JP5042096B2 - Power supply for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device mainly used for an electric vehicle such as a hybrid car, and more particularly to a power supply device that forcibly cools a battery with heat of vaporization of a refrigerant supplied from a compressor mounted on the vehicle.

  A power supply device mounted in a hybrid car or the like needs to forcibly cool a battery that is charged and discharged with a large current and generates heat. This is because the temperature rise of the battery not only lowers the electrical characteristics of the battery but also shortens the life of the battery and further hinders safety. A conventional vehicle power supply device cools a battery by forcibly blowing air. However, since this structure cools the battery via air having a small specific heat, it is necessary to forcibly blow a large amount of air at a high flow rate. For this reason, noise is generated and it is difficult to quickly cool a rapidly heated battery.

As described in Patent Document 1, this drawback can be solved by a structure in which the cooling plate is cooled by a cooling pipe that circulates a liquid, and a battery is placed on the cooling plate and cooled.
Utility Model Registration No. 2559719

  In the cooling structure of Patent Document 1, a battery is placed on a cooling plate and stored in a heat insulating container. In this structure, it is difficult to fix a heavy battery to a heat insulating container with a strong structure while efficiently cooling the battery by insulating the cooling plate from the outside.

  The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving this drawback. An important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device for a vehicle that can cool a battery efficiently and quickly with a cooling plate while fixing a heavy battery with a strong mounting structure.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

The vehicle power supply device of the present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-described object.
A power supply device for a vehicle includes a cooling plate 3 including a heat exchanger 4 that circulates a refrigerant therein and forcibly cools it with the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant, and is fixed on the cooling plate 3 and includes a plurality of A battery block 2 to which the battery 1 is connected and a frame structure 5 to which the cooling plate 3 is fixed are provided, and the battery block 2 is forcibly cooled by the cooling plate 3. The power supply device is provided with a heat insulating gap 6 and a fixed convex portion 7 on the facing surface of the cooling plate 3 and the frame structure 5, and the cooling plate 3 is fixed to the frame structure 5 via the fixed convex portion 7. The heat insulating gap 6 insulates the cooling plate 3 and the frame structure 5 from each other.

  The power supply device for a vehicle described above can quickly and efficiently cool a battery with a cooling plate while fixing a heavy battery to the frame structure with a strong mounting structure. This is because the heat insulating gap is provided between the cooling plate and the frame structure to insulate the cooling plate while locally fixing the cooling plate to the frame structure via the fixed convex portion.

  In the vehicle power supply device according to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of rows of elongated fixed convex portions 7 are provided on the lower surface of the cooling plate 3, and the fixed convex portions 7 are fixed to the frame structure 5. This power supply device can be fixed to the frame structure while reinforcing the cooling plate with the fixed convex portion.

  In the vehicle power supply device according to claim 3 of the present invention, the frame structure 5 includes a base plate 30 that fixes the cooling plate 3 to the upper surface, and a ladder frame 31 that fixes the base plate 30. . The ladder frame 31 includes a plurality of rows of mount frames 34 that fix the base plate 30, and a suspension frame 33 that fixes both ends of the mount frame 34. In this frame structure 5, a non-contact gap 35 is provided between the base plate 30 and the suspended frame 33, and the base plate 30 is coupled to the suspended frame 33 via a mount frame 34. In this power supply apparatus, the cooling plate and the base plate are locally connected in a narrow region, and further, the base plate is directly connected to the suspension frame without being connected to the suspension frame. By limiting the heat conduction between the base plate and the heat conduction between the base plate and the suspension frame, the battery can be efficiently and quickly cooled by the cooling plate. This is because the area where the cooling plate cools the base plate is narrowly limited, and further, the area where the base plate connects the suspension frame is narrowly limited. Furthermore, this power supply device can firmly support the base plate with the ladder frame and fix the cooling plate to the strong frame structure.

