JP5933344B2 - Power supply - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device in which a plurality of battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other, and more particularly to a power supply device that can prevent thermal runaway between battery modules.

  A power supply apparatus with a large charge capacity has a plurality of batteries connected in series or in parallel to form a battery module, and a plurality of battery modules connected in series or in parallel to increase the output capacity. This type of power supply is mounted on a large ship to supply power to the ship's power supply line, charged at midnight power to supply power during the day, or charged with natural energy such as solar cells or wind power. And used for various purposes such as a power source for supplying power to a power line and a power source mounted on an electric vehicle to drive the vehicle. This type of power supply device is arranged in a state in which a plurality of battery modules are stacked one above the other, or arranged adjacent to the side to make the outer shape compact.

  However, in the power supply device in which a plurality of battery modules are arranged close to each other, if one of the battery modules is thermally runaway due to various causes such as an internal short circuit or overcharge of the battery or heating from the surroundings, this is the next battery module. May induce thermal runaway. Thermal runaway may raise the temperature of the battery abruptly and heat it to an extremely high temperature of 300 ° C. to 900 ° C. In particular, when a battery module is composed of a large number of lithium ion batteries or lithium polymer batteries and a large number of battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other, when a battery module that has run out of heat induces a thermal runaway of the adjacent battery module, The total heat generation energy due to thermal runaway can become extremely large, which can be dangerous. In order to prevent such an adverse effect, a power supply device that prevents thermal runaway of a battery arranged next to the battery has been developed (see Patent Document 1).

  In the power supply device of Patent Document 1, a plurality of batteries are arranged separately in a cooling case, the cooling case is filled with insulating oil, and the battery is immersed in the insulating oil. This power supply device immerses the battery in insulating oil to prevent thermal runaway between the batteries.

JP 2009-37934 A

  A power supply device that immerses a battery in insulating oil can prevent thermal runaway of the adjacent battery with the insulating oil. However, the power supply device with this structure is difficult to completely prevent the leakage of insulating oil, and it is necessary to use a large amount of insulating oil to reliably prevent thermal runaway, and the entire device is large and heavy. There are disadvantages such as. In addition, if any battery discharges gas due to thermal runaway or expands and the cooling case is destroyed and insulating oil leaks, thermal runaway cannot be effectively prevented.

The present invention was developed for the purpose of eliminating the above drawbacks, and the main object of the present invention is to effectively prevent the induction of thermal runaway between adjacent battery modules. And it is providing the power supply device which can also prevent the thermal runaway by the heating from the outside effectively.
Furthermore, another important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device that can reliably prevent the induction of thermal runaway over a long period of time while having a compact outer shape.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In the power supply device of the present invention, a plurality of battery modules 1 are arranged adjacent to each other. Each battery module 1 includes a plurality of batteries that can be charged, and a fireproof and heat insulating case 2 that houses the batteries and is not hermetically sealed. The refractory heat insulation case 2 is a laminated structure of the metal plate 3 and the heat insulation plate 4 formed by laminating the heat insulation plate 4 on the inner surface or the outer surface of the metal plate 3, and the metal plate 3 and the heat insulation plate 4 block the flame and heat. doing.

  The power supply device described above has a feature that can effectively prevent thermal runaway between adjacent battery modules. In addition, when external equipment is ignited, the battery module can be effectively prevented from burning or thermal runaway. Furthermore, the above power supply device also realizes a feature that can reliably prevent thermal runaway of battery modules and thermal runaway between battery modules over a long period of time while having a compact outer shape. Furthermore, the power supply apparatus described above has a heat insulating effect for each battery block even in a normal state other than during thermal runaway.

  That is, the above power supply device accommodates a battery in a fireproof and heat insulating case, and the fireproof and heat insulating case is laminated with a heat insulating plate on the inner surface or outer surface of the metal plate to form a metal plate and heat insulating plate as a laminated structure. This is because the flame and heat are blocked by the heat insulating plate. The fireproof and heat insulating case in which the metal plate and the heat insulating plate are laminated blocks the flame with the metal plate and blocks the heat with the heat insulating plate. In addition, since the battery module houses the battery in a fireproof insulation case, the battery of a battery that has run out of heat inside any battery module is not emitted to the outside, and the battery is placed in a fireproof insulation case that is not airtightly sealed. Because it is housed, air is taken into the interior to completely burn the battery in a short time, shortening the heating time, and by storing it in a fireproof insulation case, flames from the outside can be inside the fireproof insulation case Intrusion into the battery can be prevented, and thermal runaway of the battery in the fireproof insulation case due to external flame can be prevented.

