JP2008251263A - Power source device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remarkably enhance safety by concentratedly supplying an abnormal heat generation reducing agent to an abnormal battery by surely operating when a battery becomes in an abnormal state. <P>SOLUTION: The power source device is equipped with a plurality of batteries 11 formed by stacking so as to form a gap 19; and a sealed tank 20 in which the abnormal heat generation reducing agent comprising a fire-extinguishing agent or a coolant is filled, formed in the gap 19 between the plurality of batteries through piping 30, 40. The piping 30, 40 are connected to the gap 19 between the batteries through heat melting parts 31, 41 which melt when heated to a prescribed temperature or higher. In the power source device, the heat melting parts 31, 41 connected to the gap between overheated batteries heated higher than the prescribed temperature are melted, and the abnormal heat generation reducing agent filled in the sealed tank 20 is supplied to the gap 19 between the batteries. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device including a plurality of batteries, and more particularly, to a power supply device capable of improving safety by preventing thermal runaway of the batteries.

  The secondary battery may spread to other cells due to various causes such as an internal short circuit or overcharge, and may run out of heat in a chained manner. In particular, when a lithium ion secondary battery runs out of heat, the temperature of the battery rises remarkably and may be 300 ° C. to 400 ° C. or higher. In a power supply device for a vehicle having a large number of batteries, when a plurality of batteries cause a thermal runaway, the energy of the thermal runaway becomes extremely large, which makes a further dangerous state.

In order to eliminate dangerous conditions due to overheating of the battery, there is a device that fills the sealed case with an inert substance such as an inert gas, or incorporates an inert gas generating substance or a fire extinguisher in the case. Has been developed. (See Patent Documents 1 to 3)
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-247527 JP-A-10-55822 JP 2001-332237 A

  The power supply device described in Patent Document 1 stores a plurality of batteries and a fire extinguisher together in a case. This power supply unit depresses the lever that is the starting operation means of abnormal heat generation reduction means such as a fire extinguisher or detects this electrically when the battery heats up abnormally and the temperature in the case exceeds the allowable value. Then, the lever is automatically pushed down, and the powder containing sodium hydrogen carbonate as a main component is released into the housing by the gas pressure of carbon dioxide. Sodium bicarbonate absorbs heat when heated to a high temperature, generating carbon dioxide and water vapor, lowering the temperature inside the housing, keeping it in an inert atmosphere, preventing the occurrence of fire, and terminating the combustion reaction .

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a plurality of batteries are housed in a case, and an inert gas such as nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon, carbon dioxide, or nonflammable non-water is contained in the case. A power supply device is described that is filled with a solvent or a liquid, gel, or solid polymer and that has a sealed case. The power supply device with this structure mitigates the danger of the power supply device being in a dangerous state because it surrounds the battery with an inert substance even if the battery becomes abnormal and gas is injected into the case. There is a feature that can be.

  Furthermore, the power supply device described in Patent Document 3 houses a plurality of batteries in a case and a substance that generates an inert gas by thermal decomposition in the case. In this power supply device, when a battery stored in the case abnormally generates heat, the inert gas generating substance is thermally decomposed to generate an inert gas in the case. Therefore, when the battery is overheated, it is possible to alleviate the danger of the power supply device being filled with an inert gas around the battery.

  However, these power supply devices cannot efficiently cool a specific battery whose temperature rises. In addition, if the mechanism for detecting the abnormal temperature of the battery fails, there is a drawback that the heat generation of the battery cannot be reliably prevented.

  The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving such drawbacks. An important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply apparatus that operates reliably when a battery is in an abnormal state, and that can concentrate on the abnormal battery and supply an abnormal heat reduction agent to significantly improve safety.

  The power supply device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a plurality of batteries 11 stacked with a gap 19 therebetween, and a fire extinguisher connected to the gaps 19 between the plurality of batteries 11 via pipes 30 and 40. Alternatively, a closed tank 20 filled with an abnormal heat generation reducing agent made of a coolant is provided. The pipes 30 and 40 are connected to the gap 19 between the batteries 11 via heat melting portions 31 and 41 which are melted when heated to a set temperature or higher. In this power supply device, the heat melting portions 31 and 41 connected to the gap of the superheated battery that is higher than the set temperature are melted, and the abnormal heat generation reducing agent filled in the sealed tank 20 is supplied to the gap 19 of the battery. To do.

