JP2003017140A - Cell power unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cell power unit enabled to uniformly cool not only cell modules but also unit cells constructing cell module, which can be miniaturized. SOLUTION: For the cell power unit, cooling a plurality of cell modules 2 formed by electrically and mechanically connecting unit cells in series, mounted to electrode plates 1c at the inside of a body of equipment 1, air blowers 3, sending the outside air in the body of equipment 1, mounted on two surfaces of the body of equipment 1 which are facing each other in parallel with the cell modules 2, and exhaust ports 5, communicating the inside of the body of equipment 1 with outside, are formed on two surfaces of the body of equipment 1 which are adjacent to the surfaces on which, the air blower 3 is mounted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery power supply device, and more particularly to a battery power supply device suitable for a motor drive power supply of an electric vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hybrid type electric vehicle that uses a combination of an internal combustion engine and a battery-powered motor as a travel drive source is equipped with a battery power supply device, and operates the internal combustion engine under optimum conditions, resulting in insufficient output depending on the travel conditions. In this case, the shortage of output is compensated by the output of the battery-powered motor, and regenerative power is absorbed during deceleration, resulting in a dramatic increase in the mileage per unit fuel compared to a vehicle with a normal internal combustion engine alone. Can be made.

A conventional battery power supply device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 0-270095, a plurality of battery modules each of which is formed by electrically connecting a plurality of cells in series electrically and mechanically in series are arranged in parallel and held in a housing.
There is a structure in which battery modules are densely arranged in a housing. In addition, an electric vehicle is equipped with a battery power supply assembly device in which a pair of battery power supply devices are electrically connected in series,
Some supply high voltage power.

Further, a plurality of cells are electrically connected in a row,
A large number of battery modules that are mechanically connected in series are arranged in parallel on a grid, and a flow control plate that controls the flow of air forces the air to flow vertically to the longitudinal direction of the battery modules. Things are known. Furthermore, when air is sent to the battery power supply device, one large pressure-feeding fan is used, and the battery module pitches are arranged at equal intervals.

[0005]

A battery power source constructed by arranging in parallel a plurality of battery modules each of which is formed by electrically and mechanically connecting a plurality of unit cells in series in a row and holding them in a casing. In the device, the battery modules have a structure in which they are densely arranged in the housing, and how to suppress the temperature rise caused by heat generation from the battery modules is an important issue.

Further, a nickel-hydrogen secondary battery or the like is used as a battery of this type of battery power supply device, and it is important to take safety measures against hydrogen when hydrogen leaks from the battery can during an abnormality. Further, when an electric vehicle is equipped with a battery power supply device in which a pair of battery power supply devices is electrically connected in series and configured to supply high-voltage power, how to cool each battery power supply device? It is important to do it rationally.

Further, a plurality of battery modules, each of which is formed by electrically and mechanically connecting a plurality of unit cells in series in a row, are arranged in parallel on a grid to force air in one direction in the housing. In the case of allowing the fluid to flow, the temperature difference occurs between the upstream battery module and the downstream battery module. In addition, regarding a single battery module, the surface temperature of the battery module is higher in the central part than in the end part, and the temperature variation between the battery modules and the temperature variation inside the battery module are due to the charge and discharge characteristics of each battery. In order to obtain stable characteristics as a whole, these temperature variations must be kept small. Further, when using one large pressure-feeding fan, considering the battery power supply device and the pressure-feeding fan as one system, it is important to reduce the size of the system.

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery which can uniformly cool a large number of battery modules arranged in parallel in a housing and also can uniformly cool the unit cells constituting the battery module. To provide a power supply device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery power supply device that can be downsized.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of a battery power supply device according to the present invention has a battery module in which electric cells are electrically and mechanically connected in series in a housing. In a battery power supply device in which a plurality of battery packs are arranged on an electrode plate and cooled by being attached to an electrode plate, a blower for blowing outside air into the casing and two blowers attached to the casing are provided on two opposing surfaces of the casing parallel to the battery module. The two opposite surfaces of the housing adjacent to the surface and parallel to the battery module.
The surface is provided with an exhaust port that communicates the inside and outside of the housing. Specifically, a flow control plate that guides the flow of air is installed in the housing.

