JP7591082B2 - Battery Cooling Mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery cooling mechanism that cools a battery installed in a vehicle.

In recent years, research and development has been conducted into secondary cells (also called batteries) that contribute to energy efficiency, so that more people can have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

As vehicle drive sources become more electric, vehicles are equipped with batteries that supply power to motors and other devices. Because batteries generate heat when power is being supplied or when they are being charged, they need to be cooled appropriately. In air-cooling, which is one method of cooling batteries, for example, cool air from the vehicle cabin is drawn in by a fan and then blown to the battery to cool it. However, in air-cooling, liquids such as rainwater can flow into the intake duct from the air intake, and if a relatively large amount of liquid gets into the fan and battery, this can lead to failure of the fan and battery.

In response to this, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which drainage holes are provided in the bottom surface of the air intake member provided at the upstream end of the air intake duct, preventing rainwater from entering the air intake duct. Patent Document 2 also describes a configuration in which a water-absorbing sound-absorbing material is provided in the air intake duct.

Patent No. 6690507 JP 2016-117450 A

However, although Patent Document 1 can prevent liquid from entering through the intake port, if condensation occurs in the intake duct, there is a risk that the condensation will enter the fan and battery. Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, when dust accumulates on the surface of the sound-absorbing material, the water absorption performance of the sound-absorbing material decreases, and liquid that cannot be absorbed by the sound-absorbing material may enter the fan and battery. As mentioned above, if a relatively large amount of liquid enters the fan and battery, it can lead to failure of the fan and battery, so a configuration that can properly retain liquid within the intake flow path is desired.

The present invention provides a battery cooling mechanism that can adequately retain liquid within the intake flow path located upstream of the fan and battery.

The present invention relates to
A battery cooling mechanism for cooling a battery mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
a fan arranged with an intake port facing downward and configured to blow cooling air to the battery;
an intake passage connected to the inlet of the fan and through which the cooling air flows,
The intake passage is
a liquid storage section facing the intake port of the fan and provided with a water-absorbing sound-absorbing material;
an inclined surface provided upstream of the liquid storage portion and inclined toward the suction port of the fan;
and a step portion provided between the downstream end of the inclined surface and the liquid storage portion.

According to the present invention, liquid can be appropriately retained in the intake passage located upstream of the fan and battery.

1 is a diagram showing a battery pack 10 arranged under a rear seat 2 of a vehicle 1. FIG. 2 is a top view of the battery pack 10 fixed to the side frame 5. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded oblique view of the battery pack 10. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fan 41 and an intake passage 60 of a battery cooling mechanism 40 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the intake passage 60. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the flow of cooling air, liquid, and dust flowing through an intake flow path 60. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the battery cooling mechanism of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The drawings should be viewed in the direction of the reference symbols. In order to simplify and clarify the description in this specification, the front/rear, left/right, and up/down directions are described according to the direction as seen by the driver of the vehicle, and in the drawings, the front of the vehicle is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left as L, the right as R, the top as U, and the bottom as D.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a battery pack 10 equipped with a battery cooling mechanism 40 according to one embodiment of the present invention is disposed, for example, below the rear seat 2 and luggage compartment 4 of a vehicle 1. Specifically, a recess is provided below the rear seat 2 and luggage compartment 4, and the battery pack 10 is disposed within the recess with vehicle body fixing parts 91, 92 provided at both left and right ends fixed to a pair of side frames 5 of the vehicle body. The vehicle 1 is, for example, an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, a battery-powered electric vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle.

An intake duct 16 and an exhaust duct 18 are connected to the battery pack 10. Cooling air from within the vehicle cabin is introduced into the battery pack 10 through the intake duct 16 to cool the battery module 20 (described later), and is then exhausted into the vehicle cabin through the exhaust duct 18. One end of the intake duct 16 is connected to an intake duct connector 15 provided on the front right side of the battery pack 10. The other end of the intake duct 16 is provided with an intake inlet 16a that opens to the right. One end of the exhaust duct 18 is connected to an exhaust duct connector 17 provided on the front left side of the battery pack 10, and is located below the rear seat 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the battery pack 10 includes two battery modules 20, a battery ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 21, a junction box 23, a battery cooling mechanism 40, and a case 11 that houses these.

