Battery unit

Abstract

To provide a battery unit which enables reduction of intake noise of a fan which leaks from an intake port.SOLUTION: A battery unit 10 mounted on a vehicle includes: a case 15 having an intake port 61; a battery module 11 which is disposed inside the case 15 and in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; a fan 20 which is disposed inside the case 15 and blows cooling air to the battery module 11; and an intake duct 30 connecting the intake port 61 with the fan 20. The intake duct 30 includes: an intake passage 33a extending along an upper surface of the battery module 11; and an intake passage 33b extending along a right surface of the battery module 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery unit mounted on an electric vehicle or the like.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to enable more people to access affordable, reliable, sustainable, and advanced energy, research and development on secondary batteries that contribute to energy efficiency have been carried out.

[0003] With the electrification of the vehicle drive source, a large-capacity battery unit is mounted on the vehicle. Since the large-capacity battery unit generates a large amount of heat, a cooling device for cooling the battery is provided in the battery unit.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery unit disposed below a seat. In order to cool the battery, the battery unit is provided with a cooling fan that sucks air in the vehicle interior and sends it into the battery unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] When the cooling fan is driven, the intake sound leaks from the intake port of the battery unit. If the intake sound of the cooling fan leaking from the intake port is large, there is a risk of giving discomfort to the passengers as noise.

[0007] The present invention provides a battery unit capable of reducing the intake sound of the fan leaking from the intake port. And by extension, it contributes to energy efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The present invention is a battery unit mounted on a vehicle, comprising a case having an air inlet and 、 a battery module disposed inside the case and having a plurality of battery cells stacked therein, a fan disposed inside the case and blowing cooling air to the battery module, and an intake duct connecting the air inlet and the fan. The intake duct has a first flow path extending along a first surface of the battery module and a second flow path extending along a second surface of the battery module different from the first surface. death, The case has a base plate on which the fan is mounted, The intake duct is positioned above the fan. The intake duct has a fixing portion which is fixed to the base plate by a clip. . Furthermore, the present invention is A battery unit installed in a vehicle, A case having an air intake, A battery module is arranged inside the aforementioned case, and consists of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. A fan is placed inside the case and blows cooling air onto the battery module, The system includes an intake duct connecting the intake port and the fan, The aforementioned intake duct is A first channel extending along the first surface of the battery module, The battery module has a second flow path that extends along a second surface different from the first surface, The second surface is a side view of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, The battery unit further comprises electrical components that are electrically connected to the battery module. The second flow path is positioned between the electrical components and the battery module in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, The battery unit further comprises a bracket on which the electrical components are mounted, The intake duct has a third flow path located above the fan, The bracket is positioned above the fan and the third airflow path, and presses the intake duct against the fan. Furthermore, the present invention is A battery unit installed in a vehicle, A case having an air intake, A battery module is arranged inside the aforementioned case, and consists of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. A fan is placed inside the case and blows cooling air onto the battery module, The system includes an intake duct connecting the intake port and the fan, The aforementioned intake duct is A first channel extending along the first surface of the battery module, The battery module has a second flow path that extends along a second surface different from the first surface, The first surface is the top surface of the battery module, The battery unit further includes a control device for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module, Between each battery cell, an inter-cell channel is formed in which the cooling air sent from the fan flows from bottom to top. The control device is positioned between the first flow path and the battery module.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the intake sound of the fan leaking from the intake port.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view around the rear seat RS of the vehicle V equipped with the battery unit 10 of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an exploded perspective view of the battery unit 10 of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing the flow of the cooling gas from the intake port 61 of the cover 60 to the outlet of the inter-cell flow path 11a of the battery module 11. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1, and is a diagram showing the flow of the cooling gas from the outlet of the inter-cell flow path 11a of the battery module 11 to the outside of the battery unit 10. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the intake duct 30.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the battery module of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings. The drawings should be viewed in the direction of the reference numerals. Furthermore, in order to simplify and clarify the explanation in this specification, the front, rear, left, right, and up directions are described according to the direction as seen from 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.

