WO2003092088A2

WO2003092088A2 - Battery arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2003092088A2
Application number: PCT/EP2003/003019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jörg Marktscheffel
Original assignee: Volkswagen Ag
Priority date: 2002-04-25
Filing date: 2003-03-24
Publication date: 2003-11-06
Also published as: DE10391977B4; WO2003092088A3; DE10391977D2

Abstract

The aim of the invention is to prevent damage and injuries caused by acid leaking from a vehicle battery following an accident in which the vehicle has been involved. Said aim is achieved by a battery arrangement which is provided with a case (2) comprising several layers. The inner layers are absorbent, absorbing liquid leaking from a battery (1) that has been damaged in an accident, while the outer layers are crash-absorbent and impermeable to battery acid.

Description

battery assembly

The invention relates to a battery arrangement according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Liquid batteries contain u. a. Acid, which could leak if the battery and possibly a battery case receiving it under unfavorable circumstances and so z. B. has an injury potential to vehicle occupants, rescue workers or other parties involved in the accident. The latter is particularly the case when the location of the battery and a passenger compartment are connected.

In order to prevent or reduce these dangers and disadvantages, it is known to use batteries with containers such. B. to surround battery boxes that are acid-tight and collect leaking battery fluids.

The patent publication DE 101 03 553 A1 describes a type of cover for a battery, which is designed as a tight elastomer cover and consists of a flexible acid-resistant material. In this application, the cover is designed as a hood which is open at the bottom and which can be placed over the battery. This solution relates to the special case of battery acid leakage after a vehicle rollover.

The patent publication DE 43 40 007 A1 describes a receptacle for a vehicle battery, which in particular absorbs disturbing vibrations in the vehicle with an opposing damper system. A special embodiment of this battery receptacle is that the entire receptacle is lined with an elastic material, particularly in the manner of foam rubber. This foam rubber liner is designed with vibration damping and thermal insulation in mind. Patent publication DE 43 33 181 A1 describes an electric battery, in particular a zinc-bromine battery, with storage tanks for the electrolyte that are locally separated from the battery. The essence of the invention is that the tank containers for the electrolyte - but not the battery itself - are filled with a sponge-like mass that stores the electrolyte or are surrounded by a protective cover with a material that binds the escaping electrolyte in particular through a chemical reaction and so on prevents the electrolyte from leaking in the event of a crash. Only materials that are chemically changed by the chemical reaction mentioned are described.

US Pat. No. 4,348,466 describes a battery box that protects electrolytic batteries from leakage. The special features of this battery box are chambers for collecting the acid when the battery tilts on any side, and labyrinthine valves in the lid of the battery box, which serve as leak protection. These special valves allow outgassing, but prevent leakage of battery fluid, e.g. B. in an accident. The leaked liquid can move freely in the chambers.

The utility model DE 85 13 259.4 U1 describes a battery box which is designed as a thermobox. Since in winter each battery loses some of its capacity due to the effects of cold and during the summer, when the battery is exposed to extreme heat, part of the distilled water evaporates, this thermobox, which has a loose bottom and a lid, is intended to keep the battery from cold - and protect the influence of heat. The essence of this invention is an acid and oil resistant protective jacket that serves as insulation. A porous foam material of approx. 10-15 mm thickness is provided as the insulating material, which is obviously chosen solely with regard to thermal insulation; the fact that there is no thought of preventing the leakage of liquid follows from the presence of a loose floor.

The patent publication DE 198 55 369 A1 describes a protective hood for batteries that is open at the bottom against fluctuating temperature influences. Similar to the utility model DE 85 31 259.4 U1, this application describes a protective hood made of a light foam that, for. B. can be foamed polysyrene (eg brand name Styrofoam). The protective hood has cutouts for the top Battery connections and by definition has no floor. This construction only serves to protect against the cold.

The patent publication DE 32 32 487 A1 describes, like the utility model DE 85 31 259.4 U1 and the patent publication DE 198 55 369 A1, a protective device for batteries which is intended to protect the battery against the effects of temperature. This heat-insulating cover for batteries consists of a heat layer covered on the inside and outside with acid-resistant plastic. The plastic layer provides suitable protection against any acid that may escape from the battery and is thus collected again in a container-like manner.

German patent publication DE-OS 1 671 787 also describes a protective cover for motor vehicle batteries with an enclosing box made of thermally insulating polystyrene foam.

A protective cover for a battery is known from US Pat. No. 5,293,951, which is intended to protect the surroundings of the battery against acid. This known protective cover is formed as a closed housing which completely surrounds the battery. In general, this container is intended to collect battery fluid. A polycarbonate resin is used as the material for the protective cover.

US Pat. No. 5,840,439 describes a battery cover which prevents acid from escaping from one of the battery cells to the outside. For this purpose, the known cover has various chambers, which are designed so that acid leaked from the battery is collected and returned to the corresponding battery cell.

In summary, it can be said that the essence of all property right applications or property rights described is that battery acid from leaking batteries in a container such as. B. a battery box or other acid-tight container is collected.