  In the power supply device according to claim 2 of the present invention, the heat melting part 41 is provided by molding the pipe 40 with a heat melting material which is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher. In this power supply device, the pipe 40 is formed in a meandering shape, and a heat melting part 41 is disposed between a plurality of adjacent batteries.

  The power supply device according to claim 3 of the present invention includes a plurality of batteries 11 and a sealed tank 20 filled with an abnormal heat generation reducing agent made of a fire extinguisher or a coolant connected to each battery 11 via a pipe 70. With. The pipe 70 is connected to each battery 11 via a thermal melting portion 71 that is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher. In this power supply device, the heat melting portion 71 connected to the superheated battery that is higher than the set temperature is melted, and the abnormal heat reducing agent filled in the sealed tank 20 is supplied to the superheated battery.

  In the power supply device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pipe 70 is connected to the liquid injection hole 16 of each battery 11 via the heat melting portion 71.

  In the power supply device according to claim 5 of the present invention, an open / close valve 80 is connected between the pipe 30 and the sealed tank 20 so as to open by a differential pressure between the pressure in the tank and the pressure in the pipe. In this power supply device, when the heat melting part 31 is melted, the on-off valve 80 is opened due to a pressure change in the pipe 30, and the on-off valve 80 that opens opens the abnormal heat generation reducing agent in the sealed tank 20 between the batteries. 19 or battery.

  The power supply device of the present invention is characterized in that it can operate reliably when the battery is in an abnormal state and can significantly improve safety by concentrating on the abnormal battery and supplying an abnormal heat reducing agent. That is, the power supply device of the present invention connects a pipe formed by connecting a sealed tank filled with an abnormal heat reducing agent to a gap between a plurality of batteries via a heat melting part, or to each battery. This is because when the battery is connected and the battery is heated to melt the heat melting portion, the abnormal heat generation reducing agent filled in the sealed tank is supplied to the gap between the overheated batteries or supplied to the overheated battery.

  In particular, the power supply device according to claim 2 of the present invention is provided with a heat melting part by forming a pipe with a hot melt material that is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher, in addition to the configuration of claim 1. This pipe is formed into a meandering shape, and a heat melting part is disposed in a gap between adjacent batteries. According to this structure, one pipe can be disposed in a gap between a plurality of batteries. For this reason, the structure of piping can be simplified and manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect, a pipe is connected to the liquid injection hole of each battery via a thermal melting portion. According to this configuration, when a specific battery is overheated, the abnormal heat reducing agent is supplied into the battery from the liquid injection hole. For this reason, an overheated battery can be efficiently put into a safe state with a fire extinguisher or a coolant.

  Furthermore, in addition to the structure of claim 1 or 3, the power supply device according to claim 5 of the present invention opens between the pipe and the sealed tank by a differential pressure between the pressure in the tank and the pressure in the pipe. An on-off valve is connected. In this power supply device, when the heat melting portion is melted and the pressure in the pipe changes, the on-off valve is opened. The on-off valve that opens the valve supplies the abnormal heat generation reducing agent in the sealed tank to the gap between the batteries or the batteries connected via the molten heat melting portion. According to this structure, the abnormal heat generation reducing agent pressurized to a high pressure can be filled in the sealed tank.

  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, this specification does not limit the members shown in the claims to the members of the embodiments.

  In the power supply device shown in FIGS. 1 to 12, a plurality of rechargeable batteries 11 are stacked close to each other in a parallel posture to form battery assemblies 10 and 50. Furthermore, in addition to forcibly cooling the heated battery 11, the power supply device prevents the battery 11 from suddenly rising due to an internal short-circuit or the like and causing thermal runaway, or in the worst case, Even if any one of the batteries 11 causes a thermal runaway, a unique configuration is provided to prevent the adjacent battery 11 from being thermally runaway due to heat generated by the thermally runaway battery 11. In order to realize this, the power supply device includes a sealed tank 20 that supplies an abnormal heat reducing agent made of a fire extinguisher or a coolant to the battery assemblies 10 and 50 when the battery 11 is in an abnormal state. , 60 to the battery assemblies 10, 50.

