Abstract: A battery pack to be mounted in a vehicle incorporates a battery stack and a cooling fan. An air intake is formed in a side face located in the vicinity of the cooling fan. In consideration of passengers entering and exiting the vehicle, the air intake is formed as well in a plane generated as a result of removal of a corner. A louver for preventing intrusion of extraneous matter is disposed at the front of the air intake. A decrease in the amount of cooling air induced by the louver is lessened by means of forming the air intake in the plane.

Abstract: A sealed-type secondary battery is disclosed. A battery module of a sealed-type secondary battery is formed by heating and fusing a top lid member and an integrated battery container. The integrated battery container is formed with a polymer alloy including a polyphenylene ether resin and a polyolefin resin, and the top lid member or a lateral lid member is formed with a polypropylene-based resin. A nucleating agent is added to the polypropylene-based resin of the top lid member or the lateral lid member, to improve mechanical strength, and the molecular weight is increased to reduce a melt flow rate MFR to approximately the same degree as the polymer alloy.

Abstract: An apparatus for lessening variations in a state of charge (SOC) or remaining capacity of a battery pack. The battery pack is made up of a plurality of blocks, and slave units are provided for the respective blocks. Terminal voltages of the blocks are detected and supplied to a master unit. Variations arise in a state of charge or remaining capacity of the respective blocks for reasons of differences among the slave units in terms of electric power consumption. The master unit controls deactivation timing of the respective slave units incidental to turning off of a vehicle ignition according to the variations in the state of charge of the respective blocks. The deactivation timing is delayed much longer with an increase in the state of charge, thereby equalizing the state of charge or the remaining capacity.

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 ?v 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+?v, 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.

Abstract: A washing apparatus that easily washes off metal impurities from a porous metal substrate used as an electrode plate core for an alkaline battery. The washing apparatus includes a liquid bath container which holds a solution for washing off the metal impurities. A guide guides movement of the porous metal substrate in the solution held in the liquid bath container. The porous metal substrate is wound into a hoop in a coil-shaped manner, and the guide guides the movement of a sheet portion of the porous metal substrate unwound from the hoop. A winding mechanism winds the sheet portion after being fed through the liquid bath container.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting the state of a storage device prevents occurrence of a leakage current. A low-level detection unit is provided for each of blocks of a battery pack. Control units are connected to the blocks of the battery pack by way of first switches and are started upon receipt of power supply. The control units and measurement units are connected to the blocks by way of second switches. The control units activate the second switches after being started as a result of activation of the first switches, to thus receive power supply, and commence measurement of block voltages by means of the measurement units. The high-level detection unit supplies a read signal and a synchronous signal to the low-level detection units by way of the first switches.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to easily detect a short circuit failure in a current collector of a prismatic battery and prevent a short circuit caused by an existence of a burr generated while cutting or a spatter generated while welding the current collector to an electrode plate. A battery unit is housed in a metallic battery case. In the battery unit, current collectors having bent portions on both sides are fixed to face surfaces of an electrode plate group of a prismatic battery. The portions of the battery case, which correspond to the bent portions, are pressed in a thickness direction. Under the pressure, a short circuit inspection for a short circuit between the battery case and the current collectors of the battery unit is executed. When a projected object exists on the bent portion, a short circuit is generated between the battery case and the current collector by pressing so that a short circuit failure caused by a shape of the current collector can be detected.

Abstract: A method and a charger for auxiliarily charging a secondary battery to a desired SOC with high accuracy. A charger for a secondary battery includes a charge termination condition storing unit which stores a relationship between open circuit voltages OCV of a plurality of secondary batteries and an amount of change of terminal voltage ?V until a desired state of charge SOC is reached, which is previously created. A target terminal voltage Vmap at the time of the auxiliary charge is calculated by adding the amount of change of terminal voltage ?V corresponding to the open circuit voltage OCV of a secondary battery to be auxiliarily charged to the open circuit voltage OCV which is measured. A terminal voltage Vb of the secondary battery at the time of auxiliary charge and the target terminal voltage Vmap are compared to each other by a comparison unit, and when the target terminal voltage Vmap is reached, auxiliary charge is terminated.

Abstract: A secondary battery comprises a power generating element, a battery case including a gas release hole, and a valve safety device configured to close the gas release hole and release gas out of the battery case when inner pressure in the battery case exceeds a predetermined value. The safety valve device comprises a valve member and a holding member. The valve member includes a sealing portion hermetically making contact with a sealed surface around the gas release hole, and the holding member is fixed to the battery case to elastically press the sealing portion by its elastic deformation.

Abstract: Noise generated from some air leaking from a water drain hole formed in an exhaust duct is reduced. A first water drain hole for exhausting liquid that has collected within the exhaust duct to outside the exhaust duct is formed in a bottom face of the exhaust duct for exhausting air after cooling a battery stack and a second water drain hole for exhausting liquid, which was exhausted from the first water drain hole, to outside a lower case is formed in the lower case housing the battery stack and the exhaust duct, with the second water drain hole formed at a position not on a line extending from the direction of outflow of air leaking out from the first water drain hole.

