JP2006015862A - Battery cooling system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cool a battery without actuating a fan for battery cooling. <P>SOLUTION: The battery cooling system is equipped with an outside air introduction passage (3) introducing the outside air in a cabin, the battery (1) supplying electric power to a load part of the vehicle (30), and ducts (5, 22) which are provided so as to pass through the battery (1) and exhaust all of the air in the cabin to the outside of the vehicle. The battery (1) is cooled by exhausting the air which is introduced from the outside air introduction passage (3) and flows in the inside of the vehicle to the outside of the car from the ducts (5, 22). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery cooling system for a vehicle.

  For example, a vehicle using a motor for part or all of a drive source, such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, travels by driving the motor with electric power supplied from a battery.

  However, since the battery generates heat each time it is charged and discharged, it is necessary to cool the battery in order to prevent the performance and life from being reduced due to the rise in battery temperature.

Therefore, a technology for cooling the battery by supplying cold air to the vehicle interior using an air conditioner that air-conditions the vehicle interior and supplying the air in the vehicle interior to the battery storage chamber by a cooling fan as necessary is patented. It is described in Document 1.
JP-A-10-306722

  However, in such a technique, a dedicated cooling fan is provided for cooling the battery, and the cooling fan always operates when the battery is cooled, so that power consumption is remarkably deteriorated and fuel consumption is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a conventional problem, and a battery is provided in a passage for discharging air from the passenger compartment to the outside of the vehicle, and the battery is not operated even when the cooling fan is not operated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle battery cooling system that can cool the vehicle.

  The present invention solves the above problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, although the code | symbol corresponding to embodiment of this invention is attached | subjected, it is not limited to this.

  The present invention is provided so as to pass through the outside air introduction passage (3) for introducing outside air into the vehicle interior, the battery (1) for supplying power to the load portion of the vehicle (30), and the battery (1). And a duct (5, 22) for discharging most of the air in the passenger compartment to the outside of the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, the battery cooling duct is a part of the ventilation passage that discharges most of the air in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle, so that the air that flows into the vehicle interior from the outside air introduction passage is discharged outside the vehicle. Sometimes most of it flows through the duct. Therefore, since the battery can be cooled by the natural airflow that flows from the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle without operating the battery cooling fan, it is not necessary to newly provide a battery cooling duct, thereby reducing costs. be able to.

  Further, since the battery is cooled by the exhaust air flowing through the ventilation passage that communicates between the vehicle interior and the outside of the vehicle, power consumption can be suppressed and fuel consumption can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a vehicle battery cooling system according to the present invention. The apparatus includes a battery 1, an air conditioner 2, an outside air introduction passage 3, an outside air introduction fan 4, a cooling duct 5, a communication passage 6, a cooling fan 7, and a controller 8.

  The battery 1 supplies electric power to a motor that generates part or all of the driving force of the vehicle 30 and is charged by the generated electric power by collecting the driving force of the engine and regenerative energy. The battery 1 is stored in a battery storage chamber 9 that constitutes a part of the cooling duct 5. The battery 1 has a plurality of communication holes, and is efficiently cooled when air passes through the communication holes. The battery 1 is provided with a temperature sensor 10 that detects the battery temperature.

  The air conditioner 2 is a device that adjusts the temperature in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 30. The air conditioner 2 includes an outside air introduction passage 3 and an outside air introduction fan 4 inside. The air conditioner 2 includes an outside air introduction mode for introducing outside air into the vehicle interior and an inside air circulation mode for circulating air inside the vehicle interior.

  The outside air introduction passage 3 is a passage for introducing outside air into the vehicle interior when the air conditioner 2 is in the outside air introduction mode, and is provided in the air conditioner 2.

  The outside air introduction fan 4 operates when the air conditioner 2 is in the outside air introduction mode and introduces outside air into the vehicle interior.

