Thermal management systems including multiple phase changing materials and vehicles including the same

• US 11,374,273 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Issued: 06/28/2022
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Dede, Ercan Mehmet, Joshi, Shailesh N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruddock, Ula C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carvalho, Jr., Armindo
• Application Number:
  US16/176,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20200136209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 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 10/617 for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature
• 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 10/653 characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6553 Terminals or leads
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/659 by heat storage or buffering, e.g. heat capacity or liquid-solid phase changes or transition
• 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 50/231 having a layered structure

Abstract

A battery module including a battery cell and a thermal management system for removing heat from the battery cell. The thermal management system includes two or more unit cells in an array. Each unit cell includes a primary shell comprising a primary phase change material (PCM), and a secondary shell comprising a secondary PCM that is thermally coupled to the primary shell. The battery cell is thermally coupled to the primary shell at a heat transfer interface and the secondary shells of adjacent unit cells in the array are separate.

Claims

1. A battery module comprising:

a battery cell; and

a thermal management system for removing heat from the battery cell comprising;

two or more unit cells in an array, each individual unit cell comprising;

a primary shell, each individual primary shell comprising;

a pair of opposing sidewalls,

a primary cavity formed between the pair of opposing sidewalls, and

a primary phase change material (PCM),

wherein the primary cavity fully encapsulates the PCM, and

a heat bridge having a plurality of heat bridge arms, and

a secondary shell comprising a secondary PCM that is thermally coupled to the primary shell,

wherein;

the heat bridge extends between one of the pair of opposing sidewalls of the primary shell and the secondary shell such that the secondary shell is spaced apart from the primary shell by the heat bridge, and

the battery cell is thermally coupled to the primary shell at a heat transfer interface and the secondary shells of adjacent unit cells in the array are separate from the primary shell and the heat transfer interface.

2. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the primary PCM has a lower melting temperature than the secondary PCM.

3. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the secondary PCM has a lower melting temperature than the primary PCM.

4. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the heat per unit volume capacity of the primary PCM varies along a length of the array.

5. The thermal management system of claim 4, wherein the heat per unit volume capacity of the primary PCM increases along the length of the array.

6. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the heat per unit volume capacity of the secondary PCM varies along a length of the array.

7. The thermal management system of claim 6, wherein the heat per unit volume capacity of the secondary PCM increases along the length of the array.

8. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the battery cell is indirectly thermally coupled to the secondary shell.

9. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the secondary shell comprises a secondary cavity and the primary shell is thermally coupled to at least two separate secondary cavities via the heat bridge.

10. The thermal management system of claim 1, wherein the secondary shell is thermally coupled to the primary shell by the heat bridge.

11. The thermal management system of claim 10, wherein the heat bridge comprises one or more air gaps that allow air to pass between the primary shell and the secondary shell.

12. The thermal management system of claim 1, further comprising a shim between the primary shell and the battery cell that electrically insulates the primary shell and the battery cell.

13. A unit cell for a thermal management system for removing heat from a battery module, the unit cell comprising:

a primary shell having a sidewall and comprising a primary PCM that is fully encapsulated within the primary shell;

a secondary shell comprising a proximal face and a secondary PCM, the proximal face of the secondary shell is spaced apart from the sidewall of the primary shell to form an air gap and thermally coupled to the primary shell via a heat bridge, the heat bridge having a plurality of heat bridge arms that extend between the sidewall of the primary shell and the proximal face of the secondary shell such that the secondary shell is spaced apart from the primary shell by the heat bridge; and

a battery cell that is thermally coupled to the primary shell at a heat transfer interface, wherein the heat bridge and the air gap of the secondary shell is separated from an adjacent battery cell and each individual unit cell has an individual primary shell and secondary shells separated from the adjacent battery cell.

14. The unit cell of claim 13, wherein:

the primary shell comprises a primary cavity that is filled with a metal foam having one or more pores filled with the primary PCM.

15. The unit cell of claim 13, wherein:

the secondary shell comprises a secondary cavity that is filled with a metal foam having one or more pores filled with the secondary PCM.

16. A vehicle including a battery module, the battery module comprising:

a battery cell; and

a thermal management system for removing heat from the battery cell comprising;

two or more unit cells in an array, each individual unit cell comprising;

a primary shell, each individual primary shell comprising;

a pair of opposing sidewalls,

a primary cavity formed between the pair of opposing sidewalls, and

a primary phase change material (PCM),

wherein the primary cavity fully encapsulates the PCM, and

a secondary shell comprising a secondary PCM that is thermally coupled to the primary shell via a heat bridge,

wherein;

the heat bridge having a plurality of heat bridge arms, the heat bridge extends between one of the pair of opposing sidewalls of the primary shell and the secondary shell such that the secondary shell is spaced apart from the primary shell by the heat bridge, and

the battery cell is thermally coupled to the primary shell at a heat transfer interface and the secondary shells of adjacent unit cells in the array are separate from the primary shell and the heat transfer interface.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the heat transfer interface comprises an electrically insulating material.

18. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the thermal management system further comprises a shim between the primary shell and the battery cell that electrically insulates the primary shell and the battery cell.

19. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the heat per unit volume capacity of the primary PCM varies along a length of the array.

20. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the heat per unit volume capacity of the secondary PCM varies along a length of the array.