Fluid-cooled energy storage device having resin encapsulation

• US 10,252,628 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voltu Motor, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Voltu Motor, Inc.
• Inventors: Gebhart, Jorge Guillermo
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US15/726,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20180147947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320150-154
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/54 Windings for different functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/293 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/27 Rotor cores with permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/274 the rotor consisting of two or more circumferentially positioned magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/278 : Surface mounted magnets; Inset magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/46 : Fastening of windings on the stator or rotor structure
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/203 : specially adapted for liquids, e.g. cooling jackets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/12 : wherein the cooling medium circulates freely within the casing
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/16 : wherein the cooling medium circulates through ducts or tubes within the casing
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/08 : with pulse width modulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An electric control system for an electric vehicle operable in a plurality of modes. The control system includes an electric motor having a plurality of motor coils, an energy storage device providing energy to the electric control system, transistor modules selectively coupling the electric motor to the energy storage device, a connector selectively coupling to an AC power source, a controllable switching device configured to selectively couple the connector to the electric motor; and a microcontroller controlling the switching device to couple the connector to at least one of the motor coils during a detected charging mode, and control one or more of the plurality of transistor modules to couple the motor coil to the energy storage device during the detected charging mode.

Claims

1. An energy storage device for an electric vehicle comprising:

a housing defining an interior volume;

a plurality power cells, arranged in the interior volume of the housing, each power cell having a first terminal at one end and a second terminal at another end, wherein each of the plurality of power cells extending in a substantially parallel configuration with intervening spaces being provided between adjacent power cells;

a resin sheet encapsulating at least one of the first terminal at the one end and the second terminal at the another end of each of the plurality of power cells and holding the plurality of power cells in a rigid configuration; and

a heat absorbing fluid within the housing, circulating through the intervening spaces contacting an exterior of at least one of the plurality of power cells,

the resin sheet being positioned to isolate the heat absorbing fluid from the at least one of the first terminal at the one end and the second terminal at the another end of each of the plurality of power cells and retain the heat absorbing fluid in contact with the exterior of the at least one of the plurality of power cells.

2. The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of power cells has a generally cylindrical shape with the first terminal being located at one end of the cylindrical shape, and the second terminal being located at another end of the cylindrical shape;

and

wherein the plurality of power cells are arranged in matrix having a plurality of rows and columns.

3. The energy storage device of claim 2, wherein at least one cell of the plurality of cells in a first row is oriented with a first terminal extending in a direction opposite a direction of a first terminal of at least one cell of the plurality of cells in a second row adjacent the first row.

4. The energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the resin sheet comprises:

a first resin sheet encapsulating a first end of each of the plurality of cells; and

a second resin sheet encapsulating a second, opposite end of each of the plurality cells,

wherein a fluid circulation space is defined in a longitudinal area between the first resin sheet and second resin sheet.

5. The energy storage device of claim 4, wherein at least one of the first resin sheet and the second resin sheet comprises a electrical contact connecting a terminal of at least one cell of the plurality of cells to a terminal of at least one other cell of the plurality of cells.

6. The energy storage device of claim 1, further comprising an integrated battery management system having a microcontroller monitoring at least one state of at least one cell.