JP6636793B2 - Battery pack - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack.

2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles that are driven using electric power stored in a battery pack, such as electric vehicles and hybrid cars, are widely used. The battery pack mounted on such a vehicle has a connection terminal connected to the driving means of the vehicle, and can supply power to the vehicle.
Some of the battery packs mounted on the vehicle as described above are detachable from the vehicle. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system that automatically replaces a battery pack mounted on an unmanned vehicle that travels automatically. In this system, when charging the battery pack, the battery pack is removed from the vehicle body, and a connector provided on the battery pack is connected to the charging facility. At this time, since the removed battery pack can be replaced with a charged battery pack, the vehicle can be driven while the removed battery pack is being charged.

JP-A-59-108283

However, in the system described in Patent Literature 1, the power supply connector for connecting the battery pack to the driving means of the vehicle and the charging connector for connecting to the charging equipment are integrated. For this reason, it is necessary to match the arrangement of both the connector on the charging facility side and the connector on the automobile side with the position of a single connector of the battery pack, and there is a problem that the degree of freedom for the arrangement of these connectors is low.
An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack capable of improving the degree of freedom of arrangement of a connector on a charging facility side and a connector on a vehicle side.

The battery pack according to the present invention includes:
A battery pack that is detachable from a vehicle and supplies power output from a secondary battery to driving means of the vehicle when mounted on a vehicle,
A housing for housing the secondary battery,
A power supply connector electrically connected to a connector provided in the vehicle,
A connector different from the power supply connector, and a charging connector electrically connected to a connector provided in a charging facility for charging the secondary battery ,
A control unit that outputs a connection detection signal when detecting that one of the power supply connector and the charging connector is electrically connected .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of arrangement | positioning of the connector of a charging installation, and the connector of a motor vehicle.

It is a figure showing typically the appearance of the battery pack concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a bottom surface of the battery pack in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle equipped with the battery pack of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where the battery pack of FIG. 1 is fixed to a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a state where the battery pack of FIG. 1 is fixed to a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an operation of placing the battery pack of FIG. 1 on a charging facility. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a circuit configuration of the battery pack of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal arrangement of the power supply connector of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a terminal arrangement example of the charging connector of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing connection detection of the battery pack in FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an operation when charging of the battery pack of FIG. 1 is started.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, in this specification and the drawings, components having the same function will be denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant description may be omitted.

(Appearance configuration of battery pack 1)
First, the external configuration of a battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the external appearance of the battery pack 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the bottom surface of the battery pack of FIG.

  The battery pack 1 includes a housing 10, an SDSW (Service Disconnect Switch) 11 provided on one surface of the housing 10, and a power supply connector 12 provided on one surface of the housing 10. In this example, the SDSW 11 and the power supply connector 12 are provided on the same side surface of the housing 10. The SDSW 11 is a switch for shutting off the high-power line when the pack case is opened to perform internal maintenance / maintenance, and can be manually operated from the outside of the battery pack 1 to switch between conduction and cutoff of the circuit. The housing 10 of the battery pack 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a long side, a short side, and a thickness. The long side direction is the x-axis direction, the thickness direction is the y-axis direction, and the short side direction is the z-axis direction. The battery pack 1 is a connector different from the power supply connector 12 and further includes a charging connector 14 for connecting to a charging facility. The charging connector 14 is preferably provided at a position different from the power supply connector 12, for example, at a different surface from the power supply connector 12. In the example of FIG. 2, the charging connector 14 is provided on the bottom surface 10 a of the housing 10.

(Fixing battery pack 1 to vehicle 100)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle 100 on which the battery pack 1 of FIG. 1 is mounted. As shown in this figure, the battery pack 1 can be installed between the driver's seat 2 of the vehicle 100 and the carrier 3. Battery pack 1 is installed in vehicle 100 such that the surface on which SDSW 11 and power supply connector 12 are provided faces the side surface of vehicle 100. When mounted on the vehicle, the power supply connector 12 is electrically connected to a vehicle body-side connector 55 provided on the vehicle body 50 of the vehicle 100 via a connection cable. As a result, the power output from the secondary battery of the battery pack 1 can be supplied to the driving unit of the vehicle 100.

  FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where battery pack 1 is fixed to vehicle 100. FIG. 5 is a rear view showing a state where battery pack 1 is fixed to vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the attachment / detachment mechanism 56 is fixed to the vehicle body 50 and includes two members that support the battery pack 1 so as not to fall over the thickness direction of the battery pack 1. The battery pack 1 is fixed on the vehicle body 50 by disposing the battery pack 1 between the two members of the attachment / detachment mechanism 56 and fixing the battery pack 1 to the attachment / detachment mechanism 56 by a method such as screwing.

(Connection of battery pack 1 to charging equipment 60)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the battery pack 1 is connected to the charging facility 60. The battery pack 1 is detachable from the vehicle body 50. When charging, the battery pack 1 is detached from the vehicle body 50 and connected to the charging equipment 60. FIG. 6A is a side view showing a state in which the battery pack 1 is being placed on the charging facility 60, and FIG. 6B is a view of the state of FIG. . FIG. 6C is a side view showing a state where the battery pack 1 is placed on the charging equipment 60, and FIG. 6D is a view of the state of FIG. 6C as viewed from the front.

  The charging equipment 60 includes a pedestal 61, a charging equipment-side connector 62 connected to the charging connector 14 of the battery pack 1, and holding means 63 for supporting the battery pack 1 so as not to fall down. The holding means 63 is composed of at least two members so as to sandwich the battery pack 1 in the thickness direction. In the example of FIG. 6, the holding means 63 is divided into four members. The holding means 63 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 6, and may be, for example, divided into two members, or may be a concave portion formed in the pedestal portion 61. The charging facility side connector 62 is provided at a position facing the charging connector 14 of the battery pack 1 when the battery pack 1 is placed. Since the charging connector 14 of the battery pack 1 is provided on the bottom surface 10 a of the housing 10, specifically, the charging facility side connector 62 is on the pedestal 61 and is located between the holding means 63. It is provided so as to project vertically from 61.

  As described above, the battery pack 1 that can be attached to and detached from the vehicle 100 has the vehicle-side connector 55 and the charging-facility-side connector by using the power supply connector 12 and the charging connector 14 as separate connectors. There is an effect that the degree of freedom of the arrangement of 62 is increased.

(Circuit configuration of battery pack 1)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the battery pack 1. Referring to FIG. 7, vehicle 100 connected to battery pack 1 includes vehicle body 50, tires 51, motor 52, inverter 53, and VCM 54.

  Inverter 53 converts DC power from battery pack 1 to AC power. Inverter 53 supplies the AC power obtained by the conversion to each part of vehicle 100 such as motor 52. The motor 52 drives the tire 51 of the vehicle 100 using the supplied electric power. The tire 51 supports the vehicle body 50 of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 has a plurality of tires 51, and the tires 51 rotate when the motor 52 rotates an axle connected between the two tires 51. The VCM 54 is an example of a vehicle integrated controller. The VCM 54 is connected to the battery pack 1, the motor 52, the inverter 53, and the like via a communication line. The VCM 54 detects a state of the motor 52 / inverter 53, a signal from a sensor (not shown) that detects the state of the vehicle, and information notified from the battery pack 1 based on a signal from the vehicle 100, for example, driving the vehicle 100. To control the whole.

  The battery pack 1 includes an SDSW 11, a power supply connector 12, a charging connector 14, a battery group 16, a main junction box 17A, a sub junction box 17B, a current sensor 41, and a BMS (Battery Management System) 42. And

  The SDSW 11 has a switch 48 and a fuse 49. The switch 48 switches on / off of the circuit in response to a manual operation from outside the housing 10. The fuse 49 is a safety device that is cut when a current equal to or more than a predetermined threshold is applied.

  The power supply connector 12 has a power supply strong electric terminal portion 121, a control terminal 122, and a vehicle body connection terminal 123. The high-power terminal section 121 for power supply, the control terminal 122, and the vehicle body connection terminal 123 are housed in a single connector housing, and the power supply connector 12 is shaped to fit with the vehicle body side connector 55. Having. The vehicle-body-side connector 55 has terminals corresponding to the strong-current terminal 121 for power supply, the control terminal 122, and the vehicle-body connection terminal 123, respectively. When the power supply connector 12 is fitted with the vehicle body side connector 55, the corresponding terminals are electrically connected.

