JP2004095362A - Power supply device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly cool down all battery modules by housing a number of battery modules in a plurality of steps in a battery case. <P>SOLUTION: The power supply device houses battery modules 1 in a plurality of steps in a battery case 4 formed with a supply opening 2 and an exhaust opening 3 at opposing sides, an inter-battery supply duct 8 and an inter-battery exhaust duct 9 are fitted between the battery modules in each step, and cooling ducts 10 of the battery modules 1 are linked between the inter-battery supply duct 8 and the inter-battery exhaust duct 9. An outside-case supply duct 5 is linked with the supply opening 2, and an outside-case exhaust duct 6 with the exhaust opening 3. The supply opening 2 is set in parallel with the inter-battery supply duct 8, and the exhaust opening 3 with the inter-battery exhaust duct 9, and the outside-case supply duct 5 and the outside-case exhaust duct 6 are of long and narrow shapes extended along the end face of the battery case 4 each with a contrary side open, and in almost the same shape facing the direction of air passage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a power supply device for supplying electric power to a motor to drive an electric device, and particularly to a large current used for a power supply of a motor driven by a large current, such as a hybrid car or an electric vehicle. The present invention relates to a power supply device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A high-current, high-output vehicle power supply device used as a power supply for driving a motor for automobile driving is configured by further connecting a battery module in which a plurality of batteries are connected in series and further increasing the output voltage. I have. This is to increase the output of the drive motor. An extremely large current flows through a power supply device used for this type of application. For example, in a hybrid vehicle or the like, when starting or accelerating, the vehicle is accelerated by the output of the battery, so that an extremely large current of 100 A or more flows. Further, a large current flows even when charging is performed quickly in a short time.
[0003]
A power supply device used by passing a large current needs to be forcibly cooled when the temperature of the battery rises. In particular, in a power supply device in which a large number of battery modules are arranged in a battery case in a state of being arranged vertically and horizontally, it is important to cool each battery module uniformly. This is because if the temperature of the battery to be cooled becomes uneven, the performance of the battery whose temperature increases becomes lower. This tendency is an extremely bad effect in a power supply device having a large number of battery modules. This is because if a specific battery module deteriorates for some reason, the deterioration of this battery module is further accelerated. A deteriorated battery module has a small charge capacity. A battery module with a reduced charge capacity has a greater tendency to be overcharged or overdischarged, and this condition accelerates deterioration. Since a power supply device for a vehicle includes a large number of battery modules and is discharged with a large current, it is extremely difficult to uniformly cool all the battery modules. Nevertheless, since long-life characteristics are required for this type of power supply, it is particularly important to cool all battery modules to a uniform temperature and reliably prevent the deterioration of specific battery modules. is there. A power supply device having a large number of battery modules is expensive to manufacture and cannot be easily replaced. In addition, when any one of the battery modules deteriorates, it takes considerable time to replace the battery module. It is particularly important to cool all of the battery modules uniformly, so that maintenance of the power supply is simple and economical.
[0004]
A structure in which a plurality of battery modules are housed in a battery case and each battery module is cooled uniformly is described in, for example, the following publication.
(1) JP-A-10-270095 (2) JP-A-11-180168 (3) JP-A-2001-167806
(4) JP-A-2002-50412
In the power supply devices described in these publications, a battery case accommodating a large number of battery modules is placed in an outer case, and an air duct is provided between the outer case and the battery case.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the power supply devices described in the publications of (1) to (3), it is extremely difficult to efficiently cool a specific battery module housed in a battery case and uniformly connect the entire battery modules. This is because it is difficult for the supply duct and the exhaust duct connected to the battery case to uniformly supply and exhaust the cooling air to the entire battery case. In the power supply device described in the publication of (4), it is difficult to uniformly cool the battery modules arranged in multiple layers. This is because the cooling air passes through the surface of the battery module stacked in the second stage while passing through the battery module stacked in the first stage. For this reason, when battery modules are stacked in multiple stages, in other words, when a large number of battery modules are stored in a multi-tiered state in a battery case having a small flat area, it becomes difficult to uniformly cool all battery modules.
