Battery power supply device

• US 7,112,387 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Takaki, Watanabe, Ko, Kimoto, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Cantelmo, Gregg
• Application Number:
  US10/163,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20020187390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 429/82, 429/83, 429/87, 429/88, 429 96-100, 429/120, 429/149, 429/152, 429/153, 429/156, 429/157, 429/159, 180/68.5
• US Class Current: 429/99
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/643 Cylindrical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/652 characterised by gradients for achieving a desired temperature gradient H01M10/617
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6565 with recirculation or U-turn in the flow path, i.e. back and forth
• 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 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/30 Arrangements for facilitating escape of gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery power supply device of the present invention includes a battery pack in which a plurality of battery modules each includes a plurality of cells which are serially connected together both electrically and mechanically, the plurality of battery modules housed in a holder, and the battery power supply device is structured so that a cooling medium flows around each cell and/or each battery module; the battery back is provided with a plurality of vent holes having different aperture areas which are distributed over at least one of inlet and outlet sides of the battery pack such that a cooling medium having a substantially uniform flow rate flows around each cell and/or each battery module.

Claims

1. A battery power supply device comprising:

a case;

a battery pack including an outlet hood, the battery pack fixed in the case;

a holder in the battery pack;

a plurality of battery modules housed in the holder;

a plurality of cells within each battery module;

each cell in the plurality of cells within a respective battery module are serially connected together both electrically and mechanically;

wherein the plurality of battery modules are disposed within the holder at suitable intervals from and arranged parallel to one another, so that a cooling medium flows uniformly along each entire longitudinal surface of each battery module; and

wherein the battery pack is provided with a plurality of vent holes having different aperture areas which are distributed over at least one of inlet and outlet sides of the battery pack, wherein a vent hole at the center of the inlet or the outlet side of the battery pack has the smallest aperture area, such that the cooling medium, having a substantially uniform flow rate, flows uniformly along each entire longitudinal surface of each battery module; and

wherein the cooling medium is exhausted from the outlet hood into the case and flows through a space provided between the battery pack in the case to an outlet provided in the case so that the cooling medium is exhausted to the outside of the case.

2. A battery power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of vent holes are provided in an end plate or a plurality of end plates of the holder.

3. A battery power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery modules are disposed within the holder in a three-dimensional manner.