Battery cooling device

Abstract

To provide a battery cooling device which is applicable for a large battery pack.SOLUTION: The battery cooling device includes: a base frame; a mounting board supported by the base frame to be movable in one of a horizontal direction and an obliquely downward direction, a battery being fixable to the mounting board; driving means for moving the mounting board in one of the horizontal direction and the obliquely downward direction; a control unit for controlling the driving means by a remote operation; and a water tank provided in a position next to the base frame in the horizontal direction. The battery cooling device can move the mounting board in one of the horizontal direction and the obliquely downward direction and drop the mounting board into the water tank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present technology relates to a cooling device for a battery. [Background technology]

[0002] When various safety evaluation tests that may involve smoke or fire are performed on batteries in a test room, a mounting table that can submerge the battery in a water tank (safety tank) depending on the situation has been conventionally known. Prior art to this technology includes those described in JP 2021-140915 A (Patent Document 1) and JP 2012-169092 A (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-140915 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-169092 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As batteries become larger, there is a tendency for the mounting base for mounting the battery and the water tank for submerging the battery in water to also become larger, and when a battery pack is mounted instead of a battery module, these become even larger.

[0005] From the viewpoint of reliably submerging the entirety of a large battery pack in water with a simple structure and operation, there is still room for improvement in conventional devices.

[0006] An object of the present technology is to provide a battery cooling device that can also accommodate large battery packs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present technology provides a cooling device for a battery as follows.

[0008] [1] A battery cooling device comprising: a stand; a mounting stand supported on the stand so as to be movable horizontally or diagonally downward, and capable of fixing a battery; a drive means for moving the mounting stand in the horizontal direction or the diagonally downward direction; a control unit for remotely controlling the drive means; a water tank provided at a position adjacent to the stand in the horizontal direction; and the mounting stand capable of being dropped into the water tank by moving the mounting stand in the horizontal direction or the diagonally downward direction.

[0009] [2] The battery cooling device described in [1], wherein the driving means is capable of tilting the stand and moving the stand by gravity acting on the stand.

[0010] [3] The battery cooling device according to [1] or [2], wherein the driving means is capable of directly pulling and moving the mounting table.

[0011] [4] The battery cooling device of any one of [1] to [3], wherein the mounting stand has a mounting surface on which the battery is placed, the mounting surface having a substantially rectangular shape including a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, the length dimension of the mounting surface in the longitudinal direction being equal to or greater than 1000 mm and equal to or less than 3000 mm, and the width dimension of the mounting surface in the lateral direction being equal to or greater than 600 mm and equal to or less than 3000 mm. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present technology, it is possible to obtain a battery cooling device that can also accommodate large battery packs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a battery cooling device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the device shown in FIG. 1 is in operation. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a battery cooling device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described. Note that the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference characters, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0015] In the embodiments described below, when referring to the number, amount, etc., the scope of the present technology is not necessarily limited to the number, amount, etc., unless otherwise specified. In addition, in the following embodiments, each component is not necessarily essential to the present technology, unless otherwise specified. In addition, the present technology is not necessarily limited to those that achieve all of the effects and advantages mentioned in the present embodiment.

[0016] In this specification, the words "comprise", "include" and "have" are open-ended, i.e., when a certain configuration is included, other configurations may or may not be included.

[0017] Furthermore, when geometric terms and terms expressing positional and directional relationships, such as "parallel," "orthogonal," "45° diagonal," "coaxial," and "along" are used in this specification, these terms allow for manufacturing errors and slight variations. When terms expressing relative positional relationships, such as "upper side" and "lower side," are used in this specification, these terms are used to indicate relative positional relationships in one state, and the relative positional relationships can be inverted or rotated to any angle depending on the installation direction of each mechanism (for example, by turning the entire mechanism upside down).

[0018] In this specification, the term "battery" is not limited to lithium ion batteries, but may include other batteries such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and sodium ion batteries. Also, in this specification, the term "battery" is not necessarily limited to rectangular batteries, but may include batteries of other shapes such as cylindrical, pouch, and blade shapes.

[0019] The "battery" can be installed in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), etc. However, the use of the "battery" is not limited to being installed in vehicles.

[0020] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a battery cooling device according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a state during operation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] The battery cooling device is a device for submerging the battery 1 in water depending on the situation when various safety evaluation tests that may involve smoke or fire are performed in a test room. The battery 1 may be a single battery cell, a battery module in which multiple battery cells are modularized, or a battery pack in which multiple battery modules are housed in a case. This technology is particularly useful when the battery 1 is a large battery pack.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooling device includes a stand unit 100, a mounting table 200, a driving unit 300, a control unit 400, and a water tank 500.

[0023] The stand unit 100 is fixed to the floor surface of a laboratory. In the state shown in Fig. 1, the mounting table 200 is supported by the stand unit 100 in a state in which it can slide in the horizontal direction (X direction). Specifically, the mounting table 200 is provided on rails (not shown) provided on the stand unit 100, and the mounting table 200 can move along the rails.

[0024] 1, however, the engaging portion 210 of the mounting base 200 is engaged with the stopper 110 of the stand portion 100, so the mounting base 200 does not move in the X direction. A battery 1 to be tested can be fixed on the mounting base 200.

[0025] The driving unit 300 (driving means) moves the mounting table 200 in an obliquely downward direction (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2). Specifically, the driving unit 300 lifts one end of the inclined portion 100A of the pedestal unit 100 upward (in the +Z direction) as shown in FIG.

