JP2006073255A - Power source device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To extremely reduce failure of electronic components or the like caused by dust or salts contained in outside air while a battery is cooled with the outside air. <P>SOLUTION: A power source device for a vehicle is equipped with a battery case 2 in which a plurality of batteries are housed, and an electric component case 20 housing the electric component connected to the batteries housed in the battery case 2. The battery case 2 has an air inhaling port 3 inhaling the air outside of the vehicle into the inside and an exhausting port 4 forcibly sending the outside air inhaled from the inhaling port 3 to cool the battery and exhausting the air used in cooling the battery to the outside of the vehicle. The power source device circulates the outside air inhaled from the air inhaling port 3 in the battery case 2 without forcibly sending to the electric component case 20, and exhausted from the exhausting port 4 to the outside of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a power supply device for a vehicle that is mounted on a vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and an electric vehicle and is charged and discharged with a large current.

  The power supply device for a vehicle increases the output voltage by connecting a number of batteries in series. Moreover, since this power supply device charges and discharges the battery with a large current, the battery temperature may increase. The battery temperature rise reduces the battery performance and shortens the service life, so when the battery temperature rises, it is forced to blow and cool.

A power supply device for a vehicle has been developed that houses a large number of batteries in a case and cools the batteries by forcibly blowing air with cooling air in the case (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-45505 A

  In the power supply device described in this publication, a central duct is provided in the central portion of the case, a plurality of battery modules are disposed around the central duct, and an air passage gap is provided between the battery modules. . With the forced blower, the battery module is cooled by forcibly blowing cooling air from the central duct to the air passage gap or from the air passage gap to the central duct.

  As described in this publication, the conventional power supply device that cools the battery by forcibly blowing cooling air into the case is suitable for cooling the battery by circulating the air in the vehicle inside the case. However, when the air in the vehicle is circulated in the case, the air in the vehicle is heated by the battery. The temperature of the vehicle is adjusted with an air conditioner in the vehicle. Therefore, when the vehicle interior air is heated by the battery, it is necessary to cool the vehicle interior air with an air conditioner. In order to cool the air inside the vehicle, it is necessary to operate an air conditioner compressor mounted on the vehicle with an engine or motor. For this reason, fuel and electric power are consumed. That is, in addition to forcibly blowing air with a motor to cool the battery, there is a disadvantage that fuel and electric power are wasted in order to cool the air inside the vehicle. This not only increases the amount of fuel consumed, but also raises the drawback that it is difficult to create a comfortable interior environment because the interior temperature rises.

  This drawback can be solved by circulating outside air from outside the vehicle instead of the inside air in the battery case. However, the outside air is not always as clean as the air inside the car. Dust floating in the air is sucked into the battery case together with salt and the like. This adverse effect can be reduced by allowing outside air to pass through the filter and removing dust and salt with the filter. However, in order to realize this, it is necessary to make the filter have very fine voids, but this type of filter has a drawback that it is easily clogged. If the filter is clogged and the amount of inhaled air is reduced, the battery cannot be cooled efficiently. For this reason, in reality, a filter having a small gap cannot be used. For this reason, it is impossible to completely eliminate the inhalation of dust and salt together with the outside air, which has the disadvantage that the circuit board and the electronic components mounted on the power supply device fail or the life is shortened.

  The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving this drawback. An important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device for a vehicle that can minimize failure of electronic components and the like due to dust and salt contained in the outside air while cooling the battery with the outside air.

The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a battery case 2 housing a plurality of batteries 1 and an electrical component case containing an electrical component 21 connected to the battery 1 housed in the battery case 2. 20. The battery case 2 has an air inlet 3 for taking air outside the vehicle into the interior, and forcedly blows the outside air sucked from the inlet 3 to cool the battery 1 and exhausts the air that has cooled the battery 1 out of the vehicle. The exhaust port 4 is opened. The electrical component case 20 is connected to the battery case 2 in a state where the outside air forced to the battery case 2 is not forcedly blown to the electrical component case 20. This power supply device circulates outside air sucked from the suction port 3 to the battery case 2 without exhausting it to the electrical component case 20 and exhausts it from the exhaust port 4 to the outside of the vehicle.
However, in this specification, forcibly blowing the outside air means forcibly blowing the sucked outside air.

