Cooling Structure For Secondary Battery

• US 20070292752A1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Takenori
• Granted Patent: US 7,678,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• 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 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6561 Gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/663 the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

The cooling structure for a secondary battery has a first center exhaust duct and a second center exhaust duct arranged on a floor between the driver seat and the front passenger seat. Each exhaust duct is located between the bottommost face of the first battery pack and the vehicle floor to constitute a heat insulation layer. By employing this configuration, there can be provided a cooling structure for a secondary battery that is not affected by heat from an exhaust pipe located under the floor, even in the case where a battery pack is arranged between the driver seat and the front passenger seat.

Claims

1. A cooling structure for a secondary battery adapted to cool a secondary battery in a battery pack by cooling air drawn in from a cabin of a vehicle, and discharge the air into said cabin via an exhaust duct, wherein

said battery pack is arranged between a driver seat and a front passenger seat, and

said exhaust duct is provided to be led out from a front side of said battery pack to descend towards a floor side, and extend towards a rear side of the vehicle between said driver seat and said front passenger seat, running between a bottommost face of said battery pack and the floor of said vehicle.

2. The cooling structure for a secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein

a cooling fan is attached to said exhaust duct at a region where the exhaust duct is led out from the front side of said battery pack, and

a direction of exhaust flow output from said cooling fan crosses an extending direction of said exhaust duct at an angle greater than 90 degrees.

3. The cooling structure for a secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein

said battery pack comprises a first battery pack including a first battery assembly, and a second battery pack disposed above the first battery pack and including a second battery assembly,

a first exhaust duct is connected to said first battery pack located at a lower side,

a second exhaust duct is connected to said second battery pack located at an upper side,

a first cooling fan is attached to said first exhaust duct at a region where said first exhaust duct is led out from the front side of said first battery pack,

a direction of exhaust flow output from said first cooling fan crosses an extending direction of said exhaust duct at an angle greater than 90 degrees,

a second cooling fan is attached to said second exhaust duct at a region where said second exhaust duct is led out from the front side of said second battery pack, and

a direction of exhaust flow output from said second cooling fan is substantially parallel to an extending direction of said second exhaust duct.

4. A cooling structure for a secondary battery having a battery pack loaded between a driver seat and a front passenger seat, adapted to cool a secondary battery in the battery pack by cooling air, and discharge the cooling air via an exhaust duct provided below the seat, wherein

said battery pack is arranged above a floor of a vehicle, and

said exhaust duct is provided to be led out from a side face of said battery pack, with respect to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, to descend towards a floor side, and run between a bottommost face of said battery pack and the floor of said vehicle.