  In the power supply device for a vehicle according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the fixing projection 7 is disposed at the position of the mount frame 34, and the cooling plate 3 is fixed to the base plate 30 at the position of the mount frame 34. In this power supply device, the cooling plate can be fixed to the ladder frame with a strong structure. This is because the base plate is fixed to the cooling plate at the position of the mount frame fixed to the hanging frame.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 5 of the present invention is provided with the fixed convex portion 7 on the lower surface of the cooling plate 3, the base plate 30 has the reinforcing ribs 30 a protruding on both sides of the fixed convex portion 7, and the reinforcing rib Both sides of the mount frame 34 are welded and fixed to the lower surface of 30a. The power supply device having this structure can firmly connect the mount frame and the base plate, and the mount frame can firmly support the cooling plate via the base plate.

  In the power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 6 of the present invention, the base plate 30 has a peripheral wall 30e on the outer periphery and a discharge port 30c penetrating vertically, and the base plate 30 is directed toward the discharge port 30c. And processed into a shape having a downwardly inclined drainage groove 30d. This power supply device can discharge the electrolytic solution discharged from the battery, the condensed water adhering to the surface of the battery or the cooling plate, or the like from the discharge port while reinforcing the base plate with the peripheral wall and the drainage groove.

  The power supply device for a vehicle according to claim 7 of the present invention has a suspension portion 33A extending upward at both ends of the suspension frame 33, and the upper end of the suspension portion 33A is fixed to a chassis frame 32 fixed to the vehicle. ing. This power supply device can reduce heat conduction between the suspension frame and the vehicle by locally connecting the suspension frame to the vehicle while firmly supporting the cooling plate and the battery block with the ladder frame. Therefore, it is possible to limit the heat conduction between the ladder frame and the vehicle, reduce wasteful heat conduction from the ladder frame, and improve the cooling efficiency of the cooling plate.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies a vehicle power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the vehicle power supply device as follows.

  Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  Detailed views of the power supply device for a vehicle shown in the schematic exploded perspective view of FIG. 1 are shown in FIGS. The power supply device shown in these figures includes a cooling plate 3 that incorporates a heat exchanger 4 that circulates a refrigerant therein and forcibly cools it with the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant, and is fixed on the cooling plate 3. A battery block 2 formed by connecting a plurality of batteries 1 and a frame structure 5 to which a cooling plate 3 is fixed are provided. This power supply device forcibly cools the battery block 2 from the bottom surface by the cooling plate 3.

  The cooling plate 3 connects the top plate 11 and the bottom plate 12 at the periphery, and the inside is a closed chamber 10. A heat exchange pipe 13 made of copper, aluminum, or the like for circulating the liquefied refrigerant is incorporated in the closed chamber 10 as the heat exchanger 4. The heat exchange pipe 13 is fixed so as to be in close contact with the upper surface plate 11 of the cooling plate 3 to cool the upper surface plate 11, and a heat insulating material (not shown) is provided between the bottom plate 12 and the bottom plate 12. Insulates between.

  The heat exchange pipe 13 vaporizes the supplied liquid refrigerant and cools the upper surface plate 11 with heat of vaporization. As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchange pipe 13 is connected to a condenser 15 mounted on the vehicle via an expansion valve 14, and liquefied refrigerant is supplied from the condenser 15 via the expansion valve 14. The expansion valve 14 adjusts the amount of refrigerant supplied to the heat exchange pipe 13 and adiabatically expands the refrigerant. The supply amount of the refrigerant is controlled by the heat exchange pipe 13 of the cooling plate 3 so that the supplied refrigerant is completely vaporized and discharged. The condenser 15 cools and liquefies the gaseous refrigerant supplied from the compressor 16. Since the condenser 15 dissipates heat from the refrigerant and liquefies it, the condenser 15 is disposed in the vicinity of the radiator provided in the vehicle. The compressor 16 is driven by a vehicle engine or is driven by a motor to pressurize the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the heat exchange pipe 13 and supply it to the condenser 15. In this cooling system, the refrigerant pressurized by the compressor 16 is cooled and liquefied by the condenser 15, the liquefied refrigerant is supplied to the cooling plate 3, and the refrigerant is vaporized inside the heat exchange pipe 13 of the cooling plate 3. The upper surface plate 11 is cooled by heat of vaporization. In the cooling system of FIG. 1, an expansion valve 14 is connected to the discharge side of a condenser 15 for cooling the vehicle mounted on the vehicle via a bypass valve 17. In the cooling system, when the temperature of the battery 1 becomes higher than the set temperature, the bypass valve 17 is opened to supply the coolant to the cooling plate 3, and the battery 1 is cooled by the cooling plate 3. When the battery 1 is cooled and becomes lower than the set temperature, the bypass valve 17 is closed and the cooling of the cooling plate 3 is stopped.

