Duct and battery device

The duct system with controlled airflow configurations addresses cooling performance variations in battery cells by uniformizing airflow vectors, enhancing cooling efficiency through stabilized airflow distribution.

JP2025172529APending Publication Date: 2025-11-26DENSO CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024078082
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-05-13
Publication Date
2025-11-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing battery cooling systems exhibit significant variations in cooling performance due to differences in air flow speeds through inter-battery passages, leading to inefficient cooling of adjacent battery cells.

Method used

A duct system with specific inner passage configurations, including an impingement duct portion and downstream duct portion, featuring inclined walls with varying gradients to control airflow direction and velocity, creating vortices and uniformizing airflow vectors, thereby stabilizing cooling performance.

Benefits of technology

The duct system uniformly distributes airflow velocity, enhancing cooling performance by preventing excessive airflow and reducing variations, thus improving the cooling efficiency of battery cells.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a duct and a battery device capable of suppressing variations in cooling performance in a target area of airflow extending in the airflow direction.SOLUTION: A battery device includes a battery unit 2 and a blower that circulates air within a battery case 21. The duct forms a passage that allows the air blown by the blower to flow downward to the target area. The duct includes an upstream duct portion 4, an impingement duct portion 42, and a downstream duct portion. The inner passage wall of the impingement duct portion 42 is provided with a recess 423, a first-direction passage wall portion 44, a second-direction passage wall portion 43, a first inclined wall portion 425, and a second inclined wall portion 424. The inclined surface of the first inclined wall portion 425 is formed to have a greater gradient than the inclined surface of the second inclined wall portion 424.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosure herein relates to a duct and battery arrangement. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack that cools each battery cell by circulating blown air through inter-battery passages formed between stacked battery cells. The blown air flows down a blow-out side passage that extends in the stacking direction of the battery cells, and is distributed from the blow-out side passage to the inter-battery passages. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6024704 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the device of Patent Document 1, the difference between the maximum and minimum wind speeds of the air flowing through the multiple inter-battery passages lined up along the outlet-side passage becomes large, and the minimum wind speed tends to become small. In inter-battery passages where the air flow speed is low, it becomes difficult to cool adjacent battery cells. The device of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of reducing variations in cooling performance in the target area extending in the airflow direction.

[0005] The purpose of the disclosure in this specification is to provide a duct and a battery device that can reduce variations in cooling performance in an area to be blown that extends in the airflow direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The multiple aspects disclosed in this specification employ different technical means to achieve their respective objectives. Furthermore, the reference symbols in parentheses in the claims and this section are merely examples showing the correspondence between specific means described in the embodiments below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope.

[0007] One of the disclosed ducts is a duct that forms a passage through which air blown by a blower (3) flows down to a target area, an upstream duct portion (4) into which air blown out from the blower device flows; an impingement duct portion (42) disposed in an intersecting orientation with respect to the upstream duct portion so as to form an inner passage wall against which air flowing down from the upstream duct portion impinges; a downstream duct portion (5) that forms a forward direction passage extending in a forward direction toward the target airflow area downstream of the passage of the impingement duct portion; Equipped with The inner passage wall of the impingement duct is A recess (423, 423A), a first direction passage wall portion (44) that is connected to the forward passage and extends in the forward direction; a second direction passage wall portion (43) that is connected to the forward direction passage and extends in a cross direction that crosses the forward direction; a first inclined wall portion (425) that forms an inclined surface extending in a forward direction from the recess to the first direction passage wall portion; a second inclined wall portion (424) that forms an inclined surface extending in the cross direction from the recessed portion to the second direction passage wall portion; Including, The first inclined wall portion has an inclined surface with a gradient greater than that of the inclined surface of the second inclined wall portion.

[0008] With this duct, a forward airflow along the first-direction passage wall and a cross-direction airflow along the second-direction passage wall join together, generating a vortex in the target airflow area. In this duct, the first inclined wall has an inclined surface with a greater gradient than the inclined surface of the second inclined wall. This configuration allows the inclined surface of the first inclined wall to create forward ventilation resistance, thereby reducing the forward airflow velocity. A component of the blown air flowing along the inclined surface of the first inclined wall and a component flowing along the inclined surface of the second inclined wall join together and flow into the target airflow area. The ventilation resistance of the first inclined wall prevents the forward flow velocity of the air flowing from the impingement duct into the target airflow area from becoming too fast. The effect of reducing the forward flow velocity in the target airflow area makes it possible to uniformize the forward flow velocity vectors distributed in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the forward flow. This also contributes to suppressing the expansion of vortices in the target airflow area. The effect of suppressing the expansion of vortices can suppress bias in the flow velocity distribution in the target airflow area, thereby providing a duct that can suppress variations in cooling performance in the target airflow area extending in the airflow direction.

