JP2008041461A - Power-supply unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably determine what part of an air duct is brought into a closed state by a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: In this power-supply unit, cooling air is forcibly fed to the air duct 7 comprising air passages 6 of a battery case 2, an air intake duct 3 and an exhaust duct 4 by a fan 5, and trouble of the air duct 7 is detected by a detection mechanism 8. The detection mechanism 8 is provided with: a load sensor 20 detecting a motor load of the fan 5; a first pressure valve 21 connected to the air intake duct 3; a first temperature sensor 23 detecting the temperature of air exhausted from the first pressure valve; a second pressure valve 22 connected to the exhaust duct 4; a second temperature sensor 24 detecting the temperature of air exhausted from the second pressure valve; and a determination circuit 25. In this power-supply unit, the determination circuit 25 detects the closed state of the air duct 7 by the motor load, and closed states of the air intake duct 3, the battery case 2 and the exhaust duct 4 are determined by detection temperatures of the first temperature sensor 23 and the second temperature sensor 24 in the closed state of the air duct 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device that cools a battery by connecting an intake duct and an exhaust duct to a battery case containing a battery and forcibly blowing cooling air, and in particular, a closed state of the intake duct, the battery case, and the exhaust duct. It is related with the power supply device which can detect.

  In a power supply device incorporating a large number of batteries in a battery case, the batteries built in the battery case are connected in series in order to increase the output voltage. This type of power supply device is mainly used as a power source for driving a motor that drives a vehicle such as a hybrid car or an electric vehicle. In a power supply device in which a large number of batteries are built in a battery case to increase the output, the battery temperature is increased by a large charge / discharge current flowing through the battery. The battery is cooled by forcibly blowing air because the electrical performance decreases when the temperature becomes abnormally high. In the power supply device having this structure, an intake duct and an exhaust duct are connected to a battery case containing a battery, and air is forcibly blown by a fan. The forcedly blown air flows into the battery case from the intake duct and cools the battery in the battery case. The air that has cooled the battery is exhausted from the battery case to the exhaust duct. The power supply device having this structure forcibly blows cooling air through a blower duct including an intake duct, an air passage in the battery case, and an exhaust duct. In the air duct in which air is forcibly blown, dust or the like contained in the air gradually adheres to deteriorate the air flow. In order to reduce this harmful effect, a filter is provided on the suction side of the air duct to filter the air clearly. However, the filter cannot completely remove foreign substances contained in the air. In particular, when a high-density nonwoven fabric or open-cell urethane foam that effectively removes small dust is used for the filter, the air passage resistance of the filter increases and the air volume decreases. In addition, the high-density filter has a drawback that it is easily clogged and requires a lot of maintenance.

In order to eliminate the harmful effects caused by the clogging of the filter, an apparatus for detecting the clogging of the filter and detecting the clogging of the air duct has been developed. (See Patent Documents 1 to 3)
JP-A-5-154323 JP-A-6-221599 JP-A-9-72539

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe devices for detecting filter clogging. The devices described in these publications can detect clogging of the filter, but cannot determine whether dust has accumulated in the air duct. Patent Literature 3 describes a blower used for a combustion device that detects clogging of a blower duct and other abnormalities. The blower of Patent Document 3 can detect clogging of the blower duct and other abnormalities, but cannot connect a battery case containing a battery, an intake duct, and an exhaust duct to determine which part is clogged with dust.

  In the present invention, in addition to clogging of the air duct, which cannot be realized by the conventional device, the inside of the battery case constituting the air duct and which part of the air intake duct and exhaust duct are clogged with dust and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device that can reliably determine with a simple configuration.

The power supply device of the present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-described object.
The power supply device includes a battery case 2 containing a battery 1, an intake duct 3 connected to the battery case 2 for blowing cooling air into the case, and air passing through the battery case 2 outside the case. An exhaust duct 4 for exhausting air, a fan 5 forcibly blowing cooling air from the intake duct 3 through the battery case 2 to the exhaust duct 4, an air passage 6 in the battery duct 2 and the battery case 2, and an exhaust duct 4 and a detection mechanism 8 for detecting an abnormality of the air duct 7 composed of four. The detection mechanism 8 includes a load sensor 20 that detects a motor load of the fan 5 that forcibly blows air into the blower duct 7, a first pressure valve 21 that is connected to the intake duct 3 and opens at a predetermined pressure, A first temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature of air exhausted by opening the pressure valve, a second pressure valve 22 that is connected to the exhaust duct 4 and opens at a predetermined pressure, and the pressure valve The abnormality of the air duct 7 is determined by the signals of the second temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature of the air exhausted by opening the valve, the load sensor 20, the first temperature sensor 23, and the second temperature sensor 24. And a determination circuit 25. In the power supply device, the determination circuit 25 detects the closed state of the air duct 7 with a motor load, and the intake duct is detected at the detected temperatures of the first temperature sensor 23 and the second temperature sensor 24 in the closed state of the air duct 7. 3, the closed state of the battery case 2 and the exhaust duct 4 is determined.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, when the load sensor 20 is a current sensor that detects a current flowing through the motor 26, and the current value of the motor 26 detected by the current sensor is smaller than the set current, the air duct 7 is closed. Can be determined.

