JP2003007355A - Cooling structure of secondary battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling structure of a secondary battery, and to provide the cooling structure of the secondary battery in which cooling efficiency is improved to increase discharging and charging efficiency. SOLUTION: A secondary battery comprises a plurality of battery modules 21 arranged in parallel, in which a plurality of unit cell having a cubic battery jar made of resin is placed in parallel and the battery jars are integrated to make the battery module 21. A member for cooling 23 is inserted between adjacent battery jars 22 of the battery modules 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a secondary battery cooling structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to a secondary battery cooling structure with improved cooling performance in a secondary battery used as a power source for a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, exhaust gas from automobiles has become a problem due to environmental problems. Therefore, hybrid automobiles and electric automobiles with low exhaust gas have been developed. This hybrid vehicle has two types of power sources, a gasoline engine and an electric motor, and the electric vehicle drives the electric motor with a fuel cell and a secondary battery. The former uses a gasoline engine and an electric motor properly according to the driving situation, and it is possible to supplement the areas of weakness while utilizing the advantages of each, so that smooth and responsive power performance can be obtained, fuel consumption and exhaust gas Can be significantly suppressed. In the latter case, unlike the ion exchange membrane hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell, no harmful exhaust gas is emitted and the environment is not adversely affected.

FIG. 7 shows an example of such a secondary battery used in such a hybrid vehicle or electric vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the secondary battery 10 has a plurality of unit batteries arranged in series and integrated to form a battery module 11, which is further increased in power.
This is a collective type secondary battery in which a plurality of No. 1 batteries are arranged in parallel and housed in a case (not shown). The battery case 13 of the battery module 11 is configured such that a plurality of unit battery cases 13a are arranged in series and integrated as shown in FIG. In a secondary battery used in such a hybrid vehicle, heat is generated when a large amount of electric power is output. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
A cooling medium passage 12 is provided between them, and a cooling medium is caused to flow through the passage 12 to forcibly cool each battery module 11.

[0004]

In the conventional secondary battery described above, the battery case 13 of the battery module 11 is required to have electrical insulation and chemical resistance to the electrolyte, and a plurality of rectangular cylindrical shapes are arranged. In order to form an integrated battery case, a molding method such as injection molding is required. Therefore, the battery case is made of resin.

However, since the resin has low thermal conductivity, even if the side surface of the battery case 13 is forcibly cooled by the cooling medium, the secondary battery is charged at high load and discharge or by using a high voltage power source. In this case, the heat generated by the power generation unit cannot be sufficiently cooled, and the temperature rises, resulting in a problem that the charge / discharge efficiency deteriorates.

In view of the above problems of the prior art, the present invention realizes a secondary battery cooling structure with good cooling efficiency in order to increase the charging / discharging efficiency of the secondary battery used in a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle or the like. The purpose is to

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a cooling structure for a secondary battery according to claim 1 of the present invention is such that a plurality of unit batteries having a cubic battery case made of resin are arranged in series. The battery case is integrated to form the battery module 21,
In a secondary battery 20 formed by arranging a plurality of the battery modules 21 in parallel, a cooling member 23 is inserted and arranged between battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of unit cells each having a resin-made cubic battery case are arranged in series to integrate the battery cells into a battery module 21. In the secondary batteries 20 arranged in parallel, the cooling member 2 composed of the corrugated metal plate 24 between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21.
3 is inserted and arranged.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of unit cells each having a resin-made cubic battery case are arranged in series to integrate the battery cells to form a battery module 21. In the secondary batteries 20 arranged in parallel, cooling is performed by joining flat metal plates 26, 26 'to both surfaces of a metal plate 25 bent in a corrugated shape between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21. It is characterized in that the working member 23 is inserted and arranged.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of unit batteries having a resin-made cubic battery case are arranged in series to integrate the battery cells into a battery module 21, and a plurality of the battery modules 21 are provided. In the secondary batteries 20 arranged in parallel, a large number of through holes 27 parallel to the plane of the metal plate 28 are formed in the metal plate 28 having a predetermined thickness between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21. The cooling member 23 is inserted and arranged.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case are arranged in series to integrate the battery cells into a battery module 21, and a plurality of the battery modules 21 are provided. In the secondary batteries 20 arranged in parallel, two metal plates 30 each having a plurality of land-shaped protrusions 29 or embossed protrusions 31 aligned between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21. The cooling member 2 in which the protrusions 29 or 31 are joined to face each other.
3 is inserted and arranged.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case are arranged in series to integrate the battery cells into a battery module 21, and a plurality of battery modules 21 are provided. In the secondary batteries 20 arranged in parallel, the walls of the adjacent unit cells of the battery case 22 of the battery module 21 are formed by the metal plate 33, and the metal plate 33 is used as the battery case 2.
2 is extended to the outside, and the extended portion is a cooling portion 33a for cooling with a refrigerant.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the cooling portion 33a of the metal plate 33 is bent in a zigzag shape. Further, the eighth aspect is characterized in that a resin film 35 is attached to both surfaces of the metal plate 33.

