Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Cell or battery charger structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-10
2001-04-03
Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Cell or battery charger structure
C429S099000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211645
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an end plate employed in a battery power source device used as a motor drive source or the like for an electrically powered automobile, and to a cooling device that cools this battery power source device by air cooling.
2. Description of Related Art
In a known type of battery power source of this kind, a large number of battery modules are constituted by being connecting electrically and mechanically in series a row consisting of a plurality of single cells are arranged in parallel and held in a holder casing. High voltage power is extracted by connecting these battery modules electrically in series.
The present inventors developed a battery power source device wherein a large number of battery modules are arranged in parallel in a holder casing comprising a main casing body and two end plates, with a series electrical connection between the battery modules being achieved by holding ends of the battery modules in holding apertures provided in the end plates and locking the ends of the battery modules to a metal bus bar arranged on the outside face of the end plates.
However, with this prior example, since the end plates and bus bar were separate, there were the problems that deficiencies occurred in regard to the holding strength and rigidity of the battery modules and the operation of assembling the battery modules in the holder casing was complicated. There was also the problem of wrong insertion if the plus electrode and minus electrode of the battery modules were wrongly assembled in the holder casing and the problem of twisting between the single cells being produced on locking the battery modules to the bus bar.
Also, in a battery power source unit as described above, there was the serious problem of how to restrain the rise in temperature produced by evolution of heat from the battery modules tightly packed in the holder casing.
Furthermore, since nickel-hydrogen secondary cells were employed as the cells of a battery power source device of this type, and, under abnormal conditions, leakage of hydrogen from the cell cans may occur, safe measures for dealing with such hydrogen leakage posed a serious challenge.
Also, an arrangement is known in which high voltage power is supplied in an electrically powered automobile by mounting therein battery power source assemblies comprising a pair of battery power source devices electrically connected in series. However, in this case, efficient cooling of the battery power source devices presented a serious problem.
In order to suppress rising temperature brought about by evolution of heat from the batteries in the above battery power source device, the inventors modified the design of the holder casing and developed a cooling device having an air flow guide such as to make a suitable amount of cooling air flow along the battery modules.
However, with this prior example, not only was it difficult to suitably distribute the flow of air in regard to the battery modules but also it was difficult to effect uniform cooling between the single cells connected in series to constitute the individual battery modules. Specifically, the air flowing along the battery modules rises in temperature due to the heat received from the single cells whilst it is flowing from the upstream side to the downstream side, causing its cooling effect to gradually diminish. Thus it was extremely difficult to compensate for this by individually controlling the air flow rate and air flow speed for each individual battery module in order to achieve uniform cooling of the individual unit cells from the upstream side to the downstream side.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is therefore to provide a battery power source device and end plates used therein whereby the above problems of the prior examples are eliminated and voltage detection of the battery modules and/or detection of abnormal temperature rise of the single cells can be performed in a convenient manner with a simple construction.
Further, an object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior examples and to provide safety measures in respect of hydrogen leakage and a cooling device of a comparatively simple structure whereby cooling of a battery power source assembly comprising a pair of battery power source devices can be achieved in an efficient manner.
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention consists in a battery power source device wherein a large number of battery modules consisting of a row of a plurality of single cells connected electrically and mechanically in series are arranged parallel to each other and held in a holder casing, bus bars being provided that effect electrical connection between the terminals of battery modules at respective end plates positioned at both ends of this holder casing wherein the end plates are constituted of resin plates and the bus bars are fixed to the end plates by insertion molding.
Thanks to the above construction, with a battery power source device according to the present invention, since the bus bars are integrally assembled in the end plates, the supporting strength and rigidity of the battery modules can be greatly increased and the battery modules can be coupled to the bus bars merely by the operation of locking the bolts etc. As a result, the operation of assembling the battery modules with the holder casing can be performed simply and easily.
Conveniently, according to the invention, the single cells are nickel-hydrogen secondary cells, and all of the battery modules that are arranged in the holder casing are, as a whole, electrically connected in series by being alternately connected by a bus bar of one end plate and a bus bar of the other end plate, and, furthermore, the battery modules are held in the holder casing arranged horizontally in matrix fashion on respective vertical and transverse straight lines.
In a battery power source device according to the invention, a construction may be adopted whereby leads for measuring the voltages across the terminals of single ones or a plurality of battery modules are embedded by insertion molding in an end plate, and fuses are arranged on the leads for measuring the voltages across the terminals, the fuses being mounted on fuse mounting elements fixed by insertion molding in an end plate, and the leads are collected at a single location and are extracted from the end plate to the outside; further, of the two end plates, the leads are embedded by insertion molding in only one end plate, each lead being connected to each bus bar, it being thereby arranged that the voltage of the terminals of two battery modules can be measured.
By means of such a construction, a voltage detection device for battery modules can be provided that is of straightforward construction and in which the leads for measuring the voltages across the terminals of single ones or a plurality of battery modules are incorporated in the end plates and are therefore convenient to handle and there is no possibility of mis-wiring. Furthermore safety in respect of short-circuiting can be improved by means of the fuses.
In a battery power source device according to the present invention, a construction may be adopted whereby temperature sensors whose electrical resistance increases abruptly on rise in temperature of the single cells are mounted from outside, these temperature sensors being connected in series, whereby abnormal rise in temperature is detected in at least battery module units; also, holding elements that hold the ends of connecting wires that connect the temperature sensors in series are fixed in an end plate by insertion molding; abnormality of temperature rise is detected in units of a plurality of battery modules by providing connecting wires at units of battery modules and electrically connecting in series holding elements that hold the ends of these; connecting elements that effect series electrical connection between holding elements are fixed to an end plat
Etoh Toyohiko
Fukao Yasuyoshi
Inui Kiwamu
Kakino Manabu
Kanamaru Kunio
Luk Lawrence
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Price and Gess
Wong Peter S.
LandOfFree
End plate incorporated in battery power source unit, and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with End plate incorporated in battery power source unit, and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and End plate incorporated in battery power source unit, and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2440455