Temperature regulation device

Abstract

A temperature regulation device comprising: a first flat plate and a second flat plate that are provided between side surfaces of two cells adjacent to each other along a first direction, the first flat plate and the second flat plate facing each other along the first direction; a plurality of connection walls that connect the first flat plate and the second flat plate; and a plate-shaped heat insulation material that is disposed so as to connect the plurality of connection walls along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The inner surfaces of the plurality of connection walls form recesses that hold the heat insulation material therebetween.

Description

temperature controller

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a temperature regulator capable of regulating the temperature of a battery.

[0002] In recent years, automobiles equipped with a motor as a driving source (such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs)) have become widespread. These automobiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "electric vehicles") are equipped with a battery (hereinafter simply referred to as a battery) for driving the motor.

[0003] Typically, batteries installed in electric vehicles are configured by housing a battery module, each of which has multiple cells arranged side by side, in a container. Therefore, when the battery is used, heat is generated and trapped inside the container, causing the temperature to rise. High temperatures in batteries can accelerate deterioration. Therefore, technologies for cooling batteries have been studied (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a thermal control sheet for a battery assembly. This thermal control sheet for a battery assembly is provided between cells in the battery assembly and includes a pair of plate-shaped members and a heat insulating material sandwiched between the pair of plate-shaped members. The pair of plate-shaped members have a plurality of protrusions formed on their surfaces facing the cells, protruding toward the cells.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-141507

[0006] 1-1. Problem [1] As described above, the thermal control sheet for a battery assembly described in Patent Document 1 further includes a heat insulating material sandwiched between a pair of plate-shaped portions provided between the cells. This prevents thermal runaway from occurring in one cell, thereby suppressing heat transfer to adjacent cells and preventing a chain reaction of thermal runaway. For example, when regulating the temperature of a battery, a possible configuration is to provide a flow path inside the plate-shaped portion and circulate a fluid through this flow path to regulate the temperature. In such a configuration, if a heat insulating material is sandwiched between the pair of plate-shaped portions, as in the thermal control sheet for a battery assembly described in Patent Document 1, misalignment between the plate-shaped portions and the heat insulating material may occur, reducing the insulating performance between the cells, or increasing the number of parts may reduce assembly efficiency. Therefore, the thermal control sheet for a battery assembly described in Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement.

[0007] Therefore, there is a demand for a temperature regulator that is easy to assemble and has high insulating performance between cells.

[0008] 1-2. Problem [2] As described above, the thermal control sheet for a battery assembly described in Patent Document 1 further includes a heat insulating material sandwiched between a pair of plate-shaped portions provided between the cells. This prevents thermal runaway from occurring in one cell, thereby suppressing heat transfer to adjacent cells and preventing a chain reaction of thermal runaway. For example, when regulating the temperature of a battery, a possible configuration is to provide a flow path inside the plate-shaped portion and circulate a fluid through this flow path to regulate the temperature. In such a configuration, if a heat insulating material is sandwiched between the pair of plate-shaped portions, as in the thermal control sheet for a battery assembly described in Patent Document 1, misalignment between the plate-shaped portions and the heat insulating material may occur, potentially reducing the insulating performance between the cells. For this reason, the thermal control sheet for a battery assembly described in Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement.

[0009] Therefore, there is a demand for a temperature regulator that can prevent the heat insulating material from shifting position and improve the heat insulating performance between cells.

[0010] 2-1. Solution [1] The solution to problem [1] is as follows: A characteristic configuration of a temperature regulator according to the present disclosure is a temperature regulator that adjusts the temperature of a battery including a battery module having a plurality of cells lined up along a first direction, the temperature regulator including: a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells along the first direction and that face each other along the first direction; a plurality of connecting walls that connect the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion; and plate-shaped insulating material that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls along a second direction that intersects with the first direction, and recesses that sandwich the insulating material are provided on inner surfaces of the plurality of connecting walls.

[0011] With this characteristic configuration, the insulating material is sandwiched and supported in the recess, thereby isolating the area sandwiched between the first and second flat plate portions from the outside of the temperature controller. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first and second flat plate portions, the fluid is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the insulating material can improve the thermal insulation performance between the cells. Furthermore, by forming a recess in the connecting wall, the heat transfer area of ​​the connecting wall is reduced, thereby reducing heat conduction in the connecting wall. Therefore, it is possible to suppress heat conduction from one of two adjacent cells to the other in the connecting wall. Furthermore, because the insulating material is simply sandwiched and supported in the recess, there is no increase in the number of parts, and assembly efficiency is high. As such, the temperature controller of this configuration has good assembly efficiency and high thermal insulation performance between the cells.

[0012] 2-2. Solution [2] The solution to problem [2] is as follows. A characteristic configuration of a temperature regulator according to the present disclosure is a temperature regulator that adjusts the temperature of a battery including a battery module having a plurality of cells arranged along a first direction, the temperature regulator including: a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells along the first direction and that face each other along the first direction; a plurality of connecting walls that connect the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion; a partition wall that partitions an area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion in the first direction; and a plate-shaped insulating material that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls along a second direction that intersects with the first direction, the insulating material having a plurality of protrusions that protrude along the first direction at positions that can abut against the partition walls.

[0013] With this characteristic configuration, the insulating material is arranged to connect the multiple connecting walls along the second direction, so that the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion can be isolated from the outside of the temperature regulator. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion, leakage of the fluid to the outside can be prevented, and the insulating material can improve the insulating performance between the cells. Furthermore, the protruding portion abuts against the partition wall, preventing the insulating material from shifting in position along the second direction. Therefore, with the temperature regulator of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the insulating material from shifting in position and improve the insulating performance between the cells.

[0014] 2-3. Solution [3] The solution to problems [1] and [2] is as follows: A characteristic configuration of a temperature regulator according to the present disclosure is a temperature regulator that adjusts the temperature of a battery including a battery module having a plurality of cells arranged along a first direction, the temperature regulator including: a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells along the first direction and that face each other along the first direction; a plurality of connecting walls that connect the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion; a partition wall that partitions an area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion in the first direction; and plate-shaped insulating material that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls along a second direction that intersects the first direction, wherein recesses that sandwich the insulating material are provided on inner surfaces of the plurality of connecting walls, and the insulating material has a plurality of protrusions that protrude along the first direction at positions that can abut against the partition walls.

[0015] With this characteristic configuration, the insulating material is sandwiched and supported in the recess, thereby isolating the area sandwiched between the first and second flat plate portions from the outside of the temperature controller. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first and second flat plate portions, the fluid is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the insulating material can improve the thermal insulation performance between the cells. Furthermore, by forming a recess in the connecting wall, the heat transfer area of ​​the connecting wall is reduced, thereby reducing heat conduction in the connecting wall. Therefore, it is possible to suppress heat conduction from one of two adjacent cells to the other in the connecting wall. Furthermore, because the insulating material is simply sandwiched and supported in the recess, there is no increase in the number of parts, and assembly efficiency is high. As such, the temperature controller of this configuration has good assembly efficiency and high thermal insulation performance between the cells.