[0012] <Vehicle> As shown in Figure 1, the battery unit 10 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle V. The vehicle V is an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, and is configured to be able to run by driving a motor with electricity stored in the battery unit 10. The battery unit 10 is placed on the floor panel 1 and fixed to the floor panel 1. The rear seats RS of the vehicle V are located above the battery unit 10 (see Figure 4).

[0013] The floor panel 1 comprises a front floor panel 2 that constitutes the floor of the passenger compartment CB, and a rear floor panel 3 that constitutes the floor of the cargo area LG located behind the passenger compartment CB. The front floor panel 2 and the rear floor panel 3 are connected below the rear seat RS. Both ends of the floor panel 1 in the vehicle width direction are connected to a pair of left and right skeletal frame members 5 that extend along the front-rear direction, thereby fixing the floor panel 1 to the skeletal frame members 5.

[0014] A kick-up section 2a is formed at the rear end of the front floor panel 2, rising upwards. In addition, a center tunnel 2b is formed in the center of the front floor panel 2 in the width direction of the vehicle, running along the front-rear direction. The center tunnel 2b is bent so that the front floor panel 2 is convex upwards, and a trapezoidal tunnel space 4 is formed below it.

[0015] <Overall configuration of the battery unit> As shown in Figure 2, the battery unit 10 includes a battery module 11, a fan 20 that blows out cooling gas to cool the battery module 11, an intake duct 30 that introduces cooling gas to the fan 20, an air blowing duct 40 that sends the cooling gas blown out from the fan 20 in a desired direction, a battery control device 12 that controls the charging and discharging of the battery module 11, a junction board 13 on which wiring components that electrically connect the battery module 11 to external equipment (not shown) and through which the charging and discharging power of the battery module 11 flows are mounted, and a case 15 that houses these components. The fan 20, intake duct 30, air blowing duct 40, battery control device 12, and junction board 13 are positioned so that at least a portion of them overlaps with the battery module 11 when viewed from the vehicle width direction.

[0016] Case 15 includes a base plate 50 on which a battery module 11, a fan 20, and a ventilation duct 40 are mounted, and a cover 60 that covers the base plate 50 from above. The front end of the rear floor panel 3 has a recessed housing 3a that extends in the vehicle width direction (see Figure 4), and the base plate 50 is housed in the housing recess 3a. The cover 60 covers the base plate 50 and is fixed to the floor panel 1. An air intake 61 is formed on the front surface of the cover 60, and the air intake 61 is covered by a ventilated grille 65.

[0017] The battery module 11 comprises a front battery module 11A located at the front and a rear battery module 11B located at the rear. Each battery module 11A and 11B has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the vehicle width direction and is mounted on the base plate 50 facing each other in the front-rear direction. Hereinafter, when the front battery module 11A and the rear battery module 11B are not distinguished, they will be collectively referred to as the battery module 11.

[0018] The battery module 11 has multiple battery cells stacked in the vehicle width direction. Intercellular channels 11a are formed between adjacent battery cells, and the battery module 11 is cooled by the flow of cooling gas through the intercellular channels 11a.

[0019] The fan 20 is fixed to the base plate 50. The fan 20 has an impeller 21 that draws in cooling gas from the direction of the rotation axis and blows out the cooling gas in the centrifugal direction, and a fan case 22 that pivotally supports and houses the impeller 21. The fan case 22 has an intake port 23 that draws in the cooling gas supplied to the impeller 21, and an outlet port 24 that discharges the cooling gas blown out from the impeller 21. In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the impeller 21 extends in the vertical direction. The fan case 22 has a substantially cylindrical shape that extends in the vertical direction. The intake port 23 opens upward. The outlet port 24 protrudes to the left from the substantially cylindrical fan case 22 and opens to the left. Therefore, the fan 20 draws in cooling gas from above through the intake port 23 and discharges the cooling gas to the left through the outlet port 24.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the intake duct 30 connects the intake port 61 of the cover 60 to the intake port 23 of the fan 20, and guides the air from the vehicle compartment CB as a cooling gas from the intake port 61 to the fan 20. The intake duct 30 comprises an upstream intake duct 31 connected to the intake port 61 and located above the battery module 11, and a downstream intake duct 32 connected to the intake port 23 and located to the right of the battery module 11. The upstream intake duct 31 and the downstream intake duct 32 are connected to each other, and their respective flow paths are in communication. Details of the intake duct 30 will be described later.

