JPH1154157A - Heat exchanger and battery case - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat exchanger capable of exchanging heat with plural battery cells while restraining the dispersion of the heat exchanging efficiency among battery cells. SOLUTION: A battery module 32 with battery cells 34-1 to 34-4 furnished has a cooling jacket 12a adjacent to a part of a side of each battery cell 34-1 to 34-4, and moreover has a cooling jacket 12b adjacent to another part of the side of each battery cell 34-1 to 34-4. In addition, cooling water is flown to counter direction through each cooling jacket 12a and 12b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat exchange device and a battery case, and more particularly to a technique for uniformly exchanging heat with a plurality of objects.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electric vehicle, electric power used for driving the vehicle and the like is supplied by a battery mounted on the vehicle.
Such a battery generally changes its electrical characteristics depending on the temperature. Therefore, it is desired that the electric vehicle be used while maintaining the battery temperature within a predetermined range.

[0003] In this regard, the "fixing structure for an electric vehicle battery" disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-193366 discloses that external cooling air is sucked in from an opening provided on the vehicle front side of a battery case (battery box). There is disclosed a technology in which the cooling air exchanges heat with each battery cell (battery) in the battery case, and the cooling air is discharged from a fan provided on the vehicle rear side of the battery case. According to this technique, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the battery mounted on the vehicle from becoming unnecessarily high due to heat generated by battery discharge.

[0004]

However, the above technique has a problem that the temperature of each battery cell in the battery case varies. That is, in the above-described technology, the battery cells fixed to the front side of the vehicle in the battery case are exposed to cooling air having a low temperature equivalent to the outside air, whereas the battery cells fixed to the rear side of the vehicle are exposed to the cooling air. However, only the cooling air whose temperature has already risen after the heat exchange with the battery cells fixed to the front side of the vehicle is blown. Therefore, the cooling efficiency by the cooling air differs between the battery cell fixed to the vehicle front side and the battery cell fixed to the vehicle rear side, and as a result, the temperature of each battery cell in the battery case varies. .

[0005] If the temperature variations of the battery cells thus generated are left untreated, the amount of charge (SO
This causes a situation in which the management or the like of C) is not performed accurately.

For example, in a so-called hybrid electric vehicle in which a driving battery is appropriately charged using regenerative electric power generated while the vehicle is running or electric power output from a generator, the charged amount of the battery maintains a predetermined value. As described above, the ratio between regenerative braking and mechanical braking and the amount of power generated by the generator are controlled by the electronic control unit (ECU). In such control, since the acceptability of power at the time of charging the battery varies depending on the temperature of the battery, the temperature of the battery is detected by a sensor, and the detected temperature is included in one of the control parameters.

However, for the purpose of facilitating maintenance or reducing manufacturing costs, the battery temperature is not actually detected for all of the individual battery cells.
Only the temperature is detected for any one of the battery cells.

For this reason, if the temperature of the battery cell whose temperature is actually detected by the sensor differs from that of the other battery cells, it is no longer possible to appropriately manage the amount of stored power by the above control.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to perform heat exchange with a plurality of objects while suppressing variations in heat exchange efficiency for each object. It is to provide a heat exchange device which can be used. A second object is to provide a heat exchange device capable of performing heat exchange with a plurality of battery cells while suppressing variation in heat exchange efficiency for each battery cell. Further, a third object is to provide a battery case capable of performing heat exchange with a plurality of battery cells housed therein while suppressing variation in heat exchange efficiency for each battery cell.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, a heat exchange device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a heat exchange device for exchanging heat with a plurality of objects. A first heat exchange medium flow path provided adjacent to a part thereof, and a second heat exchange medium flow path provided adjacent to another part of the side surface of each object.
Wherein the heat exchange medium is circulated in different directions through the first heat exchange medium flow path and the second heat exchange medium flow path.

According to the present invention, two heat exchange medium flow paths, that is, a first heat exchange medium flow path and a second heat exchange medium flow path are adjacent to each object. The first and second heat exchange medium flow paths allow the heat exchange medium to flow in different directions. For this reason, each object has a part relatively close to the heat exchange medium flow path on the upstream side and a part relatively close to the heat exchange medium flow path on the downstream side.

In this way, when heat exchange is performed with a plurality of objects using the heat exchange medium, the objects that are close to the heat exchange medium only on the downstream side can be eliminated. In this way, it is possible to avoid the problem that, for a certain object, only the heat exchange medium that has already become sufficiently high or low temperature is close to the heat exchange medium between them. As a result, heat exchange can be performed on a plurality of objects with uniform efficiency, and variations in the temperature difference between the objects can be suppressed.