(case)
The case 11 constitutes the exterior of the battery pack 10 and houses the battery module 20 and the like. The case 11 has a tray-shaped case body 12 and a cover 13 that covers the case body 12 from above. The cover 13 is disposed such that its outer edge faces the outer edge of the case body 12 via a sealing member (e.g., rubber foam) not shown, and covers the case body 12, on which various components are mounted, from above.

(Battery module)
The two battery modules 20 are disposed on the left side of the case body 12. Each battery module 20 is configured by stacking a plurality of battery cells (not shown) in the left-right direction. The two battery modules 20 are electrically connected to each other via electrical connection members (not shown). Electricity stored in the battery modules 20 is supplied to a motor or the like that serves as a drive source for the vehicle 1.

The two battery modules 20 are arranged at a distance in the front-to-rear direction, and a downstream air duct 51 (described later) is provided between them.

A pair of left and right battery brackets 25, 27 are provided at both left and right ends of the two battery modules 20. The left battery bracket 25 is attached to the left end of the battery module 20. The left battery bracket 25 has a vehicle body fixing part 91 that is fixed to the side frame 5 of the vehicle body. The right battery bracket 27 is attached to the right end of the battery module 20. The right battery bracket 27 has a vehicle body fixing part 92 that is fixed to the side frame 5 of the vehicle body. The vehicle body fixing parts 91, 92 have bolt insertion holes and are fixing points that fix the battery pack 10 to the side frame 5 (see Figure 2).

In this way, the two battery modules 20 are integrally supported on the side frame 5 of the vehicle body by the left battery bracket 25 and the right battery bracket 27. The left battery bracket 25 and the right battery bracket 27 are also fixed to the case 11, and the case 11 houses the battery module 20 supported on the side frame 5 from below.

(Battery ECU)
The battery ECU 21 is a control device that controls charging and discharging of the battery module 20, and includes a processor, a memory, an interface, etc. The battery ECU 21 is mounted on an ECU fixing bracket 22 provided above the fan 41 and the right battery bracket 27.

(Junction box)
The junction box 23 electrically connects the battery module 20 to an external device (not shown) and includes wiring components through which charging power and discharging power of the battery module 20 flows. The junction box 23 is placed on a junction box bracket 24 attached to the upper surface of the battery module 20.

(Battery cooling mechanism)
The battery cooling mechanism 40 includes a fan 41 , an air supply passage 50 , and an intake passage 60 .

The fan 41 is disposed upstream of the battery module 20, draws in cooling air from outside the battery pack 10, and blows the cooling air to the battery module 20. The fan 41 is, for example, a sirocco fan. The fan 41 has an intake port 42 that opens downward and an outlet port 43 that is provided in the centrifugal direction. The intake port 42 is connected to the intake flow path 60, and the outlet port 43 is connected to the air supply flow path 50.

The right battery bracket 27 is provided below the fan 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the right battery bracket 27 has an opening 27a that communicates with the intake port 42 of the fan 41, and supports the fan 41 from below with the intake port 42 facing downward. The fan 41 is provided at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane so that the intake port 42 faces the inclined surface 65 of the intake flow path 60 described later. In addition, a seal member 45 is provided between the right battery bracket 27 and the intake duct 61 described later, and the opening 27a of the right battery bracket 27 and the intake duct 61 communicate airtightly. The seal member 45 is formed of a gas-impermeable material, such as rubber foam.

