BATTERY MODULE ASSEMBLY OF IMPROVED COOLING EFFICIENCY

• US 20120009457A1
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Kyu, Shin, Yongshik, Yoon, Hee Soo, Lee, BumHyun, Kang, Dal Mo, Yoon, Jongmoon, Yeo, Jaeseong
• Granted Patent: US 8,846,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6554 Rods or plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6555 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• 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 assembly including a plurality of battery modules, each including a plurality of battery cells or unit modules mounted in a module case in a state in which the battery cells or the unit modules are connected in series to each other, wherein the battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other in the lateral direction in a state in which the battery modules are electrically connected to each other, and a cooling member including a coolant conduit to allow a liquid coolant to flow therealong is mounted at the outside of each of the battery modules.

Claims

1. A battery module assembly comprising a plurality of battery modules, each comprising a plurality of battery cells or unit modules mounted in a module case in a state in which the battery cells or the unit modules are connected in series to each other, wherein the battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other in a lateral direction in a state in which the battery modules are electrically connected to each other, and a cooling member comprising a coolant conduit to allow a liquid coolant to flow therealong is mounted at an outside of each of the battery modules.

2. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cooling member is mounted at an interface between the battery modules and/or at an outside of an outermost battery module.

3. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cooling member is configured to have a structure in which one or more coolant conduits are mounted at a plate body formed in a shape corresponding to the outside of each of the battery modules.

4. The battery module assembly according to claim 3, wherein the plate body is provided at an outside thereof with a continuous groove corresponding to a width of each of the coolant conduits, and each of the coolant conduits is fixedly disposed in the groove.

5. The battery module assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of the coolant conduits comprises a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port protruding from the plate body.

6. The battery module assembly according to claim 5, wherein the coolant inlet port and the coolant outlet port are located in the same direction or in opposite directions.

7. The battery module assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of the coolant conduits comprises regions bent to form a repeated shape.

8. The battery module assembly according to claim 4, wherein one or more thermally conductive fixing members configured to contact each of the battery modules are connected to each of the coolant conduits so as to improve thermal conductivity from each of the battery modules to the cooling member.

9. The battery module assembly according to claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive fixing members are mounted to fix each of the coolant conduits to the groove of the plate body.

10. The battery module assembly according to claim 9, wherein each of the thermally conductive fixing members comprises a plate and an elastic body mounted to the plate, the elastic body being formed in a shape corresponding to each of the cooling conduits.

11. The battery module assembly according to claim 10, wherein the elastic body is configured in the shape of a ring having an opening formed at one side thereof in vertical section.

12. The battery module assembly according to claim 8, wherein the plate body is provided with a depression, corresponding to each of the thermally conductive fixing members, to allow each of the thermally conductive fixing members to be mounted therein.

13. The battery module assembly according to claim 4, wherein the coolant conduit is mounted at one side or each side of the plate body.

14. The battery module assembly according to claim 11, wherein the coolant conduits are independently mounted at opposite sides of the plate body, and coolant inlet ports and coolant outlet ports of the coolant conduits are disposed in the same direction or in different directions.

15. The battery module assembly according to claim 3, wherein the plate body is made of an insulative material or a thermally conductive material.

16. The battery module assembly according to claim 15, wherein the plate body is made of a rubber material.

17. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the coolant conduit is made of a metal material.

18. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the liquid coolant comprises water.

19. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the battery module assembly comprises two or more cooling members, and coolant conduits of the cooling members are connected to each other so that a coolant introduced through one of the cooling members continuously flows to the other cooling member.

20. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the battery cells comprises a plate-shaped battery cell.

21. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the battery modules is further provided with a thermally conductive member extending to at least a region contacting the cooling member so as to improve thermal conductivity from each of the battery modules to the cooling member.

22. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the battery module assembly is used as a power source for electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

23. A battery module comprising a plurality of battery cells, wherein the battery cells are arranged adjacent to each other in a lateral direction in a state in which the battery cells are electrically connected to each other, and a cooling member comprising a coolant conduit to allow a liquid coolant to flow therealong is mounted at an outside of each of the battery cells.

24. A cooling member mounted to an outside of a battery cell or a battery module to cool the battery cell or the battery module, wherein the cooling member is configured to have a structure in which a continuous groove is formed at a plate body formed in a shape corresponding to an outside of the battery cell or the battery module, and a coolant conduit to allow a liquid coolant to flow therealong is fixedly mounted in the groove.

25. The cooling member according to claim 24, wherein one or more thermally conductive fixing members configured to contact the battery cell or the battery module are connected to the coolant conduit so as to improve thermal conductivity from the battery cell or the battery module to the cooling member.

26. The cooling member according to claim 24, wherein the coolant conduit is mounted at each side of the plate body so that a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port protrude from the plate body.