Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack capable of sufficiently securing a flow chanel cross-sectional area of a suction flow channel in which a cooling air flows.SOLUTION: A battery pack 10 is mounted to a vehicle 1, and comprises: a case 11; a battery module 20 housed in the case 11; a fan 30 that is arranged to the case 11 in the state where a suction port 31 is directed to a lower direction, and blows a cooling air to the battery module 20; a fan bracket 67 having an open 67a communicated to the suction port 31 of the fan 30, and which supports the fan 30 from the lower direction; and a seal member 68 that is provided between the case 11 and the fan bracket 67. The case 11, the fan bracket 67, and the seal member 68 divide and form a suction flow channel 60 through which the cooling air sucked from an external part flows to the suction port 31 of the fan 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack to be mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into secondary batteries that contribute to energy efficiency has been conducted in order to ensure that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

[0003] As the drive source of a vehicle is electrified, the vehicle is equipped with a battery that supplies power to the motor, etc. Since the battery generates heat when power is supplied or when it is being charged, it is necessary to appropriately cool the battery. For example, an air-cooled battery cooling device described in Patent Document 1 cools the battery by drawing in cooling air from the vehicle interior with a cooling fan and blowing the cooling air from the cooling fan to the battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6690507 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the battery cooling device of Patent Document 1, an intake duct is connected from the intake port to the cooling fan intake port. In Patent Document 1, when the battery, the cooling fan, and the intake duct are housed in a case to form a battery pack, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake duct becomes small due to space restrictions within the battery pack, resulting in large pressure loss.

[0006] The present invention provides a battery pack that can ensure a sufficient flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage through which cooling air flows. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to A battery pack mounted on a vehicle, Case and A battery housed in the case; a fan disposed in the case with an intake port facing downward and configured to blow cooling air to the battery; a bracket that supports the fan from below and that is provided with an opening that communicates with the suction port of the fan; a seal member provided between the case and the bracket, The case, the bracket, and the seal member define an intake passage through which the cooling air drawn in from the outside flows to the inlet of the fan. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a sufficient flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage through which the cooling air flows can be ensured. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a battery pack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is disposed under a rear seat 2 of a vehicle 1. [Diagram 2] 2 is a top view of the battery pack 10 fixed to the side frame 5. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded oblique view of the battery pack 10. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing how the fan 30 is attached to the fan bracket 67 from above. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view of an intake passage 60 formed below a fan bracket 67. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6, showing the flow of cooling air (broken arrows) flowing through the intake passage 60. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of a sound absorbing material 70 and a frame member 74 that secures the sound absorbing material 70 to the pocket 66. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are to be viewed in the direction of the reference symbols. In this specification and the like, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, the front / rear, left / right, and up / down directions are described according to the direction as seen by the driver of the vehicle, and in the drawings, the front of the vehicle is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left as L, the right as R, the top as U, and the bottom as D.

[0011] 1, a battery pack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed, for example, below the rear seat 2 and luggage compartment 4 of a vehicle 1. Specifically, a recess is provided below the rear seat 2 and luggage compartment 4, and the battery pack 10 is disposed in the recess with vehicle body fixing parts 91, 92 (described later) provided at both left and right ends fixed to a pair of side frames 5 of the vehicle body. The vehicle 1 is, for example, an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, a battery-powered electric vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, an intake duct 16 and an exhaust duct 18 are connected to the battery pack 10. Cooling air in the vehicle cabin is introduced from the intake duct 16 into the battery pack 10 to cool a battery module 20 (described later), and then exhausted from the exhaust duct 18 to the vehicle cabin. One end of the intake duct 16 is connected to an intake duct connector 15 provided on the front right side of the battery pack 10. The other end of the intake duct 16 is provided with an intake inlet 16a that opens to the right. One end of the exhaust duct 18 is connected to an exhaust duct connector 17 provided on the front left side of the battery pack 10, and is disposed below the rear seat 2.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the battery pack 10 includes two battery modules 20, a fan 30, a battery ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 41, a junction box 43, an air supply path 50, an air intake path 60, and a case 11 and a cover 12 that accommodate these.

