JP2008010230A - Air battery system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein air intake volume cannot be changed at fluctuations in the load or the electrolyte evaporates at non-use and the lifetime becomes short. <P>SOLUTION: An air battery system is provided with the air battery body which uses oxygen in the air as a positive electrode active material and has a plurality of air holes as air intake ports, a load-detecting part to detect power load of a load connected to the air battery body, and a lid capable of opening and closing the air holes, and it can thereby respond to any of light load discharging and heavy load discharging, and furthermore, the lifetime of the battery will not be shortened. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply system using an air battery.

  Air batteries using oxygen in the air as a positive electrode material and a metal active material as a negative electrode are used in a wide range of industrial fields.

  In general, an air battery is provided with a plurality of air holes in order to take in oxygen of the positive electrode material, and is sealed with a seal when not in use, and is used in a state where the seal is removed and the air holes are opened when in use. However, the air holes remain open even when the device used is off, oxygen is supplied regardless of whether the device is on or off, and the battery life is shortened due to evaporation of moisture in the electrolyte. It was.

  Furthermore, it is necessary to change the number of air holes (opening area) according to the load. However, when used in heavy load devices, it is necessary to adjust the opening area for heavy loads even at light loads. The opening of the battery has been a factor in shortening the battery life.

In order to deal with these problems, Patent Document 1 proposes to close an air hole when the machine switch is off. In Patent Document 2, it is proposed that the sealing tape is cut so that it can be partially peeled off, and the number of air holes is changed depending on the application.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-322511 JP 2001-15181 A

  However, the configuration of Patent Document 1 cannot cope with fluctuations such as increase or decrease in power load during use of the apparatus. Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, it is practically difficult to replace the seal tape according to the load, and it is difficult to cope with load fluctuations during use of the apparatus. In addition, the air holes remain open even when the apparatus is not used, and there is a problem that the battery life is shortened.

  The present invention has been made in response to such a problem, and can be used for both light load discharge with a small power load and heavy load discharge with a large power load during use of the apparatus, and has a long battery life. The purpose is to provide a system.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides an air battery system having the following configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the air battery main body having a plurality of air holes as the air intake port using oxygen in the air as the positive electrode active substance, the lid capable of opening and closing the air holes, and the air battery An air battery comprising: a load detection unit that detects a power load of a load connected to a main body; a drive unit that opens and closes the lid; and a control unit that controls the drive unit based on an output of the load detection unit. A system can be exemplified.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the load detection unit detects a power load of the air battery main body, and opens and closes the lid by the drive unit according to the detected value of the power load. The air battery system according to the first aspect is characterized in that the amount of air taken into the air battery body is adjusted by opening and closing the air hole.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the number of air holes to be opened is increased when the power load is large, and the number of air holes to be opened is decreased when the power load is small. An air battery system according to a second aspect is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the air battery system according to the second aspect, wherein when there is no power load, all of the plurality of air holes are closed.

  According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the amount of air taken in can be adjusted by the power load applied to the air battery, so that power can be supplied according to the power load.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the air hole can be closed when not in use and there is no power load, so it is possible to prevent the moisture in the electrolyte from evaporating and to prevent the life from being shortened. I can do it.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
1 to 3 show Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air battery system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an air battery that uses oxygen in the air as a positive electrode active substance and has a plurality of air holes in the positive electrode as an air intake. 2 is a rotary lid capable of closing an air hole provided on the bottom surface of the air battery 1, 3 is a gear that rotates the lid 2, and 4 is a DC motor that is a drive unit that rotates the gear 3. The battery 1 is rotated by the electric power of the battery 1. A load 5 is supplied with electric power from the air battery 1, and is an electronic device such as a music player or a mobile phone.

  Reference numeral 6 denotes a load detection unit, which detects a power load applied to the load 5 by detecting a current or power supplied from the air battery 1 to the load 5. A control unit 7 receives the output of the load detection unit 6 and controls the rotation of the DC motor 4. A plurality of air holes for taking in air are provided, for example, ten. All air holes of the air battery 1 are sealed with a seal before use so that air does not enter. And the seal | sticker is peeled off at the time of use, and the air battery 1 is installed in a system like FIG. At this time, the air battery 1 is originally fixed to the main body (not shown) and does not rotate together with the lid 2.

