JP7306850B2 - Automotive battery temperature controller - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-vehicle battery temperature control device, and more particularly to an on-vehicle battery temperature control device for suitably adjusting a gas flow in the vicinity of a vehicle battery.

As a conventional battery 100, structures shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are known. FIG. 9A is a perspective view illustrating a conventional battery 100. FIG. FIG. 9(B) is a cross-sectional view for explaining a conventional battery, and is a cross-sectional view along line DD shown in FIG. 9(A). FIG. 10A is a perspective view illustrating a cell stack 101 of a conventional battery 100. FIG. FIG. 10(B) is a cross-sectional view for explaining a cell stack 101 of a conventional battery 100, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of the cell stack 101 shown in FIG. 10(A).

As shown in FIG. 9A, the battery 100 mainly includes a box-shaped housing 102, a plurality of cell stacks 101 arranged inside the housing 102 (see FIG. 9B), and a housing. It has a duct 103 communicating with the interior of the body 102 and a blower 104 communicating with the duct 103 .

For example, five cell stacks 101 are arranged inside the housing 102, the battery 100 is controlled by a PCU (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, and a motor or the like is arranged in the vehicle. to power the

As shown in FIG. 9(B), the blower 104 is controlled by the BCU (not shown) of the battery system, operates when cooling the cells 105 constituting the cell stack 101, and cools the housing 102 (see FIG. 9). ) blows the outside air into. A solid line 109 indicates the flow of air. The air blown into the housing 102 cools the cells 105 by flowing through the gaps between the cells 105 after flowing through the air passages 110 .

As shown in FIG. 10A, each cell stack 101 includes a plurality of cells 105. As shown in FIG. The cell 105 is composed of, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. A concave portion 106 is formed in the side surface 105A of each cell 105 along the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction of the paper surface). A plurality of convex portions 107 for rectifying air and wiring 108 as a heat transfer heater are formed in the concave portion 106 .

The wiring 108 is formed of, for example, a metal wire such as copper. The wiring 108 is connected to a power supply unit (not shown) and generates heat when power is supplied, thereby raising the temperature of the cell 105 from the outside. . As shown, the wiring 108 is arranged as evenly as possible with respect to the side surface 105A in order to evenly heat the cells 105. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10B, in a cell stack 101, a plurality of cells 105 are arranged adjacent to each other, and recesses 106 serve as gaps between the adjacent cells 105, extending in the longitudinal direction of the cell stack 101 (forward and backward direction on the paper). It is used as a cooling air passage penetrating through (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Further, referring to FIG. 5 of Patent Document 2 and its description, an invention is described in which an openable and closable shutter is arranged between battery cells and the shutter is opened and closed according to the temperature of the battery.

JP 2017-184522 A JP 2006-100123 A

However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the gaps using the concave portions 106 between the cells 105 are always open. Then, the air blown into the housing 102 is likely to be guided to the gaps between the cells 105 in the vicinity of the duct 103 . As a result, the cells 105 are efficiently cooled, but the end of the housing 102, especially the right cell 105 located far from the duct 103, is difficult for air to flow into, and the cells 105 in that area are Difficult to cool efficiently. Due to this structure, it is difficult to uniformly cool all the cells 105 in the housing 102, and there is a problem that variations in battery characteristics are likely to occur.

Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, the opening and closing of the shutter is only performed according to the battery temperature, and no study is made on the specific temperature range for opening and closing the shutter. Therefore, from the viewpoint of optimum temperature control of the battery temperature, the invention described in Patent Document 2 has room for improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. To provide a temperature control device.

An in-vehicle battery temperature control device according to the present invention is an in-vehicle battery temperature control device which is arranged near a battery comprising a plurality of battery cells and through which a fluid that exchanges heat with the battery cells flows, and which is formed near the battery. By performing an opening and closing operation with a space that is a space where the and an arithmetic control unit, wherein the arithmetic control unit controls any one of the battery cells even if the average temperature of the battery cell is lower than the first temperature at which the battery is activated. If the temperature exceeds a second temperature set higher than the first temperature, the opening/closing unit is opened, and even if the average temperature of the battery cells exceeds the first temperature, either is lower than a third temperature set lower than the first temperature, the opening/closing unit is closed.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit raises the temperature of the battery with a temperature raising device when the temperature of the battery is lower than the first temperature.

Further, in the in-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, if the temperature of the battery exceeds the first temperature, the arithmetic control unit operates the cooling device so that the It is characterized by blowing air toward the space.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit closes the opening/closing unit when the vehicle is stopped.