[0016] Furthermore, with this characteristic configuration, the insulating material is arranged to connect the multiple connecting walls along the second direction, so that the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion can be isolated from the outside of the temperature regulator. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion, leakage of the fluid to the outside can be prevented, and the insulating material can improve the insulating performance between the cells. Furthermore, the protrusion abuts against the partition wall, preventing the insulating material from shifting in position along the second direction. Therefore, with the temperature regulator of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the insulating material from shifting in position and improve the insulating performance between the cells.

[0017] 7 is a plan view of a battery using the temperature regulator of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the temperature regulator of the first embodiment cut along a first direction. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a battery using the temperature regulator of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the temperature regulator of the second embodiment cut along a first direction. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a heat insulating material of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of a fluid in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator of another embodiment of the second embodiment. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a temperature regulator according to a third embodiment taken along a first direction.

[0018] 3-1. First Embodiment A first embodiment of a temperature regulator according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are examples for explaining the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , a battery 1 using a temperature regulator 30 according to this embodiment includes battery modules 10 each having a plurality of (24 in this embodiment) rectangular parallelepiped cells 12 aligned along a first direction X. The plurality of (four in this embodiment) battery modules 10 are adjacently arranged along a third direction Z that intersects (is perpendicular to) both the first direction X and a second direction Y that intersects (is perpendicular to) the first direction X. The temperature regulator 30 regulates the temperature of the battery 1. Regulating the temperature of the battery 1 means maintaining the temperature of the battery 1 at a predetermined temperature (maintaining the temperature within a predetermined temperature range), and includes cooling the battery 1 when the temperature of the battery 1 is higher than the predetermined temperature, and warming up the battery 1 when the temperature of the battery 1 is lower than the predetermined temperature.

[0020] Here, the first direction X is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with X1 being the front direction of the vehicle and X2 being the rear direction of the vehicle. The second direction Y is the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the third direction Z is the left-right direction of the vehicle. The following description will be given taking as an example a case where a cooling circuit (not shown) including a radiator is disposed at the front of the vehicle and the battery 1 is housed in a battery housing space located at the bottom center of the vehicle.

[0021] The battery 1 is housed in a battery housing space at the bottom of the vehicle while being restrained by a restraining member K made of metal or the like. As shown in FIG. 3 , the battery 1 also includes a sheet-like heat transfer sheet 20 having one surface in contact with the ventral surfaces (side surfaces along the second direction Y) of all of the cells 12 in the battery module 10, and a temperature regulator 30 in close contact with the other surface of the heat transfer sheet 20 and adjacent to the side surfaces of all of the cells 12 in the battery module 10. The temperature regulator 30 is made of a metal material such as aluminum or iron. The heat transfer sheet 20 is not shown in FIG. 1 .

[0022] The plurality of cells 12 are arranged in parallel and electrically connected to one another. The battery 1 is used, for example, in an electric vehicle equipped with a motor as a driving source. The heat transfer sheet 20 and the temperature regulator 30 do not have to be adjacent to all of the cells 12, as long as they are adjacent to a plurality of the cells 12. As described above, the temperature regulator 30 may be provided with a solid object (such as the heat transfer sheet 20) interposed between the cells 12 and the temperature regulator 30, or may be in direct contact with the cells 12.

[0023] The cells 12 are, for example, lithium-ion batteries. The battery module 10 generates high voltage by connecting multiple cells 12 in series. The cells 12 generate heat as they generate power (discharge). If the temperature of the cells 12 increases due to heat generation, the power generation performance of the cells 12 will decrease, so the cells 12 must be cooled. For this reason, in this embodiment, a temperature regulator 30 is disposed between adjacent cells 12 to directly cool the side surfaces of the cells 12.

[0024] The heat transfer sheet 20 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as silicone. As shown in Fig. 3, by closely contacting the heat transfer sheet 20 between the cells 12 and the temperature regulator 30, heat generated in the battery module 10 is efficiently transferred to the temperature regulator 30 via the heat transfer sheet 20. This allows the temperature of the multiple cells 12 that make up the battery module 10 to be regulated.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the temperature regulator 30 includes a first flat plate portion 37, a second flat plate portion 38, a connecting wall 80, a partition wall 60, a cover member 50, and a heat insulating material 90. The first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 face each other along the first direction X. Therefore, the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 face predetermined faces of the cells 12 and are provided so as to extend along the second direction Y. In this embodiment, a pair of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 is provided between the side surfaces of two cells 12 adjacent to each other along the first direction X.

[0026] The connecting walls 80 connect the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 to each other in the first direction X at both ends of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 along the second direction Y. Therefore, a plurality of connecting walls 80 are provided in the temperature regulator 30. The connecting walls 80 in this embodiment have a leakage prevention function that connects the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 in a fluid-tight manner.

[0027] The partition wall 60 divides the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 in the first direction X. In this embodiment, the partition wall 60 has a through hole formed therein through which a heat insulating material 90 can be inserted. In this embodiment, a plurality of partition walls 60 are provided in the temperature regulator 30. As a result, the partition walls 60 divide the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 into a plurality of flow path forming regions 31. A communication passage 35 communicating with the plurality of flow path forming regions 31 is provided on the side of an end portion 33 along the third direction Z in the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38. The fluid is a cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC), insulating oil such as paraffin, or a refrigerant such as hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or hydrofluoroolefin (HFO). In this embodiment, it is preferable to use a liquid with high electrical insulation, such as cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC) or insulating oil such as paraffin.

[0028] 2, a first flow path 31A and a second flow path 31B are formed between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38. The first flow path 31A is connected to a fluid introduction portion 30Ba (an example of an "inlet") through which a fluid is introduced, and the fluid introduced into the fluid introduction portion 30Ba flows through the first flow path 31A. As a result, the first flow path 31A allows the fluid introduced from the fluid introduction portion 30Ba to flow toward both end portions 33 in the third direction Z. Four first flow paths 31A are formed along the second direction Y between the fluid introduction portion 30Ba and one of both end portions 33 in the third direction Z.

[0029] The second flow paths 31B turn back the fluid from the first flow paths 31A and communicate with a fluid discharge portion 30Bb (an example of an "exhaust port") that discharges the fluid. As a result, the second flow paths 31B allow the fluid to flow from both end portions 33 in the third direction Z toward the fluid discharge portion 30Bb. In other words, the direction of fluid flow in the second flow paths 31B is opposite to the direction of fluid flow in the first flow paths 31A. Four second flow paths 31B are formed along the second direction Y between one of both end portions 33 in the third direction Z and the fluid discharge portion 30Bb.