  2A and 2B show the side surface and bottom surface of the main part of the air battery according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2A and 2B, reference numeral 8 denotes a plurality of air holes provided in the positive electrode of the air battery 1, provided on the bottom surface of the air battery 1. In this embodiment, five air holes 8 are provided, i.e., 10 in total. Two through-holes 9 are formed on the bottom surface of the lid 2 so as to face the air holes 8. The position of the through hole 9 is moved by the rotation of the lid 2, and the number of air holes 8 to be opened can be selected depending on the rotation angle of the lid 2. Air is supplied into the air cell 1 from the air hole 8 whose position matches the through-hole 9. When the air battery 1 is installed in the system, the air holes 8 are opposed to the through-holes 9 so that the two air holes 8 indicated by the fill are opened.

  At the time of a low load with a small power load or at a standby time before the apparatus operates, the load detection unit 6 detects that the power load is small, and inputs information corresponding to the detected power load to the control unit 7. The control unit 7 sets a state where the number of air holes 8 opened is small. As a result, the air holes 8 are maintained in a state in which the two air holes 8 indicated by solid fill are opened as shown in FIG. As a result, a small amount of air is supplied to the air battery 1, and a small amount of power corresponding to the detected power load is supplied from the air battery 1 to the load 5.

  Since a few air holes 8 are open in this way even during standby before the device operates, the air battery 1 maintains a normal voltage and supplies power to the DC motor 4 and the control unit 7. Normal driving can always be performed.

  Next, when the current flowing through the load 5 increases, the load detection unit 6 detects an increase in the power load, and inputs information corresponding to the power load detected by the load detection unit 6 to the control unit 7. Thus, the increase of the power load is determined, and the gear 3 is rotated by driving the DC motor 4 to rotate the lid 2.

  3A and 3B show the operating state of the lid. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the lid 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the through-hole 9 is opposed to more air holes 8, and the number of air holes 8 to be opened is increased. FIG. 3A shows that the number of open air holes 8 has increased to six as shown by solid fill. Thereby, since more air is supplied to the air cell 1 through the air hole 8, the amount of air taken in can be adjusted so that electric power corresponding to a large power load of the load 5 can be output by the oxygen.

  When the load detection unit 6 detects a further increase in the power load, information corresponding to the power load detected by the load detection unit 6 is input to the control unit 7, and the control unit 7 rotationally drives the lid 2. FIG. 3B shows an example in which the air hole 8 is fully opened by the rotation of the lid 2. In this example, it is shown that the number of open air holes 8 is increased to 10 in total, as shown by filling. As a result, more air is supplied to the air battery 1, so that the air battery 1 can output more power to the load with an increased power load. Thus, the number of air holes 8 to be opened is set to an optimum number that can supply the necessary amount of air to the air battery 1 according to the value of the power load.

  According to the present embodiment, the amount of air introduced into the air battery 1 can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the load 5, so that it is possible to supply power in accordance with the power load fluctuation of the load 5. Further, by closing unnecessary air holes, excessive evaporation of moisture and the like from the air holes 8 can be prevented during use, the life of the air battery 1 can be extended, and the maximum driving time can be obtained. Furthermore, since the open portion of the air hole 8 can be reduced even when the power is turned off, the air battery 1 can have a long life by reducing power loss and evaporation when not in use.

