JP2006151270A - Battery cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent dirty air from flowing into a compartment from the outside of a vehicle to give discomfort to occupants at the time of cooling a battery in a vehicle with an air-conditioner and a battery supplying power to an electric motor. <P>SOLUTION: Not only an in-vehicle lead-in port 10 but also an outside air lead-in port 9 of an intake duct 8 supplying cooling wind to a battery 6 are arranged below a windshield 3, so as to selectably take the cooling wind from the inside or the outside of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for cooling an in-vehicle battery.

  In an electric vehicle that obtains a driving force by an electric motor, or a hybrid vehicle that has an engine in addition to the electric motor and obtains a driving force from these emphasis control, it is necessary to install a high-power battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor. is there. The high-power battery generates heat during charging and discharging, and the temperature rises due to heat accumulation. However, when the temperature of the high-power battery rises, charging efficiency and discharging efficiency are lowered, and thus traveling performance is deteriorated. For this reason, the apparatus which cools so that heat may not accumulate in a high-power battery is required.

As a battery cooling device, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known.
The vehicle battery cooling system described in Patent Document 1 is provided in a vehicle including an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature in the vehicle, and supplies air in the vehicle interior cooled by the air conditioner to the battery chamber by a cooling fan. A cooling means for cooling the battery, a circulation means for circulating the air between the battery chamber and the vehicle interior space by guiding the cooled air into the vehicle, and a discharge means for discharging the cooled air to the outside of the vehicle, And switching means for switching between the circulation means and the discharge means.
JP-A-10-306722

However, the conventional vehicle battery cooling system as described above has the following problems. In other words, when the switching means selects the discharge means, the air in the vehicle interior is discharged outside the vehicle through the battery chamber, so that an amount of air equivalent to the discharged amount is newly replenished from the outside of the vehicle into the vehicle. Become.
Therefore, even if the air conditioner selects internal air circulation and does not intend to take in air outside the vehicle, air actually flows into the vehicle from outside the vehicle. As a result, there is an inconvenience that the passenger feels uncomfortable when the air outside the vehicle is dirty.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention proposes a technique for cooling a battery without air flowing from the outside of the vehicle into the vehicle when the air conditioner selects the inside air circulation.

For this purpose, the battery cooling device according to the invention is as claimed in claim 1,
Air conditioning that adjusts the temperature of the interior space by providing outside air intake ports outside the vehicle and inside air circulation intake ports inside the vehicle, controlling the temperature of air taken in from the outside of the vehicle or from the inside of the vehicle and sending it to the inside of the vehicle. Provided in a vehicle comprising a device and a battery for supplying power necessary to drive the vehicle;
In a battery cooling device comprising an intake duct for introducing cooling air for cooling the battery, and an exhaust duct for discharging the cooling air after battery cooling to the outside or inside the vehicle,
The inlet of the intake duct is provided outside and inside the vehicle, respectively, and the cooling air can be selected from outside or inside the vehicle.

According to the configuration of the present invention, since the intake duct can directly introduce the cooling air from the outside of the vehicle regardless of whether the air conditioner is outside air intake or inside air circulation, the air conditioner is selecting the inside air circulation. By cooling the battery with cooling air introduced from outside the vehicle and discharging the cooled cooling air outside the vehicle, air outside the vehicle is not taken in.
Therefore, when the air conditioner selects the inside air circulation, it is possible to solve the above problem that dirty outside air flows into the vehicle and the passenger feels uncomfortable.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on examples shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing a vehicle including a battery cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the side.
An air conditioner 2 is provided in the interior space 1 where the passenger is seated. The air conditioner 2 is a known air conditioner that cools and heats the interior space 1, adjusts the air sucked from the suction port to a predetermined temperature, and then passes through the built-in blower fan 2 b to the interior space 1 from the blowout port 2 f. Send it out.
There are two suction ports, and an outside air suction port 4 is provided at the lower part of the windshield 3 outside the vehicle interior space (outside the vehicle). An interior air circulation inlet 5 is provided in the interior space 1, for example, the driver's feet.