  In the power supply device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooling plate 3 is formed into an elongated quadrangle, and two sets of battery blocks 2 are arranged and fixed thereon. The battery block 2 is shown in the perspective view of FIG. In this battery block 2, a plurality of rectangular batteries 1 are arranged in two rows so as to be stacked in a horizontal plane in a vertical posture, and the bottom surface is flat. The prismatic battery 1 is connected in series via a bus bar (not shown) made of a metal plate. Further, the battery block 2 fixes the battery 1 in a stacked state by sandwiching both end surfaces of the stacked batteries 1 with a pair of end plates 20. The pair of end plates 20 are connected to each other by connecting metal fittings 21 to fix the stacked battery 1.

  The battery block 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the cooling plate 3 to fix each rectangular battery 1 in a close contact state. The prismatic battery 1 has an outer can made of metal such as aluminum. The metal outer can has good heat conduction, and the entire bottom can be uniformly cooled from the bottom by fixing the bottom to the surface of the cooling plate 3. The rectangular battery 1 is a lithium ion battery. However, the battery can be any rechargeable battery such as a nickel metal hydride battery, instead of the lithium ion battery.

  The frame structure 5 is provided with a heat insulating gap 6 and a fixed convex portion 7 on the surface facing the cooling plate 3, and the cooling plate 3 is fixed to the frame structure 5 via the fixed convex portion 7, so that the heat insulating gap 6 Therefore, the cooling plate 3 and the frame structure 5 are insulated. In the power supply device of FIG. 1, three rows of elongated fixed convex portions 7 are provided on the lower surface of the cooling plate 3, and the fixed convex portions 7 are fixed to the base plate 30 of the frame structure 5. The fixed convex part can be provided by fixing a metal rod having a square cross-sectional shape on the lower surface of the cooling plate, and can be provided by pressing the bottom plate of the cooling plate so as to form a fixed convex part. . The power supply device shown in the figure is provided with the fixed convex portion 7 on the cooling plate 3, but the power supply device of the present invention is not provided with the fixed convex portion on the cooling plate, but is provided with the fixed convex portion on the frame structure. Can be fixed to the cooling plate, and the cooling plate can be fixed to the frame structure so that a heat insulating gap is formed.

  The frame structure 5 of FIG. 1 includes a base plate 30 that fixes the cooling plate 3 to the upper surface, a ladder frame 31 that fixes the base plate 30, and a chassis frame 32 that fixes the ladder frame 31.

  The base plate 30 is manufactured by pressing a metal plate such as iron or iron alloy, or aluminum or aluminum alloy. The base plate 30 fixes a plurality of rows (three rows in FIG. 1) of fixed protrusions 7 provided on the lower surface of the cooling plate 3 to the upper surface. Further, the base plate 30 is provided with a discharge port 30c penetrating vertically, and is pressed into a shape having a downwardly inclined drainage groove 30d toward the discharge port 30c. This shape of the base plate 30 improves the bending strength by groove processing for providing the outer peripheral wall 30e and the drainage groove 30d, and allows the electrolytic solution or dewed water flowing down from the cooling plate 3 to be discharged from the discharge port 30c to the outside. Can be discharged.