  The power supply device of the present invention uses the load sensor 20 as a rotation sensor that detects the rotation speed of the motor 26, and when the rotation speed of the motor 26 detected by the rotation sensor is larger than the set rotation speed, the air duct 7 is closed. Can be determined.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the determination circuit 25 includes a memory for storing the first set temperature, and the first temperature sensor 23 detects the first set temperature stored in the memory. When the first detected temperature is lower than the first set temperature compared to the temperature, it can be determined that the intake duct 3 is closed.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the determination circuit 25 includes a memory for storing the first set temperature and the second set temperature, and the first temperature sensor 23 detects the first set temperature stored in the memory. The second detected temperature stored in the memory and the second detected temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 24 can be compared with the first detected temperature. When the first detected temperature is higher than the first set temperature and the second detected temperature is lower than the second set temperature, the power supply device determines that the battery case 2 is in a closed state, and When the detected temperature is higher than the first set temperature and the second detected temperature is higher than the second set temperature, it can be determined that the exhaust duct 4 is closed.

  The power supply device of the present invention includes an outer case 9 containing a battery case 2, and an intake duct 3 is connected to the first intake duct 3A in the outer case 9 and the first intake duct 3A. The second intake duct 3B is provided outside the case 9, and the exhaust duct 4 is connected to the first exhaust duct 4A provided inside the outer case 9 and the first exhaust duct 4A. The second exhaust duct 4B provided outside the outer case 9 is provided, and the first intake duct 3A and the first exhaust duct 4A are provided between the outer case 9 and the battery case 2. it can. In this power supply device, the first pressure valve 21 is connected to the first intake duct 3A, and the second pressure valve 22 is connected to either the first exhaust duct 4A or the second exhaust duct 4B. Can do.

  In addition to being able to detect clogging of the air duct, the present invention has a feature that can reliably determine with a simple structure where the air duct, the intake duct, and the exhaust duct constituting the air duct are blocked. . The power supply device of the present invention detects a motor load of a fan that forcibly blows air into the air duct by using a load sensor to determine the closed state of the air duct, and further connects the first pressure valve to the intake duct. The temperature of the air exhausted from the valve is detected by the first temperature sensor, and the second pressure valve is connected to the exhaust duct so that the temperature of the air exhausted from the valve is the second temperature. This is because it is detected by the temperature sensor, and from the temperatures of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, it is determined which part of the battery case, the intake duct and the exhaust duct is closed. In particular, the power supply apparatus of the present invention detects the temperatures of the intake duct and the exhaust duct and does not specify the blocked portion from the detected temperature, but connects a pressure valve to each of the intake duct and the exhaust duct. Since the closed portion is determined by detecting the temperature of the air exhausted when the valve is opened, it is possible to clearly determine which portion of the battery case, the intake duct and the exhaust duct is in the closed state. This is because the open state of the pressure valve is detected by the temperature sensor to identify the closed portion.

  In principle, it is possible to identify the closed portion by detecting the temperatures of the intake duct and the exhaust duct. However, in this method, not only the battery case, intake duct, and exhaust duct are blocked, but also the heat generation amount of the battery and the temperature of the air sucked into the intake duct. Therefore, it is necessary to specify the occlusion portion from a number of variables, and the occlusion portion cannot be specified easily and accurately.

  On the other hand, the power supply device of the present invention detects the valve opening state of the pressure valve connected to the intake duct and the exhaust duct with the temperature sensor, and identifies the closed portion from the valve opening state of the pressure valve, that is, The three closed states of the battery case, the intake duct, and the exhaust duct are determined from the opening and closing of the two pressure valves, so that the closed portion can be accurately identified by simple determination.

  In the power supply device according to claim 2 of the present invention, a current sensor that detects a current flowing through the motor is used as a load sensor, and the closed state of the air duct is determined from the current value of the motor detected by the current sensor. The current sensor that is a simple load sensor has a feature that the closed state of the air duct can be accurately determined. When the blower duct is closed, the motor that rotates the fan reduces the amount of air to be blown, so that the work rate is reduced and the motor current is reduced. If it will be in this state, a fan will rotate lightly and rotation speed will increase. However, even if the fan rotates, the work rate of the fan decreases and the amount of air blown decreases. That is, the air is not blown and is rotated together with the fan, and the fan is rotated lightly.

