JP6229620B2 - Charging equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging facility.

  Patent Document 1 describes an energy discharge device for a driving battery mounted on a vehicle. In this apparatus, the electrolyte substance is installed at a height that is half of the battery pack that houses the driving battery. In this device, when an emergency occurs in the vehicle, the electric energy of the driving battery is released as follows. That is, in this device, when an emergency occurs, tap water is injected into the battery pack. Next, when the water level of the battery pack becomes higher than half the height of the battery pack, the electrolyte substance is dissolved in tap water to generate an aqueous electrolyte solution. Thereafter, when the electrolyte aqueous solution gradually increases and the terminal electrode of the drive battery is submerged, the discharge of the drive battery is promoted.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-237355

  By the way, in the manufacturing process of the battery pack, the battery pack may be charged for manufacturing or inspection. In that case, the battery pack before charging is arranged in a predetermined charging facility, and the battery pack is charged in the charging facility. Even if there is a defect such as an incorrect wiring at the time of manufacture, the defect is discovered at this timing. However, at this time, an abnormality such as heat generation or ignition may occur in the battery pack. For such a case, safety is ensured by the fire extinguishing equipment, but in order to converge in a shorter time, it is preferable to quickly cool the battery pack and discharge the battery pack in the charging equipment. .

  As described above, the device described in Patent Document 1 is for discharging the electric energy of the driving battery when an emergency occurs in the vehicle. Therefore, Patent Document 1 does not mention any countermeasures when an abnormality occurs in the battery pack during charging of the battery pack in the charging facility.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and it aims at providing the charging equipment which can ensure the safety | security during charge of the charge target object.

  In order to solve the above problems, a charging facility according to the present invention is a charging facility for charging a charging object, a charging chamber in which the charging object is disposed, a spraying device installed in the charging chamber, A first tank for storing water, a second tank for storing a conductive solution, a first pipe connecting the spraying device and the first tank, and connecting the spraying device and the second tank. And a spraying device for spraying a mixture of water and a conductive solution on the object to be charged.

  In this charging facility, a spraying device is installed in a charging chamber in which an object to be charged is arranged. In addition, each of the first tank for storing water and the second tank for storing the conductive solution is connected to the spraying device by the first pipe and the second pipe. For this reason, while introducing water into the spraying device from the first tank via the first pipe, it is possible to introduce the conductive solution from the second tank into the spraying device via the second pipe. As a result, when an abnormality occurs in the charging target object during charging in the charging chamber, the charging target object is changed by spraying a mixture of water and a conductive solution from the spraying device to the charging target object. The object to be charged can be discharged while being quickly cooled. Therefore, it is possible to ensure safety during charging of the charging target and to converge in a short time. Here, in this charging facility, water and the conductive solution are stored in separate tanks. For this reason, compared with the case where a large amount of liquid mixture that is relatively difficult to handle is stored and stored in advance, it is easier to maintain the equipment.

  The charging facility according to the present invention may further include a third pipe for circulating the mixed liquid sprayed from the spraying device to the charging object to the spraying device. In this case, since the mixed solution is circulated through the third pipe, safety can be ensured by a relatively small amount of the mixed solution (water and conductive solution).

  In the charging facility in the present invention, the third pipe may be provided with a cooling unit for cooling the mixed liquid. In this case, the temperature of the mixed solution is suppressed from increasing while the mixed solution is circulated. For this reason, a charge target object can be cooled reliably.