  As shown in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4, the base plate 30 has a width narrower than the interval between the suspension frames 33 and has a shape that does not contact the suspension frame 33 on both sides. Is provided with a non-contact gap 35. The base plate 30 is provided with a non-contact gap 35 between the suspension frame 33 and restricts heat conduction with the suspension frame 33. The base plate 30 is not directly connected to the suspension frame 33 but is connected to the suspension frame 33 via the mount frame 34.

  FIG. 3 shows a portion for fixing the cooling plate 3 to the base plate 30. The base plate 30 in this figure is provided with reinforcing ribs 30a protruding upward on both sides of the fixed convex portion 7 provided on the lower surface of the cooling plate 3, and the fixed convex portion 7 is fixed between the pair of reinforcing ribs 30a. ing. In this mounting structure, the fixing portion 30f of the fixing convex portion 7 in the base plate 30 can be reinforced and fixed by the reinforcing rib 30a. Therefore, the base plate 30 can improve the strength of the fixed portion 30f that fixes the fixed convex portion 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing rib 30 a has a height that separates the upper surface from the cooling plate 3 and can reduce heat conduction with the cooling plate 3, and the base plate is cooled by contacting the upper surface with the lower surface of the cooling plate. Strength to support the plate can be improved.

  The base plate 30 is a long and narrow rectangle larger than the outer shape of the cooling plate 3, and a peripheral wall 30e is provided on the outer periphery thereof. The elongated rectangular base plate 30 has three rows of fixed projections 7 fixed to both end portions and an intermediate portion. The fixed convex portion 7 is fixed to the base plate 30 in a posture orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the elongated base plate 30.

  The ladder frame 31 includes a plurality of rows of mount frames 34 that fix the base plate 30, and a suspension frame 33 that fixes both ends of the mount frame 34. In the illustrated ladder frame 31, three rows of mount frames 34 are connected to the suspension frame 33. Both ends of the mount frame 34 are fixed to the suspension frame 33 by a method such as welding. The mount frame 34 is disposed at the position of the fixed convex portion 7, in other words, the fixed convex portion 7 is disposed at the position of the mount frame 34, and the cooling plate 3 is fixed to the base plate 30 at the position of the mount frame 34. is doing. Therefore, the mount frame 34 is fixed to the suspension frame 33 at both ends and the middle portion of the suspension frame 33. The mount frame 34 is formed by pressing a metal plate into a groove shape, and is provided with bent pieces 34a that are bent outward along the opening edges of the grooves located on both sides thereof. The bent piece 34 a is guided by a rib groove 30 b formed on the lower surface of the reinforcing rib 30 a provided on the base plate 30 so as to protrude upward, and is fixed to the base plate 30 by welding.

  The mount frame 34 in which the metal plate is pressed into the groove shape is fixed to the base plate 30 only by the bent pieces 34a, and the bent pieces 34a on both sides are separated downward from the base plate 30 and are not It is in contact. For this reason, the groove-type mount frame 34 has a groove depth deeper than the protruding height of the reinforcing rib 30a. The mount frame 34 having this structure can narrow the contact area with the base plate 30 and limit heat conduction with the base plate 30 to a small extent. Further, since the lower surface of the reinforcing rib 30a of the base plate 30 is supported by the bent pieces 34a on both sides, there is a feature that the base plate 30 can be supported firmly and firmly.

  The mount frame 34 is provided with a through hole 34 b through which a set screw 36 for fixing the fixing projection 7 to the base plate 30 is inserted. The through hole 34b is larger than the screw head of the set screw 36, and the screw head can be rotated by inserting the screw head into the through hole 34b. The set screw 36 passes through the base plate 30 and is screwed into a female screw hole (not shown) provided in the fixed projection 7 to fix the base plate 30 to the cooling plate 3.

