Battery case

Abstract

To provide a battery case that can efficiently cool a battery.SOLUTION: A battery case includes a plurality of partition wall materials 1, bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and one and other side wall materials 3a, 3b. The partition wall materials 1 have a plurality of hollow portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e arranged vertically, with both longitudinal end faces abutting against the one and other side wall materials 3a, 3b. A refrigerant flow path 5 is formed such that a refrigerant flows in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction. The one side wall material 3a has hollow portions 6a, 6c at the top and bottom through which the refrigerant flows, with the upper hollow portion 6a communicating with the hollow portion 4a above the partition wall material 1 and the lower hollow portion 6c communicating with the hollow portion 4d below the partition wall material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery case to be mounted on an electric vehicle or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] The battery of an electric vehicle is housed in a battery case and installed under the floor of the vehicle body, etc. Such a battery case is required to be able to efficiently cool the battery. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery case that can efficiently cool a battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the battery case according to the invention described in claim 1 comprises a plurality of partition wall materials, a bottom plate material, and one and other side wall materials, the partition wall materials have a plurality of hollow portions arranged vertically, and both longitudinal end faces are abutted against the one and other side wall materials, a refrigerant flow path is formed so that the refrigerant flows in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and the one side wall material has hollow portions at the top and bottom through which the refrigerant flows, the upper hollow portion being connected to the hollow portion above the partition wall material, and the lower hollow portion being connected to the hollow portion below the partition wall material.

[0005] The battery case according to the invention described in claim 2 comprises a plurality of partition wall materials, a bottom plate material, and one and other side wall materials, the bottom plate material having a plurality of hollow portions arranged in the longitudinal direction of the side wall material, with both longitudinal end faces abutting against the one and other side wall materials, the one and other side wall materials having hollow portions through which a refrigerant flows, the hollow portions being connected to the hollow portion of the bottom plate material, and a refrigerant flow path is provided in a zigzag pattern in the bottom plate material so that the refrigerant that flows from the hollow portion of one side wall material to the hollow portion of the other side wall material through the plurality of hollow portions of the bottom plate material flows from the hollow portion of the other side wall material to the hollow portion of the one side wall material through the plurality of hollow portions of the bottom plate material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The battery case according to the invention described in claim 1 comprises a plurality of partition wall materials, a bottom plate material, and one and other side wall materials, the partition wall materials have a plurality of hollow portions arranged vertically, and both longitudinal end faces are abutted against the one and other side wall materials, and a refrigerant flow path is formed so that the refrigerant flows in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and the one side wall material has hollow portions at the top and bottom through which the refrigerant flows, the upper hollow portion being connected to the hollow portion above the partition wall material and the lower hollow portion being connected to the hollow portion below the partition wall material, thereby enabling the battery to be cooled efficiently.

[0007] The battery case according to the invention described in claim 2 comprises a plurality of partition wall materials, a bottom plate material, and one and other side wall materials, the bottom plate material having a plurality of hollow portions arranged in the longitudinal direction of the side wall material, with both longitudinal end faces abutting against the one and other side wall materials, the one and other side wall materials having hollow portions through which a refrigerant flows, the hollow portions being connected to the hollow portion of the bottom plate material, and a refrigerant flow path is provided in a zigzag pattern in the bottom plate material so that the refrigerant that flows from the hollow portion of one side wall material to the hollow portion of the other side wall material through the plurality of hollow portions of the bottom plate material flows from the hollow portion of the other side wall material to the hollow portion of the one side wall material through the plurality of hollow portions of the bottom plate material, thereby enabling efficient cooling of the battery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a battery case of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a refrigerant flow path of the battery case. [Figure 4] 1(a) is a front view of the partition wall material of the battery case, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the same. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the battery case of the present invention. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a refrigerant flow path of the battery case. [Figure 8] 1(a) is a front view of the left side wall material of the battery case, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the same. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 4 show one embodiment of a battery case of the present invention. This battery case is mounted under the floor of an electric vehicle.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, this battery case is composed of a front wall material 8 and a rear wall material 9, partition wall materials 1, 1, ... and connecting materials 10, 10, ... arranged alternately at intervals in the front-to-back direction between the front wall material 8 and the rear wall material 9, bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d provided respectively between the front wall material 8 and the connecting material 10, between the connecting materials 10, and between the connecting materials 10 and the rear wall material 9, and left and right side wall materials 3a, 3b abutting and fixed to both longitudinal end faces of the front wall material 8, rear wall material 9, partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., connecting materials 10, 10, ... and bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. The front wall material 8, the rear wall material 9, the partition wall materials 1, 1, . . . , the connecting materials 10, 10, . This battery case is divided by partition wall materials 1, 1, ... and connecting materials 10, 10, ... into eight battery storage sections 11 arranged in a row in the front-rear direction, and each battery storage section 11 stores two batteries 12 arranged side by side.