[0014] (cases, covers) The case 11 and the cover 12 form the exterior of the battery pack 10 and house the battery module 20 and the like. The case 11 has a bottom surface 111, a side wall 113, and a flange portion 115 provided at the upper end of the side wall 113, and has a tray shape. The side wall 113 includes a front side wall 113Fr, a rear side wall 113Rr, a left side wall 113L, and a right side wall 113R. The cover 12 is disposed such that its outer edge faces the flange portion 115 of the case 11 via a sealing member (not shown), and covers the case 11 from above on which various components are mounted.

[0015] (Battery module) The two battery modules 20 are disposed on the left side of the case 11. Each battery module 20 is configured by stacking a plurality of battery cells (not shown) in the left-right direction. The two battery modules 20 are electrically connected to each other via electrical connection members (not shown). Electricity stored in the battery modules 20 is supplied to a motor or the like that serves as a drive source for the vehicle 1.

[0016] Battery brackets are provided at both left and right ends of the battery module 20. Here, only the left battery bracket 51 provided at the left end of the battery module 20 is illustrated, and the right battery bracket provided at the right end is not illustrated. The left battery bracket 51 has a vehicle body fixing portion 91 fixed to the side frame 5 of the vehicle body. The right battery fixing bracket is fixed to a fan bracket 67 described later. The fan bracket 67 has a vehicle body fixing portion 92 fixed to the side frame 5 of the vehicle body. The vehicle body fixing portions 91 and 92 have bolt insertion holes and are fixing points that fix the battery pack 10 to the side frame 5 (see FIG. 2). In this way, the two battery modules 20 are integrally supported on the side frame 5 of the vehicle body by the left battery bracket 51, the right battery bracket, and the fan bracket 67. The left battery bracket 51, the right battery fixing bracket, and the fan bracket 67 are fixed to a case 11, and the case 11 accommodates the battery module 20 supported on the side frame 5 from below.

[0017] (fan) The fan 30 is disposed upstream of the battery module 20, and draws in cooling air from outside the battery pack 10 and blows the cooling air to the battery module 20. The fan 30 is, for example, a sirocco fan. As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the fan 30 has an intake port 31 that opens downward and an outlet port 32 that is provided in the centrifugal direction. The intake port 31 is connected to an intake flow path 60, and the outlet port 32 is connected to an air flow path 50 via an air supply duct 33 (see Fig. 3).

[0018] A fan bracket 67 is provided below the fan 30, and the fan 30 is fixed to the fan bracket 67. The fan bracket 67 is fixed to the case 11. The fan bracket 67 has an opening 67a communicating with the suction port 31 of the fan 30, and supports the fan 30 from below with the suction port 31 facing downward. A seal member 35 is provided between the fan 30 and the fan bracket 67, and the suction port 31 and the opening 67a are in airtight communication. The seal member 35 is made of a material that is impermeable to gas, such as rubber foam. The fan bracket 67 and the case 11 define an intake flow path 60. Details of the intake flow path 60 will be described later.

[0019] (Battery ECU) 3, the battery ECU 41 is a control device that controls charging and discharging of the battery module 20, and includes a processor, a memory, an interface, etc. The battery ECU 41 is mounted on an ECU bracket 42 provided above the fan 30 and the fan bracket 67.

[0020] (Junction box) The junction box 43 electrically connects the battery module 20 to an external device (not shown) and includes wiring components through which charging power and discharging power of the battery module 20 flows. The junction box 43 is placed on a junction box bracket 53 attached to the upper surface of the battery module 20. The junction box bracket 53 is disposed above the air flow path 50 and forms the upper surface of the air flow path 50.

[0021] (Blow channel) The two battery modules 20 are disposed spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and an airflow path 50 is formed between them. The airflow path 50 is a path through which cooling air blown from the fan 30 flows. The airflow path 50 communicates with inter-cell paths (not shown) formed between adjacent battery cells, and the cooling air flowing through the airflow path 50 is supplied to the inter-cell paths. The battery module 20 is cooled by the cooling air flowing through the inter-cell paths.

