JP5991266B2 - Battery pack - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack in which a plurality of unit batteries are connected and accommodated in a case.

  Conventionally, as a battery pack cooling structure, a heat exchanger that constitutes a refrigeration cycle is housed in a case closed with a cell and a blower, and the temperature inside the case is controlled by the heat exchanger that is temperature-controlled by the refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration cycle. Is known to do.

  This method is expensive and complicated in structure because it requires a refrigeration cycle. In other words, when the refrigeration cycle is used, the cost of the entire system increases, which hinders commercialization or sales. In addition, there are refrigerant pipes in and out, and a special structure and measures are required to ensure hermeticity, and the cost is increased.

  For this reason, as in Patent Document 1, a battery pack in which air is allowed to flow from the outside is used. Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of power storage units, and the power storage units are arranged side by side with an interval in order to efficiently adjust the temperature of each power storage unit. When cooling, the air sucked from the outside is caused to flow through the gap between the power storage units, and the sucked air is discharged to the outside again.

JP 2003-000000 A

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the power storage unit is cooled by external air, there is a problem that cooling performance is reduced when air is taken from a place where air conditioning is not performed such as luggage. Therefore, it is conceivable to take in air from the passenger compartment, but there is a problem that the noise of the blower propagates through the intake passage to the passenger compartment.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a battery pack is provided in which a plurality of unit batteries are housed in a sealed internal space, and the housed unit batteries can be efficiently cooled. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention employs the following technical means in order to achieve the aforementioned object.

The present invention includes a case (12) for housing a plurality of unit cells (11) in the internal space (13), the motor (21) for driving which is disposed in the internal space, is arranged on the inner portion space is driven by a motor An internal fan (23) and a blower (20) including an external fan (22) provided outside the case, and the case communicates the internal space and the external space outside the case, An insertion hole (17) through which the rotation shaft (21a) of the motor is inserted is formed . The external fan is driven by the rotation shaft, and the wind guided by the external fan is at least on the outer surface of the case. some of the flow and said Rukoto.

  According to the present invention as described above, the case is formed with an insertion hole that communicates the internal space with the outer space outside the case, and the rotation shaft of the motor is inserted into the insertion hole. Yes. Since the motor drives an internal fan disposed in the internal space of the case, each unit cell can be cooled by circulating air in the internal space by the internal fan. Further, since the internal fan and the motor are arranged in the case, it is possible to suppress the noise generated from the internal fan and the motor from leaking to the outside of the case.

Further, since the rotation shaft is disposed through the insertion hole, an external fan is provided on the rotation shaft protruding outside from the case . By providing the external fan , the external fan and the internal fan can be rotated simultaneously. By rotating the external fan, air can flow on the outer surface of the case. Thus, a fan can be provided not only inside the case but also outside the case by one motor to cool from the outside of the case.

  Depending on the mounting condition of the unit battery, there are a case where (I) only an internal fan is sufficient for cooling, and (II) a case where both an internal fan and an external fan are required. As in the present invention, if the rotation shaft of the motor is inserted through the insertion hole of the case in advance, in the case of (I) described above, the insertion hole can be sealed by sealing, and in the case of (II), an external fan is attached. Only the configuration (II) can be realized. Therefore, the design becomes easier as compared with the case where (I) and (II) are individually designed individually.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each above-mentioned means is an example which shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

It is a side view which shows the battery pack 10 of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the battery pack 10 with the external fan 22 attached. 3 is a side view showing a cover 16. FIG.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery pack 10 is configured by storing a plurality of cells 11 as unit batteries in an internal space 13 of a case 12. The battery pack 10 is used in a well-known hybrid vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and a battery drive motor as a travel drive source, and serves as a drive power source for the travel motor. The cell 11 is, for example, a nickel hydrogen secondary battery, a lithium ion secondary battery, or an organic radical battery. Further, the cell 11 is disposed in the case 12 under the seat of the automobile, in the space in the luggage, and in the space between the driver seat and the passenger seat.

  The case 12 is a molded product of an aluminum plate or an iron plate having a box shape that encloses and surrounds the cell 11. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the thickness of the portion excluding the right side surface of the case 12 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is omitted for easy understanding. Further, it is preferable that irregularities are formed on the inner surface or outer surface of the case 12 in order to increase the heat radiation area.