  Furthermore, the power supply device according to claim 3 uses a rotation sensor that detects the number of rotations of the motor as a load sensor, and the air duct is determined to be in a closed state based on the number of rotations of the motor detected by the rotation sensor. There is a feature that can accurately determine the occlusion state. When the air duct is closed, the fan is rotated lightly and the number of rotations increases.

  Furthermore, in the power supply device according to claim 4 of the present invention, the determination circuit includes a memory for storing the first set temperature, and the first temperature sensor detects the first set temperature stored in the memory. When the first detected temperature is lower than the first set temperature compared to the first detected temperature, it is determined that the intake duct is blocked. Therefore, the intake duct is blocked at the detected temperature of the first temperature sensor. The state can be reliably determined.

  In the power supply device according to claim 5 of the present invention, the determination circuit includes a memory for storing the first set temperature and the second set temperature, and the first set temperature stored in the memory is set to the first set temperature. The first detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is compared, the second set temperature stored in the memory is compared with the second detected temperature detected by the second temperature sensor, and the first detected temperature is When the temperature is higher than the set temperature of 1 and the second detected temperature is lower than the second set temperature, it is determined that the battery case is closed, and the first detected temperature is higher than the first set temperature, When the second detected temperature is higher than the second set temperature, it is determined that the exhaust duct is in a closed state, so that it can be accurately determined whether the battery case or the exhaust duct is closed.

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

  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.

  A power supply device shown in FIG. 1 includes a battery case 2 that houses a plurality of batteries 1, an intake duct 3 that is connected to the battery case 2 and blows cooling air, and is connected to the battery case 2 to pass through the inside of the case. An exhaust duct 4 that exhausts the air that has passed, a fan 5 that forcibly blows cooling air from the intake duct 3 through the battery case 2 to the exhaust duct 4, and an air passage 6 in the intake duct 3 and the battery case 2 And a detection mechanism 8 that detects an abnormality of the air duct 7 including the exhaust duct 4.

  In the power supply device of FIG. 1, a battery case 2 having a battery housing portion 10 inside is placed in an outer case 9. In this power supply device, the intake duct 3 is constituted by a first intake duct 3 </ b> A provided in the outer case 9 and a second intake duct 3 </ b> B provided outside the outer case 9. The exhaust duct 4 is also composed of a first exhaust duct 4 </ b> A provided in the outer case 9 and a second exhaust duct 4 </ b> B provided outside the outer case 9.

  The outer case 9 is provided with a battery storage portion 10 for storing a large number of batteries 1 side by side inside the battery case 2, and air ducts are provided above and below the battery case 2. The air duct is located above the battery case 2 and supplies the air for cooling the battery 1 to the battery housing 10. The air duct 3 </ b> A is located below the battery case 2 and cools the battery 1. The first exhaust duct 4 </ b> A exhausts from the storage unit 10. The first intake duct 3A is connected to the second intake duct 3 outside the outer case 9, and the first exhaust duct 4A is connected to the second exhaust duct 4B outside the outer case 9. This power supply device passes the air through the second intake duct 3B → the first intake duct 3A → the battery housing part 10 of the battery case 2 → the first exhaust duct 4A → the second exhaust duct 4B, thereby When passing through the battery storage 10 of the case 2, the battery 1 stored therein is cooled.

  The battery 1 stored in the battery storage unit 10 is stored as a battery module 1A. Battery module 1A is formed by connecting a plurality of unit cells in series and connecting them in a straight line. In the battery module 1A, for example, 5 to 6 unit cells are linearly connected. However, the battery module can connect four or less, or seven or more unit cells. The unit cell is a nickel metal hydride battery. However, the unit cell may be another secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel cadmium battery. In the illustrated battery module 1A, cylindrical batteries are linearly connected to form a columnar shape. A power supply device that houses a battery module in a battery case can increase the number of battery modules and increase the output voltage. However, the power supply device of the present invention can also be configured such that a battery that is not a battery module, in other words, a plurality of unit cells is housed in a battery case.

  The plurality of battery modules 1 </ b> A stored in the battery storage unit 10 are connected to each other in series via a bus bar (not shown). However, the battery modules of the battery case can be connected in series and in parallel.

  The power supply device of FIG. 1 is provided with a first intake duct 3 </ b> A on the upper side of the battery case 2 and a first exhaust duct 4 </ b> A on the lower side of the battery case 2. The power supply device blows air from the top to the bottom to cool the battery 1 in the battery storage unit 10. The power supply device can be arranged upside down from the state shown in FIG. That is, the first intake duct can be provided below the battery case, and the first exhaust duct can be provided above the battery case. The power supply device turned upside down blows air from the bottom to the top to cool the battery in the battery storage unit. The battery storage unit that blows air from the bottom to the top can smoothly flow air.