In the power supply device of the present invention, the refractory heat insulating case 2 has a laminated structure of the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4, and a gap 22 can be provided between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4.
This power supply device can remarkably improve the heat insulation effect by the air layer provided between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulation plate 4. Incidentally, in the state where the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 are laminated in a surface contact state, the heat insulating effect is about 100 ° C., but by providing a 10 mm gap between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4, the heat insulating effect is obtained. Can be significantly improved to 300 ° C. to 400 ° C.

The power supply apparatus according to the present invention can stack a plurality of battery modules 1 in multiple stages and store them in a rack 5.
This power supply device can arrange a large number of battery modules adjacent to each other while reducing the installation area.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the battery of the battery module 1 can be a non-aqueous electrolyte battery. In the power supply device of the present invention, the battery of the battery module 1 can be a lithium ion battery or a lithium polymer battery. This power supply can be lightened to increase the charging capacity.

In the power supply device of the present invention, the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 is connected to a plurality of metal plates 3 to form a rectangular parallelepiped box, and a gap is provided at the boundary between the metal plates 3 so that the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 is closed but not sealed.
The power supply apparatus described above can be a fireproof and heat insulating case that is connected and closed without being hermetically sealed with a packing or a sealing material, but the gap formed at the boundary between the plurality of metal plates is closed. For this reason, there is a feature that a fireproof heat insulating case that is closed but not sealed can be easily and inexpensively mass-produced.

Furthermore, the power supply device of the present invention is a single outer peripheral wall 17 having four surrounding surfaces in which a plurality of battery modules 1 are arranged in a multi-layered state, and the fireproof heat insulating case 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped box having a predetermined thickness. The first outer peripheral wall 17A is provided with a drawer opening 7 for pulling out the lead line 6 to the outside, and the top plate 9 of the refractory heat insulating case 2 is provided with an eaves portion 9A protruding outward from the first outer peripheral wall 17A. The eaves portion 9 </ b> A covers the upper side of the lead-out line 6 led out from the lead-out opening 7 .

  In the above power supply device, in the state where a specific battery module is thermally runaway and a flame is ejected from the drawer opening, the flame can be separated from the first outer peripheral wall by the eaves portion. It is possible to effectively prevent the thermal runaway of the upper battery module. In addition, by separating the flame from the first outer peripheral wall at the eaves portion, the lead-out line of the upper battery module can be prevented from thermal damage.

In the power supply device of the present invention, the thermal expansion sheet 8 can be laminated on the first outer peripheral wall 17A of the fireproof insulation case 2, and the thermal expansion sheet 8 can be expanded in a heated state to close the drawer opening 7.
When this power supply is heated, it expands the thermal expansion sheet to close the drawer opening, so that the flame of the battery module that has run out of heat enters the inside of another adjacent battery module, and the battery module that has run out of heat. It has the feature that it can be prevented from being ejected to the outside and induction of thermal runaway can be prevented.

Furthermore, in the power supply device of the present invention, the refractory heat insulating case 2 can have a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and the top plate 9 can be provided with the heat insulating plate 4 on the upper surface of the metal plate 3.
The power supply device with this structure can be easily assembled by making the metal plate into a box shape and placing the heat insulating plate on the metal plate of the top plate.

In the power supply device of the present invention, a plate material obtained by forming an inorganic material into a plate shape can be used as the heat insulating plate 4.
This power supply device can realize excellent temperature resistance characteristics and heat insulation properties while reducing costs.

