JP4631177B2 - Vehicle battery cooling system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric motor or an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle provided with an electric motor or an electric motor and an engine as a drive source of the vehicle, and more particularly to a cooling device for a battery mounted on the vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are equipped with secondary batteries (hereinafter referred to as “batteries”) such as nickel hydride secondary batteries and lithium ion secondary batteries as drive sources for driving electric motors.
[0003]
By the way, although a battery generates heat at the time of discharging and charging, when the temperature of the battery rises, the performance is lowered and the life is shortened. Therefore, a cooling device for cooling the battery is required.
[0004]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a conventional cooling device 70 and a battery 72 are mounted on a vehicle 74, which is described on pages 1-7 of the Prius new model car manual (issued by Toyota Motor Corporation on May 25, 2000). FIG. In FIG. 5, the battery 72 is arranged at the rear portion of the vehicle 74 such that the longitudinal direction thereof is the width direction of the vehicle 74.
[0005]
The cooling device 70 includes an air introduction duct 76, a cooling fan 78, and an exhaust duct 80. One end of the air introduction duct 76 is provided with an air intake port 76 a that communicates with the vehicle compartment, and air in the vehicle compartment is supplied to the battery 72. The cooling fan 78 is for forcibly circulating the air introduced from the air intake port 76 a of the air introduction duct 76 from the air introduction duct 76 into the battery 72 and further to the exhaust duct 80.
[0006]
An exhaust port 80a for exhausting cooling air into the vehicle is provided at the downstream end of the exhaust duct 80, and an exhaust port (not shown) on the opposite side of the exhaust port 80a is brought into contact with the body. It is provided as follows. In addition, the body is provided with a communication port (not shown) that communicates with the outside of the vehicle at a position where the vehicle external exhaust port abuts, and air discharged from the vehicle external exhaust port is exhausted outside the vehicle through the communication port. It is like that. The amount of air exhausted from the vehicle interior exhaust port 80a and the amount of air exhausted from the vehicle exterior exhaust port are set to be about 2 to 1.
[0007]
Since the cooling device 70 of FIG. 5 takes in air for cooling the battery 72 from the passenger compartment, the battery 72 can be cooled using air having a relatively low temperature even in summer. Therefore, the cooling efficiency is good. In addition, since a part of the air after cooling the battery 72 is returned to the inside of the vehicle through the in-vehicle exhaust port 80a, the cooling efficiency in the vehicle by the air conditioner is better than when all the air is exhausted outside the vehicle.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the cooling device 70 of FIG. 5, it is necessary to provide the exhaust duct 80 with an in-vehicle exhaust port 80a and the out-of-vehicle exhaust port in order to partially return the cooled air to the inside of the vehicle and to discharge a part to the outside of the vehicle. , Its structure becomes complicated. Furthermore, since it is necessary to provide the communication port in the body, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is relatively high.
[0009]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-247157 also describes a structure for cooling a battery using air in the passenger compartment. In the cooling device of the above publication, the opening at the downstream end of the exhaust duct is disposed at a position communicating with the inside of the vehicle, and an exhaust port outside the vehicle that communicates with the outside of the vehicle through the switching damper is provided at the opening. It is designed to switch between discharging and discharging outside the vehicle. However, since the cooling device of the above publication is provided with the switching damper at the downstream end of the exhaust duct, the structure becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost increases accordingly.
[0010]
The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle battery cooling device with good cooling efficiency without the need to complicate the structure of the exhaust port of the exhaust duct. It is in.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The gist of the present invention for achieving the above object is a battery cooling device that cools a battery mounted on a vehicle using air in a passenger compartment, and exhausts the air after cooling the battery. An exhaust port of the exhaust duct is provided between the trim and the body outer, and the cooled air is discharged into a space between the trim and the body outer.
[0012]
【The invention's effect】
In this way, since the air discharged from the exhaust duct is not directly distributed to the inside and outside of the vehicle and discharged, the structure of the exhaust port of the exhaust duct can be simplified. Can be reduced. Further, since the exhaust port does not extend to the body, the exhaust duct is shortened. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced, and the path through which the cooling air flows is shortened and the pressure loss of the cooling air is reduced, so that the battery cooling efficiency is also improved. Further, it is not necessary to provide a communication port exclusively for the exhaust duct in the body. Moreover, the workability of attaching / detaching the exhaust duct is improved by shortening the exhaust duct.