  The battery case 2 shown in FIG. 1 accommodates the battery modules 1A in a horizontal and parallel posture and arranged in three stages up and down. The battery case 2 is provided with an inflow side partition wall 15A between the battery storage unit 10 and the first intake duct 3A, and an exhaust side partition wall 15B between the battery storage unit 10 and the first exhaust duct 4A. ing. Furthermore, an opposing wall 16 is provided between the inflow-side partition wall 15A and the discharge-side partition wall 15B, and the battery housing portion 10 is partitioned into a plurality of closed chambers 17 by the opposing wall 16, and The battery 1 is stored in a plurality of stages. The battery storage unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 stores the battery modules 1A in three stages inside a pair of opposing walls 16, and the inflow side and the discharge side of the pair of opposing walls 16, and the inflow side partition wall 15A and the discharge side partition wall. It is blocked at 15B. That is, a closed chamber 17 that is not sealed is formed by the pair of opposing walls 16 and the partition wall 15, and the battery modules 1 </ b> A are accommodated in three stages in the closed chamber 17.

  The battery case 2 shown in these drawings opens an air port 18 to the inflow side partition wall 15A and the discharge side partition wall 15B in order to blow the cooling air to the battery module 1A stored in the battery storage unit 10. is doing. The battery case 2 shown in the figure has an inflow side air port 18A in the upper inflow side partition wall 15A, and a discharge side air port 18B in the lower discharge side partition wall 15B. The air flows from the first intake duct 3A through the inflow side air port 18A provided in the inflow side partition wall 15A into the closed chamber 17, and the air that has cooled the battery 1 in the closed chamber 17 is discharged from the discharge side. It passes through the discharge side air port 18B provided in the partition wall 15B and is discharged to the first exhaust duct 4A.

  The air inlets 18A on the inflow side are opened on both sides of the closed chamber 17 and blow air that flows into the inside between the battery module 1A at the uppermost stage and the facing wall 16. The inflow side partition wall 15 </ b> A has an air port 18 opened directly above the inner surface of the facing wall 16. The air port 18 blows air along the inner surface of the facing wall 16 and allows the air to pass between the facing wall 16 and the uppermost battery module 1A.

  In the illustrated battery case 2, the inflow side air ports 18 </ b> A are opened on both sides of the closed chamber 17, but the air ports do not necessarily have to be opened directly above the inner surface of the opposing wall as shown in the figure. . For example, the opening can be made to be located slightly in the center from directly above the inner surface of the opposing wall. However, if the inflow port is opened at the center of the inflow wall, air may supercool the uppermost battery module more than other battery modules. The uppermost battery module 1 </ b> A is located on both sides of the battery module 1 </ b> A and increases the amount of heat exchange in the air passage 6 approaching the facing wall 16, but does not increase the amount of heat exchange in other portions. The air that cools the uppermost battery module 1 </ b> A has a lower temperature than the air that cools the other battery modules 1 </ b> A, and efficiently cools the battery module 1 </ b> A through the narrow air passage 6.

  If the air inlet on the inflow side is opened in the center of the closed chamber, the air flowing into the battery compartment from the air outlet flows along the upper half surface of the uppermost battery module in the figure, and the battery Cool the module. The uppermost battery module 1A is cooled only by the air passage 6 with the opposing wall 16 formed on both sides without cooling the upper surface with air, and the cooling balance of the other battery modules 1A is made uniform. In order to achieve this, the air inlet 18A on the inflow side is not opened so as to be located at the center of the closed chamber 17, but is closed even if it is ubiquitously opened from directly above the opposing wall 16. The chamber 17 is opened outside the central portion.

  The discharge-side air port 18B opens to the discharge-side partition wall 15B so as to be located at the center of the closed chamber 17. In the battery case 2 shown in the figure, the air discharged from the closed chamber 17 is blown along the lower part of the battery module 1A disposed at the lowermost stage to efficiently cool the lowermost battery module 1A. It is. The discharge-side air port 18B, which is located in the center of the closed chamber 17 and is opened to the discharge-side partition wall 15B, distributes the air that has been diverted to both sides of the battery module 1A along the lower half of the lowermost battery module 1A. The air is blown, collected in the central portion of the closed chamber 17 and discharged from the air port 18B on the discharge side.

