JP2020161216A - Battery device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a battery device in which a plurality of battery cells constituting a battery module can be uniformly cooled.SOLUTION: A battery device 1 includes a hermetically sealed housing 2, a battery module 3 which is housed in the housing 2 and has a plurality of battery cells 4 arranged with gaps G interposed therebetween, a first partition portion 51 and a second partition portion 52 that partition a first chamber 21, a second chamber 22, and a third chamber 23 interposed therebetween in the housing 2, a duct 6 for causing the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 to communicate with each other, and a fan 7 for blowing air into the duct 6. The battery module 3 is arranged in the third chamber 23. The first partition portion 51 and the second partition portion 52 are respectively provided with circulation holes for circulating the air blown from the fan 7 between the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 through the gaps G of the battery cells 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a battery device in which a battery module is housed in a sealed housing.

Conventionally, a battery module (sometimes called a battery pack) composed of a plurality of battery cells is mounted on a hybrid or electric vehicle. Further, in order to suppress the temperature rise of the battery cell due to charging / discharging, a cooling device such as a cooling fan is provided. If the temperature varies between the individual battery cells, the amount of charge varies and the deterioration of the hot battery cell is accelerated. Therefore, it is necessary to uniformly cool the plurality of battery cells constituting the battery module. Is required.

Patent Document 1 describes a device for cooling a battery module by a cooling fan installed in a housing. The cooling fan is arranged on a surface (heat dissipation surface) facing the surface on which the plurality of battery cells are installed, and is arranged in the center of the area where they are installed. In this device, since the airflow is not uniformly distributed to the battery module, there is a possibility that the temperature may vary between the individual battery cells, and it is considered that the effect of uniformly cooling the battery cells is not so great.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-26231

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery device capable of uniformly cooling a plurality of battery cells constituting a battery module.

The battery device according to the present invention includes a sealed housing, a battery module having a plurality of battery cells housed in the housing and arranged with a gap between them, and a first chamber and a second chamber in the housing. A first partition and a second partition forming a chamber and a third chamber sandwiched between them, a duct for communicating the first chamber and the second chamber with each other, and air in the duct. The battery module is provided in the third chamber with a blower portion for blowing air, and the air blown from the blower portion is blown into the first partition portion and the second partition portion, respectively, in the gaps between the battery cells. A circulation hole is provided for circulation between the first chamber and the second chamber.

According to such a configuration, the air blown by the blower circulates between the first chamber and the second chamber through the gaps between the battery cells, so that the gaps between the individual battery cells serve as airflow paths and are individually used. The temperature variation between the battery cells is suppressed, and the plurality of battery cells constituting the battery module are uniformly cooled.

The first partition and the second partition each partition the internal space of the housing up and down, and the ducts are provided in the lower part of the housing and in the housing. It is preferable that it extends in the vertical direction from the second chamber provided in the upper part. According to such a configuration, a plurality of battery cells are cooled by flowing air between the first chamber and the second chamber provided above and below the third chamber through the gaps between the individual battery cells.

It is preferable that the duct is provided in the central portion of the third chamber in a plan view, and a plurality of the battery modules are arranged so as to sandwich the duct. This is convenient in suppressing the temperature variation between the individual battery modules.

It is preferable that the blower portion is installed in the duct. As a result, air can be reliably blown through the duct.

It is preferable that the third chamber is provided with an installation space for peripheral circuits. As a result, the battery device can be compactly configured to improve the mountability.

External perspective view showing an example of the battery device according to the present invention. Longitudinal section of battery device Cross section of the battery device Cross section of the battery device Perspective view of the battery module Schematic diagram showing the flow of air inside the housing Perspective view of the first partition (or the second partition)

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a battery device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the battery device, and corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the battery device, which corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the battery device, which corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the battery device 1 includes a sealed housing 2 and a battery module 3 housed in the housing 2. The housing 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the present embodiment, the housing 2 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, for example, a metal material such as iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. In this embodiment, the battery device 1 is provided with four battery modules 3. However, the number of battery modules 3 is not particularly limited, and at least one battery module 3 may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, the battery module 3 has a plurality of battery cells 4 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “cells 4”) arranged so as to have a gap G between them. Each cell 4 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The cells 4 are formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and are arranged parallel to each other with their longitudinal directions facing up and down. The battery module 3 includes a module case 31 that holds a plurality of cells 4 with a gap G provided. A plurality of openings 32, 32, ... Are formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the module case 31, respectively. The gap G of each cell 4 is exposed upward and downward through the opening 32.