  The suspension frame 33 is made of two metal pipes, processed into a shape having a suspension portion 33A extending upward at both ends, and the upper end of the suspension portion 33A is welded and fixed to the chassis frame 32 fixed to the vehicle. ing. In the illustrated ladder frame 31, two suspension frames 33 are arranged in a width that can fix both ends of the mount frame 34, and both ends are fixed to the chassis frame 32.

1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a power supply device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom perspective view of the power supply device for vehicles concerning one example of the present invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional perspective view of the power supply device for vehicles shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the vehicle power supply device shown in FIG. 2. It is a perspective view of a battery block.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 2 ... Battery block 3 ... Cooling plate 4 ... Heat exchanger 5 ... Frame structure 6 ... Thermal insulation gap 7 ... Fixed convex part 10 ... Closed chamber 11 ... Top plate 12 ... Bottom plate 13 ... Heat exchange pipe 14 ... Expansion valve DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Capacitor 16 ... Compressor 17 ... Bypass valve 20 ... End plate 21 ... Connecting metal fitting 30 ... Base plate 30a ... Reinforcement rib
30b ... Rib groove
30c ... Discharge port
30d ... Drainage channel
30e ... Surrounding wall
30f ... Fixing part 31 ... Ladder frame 32 ... Chassis frame 33 ... Hanging frame 33A ... Hanging part 34 ... Mount frame 34a ... Bending piece
34b ... Through hole 35 ... Non-contact gap 36 ... Set screw

Claims (7)

A cooling plate (3) with a built-in heat exchanger (4) that circulates the refrigerant inside and forcibly cools it with the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant, and a plurality of batteries (fixed on the cooling plate (3) ( A battery block (2) formed by connecting 1) and a frame structure (5) that fixes the cooling plate (3), and the battery block (2) is forced by the cooling plate (3). A power supply device for a vehicle configured to cool,
On the opposing surface of the cooling plate (3) and the frame structure (5), a heat insulating gap (6) and a fixed convex portion (7) are provided, and the cooling plate (3) is interposed via the fixed convex portion (7). A power supply device for a vehicle, which is fixed to the frame structure (5) and thermally insulates the cooling plate (3) and the frame structure (5) with a heat insulating gap (6).   A plurality of rows of elongated fixed projections (7) are provided on the lower surface of the cooling plate (3), and the fixed projections (7) are fixed to the frame structure (5). A power supply device for a vehicle.   The frame structure (5) includes a base plate (30) that fixes the cooling plate (3) to the upper surface, and a ladder frame (31) that fixes the base plate (30). ) Includes a plurality of rows of mounting frames (34) fixing the base plate (30), and a suspension frame (33) fixing both ends of the mounting frame (34), the base plate (30) The vehicle power source according to claim 1, wherein a non-contact gap (35) is provided between the suspension frame (33) and the suspension frame (33) via the mount frame (34). apparatus.   The fixing projection (7) is disposed at the position of the mount frame (34), and the cooling plate (3) is fixed to the base plate (30) at the position of the mount frame (34). A power supply device for a vehicle.   The cooling plate (3) is provided with a fixed projection (7) on the lower surface, and the base plate (30) has reinforcing ribs (30a) protruding on both sides of the fixed projection (7). The power supply device for vehicles according to claim 3, wherein both sides of the mount frame (34) are welded and fixed to the lower surface of the mounting frame.   The base plate (30) has a peripheral wall (30e) on the outer periphery, a discharge port (30c) penetrating up and down, and further has a downwardly inclined drainage groove (30d) toward the discharge port (30c). The power supply device for vehicles according to claim 3 processed into a shape.   A suspension part (33A) extending upward at both ends of the suspension frame (33), and an upper end of the suspension part (33A) is fixed to a chassis frame (32) fixed to a vehicle. The power supply device for vehicles described in 2.

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