BATTERY CELL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING THE BATTERY CELL ASSEMBLY

• US 20090186265A1
• Filed: 01/18/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Koetting, William, Tom, Kwok, Patil, Prabhakar, Klein, Martin J., Kebl, Kelly
• Granted Patent: US 8,628,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• 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 10/653 characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6568 characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5038 Heating or cooling of cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making

Abstract

A battery cell assembly and a method for assembling the battery cell assembly are provided. The battery cell assembly includes first and second battery cells with a heat exchanger disposed between the first and second battery cells. The heat exchanger has a plastic frame and first and second thermally conductive layers. The plastic frame has an interior space extending therethrough. The first and second thermally conductive layers are disposed on opposite sides of the plastic frame to enclose the interior space, such that when a liquid is disposed in the interior space, heat energy is transferred from the first battery cell through the first thermally conductive layer to the liquid.

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly, comprising:

a first battery cell having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;

a first panel member configured to contact at least a portion of the first side of the first battery cell; and

a heat exchanger having a plastic frame and first and second thermally conductive layers, the plastic frame having an interior space extending therethrough, the plastic frame having a third side and a fourth side opposite the third side, the first thermally conductive layer being disposed on the third side of the plastic frame and covering the interior space, the second thermally conductive layer being disposed on the fourth side of the plastic frame and covering the interior space, the first thermally conductive layer being disposed adjacent the second side of the first battery cell, such that when a liquid is disposed in the interior space, heat energy is transferred from the first battery cell through the first thermally conductive layer to the liquid.

2. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the plastic frame of the heat exchanger is a generally rectangular ring-shaped frame, the heat exchanger further having an outlet port and an inlet port coupled to the rectangular ring-shaped frame, the rectangular ring-shaped frame having a first elongated aperture fluidly communicating with the inlet port and the interior space, the rectangular ring-shaped frame having a second elongated aperture fluidly communicating with the outlet port and the interior space, such that the fluid flows through the inlet port and first elongated aperture into the interior space and then the fluid flows from the interior space through the second elongated aperture to the outlet port.

3. The battery cell assembly of claim 2, wherein the heat exchanger further comprises at least one cross-member that extends across the rectangular ring-shaped frame to partition the interior space into at least first and second interior regions.

4. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the first thermally conductive layer is constructed from aluminum.

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

a second battery cell having a fifth side and a sixth side opposite the fifth side, the fifth side of the second battery cell being disposed on the second thermally conductive layer, such that when the liquid is disposed in the interior space, heat energy is transferred from the second battery cell through the second thermally conductive layer to the liquid.

6. The battery cell assembly of claim 5, further comprising a second panel member configured to contact at least a portion of the sixth side of the second battery cell.

7. A method for assembling a battery cell assembly, the battery cell assembly having a first battery cell with a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a first panel member, and a heat exchanger having a plastic frame and first and second thermally conductive layers, the plastic frame having an interior space extending therethrough, the plastic frame having a third side and a fourth side opposite the third side, the method comprising:

disposing the first panel member on at least a portion of the first side of the first battery cell;

disposing the first thermally conductive layer on the third side of the plastic frame and covering the interior space;

disposing the second thermally conductive layer on the fourth side of the plastic frame and covering the interior space; and

disposing the first battery cell on the first thermally conductive layer of the heat exchanger to obtain the battery cell assembly.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the battery cell assembly further has a second battery cell having a fifth side and a sixth side opposite the fifth side, the method further comprising disposing the fifth side of the second battery cell on the second thermally conductive layer of the heat exchanger.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the battery cell assembly further has a second panel member, the method further comprising disposing the sixth side of the second battery cell on the second panel member.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first thermally conductive layer is constructed from aluminum.