  The charging facility according to the present invention may further include a fourth pipe for circulating the water stored in the first tank, and the fourth pipe may be provided with a filter. In this case, the quality of the water stored in the first tank can be maintained in a good state.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the charging equipment which can ensure the safety during charge of the charging target object can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a charging facility according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the charging facility shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the charging facility shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a modification of the charging facility illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a modification of the charging facility illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the charging facility shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a charging facility according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of each drawing, the same elements or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a charging facility according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the charging facility 1 includes a main body 2. The main body 2 is composed of an upper wall part 3, a lower wall part 4, a side wall part 5, and a partition wall part 6. The upper wall portion 3, the side wall portion 5, and the partition wall portion 6 form an upper chamber 7 in the main body portion 2. The lower wall portion 4, the side wall portion 5, and the partition wall portion 6 form a lower chamber 8 in the main body portion 2. An exhaust hole 3 h is formed in the upper wall portion 3. The partition wall 6 is formed with a plurality of holes (not shown) through which liquid or the like passes between the upper chamber 7 and the lower chamber 8. The main body portion 2 is placed on the ground via a grounding portion 2 c provided below the lower wall portion 4.

  A charging object 9 is arranged in the upper chamber 7. The charging object 9 is a battery pack as an example. The battery pack is configured, for example, by further connecting a plurality of battery modules configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells. The battery cell is, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery. The charging object 9 is placed on the partition wall 6 via the pallet 9p. In the charging facility 1, the charging object 9 is charged in the upper chamber 7. That is, the charging facility 1 includes a charging chamber (upper chamber 7) in which the charging object 9 is disposed. The upper chamber 7 is provided with a power supply device (not shown) for charging the charging object 9.

  The charging facility 1 includes a tank (first tank) 10 and a tank (second tank) 20. The tank 10 is disposed in the lower chamber 8. The tank 10 stores water S1. The water S1 is, for example, tap water or industrial water. The tank 10 may be made of any material that can store the water S1. The tank 10 is provided with a water level meter 11 and a thermometer 12. The water level meter 11 measures the water level of the water S1 stored in the tank 10. The thermometer 12 measures the temperature of the water S1 stored in the tank 10.

  The tank 20 is disposed outside the main body 2. More specifically, the tank 20 is disposed on the upper wall portion 3. The tank 20 stores the conductive solution S2. The conductive solution S2 is a liquid having conductivity, and is, for example, salt water (sodium chloride aqueous solution). However, the conductive solution S2 is not limited to salt water, and may be an aqueous solution composed of any substance (for example, potassium chloride or magnesium chloride) that exhibits conductivity by being dissolved in water and water. The tank 20 is made of a material that can prevent rust caused by storing the conductive solution S2 that is, for example, salt water (or an inner surface is subjected to rust prevention).

  The charging facility 1 includes a spraying device 30. The spraying device 30 is installed in the upper chamber 7. The spreading device 30 is arranged above the charging object 9. In other words, the charging object 9 is disposed in the upper chamber 7 so as to be located immediately below the spraying device 30. The spraying device 30 is, for example, a shower nozzle, and sprays the liquid supplied from the upper portion 31 downward from the bottom portion 32 to a predetermined range.

  The charging facility 1 includes a funnel member 40. The funnel member 40 is disposed between the partition wall 6 and the tank 10. More specifically, the funnel-shaped member 40 has a lower opening corresponding to the apex of the cone (or pyramid) so that the upper opening end 41 corresponding to the bottom of the cone (or pyramid) covers the partition wall 6 from below. The side opening end 42 is disposed so as to face the tank 10. The funnel-shaped member 40 collects the liquid that has passed through the plurality of holes of the partition wall 6 toward the tank 10. A filter F <b> 1 is provided between the upper opening end 41 and the lower opening end 42 of the funnel-shaped member 40. The filter F1 removes foreign matters from the liquid.

  The charging facility 1 includes pipes 51 to 55. The pipe 51 extends from the portion on the bottom 14 side of the side portion 13 in the tank 10 so as to penetrate the side wall portion 5 and reach the upper portion 31 of the spraying device 30. The pipe 51 is provided with a pump P, a valve V1, a radiator (cooling unit) R, and a valve V2 in this order from the tank 10 toward the spraying device 30 (from upstream to downstream). Thus, the pipe 51 functions as a first pipe that connects the tank 10 and the spraying device 30 to each other.