Further, a holding member for holding at least one of the battery module and the flow control plate is attached in the housing. Further, a partition plate is attached in parallel with the battery module between the blowers attached to the two opposite surfaces of the casing.

In order to achieve the above object, another configuration of the battery power supply device according to the present invention is to arrange a plurality of battery modules in a casing by electrically and mechanically connecting cells in series. In the battery power supply device that is attached to the electrode plate to cool, the blower that blows the outside air into the casing is adjacent to the two opposing faces of the casing that are parallel to the battery module, and the face on which the blower is attached is adjacent to the blower. An exhaust port that communicates the inside and outside of the housing with two surfaces of the housing that are opposite to each other and that are parallel to the battery module; and a flow control plate that is mounted in the housing and that guides the flow of air. A holding member that is mounted in the housing and holds at least one of the battery module and the flow control plate. Specifically, the arrangement interval on the downstream side between the battery modules is made larger than that on the upstream side.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, still another aspect of the invention of a battery power supply device according to the present invention is that a plurality of battery modules each of which is formed by electrically and mechanically connecting single cells in series are provided in a housing. In a battery power supply device that is arranged and attached to an electrode plate to cool, a blower positioned on two opposite surfaces of the casing perpendicular to the battery module, and air blown by the blower is guided into the casing in parallel with the battery module, A duct that blows air to the battery module in the housing, and an exhaust port that communicates the inside and outside of the housing are provided on two opposing surfaces of the housing that are perpendicular to the battery module.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a battery power supply device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a housing, a holding member,
FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing an embodiment of a flow control plate and the like, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holding member shown in FIG. 4, (a) shows an example in which the battery modules are arranged in a zigzag pattern, (b) shows an example in which the battery modules are arranged in a grid pattern, and FIG. 4 shows a case where the battery power supply device according to the present invention is mounted. FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a housing, which is constructed so that it can be divided into two members 1a and 1b, and a plurality of battery modules 2 electrically and mechanically connected in series in a row are arranged at equal intervals and stored. Has been done. The battery modules 2 may be arranged in a staggered pattern or a grid pattern, or may be arranged in any other pattern. Each battery module 2 is provided with, for example, six unit cells (also referred to as unit cells), which are unit cells of nickel-hydrogen secondary batteries, electrically connected in series, so that the entire device can be provided with It is possible to supply power with a voltage of 125V. An electrode plate 1c constitutes a member of the casing 1 together with the two members 1a and 1b, and a battery module 2 is attached to electrically connect the positive and negative poles of the battery module 2. The battery module 2 is configured by connecting single cells electrically and mechanically in series. Reference numeral 3 denotes a blower (cooling fan) for blowing outside air into the housing 1 to cool the battery module 2, and is attached to the mounting holes 4 in the center of the upper and lower two surfaces of the housing 1. Has been. In the present embodiment, the blower 3 shares the required air flow rate to the housing 1 with two units, so that it is possible to use a smaller blower as compared with the case where only one unit blows air. Therefore, the overall size of the battery power supply device can be reduced. In addition, in this embodiment, two blowers are used, but
By mounting a plurality of units or more, the amount of air distribution per unit is further reduced, and the overall size of the device can be reduced. Further, the blower 3 is preferably a centrifugal cooling fan in order to downsize the battery power supply device.

