JP2017174556A - Vehicle battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle battery module that has achieved a reduction in the number of components and miniaturization by providing temperature-increasing means and a gas circulation passage for a support member supporting a battery stack.SOLUTION: In a battery module 20 according to the present invention, a plurality of lower battery stacks 22A and the like, which are vertically arranged in layers, are accommodated in a battery case 21. Upper battery stacks 22D, 22E arranged in an upper stage are supported by a support member 24 from below. On the upper surface of the support member 24, a temperature-increasing heater 26 for increasing the temperature of the upper battery stack 22E is arranged. Below the support member 24, a gas circulation passage 27 is formed. This eliminates the need to separately provide support means for the temperature increasing heater 26 or a duct for forming the gas circulation passage 27, and thus simplifies and miniaturizes the structure of the battery module 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle battery module, and more particularly to a vehicle battery module including a plurality of battery stacks stacked in the vertical direction.

  A hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle is equipped with a large battery that supplies electric power to a motor that provides driving force to the vehicle.

  Patent Document 1 describes a battery in which a gap through which air for cooling a battery cell group flows is formed. A battery 100 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In the battery 100, battery cell groups 102 and 103 are accommodated in a battery case 101, and a partition wall 109 is formed between the battery cell group 102 and the battery cell group 103. In addition, an intake port 104 is formed in the left wall portion of the battery case 101 in the drawing, and an outlet 105 is formed in the right wall portion. Here, a path through which cooling air flows is formed between the battery cell groups 102 and 103 and each wall portion of the battery case 101.

  The flow of air inside the battery case 101 is as follows. First, the air taken in from the intake 104 is divided into air 106 flowing along the wall of the battery case 101 and air 107 that cools the battery cell group 102. After the air 106 and the air 107 join together above the partition wall 109, the battery cell group 103 is cooled as the air 108 and then discharged to the outside from the discharge port 105.

  Thus, the invention regarding the air path which cools a battery is described also in patent document 2 and patent document 3.

  Patent Document 4 describes a vehicle body floor structure in which a plurality of battery stacks are stacked in the vertical direction. Such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In the vehicle body floor structure 110 shown in the figure, a plurality of battery stacks 113 are stacked in two upper and lower stages on the upper surface of the sub chassis 111 of the vehicle body. Further, the stacked battery stack 113 is covered with a floor tunnel 112.

Japanese Patent No. 3085327 US Patent No. 9067486 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-103383 Japanese Patent No. 4856731

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1 and the like, a configuration of an air path for efficiently cooling the battery cell groups 102 and 103 is described, but a heater used for raising the temperature, the battery cell group 102, The matter of efficiently arranging the path for escaping the gas discharged from 103 is not disclosed.

  In particular, as described in Patent Document 2, when the battery stack 113 is stacked in the vertical direction, it is important to efficiently arrange heaters and the like in order to suppress complication and enlargement of the entire apparatus. It is. However, if a duct, a heater, a gas discharge path, and the like are separately provided, the structure around the battery stack 113 becomes complicated, and further, there is a problem in that the size of the apparatus is increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts by providing a temperature raising means and a gas circulation air passage in a support member that supports the battery stack. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular battery module that is miniaturized.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, the battery module is arranged between the battery stack composed of a plurality of stacked battery cells, the battery stack arranged in the upper stage, and the battery stack arranged in the lower stage, and arranged in the upper stage. A support member for supporting the battery stack, and on the upper surface of the support member, a temperature raising means for raising the temperature of the battery stack arranged in the upper stage is arranged, and the battery stack arranged in the lower stage A gas circulation air passage through which gas generated from the battery stack flows is formed between the support member and the support member.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, an air passage through which air for cooling the battery stack passes is formed on a side of the battery stack.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, an insulating material is interposed between the battery stack and the support member.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, a heat radiating fin is formed on the lower surface of the support member.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, an intake air passage through which air before cooling the battery stack flows is formed on one side of the battery stack, and the other side of the battery stack is formed. On the other hand, an exhaust air passage through which air after cooling the battery stack flows is formed.

