Secondary battery system

Abstract

This technology provides a way to quickly and uniformly control the temperature inside a secondary battery. [Solution] A secondary battery system comprising: a cell case for housing electrodes and an electrolyte; a sealing body for surrounding and sealing the electrodes and electrolyte within the cell case; first and second flow holes that penetrate the cell case inward and outward, respectively; a flow passage connected at one end to the first flow hole of the cell case and at the other end to a source for supplying a temperature-controlling substance; and a pump unit for circulating the temperature-controlling substance supplied from the source through the flow passage, wherein the first and second flow holes each reach a flow region formed between the inner surface of the cell case and the sealing body from outside the cell case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a secondary battery system including a secondary battery.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a secondary battery system including a secondary battery, it is common to configure the secondary battery to be temperature-adjustable. This is because when the secondary battery reaches a temperature higher than a certain level or lower than a certain level, a predetermined output cannot be obtained stably. As a configuration for making the secondary battery temperature-adjustable, for example, a configuration in which the secondary battery is temperature-adjusted by a cooler disposed outside the cell case of the secondary battery has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described configuration, due to the configuration of temperature-adjusting the secondary battery from the outside of the cell case, there is a problem that it is difficult to quickly and uniformly temperature-adjust the inside of the secondary battery (for example, electrolyte, electrodes, etc.).

[0005] [[ID=3^]]This present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technology for enabling quick and uniform temperature adjustment up to the inside of the secondary battery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The secondary battery system according to this disclosure comprises a cell case for housing electrodes and an electrolyte, a sealing body that surrounds and seals the electrodes and electrolyte within the cell case, and first and second flow holes that penetrate the cell case inward and outward, respectively; a flow passage connected at one end to the first flow hole of the cell case and at the other end to a source of temperature-controlling substances; and a pump unit that flows the temperature-controlling substances supplied from the source into the flow passage, wherein the first and second flow holes each reach a flow region formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cell case and the sealing body from outside the cell case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] With the secondary battery system disclosed above, the temperature inside the secondary battery can be directly controlled by controlling the pump section and supplying a temperature-controlled substance from the supply source to the cell case of the secondary battery via a flow passage and then discharging it, thereby achieving rapid and uniform temperature control inside the secondary battery. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Block diagram of a secondary battery system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Perspective view of a secondary battery according to one embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 3] Enlarged view of a key part of a secondary battery according to one embodiment of the present disclosure [Figure 4] Flowchart showing temperature control process 1 according to one embodiment of this disclosure [Figure 5] Flowchart showing temperature control process 2 according to one embodiment of this disclosure [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (1) Overall structure As shown in Figure 1, the secondary battery system 1 comprises a plurality of secondary batteries 100, a storage unit 10 for storing a temperature-controlled substance 200, a flow passage 20 connecting each secondary battery 100 to the storage unit 10, a pump unit 30 for circulating the temperature-controlled substance 200 through the flow passage 20, a plurality of measuring units 40 for measuring the temperature of each secondary battery 100, a temperature-controlled unit 50 for controlling the temperature of the temperature-controlled substance 200, a recovery path 60 connecting each secondary battery 100 to the storage unit 10, and a control unit 70 for controlling the operation of the entire secondary battery system 1. In this embodiment, the secondary battery system 1 is exemplified as being installed in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle (including plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) that enable external charging and external power supply).

[0011] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the secondary battery 100 comprises a cell case 120 that houses a pair of electrodes 111 and an electrolyte 113, a sheet-like sealant 130 that surrounds and seals the electrodes 111 and the electrolyte 113 within the cell case 120, and a flow hole 140 that penetrates the cell case 120 inward and outward.

[0012] Here, the secondary battery 100 consists of a winding body 110, which is made by winding stacked sheet-like electrodes 111 and a separator (not shown), within a cell case 120. This winding body 110 is impregnated with a liquid electrolyte 113 inside a sealing body 130. Of these, one end of each pair of electrodes 111 extends outside the cell case 120. A gel-like electrolyte 113 may also be used.

[0013] Of these, the flow holes 140 consist of a first flow hole 141 and a second flow hole 143, which reach from outside the cell case 120 to the flow region 121 formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cell case 120 and the sealant 130.

[0014] The storage unit 10 stores the temperature-controlling substance 200 in a predetermined storage space. The temperature-controlling substance 200 in this embodiment is a liquid medium suitable for temperature control of the secondary battery 100.

