Battery pack cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10249913-B2
Application number	US-201414914275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 6, 2013
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A battery pack cooling system includes a plurality of cells disposed in an internal space of a battery pack case so as to form a cooling passage configured to cool the cell modules by cooling air flowing in the cooling passage. A first temperature sensor is a minimum temperature sensor disposed in the upstream position which becomes a lowest temperature. A second temperature sensor is a maximum temperature sensor disposed in the downstream position which becomes a highest temperature. A third temperature sensor is configured to measure the temperature of either the highest temperature or the lowest temperature disposed in a second cell module. A cooling passage includes a cooling air inlet passage, a cooling air exhaust passage, and a plurality of cooling branch passages disposed to connect the cooling air inlet passage and the cooling air exhaust passage in parallel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack cooling system comprising:
a battery pack case;
a plurality of cells defining cell modules disposed in an internal space of the battery pack case so as to form a cooling passage, the cooling passage configured to cool the cell modules by cooling air flowing in the cooling passage;
a first temperature sensor that is a first minimum temperature sensor disposed in an upstream position of a first cell module of the cell modules, which becomes a lowest temperature position in the first cell module;
a second temperature sensor that is a first maximum temperature sensor disposed in a downstream position of the first cell module, which becomes a highest temperature position in the first cell module;
a third temperature sensor disposed in a second cell module of the cell modules, the third temperature sensor configured to measure either a highest temperature or a lowest temperature in the second cell module,
the cooling passage including a cooling air inlet passage, a cooling air exhaust passage, and a plurality of cooling branch passages disposed to connect the cooling air inlet passage and the cooling air exhaust passage in parallel, the cell modules being disposed respectively in the plurality of cooling branch passages; and
a controller configured to perform a calculation based on temperature information from the first second and third temperature sensors, the controller comprising a diagnostic unit configured to carry out rationality diagnosis of the first and second temperature sensors using, if the third temperature sensor is configured to measure the lowest temperature in the second cell module, a difference between temperature change gradients from the first and third temperature sensors in which a lowest temperature in the first cell module and the lowest temperature in the second cell module can be compared, or, if the third temperature sensor is configured to measure the highest temperature in the second cell module, a difference between temperature change gradients from the second and third temperature sensors in which a highest temperature in the first cell module and the highest temperature in the second cell module can be compared.

2. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein
the third temperature sensor is configured to measure the highest temperature of the second cell module, and further comprising:
a fourth temperature sensor disposed in a third cell module of the cell modules, the fourth temperature sensor configured to measure a lowest temperature of the third cell module.

3. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 2 , wherein
the third temperature sensor is disposed in a downstream position of the second cell module, which becomes a highest temperature region in an entirety of the battery pack, and
the fourth temperature sensor is disposed in an upstream position of the third cell module, which becomes a lowest temperature region in an entirety of the battery pack.

4. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first cell module is formed by arranging a plurality of cylindrical shape cell cans so that can axes are parallel to each other to configure a first cell can line and a second cell can line, which are superposed as two layers so that a can axis interval is shifted by half pitch, and held in a state in which a cold air passage clearance is secured between mutually adjacent can barrels.

5. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein
the first and second temperature sensors are first and second thermistors, respectively configured to measure temperature by utilizing resistance change with respect to temperature change, and
the first and second thermistors are respectively attached to can bottom surfaces of cylindrical shape cell cans arranged in end positions of the cell modules.

6. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein
the diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose clogging in which cooling air flow failure occurs in the cell modules, using a difference value between maximum temperature information and minimum temperature information from the first cell module.

7. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller comprises an input/output control unit configured to control a battery input/output, using minimum temperature information and maximum temperature information.

8. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller comprises a fan control unit configured to control a battery cooling air amount, using maximum temperature information.

9. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first cell module is formed by arranging a plurality of cylindrical shape cell cans so that can axes are parallel to each other to configure a first cell can line and a second cell can line, which are superposed as two layers so that a can axis interval is shifted by half pitch, and held in a state in which a cold air passage clearance is secured between mutually adjacent can barrels.

10. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 3 , wherein
the first cell module is formed by arranging a plurality of cylindrical shape cell cans so that can axes are parallel to each other to configure a first cell can line and a second cell can line, which are superposed as two layers so that a can axis interval is shifted by half pitch, and held in a state in which a cold air passage clearance is secured between mutually adjacent can barrels.

11. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 2 , wherein
the diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose clogging in which cooling air flow failure occurs in the cell modules, using a difference value between maximum temperature information and minimum temperature information from the first cell module.

12. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 3 , wherein
the diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose clogging in which cooling air flow failure occurs in the cell modules, using a difference value between maximum temperature information and minimum temperature information from the first cell module.

13. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein
the diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose clogging in which cooling air flow failure occurs in the cell modules, using a difference value between maximum temperature information and minimum temperature information from the first cell module.

14. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 5 , wherein
the diagnostic unit is configured to diagnose clogging in which cooling air flow failure occurs in the cell modules, using a difference value between maximum temperature information and minimum temperature information from the first cell module.

15. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller comprises an input/output control unit configured to control a battery input/output, using minimum temperature information and maximum temperature information.

16. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 2 , wherein
the controller comprises a fan control unit configured to control a battery cooling air amount, using maximum temperature information.

17. The battery pack cooling system according to claim 7 , wherein
the controller comprises a fan control unit configured to control a battery cooling air amount, using the maximum temperature information.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor
• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Iguchi Toyoki
• Hashimoto Hiroaki
• Saeki Masayoshi
• Saitou Hiroaki
• Kiyota Shigeyuki
• Tanaka Yoshiyuki
• Iwata Hiroshi
• Hoshi Hiroshi
• Kotaki Akira
• YAMACHI Nayuta
• Yoshida Toshiyuki
• KIKKAWA Chikara
• Haga Takeshi

Classifications

• H01M10/637

  characterised by the use of reversible temperature-sensitive devices, e.g. NTC, PTC or bimetal devices; characterised by control of the internal current flowing through the cells, e.g. by switching (means for preventing undesired use or discharge H01M50/572) · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M10/643

  Cylindrical cells · CPC title

• H01M10/63

  Control systems (charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 {, H01M10/443}; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 {, H01M10/486}) · CPC title

• H01M10/6566

  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