JP2010147004A - Secondary battery unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a secondary battery unit which can suppress deformation of a container even when reaction of an electrolyte is facilitated, and can prevent a flammable electrolyte from scattering around and catching fire in a case of fire. <P>SOLUTION: The secondary battery unit includes a battery container 31 for housing the electrolyte 34 made of an organic solvent, and electrodes 32, 33, an opened container 41 for housing a flame-retardant electrolyte L1 and nonflammable fire-extinguishing agent L2 and of which an upper part is opened, and a gas tube 50 of which one end is connected to an upper part of the battery container 31 and other end is connected to a bottom part of the opened container 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a secondary battery unit used for an electric vehicle or the like, and more particularly, to a unit that can prevent scattering of a flammable electrolyte during a fire.

  A large-capacity lithium ion secondary battery is used as a drive source for a motor of an electric vehicle. The lithium ion secondary battery includes a battery container having a sealed structure, and an electrolytic solution and an electrode are accommodated in the battery container. The electrolytic solution is generally an organic solvent, and many flammable ones are used. The electrolyte solution is flammable as described above, and the battery performance is deteriorated by reacting with moisture, so that the battery container is a sealed container.

  Since the container is a sealed container, gas is generated by the reaction of the electrolytic solution, so that the container swells. In many cases, a plurality of battery containers are arranged side by side, and a gap is provided between the containers, and the swelled portions are often arranged so as not to interfere with adjacent containers.

  In addition, if the electrolyte reacts excessively during overheating such as a fire, the pressure in the battery container becomes abnormally high and the container may be damaged, but a safety valve is provided to prevent the container from being damaged.

In addition, the open storage container is used for the lead storage battery (for example, refer patent document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-2127768

  The secondary battery described above has the following problems. That is, since the gap is provided between the battery containers, there is a problem that the entire apparatus becomes large. In addition, when the battery container swells, there is a problem that the space between the electrodes is widened and the performance as a battery is deteriorated.

  On the other hand, if the pressure inside the container is increased and the safety valve is opened in the event of a fire or the like, the flammable electrolyte may splatter and ignite. Although it is conceivable to use a nonflammable electrolyte, there is a problem in that the performance is low and desired battery performance cannot be obtained.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a secondary battery that can suppress the deformation of the container even when the electrolytic solution reacts excessively and the internal pressure rises, and can prevent the flammable electrolytic solution from being scattered and ignited in the event of a fire. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the secondary battery unit of the present invention is configured as follows.

  A secondary battery unit according to a first invention (corresponding to claim 1) that solves the above-described problem includes a battery container that stores an electrolyte solution and an electrode made of an organic solvent, a non-flammable liquid, and an upper portion that is An open container opened and a gas pipe having one end connected to the top of the battery container and the other end connected to the bottom of the open container are provided.

  In the secondary battery unit according to a second invention (corresponding to claim 2) that solves the above-described problem, the non-flammable liquid includes a flame-retardant electrolyte and a non-flammable having a specific gravity smaller than that of the flame-retardant electrolyte The secondary battery unit according to claim 1, comprising a natural fire extinguishing agent.

  In the secondary battery unit according to a third invention for solving the above-mentioned problems (corresponding to claim 3), a filter is horizontally disposed in the open container.

  In the secondary battery unit according to a fourth invention (corresponding to claim 4) for solving the above-mentioned problems, the nonflammable digestive agent is a fluorine-based inert liquid.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the electrolyte in the battery container expands as the temperature rises, it can escape from the gas pipe to the outside. For this reason, a deformation | transformation of a battery container can be prevented and deterioration of battery performance can be prevented. In addition, even when the reaction of the electrolyte solution is accelerated by overheating and flammable gas is ejected from the battery container, the nonflammable liquid in the open container can prevent ignition and ensure safety. It becomes.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, even if the flame retardant electrolyte flows back into the battery container for some reason, the battery performance is not deteriorated because it is an electrolyte.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the contents of the battery container can be prevented from scattering from the opening of the open container.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the boiling point of the incombustible digestive agent can be increased, evaporation can be prevented and a certain amount of incombustible liquid can be retained.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a vehicle 10 incorporating a secondary battery unit 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the secondary battery unit 20, and FIG. 3 is a secondary battery. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of a unit 20. FIG.

  The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 11. In the vehicle body 11, a vehicle compartment 12, a battery chamber 13 provided in the lower part of the vehicle compartment 12, and a front chamber 14 provided in the front part of the passenger space 12 are provided. The vehicle body 11 is provided with drive wheels 15, and a drive motor 16 is connected to each. These drive motors 16 are connected to a control device 17 in the front chamber 14.

  A secondary battery unit 20 is disposed in the battery chamber 13. The secondary battery unit 20 is mounted on a support container 21, a battery cell (lithium ion secondary battery) 30 that is a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries provided in the support container 21, and an upper part of the support container 21. And the gas pipe 50 that connects the battery cell 30 and the ignition prevention mechanism 40 to each other.

