OA18844A - Conteneur de stockage d'au moins une unité de stockage d'énergie électrique pourvu d'une trappe d'évent. - Google Patents

Abstract

La présente invention (1) est relative à un conteneur de stockage d'au moins une unité de stockage d'énergie électrique, caractérisé par le fait qu'au moins une de ses parois est pourvue d'au moins une trappe (3) d'évent qui est mobile entre une position fermée dite position normale dans laquelle elle obture ladite paroi, et une position ouverte dite position de sécurité dans laquelle elle fait communiquer l'espace intérieur (E) dudit conteneur avec l'extérieur, et par le fait qu'il comporte : -au moins un détecteur (D) de fumée qui, lorsqu'il est activé, est configuré pour faire passer automatiquement ladite trappe (3) de ladite position normale à ladite position de sécurité; et/ou des moyens de gestion configurés pour mesurer un paramètre de fonctionnement de ladite unité de stockage (4) et pour faire passer automatiquement ladite trappe (3) de ladite position normale à ladite position de sécurité dès lors que la mesure effectuée atteint une valeur de consigne prédéterminée.

Description

CONTAINER FOR STORING AT LEAST ONE ELECTRICAL ENERGY STORAGE UNIT PROVIDED WITH A VENT HATCH

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention lies in the field of autonomous and stationary electrical installations, that is to say fixed installations, which couple means of energy production, such as solar panels or wind turbines for example, with units. for storing the electrical energy thus produced.

The invention relates more particularly to a stationary container for storing at least one such electrical energy storage unit, this container containing at least one element for receiving said unit.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned electrical installations are intended to be installed in remote areas, difficult to access, for example but not exclusively in Africa.

Containers, known by the English name shelters, make it possible to house not only a set of energy storage units, but also various devices ensuring the electronic management of their operation and their security.

Stationary shelters for storing at least one electrical energy storage unit are thus known, which comprise at least one location for receiving said unit, preferably several superimposed and / or juxtaposed.

Although the operation of these units is regularly checked, we cannot exclude the risk that at least one unit will fail and be the source of a fire.

Even if the container is equipped with a smoke detector, the intervention of personnel capable of fighting a fire is problematic since, as indicated above, this type of container is intended to be installed in areas remote.

Beyond this risk, there is a second related to the fact that the container is of course closed. In this case, the start of the fire will generate an overpressure of gas which must be evacuated.

The present invention aims to provide a solution to this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the present invention relates to a storage container for at least one electrical energy storage unit, characterized in that at least one of its walls is provided with at least one vent hatch which is movable between a closed position called normal position, in which it closes said wall, and an open position called security position, in which it communicates the interior space of said box with the outside, and by the fact that it comprises:

- at least one smoke detector which, when activated, is configured to automatically pass said hatch from said normal position to said safety position;

-and / or management means configured to measure an operating parameter of said storage unit and to automatically pass said door from said normal position to said safety position as soon as the measurement carried out reaches a predetermined set value.

Under these conditions, as soon as the detector is activated, the vent hatches therefore open automatically and are put in the safety position, so that the fumes and gases can escape towards the outside, thus avoiding any risk. overpressure.

In addition, when said management means are present, damage or damage caused by an imminent fire is prevented or limited.

According to other non-limiting and advantageous characteristics of the invention, taken alone or in combination:

- The container has the shape of a rectangular or square parallelepiped and said hatch is present on a vertical peripheral face thereof;

- The container has the shape of a rectangular or square parallelepiped and said hatch is present on a roof thereof;

- Said hatch is pivotally mounted relative to said wall;

- Said hatch is integrated into an access door to said interior space or is confused with this door;

- Said hatch is provided with return means which tend to keep it in the safety position when these return means are not constrained;

said return means are chosen from the group formed by: a hinge with inverted springs, one or more jacks, in particular pneumatic or electric, an elastomeric material, at least one spring such as a torsion spring or a compression spring, or a combination of at least two of these;

the container comprises means for retaining said hatch in the normal position which become inoperative as soon as they receive information related to the detection of smoke, via said detector, or information related to the operation of said at least one storage unit, via said management means;

- Said retaining means are chosen from the group formed by at least one electromagnetic lock, at least one pneumatic remote control kit, at least one electromagnetic or electropneumatic lock, at least one electromagnetic or electropneumatic keeper;

- The container comprises at least one position sensor of said hatch;

the container comprises several hatches as well as several detectors, these detectors being configured to selectively or simultaneously trigger said hatches;

- The container comprises several hatches and said management means are configured to selectively or simultaneously trigger the opening of said hatches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention. This description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a storage container according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the front wall of the container of FIG. 1, one of the hatches of which is open, which makes it possible to make visible electrical energy storage units which are stored therein;

- Figure 3 is a detail view of one of the doors of the container of Figure 1 on which is visible a vent hatch which is shown in the closed position, called normal position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, which shows the hatch in the open position, called the safety position;

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a hatch and the frame on which it is pivotally mounted;

Figures 6 and 7 are partial perspective views in section of a hatch and the door on which it is mounted, views in which are visible means which make it possible to retain the hatch in the closed position as well as means which allow the user to be informed of the position of the hatch;

Figure 8 is a detail view of the inner face of the hatch and the associated door, intended more particularly to show the aforementioned means;

- Figure 9 is a detail view showing the arrangement of Figure 8, the hatch being this time shown in the open position called safety.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As indicated above, is visible in Figure 1 a storage container according to the present invention, configured to accommodate therein at least one electrical energy storage unit.