  The cooling duct 5 is a part of a discharge path for discharging the air in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle interior, and is connected to the battery storage chamber 9 so that the air in the vehicle interior can flow to the battery storage chamber 9. The interior side of the cooling duct 5 is open to a vent hole 14 provided in the rear parcel 15 in the interior of the compartment, and the exterior side of the cooling duct 5 is connected to the battery storage chamber 9. The battery storage chamber 9 communicates with the inside of the trunk room via the exhaust duct 22, and the trunk room communicates with the outside of the vehicle via the lid 16. When the air conditioner 2 is in the outside air introduction mode, the air introduced from the outside air introduction passage 3 into the vehicle compartment is discharged from the cooling duct 5 through the battery storage chamber 9 to the outside of the vehicle compartment. The battery 1 is cooled by this air flow.

  In addition, since the cooling fan 7 becomes a resistance and the air flow is restricted in the communication path 6 when the cooling fan 7 is stopped, the entire amount of the air discharged from the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle flows through the cooling duct 5. It is the only cooling duct. However, in actuality, leakage from the gaps in the vehicle body, restrictions on the duct layout, and the like are conceivable, so the cooling duct 5 may be such that most of the exhaust air to the outside of the passenger compartment passes.

  The communication path 6 is provided so as to communicate between the vehicle compartment and the battery storage chamber 9, and includes a cooling fan 7 inside.

  The cooling fan 7 is an air supply unit that is provided in the communication path 6 and forcibly supplies air in the vehicle compartment to the battery storage chamber 9. The cooling fan 7 is operated when the amount of air flowing through the cooling duct 5 is insufficient and the battery cooling capacity is insufficient, and supplements the amount of air so as to obtain an appropriate cooling capacity.

  The controller 8 controls the operation and the air volume of the cooling fan 7 and the outside air introduction fan 4 based on the battery temperature received from the temperature sensor 10.

  The vehicle 30 of the present embodiment is a hybrid vehicle that uses an engine and a motor as drive sources. Here, the configuration of the hybrid device mounted on the vehicle 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the hybrid device mounted on the vehicle of the present embodiment. The hybrid device 40 includes a battery 1, an engine 17, a first motor 18, a second motor 19, and an inverter 20.

  The battery 1 supplies power to the first motor 18 and the second motor 19, and is regenerated by the second motor 19 using the power generation by the first motor 18 using the driving force of the engine 17 and the rotation of the drive wheels 21. Is charged by.

  The engine 17 generates a driving force with respect to the driving wheels 21 and rotates the first motor 18 to generate power.

  The first motor 18 generates electricity by starting the engine 17 and driving force of the engine 17.

  The second motor 19 generates a driving force for the driving wheels 21, assists the driving force during vehicle acceleration, and performs regeneration during vehicle deceleration.

  The inverter 20 converts a direct current supplied from the battery 1 and supplies a three-phase alternating current to the first motor 18 and the second motor 19.

  The hybrid device 40 changes the generated driving force of the engine 17 and the second motor 19 according to the driving state of the vehicle 30 when the vehicle travels, and generates electric power with the second motor 19 by the rotational force of the driving wheels 21 when the vehicle decelerates. Recovering regenerative energy. Since the battery 1 supplies electric power to the first motor 18 and the second motor 19 and is charged by the electric power generated by the first motor 18 and the second motor 19, the first motor 18 and the second motor 19 Fever occurs during power running and regeneration.

  Next, control performed by the controller 8 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing control in the present embodiment of the vehicle battery cooling system. In addition, this control is repeatedly performed every predetermined time (for example, 10 ms).

  In step S101, the detection value of the temperature sensor 10 that detects the battery temperature is read.

  In step S102, it is determined whether or not the battery temperature read in step S101 is lower than a predetermined temperature. If the battery temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step S103, and if the battery temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step S104. Here, the predetermined temperature is a lower limit value of the operating temperature at which the battery 1 can exhibit sufficient performance. The predetermined temperature is obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

  In step S103, the air conditioner 2 is set to the inside air circulation mode, and the process ends. Here, since the performance of the battery 1 is lowered when the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the cooling of the battery 1 is stopped until the temperature rises to the predetermined temperature when the battery 1 is at a low temperature, for example, when the vehicle is started.

  In step S104, the air conditioner 2 is set to the outside air introduction mode. Here, since the battery 1 needs to be cooled when the battery 1 is at a predetermined temperature or higher, that is, at the operating temperature, the battery 1 is cooled by introducing outside air and flowing it from the vehicle interior through the cooling duct 5 to the outside of the vehicle interior. .