[0021] The air duct 40 is located between the battery module 11 and the fan 20 and is connected to the outlet 24 of the fan 20. As shown in Figure 3, the air duct 40 directs the cooling air blown out from the outlet 24 along the underside of the battery module 11.

[0022] The cooling gas sent below the battery module 11 flows from bottom to top through the inter-cell flow path 11a to cool the battery module 11, and is then discharged from the top surface of the battery module 11. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 4, the cooling gas flows through the inside of the case 15 toward the gap formed between the front end 62 of the cover 60 and the floor panel 1. Then, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, the cooling gas is discharged to the outside of the case 15. A sealing member 64 is provided in the gap formed between the rear end 63 of the cover 60 and the floor panel 1, and is configured to prevent the cooling gas from being discharged toward the rear floor panel 3. The sealing member 64 is made of an elastic material such as rubber.

[0023] The battery control device 12 is mounted on a bracket 70 attached to the battery module 11 and is positioned between the upstream intake duct 31 and the battery module 11. This ensures that the cooling gas flowing through the inter-cell passage 11a from bottom to top hits the battery control device 12. Therefore, it prevents the cooling gas, having received heat from the battery module 11, from directly hitting the upstream intake duct 31 and causing the intake gas to overheat. The battery control device 12 is implemented by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) equipped with a processor, memory, interface, etc.

[0024] The lower end of the bracket 70 is fixed to the base plate 50, and the battery module 11 is fixed to the base plate 50 via the bracket 70. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, a separate bracket 73 for fixing the battery module 11 is provided on the left side of the battery module 11, and the battery module 11 is fixed to the base plate 50 via the bracket 73.

[0025] The junction board 13 is positioned above the downstream intake duct 32. More specifically, the junction board 13 is mounted on a junction board bracket 14 provided above the downstream intake duct 32.

[0026] The junction board bracket 14 is fixed to the base plate 50. Specifically, the junction board bracket 14 is fixed to the bottom wall and side wall of the base plate 50 at the front left fixing part 141, the front right fixing part 142, and the rear left fixing part 143. For example, the front left fixing part 141, the front right fixing part 142, and the rear left fixing part 143 each have through holes, and are fixed to the base plate 50 by fastening members such as bolts inserted through the through holes. Note that the fixing structure of the junction board bracket 14 to the base plate 50 is not limited to this, and welding or the like may also be used. Furthermore, the fixing position and fixing location are not limited to this and can be designed arbitrarily.

[0027] <Intake duct> Next, we will describe the details of the intake duct 30.

[0028] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the upstream intake duct 31 is a duct that is approximately L-shaped when viewed from the front. The upstream intake duct 31 is provided with an intake port connection part 31a that opens to the front, and the intake port connection part 31a is connected to the intake port 61 from the inside of the cover 60.

[0029] The upstream intake duct 31 has a horizontal section 311 that extends horizontally (in the vehicle width direction in this embodiment) along the upper surface of the battery module 11, a vertical section 312 that extends vertically along the right side of the battery module 11, and a bent section 313 that connects the horizontal section 311 and the vertical section 312. The lower end of the vertical section 312 opens downward and connects to the vertical section 322 of the downstream intake duct 32, which will be described later. The bent section 313 changes the direction of travel of the cooling gas flowing in the horizontal section 311 from horizontal to vertical, guiding the cooling gas to the vertical section 312.