  The suction ports 4 and 5 can be opened and closed, respectively. By opening the suction port 4 and closing the suction port 5, the air conditioner 2 can take in air from outside the vehicle (outside air suction). Alternatively, by closing the inlet 4 and opening the inlet 5, the air conditioner 2 can circulate air in the vehicle (inside air circulation). Alternatively, air can be taken in at a variable rate from both inside and outside the vehicle by opening the suction ports 4 and 5 appropriately.

The vehicle of the present embodiment is an electric vehicle that travels using the driving force of the electric motor or a hybrid vehicle that travels using the driving force of the engine and the electric motor. For this reason, the vehicle is provided with a large battery 6 for supplying electric power necessary for an electric motor (not shown). Since the battery 6 generates heat during charging and discharging, the battery 6 is cooled by supplying air to the battery 6.
A gap is provided between the inner wall of the battery chamber 7 where the battery 6 is disposed and the surface of the battery 6 so that the cooling air flows around the battery 6.

One end of an intake duct 8 is connected to the battery chamber 7 in order to supply cooling air. Two inlets are provided at the other end of the intake duct 8. One inlet 9 is connected to the outside of the vehicle under the windshield 3. The other inlet 10 is connected to the interior space 1. A switching valve 11 for switching between these inlets 9 and 10 is inserted in the intake duct 8.
During traveling, the traveling wind flowing in parallel on the hood 21 at the front of the vehicle body changes direction and flows in parallel on the windshield 3, so that the air pressure at the lower part of the windshield 3 is higher than atmospheric pressure. Are known.

Further, one end of an exhaust duct 12 is connected to the battery chamber 7 in order to discharge the cooling air after cooling. The other end of the exhaust duct 12 branches to reach two exhaust ports. One exhaust port 13 is connected to the outside of the vehicle at the rear end 22 of the vehicle body, and the other exhaust port 14 is connected to the vehicle interior space 1. The exhaust port 14 is arranged in the vicinity of the inside air circulation intake port of the air conditioner 2 so that most of the cooling air exhausted from the exhaust port 14 can be taken into the air conditioner 2.
During traveling, since the traveling wind flowing in parallel on the trunk cover 23 at the rear of the vehicle body is caught at the vehicle body rear end 22, it is known that the air pressure at the vehicle body rear end 22 is lower than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the cooling air flows from the inlet 9 having a pressure difference to the exhaust port 13.
However, since the intake duct 8 and the exhaust duct 12 have a long path and bend at several points, the resistance due to the bend is offset to ensure a sufficient amount of cooling air, and the battery 6 is rapidly cooled as necessary. Therefore, a battery fan 15 is inserted into the exhaust duct 12. A switching valve 16 for switching the exhaust ports 13 and 14 so as to be selectable is inserted between the battery fan 15 and the exhaust port 13 outside the vehicle.

A vehicle interior temperature sensor 17 that detects the temperature inside the vehicle is provided in the vehicle interior space 1. A vehicle outside temperature sensor 18 for detecting the temperature outside the vehicle is provided in the vicinity of the vehicle outside introduction port 9. The battery 6 is provided with a battery temperature sensor 19 for detecting the temperature of the battery 6.
A cooling device controller (not shown) reads signals from these temperature sensors 17, 18, and 19 and executes the control shown in the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S1, the temperature of the battery 6, the temperature outside the vehicle, and the temperature inside the vehicle are read.
In the next step S2, it is determined whether or not the temperature outside the vehicle is a temperature suitable for cooling the battery 6. If the temperature outside the vehicle is higher than the temperature of the battery 6 or the like (No), the process proceeds to step S6. If the temperature outside the vehicle is a temperature suitable for cooling, such as sufficiently lower than the temperature of the battery 6 (Yes), the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the switching valve 11 is switched to the inlet 9 side so that the intake duct 8 introduces cooling air from the outside of the vehicle. Further, the switching valve 16 is switched to the exhaust port 13 side so that the exhaust duct 12 discharges the cooled cooling air to the outside of the vehicle.
In the next step S4, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the battery 6 is equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit value. When it is determined that the value is equal to or greater than the upper limit (Yes), the battery fan 15 is operated to increase the cooling air volume in order to enhance the cooling effect of the battery 6.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that the value is not equal to or greater than the upper limit (No), step S5 is skipped and the present control is terminated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device of the present embodiment introduces cooling air from the battery 6 from outside the vehicle and discharges the cooling air after cooling outside the vehicle, while the cooling air is separated from the vehicle interior space. Thus, the “air outside introduction / inside air circulation” mode in which the air conditioner 2 is in the inside air circulation is executed.