[0030] 2 and 3, the flow path forming regions 31 including the first flow paths 31A and the second flow paths 31B are each partitioned by the above-mentioned partition walls 60. As shown in Fig. 3, the partition walls 60 are provided with a uniform width in the second direction Y when viewed in the third direction Z, and the portions that contact the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 are configured in an arc shape. Such partition walls 60 can be formed together with the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 by extrusion molding or the like.

[0031] The communication passages 35 are communication spaces that connect the four first flow passages 31A and the four second flow passages 31B along the second direction Y at both end portions 33 in the third direction Z. That is, the flow passage formation region 31 has a turn-back structure in which the communication passages 35 at both end portions 33 connect the four first flow passages 31A and the four second flow passages 31B to each other and change the fluid flow direction to the opposite direction. In other words, the communication passages 35 are configured so that the end portions 33 along the third direction Z between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 are turn-backed, connecting the downstream end 31AE of the first flow passages 31A opposite the fluid inlet portion 30Ba to the upstream end 31BS of the second flow passages 31B opposite the fluid outlet portion 30Bb. The downstream end 31AE of the first flow path 31A corresponds to a portion where each of the multiple first flow paths 31A merges with the upstream flow path 35A in the communicating passage 35. The upstream end 31BS of the second flow path 31B corresponds to a portion where each of the multiple second flow paths 31B branches off from the downstream flow path 35B in the communicating passage 35. The upstream flow path 35A in the communicating passage 35 is a flow path where each of the multiple first flow paths 31A in the communicating passage 35 merges, and the downstream flow path 35B in the communicating passage 35 is a flow path that branches off to each of the multiple second flow paths 31B in the communicating passage 35.

[0032] 1 , the two end portions 33 provided with the communication passages 35 are located opposite the two end portions 12A of the cells 12 of the two outermost battery modules 10 of the four battery modules 10 arranged side by side in the third direction Z, the end portions 33 being the farthest from the central region 14. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the four first flow paths 31A and the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the four second flow paths 31B are all the same. Note that the number and shape of the first flow paths 31A and the second flow paths 31B can be changed as desired, and for example, one rectangular hole may be provided on each side.

[0033] 3 , the temperature regulator 30 is provided between the side surfaces of two adjacent cells 12 along the first direction X. The side surfaces of the two adjacent cells 12 along the first direction X correspond to the surfaces of the cells 12 formed in a rectangular prism shape that are perpendicular to the first direction X, i.e., the surfaces that are parallel to the YZ plane. By circulating a fluid through the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B of the temperature regulator 30, it is possible to directly cool the side surfaces of the cells 12, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0034] 1 , in the present embodiment, four battery modules 10 are provided along the third direction Z, and a piping member 45 is arranged in a central region 14 of the battery 1 along the third direction Z. The piping member 45 communicates with the fluid introduction portion 30Ba and allows fluid to flow between two battery modules 10 on one side of the third direction Z and two battery modules 10 on the other side of the third direction Z. The central region 14 is a region between two innermost battery modules 10 of the four battery modules 10 arranged along the third direction Z.

[0035] The lid member 50 closes the opening 49 when fitted into the opening 49 of the end 33 of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 that is aligned in the third direction Z. As described above, the temperature regulator 30 has the communication passage 35 on the side of the end 33 that is aligned in the third direction Z, and is open outward in the third direction Z from the communication passage 35. The lid member 50 is provided to close the open opening 49. The lid member 50 has a shape similar to that of the opening 49, but has an outer shape that is slightly smaller than the inner shape of the opening 49. The lid member 50 is fitted into this opening 49. In this way, the opening 49 is closed by the lid member 50.

[0036] The cover member 50 is fitted into the opening 49 and then welded to the first flat plate portion 37, the second flat plate portion 38, and the partition wall 60. For example, laser welding, brazing, or arc welding can be used for such joining.

[0037] The heat insulating material 90 is formed as a single plate made of a resin material and is arranged so as to connect the multiple connecting walls 80 along the second direction Y. Examples of the resin material that can be used include polypropylene, polyphenylene sulfide, and nylon 66. The heat insulating material 90 is arranged between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38.

[0038] Here, recesses 81 that sandwich the heat insulating material 90 are provided on the inner surfaces of the multiple connecting walls 80. The inner surfaces of the connecting walls 80 are the surfaces of the connecting walls 80 that face the partition walls 60 in the second direction Y. In this embodiment, the recesses 81 are formed in the connecting walls 80 to have a predetermined width in the first direction X and a predetermined second depth in the second direction Y. Furthermore, the recesses 81 are formed so as to penetrate the connecting walls 80 in the third direction Z. Such recesses 81 can be formed as rectangular grooves when viewed in the third direction Z.

[0039] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the recesses 81 are provided at one end and the other end in the second direction Y along the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38. In this embodiment, the recess 81 at the one end will be described as recess 81A, and the recess 81 at the other end will be described as recess 81B. The width of the recesses 81A and 81B may be configured to be approximately the same as the thickness of the thermal insulation material 90 (the length along the first direction X). Furthermore, the depth of the recesses 81A and 81B may be configured such that the length along the second direction Y from the bottom 82A of the recess 81A to the bottom 82B of the recess 81B is approximately the same as the length of the thermal insulation material 90 along the second direction Y.

[0040] One end of the heat insulating material 90 along the second direction Y is sandwiched in the recess 81A, and the other end of the heat insulating material 90 along the second direction Y is sandwiched in the recess 81B. Therefore, the heat insulating material 90 of this embodiment is provided across multiple flow path forming regions 31. That is, the heat insulating material 90 is provided along the second direction Y in the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38, from the recess 81A to the recess 81B. This allows the heat insulating material 90 to be supported between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 without bending.

[0041] Another embodiment of the temperature regulator 30 will now be described.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the connecting walls 80 are provided at both ends of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 along the second direction Y, and the heat insulating material 90 is provided along the second direction Y on the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38, extending from the recesses 81A to the recesses 81B provided at both ends. That is, an example has been described in which the heat insulating material 90 is provided across the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B. However, the heat insulating material 90 may be provided individually for each of the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4 , it is preferable to provide the connecting walls 80 at both ends of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 along the second direction Y, and also provide the connecting walls 80 in the central portions of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 along the second direction Y. A recess 81C recessed toward the second flow path 31B may be provided in the first flow path 31A at a center portion thereof along the second direction Y, and a recess 81D recessed toward the first flow path 31A may be provided in the second flow path 31B at a center portion thereof along the second direction Y. Furthermore, the heat insulating material 90 may be provided across the recesses 81A and 81C, as well as across the recesses 81B and 81D. Therefore, in this case, multiple heat insulating materials 90 (two in the example of FIG. 4 ) are disposed between the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B. In this configuration, the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B are separated from each other, thereby preventing fluid from flowing from one of the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B to the other.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the heat insulating material 90 is described as being provided across the plurality of flow path forming regions 31. However, as shown in Fig. 5 , recesses 81 may be provided at both ends of the plurality of flow path forming regions 31 along the second direction Y, and the heat insulating material 90 may be provided across these recesses 81. This makes it possible to prevent the flow of fluid across each of the plurality of flow path forming regions 31.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the connecting walls 80 are provided at both ends of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 in the second direction Y and have rounded outer shapes (with arc-shaped corners). However, as shown in Fig. 6 , the connecting walls 80 may be provided such that the central portions of the connecting walls 80 in the first direction X protrude outward from both ends of the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 in the second direction Y.