[0030] The downstream intake duct 32 is a duct that is roughly L-shaped when viewed from the front. The downstream intake duct 32 is provided with a fan connection section 32a that opens downwards, and the fan connection section 32a is connected to the intake port 23 of the fan 20 from above.

[0031] The downstream intake duct 32 has three duct-side fixing parts 32b on the front right, front left, and rear right sides (the rear right duct-side fixing part 32b is omitted in Figure 2). The base plate 50 has three intake duct brackets 51 positioned to correspond to the three duct-side fixing parts 32b, and each intake duct bracket 51 is provided with a base plate-side fixing part 51a. The downstream intake duct 32 is fixed to the base plate 50 by the fact that each duct-side fixing part 32b is fixed to each base plate-side fixing part 51a by clips (not shown).

[0032] In detail, through holes are formed in each duct-side fixing part 32b and each base plate-side fixing part 51a. The clip has a pin shape that can be inserted into this through hole, and by inserting the clip into the through hole from above, the duct-side fixing part 32b and the base plate-side fixing part 51a are fixed, that is, the downstream intake duct 32 is fixed to the base plate 50. However, the fixing of the downstream intake duct 32 to the base plate 50 is not limited to this. For example, if the base plate-side fixing part 51a extends upward and the duct-side fixing part 32b has a cylindrical clip, the downstream intake duct 32 may be fixed to the base plate 50 by inserting the clip into the base plate-side fixing part 51a from above. With this simple configuration of inserting the clip from above, the downstream intake duct 32 can be positioned above the fan 20 and fixed to the base plate 50, making assembly easy.

[0033] The downstream intake duct 32 has a horizontal section 321 extending horizontally (in the vehicle width direction in this embodiment) above the fan 20, a vertical section 322 extending vertically along the right side of the battery module 11, and a bent section 323 connecting the horizontal section 321 and the vertical section 322. The upper end of the vertical section 322 opens upward and connects to the vertical section 312 of the upstream intake duct 31. The bent section 323 changes the direction of travel of the cooling gas flowing through the vertical section 322 from vertical to horizontal, guiding the cooling gas to the horizontal section 321.

[0034] The intake duct 30, configured as described above, forms an intake passage 33 inside that extends from the intake port 61 of the cover 60 to the intake port 23 of the fan 20. The intake passage 33 has an intake passage 33a that extends horizontally along the upper surface of the battery module 11, an intake passage 33b that extends vertically along the right side of the battery module 11, and an intake passage 33c that extends horizontally above the fan 20. Here, the intake passage 33a corresponds to the internal space of the horizontal portion 311 of the upstream intake duct 31. The intake passage 33b corresponds to the internal space of the vertical portion 312 of the upstream intake duct 31 and the vertical portion 322 of the downstream intake duct 32. The intake passage 33c corresponds to the internal space of the horizontal portion 321 of the downstream intake duct 32.

[0035] While the fan 20 is operating, intake noise is generated by the fan 20. The intake noise from the fan 20 includes, for example, the operating noise generated when the fan 20 is operating and the fluid noise generated when the cooling gas flows. The intake passage 33 in the intake duct 30 extends along the right and top surfaces of the battery module 11, and there are bends between the fan 20 and the intake port 61 of the cover 60. The sound waves of the intake noise change direction as they repeatedly reflect off the inner surface of the intake duct 30 at the bends 313 and 323, and the acoustic energy of the intake noise is attenuated with each reflection. Therefore, the intake duct 30 sufficiently attenuates the acoustic energy of the intake noise between the fan 20 and the intake port 61, thereby reducing the intake noise leaking into the passenger compartment CB. Consequently, the intake noise leaking into the passenger compartment CB can be prevented from causing discomfort to occupants as noise.

