JP2023014792A - metal air battery - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a metal air battery that it is easy to move and handle while making it possible to supply electric power, can prevent electrolyte leakage, and is easy to replace a large amount of electrolyte.SOLUTION: A metal air battery includes an outer case 2 in which a battery container 10 is provided and whose upper surface is covered with an outer lid 2b, a caster 3 attached to the lower surface of the outer case 2 with level feet, a moving handle 4 attached to the back surface of the outer case 2 so as to be vertically expandable and having a length not exceeding the height of the outer case when shortened, and a liquid crystal display panel 5 that numerically displays the power output status. The battery container 10 includes an inner lid 13, a drainage port 14 formed at the bottom of each cell 17, and a screw plug 15 for closing each drainage port 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a metal-air battery that can generate a large amount of power for use as an uninterruptible device and that is easy to move and handle.

A metal-air battery is a device that generates electricity by placing a negative electrode panel made of a magnesium electrode plate opposite a conductive plate made of carbon or the like as a positive electrode and filling the space between them with an electrolytic solution such as saline solution. This metal-air battery is compact for convenience in carrying around, and has a small output power of about 5 V (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, in order to supply a large amount of power, it is necessary to increase the size of the metal-air battery because the amount of power generation is increased. On the other hand, when the size is increased, the weight and bulk increase, which makes it difficult to move, resulting in problems in handling. Moreover, when the size is increased, a large amount of electrolytic solution is likely to leak, and replacement of a large amount of electrolytic solution becomes troublesome.

Utility Model Registration No. 3226310

It is an object of the present invention to provide a metal air that can be easily moved and handled, can prevent electrolyte leakage, and can easily replace a large amount of electrolyte while making it possible to supply a large amount of power. The purpose is to provide a battery.

The metal-air battery of the present invention comprises an outer case in which a battery container is provided and whose upper surface is covered with an outer cover, casters provided with level feet and attached to the lower surface of the outer case, and on the back surface of the outer case. A handle for moving, which is attached so as to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction, and whose length does not exceed the height of the outer case when shortened, and a liquid crystal display panel, which is provided in front of the outer case and displays the power output state numerically. , wherein the battery tank comprises a tank body in which a plurality of side-by-side cells with positive electrodes provided on the walls and filled with an electrolytic solution is formed, and a magnesium electrode inserted between the positive electrodes. a plurality of negative electrode panels, an inner lid detachable from the tank body to cover the upper surface of the tank body, a drain port formed at the bottom of each cell, and a screw plug for closing each drain port. and

The present invention is characterized in that a lithium ion battery connected in parallel with the battery container is provided inside the outer case.
In addition, a plurality of the negative electrode panels are attached to the inner lid in a suspended state, and the negative electrode panels are inserted and removed between the positive electrodes together with the attachment and detachment of the inner lid to and from the tank body. and
Further, the inner lid is characterized by being provided with a plurality of fixing screws inserted into the tank body for positioning with respect to the tank body.
Further, the outer case is characterized by having a slit opening for supplying air to the positive electrode.

A lithium ion battery is connected in parallel with the battery container according to claim 1 to form a battery, and the battery is a battery for an uninterruptible power supply for a commercial power source.

According to the present invention, since casters with foot levels are provided on the outer case, it is easy to move and fix at a fixed position even if the size and weight are increased. In addition, since the handle for movement is provided on the outer case so that it can be expanded and contracted, it can be easily moved. The handle for movement is located on the rear surface of the outer case and can be shortened to a length that does not exceed the height of the outer case, so that it does not become an obstacle. In addition, since the liquid crystal display panel provided on the outer case displays the power output state numerically, the usage state can be clearly grasped. Furthermore, since a drain port is formed at the bottom of each cell in the battery tank and the drain port is closed with a screw plug, there is no leakage of the electrolyte and the replacement is easy.

1 is a front perspective view of a metal-air battery according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a perspective view from the back of a metal air battery. (a) and (b) are a perspective view from the front and a perspective view from the back of the metal-air battery during movement. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the inside of the outer case when the negative electrode panel is replaced; It is a perspective view from above showing the inside of the outer case. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the inside of the outer case; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a draining portion of the battery container; It is a front view which shows a liquid crystal display panel. It is a perspective view which shows a caster. It is a front view which shows the input-output part for taking out electric power. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an internal electrical connection state; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing connections when used as a battery for an uninterruptible power supply;

1 to 11 show a metal-air battery 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The metal-air battery 1 includes an outer case 2 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3), casters 3 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 9), a moving handle 4 (FIGS. 2 and 3), and a liquid crystal display. It has a screen 5 (FIGS. 1 and 8) and a battery container 10 (FIGS. 4 to 7).