By adopting this configuration, it is possible to realize a cooling structure for a secondary battery with good cooling efficiency.

[0015]

1 is a view for explaining a first embodiment of a cooling structure for a secondary battery of the present invention,
(A) is an external perspective view, (b) is a partial cross-sectional view,
(C) is a partially enlarged sectional view of the cooling member. As shown in FIG. 4A, the secondary battery 20 in the present embodiment is a battery module 21 in which a plurality of unit batteries are arranged in series and the hollow cubic resin container is integrally formed.
It is the same as the conventional example described in FIG. 7 in that a plurality of these are arranged in parallel and housed in a case not shown. A feature of this embodiment is that a cooling member 23 is inserted and arranged between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21 as shown in FIG. 1 (b).

As shown in FIG. 1 (c), the cooling member 23 is formed in a corrugated plate shape using a metal plate 24, and the material of the metal corrugated plate 24 is made of a material that is more heat-resistant than resin. Although iron or copper having good conductivity may be used, an aluminum (A7072) plate having a plate thickness of about 0.16 mm is preferable in terms of weight reduction and heat conduction. Further, the battery case 22 is made of a resin such as polypropylene or a polymer of polypropylene in order to obtain chemical resistance and electric insulation, and is formed in a hollow cubic shape, and its wall thickness is 1 to 1.5 mm. It is a degree. The cooling member 23 and the battery case 22 may be simply brought into contact with each other, but in order to improve heat conduction, they may be adhesively fixed with an adhesive or a double-sided tape having good heat conductivity.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, by sending a refrigerant (for example, air) from below the secondary battery 20, the refrigerant passes through the space of the metal corrugated plate 24, which is the cooling member 23, and is cooled. The member 23 can be cooled and the battery module 21 can be cooled. At this time, since the cooling member 23 is formed of a metal having good heat conductivity, efficient cooling can be performed.

FIG. 2 shows a second cooling structure for a secondary battery according to the present invention.
2A is a diagram for explaining the embodiment of FIG. 3, FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a partial cross section of a battery module, and FIG. In the present embodiment, the battery case 22 of the battery module 21 is the same as that in the previous embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The cooling member 23 is inserted and arranged between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21. And the cooling member 23
As shown in FIG. 3B, the metal corrugated plate 25 formed in a corrugated shape by a metal plate is sandwiched between two thin metal flat plates 26 and 26 '.

The metal corrugated plate 25 has a plate thickness of 0.16 mm.
Aluminum (A7072) having a thickness of about 0.4 mm is used, and aluminum plates (A3004) having a thickness of about 0.4 mm are used as the metal flat plates 26 and 26 'on both sides. The metal corrugated plate 25 and the metal flat plates 26, 26 'and the metal flat plates 26, 26' and the battery case 22 may be simply brought into contact with each other. It may be adhesively fixed with a good adhesive or double-sided tape. In this embodiment configured as described above, since the refrigerant can pass through the space of the metal corrugated plate 25 that is the cooling member 23, the battery can be connected via the cooling member 23 similarly to the first embodiment. The module 21 can be cooled. The aluminum can be appropriately selected according to the conditions of use, and
It is not limited to 072 and A3004.

