JPH0547946B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a thermal battery that contains a heat generating agent inside the battery and activates the battery by heating the inside of the battery to a high temperature by igniting the heat generating agent when the battery is used. In a thermal battery that is a combination of a plurality of thermal batteries, the present invention provides a combined thermal battery that can be activated with a small amount of external energy.

Conventional technology A thermal battery is a battery that uses molten salt as an electrolyte.
During storage, the electrolyte is a non-conductive solid salt, so it is inactive as a battery, but the electrolyte is heated to a high temperature by burning the exothermic agent built inside the battery. melts and becomes conductive, activating the battery.

A thermal battery is a type of storage battery that has almost no self-discharge during storage, can be stored for a long time, and can be activated instantly when needed. It is also a high-energy density battery that can be used under a wide range of environmental temperatures, such as -55 to 100 degrees Celsius. Because of these many characteristics, thermal batteries have become indispensable as power sources for flying vehicles such as missiles and rockets, and as power sources for various emergencies.

Conventionally, systems using calcium for the negative electrode and calcium chromate for the positive electrode have been used as active materials for this type of thermal battery, but for higher capacity and higher output, lithium or lithium alloys have been used for the negative electrode and lithium alloy for the positive electrode. A thermal battery using sulfide has been developed.

As the lithium alloy, alloys of lithium and boron, aluminum, silicon, gallium, germanium, etc. can be used.

Iron disulfide, which has high heat resistance, is exclusively used as the sulfide of the positive electrode active material, but sulfides of nickel, chromium, cobalt, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, etc., and shubrel phase sulfides containing these metals are also used. is also available.

As the electrolyte, a eutectic salt containing 59 mol% of LiCl and 41 mol% of KCl is generally used. This eutectic salt is relatively inexpensive, has a low melting point of 352°C, and has high insulation resistance at room temperature. The electrolyte is magnesium oxide, which has corrosion resistance to the lithium in the negative electrode.
A mixture of insulating powders such as boron oxide and zirconium oxide to eliminate fluidity is used. The electrolyte layer is an ion conductor during thermal battery operation, and at the same time acts as a separator between the positive and negative electrodes.

As a heat generating agent, a molded mixture of iron powder and potassium perchlorate is used by stacking the cells alternately. When the exothermic agent is ignited during battery activation, it causes an oxidation-reduction reaction and generates heat, heating the inside of the battery to the operating temperature. This exothermic agent contains iron in excess of the amount required for the exothermic reaction,
It remains highly conductive even after the exothermic reaction, and also acts as a connector between adjacent unit cells.

Ignition balls are commonly used as a means of activating thermal batteries. When the thermal battery is used, an external power supply energizes the ignition ball built into the thermal battery to ignite the heat generating agent. It can also be activated by a percussion cap, which is ignited by a hammer strike. This method does not require an external power source, and the thermal battery can be activated by mechanical action.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a thermal battery activated by an igniter.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a power generation element which is a combination of a unit cell and a heat generating agent, which are stacked with a negative electrode current collector plate 14 in between to form a power generation block. 15 is a heat generating agent for heating both ends of the power generating block. Reference numeral 16 is a fuse provided at the central axis of the power generation block, which transmits the ignition energy of the ignition ball 17 to the exothermic agent within the power generation block. Reference numeral 18 denotes an ignition terminal, through which the ignition ball 17 can be ignited by passing an ignition current from an external power source. 19 and 20 are a positive terminal and a negative terminal for extracting current. 21 is a container for the thermal battery, and the inside thereof is filled with a heat insulating material 22 for keeping the thermal battery warm.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part showing the structure of a thermal battery equipped with a percussion cap.

In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3 indicate the same operating members. Reference numeral 23 denotes a percussion detonator that ignites upon impact, and is fixed to the battery container via a detonator base 24. 25 is a cylindrical hammer housing that houses a hammer 26 and a compression coil spring 27.

Reference numeral 28 denotes an operating pin that fixes the hammer 26. When the thermal battery is activated, by pulling it out in the direction of the arrow, the hammer 26 hits the detonator 23 with the force of the compression coil spring 27, and the ignition energy causes the fuse 16 to be activated. ignite it.

