JP6085784B2 - Battery module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery module having a plurality of storage batteries.

In recent years, a battery module in which a plurality of storage batteries are enclosed in a case has been used in various applications such as a power source for driving a motor such as an electric vehicle and an emergency power source for home use. The battery module includes a cooling structure that cools a plurality of storage batteries that generate heat during charging and discharging.
As a battery module provided with a cooling structure, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a battery module that forcibly convects air in a case by a cooling fan.

JP 2010-173536 A

However, the battery module of Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
In this battery module, a space for disposing a cooling fan is required to cool the storage battery, and electric power for driving the cooling fan is also required. It is also necessary to provide the battery module with electrical wiring for supplying power to the cooling fan. Therefore, the structure of the battery module of Patent Document 1 is complicated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this background, and it aims at providing the battery module which can simplify a structure, ensuring the cooling performance of a storage battery.

One embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of storage batteries,
A lower case in which the plurality of storage batteries are disposed;
An upper case that covers the lower case from above and forms a battery housing space for housing the plurality of storage batteries with the lower case;
A circuit board disposed on the upper surface of the upper case;
A cover that forms a board housing space for housing the circuit board between the upper case and the upper case;
A communication port is formed on the upper surface of the upper case to communicate the battery housing space and the substrate housing space.
A first gap is formed between the lower case and the upper case by supporting the upper case on the lower case so as to maintain a gap between the bottom of the lower case and the ceiling of the upper case. Has been
A second gap is formed between the upper case and the cover by supporting the cover on the upper case so as to maintain a space between the ceiling portion of the upper case and the ceiling portion of the cover. And
When the air in the battery housing space heated by the plurality of storage batteries flows into the substrate housing space via the communication port, the air flows into the battery housing space from the first gap, and the substrate housing The battery module is configured such that air in the space is exhausted to the outside through the second gap (claim 1).

In the battery module, the communication port is formed in the upper case, and the cooling performance of the plurality of storage batteries is secured by a simple device such that the battery housing space communicates with the substrate housing space through the communication port. doing.
In the battery module, when charging / discharging is performed, the plurality of storage batteries generate heat, and the air around the storage batteries is heated. The heated air moves upward in the battery housing space and flows into the substrate housing space through the communication port. In parallel with this, outside unheated air flows into the battery housing space from the gap between the upper case and the lower case so as to supplement the air flowing out into the substrate housing space. .

Then, when heated air flows from the battery housing space, the air in the substrate housing space is pushed out from the gap between the upper case and the cover.
At this time, the air heated by the circuit board is also pushed out from the gap between the upper case and the cover.

  Thus, by connecting the two spaces of the battery housing space and the substrate housing space with the communication port, and forming a state in which heated air can move from the battery housing space to the substrate housing space, A flow for drawing air from the outside to the inside can be formed in the battery housing space, and a flow for pushing air from the inside to the outside can be formed in the substrate housing space. Thereby, the air in the said battery accommodating space heated by the said some storage battery can be efficiently replaced | exchanged for the air which is not heated outside, and the cooling performance of the said some storage battery can be ensured.

  In addition, as described above, the battery module is configured to be able to cool the plurality of storage batteries by using air convection caused by a temperature difference. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a cooling fan conventionally provided in the battery module, and the structure of the battery module can be simplified.

  As described above, according to the battery module, the structure can be simplified while ensuring the cooling performance.

Sectional drawing of the battery module in Example 1 (AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. 2). The BB arrow sectional drawing of FIG. CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a battery module in Example 1. 1 is an external view of a battery module in Example 1. FIG.

In the battery module, a lower side wall portion that rises upward is formed on the entire periphery of the outer edge portion of the lower case, and the entire outer periphery of the upper case covers the outer side of the lower side wall portion. As described above, an upper side wall portion that hangs downward is formed, and the first gap may be formed between the lower side wall portion and the upper side wall portion. In this case, it is possible to easily prevent moisture and the like from entering the battery housing space from the gap between the lower case and the upper case.

In addition, an outer permeation prevention wall that prevents water from entering the substrate housing space from the second gap may be formed on the upper surface of the upper case and inside the cover. Item 3). In this case, it is possible to easily prevent water from adhering to the circuit board disposed in the board housing space.

  Further, an inner infiltration prevention wall for preventing water from entering the communication port may be formed on the upper surface of the upper case and around the communication port. In this case, water can be easily prevented from entering the battery housing space from the communication port.

Examples of the battery module will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 4, the battery module 1 includes 24 storage batteries 11, a lower case 2 in which the storage batteries 11 are disposed, and a lower case 2 between the lower case 2 and the lower case 2. And an upper case 3 that forms a battery housing space 101 for housing 24 storage batteries 11. Further, the battery module 1 includes a circuit board 5 disposed on the upper surface of the upper case 3 and a cover 4 that forms a board housing space 102 for housing the circuit board 5 between the upper case 3. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a communication port 34 that connects the battery housing space 101 and the substrate housing space 102 is formed on the upper surface of the upper case 3. When the air in the battery housing space 101 heated by the storage battery 11 flows into the substrate housing space 102 via the communication port 34, the battery module 1 has a battery 61 through the gap 61 between the lower case 2 and the upper case 3. The air flows into the storage space 101, and the air in the substrate storage space 102 is exhausted to the outside through the gap 62 between the upper case 3 and the cover 4.

