DEVICE AND METHOD FOR COOLING A BATTERY MODULE

• US 20110045326A1
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kohlrausch, Philipp, Leuthner, Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 8,920,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/72
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6564 using compressed gas
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/663 the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In a battery module, having a housing, at least one battery, which is disposed in the housing, at least one inlet opening for introducing a cooling fluid into the housing, and at least one outlet opening for conducting the cooling fluid out of the housing. According to the invention, compressed cooling fluid can be supplied to the at least one inlet opening using a compressor. A reduction of the cooling performance because of heating of the compressed cooling fluid is to be at least partially avoided. Furthermore, the design effort is to be low and the battery module is to be cost-effective to produce. The invention solves a problem in that the cooling fluid can be cooled by a cooling apparatus.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A battery module, including:

a housing;

at least one battery disposed in the housing;

at least one inlet opening for introducing a cooling fluid into the housing; and

at least one outlet opening for carrying the cooling fluid out of the housing, wherein

the cooling fluid compressed by a compressor is deliverable to the at least one inlet opening, and the cooling fluid is coolable by a cooling device.

27. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein the cooling fluid compressed by the compressor is coolable.

28. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein the cooling fluid is coolable by the cooling device before introducing the cooling fluid into the housing.

29. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein the cooling fluid is coolable by the cooling device in a cooling fluid line leading from the compressor to the at least one inlet opening.

30. The battery module as defined by claim 29, wherein the cooling device is at least one cooling fin.

31. The battery module as defined by claim 30, wherein the at least one cooling fin is disposed on the cooling fluid line.

32. The battery module as defined by claim 29, further having a blower with which ambient air can be conducted to the at least one cooling fin and/or to the cooling fluid line, in order to cool the cooling fluid in the cooling fluid line.

33. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein the cooling device is a refrigerating system.

34. The battery module as defined by claim 33, wherein a heat exchanger, in particular an evaporator, of the refrigeration system is disposed on or in a cooling fluid line that leads in particular from the compressor to the at least one inlet opening.

35. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein the battery module includes a relief device for expanding the cooling fluid carried out of the at least one outlet opening.

36. The battery module as defined by claim 35, further having a heat exchanger, with which the cooling fluid compressed by the compressor is coolable by the cooling fluid emerging from the relief device.

37. The battery module as defined by claim 36, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed on and/or in the cooling fluid line leading from the compressor to the at least one inlet opening.

38. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein a regulating unit, which controls and/or regulates pressure in the housing and/or a temperature of the at least one battery, is associated with the battery module.

39. The battery module as defined by claim 26, wherein the at least one battery is a lithium-ion battery, and/or the cooling fluid is a gas, in particular air.

40. A battery module system having a plurality of battery modules, characterized in that the battery module system includes at least one battery module as defined by claim 26.

41. A method for cooling at least one battery, disposed in a housing, having the steps of:

compressing a cooling fluid with a compressor;

introducing compressed cooling fluid into the housing;

cooling the at least one battery with the compressed cooling fluid;

conducting the compressed cooling fluid out of the housing; and

relieving the pressure of the cooling fluid, wherein the cooling fluid is cooled.

42. The method as defined by claim 41, wherein the compressed cooling fluid is cooled.

43. The method as defined by claim 42, wherein the cooling fluid, preferably compressed, is cooled such that via a cooling device, a cooling capacity of the cooling fluid is increased additionally beyond a cooling effect already present in cooling fluid lines and/or housings.