It is a schematic perspective view of the power supply device which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a partial cross section perspective view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a horizontal sectional view which shows the state which sets a battery module to the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a partial cross section perspective view which shows the state which sets a battery module in the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of a battery module. It is the VII-VII sectional view taken on the line of the battery module shown in FIG. It is a VIII-VIII line sectional view of the battery module shown in FIG. It is the IX-IX sectional view taken on the line of the battery module shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the battery module shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the fireproof heat insulation case of the battery module shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below exemplify a power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the power supply device as follows. Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  The power supply device of the present invention is optimal for a high-output power supply device including a large number of battery modules, for example, having an output of 10 KW or more. In particular, it is most suitable for a power supply device that increases the output by connecting a large number of batteries in series or in parallel without significantly heating the batteries constituting each battery module by rapid charging or large current discharge.

  For example, the power supply device of the present invention is optimal for a power supply device that is mounted on a large ship and supplies power to the power supply line of the ship. However, the power supply device of the present invention does not specify the use as a device mounted on a ship. It can be used for various applications with a large output, for example, an output of 10 KW or more, for example, a power supply device that stores generated power of natural energy such as solar cells or wind power generation and outputs it during peak hours in the daytime or at night .

  The power supply apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 stores a plurality of battery modules 1 in a rack 5 in an adjacent state. In this power supply device, 10 sets of battery modules 1 are placed in a rack 5 and stacked in five rows and arranged in two rows. The battery module 1 is housed in a rack 5 so that it can be pulled out back and forth in the horizontal direction as a horizontal posture.

  The rack 5 is provided with an outer case 5B outside the frame 5A. The outer case 5 </ b> B includes a main body case portion 10 that opens forward and a lid 11 that closes the front opening of the main body case portion 10. The main body case 10 and the lid 11 are made of a metal plate. The main body case portion 10 is provided with a partition wall 10 </ b> A in the middle, and the inside is divided into two storage chambers 20. The exterior case 5B of FIG. 4 uses the partition wall 10A as two metal plates, and provides a gap 21 between the metal plates. The outer case 5B having this structure blocks heat from the storage chamber 20 by the partition wall 10A, and reliably prevents induction of thermal runaway of the adjacent battery module 1. Each storage chamber 20 stores battery modules 1 stacked in five layers. The lid 11 is fixed to the opening of the main body case 10 with a set screw (not shown), and closes the opening.

  Each storage chamber 20 is provided with a metal frame 5A for storing a plurality of battery modules 1 in a stacked state, and the frame 5A is fixed to the inner surface of the exterior case 5B. The frame 5 </ b> A connects four support frames 12 with a horizontal frame 13. The support frame 12 is positioned at the four corners of the storage chamber 20, and the horizontal frame 13 is positioned between the battery modules 1 and above and below the support frame 12. The horizontal frame 13 is fixed to the support frame 12 at a predetermined interval so that the battery module 1 can be put on and pulled out.

  In the power supply device of FIGS. 1 to 5, a plurality of battery modules 1 are housed in a set of exterior cases 5B. In the power supply device, multiple sets of outer cases containing battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other horizontally or vertically so that they are electrically connected to increase the total charge capacity and further increase the output. Can be bigger. In addition to being able to prevent the thermal runaway of the battery module in the exterior case by the unique structure described in detail below, the power supply device having multiple sets of exterior cases has the thermal runaway between the exterior cases with the exterior case. There is a feature that can effectively prevent the induction of.

  The battery module 1 is shown in FIGS. In this battery module 1, a plurality of rechargeable batteries are stored as battery blocks 14 in a fireproof and heat insulating case 2 that is not hermetically sealed. The battery block 14 includes a plurality of batteries that can be charged. The battery block 14 has a plurality of batteries connected in series to increase the output voltage. The battery block can also connect a plurality of batteries in parallel to increase the output current. The battery of the battery block 14 is a non-aqueous electrolyte battery such as a lithium ion battery or a lithium polymer battery. However, the battery can be any rechargeable battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery, instead of the lithium ion battery. The battery block 14 has an output voltage of 30 V to 100 V and a charging capacity of 5 Ah to 100 Ah, for example.

  The fireproof and heat insulating case 2 of the battery module 1 shown in FIG. 6 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, and the height (H) is lower than the depth (L) and the lateral width (W) so that they can be stacked and arranged. The box-shaped fireproof and heat insulating case 2 includes a bottom plate 15, a top plate 9, and an outer peripheral wall 17 having four surrounding surfaces. Further, the box-shaped fireproof heat insulating case 2 is formed by laminating a heat insulating plate 4 on the inner surface or outer surface of the metal plate 3 to form a flame structure between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 as a laminated structure of the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4. It has a structure that blocks heat.

