Cooling structure for battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10272796-B2
Application number	US-201515534191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2015
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A cooling structure for a battery pack is provided. The battery pack is positioned in a luggage space of a vehicle. The cooling structure includes an intake port, a blower, a first duct, and a second duct. An intake port is positioned in an occupant space. A blower is positioned on a side opposite to the occupant space across the battery pack, and configured to supply air blowing in from the intake port to the battery pack. A first duct is configured to connect the intake port and an inflow port of the blower to each other. A second duct is configured to connect an outflow port of the blower and a suction port of the battery pack to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooling structure for a battery pack, the battery pack configured to supply electric power to a traveling motor of a vehicle and the battery pack being positioned in a luggage space of the vehicle, the cooling structure comprising:
an intake port positioned in an occupant space;
a blower positioned on a side opposite to the occupant space across the battery pack, the blower being configured to supply air blowing in from the intake port to the battery pack;
a first duct configured to connect the intake port and an inflow port of the blower to each other; and
a second duct configured to connect an outflow port of the blower and a suction port of the battery pack to each other,
wherein the battery pack includes at least two compartments in a vehicle lateral direction,
the compartments includes a first compartment and a second compartment, the first compartment including a first suction port, and the second compartment including a second suction port,
the intake port includes a first intake port and a second intake port,
the blower includes a first blower and a second blower,
the first duct includes a first-compartment first duct and a second-compartment first duct,
the second duct includes a first-compartment second duct and a second-compartment second duct,
the first intake port, the first blower, the first-compartment first duct, and the first-compartment second duct are placed corresponding to the first compartment,
the second intake port, the second blower, the second-compartment first duct, and the second-compartment second duct are placed corresponding to the second compartment,
the first blower is configured to supply air blowing in from the first intake port to the battery pack via the first suction port,
the second blower is configured to supply air blowing in from the second intake port to the battery pack via the second suction port,
the cooling structure includes a first duct unit and a second duct unit,
the first duct unit is placed corresponding to positions of the first blower and the first suction port in the first compartment, the first duct unit including the first-compartment first duct and the first-compartment second duct, and
the second duct unit is placed corresponding to positions of the second blower and the second suction port in the second compartment, the second duct unit including the second-compartment first duct and the second-compartment second duct.

2. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the occupant space is positioned in front of the luggage space in the vehicle, and
the blower is positioned behind the battery pack in the vehicle.

3. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
electronic equipment disposed in the battery pack is placed in a region of the battery pack corresponding to the first compartment, and the first intake port is placed below the second intake port in a vehicle vertical direction.

4. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first intake port is disposed below a seat cushion of a seat placed in the occupant space, the second intake port is disposed above the seat cushion, and the first intake port and the second intake port are disposed on both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle lateral direction.

5. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first duct unit and the second duct unit are placed on both sides in the vehicle lateral direction across the battery pack.

6. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first duct and the second duct are placed in alignment in a vehicle vertical direction.

7. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first-compartment first duct and the first-compartment second duct are placed in alignment in a vehicle vertical direction, and the second-compartment first duct and the second-compartment second duct are placed in alignment in the vehicle vertical direction.

8. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules stacked in a vehicle vertical direction,
the plurality of battery modules include an upper side battery module and a lower side battery module,
the upper side battery module is disposed on an upper side of the battery pack,
the lower side battery module is disposed on a lower side of the battery pack,
the second duct is configured to be connected to an upper side suction port corresponding to the upper side battery module and a lower side suction port corresponding to the lower side battery module, respectively, and
the second duct is configured as an intake path supplying air to each of the upper side battery module and the lower side battery module.

9. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules stacked in a vehicle vertical direction,
the plurality of battery modules includes a first-compartment upper side battery module, a second-compartment upper side battery module, a first-compartment lower side battery module, and a second-compartment lower side battery module,
the first-compartment upper side battery module and the second-compartment upper side battery module are disposed on an upper side of the battery pack,
the first-compartment lower side battery module and the second-compartment lower side battery module are disposed on a lower side of the battery pack,
the first-compartment second duct is configured to be connected to each of a first-compartment upper side suction port corresponding to the first-compartment upper side battery module and a first-compartment lower side suction port corresponding to the first-compartment lower side battery module,
the second-compartment second duct is configured to be connected to each of a second-compartment upper side suction port corresponding to second-compartment upper side battery module and a second-compartment lower side suction port corresponding to the second-compartment lower side battery module,
the first-compartment second duct is configured as an intake path supplying air to each of the first-compartment upper side battery module and the first-compartment lower side battery module, and
the second-compartment second duct is configured as an intake path supplying air to each of the second-compartment upper side battery module and the second-compartment lower side battery module.

10. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein
the second duct includes a first branch duct connected to the upper side suction port and a second branch duct connected to the lower side suction port, and
the first duct is placed to be interposed between the first branch duct and the second branch duct in the vehicle vertical direction.

11. The cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein
the first-compartment second duct includes a first-compartment first branch duct connected to the first-compartment upper side suction port and a first-compartment second branch duct connected to the first-compartment lower side suction port,
the second-compartment second duct includes a second-compartment first branch duct connected to the second-compartment upper side suction port and a second-compartment second branch duct connected to the second-compartment lower side suction port,
the first-compartment first duct is placed to be interposed between the first-compartment first branch duct and the first-compartment second branch duct in the vehicle vertical direction, and
the second-compartment first duct is placed to be interpo

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kouno Masatoshi

Classifications

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• B60K1/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• B60K11/06

  with air cooling · CPC title

• B60K2001/0416

  Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle · CPC title