JP2006331956A - Power supply device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cool a number of battery modules efficiently down to a uniform temperature by surely preventing liquid leak in a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A power supply device for a vehicle is provided with a case of a watertight structure filling cooling liquid 3 inside, a plurality of battery modules 2 cooled in direct contact with the cooling liquid 3 or in contact through a holder case 4, and an air blasting nozzle 5 blasting air in foam into the cooling liquid 3. The power supply device blasts air in foam into the cooling liquid 3 with the blasting nozzle 5 to cool the batteries with the cooled cooling liquid 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device that drives a motor that is mounted on an automobile and drives the automobile, and more particularly to a power supply apparatus that can uniformly cool a large number of batteries housed in a case.

  In an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine and a battery power source, a power supply device in which a large number of batteries are connected is used as a driving power source.

  A power supply device used in a conventional electric vehicle has a large number of battery modules connected in series and housed in a case. The battery module is formed by connecting six unit cells made of nickel-hydrogen batteries, which are secondary batteries, in a straight line in series to form a rod. In a vehicle power supply device, a large number of battery modules are connected in series to increase the output voltage. This power supply device is discharged with a large current when accelerating the automobile and accelerated by a motor, and is charged with a large current by a regenerative brake when decelerating or going down a slope. For this reason, a battery module becomes quite high temperature. Since the battery deteriorates in electrical performance at high temperatures, it is forcedly cooled to a temperature lower than the set temperature. In a power supply apparatus using a large number of battery modules, it is important to cool each battery module uniformly. This is because, if there is a temperature difference between the battery modules, the battery module whose temperature has been increased is quickly deteriorated and the life is shortened.

As a cooling structure for cooling a large number of battery modules to a uniform temperature, a structure for cooling battery modules with a liquid has been developed. (See Patent Documents 1 to 4)
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-40211 JP-A-11-135160 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-238530 JP 2003-346924 A

  In the power supply devices described in these publications, a battery is disposed in a case filled with a cooling liquid, and the battery is immersed in the cooling liquid for cooling. The power supply device having this structure can cool a large number of batteries to a uniform temperature. However, the power supply device having this structure has a drawback that the structure is complicated and the manufacturing cost is high. This is because, in order to cool the cooling liquid filling the case, it is taken out and circulated and forcedly cooled outside the case. In particular, an apparatus that takes out and circulates the cooling liquid outside the case corrodes and causes a failure if the cooling liquid leaks. Therefore, it is necessary to circulate in a structure that does not leak the liquid. This structure increases the manufacturing cost as compared with, for example, a mechanism for forced cooling by circulating air to the outside. This is because even if some air leaks, it does not cause a failure. In addition, air can be circulated to the outside through a simple duct, but the coolant is taken out and circulated by a hose or pipe, so that it takes time to assemble and increases the manufacturing cost. Further, in order to forcibly cool the coolant circulated to the outside, a mechanism for connecting a heat exchanger and further cooling the heat exchanger is required, and the structure becomes considerably complicated.

  The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving such drawbacks. An important object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular power supply apparatus that can reliably prevent liquid leakage and efficiently cool a large number of battery modules to a uniform temperature while having an extremely simple structure.

The vehicle power supply device of the present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-described object.
A power supply device for a vehicle has a watertight structure and a case 1 filled with a coolant 3 therein, and is disposed in the case 1 so as to contact the coolant 3 directly or via a holder case 4. And a plurality of battery modules 2 to be cooled, and a jet nozzle 5 which is disposed at the bottom of the case 1 and injects air into the coolant 3 in the form of bubbles. This power supply device jets air into the coolant 3 with the jet nozzle 5, floats the jetted bubbles into the coolant 3, cools the coolant 3, and uses the cooled coolant 3 to recharge the battery. Cool down.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a storage cylinder 6 in which the holder case 4 has a cylindrical shape capable of storing the battery module 2 and closes the bottom and opens the upper end. The storage cylinder 6 has a waterproof structure. The battery module 2 can be inserted into the inside. Further, the holder case 4 is arranged such that the upper end opening of the storage cylinder 6 is higher than the liquid surface of the coolant 3, the battery module 2 is stored in the storage cylinder 6 of the holder case 4, and the battery module 2 is stored in the holder case. 4 can be waterproofed and immersed in the coolant 3. Furthermore, the power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention can connect the plurality of storage cylinders 6 at the upper end by using the holder case 4 made of plastic.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention can supply cooling air from the vehicle-mounted air conditioner to the jet nozzle 5 and cool the coolant 3 with the air cooled by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner.