(Embodiment 2)
4 and 5 show Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an air battery system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 5A and 5B show the side surface and bottom surface of the main part of the air battery in the second embodiment. 4 and 5, 11 is an air battery, 12 is a rotary lid capable of closing the air hole, 13 is a gear that rotates the lid 12, and 14 is a DC motor that is a drive unit that rotates the gear 13, A load 15 is supplied with power from the air battery 11, and is an electronic device such as a music player or a mobile phone.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes a load detection unit, 17 denotes a control unit, and 10 denotes a secondary power source that supplies power to the DC motor 14 and the control unit 17. As shown in FIG. 5B, the positive electrode of the air battery includes a plurality of air holes 18 for taking in air. In the embodiment, ten air holes 18 are provided. Two through-holes 19 are formed on the bottom surface of the lid 12 so as to face the air holes 18, and the number of the air holes 18 to be opened can be selected from a fully closed state to a fully opened state by the rotation of the lid 12.

  In the air battery 11 before use, all of the air holes 18 are closed with a seal. Then, the seal is peeled off during use and installed in the system as shown in FIG. At this time, the air battery 11 is originally fixed to the main body (not shown) and does not rotate together with the lid 12. As in the first embodiment, when the load 15 increases, the number of the air holes 18 in the air battery 11 that touch the air is increased by rotating the lid 12 according to the information corresponding to the power load detected by the load detector 16. The output of the air battery 11 can be adjusted.

  The difference from the first embodiment is that the secondary power source 10 is connected to the DC motor 14 and the control unit 17, and the DC motor 14 can be operated by the secondary power source 10 even without the electromotive force of the air battery 11. The lid 12 can be driven to the fully closed position.

  When there is no power load of the load 15 when the apparatus is not used, the load detection unit 16 outputs a state of no load power and inputs it to the control unit 17, so that the DC motor 14 uses the power of the secondary power supply 10. Driven, the gear 13 is rotated and the lid 12 is rotated. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, it is possible to block all the air holes 18 with the lid 12.

  In this state, most of the inflow of air is blocked, but only a small amount of air is supplied from the air hole 18 through the gap between the air battery 11 and the lid 12 that remains slightly. Thereby, the battery reaction is suppressed and maintained at a voltage lower than the normal voltage of the battery voltage of the air battery 11. Accordingly, when the battery is not used and the load 15 is not present, the battery reaction is suppressed, and wasteful consumption of the air battery can be remarkably prevented, so that the life of the air battery can be used efficiently.

  In addition, although the structure which supplies electric power to the DC motor 14 and the control part 17 with the secondary power supply 10 was shown, even when all the air holes 18 are closed with the lid | cover 12, it is supplied from the clearance gap between the air battery 11 and the lid | cover 12. By using the DC motor 14 and the control unit 17 that can be driven by a voltage lower than a normal voltage maintained by a very small amount of air, the circuit can be driven by power supply by the air battery 11 and does not require the secondary power supply 10. It can also be.

  The air battery system according to the present invention is useful as a power supply system and the like because the amount of air taken in can be adjusted by the power load applied to the air battery and power can be supplied according to the power load.

Schematic of the air battery system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. (A) (b) The figure which shows the side surface and bottom face of the main part of an air cell which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) (b) The figure which shows the operation state of the lid | cover which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Schematic of the air battery system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. (A) (b) The figure which shows the side surface and bottom face of an air cell main part which concern on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,11 Air battery 2,12 Lid 3,13 Gear 4,14 DC motor 5,15 Load 6,16 Load detection part 7,17 Control part 8,18 Air hole 9,19 Through long hole 10 Secondary power supply

Claims (4)

Uses oxygen in the air as the positive electrode active substance, detects the power load of the air battery body having a plurality of air holes as air intakes, a lid that can open and close the air holes, and the load connected to the air battery body An air battery system, comprising: a load detection unit that performs driving, a drive unit that opens and closes the lid, and a control unit that controls the drive unit based on an output of the load detection unit. The load detection unit detects a power load of the air battery main body, opens and closes the lid by the drive unit according to the detected value of the power load, and opens and closes the air hole by the lid, 2. The air battery system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of air taken into the air battery body is adjusted. 3. The air battery system according to claim 2, wherein the number of air holes to be opened is increased when the power load is large, and the number of air holes to be opened is decreased when the power load is small. 3. The air battery system according to claim 2, wherein when there is no power load, all of the plurality of air holes are closed.

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