[0006]
The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving such disadvantages. An important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device for a vehicle in which a large number of battery modules are housed in a battery case in a plurality of stages and all the battery modules housed in the battery case can be uniformly cooled. is there.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention has the following configuration to achieve the above object. The power supply device accommodates a plurality of battery modules 1 and has a cooling air supply port 2 provided at one end face and a cooling air exhaust port 3 provided at the other end face. An outside case supply duct 5 connected to the supply port 2 of the battery case 4 and supplying cooling air to the battery case 4, and an outside case exhaust duct 6 connected to the exhaust port 3 of the battery case 4 and exhausting the air inside the battery case 4. And a forced air blower 7 for forcibly supplying cooling air to the outside case supply duct 5 or forcibly exhausting air from the outside case exhaust duct 6. The battery case 4 includes a plurality of battery modules 1 stacked in a plurality of stages in a parallel posture, and an inter-cell supply duct 8 in a stacking direction of the battery modules 1 between the battery modules 1 arranged in each stage. Inter-battery exhaust ducts 9 are provided alternately, and a cooling duct 10 for flowing cooling air to the surface of the battery module 1 is provided by being connected to the vertically inter-battery supply duct 8 and the inter-battery exhaust duct 9. The cooling module 10 is cooled by flowing cooling air from the inter-cell supply duct 8 to the inter-cell exhaust duct 9 through the cooling duct 10. The supply port 2 opened in the battery case 4 is opened so as to extend in a direction parallel to the inter-battery supply duct 8, and connects the outside case supply duct 5 to the inter-battery supply duct 8. The exhaust port 3 of the battery case 4 is opened so as to extend in a direction parallel to the inter-battery exhaust duct 9, and connects the out-of-case exhaust duct 6 to the inter-battery exhaust duct 9. The outside case supply duct 5 has an elongated shape extending along the end face of the battery case 4 provided with the supply port 2, and the outside case exhaust duct 6 extends along the end face of the battery case 4 having the exhaust port 3. It has an elongated shape. The outside-case supply duct 5 and the outside-case exhaust duct 6 have openings at opposite ends, and are formed in substantially the same shape in the air passage direction. The cooling air supplied from the opening to the outside-case supply duct 5 passes through the supply port 2 from the outside-case supply duct 5, flows into the inter-cell supply duct 8 in the battery case 4, and the air in the inter-cell supply duct 8. Cools each battery module 1 through the cooling duct 10, and the cooled air is exhausted to the outside through the inter-cell exhaust duct 9, the exhaust port 3, and the case-exhaust duct 6.
[0008]
In the power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the width of the inter-cell supply duct 8 is gradually reduced from the supply side to the exhaust side, and the width of the inter-cell exhaust duct 9 is gradually increased from the supply side to the exhaust side. be able to. Further, in the power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the battery case 4 may be formed in a rectangular shape, and the supply port 2 and the exhaust port 3 may be provided on surfaces facing each other.
[0009]
In the power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the slit-shaped supply port 2 extending in the direction of the inter-cell supply duct 8 is opened at one end of the battery case 4, and the inter-cell exhaust is also provided at the other end of the battery case 4. A slit-shaped exhaust port 3 extending in the direction of the duct 9 can be opened. In the power supply device of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the outside-case supply duct 5 and the outside-case exhaust duct 6 can be made substantially constant in the air blowing direction.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below exemplify a power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the power supply device as follows.
[0011]
Further, in this specification, in order to make it easy to understand the claims, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are referred to as “claims” and “means for solving the problems”. Are added to the members indicated by "." However, the members described in the claims are not limited to the members of the embodiments.
[0012]
The power supply device for a vehicle shown in the plan view of FIG. 1 and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 accommodates a plurality of battery modules 1, has a cooling air supply port 2 at one end face, and has a cooling air supply port at another end face. A battery case 4 provided with an exhaust port 3 of the battery case, an external supply duct 5 connected to the supply port 2 of the battery case 4 and supplying cooling air to the battery case 4 through the supply port 2; An exhaust duct 6 outside the case, which is connected to the exhaust port 3 of the case 4 to allow the air in the battery case 4 to pass through the exhaust port 3 and exhaust it, and forcibly supply cooling air to the supply duct 5 outside the case. And a blower 7. In the power supply device shown in the drawing, a forced blower 7 is provided in the supply duct 5 outside the case, but the forced blower 7 is provided in the exhaust duct 6 outside the case as shown by a dashed line in the drawing, and the forced air blower 7 Air can also be forcibly exhausted.
[0013]
The battery case 4 includes a plurality of battery modules 1 stacked in a plurality of stages in a parallel posture, and an inter-cell supply duct 8 in a stacking direction of the battery modules 1 between the battery modules 1 arranged in each stage. Inter-battery exhaust ducts 9 are provided alternately. The illustrated battery case 4 houses a plurality of battery modules 1 stacked in four layers. The inter-cell exhaust duct 9 is provided between the first and second battery modules 1 and between the third and fourth battery modules 1. The interval between the battery exhaust ducts 9 is gradually increased from the supply side to the exhaust side. The inter-battery exhaust duct 9 is disposed between the battery modules 1 disposed vertically. Therefore, the interval between the upper and lower battery modules 1 is reduced, and the width of the inter-cell exhaust duct 9 is reduced. The inter-battery supply duct 8 is provided between the second-stage and third-stage battery modules 1. Further, the inter-battery supply duct 8 is provided between the first-stage battery module 1 and the inner surface of the case, and further between the fourth-stage battery module 1 and the inner surface of the case. The width of the inter-cell supply duct 8 is gradually reduced from the supply side to the exhaust side.