The airflow path 50 is provided downstream of the fan 41 and blows the cooling air blown from the fan 41 to the battery module 20. The airflow path 50 is disposed between the two battery modules 20 and has a downstream airflow duct 51 that supplies cooling air to the battery module 20, and an upstream airflow duct 52 that is connected to the outlet 43 of the fan 41 and the downstream airflow duct 51 and guides the cooling air blown from the fan 41 to the downstream airflow duct 51. The downstream airflow duct 51 communicates with the gap between adjacent battery cells (also referred to as the inter-cell flow path), and the battery module 20 is cooled by the cooling air flowing into the inter-cell flow path.

The intake flow path 60 is provided upstream of the fan 41 and is a flow path through which cooling air drawn in from the vehicle cabin flows. The intake flow path 60 is connected to the intake duct connection portion 15 and the suction port 42 of the fan 41. In this embodiment, the intake flow path 60 is formed by an intake duct 61 arranged inside the case 11.

Details of the intake passage 60 will be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Note that in Figure 5, the top surface of the intake duct 61 is not shown in order to show the internal structure of the intake duct 61 (i.e., the intake passage 60).

The intake passage 60 has an inlet section 62, an intermediate section 63, a liquid storage section 64, an inclined surface 65, and a step section 66.

The inlet section 62 is connected to the intake duct 16 provided on the outside of the case 11 at the intake duct connection section 15. The cooling air flowing from the intake inlet 16a of the intake duct 16 is introduced into the intake flow path 60 from the inlet section 62. The inlet section 62 extends horizontally.

The intermediate section 63 is connected to the inlet section 62 and the liquid storage section 64. The intermediate section 63 extends in the vertical direction, with its upper end connected to the inlet section 62 and its lower end connected to the liquid storage section 64 extending in the horizontal direction. The intermediate section 63 has an upstream bent section 63a and a downstream bent section 63b that change the flow direction of the cooling air introduced from the inlet section 62. The upstream bent section 63a is provided at the upper end of the intermediate section 63 and changes the flow of the cooling air flowing horizontally from the inlet section 62 to a downward direction. The downstream bent section 63b is provided at the lower end of the intermediate section 63 and changes the flow of the cooling air flowing downward through the intermediate section 63 to a horizontal direction, guiding the cooling air to the liquid storage section 64.

The liquid storage section 64 is connected to the intermediate section 63 and the intake port 42 of the fan 41, and faces the intake port 42. The liquid storage section 64 stores liquid in the intake flow path 60 so that the liquid is not sucked into the fan 41. The liquid is, for example, rainwater that enters the intake flow path 60 together with the cooling air, or condensation water that occurs within the intake flow path 60.

The liquid storage section 64 has a bottom 641 that faces the suction port 42 of the fan 41, and a side wall 642 that stands upright from the periphery of the bottom 641. The liquid storage section 64 is surrounded by the bottom 641 and the side wall 642. The bottom 641 and the suction port 42 are spaced apart enough that the liquid stored in the bottom 641 is not sucked in when the fan 41 is driven.

A sound absorbing material 70 is provided in the liquid storage section 64. The sound absorbing material 70 is, for example, urethane foam or nonwoven fabric. The sound absorbing material 70 absorbs the acoustic energy of the driving noise generated when the fan 41 is driven and the fluid noise generated when the cooling air flows. This reduces the driving noise and fluid noise of the fan 41 that leak into the vehicle cabin through the intake flow path 60 and the intake duct 16. The sound absorbing material 70 also has water retention properties and retains the liquid that flows into the liquid storage section 64.

The sound absorbing material 70 has a bottom sound absorbing material 71 provided on the bottom 641, and a side sound absorbing material 72 provided along the side wall 642. The bottom sound absorbing material 71 and the side sound absorbing material 72 are provided so as to cover the bottom 641 and the side wall 642, respectively. The surface area of the bottom sound absorbing material 71 is configured to be larger than the surface area of the side sound absorbing material 72. Note that the bottom sound absorbing material 71 is not shown in FIG. 5.