The outer case 2 has a box-shaped case body 2a and an outer lid 2b that covers the upper surface of the case body, and is entirely made of resin. The dimensions of the outer case 2 are, for example, about 30 cm in width, about 50 cm in depth, and about 55 cm in height. The total weight of the metal-air battery 1 including the outer case 2 is set to about 25 kg, for example.

The casters 3 are attached to the four corners of the lower surface of the outer case 2 (case body 2a), as shown in FIGS. Each caster 3, as shown in FIG. 9, has a caster bracket 3a attached to the lower surface of the case body 2a, a level foot 3b attached to the caster bracket 3a, and is rotated to move the level foot 3b up and down. It has a dial 3c and wheels 3d for running. Normally, the wheels 3d run on the floor to move the metal-air battery 1 as a whole, but by rotating the dial 3c and landing the level foot 3b on the floor, the movement of the metal-air battery 1 is reliably stopped. be able to. Therefore, it can be stably used without any careless movement.
As described above, with the caster 3 having the level foot 3b, even the metal-air battery 1 having a large weight can be easily moved. can.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the moving handle 4 is provided on the rear surface of the outer case 2 (case main body 2a). The moving handle 4 is formed by assembling a pipe material into a gate shape, and is attached to the outer case 2 with the lower end portion thereof fixed to the outer case 2 . The moving handle 4 can be extended and contracted in the vertical direction. The moving handle 4 extends higher than the outer case 2 by extension, and when held, serves as a handhold for moving the metal-air battery 1 . Therefore, the metal-air battery 1 can be easily moved.
On the other hand, in the shortening operation, the moving handle 4 has a length that does not exceed the height of the outer case 2 (see FIG. 2). That is, the moving handle 4 does not extend upward from the outer case 2 when shortened. As a result, the moving handle 4 does not come into contact with the surroundings or the human body, and can be used safely.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the liquid crystal display panel 5 is provided on one side (left side) of the front surface of the outer case 2 (case main body 2a). FIG. 8 shows the liquid crystal display panel 5, which is provided with a voltage display section 5a, a current display section 5b, a power display section 5c, and a power consumption display section 5d. As a result, the liquid crystal display panel 5 can display the output state of the metal-air battery 1 in numerical values. Since it can be confirmed by numerical values, the current state can be grasped firmly, and malfunction and misuse can be prevented.

An input/output unit 7 is provided on the front surface of the outer case 2 at a position close to the liquid crystal display panel 5 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 10, the input/output unit 7 is provided with a lithium charging terminal 7a, an output terminal 7b, a coaxial output terminal 7c, a USB slot 7d, and a switch 7e for turning on and off the power, arranged side by side from left to right. formed. By providing such an input/output unit 7 at a position close to the liquid crystal display panel 5, it becomes possible to operate the input/output connection in accordance with the output state displayed by the liquid crystal display panel 5. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the outer case 2 has a slit opening 8 formed therein. The slit opening 8 is formed on the rear surface of the outer lid 2b and the case main body 2a. The slit opening 8 is for introducing air into the inside of the outer case 2, and the introduced air is supplied to the positive electrode of the battery container 10, so that the battery container 10 generates power.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7, the battery container 10 includes a container body 11, a negative electrode panel 12, an inner lid 13, a drain port 14, and a screw plug 15. .

The tank main body 11 is formed by horizontally arranging a plurality of cells 17 each having an open top. The cell 17 is filled with an electrolytic solution (not shown) such as salt water through an upper opening. A positive electrode (not shown) made of a conductive material is provided on the wall surface of each cell 17 , and a negative electrode panel 12 is inserted into each cell 17 . Thereby, the positive electrode on the wall surface of the cell and the negative electrode panel 12 inserted in the cell 17 face each other. The number of cells 17 is, for example, 12, and the 12 cells are arranged side by side.

The negative electrode panel 12 consists of a thin plate-like magnesium electrode, and a plurality of them are used. The negative electrode panel 12 is inserted with a gap between the positive electrodes provided on the wall surface of the cell 17. When the cell 17 is filled with the electrolyte, a chemical reaction occurs between the positive electrode and the negative electrode panel. power is generated. The negative electrode panel 12 is formed, for example, in a square with a side of about 20 cm. By using, for example, 12 negative electrode panels 12 of this size, a voltage of 12×2.7=32.4V can be obtained for the entire negative electrode panel 12, assuming that the voltage of one cell is 2.7V. This gives an output voltage of 24V.

