Battery cell assembly

• US 9,257,732 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yum, Juil, Ketkar, Satish, Yang, Heekook, Lent, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): APICELLA, KARIE O
• Application Number:
  US14/059,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 429/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/651 characterised by parameters specified by a numeric value or mathematical formula, e.g. ratios, sizes or concentrations
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/653 characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6569 Fluids undergoing a liquid-gas phase change or transition, e.g. evaporation or condensation heat pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/227 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery cell assembly having a first battery cell and a cooling fin is provided. The first battery cell has a first housing and first and second electrical terminals. The cooling fin is disposed against the first housing. The cooling fin has a substantially rectangular-shaped plate that extends along a longitudinal axis. The substantially rectangular-shaped plate has a plate portion with a first side and a second side. The first side has a first plurality of recessed regions and a first plurality of flat regions. Each recessed region of the first plurality of recessed regions is disposed between two flat regions of the first plurality of flat regions along the longitudinal axis. The first housing of the first battery cell is disposed against the first side such that the first housing contacts the first plurality of flat regions.

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly, comprising:

a first battery cell having a first housing and first and second electrical terminals extending from the first housing; and

a cooling fin disposed against and contacting the first housing of the first battery cell, the cooling fin having a substantially rectangular-shaped plate that extends along a longitudinal axis, the substantially rectangular-shaped plate having a plate portion with a first side and a second side, the first side having first, second, and third recessed regions and first, second, third, and fourth flat regions, the first recessed region being disposed between and contacting the first and second flat regions along the longitudinal axis, the second recessed region being disposed between and contacting the second and third fiat regions along the longitudinal axis, the third recessed region being disposed between and contacting the third and fourth flat reions along the longitudinal axis;

the first, second, and third recessed regions being disposed away and apart from each other;

each of the first, second, and third recessed regions extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and extending across at least two-thirds of a width of the plate portion, a depth of the each of the first, second, and third recessed regions is less than one-half of a thickness of the plate portion; and

the first housing of the first battery cell being disposed against the first side of the plate portion of the substantially rectangular-shaped plate such that the first housing contacts the first, second, third, and fourth flat regions.

2. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third recessed regions are configured to receive portions of the first housing of the first battery cell therein as the first housing expands outwardly over time.

3. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a second battery cell having a second housing and first and second electrical terminals extending from the second housing; and

the second side of the plate portion having a fourth, fifth, and sixth recessed regions and fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth flat regions, the fourth recessed region being disposed between the fifth and sixth flat regions along the longitudinal axis, the fifth recessed region being disposed between the sixth and seventh flat regions along the longitudinal axis, the sixth recessed region being disposed between the seventh and eighth flat regions along the longitudinal axis, the second housing of the second battery cell being disposed against the second side such that the second housing contacts the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth flat regions.

4. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, wherein the fourth, fifth, and sixth recessed regions are configured to receive portions of the second housing of the second battery cell therein as the second housing expands outwardly over time.

5. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, wherein a depth of the fourth, fifth, and sixth recessed regions is less than one-half of a thickness of the plate portion.

6. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, wherein each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth recessed regions extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and extends across at least two-thirds of the width of the plate portion.

7. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, wherein the fourth, fifth, and sixth recessed regions are disposed opposite to the first, second, and third recessed regions, respectively.

8. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, further comprising first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members, the cooling fin and the first and second battery cells being disposed between the first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members.

9. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the substantially rectangular-shaped plate further includes first, second, third, and fourth peripheral edge portions coupled to and extending from the plate portion, the cooling fin further having a tube coupled to the first, second, third, and fourth peripheral edge portions, the tube defining an internal flow path therein.

10. The battery cell assembly of claim 9, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth peripheral edge portions of the substantially rectangular-shaped plate define an arcuate-shaped groove configured to receive the tube thereon.

11. The battery cell assembly of claim 9, wherein the tube includes an inlet port, an outlet port, and an internal flow path disposed between the inlet port and the outlet port, the cooling fin configured to receive a two-phase refrigerant in the inlet port, the cooling fin further configured to receive heat energy from the first battery cell and to transition the two-phase refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant within the internal flow path utilizing the heat energy.

12. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the substantially rectangular-shaped plate is constructed of aluminum.

13. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the plate portion of the substantially rectangular-shaped plate is sized to cover substantially all of a substantially rectangular-shaped side surface of the first battery cell.

14. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, further comprising first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members, the cooling fin and the first battery cell being disposed between the first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members;

wherein the first housing of the first battery cell has an unexpanded size such that the first housing is disposed a predetermined distance away from the first and second recessed regions and the first housing is not contacting the first and second recessed regions.

15. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third recessed regions do not contact one another.

16. A battery cell assembly, comprising:

a first battery cell having a first housing and first and second electrical terminals extending from the first housing; and

a cooling fin disposed against and contacting the first housing of the first battery cell, the cooling fin having a substantially rectangular-shaped metal plate that extends along a longitudinal axis, the substantially rectangular-shaped metal plate having a plate portion with a first side and a second side, the first side having first, second, and third recessed regions and first, second, third and fourth flat regions, the first recessed region being disposed between and contacting the first and second flat regions along the longitudinal axis, the second recessed region being disposed between and contacting the second and third flat regions along the longitudinal axis, the third recessed region being disposed between and contacting the third and fourth flat regions along the longitudinal axis;

the first, second, and third recessed regions being disposed away and apart from each other;

a depth of the each of the first, second, and third recessed regions is less than one-half of a thickness of the plate portion; and

the first housing of the first battery cell being disposed against the first side of the plate portion of the substantially rectangular-shaped metal plate such that the first housing contacts the first, second, third, and fourth flat regions.

17. The battery cell assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the first, second, and third recessed regions extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and extend across at least two-thirds of a width of the plate portion.

18. The battery cell assembly of claim 16, further comprising first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members, the cooling fin and the first battery cell being disposed between the first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members;

wherein the first housing of the first battery cell has an unexpanded size such that the first housing is disposed a predetermined distance away from the first and second recessed regions and the first housing is not contacting the first and second recessed regions.