  The power supply device for a vehicle of the present invention connects the electric component case 20 in a posture orthogonal to the middle of the battery case 2, and arranges the battery case 2 and the electric component case 20 in a T shape in a planar shape, The suction port 3 can be opened at the center of the battery case 2 and the exhaust port 4 can be opened at both ends.

  In the vehicle power supply device of the present invention, the battery case 2 is provided with a cooling fan 9 for sucking the air inside, and the cooling fan 9 sucks the air in the battery case 2 to reduce the internal pressure of the battery case 2. The internal pressure of the electrical component case 20 can be lowered.

  In the power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the battery case 2 includes two inner cases 6 and an outer case 7 that houses the inner cases 6 so that the inner cases 6 can be vertically spaced apart. The suction gap 8 can be provided between the inner case 6 by being housed in the outer case 7.

  In the vehicle power supply device of the present invention, the cooling fan 9 can be provided at both ends of the inner case 6.

  The power supply device for a vehicle of the present invention can connect the plastic molded body to the battery case 2 and can fill the connecting portion of the plastic molded body with an insulating sealing material.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a sub case 11 in which a plastic molded body stores a battery 1 and an end plate 12 that is connected to the sub case 11 and fixes a bus bar that connects the battery 1. An insulating seal can be filled between the end plate 12 and the sub case 11.

  In the vehicle power supply device of the present invention, the high voltage component 21 </ b> A can be disposed below the electrical component case 20.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention has an advantage that failure of an electronic component or the like caused by dust or salt contained in the outside air can be minimized while the battery is cooled by the outside air. The vehicle power supply device of the present invention includes a battery case that houses a plurality of batteries, an air intake port that sucks air outside the vehicle, and an exhaust port that discharges air that has cooled the battery outside the vehicle. This is because the outside air sucked from the suction port is circulated to the battery case without being forced to blow into the electrical component case containing the electrical component and exhausted from the exhaust port to the outside of the vehicle. The power supply device of the present invention forcibly blows outside air sucked from the outside of the vehicle and circulates it to the battery case, but does not forcibly blow outside air to the electrical component case. The sucked outside air is circulated only inside the battery case to cool the battery built in the battery case. Therefore, the power supply device of the present invention can effectively prevent the electronic components and the like from being damaged by dust, salt, etc. contained in the outside air while cooling the battery with the outside air sucked.

  Furthermore, the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 2 of the present invention connects the electric component case in a T-shape in a posture orthogonal to the middle of the battery case, and opens an inlet in the central portion of the battery case, Since the exhaust ports are open at both ends, the outside air sucked from the suction ports can be forced to blow to the exhaust ports at both ends of the battery case, and ideally circulate to the battery case without blowing the outside air to the electrical component case There are features. In particular, this structure places the electrical component case in the middle of the battery case, so that leads for detecting the voltage, temperature, etc. of the battery stored in the battery case are wired to the electrical component case in the shortest time. Convenient.

  Furthermore, in the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 3 of the present invention, a cooling fan is provided in the battery case, and the air in the battery case is sucked by the cooling fan, so that the internal pressure of the battery case is higher than the internal pressure of the electric component case. Therefore, the air in the battery case can be effectively prevented from flowing into the electrical component case. In particular, the power supply device can be structured such that the outside air circulated through the battery case does not flow into the electrical component case without completely blocking the air flow between the electrical component case and the battery case.

  Furthermore, in the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 6 of the present invention, the plastic molded body is connected to form a battery case, and the connecting portion of the plastic molded body is filled with the insulating sealing material. While manufacturing at a low cost, it is possible to prevent the outside air from passing through the gap between the connecting portions of the plastic molded body and effectively prevent dust and salt from accumulating in this portion. Thus, the power supply device that can prevent the accumulation of dust and salt can prevent the insulation resistance of the battery case from being lowered, and can effectively prevent leakage and insulation breakdown.

  Further, in the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 8 of the present invention, since the high voltage component is arranged at the lower part of the electric component case, the electric component case can be safely arranged on the armrest portion of the rear seat of the automobile.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies a vehicle power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the vehicle power supply device as follows.

  Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention is used for the power supply of a vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle, a hybrid car, and an electric vehicle.

  1 to 6 includes a battery case 2 that houses a plurality of batteries 1 and an electrical component 21 that is connected to the battery 1 housed in the battery case 2. An electrical component case 20 is provided.