Further, in the in-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit opens the opening/closing unit when a failure is detected.

Further, in the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit monitors the temperature of each of the battery cells, and adopts the average temperature of the battery cells as the temperature of the battery. .

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the temperature raising device is a heating wire arranged so as to raise the temperature of the battery.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the space is formed between the side surfaces of the battery.

An in-vehicle battery temperature control device according to the present invention is an in-vehicle battery temperature control device which is arranged near a battery comprising a plurality of battery cells and through which a fluid that exchanges heat with the battery cells flows, and which is formed near the battery. By performing an opening and closing operation with a space that is a space where the and an arithmetic control unit, wherein the arithmetic control unit controls any one of the battery cells even if the average temperature of the battery cell is lower than the first temperature at which the battery is activated. If the temperature exceeds a second temperature set higher than the first temperature, the opening/closing unit is opened, and even if the average temperature of the battery cells exceeds the first temperature, either is lower than a third temperature set lower than the first temperature, the opening/closing unit is closed. Thus, according to the in-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, when the temperature of the battery reaches the first temperature at which the battery is activated, the opening/closing portion is opened to warm the activated battery. The warm air can be discharged to the outside, and overheating of the battery during charging or discharging can be suppressed. Further, when the temperature is lower than the first temperature at which the battery is activated, the opening/closing portion is closed to substantially seal the space, thereby suppressing a decrease in the temperature of the battery.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit raises the temperature of the battery with a temperature raising device when the temperature of the battery is lower than the first temperature. As a result, according to the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, it is possible to effectively raise the temperature of the battery by the temperature raising means by closing the opening/closing portion.

Further, in the in-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, if the temperature of the battery exceeds the first temperature, the arithmetic control unit operates the cooling device so that the It is characterized by blowing air toward the space. Thus, according to the in-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, when the temperature of the battery is high, the battery can be prevented from overheating by blowing air toward the space with the blower.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit closes the opening/closing unit when the vehicle is stopped. As a result, according to the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, by closing the open/close portion when the vehicle is stopped, the air existing in the internal space acts like a heat insulating material, preventing dew condensation on the battery and the like. You can prevent it from happening.

Further, in the in-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit opens the opening/closing unit when a failure is detected. As a result, according to the automotive battery temperature control device of the present invention, heat generated when, for example, a battery cell fails can be released to the outside.

Further, in the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit monitors the temperature of each of the battery cells, and adopts the average temperature of the battery cells as the temperature of the battery. . Thus, according to the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the average temperature of the battery is preferably controlled by the arithmetic control unit controlling the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing unit based on the average temperature of the battery cells. be able to.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the temperature raising device is a heating wire arranged so as to raise the temperature of the battery. As a result, according to the vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the temperature of the battery can be raised in a short period of time by the heating wire.

Further, in the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the space is formed between the side surfaces of the battery. Thus, according to the on-vehicle battery temperature control device of the present invention, the temperature of the battery can be effectively controlled by forming the space for temperature control between the side surfaces of the battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the vehicle provided with the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is a top view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is sectional drawing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the vehicle battery temperature control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (A) is a top view, (B) is a side view, (C) is a top view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the vehicle battery which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is an exploded perspective view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (A) is a side view, (B) is sectional drawing, (C) is sectional drawing. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an in-vehicle battery temperature control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an in-vehicle battery according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a table showing in detail temperature control of the in-vehicle battery; FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a vehicle battery according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing temperatures at which the battery is activated. It is a figure explaining the conventional battery, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is sectional drawing. It is a figure explaining the cell stack of the conventional battery, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is sectional drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present embodiment, in principle, the same reference numbers are used for the same members, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1(A) is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle 12 equipped with a battery temperature control device 10 (see FIG. 6) and a vehicle battery 11 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1(B) is a plan view for explaining the arrangement state of the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device 10 and the vehicle-mounted battery 11 of the present embodiment. Here, since the vehicle battery 11 is an assembly of battery cells 52, which will be described later, it is also called a battery module, a battery stack, a battery, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a vehicle 12 such as an automobile or a train is equipped with an on-vehicle battery 11 (see FIG. 1B) for supplying power to a motor and various electrical components. As the vehicle 12, an EV (Electric Vehicle), an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or the like can be adopted. These vehicles 12 are also equipped with a plurality of in-vehicle batteries 11 having a high power storage function.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a vehicle 12 equipped with a vehicle battery 11. FIG. The vehicle 12 mainly includes a vehicle body 13, a plurality of vehicle batteries 11 arranged in a battery arrangement area 15 near the bottom surface 14 of the vehicle 12, and a drive motor driven by electric power supplied from the vehicle battery 11. 25 (see FIG. 6) and tires (not shown) that are rotated by the drive force of the drive motor 25 .

