Patent Application
20250230880
The present invention relates to a pressure-regulating valve that regulates pressure inside an enclosure.
A pressure-regulating valve is a device for regulating pressure inside an enclosure. The enclosure is, for example, a battery pack mounted in a vehicle. Inside the battery pack, a device, such as a battery cell, is accommodated and sealed. The pressure-regulating valve is attached to the enclosure, such as the battery pack. For example, the pressure-regulating valve is placed to cover an opening formed in the enclosure. If the pressure inside the enclosure exceeds a threshold, the pressure-regulating valve works in such a manner that a fluid inside the enclosure is released outside. The pressure-regulating valve can prevent damage to the device inside the enclosure due to a pressure rise.
Several pressure-regulating valves have been proposed.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a pressure-regulating valve that includes a base part attached to an opening of an enclosure and a cover part covering the base part. To the cover part, urging force toward the base part is applied. If internal pressure exceeds a threshold, the cover part moves in a direction away from the base part. Fluid inside the enclosure is released outside via a gap between the base part and the cover part and a gap between the cover part and the enclosure.
For example, Patent Literature 2 discloses a pressure-regulating valve that includes a valve covering an opening of an enclosure and a lid covering the valve. If internal pressure exceeds a threshold, the valve moves in a direction away from the enclosure. Fluid inside the enclosure is released outside via a gap between the valve and the enclosure and a gap between the lid and the enclosure.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2020-21897
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 3682596
In the pressure-regulating valve described in Patent Literature 1, the flow of the fluid is restricted by the gap between the base part and the cover part and the gap between the cover part and the enclosure. In the pressure-regulating valve described in Patent Literature 2, the flow of the fluid is restricted by the gap between the valve and the enclosure and the gap between the lid and the enclosure.
An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure-regulating valve that can solve these problems.
The present invention provides a pressure-regulating valve for escaping a fluid inside an enclosure from an opening of the enclosure when internal pressure of the fluid rises, the pressure-regulating valve comprising:
In the pressure-regulating valve according to the present invention, the cover part may include a cover body and a shaft coupled to the cover body and extending toward the opening of the enclosure, and the base part may include a housing engaging with the shaft and a plurality of legs coupled to the housing, extending outward from the housing in a plan view, and fastened to the surface of the enclosure.
In the pressure-regulating valve according to the present invention, ends of the legs may be fastened to a protrusion protruding inward from an outer edge of the opening of the enclosure.
In the pressure-regulating valve according to the present invention, the circumferential edge of the cover part may be arranged close to the opening of the enclosure.
In the pressure-regulating valve according to the present invention, the cover part may include an end lock coupled to the shaft, and the elastic member may include an upper end in contact with the housing of the base part and a lower end in contact with the end lock of the cover part.
In the pressure-regulating valve according to the present invention, the base part may include a metal bracket forming at least a portion of the base part supporting the elastic member and a portion of the base part fixed to the surface of the enclosure, and a resin layer in contact with the metal bracket.
The present invention provides a pressure-regulating valve for escaping a fluid inside an enclosure from an opening of the enclosure when internal pressure of the fluid rises, the pressure-regulating valve comprising:
In the pressure-regulating valve according to the present invention, the case may include a metal bracket forming at least a portion of the case supporting the elastic member and a portion of the case fixed to the surface of the enclosure, and a resin layer in contact with the metal bracket.
According to the present invention, the flow rate of
a fluid released outside can be increased.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings attached to this specification, for convenience of facilitation of understanding, the scale, the ratio of lengthwise and breadthwise dimensions, and the like are changed and exaggerated from actual ones as appropriate.
If pressure inside the enclosure 100 exceeds a threshold, the pressure-regulating valve 10 works in such a manner that a fluid, such as gas, inside the enclosure 100 is released outside. The pressure inside the enclosure 100 is also referred to as internal pressure.
The pressure-regulating valve 10 will be described in detail.
