System for controlling temperature of a secondary battery module

• US 20060060236A1
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Kim, Tae-Yong
• Granted Patent: US 8,492,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/203
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0029 Heat sinks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/63 Control systems charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 , H01M10/443; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 , H01M10/486
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6554 Rods or plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers H01M10/6565 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6572 Peltier elements or thermoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A system which can efficiently control the temperature of the battery module, and also can easily control the temperature in the intense environment by actively adapting the exterior environment. The system for controlling temperature of a secondary battery module includes a housing receiving a plurality of unit batteries. The housing has an inlet and an outlet. A heat transfer member is in contact with the unit batteries. The heat transfer member has a portion exposed to a heat transfer medium duct formed inside the housing, and a temperature controller is mounted in the heat transfer member to control temperature of the unit batteries.

Claims

1. A system for controlling temperature of a secondary battery module, comprising:

a housing adapted to receive a plurality of unit batteries, the housing having an inlet and an outlet;

a heat transfer member in contact with the plurality of unit batteries, the heat transfer member having a portion exposed to a heat transfer medium duct formed inside the housing; and

a temperature controller mounted in the heat transfer member adapted to control temperature of the unit batteries.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer member is a heat sink.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the heat sink surrounds the unit batteries and is exposed to the heat transfer medium duct.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature controller is coupled to at least one thermoelectric element.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein one surface of the thermoelectric element is in contact with the heat transfer member and the other surface is located in the heat transfer medium duct.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a cooling fan is mounted at the thermoelectric element located on the duct.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising temperature sensors mounted inside the housing to detect the temperature of the unit batteries.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising individual temperature sensors mounted on respective ones of the unit batteries to detect the temperatures of the respective ones of the unit batteries.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is connected to temperature sensors monitoring the temperature of respective ones of the unit batteries and applies to the thermoelectric elements output signals in response to temperatures detected by the temperature sensors to selectively perform endothermic or exothermic reaction.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer medium duct is a flow channel for air.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one fan is provided in the heat transfer medium duct to ventilate the air.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery module is a motor drive battery module.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein a unit battery is lithium type.

14. A system for controlling temperature of a secondary battery module, comprising:

a housing receiving a plurality of unit batteries, the housing having an inlet and an outlet;

a heat transfer member in contact with the plurality of unit batteries, the heat transfer member having a portion exposed to a heat transfer medium duct formed inside the housing; and

thermoelectric elements mounted in the heat transfer member to control the temperature of the plurality of unit batteries, the thermoelectric elements being selected from at least one of a thermoelectric cooling element and a thermoelectric heating element.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the heat transfer member is a heat sink.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the heat sink surrounds the unit batteries and is exposed to the heat transfer medium duct.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein one surface of the thermoelectric element is in contact with the heat transfer member and the other surface is located in the heat transfer medium duct.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the thermoelectric element includes both a thermoelectric cooling element and a thermoelectric heating element.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the thermoelectric cooling element and the thermoelectric heating element are alternately arranged and spaced apart at a predetermined distance.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one cooling fan is mounted at a thermoelectric cooling element located in the heat transfer medium duct.

21. The system of claim 14, further comprising temperature sensors mounted inside the housing to detect the temperature of respective unit batteries.

22. The system of claim 14, further comprising individual temperature sensors mounted on respective ones of the unit batteries to detect the temperatures of the respective ones of the unit batteries.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the controller is connected to each temperature sensor and applies an output signal to the thermoelectric element in response to the temperature detected by each temperature sensor to selectively perform endothermic or exothermic reaction.

24. The system of claim 14, further comprising a heat transfer medium duct to channel the flow of air along the heat transfer member.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one fan is provided in the heat transfer medium duct to ventilate the air.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the battery module a motor drive battery module.

27. The system of claim 14, wherein a unit battery is lithium type.

28. A system for controlling temperature of a secondary battery module, comprising:

a housing adapted to receive a plurality of unit batteries, the housing having an inlet and an outlet; and

a temperature controller adapted to control the temperature of a heat transfer medium flowing into the housing.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the temperature controller controls at least one thermoelectric element in response to the temperature of the plurality of unit batteries.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the thermoelectric element has a thermoelectric cooling element and a thermoelectric heating element which are separately mounted.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein a cooling fan is mounted at the thermoelectric cooling element.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein a heat dissipation member is mounted in contact with the inlet, and the thermoelectric element is mounted on the heat dissipation member.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the heat dissipation member has a bottom plate for mounting the thermoelectric element, and plural fins mounted on the bottom plate.

34. The system of claim 28, further comprising temperature sensors mounted inside the housing to detect the temperature of respective unit batteries.

35. The system of claim 28, further comprising individual temperature sensors mounted on respective ones of the unit batteries to detect the temperatures of the respective ones of the unit batteries.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the controller is connected to the temperature sensors and applies an output signal to the thermoelectric elements in response to temperatures detected by the temperature sensors to selectively perform an endothermic or an exothermic reaction.

37. The system of claim 28, wherein the heat transfer medium is air.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the housing has a duct where the heat transfer medium passes, and a fan is provided in the duct of the housing to ventilate the air.

39. The system of claim 28, wherein the battery module is a motor drive battery module.

40. The system of claim 28, wherein a unit battery is lithium type.