Problems to be solved by the invention Thermal batteries are storage-type batteries that can obtain electricity instantly when needed, and because they have high energy density and high reliability, their applications and usage are increasing. There is a tendency to However, large-sized batteries are difficult to manufacture due to structural constraints, and a combination of multiple thermal batteries is used for large-capacity applications. Although thermal batteries can obtain electric power instantaneously when needed, external energy is required for activation, and external energy equal to the number of thermal batteries to be activated is required. The energy required for one thermal battery is small, but for a thermal battery that combines multiple thermal batteries,
A large amount of external energy for activation was required. In other words, an instantaneous current of around 1A is required to ignite the ignition ball, and a high-capacity external power source is required to electrically activate many thermal batteries. Also, in order to mechanically pull out the operating pin that fixes the hammer, 4.5
Although a force of Kgf is required, a large amount of mechanical energy is required to mechanically activate many thermal batteries.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a thermal battery that combines a plurality of thermal batteries, in which at least one thermal battery is activated by an external means, and the remaining thermal batteries are activated by an electromotive force of the thermal battery. The present invention provides a combined thermal battery comprising a thermal battery.

Effect of the Invention In the thermal battery of the present invention, all the combined thermal batteries can be activated by activating at least one thermal battery, and many thermal batteries can be activated with little external energy. Can be activated. According to the present invention, even if the number of combined thermal batteries increases, the increase in external energy for activation can be suppressed to a minimum. Thermal cells activated by external energy can be electrical or mechanical, depending on the activation means. Furthermore, if the remaining thermal batteries have built-in ignition balls, all of the thermal batteries can be activated by supplying power from the already activated thermal batteries. In addition, if the remaining thermal battery is equipped with a percussion cap, the electromagnetic solenoid is operated with the power of the already activated thermal battery, and the operating pin that fixes the hammer is pulled out.
The remaining thermal batteries can be activated.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.

1, 2, 3, and 4 are all thermal batteries, and constitute a combined thermal battery. 1 is a thermal battery that is first activated by an external power source; 2,
3 and 4 are the remaining thermal batteries. Both are electrically activatable thermal batteries with built-in igniters, and S
is a terminal for ignition, and + and - are electrode terminals for extracting current. The combined thermal battery of the present invention can be manufactured by connecting an external power source to 5 and supplying an ignition current to 1.
The electric power is supplied to the ignition terminals of the remaining thermal batteries 2, 3, and 4 through the current limiter 6 to activate all the thermal batteries. The current limiter 6 consists of a current limiting resistor, a fuse, a distributor, etc., and is not necessarily required, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the type of thermal battery combined. FIG. 1 shows only the path of the ignition current, and does not show the path of the output terminal. The output of the thermal batteries can be used in series or parallel connections, or each can be used individually, depending on the requirements.

Note that the number of thermal batteries activated first by an external power source may be more than one depending on the capacity of the external power source, and the number of remaining thermal batteries may be within the discharge capacity of the thermal batteries activated by the external power source. Any number of pieces may be used, there is no limit.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention.

7, 8, 9, and 10 are all thermal batteries, and constitute a combined thermal battery. 7 is a thermal battery activated by external mechanical force; 8,
9 and 10 are the remaining thermal batteries. Both are mechanically activatable thermal cells. T is hammer mechanism;
+ and - are electrode terminals from which current is taken out. The combined thermal battery of the present invention activates the thermal battery 7 by applying an external mechanical force to 11 via a transmission mechanism such as an arming wire. The output of the activated thermal battery 7 is supplied to the electromagnetic solenoid 12 to convert it into mechanical power, and the hammer mechanisms of the remaining thermal batteries are activated, thereby activating all the thermal batteries. FIG. 2 shows only the path of the ignition mechanism, and does not show the path of the output terminal. The output of the thermal batteries can be used in series or parallel connections, or each can be used individually, depending on the requirements.

The number of thermal batteries that are first activated by an external mechanical force may be more than one depending on the degree of external force, and the number of remaining thermal batteries may be within the capacity of the electromagnetic solenoid and the activated thermal battery. Any number of pieces may be used, there is no limit. The remaining thermal cells may also be electrically activatable thermal cells. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the output of the activated thermal battery may be supplied to the ignition terminals of the remaining thermal batteries.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, in a plurality of combined thermal batteries, it is only necessary to activate at least one thermal battery by external means, and all the thermal batteries can be activated with minimum external energy. can be activated.

Note that the thermal battery that is first activated by external means may be dedicated to activating the remaining thermal batteries, or may be used in combination with the activated remaining thermal batteries. Further, the individual thermal batteries combined may have the same characteristics, but may have different voltages, capacities, etc.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are configuration diagrams of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a thermal battery with a built-in igniter. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a thermal cell with a percussion cap that is struck by a hammer. 1, 7...thermal batteries activated by external energy, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10... remaining thermal batteries.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermal battery that is a combination of a plurality of thermal batteries, characterized by comprising at least one thermal battery that is activated by external means and the remaining thermal batteries that are activated by the electromotive force of the thermal battery. combined thermal battery.