Returning to the description of step S2, if the temperature outside the vehicle is higher than the temperature of the battery 6 and the temperature is not suitable for cooling (No), the process proceeds to step S6, and the intake duct 8 generates cooling air in step S6. The switching valve 11 is switched to the introduction port 10 side so as to be introduced from inside the vehicle.
In the next step S <b> 7, it is determined whether or not the air conditioner 2 is taking air from the outside air inlet 4. If the air conditioner 2 is taking air from only the outside air inlet 4 or taking air from both the inlets 4 and 5 (Yes), the process proceeds to step S8. When the air conditioner 2 is taking in air only from the inside air circulation suction port 5 or is not taking air from any of the suction ports 4 and 5 (No), the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S8, the switching valve 16 is switched to the vehicle exhaust port 13 side so that the exhaust duct 12 discharges the cooled cooling air to the outside of the vehicle.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the cooling device of the present embodiment introduces the cooling air of the battery 6 from the vehicle interior space 1, discharges the cooled cooling air to the outside of the vehicle, and sets the air conditioner 2 to the outside air intake. The "in-car introduction / outside air intake" mode is executed.

In step S9, the switching valve 16 is switched to the vehicle interior outlet 14 side so that the exhaust duct 12 discharges the cooled cooling air into the vehicle.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the cooling device of the present embodiment introduces the cooling air of the battery 6 from the vehicle interior space 1 and discharges the cooled cooling air to the vehicle interior space 1, while the air conditioning device 2 is connected to the internal air circulation. The “in-car introduction / inside air circulation” mode is executed.

  Returning to step S4 from step S8 or step S9, the above-described control is executed as to whether or not the battery fan 15 is to be operated.

  By the way, according to the above-described embodiment, the inlets 9 and 10 of the intake duct 3 are provided in the vehicle exterior and the vehicle interior space 1, respectively, and the cooling wind of the battery 6 can be selected from the vehicle exterior or the interior of the vehicle. The wind can be directly supplied from the outside of the vehicle to the battery 6 without passing through the interior space 1 (FIG. 1). Therefore, the dirty air outside the vehicle does not flow into the vehicle interior space 1 as in the prior art, and the problem that the passenger feels uncomfortable can be solved and the riding comfort performance can be improved.

  Further, in this embodiment, an outside temperature sensor 18 for detecting the temperature outside the vehicle and an inside temperature sensor 17 for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle are provided. Since the exhaust duct 12 is provided with a switching valve 16 that discharges to the outside or inside of the vehicle so as to be switched, the cooling air can be taken from either the outside or inside the vehicle space 1 based on FIG. 2 and the above-described flowchart. Thus, the cooling performance of the battery 6 can be improved and temperature management can be suitably realized.

  In step S2 described above, if the temperature of the outside air is not sufficiently low for cooling the battery 6, but if the temperature inside the vehicle is too low for cooling the battery 6, the flowchart of FIG. Although not shown, it goes without saying that cooling air may be introduced from both the inlets 9 and 10. In this case, the air conditioner 2 needs to take in air from outside the vehicle.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air conditioner 2 sucks from either the outside or the inside of the vehicle while the intake duct 8 takes in the cooling air from the inside space 1.
As a result, when the air outside the vehicle is clean, it is possible to realize both the ventilation of the vehicle interior space 1 and the temperature management of the battery 6 at the same time by selecting the “in-car introduction / air intake” mode (FIG. 3). And become
When the air outside the vehicle is dirty, the temperature management of the battery 6 can be performed while preventing the passenger from feeling uncomfortable by selecting the “in-car introduction / in-air circulation” mode (FIG. 4). Enabled,
The cooling performance and riding comfort performance of the present invention can be synergistically increased according to the driving environment.