[0009] One of the disclosed battery devices includes the aforementioned duct, a plurality of single cells (20) stacked in a forward direction in the area to be blown, and a battery case (21) connected to the downstream duct portion and housing the plurality of single cells.

[0010] As described above, this configuration makes it possible to uniformize the forward flow velocity vectors distributed in the direction perpendicular to the forward direction for multiple cells stacked in the forward direction. This prevents excessive air from flowing into a specific cell. This increases the minimum flow velocity of air coming into contact with the multiple cells, improving the ability to cool the cells and improving the cooling performance of the entire multiple cells. This allows for a battery device that can reduce variations in cooling performance in the airflow target area extending in the airflow direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to a duct and a battery device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to a duct and a target area for air flow. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a configuration related to an inner passage wall of an impingement duct portion. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of an air blow target area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, several embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to matters described in the preceding embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted. In each embodiment, when only a part of the configuration is described, other previously described embodiments may be applied to the other parts of the configuration. In addition to combinations of parts that are specifically specified as being combinable in each embodiment, it is also possible to partially combine embodiments even if not specified, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0013] First embodiment A first embodiment disclosing an example of a duct and a battery device will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Examples of applications of the duct that can achieve the objects described in the specification are as follows. This duct can be used to send ventilation air to batteries and other devices that require cooling, the interior of a vehicle, and other spaces. Target areas to which air is sent through the duct include the inside of a case that houses a battery, and the inside of a duct that has an outlet formed to blow air toward the interior of the vehicle or other spaces. Below, an example of applying the duct to a battery device 1 will be described.

[0014] The arrows in each figure indicate the direction of air flow. In each figure, the X and Y directions are horizontal directions, and the Z direction is the up-down direction. The Y direction is also the direction in which blown air flows toward the battery unit. The X direction is the direction in which multiple battery units are lined up. The Y direction is the stacking direction in which multiple unit cells 20 are stacked in the battery unit. The Z direction is the direction in which air flows between the unit cells 20.

[0015] The battery device 1 is used in hybrid vehicles that use a combination of an internal combustion engine and a motor driven by electricity stored in a battery as their running power, electric vehicles that use a motor as their running power, etc. The battery device 1 is installed under the front or rear seats with the bottom wall of the battery unit 2 facing downwards.

[0016] The battery device 1 includes a battery unit 2, a blower 3 that circulates air inside a battery case 21, and electronic components. The battery unit 2 has a plurality of cells 20 that are stacked and connected so that they can be electrically connected, and a battery case 21 that houses the plurality of cells 20 and forms a ventilation passage.

[0017] The battery system 1 supplies power to the vehicle's electrical loads. The electrical loads include a motor generator that functions as both a power supply source and a power generation source. For example, when the motor generator is powered, the battery system 1 discharges power to supply it. When the motor generator generates power, the battery system 1 charges the generated power. The battery system 1 includes at least one battery unit 2. This specification describes an example in which the battery system 1 includes a battery unit 2A and a battery unit 2B. The battery unit 2A and the battery unit 2B have the same configuration and are installed at a distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the airflow direction. In this specification, one or both of the battery units 2A and 2B may be referred to as the battery unit 2. The air blower 3 blows air to cool the cells 20 of each of the battery units 2A and 2B. The battery system 1 is configured so that the air blown by the air blower 3 is distributed between the interior of the battery unit 2A and the interior of the battery unit 2B.

[0018] The electrode terminals of opposite polarities of two adjacent cells 20 are electrically connected by a bus bar. The cells 20 are installed in the battery case 21 with these electrode terminals and bus bars positioned at the top. The bus bar and the electrode terminals of the cells 20 are located in the top wall-side passage 223. The terminals of the battery unit 2, which are arranged on both ends of the multiple cells 20 connected by the bus bar, receive power from the outside and discharge power to other electrical devices.