[0022] The airflow passage 50 is defined by the bottom surface 111 of the case 11, the left battery bracket 51, the right battery fixing bracket, and the junction box bracket 53. An opening is provided in the right battery fixing bracket, and the airflow duct 33 inserted through the opening communicates with the airflow passage 50. As shown in FIG. 4, a seal member 55 (e.g., a rubber foam) having a square ring shape in a top view is provided on the bottom surface 111. The battery module 20 arranged on the front side is placed on the upper surface of the front part 551 of the seal member 55, and the battery module 20 arranged on the rear side is placed on the upper surface of the rear part 552 of the seal member 55. This makes it possible to prevent the cooling air from leaking from the airflow passage 50 to the space below the battery module 20. Although not shown, seal members are also provided on the left battery bracket 51 and the junction box bracket 53.

[0023] (Intake flow path) The intake flow path 60 is provided inside the battery pack 10, connects the intake duct connection part 15 and the suction port 31 of the fan 30, and is a flow path through which the cooling air taken in by the fan 30 flows. The intake flow path 60 is defined by the case 11, the fan bracket 67, and a seal member 68 (e.g., rubber foam) provided between the case 11 and the fan bracket 67.

[0024] 4 and 6, the case 11 has an intake flow path forming portion 64 that defines the intake flow path 60. The intake flow path forming portion 64 has a standing wall portion 65 that stands upright from the bottom surface 111 and the front wall 113Fr of the case 11, and a pocket 66 that is defined by the standing wall portion 65 and into which a sound absorbing material 70 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) is fitted.

[0025] The standing wall portion 65 has a substantially U-shape in top view, and is provided continuous with the intake duct connection portion 15. The seal member 68 is provided along the standing wall portion 65, and the fan bracket 67 is attached in contact with the seal member 68. The seal member 68 is provided from the standing wall portion 65 to the flange portion 115 of the intake duct connection portion 15.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, the fan bracket 67 has a fan support portion 671, a front rising portion 672, a front extending portion 673, a right rising portion 674, and a right extending portion 675.

[0027] The fan support portion 671 has an opening 67a and supports the fan 30 from below. The fan support portion 671 abuts against a seal member 68 provided on the vertical wall portion 65 of the case 11. The front rising portion 672 is provided at a predetermined distance from the front wall 113Fr of the case 11 and extends upward. The front rising portion 672 abuts against a seal member 68 provided on the vertical wall portion 65 erected from the front wall 113Fr. The front extending portion 673 extends forward from the upper end of the front rising portion 672. The front extending portion 673 abuts against a seal member 68 provided on the flange portion 115 of the case 11 and forms the upper surface of the intake duct connection portion 15. The right rising portion 674 extends upward along the right side wall 113R of the case 11. The right extension portion 675 extends outward from the upper end of the right rising portion 674 beyond the flange portion 115 of the case 11. The right extension portion 675 has a vehicle body fixing portion 92 that is fixed to the side frame 5 of the vehicle body.

[0028] As described above, the case 11, the fan bracket 67, and the seal member 68 define the intake flow path 60 through which the cooling air drawn from the vehicle interior flows to the inlet 31 of the fan 30. With this configuration, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake flow path 60 is larger than that of a configuration in which another intake duct connected to the intake duct 16 and the fan 30 is provided inside the battery pack 10, so that the pressure loss of the cooling air flowing through the intake flow path 60 can be reduced. Thus, the cooling performance of the battery module 20 can be improved. In addition, since there is no need to provide an intake duct inside the battery pack 10, it is possible to reduce costs, the number of parts, and weight.

[0029] As shown in Figure 7, the intake flow path 60 has a fan facing portion 61 that communicates with the suction port 31 of the fan 30, an inlet portion 62 that communicates with the intake duct connection portion 15, and a bend portion 63 that connects the fan facing portion 61 and the inlet portion 62 and changes the flow direction of the cooling air.