  The metal plate 3 is an iron plate having a thickness of 1 mm to 2 mm, for example. However, the metal plate 3 may be an iron alloy plate, an aluminum plate, an aluminum alloy plate, a stainless steel plate, or the like. As the heat insulating plate 4, a plate material excellent in heat insulating property and heat resistance, for example, a heat insulating plate excellent in heat resistance in which inorganic powder such as calcium silicate, gypsum, magnesium carbonate or the like is formed into a plate shape is suitable. However, a heat insulating plate in which inorganic fibers such as glass fibers are formed into a plate shape can be used as the heat insulating plate. The heat insulation plate 4 realizes excellent heat insulation properties with a thickness of 10 mm to 20 mm, for example.

  In the refractory heat insulation case 2 of FIG. 11, the bottom plate 15 and the peripheral three peripheral walls 17 are made of one metal plate 3, and the top plate 9 and the front peripheral wall 17 are made of separate metal plates 3. ing. In the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 shown in FIG. 10, the heat insulating plate 4 is arranged on the inner surface of the metal plate 3 in the outer peripheral wall 17 except for the bottom plate 15 and the front surface. In the illustrated refractory heat insulating case 2, the heat insulating plate 4 is disposed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 15, but the heat insulating plate can also be disposed on the lower surface of the metal plate. The top plate 9 has a heat insulating plate 4 disposed on the upper surface of the metal plate 3. The outer peripheral wall 17 on the front surface has the heat insulating plate 4 disposed on the inner surface, and the metal plate 3 is disposed away from the heat insulating plate 4 forward.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the top plate 9 has a gap 22 between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4. In this structure, the gap 22 between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 significantly improves the heat insulating properties of the top plate 9. The gap 22 of the top plate 9 can be widened to improve the heat insulation characteristics. However, if the gap is widened, the overall height of the battery module 1 is increased. Therefore, the gap 22 between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 is, for example, 1 mm to 5 mm. However, the gap 22 between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 can be set to an optimum value in the range of 0.2 mm to 20 mm, more preferably 0.5 mm to 15 mm, from the required heat insulating characteristics. Since the gap 22 can be provided in the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 to improve the heat insulating property, the gap can be provided between the metal plate and the heat insulating plate even in the bottom plate. The battery module 1 that has run out of heat heats the top plate 9 to a high temperature over a wide area to heat the upper battery module 1. From this, the structure in which the top plate 9 has improved heat insulation characteristics by the gap 22 between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulation plate 4 causes the thermal runaway of the lower battery module 1 to induce the thermal runaway of the upper battery module 1. Can be effectively prevented. In addition, the fireproof thermal insulation case that has a structure in which the bottom plate has a gap between the metal plate and the heat insulation plate induces thermal runaway by blocking the thermal energy that is heated by the bottom battery module from thermal runaway by the bottom plate. Can be effectively blocked.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the top plate 9 is provided with a peripheral wall 16 by bending the periphery of one metal plate 3 at a right angle, and a gap 22 is provided inside the peripheral wall 16. Further, the heat insulating plate 4 is disposed on the upper surface side of the top plate 9, and the heat insulating plate 4 is connected to the upper end portion of the metal plate 3 that is the peripheral wall 17 around the front surface. The fireproof heat insulating case 2 can fix the heat insulating plate 4 to the metal plate 3 by screwing a set screw (not shown) from the metal plate 3 as the outer peripheral wall 17 toward the heat insulating plate 4. Moreover, the heat insulation plate 4 can also be fitted and fixed inside the metal plate 3 of the outer peripheral wall 17 which opposes. However, a top plate can also arrange | position a heat insulation plate inside a surrounding wall, and can also connect a heat insulation plate to a metal plate. The top plate can be fixed to the metal plate by screwing a set screw from the peripheral wall toward the heat insulating plate, or can be fixed by fitting the heat insulating plate inside the peripheral wall. As shown in FIG. 9, the top plate 9 that provides the gap 22 between the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 has the heat insulating plate 4 disposed at the upper end of the peripheral wall 16 of the metal plate 3. However, the top plate can also be provided with a gap by providing a convex portion on the upper surface of the metal plate or by disposing a heat-resistant spacer between the metal plate and the heat insulating plate.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the bottom plate 15 has a heat insulating plate 4 disposed on the upper surface of the metal plate 3. The bottom plate 15 can be placed at a fixed position by placing the heat insulating plate 4 on the upper surface of the metal plate 3. The heat insulating plate 4 can be arranged on the heat insulating plate 4 of the bottom plate 15 so that its outer shape is substantially equal to the inner shape of the outer peripheral wall 17 so as not to be displaced. The bottom plate can be fixed by laminating a heat insulating plate on the lower surface of the metal plate. In the same manner as the top plate, this bottom plate is provided with a peripheral wall protruding downward around the bottom plate, and a heat insulating plate is disposed inside the peripheral wall. In this bottom plate, the heat insulating plate can be fixed to the metal plate with a set screw that makes the heat insulating plate substantially the same shape as the inner shape of the peripheral wall of the bottom plate and penetrates the peripheral wall toward the heat insulating plate.

