ACCUMULATOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20200136203A1
• Filed: 08/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mahle International GmbH (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Mahle International GmbH (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Inventors: Kalmbach, Thomas, Mirsadraee, Alireza, Pavlov, Oleksandr, Wallisch, Mario
• Granted Patent: US 11,075,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 10/613 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 10/6555 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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

An accumulator assembly for a hybrid or electric vehicle may include a plurality of battery cells respectively having mutually opposite bearing faces. The battery cells may be stacked in a stacking direction facing one another with the bearing faces to form a battery block. The assembly may also include a cooling device including a plurality of cooling elements through which a flow of cooling fluid is passable. The plurality of cooling elements may be disposed between neighbouring battery cells and braced in the stacking direction. A respective cooling element of the plurality of cooling elements may at least one of i) include and ii) be formed by a compressible porous intermediate insert having a plurality of pores through which a flow of the cooling fluid is passable. The intermediate insert may be disposed between and connected in a heat-transmitting manner to respective neighbouring battery cells.

Claims

1. An accumulator assembly for a hybrid or electric vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of battery cells respectively having mutually opposite bearing faces;

the battery cells stacked in a stacking direction facing one another with the bearing faces to form a battery block;

a cooling device including a plurality of cooling elements through which a flow of cooling fluid is passable, the plurality of cooling elements disposed between neighbouring battery cells of the plurality of battery cells and, conjointly with the neighbouring battery cells, braced in the stacking direction;

wherein a respective cooling element of the plurality of cooling elements at least one of i) includes and ii) is formed by a compressible porous intermediate insert having a plurality of pores through which a flow of the cooling fluid is passable; and

wherein the intermediate insert is disposed between and is connected in a heat-transmitting manner to respective neighbouring battery cells of the plurality of battery cells.

2. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the intermediate insert is composed of a foam-type material; and

intermediate insert includes at least one integrated spring element.

3. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate insert bears in a heat-transmitting manner on the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells.

4. The accumulator assembly according to claim 3, wherein one of:

the plurality of pores of the intermediate insert are closed at least towards the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells such that the cooling fluid cannot flow directly about the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells; and

the plurality of pores of the intermediate insert are open towards the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells such that the cooling fluid is flowable directly about the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells.

5. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pores of the intermediate insert, at least in regions, are aligned in a flow direction of the cooling fluid.

6. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the respective cooling element includes a heat-conducting structure enclosing the intermediate insert towards an outside such that the intermediate insert, by way of the heat-conducting structure is connected in a heat-transmitting manner to the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells.

7. The accumulator assembly according to claim 6, wherein the heat-conducting structure includes two mutually spaced apart compression plates bearing in a heat-transmitting manner on the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells, and wherein the intermediate insert is disposed in a heat-transmitting manner between the two compression plates and bears on the two compression plates such that an expansion of the respective neighbouring battery cells in the stacking direction is absorbable at least by an elastic deformation of the two compression plates and a deformation of the intermediate insert.

8. The accumulator assembly according to claim 6, wherein the heat-conducting structure is a metallic profile.

9. The accumulator assembly according to claim 7, wherein:

the heat-conducting structure, at least on one side, has a cell-holding collar which, in the stacking direction, projects from the two compression plates at least on one side; and

at least one of the respective neighbouring battery cells, at least in portions, bears on the cell-holding collar and is secured transversely to the stacking direction in the battery block.

10. The accumulator assembly according to claim 9, wherein an angle between the cell-holding collar and the two compression plates deviates from 90°

.

11. The accumulator assembly according to claim 9, wherein:

at least one of i) the cell-holding collar and ii) a support collar, is connected to at least one of the two compression plates such that a variation in a length of the respective cooling element transversely to the stacking direction is compensable via a deformation of the at least one of the two compression plates in the stacking direction; and

the support collar projects from at least one side of the heat-conducting structure, is disposed peripherally on the heat-conducting structure, and projects in the stacking direction from both sides of the two compression plates via a spring unit that is resilient transversely to the stacking direction.

12. The accumulator assembly according to claim 11, wherein the resilient spring unit is structured as a corrugated connection region adjoining at least one of the cell-holding collar, the support collar and at least one of the two compression plates, in an integral manner.

13. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the cooling device includes at least one of a fluid distributor and a fluid collector through which a flow of cooling fluid is passable, the at least one of the fluid distributor and the fluid collector disposed on one side of the battery block; and

the respective cooling element is fluidically connected to at least one of the fluid distributor and the fluid collector of the cooling device.

14. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate insert is composed of a polyurethane foam.

15. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate insert is composed of a foam-type material composite.

16. The accumulator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate insert includes at least one integrated spring element.

17. The accumulator assembly according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of pores of the intermediate insert are closed at least towards the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells such that the cooling fluid cannot flow directly about the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells.

18. The accumulator assembly according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of pores of the intermediate insert are open towards the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells such that the cooling fluid is flowable directly about the bearing faces of the respective neighbouring battery cells.

19. An accumulator assembly for a hybrid or electric vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of battery cells stacked along a stacking direction defining a battery block, each of the plurality of battery cells having a plurality of bearing faces disposed opposite one another and facing in the stacking direction;

a cooling device including a plurality of cooling elements through which a flow of cooling fluid is passable, the plurality of cooling elements disposed between neighbouring battery cells of the plurality of battery cells and braced in the stacking direction conjointly with the neighbouring battery cells;

a compressible porous intermediate insert having a plurality of pores through which a flow of the cooling fluid is passable, the intermediate insert disposed between and connected in a heat-transmitting manner to respective neighbouring battery cells of the plurality of battery cells;

wherein at least one of i) a respective cooling element of the plurality of cooling elements includes the intermediate insert and ii) the respective cooling element is defined by the intermediate insert; and

wherein, at least in regions, the plurality of pores extend through the intermediate insert in alignment with a flow direction of the cooling fluid and transversely to the stacking direction.

20. An accumulator assembly for a hybrid or electric vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of battery cells stacked along a stacking direction defining a battery block, each of the plurality of battery cells having a plurality of bearing faces disposed opposite one another and facing in the stacking direction;

a cooling device including a plurality of cooling elements through which a flow of cooling fluid is passable, the plurality of cooling elements disposed between neighbouring battery cells of the plurality of battery cells and braced in the stacking direction conjointly with the neighbouring battery cells;

a compressible porous intermediate insert having a honeycomb-type structure defining a plurality of pores through which a flow of the cooling fluid is passable, the intermediate insert disposed between and connected in a heat-transmitting manner to respective neighbouring battery cells of the plurality of battery cells;

wherein at least one of i) a respective cooling element of the plurality of cooling elements includes the intermediate insert and ii) the respective cooling element is defined by the intermediate insert.