  1 to 8 show a power supply device of an embodiment that supplies an abnormal heat generation reducing agent to the gap 19 between batteries when the battery 11 is overheated, and FIGS. 9 to 12 show that the battery 11 is overheated. In the embodiment, the abnormal heat generation reducing agent is supplied to the battery 11, specifically, the abnormal heat generation reducing agent is supplied into the battery 11 from the liquid injection hole 16 of the battery 11. In these power supply devices, when the battery 11 is overheated or ignited, an abnormal heat generation reducing agent as a fire extinguishing agent is supplied to the gaps 19 between the batteries or the battery 11 to forcibly cool the heated battery or to fire the battery. Extinguish and forcibly cool. Moreover, the abnormal heat generation reducing agent as a coolant is supplied to the gap 19 between the batteries and the battery 11 to forcibly cool the overheated battery.

  The battery assemblies 10 and 50 include a plurality of batteries 11 stacked in parallel postures, battery holders 12 and 52 for stacking the batteries 11 in a predetermined arrangement, and left and right of the plurality of batteries 11 to be stacked. End plates 13 and 53 that cover both end faces and a connector 14 that connects the left and right end plates 13 and 53 are provided. The battery assemblies 10 and 50 described above are housed in an outer case (not shown). In the battery assemblies 10 and 50 in these drawings, eight batteries 11 are stacked. However, the power supply apparatus of the present invention does not specify eight batteries in the battery assembly. For example, a power supply device used for a power source of a hybrid car or an electric vehicle is connected with a number of batteries having an output voltage of 100V to 300V.

  As the battery 11, a substantially rectangular prism battery covered with a prismatic outer can is used. The prismatic battery can be arranged more efficiently than the cylindrical battery, and the energy density per unit volume can be increased. Particularly, in-vehicle use, there is a high demand for space saving, which is preferable. For such a battery cell, a rectangular secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery can be used. Moreover, it is good also as a primary battery other than a nickel battery. The plurality of batteries 11 are connected in series or in parallel via the electrode terminals 15. Further, the battery 11 is connected to a control circuit (not shown) at the end of the battery 11, and the control circuit measures the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of each battery, determines the battery capacity and required charge / discharge amount, etc. Is controlled.

  As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 13, the battery 11 has positive and negative electrode terminals 15 protruding from the upper surface of a rectangular outer can whose sides are chamfered. The position where the electrode terminal 15 protrudes is set to a position where the positive electrode and the negative electrode are symmetrical on the main surface of the outer can. Thereby, when the battery 11 is turned upside down and stacked, the positive electrode and the negative electrode can be stacked, and series connection can be easily performed. Each of the electrode terminals 15 is bent in an L-shaped cross section, and a connecting hole 15A is opened in a further bent piece (folded curved surface). In particular, the positive and negative electrode terminals 15 are bent in opposite directions as shown in FIG. 13, and the positive and negative electrode terminals 15 are alternately bent in opposite directions between adjacent batteries. These electrode terminals 15 are formed in a size and shape that can be directly connected between adjacent batteries. Thereby, it becomes easy to connect a positive electrode and a negative electrode directly between adjacent batteries, and to connect a some battery in series or in parallel.

  In the battery assemblies 10 and 50 shown in the figure, a plurality of batteries 11 are arranged so that a gap 19 having a predetermined interval is formed between adjacent batteries. In the illustrated battery assembly 10, 50, the upper and lower ends of a plurality of prismatic batteries arranged in parallel to each other are placed in place by battery holders 12, 52 in order to provide a gap 19 between adjacent batteries. It is arranged. As shown in the figure, the upper and lower surfaces of the plurality of batteries 11 are covered so as to be sandwiched between the battery holders 12 and 52 from the upper and lower surfaces. The battery holders 12 and 52 are configured to have a size and a shape that covers both upper and lower end portions of the battery 11 adjacent to each other and end edges facing each other, and both side surfaces of the battery 11 are exposed while the battery 11 is covered. Let Specifically, the upper and lower end portions of the prismatic battery are sandwiched between the battery holders 12 and 52, and the prismatic battery is stacked in multiple stages with the side surfaces exposed. The battery holders 12 and 52 are made of an insulating material to insulate adjacent batteries 11. For the battery holders 12 and 52, a light and inexpensive resin, for example, a synthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyurethane can be used. Thus, the battery 11 is protected by the battery holders 12 and 52, the adjacent batteries are insulated from each other, and the gap 19 is provided between the adjacent batteries. However, the power supply device that supplies the abnormal heat generation reducing agent to the liquid injection hole of the battery does not necessarily require a gap between the batteries, and a separator or the like that restricts heat conduction between the batteries is provided between the adjacent batteries. You can also.