  The pipe 52 extends from the bottom portion 21 of the tank 20 so as to penetrate the upper wall portion 3 and reach the upper portion 31 of the spraying device 30. Here, the piping 51 and the piping 52 merge in the spraying device 30. The piping 52 is provided with a valve V3. Thus, the pipe 52 functions as a second pipe that connects the tank 20 and the spraying device 30 to each other.

  Both ends of the pipe 53 are connected to the tank 10. The pipe 53 extends from the portion on the bottom 14 side of the side portion 13 in the tank 10 so as to penetrate the side wall portion 5 and reach the upper portion 15 of the tank 10. The pipe 53 is provided with a pump P, a valve V4, a filter F2, and a valve V5 in this order from the side 13 of the tank 10 toward the upper portion 15 (from upstream to downstream). The pipe 53 is provided with a flow meter (not shown). The pipe 51 and the pipe 53 are common to the point from the tank 10 to the valve V1 through the pump P. The pipe 53 functions as a fourth pipe that circulates the water S1 stored in the tank 10.

  The pipe 54 extends from an external water source (a tap water source or an industrial water source) and branches into two. One branch 54 a of the pipe 54 is connected to the pipe 51, and the other branch 54 b is connected to the pipe 53. A valve V6 is provided in the vicinity (upstream side) of the connection point with the pipe 51 in the branch path 54a. A valve V7 is provided in the vicinity (upstream side) of the connection point with the pipe 53 in the branch path 54b.

  The pipe 55 connects the funnel member 40 and the tank 10 to each other. The pipe 55 extends from the lower opening end 42 of the funnel-shaped member 40 to the upper part 15 of the tank 10. The piping 55 is provided with a valve V8.

  Subsequently, the operation of the charging facility 1 configured as described above will be described. 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the charging facility shown in FIG. In the following, it is assumed that the charging object 9 is charged in the upper chamber 7 of the charging facility 1.

  First, the operation of the charging facility 1 at the normal time when no abnormality has occurred in the charging object 9 will be described. Here, as an initial state, all of the valves V1 to V8 are closed and the pump P is stopped. In the initial state, when a predetermined time has elapsed (periodically), the valves V4 and V5 are opened, and the pump P is activated.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the water S <b> 1 flows from the bottom portion 14 of the tank 10 toward the upper portion 15 through the pipe 53. As a result, the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is circulated. The water S1 passes through the filter F2 during circulation through the pipe 53. Thereby, the foreign material (for example, bacteria, algae, etc.) contained in water S1 is removed. That is, here, the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is periodically circulated through the pipe 53 provided with the filter F2, so that the water quality of the water S1 is well maintained.

  In addition, the tank 10 is provided with a dividing wall 16 that divides the inside of the tank 10 into two vertically except for a part. The dividing wall 16 is opened on the side portion 17 side opposite to the side portion 13 of the tank 10 where the discharge portion of the water S1 to the pipe 53 is formed, and the water S1 is circulated from the opening. The partition wall 16 causes the water S1 to meander and flow through the tank 10. For this reason, it is possible to circulate the whole water S1 stored in the tank 10.

  Further, here, the abnormality of the pump P can be detected according to the measurement result of the flow meter provided in the pipe 53. That is, here, the presence or absence of abnormality of the pump P is inspected by periodically measuring the flow rate of the pipe 53 with the pump P in an operating state. For example, it is possible to detect the replacement time of the filter F2 by checking the differential pressure between the upstream side and the downstream side of the filter F2.

  When the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is sufficiently circulated (for example, when a certain time has elapsed since the circulation was started), the valves V4 and V5 are closed and the pump P is stopped. End the normal operation.

  In this way, while the charging facility 1 is operating normally (or between normal operations), the water level gauge 11 of the tank 10 detects that the water level of the tank 10 is below a predetermined reference level. In that case, water is newly supplied to the tank 10 through the pipe 54 (branch path 54 b) and the pipe 53 by opening the valve V 7.