  The fireproof heat insulating case 2 has the heat insulating plate 4 laminated on the metal plate 3 also on the inner surface of the four outer peripheral walls 17. The fireproof and heat insulating case 2 shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11 has the front outer peripheral wall 17 as the first outer peripheral wall 17A, and the first outer peripheral wall 17A is provided with the drawer opening 7 of the lead line 6. . The drawer opening 7 is an opening through which the drawer line 6 connected to the battery block 14 is pulled out to the outside of the fireproof and heat insulating case 2. The first outer peripheral wall 17A shown in the figure is provided with three sets of drawer openings 7. Three sets of drawer openings 7 are provided at the center and both sides. The fireproof and heat insulating case 2 shown in the figure has a heat insulating plate 4 fixed to the inner surface of the metal plate 3 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A, and both the metal plate 3 and the heat insulating plate 4 are provided with opening openings 7 at the center and both sides. ing. The lead-out openings 7A on both sides are inserted through the lead-out line 6 serving as the power line 6A connected to the positive and negative output terminals of the battery block 14, and the lead-out opening 7B in the center is a signal line connected to the battery module 1. The lead line 6 serving as 6B is inserted and pulled out to the outside.

  Here, the lead-out openings 7A on both sides lead out the power line 6A of one (when the upper and lower battery blocks are connected in series) or two (when the upper and lower battery blocks are connected in parallel) to the center. It is necessary to draw out a signal line 6B made up of a plurality of communication cables or the like from the lead-out opening 7B. For this reason, in the refractory heat insulation case 2 shown in FIG. 11, the opening area of the drawer opening 7B opened at the center of the first outer peripheral wall 17A is larger than the opening area of the drawer opening 7A opened on both sides. . The first outer peripheral wall 17A shown in the figure has a large area by making the shape of the drawer opening 7A opened on both sides circular, and the shape of the drawer opening 7B opened in the center part being an oval extending in the lateral direction.

  Further, the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A has a thermal expansion sheet 8 attached to the inner surface of the heat insulating plate 4 so as to close the drawer opening 7. The thermal expansion sheet 8 is bonded and fixed to the inner surface of the heat insulating plate 4. Although not shown, the thermal expansion sheet can be provided between the heat insulating plate and the metal plate. Since the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A shown in the drawing has three sets of drawer openings 7, three thermal expansion sheets 8 are attached to the inner surface of the heat insulating plate 4. Each thermal expansion sheet 8 has an outer shape that can close the drawer opening 7. In the illustrated thermal expansion sheet 8, the thermal expansion sheet 8 covering the circular drawer opening 7A opened on both sides is formed into a substantially square shape, and the thermal expansion sheet 8B covering the oval drawer opening 7B opened in the center is formed. The rectangular shape extends in the horizontal direction. However, the first outer peripheral wall can cover the plurality of drawer openings with one thermal expansion sheet without dividing the thermal expansion sheet. The thermal expansion sheets 8A and 8B are provided with cuts 8a and 8b that can pass through the draw line 6, and the draw line 6 is inserted through the cuts 8a and 8b. The thermal expansion sheet 8B that covers the drawer opening 7B at the center is provided with a cut 8b that extends in the lateral direction along the drawer opening 7B so that the plurality of signal lines 6B can be inserted therethrough. The thermal expansion sheet 8 is a sheet that expands due to heat, and closes the gap of the drawer opening 7 in a state where the battery block 14 is heated due to thermal runaway. In this structure, since the gap of the drawer opening 7 is closed during heating, the flame of the battery block 14 which has run out of heat inside the refractory heat insulation case 2 does not blow out to the outside, and the external flame does not flow inside the refractory heat insulation case 2. Can be prevented from entering.