  In the vehicle power supply device of the present invention, a battery module 2 in which a plurality of unit cells 20 are linearly connected in series can be used.

  In the vehicle power supply device of the present invention, a lead lead 21 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the battery module 2 on the surface of the battery module 2, insulated from the battery module 2, and the lower end of the lead lead 21 is connected to the battery module 2. The output terminal can be fixed to the upper end.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention jets air heated by the jet nozzle 5 into the coolant 3, heats the coolant 3 with air, and heats the battery module 2 with the coolant 3. Can do.

  In the vehicle power supply device of the present invention, the coolant 3 can be water or insulating oil.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to the present invention has an advantage that it can efficiently cool a large number of battery modules to a uniform temperature by reliably preventing liquid leakage while having an extremely simple structure. The vehicle power supply device according to the present invention includes a jet nozzle that jets air into the coolant in the form of bubbles at the bottom of the case filled with the coolant, and the bubbles jetted from the jet nozzle This is because the cooling liquid is cooled by floating in the cooling liquid, and the battery module is brought into contact with the cooled cooling liquid directly or via the holder case for cooling. The power supply device with this structure can cool the coolant filled in the case without forcibly cooling it outside the case by taking out and circulating the coolant filled in the case as in the past. . This eliminates the need for a complicated structure that circulates the coolant outside the case, reduces manufacturing costs as a simple structure, and prevents coolant leakage due to coolant circulation. Various adverse effects caused by it can be reliably prevented. Furthermore, since the power supply device of the present invention floats the bubbles injected from the jet nozzle in the cooling liquid and cools the cooling liquid, it does not require a heat exchanger for forcibly cooling the cooling liquid and simplifies the structure. Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

  Further, the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 2 of the present invention includes a storage cylinder in which the holder case closes the bottom and the upper end is opened, and the battery module is inserted into the storage cylinder with a waterproof structure and stored. Since the upper end opening of the cylinder is arranged higher than the liquid level of the coolant, the battery module can be efficiently cooled by being immersed in the coolant while being waterproofed.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 4 of the present invention supplies cooling air from the in-vehicle air conditioner to the jet nozzle and cools the coolant with the air cooled by the in-vehicle air conditioner. Thus, the battery module can be efficiently cooled. In particular, the battery module can be efficiently cooled even in an environment where the outside air temperature is high.

  Furthermore, in the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 7 of the present invention, the air heated by the jet nozzle is injected into the cooling liquid, and the battery module is heated with the heated cooling liquid. In, or on a cold day in winter, the battery module whose temperature has dropped can be ideally heated.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiment exemplifies a power supply device for a vehicle for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the 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 shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 has a case 1 having a watertight structure and filled with a coolant 3 therein, and is disposed in the case 1 so that a holder case 4 is placed in the coolant 3. A plurality of battery modules 2 that are brought into contact with each other and cooled, and a jet nozzle 5 that is disposed at the bottom of the case 1 and injects air into the coolant 3 in the form of bubbles.

  The case 1 includes a main body case 1A that houses the battery module 2 and a lid 1B that closes an upper opening of the main body case 1A so as to exhaust air. The main body case 1A has a rectangular box shape that opens upward, and is made of plastic or metal to provide a waterproof structure. As shown in FIG. 7, the main body case 1 </ b> A is provided with a fitting recess 11 for arranging the battery module 2 at a fixed position on the upper surface of the bottom plate 10. The fitting recess 11 fits the storage cylinder 6 of the holder case 4 in which the battery module 2 is put, and holds and arranges the battery module 2 in a fixed position. The case 1 having this structure can be arranged at a fixed position so that the battery module 2 is not firmly displaced.

  The case can also be coated with a heat insulating material. The heat insulating case can prevent the battery module and the coolant from being cooled to a low temperature in an extremely cold usage environment. The main body case 1A and the lid 1B are connected with a watertight structure so that the coolant 3 does not leak. The lid 1 </ b> B has an exhaust port 12 that exhausts air supplied into the case 1. The illustrated lid 1 </ b> B connects an exhaust cylinder 13 extending upward to the exhaust port 12. The lid 1B has a tapered shape in which the top plate 14 is inclined upward toward the exhaust port 12. The lid 1B can reliably prevent the coolant 3 from leaking from the exhaust port 12.