[0019] The electronic components of the battery device 1 include a relay device that controls current and a battery control device. The battery control device communicates with an on-board ECU installed in the vehicle to perform cooperative control. The battery control device outputs information such as the state of charge of the battery unit 2 to the on-board ECU. The on-board ECU outputs a command signal to the battery control device based on the state of charge, vehicle information input from various sensors installed in the vehicle, the ignition switch, etc. The battery control device controls the relay device based on the command signal to control the input and output of power to and from the battery unit 2.

[0020] The cells 20 generate heat themselves when they are outputting current and when they are being charged. The battery control device controls the operation of the blower 3 to maintain the temperature of the cells 20 within a predetermined temperature range based on the constantly acquired temperature of the cells 20. The battery control device can adjust the air volume of the blower 3 in multiple steps or continuously by changing the rotation speed of the fan through duty control. The battery control device functions as a battery management unit and is a device that manages the amount of electricity stored in the multiple cells 20. The battery control device monitors the current, voltage, and temperature of the cells 20, as well as any abnormal conditions in the cells 20.

[0021] The battery case 21 forms a rectangular parallelepiped internal space for accommodating a plurality of cells 20. The battery case 21 has a box shape composed of a plurality of walls. The bottom wall 211 and the top wall 212 are located opposite each other. The upstream side wall 213 and the downstream side wall 214 are located opposite each other. The side wall 213 connects the bottom wall 211 and the top wall 212 on the upstream side of the air flow. The side wall 214 connects the bottom wall 211 and the top wall 212 on the downstream side of the air flow. The side walls 215 and 216 are located opposite each other and extend along the air blow direction. The side walls 215 and 216 connect the bottom wall 211 and the top wall 212 at both ends in the X direction. The side wall 215 and the side wall 216 connect the side wall 213 and the side wall 214 at both ends in the X direction.

[0022] 2, a bottom wall-side passage 221 extending along the bottom wall 211 is provided between the lower surfaces of the plurality of unit cells 20 and the bottom wall 211. The bottom wall-side passage 221 is connected to an internal passage 51 in the downstream duct portion 5 that communicates with the air outlet 33 of the blower 3. The bottom wall-side passage 221 is an upstream passage located at the most upstream position inside the battery case 21.

[0023] Between adjacent cells 20, inter-battery passages 222 are provided, through which air flows down while coming into contact with the exterior cases of the cells 20. Inside the battery case 21, a plurality of inter-battery passages 222 are provided, each extending in the vertical direction in the gaps between the cells 20. For example, each cell 20 is fixed by a spacer member provided between adjacent cells 20, and the inter-battery passages 222 are formed by this spacer member. Each inter-battery passage 222 communicates with the top wall side passage 223 at its upper part and with the bottom wall side passage 221 at its lower part.

[0024] A top-wall-side passage 223 extending along the top wall 212 is provided between the top wall 212 and the upper surface of the cell 20. An air exhaust port is provided in all or part of the top wall 212. When the top wall 212 is configured to have air exhaust ports in the entire wall, the portion corresponding to the top wall 212 serves as an opening. The top-wall-side passage 223 is a downstream passage located at the most downstream position inside the battery case 21. The passages provided inside the battery case 21 are, in order from upstream, the bottom-wall-side passage 221, the inter-battery passage 222, and the top-wall-side passage 223. Air flows upward inside the battery case 21 from the lower part at one end to the upper part at the other end. The air travels from the bottom-wall-side passage 221 through the inter-battery passage 222, comes into contact with the cell 20, then flows out into the top-wall-side passage 223, and is discharged to the outside of the battery case 21 through the exhaust port.

[0025] The blower 3 is installed so as to draw in air in a direction along the rotation axis of the fan 32 and blow it out in a centrifugal direction. The blower 3 includes a casing 31 formed so that the passage gradually expands in the centrifugal direction. An upstream duct section 4 is connected to an outlet 33 of the casing 31. The blow-out passage of the blower 3 is formed so as to extend in the centrifugal direction of the fan 32 and obliquely with respect to the impingement duct section 42 and the bottom wall side passage 221, which will be described later.

[0026] The duct comprises, positioned in this order from upstream in the air flow, an upstream duct section 4, an impingement duct section 42, and a downstream duct section 5. The upstream duct section 4 is connected to the casing 31 of the blower 3, and is the duct section into which the air blown out from the blower 3 flows.