[0045] [Outline of First Embodiment] Hereinafter, an outline of the temperature regulator 30 described above will be described.

[0046] (1) The temperature regulator 30 is a temperature regulator that regulates the temperature of a battery 1 that includes a battery module 10 having a plurality of cells 12 arranged along a first direction X. The temperature regulator 30 is provided between the side surfaces of two adjacent cells 12 along the first direction X and includes a first flat plate portion 37 and a second flat plate portion 38 that face each other along the first direction X, a plurality of connecting walls 80 that connect the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38, and plate-shaped insulating material 90 that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls 80 along a second direction Y that intersects with the first direction X. Recesses 81 that sandwich the insulating material 90 are provided on the inner surfaces of the plurality of connecting walls 80.

[0047] According to this configuration, the insulating material 90 is sandwiched and supported in the recess 81, thereby isolating the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 from the outside of the temperature controller 30. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38, the fluid is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the insulating material 90 can improve the insulating performance between the cells 12. Furthermore, by forming the recess 81 in the connecting wall 80, the heat transfer area of ​​the connecting wall 80 is reduced, thereby reducing heat conduction in the connecting wall 80. Therefore, it is possible to suppress heat conduction from one of two adjacent cells 12 to the other in the connecting wall 80. Furthermore, because the insulating material 90 is simply sandwiched and supported in the recess 81, there is no increase in the number of parts, and assembly efficiency is high. As such, the temperature controller 30 of this configuration has good assembly efficiency and high insulating performance between the cells.

[0048] (2) The temperature regulator 30 described in (1) further includes at least one partition wall 60 that partitions the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 in the first direction X, and the partition wall 60 partitions the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 into multiple flow path forming areas 31, and it is preferable that the heat insulating material 90 is provided across the multiple flow path forming areas 31.

[0049] This configuration can reduce heat conduction from one side to the other side in the first direction X in the partition walls 60 that sandwich the heat insulating material 90. Therefore, heat conduction in the partition walls 60 can be suppressed, and the effect of suppressing heat conduction from one side to the other of two adjacent cells 12 can be further improved.

[0050] (3) In the temperature regulator 30 described in (1) or (2), between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38, there is included a first flow path 31A that communicates with a fluid inlet portion 30Ba (inlet) into which a fluid is introduced and through which the fluid flows, and a second flow path 31B that communicates with a fluid outlet portion 30Bb (outlet) that turns back the fluid from the first flow path 31A and discharges the fluid, and it is preferable that the heat insulating material 90 is provided individually for each of the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B.

[0051] According to this configuration, the heat insulating material 90 is provided separately in each of the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B, so that it is possible to prevent the fluid from flowing between the first flow path 31A and the second flow path 31B. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the relatively low-temperature fluid flowing through the first flow path 31A and the relatively high-temperature fluid flowing through the second flow path 31B from mixing with each other, which would cause the temperature of the fluid flowing through the first flow path 31A to increase, and therefore it is possible to prevent the temperature adjustment function of the temperature adjuster 30 from being impaired.

[0052] (4) In the temperature regulator 30 described in (1) or (2), it is preferable that a single heat insulating material 90 is disposed between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 .

[0053] According to this configuration, the time required to arrange the insulating material 90 between the first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38 can be reduced compared to when multiple insulating materials 90 are provided between the opposing first flat plate portion 37 and the second flat plate portion 38. Furthermore, since the number of parts constituting the temperature regulator 30 can be reduced, the cost of managing parts can be reduced.

[0054] 3-2. Second Embodiment A second embodiment of a temperature regulator according to the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples for explaining the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 , a battery 101 using a temperature regulator 130 according to this embodiment includes a battery module 110 having a plurality of (24 in this embodiment) rectangular parallelepiped cells 112 arranged along a first direction X. The plurality of (four in this embodiment) battery modules 110 are adjacently arranged along a third direction Z that intersects (is perpendicular to) both the first direction X and a second direction Y that intersects (is perpendicular to) the first direction X. The temperature regulator 130 regulates the temperature of the battery 101. Regulating the temperature of the battery 101 means maintaining the temperature of the battery 101 at a predetermined temperature (maintaining the temperature within a predetermined temperature range), and includes cooling the battery 101 when the temperature of the battery 101 is higher than the predetermined temperature and warming up the battery 101 when the temperature of the battery 101 is lower than the predetermined temperature.

[0056] Here, the first direction X is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with X1 being the front direction of the vehicle and X2 being the rear direction of the vehicle. The second direction Y is the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the third direction Z is the left-right direction of the vehicle. The following description will be given taking as an example a case where a cooling circuit (not shown) including a radiator is disposed at the front of the vehicle and the battery 101 is housed in a battery housing space located at the bottom center of the vehicle.

[0057] The battery 101 is housed in a battery housing space at the bottom of the vehicle while being restrained by a restraining member 100K made of metal or the like. As shown in FIG. 9 , the battery 101 includes a sheet-like heat transfer sheet 120 having one surface in contact with the ventral surfaces (side surfaces along the second direction Y) of all of the cells 112 in the battery module 110, and a temperature regulator 130 in close contact with the other surface of the heat transfer sheet 120 and adjacent to the side surfaces of all of the cells 112 in the battery module 110. The temperature regulator 130 is made of a metal material such as aluminum or iron. The heat transfer sheet 120 is not shown in FIG. 7 .

[0058] The plurality of cells 112 are arranged in parallel and electrically connected to one another. The battery 101 is used, for example, in an electric vehicle equipped with a motor as a driving source. The heat transfer sheet 120 and the temperature regulator 130 do not have to be adjacent to all of the cells 112, as long as they are adjacent to a plurality of the cells 112. As described above, the temperature regulator 130 may be provided with a solid object (such as the heat transfer sheet 120) interposed between the cells 112 and the temperature regulator 130, or may be in direct contact with the cells 112.

[0059] The cells 112 are, for example, lithium-ion batteries. The battery module 110 generates high voltage by connecting multiple cells 112 in series. The cells 112 generate heat as they generate power (discharge). If the temperature of the cells 112 increases due to heat generation, the power generation performance of the cells 112 will decrease, so the cells 112 need to be cooled. For this reason, in this embodiment, a temperature regulator 130 is disposed between adjacent cells 112 to directly cool the side surfaces of the cells 112.