[0014]
The battery case 4 is provided with a cooling duct 10 that is connected to a vertically adjacent battery supply duct 8 and a battery exhaust duct 9 and that allows cooling air to flow through the surface of the battery module 1. The battery case 4 has a built-in inner case 11 for accommodating the battery module 1, and a cooling duct 10 is provided by the inner case 11. The inner case 11 is made of plastic, and connects a plurality of storage tubes 12 in parallel on the same plane. Each storage tube 12 stores the battery module 1 therein. The inner shape of the storage tube 12 is larger than the outer shape of the battery module 1. The battery module 1 is stored here, and the cooling duct 10 is provided between the surface of the battery module 1 and the inner surface of the storage tube 12. The illustrated battery module 1 has a cylindrical shape, and the storage tube 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The battery module can be in the shape of an elongated prism. The storage tube for storing the battery module is formed in a rectangular tube shape. The battery module 1 is disposed in the storage tube 12 via a ring-shaped spacer (not shown) such as an O-ring. The spacer is formed by molding a rubber-like elastic body into a ring shape. The plurality of ring-shaped spacers are mounted on one battery module 1 at predetermined intervals. The ring-shaped spacer arranges the battery module 1 in the storage tube 12 and provides cooling ducts 10 at equal intervals between the entire periphery of the battery module 1 and the inner surface of the storage tube 12. The inner case 11 is vertically divided at the center of the battery module 1 in the figure. The battery module 1 containing a spacer such as an O-ring is sandwiched between the upper and lower inner cases 11 to hold the battery module 1 in a fixed position. At this time, the spacer such as the O-ring is crushed to a degree that the spacer is slightly deformed, and closely adheres to the inner surface of the storage tube 12 to securely hold the battery module 1 without play.
[0015]
The storage tube 12 of the inner case 11 is provided with through holes 13 on the upper and lower sides. The through-hole 13 extends in the longitudinal direction of the battery module 1 and is open. The through holes 13 connect the cooling duct 10 to the inter-battery exhaust duct 9 or the inter-battery supply duct 8. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the battery case 4 supplies the air supplied to the inter-battery supply duct 8 from one through hole 13 to the cooling duct 10, and when passing through the cooling duct 10, the battery The battery module 1 is forced to cool down by flowing along the surface of the module 1, and then is discharged from the other through hole 13 to the battery exhaust duct 9. Cooling air supplied from the supply port 2 of the battery case 4 to the inter-battery supply duct 8 branches off into a plurality of cooling ducts 10 and cools the battery modules 1 arranged on the same plane, and then exhausts between the batteries. The gas is collected in the duct 9 and exhausted from the exhaust port 3 to the outside of the battery case 4. That is, the cooling air is
Supply duct 5 outside the case 5 → Supply port 2 → Supply duct 8 between batteries → Through hole 13 → Cooling duct 10 → Through hole 13 → Exhaust duct 9 between batteries → Exhaust port 3 → Flow through the exhaust duct 6 outside the case and the battery module 1 Cooling.
[0016]
The supply port 2 of the battery case 4 is opened along the inter-battery supply duct 8, and connects the outside case supply duct 5 to the inter-battery supply duct 8. The battery case 4 shown in the figure is below the first-stage battery module 1 stacked in a plurality of stages, above the fourth-stage battery module 1, and between the second- and third-stage battery modules 1. Since the battery supply duct 8 is provided, the battery case 4 has the supply ports 2 opened at the lowermost stage, the uppermost stage, and the middle. The supply port 2 is opened so as to extend in a direction parallel to the inter-battery supply duct 8, and uniformly supplies cooling air supplied from the outside-case supply duct 5 to the entire inter-battery supply duct 8.
[0017]
The exhaust port 3 of the battery case 4 is opened along the inter-cell exhaust duct 9, and connects the extra-case exhaust duct 6 to the inter-cell exhaust duct 9. In the battery case 4 shown in the figure, an inter-cell exhaust duct 9 is provided between the first and second battery modules 1 stacked in a plurality of stages and between the third and fourth battery modules 1. Therefore, the battery case 4 has an exhaust port 3 opened between the first and second battery modules 1 and between the third and fourth battery modules 1. The exhaust port 3 is opened so as to extend in a direction parallel to the inter-cell exhaust duct 9, and uniformly exhausts the air in the inter-cell exhaust duct 9 to the outside case exhaust duct 6.