[0030] The fan facing portion 61 is defined by the bottom surface 111, the standing wall portion 65 provided on the bottom surface 111, the fan support portion 671, and the seal member 68, and extends in the horizontal direction. The inlet portion 62 is defined by the front wall 113Fr, the standing wall portion 65 provided on the front wall 113Fr, the front rising portion 672, the front extending portion 673, and the seal member 68. The inlet portion 62 extends in the vertical direction along the front wall 113Fr. The bent portion 63 is provided near the corner between the bottom surface 111 and the front wall 113Fr, and changes the flow of cooling air (broken arrow in FIG. 7) from the downward direction to the horizontal direction.

[0031] A sound absorbing material 70 is provided in the intake passage 60. More specifically, the sound absorbing material 70 is fitted into a pocket 66 defined by an upright wall portion 65 provided on the bottom surface 111.

[0032] The sound absorbing material 70 absorbs acoustic energy of the driving sound generated when the fan 30 is driven and the fluid sound generated when the cooling air flows. This reduces the driving sound and fluid sound of the fan 30 leaking into the vehicle interior through the intake flow path 60 and the intake duct 16. In addition, compared to a configuration in which another intake duct connected to the intake duct 16 and the fan 30 is provided inside the battery pack 10, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the intake flow path 60 can be made larger, so that a sufficient space can be secured for arranging the sound absorbing material 70. This improves sound absorbing performance.

[0033] Explaining sound-absorbing material 70 in more detail, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, sound-absorbing material 70 has bottom sound-absorbing material 71 arranged in the portion of bottom surface 111 surrounded by vertical wall portion 65, side sound-absorbing material 72 arranged along the inner side surface of vertical wall portion 65 which is approximately U-shaped when viewed from above, and corner sound-absorbing material 73 arranged at an angle to bend portion 63.

[0034] The bottom sound-absorbing material 71 and the side sound-absorbing material 72 are provided so as to surround the entire fan-opposing portion 61, and therefore can effectively absorb the driving noise and fluid noise of the fan 30.

[0035] The corner sound-absorbing material 73 is disposed at an angle at the bend 63, so that the flow of the cooling air can be smoothly changed from a downward direction to a horizontal direction at the bend 63. Furthermore, the driving noise of the fan 30 hits the corner sound-absorbing material 73 at the bend 63 on the way from the fan facing portion 61 to the inlet portion 62, so that the driving noise of the fan 30 can be effectively absorbed.

[0036] Moreover, a frame member 74 that fixes the bottom sound-absorbing material 71, the side sound-absorbing material 72, and the corner sound-absorbing material 73 to the pocket 66 is provided above them. The frame member 74 has a framework shape and has a plurality of fixing parts 741 (three in this embodiment) that are fixed to the case 11. The frame member 74 presses down the bottom sound-absorbing material 71, the side sound-absorbing material 72, and the corner sound-absorbing material 73 from above, and fixes them to the pocket 66.

[0037] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the components in the above embodiment may be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention.

[0038] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the sound-absorbing material 70 has multiple sound-absorbing materials, namely, bottom sound-absorbing material 71, side sound-absorbing material 72, and corner sound-absorbing material 73, but it may also be composed of a single sound-absorbing material.

[0039] This specification describes at least the following items. In parentheses, components corresponding to the above-described embodiments are shown as examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0040] (1) A battery pack (battery pack 10) mounted on a vehicle (vehicle 1), Case (Case 11) and A battery (battery module 20) accommodated in the case; a fan (fan 30) arranged in the case with an intake port (intake port 31) facing downward and configured to blow cooling air to the battery; a bracket (fan bracket 67) that is provided with an opening (opening 67a) communicating with the suction port of the fan and supports the fan from below; a seal member (seal member 68) provided between the case and the bracket, The case, the bracket, and the seal member define an intake passage (intake passage 60) through which the cooling air drawn in from the outside flows to the inlet of the fan. Battery pack.

