Battery pack

• US 9,960,465 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Dudley, Scott, Merriman, Robert, Yang, Heekook, Arena, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Huff, Mark F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kekia, Omar M
• Application Number:
  US14/813,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20170033420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 429120
• 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 10/65 Means for temperature control structurally associated with 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 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/667 the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/276 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/278 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack having a battery module with a bottom surface and a top surface is provided. The battery module includes a plurality of flow channels extending through the battery module from the top surface to the bottom surface. The battery pack includes a base assembly adapted to hold the battery module therein. The base assembly has a bottom wall and a first end and a second end. The bottom surface of the battery module is disposed at an acute angle relative to the bottom wall of the base assembly in a first direction extending from the first end toward the second end. The battery pack includes a cover assembly having a top wall extending substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the base assembly, and a top surface of the battery module that is disposed at an acute angle relative to the top wall of the cover assembly.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

a battery module having a bottom surface and a top surface;

the battery module further having a plurality of flow channels extending through the battery module from the top surface to the bottom surface;

a base assembly adapted to hold the battery module at a tilted position thereon, the base assembly having a sheet member with a bottom wall, first and second upwardly slanted top walls, a first inner side wall, a second inner side wall, a first inner end wall, a first end, and a second end;

the first and second upwardly slanted top walls being disposed apart from one another and extending in a first direction, the first direction extending from the first end to the second end of the sheet member;

the first inner side wall being coupled directly to and between the bottom wall and the first upwardly slanted top wall and extending in the first direction, the second inner side wall being coupled directly to and between the bottom wall and the second upwardly slanted top wall and extending in the first direction, the first inner end wall being coupled directly to and between the first and second inner side walls and extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the first and second upwardly slanted top walls further extending at an acute angle relative to the bottom wall;

the bottom wall being disposed between the first and second inner side walls and extending in the first direction;

the bottom surface of the battery module being disposed directly on and directly contacting the first and second upwardly slanted top walls such that the bottom surface of the battery module is tilted and disposed at the acute angle relative to the bottom wall of the base assembly in the first direction and the plurality of flow channels in the battery module fluidly communicate with a first flow path, the first flow path being at least partially defined between the bottom wall of the base assembly, the first and second inner side walls, the first inner end wall, and the bottom surface of the battery module;

a cover assembly coupled to the base assembly such that battery module is disposed within an interior region defined by the cover assembly and the base assembly, the cover assembly having a top wall extending horizontally, the top wall of the cover assembly extending substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the base assembly, and a top surface of the battery module being disposed at an acute angle relative to the top wall of the cover assembly in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and

a second flow path being defined between the top surface of the battery module and the top wall of the cover assembly;

an electronic assembly being disposed directly on the base assembly proximate to the second end of the base assembly such that a portion of the first flow path extends underneath the electronic assembly;

an electric fan assembly being disposed in the interior region and between the battery module and the electronic assembly in the first direction;

the electric fan assembly fluidly communicating with the first flow path;

the electric fan assembly being adapted to urge air to flow through an inlet aperture of the cover assembly, and through the second flow path, and the plurality of flow channels of the battery module, and the first flow path, and to exit an outlet aperture of the cover assembly.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein an amount of the air flowing through each flow channel of the plurality of flow channels is substantially equal to one another.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the electronic assembly includes an electronic assembly housing and a plurality of cooling fins extending outwardly from the electronic assembly housing, the plurality of cooling fins fluidly communicating with the first flow path, such that the air flowing through the first flow path extracts heat energy from the plurality of cooling fins to cool the electronic assembly.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the electronic assembly housing has an inlet aperture and an outlet aperture, the inlet aperture of the electronic assembly housing fluidly communicating with the electric fan assembly, the plurality of cooling fins directing the air from the inlet aperture of the electronic assembly housing to the outlet aperture of the electronic assembly housing.

5. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the cover assembly has a cover assembly inlet aperture and a cover assembly outlet aperture, the cover assembly inlet aperture directly fluidly communicating with the second flow path, the cover assembly outlet aperture directly fluidly communicating with the outlet aperture of the electronic assembly housing.

6. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the electric fan assembly includes a fan housing and a first electric fan disposed in the fan housing, the fan housing having a fan housing inlet aperture and a fan housing outlet aperture.

7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the electric fan assembly further includes a second electric fan disposed in the fan housing.

8. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the fan housing outlet aperture fluidly communicates with the plurality of cooling fins of the electronic assembly.

9. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a flow manifold disposed on the base assembly between the battery module and the electric fan assembly such that a portion of the first flow path extends underneath the flow manifold, the flow manifold having a flow manifold inlet and a flow manifold outlet aperture, the flow manifold inlet fluidly communicating with the battery module, the flow manifold outlet aperture fluidly communicating with the electric fan assembly.

10. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the sheet member of the base assembly further includes first and second substantially flat top walls extending from the first and second upwardly slanted top walls, respectively, substantially in the first direction;

the first and second substantially flat top walls being substantially parallel to the bottom wall;

the first inner side wall being further coupled to and between the bottom wall and the first substantially flat top wall;

the second inner side wall being further coupled to and between the bottom wall and the second substantially flat top wall; and

the electronic assembly being disposed on the first and second substantially flat top walls of the base assembly.

11. The battery pack of claim 10, wherein the electric fan assembly being disposed on the first and second substantially flat top walls of the base assembly.

12. The battery pack of claim 11, wherein the electronic assembly being disposed on the first and second substantially flat top walls of the base assembly.

13. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the first and second upwardly slanted top walls extend substantially parallel to one another.