This will be described in more detail below.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, as described above, the battery module 1 includes the 24 storage batteries 11, the upper case 3 and the lower case 2 that form the battery housing space 101 and accommodate the storage battery 11, and the upper case 3. A circuit board 5 disposed on the upper surface and a cover 4 that forms a substrate housing space 102 between the upper case 3 are provided. In this example, the lower case 2, the upper case 3, and the cover 4 are made of a heat conductive resin. Therefore, a part of the heat generated by the battery module 1 storage battery 11 is transmitted to the lower case 2, the upper case 3 and the cover 4 and is radiated to the outside air.

  In this example, the 24 storage batteries 11 are formed of cylindrical batteries fixed integrally by a battery holder (not shown), and are arranged in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the axial direction and a vertical direction orthogonal to both the axial direction and the horizontal direction. Has been placed. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage batteries 11 are arranged in three rows so that the directions of adjacent electrodes are the same in the horizontal direction, and the directions of the electrodes in the adjacent storage batteries 11 are opposite in the vertical direction. Eight columns are arranged. Each storage battery 11 is electrically connected by connection tabs 13 arranged on both sides in the axial direction so that the storage batteries 11 arranged in the horizontal direction are connected in parallel and the storage batteries 11 arranged in the vertical direction are connected in series. . Further, the connection tabs 13 arranged at both ends in the vertical direction are respectively connected to output terminals (not shown).

  In this example, a cylindrical battery is used as the storage battery 11. However, the storage battery 11 is not limited to this, and various types of storage battery 11 such as a laminated cell battery can be used. Moreover, the storage battery 11 can use various secondary batteries, such as various lithium ion batteries, such as manganese type and nickel type, and lead livestock batteries.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lower case 2 in which the storage battery 11 is arranged includes a lower bottom portion 22 that is substantially rectangular when viewed from above, and a lower sidewall that rises upward from the entire periphery of the outer edge of the lower bottom portion 22. The lower case 2 having an opening at the upper end of the lower side wall portion 21 has a pair of lower flanges 211 formed on the lower side wall portion 21 arranged orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. Yes. A battery fixing structure (not shown) that can be fitted to the battery holder is provided inside the lower case 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper case 3 disposed so as to cover the lower case 2 from above includes an upper ceiling surface 32 having an outer shape larger than the lower bottom portion 22 when viewed from above, and an outer edge portion of the upper ceiling surface 32. And an upper side wall portion 31 that hangs down from the entire circumference. The upper case 3 has a pair of upper flanges 311 formed on the upper side wall portion 31 arranged orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The upper flange 311 and the lower flange 211 of the lower case 2 are not shown. It is fixed by fastening with bolts.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper side wall 31 is formed so as to cover the outer side of the lower side wall 21 so as to form a gap 61 between the upper side wall 31 and the upper side wall 31. The lower end portion is below the upper end portion of the lower side wall portion 21. Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent moisture and the like from entering the battery housing space 101 from the gap 61 between the lower case 2 and the upper case 3.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the upper case 3, an uneven shape 312 is formed along the vertical direction on the outer side surface and the inner side surface of the upper side wall portion 31 arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction. Yes. By forming the concavo-convex shape 312 on the inner side surface of the upper side wall part 31, the gap 61 between the upper side wall part 31 and the lower side wall part 21 can be partially enlarged, and air can be circulated efficiently.
Further, the surface area of the upper side wall portion 31 can be increased, the heat dissipation of the upper case 3 can be improved, and the rigidity of the upper side wall portion 31 can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, between the upper case 3 and the lower case 2, a battery accommodating space 101 that encloses the entire circumference of the case and accommodates 24 batteries is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the upper surface of the upper case 3, an outer intrusion prevention wall 33 that prevents water from entering the substrate housing space 102, a board fixing portion 36 that fastens and fixes the circuit board 5, and A communication port 34 for communicating the battery housing space 101 and the substrate housing space 102 is formed.
The outer intrusion prevention wall 33 stands up along the entire circumference of the outer edge portion at a position inside the outer edge portion on the upper surface of the upper case 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the board fixing portion 36 is formed inside the outer intrusion prevention wall 33, and the two bosses 361 having screw holes into which bolts can be screwed and the circuit board 5 are fixed. It consists of a fitting portion 362 that fits into a hole (not shown). The circuit board 5 is fixed by bolt fastening to the two bosses 361 and fitting using the fitting portion 362.
The circuit board 5 fixed to the board fixing unit 36 is provided with various circuits for monitoring the state of the battery module 1, connectors for connecting to an external load, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two communication ports 34 are formed on the inner side of the outer intrusion prevention wall 33, one on each side in the longitudinal direction of the upper case 3. The communication port 34 has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and an inner infiltration prevention wall 35 that prevents water from entering the communication port 34 is formed around the communication port 34.
The inner intrusion prevention wall 35 stands upward so as to surround the entire circumference of the communication port 34 on the outside of each communication port 34. Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent water from entering the battery housing space 101 from the communication port 34.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 4 that forms the substrate housing space 102 with the upper case 3 includes a cover ceiling surface 41 having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, and an outer edge portion of the cover ceiling surface 41. And a cover side wall portion 42 depending from the entire circumference.
The cover side wall portion 42 is formed so as to cover the outer side of the outer intrusion prevention wall 33, and the gap 62 between the cover 4 and the upper case 3 is formed by the outer intrusion prevention wall 33, the upper ceiling surface 32, and the cover side wall portion 42. Is formed between. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from entering the substrate housing space 102 through the gap 62 and easily prevent water from adhering to the circuit board 5 disposed in the substrate housing space 102.