[0011] 2, the partition wall material 1 is provided on the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d so as to abut against the side surfaces (front and rear surfaces) of the battery 12. The partition wall material 1 has five hollow portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, and 4e with rectangular cross sections, which are arranged vertically. As shown in Figure 4, the partition wall material 1 has a notch 14 at the right end of the partition wall 13 between the first and second hollow sections 4a, 4b from the top and between the third and fourth hollow sections 4c, 4d from the top, and a notch 14 at the left end of the partition wall 13 between the second and third hollow sections 4b, 4c from the top, thereby forming a refrigerant flow path 5 so that the refrigerant flows in a zigzag pattern from top to bottom from the left end of the topmost hollow section 4a to the left end of the fourth hollow section 4d from the top.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the front wall material 8 and the rear wall material 9 have two hollow portions 15 with rectangular cross sections formed side by side, one above the other. Protruding engagement grooves 16 for connecting the bottom plate materials 2a, 2d are formed on both the front and rear surfaces of the lower portions of the front wall material 8 and the rear wall material 9, and the engagement grooves 16 are curved in an arc shape that bulges downward.

[0013] The connecting material 10 has a hollow portion 15 with a rectangular cross section, and on both the front and rear surfaces of the lower portion, protruding engagement grooves 16 are formed for connecting the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, similar to the front wall material 8 and the rear wall material 9.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are formed in an approximately flat plate shape and have engagement portions 17 on the front and rear edges, and are attached by engaging the engagement portions 17 with the engagement grooves 16 of the front wall material 8, rear wall material 9, and connecting material 10.

[0015] In this battery case, the number of battery storage sections 11 can be changed by changing the number of connected units 18 (see Figure 2) consisting of connecting material 10, partition wall material 1, and bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d. Therefore, it is easy to change the overall battery capacity according to the size of the vehicle, etc., using the same material.

[0016] 1 and 4, the left and right side wall materials (one and the other side wall materials) 3a, 3b have a generally L-shaped cross section having a vertical wall portion 19 and a horizontal wall portion 20, and four hollow portions 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d are provided vertically aligned in the vertical wall portion 19. The inner surfaces of the vertical wall portion 19 of the left and right side wall materials 3a, 3b abut against both longitudinal end faces of the front wall material 8, the rear wall material 9, the partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., the connecting materials 10, 10, ... and the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and are fixed by brazing, welding, etc.

[0017] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the left side wall material (one side wall material) 3a has communicating holes 21a and 21b formed in the side wall inside the first and third hollow portions 6a and 6c from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 at positions facing the first hollow portion 4a and the fourth hollow portion 4d from the top of each partition wall material 1, 1, ..., and the first hollow portion 6a from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 of the side wall material 3a communicates with the first hollow portion 4a from the top of each partition wall material 1, 1, ... through the upper communicating hole 21a, and the third hollow portion 6c from the top of the side wall material 3a communicates with the fourth hollow portion 4d from the top of the partition wall materials 1, 1, ... through the lower communicating hole 21b. As shown in Figure 3, the first hollow portion 6a from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 of the left side wall material 3a has its rear end blocked by a water stop plate 22, and the third hollow portion 6c from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 has its front end blocked by a water stop plate 22.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, this battery case has a refrigerant inlet 23 connected to the front end of the first hollow section 6a from the top of the vertical wall section 19 of the left side wall material 3a, and a refrigerant outlet 24 connected to the rear end of the third hollow section 6c from the top of the vertical wall section 19.By introducing a refrigerant cooled by a radiator or the like through the refrigerant inlet 23, the refrigerant flows in a zigzag pattern from top to bottom through the refrigerant flow paths 5 formed in each of the partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., and can cool each of the batteries 12 (see Figures 1 and 2) arranged with their sides abutting against the partition wall materials 1, 1, ...