[0036] It is preferable to provide sound-absorbing material (not shown) on the inner surface of the intake duct 30. The sound-absorbing material absorbs the acoustic energy of intake sound propagating through the intake passage 33 of the intake duct 30. By providing sound-absorbing material, the intake sound leaking from the intake port 61 into the vehicle cabin CB when the fan 20 is driven can be further reduced. The sound-absorbing material may be provided on only a part of the inner surface of the intake duct 30, or it may be provided on the entire surface.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the intake duct 30 extends along the upper and right sides of the battery module 11, it also functions as a crushable zone that protects the battery module 11 in the event of a collision with the vehicle V. That is, in the event of a collision with the vehicle V, the intake duct 30 can easily deform to absorb impact energy, thereby reducing the impact energy applied to the battery module 11.

[0038] For example, the intake passage 33b of the intake duct 30 is positioned between the junction board 13 and the battery module 11 in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle V. Therefore, when a side impact load is applied to the battery unit 10 from the junction board 13 side, the intake passage 33b becomes a crushable zone and absorbs the impact energy. Furthermore, since the intake passage 33b extends in the vertical direction, the crushable zone is formed to be wide in the vertical direction. Therefore, the impact energy applied to the battery module 11 from the side can be reduced, and damage to the battery module 11 can be suppressed.

[0039] Furthermore, in the event of a head-on collision involving vehicle V, the rear seat RS, located above the battery unit 10, may sink, applying a load to the battery module 11 from above. Since the intake passage 33a of the intake duct 30 is positioned above the battery module 11, the intake passage 33a becomes a crushable zone, absorbing impact energy. Therefore, the impact energy applied to the battery module 11 from above can be reduced, and damage to the battery module 11 can be suppressed.

[0040] 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 this embodiment. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these are also understood to naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiment may be combined in any way without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0041] For example, in the above embodiment, the intake duct 30 had a flow path extending along the top and right sides of the battery module 11, but it is not limited to this. The intake duct 30 only needs to have a flow path extending along at least two sides of the battery module 11, and may have a flow path extending along the front, rear, left, or bottom side of the battery module 11.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the intake duct 30 forms an intake passage 33 with an upstream intake duct 31 and a downstream intake duct 32, but it is not limited to this. The intake duct 30 may form the intake passage 33 with one member, or it may form the intake passage 33 with three or more members.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the base plate side fixing portion 51a of the intake duct bracket 51 and the duct side fixing portion 32b of the downstream intake duct 32 are fixed to the base plate 50 using clips, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, since the junction board bracket 14 is positioned above the downstream intake duct 32 and the fan 20, the junction board bracket 14 may be fixed to the base plate 50 by pressing the downstream intake duct 32 against the fan 20. The downstream intake duct 32 can also be fixed to the fan 20 with such a configuration. With such a configuration, the junction board bracket 14 can be used to fix the downstream intake duct 32 and the fan 20, so there is no need to separately provide fastening members such as bolts and nuts when fixing.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the junction board bracket 14 is fixed to the base plate 50, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The junction board bracket 14 may also be fixed to the fan 20. With such a configuration, the intake duct 30 can also be fixed to the fan 20 by sandwiching it between the junction board bracket 14 and the fan 20.

[0045] This specification includes at least the following: The components and other elements corresponding to those in the embodiments described above are shown in parentheses as examples, but are not limited thereto.

[0046] (1) A battery unit (battery unit 10) mounted on a vehicle (vehicle V), A case (case 15) having an air intake (air intake 61) and A battery module (battery module 11) is arranged inside the case and consists of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. A fan (fan 20) is placed inside the case and blows cooling air onto the battery module, The system includes an intake duct (intake duct 30) connecting the intake port and the fan, The aforementioned intake duct is A first flow path (intake flow path 33a) extends along the first surface of the battery module, A battery unit having a second flow path (intake flow path 33b) extending along a second surface of the battery module that is different from the first surface.