Since the sealed housing 2 is excellent in dustproof and waterproof properties, it is useful for mounting on a work vehicle such as a construction machine used in a relatively harsh environment. On the other hand, the heat generated from the battery module 3 tends to be trapped, but according to the battery device 1 of the present embodiment, the plurality of cells 4 constituting the battery module 3 are efficiently cooled by the cooling mechanism described later, and the cells 4 are individually cooled. It is possible to suppress the temperature variation between the cells 4 and cool the cells uniformly.

The battery device 1 further includes a first partition 51 and a second partition 52, a duct 6, and a fan 7 which is a blower. The first partition 51 and the second partition 52 partition the first chamber 21, the second chamber 22, and the third chamber 23 sandwiched between them in the housing 2. In the present embodiment, the first chamber 21 and the third chamber 23 are partitioned by the first partition portion 51, and the second chamber 22 and the third chamber 23 are partitioned by the second partition portion 52. The duct 6 communicates the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 with each other. The fan 7 blows air into the duct 6. In the present embodiment, the fan 7 is composed of an axial fan, but the fan 7 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a sirocco fan. The battery module 3 is arranged in the third chamber 23. The first partition 51 and the second partition 52 are circulation holes for circulating the air blown from the fan 7 between the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 through the gap G of the battery cell 4, respectively. 54 is provided.

The battery device 1 of the present embodiment is configured to blow air downward in the duct 6 by a fan 7. FIG. 6 schematically shows the air flow in the housing 2, and the direction in which the air flows is indicated by an arrow. As shown in FIG. 6, the air sent out by the fan 7 flows into the first chamber 21 through the duct 6, then flows into the second chamber 22 through the gap G of the cell 4, and is again inside the duct 6. Is sent to. In this way, air circulates in the housing 2 between the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 through the gap G of the battery cell 4. Therefore, the gap G of each cell 4 serves as an air flow path, the temperature variation between the individual cells 4 is suppressed, and the plurality of cells 4 constituting the battery module 3 are uniformly cooled.

In the housing 2, an air circulation path is formed from the duct 6 to the duct 6 through the first chamber 21, the gap G between the cells 4, and the second chamber 22. A part of this circulation path is composed of gaps G of individual cells 4. Due to the action of the fan 7, a pressure difference is generated between the first chamber 21 in which air is pushed in and the second chamber 22 in which air is sucked. Air can flow evenly. As a result, the temperature and flow rate of the air flowing through each of the gaps G between the cells 4 become substantially equal, and the plurality of cells 4 constituting the battery module 3 can be uniformly cooled. In addition, air is evenly distributed to the plurality of battery modules 3, and temperature variations are unlikely to occur.

The air that has taken heat from the cell 4 circulates while exchanging heat by contact with the housing 2, and the heat generated in the cell 4 is released to the outside of the housing 2. Although not adopted in the present embodiment, fins (endothermic fins) may be provided on the inner surface of the housing 2 to promote heat conduction from the circulating air to the housing 2. Instead of or in addition to this, it is also possible to provide fins (heat dissipation fins) on the outer surface of the housing 2 to promote heat dissipation from the housing 2 to the outside. Further, the housing 2 may be cooled from the outside by another cooling mechanism using a water-cooled chiller, a Peltier element, or the like. It is also effective to install a heat shield plate on the outside of the housing 2 to prevent the influence of direct sunlight and radiant heat from the engine and the like.