[0013]
Preferably, only one exhaust port is provided in the exhaust duct. In this way, the shape of the exhaust duct is simplified.
[0014]
Preferably, in the vehicle battery cooling device, a fan for forcing air to flow is arranged upstream of the battery in an air flow passage through which air for cooling the battery flows. ing. In this way, the fan for forcing air to flow through the exhaust duct, which is a member constituting the air flow path downstream of the battery, and the connection duct portion for connecting the fan to the exhaust duct are provided. Since it is not necessary to provide the exhaust duct, the length of the exhaust duct can be shortened. In addition, since the exhaust duct is shortened, there is an advantage that the number of places where gas stays in the exhaust duct is reduced.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 12 including a battery 10 (vehicle battery). The vehicle 12 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 1, an under-seat cover panel 14 is fixed to a rear portion of the vehicle 12 on a floor panel (not shown) so that the longitudinal direction thereof is the width direction of the vehicle 12. A longitudinal battery housing space 16 extending in the width direction of the vehicle 12 is formed between the vehicle and the floor panel. The under-seat cover panel 14 is a panel for protecting the battery 10 when a rear seat space (not shown) is tilted forward and the rear seat space is used as a luggage compartment.
[0017]
The under-seat cover panel 14 is a longitudinal member having an inverted U-shaped cross section pressed from a single metal plate, and is substantially vertical from a substantially horizontal floor wall 14a and a front side edge of the floor wall 14a. A front side wall 14b directed downward in the direction, a first rear side wall 14c directed substantially downward in the vertical direction from the rear side edge of the floor wall 14a, and directed rearward in the horizontal direction from the lower side edge of the first rear side wall 14c. The connecting wall 14d is configured by a connecting wall 14d and a second rear side wall 14e that is connected to the first rear side wall 14c by the connecting wall 14d and extends downward in the vertical direction from the rear side edge of the connecting wall 14d.
[0018]
The partition plate 18 is a long plate-like member, and the front side edge thereof is placed on the connecting wall 14d of the under-seat cover panel 14, whereby the storage chamber 20 is provided between the partition plate 18 and the floor panel. Is formed.
[0019]
A synthetic resin cover 22 is attached to the floor wall 14 a of the under-seat cover panel 14 at the left end in the longitudinal direction and at the front end of the vehicle 12, and the battery housing space 16 is attached to the synthetic resin cover 22. A plurality of slits 24 for introducing the air in the passenger compartment are provided therein.
[0020]
The battery 10 has a longitudinal shape and is disposed on the floor panel in a state in which the longitudinal direction thereof is parallel to the width direction of the vehicle 12 in a battery housing space 16 formed under the under-seat cover panel 14. The battery 10 is entirely covered with an upper case 26, and a battery module row 28 is formed below the upper case 26.
[0021]
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rear portion of the vehicle 12 with the under-seat cover panel 14 and the upper case 26 of the battery 10 removed. The battery 10 is disposed between a pair of rear wheel housings 30, 30, and includes a battery module row 28 configured by stacking a plurality of flat battery modules 32 in the thickness direction, and the battery module row 28. Is provided with a longitudinal lower case 34. The battery module 32 includes, for example, one or a plurality (for example, six) of battery cells each containing an electrolyte and electrodes for constituting a secondary battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery. In the battery module row 28, a pair of end plates 36, 36 are laminated at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the distance between the pair of end plates 36, 36 is fixed by a restraining rod 38. In addition, a component housing case 44 is disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the lower case 34, and the battery housing 40 that monitors the state of charge of the battery module 32 and the battery module array 28 are included in the component housing case 44. A relay 42 for connecting / cutting off the high voltage circuit is accommodated.