[0027] The impingement duct section 42 is disposed downstream of the upstream duct section 4 and connects the upstream duct section 4 and the downstream duct section 5. The impingement duct section 42 is disposed in an orientation intersecting the upstream duct section 4 so as to form an inner passage wall against which air flowing down from the internal passage 41 of the upstream duct section 4 collides. The impingement duct section 42 is disposed so as to be located on an extension of the passage axis of the internal passage 41 formed by the upstream duct section 4. The downstream duct section 5 is a duct section that connects the impingement duct section 42 and the battery case 21 that forms the target airflow area. The downstream duct section 5 forms a forward direction passage that extends in the forward direction toward the target airflow area downstream of the passage of the impingement duct section 42. The forward direction is the Y direction shown in each drawing.

[0028] The second inclined wall portion 424 forms an inclined surface extending in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the forward direction from the recessed portion 423 to the second direction passage wall portion 43. The orthogonal direction is the X direction shown in each drawing. The second inclined wall portion 424 may be configured to form an inclined surface extending in an intersecting direction intersecting the forward direction from the recessed portion 423 to the second direction passage wall portion 43.

[0029] The inner passage wall of the impingement duct portion 42 is provided with a recess 423, a first-direction passage wall portion 44, a second-direction passage wall portion 43, a first inclined wall portion 425, and a second inclined wall portion 424. These are formed on the inner passage wall portion located on the bottom surface of the impingement duct portion 42. The recess 423 is formed at a position lower than the first-direction passage wall portion 44, the second-direction passage wall portion 43, the first inclined wall portion 425, and the second inclined wall portion 424. The recess 423 may be configured to be formed at the lowest position on the inner passage wall of the impingement duct portion 42. The first-direction passage wall portion 44 is a passage wall portion that connects to the forward-direction passage and extends in the forward direction. The second-direction passage wall portion 43 is a passage wall portion that connects to the forward-direction passage and extends in a cross direction that intersects the forward direction.

[0030] The first inclined wall portion 425 is a wall portion that forms an inclined surface that extends in the forward direction from the recessed portion 423 to the first direction passage wall portion 44. The upstream end of the first inclined wall portion 425 is connected to the recessed portion 423. The downstream end of the first inclined wall portion 425 is connected to the first direction passage wall portion 44. The downstream end of the first inclined wall portion 425 is located lower than the upstream end of the first inclined wall portion 425. The first inclined wall portion 425 forms a surface that rises upward from the upstream end to the downstream end. The inclined surface formed by the first inclined wall portion 425 may form a flat surface or a curved surface.

[0031] The second inclined wall portion 424 is a wall portion that forms an inclined surface extending in an intersecting direction that intersects the forward direction from the recessed portion 423 to the second-direction passage wall portion 43. The intersecting direction is a direction away from the first-direction passage wall portion 44 and toward the outside of the recessed portion 423. The recessed portion side end of the second inclined wall portion 424 is connected to the recessed portion 423. The downstream side end of the second inclined wall portion 424 is located further in the intersecting direction than the recessed portion and is connected to the second-direction passage wall portion 43. The downstream end of the second inclined wall portion 424 is located lower than the recessed portion side end of the first inclined wall portion 425. The second inclined wall portion 424 forms a surface that rises upward from the recessed portion side end to the downstream end. The inclined surface formed by the second inclined wall portion 424 may be flat or curved. The intersecting direction is preferably an orthogonal direction that is perpendicular to the forward direction.

[0032] The inclined surface of first inclined wall portion 425 is formed with a gradient greater than that of the inclined surface of second inclined wall portion 424. The inclined surface of first inclined wall portion 425 is steeper than that of second inclined wall portion 424. For example, the forward direction length of first inclined wall portion 425 is set shorter than the orthogonal direction length of second inclined wall portion 424.

[0033] When the air flowing down from the internal passage 41 of the upstream duct portion 4 collides with the recess 423, it is divided into a cross-direction vector that ascends the inclined surface of the second inclined wall portion 424 and a forward vector that ascends the inclined surface of the first inclined wall portion 425. Of the divided air, the air that ascends the inclined surface of the second inclined wall portion 424 experiences ventilation resistance and its flow velocity decreases, so its cross-direction flow velocity vector decreases. Of the divided air, the air that ascends the inclined surface of the first inclined wall portion 425 experiences ventilation resistance and its flow velocity decreases, so its forward flow velocity vector decreases. At this time, the air that ascends the inclined surface of the first inclined wall portion 425 experiences greater ventilation resistance, so the forward flow velocity vector decreases more significantly.