[0060] The heat transfer sheet 120 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as silicone. As shown in Fig. 9, by closely contacting the heat transfer sheet 120 between the cells 112 and the temperature regulator 130, heat generated in the battery module 110 is efficiently transferred to the temperature regulator 130 via the heat transfer sheet 120. This makes it possible to regulate the temperature of the multiple cells 112 that make up the battery module 110.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 , the temperature regulator 130 includes a first flat plate portion 137, a second flat plate portion 138, a connecting wall 180, a partition wall 160, a cover member 150, and a heat insulating material 190. The first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 face each other along the first direction X. Therefore, the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 face predetermined faces of the cells 112 and are provided so as to extend along the second direction Y. In this embodiment, a pair of the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 is provided between side surfaces of two cells 112 adjacent to each other along the first direction X.

[0062] The connecting wall 180 connects the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 to each other. In the present embodiment, the connecting wall 180 connects the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 to each other in the first direction X at both ends and the center of the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 along the second direction Y. Therefore, a plurality of connecting walls 180 are provided in the temperature regulator 130. The connecting wall 180 in the present embodiment has a leakage prevention function that connects the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 in a fluid-tight manner.

[0063] The partition wall 160 divides the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 in the first direction X. In this embodiment, the partition wall 160 has a through hole formed therein through which a heat insulating material 190 can be inserted. In this embodiment, a plurality of partition walls 160 are provided in the temperature regulator 130. As a result, the partition walls 160 divide the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 into a plurality of flow path forming areas 131. A communication passage 135 communicating with the plurality of flow path forming areas 131 is provided on the side of an end 133 along the third direction Z in the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138. The fluid is a cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC), insulating oil such as paraffin, or a refrigerant such as hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or hydrofluoroolefin (HFO). In this embodiment, it is preferable to use a liquid with high electrical insulation properties, such as cooling water such as long-life coolant (LLC) or insulating oil such as paraffin-based oil.

[0064] 8, a first flow path 131A and a second flow path 131B are provided between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138. The first flow path 131A is connected to a fluid introduction portion 130Ba into which a fluid is introduced, and the fluid introduced into the fluid introduction portion 130Ba flows through the first flow path 131A. As a result, the first flow path 131A allows the fluid introduced from the fluid introduction portion 130Ba to flow toward both end portions 133 in the third direction Z. Four first flow paths 131A are formed along the second direction Y between the fluid introduction portion 130Ba and one of both end portions 133 in the third direction Z.

[0065] The second flow paths 131B are connected to a fluid discharge portion 130Bb that turns back the fluid from the first flow path 131A and discharges the fluid. This allows the second flow paths 131B to flow from both end portions 133 in the third direction Z toward the fluid discharge portion 130Bb. In other words, the direction of fluid flow in the second flow paths 131B is opposite to the direction of fluid flow in the first flow paths 131A. Four second flow paths 131B are formed along the second direction Y between one of both end portions 133 in the third direction Z and the fluid discharge portion 130Bb.

[0066] 8 and 9, the flow path forming regions 131 including the first flow paths 131A and the second flow paths 131B are each partitioned by the above-described partition walls 160. As shown in Fig. 9, the partition walls 160 are provided with a uniform width in the second direction Y when viewed in the third direction Z, and the portions that contact the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 are configured in an arc shape. Such partition walls 160 can be formed together with the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 by extrusion molding or the like.

[0067] The communication passages 135 are communication spaces that connect the four first flow passages 131A and the four second flow passages 131B along the second direction Y at both end portions 133 in the third direction Z. That is, the flow passage formation region 131 has a turn-back structure in which the communication passages 135 at both end portions 133 connect the four first flow passages 131A and the four second flow passages 131B to each other and change the fluid flow direction to the opposite direction. In other words, the communication passages 135 are configured so that the end portions 133 along the third direction Z between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 are turn-backed, connecting a downstream end 131AE of the first flow passages 131A opposite the fluid inlet portion 130Ba to an upstream end 131BS of the second flow passages 131B opposite the fluid outlet portion 130Bb. The downstream end 131AE of the first flow path 131A corresponds to a portion where each of the multiple first flow paths 131A merges with the upstream flow path 135A in the communicating passage 135. The upstream end 131BS of the second flow path 131B corresponds to a portion where each of the multiple second flow paths 131B branches off from the downstream flow path 135B in the communicating passage 135. The upstream flow path 135A in the communicating passage 135 is a flow path where each of the multiple first flow paths 131A in the communicating passage 135 merges, and the downstream flow path 135B in the communicating passage 135 is a flow path that branches off to each of the multiple second flow paths 131B in the communicating passage 135.

[0068] 7 , the two end portions 133 provided with the communication passages 135 are located opposite the two end portions 112A furthest from the central region 114 of the cells 112 of the two outermost battery modules 110 of the four battery modules 110 arranged side by side in the third direction Z. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the four first flow paths 131A and the cross-sectional area of ​​each of the four second flow paths 131B are all the same. The number and shape of the first flow paths 131A and the second flow paths 131B can be changed as desired, and for example, one rectangular hole may be provided on each side.

[0069] 9 , the temperature regulator 130 is provided between the side surfaces of two adjacent cells 112 along the first direction X. The side surfaces of the two adjacent cells 112 along the first direction X correspond to the surfaces of the cells 112 formed in a rectangular prism shape that are perpendicular to the first direction X, i.e., the surfaces that are parallel to the YZ plane. By circulating a fluid through the first flow path 131A and the second flow path 131B of the temperature regulator 130, it is possible to directly cool the side surfaces of the cells 112, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0070] 7 , in the present embodiment, four battery modules 110 are provided along the third direction Z, and a piping member 145 is arranged in a central region 114 of the battery 101 along the third direction Z. The piping member 145 is in communication with the fluid introduction portion 130Ba, and allows fluid to flow between two battery modules 110 on one side of the third direction Z and two battery modules 110 on the other side of the third direction Z. The central region 114 is a region between two innermost battery modules 110 of the four battery modules 110 arranged along the third direction Z.

[0071] The lid member 150 closes the opening 149 when fitted into the opening 149 of the end 133 of the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 that is aligned in the third direction Z. As described above, the temperature regulator 130 has the communication path 135 on the side of the end 133 that is aligned in the third direction Z, and is open outward in the third direction Z from the communication path 135. The lid member 150 is provided to close the open opening 149. The lid member 150 has a shape similar to that of the opening 149, but is configured with an outer shape that is slightly smaller than the inner shape of the opening 149. The lid member 150 is fitted into this opening 149. In this way, the opening 149 is closed by the lid member 150.

[0072] The cover member 150 is fitted into the opening 149 and then welded across the first flat plate portion 137, the second flat plate portion 138, and the connecting wall 180. For example, laser welding, brazing, or arc welding can be used for such joining.

[0073] The heat insulating material 190 is formed in a plate shape using a resin material and is arranged so as to connect the multiple connection walls 180 along the second direction Y. Examples of the resin material that can be used include polypropylene, polyphenylene sulfide, and nylon 66. The heat insulating material 190 is arranged between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138.

