BATTERY PACK HAVING IMPROVED SAFETY AGAINST LEAKAGE OF LIQUID REFRIGERANT

• US 20160087319A1
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: ROH, Tae Hwan, LEE, Jin Kyu, KIM, Tae Hyuck, YOON, Jong Moon, JUNG, Junhee, LEE, Yoonhee, HA, Jong Soo
• Granted Patent: US 10,084,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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 10/637 characterised by the use of reversible temperature-sensitive devices, e.g. NTC, PTC or bimetal devices; characterised by control of the internal current flowing through the cells, e.g. by switching means for preventing undesired use or discharge H01M50/572
• 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 10/6555 arranged between 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 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/103 prismatic or rectangular H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• 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

Disclosed herein is a battery pack including at least one battery module including a battery cell stack constituted by two or more stacked battery cells that can be charged and discharged and a pack case for surrounding an outside of the battery module, wherein a liquid refrigerant isolated from an inner space of the pack case removes heat conducted from the battery cells through cooling of the pack case.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

at least one battery module comprising a battery cell stack constituted by two or more stacked battery cells that can be charged and discharged; and

a pack case for surrounding an outside of the battery module, wherein

a liquid refrigerant isolated from an inner space of the pack case removes heat conducted from the battery cells through cooling of the pack case.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery module is configured to have a structure in which the battery cell stack is mounted in a module case.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a cooling fin is interposed between the battery cells of the battery cell stack, and the cooling fin extends to a module case for heat conduction to the pack case.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fin comprises a first fin member interposed between the battery cells and a second fin member extending from the first fin member such that the second fin member thermally contacts the pack case.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the second fin member directly contacts the pack case.

6. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein a thermally conductive material is coated at an interface between the first fin member and each of the battery cells and/or an interface between the second fin member and the pack case.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein thermally conductive material is thermal compound or thermal grease.

8. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein a thermally conductive pad is disposed at an interface between the first fin member and each of the battery cells and/or an interface between the second fin member and the pack case.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive pad is made of a urethane material or a silicone material.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the pack case comprises a first case member for surrounding a portion of an outer surface of the battery module and a second case member coupled to the first case member for surrounding the rest of the outer surface of the battery module.

11. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the pack case is made of a thermally conductive material.

12. The battery pack according to claim 11, wherein the thermally conductive material is a metal material, a thermally conductive polymer, or a thermally conductive polymer composite.

13. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein a sealing member is disposed at an interface between the first case member and the second case member.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the sealing member is made of rubber or silicone.

15. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a refrigerant channel, along which the liquid refrigerant flows, is provided at an outer surface of the pack case or in a hollow space of the pack case.

16. The battery pack according to claim 15, wherein the refrigerant channel has an inlet port and an outlet port, and the refrigerant channel, the inlet port, and the outlet port are isolated from the inner space of the pack case.

17. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the pack case is provided at an inner surface or an outer surface thereof which the second fin member of the cooling fin thermally contacts with a heat dissipation plate having a radiator structure.

18. The battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising:

thermistors for measuring temperature of the battery cell stack, temperature of the pack case, and external temperature of the battery pack; and

a controller for controlling the liquid refrigerant to cool or heat the pack case based on the measured temperature values received from the thermistors.

19. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein each of the battery cells is a lithium secondary battery.

20. A device having a battery pack according to claim 1 mounted therein.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and a power storage device.