For purely indicative purposes, the electrical energy storage unit considered can be an electrical energy storage battery, of the LMP® type (for Lithium Metal Polymer) or of the Lithium Ions type.

This container has a general configuration known per se. In this case, it is a metal container which has the shape of a rectangular or square parallelepiped. This container 1 comprises an upper wall 10 forming the roof and ceiling, a lower wall 11 forming the floor, as well as four peripheral and vertical walls referenced 12 to 15.

The lower wall 11 is provided, as is known per se, with means which make it possible to introduce the forks of a forklift, so as to be able to move the container 1 on demand. Furthermore, this lower wall 11 , just as preferably the upper wall 10, comprises at its four angles means which make it possible to position and wedge several containers of this type stacked on top of each other.

The four peripheral walls mentioned above are more precisely a front wall 12, a rear wall 13 and two right and left side walls 14, 15.

In the example shown here, the front wall 12 is provided with two hinged doors 2, namely a right hinged door 2a and a left hinged door 2b. Together, they occupy substantially the entire surface of the front wall 12.

These doors naturally include a vertical hinge pin 21 placed as close as possible to the vertical edges of the front wall 12. They are also provided with a locking device which makes it possible to keep them in the closed position. This locking device 20, of known type, will not be explained more precisely.

According to the invention, this container 1 has a wall which is provided with at least one vent hatch 3.

More specifically, in the specific case shown here, the hatches 3 visible in Figure 1 are three in number. A hatch 3a equips the aforementioned door 2a, while a hatch 3b equips the door 2b. Furthermore, the wall which forms the right side wall 14 of the container 1 is also provided with a hatch 3c.

Of course, this exemplary embodiment is absolutely not limiting. In other words, it can be envisaged that there exists on the rear wall 13 as well as on the second peripheral wall 15 at least one hatch of the same type as those visible here. One can even consider that the upper wall 10, that is to say the roof, is also equipped with it.

Furthermore, in other embodiments not shown, the hatches could be absent on the front wall and be only present, for example, on the other peripheral walls and / or on the upper wall.

Another alternative could be to have a hatch 3 merged with one and / or the other of the doors 2a and 2b.

The hatch 3a which is shown in the open position in FIG. 2 makes visible the electrical energy storage units 4 as mentioned above, which are stored inside the interior space E of the container 1, storage made possible via, for example, support racks, not described in more detail in the following description.

Not shown in the figures, the container has, inside its interior space E, for example near the upper wall 10, a smoke detector referenced D. More particularly, the smoke detector D is arranged against the upper wall 10 and above and vertically above all of the superimposed storage units.

According to the invention, the vent hatches 3 are movable between a closed position known as the normal position, in which they close off the wall which they equip, and an open position known as the safety position, in which they communicate the space interior E of container 1 with exterior.

Reference will now be made more specifically to FIGS. 3 et seq. To explain the structure and the operation of these vent hatches, as well as the nature and the function of the means which make it possible to pass them automatically from one position to another.

Thus, with reference to FIG. 5, the hatch 3 shown can be the hatch 3a in FIG. 1. The description which will be given of it also applies to the other hatches which are fitted to the container, unless otherwise stated.

This hatch 3, formed here from a flat insulating panel, is associated with a rectangular metal frame 30 which forms a frame, which is provided with a peripheral seal 300, shown more particularly in FIGS. 6 and 7. The hatch 3 is articulated on this frame by means of hinges 31, so that its pivoting from a closed position to an open position takes place around a vertical axis passing through the longitudinal axis of these hinges.

These hinges 31 incorporate means for returning the hatch 3 to the open position, called the safety position.

In this case, these are preferably hinges with inverted springs. This means that, by default, the hatch 3 occupies an open position, or in other words that the rest position of the springs of the hinge corresponds to an open position of the hatch 3.

Other return means which also tend to keep the hatch 3 in the safety position can be envisaged, in place of the inverted spring hinges mentioned above.

Thus, these return means can be chosen from the following list: one or more cylinders, in particular pneumatic or electric, a prestressed elastomeric material, at least one spring such as a torsion spring or a compression spring, or a combination of '' at least two of these recall means.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the container also comprises means for retaining the hatch 3 which are shaped to keep it in the normal position, that is to say in the closed position, and which become inoperative when they receive information linked to smoke detection, via the detector D, or information linked to the operation of the storage units, via management means, as described below.

In the case presented here, these retaining means 5 consist of an electromagnetic suction cup 51 secured to a plate 50, itself fixed on a corresponding part of the inner wall of the door 2, so that the suction cup is arranged in such a way so that it at least partially enters a recess 32 provided in the thickness of the hatch 3 (see in particular Figure 6).