  The battery case 2 circulates air outside the vehicle inside and cools the battery 1 housed inside with the air outside the vehicle. In order to realize this, the battery case 2 has an air inlet 3 for sucking air outside the vehicle and air that has cooled the battery 1 by forcibly blowing the outside air sucked from the inlet 3 into the case. An exhaust port 4 for exhausting outside the vehicle is opened. As shown in FIG. 2, the suction port 3 of the battery case 2 is connected to the outside of the vehicle via a duct 5. The exhaust port 4 is also connected to the outside of the vehicle via a duct (not shown). The battery case 2 sucks outside air from the suction port 3 through the duct 5 and exhausts the sucked air from the exhaust port 4 to the outside of the vehicle through the duct. The power supply device cools the battery 1 by circulating air outside the vehicle to the battery case 2 instead of circulating the air inside the vehicle to the battery case 2.

  The power supply device of the present invention circulates the outside air sucked from the outside of the vehicle to the battery case 2 but does not circulate the outside air to the electrical component case 20. The outside air is circulated only inside the battery case 2 to cool the battery 1 built in the battery case 2.

  In the battery case 2 of FIG. 5, two inner cases 6 are accommodated in an outer case 7. The two elongated inner cases 6 are arranged in the outer case 7 apart from each other in a vertical row. An outside air suction gap 8 is provided between the inner cases 6. The outer case 7 has a suction port 3 at the center so as to be connected to the suction gap 8 between the inner cases 6. The outside air sucked from the suction port 3 passes through the suction gap 8 between the inner cases 6 and flows into each inner case 6. The air flowing into the inner case 6 cools the battery 1 housed inside and exhausts it to the outside.

  In the battery case 2, a cooling fan 9 is fixed inside the outer case 7 on the exhaust side of the inner case 6. The cooling fan 9 sucks air in the inner case 6, that is, air in the battery case 2 and forcibly exhausts it to the outside. The cooling fan 9 exhausts the air in the battery case 2 and does not forcibly exhaust the air in the electrical component case 20. Therefore, the internal pressure of the battery case 2 is lower than the internal pressure of the electrical component case 20, and the air in the battery case 2 does not flow into the electrical component case 20. Therefore, the power supply device that sucks the air in the battery case 2 with the cooling fan 9 and forcibly exhausts the air does not need to be configured to completely block the air flow between the electrical component case 20 and the battery case 2. Even if there is a gap through which air flows between the battery case 2 and the electrical component case 20, the internal pressure of the battery case 2 is made lower than the internal pressure of the electrical component case 20, so that electricity from the outside air circulated in the battery case 2 can be This is because the component case 20 is shut off so that the outside air of the battery case 2 does not flow into the electrical component case 20. However, it goes without saying that the power supply device of the present invention can also block the electrical component case from the outside air of the battery case with a structure in which air does not flow between the battery case and the electrical component case. The power supply device that shuts off the battery case and the electrical component case so as not to allow air to flow can make the internal pressure of the battery case equal to or higher than the internal pressure of the electrical component case. Therefore, the battery can be cooled by supplying outside air to the battery case with the cooling fan.

  In the illustrated power supply apparatus, cooling fans 9 are fixed to both ends of the inner case 6. Both end portions of the inner case 6 are located at both end portions of the outer case 7. Since the outer case 7 has the exhaust ports 4 at both ends, the cooling fans 9 are arranged at both ends of the outer case 7 to exhaust the exhausted air from the exhaust ports 4 to the outside. The power supply device having this structure can cool the batteries 1 housed in both inner cases 6 in a balanced manner. This is because each cooling fan 9 forcibly circulates outside air to the inner case 6. In other words, the stored battery 1 can be cooled by allowing outside air to pass through the inside of the inner case 6 from the suction port 3 provided at the center of the battery case 2 toward the exhaust ports 4 on both sides.

  A state in which the battery 1 is housed in the inner case 6 of the battery case 2 is shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 8, the battery 1 is housed in the battery case 2 as a battery module 10 by connecting a plurality of batteries in a straight line. The battery module 10 shown in the figure is obtained by connecting six cylindrical batteries 1 in series in a straight line. However, the battery module is obtained by connecting five or less batteries or seven or more batteries. It can also be.

