The disclosure relates to a battery system, more particularly to a fluid-cooled battery system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,638 B2 discloses a conventional fluid-cooled battery pack system which can maintain the variation in battery temperature in a battery pack within the permissible temperature range even when the variation in the gaps between battery modules is considered. A plurality of battery modules are each provided with a plurality of convex portions and concave portions on the sides thereof, where the connections to other battery modules are made. When the battery modules are connected by bringing the opposite convex portions into contact with each other, coolant flow paths, through which a coolant flows, are formed. The target width of the coolant flow paths is set so that the variation in temperature relative to the target temperature of each battery module is maintained within a predetermined range when the coolant flows through the coolant flow paths, the variation in temperature is caused by a fabrication tolerance relative to the target width of the coolant flow paths between the battery modules.
U.S. patent application publication no. 2010/0092849 A1 discloses a conventional battery module which includes a housing configured to receive a plurality of cells. The housing includes a first tray and a second tray. Each of the plurality of cells is received within a depression of at least one of the first tray and the second tray.
An object of the disclosure is to provide a novel fluid-cooled battery system.
According to the disclosure, a fluid-cooled battery system includes at least one battery module which includes a plurality of rows of battery cells, an outer casing, and at least one cell fixture. Each of the battery cells has a cell body extending in an upright direction. The battery cells of each row are staggered with the battery cells of an adjacent row. The outer casing defines therein an accommodation space for accommodation of the battery cells, and has a first port unit and a second port unit which are configured to permit a cooling fluid to flow through the accommodation space from one of the first and second port units to the other one of the first and second port units so as to allow the battery cells to be cooled by the cooking fluid. The cell fixture includes a holding web which is fitted inside the accommodation space, and which is formed with a plurality of rows of retaining holes. The retaining holes of each row are staggered with the retaining holes of an adjacent row, and are configured to retain the cell bodies of a respective row of the battery cells so as to permit the battery cells to be held in the accommodation space by the holding web, to thereby keep the battery cell is in stable position against undesired vibration.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
To aid in describing the disclosure, directional terms nay be used in the specification and claims to describe portions of the present disclosure (e.g., front, rear, left, right, top, bottom, etc.). These directional definitions are intended to merely assist, in describing and claiming the disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure in any way.
Referring to
Each of the battery cells 11 has a cell body 110 extending in an upright direction (Z), and the battery cells 11 of each row are staggered with the battery cells 11 of an adjacent row. In an embodiment shown in
The battery cells 11 may be a rechargeable battery, for example, hut not limited to, a Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) battery, a Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery, or a Lithium-ion battery. In an embodiment, the battery cells 11 may be cylindrical Lithium ion 18650 cells or 21700 cells.
The outer casing 12 defines therein an accommodation space 120 for accommodation of the battery cells 11, and has a first opening 101 (see
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
Furthermore, a first port 121 is formed in the first surrounding segment 1231 and a second port 122 is formed in the second surrounding segment 1232. Alternatively, the first and second ports 121, 122 may be formed in the same one of the first and second surrounding segments 1231, 1232. The cooling fluid may further be introduced into the accommodation space 120 through one of the first and second ports 121, 122 and may be drained out through the other one of the first and second ports 121, 122.
In an embodiment, the outer casing 12 may be made from a plastic or polymer materials.
As shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment, the elements of the outer casing 12 are integrally formed. The cell fixtures 13 are fitted into the accommodation space 120 from the first and second openings 101, 102, respectively.
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment, as shown in
In an embodiment, the passing holes 103 shown in
In an embodiment shown in
The plate body 141 is formed with a plurality of through bores 142 in positions corresponding to the first terminals 111 of the battery cells 11.
The contact pads 143 are disposed respectively in the through bores 142 to be in electrical contact with the first terminals 111 of the battery cells 11, respectively.
The fusible regions 144 are located respectively in the through bores 142, and each of the fusible regions 144 includes a plurality of fusible ribs 145 which are angularly displaced from each other and which extend radially from the respective contact pad 143 to the plate body 141 for electrically connecting the plate body 141 and the respective contact pad 143. When one of the battery cells 11 is overheated, the fusible ribs 145 of the corresponding fusible region 144 may melt for protection of the remaining battery cells 11.
The electrical connections among the battery cells 11 and the first and second electrode plates 14, 15 may heat up easily, the heat dissipating in the form of waste heat. If the battery cells 11 are electrically connected to the first and second electrode plates 14, 15 using a fuse element, the temperature change would adversely affect the fusing. The electrical connections being at a relatively high temperature may also adversely affect the efficiency of the battery modules. Cooling the electrical connections by submerging it in the cooling fluid improves efficiency of the battery modules and reduces power wastage. Please note that the battery module differs from the conventional ones because the electrical connections are completely submerged in cooling fluid so as to facilitate the electrical connected to be cooled more efficiently.
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
The battery modules 100 of each column are connected to each other along the upright direction (Z) through the mating engagement between two adjacent male and female extensions 126, 127 shown in
Each of the cover boards 22 is disposed to provide a fluid-tight seal with the battery modules 100 in the end row, and is formed with circuits for connecting the columns of the battery modules in series. The arrows in
Each of the first manifolds 23 is configured to be in fluid communication with the first ports 121 (see
Each of the cover casings 21 is configured to provide a fluid-tight seal with a leading one and a trailing one of the battery modules 100, and has a circuit for electrically connecting the battery modules 100 of the fluid-cooled battery system to a motor generator (not shown) of an electric-powered vehicle (not shown). After the battery modules 100, the cover casings 21, the cover boards 22, and the first and second manifolds 23, 24 are assembled, the battery cells 11 inside the fluid-cooled battery system are fluid-tightly sealed.
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough, understanding of the embodiment(s). It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is (are) considered the exemplary embodiment(s), it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments) hut is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
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7671565 | Straubel | Mar 2010 | B2 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200335744 A1 | Oct 2020 | US |