FIG. 3 shows a cooling structure for a secondary battery according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a diagram for explaining the embodiment of FIG. 3, FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a partial cross section of a battery module, and FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a cooling member. In the present embodiment, the battery case 22 of the battery module 21 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted. In the present embodiment, a cooling member 23 is inserted and arranged between battery cases 22 of adjacent battery modules 21 as shown in FIG. The cooling member 23 is a metal plate 28 made of an aluminum extruded material having a predetermined thickness in which a large number of through holes 27 that serve as passages for a cooling medium are formed in parallel with each other as shown in FIG. . In this embodiment configured as described above, the refrigerant is the cooling member 2
The battery module can be cooled by passing the coolant through the through hole 27 of No. 3.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth cooling structure for a secondary battery according to the present invention.
4A and 4B are views for explaining the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6A is a view showing a partial cross section of a battery module, and FIGS. 6B and 6C are views showing a metal plate of a cooling member. In the present embodiment, the battery case 22 of the battery module 21 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted. In this embodiment,
As shown in (b), two metal plates 30 having land-shaped protrusions 29 are stacked so that the protrusions 29 are in contact with each other, and inserted between adjacent battery cases 22 as shown in (a). It is arranged. Instead of the land-shaped protrusion 29, an embossed protrusion 31 may be used as shown in FIG.
The metal plate 30 may be made of iron, copper, aluminum or the like.

The present embodiment formed in this way has 2
The battery module can be cooled by passing a cooling medium through the space formed by the protrusions 29 or 31 of the metal plate 30.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of the cooling structure for a secondary battery according to the present invention.
3A and 3B are views for explaining the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a battery module assembly, and FIGS. 3B and 3C are partial cross-sectional views of the battery module. In the present embodiment, the battery case 22 of the battery module 21 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted. In this embodiment, as shown in (b), the wall between the battery cases 22 of the adjacent battery modules 21 is a metal plate 33 which also serves as a cooling member, and the metal plate 33 is provided outside the battery case 22. It was overhanging. FIG. 6B shows a state in which the metal plate 33 is projected to the lower part of the battery case 22. The metal plate 33 may be iron or copper as long as it is a metal that is not corroded by the electrolytic solution of the battery, but aluminum, which is cheaper than copper and has a higher thermal conductivity than iron, is preferable. The metal plate 33 is integrally formed with the battery case 22 by insert molding when the battery case 22 is injection-molded with resin.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, the battery module 2 is constructed by cooling the portion of the metal plate 33, which also functions as a cooling member, protruding from the battery case 22 with a coolant.
1 can be cooled. In addition, the portion where the metal plate 33 projects from the battery module 21 is changed as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to fold it into a zigzag shape 34 to reduce the size.

FIG. 6 shows a sixth embodiment of the secondary battery cooling structure of the present invention.
It is a figure for explaining the embodiment of. The figure is a view showing a partial cross section of the battery module. This embodiment is almost the same as the fifth embodiment, except that a resin film 35 resistant to the electrolytic solution is formed on both surfaces of the wall of the battery case 22 and the metal plate 33 which also serves as the cooling member 23. It is pasted.

The present embodiment thus constituted has the same operation and effect as those of the previous embodiment, and the metal plate 33 is used.
In addition, a metal weak against the electrolytic solution can be used. Further, when the battery case 22 is formed, it is possible to prevent interface separation and deformation due to resin contraction.

As a representative of the embodiment described above, FIG.
The cooling performance of the first embodiment described above was compared with that of the conventional example, and a test was conducted to obtain the following results. The test was conducted by inserting a heater into each battery module, and 16.8 each.
It is heated by applying electric power of W, and at the same time, the temperature of each battery module is 30 ° C., the air volume is 150 m ³ / h, and the flow velocity is about 3.5.
A cooling air of m / s was blown. As a result, the maximum temperature was 44 ° C. in the conventional example, but it was 4 ° C. in the first embodiment.
The temperature was 1.3 ° C., which was 2.7 ° C. lower than that of the conventional example. Although the above is illustrated as a secondary battery of a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle as a preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited to these vehicles, but can be applied to a secondary battery requiring cooling in a vehicle other than the vehicle.

[0028]

According to the secondary battery cooling structure of the present invention,
In an assembled type secondary battery in which a plurality of battery modules are arranged in parallel, a cooling member is inserted and arranged between adjacent battery modules, and the cooling member is cooled by a refrigerant to efficiently cool the battery module. be able to. As a result, a secondary battery with good cooling efficiency can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a first embodiment of a secondary battery cooling structure of the present invention, in which (a) is an external perspective view,
(B) is a figure which shows a partial cross section, (c) is a partially expanded sectional view of a cooling member.