Reference numeral 5 denotes an exhaust port, which is formed on two surfaces of the casing 1 which are adjacent to the surface on which the blower 3 is attached and which face each other, and which are parallel to the battery module 2. The inside and outside of the housing 1 communicate with each other. Specifically, the exhaust ports 5 are formed at both ends of the battery module 2, that is, at the ends of the two members 1a and 1b near the electrode plate 1c. Reference numeral 6 denotes a flow control plate, which is mounted in the housing 1 to guide the air so that the air flows substantially parallel to the battery module 2, eliminates the stagnation of the air in the housing 1, and further prevents the air flow. It is effective for controlling the flow velocity by speeding up or loosening. The position of the flow control plate 6 is taken into consideration so that the battery module 2 can be cooled most effectively by the blow of the blower 3.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a holding member, which is mounted in the housing 1 and holds the battery module 2 or the flow control plate 6 so that the battery module 2 and the flow control plate 6 can be held. Holding holes 7a, 7b having a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the. More specifically, the holding member 7 has a triangular hole 7b between the blower 3 and the battery module 2 located at the position closest to the blower 3, that is, at the end.
(1) is formed, and a triangular hole 7b (2) is formed on the side surface of the central portion by a notch. In this embodiment, the round hole 7a is for holding the battery module 2, and the triangular hole 7b is for holding the flow control plate 6. The holding member 7 is located in the center of the blower 3 and distributes the blown air from the blower 3 to the left and right (or front and back). That is, the blower 3 is placed above and below the two members 1a and 1b.
It is attached to the central part of the blower 3 so that it is not necessary to attach it to both sides (four in this case) of the holding member 7 of the surface. Reference numeral 8 denotes a guide groove formed in the housing 1 for facilitating the attachment of the holding member 7 and for stable and strong attachment by vibration. 1 and 2
In, the dashed arrow indicates the assembly direction when assembling each member.

Although the holding member 7 independently holds both the battery module 2 and the flow control plate 6 in this embodiment, either one of the battery module 2 and the flow control plate 6 is exclusively held. You may use two as much as possible. The flow control plate 6 has a semi-cylindrical shape other than a triangular cross section,
Other shapes may be used, and the triangular shape has an effect that the drag force against the air flow is smaller than that of the semi-cylindrical shape.

4A and 4B show a mounted state of the battery power supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 4A is an example mounted on a rear trunk of an electric vehicle, and FIG. The battery power supply unit is housed in the battery assembly 10 and fixed to the vehicle body. In order to improve the inflow of outside air into the battery power supply unit,
A leg 11 is interposed between the battery power supply device and the battery assembly 10.

In the above-mentioned structure, the outside air in the housing generally flows as follows to cool the battery module. By rotating the upper and lower blowers 3, the outside air having a lower temperature is blown from the upper and lower outside of the housing 1 to the inside at a right angle to the battery module 2. When air is blown into the inside of the housing 1, the outside air is distributed to the left and right by the flow control plate 6 attached to the upper and lower triangular holes 7b (1), and enters between the battery modules 2 toward the inside of the housing 1. It flows in parallel with the battery module 2 toward the exhaust port 5. Further, the flow control plate 6 attached to the triangular hole 7b (1)
Protects the battery module 2 near the blower 3 from being excessively cooled. The flow control plate 6 attached to the triangular hole 7b (2) forcibly guides the inflowing outside air toward the battery module 2 to cool the battery module 2 more effectively. Therefore, the outside air that has flowed into the housing 1 cools the battery module 2 while exiting from the exhaust port 5, and is gradually heated and discharged.

When the battery modules 2 are arranged in a grid pattern, it is easy to connect the battery modules 2 in series, and when the battery modules 2 are in a staggered pattern, the battery modules 2 function as a flow control plate. No need to install.

According to this embodiment, the blower is attached to the two opposite surfaces of the housing, and the outside air flows into the housing from the two opposite surfaces of the housing. The difference between the upstream side and the downstream side is reduced, the temperature difference is reduced accordingly, and a battery power supply device capable of more evenly cooling the battery module is obtained. In addition, since the required air flow to the housing is shared by multiple units, it is possible to use a smaller blower than in the case where only one unit is used, and therefore the entire battery power supply device can be used. It can be miniaturized.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of the holding member of the battery power supply device according to the present invention. This embodiment is shown in FIG.
The difference from the embodiment of (b) is that the arrangement interval of the battery modules 2 is made larger toward the downstream side, and therefore the holes 7 (a) formed in the holding member 6 for holding the battery modules 2 are formed. That is, the interval is also larger toward the downstream side. That is, the interval on the upstream side of the battery module 2 is b1, and the interval on the downstream side is b2, b.
3 and b4, they are arranged such that b1 <b2b <b3 <b4. By arranging in this way, the temperature rise of the air received from the battery module on the upstream side with respect to the battery module on the downstream side. The influence of can be reduced.

