JP2017084458A - On-vehicle battery abnormality detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device which can detect abnormality such as internal short-circuiting of a battery cell even if a control system is in a non-conduction state, and can notify a vehicle user or the like of the fact that the abnormality has been detected.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device comprises: thermoelectric transducers 11 which are arranged between battery cells 8 constituting a battery 5 so as to generate power by the temperature difference between the adjacent two battery cells 8; and notification means 13 which is connected to the thermoelectric transducers 11 so as to be operated with the power thus generated by either one of the thermoelectric transducers 11, thereby notifying a user of abnormality in the battery 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted battery abnormality detection device that detects an abnormality of a vehicle-mounted battery and notifies the vehicle user of the abnormality.

  For example, an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle is equipped with a high voltage battery (secondary battery) made of a lithium ion battery or the like for supplying electric power to a traveling motor. This battery generally includes a plurality of battery cells arranged in close proximity to each other. Each battery cell includes, for example, a current collector formed of a laminate in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate are laminated via a separator, and is formed by enclosing the current collector in a case.

  In the battery cell having such a configuration, a short circuit (internal short circuit) may occur in the current collector housed in the battery case due to foreign matters mixed in the battery case. When an internal short circuit occurs, the battery cell temperature rises or voltage drops due to internal heat generation. For this reason, conventionally, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the battery cell, a voltage sensor that detects the voltage, and the like are provided, and abnormalities such as internal short circuits occurring in the battery cell are detected based on the detection results of these sensors. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-153275 A

  When using the above-described temperature sensor or the like, if the control system including the temperature sensor or the like is in an energized state (for example, when the electric vehicle is running), the battery abnormality is appropriately detected, and that is the case. Can be notified to the user of the vehicle.

  However, when the control system including the temperature sensor or the like is in a non-energized state, the temperature of the battery cell cannot be detected. Therefore, when the control system is in a non-energized state, even if an abnormality such as an internal short circuit occurs in the battery cell, there is a problem that the abnormality cannot be detected and notified to the user or the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even when the control system is in a non-energized state, an abnormality such as an internal short circuit of the battery cell is detected, and the vehicle user is notified that the abnormality has been detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide an on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device capable of informing the above.

  A first aspect of the present invention that solves the above problem is an abnormality detection device for an in-vehicle battery that detects an abnormality of an in-vehicle battery having a plurality of battery cells arranged in close proximity to each other. , A thermoelectric conversion element that generates electric power due to a temperature difference between two adjacent battery cells, and an operation of the thermoelectric conversion element that is connected to the thermoelectric conversion element and that is generated by any one of the thermoelectric conversion elements to notify the abnormality of the in-vehicle battery And an in-vehicle battery abnormality detection device.

  In such a first aspect, even when an internal short circuit occurs when the control system is in a non-energized state, electric power is generated in the thermoelectric conversion element due to heat generation of the battery cells due to the internal short circuit, and the notification means is activated by the electric power. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately notify the vehicle user or the like that an abnormality has occurred in the battery.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to the first aspect, a shielding member made of a heat insulating material is provided between the battery cells together with the thermoelectric conversion element. In-vehicle battery abnormality detection device.

  In the second aspect, it is possible to suppress the heat of the battery cell generated by the internal short circuit from being transmitted to the adjacent battery cell, and to increase the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric conversion element.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to the second aspect, the on-board battery abnormality detection is characterized in that the shielding member is disposed around the thermoelectric conversion element. In the device.

  In the third aspect, it is possible to more reliably suppress the heat of the battery cell generated by the internal short circuit being transmitted to the adjacent battery cell.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle-mounted battery abnormality detection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of the notification units are provided, and each notification unit is individually connected to each of the thermoelectric conversion elements. There exists in the abnormality detection apparatus of the vehicle-mounted battery characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In the fourth aspect, it is possible to easily identify a battery cell in which an abnormality has occurred depending on which notification means is operating.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the thermoelectric conversion element is a Peltier element. is there.

  In the fifth aspect, an abnormality detection device that detects battery abnormality can be realized at a low cost with a relatively simple configuration.

