Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Current producing cell – elements – subcombinations and... – Cell enclosure structure – e.g. – housing – casing – container,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2001-03-06
Kalafut, Stephen (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Current producing cell, elements, subcombinations and...
Cell enclosure structure, e.g., housing, casing, container,...
C429S175000, C429S148000, C429S149000, C429S153000, C429S154000, C429S160000, C429S161000, C429S167000, C429S177000, C429S186000, C429S142000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197446
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sealed secondary battery assembly employed for nickel-hydrogen secondary batteries or the like constituting the drive power source for an electric vehicle.
2. Background Art
Sealed secondary battery assemblies of this type are previously known and are disclosed in Laid-Open Japanese Patent Publication No.7-85847. This prior art example has a construction as shown in FIG.
16
. Specifically, electricity generating elements are accommodated in battery cases
36
made of resin formed in rectangular tubular shape having a bottom, the apertures of these battery cases
36
are sealed by covers
37
made of resin to constitute cells
32
, a plurality of which are arranged in series, the battery cases
36
of these cells
32
being connected in tightly restrained condition by means of end plates
35
and restraining straps
34
. Also, pillar-shaped positive electrode terminals
38
and negative electrode terminals
39
of the cells
32
penetrate through covers
37
and project above them, these terminals
38
and
39
being electrically connected by means of an electrical connection bar
40
.
Positive electrode terminal
38
and negative electrode terminal
39
must be mounted on cover
37
in a condition in which sealing is guaranteed. A known mounting construction is shown in FIG.
17
. These terminals
38
and
39
are referred to as terminal post
41
. This terminal post
41
comprises: a pillar body
43
that passes through a hole
42
provided in the upper wall of cover
37
, a flange
45
that makes pressure contact through an O-ring
44
with the undersurface of the upper wall of cover
37
, and a threaded part
47
for fixing an electrical connection bar
40
by securing a nut
46
by screwing nut
46
on to the top of pillar body
43
. Terminal post
41
is mounted on cover
37
by means of an annular compression spring
48
.
However, if a construction as in the prior art example is adopted in which the positive electrode and negative electrode terminals
38
and
39
i.e. terminal posts
41
project above cover
37
, these being electrically connected by an electrical connection bar
40
, the height of the secondary battery is increased by the amount that terminal posts
41
project above cover
37
, which is contrary to demands for compactness. Also, sealing must be effected separately between terminal post
41
and cover
37
, and if the sealing is insufficient there is the problem that liquid or gas can directly leak to the outside. Another problem was that the current path: terminal post
41
, electrical connection bar
40
, terminal post
41
was long.
A further problem was that, since, as shown in
FIG. 17
, the electrical connection construction and the terminal post mounting construction were complicated, the number of components was large, resulting in high costs.
The fact that the electrical connection construction and terminal post mounting construction are complicated i.e. that their sealing structure is itself complicated means that sealing strength is difficult to ensure. Needless to say, in order to achieve high sealing performance, the construction of the locations that require sealing should preferably be simple.
An object of the present invention is to solve the problems described above and to provide a sealed secondary battery assembly of excellent sealing construction around the electrical connection elements.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a sealed secondary battery assembly in which electricity-generating elements are accommodated in cases made of resin formed in rectangular tubular shape having a bottom, a plurality of cells constituted by sealing apertures of the cases by covers made of resin are arranged in series, these cells being electrically connected by electrical connection elements, characterized in that the cases of the individual cells are integrally coupled and the covers of the individual cells are constituted by a unitary cover, support elements made of resin in which are fixed electrical connection elements are joined to support element mounting passage sections provided on partition sections that define the space for the cells, said electrical connection elements being thereby arranged so as to pass through said partition sections.
With the above construction, since an internally connected structure is constituted by the electrical connection elements passing through the partition sections that partition the individual cells, the height of the battery can be made lower than in the case of the prior art, enabling the secondary battery to be made more compact. Furthermore, owing to the adoption of the internally connected construction, a sealing structure between these and the covers is unnecessary, unlike in the prior art example. Furthermore, this is advantageous in point of view of safety in that even if sealing were to be insufficient around the electrical connection elements, leakage of liquid or direct discharge of gas to the outside cannot occur.
Also, with the above construction, since the electrical connection elements are arranged so as to pass through the partition sections by joining the resin support elements in which the electrical connection elements are fixed to support element mounting passage sections provided in said partition sections, the sealing between the electrical connection elements and support elements can be performed independently at the outside. As a result, sealing around the electrical connection elements can be performed in a reliable manner. Also, the sealing between the support elements and the partition sections can easily be performed in a reliable manner, since both of these are constituted of resin, thereby enabling a sealed secondary battery assembly to be provided which has an excellent sealing structure around the electrical connection elements. Also, since the electrical connection elements can be connected by a current path of shortest distance between the individual cells, the resistance between the individual cells can be reduced. Also, since most of the sealing structure: terminal post, nut, electrical connection bar and annular compression spring which was necessary in the prior art example can be dispensed with, reduction in costs can be achieved. Since the construction is simpler and more convenient than in the prior art example, better sealing characteristics can be achieved.
In the present invention, a construction may be adopted wherein the cases of the individual cells are separately manufactured, and these are restrained using end plates and restraining straps, thereby coupling these cases in unitary fashion. Also, a unitary case could be produced by joining these cases. Alternatively, a unitary case could be produced consisting of a unitary molding. Also, the unitary cover could be constructed by manufacturing covers for the individual cells separately, and joining up these covers. However, from the point of view of ease of manufacture (since a unitary cover is of small thickness, even though it has a large area, it is well suited to a unitary resin molding), strength, and rigidity, construction in the form of a unitary molding is ideal.
According to the invention, if a construction is adopted wherein a support element mounting passage section is constituted by forming a recess in the upper side of the partition sections of the unitary case, the support element being formed in a shape that fits into this recess, so that the two are joined in a condition with the support element fitted into the support element mounting passage unit, the two may be joined up in a manner requiring little labor using means such as welding or adhesion by fitting the support body in which the electrical connection element is fixed from above into the recess (support element mounting passage section) provided in the upper side of the partition section. If the cases of the individual cells are manufactured separately and these cases are either coupled by restraining or join
Fukuda Shinsuke
Iwamura Rye
Sato Kenji
Takaki Mitsugu
Yokoyama Toshinobu
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Kalafut Stephen
Martin Angela J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
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