Abstract: In a battery pack where a fan is housed within a case housing a battery stack, the noise generated from turbulence of a medium that is supplied and exhausted between a fan opening of the fan and the battery stack is reduced. The battery pack has a battery stack, a cooling fan installed adjacent to the battery stack and having a fan opening formed in a top surface for taking in cooling air after cooling the battery stack, an upper case for covering the upper part of the battery stack and the cooling fan, and a junction duct for guiding the cooling air after cooling the battery stack to the fan opening. The junction duct is formed from the duct lower unit having an opening formed at a location facing the fan opening and one wall of the upper case in contact with a lower end and periphery of the duct lower unit.

Abstract: A battery pack comprises a plurality of battery modules and a holding spacer which holds the battery module. A plurality of projections are provided on the holding spacer. The projections contact the battery module to hold the battery module and form a flow path for a coolant. A heat generating structure is embedded in the holding spacer or inserted into a hollow section of the holding spacer. In a cold climate, electricity is applied to the heat generating structure, to heat the battery module.

Abstract: An abnormality of a current sensor or a voltage sensor is detected. An abnormality detecting section reads out a charging/discharging current I of a secondary battery detected by the current sensor and a battery voltage V of the secondary battery, calculates an estimated battery voltage Vs on the basis of an electromotive force E and an internal resistance r of the secondary battery, and judges the current sensor to be abnormal if the difference between the battery voltage V and the estimated battery voltage Vs is greater than a predetermined threshold and the charging/discharging current I exceeds a predetermined allowable range, and judges the voltage sensor to be abnormal if the difference is greater than the predetermined threshold and the charging/discharging current I is within the predetermined allowable range.

Abstract: A battery pack apparatus including at least one battery assembly, a plurality of medium feeding parts for adjusting temperatures of the battery assembly, at least one temperature detector, a storage unit, and a controller. The storage unit stores a relation between a temperature of the battery assembly and a revolution level of the medium feeding parts. The controller reads out a revolution level corresponding to the detected temperature of the battery assembly from the storage unit, and allocates the revolution level to the medium feeding parts. The controller changes the value of the revolution levels allocated to the respective medium feeding parts based on the allocated revolution levels so that any one of the revolution levels of the plurality of the medium feeding parts is different from the other revolution levels thereof, and controls the plurality of medium feeding parts at changed revolution levels.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of adjusting a battery pack capable of reducing a difference in charge level between a plurality of secondary batteries constituting the battery pack and capable of restraining an increase in battery voltage difference between the secondary batteries of the battery pack in association with the adjustment of the charge level. A method of adjusting a battery pack includes a first adjusting process for discharging all secondary batteries of a first battery group so that charge levels of the secondary batteries of the first battery group fall within a charge level range determined based on a charge level of a secondary battery of a second battery group and further a second adjusting process for discharging all the secondary batteries of the first and second battery groups by the same electric quantity respectively.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus for inspecting a rechargeable battery electrode plate-connected structure to check whether electrode plates are properly connected to a current collector plate by filters.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride battery that reduces the amount of cobalt and improves battery durability. The battery includes a negative electrode formed from an AB5 hydrogen-absorbing alloy. The alloy includes an A element composed of Misch metal and a B element mainly composed of nickel. The nickel in the B element is partially replaced by at least one further element including cobalt. The alloy is formed to satisfy at least the conditions of a mol ratio of the B element relative to the A element being 5.25 or greater, the amount of cobalt for 1 mol of the A element being 0.15 mol to 0.25 mol, and the alloy having a half-width ratio, which indicates the ratio of a peak half-width of a (002) plane relative to a peak half-width of a (200) plane, of 1.3 to 1.7.

Abstract: A cooling device including an intake duct achieving fluid communication between a vehicle interior and an inner part of a battery case, a fan unit for supplying the air via the intake duct to the inner part of the battery case, and a control device is used. The fan unit includes a fan and a motor driven by a constant voltage system. The control device includes a current value detecting portion and a judging portion. The current value detecting portion detects a current value of an electric current supplied to the motor. The judging portion compares the detected current value and a preset reference current value and, when the detected current value is lower than the reference current value, judges that there is an anomaly in a volume of the air supplied to the battery case.

Abstract: A controller and method for controlling output of a rechargeable battery that prevents the life span of the rechargeable battery from being shortened while ensuring starting of the engine. The rechargeable battery controller is mounted on a vehicle including an engine functioning as a power source. The controller includes a control unit for instructing a vehicle ECU, which is installed in the vehicle, to stop discharging the rechargeable battery when an index indicating the charged state of the rechargeable battery satisfies a discharge suspension condition. The control unit includes a monitor unit for changing the discharge suspension condition so as to continue discharging the rechargeable battery continues when the rechargeable battery is expected to supply power to the starter motor of the engine.

Abstract: The operation of a discharging apparatus for correcting variations in voltage and remaining capacity among battery blocks forming a battery pack is performed more reliably. When power supply from a battery pack to a motor/generator is not being performed and when a variation amount of remaining capacity among the battery blocks forming the battery pack is larger than a predetermined value, a discharge request section issues a command to start power supply from a battery block to a discharge control unit corresponding to at least a battery block having the largest remaining capacity among the battery blocks. The discharge control unit receives the start command for power supply from the battery block and issues a command to a discharging section to discharge the battery block in response to start of the power supply from the battery block.