As shown in FIG. 1B, a plurality of onboard batteries 11 are arranged in a matrix in a battery arrangement area 15 of a vehicle 12 . The vehicle-mounted battery 11 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its longitudinal direction is arranged along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12 . By efficiently arranging a plurality of vehicle batteries 11 in the battery arrangement area 15 and mounting a large number of vehicle batteries 11, the continuous running distance of the vehicle 12 can be extended.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 16 of the vehicle battery temperature control device 10 is arranged along the longitudinal side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11 . The temperature raising heater 16 is arranged so as to sandwich the vehicle battery 11 and heats the vehicle battery 11 from the side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11 . When the vehicle 12 charges and discharges the vehicle-mounted battery 11 in a low-temperature environment, the heater 16 heats the vehicle-mounted battery 11 to an appropriate temperature range, thereby can maintain good battery characteristics.

Specifically, in the battery arrangement area 15 of the vehicle 12, two vehicle batteries 11 are arranged in the front row, and three temperature raising heaters 16 are arranged adjacent to the vehicle batteries 11. are arranged. On the other hand, from the second row to the fourth row, four vehicle-mounted batteries 11 are arranged in each row, and five temperature raising heaters 16 are arranged adjacent to the vehicle-mounted batteries 11. there is

As will be described later, a first door 31 (see FIG. 3(A)) and a second door 32 (see FIG. 3 ( A)) is arranged so as to be openable and closable. A space 35 (see FIG. 3A) is formed between the vehicle battery 11 and the heater 16 , and the space 35 is closed by the first door 31 and the second door 32 . Scree or open. When the vehicle battery 11 is air-cooled, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are opened, and the space 35 communicates with the outside and is opened as a cooling air passage. On the other hand, when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 is increased, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are closed, the communication between the space 35 and the outside is restricted, and the space 35 is a sealed space or a sealed space. Close to space.

With reference to FIG. 2, the state in which the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 is raised by the vehicle battery temperature control device 10 will be described. FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view for explaining an arrangement state of the in-vehicle battery temperature control device 10. FIG. FIG. 2(B) is a cross-sectional view for explaining a state in which the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is raised by the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device 10, and is a cross section taken along line AA in the arrangement state shown in FIG. 2(A). It is a diagram.

FIG. 2(A) shows two vehicle batteries 11 and three vehicle battery temperature control devices 10 arranged in the front row of the battery arrangement area 15 of the vehicle 12 shown in FIG. 1(B). there is The heater 16 of the vehicle battery temperature control device 10 is arranged on the side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11 so as to sandwich the vehicle battery 11 therebetween. Moreover, one temperature raising heater 16 is arranged between the two vehicle batteries 11, and the temperature of the two vehicle batteries 11 can be raised by the one temperature raising heater 16 at the same time.

As shown in FIG. 2(B), the tip surfaces of the top surface portion 332 and the bottom surface portion 333 of the housing portion 33 are in close contact with the peripheral edges of the side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11, respectively. In addition, a temperature raising heater 16 is arranged for the vehicle-mounted battery 11 . A space 35 is formed between the battery cells 52 , and the heating wire 41 (heating device) woven into the nonwoven fabric 42 is arranged inside the space 35 .

3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device 10. FIG. 3A is a top view, FIG. 3B is a side view, and FIG. 3C is a top view.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the housing portion 33 of the heater 16 has its longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12, and its cross-sectional shape is, for example, substantially H-shaped. The main column portion 331 of the housing portion 33 is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction at the central portion in the lateral direction (horizontal direction of the vehicle 12), and is formed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the housing portion 33. It is In addition, on the upper end side of the main column portion 331, the upper surface portion 332 of the housing portion 33 is formed integrally with the main column portion 331, and on the lower end side of the main column portion 331, the bottom surface portion 333 ( (see FIG. 3B) is formed integrally with the main column portion 331 . The upper surface portion 332 and the bottom surface portion 333 are formed to extend in the longitudinal direction of the housing portion 33 .

