JP2000067934A - Battery cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate eccentric operation of a battery cooling device in cooling battery modules. SOLUTION: This battery cooling device 20 includes a supply chamber 22 to which a coolant 21 is supplied and cools battery modules 24 by feeding the coolant to passages 26 provided between battery modules 24 and allowing to pass through. Guide collars 30 are formed at the inlet ends of the passages 26 consolidatedly so that the coolant 21 in the supply chamber 22 is led into the passages 26 along the guide collars 30. This allows correcting the shape of the inlet ends of the passages, which is in acute angle according to the conventional arrangement, and leading the coolant 21 to the passages is made in such a way as sliding along the guide collars 30, and it is possible to eliminate eccentric operation in cooling the battery module 24 generated conventionally owing to stagnation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery cooling device for cooling each battery module in an assembled battery in which a plurality of battery modules are assembled.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Secondary batteries (batteries) such as nickel-hydrogen batteries are widely used as energy sources because they are rechargeable and can be used repeatedly as a power source. In particular, for an electric vehicle or the like that requires high energy for driving, an assembled battery configured by assembling a plurality of battery modules in which the secondary batteries are stacked is used.

[0003] Since this battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules, it can supply high energy, but has a problem that the battery cells in each battery module are likely to be heated to a high temperature due to heat generated during charging and discharging. In the case of a battery pack, heat is particularly likely to be trapped inside, and the temperature tends to rise significantly. The battery cell exposed to such a high temperature affects the subsequent charge / discharge efficiency, and the energy efficiency is reduced.

[0004] In order to solve such a problem, a device for cooling a battery in an assembled battery has been developed and used. FIG. 4 shows a conventional battery cooling device.

The conventional battery cooling device 1 includes a supply chamber 2 into which cooling air is sent by a fan 4 or the like.
The supply chamber 2 is provided with an inlet end 8 a of a cooling air passage 8 for sending and passing the cooling air in the chamber 2 between the battery modules 6. At the outlet end of the cooling air passage 8, an exhaust chamber 10 for exhausting the air exhausted from this passage is provided. In this way, by actively passing cooling air or the like between the battery modules in the battery pack, heat that tends to stay inside is released, and the charge / discharge efficiency of the battery is maintained.

[0006]

However, the conventional battery cooling system has a problem that the cooling air passages are stagnated and the entire battery module cannot be efficiently cooled. That is, the cooling air sent to the supply chamber is sent to the cooling air passage,
Since the shape of the edge of the inlet end of the cooling passage is usually acute as shown in FIG. 5, the cooling air sent from the supply chamber collides with the edge 12 to form a stagnation space 14 through which the cooling air does not pass. Will be done. This stagnation space 1
Even if cooling air is sent to the space 4, the air stays, and efficient cooling is hindered in the portion of the battery module facing the space 14.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to allow a cooling medium, such as cooling air, to pass along the entire surface of a cooling medium passage to efficiently radiate heat from a battery module. It is.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a battery cooling device according to the present invention comprises: a chamber to which a cooling medium for cooling a plurality of battery modules in an assembled battery is supplied; A cooling medium passage having an end connected thereto and for sending a cooling medium in the chamber between the battery modules, wherein a guide collar protruding into the chamber is provided at an inlet end of the cooling medium passage. The cooling medium in the chamber is guided into the cooling medium passage by the guide collar.

According to the above configuration, the shape of the inlet of the cooling medium passage, which has been conventionally formed at an acute angle, is corrected, and the cooling medium is caused to slide along the guide collar provided at the inlet. The cooling medium can be guided to pass along the entire surface of the cooling medium passage. As a result,
This prevents the occurrence of stagnation that has occurred in the conventional passage, eliminates bias in cooling the battery module, and efficiently cools the entire battery module. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the charge / discharge efficiency of the battery.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a battery cooling device according to a first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a battery cooling device 20 of the present embodiment includes a supply chamber 22 to which a cooling medium 21 is supplied, and a cooling medium passage for sending the cooling medium in the supply chamber 22 between battery modules 24. 26, and a discharge chamber 28 for discharging the medium passing through the passage 26 are provided. Hereinafter, each of these components will be described in detail.

As the cooling medium 21 fed into the supply chamber 22, any of a gas and a liquid can be used as long as the cooling medium can cool the battery module. In the case where not only gas but also liquid is provided with a sharp edge as in the related art as the shape of the inlet end of the cooling medium passage,
A stagnation space is formed in which liquid cannot easily pass. for that reason,
The battery cooling device of the present embodiment can improve the cooling efficiency of the battery module as compared with the related art even when a liquid is used as the cooling medium.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a cooling medium 21 is supplied to the supply port 22a of the supply chamber 22.
A feed device can be installed which feeds into and creates a flow of cooling medium. For example, as this supply device,
When the cooling medium 21 is a gas such as cooling air, a fan or the like can be employed, and when the cooling medium 21 is a liquid such as cooling water, a pump or the like can be employed.