  In step S105, it is determined whether or not the battery temperature is higher than the allowable temperature. If the battery temperature is higher than the allowable temperature, the process proceeds to step S106, and if the battery temperature is equal to or lower than the allowable temperature, the process ends. Here, if the cooling capacity of the battery 1 by the air introduced into the vehicle interior by the outside air introduction mode of the air conditioner 2 is sufficient, the battery temperature maintains a constant operating temperature range. However, when the charging / discharging current of the battery 1 increases or when the speed of the vehicle 30 decreases and the amount of air introduced into the outside air decreases, the cooling capacity of the battery 1 is insufficient and the battery temperature rises. To do. If the temperature exceeds the allowable temperature, the performance of the battery 1 deteriorates, so that it is determined that it is necessary to forcibly supply air. The allowable temperature is obtained in advance by experiments or the like.

  In step S106, the cooling fan 7 is operated and the process is terminated. In step S106, since it is determined in step S105 that the battery temperature has exceeded the allowable temperature, air is forcibly supplied to the battery 1 by the cooling fan 7 in order to compensate for the insufficient cooling capacity. The air volume of the cooling fan 7 is controlled so as to generate only a shortage of the air volume, for example, so that the battery temperature is maintained at a temperature slightly lower than the allowable temperature. When operating the cooling fan 7 in step S106, the air conditioner 2 is set to the outside air introduction mode in step S104. Therefore, even if the cooling fan 7 forcibly exhausts the air in the vehicle interior, the pressure change in the vehicle interior Will not cause any discomfort to the passenger.

  The operation will be described by summarizing the above control. In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, the code | symbol corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 3 was shown in the parenthesis. It is determined whether or not the battery temperature is detected by the temperature sensor 10 and is lower than a predetermined temperature (S101, S102). If the battery temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioner 2 is set to the inside air circulation mode and the cooling of the battery 1 is stopped (S103). If the battery temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the air conditioner 2 is set to the outside air introduction mode, and the battery 1 is cooled by the flow of air discharged from the passenger compartment to the outside of the passenger compartment through the cooling duct 5 (S104). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the battery temperature is higher than the allowable temperature (S105). If the battery temperature is higher than the allowable temperature, the cooling fan 7 is operated to improve the cooling capacity of the battery 1 (S106). If the battery temperature is less than or equal to the allowable temperature, the process ends.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the air conditioner 2 is in the outside air introduction mode, the battery 1 can be cooled by the flow of air discharged from the passenger compartment to the outside of the passenger compartment through the cooling duct 5. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate the cooling fan 7. Therefore, since there is no power consumption by the cooling fan 7, fuel consumption can be improved.

  Further, since the battery 1 is stored in the battery storage chamber 9 connected to the cooling duct 5, it is efficiently cooled by the air flowing through the cooling duct 5.

  Furthermore, when the amount of air for battery cooling is insufficient, the cooling fan 7 forcibly supplies the air in the passenger compartment to compensate for the insufficient amount of air, so that the battery 1 can be reliably cooled.

  Furthermore, since the cooling fan 7 operates so as to compensate only for the insufficient air amount, power consumption can be suppressed and fuel consumption can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the inside air circulation mode and the outside air introduction mode of the air conditioner 2 are switched based on the battery temperature, the battery 1 is prevented from being cooled when the battery temperature is low, such as when the vehicle is started, and the battery 1 is quickly The operating temperature can be reached.

  Furthermore, since the operation of the cooling fan 7 is controlled based on the battery temperature, power consumption can be suppressed and fuel consumption can be improved without operating the cooling fan 7 wastefully.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the vehicle battery cooling system according to the present invention. In the embodiment described below, the same reference numerals are given to portions that perform the same functions as those of the above-described embodiment, and a duplicate description will be omitted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the cooling fan 7 is provided inside the cooling duct 5 without providing the communication passage 6 of the first embodiment, and the movable valve 11 is further provided upstream of the cooling fan 7 in the cooling duct 5.