[0022]
The blower fan 46 is disposed at a position adjacent to the longitudinal end of the battery module row 28 via the component housing case 44. The exhaust duct 48 is arranged so that the base side end opens toward the battery module row 28 in the upper part of the component housing case 44. The exhaust duct 48 is a resin molded product such as polypropylene, for example, and a first natural ventilation duct 49 communicating with the exhaust duct 48 is integrally formed on the base side thereof. A rubber-made second natural ventilation duct 62 is connected to the tip of the first natural ventilation duct 49.
[0023]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2 and is a view for explaining the flow of air introduced by the blower fan 46. The cooling air forcibly introduced into the battery housing space 16 from the slit 24 provided in the synthetic resin cover 22 by the blower fan 46 is between the lower surface of the component housing case 44 and the lower case 34 as shown in FIG. The air in the case is introduced into the lower part of the battery module row 28 through the air introduction path 50 formed in the inner space, and is further formed between the battery modules 32 and between the upper part of the battery module row 28 and the upper case 26. It is introduced into the exhaust duct 48 through the discharge path 51. Therefore, the air introduction path 50, the gap between the battery modules 32, the in-case air discharge path 51, and the exhaust duct 48 are air flow paths. Since the battery 10 (that is, the battery module 32 in the battery 10) is thus cooled, the blower fan 46, the air introduction path 50, and the exhaust duct 48 function as the battery cooling device 53 in this embodiment. In the battery cooling device 53, since the blower fan 46 is disposed upstream of the battery 10 in the air flow path, the cooling air is pushed into the battery 10 by the blower fan 46. That is, the battery cooling device 53 is a push-in type cooling device.
[0024]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the exhaust duct 48. In FIG. 4, the deck side trim 52 is a trim (that is, a lining) that constitutes a part of the side surface in the longitudinal direction of the passenger compartment, and the deck side trim 52 is provided with an opening 54 below the rear part. The opening 54 is an opening for exchanging an auxiliary battery (not shown) and is usually provided with a cover (not shown). However, FIG. 4 illustrates the above in order to explain the configuration in the vehicle interior communication space 60 described later. The state where the cover is removed is shown. The exhaust duct 48 is disposed in front of the lower portion of the opening 54 so as to be adjacent to the opening 54 and the longitudinal direction thereof is the width direction of the vehicle 12, and the front end side (downstream side) is from the bottom of the deck side trim 52 to the deck. It protrudes into the vehicle interior communication space 60 formed between the side trim 52 and the body outer (body outer plate) 58. Further, the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 has a single substantially rectangular opening, and all the air that has cooled the battery 10 is exhausted from the exhaust port 56. Therefore, all the air after cooling the battery 10 is exhausted into the vehicle interior communication space 60. The vehicle compartment communication space 60 is a space that communicates with the vehicle compartment via a number of gaps between the vehicle linings, such as a gap between the deck side trim 54 and another vehicle lining (not shown).
[0025]
The second natural ventilation duct 62 is disposed along the exhaust duct 48, and the downstream portion thereof is positioned in the vehicle interior communication space 60 under the deck side trim 52. The downstream end of the second natural ventilation duct 62 is connected to the upstream end of the third natural ventilation duct 63. The third natural ventilation duct 63 is made of hard resin, and is fixed to the surface of the deck side trim 52 on the side of the vehicle compartment communication space 60 by a fixing member (not shown). Is connected to a fourth natural ventilation duct 64 which is a rubber tube. Furthermore, the downstream end of the fourth natural ventilation duct 64 is connected to the fifth natural ventilation duct 65. The fifth natural ventilation duct 65 is a hard resin duct and is fixed to the body outer 58. The downstream end of the fifth natural ventilation duct 65 is fitted into a body through hole (not shown) provided in the body outer 58, and the fifth natural ventilation duct 65 is communicated with the outside of the vehicle through the body through hole. When an abnormality occurs in the battery 10 when the blower fan 46 is stopped and an abnormal gas such as hydrogen gas is generated from the battery module 32, the first natural ventilation duct 49 to the second to fifth natural ventilation ducts 62, The abnormal gas is exhausted outside the vehicle through 63, 64, 65. In addition, during the summertime, hot air in the battery 10 is discharged outside the vehicle by the natural ventilation ducts 49, 62, 63, 64, 65.