  The battery cell 30 includes a battery container 31 formed in a liquid-tight and air-tight manner, electrode plates 32 and 33 provided in the battery container 31, a flammable electrolyte solution 34 accommodated in the battery container 31, Terminals 35 and 36 connected to the electrode plates 32 and 33 are provided. The battery cell 30 is installed in the support container 21 without a gap.

  The ignition prevention mechanism 40 includes an open container 41 having an upper opening. A wire mesh filter 42 is horizontally provided inside the open container 41. In the open container 41, a flame retardant electrolyte L1 and a nonflammable extinguishing agent L2 having a specific gravity smaller than that of the flame retardant electrolyte L1 are accommodated. These flame-retardant electrolyte L1 and non-flammable extinguishing agent L2 are not mixed, and are separated with the position of the filter 42 described above as a boundary surface. As the flame retardant electrolyte L1, for example, an inorganic ionic electrolyte is suitable. Moreover, as the nonflammable extinguishing agent L2, for example, a fluorine-based inert liquid is suitable. The fluorine-based inert liquid has a feature that it has a high boiling point and is difficult to evaporate.

  The secondary battery unit 20 configured as described above operates as follows. That is, when the temperature of the secondary battery unit 20 rises due to the rise in the ambient temperature of the battery chamber 13 or the heat generated by driving when the vehicle 10 is stopped or during normal travel, the reaction of the electrolyte solution 34 is promoted and combustible. Gas G is generated. The combustible gas G pushes down the flame retardant electrolyte L1 in the gas pipe 50, so that the internal pressure of the battery container 31 does not increase. For this reason, the battery container 31 is not deformed. Therefore, there is no need to provide a gap between the battery cells 30, and the space of the battery chamber 13 can be used effectively. Moreover, since the distance between the electrode plates 32 and 33 does not increase, the battery performance does not deteriorate.

  Even if the flame retardant electrolyte L1 flows back into the battery container 31 for some reason, the secondary battery of the battery cell 30 is used because an electrolyte such as an ionic electrolyte is used as the flame retardant electrolyte L1. As a result, it is possible to prevent the function of the apparatus from being greatly deteriorated.

  On the other hand, when the battery cell 30 is overheated due to a vehicle fire or the like, the reaction of the electrolytic solution 34 is promoted, and the combustible gas G is ejected toward the ignition prevention mechanism 40 through the gas pipe 50. At this time, the combustible gas G spouts from the opening part of the open container 41 with the flame-retardant electrolyte L1 and the nonflammable fire extinguishing agent L2. The combustible gas G is not ignited by the action of the flame-retardant electrolyte L1 and the non-flammable extinguishing agent L2. Further, even if the flammable gas G has already been ignited, the fire is extinguished by passing through the flame-retardant electrolyte L1 and the non-flammable extinguishing agent L2. Furthermore, even when the periphery of the battery chamber 13 is burning, the fire is easily extinguished by the action of the non-flammable extinguishing agent L2.

  In addition, although the contents of the battery container 31 may be ejected as the combustible gas G is ejected, the filter 42 can prevent the scattering.

  As described above, according to the secondary battery unit 20, it is possible to prevent the internal pressure of the battery container 31 from increasing even when the reaction of the electrolytic solution 34 is promoted as the temperature rises. Can be prevented. For this reason, the battery chamber 13 can be reduced in size, and deterioration of the battery performance can be prevented.

  Further, even in the case of overheating in the event of a fire or the like, the reaction of the electrolyte 34 accelerates and the combustible gas G is ejected from the battery container 31. Since L2 can prevent ignition, safety can be achieved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described example, two types of nonflammable liquids are used, but one type or three or more types of nonflammable liquids may be used. Moreover, the effect similar to a safety valve can also be given by changing the internal diameter of the gas pipe 50. FIG. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the vehicle incorporating the secondary battery unit which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the secondary battery unit. Explanatory drawing which shows the principle of the secondary battery unit.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle, 13 ... Battery chamber, 20 ... Secondary battery unit, 30 ... Battery cell (lithium ion secondary battery), 31 ... Battery container, 32, 33 ... Electrode plate, 34 ... Electrolyte, 40 ... Inflammation prevention mechanism , 41 ... open container, 42 ... filter, 50 ... gas pipe, L1 ... flame retardant electrolyte, L2 ... nonflammable fire extinguishing agent.

Claims (4)

A battery container containing an electrolyte solution and an electrode made of an organic solvent;
Containing an incombustible liquid and an open container with an open top;
A secondary battery unit comprising: a gas pipe having one end connected to the top of the battery container and the other end connected to the bottom of the open container.   The secondary battery unit according to claim 1, wherein the non-flammable liquid includes a flame-retardant electrolyte and a non-flammable fire extinguisher having a specific gravity smaller than that of the flame-retardant electrolyte.   The secondary battery unit according to claim 2, wherein a filter is horizontally disposed in the open container.   The secondary battery unit according to claim 2, wherein the nonflammable extinguishing agent is a fluorine-based inert liquid.

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