BATTERY MODULE OF HIGH COOLING EFFICIENCY

• US 20070126396A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: YANG, Jae Hun
• Granted Patent: US 7,794,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/112
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• 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 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/264 for cells or batteries, e.g. straps, tie rods or peripheral frames
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5038 Heating or cooling of cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a battery module including a plurality of unit cells stacked one on another. The battery module has a cooling system that accomplishes contact type cooling by a coolant flowing through gaps (flow channels) defined between the unit cells, and the flow channels defined between the unit cells are at a predetermined angle to the flowing direction of the coolant at inlet ports of the flow channels. The contact rate of the coolant to the unit cells in the battery module is increased and a large number of turbulent flows are created by the changing the flow channel through which the coolant flows. Consequently, the occurrence of the velocity gradient of the coolant in the flow channel defined between the unit cells is prevented, and therefore, the cooling efficiency of the battery module is improved. Furthermore, a battery pack including the battery module has high cooling efficiency although the overall structure of the battery pack is not greatly changed, or a large-sized cooling fan or a string driving unit is not used. Consequently, the battery pack is preferably used as a power source for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles.

Claims

1. A battery module including a plurality of unit cells stacked one on another, wherein the battery module has a cooling system that accomplishes contact type cooling by a coolant flowing through gaps (flow channels) defined between the unit cells, and the flow channels defined between the unit cells are at a predetermined angle to the flowing direction of the coolant at inlet ports of the flow channels.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is between 2 and 30 degrees.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined angle is between 3 and 15 degrees.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the coolant is air.

5. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the unit cells are lithium secondary batteries.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the unit cells are pouch-shaped batteries.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein one or more unit cells are mounted in a cartridge such that the outer surfaces of the unit cells are almost fully exposed to the outside, and a plurality of cartridges are stacked one on another to construct a battery module.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein:

the cartridge includes a pair of rectangular frame members for fixing the edges of the unit cells such that the upper and lower surfaces of the unit cells are exposed to the outside when the rectangular frame members are coupled with each other, one or more plate-shaped unit cells are mounted between the frame members while the unit cells are arranged in the lateral direction, bus bars for connecting electrode terminals of the unit cells are attached to upper end frames, and side frames of the cartridge have a height greater than that of upper and lower frames and the thickness of the unit cells when the unit cells are mounted in the cartridge, the side frames being at a predetermine angle to the upper frames; and

when a plurality of cartridges, in which the unit cells are mounted, are sequentially stacked one on another to construct a battery module, continuous flow channels are formed between the upper and lower end frames of the neighboring cartridges and between the upper and lower surfaces of the unit cells facing each other, and the flow channels defined between the unit cells are at the same inclination angle as the side frames to the flow channel inlet ports defined between the upper end frames.

9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein the lower end frame of the cartridge is inclined at the same angle as the upper frame of the cartridge.

10. A medium-or large-sized battery pack including one or more battery modules according to a claims 1.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the battery pack is used as a power source for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles.