting the electrode
10
to a bus bar or the like.
In the above structure, however, when a large external force b was applied to the cover
61
, for example, at the time of a vehicle collision, the cover
61
was broken, and besides an impact was transmitted to the electrodes
10
and bus bars within the casing
62
, so that for example as shown in
FIG. 14
the distal ends of the electrodes
10
broke through the cover
61
to project to the exterior. This resulted in possibilities that the batteries were short-circuited, which was dangerous, and that the batteries were adversely affected.
In the case of increasing the strength of the cover
61
by increasing the wall thickness of this cover in order to deal with the above problems, the weight of the cover
61
increased, and the resin moldability thereof was affected, and the cost increased. And besides, there was a chance that abnormal sounds were produced because of the increased inertia force of the cover
61
due to vibrations of the vehicle. Furthermore, a large cost was needed for developing a special material of shock-relieving properties, which resulted in a problem that the cost of the cover
61
itself increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problems in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shock-absorbing structure of a battery cover which can easily and positively absorb and relieve an external impact at low costs, and prevents the projecting of battery electrodes from the cover, and will not adversely affect the parts inside the cover.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shock-absorbing structure of a battery cover, which comprises a battery cover which protects at least one battery, and a plurality of shock-absorbing ribs formed on an outer surface of the battery cover.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the plurality of ribs on the cover are crushed at the time of a vehicle collision, so that an impact is absorbed, and the breakage of the cover except the ribs is prevented. Therefore, the electrodes of the batteries, the bus bars, the terminals and so on within the cover are protected from the external force or impact. Particularly, the externally-threaded-type electrodes of the batteries will not break through the cover, and therefore the short-circuiting of the batteries is avoided. And besides, the plurality of ribs are provided instead of increasing the wall thickness of the cover as in the structure of the related art, and therefore the cover has a lightweight design, and the resin molding of the cover is easy, and the cover is produced at low costs.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of ribs are arranged parallel to each other.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of ribs are arranged parallel to one another, and therefore an impact is absorbed efficiently, and the transmission of the impact to the parts within the cover is suppressed more effectively.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of ribs are crossed in a lattice-like manner.
In accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, an impact, applied in every direction (for example, an impact applied obliquely to the rib), can be efficiently absorbed, and the parts within the cover is more positively protected.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the shock-absorbing structure may further comprise at least one fixing member engaged with an electrode of the at least one battery, and at least one projection which is formed on an inner surface of the battery cover and can abut against the at least one fixing member.
In accordance with the fourth aspect of the present invention, at the time of a vehicle collision, the projection on the cover abuts against the fixing member, mounted on the electrode, and is deformed, that is, bent or crushed, thereby absorbing an impact, so that the electrode is prevented from breaking through the cover. The projections are provided instead of increasing the wall thickness of the cover as in the structure of the related art, and therefore the cover has a lightweight design, and the resin molding of the cover is easy, and the cover is produced at low costs.
Moreover, at the time of a vehicle collision, an impact is more positively absorbed by the synergetic effect of the ribs and the projection, and therefore the protection of the parts within the cover is achieved more positively. The ribs and the projections are formed on the cover, and therefore the cover has a lightweight design as compared with the structure of the related art in which the cover has an increased wall thickness. And besides, the molding of the cover is easy, and the cost of the cover is produced at low costs.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the at least one projection has an annular shape to form a hollow portion therein, and a distal end portion of the electrode is received in the hollow portion of the at least one projection.
In accorda
Ikeda Tomohiro
Saito Satoshi
Dove Tracy
Ryan Patrick
Yazaki -Corporation
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