Each constituent of the pressure-regulating valve 10 will be described in detail with reference to
The cover part 20 includes a circumferential edge 20e surrounding the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 in a plan view. The cover part 20 can move in a first direction D1 in accordance with the internal pressure. The first direction D1 is a normal direction of the surface 101 of the enclosure 100.
The cover part 20 includes a cover body 21 and a shaft 22. The cover body 21 includes an upper portion 211 covering the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 in a plan view and a side portion 212 expanding from the upper portion 211 toward the enclosure 100. The plan view indicates that an object is viewed along the normal direction of the surface 101 of the enclosure 100. The upper portion 211 may have a circular shape in a plan view. The side portion 212 may have a tube shape.
The shaft 22 is coupled to the cover body 21. For example, the shaft 22 is coupled to the center of the cover body 21 in a plan view. The shaft 22 extends linearly from the cover body 21 toward the opening 103.
The cover part 20 may include a flange 23. The flange 23 is, for example, coupled to the side portion 212 of the cover body 21. The flange 23 includes a first portion 231 expanding outward from the side portion 212. When the pressure-regulating valve 10 is in a closed state, the first portion 231 presses the seal part 30 against the surface 101 of the enclosure 100. “Outward” indicates a direction away from the center of the opening 103 in a planar direction of the surface 101 of the enclosure 100. “Inward” described later indicates a direction toward the center of the opening 103 in the planer direction of the surface 101 of the enclosure 100.
The flange 23 may include a second portion 232 expanding from the first portion 231 toward the enclosure 100. In this case, the first portion 231 and the second portion 232 of the flange 23 and the side portion 212 of the cover body 21 form the circumferential edge 20e surrounding the opening 103 of the enclosure 100. In the circumferential edge 20e, a space surrounded by the first portion 231, the second portion 232, and the side portion 212 of the cover body 21 may define a groove 24 where the seal part 30 is accommodated.
The cover part 20 may include an end lock 25. The end lock 25 is coupled to the shaft 22. The end lock 25 includes, for example, a side portion 251 and a lower portion 252 coupled to the lower portion 252 and positioned below the shaft 22. The side portion 251 surrounds the shaft 22 in a plan view. The side portion 251 may be fixed to the shaft 22. “Downward” indicates a direction from the cover part 20 toward the surface 101 in the first direction D1. “Upward” described later indicates a direction from the surface 101 toward the cover part 20 in the first direction D1.
The seal part 30 is positioned between the circumferential edge 20e of the cover part 20 and the surface 101 of the enclosure 100. In a closed state where the pressure-regulating valve 10 is closed, the seal part 30 is in contact with the surface 101 of the enclosure 100. The seal part 30 is, for example, a gasket. As illustrated in
The elastic member 40 urges the cover part 20 toward the enclosure 100 in the first direction D1. The elastic member 40 expands and contracts in the first direction D1 in accordance with movement of the cover part 20 in the first direction D1. The elastic member 40 is, for example, a spring. As described later, the elastic member 40 in an open state where the pressure-regulating valve 10 is open contracts in comparison with the elastic member 40 in the closed state.
The elastic member 40 includes an upper end 41 and a lower end 42. As illustrated in
The base part 50 is fixed to the enclosure 100. As illustrated in
The housing 51 includes an upper portion 511 overlapping the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 in a plan view and a side portion 512 expanding downward from the upper portion 511. The upper portion 511 may have a circular shape in a plan view. The above-described upper end of the elastic member 40 is in contact with the upper portion 511. The side portion 512 may have a tube shape. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The fastened portions 53 may be formed at the legs 52. The fastened portions 53 are portions of the base part 50 that are fastened to the enclosure 100. The fastened portions 53 are, for example, holes into which fastening tools 55 illustrated in
Next, a positional relationship between the enclosure 100 and the base part 50 will be described.