  Further, the battery case 2 shown in the figure has a protrusion 19 protruding from the inner surface of the opposing wall 16 in order to control the blowing state of the air passage 6 between the battery module 1A of each stage and the opposing wall 16. . The ridges 19 are provided so as to protrude between the valleys of the battery module 1 </ b> A disposed adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Further, the protruding height of the ridges 19 to the inner surface is made higher in the lee than in the wind, and the area of the air passage 6 of the battery module 1A in the lee, that is, the contact area with the battery module 1A is widened, or The interval of the air passage 6 is narrowed.

  The amount of heat exchange by which the air cools the battery module 1A varies depending on the temperature difference between the air and the battery module 1A, the flow velocity of the air, and the contact area between the blown air. The amount of heat exchange decreases as the temperature difference between air and the battery module 1A decreases. Therefore, when the temperature of the air increases and the temperature difference of the battery module 1A decreases, the amount of heat exchange decreases. When the temperature of the air becomes leeward, the heat of the battery module 1A is removed and the air temperature rises. Therefore, in the leeward battery module 1 </ b> A, the air temperature increases and the heat exchange amount decreases.

  The amount of heat exchange can be increased by increasing the flow rate of air, increasing the contact area with the blown air. The protruding height of the ridge 19 specifies the flow velocity and contact area of the air blown to the surface of the battery module 1A. When the protruding height of the ridges 19 increases, the ridges 19 approach the surface of the battery module 1A and narrow the air passage 6 formed between the battery modules 1A. In addition, the protrusion 19 having a high protrusion height increases the area of the air passage 6 formed between the protrusion 19 and the battery module 1A. Accordingly, the temperature of the air gradually increases, and the decrease in the heat exchange amount due to the temperature is corrected by the ridges 19 to uniformly cool the entire battery module 1A.

  The opposing wall 16 of the battery case 2 in FIG. 1 is provided with a small first protrusion 19A between the uppermost battery module 1A and the middle battery module 1A, and the middle battery module 1A and the lowermost battery module 1A. A second ridge 19B is provided between the two. The second ridge 19B is higher than the first ridge 19A and is closer to the surface of the battery module 1A than the first ridge 19A.

  Furthermore, the battery case 2 of the figure makes the both side surfaces of the 2nd protruding item | line 19B into the curved surface which follows the surface of the battery module 1A which opposes. This ridge 19 can provide air passage 6 between battery module 1A, and can blow air smoothly. Further, the battery storage unit 10 shown in the drawing is provided with a curved portion on the inner surface of the partition wall 15B on the discharge side and facing the battery module 1A, and this portion is shaped along the lower surface of the battery module 1A. As shown in FIG. However, the battery storage part does not necessarily need to use the discharge-side partition wall on the opposing wall.The discharge-side partition wall has a planar shape, and a curved portion is formed on the inner surface of the lower part of the opposing wall and facing the battery module. It can also be provided. As described above, the battery housing portion 10 having the curved portion can blow air along the surface of the battery module 1A, collect the air at the discharge side air port 18B, and exhaust the air to the outside. For this reason, the lowermost battery module 1A can be efficiently cooled, and the decrease in the heat exchange amount due to the temperature rise of the air can be corrected to reduce the temperature difference between the battery modules 1A at each stage.

  The power supply device that stores the battery modules in three stages in the battery storage part does not necessarily need to be provided with the first ridge provided between the uppermost battery module and the lowermost battery module. This is because cooling can be performed by providing an air passage with a second protrusion on the leeward side half of the battery module in the middle stage. The air passage provided here is wider than the air passages provided on both sides of the lowermost battery module to increase the contact area with the air, or the interval is narrower, and is wider than the lowermost air passage. This is because the uppermost battery module, the middle battery module, and the lowermost battery module can be uniformly cooled by narrowing the contact area with the air to narrow the contact area with the air or widen the interval.

  In the battery case 2 described above, the plurality of air ports 18 are opened in the partition 15 between the first intake duct 3A and the first exhaust duct 4A and the battery housing portion 10 in the air flow direction in the duct. To do. Air is passed through the air port 18 to blow air from the first air intake duct 3A to the battery housing part 10 or from the battery housing part 10 to the first exhaust duct 4A. The battery 1 in the closed chamber 17 is cooled.

  The intake duct 3 connected to the battery case 2 forcibly blows air supplied from the fan 5 to the battery case 2. The fan 5 has a filter 11 connected to the suction side, sucks air filtered by the filter 11, and forcibly blows air from the intake duct 3 to the battery case 2. The air forcedly blown to the battery case 2 cools the battery 1 in the battery housing 10 and is exhausted from the exhaust duct 4 to the outside of the case. The power supply device shown in the figure has a structure in which a fan 5 is connected to the suction side of an intake duct 3, and air is supplied from the fan 5 to the intake duct 3 to forcibly blow air to the battery case 2. However, although not shown, the power supply device may be structured such that a fan is connected to the discharge side of the exhaust duct, the air in the exhaust duct is exhausted to the outside by the fan, and the air is forcibly blown to the battery case. In this power supply device, a filter is disposed on the suction side of the intake duct, and the air filtered by the filter is forcibly blown from the intake duct → the battery case → the exhaust duct and exhausted out of the case by the fan.

