Cooling structure for electric vehicle

Details Cooling structure for electric vehicle Cooling structure for electric vehicle

1999-07-20

2001-02-13

Thompson, Gregory (Department: 2835)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C180S068500, C361S641000, C361S676000, C429S100000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06188574

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved cooling structure for an electric vehicle for forcibly cooling batteries and electrical components of the electric vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an electric vehicle runs with electric energy stored in batteries. These batteries generate heat when they are charged and electricity is discharged therefrom (hereinafter, referred to as “when the vehicle runs”). To cope with this, batteries have to forcibly be cooled when they are charged and the vehicle runs, and as a technology of this type, the “Battery Ventilating Device for Electric Vehicle” is proposed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. HEI 10-121960. In this proposed device, an intake port and exhaust ports are provided in a battery box, and blower fans are mounted in the exhaust ports, whereby when operated, the blower fans take in outside air from the intake port and battery cells are forcibly cooled with air so taken in.
In general electric vehicles, an auxiliary battery is provided (for supplying electricity to various lamps fitted thereon), and therefore a system is adopted in such electric vehicles in which electricity is supplied from power batteries (battery cells
1
) to that auxiliary battery via a downverter.
In addition, a battery charger should normally be equipped on the vehicle for supplying electricity from a commercial power source to the power batteries.
In other words, general electric vehicles are equipped with a downverter and a battery charger as well as power batteries, and the downverter and battery charger themselves also generate heat when in use.
FIGS. 13A
,
13
B show typical examples of conventional cooling structures for an electric vehicle.
In the example shown in
FIG. 13A
, an intake duct
102
is provided rightward of a battery box
101
and exhaust ducts
103
,
103
are provided leftward of the same box
101
. Blowers
104
,
104
are disposed at respective predetermined positions along the exhaust ducts
103
,
103
. A downverter
105
and a battery charger
106
are disposed in the intake duct
102
. The downverter
105
and the battery charger
106
are forcibly cooled with air taken from the outside, and thereafter batteries
107
. . . (hereinafter, the dots, . . . , means plurality) are cooled.
In the example shown in
FIG. 13B
, the intake duct
102
is provided rightward of the battery box
101
and the exhaust ducts
103
,
103
are provided leftward of the same box
101
. A forced draft fan
108
, the downverter
105
and the battery charger
106
are disposed in the intake port
102
. The downverter
105
and the battery charger
106
are first cooled with air forced in by the forced draft fan
108
and thereafter the batteries
107
. . . are cooled.
The example shown in
FIG. 13A
is characterized in that the necessity of blowers
104
,
104
for exclusive use for the downverter
105
and the battery charger
106
can be excluded by forcibly cooling the downverter
105
and the battery charger
106
by the blowers
104
,
104
for cooling the batteries
107
. . . However, this increases the overall length La of the battery box
101
, and therefore the example is not suitable for a small electric vehicle.
Similarly, with the example shown in
FIG. 13B
, the overall length of the battery box
101
is increased, and therefore the example is also not suitable for a small electric vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a cooling structure for an electric vehicle that is short in length.
A cooling structure for an electric vehicle includes a battery box provided with at least one battery, a blower fan supplying air to cool the batteries, a wind box disposed on the battery box and provided with at least one electric component to be cooled. The wind box is formed with an air passage having a substantially U-shape when viewed from the top, on which the electric component is disposed. The wind box includes an air inlet connected to the blower fan and an air outlet communicating with one end of the battery box, so that the air from the blower fan is supplied to the battery box via the wind box.
The overall length of the cooling structure of an electric vehicle can be reduced by overlaying the wind box on the battery box. At least one electric component is disposed in the wind box for forcible cooling.
The overall length of the wind box is reduced by forming the substantially U-shaped air passage as viewed from the top within the wind box, and an air inlet and an air outlet are provided at substantially the same positions within the wind box, so that the cooling of the battery box is started in the vicinity of the blower fan. Accordingly, although the overall length is short, the electric component and the batteries can effectively be cooled.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5390754 (1995-02-01), Masuyama et al.
patent: 5392873 (1995-02-01), Masuyama et al.
patent: 5534364 (1996-07-01), Watanaabe et al.
patent: 6085854 (2000-07-01), Nishkawa
patent: 6-344950 (1994-12-01), None
patent: 7-212903 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 10-121960 (1998-05-01), None

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