  The power supply strong current terminal section 121 is connected to the battery group 16 via a strong current harness. When the power supply connector 12 is fitted to the vehicle body side connector 55, the power supply connector 12 is connected to the inverter 53, and supplies power to the motor 52. Can be supplied. The control terminal 122 is connected to the BMS 42 or the like via a communication line, and is connected to the VCM 54 when the power supply connector 12 is fitted with the vehicle body side connector 55. This allows the BMS 42 to notify the VCM 54 of information and transmit an instruction from the VCM 54 to the BMS 42. The vehicle body connection terminal 123 has the same potential as the housing 10 of the battery pack 1. When the power supply connector 12 is fitted with the vehicle body side connector 55, the vehicle body connection terminal 123 is connected to the vehicle body 50 of the vehicle 100 and The housing 10 and the vehicle body 50 can be set at the same potential. The power supply connector 12 has a connection detection mechanism described later in detail, and can detect whether or not the battery pack 1 is connected to the vehicle body 50 side.

  The charging connector 14 has a high-voltage terminal 141 for charging and a control terminal 142. The charging high-current terminal portion 141 and the control terminal 142 are housed in a single connector housing, and the charging connector 14 has a shape that fits with the charging facility-side connector 62 provided in the charging facility 60. Having. The charging-facility-side connector 62 has terminals corresponding to the charging high-voltage terminal 141 and the control terminal 142, respectively. When the charging connector 14 is fitted with the charging facility side connector 62, the corresponding terminals are electrically connected.

  The charging high-voltage terminal section 141 is connected to the battery group 16 via a high-voltage harness, and is connected to a power supply such as a commercial power supply when the charging connector 14 is fitted with the charging facility-side connector 62. Thereby, the power supplied from the charging facility 60 can be charged to the battery group 16. The control terminal 142 is connected to the BMS 42 or the like via a communication line, and is connected to a control unit (not shown) provided in the charging facility 60 when the charging connector 14 is fitted to the charging facility side connector 62. You. This allows the battery pack 1 to operate according to the instruction from the charging facility 60.

  Battery group 16 includes a chargeable / dischargeable secondary battery. In the example of FIG. 7, the battery group 16 has battery stack portions 160a and 160b in which a plurality of battery modules are stacked. The battery stack 160a has a positive terminal 1601 and a negative terminal 1602, and the battery stack 160b has a positive terminal 1603 and a negative terminal 1604. The battery stack units 160a and 160b are connected in series in the example of FIG. 7, and the negative terminal 1602 of the battery stack unit 160a and the positive terminal 1603 of the battery stack unit 160b are terminals of the battery group 16. The positive electrode side terminal 1601 of the battery stack section 160a is connected to the SDSW 11 via the high voltage harness 18d. The negative terminal 1604 of the battery stack section 160b is connected to the SDSW 11 via a high-power harness 18g. As a result, the positive terminal 1601 of the battery stack 160a and the negative terminal 1604 of the battery stack 160b are connected via the strong electric harness 18d, the SDSW 11, and the strong electric harness 18g.

  The main junction box 17A has a relay arranged in the middle of the high-power harness 18. Specifically, the main junction box 17A has a negative relay 43, a positive relay 44, a precharge relay 45, a precharge resistor 46, and a fuse 47. One end of the negative relay 43 is connected to the negative terminal 1602 of the battery stack 160a via the high-power harness 18h. The other end of the negative relay 43 is connected to the high voltage terminal 141 of the charging connector 14 via the high voltage harness 18e, and connected to the high voltage terminal 121 of the connection terminal section 12 via the high voltage harness 18f. As a result, the negative relay 43 is interposed between the negative terminal 1602 and the high-voltage terminal 141 of the battery stack 160a and between the negative terminal 1602 and the high-voltage terminal 121. Toggle shutoff. One end of the positive relay 44 is connected to the positive terminal 1603 of the battery stack 160b via the high-power harness 18c. The other end of the positive relay 44 is connected to the high-voltage terminal 141 of the charging connector 14 via the high-voltage harness 18a, and connected to the high-voltage terminal 121 of the connection terminal section 12 via the high-voltage harness 18b. As a result, the positive relay 44 is interposed between the positive terminal 1603 and the high-voltage terminal 141 of the battery stack 160b and between the positive terminal 1603 and the high-voltage terminal 121. Switch / block. The precharge relay 45 and the precharge resistor 46 are connected in parallel with the positive relay 44 to form a detour. The negative relay 43, the positive relay 44, and the precharge relay 45 are connected to the BMS 42 via a communication line. The BMS 42 controls the switching of conduction / interruption between the negative relay 43, the positive relay 44, and the precharge relay 45. One end of the fuse 47 is connected to the positive relay 44 and the precharge resistor 46, and the other end is connected to the charging connector 14 via the high-power harness 18 a. The fuse 47 is a safety device that is cut when a current equal to or more than a predetermined threshold is applied.