2A and 2B are views for explaining a second embodiment of a cooling structure for a secondary battery of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a view showing a partial cross section of a battery module, and FIG. 2B is a cooling member. It is a partially expanded sectional view of FIG.

3A and 3B are views for explaining a third embodiment of a secondary battery cooling structure of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of a battery module, and FIG. 3B is a cooling member. It is a partially expanded sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the fourth embodiment of the cooling structure for a secondary battery of the present invention, (a) showing a partial cross section of a battery module, (b) and (c). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a metal plate of a cooling member.

5A and 5B are views for explaining a fifth embodiment of a cooling structure for a secondary battery of the present invention, FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a battery module assembly, and FIGS. It is a figure which shows the partial cross section of a battery module.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a sixth embodiment of a cooling structure for a secondary battery of the present invention. The figure is a view showing a partial cross section of the battery module.

7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a secondary battery used in a conventional hybrid vehicle as an example, FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a secondary battery, and FIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view of a battery module.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 ... Secondary battery 21 ... Battery module 22 ... Battery case 23 ... Cooling member 24, 25 ... Metal corrugated plate 26, 26 '... Metal flat plate 27 ... Through hole 28, 30, 33 ... Metal plate 29 ... Bead-shaped protrusions 31 ... Embossed protrusion 34 ... Jigzag part 35 ... Resin film

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3D035 AA03                 5H031 KK08                 5H040 AA28 AS07 AT06 AY01                 5H115 PA08 PC06 PG04 PI14 PI16                       PI29 PU01 PU25 UI29 UI35                       UI40

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A battery module (21) is obtained by arranging a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case in series and integrating the battery cells to form a battery module (21). In the secondary battery (20) arranged, a cooling member (23) is inserted and arranged between the battery cases (22) of the adjacent battery modules (21). Cooling structure. 2. A battery module (21) is obtained by arranging a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case in series and integrating the battery cells to form a battery module (21). In the secondary batteries (20) arranged, a cooling member (23) made of a corrugated metal plate (24) is provided between the battery cases (22) of the adjacent battery modules (21). A secondary battery cooling structure characterized by being inserted and arranged. 3. A battery module (21) is obtained by arranging a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case in series and integrating the battery cells to form a battery module (21). In the arranged secondary batteries (20), flat metal plates (on both sides of a corrugated metal plate (25) are provided between the battery cases (22) of the adjacent battery modules (21). 26, 26 ') joined cooling member (2
3) A cooling structure for a secondary battery, characterized in that the cooling structure is formed by inserting. 4. A battery module (21) is obtained by arranging a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case in series to integrate the battery cells to form a battery module (21). In the secondary batteries (20) arranged, a metal plate (28) having a predetermined thickness is provided between the battery cases (22) of the adjacent battery modules (21) in parallel with the plane of the metal plate (28). A cooling structure for a secondary battery, wherein a cooling member (23) having a large number of through holes (27) formed therein is inserted and arranged. 5. A battery module (21) is obtained by arranging a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case in series and integrating the battery cells to form a battery module (21). In the arranged secondary battery (20), a large number of land-shaped protrusions (29) or embossed protrusions (31) are arranged between the battery cases (22) of the adjacent battery modules (21). Formed by two metal plates (3
0) is a cooling structure for a secondary battery in which a cooling member (23) in which the projections (29 or 31) are connected to each other is inserted and arranged. 6. A battery module (21) is obtained by arranging a plurality of unit cells having a resin-made cubic battery case in series and integrating the battery cells to form a battery module (21). In the arranged secondary battery (20), the walls of the adjacent unit batteries of the battery case (22) of the battery module (21) are formed by a metal plate (33), and the metal plate (3) is formed.
3) A cooling structure for a secondary battery, wherein the cooling unit (33a) extends 3) to the outside of the battery case (22) and the extended portion is cooled by a refrigerant. 7. A cooling unit (33a) for the metal plate (33).
7. A zigzag bent shape is formed.
The secondary battery cooling structure according to. 8. The resin film (35) is adhered to both surfaces of the metal plate (33).
Alternatively, the cooling structure for a secondary battery according to item 7.