In addition, a first opening/closing door 31 and a second opening/closing door 32 serving as an opening/closing portion are arranged in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the housing portion 33 . Since the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are closed as shown in FIG. After the temperature of the air inside the space 35 rises to a certain temperature, it becomes easier to maintain that temperature. As a result, by adjusting the amount of electric power supplied from the sub-battery 23 (see FIG. 6) to the heating wire 41 (see FIG. 3C), the power consumption of the temperature raising heater 16 can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B) , the first opening/closing door 31 is provided in pair so as to sandwich the main pillar 331 , and the upper surface 332 and the bottom surface of the housing 33 near the main pillar 331 are provided. It is rotatably pivoted with respect to the portion 333 . Similarly, the second opening/closing door 32 is also provided in a pair so as to sandwich the main pillar 331, and is rotatably supported on the upper surface 332 and the bottom surface 333 of the housing 33 in the vicinity of the main pillar 331. It is

Further, in the housing portion 33 , a space portion 35 is formed along the side surfaces 36 and 37 of the main pillar portion 331 inside the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 . Although the details will be described later, in a state in which the temperature raising heater 16 is arranged adjacent to the side surfaces 111 and 112 (see FIG. 2B) of the vehicle battery 11, the space 35 is formed on the side surface of the vehicle battery 11. It is positioned between 111 , 112 and side surfaces 36 , 37 of housing section 33 . When the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are closed, the space 35 becomes a substantially closed space, and the air inside the space 35 is used as a heat conduction path to raise the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11. . On the other hand, when the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are open, the space 35 serves as a cooling air passage to air-cool the vehicle-mounted battery 11 .

FIG. 3C shows the open state of the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 . As described above, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are controlled by the electronic control unit 21 (see FIG. 6), and open and close according to the temperature measurement value of the vehicle battery 11 . As indicated by an arrow 38, the first opening door 31 and the second opening door 32 are pivotally supported on the housing portion 33 on the side of the main column portion 331, and are positioned downstream of the space portion 35 with the pivotally supported portion serving as a fulcrum. (the rear side of the vehicle 12). By this operation, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are opened. On the other hand, by performing this reverse operation, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are changed from the open state shown in FIG. 3(C) to the closed state shown in FIG. 3(A).

An arrow 34 indicates the flow of air generated around the heater 16 by running air, a blower, or the like. side toward the second opening/closing door 32 side. The outside air is sent into the space 35 from the side of the first opening/closing door 31 , and then the air that cools the vehicle battery 11 inside the space 35 is sent outside through the second opening/closing door 32 . be

The vehicle-mounted battery 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a perspective view illustrating the vehicle battery 11. FIG. FIG. 4B is an exploded perspective view illustrating the vehicle battery 11. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the vehicle-mounted battery 11 mainly includes a storage case 51, a plurality of battery cells 52 (see FIG. 4B) stored in the storage case 51, and the storage case 51. A cover 53 that closes the upper surface, a temperature control plate 54 (see FIG. 4B) that is a fluid path arranged below the storage case 51, and a heat insulating member 55 that is arranged below the temperature control plate 54 ( (see FIG. 4B).

The in-vehicle battery 11 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As described above, the width of the side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11 in the front-rear direction is substantially the same as the width of the side surfaces 36 and 37 of the housing portion 33 in the front-rear direction. Further, the vertical width of the side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11 is substantially the same as the vertical width of the side surfaces 36 and 37 of the housing portion 33 .

As shown in FIG. 4B, the storage case 51 mainly consists of a pair of end plates 56 and a pair of bind bars 57, and is configured to store the plurality of battery cells 52 from the front, rear, left and right. surround and support. The end plate 56 is made of, for example, a plate-shaped resin plate or steel plate, and is a member that covers the front side surface and the rear side surface of the battery cell 52 located at both ends. The bind bar 57 is made of, for example, a resin plate or a steel plate, and is a member that covers the right and left side surfaces of the plurality of battery cells 52 . The cover 53 is made of, for example, a resin plate or a steel plate, and is a member that covers the battery cells 52 from above.

The battery cell 52 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a nickel-metal hydride battery or a lithium-ion battery. Each battery cell 52 has, for example, a rectangular flat plate shape, and is arranged at regular intervals along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12 with small gaps in front and rear of the battery cells 52 . A plurality of battery cells 52 are connected in series via a conductive connection plate (not shown) to form a high-power vehicle battery 11 . Although not shown, a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are provided on the upper surface of the battery cell 52 so as to protrude upward.

The temperature control plate 54 is temperature control means arranged near the lower surfaces of the plurality of battery cells 52 . Inside the temperature control plate 54, a pipe (not shown) through which a temperature control fluid such as water flows is arranged. By arranging the temperature control plate 54 below the plurality of battery cells 52, the battery characteristics during charging and discharging of the battery cells 52 are improved. Specifically, when the temperature of the battery cell 52 is higher than the usable temperature range, the cooling medium flows through the temperature control plate 54 to cool the battery cell 52 . On the other hand, when the temperature of the battery cell 52 is lower than the usable temperature range, the heating medium flows through the temperature control plate 54 to raise the temperature of the battery cell 52 .