6A and 6B show calculated values of the battery module surface temperature in the above arrangement, where FIG. 6A is an explanatory view of the arrangement and FIG. 6B shows the battery module surface temperature, which is also shown for reference in the case of the conventional example. In (b), the upper graph is the conventional example in which the battery modules 2 are arranged at equal intervals, and the lower graph is the present embodiment, in which the battery modules 2 are unequal intervals and the intervals increase toward the downstream side. The surface temperature (° C.) of the battery module is shown on the vertical axis, and the position (m) in the longitudinal direction of the battery module 2 is shown on the horizontal axis. Specifically, b1, b2, b3, b4 are intervals between the battery modules, and as an example, the battery module intervals are b1 = b2 =
It is a graph in the case of a conventional example of b3 = b4 = 28 mm at equal intervals, and the lower graph shows that the battery module interval is b1 =
2 mm8, b2 = 29 mm, b3 = 3 mm0, b4 = 3
It is a graph in the case of a present Example of unequal intervals of 1 mm.

From the figure, by making the intervals between the battery modules unequal and increasing the intervals toward the downstream, the temperature variation between the first and fifth battery modules is almost equal in the conventional example. The temperature is 7 ° C., whereas the temperature is approximately 5 ° C. in this example, and it can be seen that the temperature variation among the battery modules is small in this example. In addition, the temperature variation among the battery modules is also small. According to this embodiment, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the influence of the temperature increase of the air received from the battery module on the upstream side on the battery module on the downstream side.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention. The present embodiment is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that a partition plate 12 is horizontally arranged in the central portion of the housing 1. As described above, by arranging the partition plate 12 horizontally in the central portion, it is possible to suppress the disturbance of the outside air blown from the blower 3 and further improve the effect of uniformly cooling the battery module 2.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of still another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention, which is a view showing the outline of the main part. In this embodiment, the blower 3 is attached to the side surface of the housing 1, that is, both side surfaces of the housing 1 on the side where the electrode plate 1c is located, to blow outside air into the housing 1 ( (See FIG. 1 for the electrode plate 1c). Specifically, the battery modules 2 are arranged in the housing 1 in a staggered manner. A duct 13 is provided in parallel with the battery module 2 in order to guide the outside air blown by the blower 3 located on the two opposite sides of the casing 1 perpendicular to the battery module 2 into the casing 1. The duct 13 connects the two blowers 3, and the duct 13 has a blower port 13a at the center thereof for blowing outside air into the housing 1 in a direction perpendicular to the battery module 2. The exhaust port (not shown)
It is formed on both electrode plates 1c shown in FIG.

In the above structure, the outside air blown from the blower 3 passes through the duct 13 and is blown out at a right angle to the battery module 2 from the blower port 13a near the center of the duct 13. After that, the outside air flows in the longitudinal direction (indicated by arrow 14) and the vertical direction (indicated by arrow 15) of the battery module 2 and is discharged from the exhaust port of the electrode plate 1c. The duct 13 may be provided in plural.

According to the present embodiment, the central portion of the battery module, which has the highest surface temperature of the battery module, can be effectively cooled, and the surface temperature of the battery module can be cooled more uniformly. Further, when there are a plurality of ducts, there is an effect of further reducing the variation in temperature between the battery modules. Further, by providing the exhaust port in the electrode plate, it is not necessary to change the direction of air flow during exhaust, so that the fluid pressure loss at the time of mounting the device can be reduced. Therefore, the rotation speed of the blower can be reduced, and the noise emitted from the blower can be reduced.

FIG. 9 is a view showing still another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention, (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view. The difference from the embodiment of FIG. 1 is that the battery modules 2 are arranged in a grid pattern in the housing 1, and the blowers 3 are attached to the upper and lower two surfaces of the housing 1, three in total, six in total. Further, the holding member 6 is attached at two positions (may be at two or more positions), the interior of the housing 1 is divided into three cooling chambers 16, and the exhaust ports 5 are provided in the respective cooling chambers 16. It is provided.