  The vehicle battery module of the present invention is arranged between a battery stack composed of a plurality of stacked battery cells, the battery stack arranged in the upper stage, and the battery stack arranged in the lower stage, and arranged in the upper stage. A support member for supporting the battery stack, and on the upper surface of the support member, a temperature raising means for raising the temperature of the battery stack arranged in the upper stage is arranged, and the battery stack arranged in the lower stage A gas circulation air passage through which gas generated from the battery stack flows is formed between the support member and the support member. Therefore, the support member of the present invention supports the battery stack arranged in the upper stage, and the temperature raising means for raising the temperature of the battery stack arranged in the upper stage is arranged on the upper surface. Furthermore, a gas flow path is formed in the lower portion of the support member for flowing gas generated from the battery stack disposed in the lower stage. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide a member for arranging the temperature raising means and a path for circulating the gas, so that the size of the entire battery module can be reduced.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, an air passage through which air for cooling the battery stack passes is formed on a side of the battery stack. Accordingly, since the space on the side of the battery stack can be used as an air passage through which cooling air flows, there is no need to separately provide a dedicated member for this air passage, and the number of parts as a whole battery module is reduced. And the size can be reduced.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, an insulating material is interposed between the battery stack and the support member. Therefore, for example, the support member made of a metal such as aluminum and the battery stack are insulated by the insulating material, thereby preventing both from conducting.

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, a heat radiating fin is formed on the lower surface of the support member. Therefore, a part of the heat generated from the temperature raising means placed on the upper surface of the support member is released to the outside through the radiation fins, so that the battery stack is prevented from being overheated by the temperature raising means. .

  In the vehicle battery module of the present invention, an intake air passage through which air before cooling the battery stack flows is formed on one side of the battery stack, and the other side of the battery stack is formed. On the other hand, an exhaust air passage through which air after cooling the battery stack flows is formed. Accordingly, the space on the side of the battery stack can be used as an air passage through which air for cooling the battery stack flows, so there is no need to separately provide a duct or the like for circulating cooling air. The number of parts of the battery module can be reduced.

It is a side view which shows the vehicle provided with the battery module which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the battery module which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is a perspective view which shows a battery module, (B) is the sectional drawing. It is a figure which shows the battery module which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and is sectional drawing which expands and shows a supporting member. It is a figure which shows the battery module which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is sectional drawing, (B) is a cross-sectional perspective view. It is a figure which shows the battery module which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) is a perspective view which shows a battery stack, (B) is a side view which expands and shows a battery stack. It is sectional drawing which shows the battery concerning background art. It is sectional drawing which shows the vehicle body floor structure concerning background art.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the battery module 20 (vehicle battery module) of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 provided with the battery module 20 of this form is demonstrated. The vehicle 10 is, for example, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. When the vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle, the vehicle 10 travels using a motor that rotates with electric power supplied from the battery module 20 as a drive source. When the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle, the vehicle 10 travels using one or both of the motor and the engine as a drive source.

  Here, the battery module 20 is disposed obliquely below and behind the seat 11 that is the rear seat, and is covered with the partition plate 12. Further, the battery module 20 may be disposed diagonally below the driver seat or the passenger seat.

  The configuration of the battery module 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a schematic appearance of the battery module 20, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the battery module 20 taken along line BB in FIG. 2A.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, the battery module 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped battery case 21 having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction. A lower battery stack 22 </ b> A and the like which will be described later are housed in the battery case 21. The battery case 21 has an upper surface portion 33, a lower surface portion 34, a front side surface portion 31A, a rear side surface portion 31B, a left side surface portion 31C, and a right side surface portion 31D. The protruding portion 41 is formed by partially protruding the front side surface portion 31A of the battery case 21 forward. By accommodating the lower battery stack 22 </ b> C (described later) in the protruding portion 41, a larger number of battery stacks 22 can be mounted on the vehicle 10. Electronic components such as a relay and a current sensor (not shown) are placed on the upper surface of the protruding portion 41. As a material of the battery case 21, a steel plate made of a metal such as aluminum, a resin plate made of a synthetic resin, or a combination of a steel plate and a resin plate can be employed.