  The battery case 2 shown in these drawings accommodates the battery 1 by connecting a plurality of plastic molded bodies. The inner case 6 connects an end plate 12 that is a plastic molded body to a sub case 11 that is a plastic molded body. The end plate 12 fixes a bus bar (not shown) that connects the battery modules 10 housed in the sub case 11 in series. The subcase 11 houses the battery module 10 by connecting a plurality of plastic molded bodies. The subcase 11 shown in the figure stores three rows of battery modules 10 and two rows of battery modules 10 in two stages, and stores a total of five battery modules 10 in a parallel posture. The battery module 10 is housed in the sub case 11 so that an air passage gap 13 is formed. The subcase 11 shown in the figure accommodates five battery modules 10, but can accommodate four or less battery modules or six or more battery modules.

  Further, the inner case 6 in the figure accommodates a sub case 11 having the same shape. The two sub cases 11 are arranged on both sides of the central duct 14 so that a central duct 14 is formed in the central portion, and the remaining one sub case 11 is arranged on the central duct 14. The sub cases 11 arranged around the central duct 14 are accommodated in the battery case 2 so that the battery modules 10 arranged in three rows are positioned on the central duct 14 side. This power supply device has the advantage that it can be mass-produced efficiently at low cost by producing a large number of the same subcases 11.

  The sub case 11 opens an air transmission gap 15 in order to cool the battery module 10 to be stored. The inner case 6 is provided with a cooling duct 16 between the sub case 11. The cooling duct 16 is connected to the suction side of the cooling fan 9. The power supply apparatus shown in these drawings cools the battery 1 by forcibly blowing cooling air between the battery modules 10.

  The sub case 11 connecting a plurality of plastic molded bodies has a gap in the connecting portion. A gap is also formed at the connecting portion between the end plate 12 and the sub case 11. Insulating sealing materials such as silicon rubber and grease are filled in the gaps connecting the plastic molded bodies and the connecting gaps between the end plate 12 and the sub case 11. The insulating sealing material filled in the gap prevents dust and salt from accumulating in the gap. In the battery case 2 in which a plurality of plastic molded bodies are connected, dust and salt are accumulated in the gaps, and the insulation resistance is lowered. When the insulation resistance is lowered, it causes leakage and breakdown, but the case where the insulation seal material is filled here effectively prevents the insulation resistance from being lowered over a long period of time. In particular, the battery case 2 that sucks and circulates the outside air easily accumulates dust and salt contained in the outside air in the gaps. However, the battery case 2 filled with an insulating sealing material has a leakage or insulation in the connecting portion. Destruction can be effectively prevented.

  Furthermore, the surface of the plurality of plastic molded bodies constituting the inner case 6 can be subjected to water repellent treatment. The plastic molded body can be subjected to a water repellent treatment by applying a silicon-based or fluorine-based water repellent to the surface. A plastic molded body having a water repellent treatment on the surface can prevent moisture condensed by condensation from forming a thin film and sticking to a large surface area. This is because water droplets adhering to the surface of the water-repellent plastic molded body are aggregated into granular water droplets. When a high voltage is applied to the moisture film adhering to the entire surface of the plastic molded body in a thin film shape, particularly a moisture film adhering to dust or salt, there is a possibility that current flows through the film and an electric leakage occurs. However, a plastic molded body having a water repellent treatment on the surface aggregates the water droplets adhering to the surface into a granular shape, thereby preventing the formation of a current path and effectively preventing leakage due to condensation. Therefore, the plurality of plastic moldings constituting the inner case 6 are parts that are particularly susceptible to high voltage, such as the end plate 12 shown in FIG. 8 and the support plate that protects the terminal part of the end plate 12 and the battery module 10. 17 or by subjecting the surface of the sub case 11 or the like located near the output terminal of the power supply device to a water repellent treatment can effectively prevent leakage due to condensation.

  The electrical component case 20 houses an electrical component 21 that is charged and discharged while protecting the battery 1 of the battery case 2. In the power supply device of FIGS. 1 to 3, the electrical component case 20 is connected in a posture orthogonal to the middle of the battery case 2, and the battery case 2 and the electrical component case 20 are arranged in a T shape in a planar shape. . In this power supply device, the inlet 3 is opened on the upper surface of the central portion of the battery case 2, and the exhaust ports 4 are opened on the upper surfaces of both end portions.