[0019] In this way, this battery case allows the refrigerant to flow through the partition wall materials 1, 1, ... provided inside the case, making it difficult for the refrigerant temperature to change due to external factors such as the asphalt temperature, and enabling efficient cooling of each battery 12. Moreover, the refrigerant flow paths 5 are formed in a zigzag pattern in each partition wall material 1, 1, ..., allowing for efficient cooling while limiting the amount of refrigerant used.

[0020] 5 to 8 show a second embodiment of the battery case of the present invention. In this battery case, as in the first embodiment, a refrigerant flows through each partition wall material 1, 1, ... to cool each battery 12 from the side, and also flows through each bottom plate material 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d to cool each battery 12 from the bottom (see FIGS. 5 and 7; arrows in the figures indicate the flow of the refrigerant).

[0021] As shown in Fig. 6, each of the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d has three hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c formed at intervals in the front-to-rear direction on the underside of the flat plate-shaped portion 25. The hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c of the bottom plate material 2d arranged on the rear side are longer in the front-to-rear direction and have a larger cross-sectional area than the hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c of the bottom plate material 2a arranged on the front side.

[0022] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the left and right side wall materials 3a, 3b have communicating holes 26, 26, ... formed in the inner side walls of the fourth hollow portion 6d from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 at positions opposite the hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c of each of the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and the fourth hollow portion 6d from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 of the left and right side wall materials 3a, 3b communicate with the hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c of each of the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d through the communicating holes 26, 26, ... As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the fourth hollow portion 6d from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 of the left side wall material 3a is sealed by water stop plates 22 provided at a position between the first and second bottom plate materials 2a and 2b from the front (a position facing the end face of the first connecting material 10 from the front) and at a position between the third and fourth bottom plate materials 2c and 2d from the front (a position facing the end face of the third connecting material 10 from the front). As shown in Figure 7, the fourth hollow portion 6d from the top of the vertical wall portion 19 of the right-hand side wall material 3c is blocked by waterstop plates 22 provided at a position between the second and third bottom plate materials 2b, 2c from the front (a position opposite the end face of the second connecting material 10 from the front) and at the front and rear ends. A refrigerant inlet 23 is connected to the front end of the hollow portion 6d of the left side wall material 3a, and a refrigerant outlet 24 is connected to the rear end of the hollow portion 6d of the left side wall material 3a, and a refrigerant cooled by a radiator or the like is introduced through the refrigerant inlet 23.

[0023] The refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant inlet 23 into the hollow portion 6d of the left side wall material 3a flows from left to right through the hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c of the front-most bottom plate material 2a, as shown in Figure 7, and flows into the hollow portion 6d of the right side wall material 3b. Next, the refrigerant flows from right to left through the hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c of the second bottom plate member 2b from the front, and flows into the hollow portion 6d of the left side wall member 3a. Next, the refrigerant flows from left to right through the hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c of the bottom plate member 2c that is third from the front, and flows into the hollow portion 6d of the right-side wall member 3b. Next, the refrigerant flows from right to left through the hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c of the fourth bottom plate member 2d from the front, and flows into the hollow portion 6d of the left side wall member 3a. The refrigerant then returns to the radiator or the like through the refrigerant outlet 24 and is cooled again. In this way, in this battery case, refrigerant flow paths 5 are formed in a zigzag pattern in the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d arranged in the front and rear so that the refrigerant flows in opposite directions left and right through the multiple hollow portions 7a, 7b, and 7c.

[0024] In this way, the battery case of this embodiment not only cools each battery 12 from the side by flowing refrigerant through the partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., but also cools each battery 12 from the bottom by flowing refrigerant through the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, thereby cooling each battery 12 from the bottom, thereby making it possible to cool each battery 12 even more efficiently. Each bottom plate material 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d has multiple hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c through which the refrigerant flows, and the refrigerant flow paths 5 are formed in a zigzag pattern in the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d so that the refrigerant flows in opposite directions left and right through the multiple hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c in each of the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d arranged in front and behind, thereby enabling efficient cooling while reducing the amount of refrigerant.

