Secondary battery

Abstract

To suppress generation of liquid dry of the electrolyte of a battery cell.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: a tank 11 for storing an electrolyte; and a plurality of battery cells 12 connected to the tank 11, the tank 11 and the battery cells 12 being connected together by a pipe for passage of the electrolyte. When the electrolyte is filled in the tank 11, the electrolyte can move from the tank 11 to each of the battery cells 12. This allows the electrolyte to be filled while the level of the electrolyte in the battery cells is the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to secondary batteries.

Background Art

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, in recent years, a secondary battery is known in which an electrolytic solution is stored in a tank capable of checking the amount of the electrolytic solution, and the electrolytic solution is supplied by connecting battery cells to the tank with pipes. In this secondary battery, by detecting the reduction in the amount of the electrolytic solution during charging, it is possible to replenish the necessary amount of the electrolytic solution to the cells.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Sensors are used to detect the reduction in the amount of the electrolytic solution in a secondary battery. However, such sensors may not be able to accurately detect changes in the physical properties or composition of the electrolytic solution. Further, when an error occurs in detecting the reduction in the amount of such an electrolytic solution, it becomes easy for the replenishment amount of the electrolytic solution from the tank to the cells to be insufficient, and it becomes easy for the liquid to run dry.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a secondary battery that suppresses the occurrence of liquid running dry of the electrolytic solution in a battery cell.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The secondary battery according to the present disclosure includes a tank for storing an electrolytic solution and a plurality of battery cells connected to the tank, and the tank and the plurality of battery cells are connected by pipes through which the electrolytic solution can move, and when the electrolytic solution is replenished to the tank, the electrolytic solution can move at least from the tank to each of the plurality of battery cells. As a result, the electrolytic solution can be replenished in a state where the liquid levels of the electrolytic solutions of the plurality of battery cells are uniform.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a secondary battery in which the occurrence of depletion of the electrolytic solution in the battery cell is suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, a secondary battery according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a secondary battery. The secondary battery 1 includes a tank 11 and a plurality of battery cells 12 connected to the tank 11.

[0010] The tank 11 is a tank that stores the electrolytic solution 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the tank 11 is connected to each of the plurality of battery cells 12 by a pipe 13 through which the electrolytic solution 2 can flow. As shown in FIG. 2, typically, the tank 11 is provided with a confirmation mechanism 21 for confirming the amount of the electrolytic solution in the battery cell 12, a circulation mechanism 22 for circulating the coolant using the pipe 13, and a cooling mechanism 23 for cooling the electrolytic solution 2.

[0011] Each of the plurality of battery cells 12 has a positive electrode material, a negative electrode material, a separator, etc., and is used in a state filled with a predetermined amount of the electrolytic solution 2. Each of the battery cells 12 is arranged in alignment at the same height and is also arranged at substantially the same height with respect to the tank 11.

[0012] Each battery cell 12 is connected to each other by a pipe 14 through which the electrolyte 2 can flow. It is assumed that this pipe 14 is not connected to the tank 11. As described above, each battery cell 12 is connected to each other by a pipe 13 that is also connected to the tank 11. Typically, the pipes 13 and 14 are filled with the electrolyte 2 inside, and are used as a path for the electrolyte 2 to move between the connected tank 11 and each battery cell 12, or between each battery cell 12. Note that the movement of this electrolyte 2 includes the circulation of the electrolyte 2 in the tank 11 and each battery cell 12.

[0013] Thus, when the height of the liquid level of the electrolyte 2 in the tank 11 and the height of the liquid level of the electrolyte 2 in each battery cell 12 are different, the electrolyte 2 flows through the pipes 13 and 14 by gravity, and the liquid level height of the electrolyte 2 is adjusted to be the same height.

[0014] Here, each mechanism provided in the tank 11 will be described. The confirmation mechanism 21 is a mechanism that can confirm the amount of the electrolyte 2 stored in the tank 11, that is, at what height of the container used as the tank 11 the liquid level is. Here, since the tank 11 is arranged at the same height as each battery cell 12, naturally, the liquid level heights of the tank 11 and each battery cell 12 are adjusted to be the same. Therefore, with the confirmation mechanism 21, by confirming the liquid level height of the tank 11, the liquid level height of each battery cell 12 can be confirmed.