  The sub-junction box 17B has a relay arranged in the middle of the high-power harnesses 18a and 18e. The sub-junction box 17B has a relay for the charging connector 14 that switches between blocking and conduction of the path between the charging connector 14 and the battery group 16. Specifically, the sub-junction box 17B includes a positive relay 48, a negative relay 49, Having. The positive relay 48 and the negative relay 49 cut off the path between the battery group 16 and the charging connector 14 when the path between the power supply connector 12 and the battery group 16 is in a conductive state. With this configuration, when the battery pack 1 is attached to the vehicle 100, no voltage is applied to the charging connector 14, so that safety can be improved.

  The current sensor 41 detects a current. The current sensor 41 is connected to the BMS 42 via a communication line, and notifies the BMS 42 of the detected current. The current sensor 41 is inserted into a high-power harness 18h that connects the main junction box 17A and the negative terminal 1602 of the battery stack 160a.

  The BMS 42 is a control unit that controls the battery pack 1. The BMS 42 is connected to each unit in the battery pack 1 by a communication line, and is connected to the VCM 54 via the power supply connector 12 by a communication line. The BMS 42 outputs a connection detection signal when the battery pack 1 is connected to the vehicle 100 or the charging facility 60. Specifically, when detecting that either the power supply connector 12 or the charging connector 14 is connected, the BMS 42 outputs a connection detection signal. Regardless of which of the power supply connector 12 and the charging connector 14 is connected, the connection detection signal is output in a state where one of them is connected, so that complicated processing is not required. Can be planned. The BMS 42 monitors the state of charge of the battery group 16 when the battery pack 1 is being charged, and can output a full charge detection signal when the battery group 16 is fully charged.

(Example of connector terminal arrangement)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal arrangement of the power supply connector 12. The power supply connector 12 includes a power supply strong electric terminal 121, a control terminal 122, and a vehicle body connection terminal 123 in one connector housing. The power supply strong current terminal portion 121 further includes a positive connection detection terminal 124P, a negative connection detection terminal 124N, a positive high current terminal 125P, and a negative high current terminal 125N. The positive electrode connection detection terminal 124P and the negative electrode connection detection terminal 124N are terminals for detecting that the power supply connector 12 is fitted with the vehicle body side connector 55 and the battery pack 1 is electrically connected to the vehicle 100. is there. Positive electrode terminal 125P and negative electrode terminal 125N are terminals for supplying electric power stored in battery pack 1 to an electric load of vehicle 100. The positive connection detection terminal 124P and the negative connection detection terminal 124N, which are connection detection terminals, are provided near the positive high voltage terminal 125P and the negative high voltage terminal 125N. This makes it possible to accurately detect whether or not the positive high-voltage terminal 125P and the negative high-current terminal 125N are electrically connected to the vehicle body.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal arrangement of the charging connector 14. The charging connector 14 has a high-voltage terminal 141 for charging housed in a single connector housing and a control terminal 142. The charging high-current terminal unit 141 has a positive connection detection terminal 143P, a negative connection detection terminal 143N, a positive high-voltage terminal 144P, and a negative high-voltage terminal 144N. The positive electrode connection terminal 143P and the negative electrode connection terminal 143N detect that the battery connector 1 is electrically connected to the charging facility 60 when the charging connector 14 is fitted with the charging facility side connector 62 of the charging facility 60. Terminal. The positive electrode strong electric terminal 144P and the negative electrode strong electric terminal 144N are terminals for supplying electric power supplied from the charging facility 60 to the battery group 16 in the battery pack 1. The positive connection detection terminal 143P and the negative connection detection terminal 143N, which are terminals for connection detection, are provided in the vicinity of the positive high voltage terminal 144P and the negative high voltage terminal 144N. This makes it possible to accurately detect whether or not the positive electrode strong electric terminal 144P and the negative electrode strong electric terminal 144N are electrically connected to the terminal on the charging facility 60 side.