[0041] According to (1), the intake flow path can be defined by the case, bracket, and seal member without providing an intake duct inside the battery pack. This increases the flow path cross-sectional area compared to the case where an intake duct is provided, and reduces the pressure loss of the cooling air flowing through the intake flow path. This improves the cooling performance of the battery. In addition, the weight of the battery pack can be reduced.

[0042] (2) A battery pack according to (1), The case is provided with a vertical wall portion (vertical wall portion 65) that defines the intake passage, The seal member is provided along the vertical wall portion. Battery pack.

[0043] According to (2), the intake passage can be defined by the vertical wall portion provided on the case, the seal member provided along the vertical wall portion, and the bracket.

[0044] (3) A battery pack according to (2), The upright wall defines a pocket (pocket 66) into which at least one sound absorbing material (sound absorbing material 70) is fitted. Battery pack.

[0045] According to (3), the sound absorbing material can be appropriately arranged in the intake passage, and sound absorbing performance can be ensured. In addition, since the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage is larger than that of the intake duct provided inside the battery pack, sufficient space is secured for arranging the sound absorbing material in the intake passage, and sound absorbing performance can be improved.

[0046] (4) A battery pack according to (3), The intake passage has a bent portion (bent portion 63) that changes the flow direction of the cooling air, The at least one sound-absorbing material is disposed at an angle in the bent portion of the intake passage. Battery pack.

[0047] According to (4), by arranging the sound-absorbing material at an angle at the bend, the flow of cooling air can be smoothly changed at the bend. Furthermore, by providing the bend where the sound-absorbing material is arranged, the driving sound of the fan hits the sound-absorbing material, so that the sound can be effectively absorbed.

[0048] (5) A battery pack according to (3) or (4), The pocket further includes a frame member (frame member 74) for fixing a plurality of sound absorbing materials (bottom sound absorbing material 71, side sound absorbing material 72, corner sound absorbing material 73) to the pocket. Battery pack.

[0049] According to (5), multiple sound-absorbing materials can be fixed to the pockets by the frame member.

[0050] (6) A battery pack according to any one of (1) to (5), The bracket has a vehicle body fixing portion (vehicle body fixing portion 92) that is fixed to a frame member (side frame 5) of the vehicle. Battery pack.

[0051] According to (6), the bracket that fixes the battery pack to a vehicle frame member supports the fan and further defines the intake flow path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 vehicle 5 Side frame (framework) 10 Battery pack 11 Cases 20 Battery module (battery) 30 Fans 31 Intake port 60 Intake passage 65 Vertical wall 66 Pockets 67 Fan bracket (bracket) 67a aperture 68 Sealing material 70 Sound absorbing material 71 Bottom sound absorbing material 72 Side sound absorbing material 73 Corner sound absorbing material 74 Frame members 92 Body fixing part

Claims

1. A battery pack mounted on a vehicle, Case and A battery housed in the case; a fan disposed in the case with an intake port facing downward and configured to blow cooling air to the battery; a bracket that supports the fan from below and that is provided with an opening that communicates with the suction port of the fan; a seal member provided between the case and the bracket, The case, the bracket, and the seal member define an intake passage through which the cooling air drawn in from the outside flows to the intake port of the fan. Battery pack.

2. 2. The battery pack according to claim 1, The case is provided with a vertical wall portion that defines the intake passage, The seal member is provided along the vertical wall portion. Battery pack.

3. 3. The battery pack according to claim 2, The upright wall defines a pocket into which at least one sound absorbing material is fitted. Battery pack.

4. 4. The battery pack according to claim 3, the intake passage has a bent portion that changes the flow direction of the cooling air, The at least one sound absorbing material is disposed at an incline at the bent portion of the intake passage. Battery pack.

5. 5. The battery pack according to claim 3, Further comprising a frame member for fixing a plurality of sound absorbing materials to the pocket. Battery pack.

6. 5. The battery pack according to claim 1, The bracket has a vehicle body fixing portion that is fixed to a frame member of the vehicle. Battery pack.

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