The invention has for its object to provide a generic battery arrangement, in particular in the event of an accident with the battery arrangement equipped vehicle offers at least extensive security against the leakage of battery acid from a damaged battery into the environment.

The achievement of this task consists in the characterizing features of the main claim. Advantageous embodiments of the invention describe the subclaims.

The essential feature of the invention can be seen in a battery arrangement which has an absorbent casing in which escaping battery acid is collected.

The main difference compared to conventional battery arrangements is that so far the shell of a battery arrangement, whether elastic, as for example in DE 43 40 007 A1 or in DE 101 03 533 A1, or rigid, as for example in US 5,840,439, according to a Accidentally leaking battery fluid should catch, while the invention now absorbs at least partially the battery acid leaking from the battery.

The advantage of an absorbent battery case compared to a battery case that collects alone is that in the event of an accident, no or at least significantly less battery fluid can escape into the environment, even if the battery case is partially destroyed. If an exclusively collecting battery cover shows even minor damage, then caustic battery fluid can escape from these small openings and endanger accident participants and helpers. Rigid battery boxes in particular often do not prove to be very crash-resistant.

If the battery leaks independently, ie without an accident crash, for example due to a manufacturing defect, a known collecting casing is generally sufficient. However, the absorbent casing described in the invention also reliably absorbs battery fluid escaping in small amounts. In summary, conventional battery boxes and sleeves sufficiently absorb battery fluid leaking from the battery, while the absorbent sleeve also protects the environment from external destructive forces, such as a crash, as well as a leak at least largely protects against leaking battery fluid. The absorbent casing can advantageously also be surrounded on the outside by a crash-absorbing casing. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the absorbent battery cover consists of several layers (claim 5). The properties of these layers can thus be matched to one another. For example, the first layer surrounding the battery can be made of a material that stores leaking battery fluid particularly quickly, and a layer that is further out but is in contact with the fast-storing layer can be designed for high storage capacity and / or high storage security ( Claim 6). In the event of a crash, the inner layer absorbs rapidly escaping battery acid. If this layer is saturated with liquid, the further layer, which stores liquids particularly safely and intensively, absorbs part of the battery liquid and stores it permanently. The storage capacity of this layer can be adapted to the acid volume of the battery, for example by appropriate dimensioning of its thickness.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the absorbent layer (s) are / are surrounded by mechanical protection (claims 7, 11, 12, 13). This mechanical protection is intended to hold the battery together as much as possible and to reduce or prevent the elastic absorbent covers from being destroyed, in particular to protect the inner layers from cuts and tears. A deformation of this layer means no loss of the positive properties of the layer (s) below, because it is / are elastic and flexible. This mechanical protection can consist, for example, of a lattice box or an aluminum box.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the battery arrangement is surrounded on the outside by a flexible sleeve. This flexible casing advantageously consists of an acid-resistant and liquid-repellent fabric (claim 14). The casing has folds so that this tissue covering does not tear in the event of a crash. It is particularly advantageous if the folds run perpendicular to the direction of the crash stress (claim 15) and if the folds have stitching with predetermined tear points (claim 16).

An embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to several figures. FIG. 1 shows the battery arrangement in the operating state installed in the vehicle, seen obliquely from above.

Figure 2 shows the battery with a casing which is designed as an open-pore sponge layer;

FIG. 3 shows a crash-absorbing grid box and

Figure 4 shows the assembled battery assembly as it is installed in a vehicle.

FIG. 1 shows how the battery 1 is enveloped by an absorbent casing 2. This shell 2 consists of several layers, the material, arrangement and thickness of which is described below. Two sewn straps 3 tightly close the cover 2 (see also FIG. 4). Heavy-duty zippers can also be used instead of the straps 3. Under the cover 2, two large plates 4 are mounted, on which the battery 1 is.

The various layers of the shell 2 are built up from the inside out as follows: First, the battery is covered by an open-pore sponge layer 5. This is particularly evident once again in FIG. 2. This open-pore sponge layer 5 has the property of being able to absorb liquid particularly quickly, such as e.g. B. when the battery fluid suddenly escapes in the event of a crash. However, the battery fluid is only stored for a short time or with a relatively small storage capacity. A highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 is therefore used as the second layer, as is the case for. B. from oil-binding fleece from industry or from baby diapers. The highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 works on the principle of a super absorber. The highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 can also contain additional chemical substances such as small gel balls that bind the liquid. The task of this layer is to take over a lot of liquid from the first layer and to store it safely and for a long time. The open-pore sponge layer 5 consists of a conductive material so that electrostatic charge can flow off. This antistatic material can be made by adding graphite powder.

In summary, it can be said that the first layer, that is to say the open-pore sponge layer 5, enables rapid absorption after the crash, but can hold the liquid only relatively little. When saturated, most of the liquid flows out of the material again. For this there is now the second covering, ie the highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 with a high storage capacity, as a further layer around the open-pored sponge layer 5. The highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 is particularly important after a crash, because it ensures permanent and safe vacuuming.

This layer 6 also serves for thermal insulation. This property is a positive side effect.

