Temperature regulator

Abstract

To provide a temperature controller that can easily be manufactured and adjust the temperature of a battery. [Solution] A temperature controller 1 for adjusting the temperature of a battery equipped with a battery module comprises: a plurality of flat plate portions 10 extending along a first direction and stacked along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; at least two partition walls 20 that partition a region 40 between a first flat plate portion 11 and a second flat plate portion 12 that are opposite to each other along the second direction, along the first direction; and a plurality of convex portions 30 that project from the first flat plate portion 11 toward the second flat plate portion 12 between each of two adjacent partition walls 20 along a third direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions, wherein the convex portions 30 have welded portions 60 welded to the second flat plate portion 12 with the protruding end 31 of the convex portion 30 in contact with the second flat plate portion 12.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a temperature regulator capable of adjusting the temperature of a battery.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, automobiles equipped with a motor as a driving power source (hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), battery electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), etc.) have been used. These automobiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "electric vehicles") are equipped with a battery for driving the motor.

[0003] Normally, a battery mounted in an electric vehicle is configured by housing a battery module in which a plurality of cells are arranged in parallel in a container. Therefore, when the battery is used, heat is trapped inside the container due to heat generation and the temperature becomes high. When the battery becomes hot, it tends to deteriorate. Therefore, technologies for cooling the battery have been studied (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a thermal management system for a battery. This thermal management system has a plurality of core assemblies (100) and a coolant circulation pipe, and the plurality of core assemblies (100) are provided on the battery in a state where they are connected in parallel to each other. The core assembly (100) is configured to include a plurality of water-cooling plates (101) arranged in series with each other. An immersion plate (103) is provided on the core assembly (100), and the immersion plate (103) is brazed to the side surfaces of the plurality of cooling plates (101).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] When forming a flow path for the coolant, it is necessary to join the ends of each section, as in the water-cooled plate of the thermal management system described in Patent Document 1. Such joining must be performed according to the length along the flow direction in the water-cooled plate, and the working time increases accordingly. In addition, it is necessary to braze the immersion plate for mounting the battery, which also adds to the working time.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a temperature controller that can easily be manufactured and adjust the temperature of a battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The characteristic configuration of the temperature controller according to the present invention is a temperature controller for adjusting the temperature of a battery equipped with a battery module, comprising: a plurality of flat plate portions extending along a first direction and stacked along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; at least two partition walls that partition a region between a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are opposite to each other along the second direction, along the first direction; and a plurality of convex portions that project from the first flat plate portion toward the second flat plate portion between each of two adjacent partition walls along a third direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions, wherein the convex portions have welded portions welded to the second flat plate portion with the protruding end of the convex portion in contact with the second flat plate portion.

[0009] With this characteristic configuration, the convex portion is not provided continuously along the first direction, so welding on the convex portion does not need to be performed continuously along the first direction. Therefore, the time required for the welding process can be shortened. Consequently, it becomes possible to manufacture the temperature controller simply. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a temperature controller. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchange section. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the temperature controller. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the first plate section. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the convex portion in the partitioned area. [Figure 6] This figure shows a convex portion according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows a flat plate portion according to another embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the temperature controller according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are illustrative examples for explaining the present invention and do not limit the present invention to these embodiments only. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the battery 100 whose temperature is controlled by the temperature controller 1 according to this embodiment comprises a battery module 102 having a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped cells 101 arranged along the X direction (an example of a "first direction"), and the plurality of battery modules 102 are arranged adjacently along the Y direction (an example of a "third direction") which intersects (orthogonal to) the X direction. The temperature controller 1 controls the temperature of such a battery 100. Controlling the temperature of the battery 100 means maintaining the temperature of the battery 100 at a predetermined temperature (maintaining it within a predetermined temperature range), and includes cooling the battery 100 when the temperature of the battery 100 is higher than the predetermined temperature, and warming up the battery 100 when the temperature of the battery 100 is lower than the predetermined temperature.

