Temperature regulation structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10135046-B2
Application number	US-201214648555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 30, 2012
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

In a temperature regulation structure according to the invention, the power storage element includes a power generation element for charging and discharging, and has a case body having an opening portion for incorporating the power generation element, and a lid that closes up the opening portion of the case body. Air for temperature regulation that comes into contact with the power storage element is supplied from a direction substantially perpendicular to a bottom face of the case body, which is opposed to the lid across the power generation element. The temperature of the power storage element can be efficiently regulated by bringing the air for temperature regulation into contact with the bottom face of the case body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A temperature regulation structure, comprising:
a power storage device in which a plurality of power storage elements are arranged side by side in a predetermined direction, wherein each of the power storage elements includes:
a power generation element configured to carry out charging and discharging,
a case body having an opening portion for incorporating the power generation element, the case body accommodating the power generation element, air for temperature regulation is supplied from a direction substantially perpendicular to a bottom face of the case body, and the air coming into contact with each of the power storage elements,
a lid that covers the opening portion of the case body, the bottom face being a face that is opposed to the lid across the power generation element, and
a guide member disposed below the bottom face of the case body having:
a supply passage formed by opposing wall portions configured to guide the air to the bottom face of the case body;
a guide face formed by an upper face of the guide member configured to guide the air flowing in from the supply passage outward along the bottom face to exchange heat with the bottom face, wherein the upper face of the guide member is located below the bottom face of the case body so as to face the bottom face of the case body,

wherein the guide face is spaced apart from the bottom face and extends along a first direction of the bottom face parallel to a longitudinal length of the bottom face, and wherein the supply passage is configured such that a distance between the opposing wall portions in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction narrows as a distance to the bottom face decreases; and
wherein an intake path supplies the air to separate, and parallel supply passages of each of the plurality of the power storage elements,
each guide member further includes an exhaust passage partitioned from the supply passage by at least one of the wall portions on opposing sides of the supply passage, the exhaust passage is configured to discharge the air that has exchanged heat with the bottom face,
so that the air that has exchanged heat with the bottom face of each of the power storage elements does not return to the supply passage.

2. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
a first length of each of the power storage elements is shorter than a second length of each of the power storage element,
the first length is a length of each of the power storage elements in a direction in which the lid and the bottom face are opposed to each other, and
the second length is a length of each of the power storage elements in a direction perpendicular to the first length.

3. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the guide face is configured to guide the air flowing in from the supply passage to exchange heat with the bottom face, toward the exhaust passage along the bottom face.

4. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 3 , wherein
the supply passage is configured to guide the air substantially perpendicularly toward the bottom face, and
the exhaust passage is configured to guide the air flowing in via the guide face, in a direction away from the bottom face.

5. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the supply passage, the guide face, and the exhaust passage are connected to a corresponding bottom face, and
suction and discharge of the air against each of the power storage elements is carried out for each bottom face.

6. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the guide members has an installation portion,
the installation portion contacts with part of the bottom face, and the installation portion is configured to form a space through which the air flows between the guide face and the bottom face.

7. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the supply passage extends in a length direction of the bottom face of each of the power storage elements that is perpendicular to the predetermined direction, and
the guide face is configured to guide the air exchanging heat with the bottom face of each of the power storage elements, in a width direction of the bottom face that is perpendicular to the length direction, along the bottom face.

8. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
a space between two of the power storage elements that are adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction is filled by an insulating layer.

9. The temperature regulation structure according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the lids include an electrode terminal and a valve,
each of the electrode terminals is electrically connected to each of the power generation element, and
each of the valves is configured to discharge gas generated in each of the case bodies to the outside.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Hirotaka
• Hayashi Tuyoshi
• Katayama Junta

Classifications

• H01M10/6566 Primary

  Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers (H01M10/6565 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/289

  characterised by spacing elements or positioning means within frames, racks or packs (spacing elements inside cells other than separators, membranes or diaphragms H01M50/471) · CPC title

• H01M50/209 Primary

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/271

  Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings · CPC title

• H01M10/345

  Gastight metal hydride accumulators · CPC title