[0018]
The battery case 4 shown in FIG. 1 is rectangular and has a supply port 2 and an exhaust port 3 on surfaces facing each other. In the figure, the battery case 4 has a supply port 2 opened on the right side surface and an exhaust port 3 opened on the left side surface. FIG. 4 shows the battery case 4 excluding the battery module 1, the supply duct 5 outside the case, and the exhaust duct 6 outside the case in order to make the positions of the supply port 2 and the exhaust port 3 easy to understand. The battery case 4 has a slit-shaped supply port 2 extending in the direction of the inter-battery supply duct 8 at one end face (the upper right face in the drawing) of the battery case 4 and the other end face (the lower left face in the drawing) of the battery case 4. ), A slit-shaped exhaust port 3 extending in the direction of the inter-cell exhaust duct 9 is opened.
[0019]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the supply duct 5 outside the case has an elongated shape extending along the end surface of the battery case 4 having the supply port 2, and the exhaust duct 6 outside the case has the exhaust port 3. It has an elongated shape extending along the end face of the battery case 4. The outside-case supply duct 5 and the outside-case exhaust duct 6 have opposite ends as openings so that cooling air can be uniformly blown to the plurality of inter-battery supply ducts 8 and inter-battery exhaust ducts 9. They are formed in substantially the same shape in the direction of air passage. Further, the outside case supply duct 5 and outside case exhaust duct 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 have a substantially constant cross-sectional area in the air blowing direction. However, although not shown, the outside-case supply duct and the outside-case exhaust duct can be gradually reduced in cross-sectional area toward the air blowing direction.
[0020]
In the power supply device of FIG. 1, the upper end of the outside case supply duct 5 is opened, the lower end of the outside case exhaust duct 6 is opened, and the outside case supply duct 5 and the outside case exhaust duct 6 are opened on opposite sides. . The out-of-case supply duct 5 and the out-of-case exhaust duct 6, which have substantially the same shape and open on opposite sides, can blow cooling air uniformly in different air blowing portions as shown by A, B, and C in FIG. This is because the pressure difference between both ends becomes equal in the air blowing portions of A, B, and C. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the forced air blower 7 is connected to the supply duct 5 outside the case and the cooling air is pressure-fed, the pressure inside the supply duct 5 outside the case is changed in the order of A, B, and C in order. Become higher. This is because the air blown into the outside case supply duct 5 has a blowing resistance. Further, the pressure in the outside exhaust duct 6 also increases in the order of A, B, and C. This is because the air blown into the outside case exhaust duct 6 also has blowing resistance. The air passing through the inside of the battery case 4 along the paths A, B, and C increases in pressure in the order of A, B, and C on the inflow side and the exhaust side. The pressure difference on the side is substantially equal, and the cooling air is blown evenly to A, B and C. In this state, the supply duct 5 outside the case has an elongated shape extending along the end face of the battery case 4 provided with the supply port 2, and the exhaust duct 6 outside the case is attached to the end face of the battery case 4 provided with the exhaust port 3. The case is formed to have an elongated shape extending along the opening, and the openings of the outside-case supply duct 5 and the outside-case exhaust duct 6 are opened at opposite ends, and are formed into substantially the same shape in the air passage direction. This is achieved by:
[0021]
By the way, in this specification, forming the outside-case supply duct and the outside-case exhaust duct into substantially the same shape means that the outside-case supply duct and the outside-case exhaust duct are substantially not limited to a completely coincident shape. Similarly, it means a shape that can blow air. Therefore, for example, when the difference between the cross-sectional areas of the outside-case supply duct and the outside-case exhaust duct cut laterally is 10% or less, it is assumed that the outside-case supply duct and the outside-case exhaust duct have substantially the same shape.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention has a feature that a large number of battery modules are housed in a battery case and all the battery modules can be uniformly cooled by cooling air. That is, the power supply device of the present invention provides a supply port and an exhaust port on the opposite side of the battery case containing a plurality of batteries, and connects the supply port to the supply duct outside the case and the exhaust port to the exhaust duct outside the case. In the battery case, the battery modules are housed so as to be stacked in a plurality of stages, and inter-battery supply ducts and inter-battery exhaust ducts are alternately provided between the multi-stage stacked battery modules. A cooling duct that allows cooling air to flow on the surface of the battery module is connected to the battery supply duct and battery exhaust duct, and the battery case supply port is opened in a direction parallel to the battery supply duct, The outlet is open in the direction parallel to the inter-cell exhaust