  The case 12 is hermetically sealed. For this reason, intrusion of dust or the like can be prevented, and condensation in the case 12 can be prevented. The case 12 is configured to discharge gas generated inside the case 12 to the outside via the pressure valve 19 (relief valve).

  The plurality of cells 11 are arranged side by side with an interval in the internal space 13 of the case 12. A gap is provided between the side surfaces of the adjacent cells 11. The side surface of the cell 11 functions as a heat radiating means for radiating heat from the cell 11 to the internal space 13.

  Hereinafter, the direction in which the cells 11 are arranged and the case 12 extends is referred to as a left-right direction X (left-right direction in FIG. 1). A direction orthogonal to the left-right direction X and along the side surface of the cell 11 is referred to as a vertical direction Z (vertical direction Z in FIG. 1). A direction perpendicular to the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z is referred to as a front-rear direction Y (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of cells 11 are located at the center in the left-right direction X and the up-down direction Z of the case 12 when viewed from the side, and an air passage through which air flows is formed around the plurality of cells 11. Yes. An air passage extending in the left-right direction X is formed above the plurality of cells 11. An air passage extending in the vertical direction Z is formed on the left side of the plurality of cells 11. An air passage extending in the left-right direction X is formed below the plurality of cells 11. A blower 20 is disposed on the right side of the plurality of cells 11.

  An aluminum heat dissipation plate 14 is provided between the side surfaces of the adjacent cells 11. Heat is transferred from the surface of the cell 11 to the heat radiating plate 14. A part of the flat plate-like heat radiating plate 14 extends into the air passage below the cell 11. In the lower air passage, a bent heat radiating portion 14a in which a part of the heat radiating plate 14 is bent in a wave shape is formed so that the heat radiating plate 14 efficiently exchanges heat with the air flowing in the lower air passage. The bent heat radiating portion 14a is obtained by forming a part of the heat radiating plate 14 into a wave shape with a press. Air flows around the bent heat radiating portion 14a, the heat radiating plate 14 is cooled, and as a result, the cell 11 in close contact with the heat radiating plate 14 is cooled.

  Another one of the heat radiation means of the cell 11 is a curved bus bar 15 for heat radiation that is connected to the cell 11 and curved for heat radiation. The curved bus bar 15 is made of a conductive metal plate and electrically connects adjacent cells 11 to each other. Adjacent cells 11 are connected in series by a curved bus bar 15, and a plurality of cells 11 are sequentially connected in series by a curved bus bar 15. The curved bus bar 15 is formed so as to be greatly curved in a mountain shape so as to have a length exceeding the length normally required for this connection. And the fin 15a is formed in the upper part of the curved bus-bar 15 in order to improve heat dissipation performance. In order to form the fin 15a on the curved bus bar 15, the copper member constituting the curved bus bar 15 can be formed by forging or cutting up. Further, a separate fin 15 a may be joined (welded) to the curved bus bar 15.

  A blower 20 is disposed in the case 12. The blower 20 can be formed of, for example, a sirocco fan and an axial fan. In the blower 20, the air in the case 12 is circulated so as to pass through the inner surface of the case 12 and the periphery of the cell 11. Specifically, the blower 20 is located in the lower part on the right side in the case 12. The blower 20 sucks air from below, passes through the fan scroll 20a extending in the vertical direction Z, and then blows out toward the left from the outlet of the fan scroll 20a toward the air passage above the cell 11. As a result, as shown by arrows in FIG. 1, the air blown to the curved bus bar 15 circulates around the plurality of cells 11 in the counterclockwise direction. As a result, the circulating air exchanges heat with the heat radiating plate 14, the curved bus bar 15, and the like, and the cell 11 is cooled. The heat-exchanged air is radiated from the entire inner wall of the case 12 to the outside. The blower 20 circulates in the internal space 13 without leaking air as a fluid outside the case 12. Therefore, the case 12 has no fluid inlet and outlet.

  The blower 20 is controlled by a control device (not shown). The control device controls the rotation speed of the blower 20 based on the temperature of the cell 11. The cell 11 self-heats at the time of output when current is taken out from the battery pack 10 and at the time of input when the battery pack 10 is charged. When the temperature of the cell 11 is increased by the self-heating of the cell 11, the blower 20 is operated so that the first air volume flows from the blower 20 or the blower 20 is stopped.