[0034] The air that has ascended the inclined surface of the second inclined wall portion 424 flows from the second-direction passage wall portion 43 toward the outer wall 5a of the downstream duct portion 5 and flows down the inner passage 51 along the outer wall 5a. The air that has ascended the inclined surface of the first inclined wall portion 425 flows from the first-direction passage wall portion 44 along the branch portion 52 into the inner passage 51 of the downstream duct portion 5. These two air flows meet and mix in the inner passage 51 and flow down the bottom wall-side passage 221. At this time, an elliptical vortex as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2 is generated in the bottom wall-side passage 221, but the expansion of the vortex is suppressed by the aforementioned decrease in the forward flow velocity vector. The above air flows form the flow indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2.

[0035] The duct includes a pair of target airflow areas branching off from the impingement duct section, and a pair of downstream duct sections 5 forming forward-direction passages extending in the forward direction to the pair of target airflow areas. The inner surface passage wall of the impingement duct section has a pair of recesses 423, a pair of first-direction passage wall sections 44, a pair of second-direction passage wall sections 43, a pair of first inclined wall sections 425, and a pair of second inclined wall sections 424. An apex section 421 extending in the forward direction is formed between the pair of recesses 423. The apex section 421 is provided so that the forward-direction length is greater than the forward-direction length of the recesses 423.

[0036] The top portion 421 functions as a flow dividing portion that divides the air that has collided with the inner passage wall of the collision duct portion 42 toward the left and right recessed portions 423. The top portion 421 is preferably provided at a position higher than the pair of recessed portions 423, the pair of first-direction passage walls 44, the pair of second-direction passage walls 43, the pair of first inclined wall portions 425, and the pair of second inclined wall portions 424 that are located around it. This configuration can enhance the effect of dividing the air that has collided with the top portion 421 toward the left and right recessed portions 423.

[0037] The top 421 and the recess 423 are connected by a third inclined wall 422. The third inclined wall 422 is a wall that forms an inclined surface that extends perpendicularly from the top 421 to the recess 423. The top end of the third inclined wall 422 is connected to the top 421. The recess end of the third inclined wall 422 is connected to the recess 423. The recess end of the third inclined wall 422 is located lower than the top end of the third inclined wall 422. The third inclined wall 422 forms a surface that slopes downward from the top end to the recess end. The inclined surface formed by the third inclined wall 422 may be flat or curved.

[0038] The battery device 1 includes a branch section 52 that connects the collision duct section 42 and the pair of downstream duct sections 5. The branch section 52 has an orthogonal length that is equal to the spacing between the pair of downstream duct sections 5. The branch section 52 is the section where the two air flows that have traveled up the pair of first inclined wall sections 425 collide. The branch section 52 also functions as a resistance section that reduces the forward flow velocity vectors of the two air flows.

[0039] According to another example shown in FIG. 3, the recess 423A forms a plane extending in both the forward and perpendicular directions.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows another example of the target airflow area shown in FIG. 2. The device shown in FIG. 4 includes a duct unit 102 that sends airflow to the target airflow area, such as the vehicle cabin or other room or space. The duct unit 102 has an air outlet formed therein that blows air toward the vehicle cabin or other space. The device shown in FIG. 4 includes a duct unit 102A and a duct unit 102B. The duct unit 102A and the duct unit 102B have the same configuration and are installed spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the airflow direction. The air blower 3 blows air into each of the duct units 102A and 102B. The device shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that the air blown by the air blower 3 is distributed to the interior of the duct unit 102A and the interior of the duct unit 102B. The air distributed to each duct unit is supplied to the vehicle cabin or other room through the air outlet of each duct unit.

[0041] The effects of the duct disclosed in the specification will be described. The duct forms a passage through which the air blown by the blower 3 flows downward to the target area. The duct includes an upstream duct section 4, an impingement duct section 42, and a downstream duct section 5. The inner passage wall of the impingement duct section 42 includes a recess 423, a first-direction passage wall section 44, a second-direction passage wall section 43, a first inclined wall section 425, and a second inclined wall section 424. The first inclined wall section 425 has an inclined surface with a gradient greater than that of the inclined surface of the second inclined wall section 424.