The inner lid 13 is arranged on the upper surface of the tank main body 11 so as to cover the upper surface of the tank main body 11, thereby covering all of the twelve cells 17 having upper openings. By covering the upper opening of the cell 17 with the inner lid 13, the electrolyte in the cell 17 can be prevented from overflowing and evaporating. As shown in FIG. 4 , the negative electrode panel 12 is suspended from the inner lid 13 , and the negative electrode panel 12 can be inserted into and removed from the cell 17 at the same time when the inner lid 13 is attached to and detached from the tank body 11 . can be done. This simplifies the operation of inserting and removing the negative electrode panel 12 with respect to the cell 17 .

The inner lid 13 is positioned with respect to the tank main body 11 by inserting it into the tank main body 11 through a plurality of fixing screws 18 . This positioning allows the negative panel 12 to be inserted into the cell 17 without contacting the walls of the cell 17 . Further, an air escape hole 19 penetrates through the inner lid 13 in the thickness direction. The air escape hole 19 is used during power generation. It supplies the necessary oxygen to the positive electrode of the cell 17 .

In this embodiment, 12 cells 17 are divided into two blocks, and two inner lids 13 are used so as to correspond to each block. By attaching the negative electrode panel 12 to each inner lid 13 in a suspended state, the insertion and removal of the negative electrode panel 12 into and from the cell 17 is simplified.

As shown in FIG. 6, a drain port 14 is formed at the bottom of each cell 17 to drain the electrolyte from inside the cell 17 . Twelve cells 17 are provided in the space between the pillars 20 , 20 . As shown in FIG. 7, the drain port 14 is closed by screwing a screw plug 15 into each drain port 14, and the drain port 14 is opened by removing the screw plug 15. As shown in FIG. By providing the drain port 14 in each cell 17 and the screw plug 15 in each drain port 14 in this manner, leakage of the electrolyte from the cell 17 can be reliably prevented. Since the electrolytic solution can be exchanged at , the exchange of the electrolytic solution can be facilitated.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a lithium ion battery 22 is provided inside the outer case 2 in addition to the battery container 10 . As shown in FIG. 11, the lithium ion battery 22 is connected in parallel with the battery container 10 . The circuit configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing internal electrical connections. Electricity is produced by a lithium ion battery 22 and a magnesium battery 18 . The magnesium battery 18 has 12 cells 17 mounted in the electrolytic bath 10 . Electricity can be produced by injecting salt water into an electrolytic cell. The lithium ion battery 22 can be charged with a 29V lithium charging terminal 7a. Even if the lithium ion battery 22 cannot be recharged due to a prolonged power outage, the magnesium battery 18 can generate electricity by injecting salt water into the electrolytic cell.

The lithium-ion battery 22 has a voltage of about 3.7V per cell, and for example, 25.9V is obtained if 7 cells are mounted. This voltage is converted to 24 V by the DD converter 24 and sent to the power meter 21 block. The wattmeter 21 delivers this to the 24V terminal 7b, which is an outlet to the outside. It is also sent to the 24V coaxial output terminal 7c. The voltage to the USB slot 7 d is stepped down from 24 V to 5 V by the DD converter 23 . The wattmeter 21 measures the voltage and current flowing through the feeder line and displays them on the voltage display section 5a and the current display section 5b of the liquid crystal display panel 5. FIG. Also, the measured voltage and current are multiplied and displayed on the power display section 5c. The power value is stored in the non-volatile memory, and the accumulated power consumption up to that point is displayed on the power consumption display section 5d. The accumulated value can be reset with a reset button (not shown). By looking at the power consumption display section 5d, it can be seen how much the battery has been used and how much remains.

Assuming that the voltage of the magnesium battery 18 is, for example, 32.4 V as described above, the DD converter 25 reduces the voltage to 25.9 V, which is the output voltage of the lithium ion battery 22 . Since the output of the DD converter 25 is connected to the output of the lithium ion battery 22, the two batteries are connected in parallel. When using the magnesium battery 18, the output of the lithium ion battery 22 is cut off by the switch 7e. If a Schottky diode is used to prevent backflow, it is also possible to turn on the switch 7e and supply electricity from both the lithium ion battery 22 and the magnesium battery 18 to the outside.