(Connection detection)
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining connection detection in the battery pack 1. The BMS 42 monitors the potential difference between the two points P1 and P2 shown in FIG. For example, point P1 is a connection point at one side potential of the connection detection circuit of the power supply connector 12 and the connection detection circuit of the charging connector 14, and point P2 is a connection detection circuit of the power supply connector 12 and charging. The connection point of the connection detection circuit of the connector 14 at the other potential. Then, the BMS 42 determines whether or not the battery pack 1 is connected to the vehicle body 50 or the charging facility 60 based on the potential difference. As shown in FIG. 10, when the power supply connector 12 is connected to the vehicle body-side connector 55 provided on the vehicle body 50 via a cable, a connection detection loop circuit is formed. This loop circuit is hereinafter referred to as a power supply connector connection detection circuit. Similarly, when the charging connector 14 is connected to the charging facility connector 62 of the charging facility 60, a loop circuit for connection detection is formed. This loop circuit is called a connection detection circuit of the charging connector. The connection detection circuit of the power supply connector is connected between the two points P1 and P2 in parallel with the connection detection circuit of the charging connector. With this configuration, when at least one of the power supply connector 12 and the charging connector 14 is in a connected state, the potential difference between the two points P1 and P2 changes. Connection can be detected. With such a simple configuration, it is possible to detect that one of the power supply connector 12 and the charging connector 14 is connected, and a complicated configuration is not required, so that the size of the battery pack 1 itself increases. And miniaturization can be achieved.

(Charging start operation)
FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when charging the battery pack 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. When the BMS 42 of the battery pack 1 outputs the connection detection signal, the control unit (not shown) of the charging facility 60 receives this connection detection signal (Step S100). Upon receiving the connection detection signal, the control unit of the charging facility 60 starts supplying power to the BMS 42 (Step S101). Then, the control unit of the charging facility 60 instructs the BMS 42 to turn on the positive relay 48 and the negative relay 49 for the charging connector 14 (Step S102). Subsequently, the control unit of the charging facility 60 turns on the precharge relay 45 (Step S103). Thereafter, the control unit of the charging facility 60 turns on the main relay 44 (step S104) and shuts off the precharge relay 45 (step S105).

  Thereafter, the control unit of the charging facility 60 starts charging (step S106). After starting the charging, the control unit of the charging facility 60 determines whether a full-charge detection signal has been received (step S107). The full charge detection signal is a signal output when the BMS 42 of the battery pack 1 detects that the battery group 16 is in a fully charged state. Upon receiving the full charge detection signal, the control unit of the charging facility 60 ends the charging (Step S108).

  According to the above operation, when the charging facility 60 starts charging, the positive relay 48 and the negative relay 49, which are relays for the charging connector 14, the precharge relay 45, and the main relay 44 are turned on in this order. That is, before the relay in the main junction box 17A is turned on, the relay in the sub-junction box 17B in which the relay for the charging connector 14 is housed is turned on. Thereby, when starting charging, it is possible to suppress an overcurrent from flowing to the charging facility 60 side.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 battery pack 10 battery pack housing 10 a bottom surface 12 power supply connector 14 charging connector 100 vehicle 50 vehicle body 55 vehicle body side connector 60 charging facility 62 charging facility side connector

Claims (6)

A battery pack that is detachable from a vehicle and supplies power output from a secondary battery to driving means of the vehicle when mounted on a vehicle,
A housing for housing the secondary battery,
A power supply connector electrically connected to a connector provided in the vehicle,
A connector different from the power supply connector, and a charging connector electrically connected to a connector provided in a charging facility for charging the secondary battery ,
A battery pack comprising: a control unit that outputs a connection detection signal when detecting that one of the power supply connector and the charging connector is electrically connected .   The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the charging connector is provided on a surface of the housing that is different from a surface on which the power supply connector is provided.   3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the charging connector is provided on a bottom surface of the housing. The control unit monitors a potential difference between two predetermined points, detects a connection based on the potential difference,
4. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the connection detection circuit of the power supply connector is connected in parallel with the connection detection circuit of the charging connector between the two points. 5. . When a path between the power supply connector and the secondary battery is in a conductive state, a relay for a charging connector that cuts off a path between the secondary battery and the charging connector is further provided. comprising, battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A main relay provided between the secondary battery and the power supply connector,
A precharge relay including a resistor connected in parallel with the main relay;
The relay for the charging connector is provided between the main relay and the connector for charging,
The battery pack according to claim 5 , wherein when the charging facility starts charging, the relay for the charging connector, the precharge relay, and the main relay are turned on in this order.

Images