ASSEMBLED BATTERY SYSTEM

• US 20110206968A1
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimizu, Masao, Nishimura, Katsunori, Yoshida, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,652,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The assembled battery system according to the present invention includes at least two non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cells, each including a positive electrode that occludes and emits lithium ions, a negative electrode that occludes and emits lithium ions, and a non-aqueous electrolyte comprising an electrolyte dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent, all received in a parallelepiped cell case. These cells are arranged so that each larger area side of an adjacent pair of the parallelepiped cell case faces in parallel one another. A cooling member with a cooling medium flow conduit is provided between each opposing pair of larger area cell case sides, and cooling medium flowing in this conduit directly contacts the sides of the parallelopiped cell cases that define the two opposite sides of the cooling conduit.

Claims

1. An assembled battery system comprising at least two non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cells, each of which secondary cells is installed in a parallelepiped cell case and comprises a positive electrode that occludes and emits lithium ions, a negative electrode that occludes and emits lithium ions, and a non-aqueous electrolyte comprising an electrolyte dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent, wherein:

the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cells are arranged so that each larger area side of an adjacent pair of the parallelepiped cell case faces in parallel one another,;

a cooling member is provided between the adjacent pair of the parallelepiped cell case; and

the cooling member comprises an opening portion and an isolating wall, which define a cooling medium flow conduit between two larger area sides of the adjacent pair of the parallelepiped cell case.

2. An assembled battery system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling member has a cooling medium supply inlet and a cooling medium exit outlet, and the opening portion is communicated with the supply inlet and the exit outlet.

3. An assembled battery system according to claim 2, wherein the supply inlet and the exit outlet are formed on one side of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell, with the supply inlet being provided more towards the center of the cooling member than the exit outlet, and the flow conduit pursuing a path from the supply inlet through the central portion of the cooling member to the peripheral portion thereof, finally arriving at the exit outlet.

4. An assembled battery system according to claim 2, wherein a sealing member is provided along a surface of the isolation wall that opposes a side surface of an adjacent non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell, and the cooling member and the adjacent non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell are sealed together by the sealing member.

5. An assembled battery system according to claim 3, wherein a sealing member is provided along a surface of the isolation wall that opposes a side surface of an adjacent non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell, and the cooling member and the adjacent non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell are sealed together by the sealing member.

6. An assembled battery system according to claim 4, wherein:

an end portion of a supply pipe connected to the supply inlet and an end portion of an ejection pipe connected to the exit outlet are linked into a loop by a circulation pipe, and a cooling medium circulation device and a heat exchange device are installed in the circulation pipe; and

the cooling medium is supplied from the circulation pipe into the supply pipe, and is discharged from the ejection pipe into the circulation pipe.

7. An assembled battery system according to claim 5, wherein:

an end portion of a supply pipe connected to the supply inlet and an end portion of an ejection pipe connected to the exit outlet are linked into a loop by a circulation pipe, and a cooling medium circulation device and a heat exchange device are installed in the circulation pipe; and

the cooling medium is supplied from the circulation pipe into the supply pipe, and is discharged from the ejection pipe into the circulation pipe.

8. An assembled battery system according to claim 6, wherein the cooling medium is a mixture of a glycol type substance and water, or is a fire-retardant cooling medium that is a mixture of one or more of a phosphoric acid ester substance, a phosphorous acid ester substance, or a fatty acid ester substance, or a mixture of one or more of these with mineral oil.

9. An assembled battery system according to claim 7, wherein the cooling medium is a mixture of a glycol type substance and water, or is a fire-retardant cooling medium that is a mixture of one or more of a phosphoric acid ester substance, a phosphorous acid ester substance, or a fatty acid ester substance, or a mixture of one or more of these with mineral oil.