  The battery holders 12 and 52 shown in the figure include upper holders 12A and 52A that hold upper ends of a plurality of adjacent batteries 11 in place, and lower holders 12B and 52B that hold lower ends in place. The upper holders 12A, 52A and the lower holders 12B, 52B shown in the drawing are divided into a plurality of holder units 12a, 12b, 52a, 52b arranged between the batteries. The holder units 12a, 12b, The plurality of batteries 11 are held in place by arranging 52a and 52b between adjacent batteries. The battery holders 12 and 52 having this structure are characterized in that the number of holder units can be variously changed corresponding to the number of batteries 11 to be connected. However, the upper holder and the lower holder are not necessarily divided into holder units, and can be formed into a shape that holds a predetermined number of batteries.

  Each holder unit 12a, 12b, 52a, 52b is in contact with the upper surface or lower surface of the battery 11, and the horizontal plate portions 21, 61 have the upper surface or lower surface of the plurality of batteries 11 in the same plane, and the horizontal plate portion 21. 61, projecting vertically from the center of the vertical plate portions 21, 61, and narrowing portions 22, 62 disposed between adjacent batteries, and the horizontal plate portions 21, 61. The vertical plate portions 23 and 63 are connected to both ends of the portions 22 and 62 and are in contact with the side surfaces of the battery 11 so that the side surfaces of the plurality of batteries 11 are in the same plane. The holder units 12 a, 12 b, 52 a, 52 b having this structure have horizontal plate portions 21, 61, narrow portions 22, 62, and vertical plate portions 23, 63, and the left and right halves of the upper end portion or the lower end portion of the battery 11. Insertion recesses 24 and 64 to be inserted are formed. The holder units 12a, 12b, 52a, 52b shown in the figure are provided with insertion recesses 24, 64 on both sides of the narrowing portions 22, 62, and the opposite edges of the battery 11 adjacent to each of the insertion recesses 24, 64 are provided. The plurality of batteries 11 are stacked while being inserted. The batteries 11 adjacent to each other are stacked via the narrow portions 22 and 62, and a gap 19 is provided between the adjacent batteries. In other words, the battery holder 12 has narrow gap portions 22 and 62 inserted between the batteries at the upper and lower ends of the battery 11 to provide gaps 19 with a predetermined interval between the plurality of batteries. Accordingly, the battery holders 12 and 52 can adjust the width of the gap 19 between the batteries by the thickness of the narrow portions 22 and 62.

  Furthermore, the battery holders 12 and 52 shown in the figure are provided with openings 25 and 655 for exposing the valve holes 17 of the safety valve of the battery 11 at the center of the upper holders 12A and 52A disposed on the upper surface of the battery 11. At both ends, slits 26 and 66 for guiding the electrode terminal 15 are provided. The upper holders 12A and 52A shown in the figure have the valve holes 17 of the safety valve of the battery 11 exposed from the openings 25 and 65 connected to each other in a state where the holder units 12a and 52a adjacent to each other are connected, and are connected to each other. The electrode terminals 15 of the battery 11 are exposed from the slits 26 and 66. Furthermore, the upper holder 52 </ b> A shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 has a notch 67 between the opening 65 and the slit 66 for exposing the liquid injection hole 16 of the battery 11. The upper holder 52A allows the liquid injection hole 16 of the battery 11 to be exposed from the notch 67 connected to each other in a state where the adjacent holder units 52a are connected. A pipe 70 described later is connected to the liquid injection hole 16.

  As described above, in a state where the plurality of batteries 11 are stacked in a predetermined arrangement with the upper and lower battery holders 12 and 52, the left and right end faces are covered and fixed with the end plates 13 and 53. The end plates 13 and 53 are formed in a size that can cover the battery 11 exposed at the end face, and are fixed to be sandwiched from both sides. The end plates 13 and 53 can also be made of metal or resin, preferably formed by integral molding.