[0013] Here, as described above, the X and Y directions are orthogonal to each other, and the direction that is orthogonal to both the X and Y directions is defined as the Z direction (an example of a "second direction"). Therefore, the Z direction is orthogonal to the X direction, and the Y direction is orthogonal to both the X and Z directions.

[0014] The battery 100 is housed in the battery housing space at the bottom of the vehicle, restrained by a restraining member (not shown) made of metal or the like. The battery 100 is positioned so that the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is in contact with the temperature controller 1.

[0015] Multiple cells 101 are arranged side by side, electrically connected to each other. The battery 100 is installed in an electric vehicle.

[0016] For example, a lithium-ion battery is used for cell 101. The battery module 102 generates a high voltage by connecting multiple cells 101 in series. Cell 101 generates heat as it generates (discharges) power. When the temperature of cell 101 rises due to the heat generated, the power generation performance of cell 101 decreases, so it is necessary to cool cell 101. For this reason, in this embodiment, the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is placed in contact with the temperature controller 1, and the bottom surface of cell 101 is cooled directly.

[0017] The temperature controller 1 is composed of a manifold 2, a heat exchange section 3, and a return section 4. Cooling fluid is configured to flow through the manifold 2, the heat exchange section 3, and the return section 4. The cooling fluid is a cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC), an insulating oil such as paraffin, or a refrigerant such as hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or hydrofluoroolefin (HFO).

[0018] The heat exchange section 3 is arranged in a state where the battery module 102 described above abuts, and includes a heat exchange flow path 3A that performs heat exchange with the battery module 102. The collecting section 2 includes a distribution flow path 2A that distributes the cooling fluid introduced into the temperature regulator 1 to the heat exchange section 3, and a collecting flow path 2B that collects the cooling fluid that has flowed through the heat exchange section 3. The turning section 4 includes a turning flow path 4A that turns and circulates the cooling fluid from a supply flow path 71 (described later) that constitutes the heat exchange flow path 3A to a discharge flow path 72 (described later) that constitutes the heat exchange flow path 3A.

[0019] Hereinafter, the configuration of the heat exchange flow path 3A will be described by way of example. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a single heat exchange section 3. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the temperature regulator 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first flat plate portion 11 that constitutes the flat plate portion 10.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the heat exchange flow path 3A of the temperature regulator 1 includes a flat plate portion 10, a partition wall 20, and a convex portion 30. The flat plate portion 10 extends along the X direction and a plurality (two in this embodiment) are provided in a stacked state along the Z direction. In this embodiment, the two flat plate portions 10 correspond to a first flat plate portion 11 and a second flat plate portion 12 that face each other along the Z direction. Therefore, the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12 are provided in a stacked state along the Z direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature regulator 1 of this embodiment is provided with eight flat plate portions 10 including the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12 arranged side by side in the Y direction.

[0021] Here, as described above, the battery 100 is arranged in a state where the bottom surface of the battery module 102 abuts on the temperature regulator 1, and the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is arranged in a state where it abuts on the surface of the second flat plate portion 12 on the side opposite to the surface facing the first flat plate portion 11. Therefore, the first flat plate portion 11, the second flat plate portion 12, and the battery 100 are provided side by side in the Z direction in this order.

[0022] The partition wall 20 divides the region 40 sandwiched between the first flat plate section 11 and the second flat plate section 12 along the X direction. As shown in Figure 2, three partition walls 20 are provided in a single flat plate section 10. The three partition walls 20 are spaced apart from each other and arranged in the Y direction. In the following, for ease of understanding, the three partition walls 20 will be referred to as the first partition wall 21, the second partition wall 22, and the third partition wall 23.

[0023] In this embodiment, the first partition wall 21 is constructed by bending the second flat plate portion 12 such that the angle it makes with the first flat plate portion 11 is obtuse. Specifically, the second flat plate portion 12 is constructed by bending it in a slide-like manner from the center in the Y direction toward one end in the Y direction. The second partition wall 22 is constructed by projecting the first flat plate portion 11 such that the angle it makes with the second flat plate portion 12 is obtuse. Specifically, the first flat plate portion 11 is constructed by bending it such that, in the X direction view of the first flat plate portion 11, the second partition wall 22 takes on a trapezoidal shape. The third partition wall 23 is constructed by bending the second flat plate portion 12 such that the angle it makes with the first flat plate portion 11 is obtuse. Specifically, the second flat plate portion 12 is constructed by bending it in a slide-like manner from the center in the Y direction toward the other end in the Y direction. Therefore, the second flat plate portion 12 is bent so that it has a trapezoidal shape overall when viewed in the X direction.

[0024] The first partition wall 21 is configured such that one end in the Y direction is in contact with the first flat plate portion 11, the second partition wall 22 is configured such that the top of the second partition wall 22 is in contact with the second flat plate portion 12, and the third partition wall 23 is configured such that the other end in the Y direction is in contact with the first flat plate portion 11. As a result, the region 40 is divided by the three partition walls 20 to form two partition regions 41 and 42.

[0025] At one end of the first partition wall 21 along the Y direction, the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, which are in contact with each other, are welded together. The second partition wall 22 is also welded to the second flat plate portion 12. Furthermore, at the other end of the third partition wall 23 along the Y direction, the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, which are in contact with each other, are welded together. As a result, partition area 41 is formed by being surrounded by the first flat plate portion 11, the second flat plate portion 12, the first partition wall 21, and the second partition wall 22, and partition area 42 is formed by being surrounded by the first flat plate portion 11, the second flat plate portion 12, the second partition wall 22, and the third partition wall 23.

[0026] Figure 3 shows the flow state of the cooling fluid in the temperature controller 1. The aforementioned manifold 2 is provided at one end of the temperature controller 1 in the X direction. The manifold 2 is provided with an inlet 51 through which the cooling fluid is introduced into the temperature controller 1 and an outlet 52 through which the cooling fluid is discharged from the temperature controller 1. The manifold 2 includes a distribution channel 2A and a consolidation channel 2B. The distribution channel 2A is provided to extend along the Y direction, and the inlet 51 is provided in communication with the center of the distribution channel 2A in the Y direction. In a predetermined portion along the Y direction of the distribution channel 2A, the respective partitioned regions 41 of the eight flat plate sections 10 described above are provided in communication. Therefore, one of the two partitioned regions 41, 42, partitioned region 41, is used as a supply channel 71 through which the cooling fluid flows from one side along the X direction to the other side.

[0027] The other end of the temperature controller 1 in the X direction is provided with the aforementioned folded portion 4. A folded flow path 4A is provided in the folded portion 4. In a predetermined portion along the Y direction, the respective partitioned areas 41 of the eight flat plate portions 10 described above are provided in communication with each other in the folded flow path 4A. In this embodiment, eight folded flow paths 4A are provided independently of each other. Independent of each other means that the eight folded flow paths 4A are not in communication with each other.

[0028] Each of the eight return channels 4A is provided with a corresponding section 42 connected to section 41, one of two sectioned sections 41, 42. The sectioned section 42 that corresponds to section 41 is the sectioned section 42 formed in the single flat plate section 10 where section 41 is formed. Therefore, the other sectioned section 42 of the two sectioned sections 41, 42 is used as a discharge channel 72 through which the cooling fluid that has flowed through the supply channel 71 returns and flows from the other side along the X direction to the one side.

[0029] A collection channel 2B of the collection section 2 is provided at one end of the temperature controller 1 in the X direction. The collection channel 2B is provided to extend along the Y direction, and an outlet 52 is provided in communication with the center of the collection channel 2B in the Y direction. In a predetermined portion along the Y direction of the collection channel 2B, the respective partitioned areas 42 of the eight flat plate sections 10 described above are provided in communication. The collection channel 2B is formed in conjunction with the distribution channel 2A described above. That is, multiple plate materials are stacked in the Z direction, and a wall portion extending along the Y direction is provided to partition the area sandwiched between the multiple plate materials, thereby forming the distribution channel 2A and the collection channel 2B. In this case, the multiple plate materials may be two or three or more.

[0030] The convex portion 30 is provided projecting from the first flat plate portion 11 toward the second flat plate portion 12 between two adjacent partition walls 20 of the three partition walls 20 along the Y direction. Multiple convex portions 30 are provided. The two adjacent partition walls 20 of the three partition walls 20 along the Y direction are partition area 41 and partition area 42. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the first flat plate portion 11. The convex portion 30 can be formed on the first flat plate portion 11, for example, by press working. Multiple convex portions 30 are formed along the X direction and multiple convex portions are formed along the Y direction. In this embodiment, the convex portions 30 are provided in two rows along the X direction on one side of the first flat plate portion 11 that is along the Y direction from the second partition wall 22, and in one row along the X direction on the other side of the first flat plate portion 11 that is along the Y direction from the second partition wall 22. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, when the convex portion 30 is viewed along the X direction, two convex portions 30 are provided in the partitioned area 41, and one convex portion 30 is provided in the partitioned area 42.

[0031] The convex portion 30 has a welded portion 60 which is welded to the second flat plate portion 12 with the protruding end 31 of the convex portion 30 in contact with the second flat plate portion 12. The convex portion 30 is formed in a bowl shape, and when the first flat plate portion 11 is viewed from the opposite side from the second flat plate portion 12, it is concave. The welded portion 60 is formed by welding from this concave portion. Therefore, one welded portion 60 is provided for each of the multiple convex portions 30. By providing the convex portions 30 in this way, the cooling fluid flowing in the supply channel 71 and the discharge channel 72 collide with each other, causing turbulence in the flow of the cooling fluid. Therefore, the cooling fluid on the second flat plate section 12 side, which is closer to the battery 100, and the cooling fluid on the first flat plate section 11 side, which is further away from the battery 100, can be easily mixed in the supply channel 71 and the discharge channel 72, respectively, making it possible to make the temperature of the cooling fluid flowing through the supply channel 71 and the discharge channel 72 uniform. In addition, the protruding end 31 of the convex portion 30 is welded to the second flat plate section 12, which increases the strength of the heat exchange section 3.

[0032] Such a welded joint 60 can be formed by welding three convex portions 30 aligned along the Y direction in a single welding operation. Specifically, for example, when performing welding by laser welding, the laser irradiation target can be switched to each of the three convex portions 30. Therefore, welding of the three convex portions 30 only needs to be performed once along the X direction.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge channel 72 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the supply channel 71. The discharge channel 72 is a channel through which the cooling fluid flows in the partitioned area 42, and the supply channel 71 is a channel through which the cooling fluid flows in the partitioned area 41. This makes it possible to make the flow velocity of the cooling fluid flowing through the discharge channel 72 faster than the flow velocity of the cooling fluid flowing through the supply channel 71, enabling the cooling fluid after heat exchange with the battery 100 to be quickly discharged from the temperature controller 1.

[0034] With the above configuration, the temperature controller 1 can be constructed by welding each of the three partition walls 20 along the X direction three times on a single flat plate section 10. Therefore, welding to the three convex sections 30 described above only needs to be done once along the X direction, so the device can be constructed with a total of two back-and-forth welding operations.

[0035] [Other Embodiments] Next, other embodiments of the temperature controller 1 will be described.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the convex portions 30 were described as being arranged in two rows along the X direction on one side of the first flat plate portion 11 that is aligned with the Y direction from the second partition wall 22, and in one row along the X direction on the other side of the first flat plate portion 11 that is aligned with the Y direction from the second partition wall 22. However, as shown in Figure 6, the convex portions 30 may be arranged in a staggered pattern when viewed in the Z direction. A staggered pattern means that in each of the partition regions 41 and 42, the rows of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction that are adjacent to each other along the Y direction are aligned with the positions of the convex portions 30 in the X direction offset from each other. Even in such a case, the flow of the cooling fluid circulating in each of the supply channel 71 and the discharge channel 72 can be disturbed. Therefore, similar to the above embodiment, it is possible to make the temperature of the cooling fluid circulating in each of the supply channel 71 and the discharge channel 72 uniform. Furthermore, the convex portions 30 may be arranged irregularly (randomly) when viewed in the Z direction.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the convex portion 30 is shown as circular. However, the convex portion 30 may also be oval or polygonal.

[0038] In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the supply channel 71 has two rows of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction, and the discharge channel 72 has one row of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction. However, the number of rows of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction in the supply channel 71 and the number of rows of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction in the discharge channel 72 may be equal to each other, or the number of rows of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction in the supply channel 71 may be less than the number of rows of convex portions 30 arranged along the X direction in the discharge channel 72.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the size of the convex portion 30 provided in the supply channel 71 and the size of the convex portion 30 provided in the discharge channel 72 are shown to be equal. However, it is also possible to configure the convex portion 30 provided in the supply channel 71 to be larger than the convex portion 30 provided in the discharge channel 72, and it is also possible to configure the convex portion 30 provided in the supply channel 71 to be smaller than the convex portion 30 provided in the discharge channel 72.

[0040] In the above embodiment, it was described that one welded portion 60 is provided for each of the multiple convex portions 30. However, multiple welded portions 60 may be provided for each of the multiple convex portions 30.

[0041] In the above embodiment, it was described that the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is in contact with the surface of the second flat plate portion 12 opposite to the surface facing the first flat plate portion 11. However, the side surface of the battery module 102 may be in contact with the surface of the second flat plate portion 12 opposite to the surface facing the first flat plate portion 11.

[0042] In the above embodiment, it was explained that the cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge channel 72 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the supply channel 71. However, the cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge channel 72 may be equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the supply channel 71.

[0043] In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the heat exchange section 3 comprises a flat plate section 10, a partition wall 20, and a convex section 30. However, it is also possible for the collection section 2 and the folded section 4 to be configured to include a flat plate section 10, a partition wall 20, and a convex section 30.

[0044] In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the flat plate portion 10 is composed of a first flat plate portion 11 and a second flat plate portion 12. For example, as shown in Figure 7, it is also possible to further include a third flat plate portion 13 in addition to the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12. In this case as well, the first flat plate portion 11, the second flat plate portion 12, and the third flat plate portion 13 are preferably constructed by stacking them along the Z direction. In Figure 7, the third flat plate portion 13 is stacked on the side of the first flat plate portion 11 opposite to the second flat plate portion 12. In this case, as in the above embodiment, a supply channel 71 and a discharge channel 72 may be provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, or, as shown in Figure 8, which is a cross-section of line VIII-VIII in Figure 7, a supply channel 71 may be provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, and a discharge channel 72 may be provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the third flat plate portion 13. Of course, a discharge channel 72 may be provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, and a supply channel 71 may be provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the third flat plate portion 13. When a supply channel 71 is provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is in contact with the second flat plate portion 12, and when a supply channel 71 is provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the third flat plate portion 13, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is in contact with the third flat plate portion 13. In this way, the battery 100 can be cooled efficiently. Even when a supply channel 71 is provided between the first flat plate portion 11 and the second flat plate portion 12, and between the first flat plate portion 11 and the third flat plate portion 13, and a discharge channel 72 is provided on the other side, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge channel 72 be smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the supply channel 71.

[0045] [Summary of the above embodiment] The following describes the overview of the temperature controller 1 as explained above.

[0046] (1) The temperature controller 1 is a temperature controller 1 that adjusts the temperature of a battery 100 equipped with a battery module 102, and comprises a plurality of flat plate portions 10 that extend along the X direction (first direction) and are stacked along the Z direction (second direction) perpendicular to the X direction, at least two partition walls 20 that partition a region 40 between a first flat plate portion 11 and a second flat plate portion 12 of the plurality of flat plate portions 10 that are opposite to each other along the Z direction, along the X direction, and a plurality of convex portions 30 that project from the first flat plate portion 11 toward the second flat plate portion 12 between each of two partition walls 20 that are adjacent to each other along the X direction and the Y direction perpendicular to both the X direction, and the convex portions 30 have welded portions 60 that are welded to the second flat plate portion 12 with the protruding end 31 of the convex portion 30 in contact with the second flat plate portion 12.