[0042] Within the duct, a vortex is generated in the target airflow area due to the convergence of a forward airflow along the first-direction passage wall 44 and a cross-direction airflow along the second-direction passage wall 43. In this duct, the first inclined wall 425 has an inclined surface with a greater gradient than the inclined surface of the second inclined wall 424. This configuration allows the inclined surface of the first inclined wall 425 to provide ventilation resistance in the forward direction, thereby reducing the forward air flow velocity vector. A component of the ventilation air flowing along the inclined surface of the first inclined wall 425 and a component flowing along the inclined surface of the second inclined wall 424 converge and flow into the target airflow area. The ventilation resistance of the first inclined wall 425 prevents the forward flow velocity of the air flowing in the target airflow area from becoming too fast. This makes it possible to uniformize the forward flow velocity vector distributed in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the forward direction. Furthermore, the first inclined wall portion 425 reduces the forward flow velocity in the target airflow area, thereby contributing to the suppression of vortex expansion in the target airflow area. Therefore, this duct can improve the situation in the target airflow area extending in the airflow direction, where air is predominantly distributed downstream rather than upstream. Therefore, this duct contributes to the suppression of variations in cooling performance in the target airflow area extending in the airflow direction.

[0043] The second inclined wall portion 424 forms an inclined surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the forward direction from the recess 423 to the second-direction passage wall portion 43. With this configuration, the second-direction passage wall portion 43 forms an inclined surface extending outward in a direction perpendicular to the first-direction passage wall portion 44. Therefore, the airflow in the perpendicular direction along the second inclined wall portion 424 is significantly separated from the airflow in the forward direction along the first inclined wall portion 425 before merging downstream. This flow formation reduces uneven air distribution in the target airflow area, even if the target airflow area is long in the perpendicular direction. This flow formation significantly reduces the forward flow velocity vector of the air flowing along the second inclined wall portion 424, significantly reducing the forward flow velocity due to the first inclined wall portion 425. Therefore, it is expected that the effect of suppressing variations in cooling performance in the target airflow area extending in the airflow direction can be enhanced.

[0044] The duct includes a pair of target airflow areas branching off from the impingement duct portion 42, and a pair of downstream duct portions 5 that form forward-direction passages extending in the forward direction to the pair of target airflow areas. The inner passage wall of the impingement duct portion 42 includes a pair of recesses, a pair of first-direction passage wall portions, a pair of second-direction passage wall portions, a pair of first inclined wall portions, and a pair of second inclined wall portions. With this configuration, the effects of the first inclined wall portions and the second inclined wall portions contribute to suppressing variations in cooling performance in the pair of target airflow areas extending in the airflow direction.

[0045] Recess 423A forms a plane extending in the forward direction and the direction perpendicular to the plane. This configuration contributes to forming a flow in which air that collides with recess 423A is distributed from the plane to first inclined wall 425 and second inclined wall 424. This reduces a large bias of the flow toward one of the inclined walls, and suppresses bias in the velocity vector distribution of the air flowing down into the target airflow area.

[0046] The battery device 1 includes the aforementioned duct, a plurality of cells 20 stacked in the forward direction in the target airflow area, and a battery case 21 connected to the downstream duct portion 5 and housing the cells 20. This device can uniformly distribute the forward flow velocity vectors in the direction perpendicular to the forward direction in the target airflow area. It also contributes to preventing excessive airflow into cells 20 located at the back of the battery case 21, compared to the plurality of cells 20 stacked in the forward direction. This increases the minimum flow velocity of air coming into contact with the cells 20, improving the cooling capacity of the cells 20 and the overall cooling performance of the cells. The battery device 1 can suppress variations in cooling performance in the target airflow area extending in the airflow direction.

[0047] The battery device 1 includes the aforementioned duct and a branch portion 52 connecting the impingement duct portion 42 and the pair of downstream duct portions 5. The battery device 1 includes a plurality of cells 20 stacked in the forward direction in each of the pair of target airflow areas and a battery case 21 connected to each of the pair of downstream duct portions. The pair of second inclined wall portions 424 are arranged side by side in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the forward direction. The length in the orthogonal direction from one second inclined wall portion to the other second inclined wall portion is greater than the length of the branch portion 52 in the orthogonal direction. This configuration allows one second inclined wall portion 424 to be closer to the passage in one battery case 21 corresponding to one target airflow area. Furthermore, the other second inclined wall portion 424 can be closer to the passage in the other battery case 21 corresponding to the other target airflow area. Therefore, air flowing along one second inclined wall portion can smoothly flow downward into one battery case 21. Furthermore, air flowing along the other second inclined wall portion can smoothly flow downward into the other battery case 21.

