Battery power source device

• US 20040061480A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Battery Industrial Company, Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Kenji, Uemoto, Seiichi, Fujii, Takabumi
• Granted Patent: US 6,781,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/150
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/633 characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/643 Cylindrical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 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 Class Codes: H01M 6/50 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance, e.g. for maintaining operating temperature constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5038 Heating or cooling of cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery power source device is provided for supplying high electric power used for a drive power source for a vehicle. The battery power source device includes a battery box for storing a plurality of batteries arranged in a connected state in a battery storage room, an inlet opening for introducing a temperature control medium into the battery storage room, an outlet opening for discharging the medium from the battery storage room to the outside, a medium circulation passage for leading the medium discharged from the outlet opening to the inlet opening for feeding into the battery storage room again, and a medium transport device for forcing the medium flow.

Claims

1. A battery power source device comprising:

a battery box for storing a plurality of batteries arranged in a connected state in a battery storage room;

an inlet opening for introducing a temperature control medium into said battery storage room;

an outlet opening for discharging said medium from said battery storage room to the outside;

a medium circulation passage for leading said medium discharged from said outlet opening to said inlet opening to feed into said battery storage room; and

a medium transport device for forcing said medium flow.

2. The battery power source device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selector valve mechanism for switching so as to selectively lead the temperature control medium discharged from the outlet opening either to an external outlet passage or the medium circulation passage; and

a controller for controlling to switch the selector valve mechanism.

3. The battery power source device according to claim 2, wherein the controller includes a function for controlling to switch the medium transport device so as to reverse the flow direction of the medium.

4. The battery power source device according to claim 3, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of a predetermined battery in the battery storage room, or a temperature of the medium at a predetermined point in the battery storage room, wherein

the controller controls to switch the medium transport device in accordance with the temperature detected by said temperature sensor.

5. The battery power source device according to claim 2, further comprising another selector valve mechanism for switching so as to selectively lead either the temperature control medium introduced from an inlet passage, or the medium introduced from the medium circulation passage into the battery storage room, wherein

the controller controls to switch the two selector valve mechanisms in conjunction with each other.