  Furthermore, the left and right end plates 13 and 53 are connected via a connector 14 to fix the battery 11 disposed therebetween in a tightly attached state. The connecting tool 14 shown in the figure includes a connecting rod 14A for tightening end plates 13 and 53 at both ends, and a connecting nut 14B screwed into male screw portions provided at both ends of the connecting rod 14A. The left and right end plates 13 and 53 are provided with through holes through which the connecting rod 14A is inserted into the protruding portions 13A and 53A provided to protrude from the side surfaces. In the battery assemblies 10 and 50, left and right end plates 13 and 53 are fixed by screwing through connecting rods 14A disposed on the side surfaces of the batteries 11 to be stacked.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 5, 7, and 9 to 11, the electrode terminal 15 bends the positive electrode and the negative electrode in an L-shaped cross section in opposite directions. The position is offset by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the electrode terminal 15 between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. As a result, when the batteries 11 are stacked as shown in the figure, the folded surfaces of the electrode terminals 15 of the adjacent batteries 11 can be overlapped while the end surfaces of the batteries 11 are maintained substantially on the same plane. The electrode terminals 15 superposed in this way are fixed using a fixing tool 18. The fixture 18 shown in the figure is a bolt 18A and a nut 18B. The fixing tool 18 is screwed by inserting a bolt 18A through the connecting hole 15A from the upper surface side of the bent surface of the electrode terminal 15 and disposing a nut 18B on the lower side. The nut 18B facilitates screwing by using a square nut such as a square nut or a hexagon nut. However, the fixing tool is not limited to bolts and nuts, and various members that can connect stacked electrode terminals, such as rivets, can also be used.

  The battery assemblies 10 and 50 having the above-described structure are connected to the sealed tank 20 via pipes 30, 40 and 70. The sealed tank 20 is filled with an abnormal heat generation reducing agent made of a fire extinguisher or a coolant. As the fire extinguisher, a powdery substance mainly composed of sodium hydrogen carbonate or an inert liquid such as insulating oil can be used. The sealed tank 20 filled with a fire extinguisher is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or carbon dioxide gas, for example, and injects the fire extinguisher with the gas pressure of the filled inert gas. However, the present invention does not specify the fire extinguishing agent as a powder or insulating oil mainly composed of sodium hydrogen carbonate. This is because any other fire extinguishing agent that can extinguish a fluid such as a gas discharged from a battery or prevent ignition of a fluid such as a gas discharged from a battery can be used. When the abnormal heat generation reducing agent, which is a fire extinguisher, is supplied to the battery, the fired battery is extinguished or the overheated battery is effectively prevented from firing. Moreover, liquefied inert gas, such as liquid nitrogen, can be used for a coolant. The sealed tank 20 filled with liquid nitrogen jets vaporized low-temperature nitrogen gas to forcibly cool the overheated battery. When the abnormal heat generation reducing agent, which is a coolant, is supplied to the battery, the overheated battery is forcibly cooled.

  When the temperature of the overheated battery rises and exceeds the set temperature, the abnormal heat reducing agent composed of a fire extinguisher and a coolant filled in the sealed tank 20 is supplied to the overheated battery and cools the battery. The power supply device is hermetically sealed via pipes 30, 40, and 70 having heat melting portions 31, 41, and 71 in order to supply the abnormal heat generation reducing agent in the gap between the specific batteries that are overheated or in the specific battery. The tank 20 is connected to the gap 19 between the batteries and the inside of the battery.

  The thermal melting parts 31, 41, 71 are molded with a hot melt agent that melts when heated to a set temperature or higher. For example, a hot melt plastic or a hot melt metal can be used as the hot melt agent. As the hot-melt plastic, a plastic having a melting temperature of 80 ° C. to 200 ° C., preferably 90 ° C. to 120 ° C. can be used. For example, polyethylene or PET can be used as such plastic. However, all plastics that are melted at the abnormal temperature of the battery, such as thermoplastic plastics other than polyethylene, can be used as the hot-melt plastic. As the hot-melt metal, a low melting point metal or alloy, specifically, a metal that melts at about 200 ° C. to 300 ° C., such as solder, can be used. However, in this specification, the hot-melting agent includes a state where it evaporates at a set temperature and changes from a solid to a liquid, and also vaporizes. Examples of such a heat melting agent include sublimable metal compounds such as palladium, platinum, and copper acetylacetonate complexes that have sublimability at high temperatures. When the battery temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the heat melting portions 31, 41, 71 made of the above heat melting agent are melted to partially open the pipes 30, 40, 70, and the abnormal heat generation reducing agent is formed from the opening portions. Is discharged.