  The movable valve 11 is provided between the air vent 14 of the cooling duct 5 that opens to the rear parcel 15 in the vehicle compartment and the cooling fan 7, and is opened and closed by the controller 8. When the movable valve 11 is opened, air can be discharged from the inside of the cooling duct 5 to the outside. The outside of the cooling duct 5 is a trunk room.

  The controller 8 controls the movable valve 11 based on signals transmitted from the courtesy switch 12 that detects opening and closing of the door of the vehicle 30 and the vehicle speed sensor 13 that detects the speed of the vehicle 30.

  Here, the control performed by the controller 8 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing control in the present embodiment of the vehicle battery cooling system. In addition, this control is repeatedly performed every predetermined time (for example, 10 ms).

  In step S201, the detection values of the courtesy switch 12 and the vehicle speed sensor 13 are read.

  In step S202, it is determined whether or not the detected value of courtesy switch 12 read in step S201 is OFF. If courtesy switch 12 is OFF, the process proceeds to step S203, and if ON, the process proceeds to step S205. Here, the courtesy switch 12 detects the open / closed state of the door, and ON indicates an open state and OFF indicates a closed state.

  In step S203, it is determined whether the courtesy switch 12 was ON during the previous process. If the courtesy switch 12 is ON during the previous processing, the process proceeds to step S204, and if it is OFF, the process proceeds to step S205. Here, if the courtesy switch 12 at the time of the previous processing is ON, it can be determined that the door of the vehicle 30 has been changed from the open state to the closed state, that is, immediately after the door is closed.

  In step S <b> 204, the movable valve 11 is opened by the controller 8. By opening the movable valve 11 when it is determined that the door of the vehicle 30 has changed from the open state to the closed state, it is possible to prevent an increase in pressure in the vehicle interior and prevent the door closing operation from becoming difficult.

  In step S205, it is determined whether or not the detected value of the vehicle speed sensor 13 read in step S201 is greater than zero. If the vehicle speed is greater than 0, the process proceeds to step S206, and if the vehicle speed is 0, the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S <b> 206, the movable valve 11 is closed by the controller 8. By closing the movable valve 11 when the vehicle speed is higher than 0, that is, when the vehicle 30 is traveling, it is possible to prevent the air outside the vehicle interior from flowing backward and the temperature inside the vehicle interior from changing.

  In step S207, it is determined whether or not the outside air introduction passage 3 is in a closed state. If the outside air introduction passage 3 is closed, the process proceeds to step S208, and if it is open, the process is terminated. Since the outside air introduction passage 3 is controlled by the controller 8, the open / close state of the outside air introduction passage 3 can be easily determined by the controller 8.

  In step S208, the movable valve 11 is closed by the controller 8 and the process is terminated. By closing the movable valve 11 when the outside air introduction passage 3 is closed, it is possible to prevent air from entering from the outside of the passenger compartment to the passenger compartment in the inside air circulation mode.

  The operation will be described by summarizing the above control. For easy understanding, reference numerals corresponding to the flowchart of FIG. 5 are shown in parentheses. It is determined whether or not the door of the vehicle 30 is changed from the open state to the closed state (S202, S203), and the movable valve 11 is opened when the door is changed from the open state (S204). Further, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 30 is traveling (S205), and the movable valve 11 is closed during traveling (S206). Further, it is determined whether or not the air conditioner 2 is in the inside air circulation mode (S207), and if it is the inside air circulation mode, the movable valve 11 is closed (S208).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the movable valve 11 and the cooling fan 7 provided so as to allow communication between the vehicle interior and the exterior of the vehicle interior are provided in one cooling duct 5, the battery cooling piping and the vehicle interior are provided. It is possible to share the piping for venting and for releasing the pressure when the door is closed. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the mountability can be improved.

  Further, since the movable valve 11 is opened when the door is changed from the open state to the closed state, it is possible to prevent the door from becoming difficult to close due to an increase in the pressure in the vehicle interior.

  Furthermore, since the movable valve 11 is closed when the outside air introduction passage 3 is closed, it is possible to prevent air from entering from outside the passenger compartment when the setting of the air conditioner 2 is in the inside air circulation mode. Therefore, the temperature change in the passenger compartment can be prevented.