The cooling medium passage 26 is provided between the battery modules along the battery modules. For example, FIG. 1 shows a box-shaped battery module, but the passage 26 in this case is formed in a rectangular cross section along each battery module. Although not shown in the drawings, when a cylindrical battery module is used, a gap formed when the cylindrical modules are arranged serves as a passage.

The cooling medium passage 26 has an inlet end connected to the supply chamber 22 and a guide collar 30 connected to the inlet end.
Are integrally configured. The guide collar 30 protrudes into the supply chamber 22 and guides the cooling medium 21 into the cooling medium passage so as to slide. Therefore, the shape of the guide collar 30 is not limited to, for example, a bell-mouth shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and any shape can be adopted as long as this shape can be achieved. .

It is preferable that the color piece 30a on the side of the guide collar 30 which receives the cooling medium is protruded into the supply chamber 22 as the distance from the supply port 22a increases. Since the pressure of the cooling medium 21 decreases as the distance from the supply port 22a increases, the dynamic pressure of the cooling medium can be increased by projecting the guide collar 30 as the distance from the supply port 22a increases. That is, by compensating the loss of the pressure of the cooling medium by the dynamic pressure, the flow of the cooling medium in each cooling medium passage 26 is made uniform regardless of the distance from the supply port 22a, and the cooling efficiency of the battery module 24 is made uniform. Can be kept.

The discharge chamber 28 connected to the outlet end of the cooling medium passage 26 receives the medium that has passed through the cooling medium passage 26 and has absorbed heat, and exhausts the discharged medium through the discharge port 28a. Although the discharge chamber 28 is shown in FIG. 1 as a rectangular parallelepiped box, a slope may be formed toward the discharge port 28a in order to enhance the medium discharge efficiency.
The outlet 28a may be wide. Further, an exhaust chamber may be provided individually for each cooling medium passage 26.

Next, the operation of the battery cooling device 20 configured as described above will be described.

The cooling medium 21 is fed from a supply port 22 a and supplied into the supply chamber 22. The cooling medium 21 supplied here is sent into the cooling medium passage 26 along the guide collar 30. In the cooling medium passage 26, the cooling medium flows without forming a stagnation space as in the related art, and during this time, the heat of the battery module 24 is absorbed and cooled. Medium 21 that has absorbed heat of battery module 24
Is discharged from the outlet end of the cooling medium passage 26 into the discharge chamber 28 and discharged from the discharge port 28a.

As described above, according to the battery cooling device of the present embodiment, since the flow of the cooling medium is formed along the cooling medium passage without forming the stagnation space as in the related art, the side surface of the battery module is formed. It becomes possible to cool uniformly.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a battery cooling device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The battery cooling device of the second embodiment further includes a temperature sensor 32 for monitoring the temperature of the battery in addition to the device of the first embodiment.

The temperature sensor is usually connected to the control unit of the battery cooling device so that the temperature of the battery module does not become high. When the temperature sensor detects a rise in temperature of the battery module, the battery cooling device is started via the control unit. . Conversely, when the temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the battery module has become equal to or lower than a certain value, the battery cooling device is stopped via the control unit. As described above, the temperature sensor plays an important role in instructing the operation and stop of the battery cooling device, and thus it is preferable that the temperature measurement by the temperature sensor be as accurate as possible. For this reason, conventionally, the temperature sensor has been installed in a measurement hole formed at the end of the battery module on the discharge chamber side so as not to directly contact the flow of the cooling medium.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the supply chamber side end 34 of the battery module 24 is directly blocked from contact with the flow of the cooling medium by the guide collar 30. Therefore, by installing the temperature sensor 32 at the supply chamber side end portion 34 without forming a measurement hole or the like in the battery module as in the related art,
As in the conventional case, the temperature of the battery module 24 can be accurately measured.

That is, the guide collar 30 in the present embodiment allows the cooling medium to be smoothly guided to the cooling medium passage 26 as described above, and at the same time, the temperature sensor 32
It has a role as a blocking member that blocks direct contact of the flow of the cooling medium with the cooling medium. Therefore, by providing the guide collar 30 in this manner, it is possible to eliminate the step of forming a hole for temperature measurement for installing the temperature sensor 32 in the battery module in the conventional manufacturing process. Also contributes to simplification.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the battery module in the assembled battery can be efficiently cooled, and the charge / discharge efficiency of the battery can be maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of a battery cooling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a cooling medium near an inlet end of a cooling medium passage in the battery cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view near a temperature sensor installation position in the battery cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a conventional battery cooling device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of cooling air near an inlet end of a cooling medium passage in a conventional battery cooling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 20 battery cooling device, 21 cooling medium, 22 supply chamber, 24 battery module, 26 cooling medium passage, 28 discharge chamber, 30 guide collar, 32
Temperature sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A chamber to which a cooling medium for cooling a plurality of battery modules in the battery pack is supplied;
A cooling medium passage having an inlet end connected to the chamber and feeding a cooling medium of the chamber between the battery modules, wherein the cooling medium passage has an inlet end protruding into the chamber. A cooling medium in a chamber is guided into the cooling medium passage by the guide collar.