  Next, the operation of the charging facility 1 in an emergency in which an abnormality such as heat generation or ignition occurs in the charging object 9 will be described. Here, as an initial state, all of the valves V1 to V8 are closed and the pump P is stopped. In the initial state, when an abnormality occurs in the charging object 9, the valves V1 to V3 and V8 are opened and the pump P is activated.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, water S <b> 1 flows from the tank 10 to the spraying device 30 via the pipe 51, and the conductive solution S <b> 2 flows from the tank 20 to the spraying device 30 via the pipe 52. Water S <b> 1 and conductive solution S <b> 2 are introduced into the spraying device 30 from the upper part 31 of the spraying device 30. The water S <b> 1 and the conductive solution S <b> 2 introduced into the spraying device 30 are mixed with each other in the spraying device 30 to become a mixed liquid S <b> 3 having conductivity, and are sprayed from the bottom 32 of the spraying device 30 onto the charging object 9. That is, here, the spraying device 30 sprays the mixture S3 in which the water S1 and the conductive solution S2 are mixed with each other on the charging object 9.

  Thereby, the charging object 9 is rapidly cooled by the mixed liquid S3 and the charging object 9 is discharged (promoted). The mixed liquid S3 sprayed on the charging object 9 flows into the funnel member 40 through the hole of the partition wall portion 6. The mixed liquid S3 that has flowed into the funnel-shaped member 40 is introduced into the tank 10 via the pipe 55 while being concentrated by the funnel-shaped member 40. At this time, the liquid mixture S3 passes through the filter F1 in the funnel-shaped member 40. Thereby, foreign matters (for example, parts / substances separated from the charging object 9) are removed from the liquid mixture S3.

  The mixed liquid S3 introduced into the tank 10 is again introduced into the spraying device 30 through the pipe 51. Thereby, the liquid mixture S3 is circulated through the spraying device 30. In particular, the mixed liquid S3 passes through the radiator R provided in the pipe 51 when circulating. Therefore, the mixed liquid S3 can be circulated while cooling, for example, by blowing air to the radiator fin of the radiator R. In this way, the pipe 51 functions as a third pipe that circulates the mixed solution S3 sprayed on the charging object 9 to the spraying device 30.

  Thereafter, when the charging object 9 is sufficiently cooled and sufficiently discharged and safety is ensured, the valves V1 to V3 and V8 are returned to the closed state and the pump P is returned to the stopped state. End the operation. In this emergency operation, the gas generated in the upper chamber 7 due to the electrolysis of the mixed solution S3 is exhausted from the exhaust hole 3h provided in the upper wall portion 3.

  As described above, in the charging facility 1 according to the present embodiment, the spraying device 30 is installed in the upper chamber 7 in which the charging object 9 is arranged. Each of the tank 10 for storing the water S1 and the tank 20 for storing the conductive solution S2 is connected to the spraying device 30 by a pipe 51 and a pipe 52. For this reason, the water S1 can be introduced from the tank 10 to the spraying device 30 via the pipe 51, and the conductive solution S2 can be introduced from the tank 20 to the spraying device 30 via the pipe 52.

  Thus, in an emergency in which an abnormality has occurred in the charging object 9 during charging of the charging object 9, the mixture S3 in which the water S1 and the conductive solution S2 are mixed is sprayed from the spraying device 30 to the charging object 9. As a result, the charging object 9 is cooled. Further, since the liquid water S1 and the conductive solution S2 are mixed and sprayed, for example, compared with the case where the electrolyte substance is melted in water, the time required for melting is not required, and the charging object is quickly discharged. It can be carried out. Therefore, safety during charging of the charging object 9 is ensured, and convergence in a short time is possible. Further, in the charging facility 1, the water S <b> 1 and the conductive solution S <b> 2 are stored in separate tanks 10 and 20. For example, when salt water is used for discharge, if the salt water itself is stored in large quantities, the entire facility is required to have high rust prevention. However, if the tanks are stored separately in the separate tanks 10 and 20, the amount of salt water stored can be reduced, and the range of high rust prevention can be limited. That is, it is easier to maintain the equipment as compared with the case where a large amount of the liquid mixture S3 that is relatively difficult to handle is stored and stored in advance.