As illustrated in
The enclosure 100 may include a plurality of protrusions 104 that are in contact with the opening 103 and that protrude from the envelope circle 103e toward the center of the opening 103. For example, the enclosure 100 may include three protrusions 104. The protrusions 104 may be arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the envelope circle 103e. In the protrusions 104, the fastening holes 105 into which the fastening tools 55 are inserted are formed. As illustrated in
The opening 103 preferably has a lower protrusion ratio. The protrusion ratio is a ratio of the total of lengths of portions of the envelope circle 103e that overlap the protrusions 104 to the total length of the envelope circle 103e. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Next, operation of the pressure-regulating valve 10 will be described.
As illustrated in
When the cover part 20 moves upward, a gap is generated between the circumferential edge 20e of the cover part 20 and the surface 101 of the enclosure 100. As described above, the circumferential edge 20e is close to the opening 103. Furthermore, the opening 103 is not completely covered by the base part 50. Thus, the fluid inside the enclosure 100 can pass through the gap between the circumferential edge 20e and the surface 101 and smoothly reach the outside of the pressure-regulating valve 10. In other words, the flow rate of the fluid released outside can be increased.
As the fluid is released outside, the internal pressure decreases. If the force applied by the internal pressure to the cover part 20 is smaller than the force applied by the elastic member 40 to the cover part 20, the restoring force of the elastic member 40 moves the cover part 20 downward, and the pressure-regulating valve 10 returns to the closed state.
Note that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Modifications will be described below with reference to the drawings as necessary. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, parts that can be configured in the same way as in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference signs used for the corresponding parts of the above-described embodiment, and overlapping description is omitted. Furthermore, when it is clear that the operation and effect acquired by the above-described embodiment can also be acquired by the modifications, its description may be omitted.
The above-described embodiment has exemplified such arrangement that the elastic member 40 overlaps the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 in a plan view. However, as illustrated in
Similar to the above-described legs 52, the first pressing portions 26 and the second pressing portions 56 are arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the opening 103. In other words, the cover part 20 includes gap portions where no first pressing portion 26 is formed, and the base part 50 also includes gap portions where no second pressing portion 56 is formed. When the pressure-regulating valve 10 is in the open state, the fluid inside the enclosure 100 is released outside via the gap portions of the cover part 20, the gap portions of the base part 50, and a gap between the cover part 20 and the enclosure 100. Even in this modification, similar to the case of the above-described embodiment, the fluid can smoothly reach the gap between the cover part 20 and the enclosure 100. Thus, the flow rate of the fluid released outside can be increased.
The above-described embodiment and modification have exemplified the cover part 20 covering the opening 103 of the enclosure 100. In this modification, an example in which a base part fixed to the surface 101 of the enclosure 100 includes a discharge hole communicating with the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 and the cover part 20 covers the discharge hole of the base part will be described. In this modification, the base part including the discharge hole communicating with the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 is referred to as a case.
With reference to
Similar to the housing 51, the housing 61 supports the elastic member 40 in such a manner that the elastic member 40 expands and contracts in the first direction D1. For example, similar to the housing 51, the housing 61 includes an upper portion 611 and a side portion 612. The upper end of the elastic member 40 is in contact with the upper portion 611. Similar to the engaging portion 54, the engaging portion 64 into which the shaft 22 of the cover part 20 is inserted is formed in the upper portion 611 of the housing 61.
Similar to the legs 52, the legs 62 extend outward from the housing 61 in a plan view. The legs 62 include ends overlapping the surface 101 of the enclosure 100 in a plan view. Similar to the legs 52, at the ends of the legs 62, the fastened portions 63 are formed. The fastened portions 63 are, for example, holes into which fastening tools are inserted. By inserting the fastening tools into the fastened portions 63 of the case 60 and the fastening holes 105 of the enclosure 100 and fixing the fastening tools with nuts or the like, the case 60 is fixed to the enclosure 100.
The outer frames 67 are each coupled to two legs 52 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the pressure-regulating valve 10. The two adjacent legs 52 are also referred to as a first leg 52 and a second leg 52. One outer frame 67 extends from an end of the first leg 52 to an end of the second leg 52 along the circumferential direction of the pressure-regulating valve 10. The combination of the outer frames 67 surrounds the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 in a plan view.