A heat exchange device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a heat exchange device for exchanging heat with a battery module having a plurality of battery cells, wherein a part of a side surface of each battery cell provided in the battery module is provided. A first heat exchange medium flow path provided adjacently and through which a heat exchange medium flows in a first direction, and provided adjacent to another part of a side surface of each battery cell provided in the battery module. And a second heat exchange medium flow path through which the heat exchange medium flows in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

According to the present invention, the battery module includes a plurality of battery cells, and the heat exchange device according to the present invention exchanges heat with the battery module. At this time, a first heat exchange medium flow path is provided on a part of the side surface of the battery module,
The other part is provided with a second heat exchange medium flow path.
Then, the heat exchange medium flows through the first and second heat exchange medium flow paths in opposite directions.

This makes it possible to eliminate the battery cells that are adjacent to the heat exchange medium only on the downstream side. As a result, it is possible to avoid the problem that, for a certain battery cell, only the heat exchange medium which has already become sufficiently high or low in temperature is close to the heat exchange medium, and heat exchange is not sufficiently performed therebetween. As a result, heat exchange can be performed with equal efficiency for the plurality of battery cells, and variations in the temperature difference between the plurality of battery cells provided in the battery module can be suppressed.

The heat exchange device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange device according to the second aspect, wherein an area of a portion of the first heat exchange medium flow path adjacent to the battery module, An area of the heat exchange medium flow passage adjacent to the battery module is substantially equal to an area of the heat exchange medium flow passage.

According to the present invention, the amount of heat exchange between the heat exchange medium flowing through the first heat exchange medium flow path and the battery module and the heat exchange medium flowing through the second heat exchange medium flow path The amount of heat exchange performed with the battery module can be made substantially equal. As a result, cooling of each battery cell included in the battery module can be performed with further equal efficiency.

The heat exchange device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the heat exchange device according to the second or third aspect, wherein the first heat exchange medium flow path and the second heat exchange medium flow path have a unit. It is characterized in that a heat exchange medium having a substantially equal flow rate per hour is circulated.

According to the present invention, the amount of heat exchange between the heat exchange medium flowing through the first heat exchange medium flow path and the battery module and the heat exchange medium flowing through the second heat exchange medium flow path The amount of heat exchange performed with the battery module can be made substantially equal. As a result, cooling of each battery cell included in the battery module can be performed with further equal efficiency.

A battery case according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a battery case in which a plurality of battery cells are housed, and a part of each battery cell is located in a first internal space of the battery case. A partition member that divides the space inside the battery case so that the other part of the battery cell is located in the second inside space of the battery case, wherein the first inside space and the second inside space have It is characterized in that cooling air in different directions is circulated.

According to the present invention, a first internal space and a second internal space are formed inside the battery case by the partition member, and each of the battery cells housed in the battery case has a part of the battery cell. One part is located in the second internal space, and the other part is located in the second internal space. Cooling air flows in different directions from each other in the first internal space and the second internal space.

This makes it possible to eliminate the battery cells that are adjacent to the cooling air only on the downstream side. As a result, for a certain battery cell, it is possible to avoid the problem that only the cooling wind heat, which has already become sufficiently high, comes close to each other and heat exchange is not sufficiently performed between them. As a result, heat exchange can be performed with equal efficiency for a plurality of battery cells,
Variations in the temperature difference between the plurality of battery cells provided in the battery module can be suppressed.

The battery case according to the sixth aspect of the present invention has a
In the battery case according to the invention, the partition member is provided so as to be movable so as to change a volume ratio between the first internal space and the second internal space.

According to the present invention, since the partition member is provided so as to be movable, the first internal space and the second
By adjusting the volume ratio with respect to the internal space, an optimal cooling state for each internal battery cell can be created.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the heat exchange device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heat exchange device, and is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchange device, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. The heat exchange device 10 shown in these figures is attached to a battery module mounted on a vehicle as a power source of a hybrid electric vehicle.