  When any of the intake duct 3, the battery case 2, and the exhaust duct 4 is in a closed state, the power supply device cannot cool the battery 1 sufficiently because the amount of air to be blown is reduced. In order to avoid this harmful effect, a detection mechanism 8 is provided. The detection mechanism 8 includes a load sensor 20 that detects the motor load of the fan 5, a first pressure valve 21 that is connected to the intake duct 3 and opens at a predetermined pressure, and the pressure valve is opened and exhausted. A first temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature of the air to be discharged, a second pressure valve 22 that is connected to the exhaust duct 4 and opens at a predetermined pressure, and the air that is exhausted by opening the pressure valve. A second temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature, and a determination circuit 25 that determines an abnormality of the air duct 7 based on signals from the load sensor 20, the first temperature sensor 23, and the second temperature sensor 24 are provided.

  The load sensor 20 is a current sensor that detects a current flowing through the motor 26 of the fan 5 or a rotation sensor that detects the number of rotations of the motor 26. As described above, when the air duct 7 is in a closed state and the amount of air to be blown is reduced, the fan 5 has a low work rate and the fan 5 rotates lightly. For this reason, the current flowing through the motor 26 decreases and the rotational speed increases. Therefore, when the air duct 7 is closed, the current value of the motor 26 detected by the current sensor becomes smaller than the set current that is the set value. Moreover, the rotation speed of the motor 26 detected by the rotation sensor is larger than the set rotation speed that is the set number.

  2 and 3 show a state in which the current of the motor 26 is decreased and the rotation speed of the motor 26 is increased when the pressure on the discharge side of the fan 5 is increased when the air duct 7 is closed. . In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis indicates the static pressure on the discharge side, and the vertical axis indicates the current of the motor 26. From this figure, if the static pressure on the discharge side increases, the current of the motor 26 decreases. Therefore, if the current of the motor 26 becomes smaller than the set current, the air duct 7 is determined to be in a closed state. Further, if there is an air leak in the air duct 7, the static pressure on the discharge side becomes low. Therefore, when the current of the motor 26 is larger than a predetermined current value, it is determined that there is a leak in the air duct 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the determination circuit 25 sets a predetermined current value for determining that the air duct 7 is closed as a minimum current and sets a predetermined current value for determining that there is an air leak as the maximum current. Is compared with the current value of the motor 26, and when the current of the motor 26 is within the appropriate range, it is determined to be normal, and when the current is smaller than the appropriate range, the air duct 7 is determined to be in a closed state, and further appropriate If it is larger than the range, it can be determined that the air leaks from the blower duct 7.

  In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates the static pressure on the discharge side, and the vertical axis indicates the rotation speed of the motor 26. From this figure, since the rotational speed of the motor 26 increases when the static pressure on the discharge side increases, the blower duct 7 is determined to be in a closed state when the rotational speed of the motor 26 exceeds the set rotational speed. Further, if there is an air leak in the air duct 7, the static pressure on the discharge side becomes low. Therefore, when the rotational speed of the motor 26 is smaller than the predetermined rotational speed, it is determined that there is a leak in the air duct 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the determination circuit 25 sets the predetermined rotation speed at which the air duct 7 is determined to be closed as the maximum rotation speed, and sets a predetermined rotation speed at which it is determined that there is air leakage in the air duct 7. The appropriate range for the minimum number of rotations is compared with the number of rotations of the motor 26. When the number of rotations of the motor 26 is within the appropriate range, it is determined to be normal. However, if it is smaller than the appropriate range, it can be determined that the air leaks from the air duct 7.

  In the power supply device of FIG. 1, the first pressure valve 21 is connected to the first intake duct 3 </ b> A provided in the outer case 9. In the power supply device having this structure, the first temperature sensor 23 can accurately detect the opening of the first pressure valve 21. This is because the air flowing through the first intake duct 3 </ b> A is heated by the battery 1 of the battery housing unit 10, and the temperature of the air discharged from the first pressure valve 21 becomes high. The closed state of the intake duct 3 is detected upstream of the first pressure valve 21 in the air flow. The power supply device for detecting the closed state of the second intake duct 3B connected to the outside of the outer case 9 has a first pressure valve 21 at the end of the first intake duct 3A, It connects with the part near the intake duct 3B. The first pressure valve is connected to the downstream side of the first intake duct, in other words, the terminal end of the first intake duct, so that the entire intake duct including the first intake duct and the second intake duct is closed. Can be detected.