[0074] The heat insulating material 190 has a plurality of protruding portions 170 that protrude in the first direction X at positions that allow them to abut against the partition wall 160. In this embodiment, the protruding portions 170 are provided on a first surface 191 of the heat insulating material 190 that faces the first flat plate portion 137 so as to protrude toward the first flat plate portion 137, and on a second surface 192 that faces the second flat plate portion 138 so as to protrude toward the second flat plate portion 138. The protruding portions 170 are provided so as to abut against the partition wall 160, but may not abut against the first flat plate portion 137 or the second flat plate portion 138. In FIG. 9 , the protruding portions 170 are spaced apart from the connecting wall 180, but may be provided so as to abut against the connecting wall 180.

[0075] 10 , in this embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 170 are provided along the second direction Y, and a plurality of protrusions 170 are also provided along the third direction Z. Each of the plurality of protrusions 170 may be formed in a hemispherical shape that is spaced apart from one another along the second direction Y and also spaced apart from one another along the third direction Z.

[0076] 10 , the heat insulating material 190 may be inserted between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 along the third direction Z. At this time, the heat insulating material 190 may be inserted so that the protruding portion 170 is aligned with the partition wall 160 and so that the heat insulating material 190 is sandwiched between the partition wall 160. This makes it possible to configure a temperature regulator 130 in which the heat insulating material 190 is provided between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138.

[0077] Furthermore, by providing the heat insulating material 190 having the plurality of protrusions 170 in the flow path forming region 131 in this manner, the flow of the fluid in the flow path forming region 131 can be disturbed (i.e., a state different from the state in which the fluid flows only in a direction parallel to the third direction Z between the first surface 191 and the first flat plate portion 137 and between the second surface 192 and the second flat plate portion 138) as shown by the arrows 175 in Fig. 11. Therefore, the heat transfer coefficient increases (heat transfer efficiency can be increased), and it becomes possible to improve the cooling performance (temperature control performance).

[0078] As described above, the multiple protrusions 170 are arranged in positions where they can abut against the partition wall 160, so even if an insulating material 190 is arranged between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138, it is possible to prevent bending due to its own weight, for example, and suppress misalignment.

[0079] [Alternative to the Second Embodiment] In the above embodiment, the protrusions 170 are described as being provided on the first surface 191 and the second surface 192 of the heat insulating material 190. However, as shown in Fig. 12 , the protrusions 170 may be provided on one of the first surface 191 and the second surface 192 of the heat insulating material 190 (the first surface 191 in the example of Fig. 12 ). Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 13 , the protrusions 170 may be provided alternately on the first surface 191 and the second surface 192 of the heat insulating material 190 along the second direction Y.

[0080] In addition, the description has been given assuming that each of the plurality of protrusions 170 is formed in a hemispherical shape. However, as shown in Fig. 14 , each of the protrusions 170 may be formed in a plate shape that protrudes from the first surface 191 of the thermal insulation material 190 toward the first flat plate portion 137, and may be formed in a plate shape that protrudes from the second surface 192 of the thermal insulation material 190 toward the second flat plate portion 138.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 170 have been described as being formed in a hemispherical shape spaced apart from one another along the third direction Z. However, the plurality of protrusions 170 may be provided in a row along the second direction Y as shown in Fig. 15 rather than being aligned along the third direction Z. Also, in the above embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 170 have been described as being provided in the second direction Y. However, as shown in Fig. 16, the plurality of protrusions 170 may be provided in a row along the third direction Z rather than being aligned along the second direction Y.

[0082] Furthermore, although the protrusions 170 are shown in FIG. 10 as being provided at equal intervals in both the second direction Y and the third direction Z, they do not have to be provided at equal intervals as shown in FIG.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the heat insulating material 190 is provided separately for each of the first flow path 131A and the second flow path 131B, but as shown in Fig. 18, a single heat insulating material 190 may be provided across the first flow path 131A and the second flow path 131B. In this case, the central portion along the second direction Y may be formed as a partition wall 160 instead of the connecting wall 180.

[0084] [Outline of Second Embodiment] Hereinafter, an outline of the temperature regulator 130 described above will be described.

[0085] (1) The temperature regulator 130 adjusts the temperature of a battery 101 including a battery module 110 having a plurality of cells 112 arranged along a first direction X. The temperature regulator 130 includes: a first flat plate portion 137 and a second flat plate portion 138 that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells 112 along the first direction X and that face each other along the first direction X; a plurality of connecting walls 180 that connect the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138; a partition wall 160 that partitions an area between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 in the first direction X; and a plate-shaped insulating material 190 that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls 180 along a second direction Y that intersects the first direction X. The insulating material 190 has a plurality of protrusions 170 that protrude along the first direction X at positions that can abut against the partition wall 160.

[0086] According to this configuration, the insulating material 190 is arranged to connect the multiple connecting walls 180 along the second direction Y, so that the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138 can be isolated from the outside of the temperature regulator 130. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138, the fluid is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the insulating material 190 can improve the insulating performance between the cells 112. Furthermore, the protruding portion 170 abuts against the partition wall 160, so that the insulating material 190 can be prevented from shifting in position along the second direction Y. Therefore, according to the temperature regulator 130 of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the insulating material 190 from shifting in position and improve the insulating performance between the cells.

[0087] (2) In the temperature regulator 130 described in (1), it is preferable that a plurality of the protrusions 170 are provided along a third direction Z that intersects with the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0088] According to this configuration, by providing multiple protrusions 170 along the third direction Z, it is possible to prevent misalignment in the second direction Y even when the insulating material 190 is configured to extend along the third direction Z.

[0089] (3) In the temperature regulator 130 described in (2), it is preferable that each of the plurality of protrusions 170 is formed in a semi-spherical shape spaced apart from each other along the third direction Z.

[0090] According to this configuration, since the protruding portions 170 are spaced apart along the third direction Z, when a fluid is circulated through a region sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138, the flow of the fluid can be more turbulent than when the protruding portions 170 are not provided. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency between the fluid and the cells 112 can be improved.

[0091] (4) In the temperature regulator 130 described in any one of (1) to (3), it is preferable that the protrusion 170 is provided on a first surface 191 facing the first flat plate portion 137 of the insulating material 190 and a second surface 192 facing the second flat plate portion 138.

[0092] According to this configuration, the protrusions 170 are provided in contact with the partition walls 160 on the first surface 191 and second surface 192 sides, which further prevents the heat insulating material 190 from shifting position. Also, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the region sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 137 and the second flat plate portion 138, the flow of the fluid can be further disturbed. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency between the fluid and the cells 112 can be further improved.

[0093] 3-3. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of a temperature regulator according to the present disclosure will be described. Note that the embodiments described below are examples for explaining the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

[0094] The temperature regulator 230 according to the third embodiment differs from the temperature regulator 30 according to the first embodiment and the temperature regulator 130 according to the second embodiment in that the temperature regulator 230 according to the third embodiment has both the recess 81 that the temperature regulator 30 according to the first embodiment has and the protrusion 170 that the temperature regulator 130 according to the second embodiment has. The temperature regulator 230 according to the third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 19 .

