Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Torahiko Sasaki

Kyoichi Tange

Yoshihiro Suzuki

Toshiyuki Kawai

Hidetoshi Kato

Daisuke Makino

Mitsunobu Uchida

Masahiro Okawa

Kazuo Sato

Makoto Imai

Hatsuo Nakao

Hideki Tojima

Tadakazu Harada

Jiro Tsuchiya

Masato Kubota

Tomoaki Mitsunaga

Masahiro Ohkawa

A semiconductor module is disclosed that includes a semiconductor element, a capacitor configured to be electrically connected to the semiconductor element and a heat sink, wherein the semiconductor and the capacitor are stacked with each other via the heat sink, and wherein the semiconductor element is disposed in a position overlapping with the capacitor as viewed from a stack direction.

Semiconductor module

A battery condition detecting method is provided which includes the steps of setting a current required during standard discharge of a battery as a set current, detecting a discharge current and a voltage of the battery, determining a battery voltage when the battery discharges the set current based on the discharge current and the voltage of die battery, and projecting an actual voltage of the battery based on the battery voltage determined.

Battery condition detection method

A battery condition detecting method is provided which includes the steps of setting a current required during standard discharge of a battery as a set current, detecting a discharge current and a voltage of the battery, determining a battery voltage when the battery discharge the set current based on the discharge current and the voltage of the battery, and projecting an actual voltage of the battery based on the battery-voltage determined.

The voltage and current of a main battery used to drive a motor of an electric car is detected by a voltmeter and ammeter. The V-I characteristic is detected by a V-I characteristic computing means by reading the voltage and current when the battery current is equal to or greater than 0.75 C and is increasing (high load state). The relation between the two is stored, and from the actually measured V-I characteristic and the stored relation, the residual capacity of the battery is computed. The SOC is also determined by a SOC computing means 20 according to the power integration method, and the degree of deterioration of the battery is computed from this SOC and the residual capacity. By correcting the full charge capacity from the power integration method based on this degree of deterioration in order to compute the SOC, errors arising in the power integration method are prevented and measurement precision is improved.

Residual capacity meter for electric car battery

Disclosed is a solution circulation type metal-halogen battery in which an electrolyte is circulated between a reaction tank and an electrolyte storage tank. This battery has a first group of rectifying plates and a second group of rectifying plates aligned in a row, respectively, so as to partition between the inlet of the electrolyte and the reaction tank and between the outlet thereof and the reaction tank, respectively. These first and second groups of rectifying plates are formed in such a manner that the interval between the respective rectifying plates increases in accordance with a predetermined functional equation in the direction of moving away from the inlet or outlet side of the electrolyte. This apparatus equalizes the flow rate and velocity of the electrolyte flowing through the reaction tank, thereby preventing the occurrence of an overvoltage or a faulty deposition of metal resulting from the non-uniform flow of the electrolyte.

Solution circulation type metal-halogen battery

A zinc-bromine battery is disclosed which includes anode and cathode reaction tanks separated from each other by a separator membrane for preventing self-discharge, and an electrolyte storage tank for storing an electrolyte with a bromine complexing agent added thereto. Catholyte and anolyte are circulated between the cathode reaction tank and the anode reaction tank, respectively, and the electrolyte storage tank. A perforated membrane which allows an electrolyte to permeate through it but which impedes the permeation of a bromine complex compound is provided within the electrolyte storage tank so as to separate the tank into an electrolyte mixing chamber into which both catholyte and anolyte flow and an electrolyte supply chamber which resupplies the mixed electrode as the catholyte and the anolyte. When the catholyte and anolyte are mixed with each other in the electrolyte storage tank, the zinc ion concentration is equalized as between the catholyte, so that the zinc ions contained in the electrolyte are effectively utilized during charge, thereby improving the charging capacity and efficiency.

Zinc-bromine battery

A zinc-bromine battery is disclosed which includes anode and cathode reaction tanks separated from each other by a separator membrane for preventing self-discharge, and an electrolyte storage tank storing an electrolyte with a bromine complexing agent added thereto. Catholytes and anolytes are circulated between the cathode reaction tank and the anode reaction tank, respectively, and the electrolyte storage tank. The bromine produced in the catholyte is complexed by a complexing agent and is stored. A first connection pipe and a second connection pipe are provided for the purpose of forcibly mixing part of the anolyte and catholyte with each other therethrough. The first connection pipe receives part of the catholyte which has flowed from the cathode reaction tank to the catholyte storage tank from a position which is remote from an inlet for the catholyte, and supplies it to the anolyte storage tank. The second connection pipe, on the other hand, supplies part of the anolyte to the catholyte.

Growing community of inventors

Mishima, Japan

Torahiko Sasaki