The heat insulating member 55 is a plate-shaped member arranged below the temperature control plate 54, and is made of, for example, foamed synthetic resin having heat insulating properties such as foamed polyethylene. By arranging the heat insulating member 55 below the temperature control plate 54, the temperature control plate 54 can be insulated from the outside, and the temperature control effect of the temperature control plate 54 can be increased.

The temperature raising heater 16 of the in-vehicle battery temperature control device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A is a side view illustrating the temperature raising heater 16. FIG. FIG. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the temperature raising heater 16 of the vehicle battery temperature control device 10 of the present embodiment. It is a diagram. FIG. 5(C) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the heating heater 16 of the vehicle battery temperature control device 10 of the present embodiment. It is a diagram.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the casing 33 of the heater 16 mainly includes a heating wire 41 as a heating element and a non-woven fabric 42 supporting the heating wire 41. Built-in. The heating wire 41 is supported while being sewn on the surface of the nonwoven fabric 42, and generates heat when electric power is supplied from the sub-battery 23 (see FIG. 6). The nonwoven fabric 42 is made of, for example, glass fiber having excellent thermal conductivity, and is arranged on substantially the entire side surfaces 36 and 37 of the housing portion 33 . The nonwoven fabric 42 supports the heating wire 41 and efficiently transfers the heat generated from the heating wire 41 to the surrounding air layer.

As described above, the housing portion 33 is, for example, a substantially plate-like body, and the side surfaces 36 and 37 located on the sides of the housing portion 33 have a longitudinal direction along the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12 and a vertical direction of the vehicle 12 . has a transverse direction along As described above, the housing portion 33 is arranged along the side surfaces 111 and 112 of the vehicle battery 11 .

As shown in FIG. 5(C), a second opening/closing door 32 is arranged near the longitudinal end of the housing portion 33 . The second opening/closing door 32 is arranged with a clearance to the extent that it can be rotatably moved with respect to the main column portion 331 , the top surface portion 332 and the bottom surface portion 333 .

As described above, the heating wire 41 and the nonwoven fabric 42 are built in the main column portion 331 of the housing portion 33 . The heating wire 41 generates heat by being supplied with electric power from the sub-battery 23 (see FIG. 6), and also utilizes the nonwoven fabric 42 with excellent thermal conductivity to effectively remove the air inside the space 35. heat to

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the vehicle battery temperature control device 10. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device 10 mainly includes an electronic control unit 21, a temperature raising heater 16 for warming the vehicle-mounted battery 11, a temperature sensor 22 for measuring the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, A first opening/closing door 31 and a second opening/closing door 32 that open and close when the vehicle battery 11 is heated or air-cooled, and a motor that rotates the heater 16 and the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32. and a sub-battery 23 that supplies electric power. Here, the sub-battery 23 is supplied with power from the vehicle-mounted battery 11 or the like.

The vehicle battery 11 is, for example, a 350V high voltage power supply source. Vehicle-mounted battery 11 is connected to drive motor 25 via inverter 24 and supplies power to drive motor 25 . The drive motor 25 outputs power for driving drive wheels (not shown) of the vehicle 12 (see FIG. 1A).

The electronic control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and is an arithmetic control section that executes various calculations for vehicle control. be. The electronic control unit 21 is started by, for example, pressing the ignition switch 26 of the vehicle 12 while the driver steps on the brake (not shown).

The temperature sensor 22 measures the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 . Temperature sensor 22 is attached to each of battery cells 52 constituting vehicle battery 11 , and information indicating the temperature of each battery cell 52 is transmitted to electronic control unit 21 .

Electronic control unit 21 stores, for example, measurements from temperature sensor 22 . When the vehicle battery 11 is to be heated, the electronic control unit 21 rotates the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 to the closed state, and turns on the temperature raising heater 16 . On the other hand, when cooling the vehicle battery 11, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are rotated to the open state, and when the temperature raising heater 16 is in operation, the temperature raising heater 16 is turned off. A specific operation of the electronic control unit 21 will be described later with reference to FIG.

