Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Hirata Corporation

Nihon Den-netsu Keiki Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaihsa

Yoshiyuki Nakamura

Masayuki Furutani

Masaki Okamura

Shinji Hamada

Toyohiko Eto

Shuji Tomura

Takaji Umeno

Masanori Ishigaki

Masahiro Takada

Tomohiro Matsuura

Daigo Nobe

Kazuo Tojima

Tomoyuki Kubota

Katsunori Komori

Yoshihide Nii

Ryoji Oki

Masanari Matsuura

Masaya Tsuruta

Masahiro Koizumi

Koji Otsubo

Kohsuke Suzui

The power supply system includes a first DC power source, a second DC power source, and a power converter having a plurality of switching elements and reactors. The power converter is configured to be switchable, by the control of the plurality of switching elements, between a parallel connection mode in which DC voltage conversion is executed with the DC power sources connected in parallel with a power line and a series connection mode in which DC voltage conversion is executed with the DC power sources connected in series with the power line. Each of the switching elements is arranged to be included both in a power conversion path between the first DC power source and the power line PL and a power conversion path between the second DC power source and the power line.

DC-DC converter comprising DC power sources to be connected in parallel or in series

A secondary battery includes: a battery module including an electrolyte layer in a form of a plate, a positive electrode disposed on a first main surface of the electrolyte layer and containing a positive electrode active material, and a negative electrode disposed on a second main surface of the electrolyte layer and containing a negative electrode active material; and a conductive layer provided between battery modules, the secondary battery having more than one battery module and more than one conductive layer stacked in layers, wherein the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material are set in concentration in accordance with a temperature distribution in the secondary battery.

Secondary battery

An electrode for a power storing apparatus has a collector and a plurality of electrode patterns formed on at least one surface of the collector. An electrode pattern in a region where heat is radiated less than in other region, from among the plurality of electrode patterns, has a lower formation density than an electrode pattern in the other region.

Electrode for a power storing apparatus and power storing apparatus provided with that electrode

An electrode is used for an electric storage device that includes plural electrodes that are stacked such that an ion-conductive layer is disposed between each pair of the electrodes. Each of the plural electrodes includes a current collector, and an electrode layer, formed on the current collector, which contains an active material. The configuration of the electrode layer (for example, the amount of the active material) varies according to the position in the electrode layer such that a current density in a first region of the electrode, where heat radiation performance is lower than the heat radiation performance in a second region of the electrode, is lower than the current density in the second region of the electrode.

Electrode storage device

The battery pack of the present invention includes a bipolar secondary battery used as a power source of a vehicle, and a cooling passage allowing flow of a cooling medium. The cooling passage is integrated with a casing. The cooling passage includes an inlet passage provided along that one of a plurality of battery modules which is positioned at one end of the plurality of battery modules for introducing the cooling medium from an input port, an outlet passage provided along that one of the plurality of battery modules which is positioned at the other end of the plurality of battery modules for discharging the cooling medium from an outlet port, and a direction changing portion provided between the inlet passage and the outlet passage changing the flow direction of cooling medium coming from the inlet passage and passing the cooling medium to the outlet passage. According to the present invention, the cooling medium is discharged to the same side as the introducing side. Specifically, the direction of cooling medium flowing in the inlet passage is opposite to the direction of cooling medium flowing in the outlet passage. As the cooling medium is caused to flow in this manner (a so-called counter flow method), temperature distribution in bipolar secondary battery can be made uniform.

Battery pack and vehicle

A power storage apparatus has a power storage element including an electrolyte layer and a plurality of electrode elements stacked with the electrolyte layer interposed between them, and a case accommodating the power storage element and a heat exchange medium for use in heat exchange with the power storage element. The power storage element has an opening portion passing through the power storage element and extending from one end face to the other end face of the power storage element in a stacking direction. A top-face portion of the case located above the power storage element includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the stacking direction in the power storage element.