  The exhaust port 12 is connected to a duct (not shown). The duct has one end connected to the exhaust port 12 of the lid 1B and the other end connected to the outside of the vehicle, and exhausts air exhausted from the exhaust port 12 to the outside of the vehicle. This structure exhausts the gas exhausted from the battery module 2 to the outside of the vehicle together with the air. Therefore, when the safety valve of the unit cell 20 constituting the battery module 2 is opened and gas is ejected from the unit cell 20, the gas can be smoothly exhausted out of the vehicle together with the air.

  In the illustrated power supply apparatus, the battery module 2 is housed in a case 1 in a holder case 4. The holder case 4 is integrally formed of plastic as a whole. The holder case 4 has a shape in which a plurality of storage cylinders 6 for storing and storing the battery modules 2 separately are connected by a connecting plate 7 at the upper end. The connecting plate 7 is located at the center and opens an exhaust hole 7A for exhausting air supplied into the main body case 1A into the lid 1B.

  The storage cylinder 6 is an inner cylinder that can store the battery module 2, and closes the bottom and opens the upper end. The storage cylinder 6 is formed into an inner shape in which the inner surface is in surface contact with the outer surface of the battery module 2. The storage cylinder 6 can efficiently dissipate the heat of the battery module 2 to the coolant 3. This is because the heat of the battery module 2 can be efficiently transferred to the storage cylinder 6 by heat conduction.

  The storage cylinder 6 has a waterproof structure that does not allow the coolant 3 to enter inside, and the battery module 2 is immersed in the coolant 3 with a waterproof structure. The holder case 4 is arranged such that the upper end opening of the storage cylinder 6 is higher than the liquid level of the coolant 3. This is to prevent the coolant 3 from entering the storage cylinder 6. The battery module 2 is stored in the storage cylinder 6 of the holder case 4, waterproofed by the holder case 4, and immersed in the coolant 3.

  In the illustrated power supply apparatus, a plurality of battery modules 2 are arranged at a fixed position of the case 1 in a vertical posture by a holder case 4. The holder case 4 has a plurality of storage cylinders 6 arranged in a vertical posture and the upper ends thereof are connected by a connecting plate 7. The holder case 4 has a gap between adjacent storage cylinders 6. The holder case 4 allows the coolant 3 to enter between the storage cylinders 6 so that the entire periphery of the storage cylinder 6 can be uniformly cooled by the coolant 3.

  The power supply device that waterproofs the battery module 2 with the holder case 4 and immerses it in the coolant 3 can use a conductive liquid such as water as the coolant 3. This is because the coolant 3 does not directly contact the battery module 2. However, the power supply device of the present invention uses an insulating oil or the like that is filled in the transformer and used to cool the coil as the cooling liquid, and directly converts the battery module to the cooling liquid without using the holder case. It can also be immersed. This power supply device can efficiently cool the battery module by directly contacting the coolant.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the battery module 2 has a plurality of unit cells 20 connected in series in a straight line. In the illustrated battery module 2, the unit cell 20 is a secondary battery that is a cylindrical battery. However, in the battery module, the unit cell can be a square battery. The secondary battery unit cell 20 is a nickel-hydrogen battery. However, as the unit cell, any rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel-cadmium battery can be used. In the battery module 2, a connection body (not shown) is disposed between the unit cells 20, and the battery module 2 is linearly connected in series via the connection body. In the battery module 2, the sealing plate of one unit cell 20 and the outer can of the other unit cell 20 are connected by a connection body. The connection body is formed by press-molding a metal plate, and is welded to and connected to the battery end surface of the unit cell 20 disposed so as to face the unit cell 20 in series.

  The battery module 2 shown in the figure has a lead 21 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the battery module 2. The lead 21 is disposed on the surface of the battery module 2 so as to be insulated from the battery module 2. In the illustrated battery module 2, an insulating material 22 such as plastic is disposed between the battery module 2 and the lead lead 21 to insulate the battery module 2 from the lead lead 21. The drawer lead 21 is connected by welding the lower end to the lower end of the battery module 2, and the output terminal 23 is fixed to the upper end. Further, the battery module 2 has an output terminal 24 fixed at the center of the upper end. In the battery module 2, for example, a positive output terminal 24 is fixed to the upper end, and a negative output terminal 23 is fixed to the drawer lead 21. As shown in FIG. 6, the output terminals 23 and 24 of the battery module 2 are connected to the output terminals 24 and 23 of the adjacent battery module 2 via the bus bar 8.