As shown in these figures, the heat exchanger 1
Numeral 0 includes the cooling jackets 12a and 12b. Here, the cooling jacket 12a includes a cylindrical outer surface portion 14a having a semicircular cross section and a cylindrical inner surface portion 16a having a semicircular cross section located inside the cylindrical outer surface portion 14a. The cylindrical outer surface portion 14a and the cylindrical inner surface portion 16a
Means an end portion 18a at each corresponding semicircular edge.
And 20a are fluid-tightly connected to each other. Further, the cylindrical outer side surface portion 14a and the cylindrical inner side surface portion 16a are liquid-tightly connected to each other by connecting portions 22a and 24a at corresponding linear edges. With this configuration, in the cooling jacket 12a, the cylindrical outer surface portion 14
a, the cylindrical inner surface 16a, and the end portions 18a and 20
a, and the heat exchange medium flow path 30a is formed in a portion surrounded by the connecting portions 22a and 24a. The cylindrical outer surface 14a has cylindrical communication ports 26a and 28a formed at both ends in the axial direction so as to protrude outward.
Is provided, so that the heat exchange medium flowing through the heat exchange medium flow path 30a can flow from the outside to the outside.

This configuration is provided similarly for the cooling jacket 12b. In the cooling jacket 12b, the outer cylindrical portion 14b and the inner cylindrical portion 16b are provided.
b, end portions 18b and 20b, and connection portions 22b and 24b, a heat exchange medium flow path 30b is formed in a portion surrounded by the heat exchange medium flow path 30b. The cylindrical outer surface portion 14b is provided with cylindrical communication ports 26b and 28b formed at both ends in the axial direction so as to protrude outward, and the heat exchange medium flowing through the heat exchange medium flow path 30b. Can be distributed from outside.

Then, the connecting portions 22a and 22b are bonded to each other, and the connecting portions 24a and 24b are bonded to each other. Inside the cooling jackets 12a and 12b, the cylindrical inner surface 16a and the cylindrical inner surface 16b are formed. A cylindrical space is formed in the enclosed portion. Main heat exchange device 10
Then, in this cylindrical space, the cylindrical battery module 3
2 is coaxially inserted.

The battery module 32 has chargeable cylindrical battery cells 34-1 to 34-4 therein. And these battery cells 34-1 to 34-4 are:
The vinyl chloride tube 36 is loaded in a state of being connected in series, and then is fixed by crimping by heat shrinkage of the vinyl chloride tube 36.

As described above, in the present heat exchange apparatus 10, the heat exchange medium flow path 30a is provided adjacent to a part of the side surface of each of the battery cells 34-1 to 34-4, and the other part is provided. Is provided adjacent to the heat exchange medium flow path 30b. Then, the cooling water as the heat exchange medium is injected into the heat exchange medium flow path 30a from the communication port 26a, and is discharged from the communication port 28a. The cooling water discharged from the communication port 28a is cooled by a radiator (not shown), and is again injected into the heat exchange medium channel 30a from the communication port 26a. On the other hand, the heat exchange medium flow path 30b
Cooling water is injected from the communication port 26b into the communication port 28b.
It is to be discharged from. That is, in the present heat exchange apparatus 10, as shown by arrows A and B in FIGS. Cooling water is circulated in the direction.

According to the heat exchange apparatus 10 having the above configuration, each of the battery cells 34-1 to 34-34 in the battery module.
4 can be cooled evenly. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, in the cooling jacket 12a, the cooling water flows from the left side to the right side in the drawing in the heat exchange medium flow path 30a, and the lowest temperature is supplied to the side of the battery cell 34-1. The cooling water flows, and the hottest cooling water flows to the side of the battery cell 34-4. On the other hand, in the cooling jacket 12b, the cooling water flows through the heat exchange medium flow path 30b from the right side to the left side in the drawing, and the battery cells 34-4
, And the hottest cooling water flows to the side of the battery cell 34-1. Therefore, in the battery cell 34-1 and the battery cell 34-4, the cooling with the low-temperature cooling water and the cooling with the high-temperature cooling water are performed in the same area, and the cooling efficiencies can be made equal. it can.

Similarly, in the battery cell 34-2, cooling water whose temperature has increased slightly due to heat exchange with the battery cell 34-1 flows to the side of the cooling jacket 12a, and to the side of the cooling jacket 12b. Have battery cells 34-4 and 34-3.
Cooling water whose temperature has further increased slightly due to heat exchange with the cooling water flows. On the other hand, the battery cell 34-3 includes the battery cell 34-
The cooling water whose temperature has risen slightly due to heat exchange with the cooling jacket 4 flows to the side of the cooling jacket 12b.
Cooling water whose temperature has further increased slightly due to heat exchange with the battery cells 34-1 and 34-2 flows on the side of the side 2a. Therefore, the battery cell 34-1 and the battery cell 34-4
In, cooling water having the same temperature flows in close proximity to each other, and they can be cooled with the same efficiency.

