Integrated System and Method of Battery Cooling for a Hybrid or Fuel Cell Vehicle

• US 20080182499A1
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Gorman, Michael J., He, Hua, Mercurio, Joseph F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,963,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/142
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/003 Component temperature regulation using an air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/006 Noise reduction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An acoustically improved cooling system is provided for an energy storage system including a battery with air from a carpeted vehicle compartment, the cooling system including: a carpet portion sufficiently spaced from a floor panel of a vehicle to define a cavity forming an air passage through which air may flow and including an air inlet opening integrally formed therein through which the air from the compartment may be drawn; a fan for circulating air from the cavity into heat exchange relationship with the battery for cooling the battery; and a vent opening connecting the cavity and the fan in air flow communication. The frame is dome-shaped above the vent opening, to force noise reflection off the dome-shaped frame. A sound absorption layer is installed underneath the dome-shaped frame for noise attenuation.

Claims

1. An acoustically improved cooling system for an energy storage system including a battery and a carpeted vehicle compartment comprising:

a carpet portion sufficiently spaced from a floor panel of a vehicle to define a cavity forming an air passage through which air may flow and including an air inlet opening integrally formed therein through which said air from said compartment may be drawn;

a fan for circulating air from said cavity into heat exchange relationship with said battery for cooling said battery; and

a vent opening connecting said cavity and said fan in air flow communication.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising:

a frame mounted with respect to said floor panel of said vehicle for supporting said carpet portion, thereby spacing said carpet portion with respect to said floor panel of said vehicle.

3. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein said frame comprises:

a planar surface, a plurality of side walls, a dome-shaped section;

wherein said planar surface has at least one opening; and

wherein said side walls have at least one side opening.

4. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein said frame further comprises at least one locating tab connected to said dome-shaped section for positioning said frame with respect to said floor panel;

and wherein said locating tab extends beyond the surface of said floor panel.

5. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein said frame further comprises at least one support tab connected to said dome-shaped section for retaining said frame with respect to said floor panel;

and wherein said support tab rests on the surface of said floor panel.

6. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein said carpet portion comprises a carpet appearance layer, in which said air inlet opening is integrally formed;

and a carpet acoustic layer in contact with said carpet appearance layer.

7. The cooling system of claim 6, wherein said air inlet opening comprises at least one hole perforated through said carpet appearance layer.

8. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein said dome-shaped section of said frame is positioned sufficiently above said vent opening, to force noise reflection off said dome-shaped section;

and further comprising;

a sound absorption layer installed underneath said dome-shaped section for noise attenuation.

9. The cooling system of claim 6, wherein the area of said air inlet opening is larger than the area of said vent opening.

10. A method of cooling a battery with air from a carpeted vehicle compartment comprising:

spacing a carpet portion from a floor panel of said vehicle compartment to provide a cavity defining an air passage through which said air may flow;

integrally forming an air inlet opening in said spaced carpet portion sufficiently sized to permit air from said vehicle compartment to be drawn through said air inlet opening into said cavity; and

drawing air from said compartment through said integrally formed air inlet opening into said cavity and circulating the drawn air into heat exchange relationship with said battery for cooling said battery.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said carpet portion is spaced by a frame on said floor panel of said vehicle compartment, thereby supporting said carpet portion with respect to said floor panel of said vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said frame comprises:

a planar surface, a plurality of side walls, and a dome-shaped section;

wherein said planar surface has at least one opening; and

wherein said side walls have at least one side opening.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said air inlet opening comprises one or more integrally formed holes.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said carpet portion comprises a carpet appearance layer, in which said air inlet opening is integrally formed;

and

a noise-absorbing carpet acoustic layer adjacent to said carpet appearance layer.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein air drawn from said compartment is drawn through a vent opening and, further comprising:

providing a convoluted path for noise from said vent opening to said carpeted vehicle compartment including;

positioning said dome-shaped section of said frame sufficiently with respect to said vent opening to reflect noise emanating from said vent opening off said dome-shaped section; and

installing a sound absorption layer with respect to said dome-shaped section to receive the reflected noise for noise attenuation.

16. A cooling and noise attenuation system for a battery mounted with respect to a carpeted vehicle compartment comprising:

a carpet portion raised a finite distance above a floor panel of said vehicle compartment to at least partially define a cavity;

a frame in contact with said raised carpet and mounted above said floor panel of said vehicle compartment for supporting said carpet portion said finite distance above said floor panel of said vehicle;

an air inlet opening integrally formed in said raised carpet, through which air from said vehicle compartment of said vehicle may be drawn into said cavity;

a fan for blowing said air through said cavity to said battery for cooling;

a vent opening interconnecting said cavity and said fan;

wherein said frame includes a dome-shaped section sufficiently above said vent opening, to force noise reflection off said dome-shaped section; and

a sound absorption layer installed underneath said dome-shaped section for noise attenuation.

17. The cooling and noise attenuation system of claim 16 wherein the carpet portion is raised sufficiently above said floor panel to reduce the risk of items blocking the flow of air from said vehicle compartment through said air inlet opening to said cavity.