[0047] With this configuration, since the convex portion 30 is not continuously provided along the X direction (first direction), welding of the convex portion 30 does not need to be performed continuously along the X direction. Therefore, the time required for the welding process can be shortened. Consequently, the temperature controller 1 can be manufactured simply.

[0048] (2) In the temperature controller 1 described in (1), it is preferable that one welded portion 60 is provided for each of the multiple convex portions 30.

[0049] This configuration reduces the number of welding points on the convex portion 30. Therefore, the temperature controller 1 can be manufactured more easily.

[0050] (3) In the temperature controller 1 described in (1) or (2), it is preferable that the convex portions 30 are arranged in a staggered pattern when viewed in the Z direction.

[0051] With this configuration, the distance between two adjacent welded joints 60 is shortened, which increases the strength of the space enclosed by the first flat plate section 11, the second flat plate section 12, and the partition wall 20. In addition, by disturbing the flow of the circulating cooling fluid and making the temperature of the cooling fluid in the flow path more uniform, a decrease in heat exchange efficiency can be suppressed.

[0052] In the temperature controller 1 described in (4)(3), the bottom surface of the battery module 102 is in contact with the surface of the second flat plate portion 12 opposite to the surface facing the first flat plate portion 11, and one of the two partitioned regions 41, 42 formed by dividing the region 40 with three partition walls 20 is designated as a supply channel 71 through which cooling fluid flows from one side along the X direction to the other, and the other of the two partitioned regions 41, 42 is designated as a discharge channel 72 through which the cooling fluid that has flowed through the supply channel 71 returns and flows from the other side along the X direction to the one side, and it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge channel 72 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the supply channel 71.

[0053] With this configuration, the flow rate of the cooling fluid is slowed down in the supply channel 71 through which a relatively low-temperature cooling fluid flows to promote heat exchange, and the flow rate of the cooling fluid is increased in the discharge channel 72 through which a relatively high-temperature cooling fluid flows to enable rapid discharge. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency of the temperature controller 1 can be improved. [Industrial applicability]

[0054] The technology described herein can be used in a temperature controller that can adjust the temperature of a battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1: Temperature controller, 10: Flat plate section, 11: First flat plate section, 12: Second flat plate section, 20: Partition wall, 30: Convex section, 31: Protruding end, 40: Area, 41: Partitioned area, 42: Partitioned area, 60: Welded section, 71: Supply channel, 72: Discharge channel, 100: Battery, 102: Battery module

Claims

1. A temperature controller that regulates the temperature of a battery equipped with a battery module, A plurality of flat plate portions are provided, extending along a first direction and stacked along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, Among the plurality of flat plate portions, at least two partition walls define the region sandwiched between a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are opposite to each other along the second direction, The partition wall comprises, in each of the two adjacent partition walls along a third direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions, a plurality of convex portions projecting from the first flat portion toward the second flat portion, The convex portion is a temperature controller having a welded portion welded to the second flat plate portion with the protruding end of the convex portion in contact with the second flat plate portion.

2. The temperature controller according to claim 1, wherein one welded portion is provided in each of the plurality of convex portions.

3. The temperature controller according to claim 2, wherein the convex portions are arranged in a staggered pattern in the second viewing direction.

4. The bottom surface of the battery module is in contact with the surface of the second flat plate portion opposite to the surface facing the first flat plate portion. One of the two partitioned regions formed by dividing the region with three partition walls is designated as a supply channel through which cooling fluid flows from one side along the first direction to the other, and the other of the two partitioned regions is designated as a discharge channel through which the cooling fluid that has flowed through the supply channel returns and flows from the other side along the first direction to the one side. The temperature controller according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the discharge channel is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the supply channel.

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