  Furthermore, since the movable valve 11 is closed while the vehicle 30 is traveling, it is possible to prevent a change in the temperature in the vehicle interior caused by the air outside the vehicle interior flowing backward and entering the vehicle interior.

  As described above, sufficient air conditioning and ventilation performance can be maintained while reducing the cost by sharing the piping for cooling the battery and the piping for ventilating the vehicle interior and releasing the pressure when the door is closed.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea, and it is obvious that these are equivalent to the present invention.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the communication path 6 is provided so as to communicate the vehicle interior and the battery storage chamber 9, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided so as to branch from the cooling duct 5. .

  Further, the movable valve 11 of the second embodiment may use a flexible member such as a rubber plate. Accordingly, when the pressure inside the vehicle compartment becomes equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure without controlling the movable valve 11 by the controller 8, the pressure can be released by opening the pressure difference inside and outside the vehicle compartment.

  Further, the vehicle 30 is not limited to a type that generates a driving force by an electric motor, and may be applied to a normal engine-equipped vehicle.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a vehicle battery cooling system according to the present invention. FIG. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the hybrid apparatus mounted in the vehicle of 1st, 2nd embodiment. It is a control flowchart of a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the battery cooling system of the vehicle by this invention. It is a control flowchart of a 2nd embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery 2 Air conditioner 3 Outside air introduction passage 4 Outside air introduction fan 5 Cooling duct (duct)
6 Communication path 7 Cooling fan (air supply means)
8 Controller 9 Battery storage chamber 10 Temperature sensor (battery temperature detection means)
11 Movable valve 12 Courtesy switch (door open / closed state detection means)
13 Vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detection means)
14 Ventilation hole 15 Rear parcel 16 Draft 17 Engine 18 First motor 19 Second motor 20 Inverter 21 Drive wheel 22 Exhaust duct (duct)
30 vehicle 40 hybrid device S103 outside air introduction passage opening / closing means S104 outside air introduction passage opening / closing means S204 movable valve control means S206 movable valve control means S208 movable valve control means

Claims (11)

An outside air introduction passage for introducing outside air into the passenger compartment;
A battery for supplying power to the load section of the vehicle;
A duct that is provided so as to pass through the battery and that exhausts most of the air in the passenger compartment to the outside of the vehicle;
A battery cooling system for a vehicle, comprising: A battery storage chamber connected to the duct and storing the battery;
The duct discharges air in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle through the battery storage chamber.
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 1. A communication path communicating between the vehicle compartment and the battery storage chamber;
An air supply means provided inside the communication passage, forcibly sucking air in a vehicle compartment and supplying the air to the battery storage chamber;
The battery cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising: An outside air introduction passage opening / closing means for opening and closing the outside air introduction passage;
Battery temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the battery;
Further comprising
The outside air introduction passage opening / closing means controls to close the outside air introduction passage when the temperature of the battery is lower than a predetermined temperature;
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 1. The outside air introduction passage opening / closing means controls to open the outside air introduction passage when the temperature of the battery is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature;
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 4. An outside air introduction passage opening / closing means for opening and closing the outside air introduction passage;
The outside air introduction passage opening / closing means controls to open the outside air introduction passage when the air supply means is operating;
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 3. An air supply means that is provided inside the duct and forcibly sucks the air in the passenger compartment and supplies the battery to the battery;
A movable valve provided on the upstream side of the air supply means of the duct and capable of communicating between the inside and the outside of the duct;
The battery cooling system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: Movable valve control means for opening and closing the movable valve;
Door opening / closing state detecting means for detecting the opening / closing state of the vehicle door;
Further comprising
The movable valve control means controls to open the movable valve when the door of the vehicle changes from an open state to a closed state;
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 7. Movable valve control means for opening and closing the movable valve;
An outside air introduction passage for introducing outside air into the passenger compartment;
Further comprising
The movable valve control means controls the movable valve to be closed when the outside air introduction passage is closed;
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 7. Movable valve control means for opening and closing the movable valve;
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting the speed of the vehicle;
Further comprising
The movable valve control means controls the movable valve to be closed when the vehicle speed is greater than zero;
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 7. The movable valve operates to open when the pressure in the passenger compartment is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.
The vehicle battery cooling system according to claim 7.

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