A grid box 7 made of a wire frame serves as the third covering. The grid box 7 is intended to increase the mechanical robustness of the system, particularly in the event of a crash. It also gives the wrapper a defined shape. An easy change of the battery 1 is guaranteed. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the grid box 7 consists of a lower part 8 and an upper part 9.

In this exemplary embodiment, the fourth and last covering consists of a fabric covering 10. A nylon fabric with high tensile strength, such as, for example, a polypropylene (PP) plastic, such as is used in motorcycle clothing or backpacks, is suitable as the material for the fabric covering 10 , The tissue covering 10 encloses the system from the outside. It is water and dirt repellent, but breathable.

FIG. 4 shows the battery arrangement that is ready for installation in a vehicle. In this figure, only the outermost layer of the four layers can be seen, namely the tissue covering 10. The other inner layers cannot be seen. Wrinkles 11 are sewn into the fabric cover 10 laterally with a thread so that they open in the event of a crash and create space for parts of the possibly destroyed battery 1 without it being able to penetrate through the fabric cover 10. The tissue covering 10 can e.g. B. with a U-shaped zipper with overlap or a Velcro or straps 3, as shown in this embodiment, are held together. It is particularly advantageous if the folds 11 are sewn perpendicular to the direction of stress C.

In the exemplary embodiment described, the order of the third covering, that is to say the mesh casing 7, and the fourth covering, that is to say the fabric covering 10, can be exchanged, or the mesh casing 7 is sewn completely into the fabric covering 10. Then the first two layers, the open-pore sponge layer 5 and the highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6, are first packed in the fabric covering 10, which is then inserted into the mesh box 7.

In the following, a fundamentally possible functional sequence in a rear-end crash in the direction of crash stress C is described if the battery is installed behind the wheel arch in the rear trunk of a vehicle with a front engine: The deformation of the rear region presses the battery 1 with the cover 2 against the wheel arch. This could destroy the battery 1 and, in the worst case, battery fluid could leak into the battery box. The open-pore sponge layer 5 is able to absorb the liquid quickly like a sponge. In the event of oversaturation, however, the open-pore sponge layer 5 releases battery fluid again. This is where the highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 comes in. The temporary storage of the liquid in the open-pore sponge layer 5 gives the highly absorbent nonwoven fabric 6 enough time to absorb the amount of liquid dispensed from the open-pore sponge layer 5 and to bind it permanently. Part of the battery fluid remains in the open-pore sponge layer 5. The lattice box 7 is deformed by the crash in the direction of the crash stress C and holds the two liquid-absorbing casings together. The sewn-in folds 11 of the fabric covering 10 expand and give the destroyed battery 1 sufficient space in the interior of the covering 2 to deform and spread out. The sewn straps 3 hold the lower part 8 and upper part 9 of the mesh box 7 together. This means that little or no battery fluid escapes; the occupants are spared from leaking battery fluid.

As this description of an exemplary embodiment shows, the invention achieves the object with inexpensive means which are uncritical in terms of production and assembly. ABOUT GSZE I EN LIST

battery

shell

belts

Sheets of open-pore sponge layer of highly absorbent non-woven fabric

grid box

Lower part of the grid box

Top part of the grid box

fabric covering

wrinkles

Crash stress direction

Claims

PATE NTANS PRÜCH E

1. Battery arrangement with a wet battery and means for preventing or reducing the leakage of liquid, characterized in that the means comprise a shell (2) of absorbent material surrounding the battery (1) at least in its installed state.

2. Battery arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the absorbent material is mechanically absorbent.

3. Battery arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the sleeve (2) is carried directly by the battery (1).

4. Battery arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the casing (2) is part of a battery case.

5. Battery arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sheath (2) is multi-layered.

6. Battery arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that a first layer is designed with regard to high suction for the battery fluid and a second layer with regard to long storage time and / or high storage capacity, and that both layers are in such a contact that battery liquid absorbed by the first layer can pass into the second layer.

7. Battery arrangement according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that at least one layer is designed with a view to high absorbency for the battery fluid and another layer with regard to mechanical strength of the casing (2).

8. Battery arrangement according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that an absorbent layer is an open-pore sponge layer (5).

9. Battery arrangement according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that an absorbent layer contains highly absorbent non-woven fabric (6).

10. Battery arrangement according to claim 9, characterized in that the highly absorbent non-woven fabric (6) works as a superabsorber on the principle of oil absorbent nonwoven technology.

11. Battery arrangement according to claim 7 or one of claims 8 to 10 in conjunction with claim 7, characterized in that a layer forms a plastically deformable box (grid box 7).

12. Battery arrangement according to claim 11, characterized in that the plastically deformable box is designed as a grid box (7).

13. Battery arrangement according to claim 11, characterized in that the plastically deformable box is designed as an aluminum box.

14. Battery arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by a flexible outer container (fabric covering 10) made of acid-resistant and / or liquid-repellent and / or mechanically highly resilient material.

15. Battery arrangement according to claim 14, characterized in that the flexible outer container (fabric covering 10) has folds (11), which are preferably arranged in planes perpendicular to the expected direction of crash stress C.

16. Battery arrangement according to claim 15, characterized in that the folds (11) are provided with stitches as predetermined tear points.