Further, since the battery cells 34-1 and 34-2 are located adjacent to each other, it can be empirically cooled with substantially the same efficiency.
-4 can be cooled with almost equal efficiency from experience.
Therefore, according to the present heat exchange device 10, the battery cells 34-
1-3-4-4 can be cooled with approximately equal efficiency.

The heat exchange device 1 according to the first embodiment
For 0, various modifications can be made.

For example, in the heat exchange device 10 described above, each of the battery cells 34-1 to 34-4 and the cooling jacket 1
Although the area of the adjacent part to the cooling jacket 12a or 12b was the same as that of the cooling jacket 12a or 12b, the area of the adjacent part was gradually increased or decreased in the axial direction.
May be formed. In this case, the cooling efficiency of each of the battery cells 34-1 to 34-4 can be more strictly equalized.

Further, the flow rate of the cooling water per unit time may be changed in accordance with the bias of the heat generating portions of the battery cells 34-1 to 34-4. For example, when a predetermined portion of the side surface of the battery cell particularly generates heat, a large flow rate of cooling water is supplied to the heat exchange medium flow path 30a or 30b adjacent to the portion, so that each of the battery cells 34-1 is more preferably satisfactorily generated. ~ 34-4 cooling can be performed.

Further, the heat exchange device 1 according to the above embodiment
0, the battery module 32 is configured to be covered by the two members of the cooling jackets 12a and 12b, but the battery module 32 is further covered by a number of cooling jackets.
More heat exchange medium channels may be provided around the battery module 32.

In the above description, the case where the number of the battery cells 34 is four is described. However, the number of the battery cells can be arbitrarily increased or decreased. In this case, the same operation and effect as the heat exchange device 10 can be obtained. Can be.

The heat exchange device 10 can be widely used not only for cooling batteries mounted on hybrid electric vehicles, but also for heat exchange devices that need to be cooled or heated. It is.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the appearance of the battery case according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the battery case according to Embodiment 2, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG.
The battery case 40 shown in these figures is attached to the bottom of the cabin of an electric vehicle, and is used as a power source for a vehicle driving motor.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the battery case 40 holds a case body 42, which is a rectangular box, a case cover 44, and nine rectangular battery cells 46 at predetermined positions. Case body 42 and case cover 44
And the internal space of the battery case 40 formed by
And a partition member 48 for dividing into two.

The case body 42 is, specifically, a rectangular box having an opening, and has two air intake ports 50 at the lower corners of the side wall on the vehicle front side. On the other hand, two similar air intake ports 52 are provided at the upper corner of the side wall on the rear side of the vehicle.

Further, a fan 54 is attached to the case main body 42 on the side wall on the vehicle front side, and the battery case 4 is connected to the case body 42 through a communication port 56 opened at the upper center of the side wall.
0 can be discharged to the outside. Similarly, a fan 58 is mounted on the case body 42 on the side wall on the vehicle rear side, and the battery case 40 is connected to the case body 42 through a communication port 60 opened at the lower center of the side wall.
The air inside can be discharged to the outside.

The partition member 48 is a plate-like member and has nine rectangular openings 62 provided at equal intervals. The battery cells 46 are inserted into the respective openings 62 so that the battery cells 46 are held at predetermined intervals. The partition member 48 in which the battery cells 46 are inserted is further inserted into the opening of the case body 42, whereby the internal space of the battery case 40 is divided into two upper and lower spaces of the partition member 48. It has become so.

The case cover 44 is a box body having an opening on the lower side in FIGS. 4 and 5, and mounting portions 64 extend on two sides in the vehicle front-rear direction of the edges of the opening. ing. Each of the mounting portions 64 is provided with three mounting holes 66. On the other hand, mounting portions 68 are also extended to two sides in the vehicle front-rear direction at the edge of the opening of the case body 42, and three mounting holes 70 are respectively formed.
Then, bolts fixed to the bottom of the vehicle compartment are inserted into the holes corresponding to the mounting holes 66 and the mounting holes 70, and the case body 42 and the case cover 44 are fastened and fixed.