[0047] According to (1), the intake duct has a first flow path extending along a first surface of the battery module and a second flow path extending along a second surface different from the first surface of the battery module. Since the flow path within the intake duct bends between the fan and the intake port, the intake sound from the fan is sufficiently reflected within the intake duct, and the acoustic energy of the intake sound is attenuated. Therefore, the intake sound leaking from the intake port can be reduced. In addition, since the intake duct extends along the first and second surfaces of the battery module, a crushable zone is formed around the battery module. Therefore, the intake duct can protect the battery module from vehicle collisions.

[0048] (2) The battery unit described in (1), The second surface is a side view of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, which is the battery unit.

[0049] According to (2), the second flow path of the intake duct extends along the side of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, so that a crushable zone can be formed on the side of the battery module. Therefore, the intake duct can protect the battery module from side collisions of the vehicle.

[0050] (3) The battery unit described in (2), The battery module is further equipped with an electrical component (junction board 13) that is electrically connected to it. The second flow path is a battery unit positioned between the electrical components and the battery module in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

[0051] According to (3), the second flow path of the intake duct is positioned between the electrical components and the battery module in the vehicle width direction, so that a crushable zone can be formed between the electrical components and the battery module. Therefore, the intake duct can protect the battery module from impacts from the side of the vehicle where the electrical components are located.

[0052] (4) The battery unit described in (3), The second flow path is a battery unit that extends vertically along the side surface of the battery module in the vehicle width direction.

[0053] According to (4), the second flow path extends vertically along the side of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, so that a wide crumple zone can be formed in the vertical direction.

[0054] (5) A battery unit as described in any one of paragraphs (1) to (4), The case has a base plate (base plate 50) on which the fan is mounted, The intake duct is positioned above the fan. The aforementioned intake duct has a fixing portion (duct-side fixing portion 32b) that is fixed to the base plate by a clip, and is a battery unit.

[0055] According to (5), the intake duct has a fixing part that is secured to the base plate by a clip, so the intake duct can be fixed to the base plate with a simple configuration. Therefore, assembly is easy.

[0056] (6) A battery unit as described in (3) or (4), The system further includes a bracket (junction board bracket 14) on which the aforementioned electrical components are mounted. The intake duct has a third passage (intake passage 33c) located above the fan, The bracket is positioned above the fan and the third flow path, and presses the intake duct against the fan, in a battery unit.

[0057] According to (6), the bracket is positioned above the fan and the third flow path, pressing the intake duct against the fan. Therefore, the bracket on which the electrical components are mounted can be used to secure the fan and the intake duct. Thus, there is no need to provide separate fastening members to secure the fan and the intake duct.

[0058] (7) A battery unit as described in any of (1) to (6), The first surface is the top surface of the battery module, which is the battery unit.

[0059] According to (7), the first air passage of the intake duct extends along the upper surface of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, so that a crushable zone can be formed above the battery module. Therefore, the intake duct can protect the battery module from loads from above.

[0060] (8) The battery unit described in (7), The battery module is further equipped with a control device (battery control device 12) for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module. Between each battery cell, an inter-cell channel (inter-cell channel 11a) is formed in which the cooling air sent from the fan flows from bottom to top. The control device is a battery unit positioned between the first flow path and the battery module.

[0061] According to (8), the control device is positioned between the first flow path and the battery module, so that the cooling gas that has received heat from the battery module does not directly hit the intake duct and cause the intake gas to heat up.

[0062] (9) A battery unit as described in (7) or (8), The aforementioned battery unit is a battery unit located beneath the seat (rear seat RS) of the vehicle.

[0063] According to (9), even if a load is applied from above due to the sinking of the seats during a vehicle collision, a crushable zone is formed above the battery module, so the battery module can be protected from the load from above.

[0064] (10) The battery unit described in (1), The first flow path is connected to the air intake and extends horizontally along the upper surface of the battery module. The second channel is connected to the first channel and extends vertically along the side of the battery module. The battery unit further comprises an intake duct which connects the second flow path and the fan, and which has a third flow path (intake flow path 33c) extending horizontally above the fan.