[0025] As described above, the battery case (first and second embodiments) comprises a plurality of partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and one and other side wall materials (left and right side wall materials) 3a, 3b. The partition wall materials 1, 1, ... have a plurality of hollow portions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e arranged vertically, and both end faces in the longitudinal direction are abutted against the one and other side wall materials 3a, 3b, so that the refrigerant flows vertically. A flow path 5 for the refrigerant is formed so that it flows in a zigzag pattern, and one side wall material (the left side wall material) 3a has hollow portions 6a and 6c at the top and bottom through which the refrigerant flows, with the upper hollow portion 6a communicating with the hollow portion 4a above the partition wall materials 1, 1, ... and the lower hollow portion 6c communicating with the hollow portion 4d below the partition wall materials 1, 1, ... (see Figures 3 and 4), thereby enabling the battery 12 to be cooled efficiently.

[0026] This battery case (second embodiment) comprises a plurality of partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and one and other side wall materials (left and right side wall materials) 3a, 3b. The bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d have a plurality of hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c arranged in the longitudinal direction of the side wall materials 3a, 3b, and both end faces in the longitudinal direction are abutted against the one and other side wall materials 3a, 3b. The one and other side wall materials 3a, 3b have hollow portions 6d through which a refrigerant flows, and the hollow portions 6d communicate with the hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c of the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. The refrigerant flow paths 5 are provided in a zigzag pattern in the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d so that the refrigerant that flows from the hollow portion 6d of one side wall material (the left side wall material) 3a toward the hollow portion 6d of the other side wall material (the right side wall material) 3b through the multiple hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c of the bottom plate materials 2a, 2c flows from the hollow portion 6d of the other side wall material 3b toward the hollow portion 6d of the one side wall material 3a through the multiple hollow portions 7a, 7b, 7c of the bottom plate materials 2b, 2d (see Figures 5 and 7), thereby enabling efficient cooling of the battery 12.

[0027] In this battery case (second embodiment), refrigerant flow paths 5 are provided in a zigzag pattern in multiple partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., and also in the bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d (see Figure 7), thereby enabling the battery 12 to be cooled even more efficiently. This battery case is lightweight and has high strength because the partition wall materials 1, 1, ..., bottom plate materials 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, and one and other side wall materials 3a, 3b are formed from extruded aluminum alloy profiles, and it also has excellent cooling properties because the cold heat of the refrigerant is easily transferred to the battery 12.

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The cross-sectional shapes and materials of the partition wall material, bottom plate material, and side wall material can be changed as appropriate. The side wall material can be fixed to the partition wall material and bottom plate material by welding, fitting, screw fastening, etc. The battery case of the present invention may have a refrigerant flow path formed only in the bottom plate material, without the partition wall material having a refrigerant flow path formed therein. The uses of the battery case of the present invention are not particularly limited, and it can be used widely as a case for batteries that require lightweight construction, such as for ordinary passenger cars such as electric cars and hybrid cars, as well as for carts on golf courses, electric motorcycles, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1 Partition wall material 2a,2b,2c,2d Bottom plate material 3a Left side wall material (first side wall material) 3b Right sidewall material (other sidewall material) 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e Hollow portion of partition wall material 5 Refrigerant flow path 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d Hollow portion of side wall material 7a,7b,7c Hollow part of bottom plate material

Claims

1. A battery case comprising a plurality of partition wall materials, a bottom plate material, and one and other side wall materials, wherein the partition wall materials have a plurality of hollow portions arranged vertically, and both longitudinal end faces are abutted against the one and other side wall materials, a refrigerant flow path is formed so that the refrigerant flows in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and the one side wall material has hollow portions at its upper and lower parts through which the refrigerant flows, the upper hollow portion communicating with the hollow portion above the partition wall material, and the lower hollow portion communicating with the hollow portion below the partition wall material.

2. a battery case comprising a plurality of partition wall materials, a bottom plate material, and one and other side wall materials, the bottom plate material having a plurality of hollow portions arranged in the longitudinal direction of the side wall materials, both longitudinal end faces abutting against the one and other side wall materials, the one and other side wall materials having hollow portions through which a refrigerant flows, the hollow portions communicating with hollow portions in the bottom plate material, and a refrigerant flow path provided in a zigzag pattern in the bottom plate material so that the refrigerant that flows from the hollow portion of one side wall material toward the hollow portion of the other side wall material through the plurality of hollow portions in the bottom plate material flows from the hollow portion of the other side wall material toward the hollow portion of the one side wall material through the plurality of hollow portions in the bottom plate material.

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