  The first pressure valve 21 sets the valve opening pressure so that it opens when the intake duct 3 on the downstream side of the connection portion is closed and the internal pressure of the intake duct 3 increases. The sensitivity of detecting the closed state of the intake duct 3 can be controlled by adjusting the valve opening pressure of the first pressure valve 21. The sensitivity for detecting the closed state of the intake duct 3 can be increased by lowering the valve opening pressure. However, if the detection sensitivity of the closed state is too high, it may cause a malfunction, so the valve opening pressure is lowered within a range that does not cause malfunction.

  In the power supply device of FIG. 1, the second pressure valve 22 is also connected to the first exhaust duct 4 </ b> A provided in the outer case 9. In the power supply device with this structure, the closed state of the exhaust duct 4 is detected upstream and downstream of the second pressure valve 22. The power supply device that detects the closed state of the second exhaust duct 4B connected to the outside of the outer case 9 is connected to the boundary between the first exhaust duct 4A and the second exhaust duct 4B. However, the second pressure valve can be connected to the first exhaust duct or can be connected to the second exhaust duct.

  The first temperature sensor 23 detects the temperature of the air discharged when the first pressure valve 21 is opened. The second temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature of the air exhausted from the second pressure valve 22 when the second pressure valve 22 is opened. These temperature sensors detect the ambient temperature when the pressure valve is not opened, and detect the temperature of the air discharged from the pressure valve when the pressure valve is opened. The air discharged from the pressure valve that is opened is heated by the battery and is higher than the ambient temperature. Therefore, the temperature sensor can detect the opening of the pressure valve at the detected temperature.

  The determination circuit 25 detects the closed state of the air duct 7 with the motor load. In the state in which the air duct 7 is determined to be in the closed state, the open states of the first pressure valve 21 and the second pressure valve 22 are detected based on the detected temperatures of the first temperature sensor 23 and the second temperature sensor 24. Thus, the closed state of the intake duct 3, the battery case 2, and the exhaust duct 4 is determined.

The determination circuit 25 determines the closed state of the air duct 7 in the following flowchart shown in FIG.
[Steps n = 1-4]
The load sensor 20 detects the current flowing through the motor 26, and determines whether or not the detected load current I is within an appropriate range. When the load current I is within the appropriate range, the blower duct 7 is determined to be normal. When the load current I is smaller than the proper range, the blower duct 7 is determined to be blocked. judge.
[Steps n = 5, 6]
The temperature detected by the first temperature sensor 23 is compared with the first set temperature. The first set temperature is a temperature at which the detected temperature becomes higher than the set temperature when the first pressure valve 21 is opened, and becomes lower than the first set temperature when the first pressure valve 21 is closed. Is set. The first set temperature is stored in advance in the memory of the determination circuit 25. When the detected temperature of the first temperature sensor 23 is not higher than the first set temperature, in other words, lower, it is determined that the intake duct 3 is in a closed state. This is because the first pressure valve 21 does not open when the intake duct 3 upstream of the first pressure valve 21 is in a closed state. Moreover, it is because the 1st pressure valve 21 will open if either the battery case 2 or the exhaust duct 4 is obstruct | occluded.
[Step n = 7-9]
The temperature detected by the second temperature sensor 24 is compared with the second set temperature. The second set temperature is a temperature at which the detected temperature becomes higher than the set temperature when the second pressure valve 22 is opened, and becomes lower than the second set temperature when the second pressure valve 22 is closed. Is set. The second set temperature is stored in the memory of the determination circuit 25 in advance. When the detected temperature of the second temperature sensor 24 is not higher than the second set temperature, in other words, lower, it is determined that the inside of the battery case 2 is closed. This is because the second pressure valve 22 does not open when the inside of the battery case 2 is closed. If the detected temperature of the second temperature sensor 24 is higher than the second set temperature, it is determined that the second pressure valve 22 is opened, and it is determined that the exhaust duct 4 is in a closed state. This is because the second pressure valve 22 is opened when the exhaust duct 4 is closed.

Further, the determination circuit 25 determines the closed state of the air duct 7 in the following flowchart shown in FIG.
[Steps n = 1-4]
The load sensor 20 detects the rotational speed r of the motor 26, and determines whether or not the detected rotational speed r is within an appropriate range. If the rotational speed r is within the appropriate range, the air duct 7 is determined to be normal. If the rotational speed r is greater than the appropriate range, the air duct 7 is determined to be in a closed state. judge.

  In steps n = 5 to 9, the closed state of the intake duct 3, the battery case 2, and the exhaust duct 4 is determined in the same manner as in FIG.