  According to the vehicle battery abnormality detection device of the present invention, even when the control system is in a non-energized state, the abnormality of the battery is appropriately detected and the vehicle user or the like is notified that the abnormality has been detected. be able to.

It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the electric vehicle concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the vehicle-mounted battery which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the modification of the abnormality detection apparatus of the vehicle-mounted battery which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, an example of an electric vehicle equipped with a battery including the abnormality detection device according to the present invention will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 1, an electric vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is an electric vehicle (EV), and includes a traveling motor (electric motor) 2 that is a drive source. The travel motor 2 is connected to the front wheels 4 as drive wheels via a drive system 3 including, for example, an automatic transmission, and the electric vehicle 1 travels by the driving force of the travel motor 2. ing. The electric vehicle 1 is also equipped with a battery (secondary battery) 5 that is a lithium ion battery for supplying power to the traveling motor 2.

  The electric vehicle 1 also includes a control unit 6 that performs comprehensive control of the electric vehicle 1. For example, power supply from the battery 5 to the traveling motor 2 is also controlled by the control unit 6. Although illustration is omitted, the electric vehicle 1 includes various sensors, and the control unit 6 detects the state of the battery 5 and the traveling state of the electric vehicle 1 based on information from the sensors, and based on the detection result. A predetermined amount of power is supplied from the battery 5 to the traveling motor 2.

  Here, the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 5 provided in the electric vehicle 1 includes a plurality of battery cells 8 arranged close to each other in the battery case 7 as shown in FIG. The plurality of battery cells 8 are connected in series by a bus bar or the like, although not shown.

  And the abnormality detection apparatus of the vehicle-mounted battery which concerns on this embodiment detects abnormality, such as an internal short circuit in each battery cell 8 arranged in parallel in this way, and when it detects abnormality, it will notify that fact to an electric vehicle. Inform the user 1 and the like.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the abnormality detection device 10 includes a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements 11 that are respectively disposed between the battery cells 8 that constitute the battery 5. The thermoelectric conversion element 11 generates power due to a temperature difference generated between adjacent battery cells 8. In this embodiment, a Peltier element is used as the thermoelectric conversion element 11. Between each battery cell 8, a shielding member 12 made of a heat insulating material is provided together with a thermoelectric conversion element 11 which is a Peltier element. The shielding member 12 is formed to have the same size as the side surface of the battery cell 8 (surface facing the adjacent battery cell) so as to shield the battery cells 8 from each other. The thermoelectric conversion element 11 is arranged in a penetrating portion formed in the central portion of the shielding member 12 so that two adjacent battery cells 8 are in contact with each other. In other words, the shielding member 12 is provided over the periphery of the thermoelectric conversion element 11.

  Moreover, the abnormality detection apparatus 10 has the indicator lamp 13 as an alerting | reporting means to which each of these several thermoelectric conversion elements 11 is connected. The indicator lamp 13 is connected in parallel with each of the thermoelectric conversion elements 11 provided between the battery cells 8, and when any one of the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements 11 generates power, the indicator lamp 13 is lit or blinks with the electric power. It has become.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when heat is generated due to an internal short circuit in the battery cell 8A, a temperature difference is generated between the battery cell 8A and the adjacent battery cells 8B and 8C. Therefore, electric power is generated by the thermoelectric conversion element 11A between the battery cell 8A and the battery cell 8B and the thermoelectric conversion element 11B between the battery cell 8A and the battery cell 8C. Then, the electric power generated by the thermoelectric conversion elements 11A and 11B is supplied to the indicator lamp 13, and the indicator lamp 13 is lit or blinks.

  The indicator lamp 13 is provided in the instrument panel 9 together with various meters. Of course, the arrangement of the indicator lamps 13 is not particularly limited.

  As described above, in the abnormality detection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the abnormality of the battery 5 is detected by the power generation of the thermoelectric conversion element 11, and the indicator lamp 13 is turned on / flashes by the electric power, thereby forming a plurality of components constituting the battery 5. The user is notified that an abnormality has occurred in any of the battery cells 8.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration for notifying the user or the like of the abnormality of the battery 5 by lighting or blinking the lamp is exemplified as the notification means. However, the notification means generates an alarm sound from the speaker to detect the abnormality of the battery 5. May be notified to the user or the like.