  The pipes 30 and 70 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 7 to 12 include main pipes 30A and 70A connected to the sealed tank 20, and side pipes 30B and 70B divided into a plurality of parts from the main pipes 30A and 70A. Is provided. The pipe 30 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, 7, and 8 connects a plurality of disassembled side pipes 30 </ b> B to the gaps 19 between the batteries. The piping 30 shown in these drawings is disposed on the side surface of the battery assembly 10, and the tip of the side tube 30 </ b> B is inserted between the batteries, and the side tube 30 </ b> B is piping at a fixed position of the gap 19 between the batteries. is doing. A pipe 70 shown in FIGS. 9 to 12 connects a plurality of decomposed side pipes 70 </ b> B to the liquid injection hole 16 of each battery 11. The piping 70 shown in these drawings is disposed on the upper surface of the battery assembly 50, and the end of each side tube 70 </ b> B is inserted into the liquid injection hole 16 of each battery 11 to connect the side tube 70 </ b> B to the battery 11. is doing. The pipes 30 and 70 can be fixed to a fixed position of the battery 11 by adhering the distal ends of the side pipes 30B and 70B with, for example, an adhesive 72 or press-fitting.

  The pipes 30 and 70 shown in these drawings are produced by manufacturing the main pipes 30A and 70A and the side pipes 30B and 70B from plastic or metal that is not melted by the heat of the overheated battery. Thermal melting portions 31 and 71 that partially open 30 and 70 are provided at the distal ends of the side tubes 30B and 70B. The pipes 30 and 70 in the figure have discharge ports 33 and 73 for discharging abnormal heat reducing agents at the tips of the side tubes 30B and 70B, and the discharge ports 33 and 73 are closed with a hot melt agent. The heat melting portions 31 and 71 are used. In these pipes 30 and 70, when the battery temperature is normal, that is, when the temperature is lower than the set temperature, the discharge ports 33 and 73 are closed with the hot melt, and the entire pipe is kept in a sealed state. Further, when the battery 11 is overheated to a set temperature or higher, these pipes 30 and 70 open the discharge ports 33 and 73 by melting the hot melt of the heat melting portions 31 and 71, from which an abnormal heat generation reducing agent is added. Discharged.

  1 to 3, 7 and 8, when the battery 11 is overheated and reaches a set temperature or higher, the heat melting portion 31 of the pipe 30 is melted and the discharge port 33 is opened. As indicated by the arrows, the abnormal heat reducing agent filled in the sealed tank 20 is supplied to the gap 19 between the overheated batteries. The abnormal heat generation reducing agent supplied between the batteries forcibly cools the overheated battery or extinguishes the fired battery and forcibly cools it.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, in the power supply device that connects the pipe 70 to the liquid injection hole 16 of the battery 11, when the battery 11 is overheated and becomes a set temperature or higher, the heat melting portion 71 of the pipe 70 is melted. Then, the discharge port 73 is opened, and the abnormal heat reducing agent filling the sealed tank 20 is supplied to the injection hole 16 of the overheated battery. The abnormal heat reducing agent supplied to the liquid injection hole 16 is supplied to the inside of the battery 11 or supplied to the upper part of the battery to quickly extinguish the heat generating element in the battery or to digest and cool the upper part of the battery. To do.

  In the power supply device having the above structure, the end portions of the side tubes 30B and 70B are the heat melting portions 31 and 71. By disposing the heat melting portions 31 and 71 at predetermined positions of the battery 11, the abnormal heat generation is reduced. It has the feature that the supply position of the agent can be specified. Therefore, there is an advantage that the overheated battery can be effectively cooled.

  Further, the pipe 40 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is formed with a hot melt material that is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher, and is provided with a heat melting portion 41. That is, in the pipe 40, the entire pipe or a part disposed along the battery 11 is formed with a hot-melt plastic or hot-melt metal that is a hot-melt agent to form a hot-melt portion 41. The pipe 40 shown in the figure is not composed of a main pipe and a side pipe, but the whole is a single pipe, one end is connected to the sealed tank 20 and the other end is closed. Further, the pipe 40 is formed in a meandering shape as a whole and disposed between a plurality of adjacent batteries. The pipe 40 can also be fixed in place by adhering with an adhesive or by being closely attached by the adjacent battery 11. Since the pipe 40 having this structure is disposed along the surfaces of the plurality of batteries 11, the entire part in contact with the battery 11 can be used as the heat melting part 41. In other words, any part of the pipe 40 can be used as a discharge part for the abnormal heat reducing agent. When any of the batteries is overheated to a set temperature or higher, the pipe 40 is rapidly melted at a portion in contact with the battery, opens the pipe 40, and discharges the abnormal heat reducing agent from the opening. Therefore, there is a feature that the abnormal heat generation reducing agent can be effectively supplied to the overheated portion of the battery. Moreover, according to this structure, since one piping 40 can be arrange | positioned in the clearance gap 19 between several batteries, the structure of piping can be simplified and manufacturing cost can also be reduced.

