COOLING MEMBER OF COMPACT STRUCTURE AND EXCELLENT STABILITY AND BATTERY MODULE EMPLOYED WITH THE SAME

• US 20130045410A1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: YANG, JaeHun, YOON, Jong Moon, SHIN, Yong Shik
• Granted Patent: US 9,077,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• 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 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/656 characterised by the type of heat-exchange fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a cooling member mounted between battery cells to remove heat generated from the battery cells during charge and discharge of the battery cells, wherein the cooling member includes a plate-shaped heat dissipation fin disposed between the battery cells in a state in which opposite main surfaces of the heat dissipation fin are in tight contact with the battery cells and a coolant conduit configured to have a hollow structure through which a coolant flows, the coolant conduit thermally contacting the heat dissipation fin, the coolant conduit being located at an outside of an electrode assembly receiving part of each of the battery cells when the heat dissipation fin is disposed between the battery cells.

Claims

1. A cooling member mounted between battery cells to remove heat generated from the battery cells during charge and discharge of the battery cells, wherein the cooling member comprises:

a plate-shaped heat dissipation fin disposed between the battery cells in a state in which opposite main surfaces of the heat dissipation fm are in tight contact with the battery cells; and

a coolant conduit configured to have a hollow structure through which a coolant flows, the coolant conduit thermally contacting the heat dissipation fin, the coolant conduit being located at an outside of an electrode assembly receiving part of each of the battery cells when the heat dissipation fin is disposed between the battery cells.

2. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein each of the battery cells is a plate-shaped secondary battery.

3. The cooling member according to claim 2, wherein the plate-shaped secondary battery is a pouch-shaped battery cell configured to have a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a battery case formed of a laminate sheet comprising a resin layer and a metal layer.

4. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation fin is formed of a thermally conductive sheet.

5. The cooling member according to claim 4, wherein the heat dissipation fin is formed of a metal sheet.

6. The cooling member according to claim 5, wherein the heat dissipation fin is configured to have a structure in which a pair of metal sheets is coupled to each other.

7. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein the coolant conduit is formed of a corrosion-resistant material.

8. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein the coolant conduit is configured so that at least a portion of the coolant conduit is bent so as to correspond to the shape of an outer edge of the electrode assembly receiving part of each of the battery cells.

9. The cooling member according to claim 8, wherein, when the electrode assembly receiving part of each of the battery cells is formed in a quadrangular shape in plan, the coolant conduit is bent so as to have a shape corresponding to two or more sides of the electrode assembly receiving part.

10. The cooling member according to claim 9, wherein the coolant conduit is bent so as to have a shape corresponding to three sides of the electrode assembly receiving part.

11. The cooling member according to claim 10, wherein the coolant conduit is bent so as to be disposed in tight contact with the outer edge of the electrode assembly receiving part.

12. The cooling member according to claim 10, wherein the coolant conduit is configured so that a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port of the coolant conduit are formed at one side of the heat dissipation fin side by side.

13. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein the coolant conduit is coupled to the heat dissipation fin by blazing.

14. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation fin is configured to have a structure in which a pair of metal sheets is coupled to each other, and the coolant conduit is coupled to the heat dissipation fin in a state in which the coolant conduit is disposed between the metal sheets.

15. The cooling member according to claim 1, wherein the coolant is water.

16. A battery module comprising a cooling member according to claim 1.

17. The battery module according to claim 16, wherein the battery module is configured to have a structure in which two or more plate-shaped battery cells are stacked, and the cooling member is disposed between the battery cells.

18. The battery module according to claim 17, wherein a coolant conduit is configured so that a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port of the coolant conduit are formed at a region corresponding to electrode terminals of each of the battery cells.

19. The battery module according to claim 17, wherein a coolant conduit is configured so that a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port of the coolant conduit are formed at a region opposite to electrode terminals of each of the battery cells.

20. The battery module according to claim 16, wherein the battery module is used in an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device.