  The bus bar 8 connects adjacent battery modules 2 in series. The power supply device shown in the figure includes a positioning plate 9 for arranging the bus bar 8 at a fixed position, and the bus bar 8 is connected to the battery module 2 through the positioning plate 9. The positioning plate 9 has a shape in which a plurality of bus bars 8 can be arranged in a direction in which a plurality of battery modules 2 are connected in series. The positioning plate 9 shown in the figure has a peripheral wall 9 </ b> A around it, and a partition wall 9 </ b> B between adjacent bus bars 8. The positioning plate 9 having this structure prevents the adjacent bus bars 8 from contacting each other while specifying the position of the bus bar 8 by the peripheral wall 9A and the partition wall 9B.

  The blow nozzle 5 is disposed at the bottom of the case 1 and sprays air into the coolant 3. In the power supply device of FIG. 9, the jet nozzle 5 is connected to the blowout side of the in-vehicle air conditioner 32 via the pneumatic feeder 31. The pneumatic transmitter 31 sucks the air cooled by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 32, pressurizes the air, and supplies the pressurized air to the jet nozzle 5. The pneumatic feeder 31 pressurizes to a pressure at which air can be injected into the coolant 3 from the jet nozzle 5 and is a pressure fan or a compressor. The jet nozzle 5 injects the cooled air supplied from the pneumatic feeder 31 into the coolant 3. The jetted air becomes bubbles and floats on the coolant 3 to cool the coolant 3. The air that has cooled the coolant 3 is exhausted to the outside of the case 1 and further exhausted to the outside of the vehicle through a duct (not shown).

  The bubbles floating on the coolant 3 are cooled while stirring the coolant 3. Therefore, the cooling liquid 3 is cooled to a uniform temperature with bubbles. In the illustrated power supply apparatus, a fusible nozzle 5 is disposed at the center of the case 1. Bubbles ejected from the jet nozzle 5 rise at the center of the case 1 and raise the coolant 3 above the jet nozzle 5. The coolant 3 rising at the center of the case 1 is lowered around the case 1 and circulated in the case 1. Therefore, the coolant 3 circulated in the case 1 flows between the storage cylinders 6 and cools the battery module 2 via the storage cylinders 6. Further, in the power supply device in which the battery module is directly immersed in the cooling liquid, the circulating cooling liquid flows on the surface of the battery module to effectively cool the battery module.

  As shown in the figure, the power supply device that supplies the air cooled by the in-vehicle air conditioner 32 to the jet nozzle 5 can efficiently cool the battery module 2 by using the in-vehicle air conditioner 32 together with the cooling of the battery module 2. In particular, the battery module 2 can be efficiently cooled even in an environment where the outside air temperature is high. However, the power supply apparatus of the present invention can also cool the battery module by supplying outside air to the jet nozzle. Thus, the power supply device that supplies outside air to the fusible nozzle is suitable for a vehicle that is used in a cold region. Furthermore, the power supply device that supplies the temperature-adjusted air to the jet nozzle 5 by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 32 warms the air by the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 32, supplies the heated air to the jet nozzle 5, and then the battery module 2. Can also be heated. This power supply device can heat the battery module 2 when the temperature of the battery module 2 decreases in an extremely cold region. Further, the power supply device that supplies the air discharged from the in-vehicle air conditioner 32 to the blow nozzle 5 controls the temperature of the air exhausted by the in-vehicle air conditioner 32 to cool or warm the battery module 2 or to cool the battery module 2. And the amount of heat to be heated can be controlled. The temperature of the air discharged from the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 32 is lowered to increase the amount of cooling heat of the battery module 2, and conversely, the temperature of the air discharged from the vehicle-mounted air conditioner 32 is increased to increase the amount of heating heat of the battery module 2. Because it can.