  A left end portion of a support member 24 that supports an upper battery stack 22 </ b> D (described later) is joined to a left side surface portion 31 </ b> C of the battery case 21. Further, the right end portion of the support member 24 is joined to the right side surface portion 31 </ b> D of the battery case 21. Accordingly, the load of the battery stack 22 acting on the support member 24 is transmitted to the left side surface portion 31C and the right side surface portion 31D, and further transmitted to the vehicle body (not shown), so that the upper battery stack 22D and the like are stably supported. can do.

  A cross-sectional configuration of the battery module 20 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a plurality of lower battery stacks 22A and the like are arranged in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction. Specifically, the lower battery stacks 22A, 22B, and 22C are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction. Further, the upper battery stack 22D is disposed above the lower battery stack 22A, and the upper battery stack 22E is disposed above the lower battery stack 22B. In the following description, the lower battery stack 22A and the like may be collectively referred to as the battery stack 22. Each battery stack 22 is composed of a large number of battery cells stacked in the left-right direction, and the weight of one battery stack 22 is, for example, about several tens of kg.

  The lower battery stack 22 </ b> A is supported by a contact portion 25 in which the lower surface portion 34 of the battery case 21 is partially protruded upward. The contact portion 25 has a closed cross-sectional shape and is made of a metal such as aluminum extruded together with the lower surface portion 34. In addition, a temperature raising heater 26 as a temperature raising means for raising the temperature of the lower battery stack 22A is disposed on the upper surface of the lower surface portion 34 corresponding to the lower side of the lower battery stack 22A.

  When the temperature of the lower battery stack 22A becomes lower than a certain temperature, the internal resistance increases and the input / output characteristics deteriorate. Therefore, in this embodiment, the temperature of the lower battery stack 22A is raised by the temperature raising heater 26 so that the temperature of the lower battery stack 22A becomes a certain level or higher. The same applies to the other lower battery stack 22B and the like.

  The configuration of the lower battery stack 22B is the same as that of the lower battery stack 22A. The lower end of the lower battery stack 22B is supported by the abutting portion 25 of the lower surface portion 34, and the temperature raising heater 26 is also provided below the lower battery stack 22B. Has been placed.

  The lower battery stack 22 </ b> C is also disposed on the protrusion 41 formed in front of the battery case 21. A temperature raising heater 26 is disposed below the lower battery stack 22C, a contact portion 23 is in contact with the upper end of the lower battery stack 22C from above, and a gas circulation air passage 27 is provided above the lower battery stack 22C. Is formed.

  The upper battery stack 22 </ b> D is supported from below by the support member 24. The support member 24 is so-called H steel having an H-shaped cross-sectional shape, and is formed from an extruded metal such as aluminum. The configuration and the like of the support member 24 will be described in detail later.

  On the upper surface of the support member 24, a temperature raising heater 26 for raising the temperature of the upper battery stack 22D arranged above the support member 24 is arranged. Further, a gas circulation air passage 27 is formed below the support member 24. The gas circulation air passage 27 is a passage through which the gas generated from the lower battery stack 22B flows. Specifically, in this embodiment, when the internal pressure of the battery cell constituting the lower battery stack 22B rises when a collision accident occurs, the gas existing inside the battery cell is released from the upper part. The gas released upward from the battery cells of the lower battery stack 22B is released to the outside of the vehicle via the gas circulation air passage 27, a duct and a fan (not shown).

  An insulating material 30 made of a plate-like insulating material is interposed between the support member 24 and the lower battery stack 22A. As a material of the insulating material 30, sponge, rubber, synthetic resin, or the like can be adopted. By providing the insulating material 30, the support member 24 and the lower battery stack 22A are electrically insulated. Furthermore, the conduction of heat between the two is also suppressed. Although not shown here, an insulating material 30 may be interposed between the support member 24 and the upper battery stack 22D.