The liquid storage section 64 has a plurality of protrusions 643 extending from the bottom 641. The plurality of protrusions 643 are provided along the side wall 642 at a predetermined distance from the side wall 642. In the example shown in FIG. 5, each protrusion 643 has a plate shape provided along the side wall 642. The height of each protrusion 643 is approximately the same as the thickness of the bottom sound absorbing material 71, and is smaller than the height of the side sound absorbing material 72. The side sound absorbing material 72 is supported by being sandwiched between the plurality of protrusions 643 and the side wall 642. Note that each protrusion 643 is not limited to a plate shape, and may have a pin shape.

The multiple protrusions 643 are spaced apart from one another, and gaps are formed between adjacent protrusions 643. As will be described in detail later, the gaps form communication sections 644, and the liquid held in the side sound-absorbing material 72 flows through the communication sections 644 to the bottom sound-absorbing material 71.

In addition, some of the multiple protrusions 643 are provided with a pressing portion 645 that presses the bottom sound-absorbing material 71 from above. The pressing portion 645 extends from the upper end of the protrusion 643 to the side opposite the side wall portion 642. When the bottom sound-absorbing material 71 is provided on the bottom 641, the upper surface of the bottom sound-absorbing material 71 abuts against the pressing portion 645.

The inclined surface 65 is provided upstream of the liquid storage section 64 and is inclined toward the suction port 42 of the fan 41. More specifically, the inclined surface 65 is provided between the liquid storage section 64 and the downstream bent portion 63b of the intermediate section 63, and is inclined so that an imaginary extension line of the inclined surface 65 passes through the suction port 42.

The step portion 66 is provided between the downstream end (i.e., the upper end) of the inclined surface 65 and the liquid storage portion 64. The bottom 641 of the liquid storage portion 64 is located below the upper end of the inclined surface 65, and the step portion 66 is connected to the upper end of the inclined surface 65 and the bottom 641 of the liquid storage portion 64. The height of the step portion 66 is approximately the same as the height of the multiple protrusions 643 and the thickness of the bottom sound absorbing material 71, and the bottom sound absorbing material 71 is fitted into the space surrounded by the step portion 66 and the multiple protrusions 643. In this embodiment, the inclined surface 65 and the step portion 66 are formed by protruding a part of the lower surface of the intake duct 61 toward the intake flow path 60.

Next, the flow of cooling air, liquid, and dust flowing through the intake flow path 60 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Note that in FIG. 6, for ease of explanation, the dust and liquid are illustrated larger than they actually are.

As shown by the dashed arrows, the cooling air flows from the vehicle cabin into the intake passage 60, changes direction at the upstream bend 63a and downstream bend 63b of the middle section 63, and then flows along the inclined surface 65 toward the intake port 42 of the fan 41.

Liquid that flows into the intake passage 60 from the vehicle cabin together with the cooling air, and liquid that has formed due to condensation within the intake passage 60, flows through the intake passage 60 along with the flow of the cooling air. The intake port 42 of the fan 41 faces downward, and the bottom 641 of the liquid storage section 64 is provided at a predetermined distance from the intake port 42, so that the relatively large amount of liquid flowing through the intake passage 60 is not sucked into the fan 41, as shown by the solid arrow, but is retained in the sound-absorbing material 70 provided in the liquid storage section 64.

Dust that flows into the intake passage 60 from the vehicle cabin together with the cooling air flows through the intake passage 60 along with the flow of the cooling air. A relatively small amount of dust, together with a relatively small amount of liquid, is blown by the inclined surface 65 toward the suction port 42 and sucked into the fan 41. This prevents a mixture of dust and liquid from accumulating in the liquid storage section 64 and clogging the sound-absorbing material 70, which would otherwise cause a decrease in the water retention and sound-absorbing performance of the sound-absorbing material 70.

In this way, the intake flow path 60 is configured to have a liquid storage section 64, an inclined surface 65, a step section 66, and sound absorbing material 70, so that the liquid can be appropriately retained in the liquid storage section 64 provided upstream of the fan 41 and the battery module 20, and a relatively large amount of liquid can be prevented from entering the fan 41 and the battery module 20. This makes it possible to prevent the fan 41 from breaking down or the battery module 20 from shorting out due to the intrusion of a large amount of liquid.