  Furthermore, the refractory heat insulation case 2 shown in the drawing is provided with a shielding plate 18 outside the drawer opening 7B at the center. In the illustrated fireproof heat insulating case 2, a shielding plate 18 is fixed to the outside of the metal plate 3 on the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A so as to close the drawer opening 7 </ b> B away from the metal plate 3. The shielding plate 18 has a groove shape extending in the horizontal direction in cross section, and both upper and lower sides are fixed to the front surface of the metal plate 3 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A by a method such as welding, and openings 18A are provided on both sides. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A of this structure has a lead-out line 6 made up of a plurality of signal lines 6 </ b> B inserted through the cuts 8 b of the thermal expansion sheet 8 </ b> B. It is inserted through the drawer opening 7B, and further inserted between the metal plate 3 and the shielding plate 18 and pulled out from the opening 18A provided on the side of the shielding plate 18. In this structure, since the front opening of the drawer opening 7B of the metal plate 3 is covered with the shielding plate 18, the drawer opening 7B is effectively prevented from entering from the outside through the drawer opening 7B. It is possible to prevent the lead-out line 6 inserted through the front from being damaged by heat or flame from the front, and also when the flame comes out from inside, the power of the fire passing through the drawer opening 7B is stopped by this shielding plate 18 , Can effectively prevent burning. In particular, while widening the opening area of the drawing opening 7B so that the drawing line 6 consisting of a plurality of signal lines 6B can be inserted, it is possible to effectively prevent burning or heat damage due to heat or flame passing through the drawing opening 7B. Further, the fireproof heat insulating case 2 has a feature that the drawer line 6 and the battery block 14 can be more effectively protected from flame and heat by covering the drawer opening 7B with both the shielding plate 18 and the thermal expansion sheet 8. The above-mentioned fireproof and heat insulating case 2 is provided with the shielding plate 18 only in the central drawer opening 7B from which the lead line 6 comprising the signal line 6B is pulled out. It is also possible to provide a shielding plate that covers the drawer opening.

  7, 10, and 11, the ribs 19 are fixed to the inner surfaces of the outer peripheral walls 17 on both sides in order to fix the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A to the outer peripheral walls 17 on both sides. The metal plate 3 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A is sandwiched between the rib 19 and the metal plate 3 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A, and the metal plate 3 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A is fixed to the rib 19 with a set screw 23. It is fixed to the fireproof insulation case 2. Further, the set screw 23 penetrating the rib 19 is also inserted into the end face of the heat insulating plate 4 fixed to the inner surfaces of the outer peripheral walls 17 on both sides, and the heat insulating plate 4 is also fixed to the fireproof heat insulating case 2. .

  The heat insulating plate 4 is fixed to the inner surface of the metal plate 3 on the outer peripheral walls 17 on both sides and the back surface. The back surface and the outer peripheral walls 17 on both sides are fixed to the metal plate 3 with set screws (not shown) penetrating the metal plate 3. The heat insulating plates 4 on the outer peripheral walls 17 on both sides can be fixed in place by being sandwiched between the heat insulating plates 4 on the rear outer peripheral wall 17 and the heat insulating plates 4 on the first outer peripheral wall 17A.