  The contact portion 23 is a plate-like member extending downward from the upper surface portion 33 of the battery case 21, and the lower end of the contact portion 23 is in contact with the upper surface of the upper battery stack 22 </ b> D via the insulating material 30. When the contact portion 23 contacts from above, the vertical position of the upper battery stack 22D is defined. Further, the upper battery stack 22D and the contact portion 23 are electrically insulated by the insulating material 30, and heat conduction is suppressed.

  A gas circulation air passage 27 surrounded by the two contact portions 23 and the upper surface portion 33 is formed above the upper battery stack 22D. When the internal pressure of the battery cell included in the upper battery stack 22 </ b> D increases, the gas generated from the battery cell is released to the outside via the gas circulation air passage 27.

  Similarly, the upper battery stack 22E is supported by the support member 24 from below. In addition, the contact portion 23 extending downward from the upper surface portion 33 is in contact with the upper surface of the upper battery stack 22E via the insulating material 30. As a result, the vertical position of the upper battery stack 22E is defined, and a gas circulation air passage 27 is formed above the upper battery stack 22E.

  The battery module 20 of this embodiment has intake air passages 28A and 28B and exhaust air passages 29A and 29B as cooling air passages through which air for cooling each battery stack 22 flows. By supplying cooling air to each battery stack 22 via these air paths, the temperature rise of each battery stack 22 can be suppressed during charging or use, and deterioration or regeneration of each battery stack 22 can be suppressed. Deterioration of efficiency is suppressed.

  The intake air passage 28A is an air passage formed between the rear side surface of the lower battery stack 22A and the upper battery stack 22D and the rear side surface portion 31B. The intake air passage 28B is an air passage formed between the front side surface of the lower battery stack 22B and the upper battery stack 22E and the rear side surface of the lower battery stack 22C. The exhaust air passage 29A is an air passage formed between the front side surface of the lower battery stack 22A and the upper battery stack 22D and the rear side surface of the lower battery stack 22B and the upper battery stack 22E. The exhaust air passage 29B is an air passage formed between the front side surface of the lower battery stack 22C and the front side surface portion 31A.

  With reference to FIG. 2B, the flow of air when cooling each battery stack 22 will be described. Here, the flow of air is indicated by arrows.

  First, air from outside the vehicle is introduced into the intake air passages 28A and 28B via a duct and a fan (not shown). The air introduced into the intake air passage 28A cools the battery cells of the lower battery stack 22A and the upper battery stack 22D, and then flows into the exhaust air passage 29A. Further, the air introduced into the intake air passage 28B cools the battery cells of the lower battery stack 22B and the upper battery stack 22E, and then flows into the exhaust air passage 29A. Further, a part of the air introduced into the exhaust air passage 29B is introduced into the exhaust air passage 29B after cooling each battery cell of the lower battery stack 22C. Thereafter, the air used for cooling passes through the exhaust air passages 29A and 29B, and is then discharged outside the vehicle via a duct and a fan (not shown).

  As described above, in this embodiment, each air passage through which air used for cooling flows is formed between the side surface of each battery stack 22 and the side surface portion of the battery case 21. No special duct is required. Therefore, the number of parts constituting the battery module 20 is reduced, and the entire battery module 20 can be made small.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the above-described support member 24 will be described in detail. Here, the support member 24 disposed between the lower battery stack 22A and the upper battery stack 22D is shown enlarged.

  The support member 24 is a so-called H steel made of extruded aluminum, and includes a web portion 24A and two flange portions 24B continuous to both ends of the web portion 24A. A heating heater 26 is placed on the upper surface of the web portion 24A. Further, a gas circulation air passage 27 is formed as a space surrounded by the lower surface of the web portion 24A and the flange portions 24B on both sides.