  In such an in-vehicle battery abnormality detection device 10 according to this embodiment, even when the control unit (control system) 6 is in a non-energized state, an abnormality of the battery 5 can be detected, and an abnormality is detected. Can be notified to the user or the like. For this reason, for example, even when the electric vehicle 1 is parked, it is possible to appropriately detect the abnormality of the battery 5 and notify the user or the like that the abnormality has been detected.

  In the present embodiment, the shielding member 12 is provided between the battery cells 8 together with the thermoelectric conversion element 11. Specifically, the shielding member 12 is provided around each thermoelectric conversion element 11. Thus, when the battery cell 8 generates heat, the temperature difference between the adjacent battery cells 8 becomes more prominent. Therefore, the amount of electric power generated in the thermoelectric conversion element 11 increases, and the indicator lamp 13 can be lit and blinked more reliably by this electric power.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the Peltier element is used as the thermoelectric conversion element 11, the abnormality detection apparatus 10 that detects battery abnormality can be realized at a low cost with a relatively simple configuration.

  By the way, in the above-mentioned embodiment, each of the plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements 11 is connected to the indicator lamp 13, and an abnormality has occurred in any of the plurality of battery cells 8 due to the lighting / flashing of the indicator lamp 13. Is notified to users. However, the configuration of the abnormality detection device 10 is not limited to this example. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of indicator lamps 13 may be individually connected to each of the thermoelectric conversion elements 11. Thereby, the battery cell 8 in which an abnormality has occurred can be easily identified.

  When the number of battery cells 8 included in the battery 5 is large, for example, the fact that an abnormality has occurred in the battery 5 is separately notified by lighting of a lamp, a warning sound, or the like, and individually connected to each thermoelectric conversion element 11. For example, the indicator means such as the indicator lamp 13 may be provided in the battery case 7 so that the battery cell 8 in which an abnormality has occurred when the battery case 7 is opened can be easily identified.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shielding member is provided over the periphery of each thermoelectric conversion element. However, the shielding member may or may not be provided in a part of the periphery of each thermoelectric conversion element. It does not have to be. Even if the shielding member is not provided, it is sufficient that a temperature difference is generated between adjacent battery cells when the battery cells generate heat.

  In the above-described embodiment, the Peltier element is used as the thermoelectric conversion element. However, the thermoelectric conversion element is not particularly limited as long as the thermoelectric conversion element is an element that can generate electric power due to a temperature difference between terminals using the Seebeck effect.

  In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by exemplifying an electric vehicle (EV) including a traveling motor as an example of the electric vehicle. However, the present invention is of course applicable to various electric vehicles, For example, the present invention can also be applied to a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine (internal combustion engine) as a drive device together with a traveling motor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle 2 Driving motor 3 Drive system 4 Front wheel 5 Battery 6 Control part 7 Battery case 8 Battery cell 9 Instrument panel 10 Abnormality detection apparatus 11 Thermoelectric conversion element 12 Shielding member 13 Indicator lamp (notification means)

Claims (5)

In the vehicle battery abnormality detection device for detecting the abnormality of the vehicle battery having a plurality of battery cells arranged in close proximity,
A thermoelectric conversion element that is arranged between each battery cell and generates electricity by a temperature difference between two adjacent battery cells;
An in-vehicle battery abnormality detection device comprising: informing means that is connected to the thermoelectric conversion element and is activated by electric power generated by any one of the thermoelectric conversion elements to notify abnormality of the in-vehicle battery. In the on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to claim 1,
An in-vehicle battery abnormality detection device, wherein a shielding member made of a heat insulating material is provided together with the thermoelectric conversion element between the battery cells. In the vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to claim 2,
The on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device, wherein the shielding member is arranged around the thermoelectric conversion element. In the in-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A vehicle-mounted battery abnormality detection device comprising a plurality of the notification means, wherein each notification means is individually connected to each of the thermoelectric conversion elements. In the on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The on-vehicle battery abnormality detection device, wherein the thermoelectric conversion element is a Peltier element.

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