  The power supply device of FIG. 9 controls the temperature of the battery module 2 by controlling the operation of the pneumatic transmitter 21 with a control circuit (not shown). The control circuit detects the temperature of the battery module 2 with a temperature sensor and controls the operation of the pneumatic feeder 31. When the temperature of the battery module 2 becomes higher than the set temperature, the control circuit operates the pneumatic feeder 31 to inject air into the coolant 3 from the jet nozzle 5 to cool the coolant 3. When the temperature of the battery module 2 decreases, the operation of the pneumatic transmitter 31 is stopped.

  The power supply device of FIG. 9 is a check between the pneumatic transmitter 31 and the jet nozzle 5 in order to prevent the coolant 3 from flowing backward from the jet nozzle 5 in a state where the operation of the pneumatic transmitter 31 is stopped. The valve 33 is connected. The check valve 33 allows air to flow from the pneumatic transmitter 31 toward the blast nozzle 5, but does not allow air to flow in the opposite direction. However, a check valve can be omitted by providing a rising portion higher than the coolant level in the pipe between the pneumatic feeder and the jet nozzle. Further, without fixing the fusible nozzle to the bottom of the case, the fusible nozzle can be connected to the tip of the hose, the hose is arranged from the opening of the case to the bottom, and the fusible nozzle can be arranged at the bottom of the case.

It is a top view of the power supply device for vehicles concerning one example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the vehicle power supply device shown in FIG. 1. It is a disassembled perspective view of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a perspective view by the side of the main body case of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state which took out the holder case from the main body case shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state which took out the battery module from the holder case shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of a main body case and a holder case. It is an expansion perspective view of a battery module. It is the schematic which shows the state which mounted the power supply device for vehicles concerning one Example of this invention in the motor vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Case 1A ... Main unit case
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1B ... Lid 2 ... Battery module 3 ... Coolant 4 ... Holder case 5 ... Fountain nozzle 6 ... Storage cylinder 7 ... Connection plate 7A ... Exhaust hole 8 ... Bus bar 9 ... Positioning plate 9A ... Perimeter wall
9B: Bulkhead 10 ... Bottom plate 11: Fitting recess 12 ... Exhaust port 13 ... Exhaust tube 14 ... Top plate 20 ... Unit cell 21 ... Drawer lead 22 ... Insulating material 23 ... Output terminal 24 ... Output terminal 31 ... Pneumatic feeder 32 ... On-vehicle air conditioning 33 ... Check valve

Claims (8)

A case (1) having a watertight structure and filled with a cooling liquid (3), and a case (1) disposed in the case (1), directly to the cooling liquid (3) or via a holder case (4). And a plurality of battery modules (2) that are cooled in contact with each other, and a jet nozzle (5) that is disposed at the bottom of the case (1) and injects air into the cooling liquid (3) in the form of bubbles. ,
Air is injected into the cooling liquid (3) in the form of bubbles with the jet nozzle (5), the injected bubbles are floated into the cooling liquid (3) to cool the cooling liquid (3), and the cooled cooling liquid (3) A power supply device for a vehicle, wherein the battery is cooled. The holder case (4) has a cylindrical shape that can store the battery module (2) and has a storage cylinder (6) that closes the bottom and opens the upper end. The storage cylinder (6) has a waterproof structure. The battery module (2) is inserted inside
The holder case (4) is arranged such that the upper end opening of the storage cylinder (6) is higher than the liquid level of the coolant (3), and the battery module (2 ), And the battery module (2) is waterproofed by the holder case (4) and immersed in the coolant (3).   The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the holder case (4) is made of plastic, and a plurality of storage cylinders (6) are connected at an upper end.   The power supply device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein cooling air is supplied to the jet nozzle (5) from the vehicle air conditioner, and the coolant (3) is cooled by the air cooled by the vehicle air conditioner.   The vehicle power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the battery module (2) is formed by connecting a plurality of unit cells (20) in a straight line in series.   On the surface of the battery module (2), an extraction lead (21) is provided in the longitudinal direction of the battery module (2), insulated from the battery module (2), and the lower end of the extraction lead (21) is connected to the battery. The power supply device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the output terminal (23) is fixed to the upper end of the module (2).   The air that is heated by the blow nozzle (5) is sprayed into the coolant (3), the coolant (3) is warmed by the air, and the battery module (2) is warmed by the coolant (3). Item 4. A power supply device for a vehicle according to Item 1. The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the coolant (3) is water or insulating oil.

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