  Therefore, the support member 24 of the present embodiment supports the upper battery stack 22D from below and is provided with a temperature raising heater 26 for raising the temperature of the upper battery stack 22D. Further, the support member 24 of the present embodiment forms a gas circulation air passage 27 for guiding the gas generated from the lower battery stack 22A to the outside. Therefore, since the support member 24 has such a plurality of functions, the battery module 20 can be reduced in size and weight as compared with a case where the members having these functions are individually provided.

  Since the support member 24 is made of a steel material having an H-shaped cross section, the heavy upper battery stack 22E can be stably supported. As shown in FIG. 2A, the upper battery stack 22E is a long member that is long in the left-right direction. However, since the upper battery stack 22E is supported entirely from below by the support member 24, the upper battery stack 22E Bending and deformation are suppressed.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the structure of the further embodied battery module 20 is demonstrated. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the battery module 20, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the battery module 20.

  Referring to FIG. 4A, in the battery module 20 shown in this figure, the structure of the support member 24 that supports the upper battery stack 22D and the like is different. Specifically, in FIG. 2B and the like, the support member 24 has an H-shaped cross-sectional shape, but the support member 24 shown in this figure is made of a plate-like member in which a plurality of closed cross-section portions are formed. Become. Here, this difference will be mainly described.

  Specifically, the support member 24 includes a plate-like member 24G and closed cross-section portions 24C, 24D, 24E, and 24F formed on the plate-like member 24G. As shown in FIG. 4B, these closed cross-section portions 24C and the like are continuously formed from the left end side to the right end side of the battery module 20.

  The closed cross section 24C is formed at the front end of the plate-like member 24G, the upper end of which is in contact with the lower surface of the upper battery stack 22E, and the lower end thereof is in contact with the upper surface of the lower battery stack 22B. The closed section 24D is formed so as to protrude upward from the center of the plate-like member 24G, and the upper surface thereof is in contact with the lower surfaces of the upper battery stacks 22E and 22D. The closed cross-section portion 24E is formed so as to protrude downward from the central portion of the plate-like member 24G, and the lower surface thereof is in contact with the upper surfaces of the lower battery stacks 22B and 22A. The closed cross-section 24F is formed at the rear end of the plate-like member 24G, the upper end thereof is in contact with the lower surface of the upper battery stack 22D, and the lower end thereof is in contact with the upper surface of the lower battery stack 22A.

  A heating heater 26 is placed on the upper surface of the plate-like member 24G of the support member 24, and a plurality of radiating fins 32 made of a metal plate are formed on the lower surface of the plate-like member 24G. A part of the heat generated from the temperature raising heater 26 is released to the outside through the radiation fins 32 and the gas circulation air passage 27. Therefore, the temperature rise heater 26 prevents the upper battery stacks 22D and 22E from being heated excessively.

  The upper surface portion 33 is formed with a plurality of closed cross-section portions 33A and the like. Specifically, a closed cross-section portion 33A is formed on the lower surface of the front end portion of the upper surface portion 33, and the lower surface of the closed cross-section portion 33A is in contact with the upper surface of the upper battery stack 22E. Further, a closed cross-section portion 33B is formed on the lower surface of the central portion of the upper surface portion 33, and the lower surface of the closed cross-section portion 33B is in contact with the upper surfaces of the upper battery stacks 22D and 22E. A closed cross-section portion 33C is formed on the lower surface of the rear end portion of the upper surface portion 33, and the lower surface of the closed cross-section portion 33C is in contact with the upper surface of the upper battery stack 22D.

  Furthermore, the lower surface portion 34 is formed with a plurality of closed cross-section portions 34A and the like. Specifically, a closed section 34A is formed on the upper surface of the front end portion of the lower surface section 34, and the upper surface of the closed section 34A is in contact with the lower surface of the lower battery stack 22B. Further, a closed section 34B is formed on the upper surface of the central portion of the lower surface section 34, and the upper surface of the closed section 34B is in contact with the lower surfaces of the lower battery stacks 22A and 22B. Further, a closed section 34C is formed on the upper surface of the rear end of the lower surface section 34, and the upper surface of the closed section 34C is in contact with the lower surface of the lower battery stack 22A.