[0015] The flow path 20 is connected at one end to each of the first flow holes 141 of the cell case 120, and at the other end to the storage portion 10 that serves as a supply source of the temperature control substance 200, and circulates the temperature control substance 200 between the secondary battery 100 and the storage portion 10. Here, the storage portion 10 is configured to function as a supply source of the temperature control substance 200, but the flow path 20 and the recovery path 60 may be configured to function as a supply source of the temperature control substance 200 as a whole.

[0016] The pump unit 30 receives a command from the control unit 70 and circulates the temperature control substance 200 stored in the storage portion 10 into the flow path 20.

[0017] The measurement unit 40 is provided inside the cell case 120 of the secondary battery 100 and is a temperature sensor that measures the temperature inside the secondary battery 100.

[0018] The temperature control unit 50 is provided in the flow path 20 and controls the temperature of the temperature control substance 200 flowing in the flow path 20. In the present embodiment, a heater for heating (more specifically, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater) and a radiator for cooling are adopted as the temperature control unit 50. Note that the temperature control unit 50 may be provided in the storage portion 10 and configured to control the temperature of the temperature control substance 200 stored therein.

[0019] The recovery path 60 is connected at one end to each of the second flow holes 143 of the cell case 120, and at the other end to the storage portion 10, and circulates the temperature control substance 200 between the secondary battery 100 and the storage portion 10.

[0020] The control unit 70 is a battery management system that controls the operation of the entire secondary battery system 1 by executing various processes according to a program stored in a built-in memory.

[0021] (2) Temperature control processing 1 by the control unit 70 Next, the processing procedure of the temperature control process executed by the control unit 70 will be described based on FIG. 4. This temperature control process is activated upon receiving an activation command from an ECU mounted on the vehicle.

[0022] When this temperature control process is activated, first, the supply of the temperature control substance 200 into the cell case 120 is started (S110). Here, the control of the pump unit 30 is started so that the temperature control substance 200 stored in the storage unit 10 is supplied into the cell case 120 via the flow path 20. Thus, in the cell case 120, after the temperature control substance 200 is supplied from the first flow hole 141 to the flow region 121, it is discharged from the second flow hole 143.

[0023] Next, it waits in a standby state until the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 falls outside the predetermined target temperature range T0 (T0L to T0H) (S120: NO). Here, when any one of the temperatures TB of the secondary battery 100 measured by the measurement units 40 is outside the target temperature range T0, it is determined that the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 is outside the target temperature range T0. However, in this S110, it may be determined that the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 is outside the target temperature range T0 when the average value of the temperatures TB measured by the measurement units 40 is outside the target temperature range T0.

[0024] Note that the target temperature range T0 is determined in advance as a temperature range suitable for the normal operation of the secondary battery 100.

[0025] In S110, if it is determined that the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 is outside the target temperature range T0 (TB≠T0) (S120:YES), temperature control of the temperature-controlled material 200 flowing in the flow passage 20 is started (S130). Here, the temperature control unit 50 is started to control the temperature-controlled material 200 flowing in the flow passage 20 so that it reaches the set temperature. In this way, temperature control of the temperature-controlled material 200 is started. In this embodiment, the set temperature is the temperature (T0H-Δt, T0L+Δt) that is shifted by a predetermined temperature Δt from one of the upper limit T0H and lower limit T0L in the target temperature range T0 to the other, and the temperature control unit 50 controls the temperature-controlled area of ​​the flow passage 20 so that it reaches this set temperature. However, in S130, a temperature sensor may be provided in the temperature-controlled area, and the temperature control unit 50 may be feedback controlled so that this temperature reaches the set temperature.

[0026] Next, the system enters a standby state until the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 falls within the target temperature range T0 (TB=T0) (S140:NO). Here, it is determined whether or not the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 is within the target temperature range T0 based on the temperature TB measured by each of the measurement units 40. However, in S140, it is also possible to determine that the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 is within the target temperature range T0 after the time required (for example, a few seconds) has elapsed for the temperature-regulating substance 200 supplied to the secondary battery 100 to regulate the temperature inside the secondary battery 100.

[0027] In S140, if it is determined that the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 is within the target temperature range T0 (S140: YES), the temperature control of the temperature control material 200, which was started in S130, is stopped (S150). Here, the temperature control of the temperature control material 200 is stopped by stopping the control of the temperature control unit 50.

[0028] Next, if no termination command has been received from the ECU up to this point (S160: NO), the process returns to S120. However, if a termination command has been received (S160: YES), the temperature control process ends after the supply of the temperature control substance 200, which was started in S110, is stopped (S170). In S170, the supply of the temperature control substance 200 is stopped by stopping the control of the pump unit 30.