  6 to 11, the height of the surrounding metal plate 3 is set higher than the height of the heat insulating plate 4 of the surrounding outer peripheral wall 17 so that the ceiling of the metal plate 3 on the outer peripheral wall 17 is placed on the inside. The plate 9 is fitted and fixed. The top plate 9 is placed on the heat insulating plate 4 of the surrounding outer peripheral wall 17 and fixed to a fixed position of the fireproof heat insulating case 2.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the fireproof heat insulating case 2 is provided with an eaves portion 9 </ b> A by projecting the heat insulating plate 4 of the top plate 9 outward from the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A. This fireproof heat insulating case 2 can cover the upper part of the drawer line 6 drawn from the drawer opening 7 with the eaves portion 9A. For this reason, the battery module 1 can separate the flame outward from the first outer peripheral wall 17A by the eaves portion 9A in a state where the internal battery block 15 is thermally runaway and the flame is ejected from the drawer opening 7. It is possible to effectively prevent the thermal runaway of the upper battery module. The fireproof heat insulating case 2 shown in the figure has the heat insulating plate 4 of the top plate 9 protruding outward from the first outer peripheral wall 17A, but the top plate can also protrude the metal plate from the first outer peripheral wall. Both the plate and the heat insulating plate can be protruded from the first outer peripheral wall.

  In the fireproof and heat insulating case 2, the top plate 9 is fixed to the metal plate 3 constituting the outer peripheral wall 17 and the bottom plate 15 on both sides and the rear surface, and the metal plate 3 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A is further fixed to the metal plate 3 The gap that can be made at the boundary of the box is not airtightly sealed with a packing or a sealant, but is closed but is not airtightly sealed. The fireproof and heat insulating case that is hermetically sealed does not replenish oxygen because the intrusion of air is prevented in a state where the internal lithium ion battery is thermally runaway and burned. For this reason, the maximum temperature is about 400 ° C., which is not so high. However, in this state, the burning time of the battery becomes considerably long, and the time for heating the adjacent battery module becomes extremely long. For this reason, the battery of an adjacent battery module becomes easy to carry out thermal runaway. In the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 that is not hermetically sealed, in the state of combustion of the battery that has run out of heat, air enters the inside through the gap, and thus the combustion of the battery is quickly terminated. For this reason, the time for which the battery module 1 is heated is short, and induction of thermal runaway of the adjacent battery module 1 can be prevented. If the battery module 1 is in a state in which the internal battery is thermally runaway and burned, and a flame is injected from the fireproof insulation case 2 to the outside, the probability of inducing the thermal runaway of the adjacent battery module 1 increases. This adverse effect can be solved as a structure in which the fireproof heat insulating case 2 is closed, so that the flame of the burning battery is not injected outside, and the external flame does not enter the inside of the fireproof heat insulating case 2. The fireproof heat insulation case 2 having a closed structure can be realized with a structure in which the metal plate 3 is connected to form a box shape and the boundary of the metal plate 3 is not hermetically sealed with a packing or a sealing material. Moreover, the boundary of the heat insulation plate 4 laminated | stacked on the metal plate 3 can also be implement | achieved by the structure which is not airtightly sealed with packing or a sealing material. Furthermore, it is also possible to connect a heat-insulating plate having air permeability to form a fireproof heat-insulating case with a closed structure.

  From the above, in the ideal battery module 1 of the present invention, the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 has a structure that is closed but not hermetically sealed. The fireproof and heat insulating case 2 having this structure does not prevent the entry of air from the outside, but the internal flame is not injected to the outside, and the external flame does not enter the inside of the fireproof and heat insulating case 2. Therefore, since the fireproof heat insulating case 2 is not hermetically sealed, when a battery burns inside, air is invaded from the outside and quickly burned to form a closed structure so that the internal flame is not ejected to the outside. In addition, it prevents external flames from entering the inside and prevents thermal runaway from being caused by the flames. The fireproof insulation case 2 that is not hermetically sealed but has a closed structure can be realized by a structure in which a plurality of metal plates 3 are screwed together and the boundary of the metal plates 3 is not hermetically sealed with packing or sealant. There is a feature that the heat insulating case 2 can be assembled easily and efficiently. Furthermore, since the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 having the above structure is not hermetically sealed, the heat generated during charging / discharging of the battery in normal use should be radiated for a long time through the air entering and exiting the gap. Can do.