  As described above, the mechanical strength of the entire battery module 20 can be increased by forming a plurality of closed cross-sectional portions on the upper surface portion 33, the support member 24, and the lower surface portion 34.

  Further, the intake air passages 28A and 28B and the exhaust air passage 29A are vertically partitioned by the support member 24.

  The configuration of the lower battery stack 22A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing the lower battery stack 22A, and FIG. 5B is a side view showing the lower battery stack 22A partially enlarged. The following matters also apply to the other lower battery stack 22B and the like shown in FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 5 (A), the notch part 35 is formed by notching the left-right direction both ends of the lower end surface of the lower battery stack 22A into a rectangular shape. By doing in this way, since the notch part 35 engages with the upper-surface corner | angular part of the contact part 25 shown to FIG. 2 (B), the position of the front-back direction of 22 A of lower battery stacks can be prescribed | regulated.

  Further, a gap 39 through which air for cooling flows is formed in the lower battery stack 22A. Air flowing in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 (B) passes through the gap 39.

  Referring to FIG. 5B, the lower battery stack 22A is composed of a plurality of battery cells 37 stacked along the left-right direction. A spacer 38 is disposed between the battery cells 37. The spacer 38 is a plate-like member, and has a plurality of protrusions 40 protruding rightward, and the right end of the protrusion 40 is in contact with the adjacent battery cell 37. . When the protrusion 40 contacts the battery cell 37, the thickness of the gap 39 in the left-right direction can be set to a predetermined length. Therefore, a sufficient amount of air for cooling the battery cell 37 can be supplied to the gap 39.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was shown, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.

10 Vehicle 11 Seat 12 Partition plate 20 Battery module 21 Battery case 22 Battery stack 22A, 22B, 22C Lower battery stack 22D, 22E Upper battery stack 23 Contact part 24 Support member 24A Web part 24B Flange parts 24C, 24D, 24E, 24F Closed section 24G Plate-like member 25 Contact portion 26 Heating heater 27 Gas circulation air passages 28A, 28B Intake air passages 29A, 29B Exhaust air passage 30 Insulating material 31A Front side surface portion 31B Rear side surface portion 31C Left side surface portion 31D Right Side surface portion 32 Radiation fin 33 Upper surface portion 33A, 33B, 33C Closed cross section portion 34 Lower surface portion 34A, 34B, 34C Closed cross section portion 35 Notch portion 37 Battery cell 38 Spacer 39 Gap 40 Protrusion portion 41 Protrusion portion 100 Battery 101 Battery case 102 battery cell 103 battery cell group 104 inlet 105 outlet 106 air 107 air 108 air 109 partition walls 110 vehicle body floor structure 111 sub-chassis 112 floor tunnel 113 cell stack

Claims (5)

A battery stack comprising a plurality of stacked battery cells;
A support member that is disposed between the battery stack disposed in the upper stage and the battery stack disposed in the lower stage and supports the battery stack disposed in the upper stage;
On the upper surface of the support member, a temperature raising means for raising the temperature of the battery stack arranged in the upper stage is arranged,
A vehicle battery module, wherein a gas circulation air passage through which a gas generated from the battery stack flows is formed between the battery stack arranged at a lower stage and the support member.   The vehicle battery module according to claim 1, wherein an air passage through which air for cooling the battery stack passes is formed on a side of the battery stack.   The vehicle battery module according to claim 1, wherein an insulating material is interposed between the battery stack and the support member.   The vehicle battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a radiation fin is formed on a lower surface of the support member. An intake air passage through which air before cooling the battery stack flows is formed on one side of the battery stack,
5. The exhaust air passage through which air after cooling the battery stack flows is formed on a side of the other side of the battery stack. 6. Battery module for vehicles.

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