A method for controlling the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 by the vehicle battery temperature control device 10 will be described with reference to the table of FIG. In FIG. 7, from the top, the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, the temperature control operation, the use limit of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, its contents, the operation of the first opening and closing door 31 and the second opening and closing door 32 as the opening and closing parts, and the outline of the operation is shown. In the following description, the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is, for example, the average temperature of the battery cells 52, but the temperature of a specific battery cell 52 can also be used as a representative value. , etc. can be adopted. Here, in the following description with reference to FIG. 7, specific temperature and the like of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 are referred to. Varies according to various conditions.

The electronic control unit 21 performs the opening/closing operation of the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 based on the output of the temperature sensor 22 that measures the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 described above. A temperature raising operation for raising the temperature and a cooling operation for cooling the vehicle battery 11 are performed. Also, the electronic control unit 21 monitors the temperature of all the battery cells 52 via the temperature sensor 22 for such control. Specifically, the electronic control unit 21 performs the following controls.

Regarding the temperature control operation, when the average temperature of the battery cells 52 measured by the temperature sensor 22 is between -35.degree. C. and 10.degree. do. As this temperature control operation, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are closed, the electric heating wire 41 is energized to heat the inside of the space 35, An operation of raising the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 by heat conduction from the space 35 can be adopted. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 4(B), an operation of raising the temperature of vehicle-mounted battery 11 by heat conduction from temperature control plate 54 can be adopted by flowing a high-temperature fluid to temperature control plate 54 . Furthermore, a temperature raising operation using both the heating wire 41 and the temperature control plate 54 can be employed.

When the average temperature of the battery cells 52 measured by the temperature sensor 22 is between 10.degree. C. and 35.degree. In such a temperature range, the battery cells 52 can be efficiently charged or discharged without heating and cooling.

In the temperature control stop zone, in principle, the temperature control operation of the vehicle battery 11 is not executed, but the temperature equalization operation for equalizing the temperature of the battery cells 52 is executed based on the instruction of the electronic control unit 21. can also This can be done by appropriately performing a heating operation and a cooling operation. For example, when the temperature of any one of the battery cells 52 exceeds a predetermined high temperature set temperature, the cooling operation is performed. Conversely, if the temperature of any one of the battery cells 52 falls below the predetermined low-temperature set temperature, the temperature raising operation is performed. By executing such temperature soaking operation, it is possible to prevent a specific battery cell 52 from becoming extremely low or high temperature.

Furthermore, when the temperature rising operation as the temperature uniforming operation is performed in the temperature control stop zone, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 31 are provided as shown in FIG. The door 32 may be closed. On the other hand, when performing the cooling operation as the temperature equalizing operation, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are opened as shown in FIG. may be set to the open state.

When the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is 35° C. or higher, it becomes a cooling zone for cooling the vehicle-mounted battery 11 . In the cooling zone, for example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the electronic control unit 21 opens the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 so that the space 35 communicates with the outside. , and the cooling air is passed along the direction of the arrow 34 inside the space 35 . At this time, by blowing air along the direction of the arrow 34 with an air blower (not shown), the circulation of the cooling air can be promoted. Battery cells 52 are cooled by heat exchange between the cooling air passing through space 35 and battery cells 52 of in-vehicle battery 11 . The battery cells 52 can also be cooled by circulating cooling fluid through the temperature control plate 54 based on instructions from the electronic control unit 21 . Either one of the cooling by the cooling air flowing through the space 35 and the cooling by the temperature control plate 54 may be employed, or both may be employed at the same time.

Next, the limitations and contents of the automotive battery 11 in each temperature range will be described.

The electronic control unit 21 stops the output from the vehicle battery 11 in the temperature range of −35° C. to −25° C. of the vehicle battery 11 . Also, turning on the ignition of the vehicle 12 is prohibited. The reason for stopping the output is that the electrolytic solution used in the vehicle battery 11 freezes when the temperature drops below -25°C.

The electronic control unit 21 limits the output from the vehicle battery 11 when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 is in the temperature range of -25°C to -5°C. The reason why the output is limited in this way is that the reaction of the electrolyte used in the vehicle battery 11 is slow, and the efficiency during charging or discharging decreases.

The electronic control unit 21 normally uses the output from the vehicle battery 11 when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 is in the temperature range of -5°C to 50°C. That is, the electronic control unit 21 charges or discharges the vehicle-mounted battery 11 without any particular limitation.

The electronic control unit 21 limits the output from the vehicle battery 11 in the temperature range of 50° C. to 55° C. of the vehicle battery 11 . That is, it limits the output when the vehicle battery 11 is charged or discharged.