[0065] According to (10), the intake duct has a first flow path extending along the top surface of the battery module, a second flow path extending vertically along the side of the battery module, and a third flow path connecting the second flow path to the fan and extending horizontally above the fan. Since the flow path in the intake duct bends between the fan and the intake port, the intake sound of the fan is sufficiently reflected within the intake duct, and the acoustic energy of the intake sound is attenuated. Therefore, the intake sound leaking from the intake port can be reduced. In addition, since the intake duct extends along the top and side of the battery module, a crushable zone is formed around the battery module. Therefore, the intake duct can protect the battery module from vehicle collisions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 10 Battery Units 11 Battery Modules 11a Intercellular channel 12. Battery control device (control device) 13. Junction board (electrical component) 14. Junction board bracket (bracket) 15 cases 20 Fans 30 Intake duct 32b Duct-side fixing part 33a Intake passage (first passage) 33b Intake passage (second passage) 33c Intake passage (third passage) 50 base plate 61 Air intake RS rear seats (seats) V Vehicle

Claims

1. A battery unit installed in a vehicle, A case having an air intake, A battery module is arranged inside the aforementioned case, and consists of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. A fan is placed inside the case and blows cooling air onto the battery module, The system includes an intake duct connecting the intake port and the fan, The aforementioned intake duct is A first channel extending along the first surface of the battery module, The battery module has a second flow path that extends along a second surface different from the first surface, The case has a base plate on which the fan is mounted, The intake duct is positioned above the fan. The aforementioned intake duct has a fixing portion that is secured to the base plate by a clip, and is a battery unit.

2. A battery unit according to claim 1, The second surface is a side view of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, which is the battery unit.

3. The battery unit according to claim 2, The battery module further comprises electrical components that are electrically connected to the aforementioned battery module. The second flow path is a battery unit positioned between the electrical components and the battery module in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

4. The battery unit according to claim 3, The second flow path is a battery unit that extends vertically along the side surface of the battery module in the vehicle width direction.

5. A battery unit mounted on a vehicle, A case having an air intake, A battery module is arranged inside the aforementioned case, and consists of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. A fan is placed inside the case and blows cooling air onto the battery module, The system includes an intake duct connecting the intake port and the fan, The aforementioned intake duct is A first channel extending along the first surface of the battery module, The battery module has a second flow path that extends along a second surface different from the first surface, The second surface is a side view of the battery module in the vehicle width direction, The battery unit further comprises electrical components that are electrically connected to the battery module. The second flow path is positioned between the electrical components and the battery module in the vehicle width direction, The battery unit further comprises a bracket on which the electrical components are mounted, The intake duct has a third flow path located above the fan, The bracket is positioned above the fan and the third flow path, and presses the intake duct against the fan, in a battery unit.

6. A battery unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The first surface is the top surface of the battery module, which is the battery unit.

7. A battery unit mounted on a vehicle, A case having an air intake, A battery module is arranged inside the aforementioned case, and consists of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other. A fan is placed inside the case and blows cooling air onto the battery module, The system includes an intake duct connecting the intake port and the fan, The aforementioned intake duct is A first channel extending along the first surface of the battery module, The battery module has a second flow path that extends along a second surface different from the first surface, The first surface is the top surface of the battery module, The battery unit further includes a control device for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module, Between each battery cell, an inter-cell channel is formed in which the cooling air sent from the fan flows from bottom to top. The control device is a battery unit positioned between the first flow path and the battery module.

8. A battery unit according to claim 6 or 7, The battery unit is a battery unit located beneath the seats of the vehicle.

9. A battery unit according to claim 1, The first flow path is connected to the air intake and extends horizontally along the upper surface of the battery module. The second channel is connected to the first channel and extends vertically along the side of the battery module. The intake duct further has a third flow path that connects the second flow path and the fan, and extends horizontally above the fan, in a battery unit.

Images