In the case where the hatch 3 is not mounted on a door, but directly on a wall of the container 1, it is then on this wall that the plate 50 is mounted.

These retaining means 5 which here consist of an electromagnetic suction cup can be replaced by any type of means for retaining the hatch in the closed position. It may for example be one or more pneumatic remote control kits usually used in the context of fire escape hatch releases. It can also be an electromagnetic or electropneumatic lock, or an electromagnetic or electropneumatic strike.

Furthermore, the hatch 3 is also provided with a position sensor 6, which makes it possible to automatically check whether the latter is in the closed position.

This sensor 6 is for example composed of a roller (or a shoe) mounted for rotation, as well as a compression spring which moves the roller / shoe from a constrained position against the hatch 3 to a released position when the hatch 3 is open.

When the smoke detector is activated, the latter returns the corresponding information to a central, computer-controlled, which triggers, among other things, the opening of all the hatches 3, namely that it cuts the power to the electromagnetic locks described above. In doing so, the hatches 3 all pass into the open, so-called safety position, due to the presence of the return means 31.

Independently or in combination with the above, the container 1 may contain management means, such as a PLC (otherwise called Industrial Programmable Logic), which perform, among other things, one or more measurements of at least one operating parameter of the storage units 4 and which are configured to automatically, selectively or simultaneously pass said doors from said normal position to said safety position, as soon as the measurement carried out reaches a predetermined set value.

The parameter in question can be the temperature, the intensity, the voltage, etc., the set value then corresponding to an abnormal value of this parameter, which value can also be configurable according to the applications.

In this way, damage or damage caused by an imminent fire is prevented or limited.

In alternative embodiments, the container could include several detectors connected to each other and / or to the aforementioned central unit for simultaneously or independently triggering the opening of several hatches.

As shown in the appended figures, the hatches can be integrated in a wall of the container or in a door. Each hatch 3 can be thermally insulated if necessary and can support organs such as ventilation grilles, or fans, air conditioning equipment, registers, etc.

In the particular case where the container 1 is equipped with several hatches 3, it is possible to envisage a combination of opening these hatches as a function of the direction of the wind to allow better evacuation of the fumes.

In this case, we will provide adequate sensors connected to the central intelligence of the container to optimize the opening of these doors.

Additionally, the container can be provided with a blower device to evacuate the smoke more quickly.

It is also possible to envisage the presence of a system for protecting the interior of the container against bad weather, when the doors pass into the open safety position inadvertently, for example due to electrical or magnetic disturbances. In such a case, it is indeed important to protect the elements contained inside the container, elements 10 which are, a priori, in perfect working order.

Finally, an audible alarm device can be connected to the smoke detector and central intelligence, so as to warn the surrounding environment in the event of a fire.

Throughout the foregoing description, the hatches have been considered to be made of a planar and blackout material. However, it could be envisaged that these hatches have a slightly domed shape, in the manner of what is called according to anglicism skydome. Furthermore, these hatches could be made of a translucent or transparent material.

Claims (12)

1. Container (1) for storing at least one electrical energy storage unit (4), characterized in that at least one of its walls is provided with at least one vent hatch (3) which is movable between a closed position called normal position, in which it closes said wall, and an open position called security position, in which it communicates the interior space (E) of said container with the exterior, and thereby that it includes: - at least one smoke detector (D) which, when activated, is configured to automatically pass said hatch (3) from said normal position to said safety position; • and / or management means configured to perform a measurement of at least one operating parameter of said at least one storage unit (4) and to automatically pass said hatch (3) from said normal position to said position of security as soon as said measurement reaches a predetermined set value. 2. Container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it has the shape of a rectangular or square parallelepiped and that said hatch (3) is present on a vertical peripheral face (12, 13, 14, 15 ) of it. 3. Container according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it has the shape of a rectangular or square parallelepiped and that said hatch (3) is present on a roof (10) thereof. 4. Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said hatch (3) is pivotally mounted relative to said wall. 5. Container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said hatch (3) is integrated in a door (2) for access to said interior space (E) or is merged with this door (2) . 6. Container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said hatch (3) is provided with return means (31) which tend to keep it in the safety position as soon as these return means do not are not forced. 7. Container (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said return means are chosen from the group formed by: a hinge with inverted springs (31), one or more jacks, in particular H pneumatic or electric, an elastomeric material, at least one spring such as a torsion spring or a compression spring, or a combination of at least two of these. 8. Container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means (5) for retaining said hatch (3) in the normal position which become inoperative as soon as they receive information related to smoke detection, via said detector (D), or information related to the operation of said at least one storage unit (4), via said management means. 9. Container (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that said retaining means are chosen from the group formed by at least one electromagnetic suction cup (5), at least one pneumatic remote control kit, at least one electromagnetic lock or electropneumatic, at least one electromagnetic or electropneumatic strike. 10. Container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one sensor (6) for the position of said hatch (3). 11. Container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises several hatches (3) as well as several detectors (D), these detectors (D) being configured to selectively or simultaneously trigger the opening said hatches (3). 12. Container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises several doors (3) and that said management means are configured to selectively or simultaneously trigger the opening of said doors (3).