When the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 is 55° C. or higher, the electronic control unit 21 stops the output from the vehicle battery 11 . Specifically, in this temperature range, charging or discharging from the vehicle battery 11 is prohibited because the performance of the vehicle battery 11 deteriorates. That is, the ignition is prohibited from being turned on.

Next, the operation of opening and closing the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 according to the temperature zone will be described. In this embodiment, the electronic control unit 21 controls the opening/closing operations of the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 with the first temperature at which the battery cell 52 is activated as a boundary.

Specifically, when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 is lower than the temperature at which the battery cell 52 is activated, the first door 31 and the second door 32 are closed. By closing the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32, the space 35 is substantially sealed as shown in FIG. When it generates heat, the generated heat is well conducted to the battery cell 52 of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 adjacent to the space 35 via the space 35, and the temperature of the battery cell 52 is favorably raised. Furthermore, when the heated fluid is caused to flow through the temperature control plate 54, the side surface of the battery cell 52 is insulated by the space 35, which is a substantially closed space, so that the heat conducted from the temperature control plate 54 to the battery cell 52 is No heat is radiated from the side surfaces of the battery cells 52 .

Here, the first temperature at which the battery cell 52 is activated is the temperature above which the amount of heat generated from the vehicle-mounted battery 11 increases due to charging and discharging. is employed. Also, considering that the first temperature may change according to battery characteristics and battery conditions, it is possible to change the setting within a range of 10° C. to 20° C., for example.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 exceeds the first temperature at which the battery cell 52 is activated, the electronic control unit 21 opens the first door 31 and the second door 32 . That is, as shown in FIG. 3C, opening the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 allows communication between the space 35 and the outside. As a result, air flows through the space 35 in the direction indicated by the arrow 34 , and the air exchanges heat with the battery cell 52 , thereby cooling the battery cell 52 . Here, the air introduced into the space 35 includes air from outside the vehicle, conditioned air from the vehicle interior air conditioner, air guided from the vehicle interior, and air circulated between the space 35 and the air conditioner. Air or the like can be used.

Further, when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 exceeds 35° C., the electronic control unit 21 may operate the cooling device to cool the battery cells 52 . For example, air can be blown into the space 35 from a blower (not shown), thereby cooling the battery cells 52 more positively. Furthermore, the electronic control unit 21 may cool the battery cells 52 by causing a cooling fluid to flow through the temperature control plate 54, which is a cooling device. Furthermore, the cooling operation may be started, for example, when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 exceeds the first temperature (for example, 15° C.).

Here, opening and closing of the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 is basically performed based on the comparison between the average temperature of the battery cell 52 and the above-described first temperature. However, during charging and discharging, there is a temperature difference of about 5° C. between individual battery cells 52 . Furthermore, there is also a measurement error due to the temperature sensor 22 of about 2°C. Therefore, in order to accurately control the temperature of the vehicle battery 11, the opening and closing of the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 can be controlled in consideration of the temperature of each battery cell 52. FIG. This control may be performed as the above-described soaking process.

Specifically, if the temperature of any one of the battery cells 52 constituting the vehicle-mounted battery 11 exceeds a second temperature set higher than the first temperature, for example, 22° C., the first opening/closing door 31 and The second door 32 is opened. At this time, even if the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, for example, the average temperature of the battery cells 52 is below the first temperature, if the temperature of any of the battery cells 52 exceeds the second temperature, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 is opened. Furthermore, the air blowing by the air blower described above may be performed at this time. Furthermore, a cooling fluid is passed through the temperature control plate 54 as needed. By doing so, it is possible to cool the specific battery cell 52 and prevent the specific battery cell 52 from becoming extremely hot.

Further, if the temperature of any one of the battery cells 52 constituting the vehicle-mounted battery 11 falls below a third temperature set lower than the above-described first temperature, for example, 7° C., the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing The door 32 is closed. At this time, even if the temperature of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, for example, the average temperature of the battery cells 52 exceeds the first temperature, if the temperature of any battery cell 52 falls below the third temperature, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 is closed. Furthermore, if necessary, the heating wire 41 and the temperature control plate 54 are used to raise the temperature.

By doing so, it is possible to prevent the specific battery cell 52 from becoming extremely hot, and furthermore to prevent the specific battery cell 52 from becoming extremely cold.

Furthermore, regardless of the temperature of the vehicle battery 11, when a failure of each component constituting the vehicle battery 11, for example, the battery cell 52 is detected, the electronic control unit 21 operates the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 31. 2 Open/close door 32 is fully opened. Furthermore, air can also be blown by an air blower. As a result, even if the battery cell 52 or its peripheral device generates heat due to a failure, the heat can be released to the outside through the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32, thereby preventing overheating of the battery cell 52 or its peripheral device. Ignition can be prevented.