  On the other hand, when the cell 11 is cooled to lower the temperature of the cell 11, the blower 20 is operated so that the second air volume that is larger than the first air volume flows from the blower 20. The second air volume is an air volume equal to or higher than a predetermined air volume determined in advance by experiments (including simulation) in order to exert a turbulent flow effect.

  When the air volume of the blower 20 is small, only a part of the cells 11 is exposed to wind, or the wind distribution is uneven. When the air volume is increased, the wind hits various portions in the case 12 to form turbulent flow, and the group of cells 11 can be uniformly cooled. This will be referred to as a turbulent effect in the present invention. Furthermore, although the air blowing amount may be increased, the power consumption of the blower 20 is increased. Therefore, in order to cool the group of cells 11 uniformly, the minimum air volume that exhibits the turbulent effect is obtained in advance by experiments.

  A cover 16 that covers the upper surface of the case 12 is provided above the case 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover 16 has a plurality of internal passages 16a extending in the left-right direction X therein, and is made of a material excellent in heat dissipation, such as aluminum. A plurality of fins 16b (not shown in FIG. 3) are provided on the upper surface of the cover 16 in order to improve heat dissipation performance. The surface area of the upper surface of the cover 16 can be increased, for example, three times by the fins 16b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of internal passages 16 a are provided extending in the left-right direction X and spaced apart in the front-rear direction Y. The internal passage 16a adjacent to the front-rear direction Y is divided by a partition 16c extending in the up-down direction Z. On the left side of the cover 16, an opening 16 d that communicates with all the internal passages 16 a in the cover 16 and communicates with an external space is provided. Further, at the right end of the cover 16, the right end of the internal passage 16a is open.

  Since the cover 16 has the partition 16c, the heat transmitted from the cell 11 to the upper surface of the case 12 through the air passes through the partition 16c and is radiated to the outside from the upper surface of the cover 16 and the fins 16b.

  Next, a specific configuration of the blower 20 will be described. The blower 20 includes a driving motor 21 disposed in the internal space 13 and an internal fan 23 disposed in the internal space 13 and driven by the motor 21. The case 12 is formed with an insertion hole 17 through which the internal space 13 communicates with the external space outside the case 12 and through which the rotating shaft 21a of the motor 21 is inserted. In this embodiment, the insertion hole 17 is formed in the right side wall portion of the case 12 so as to penetrate in the left-right direction X.

  The motor 21 has a rotating shaft 21a protruding in both the left and right directions X. Accordingly, it is possible to mount fans on the rotating shafts 21a protruding on both sides in the left-right direction X of the motor 21, respectively. In the state shown in FIG. 1, an internal fan 23 is provided on the shaft protruding to the left side. The shaft protruding rightward is inserted through the insertion hole 17 and protrudes outside the case 12. The protruding portion is covered with a cap 24 from the outside. The insertion hole 17 supports the rotating shaft 21a with a gap so as not to hinder the rotation of the rotating shaft 21a. Alternatively, a bearing (not shown) may be provided in the insertion hole 17 and the rotating shaft 21a may be supported via the bearing.

  The cap 24 is a lid, and is a member for closing the gap between the rotating shaft 21 a and the insertion hole 17 from the outside of the case 12. The cap 24 is provided at a distance from the rotary shaft 21a so as not to hinder the rotation of the rotary shaft 21a. Further, a bearing (not shown) may be provided inside the cap 24 to support the end of the rotating shaft 21a. The cap 24 prevents air from leaking between the insertion hole 17 and the rotating shaft 21a, and keeps the case 12 sealed.

  In the state shown in FIG. 2, an external fan 22 is provided on the shaft protruding to the left side instead of the cap 24. Therefore, depending on the application, the case where the cap 24 is mounted and the case where the external fan 22 is mounted can be properly used. A plate-like cover case 25 is provided so as to cover the wall portion on the right side of the case 12. The cover case 25 is disposed at a position spaced from the right side wall portion of the case 12 in the left-right direction X and is communicated with the internal passage 16 a of the cover 16. One end of a duct 18 is connected to the opening 16 d of the cover 16. The other end of the duct 18 communicates with the vehicle interior. Therefore, in this embodiment, the passenger compartment is located above the case 12.

