Battery assembly manufacturing method

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a battery assembly provided by the present invention includes a step of measuring a stacking direction length of a stacked body including a predetermined number of unit cells ( 12 ) constituting a battery assembly ( 10 ) and arranged in the stacking direction; and a step of bundling a body ( 20 ) to be bundled that includes the stacked body. Here, the body to be bundled is provided with length adjusting means ( 40 ) for converging a spread in stacking direction length. The bundling step is implemented by setting the length adjusting means according to the stacking direction length of the stacked body, so that a length of the battery assembly in the stacking direction is a stipulated length (LT) and a bundling pressure of the body to be bundled is a stipulated pressure.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A method for manufacturing a battery assembly in which a predetermined number of unit cells are arranged with a constant stacking pitch in a stacking direction, comprising the steps of:
 constructing a plurality of unit cells of the same shape, each unit cell including an electrode body in which a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet are laminated together with a separator sheet, a container that accommodates the electrode body and an electrolyte, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that are electrically connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode and are disposed outside the container;   forming a body to be bundled that includes the predetermined number of unit cells arranged in the stacking direction; and   bundling the body to be bundled so that a length of the battery assembly in the stacking direction is a stipulated length LT and a bundling pressure of the body to be bundled is a stipulated pressure P, wherein   the step of constructing the plurality of unit cells includes a processing in which a lamination direction thickness of an electrode body of a standard configuration that is predicted from the sheet thickness of the positive electrode sheet, negative electrode sheet, and separator sheet to be used to form the electrode body is compared with a stipulated electrode body thickness E, and the electrode body is formed to match the stipulated electrode body thickness E by increasing or decreasing the amount of the separator sheet used with respect to the standard configuration.   
     
     
         15 . The battery assembly manufacturing method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the electrode body is a wound electrode body in which the laminated sheets are wound;   the electrode body of the standard configuration has a configuration in which only the separator sheet is extra wound at the winding end of the electrode body; and   the electrode body is formed to match the stipulated electrode body thickness E by increasing or decreasing the number of winding turns of the separator sheet at the winding end.   
     
     
         16 . The battery assembly manufacturing method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the electrode body is formed by selecting one, or two or more of positive electrode sheets, negative electrode sheets, and separator sheets to be used to form the electrode bodies from a plurality of positive electrode sheets, a plurality of negative electrode sheets, and a plurality of separator sheets that have been classified into a plurality of thickness ranks based on the sheet thickness, and by using the selected positive electrode sheets, negative electrode sheets, and separator sheets; and   the sheets to be used to form the electrode bodies are selected from one, or two or more thickness ranks from among the plurality of thickness ranks, so that the sum total of representative values of the thickness ranks to which these sheets belong is a stipulated thickness ST.   
     
     
         17 . The battery assembly manufacturing method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the body to be bundled is formed by:   measuring the stacking direction thickness for each of the plurality of unit cells;   classifying the plurality of unit cells into a plurality of thickness ranks with mutually different thickness ranges based on the stacking direction thickness; and   selecting a predetermined number of unit cells from one, or two or more thickness ranks from among the plurality of thickness ranks so that a sum total of representative values of thickness ranks to which the unit cells belong is a stipulated length RT,   the body to be bundled including the selected unit cells arranged in the stacking direction.   
     
     
         18 . The battery assembly manufacturing method according to  claim 14 , further comprising
 a step of measuring a stacking direction length L 1  of the stacked body, wherein   the body to be bundled includes length adjusting means for converging a spread in stacking direction length L 1 , and the bundling step is implemented by setting the length adjusting means according to the stacking direction length L 1 .   
     
     
         19 . A battery assembly in which a predetermined number of unit cells are arranged with a constant stacking pitch in a stacking direction, each unit cell including an electrode body in which a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet are laminated together with a separator sheet, a container that accommodates the electrode body and an electrolyte, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that are electrically connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode and are disposed outside the container, wherein
 a body to be bundled that includes the predetermined number of unit cells arranged in the stacking direction is bundled so that a length of the battery assembly in the stacking direction is a stipulated length LT and a bundling pressure of the body to be bundled is a stipulated pressure P; and   the electrode body is formed to match a stipulated electrode body thickness E by comparing a lamination direction thickness of an electrode body of a standard configuration that is predicted from the sheet thickness of the positive electrode sheet, negative electrode sheet, and separator sheet to be used to form the electrode body, with the stipulated electrode body thickness E, and by increasing or decreasing the amount of the separator sheet used with respect to the standard configuration.   
     
     
         20 . The battery assembly according to  claim 19 , wherein
 the electrode body is a wound electrode body in which the laminated sheets are wound;   the electrode body of the standard configuration has a configuration in which only the separator sheet is extra wound at the winding end of the electrode body; and   the electrode body is formed to match the stipulated electrode body thickness E by increasing or decreasing the number of winding turns of the separator sheet at the winding end.   
     
     
         21 . The battery assembly according to  claim 19 , wherein
 a plurality of unit cells of the same shape are bundled;   the plurality of unit cells are electrically connected to each other by successively connecting a positive electrode terminal of one of adjacent unit cells to a negative electrode terminal of the other of the adjacent unit cells with a connection tool; and   a distance between the positive and negative electrode terminals of any two unit cells connected by the connection tool is made constant by making uniform a thickness of bodies accommodated inside the unit cells, and connection tools of the same predetermined shape are thus used as the connection tools.   
     
     
         22 . The battery assembly according to  claim 21 , wherein
 the electrode body is a wound electrode body in which the laminated sheets are wound, and has a configuration in which only the separator sheet is extra wound at the winding end of the wound electrode body; and   a distance between the positive and negative electrode terminals of any two unit cells connected by the connection tool is made constant by increasing or decreasing the number of winding turns of the separator sheet at the winding end in each unit cell.   
     
     
         23 . A vehicle provided with the battery assembly according to  claim 19 .