In the present embodiment, the first partition portion 51 and the second partition portion 52 each partition the internal space of the housing 2 vertically. The duct 6 extends in the vertical direction between the first chamber 21 provided in the lower part of the housing 2 and the second chamber 22 provided in the upper part of the housing 2. The third chamber 23 is interposed between the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22, and is arranged at the center of the housing 2 in the vertical direction. The bottom portion 2b and the ceiling portion 2c of the housing 2 face the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22, respectively, and since they are in active contact with air, at least one of them has a high thermal conductivity. It is desirable that it is made of material.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the air is blown downward by the fan 7 is shown, but the fan 7 may be rotated in the reverse direction to blow the air upward. In this case, the air sent out by the fan 7 passes downward through the gap G between the second chamber 22 and the cell 4 to cool the individual cells 4. In order to utilize natural convection in addition to forced convection by the fan 7, it is preferable that the fan 7 blows air downward as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the duct 6 is provided in the central portion of the third chamber 23 in a plan view, and a plurality of battery modules 3 are arranged so as to sandwich the duct 6. This is convenient in suppressing the temperature variation between the individual battery modules 3. In this embodiment, four battery modules 3 are arranged so as to surround the duct 6. The distances from the individual battery modules 3 to the duct 6 are set to be equal to each other. The duct 6 may be arranged at a position deviated from the central portion.

The first partition portion 51 is formed of a plate-shaped member as shown in FIG. 7, and the second partition portion 52 is similar to this. The battery module 3 is mounted on the first partition portion 51. The first partition 51 and the second partition 52 are supported by stays (not shown) extending upward from the bottom 2b, respectively, and using fixtures such as bolts (not shown). It is detachably fixed to the housing 2.

The first partition portion 51 and the second partition portion 52 are provided with an insertion hole 53 and a circulation hole 54, respectively. The duct 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 53. The gap G of each cell 4 leads to the first chamber 21 through the circulation hole 54 provided in the first partition portion 51, and the second chamber 22 passes through the circulation hole 54 provided in the second partition portion 52. Leads to. The duct 6 is provided between the insertion hole 53 provided in the first partition portion 51 and the insertion hole 53 provided in the second partition portion 52, and the fan 7 is installed in the duct 6. For convenience of installation, the fan 7 is preferably arranged at the upper end or the lower end of the duct 6.

Peripheral circuits (not shown) required for the battery device 1 such as a controller and a sensor may be installed in the first chamber 21 or the second chamber 22, but in the third chamber 23 in which the battery module 3 is arranged. It is easy to wire by installing it. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, peripheral circuit installation spaces 8 and 8 are provided in the third chamber 23. As a result, the battery device 1 can be compactly configured to improve the mountability. The plurality of battery modules 3 are symmetrically arranged so as to sandwich the duct 6 and the installation spaces 8 and 8 located on both sides of the duct 6.

In the present embodiment, air is configured to flow between the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 only through the gap G between the duct 6 and the cell 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, when a peripheral circuit requiring cooling is installed in the third chamber 23, the gap of the peripheral circuit is communicated with the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 to allow air to flow. It may flow. In that case, each of the first partition 51 and the second partition 52 is provided with an opening for exposing the gap of the peripheral circuit thereof, similarly to the circulation hole 54.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Battery device 2 Housing 3 Battery module 4 Battery cell 6 Duct 7 Fan (blower)
8 Installation space 21 1st room 22 2nd room 23 3rd room 51 1st partition 52 2nd partition 53 Insertion hole 54 Circulation hole

Claims (5)

With a sealed housing
A battery module having a plurality of battery cells housed in the housing and arranged with a gap between them.
A first partition and a second partition that partition the first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber sandwiched between them in the housing.
A duct that communicates the first chamber and the second chamber with each other,
A blower portion for blowing air is provided in the duct.
The battery module is arranged in the third chamber,
In the first partition and the second partition, respectively, circulation holes for circulating air blown from the blower between the first chamber and the second chamber through the gap of the battery cell. Battery device provided with. The first partition and the second partition each partition the internal space of the housing vertically.
The battery device according to claim 1, wherein the duct extends in the vertical direction between the first chamber provided in the lower part of the housing and the second chamber provided in the upper part of the housing. .. The battery device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the duct is provided in the central portion of the third chamber in a plan view, and a plurality of the battery modules are arranged so as to sandwich the duct. The battery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blower is installed in the duct. The battery device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an installation space for a peripheral circuit is provided in the third chamber.

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