The flow of liquid in the liquid storage section 64 will be described in detail. Liquid that is not sucked into the fan 41 and is blown along the inclined surface 65 into the liquid storage section 64 is retained and stored in the sound-absorbing material 70. As described above, the mixture of dust and liquid that causes clogging of the sound-absorbing material 70 is sucked into the fan 41 without accumulating in the liquid storage section 64, so that the water retention performance of the sound-absorbing material 70 is sufficiently ensured. Therefore, it is possible to prevent liquid that is not retained in the sound-absorbing material 70 and remains in the liquid storage section 64 from being sucked into the fan 41.

In addition, the liquid retained in the sound-absorbing material 70 evaporates over time, thereby maintaining the water retention performance of the sound-absorbing material 70.

Most of the liquid that is blown along the inclined surface 65 hits the side sound absorbing material 72 and is retained therein, but the liquid retained in the side sound absorbing material 72 flows through the communication portion 644 to the bottom sound absorbing material 71. Because the bottom sound absorbing material 71 has a larger surface area than the side sound absorbing material 72, a large amount of liquid evaporates from the bottom sound absorbing material 71. Therefore, by allowing the liquid retained in the side sound absorbing material 72 to flow to the bottom sound absorbing material 71, the water retention performance of the side sound absorbing material 72, which has a relatively small amount of evaporation, can be maintained without deterioration.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components in the above embodiment may be combined in any manner as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the invention.

This specification describes at least the following items. In parentheses, examples of components corresponding to the above-mentioned embodiments are shown, but the present invention is not limited to these.

(1) A battery cooling mechanism (battery cooling mechanism 40) that cools a battery (battery module 20) mounted on a vehicle (vehicle 1),
a fan (fan 41) arranged with an intake port (intake port 42) facing downward and for blowing cooling air to the battery;
an intake flow path (intake flow path 60) connected to the inlet of the fan and through which the cooling air flows,
The intake passage is
a liquid storage section (liquid storage section 64) facing the suction port of the fan and provided with a water-absorbing sound-absorbing material (sound-absorbing material 70);
an inclined surface (inclined surface 65) provided upstream of the liquid storage portion and inclined toward the suction port of the fan;
A step portion (step portion 66) is provided between the downstream end of the inclined surface and the liquid storage portion.
Battery cooling mechanism.

According to (1), since the fan is positioned with its intake port facing downward, the relatively large amount of liquid flowing through the intake passage together with the cooling air is not sucked into the fan, but is retained in the sound-absorbing material provided in the liquid storage section. In addition, dust and a relatively small amount of liquid flowing through the intake passage together with the cooling air are blown toward the fan by the inclined surface and then sucked in, so that a decrease in the water retention and sound absorption performance of the sound-absorbing material due to a mixture of dust and liquid accumulating on the sound-absorbing material is suppressed. Thus, liquid can be appropriately retained in the intake passage provided upstream of the fan and battery, and a relatively large amount of liquid can be suppressed from entering the fan and battery.

(2) The battery cooling mechanism according to (1),
The sound absorbing material is provided at the bottom (bottom 641) of the liquid storage portion and includes a first sound absorbing material (bottom sound absorbing material 71) having water retention properties.
Battery cooling mechanism.

According to (2), the relatively large amount of liquid that flows into the liquid storage section without being sucked into the fan can be appropriately retained by the first sound-absorbing material provided at the bottom of the liquid storage section. In addition, since the first sound-absorbing material is provided at the bottom of the liquid storage section facing the fan, it can effectively absorb the driving noise of the fan.

(3) The battery cooling mechanism according to (2),
The liquid storage portion is surrounded by a side wall portion (side wall portion 642) erected from the peripheral edge portion of the bottom portion,
The sound absorbing material includes a second sound absorbing material (side sound absorbing material 72) provided along the side wall portion and having water retention properties.
Battery cooling mechanism.