[0029] In the temperature control process described above, S110 and S170 are supply control means in this disclosure, and S130 and S150 are temperature control means in this disclosure.

[0030] (3) Temperature control processing by the control unit 70 2 The temperature control process described above may also be configured as shown below.

[0031] In this temperature control process, as shown in Figure 5, first, S120 is performed immediately after startup, and if the temperature TB of the secondary battery 100 falls outside the target temperature range T0 (TB≠T0) (S120:YES), S110 is performed before proceeding to S130.

[0032] Furthermore, after stopping the temperature control of the temperature control substance in S150, the supply of the temperature control substance 200 is stopped in S170, and then S160 is performed. If a termination command is received at this point (S160:YES), the temperature control process is terminated without performing S170.

[0033] (4) Effects In the secondary battery system 1 of the above embodiment, the pump unit 30 is controlled to supply the temperature-controlled substance 200 from the storage unit 10 to the cell case 120 of the secondary battery 100 via the flow passage 20 and discharge it, thereby directly controlling the temperature inside the secondary battery 100, and thus achieving rapid and uniform temperature control inside.

[0034] Furthermore, in the secondary battery system 1 of the above embodiment, a temperature-controlled substance 200 that is temperature-controlled within the target temperature range T0 can be circulated within the cell case 120.

[0035] Furthermore, in the secondary battery system 1 of the above embodiment, the temperature control material 200 is temperature-controlled so that the set temperature is shifted by a predetermined temperature Δt from one of the upper limit T0H and lower limit T0L in the target temperature range T0 to the other. This temperature difference allows for efficient temperature control of the secondary battery 100. Here, by appropriately adjusting the set temperature, more precise temperature control of the secondary battery 100 can be achieved.

[0036] Furthermore, in the secondary battery system 1 of the above embodiment, the temperature-controlling substance 200 discharged from the second flow hole 143 of the cell case 120 is returned to the storage unit 10 through the recovery path 60, so that the temperature-controlling substance 200 can be circulated between the secondary battery 100 and the storage unit 10 and used repeatedly for temperature control.

[0037] Furthermore, in the secondary battery system 1 of the above embodiment, since the temperature control unit 50 is provided in the flow passage 20, the temperature can be effectively controlled in the area through which the temperature control substance 200 flows, and heat loss and other factors can be suppressed compared to when it is provided in other areas.

[0038] Furthermore, in the secondary battery system 1 of the above embodiment, the temperature control process 2 can supply the temperature control substance 200 into the cell case 120 of the secondary battery 100 when the secondary battery 100 is outside the target temperature range T0. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1...Secondary battery system, 2...Temperature control processing, 10...Storage section, 20...Flow passage, 30...Pump section, 40...Measurement section, 50...Temperature control section, 60...Recovery path, 70...Control section, 100...Secondary battery, 110...Winding body, 111...Electrode, 113...Electrolyte, 120...Cell case, 121...Flow area, 130...Sealing body, 140...Flow hole, 141...First flow hole, 143...Second flow hole, 200...Temperature control substance.

Claims

1. A secondary battery comprising a cell case for housing electrodes and an electrolyte, a sealing body that surrounds and seals the electrodes and electrolyte within the cell case, and first and second flow holes that penetrate the cell case inward and outward, A flow passage, one end of which is connected to the first flow hole of the cell case and the other end of which is connected to a temperature control substance supply source, The system comprises a pump unit that circulates a temperature-controlling substance supplied from the aforementioned supply source through the aforementioned flow passage, The first and second flow holes each reach from the outside of the cell case to the flow region formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cell case and the sealing body. Secondary battery system.

2. A measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the secondary battery, The system further includes a supply control means that controls the pump unit so that a temperature-controlling substance is supplied from the supply source into the cell case when the temperature measured by the measuring unit is outside the target temperature range. The secondary battery system according to claim 1.

3. A temperature control unit that controls the temperature of temperature-controlled substances, The system further comprises temperature control means for controlling the temperature control unit so that the temperature-controlled substance flowing through the flow passage falls within a predetermined target temperature range. A secondary battery system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The temperature control means controls the temperature control unit so that the temperature-controlled substance flowing in the flow passage is at a temperature that is shifted by a predetermined amount of temperature from one of the upper and lower limits of the target temperature range to the other. The secondary battery system according to claim 3.

5. The collection path further comprises a collection path having one end connected to the second flow hole of the cell case and the other end connected to the supply source. A secondary battery system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. The temperature control unit is provided in the flow passage and controls the temperature of the temperature-controlled substance flowing within the flow passage. The secondary battery system according to claim 3.

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