  The external fan 22 is provided outside the case 12 and rotates together with the rotary shaft 21a when the motor 21 is driven. The wind guided by the external fan 22 flows on at least a part of the outer surface of the case 12. In the present embodiment, air guided by the external fan 22 flows through the upper surface and the side surface of the case 12. When the external fan 22 rotates, the air in the passenger compartment is sucked through the duct 18, and the sucked air passes through the opening 16d of the cover 16 and the internal passage 16a. Then, the air that has passed through the cover 16 can be blown out from the external fan 22. As a result, the heat radiation of the cover 16 can be promoted by using the air in the passenger compartment that is air-conditioned.

  Further, as described above, the internal fan 23 is also mounted on the rotary shaft 21a. Therefore, the internal space 13 can be cooled by the internal fan 23 together with the cooling of the external cover 16 by the external fan 22.

  As described above, the case 12 of the present embodiment is formed with the insertion hole 17 that connects the internal space 13 and the external space outside the case 12, and the rotation shaft 21 a of the motor 21 is formed in the insertion hole 17. Is inserted and arranged. Since the motor 21 drives the internal fan 23 disposed in the internal space 13 of the case 12, the air in the internal space 13 can be circulated by the internal fan 23 to cool each cell 11 (unit battery). Further, since the internal fan 23 and the motor 21 are disposed in the case 12, the case 12 can suppress noise generated from the internal fan 23 and the motor 21 from leaking to the outside of the case 12.

  Furthermore, since the rotating shaft 21a is disposed through the insertion hole 17, a configuration in which the external fan 22 is provided on the rotating shaft 21a protruding to the outside from the case 12 can be employed (see FIG. 2). If the structure which mounts the external fan 22 is employ | adopted, the external fan 22 and the internal fan 23 can be rotated simultaneously. By rotating the external fan 22, air can flow on the outer surface of the case 12. Thus, a single motor 21 can provide cooling not only from the inside of the case 12 but also from the outside to cool the case 12 from the outside.

  Depending on the mounting conditions of the cell 11, there are (I) a case where only the internal fan 23 is sufficient for cooling and (II) a case where both the internal fan 23 and the external fan 22 are necessary. If the rotating shaft 21a of the motor 21 is previously inserted into the insertion hole 17 of the case 12 as in the present embodiment, in the case of (I) described above, the cap 24 can be sealed in the insertion hole 17, and (II) In this case, the configuration (II) can be realized only by attaching the external fan 22. Therefore, the design is facilitated as compared with the case where (I) and (II) are individually designed individually. In other words, since the configurations of (I) and (II) can be made common specifications, versatility can be improved. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the battery pack 10 is mounted on the vehicle, the passenger compartment is located above the case 12, and the motor 21 and the internal fan 23 are disposed in the lower part of the case 12. Yes. Thus, since the motor 21 is disposed in the lower part in the case 12, the external fan 22 is also disposed in the lower part outside the case 12. As shown in FIG. 2, when the duct 18 is provided in the opening 16d, the duct 18 communicates with the upper passenger compartment. Therefore, the sound generated in the battery pack 10 may be transmitted to the vehicle compartment via the duct 18. However, since the external fan 22 is located at the lower part, the distance from the external fan 22 to the vehicle compartment can be increased as compared with the case where the external fan 22 is located above. Therefore, attenuation of sound from the external fan 22 can be promoted, and noise can be prevented from being transmitted to the passenger compartment.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the duct 18 communicates with the external fan 22 via the cover 16 and the cover case 25. Therefore, since the noise is attenuated also by the cover 16 and the cover case 25, it is possible to further suppress the noise from being transmitted to the passenger compartment.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a cover 16 that functions as a heat exchanger is provided upstream of the external fan 22. By attracting the cooling air to the internal passage 16a of the cover 16 by the external fan 22, the cooling performance of the case 12 can be improved and the sound into the upstream passenger compartment can be shielded.