  The electrical component case 20 is a case manufactured separately from the battery case 2, and has a structure that does not flow outside air circulated into the battery case 2. The battery case 2 and the electrical component case 20 are fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 19 and mounted on the vehicle. In the illustrated power supply apparatus, the top plate and the side plates on both sides of the electric component case 20 are connected to the side surface of the battery case 2, and the electric component case 20 is connected to the battery case 2. The electrical component case 20 is lower than the battery case 2. Furthermore, the electrical component case 20 has a stepped shape by further lowering the end portion away from the battery case 2.

  The electrical component case 20 houses an electrical component 21 composed of a high voltage component 21A and a low voltage component 21B. The high-voltage component 21A is a component connected to the output side that is increased by connecting a number of batteries 1 in series, and is, for example, a current sensor, a relay, a fuse, a resistor, or the like. The low-voltage component 21B is, for example, a charge / discharge control circuit that operates with a 12V electric battery, an arithmetic circuit for the remaining capacity of the battery 1, a protection circuit, and the like. The electric component case 20 of FIGS. 4 and 6 has a high voltage component 21A disposed at the lower portion and an electric component case 20 disposed at the upper portion. The electrical component case 20 can be safely placed on the armrest of the rear seat of the automobile. This is because the low voltage component 21B is arranged on the upper part.

  Furthermore, the power supply device shown in the figure is suitable for placing the battery case 2 on the back of the backrest of the rear seat and placing the electrical component case 20 on the armrest. In particular, as shown in the figure, the battery case 2 having both surfaces inclined so that the width becomes narrower upward is suitable for being disposed on the opposite side of the backrest. The power supply device disposed here sucks outside air from the vicinity of the rear wheel of the vehicle and circulates it to the battery case 2.

It is a perspective view of the power supply device for vehicles concerning one example of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which connects a duct to the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a top view of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the vehicle power supply device shown in FIG. 3. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a side view of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the battery case of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the inner case of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 2 ... Battery case 3 ... Intake port 4 ... Exhaust port 5 ... Duct 6 ... Inner case 7 ... Outer case 8 ... Intake gap 9 ... Cooling fan 10 ... Battery module 11 ... Subcase 12 ... End plate 13 ... Air passage Gap 14 ... Center duct 15 ... Transmission gap 16 ... Cooling duct 17 ... Support plate 19 ... Base plate 20 ... Electrical component case 21 ... Electrical component 21A ... High voltage component 21B ... Low voltage component

Claims (8)

A battery case (2) containing a plurality of batteries (1) and a battery case (2) connected to the battery (1) stored in the battery case (2). (20) and
The battery case (2) has an air inlet (3) that sucks air outside the vehicle into the inside, and forcedly blows outside air sucked from the inlet (3) to cool the battery (1), Opening the exhaust port (4) for exhausting the air cooled 1) out of the car,
The electrical component case (20) is connected to the battery case (2) in a state where the outside air forced to the battery case (2) is not forced to the electrical component case (20),
For vehicles in which outside air drawn from the inlet (3) is circulated to the battery case (2) without being forced to blow to the electrical parts case (20), and then exhausted outside the vehicle through the outlet (4) Power supply.   The battery case (2) and the electric component case (20) are arranged in a T shape in a planar shape by connecting the electric component case (20) in a posture orthogonal to the middle of the battery case (2). The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an inlet (3) is opened at a central portion of the case (2), and an exhaust port (4) is opened at both ends.   The battery case (2) is provided with a cooling fan (9) that sucks the air inside, and this cooling fan (9) sucks the air inside the battery case (2) and the internal pressure of the battery case (2) The vehicle power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure is lower than the internal pressure of the electric component case (20).   The battery case (2) includes two inner cases (6) and an outer case (7) that houses the inner case (6) so that the inner case (6) has a vertical line. The vehicle power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is accommodated in an outer case (7), and a suction gap (8) is provided between the inner case (6).   The power supply device for vehicles according to claim 3 and 4, wherein a cooling fan (9) is provided at both ends of the inner case (6).   The vehicle power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the plastic molded body is connected to form a battery case (2), and a connecting portion of the plastic molded body is filled with an insulating sealing material.   The plastic molded body includes a sub case (11) that houses the battery (1), and an end plate (12) that is connected to the sub case (11) and fixes the bus bar that connects the battery (1). The vehicle power supply device according to claim 6, wherein an insulating seal is filled between the end plate (12) and the sub case (11). The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the high-voltage component (21A) is arranged below the electric component case (20).

Images