The discharge holes 68 are regions surrounded by the housing 61, the legs 62, and the outer frames 67 in a plan view. The discharge holes 68 at least partially overlap the opening 103 of the enclosure 100.
As illustrated in
Operation of the pressure-regulating valve 10 will be described. The cover part 20 includes a circumferential edge surrounding the discharge holes 68 of the case 60 in a plan view. When the pressure-regulating valve 10 is in the closed state, the elastic member 40 generates urging force urging the cover part 20 toward the enclosure 100. Thus, the circumferential edge of the cover part 20 comes into contact with the seal part 30 attached to the outer frames 67 of the case 60. This closes the discharge holes 68 of the case 60.
If the internal pressure of the enclosure 100 exceeds a predetermined threshold, force applied by the internal pressure to the cover part 20 is greater than force applied by the elastic member 40 to the cover part 20. As a result, the cover part 20 moves upward. The cover part 20 moves upward until the force applied by the internal pressure to the cover part 20 balances with the force applied by the elastic member 40 to the cover part 20. This enables an open state where the opening 103 and the discharge holes 68 are open. In the open state, the elastic member 40 contracts more than the elastic member 40 in the closed state.
When the cover part 20 moves upward, a gap is formed between the circumferential edge of the cover part 20 and the outer frames 67 of the case 60. As described above, the discharge holes 68 of the case 60 overlap the opening 103 of the enclosure 100. In other words, the discharge holes 68 communicate with the opening 103. The fluid inside the enclosure 100 passes through the opening 103 of the enclosure 100 and the discharge holes 68 of the case 60 and is then released outside from the gap between the case 60 and the cover part 20.
As the fluid is released outside, the internal pressure decreases. If the force applied by the internal pressure to the cover part 20 is smaller than the force applied by the elastic member 40 to the cover part 20, the restoring force of the elastic member 40 moves the cover part 20 downward, and the pressure-regulating valve 10 returns to the closed state.
An example structure of the cover part 20 will be described. As illustrated in
Although not illustrated, even in the above-described embodiment, the cover part 20 may include a protective wall 27. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
An example configuration of the case 60 will be described. As illustrated in
The case 60 including the metal bracket 60A and the resin layer 60B is manufactured by, for example, insert molding. The insert molding includes, for example, a process of placing the metal bracket 60A between a first mold and a second mold and a process of injecting resin between the first mold and the second mold.
The metal bracket 60A preferably forms at least a portion, supporting the elastic member 40, of the case 60 and a portion, fixed to the surface 101 of the enclosure 100, of the case 60. For example, the metal bracket 60A is preferably positioned at the housing 61 and the legs 62. For example, the metal bracket 60A composed of a single metal plate expands to the housing 61 and the legs 62. The metal bracket 60A may be positioned at the outer frames 67 in addition to the housing 61 and the legs 62. For example, the metal bracket 60A composed of a single metal plate may expand to the housing 61, the legs 62, and the outer frames 67.
By using the metal bracket 60A, heat resistance of the case 60 can be increased. For example, in the event of a fire inside the enclosure 100, the housing 61 can be prevented from falling off. This can prevent the open/close function of the cover part 20 from being lost. Thus, after a fire, explosion, or the like occurs and the cover part 20 is in the open state, the cover part 20 can return to the closed state. When the cover part 20 returns to the closed state, oxygen supply from the outside to the inside of the enclosure 100 is cut off. Thus, a second fire, explosion, or the like can be prevented from occurring.
Although not illustrated, even in the above-described
embodiment, the base part 50 which is the member corresponding to the case 60 may include a metal bracket and a resin layer. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
A plurality of the modifications may be combined with the above-described embodiment. The modifications may be mutually combined.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-073864 | Apr 2022 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2023/016287 | 4/25/2023 | WO |