Power storage apparatus

Electrode for electric storage device and electric storage device

In a stacked battery including a plurality of electrolyte layers having substantially the same resistance value, an uneven temperature distribution during charge and discharge changes the resistance values of solid electrolyte layers to cause variations in output among a plurality of unit cells in a stacking direction. A power storage device includes a plurality of electrolyte layers which are stacked with an electrode element interposed between them, wherein the plurality of electrolyte layers include an electrolyte layer provided at a first position in a stacking direction and an electrolyte layer provided at a second position different from the first position, heat radiation being lower at the second position than at the first position, and the electrolyte layer at the second position has a resistance value higher than that of the electrolyte layer at the first position.

Power storage device with different electrolyte layers in stack

A power supply device in which a plurality of power supplying bodies are stacked is provided with a plurality of holes that extend from one end side to the other end side in the stacking direction of the power supply device and through which coolant flows. The power supply device is also provided with a guide portion that leads coolant that has passed through a first hole which is provided in a first region of the power supply device into a second hole which is provided in a second region of the power supply device which radiates heat better than the first region does.

Power storage device

A secondary battery includes collector electrodes, a contact area of the collector electrode in contact with a cathode or a anode, a terminal portion formed in the collector electrode and not in contact with the cathode or anode, and a connecting portion to which a conductive member is connected. As compared with cross-sectional area of the terminal portion forming a first current path between the connecting portion and a first portion of the contact area closest to the connecting portion in the contact area, cross-sectional area of a terminal portion forming a second current path between the connecting portion and a second portion positioned in a region of the periphery of the contact area and extending along the terminal portion, of which length to the connection portion is longer than path length of said current path, is made larger.

Secondary battery cell, stacked secondary battery and battery assembly

A power storage device includes: an electrolyte layer; and an electrode consisted of a current collecting portion and an electrode layer, wherein the thickness of the electrolyte layer is larger at a first position in a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction than at a second position where the heat radiation is higher than at the first position, and the thickness of the current collecting portion is smaller at a position corresponding to the first position than at a position corresponding to the second position.

A power storage unit has: a plurality of power storage modules each constituted of a power generation element which in a power generation element case containing the power generation element; and a power storage unit case containing the power storage modules and an insulative liquid, wherein at least two of the power storage modules have a first valve that switches from a closed state to an open state in response to the pressure in the power generation element case increasing up to a first threshold and a second valve that switches from a closed state to an open state in response to the pressure at the outside of the power generation element case increasing up to a second threshold.

Power storage unit that effectively controls pressure and vehicle

In an assembled battery used as a power source of a vehicle, a negative electrode collector plate and a positive electrode collector plate are arranged at every two bipolar secondary batteries adjacent in a stacking direction among a plurality of bipolar electrodes. The negative electrode collector plate and the positive electrode collector plate also function as heat radiating members, as a cooling medium is caused to flow therein. It becomes unnecessary to connect a cooling tab to the positive electrode collector plate (or the negative electrode collector plate) to cool the assembled battery and, therefore, no portion protrudes from the positive electrode collector plate (or the negative electrode collector plate) of the assembled battery. Thus, the inside of assembled battery can be cooled while reducing the size of the assembled battery.

Assembled battery and vehicle

In a pre-replacement process, a replacement battery module is provided with a memory effect before being dispatched, by performing at least one of the process of performing a cyclic charge/discharge operation on the replacement battery module while limiting the width of SOC change to an intermediate range, and the process of setting an initial SOC and then letting the replacement battery module stand for a predetermined time in an environment of temperature above normal temperature. This pre-replacement process substantially eliminates the difference between the voltage characteristic of the replacement battery module yet to be used and the voltage characteristic of a battery module having a history of use, thereby achieving a uniform voltage characteristic of a battery pack as a whole.

Secondary cell replacing method

An electrical storage device has a solid electrolyte layer; and electrode assemblies stacked with the solid electrolyte layer interposed therebetween and each having a current collector on which a plurality of electrode parts are formed. A part of the solid electrolyte layer is located between successive electrode parts in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction on at least one of successive electrode assemblies in the stacking direction.

Growing community of inventors

Nishikamo-gun, Japan

Yoshiyuki Nakamura