[0048] The first inclined wall portion 425 is positioned opposite the branch portion 52 in the forward direction. With this configuration, air flowing in the forward direction along the first inclined wall portion 425 collides with the branch portion 52 and then flows downstream into the target airflow area. As a result, the flow velocity of the forward airflow is weakened by the branch portion 52, so the forward flow velocity vector distributed in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the forward direction can be made even more uniform. This configuration has the effect of further preventing air from flowing too far into the target airflow area. The battery device 1 can reduce variations in cooling performance for multiple batteries in the target airflow area.

[0049] Other embodiments The disclosure of this specification is not limited to the exemplified embodiments. The disclosure encompasses the exemplified embodiments and modifications thereto by those skilled in the art. For example, the disclosure is not limited to the combinations of parts and elements shown in the embodiments, and various modifications can be made. The disclosure can be implemented in various combinations. The disclosure can have additional parts that can be added to the embodiments. The disclosure encompasses the omission of parts and elements from the embodiments. The disclosure encompasses the substitution or combination of parts and elements between one embodiment and another embodiment. The disclosed technical scope is not limited to the description of the embodiments. The disclosed technical scope is defined by the claims, and should be interpreted as including all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 3...blower device, 4...upstream duct section, 5...downstream duct section, 20...single cell 21... battery case, 42... collision duct portion, 43... second direction passage wall portion 52... Branching portion, 44... First direction passage wall portion, 423, 423A... Recessed portion 424...Second inclined wall part, 425...First inclined wall part

Claims

1. A duct that forms a passage through which air blown by a blower (3) flows down to a target area, an upstream duct portion (4) into which air blown out from the blower device flows; an impingement duct portion (42) provided in an orientation intersecting the upstream duct portion so as to form an inner passage wall against which air flowing down from the upstream duct portion impinges; a downstream duct portion (5) that forms a forward direction passage extending in a forward direction toward the target airflow area downstream of the passage of the impingement duct portion; Equipped with The inner passage wall of the impingement duct portion is A recess (423, 423A), a first direction passage wall portion (44) that is connected to the forward passage and extends in the forward direction; a second direction passage wall portion (43) that is connected to the forward direction passage and extends in a direction intersecting the forward direction; a first inclined wall portion (425) that forms an inclined surface extending in the forward direction from the recess to the first direction passage wall portion; a second inclined wall portion (424) that forms an inclined surface extending in the intersecting direction from the recess to the second direction passage wall portion; Including, The first inclined wall portion has an inclined surface with a gradient greater than that of the inclined surface of the second inclined wall portion.

2. The duct according to claim 1 , wherein the second inclined wall portion forms an inclined surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the forward direction from the recess to the second direction passage wall portion.

3. A pair of the air blowing target areas branching off from the collision duct portion; a pair of downstream duct sections (5) provided downstream of the passage of the impingement duct section, the downstream duct sections (5) forming forward passages extending in a forward direction to the pair of target areas; Equipped with The inner passage wall of the impingement duct portion is a pair of the recesses corresponding to the pair of the downstream duct portions; a pair of the first direction passage walls corresponding to the pair of the downstream duct portions; a pair of second direction passage walls corresponding to the pair of downstream duct portions; a pair of the first inclined wall portions corresponding to the pair of the downstream duct portions; a pair of the second inclined wall portions corresponding to the pair of the downstream duct portions; 3. A duct according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. The duct of claim 2 , wherein the recess defines a plane extending in the forward direction and the orthogonal direction.

5. A duct according to claim 1 or 2; a plurality of unit cells (20) stacked in the forward direction in the air blowing area; a battery case (21) connected to the downstream duct portion and accommodating a plurality of the unit cells; A battery device comprising:

6. A duct according to claim 3; a branch portion (52) connecting the impingement duct portion and the pair of downstream duct portions; a plurality of unit cells (20) stacked in the forward direction in each of the pair of target airflow areas; a battery case (21) connected to each of the pair of downstream duct portions and accommodating a plurality of the unit cells; Equipped with The pair of second inclined wall portions are arranged side by side in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the forward direction, A battery device in which the length in the orthogonal direction from one of the second inclined wall portions to the other of the second inclined wall portions is greater than the length in the orthogonal direction of the branch portion.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Temperature compensating oscillator

    JP1985024704A