In FIG. 12, a magnesium battery 18 provided with the battery container 10 shown in FIG. 1 shows a block diagram when The uninterruptible power supply 40 has a power switching unit 26 connected between the commercial power supply 27 and the battery 50 . The power supply switching unit 26 receives the DC 24V output from the battery 50 with the DC/AC converter 30 and converts it into AC. The power switching unit 26 also receives the 100 V AC of the commercial power supply with a voltage regulator 28 and adjusts the voltage. The change-over switch 31 normally selects the output of the voltage regulator 28 and supplies AC power to the information equipment 29 such as an external server, PC, and router. In the event of a power failure, the output of the DC/AC converter 30 is instantaneously selected to supply the power stored in the battery 50 to the external information device 29 as AC power. Since the magnesium battery 18 can generate electricity by injecting salt water into the electrolytic cell 10, it is possible to prevent the power from being cut off even in the event of a prolonged power outage. Battery 50 may be a metal-air battery 1 including a lithium-ion battery 22 .

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 metal-air battery 2 outer case 3 caster 4 handle for movement 5 liquid crystal display panel 5a voltage display section 5b current display section 5c power display section 5d power consumption display section 7 input/output section 7a lithium charging terminal 7b 24V terminal 7c coaxial output terminal 7d USB slot 7e Switch 8 Slit opening 10 Battery tank 11 Tank main body 12 Negative electrode panel 13 Inner lid 14 Drain port 15 Screw plug 17 Cell 18 Magnesium battery 20 Pillar 21 Power meter 22 Lithium ion battery 23, 24, 25 DD converter 26 Power supply switching Unit 27 Commercial 100V AC power supply 28 Voltage regulator 29 Information equipment 30 DC/AC converter 31 Switch 40 Uninterruptible power supply 50 Battery

The metal-air battery of the present invention comprises an outer case in which a battery container is provided and whose upper surface is covered with an outer cover, casters provided with level feet and attached to the lower surface of the outer case, and A handle for movement, which is attached to one end and is capable of expanding and contracting in the vertical direction and has a length that does not exceed the height of the outer case when shortened, and a handle provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the outer case to control the power output state. a liquid crystal display panel that displays numerical values, wherein the battery tank includes a tank main body in which a plurality of cells are arranged side by side and in which positive electrodes are provided on a wall surface and are filled with an electrolytic solution; A plurality of negative electrode panels composed of magnesium electrodes to be inserted, an inner cover detachable from the tank body for covering the upper surface of the tank body, a drain port formed at the bottom of each cell, and each drain A screw plug for closing the liquid port is provided , and a lithium ion battery connected in parallel with the battery tank is provided inside the outer case .

A plurality of the negative electrode panels are attached to the inner lid in a suspended state, and the negative electrode panels are inserted and removed between the positive electrodes together with the attachment and detachment of the inner lid to and from the tank body. do. Further, the inner lid is characterized by being provided with a plurality of fixing screws inserted into the tank body for positioning with respect to the tank body. Further, the outer case is characterized by having a slit opening for supplying air to the positive electrode.

It is characterized by being a battery for an uninterruptible power supply for commercial power.

Claims (6)

an outer case in which a battery tank is provided and whose upper surface is covered with an outer lid;
casters having level feet and attached to the lower surface of the outer case;
a moving handle attached to the back surface of the outer case so as to be vertically expandable and having a length that does not exceed the height of the outer case when shortened;
a liquid crystal display panel provided in front of the outer case and displaying a power output state numerically;
The battery tank includes a tank main body in which a plurality of cells are arranged side by side in which a positive electrode is provided on a wall surface and which is filled with an electrolytic solution, and a plurality of negative electrode panels composed of magnesium electrodes inserted between the positive electrodes. , an inner cover detachable from the tank body for covering the upper surface of the tank body, a drain port formed at the bottom of each cell, and a screw plug for closing each drain port. A metal-air battery characterized by: 2. The metal-air battery according to claim 1, wherein a lithium ion battery connected in parallel with said battery tank is provided inside said outer case. A plurality of the negative electrode panels are attached to the inner lid in a suspended state, and the negative electrode panels are inserted and removed between the positive electrodes together with the attachment and detachment of the inner lid to and from the tank body. The metal-air battery according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The metal-air battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inner lid is provided with a plurality of fixing screws inserted into the tank body for positioning with respect to the tank body. . 5. The metal-air battery according to claim 1, wherein said outer case has a slit opening for supplying air to said positive electrode. 2. A metal-air battery comprising a lithium-ion battery connected in parallel to the battery container according to claim 1 to form a battery, and serving as a battery for an uninterruptible power supply for a commercial power supply.

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