Next, the function and effect of this example will be described.
In the battery module 1, a communication port 34 is formed in the upper case 3, and the cooling performance of the built-in storage battery 11 is improved by a simple device such that the battery storage space 101 and the substrate storage space 102 communicate with each other through the communication port 34. Secured.
In the battery module 1, when charging / discharging is performed, the built-in storage battery 11 generates heat, and the air around the storage battery 11 is heated. The heated air moves upward in the battery housing space 101 and flows into the substrate housing space 102 via the communication port 34. In parallel with this, outside unheated air flows into the battery housing space 101 from the gap 61 between the upper case 3 and the lower case 2 so as to supplement the air flowing out to the substrate housing space 102. Flows in.

Then, the heated air flows from the battery housing space 101 into the substrate housing space 102, whereby the air in the substrate housing space 102 is pushed out from the gap 62 between the upper case 3 and the cover 4.
At this time, the air heated by the circuit board 5 is also pushed out through the gap 62 between the upper case 3 and the cover 4.

  In this way, the battery accommodating space 101 and the substrate accommodating space 102 are connected by the communication port 34 to form a state in which heated air can move from the battery accommodating space 101 to the substrate accommodating space 102. A flow for drawing air from the outside to the inside can be formed in the housing space 101, and a flow for pushing air from the inside to the outside can be formed in the substrate housing space 102. Thereby, the air in the battery housing space 101 heated by the built-in storage battery 11 can be efficiently replaced with the outside unheated air, and the cooling performance of the plurality of storage batteries 11 can be ensured.

  Moreover, the battery module 1 is comprised so that the some storage battery 11 can be cooled using the convection of the air produced by a temperature difference as mentioned above. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a cooling fan conventionally provided in the battery module 1, and the structure of the battery module 1 can be simplified.

  As described above, according to the battery module 1, the structure can be simplified while ensuring the cooling performance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery module 101 Battery accommodation space 102 Substrate accommodation space 11 Storage battery 2 Lower case 21 Lower side wall part 3 Upper case 31 Upper side wall part 34 Communication port 4 Cover 42 Cover side wall part 5 Circuit board 61, 62 Crevice

Claims (4)

A plurality of storage batteries;
A lower case in which the plurality of storage batteries are disposed;
An upper case that covers the lower case from above and forms a battery housing space for housing the plurality of storage batteries with the lower case;
A circuit board disposed on the upper surface of the upper case;
A cover that forms a board housing space for housing the circuit board between the upper case and the upper case;
A communication port is formed on the upper surface of the upper case to communicate the battery housing space and the substrate housing space.
A first gap is formed between the lower case and the upper case by supporting the upper case on the lower case so as to maintain a gap between the bottom of the lower case and the ceiling of the upper case. Has been
A second gap is formed between the upper case and the cover by supporting the cover on the upper case so as to maintain a space between the ceiling portion of the upper case and the ceiling portion of the cover. And
When the air in the battery housing space heated by the plurality of storage batteries flows into the substrate housing space via the communication port, the air flows into the battery housing space from the first gap, and the substrate housing A battery module characterized in that air in the space is exhausted to the outside through the second gap. In the battery module according to claim 1, a lower side wall portion standing upward is formed on the entire periphery of the outer edge portion of the lower case,
On the entire periphery of the outer edge portion of the upper case, an upper side wall portion that hangs downward is formed so as to cover the outer side with respect to the lower side wall portion.
The battery module, wherein the first gap is formed between the lower side wall and the upper side wall. 3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein water is prevented from entering the substrate housing space from the second gap at a position on the upper surface of the upper case and inside the cover . 4. A battery module characterized in that a wall is formed.   The battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an inner intrusion prevention wall that prevents water from entering the communication port is provided on the upper surface of the upper case and around the communication port. A battery module which is formed.

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