The present battery case 40 having the above configuration
According to this, nine battery cells 46 stored inside can be cooled evenly. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the internal space of the battery case 40 is divided by the partition member 48 into an upper space 72 and a lower space 74.
In the battery case 40, the upper space 72 functions as a first flow path of a medium for cooling the battery cells 46, and the lower space 74 functions as a second flow path. That is, as indicated by the arrow C, the cooling air sucked from the air intake 52 at the rear of the vehicle flows through the upper space 72, and the cooling air is sent to the outside by the fan 54 through the communication port 56 at the front of the vehicle. It is being discharged. On the other hand, the lower space 7
In FIG. 4, as indicated by an arrow D, cooling air sucked from an air intake port 50 in front of the vehicle flows, and the cooling air is discharged to the outside by a fan 58 through a communication port 60 in the rear of the vehicle. It has become. Thus, in the battery case 40, the cooling air flows in the upper space 72 and the lower space 74 in opposite directions.

Thus, in the battery case 40, since the cooling air flows from the right side to the left side in the figure in the upper space 72, the cooling air having the lowest temperature hits the upper part of the battery cell 46 on the rear side of the vehicle. The highest temperature cooling air blows to the upper part of the front battery cell 46. The lower space 74
Since the cooling air flows from the left side in the figure to the right side in the figure, the lowest cooling air hits the lower part of the battery cell 46 on the front side of the vehicle, and the highest temperature cools the lower part of the battery cell 46 on the rear side of the vehicle. Cooling air hits. Therefore, in the battery cell 46 at the front of the vehicle and the battery cell 46 at the rear of the vehicle, the cooling by the low-temperature cooling air and the cooling by the high-temperature cooling air are performed equally, and the cooling efficiencies can be made equal. it can. Further, the battery cell 46 at the front of the vehicle, the battery cell 46 at the rear of the vehicle, and the battery cell 46 at the center can be empirically cooled with almost the same efficiency. All the battery cells 46 to be cooled can be almost uniformly cooled. As a result, it is possible to suppress variations in the temperature of the individual battery cells 46.

Since the rectangular battery cells 46 stored in the battery case 40 have projections such as the electrodes 76, the projections may hinder the smooth flow of cooling air. Also, this rectangular battery cell 4
In No. 6, the heat radiation from the electrode 76 tends to be remarkable. Due to these various circumstances, the upper space 72 and the lower space 74
It may be possible to achieve even cooling of the battery cells 46 as a whole by using either one of them larger and the other smaller, rather than making them equal in volume.
Therefore, in the present battery case 40, the partition member 48
However, by changing the holding position with each battery cell 46, the partitioning position can be moved up and down as shown by the arrow E in FIG. By doing so, the partitioning position of the partitioning member 48 can be adjusted up and down to easily perform optimal cooling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a heat exchange device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchange device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchange device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an appearance of a battery case according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the battery case according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

10 heat exchanger, 12a, 12b cooling jacket,
30a, 30b heat exchange medium flow path, 32 battery module, 34-1 to 34-4, 46 battery cell, 40 battery case, 48 partition member, 54, 58 fan, 7
2 Upper space (first internal space), 74 Lower space (second internal space).

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A heat exchange device for exchanging heat with a plurality of objects, comprising: a first heat exchange medium flow path provided adjacent to a part of a side surface of each object; And a second heat exchange medium flow path provided adjacent to another part of the first heat exchange medium flow path. The first heat exchange medium flow path and the second heat exchange medium flow path A heat exchange device through which an exchange medium is circulated. 2. A heat exchange device for performing heat exchange with a battery module including a plurality of battery cells, wherein the heat exchange device is provided to be adjacent to a part of a side surface of each battery cell provided in the battery module; A first heat exchange medium flow path through which a heat exchange medium flows in a direction, and a first heat exchange medium flow path provided adjacent to another part of the side surface of each battery cell provided in the battery module; A second heat exchange medium flow path through which the heat exchange medium flows in the opposite second direction. 3. The heat exchange device according to claim 2, wherein the area of the first heat exchange medium flow path adjacent to the battery module and the battery module of the second heat exchange medium flow path. Characterized in that the area of the adjacent part of the heat exchanger is substantially equal to the area of the heat exchanger. 4. The heat exchange device according to claim 2, wherein the first heat exchange medium flow path and the second heat exchange medium flow path have a heat exchange medium having a substantially equal flow rate per unit time. A heat exchange device characterized by being distributed. 5. A battery case in which a plurality of battery cells are housed, wherein a part of each battery cell is located in a first internal space of the battery case, and another part of each battery cell is A partition member that divides the space in the battery case so as to be located in the second internal space of the battery case; cooling air flows in different directions in the first internal space and the second internal space; A battery case. 6. The battery case according to claim 5, wherein the partition member is movably provided so as to change a volume ratio between the first internal space and the second internal space. Battery case.