The above power supply apparatus is assembled in the following steps.
(1) As shown in FIG. 10, the battery block 14 is accommodated in the fireproof and heat insulating case 2 that does not connect the top plate 9 and the first outer peripheral wall 17A.
(2) The top plate 9 is connected to the refractory heat insulation case 2 to close the upper opening of the refractory heat insulation case 2.
(3) As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of battery modules 1 are stored in the rack 5A without connecting the first outer peripheral wall 17A. The battery modules 1 are stored in the rack 5 in five rows and two rows.
(4) The lead-out line 6 of the battery module 1 is inserted into the lead-out opening 7 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A. Each battery block 14 is connected by the power line 6A of the lead line 6 inserted through the lead opening 7 of the first outer peripheral wall 17A.
(5) As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the first outer peripheral wall 17 </ b> A is connected to the refractory heat insulation case 2 to make the refractory heat insulation case 2 a closed structure.
(6) As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 11 of the rack 5 is closed to close the main body case 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery module 2 ... Fireproof heat insulation case 3 ... Metal plate 4 ... Heat insulation plate 5 ... Rack 5A ... Frame 5B ... Exterior case 6 ... Lead-out line 6A ... Electric power line 6B ... Signal line 7 ... Lead-out opening 7A ... Lead-out opening 7B ... Lead-out Opening 8 ... Thermal expansion sheet 8A ... Thermal expansion sheet 8B ... Thermal expansion sheet
8a ... notch 8b ... notch 9 ... top plate 9A ... eaves part 10 ... main body case part 10A ... partition wall 11 ... lid body 12 ... column frame 13 ... horizontal frame 14 ... battery block 15 ... bottom plate 16 ... peripheral wall 17 ... outer peripheral wall 17A ... First outer peripheral wall 18 ... Shielding plate 18A ... Opening 19 ... Rib 20 ... Storage chamber 21 ... Gap 22 ... Gap 23 ... Set screw

Claims (9)

A power supply device comprising a plurality of battery modules (1) arranged adjacent to each other,
Each battery module (1) includes a plurality of batteries that can be charged, and a fireproof and heat insulating case (2) that houses the batteries and is not hermetically sealed.
The fireproof heat insulation case (2) is a laminated structure of a metal plate (3) and a heat insulation plate (4), in which a heat insulation plate (4) is laminated on the inner surface or the outer surface of the metal plate (3), and the metal plate (3 ) And heat insulation plate (4) cut off the flame and heat,
Further, the plurality of battery modules (1) are arranged in a stacked manner in multiple stages, and the fireproof and heat insulating case (2) is a rectangular parallelepiped box having a predetermined thickness, and one outer peripheral wall of four surrounding surfaces. The first outer peripheral wall (17A) which is (17) is provided with a drawer opening (7) for pulling out the drawer line (6) to the outside.
The top plate (9) of the fireproof and heat insulating case (2) has an eaves portion (9A) protruding outward from the first outer peripheral wall (17A), and the eaves portion (9A) is pulled out from the drawer opening (7). A power supply device that covers the upper part of the drawn line (6) .   The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein a gap (22) is provided between the metal plate (3) and the heat insulating plate (4).   The power supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of battery modules (1) are stacked in multiple stages and stored in a rack (5).   The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the battery of the battery module (1) is a non-aqueous electrolyte battery.   The power supply device according to claim 4, wherein the battery of the battery module (1) is either a lithium ion battery or a lithium polymer battery.   The refractory heat insulation case (2) is a rectangular parallelepiped box formed by connecting a plurality of metal plates (3), and is a box shape that is closed with a gap at the boundary of the metal plate (3) but is not sealed. The power supply device described in any one of 1 to 5. And laminating the thermal expansion sheet (8) to the first outer peripheral wall (17A), claims the thermal expansion sheet in a heated state (8) is so as to close the expanded to the take-out opening (7) 1. The power supply device described in 1 . In the insulating refractory casing (2) is rectangular box-shaped, the top plate (9) is according to any claims 1 is arranged a heat insulating plate (4) on the upper surface 7 of the metal plate (3) Power supply. The power supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the heat insulating plate (4) is a plate formed by molding an inorganic material into a plate shape.

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