Cooling Structure For Batteries and Electrical Units

• US 20080251246A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: HASEGAWA, Koichi, OHKUMA, Kanae
• Granted Patent: US 9,054,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/287
• 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: B60K 2001/0433 Arrangement under the rear seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/60 Heating or cooling; Temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/633 characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/65 Means for temperature control structurally associated with 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A cooling structure for batteries and electrical units, that cools the batteries being driving sources of a motor mounted in a vehicle capable of traveling by a driving force of the motor and electrical units for driving the motor, the cooling structure including: a plurality of battery boxes that each contain one of the batteries; cooling passages that are each formed in each of the battery boxes, through which cooling air flows; a merging part where downstream ends of the cooling passages of the battery boxes are merged with each other; and cooling portions of the electrical units, that are provided on a downstream side of the merging part, wherein the electrical units are disposed on a downstream side of the battery boxes.

Claims

1. A cooling structure for batteries and electrical units, that cools the batteries being driving sources of a motor mounted in a vehicle capable of traveling by a driving force of the motor and electrical units for driving the motor, the cooling structure comprising:

a plurality of battery boxes that each contain one of the batteries;

cooling passages that are each formed in each of the battery boxes, through which cooling air flows;

a merging part where downstream ends of the cooling passages of the battery boxes are merged with each other; and

cooling portions of the electrical units, that are provided on a downstream side of the merging part, wherein

the electrical units are disposed on a downstream side of the battery boxes.

2. The cooling structure for batteries and electrical units according to claim 1, further comprising cooling fans that are provided in the vicinity of the merging part.

3. The cooling structure for batteries and electrical units according to claim 2, wherein each of the cooling passages formed in the battery boxes is provided with one of the cooling fans.

4. The cooling structure for batteries and electrical units according to claim 3, wherein:

each of the batteries and the electrical units is provided with a temperature detector;

each of the temperature detectors detects temperature of each of the batteries and the electrical units;

when the temperature of at least one of the batteries and the electrical units exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the cooling fans are driven; and

when the temperature of at least one of the electrical units exceeds a predetermined threshold value for that electrical unit, the cooling fans cool the electrical units while controlling the cooling fans so that the temperature difference between the batteries is within a predetermined range.