Cooling device of onboard secondary battery

• US 10,000,138 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dolak, James M
• Application Number:
  US15/171,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20160362018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/06 with air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A cooling device of an onboard secondary battery, includes a housing that is provided in a vehicle, and houses a battery pack including a secondary battery and a case that covers the secondary battery, a blower that blows an air at an outside of the vehicle into the housing, a temperature determiner that determines whether or not an air temperature of the outside of the vehicle is lower than a temperature of the secondary battery, and a blow controller that drives the blower, when the temperature determiner determines that the air temperature of the outside of the vehicle is lower than the temperature of the secondary battery.

Claims

1. A cooling device, comprising:

a housing in a vehicle, wherein the housing includes a battery pack, and wherein the battery pack includes a secondary battery that has a first voltage and a case that covers the secondary battery;

a blower that blows air from outside of the vehicle into the housing;

a temperature determiner that determines that an air temperature outside the vehicle is lower than a temperature of the secondary battery;

a blow controller that drives the blower based on the determination that the air temperature outside the vehicle is lower than the temperature of the secondary battery; and

an electricity supply source that has a second voltage lower than the first voltage, wherein the electricity supply source receives a supply of electricity from the secondary battery in a state in which the blower is driven by the electricity supply source at a time of parking of the vehicle.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein

the blow controller controls a driving of the blower, in a state in which the secondary battery is chargeable by a power supply outside the vehicle.

3. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein

the secondary battery is a supply source of the first voltage, and

the blower blows the air from the outside of the vehicle into the housing, based on electricity of the electricity supply source of the second voltage lower than the first voltage of the secondary battery.

4. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein

the blow controller drives the blower, when the temperature determiner determines that the air temperature of the outside of the vehicle is lower than the temperature of the secondary battery and that the temperature of the secondary battery is higher than a first temperature.

5. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein

the blow controller drives the blower, when the temperature determiner determines that the air temperature of the outside of the vehicle is lower than the temperature of the secondary battery and that the temperature of the secondary battery is higher than a first temperature.

6. The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein

the blow controller drives the blower, when the temperature determiner determines that the air temperature of the outside of the vehicle is lower than the temperature of the secondary battery and that the temperature of the secondary battery is higher than a first temperature.

7. The cooling device according to claim 1,

wherein the blow controller stops the blower after a set time for which the blower continuously blows the air into the housing.

8. The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein

the blow controller stops the blower after a set time for which the blower continuously blows the air into the housing.

9. The cooling device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a charge controller that controls a charging of the secondary battery,

wherein the charge controller starts the charging of the secondary battery, after a second time elapses from a time point at which the secondary battery becomes chargeable by the power supply outside the vehicle.

10. The cooling device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a charge controller that controls a charging of the secondary battery,

wherein the charge controller starts the charging of the secondary battery, after a second time elapses from a time point at which the secondary battery becomes chargeable by the power supply outside the vehicle.

11. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a charge controller that controls a charging of the secondary battery,

wherein the charge controller starts the charging of the secondary battery, when the temperature of the secondary battery is lower than a second temperature.

12. The cooling device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a charge controller that controls a charging of the secondary battery,

wherein the charge controller starts the charging of the secondary battery, when the temperature of the secondary battery is lower than a second temperature.

13. The cooling device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a charge controller that controls a charging of the secondary battery,

wherein the charge controller starts the charging of the secondary battery, when the temperature of the secondary battery is lower than a second temperature.

14. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a component that is positioned at a vehicle compartment side of the vehicle, and wherein the component has a heat insulation property.

15. The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein the housing further comprises a component that is positioned at a vehicle compartment side of the vehicle, and wherein the component has a heat insulation property.

16. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the secondary battery is configured to receives charge from a power supply outside the vehicle in the state in which the blower is driven.

17. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a converter that reduces the first voltage of the secondary battery before the supply of the electricity from the secondary battery to the electricity supply source.

18. The cooling device according to claim 17, wherein the secondary battery charges the electricity supply source based on the reduced first voltage.

19. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the blower is present in an opening of the housing, and wherein the blower further blows the air outside the vehicle into the housing through the opening.

20. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a valve, and wherein the valve opens based on a pressure of an inner area of the housing.