duct, and the supply duct outside the case is an elongated shape that extends along the end surface of the battery case where the supply port is provided. The battery case has an elongated shape that extends along the end face of the battery case, and the outside supply duct and outside case exhaust duct have opposite ends as openings, and are almost the same in the air passage direction. This is because it is formed into a shape. The power supply device of this structure can supply cooling air evenly to the inside of the battery case with the supply duct outside the case and the exhaust duct outside the case, and the battery case contains battery modules in multiple stages. The battery module is cooled with fresh cooling air, and the air passing through the battery module does not cool another battery module again. Therefore, an excellent feature that all the battery modules housed in the battery case in multiple stages can be uniformly cooled without unevenness is realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the power supply device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a state in which cooling air of the power supply device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a supply duct outside a case, an exhaust duct outside a case, and a battery case of the power supply device shown in FIG. 1;
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery module 2 ... Supply port 3 ... Exhaust port 4 ... Battery case 5 ... Outside case supply duct 6 ... Outside case exhaust duct 7 ... Forced blower 8 ... Between battery supply duct 9 ... Between battery exhaust duct 10 ... Cooling duct 11 ... Inner case 12 ... Storage cylinder 13 ... Through-hole

Claims (5)

A battery case (4) that houses a plurality of battery modules (1), and has a cooling air supply port (2) on one end face and a cooling air exhaust port (3) on another end face; A supply duct (5) connected to the supply port (2) of the battery case (4) and supplying cooling air to the battery case (4); and an exhaust port (3) of the battery case (4). The cooling air is forcibly supplied to the outside case exhaust duct (6) for exhausting the air inside the battery case (4) and the outside case supply duct (5), or the cooling air is forced from the outside case exhaust duct (6). And a forced air blower (7) for exhausting air.
The battery case (4) includes a plurality of battery modules (1) stacked in a plurality of stages in a parallel posture, and the battery modules (1) are stacked between the battery modules (1) arranged in each stage. In the direction, inter-cell supply ducts (8) and inter-cell exhaust ducts (9) are provided alternately, and further connected to the vertically adjacent inter-cell supply duct (8) and inter-cell exhaust duct (9), A cooling duct (10) for flowing cooling air is provided on the surface of the battery module (1), and the cooling air flows from the inter-cell supply duct (8) through the cooling duct (10) to the inter-cell exhaust duct (9). To cool the battery module (1)
The supply port (2) opening to the battery case (4) is opened so as to extend in a direction parallel to the inter-battery supply duct (8), and the outside case supply duct (5) is connected to the inter-battery supply duct ( 8), the exhaust port (3) of the battery case (4) is opened so as to extend in a direction parallel to the inter-cell exhaust duct (9), and the external exhaust duct (6) is connected to the battery. To the exhaust duct (9),
The outside case supply duct (5) has an elongated shape extending along the end face of the battery case (4) provided with the supply port (2), and the outside case exhaust duct (6) has an exhaust port (3). The battery case (4) has an elongated shape extending along the end face thereof, and the outside-case supply duct (5) and the outside-case exhaust duct (6) have openings at opposite ends and have air. It is molded into almost the same shape toward the passing direction of
Cooling air supplied from the opening to the outside-case supply duct (5) passes from the outside-case supply duct (5) through the supply port (2) to the inter-cell supply duct (8) in the battery case (4). Inflow, the air in the inter-cell supply duct (8) passes through the cooling duct (10) to cool each of the battery modules (1), and the cooled air is supplied to the inter-cell exhaust duct (9) and the exhaust port (3). And a power supply device for a vehicle, which is configured to be exhausted to the outside through an exhaust duct (6) outside the case. The inter-battery supply duct (8) has a width that gradually decreases from the supply side to the exhaust side, and the inter-battery exhaust duct (9) gradually increases in width from the supply side to the exhaust side. A power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1. The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the battery case (4) has a rectangular shape, and a supply port (2) and an exhaust port (3) are provided on surfaces facing each other. A slit-shaped supply port (2) extending in the direction of the inter-cell supply duct (8) is opened at one end of the battery case (4), and the inter-cell exhaust duct (9) is also provided at the other end of the battery case (4). The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a slit-shaped exhaust port (3) extending in the direction of (2) is opened. The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the outside-case supply duct (5) and the outside-case exhaust duct (6) have a substantially constant cross-sectional area in the air blowing direction.

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