[0026] By lifting one end of the inclined portion 100A of the stand portion 100 upward (in the +Z direction), the engagement between the engagement portion 210 of the mounting base 200 and the stopper 110 of the stand portion 100 is released. Then, the mounting base 200 moves by its own weight along a rail provided on the stand portion 100 (inclined portion 100A) in the direction of arrow A. The two-dot chain line shown in FIG. 2 indicates the mounting base 200 and the battery 1 moving in the direction of arrow A.

[0027] That is, the driving unit 300 tilts the tilt portion 100A of the stand unit 100 by lifting an end of the tilt portion 100A, and moves the mounting table 200 obliquely downward toward the water tank 500 due to gravity acting on the mounting table 200.

[0028] The control unit 400 can remotely control the operation of the drive unit 300. The control unit 400 includes an operation unit (not shown) provided outside the test room, and the tester can operate the operation unit in response to the status of the battery 1 (emission of smoke or fire, abnormal rise in temperature, etc.) to operate the drive unit 300 and lift up the end of the inclined portion 100A of the stand unit 100.

[0029] The water tank 500 is provided at a position adjacent to the stand unit 100 in the horizontal direction (X direction). As shown in Fig. 2, the mounting base 200 to which the battery 1 is fixed moves toward the water tank 500 as the inclined portion 100A of the stand unit 100 inclines.

[0030] Coolant 500A (e.g., water) is contained in the water tank 500. The mounting table 200 moves obliquely downward (in the direction of arrow A) on the inclined portion 100A of the stand unit 100 and falls into the water tank 500. This makes it possible to submerge the battery 1 in the coolant 500A.

[0031] The mounting table 200 has a mounting surface on which the battery 1 is placed. The mounting surface of the mounting table 200 may have, for example, a substantially rectangular shape including a long side direction and a short side direction. The long side direction may be the X direction or the Y direction. The short side direction is substantially perpendicular to the long side direction. However, the shape of the mounting surface is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape.

[0032] When the mounting surface of the mounting stand 200 has a substantially rectangular shape, the length dimension of the mounting surface in the longitudinal direction is preferably about 1000 mm to 3000 mm, more preferably about 1000 mm to 1800 mm, for example about 1200 mm. The width dimension of the mounting surface in the lateral direction is preferably about 600 mm to 3000 mm, more preferably about 600 mm to 1000 mm, for example about 620 mm. By setting the length and width dimensions of the mounting surface within the above ranges, it is possible to obtain a cooling device for the battery 1 that can also accommodate large battery packs without excessively increasing the size of the mounting stand 200 and the stand unit 100.

[0033] As described above, the battery cooling device according to this embodiment has a simple structure and operation, making it possible to completely submerge the battery 1 even if it is a large battery pack. As a result, an inexpensive and highly reliable battery cooling device can be obtained.

[0034] (Embodiment 2) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a battery cooling device according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the cooling device according to this embodiment is a modified example of the cooling device according to embodiment 1, and differs from embodiment 1 in that the driving unit 300 includes a driving unit 310 (first driving unit) that lifts the inclined portion 100A of the stand unit 100 as in embodiment 1, and a driving unit 320 (second driving unit) that directly pulls and moves the mounting table 200.

[0035] The control unit 400 can remotely control the operation of the drive units 310, 320. The control unit 400 includes an operation unit (not shown) provided outside the test room, and a tester can operate the operation unit in response to the status of the battery 1 (emission of smoke or fire, abnormal rise in temperature, etc.) to operate the drive unit 310 to lift the end of the inclined portion 100A of the stand unit 100, and when the mounting table 200 does not move as intended, further operate the drive unit 320 to move the mounting table 200 diagonally downward toward the water tank 500.

[0036] According to the cooling device of this embodiment, by providing the driving unit 320 that directly pulls the mounting table 200, when the mounting table 200 cannot be moved by gravity alone due to some factor, the driving unit 320 can be operated to reliably move the mounting table 200. This further improves the reliability of the cooling device for the battery 1.

[0037] Other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description will not be repeated. In the present embodiment, an example in which the driving units 310 and 320 are used in combination has been described, but a structure in which only the driving unit 320 is provided without the driving unit 310 may also be applied. In a structure in which only the driving unit 320 is provided, the upper surface of the pedestal unit 100 is not inclined, so that when the driving unit 320 is operated, the mounting table 200 moves horizontally, not diagonally downward. In a structure in which the driving units 310 and 320 are used in combination, an operation mode in which only the driving unit 320 is operated without operating the driving unit 310 may be provided.

[0038] Although the embodiment of the present technology has been described above, the embodiment disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present technology is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 battery, 100 stand portion, 100A inclination portion, 110 stopper, 200 mounting base, 210 engagement portion, 300, 310, 320 drive portion, 400 control portion, 500 water tank, 500A cooling fluid.

Claims

1. A stand portion; a mounting base supported by the mounting portion so as to be movable in a horizontal direction or a diagonally downward direction and capable of fixing a battery; a driving means for moving the mounting table in the horizontal direction or the obliquely downward direction; A control unit that controls the driving means by remote control; a water tank provided adjacent to the stand in the horizontal direction; A battery cooling device capable of moving the mounting platform in the horizontal direction or the diagonally downward direction and dropping it into the water tank.

2. 2. The battery cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the driving means is capable of tilting the stand and moving the mounting table by gravity acting on the mounting table.

3. 3. The battery cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the driving means is capable of directly pulling and moving the mounting table.

4. the mounting base has a mounting surface on which the battery is mounted, The mounting surface has a substantially rectangular shape including a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, The length dimension of the placement surface in the longitudinal direction is 1000 mm or more and 3000 mm or less, 3. The battery cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a width dimension of the placement surface in the short side direction is 600 mm or more and 3000 mm or less.

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