Further, when the vehicle 12 is stopped and when charging/discharging of the vehicle battery 11 is stopped, the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are closed. As a result, referring to FIG. 2B, space 35 closed by first opening/closing door 31 and second opening/closing door 32 can be used as a heat insulating layer for insulating battery cells 52 from the outside. , the occurrence of dew condensation can be suppressed.

The temperature at which battery cell 52 is activated will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the correlation between the charge amount of the battery cell 52 (horizontal axis) and the battery temperature (vertical axis).

This graph includes an output limited area A, a normal use area, and an output limited area B. FIG. In the output restriction region A, the vehicle battery 11 performs output restriction or output stop, and performs temperature raising operation as temperature control. The normal opening/closing operation is within the optimum usage range of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, and temperature control is performed to raise or cool the temperature as necessary. In the output restriction region B, the vehicle battery 11 performs output restriction or output stop, and performs cooling operation as temperature control.

In the present embodiment, as described above, when the temperature of the vehicle battery 11 exceeds the first temperature at which the vehicle battery 11 is activated, for example, 15° C., the first opening/closing door 31 and the second opening/closing door 32 are opened. As a state, the in-vehicle battery 11 is being cooled. Here, the first temperature is, for example, the temperature at which cooling is required due to charging and discharging of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, and is indicated by the dashed-dotted line in the graph of FIG. By doing so, in the present embodiment, it is possible to efficiently charge and discharge the vehicle battery 11 while effectively cooling it.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, each form described above can be combined with each other.

For example, in the above description, the space 35 through which the gas that exchanges heat with the vehicle-mounted battery 11 circulates is arranged near the side surface of the vehicle-mounted battery 11, but the space 35 can also be formed at a location other than the side surface. . As an example, the space 35 can be formed in the vicinity of the upper and lower main surfaces of the vehicle battery 11 .

10 vehicle battery temperature control device 11 vehicle battery 111 side 112 side 12 vehicle 13 vehicle body 14 bottom 15 battery placement area 16 heater 21 electronic control unit 22 temperature sensor 23 sub-battery 24 inverter 25 drive motor 26 ignition switch 31 first Opening/closing door 32 Second opening/closing door 33 Housing portion 331 Main column portion 332 Upper surface portion 333 Bottom surface portion 34 Arrow 35 Space portion 36 Side surface 38 Arrow 41 Heating wire 42 Nonwoven fabric 51 Storage case 52 Battery cell 53 Cover 54 Temperature control plate 55 Heat insulating member 56 end plate 57 bind bar 100 battery 101 cell stack 102 housing 103 duct 104 blower 105 cell 105A side surface 106 concave portion 107 convex portion 108 wiring 109 solid line 110 air passage

Claims (8)

An in-vehicle battery temperature control device disposed in the vicinity of a battery composed of a plurality of battery cells and through which a fluid that exchanges heat with the battery cells flows,
a space portion that is a space formed in the vicinity of the battery;
an opening/closing unit that, by performing an opening/closing operation, allows communication between the space and the outside when in an open state, and restricts communication between the space and the outside when in a closed state;
and an arithmetic control unit ,
The arithmetic control unit is
Even if the average temperature of the battery cells is lower than the first temperature at which the battery is activated, the temperature of any of the battery cells must exceed a second temperature set higher than the first temperature. For example, the opening and closing portion is opened,
Even if the average temperature of the battery cells exceeds the first temperature, if the temperature of any one of the battery cells falls below a third temperature set lower than the first temperature, the opening/closing unit is closed . 2. The on-vehicle battery temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic control unit raises the temperature of the battery with a temperature raising device when the temperature of the battery is lower than the first temperature. The arithmetic control unit operates a cooling device when the temperature of the battery exceeds the first temperature, thereby blowing air toward the space through the opening/closing unit. 3. The in-vehicle battery temperature control device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The on-vehicle battery temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic control unit closes the opening/closing unit when the vehicle is stopped. 5. The on-vehicle battery temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic control unit opens the switching unit when a failure is detected. The arithmetic control unit is
monitoring the temperature of each said battery cell;
6. The on-vehicle battery temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein an average temperature of the battery cells is used as the temperature of the battery. 3. The vehicle-mounted battery temperature control device according to claim 2, wherein the temperature raising device is a heating wire arranged to raise the temperature of the battery. 8. The on-vehicle battery temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the space is formed between side surfaces of the battery.

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