[0015] The circulation mechanism 22 is a mechanism for sending out and circulating the electrolyte 2 stored in the tank 11 to each battery cell 12. For example, a pump can be used in the circulation mechanism 22, but it is not limited to this.

[0016] The cooling mechanism 23 is a mechanism for cooling the electrolytic solution 2 in the tank 11. The tank 11 can supply the electrolytic solution 2 cooled by the cooling mechanism 23 to each battery cell 12 through the circulation mechanism 22 and circulate it, so that each battery cell 12 can be supplied with the sufficiently cooled electrolytic solution 2.

[0017] As described above, by constructing the secondary battery 1, the following effects can be expected.

[0018] In the secondary battery 1, since the respective battery cells 12 are connected to each other by the pipes 13 and 14, the movement of the electrolytic solution 2 can be caused between the battery cells 12, and the height of the liquid level of the electrolytic solution 2 can be averaged. That is, in the secondary battery 1, the occurrence of variations in the amount of the electrolytic solution in each battery cell 12 can be suppressed, and the occurrence of a situation where the electrolytic solution 2 is depleted and cannot be used in only one of the battery cells can be prevented.

[0019] Also, in the secondary battery 1, the liquid level height of the electrolytic solution 2 in the tank 11 indicates the liquid level height of the electrolytic solution 2 in each battery cell 12 and can be confirmed by the confirmation mechanism 21. That is, the user can confirm the amount of the electrolytic solution in each battery cell 12 collectively.

[0020] Furthermore, in the secondary battery 1, when the liquid level height of the electrolytic solution 2 in each battery cell 12 is lower than the specified amount, the electrolytic solution 2 can be replenished to each battery cell 12 through the pipe 13 by replenishing the electrolytic solution 2 to the tank 11. In this case, in the secondary battery 1, when the liquid level heights of the tank 11 and each battery cell 12 are different, the phenomenon that the movement of the electrolytic solution 2 occurs so that the liquid level heights of the tank 11 and each battery cell 12 become the same height can be utilized.

[0021] That is, when the user replenishes the electrolyte 2 in the tank 11, the electrolyte 2 moves from the tank 11 toward each of the plurality of battery cells 12 via the pipe 13. Therefore, the user can replenish the electrolyte 2 in each battery cell 12 simply by replenishing the electrolyte 2 in the tank 11, and can prevent depletion of the electrolyte 2 in each battery cell 12 by an easy operation as compared with replenishing the electrolyte 2 in each battery cell 12 one by one.

[0022] Furthermore, in the secondary battery 1, the tank 11 is provided with a circulation mechanism 22 and a cooling mechanism 23. Thereby, in the secondary battery 1, the electrolyte 2 cooled in the tank 11 can be replenished to each battery cell 12. Therefore, in each battery cell 12, heat generation of the cell can be prevented, and it leads to prevention of high rate due to retention of the electrolyte 2.

[0023] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist. That is, the above description has been appropriately omitted and simplified for clarity of explanation, and those skilled in the art can easily change, add, and convert each element of the embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

[0024] For example, in the above description, the height of the position where the tank 11 is arranged and the height of the position where each battery cell 12 is arranged are described as being the same height, but the tank 11 may be slightly above, and each battery cell 12 may be arranged slightly below the tank 11. Also in this case, it is desirable that the plurality of battery cells 12 are arranged at the same height.

[0025] Also, for example, in FIG. 1, it is described that the pipe 13 is connected to the side surface near the lower part of the tank 11, and for each battery cell 12, the pipes 13 and 14 are connected to the side surface near the lower part thereof, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the pipe 13 may be connected to the lower surface of the tank 11, and the pipes 13 and 14 may be connected to the lower surface of each battery cell 12.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0026] 1 Secondary battery 2 Electrolyte 11 Tank 12 Battery cell 13 Pipe 14 Pipe 21 Confirmation mechanism 22 Circulation mechanism 23 Cooling mechanism

Claims

【Claim 1】 A tank for storing an electrolytic solution, and a plurality of battery cells connected to the tank, wherein the tank and the plurality of battery cells are connected by pipes through which the electrolytic solution can move respectively, and when the electrolytic solution is replenished in the tank, the electrolytic solution can move from at least the tank to each of the plurality of battery cells, a secondary battery.

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