BATTERY MODULE PASSIVE THERMAL MANAGEMENT FEATURES AND POSITIONING

• US 20160093932A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• 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: Obasih, Kem M., DeKeuster, Richard M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,825,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/625 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 10/6562 with free flow by convection only
• 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 50/289 characterised by spacing elements or positioning means within frames, racks or packs spacing elements inside cells other than separators, membranes or diaphragms H01M50/471
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a battery system with a battery module having electrochemical cells inside of a housing. The housing includes a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The battery module includes a heat sink coupled with the second side of the housing and a thermal interface disposed between, and in contact with, the heat sink and the electrochemical cells. The thermal interface contacts base ends of the electrochemical cells. The system includes a cage disposed about the battery module. The cage includes a cage side positioned next to the second side of the housing and having openings disposed in the cage side. The openings enable air to be drawn into the cage. The air passes over the heat sink of the battery module.

Claims

1. A battery system, comprising:

a battery module, comprising;

a plurality of electrochemical cells;

a housing that houses the plurality of electrochemical cells, wherein the housing comprises a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;

a heat sink coupled with the second side of the housing; and

a thermal interface disposed between, and in contact with, the heat sink and the plurality of electrochemical cells, wherein the thermal interface physically contacts base ends of the plurality of electrochemical cells opposite to terminal ends of the plurality of electrochemical cells comprising terminals; and

a cage disposed about the housing, the cage having a cage side positioned next to the second side of the housing of the battery module and having a plurality of openings disposed in a portion of the cage side, wherein the plurality of openings enable air to be drawn through the plurality of openings from an area external to the cage such that the air enters into the cage and passes over the heat sink of the battery module along a path extending from a first end of the heat sink to a second end of the heat sink.

2. The battery system of claim 1, wherein each of the electrochemical cells are prismatic and the plurality of electrochemical cells comprises two adjacent stacks of electrochemical cells housed within the housing, wherein the heat sink comprises two thermally conductive plates aligned with the two adjacent stacks of electrochemical cells, and wherein the thermal interface comprises two thermal interface portions respectively disposed between the two heat sinks and the two adjacent stacks of electrochemical cells.

3. The battery system of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises an internal partition separating the two adjacent stacks of electrochemical cells and extending from an internal surface of the second side of the housing toward the first side of the housing.

4. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the cage side, the second side of the housing, and the heat sink are oriented to coordinate with Earth'"'"'s gravitational force to encourage the air to flow over the heat sink from the first side of the heat sink upwardly to the second side of the heat sink.

5. The battery system of claim 1, wherein one or more additional cage sides include a second plurality of openings to enable air to be drawn into the cage.

6. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the heat sink comprises a thermally conductive plate.

7. The battery system of claim 6, wherein the thermally conductive plate comprises a plurality of cooling fins extending therefrom and away from the second side of the housing.

8. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the thermal interface comprises a thermal gap pad, a thermal filler, a thermal paste, or a thermal adhesive.

9. The battery system of claim 1, wherein an internal surface of the heat sink is flush with an internal surface of the second side of the housing.

10. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises two reinforcing sides extending between the first side and the second side, and the two reinforcing sides comprise a webbed pattern that increases a surface area of the housing exposed to an area outside of the housing.

11. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the heat sink is in-molded with the second side of the housing.

12. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the path is aligned with Earth'"'"'s gravitational force.

13. The battery system of claim 1, wherein each electrochemical cell of the plurality of electrochemical cells is a prismatic cell.

14. The battery system of claim 1, wherein each electrochemical cell of the plurality of electrochemical cells is a Lithium-ion electrochemical cell.

15. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrochemical cells are disposed in two stacks of electrochemical cells, and each stack comprises 3, 6, or 10 electrochemical cells.

16. A battery system, comprising:

a battery module having a housing configured to house electrochemical cells therein, wherein the battery module comprises a heat sink coupled to a first side of the housing; and

a cage configured to receive the battery module, wherein the cage comprises;

a cage side configured to be aligned with the first side of the housing of the battery module and having a plurality of openings disposed in a portion of the cage side, wherein the plurality of openings enable air to be drawn through the plurality of openings from an area external to the cage such that the air enters into the cage and passes over the heat sink of the battery module along a path extending from a first end of the heat sink to a second end of the heat sink.

17. The battery system of claim 16, wherein the heat sink coupled to the first side of the housing is in-molded in the first side of the housing.

18. The battery system of claim 16, wherein the cage side, the first side of the housing, and the heat sink are oriented to coordinate with Earth'"'"'s gravitational force to encourage the air to flow over the heat sink from the first side of the heat sink upwardly to the second side of the heat sink.

19. The battery system of claim 16, wherein the path is aligned with Earth'"'"'s gravitational force.

20. The battery system of claim 16, wherein a second cage side comprises a second plurality of openings disposed in a second portion of the second cage side, wherein the second plurality of openings enable air to be drawn through the second plurality of openings from the area external to the cage such that the air enters into the cage.

21. The battery system of claim 16, comprising an upper opening in a top of the cage configured to enable the air to vent through the upper opening.

22. The battery system of claim 21, comprising a hood disposed proximate to the top of the cage and configured to extract heat from the air vented through the upper opening.

23. A battery system, comprising:

a battery module;

a housing of the battery module that houses a plurality of electrochemical cells in two stacks of electrochemical cells, and having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, wherein the second side comprises two cutouts, each cutout being aligned with a respective one of the two stacks of electrochemical cells;

two heat sinks of the battery module disposed in the two cutouts and aligned with the two stacks of electrochemical cells; and

two thermal interfaces of the battery module, each thermal interface being disposed between, and in contact with, a respective one of the two heat sinks and a respective one of the two stacks of electrochemical cells, wherein the two thermal interfaces physically contact base ends of the plurality of electrochemical cells opposite to terminal ends of the plurality of electrochemical cells comprising terminals; and

a cage disposed about the battery module, wherein the cage comprises;

a cage side positioned next to the second side of the housing of the battery module and having a plurality of openings disposed in a portion of the cage side, wherein the plurality of openings enables air to be drawn through the plurality of openings from an external area such that the air enters into the cage and passes over the two heat sinks of the battery module along a path extending from first ends of the two heat sinks to second ends of the two heat sinks.

24. The battery system of claim 23, wherein the two heat sinks are in-molded with the second side of the housing.

25. The battery system of claim 23, wherein the cage side, the second side of the housing, and the two heat sinks are oriented to coordinate with Earth'"'"'s gravitational force to encourage the air to flow over the two heat sink from the bottoms of the two heat sinks upwardly.

26. The battery system of claim 23, wherein the housing comprises an internal partition separating the two stacks of electrochemical cells and extending from an internal surface of the second side of the housing toward the first side of the housing.