Battery module thermal management fluid guide assembly

• US 9,559,393 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CPS Technology Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Shi, Alex, Obasih, Kem M., Houchin-Miller, Gary P., Lobert, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): FRASER, STEWART A
• Application Number:
  US14/503,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20160093929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• 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 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• 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 10/6551 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 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a battery module with a housing having first and second ends and first and second lateral sides between the first and second ends. The battery module includes prismatic electrochemical cells and a cooling duct having first and second segments. A first body of the first segment extends along the first lateral side of the housing and includes a first opening to environment. A second body of the second segment extends along the second lateral side of the housing and includes a second opening to the environment. The first and second openings are proximate to the second end of the housing. The battery module includes a fan disposed on the first end of the housing. The fan is fluidly coupled to the cooling duct and provides airflow through the first and second openings and along the first and second bodies.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising:

a housing having a first end, a second end, and first and second lateral sides extending between the first and second ends;

prismatic electrochemical cells disposed in the housing;

a cooling duct comprising a first segment and a second segment;

a first body of the first segment extending along the first lateral side of the housing and having a first opening to a surrounding environment, wherein the first opening of the first body is proximate to the second end of the housing;

a second body of the second segment extending along the second lateral side of the housing and having a second opening to the surrounding environment, wherein the second opening is proximate to the second end of the housing; and

a fan disposed on the first end of the housing, wherein the fan is fluidly coupled to the cooling duct and the fan is configured to generate an airflow through the first and second openings and along the first and second bodies.

2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the fan is configured to draw the airflow toward the fan from the first and second openings.

3. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the fan is configured to push the airflow away from the fan toward the first and second openings.

4. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the fan is embedded in the first end of the housing.

5. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the first end of the housing comprises a passage and the fan is coupled to the passage of the first end.

6. The battery module of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cooling duct is integral with the housing.

7. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the first and second segments of the cooling duct are coupled to the first and second lateral sides of the housing, respectively.

8. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the cooling duct comprises an intervening segment that fluidly couples the first and second bodies proximate to the first end of the housing, and the fan is fluidly coupled to the intervening segment.

9. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the first and second bodies of the first and second segments are separately coupled to the fan and are not in fluid communication with each other except via the fan.

10. The battery module of claim 1, wherein a first cooling plate extends along the first body of the first segment and a second cooling plate extends along the second body of the second segment.

11. The battery module of claim 10, wherein the first and second cooling plates each abut the prismatic electrochemical cells.

12. The battery module of claim 10, wherein the first and second cooling plates are configured to be exposed to an airflow through the cooling duct.

13. The battery module of claim 10, wherein the first and second cooling plates comprise cooling fins that extend into the cooling duct.

14. The battery module of claim 1, wherein each prismatic electrochemical cell comprises a base end, a terminal end opposite to the base end, broad faces extending between the base end and the terminal end, and narrow faces extending between the base end, the terminal end, and the broad faces, and the prismatic electrochemical cells are disposed in the housing such that the narrow faces are proximate to the first and second lateral sides of the housing.

15. The battery module of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second bodies of the first and second segments comprises a separating wall that separates each of the first and second bodies into two separate flow paths.

16. A battery module, comprising:

a housing comprising a first end and a second end opposite to the first end;

prismatic electrochemical cells disposed in an inside of the housing between the first end and the second end;

a duct comprising at least two flow paths extending along a length of the housing of the battery module between the first and second ends of the housing; and

a fan disposed on the first end of the housing, wherein the fan is configured to draw air through the duct at least from the second end of the housing to the first end of the housing through the duct and to expel the air from the duct.

17. The battery module of claim 16, wherein the housing comprises a first lateral side extending between the first and second ends of the housing and a second lateral side disposed opposite to the first lateral side and extending between the first and second ends of the housing, wherein the at least two flow paths of the duct comprise a first segment having a first body extending along the first lateral side and having a first inlet disposed proximate to the second end of the housing, and a second segment having a second body extending along the second lateral side and having a second inlet disposed proximate to the second end of the housing, and wherein the fan is configured to draw the air through the first and second inlets and through the first and second bodies of the first and second segments, respectively.

18. The battery module of claim 16, wherein the at least two flow paths of the duct are disposed along a bottom of the housing extending between the first and second ends of the housing and along base ends of the prismatic electrochemical cells proximate to the bottom of the housing.

19. The battery module of claim 18, wherein the at least two flow paths comprise a first flow path having first and second segments and a second flow path having third and fourth segments, wherein the first and third segments extend from corresponding inlets at the first end of the housing toward the second end of the housing, wherein the second and fourth segments are fluidly coupled to the fan at the first end and extend toward the second end of the housing, wherein the first and second segments are fluidly coupled via a first turn, and wherein the third and fourth segments are fluidly coupled via a second turn.

20. The battery module of claim 16, comprising a cooling plate disposed at least partially between the duct and the prismatic electrochemical cells.

21. A battery module, comprising:

a housing having a first end, a second end opposite to the first end, and a bottom extending between the first end and the second end;

prismatic electrochemical cells disposed in an inside of the housing between the first end and the second end such that base ends of the prismatic electrochemical cells are proximate to the bottom of the housing;

a fluid guide assembly extending along the bottom of the housing, wherein the fluid guide assembly comprises a first flow path having a first segment and a second segment fluidly coupled to the first segment proximate to the second end of the housing to form a U-shape, and a second flow path having a third segment and a fourth segment fluidly coupled to the third segment proximate to the second end of the housing to form a U-shape; and

a fan disposed on the first end of the housing, wherein the fan is fluidly coupled to a distal end of the second segment of the first flow path and to a distal end of the fourth segment of the second flow path, and wherein the first segment of the first flow path and the third segment of the second flow path comprise inlets fluidly coupling the first and third segments of the first and second flow paths, respectively, to a surrounding environment.

22. The battery module of claim 21, wherein the first segment is fluidly coupled to the second segment via a first 180 degree turn member, and the third segment is coupled to the fourth segment via a second 180 degree turn member.