It is a schematic block diagram of the power supply device concerning one Example of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the pressure of the discharge side of a fan, and the electric current of a motor. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the pressure of the discharge side of a fan, and the rotation speed of a motor. It is a flowchart with which the determination circuit determines the obstruction | occlusion state of a ventilation duct with the electric current of a motor. It is a flowchart with which the determination circuit determines the obstruction | occlusion state of a ventilation duct with the rotation speed of a motor.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 1A ... Battery module 2 ... Battery case 3 ... Air intake duct 3A ... 1st air intake duct
3B ... Second intake duct 4 ... Exhaust duct 4A ... First exhaust duct
4B ... Second exhaust duct 5 ... Fan 6 ... Air passage 7 ... Blower duct 8 ... Detection mechanism 9 ... Outer case 10 ... Battery storage part 11 ... Filter 15 ... Partition 15A ... Inlet side partition
15B: Discharge-side partition wall 16 ... Opposite wall 17 ... Closed chamber 18 ... Air port 18A ... Inflow side air port
18B ... Air port on the discharge side 19 ... Round 19A ... First convex
19B ... 2nd convex line 20 ... Load sensor 21 ... 1st pressure valve 22 ... 2nd pressure valve 23 ... 1st temperature sensor 24 ... 2nd temperature sensor 25 ... Judgment circuit 26 ... Motor

Claims (6)

A battery case (2) containing the battery (1), an air intake duct (3) connected to the battery case (2) for blowing cooling air into the case, and a battery case (2) An exhaust duct (4) that exhausts the air that has passed out of the case, a fan (5) that forcibly blows cooling air from the intake duct (3) to the exhaust duct (4) that has passed through the battery case (2), A power supply device comprising a detection mechanism (8) for detecting an abnormality of an air duct (7) comprising an air intake duct (3), an air passage (6) in a battery case (2) and an exhaust duct (4),
The detection mechanism (8) is connected to the load sensor (20) for detecting the motor load of the fan (5) forcing air to the air duct (7) and the intake duct (3) and is opened at a predetermined pressure. A first pressure valve (21) that opens, a first temperature sensor (23) that detects the temperature of the air exhausted when the pressure valve is opened, and a predetermined pressure connected to the exhaust duct (4) A second pressure valve (22) that opens, a second temperature sensor (24) that detects the temperature of the air exhausted by opening the pressure valve, a load sensor (20), and a first sensor A judgment circuit (25) for judging abnormality of the air duct (7) by signals of the temperature sensor (23) and the second temperature sensor (24);
The determination circuit (25) detects the closed state of the air duct (7) by the motor load, and in the closed state of the air duct (7), the first temperature sensor (23) and the second temperature sensor (24) A power supply device configured to determine the closed state of the intake duct (3), the battery case (2), and the exhaust duct (4) based on the detected temperature.   When the load sensor (20) is a current sensor that detects the current flowing through the motor (26) and the current value of the motor (26) detected by this current sensor is smaller than the set value, the air duct (7) is closed. The power supply device according to claim 1 for determination.   When the load sensor (20) is a rotation sensor that detects the rotation speed of the motor (26) and the rotation speed of the motor (26) detected by this rotation sensor is larger than the set number, the air duct (7) is closed. The power supply device according to claim 1 for determination.   The determination circuit (25) includes a memory for storing the first set temperature, and compares the first set temperature stored in the memory with the first detected temperature detected by the first temperature sensor (23). The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein when the first detected temperature is lower than the first set temperature, it is determined that the intake duct (3) is closed. The determination circuit (25) includes a memory for storing the first set temperature and the second set temperature, and the first temperature sensor (23) detects the first set temperature stored in the memory. And the second set temperature stored in the memory is compared with the second detected temperature detected by the second temperature sensor (24),
When the first detected temperature is higher than the first set temperature and the second detected temperature is lower than the second set temperature, it is determined that the battery case (2) is closed.
The first detection temperature is higher than the first set temperature, and when the second detection temperature is higher than the second set temperature, it is determined that the exhaust duct (4) is in a closed state. Power supply. It has an outer case (9) containing a battery case (2), and an intake duct (3) is connected to the first intake duct (3A) in the outer case (9) and the first intake duct (3A). It consists of a second intake duct (3B) that is connected and provided outside the outer case (9), and an exhaust duct (4) that is provided inside the outer case (9). (4A) and a second exhaust duct (4B) connected to the first exhaust duct (4A) and provided outside the outer case (9),
A first intake duct (3A) and a first exhaust duct (4A) are provided between the outer case (9) and the battery case (2), and the first pressure valve (21) is connected to the first intake air. The second pressure valve (22) is connected to the duct (3A) and is connected to either the first exhaust duct (4A) or the second exhaust duct (4B). Power supply.

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