According to this embodiment, since the holding members are provided at a plurality of positions, the holding force for the battery module is further increased. Further, since the inside of the housing is partitioned into a plurality of spaces and the blower and the exhaust port are provided in each space, there is an effect that it is possible to further reduce the variation in the temperature inside the battery module.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to uniformly cool a plurality of battery modules arranged in parallel in a housing, and also to cool the battery cells constituting the battery module more uniformly. It is possible to provide a battery power supply device capable of doing so. In addition, since the required air flow to the housing is shared by multiple units, it is possible to use a smaller blower than in the case where only one unit is used, thus reducing the overall size of the battery power supply unit. Can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a battery power supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing an embodiment of a housing, a holding member, a flow control plate, and the like.

3A and 3B are plan views of the holding member shown in FIG. 1, where FIG. 3A is an example in which the battery modules are arranged in a staggered pattern, and FIG. 3B is an example in which they are arranged in a grid pattern.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mounted state of the battery power supply device according to the present invention, in which (a) is a mounted state and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention.

6A and 6B are calculated values of a battery module surface temperature, where FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the battery module surface temperature.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of still another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention, showing the outline of the main part.

FIG. 9 is a view showing still another embodiment of the battery power supply device according to the present invention, (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Case, 2: Battery module, 3: Blower, 4: Blower mounting hole, 5: Exhaust port, 6: Flow control plate, 7: Holding member, 7a: Battery module holding hole, 7b (1),
7b (2): holding member holding hole, 8: guide groove, 10:
Battery assembly, 11: legs, 12: partition plate, 13: duct, 16: cooling chamber.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Shigeo Ohashi             502 Kintatemachi, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Japan             Tate Seisakusho Mechanical Research Center (72) Inventor Shingo Nakamura             Hitachi Ma, 1-88, Torora, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture             Battery Development Laboratory, Kucsel Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masato Isogai             Hitachi Ma, 1-88, Torora, Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture             Battery Development Laboratory, Kucsel Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5H031 AA09 CC01 CC05 HH06 HH08                       KK08

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A battery power supply device in which a plurality of battery modules, each of which is formed by electrically and mechanically connecting single cells in series, are arranged in a housing and attached to an electrode plate to cool the battery module. A blower that blows outside air into the casing on two opposite faces of the casing, and two opposite faces of the casing adjacent to the face on which the blower is attached, which are parallel to the battery module. A battery power supply device, comprising: an exhaust port communicating between inside and outside of the body. 2. The battery power supply device according to claim 1, wherein a flow control plate that guides a flow of air is installed in the housing. 3. The battery power supply device according to claim 1, wherein a holding member that holds at least one of a battery module and a flow control plate is attached to the inside of the housing. 4. The battery power supply device according to claim 1, wherein a partition plate is attached in parallel with the battery module between the blowers attached to the two opposite surfaces of the casing. 5. A battery power supply device in which a plurality of battery modules, each of which is formed by electrically and mechanically connecting cells in series electrically, are arranged in a housing and attached to an electrode plate to cool the battery module. An air blower that blows outside air into the housing on two opposite surfaces of the housing, and two opposite surfaces of the housing adjacent to the surface to which the air blower is attached, the two surfaces being parallel to the battery module. An exhaust port that communicates the inside and outside of the housing, a flow control plate that is installed in the housing and guides the flow of air, and is installed in the housing and holds at least one of a battery module and a flow control plate. A battery power supply device comprising a holding member. 6. The arrangement interval on the downstream side between the battery modules is made larger than that on the upstream side.
6. The battery power supply device according to any one of 5 to 5. 7. A battery power supply device in which a plurality of battery modules, each of which is formed by electrically and mechanically connecting single cells in series, are arranged in a housing and attached to an electrode plate to cool the battery module. An air blower located on two opposite sides of the housing, a duct for guiding the air blown by the air blower into the housing parallel to the battery module and blowing the air to the battery module in the housing, and a relative position of the housing perpendicular to the battery module. The battery power supply device is provided with an exhaust port communicating between the inside and outside of the housing.