According to (3), a relatively large amount of liquid that is not sucked into the fan but is blown from the inclined surface toward the side wall portion can be retained by the second sound-absorbing material.

(4) The battery cooling mechanism according to (3),
The surface area of the first sound absorbing material is greater than the surface area of the second sound absorbing material,
The liquid storage section is provided with a communication section (communication section 644) through which the liquid held in the second sound absorbing material flows to the first sound absorbing material.
Battery cooling mechanism.

According to (4), the liquid retained in the second sound-absorbing material flows through the communicating portion to the first sound-absorbing material, so that a large amount of liquid can be evaporated by the first sound-absorbing material, which has a large surface area and is easy to evaporate. This allows the water retention performance of the second sound-absorbing material to be maintained.

(5) The battery cooling mechanism according to (4),
The second sound absorbing material is supported by being sandwiched between a plurality of protruding parts (protruding parts 643) standing on the bottom part of the liquid storage part and the side wall part,
The plurality of protrusions are spaced apart from one another,
The communication portion is formed by a gap between adjacent protrusions.
Battery cooling mechanism.

According to (5), a communication portion can be formed by a plurality of protrusions that support the second sound-absorbing material.

(6) The battery cooling mechanism according to any one of (1) to (5),
The intake passage further includes a bent portion (an upstream bent portion 63 a and a downstream bent portion 63 b) on the upstream side of the inclined surface for changing the flow direction of the cooling air.
Battery cooling mechanism.

According to (6), the cooling air introduced into the intake passage does not travel in a straight line to the fan's intake port, so that a relatively large amount of liquid can be prevented from being forcefully thrown from the inclined surface toward the fan together with the cooling air.

1 Vehicle 20 Battery module (battery)
40 Battery cooling mechanism 41 Fan 42 Intake port 60 Intake flow path 63a Upstream bent portion (bent portion)
63b Downstream bending part (bending part)
64 Liquid storage portion 641 Bottom portion 642 Side wall portion 643 Protrusion portion 644 Communication portion 65 Inclined surface 66 Step portion 70 Sound absorbing material 71 Bottom sound absorbing material (first sound absorbing material)
72 Side sound absorbing material (second sound absorbing material)

Claims (6)

A battery cooling mechanism for cooling a battery mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
a fan arranged with an intake port facing downward and configured to blow cooling air to the battery;
an intake passage connected to the inlet of the fan and through which the cooling air flows,
The intake passage is
a liquid storage section facing the intake port of the fan and having a water-retentive sound-absorbing material;
an inclined surface provided upstream of the liquid storage portion and inclined toward the suction port of the fan;
A step portion is provided between the downstream end of the inclined surface and the liquid storage portion.
Battery cooling mechanism. 2. The battery cooling mechanism according to claim 1,
The sound absorbing material is provided at the bottom of the liquid storage portion and includes a first sound absorbing material having water retention properties.
Battery cooling mechanism. 3. The battery cooling mechanism according to claim 2,
The liquid storage portion is surrounded by a side wall portion extending upright from a peripheral portion of the bottom portion,
The sound absorbing material includes a second sound absorbing material provided along the side wall portion and having water retention properties.
Battery cooling mechanism. 4. The battery cooling mechanism according to claim 3,
The surface area of the first sound absorbing material is greater than the surface area of the second sound absorbing material,
The liquid storage section is provided with a communication section through which the liquid held in the second sound-absorbing material flows to the first sound-absorbing material.
Battery cooling mechanism. 5. The battery cooling mechanism according to claim 4,
the second sound absorbing material is supported by being sandwiched between a plurality of protrusions extending from the bottom of the liquid storage portion and the side wall portion,
The plurality of protrusions are spaced apart from one another,
The communication portion is formed by a gap between adjacent protrusions.
Battery cooling mechanism. The battery cooling mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The intake passage further includes a bent portion on the upstream side of the inclined surface for changing a flow direction of the cooling air.
Battery cooling mechanism.

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