  Further, in the power supply device shown in FIG. 7, an on-off valve 80 that opens due to the difference between the pressure in the tank and the pressure in the pipe is connected between the pipe 30 and the sealed tank 20. The on-off valve 80 is opened by a pressure change when the heat melting portion 31 of the pipe 30 is melted, and supplies the abnormal heat reducing agent of the sealed tank 20 to the gap 19 between the batteries. An example of this on-off valve 80 is shown in FIG.

  The on-off valve 80 in FIG. 8 has a main body cylinder 81 having one end connected to the sealed tank 20 and the other end connected to the pipe 30, and a partition wall that divides the inside of the main body cylinder 81 into a tank side passage 81A and a pipe side passage 81B. 82, a valve body 84 for opening and closing a valve hole 83 opened in the partition wall 82, and a reciprocating mechanism 85 for reciprocating the valve body 84. The pipe 30 shown in the figure has a structure composed of a main pipe 30 </ b> A and a plurality of side pipes 30 </ b> B, and connects the main pipe 30 </ b> A to a pipe-side passage 81 </ b> B of the main body cylinder 81. The partition wall 82 forms a valve hole 83 by opening a through hole through which the abnormal heat generation reducing agent passes. The valve body 84 is arranged so as to reciprocate so that the valve hole 83 opened in the partition wall 82 can be opened and closed. The reciprocating mechanism 85 includes a projecting cylinder 86 projecting outward from the main body cylinder 81, and is disposed inside the projecting cylinder 86 so as to reciprocate along the inner surface of the projecting cylinder 86. A piston 87 connected to the valve body 84 in the cylinder 81 and an elastic body 89 disposed between the piston 87 and the main body cylinder 81 and pressing the piston 87 with a predetermined pressure are provided. In the reciprocating mechanism 85 of this structure, when the piston 87 is pressed toward the main body cylinder 81 at atmospheric pressure, the valve body 84 closes the valve hole 83 to close the on-off valve 80, and the piston 87 is an elastic body. When pressed in the direction opposite to the main body cylinder 81 at 89, the valve body 84 opens the valve hole 83 to open the on-off valve 80. Therefore, the urging force of the elastic body 89 is smaller than the force by which the piston 87 is pressed at atmospheric pressure, but is adjusted to a size that allows the piston 87 to move when the piston 87 is not pressed by atmospheric pressure. Further, the on-off valve 80 in the figure connects the pipe-side passage 81 </ b> B of the main body cylinder 81 to the protruding cylinder 86 via the connection cylinder 90 in order to open the valve by the pressure difference in the pipe 30. The connecting portion between the connecting cylinder 90 and the protruding cylinder 86 is on the main body cylinder 81 side of the piston 87 in the protruding cylinder 86.

  The on-off valve 80 having the above structure is opened by the pressure difference of the pipe 30 as follows. The inside of the pipe 30 is depressurized to a vacuum state. Since the heat melting part 31 provided in the front-end | tip part of the side pipe 30B is obstruct | occluded, the inside of the piping 30 is hold | maintained at a pressure-reduced state. At this time, in the on-off valve 80, the piston 87 is pressed to the atmospheric pressure to move the valve body 84 to the valve hole 83, and the valve hole 83 is closed by the valve body 84 and held in the closed state. When the battery 11 is overheated to a set temperature or higher and the heat melting part 31 of the pipe 30 is opened, the decompressed state in the pipe 30 is released and the inside of the protruding cylinder 86 connected via the connecting cylinder 90 is large. Atmospheric pressure. In this state, the opening / closing valve 80 is opened by the piston 87 being pressed by the elastic body 89 to move the valve body 84 away from the valve hole 83 and the valve hole 83 is opened. When the on-off valve 80 is opened, the abnormal heat reducing agent is supplied from the sealed tank 20 into the pipe 30. The abnormal heat reducing agent supplied into the pipe 30 presses the piston 87 in the protruding cylinder 86 to the outside via the connecting cylinder 90, so that the on-off valve 80 is further maintained in the open state.