[0095] Like the temperature regulator 30 of the first embodiment and the temperature regulator 130 of the second embodiment, the temperature regulator 230 of this embodiment includes a battery module 210 having a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped cells 212 (e.g., 24 cells, as in the above embodiments) aligned along a first direction X, and is applied to a battery 201 in which the plurality of battery modules 210 (e.g., four cells, as in the above embodiments) are adjacently arranged along a third direction Z intersecting (orthogonal to) both the first direction X and a second direction Y intersecting (orthogonal to) the first direction X. The temperature regulator 230 regulates the temperature of such a battery 201. The battery module 210 is provided with a solid (e.g., a heat transfer sheet 220) interposed between the cells 212 and the temperature regulator 230.

[0096] 19 , the temperature regulator 230 includes a first flat plate portion 237, a second flat plate portion 238, a connecting wall 280, a partition wall 260, a cover member (not shown), and a heat insulating material 290. The first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 face each other along the first direction X. Therefore, the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 face predetermined faces of the cells 212 and extend along the second direction Y. In this embodiment, too, a pair of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 is provided between side surfaces of two cells 212 adjacent to each other along the first direction X.

[0097] The connecting wall 280 connects the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 to each other. In the present embodiment, the connecting wall 280 also connects the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 to each other in the first direction X at both ends and the center of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 along the second direction Y. Therefore, a plurality of connecting walls 280 are provided in the temperature regulator 230. The connecting wall 280 in the present embodiment has a leakage prevention function that connects the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 in a fluid-tight manner.

[0098] The partition wall 260 divides the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 in the first direction X. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 260 has a through hole formed therein, into which a heat insulating material 290 can be inserted. In the present embodiment as well, a plurality of partition walls 260 are provided in the temperature regulator 230. As a result, the partition walls 260 divide the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 into a plurality of flow path forming areas 231. Communication passages (not shown) that communicate with the plurality of flow path forming areas 231 are provided on the side of an end (not shown) along the third direction Z in the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238.

[0099] As shown in Fig. 19 , a first flow path 231A and a second flow path 231B are formed between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238. The flow path forming regions 231, which are formed to include the first flow paths 231A and the second flow paths 231B, are each partitioned by the above-mentioned partition walls 260, as shown in Fig. 19 . As shown in Fig. 19 , the partition wall 260 is provided with a uniform width in the second direction Y when viewed in the third direction Z, and the portions that contact the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 are formed in an arc shape. Such partition walls 260 can be formed together with the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 by extrusion molding or the like.

[0100] 19 , in this embodiment, the temperature regulator 230 is also provided between the side surfaces of two cells 212 adjacent to each other along the first direction X. The side surfaces of the two cells 212 adjacent to each other along the first direction X correspond to the surfaces of the cells 212 formed in a rectangular prism shape that are perpendicular to the first direction X, i.e., the surfaces that are parallel to the YZ plane. By circulating a fluid through the first flow path 231A and the second flow path 231B of this temperature regulator 230, it is possible to directly cool the side surfaces of the cells 212, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0101] The heat insulating material 290 is formed in a plate shape using a resin material and is arranged so as to connect the multiple connection walls 280 along the second direction Y. Examples of the resin material that can be used include polypropylene, polyphenylene sulfide, and nylon 66. The heat insulating material 290 is arranged between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238.

[0102] The heat insulating material 290 has a plurality of protruding portions 270 that protrude in the first direction X at positions that can abut against the partition wall 260. In the present embodiment, the protruding portions 270 are provided on a first surface 291 of the heat insulating material 290 that faces the first flat plate portion 237 so as to protrude toward the first flat plate portion 237, and on a second surface 292 that faces the second flat plate portion 238 so as to protrude toward the second flat plate portion 238. The protruding portions 270 are provided so as to abut against the partition wall 260, and do not necessarily have to abut against the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238.

[0103] Although not shown in the drawings, in this embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 270 are provided along the second direction Y, and a plurality of protrusions 270 are also provided along the third direction Z. Each of the plurality of protrusions 270 may be formed in a hemispherical shape that is spaced apart from one another along the second direction Y and also spaced apart from one another along the third direction Z.

[0104] Recesses 281 are provided on the inner surfaces of the multiple connecting walls 280, sandwiching the heat insulating material 290. The inner surfaces of the connecting walls 280 are surfaces of the connecting walls 280 that face the partition walls 260 in the second direction Y. In this embodiment, the recesses 281 are formed in the connecting walls 280 to have a predetermined width in the first direction X and a predetermined second depth in the second direction Y. Furthermore, the recesses 281 are formed so as to penetrate the connecting walls 280 in the third direction Z. Such recesses 281 can be formed as rectangular grooves when viewed in the third direction Z.

[0105] 19 , the recesses 281 are provided at one end side, the other end side, and the central portion in the second direction Y along the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238. In the present embodiment, the recess 281 at one end side is referred to as recess 281A, the recess 281 at the other end side is referred to as recess 281B, the recess 281 at one end side in the second direction Y in the central portion along the second direction Y is referred to as recess 281C, and the recess 281 at the other end side in the second direction Y in the central portion along the second direction Y is referred to as recess 281D. The widths of the recesses 281A, 281B, 281C, and 281D may be configured to be approximately the same as the thickness (length along the first direction X) of the heat insulating material 290. In addition, the depth of recesses 281A, 281B, 281C, and 281D may be configured so that the length along the second direction Y from the bottom 282A of recess 281A to the bottom 282C of recess 281C, and the length along the second direction Y from the bottom 282D of recess 281D to the bottom 282B of recess 281B are approximately the same as the length along the second direction Y of insulating material 290, respectively.

[0106] The heat insulating material 290 on one end side in the second direction Y has one end along the second direction Y sandwiched in the recess 281A and the other end along the second direction Y sandwiched in the recess 281C. The heat insulating material 290 on the other end side in the second direction Y has one end along the second direction Y sandwiched in the recess 281D and the other end along the second direction Y sandwiched in the recess 281B. Therefore, the heat insulating material 290 of this embodiment is provided across multiple flow path forming regions 231. That is, the heat insulating material 290 is provided along the second direction Y on the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238, from the recess 281A to the recess 281C and from the recess 281D to the recess 281B. This allows the heat insulating material 290 to be supported between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 without bending.