[0026]
The body outer 58 has a quarter vent duct 66 below the position facing the opening 54 of the deck side trim 52, that is, at a position close to the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 and below the exhaust port 56. Is provided. The quarter vent duct 66 is an outside communication port for discharging the air in the compartment communication space 60 to the outside of the vehicle when the pressure in the compartment communication space 60 rises. Thus, since the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 is provided at a position close to the quarter vent duct 66, the air exhausted from the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 is the same as in the case of the vehicle 74 in FIG. In addition, a part is returned to the passenger compartment and a part is exhausted outside the vehicle.
[0027]
As described above, in the present embodiment, since the air discharged from the exhaust duct 48 is not directly distributed to the inside and outside of the vehicle and is not discharged, the structure of the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 can be simplified. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the cooling device 53 can be reduced. Further, since the exhaust port 56 does not extend to the body outer 58, the exhaust duct 48 is shortened. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced, and the path through which the cooling air flows is shortened and the pressure loss of the cooling air is reduced, so that the cooling efficiency of the battery 10 is also improved. Further, it is not necessary to provide a communication port exclusively for the exhaust duct 48 in the body outer 58. Further, since the exhaust duct 48 is shortened, the workability of attaching / detaching the exhaust duct 48 is improved.
[0028]
Further, according to the present embodiment, since only one exhaust port 56 is provided in the exhaust duct 48, the shape of the exhaust duct 48 is simplified.
[0029]
Further, according to the present embodiment, the blower fan 46 is disposed on the upstream side of the battery 10 in the air flow path. That is, it is not necessary to provide the blower fan 46 and the connection duct part for connecting the blower fan 46 to the exhaust duct 48 in the exhaust duct 48 which is a member constituting the air flow path downstream of the battery 10. The length of the exhaust duct 48 can be shortened. In addition, since the exhaust duct 48 is shortened, there is an advantage that the number of places where gas stays in the exhaust duct 48 is reduced.
[0030]
Further, in this embodiment, the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 is provided in the vehicle interior communication space 60, so that the air after cooling the battery 10 exhausted from the exhaust port 56 passes through the quarter vent duct 66 and outside the vehicle. Return to the passenger compartment, except for the amount exhausted. Therefore, air having a higher temperature than the passenger compartment returns to the passenger compartment. However, since the passenger compartment communication space 60 communicates with the passenger compartment through many gaps, the air after cooling the battery 10 is much of them. The air is blown out into the passenger compartment with a relatively weak air volume. Therefore, high-temperature air does not directly hit the passenger, and there is little noise when the high-temperature air returns to the passenger compartment. Incidentally, when the exhaust port 56 is provided directly in the passenger compartment, there are problems that high-temperature air directly hits the occupant and that noise generated from the exhaust port 56 is large.
[0031]
As mentioned above, although one Example of this invention was described based on drawing, this invention is applied also in another aspect.
[0032]
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the exhaust port 56 of the exhaust duct 48 is disposed so as to be close to the quarter vent duct 66 in the vehicle interior communication space 60, but the exhaust port 56 is disposed in the vehicle interior communication space 60. If so, it may not be close to the quarter vent duct 66.
[0033]
As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described in detail based on drawing, this is an embodiment to the last, and this invention is implemented in the aspect which added various change and improvement based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle including a battery.
2 is a plan view of the rear portion of the vehicle in FIG. 1 with the under-seat cover panel and the battery upper case removed. FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, for explaining the flow of air introduced by the blower fan. FIG.
4 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the exhaust ducts of FIG. 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a conventional cooling device and a battery are mounted on a vehicle.
[Explanation of symbols]
10: Battery (battery)
32: Battery module 48: Exhaust duct 52: Deck side trim (trim)
58: Body outer

Claims (3)

A battery cooling device that cools a battery mounted on a vehicle using air in a vehicle compartment,
An exhaust port of an exhaust duct for exhausting air after cooling the battery is provided between the trim and the body outer, and the cooled air is discharged into a space between the trim and the body outer. Battery cooling device. The vehicular battery cooling device according to claim 1, wherein only one exhaust port is provided in the exhaust duct. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a fan for forcibly circulating air is disposed upstream of the battery in an air flow passage through which air for cooling the battery flows. Battery cooling device.

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