In the present embodiment, the exhaust port 14 to the vehicle interior space 1 of the exhaust duct 12 is disposed in the vicinity of the inside air circulation inlet 5 of the air conditioner 2.
Most of the cooled cooling air discharged from the exhaust port 14 is taken into the air conditioner 2. Therefore, it can avoid sending the cooling air after cooling with a heat | fever to a passenger | crew, and can send to the vehicle interior space 1 after cooling with the air conditioner 2. FIG.

Further, in this embodiment, the inlet 9 is arranged at the lower part of the windshield 3 so that the air pressure at the mounting position of the outside air inlet 9 of the intake duct 8 is higher than the air pressure at the position of mounting the exhaust duct 12 outside the vehicle. Since the exhaust port 13 is disposed at the rear end 22 of the vehicle body,
In the “outside vehicle introduction / inside air circulation” mode shown in FIG. 1, a large amount of cooling air can be secured. Therefore, the cooling performance of the battery 6 can be improved without operating the battery fan 15, which can contribute to reduction of power consumption and improvement of fuel consumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing a vehicle including a battery cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the side of a vehicle body, and executes an “outside vehicle introduction / inside air circulation” mode. It is a flowchart which shows the control program of the Example. In the same Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows the "in-vehicle introduction and outside air intake" mode. In the same Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows the "in-vehicle introduction and inside air circulation" mode.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car interior space 2 Air conditioner 4 Air conditioner outside air inlet 5 Air conditioner inside air circulation inlet 6 Battery 8 Intake duct 9 Outside air inlet 10 Inside inlet 11 Intake duct switching valve 12 Exhaust duct 13 Exhaust outlet 14 Inside exhaust port 15 Battery Fan 16 Exhaust duct switching valve 17 Car interior temperature sensor 18 Car exterior temperature sensor

Claims (5)

Air conditioning that adjusts the temperature of the interior space by providing outside air intake ports outside the vehicle and inside air circulation intake ports inside the vehicle, controlling the temperature of air taken in from the outside of the vehicle or from the inside of the vehicle and sending it to the inside of the vehicle. Provided in a vehicle comprising a device and a battery for supplying power necessary to drive the vehicle;
In a battery cooling device comprising an intake duct for introducing cooling air for cooling the battery, and an exhaust duct for discharging the cooling air after battery cooling to the outside or inside the vehicle,
A battery cooling device characterized in that an inlet for the intake duct is provided outside and inside the vehicle so that the cooling air can be selected from outside or inside the vehicle. The battery cooling device according to claim 1,
An exhaust temperature sensor for detecting an outside temperature of the vehicle and an in-vehicle temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the inside of the vehicle. The exhaust duct is provided with a switching valve for introducing the cooling air so that the cooling air can be switched from outside or inside the vehicle. Has a switching valve that discharges cooling air after cooling so that it can be switched outside or inside the vehicle,
A battery cooling device configured to be able to take in the cooling air from either or both of the outside of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle based on the detected outside temperature and inside temperature. The battery cooling device according to claim 2,
A battery cooling device, characterized in that the air-conditioning device can be taken in either or both of the inside of the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle while the intake duct introduces cooling air from the inside of the vehicle. The battery cooling device according to claim 3.
The battery cooling device according to claim 1, wherein an exhaust port into the vehicle interior space of the exhaust duct is disposed in the vicinity of the inside air circulation inlet of the air conditioner. In the battery cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A battery characterized in that the introduction port and the exhaust port are arranged so that the air pressure at the installation position of the outside air introduction port of the intake duct is higher than the air pressure at the installation position of the exhaust port outside the vehicle of the exhaust duct. Cooling system.

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