  In the present embodiment, the case 12 hermetically surrounds and surrounds the cell 11 and the internal space 13. The internal fan 23 is disposed in the case 12. The internal fan 23 circulates the fluid in the case 12 so as to pass through the inner surface of the case 12 and the periphery of the cell 11, and radiates heat from the inner wall of the case 12 to the outside. Therefore, the fluid circulating in the case 12 flows around the cell 11 inside the case 12, and heat is transferred from the cell 11 to the internal space 13. The heat is transmitted to the entire inner wall of the case 12 and the cell 11 can be cooled by dissipating heat from the entire inner wall of the case 12 to the outside.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the insertion hole 17 is closed by the cap 24 or the external fan 22, the inside of the case 12 is sealed. Thus, the internal fan 23 can be circulated without leaking fluid outside the case 12. Therefore, it is possible to prevent noise, smoke, and the like from the case 12 from being generated outside unintentionally. Further, dust does not enter the case 12. Further, no condensation occurs inside the case 12.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the internal fan 23 is permanent, but the external fan 22 can be mounted as necessary. Therefore, the external fan 22 can be provided when cooling capacity is required. For example, when the battery pack 10 is mounted on a luggage that tends to become high temperature, it is preferable to provide the external fan 22 and provide the opening 18d with a duct 18 communicating with the vehicle interior. As a result, the inside of the case 12 is cooled by forced convection heat transfer by the internal fan 23, and the external fan 22 causes the forced air to pass through the internal passage 16 a of the external cover 16 by the external fan 22. Can be cooled by transmission.

  Further, when the external environment is close to the vehicle interior or the vehicle interior, the external environment is unlikely to become high temperature, so that the external fan 22 can be used. As a result, the inside of the case 12 is cooled by forced convection heat transfer by the internal fan 23, and by natural convection heat transfer (upward arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2) and radiation heat transfer by the partition 16c of the outer cover 16 and fins. Can be cooled. Therefore, the case where the battery pack 10 is mounted in the vicinity of the vehicle interior and the case where the battery pack 10 is mounted in the luggage can be shared.

(Other embodiments)
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The structure of the said embodiment is an illustration to the last, Comprising: The scope of the present invention is not limited to the range of these description. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the description of the scope of claims, and further includes meanings equivalent to the description of the scope of claims and all modifications within the scope.

  In the first embodiment described above, the plurality of cells 11 are arranged side by side with the side surfaces facing each other. However, the arrangement is not limited to such a parallel arrangement. The cells 11 may be arranged in multiple rows or in a staggered manner as long as the air inside the case 12 can be forcedly circulated to cool the cells 11 uniformly. .

  In the first embodiment described above, the side surface and the lower surface of the case 12 are flat, but fins and irregularities for improving radiation performance may be provided on the side surface and the lower surface of the case 12.

  In the first embodiment described above, the battery pack 10 is mounted on the vehicle, but is not limited to the vehicle, and may be mounted on other moving means such as an aircraft and a ship. Moreover, you may mount in another apparatus instead of a moving means.

  In the first embodiment described above, the cover 16 having the internal passage 16a is provided integrally with the case 12, but is not limited to the configuration using the cover 16. For example, a fin may be provided on the upper surface of the case 12 without using the cover 16. In such a case, the blower 20 may be provided above, for example, and the upper surface of the case 12 may be directly cooled by the external fan 22. In other words, the position of the motor 21 is not limited to the lower part in the case 12 and may be above the case 12. In such a case, it is preferable to consider the posture of the case 12 so that the position of the external fan 22 and the passenger compartment are as far as possible.

  In the first embodiment described above, the cooling target is not disposed in the air passage of the external fan 22, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a cooling object such as a control device or a DC-DC converter may be arranged in the air passage of the external fan 22. As a result, not only the cell 11 but also other devices can be cooled.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Battery pack 11 ... Cell (unit battery) 12 ... Case 13 ... Internal space 14 ... Radiation plate 14a ... Bending heat radiation part 15 ... Curved bus bar 16 ... Cover 16a ... Internal passage 16c ... Partition 16d ... Opening part 17 ... Insertion hole 18 ... Duct 20 ... Blower 20a ... Fan scroll 21 ... Motor 21a ... Rotary shaft 22 ... External fan 23 ... Internal fan 24 ... Cap 25 ... Cover case

Claims (2)

A case (12) for housing a plurality of unit cells (11) in the internal space (13);
Motor for driving disposed in the interior space (21), comprising a pre-Symbol internal fan is disposed in the internal space is driven by said motor (23), and an external fan provided on the outside of the casing (22) A blower (20),
The case is formed with an insertion hole (17) through which the inner space and the outer space outside the case communicate with each other and through which the rotation shaft (21a) of the motor is inserted .
The external fan is driven by the rotating shaft,
The wind guided by the external fan, the battery pack characterized by Rukoto flow at least part of the outer surface of the case. In the mounted state in which the battery pack is mounted on a vehicle, a passenger compartment is located above the case,
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the motor and the internal fan are disposed in a lower part of the case.

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