Temperature management apparatus and power supply

• US 7,647,788 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Yusai, Okuda, Jun, Aoyama, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): JIANG, CHEN WEN
• Application Number:
  US11/366,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20060196954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 622/39, 622/44, 622/592, 165/42, 429/62, 429/120
• US Class Current: 62/259.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/246 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• 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 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A temperature management apparatus for managing the temperature of cells 11, which includes an air intake duct 1, a fan unit 3, a first temperature detector (temperature sensors 25, a temperature detecting part 23) for detecting temperature Tb of the cells 11, a second temperature detector (a temperature sensor 26, a temperature detecting part 23) for detecting ambient temperature Ta, and a control device 20. The fan unit 3 has a fan 4 and a motor 5. The control device 20 has a storage part 22 and a deciding part 21. The storage part 22 stores a cooling-necessitating temperature Tc and a heating-necessitating temperature Th. The deciding part 21 directs the fan unit 3 to drive the fan 4 in a case where the temperature Tb of the cells becomes equal to or higher than both the temperature Ta of the air and the cooling-necessitating temperature Tc, or in a case where the temperature Tb of the cells becomes equal to or lower than both the temperature Ta of the air and the heating-necessitating temperature Th.

Claims

1. A temperature management apparatus for managing temperature of a battery housed in a battery case to be mounted on a vehicle, the temperature management apparatus comprising:

an air channel for communicating the interior/exterior of the vehicle and the interior of the battery case, an air feeder for feeding air into the battery case through the air channel, a first temperature detector for detecting a temperature Tb of the battery, a second temperature detector for detecting a temperature Ta of the air passing through the air channel, and a control device,

the air feeder has a fan and a motor for driving the fan,

the control device has a storage part and a deciding part,

the storage part stores a lower limit Tc of temperature at which the battery needs cooling, and an upper limit Th of temperature at which the battery needs heating,

the deciding part directs the air feeder to drive the fan when the temperature Tb of the battery becomes equal to or higher than both the temperature Ta of the air and the lower limit Tc, or when the temperature Tb of the battery becomes equal to or lower than both the temperature Ta of the air and the upper limit Th, wherein the deciding part generates a fan speed direction signal based on a difference between the temperature Tb of the battery and the temperature Ta of the air and wherein the deciding part adapts the difference between the temperature Tb and the temperature Ta to a fan speed map indicative of the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature Tb of the battery for several differences to generate a fan speed direction signal for optimizing cooling effect of the battery, wherein the fan speed map is set to generate a fan speed direction signal for driving the fan at lower fan speeds to suppress noise and power consumption when the difference between the temperature Tb of the battery and the temperature Ta of the air is equal to or higher than a threshold value and the temperature Tb of the battery is within a predetermined temperature range.

2. The temperature management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery comprises a plurality of cells,

the first temperature detector detects temperatures of at least two cells that have been selected from the plural cells, and

the deciding part takes the highest temperature Tb_max of the cells and the lowest temperature Tb_min of the cells from temperatures detected by the first temperature detector, and directs the air feeder to drive the fan when the highest temperature Tb_max of the cells becomes equal to or higher than both the temperature Ta of the air and the lower limit Tc, or when the lowest temperature Tb_min of the cells becomes equal to or lower than both the temperature Ta of the air and the upper limit Th.

3. A power supply comprising a battery to be mounted on a vehicle and a temperature management apparatus for managing temperature of the battery, wherein

the battery is housed in a battery case,

the temperature management apparatus comprises an air channel for communicating the interior/exterior of the vehicle and the interior of the battery case, an air feeder for feeding air into the battery case through the air channel, a first temperature detector for detecting a temperature Tb of the battery, a second temperature detector for detecting a temperature Ta of the air passing through the air channel, and a control device,

the air feeder has a fan and a motor for driving the fan,

the control device has a storage part and a deciding part,

the storage part stores a lower limit Tc of temperature at which the battery needs cooling, and an upper limit Th of temperature at which the battery needs heating, and

the deciding part directs the air feeder to drive the fan when the temperature Tb of the battery becomes equal to or higher than both the temperature Ta of the air and the lower limit Tc, or when the temperature Tb of the battery becomes equal to or lower than both the temperature Ta of the air and the upper limit Th,

wherein the deciding part generates a fan speed direction signal based on a difference between the temperature Tb of the battery and the temperature Ta of the air wherein the deciding part adapts the difference between the temperature Tb and the temperature Ta to a fan speed map indicative of the relationship between the fan speed and the temperature Tb of the battery for several differences to generate a fan speed direction signal for optimizing cooling effect of the battery, wherein the fan speed map is set to generate a fan speed direction signal for driving the fan at lower fan speeds to suppress noise and power consumption when the difference between the temperature Tb of the battery and the temperature Ta of the air is equal to or higher than a threshold value and the temperature Tb of the battery is within a predetermined temperature range.

4. The power supply according to claim 3, wherein

the battery comprises a plurality of cells,

the first temperature detector detects temperatures of at least two cells that have been selected from the plural cells, and

the deciding part takes the highest temperature Tb_max of the cells and the lowest temperature Tb_min of the cells from temperatures detected by the first temperature detector, and directs the air feeder to drive the fan when the highest temperature Tb_max of the cells becomes equal to or higher than both the temperature Ta of the air and the lower limit Tc, when the lowest temperature Tb_min of the cells becomes equal to or lower than both the temperature Ta of the air and the upper limit Th.