Battery cooling system for vehicle

• US 8,258,726 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakanishi, Toshiaki, Okuda, Jun, Yuno, Norihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin, Rita
• Application Number:
  US12/700,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 361/694, 361/695, 361/696, 318/139, 318/268, 318/277, 318/276, 318/275, 320/150, 320/153, 320/158, 622/39, 624/07, 622/65, 454/69, 454/70, 454/103
• US Class Current: 318/268
• 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 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A system for cooling a battery mounted on a vehicle using air within a vehicle, independently of the travelling state of the vehicle. The air within a vehicle compartment is guided to a battery mounted on a vehicle to cool the battery. A controller determines a basic fan speed v of the cooling fan based on a battery temperature and an ambient temperature. Further, the controller calculates an increment Δv of the fan speed in accordance with the vehicle speed and the degree of window opening and determines a final fan speed V according to V=v+Δv, to drive the cooling fan. By controlling the fan speed to increase, it is possible to cool the battery even when the base pressure of the inlet-side static pressure of the cooling fan becomes negative pressure compared to when the windows are closed.

Claims

1. A battery cooling system for a vehicle for cooling a battery mounted on a vehicle, the system comprising:

a cooling fan which supplies air within a vehicle compartment to the battery; and

a controller which controls a fan speed of the cooling fan, the controller changing the fan speed in accordance with an amount of change of a base pressure of an inlet-side static pressure of the cooling fan.

2. The battery cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller controls the fan speed such that, when the base pressure of the inlet-side static pressure of the cooling fan is negative pressure compared to that obtained when windows are closed, the fan speed is increased by a greater amount than when the base pressure of the inlet-side static pressure of the cooling fan is not negative pressure compared to that obtained when windows are closed.

3. The battery cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller changes the fan speed in accordance with a vehicle speed and a degree of window opening of the vehicle.

4. The battery cooling system according to claim 3, wherein

the controller controls the fan speed of the cooling fan such that as the vehicle speed is increased and as the degree of window opening is increased, the fan speed is increased.

5. The battery cooling system according to claim 3, wherein

the controller calculates the fan speed by adding an increment Δ

v of the fan speed in accordance with the vehicle speed and the degree of window opening to a basic fan speed which is determined in accordance with the battery temperature of the battery.

6. The battery cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller increases the fan speed so as to compensate for shortage of an air quantity of the cooling fan caused by an amount of change of the base pressure of the inlet-side static pressure of the cooling fan.

7. The battery cooling system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller increases the fan speed when the shortage of an air quantity of the cooling fan caused by an amount of change of the base pressure of the inlet-side static pressure of the cooling fan is compared with a threshold level and exceeds the threshold level.