  Further, in the charging facility 1 according to the present embodiment, the mixed solution S3 sprayed from the spraying device 30 to the charging target 9 is circulated to the spraying device 30 using the pipe 51. For this reason, safety can be ensured by a relatively small amount of the mixed liquid (water S1 and conductive solution S2) S3. In particular, in the charging facility 1, the pipe 51 is provided with a radiator R for cooling the mixed solution S3. For this reason, it is suppressed that the temperature of liquid mixture S3 rises while circulating liquid mixture S3. Therefore, the charging object 9 can be reliably cooled.

  Further, in the charging facility 1 according to the present embodiment, the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is periodically circulated using the pipe 53 when the charging object 9 is normal and no abnormality occurs. In particular, since the pipe 53 is provided with the filter F2, foreign matters are removed from the water S1 by the circulation of the water S1 through the pipe 53. For this reason, the quality of the water S1 stored in the tank 10 can be maintained in a good state.

  Further, in the charging facility 1 according to the present embodiment, the pump P is periodically operated in a normal state, and the flow meter provided in the pipe 53 is inspected for an abnormality in the pump P. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation where the pump P cannot be used in an emergency.

  The said embodiment demonstrates one Embodiment of the charging equipment which concerns on this invention. Therefore, the charging facility according to the present invention is not limited to the charging facility 1 described above. The charging equipment according to the present invention can be obtained by arbitrarily changing the above-described charging equipment 1 within a range not changing the gist of each claim.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the pipe 51 and the pipe 52 are separately connected to the spraying device 30 and merged in the spraying device 30 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the pipe 52 may be connected to join the pipe 51. In this case, the pipe 52 connects the tank 20 and the spraying device 30 via a part of the pipe 51. Moreover, the liquid mixture S3 previously mixed is introduced into the spraying device 30.

  Moreover, the charging equipment 1 which concerns on the said embodiment can be deform | transformed like the charging equipment 1A shown by FIG. The charging facility 1 </ b> A is different from the charging facility 1 mainly in the arrangement of the tank 10 as compared with the charging facility 1. That is, in the charging facility 1 </ b> A, the tank 10 is disposed outside the main body 2. More specifically, the tank 10 is disposed on the upper wall portion 3 together with the tank 20.

  The charging facility 1 </ b> A further includes a pipe 56 according to the arrangement of the tank 10. The pipe 56 extends from the bottom portion 14 of the tank 10 so as to penetrate the upper wall portion 3 and reach the upper portion 31 of the spraying device 30. That is, the pipe 56 functions as a first pipe that connects the tank 10 and the spraying device 30. The pipe 56 merges with the pipe 51 at the end on the spreading device 30 side. The piping 56 is provided with a valve V9. Here, the pipe 53 is provided as a separate system from the pipe 51. For this reason, the pipe 53 is further provided with a pump PA.

  The charging facility 1 </ b> A further includes a box-shaped container 60 opened upward. The container 60 is disposed below the funnel member 40. The container 60 receives and stores the liquid sprayed from the spraying device 30 and collected by the funnel-shaped member 40.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the charging facility shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the charging facility 1 </ b> A operates as follows when it is normal. That is, first, when a predetermined time has elapsed in the initial state (periodically), the valve V4 is opened and the pump PA is activated. In the initial state, the valve V9 is closed.

