Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Cell or battery charger structure – For battery pack
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-24
2002-12-03
Toatley, Jr., Gregory J. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Cell or battery charger structure
For battery pack
Reexamination Certificate
active
06489747
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery power supply in which its battery modules can easily be attached to the battery case.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a known battery power supply which is used as a motor driving power supply for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. This battery power supply comprises multiple battery modules each of which has a line of cells electrically and mechanically connected together in series and which are housed in a battery case and are electrically connected in series to provide the necessary voltage and current.
With regard to such prior art, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 10-270006 discloses a technique of designing terminals at both ends of each battery module to have polygonal shapes with different numbers of polygons or forming recessed terminal receiving portions with the same shapes in which the terminals are fitted, thereby preventing misattachment of the positive and negative terminals at the time of attaching the battery modules to the battery case.
According to the prior art, the positive terminal of each battery module has a square shape and the negative terminal has a regular hexagonal shape. Even with one terminal fitted into the recessed terminal receiving portion of the associated end plate, therefore, the other terminal may not be fitted in the recessed terminal receiving portion of the associated end plate.
Specifically, as the positive terminal has a square shape, the angle of fitting becomes 90°, whereas the negative terminal has a hexagonal shape so that the fitting angle becomes 60°. Therefore, the position where both terminals can be fitted at the same time is limited to once every 180° and necessitates that both terminals should be fitted at the time of attaching the battery modules to the battery case while checking the rotational angles of the terminals. This makes the assembling work troublesome, thus leading to a poor working efficiency, and makes the automation of the assembling work difficult to achieve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery power supply which facilitates the attachment of the battery modules to the battery case without misattachment of both terminals of each battery module, reduces the number of assembling steps and ensures an easier automation of the assembling work.
To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of this invention, there is provided A battery power supply comprising battery modules each having a plurality of cells electrically and mechanically connected together in a line; a battery case for holding the battery modules; end plates, respectively provided at both end portions of the battery case, for electrically connecting positive and negative terminals provided at both ends of each of the battery modules, the positive and negative terminals having same or similar shapes; and terminal receiving portions which are provided at the end plates and in which the positive and negative terminals at the both ends of each of the battery modules are fitted.
According to the battery power supply of the first aspect of this invention, the positive and negative terminals of each of the battery modules may have circular shapes.
According to the battery power supply of the first aspect of this invention, the positive and negative terminals of each of the battery modules may have regular polygonal shapes.
According to any of the above-described battery power supplies, a guide face for guiding at least one of the positive and negative terminals of each of the battery modules may be formed at an insertion mouth of the associated terminal receiving portion.
According to the second aspect of this invention, there is provided a battery power supply comprising battery modules each having a plurality of cells electrically and mechanically connected together in a line; a battery case for holding the battery modules; end plates, respectively provided at both end portions of the battery case, for electrically connecting positive and negative terminals provided at both ends of each of the battery modules, the positive and negative terminals having similar shapes; and terminal receiving portions, provided at the end plates, for receiving the positive and negative terminals of each of the battery modules, the terminal receiving portions having shapes matched with that of a larger one of the positive and negative terminals.
According to the battery power supply of the second aspect of this invention, a guide face for guiding at least one of the positive and negative terminals of each of the battery modules may be formed at an insertion mouth of the associated terminal receiving portion.
In any of the battery power supplies associated with the first aspect of this invention, screw holes of different diameters are formed in end faces of the positive and negative terminals provided at the both ends of each of the battery modules; and insertion holes matched with the screw holes are bored in the terminal receiving portions on which the end faces of the positive and negative terminals abut. In this case, the positive and negative terminals of each of the battery modules have similar shapes; that one of the screw holes which has a larger diameter is formed in the end face of that one of the positive and negative terminals which has a smaller shape; and the other screw hole which has a smaller diameter is formed in the end face of the other one of the positive and negative terminals which has a larger shape.
In any of the battery power supplies associated with the second aspect of this invention, screw holes of different diameters may be formed in end faces of the positive and negative terminals provided at the both ends of each of the battery modules; and insertion holes matched with the screw holes are bored in the terminal receiving portions on which the end faces of the positive and negative terminals abut. In this case, that one of the screw holes which has a larger diameter is formed in the end face of that one of the positive and negative terminals which has a smaller shape; and the other screw hole which has a smaller diameter is formed in the end face of the other one of the positive and negative terminals which has a larger shape.
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Farber Martin A.
Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Tibbits Pia
Toatley , Jr. Gregory J.
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