[0107] 19 shows an example in which the connecting walls 280 are provided at both ends of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 along the second direction Y, and also at the central portion of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 along the second direction Y. However, it is not necessary to provide the connecting walls 280 at the central portion of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 along the second direction Y. In this case, the heat insulating material 290 may be provided along the second direction Y on the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 from the recesses 281A to the recesses 281B provided at both ends.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the heat insulating material 290 has been described as being provided across the plurality of flow path forming regions 231. However, recesses 281 may be provided at both ends of each of the plurality of flow path forming regions 231 along the second direction Y, and the heat insulating material 290 may be provided across these recesses 281. This makes it possible to prevent fluid from flowing across each of the plurality of flow path forming regions 231.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the connecting walls 280 are provided at both ends of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 in the second direction Y and have rounded outer shapes (with arc-shaped corners). However, the connecting walls 280 may be provided such that the central portions of the connecting walls 280 in the first direction X protrude outward from both ends of the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 in the second direction Y.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the protrusions 270 are described as being provided on the first surface 291 and the second surface 292 of the heat insulating material 290. However, the protrusions 270 may be provided on one of the first surface 291 and the second surface 292 of the heat insulating material 290. Furthermore, the protrusions 270 may be provided alternately on the first surface 291 and the second surface 292 of the heat insulating material 290 along the second direction Y.

[0111] In addition, although the description has been given assuming that each of the plurality of protrusions 270 is formed in a hemispherical shape, each of the protrusions 270 may be formed in a plate shape that protrudes from the first surface 291 of the heat insulating material 290 toward the first flat plate portion 237, and may be formed in a plate shape that protrudes from the second surface 292 of the heat insulating material 290 toward the second flat plate portion 238.

[0112] In the above embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 270 have been described as being formed in a hemispherical shape spaced apart from one another along the third direction Z. However, the plurality of protrusions 270 may be provided in a row along the second direction Y, rather than being aligned along the third direction Z. Also, in the above embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 270 have been described as being provided in the second direction Y. However, the plurality of protrusions 270 may be provided in a row along the third direction Z, rather than being aligned along the second direction Y.

[0113] Furthermore, although the protrusions 270 are shown as being provided at equal intervals in both the second direction Y and the third direction Z, they do not have to be provided at equal intervals.

[0114] [Outline of the Third Embodiment] The following provides an overview of the temperature regulator 230 described above.

[0115] (1) The temperature regulator 230 regulates the temperature of the battery 201 including the battery module 210 having a plurality of cells 212 arranged along the first direction X. The temperature regulator 230 includes a first flat plate portion 237 and a second flat plate portion 238 that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells 212 along the first direction X and that face each other along the first direction X, and a plurality of connecting walls 280 that connect the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238. and a partition wall 260 that partitions the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 in a first direction X, and a plate-shaped insulating material 290 arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls 280 along a second direction Y that intersects with the first direction X, wherein recesses 281 that sandwich the insulating material 290 are provided on the inner surfaces of the plurality of connecting walls 280, and the insulating material 290 has a plurality of protrusions 270 that protrude along the first direction X at positions that can abut against the partition wall 260.

[0116] According to this configuration, the insulating material 290 is sandwiched and supported in the recess 281, thereby isolating the area between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 from the outside of the temperature regulator 230. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238, the fluid is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the insulating material 290 can improve the insulating performance between the cells 212. Furthermore, by forming the recess 281 in the connecting wall 280, the heat transfer area of ​​the connecting wall 280 is reduced, thereby reducing heat conduction through the connecting wall 280. Therefore, it is possible to suppress heat conduction from one of two adjacent cells 212 to the other through the connecting wall 280. Furthermore, because the insulating material 290 is simply sandwiched and supported in the recess 281, there is no increase in the number of parts, and assembly efficiency is high. As such, the temperature regulator 230 of this configuration has good assembly efficiency and high insulating performance between the cells.

[0117] Furthermore, according to this configuration, the insulating material 290 is disposed so as to connect the multiple connecting walls 280 along the second direction Y, thereby isolating the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238 from the outside of the temperature regulator 230. Therefore, for example, when a fluid is circulated through the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion 237 and the second flat plate portion 238, leakage of the fluid to the outside is prevented, and the insulating material 290 can improve the insulating performance between the cells 212. Furthermore, the protruding portion 270 abuts against the partition wall 260, thereby preventing the insulating material 290 from shifting in position along the second direction Y. Therefore, according to the temperature regulator 230 of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the insulating material 290 from shifting in position and improve the insulating performance between the cells.

[0118] The technology according to the present disclosure can be used in a temperature regulator that can adjust the temperature of a battery.

[0119] [First embodiment] 1: Battery, 10: Battery module, 12: Cell, 30: Temperature regulator, 30Ba: Fluid inlet (inlet), 30Bb: Fluid outlet (outlet), 31: Flow path forming area, 31A: First flow path, 31B: Second flow path, 37: First flat plate portion, 38: Second flat plate portion, 60: Partition wall, 80: Connection wall, 81: Recess, 90: Heat insulating material, X: First direction, Y: Second direction

[0120] Second embodiment 101: battery, 110: battery module, 112: cell, 130: temperature regulator, 137: first flat plate portion, 138: second flat plate portion, 160: partition wall, 170: protrusion, 180: connection wall, 190: heat insulating material, 191: first surface, 192: second surface, X: first direction, Y: second direction, Z: third direction

[0121] Third embodiment 201: battery, 210: battery module, 212: cell, 230: temperature regulator, 237: first flat plate portion, 238: second flat plate portion, 260: partition wall, 270: protrusion, 280: connection wall, 281: recess, 290: heat insulating material, X: first direction, Y: second direction

Claims

1. A temperature regulator for adjusting the temperature of a battery having a battery module with a plurality of cells lined up along a first direction, comprising: a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells along the first direction and that face each other along the first direction; a plurality of connecting walls that connect the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion, respectively; and plate-shaped insulating material that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls along a second direction that intersects with the first direction, wherein recesses that sandwich the insulating material are provided on the inner surfaces of the plurality of connecting walls.

2. A temperature regulator as described in claim 1, further comprising at least one partition wall that partitions the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion in the first direction, the partition wall partitioning the area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion into a plurality of flow path forming areas, and the heat insulating material being provided across a plurality of the flow path forming areas.

3. A temperature regulator as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising, between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion, a first flow path that communicates with an inlet into which a fluid is introduced and through which the fluid flows, and a second flow path that turns the fluid from the first flow path and flows back and communicates with an outlet that discharges the fluid, and wherein the heat insulating material is provided individually for each of the first flow path and the second flow path.

4. A temperature controller according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a single insulating material is disposed between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion.

5. A temperature regulator for adjusting the temperature of a battery having a battery module having a plurality of cells lined up along a first direction, comprising: a first flat plate portion and a second flat plate portion that are provided between side surfaces of two adjacent cells along the first direction and that face each other along the first direction; a plurality of connecting walls that connect the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion; a partition wall that partitions an area sandwiched between the first flat plate portion and the second flat plate portion in the first direction; and plate-shaped insulating material that is arranged to connect the plurality of connecting walls along a second direction that intersects with the first direction, wherein the inner surfaces of the plurality of connecting walls are provided with recesses that sandwich the insulating material, and the insulating material has a plurality of protrusions that protrude along the first direction at positions that can abut against the partition walls.

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