  Thereby, similarly to the charging facility 1, the water S <b> 1 flows from the bottom portion 14 of the tank 10 toward the upper portion 15 through the pipe 53. As a result, the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is circulated. The water S1 passes through the filter F2 during circulation through the pipe 53. Thereby, the foreign material (for example, bacteria, algae, etc.) contained in water S1 is removed. That is, also in the charging facility 1A, the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is periodically circulated through the pipe 53 provided with the filter F2, thereby maintaining the water S1 in good quality.

  Further, in the same manner as the charging facility 1, the presence or absence of abnormality of the pump PA and the replacement time of the filter F2 are periodically determined. When the water S1 stored in the tank 10 is sufficiently circulated (for example, when a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of circulation), the valve V4 is closed and the pump PA is stopped, so that normal End the hour action.

  On the other hand, the charging facility 1A operates as follows in the event of an emergency. That is, the charging facility 1A first opens the valves V3 and V9 in the initial state. As a result, the water S1 flows from the tank 10 to the spraying device 30 via the pipe 56, and the conductive solution S2 flows from the tank 20 to the spraying device 30 via the pipe 52. The water S <b> 1 and the conductive solution S <b> 2 introduced into the spraying device 30 are mixed with each other in the spraying device 30 to become a mixed solution S <b> 3 and sprayed from the bottom 32 of the spraying device 30 onto the charging object 9.

  Thereby, the charging object 9 is rapidly cooled by the mixed liquid S3 and the charging object 9 is discharged (promoted). The mixed liquid S3 sprayed on the charging object 9 flows into the funnel member 40 through the hole of the partition wall portion 6. The mixed solution S3 that has flowed into the funnel-shaped member 40 is introduced into the container 60 via the pipe 55 while being concentrated by the funnel-shaped member 40. When the mixed liquid S3 introduced and stored in the container 60 reaches a certain water level, the valves V1 and V2 are opened and the pump P is activated.

  Thereby, the liquid mixture S <b> 3 is circulated through the spray device 30 through the pipe 51. Thereafter, when the charging object 9 is sufficiently cooled and sufficiently discharged and safety is ensured, the valves V1 to V3 and V9 are returned to the closed state and the pump P is returned to the stopped state. End the operation.

  Even in the charging facility 1A as described above, the same effects as those of the charging facility 1 described above can be obtained. In particular, in the charging facility 1 </ b> A, the tank 10 (and the tank 20) is disposed above the charging object 9 and the spraying device 30. Therefore, in an emergency, the mixed liquid S3 can be sprayed on the charging object 9 only by the procedure for opening the valve V9 (valve V3) without operating the pump P. Therefore, safety can be ensured regardless of whether the pump P is abnormal.

  In the above charging equipment 1, 1 </ b> A, for example, another pump can be provided in parallel with the pump P in preparation for failure of the pump P. Further, the filter F2 provided in the pipe 53 may have a sterilizing function by UV irradiation.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Charging equipment, 7 ... Upper chamber (charging chamber), 9 ... Charge object, 10 ... Tank (1st tank), 20 ... Tank (2nd tank), 51 ... Piping (1st piping, 1st 3), 52 ... pipe (second pipe), 53 ... pipe (fourth pipe), 56 ... pipe (first pipe) F2, filter, R ... radiator (cooling section), S1, water, S2 ... conductive solution, S3 ... mixed solution.

Claims (4)

A charging facility for charging an object to be charged,
A charging chamber in which the charging object is disposed;
A spraying device installed in the charging chamber;
A first tank for storing water;
A second tank for storing a conductive solution;
A first pipe connecting the spraying device and the first tank;
A second pipe connecting the spraying device and the second tank;
With
The spraying device sprays a mixed liquid in which the water and the conductive solution are mixed with each other onto the charging object.
Charging equipment. A third pipe for circulating the mixed liquid sprayed on the charging object from the spraying device to the spraying device;
The charging equipment according to claim 1. The third pipe is provided with a cooling unit for cooling the mixed solution.
The charging equipment according to claim 2. A fourth pipe for circulating the water stored in the first tank;
The fourth pipe is provided with a filter.
The charging equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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