  As described above, in the power supply device that connects the sealed tank 20 to the pipe 30 via the on-off valve 80, the inside of the pipe 30 is normally in a vacuum state, and the abnormal heat reduction agent is applied to the pipe 30 in a state where the battery 11 is overheated. Supplied. For this reason, the abnormal heat generation reducing agent pressurized to high pressure can be filled in the sealed tank 20. In particular, in the power supply device that fills the closed tank 20 with a coolant such as liquid nitrogen, the coolant is only supplied when the heat melting portion 31 is melted without filling the coolant inside the pipe 30 in a normal state. It can be supplied to the pipe 30. Therefore, when the battery temperature is normal, the piping 30 is not filled with a low-temperature gas. In other words, the normal-temperature battery is supercooled through the piping cooled by the coolant and becomes low temperature. Can be prevented.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is a power supply device including a plurality of batteries, and can be suitably applied as a power supply device that is particularly required to have safety that prevents thermal runaway of the battery, for example, a power supply device for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning one Example of this invention. It is a top view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a partially expanded side view of the power supply device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the power supply device shown in FIG. 3 taken along line AA. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the airtight tank and piping of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows an example of the on-off valve of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the power supply device shown in FIG. 9. It is a top view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a battery.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 50 ... Battery assembly 11 ... Battery 12, 52 ... Battery holder 12A, 52A ... Upper holder 12a, 52a ... Holder unit 12B, 52B ... Lower holder 12b, 52b ... Holder unit 13, 53 ... End plate 13A, 53A ... Projection 14 ... Connector 14A ... Connecting rod 14B ... Nut 15 ... Electrode terminal 15A ... Connecting hole 16 ... Injection hole 17 ... Valve hole 18 ... Fixing tool 18A ... Bolt 18B ... Nut 19 ... Gap 20 ... Sealed tank 21, 61 ... Horizontal plate part 22, 62 ... Narrow fitting part 23, 63 ... Vertical plate part 24, 64 ... Insertion recessed part 25, 65 ... Opening part 26, 66 ... Slit 67 ... Notch part 30, 40, 70 ... Piping 30A, 70A ... Main pipes 30B, 70B ... side pipes 31, 41, 71 ... heat melting section 72 ... adhesives 33, 73 ... discharge port 80 Open / close valve 81 ... Main body cylinder 81A ... Tank side passage 81B ... Pipe side passage 82 ... Partition wall 83 ... Valve hole 84 ... Valve body 85 ... Reciprocating mechanism 86 ... Projection cylinder 87 ... Piston 88 ... Connecting rod 89 ... Elastic body 90 ... Connecting cylinder

Claims (5)

A plurality of batteries stacked in a state having a gap, and a sealed tank filled with an abnormal heat generation reducing agent made of a fire extinguisher or a coolant connected to the gaps between the plurality of batteries via a pipe. Prepared,
The pipe is connected to the gap between the batteries via a thermal melting part that is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher, and the thermal melting part that is connected to the gap of the superheated battery that is higher than the set temperature is melted. And the abnormal heat generation reducing agent filled in the sealed tank is supplied to the gap between the batteries.   The pipe is formed with a hot melt material that is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher, and a hot melt part is provided. The pipe is formed in a meandering shape, and the hot melt part is formed between adjacent batteries. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply device is provided. A plurality of batteries, and a sealed tank filled with an abnormal heat reducing agent composed of a fire extinguisher or a coolant connected to each battery via a pipe,
The pipe is connected to each battery via a heat melting part that is melted when heated to a set temperature or higher, and the heat melting part that is connected to an overheated battery that is higher than the set temperature is melted, and the sealing is performed. A power supply device configured to supply an abnormal heat generation reducing agent filled in a tank to an overheated battery.   The power supply device according to claim 3, wherein the pipe is connected to a liquid injection hole of each battery via a heat melting part.   An open / close valve is connected between the pipe and the closed tank, which opens with the pressure difference between the tank pressure and the pipe pressure. 4. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the open / close valve that is valved is configured to supply the abnormal heat reducing agent in the sealed tank to a gap between the batteries or to the battery.

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