BATTERY MODULE INCLUDING ARRAY OF COOLING FINS HAVING DIFFERENT THICKNESSES

• US 20180062225A1
• Filed: 09/21/2016
• Published: 03/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: YOU, Jung-Been, LEE, Jung-Hang, KIM, Bo-Hyon, CHO, Hyun-Young, CHOI, Yun-Ki, HA, Jong-Soo
• Granted Patent: US 10,326,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/617 for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• 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 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/289 characterised by spacing elements or positioning means within frames, racks or packs spacing elements inside cells other than separators, membranes or diaphragms H01M50/471
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery module including an array of cooling fins having different thicknesses is provided. The battery module includes: a plurality of battery units arranged in one direction; a plurality of cooling fins between adjacent battery units; and a heat sink coupled to ends of the plurality of cooling fins, wherein each cooling fin has a structure in which a pair of sub-cooling fins are face-to-face coupled to each other, and thicknesses of the plurality of cooling fins are reduced toward the side region from the central region due to a difference in a thickness of at least one of the pair of sub-cooling fins. Since heat is not accumulated at the central region, the battery module has uniform temperature distribution while being charged or discharged.

Claims

1. A battery module comprising:

a plurality of battery units arranged in one direction;

a plurality of cooling fins between adjacent battery units; and

a heat sink coupled to ends of the plurality of cooling fins, each cooling fin having a structure in which a pair of sub-cooling fins are face-to-face coupled to each other, and the plurality of cooling fins having a reducing thickness toward a side region from a central region thereof due to a thickness difference of at least one of the sub-cooling fins.

2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein thicknesses of the plurality of cooling fins are gradually reduced toward the side region from the central region.

3. The battery module of claim 1, further comprising:

an outer cooling fin arranged at an outermost part of the plurality of battery units and comprising one sub-cooling fin.

4. The battery module of claim 1, wherein an outermost cooling fin comprises a metallic plate bent in a ‘

’

shape or a ‘

’

shape.

5. The battery module of claim 1. wherein each of the plurality of cooling fins has a ‘

’

shape.

6. The battery module of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of cooling fins comprises a left sub-cooling fin comprising a metallic bent plate having a ‘

’

shape and a right sub-cooling fin comprising a metallic bent plate having a ‘

’

shape.

7. The battery module of claim 6, wherein one of the left sub-cooling fin and the right sub-cooling fin facing the central region of the plurality of cooling fins has a greater thickness than a thickness of the other of the left sub-cooling fin and the right sub-cooling fin facing the side region of the plurality of cooling fins.

8. The battery module of claim 1, wherein each of the rest of battery units except a battery unit located at an outermost side from among the plurality of battery units face-to-face contacts two adjacent cooling fins at opposite sides.

9. The battery module of claim 8, wherein, among the two adjacent cooling fins at opposite sides, a right sub-cooling fin having a ‘

’

U shape and forming a cooling fin on one side and a left sub-cooling fin having a ‘

’

shape and forming a cooling fin on the other side have a same thickness.

10. The battery module of claim 1, wherein each of the cooling fins comprises:

a plate-shaped stand bonded on a surface of the heat sink; and

a plate-shaped lateral wall vertically protruding and extending from an end of the stand, the lateral wall face-to-face contacting a battery unit facing the lateral wall.

11. The battery module of claim 10, wherein the stands of the plurality of cooling fins have a gradually reducing thickness toward an outer side from a central region of an array of the plurality of cooling fins.

12. The battery module of claim 1, wherein each battery unit comprises at least one battery cell and a cartridge configured to receive the at least one battery cell therein.

13. The battery module of claim 12, wherein the cartridge comprises a window exposing a flat surface of the at least one battery cell, and the flat surface exposed via the window face-to-face contacts a surface of a cooling fin facing the flat surface.

14. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the heat sink comprises an inlet through which a coolant is introduced and an outlet through which the coolant is discharged.

15. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the pair of sub-cooling fins are bonded to each other through a thermal conductive adhesive or a thermal conductive double-sided adhesive film.