Battery pack installation structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery pack mounting structure. The mounting structure includes a battery pack having multiple battery modules and a bracket positioned within the partitioned battery pack to allow the battery modules to be mounted therein. A housing portion is formed in the vehicle body to define a space for accommodating the battery pack. A lower cover is positioned on the lower surface of the battery pack, and a heat sink is coupled to the bracket to face the lateral side surfaces of the battery modules and define a flow path for cooling water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack mounting structure, and more particularly to a battery pack mounting structure including a placement portion formed in a vehicle body, in which a battery pack including a plurality of battery modules is positioned, and a lower cover surrounding the battery modules and fixed to the vehicle body. Background Art

[0002] Typically, electric vehicles (EVs) use electricity stored in batteries to drive motors, rather than fuel. Because EVs use batteries as their power source, rather than gasoline or diesel, they produce no pollution and are quiet, leading to global efforts to commercialize them. Furthermore, because batteries used in EVs are limited in capacity and size, they consist of multiple modules, each containing multiple battery cells.

[0003] Multiple battery modules to be installed in an electric vehicle are mounted in a battery pack, and a battery tray is mounted on the inner bottom of the vehicle. Conventional battery trays are simply used to mount multiple batteries, but cannot achieve stable installation and heat dissipation of the batteries.

[0004] Therefore, the need for vehicle battery trays that can achieve stable battery installation and heat dissipation has increased. In addition, in the case of conventional battery packs mounted on the upper surface of the vehicle, the volume ratio of the battery pack to the area of ​​the upper surface of the vehicle is low, so there is a problem of limited number of battery modules.

[0005] The above information disclosed in this section is only intended to deepen the understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute the prior art that is already known in this country to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention addresses the aforementioned issues associated with the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack mounting structure comprising a mounting portion formed in the lower surface of a vehicle body and a lower cover secured to the vehicle body in contact with the lower surface of the battery pack, thereby maximizing the ratio of the battery module volume to the area of ​​the lower surface. Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack mounting structure configured to integrally secure the battery pack to the vehicle body via the mounting portion integrally formed with the lower end of the vehicle body.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is not limited to the above purpose, and other purposes of the present invention not mentioned above will be clearly understood from the description of the preferred embodiments below and will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The above purpose and other purposes of the present invention are achieved by the means disclosed in the claims and their combinations.

[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides a battery pack mounting structure including a battery pack having a plurality of battery modules; a bracket positioned at the partitioned battery pack and allowing the battery modules to be mounted therein; a placement portion formed in a vehicle body to define a space for accommodating the battery pack therein; a lower cover positioned on a lower surface of the battery pack; and a radiator coupled to the bracket to face lateral side surfaces of the battery modules and to define a flow path through which cooling water flows.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery pack may include a mounting portion secured to the vehicle body via a lower cover and a mounting portion. The mounting structure may further include a heat dissipation adhesive positioned between the bracket and the battery module. The radiator may include an inlet through which cooling water is introduced and an outlet through which the cooling water, which has undergone heat exchange, is discharged, the inlet and the outlet being formed on the same surface of the battery pack.

[0010] Furthermore, the battery pack may include a plate with the battery modules disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate. The heat sink may include a central flow path, and a portion of the bracket between the battery modules may communicate with the central flow path. The placement portion may be formed in the lower surface of the vehicle body.

[0011] The mounting structure may further include an electronic component unit disposed at at least one end of the battery pack. Additionally, the mounting structure may include a sealing member disposed between the lower cover and the vehicle body. The bracket may be configured in the form of an H-beam.

[0012] The bracket may have a flow path that forms a flow path in the heat sink, and the flow path in the bracket may include an upper flow path formed in the upper portion of the H-beam, through which cooling water is introduced, and a lower flow path formed in the lower portion of the H-beam, through which cooling water is discharged. The mounting structure may further include a heat dissipation adhesive disposed between the bracket and the battery module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, which are given hereinafter by way of illustration only and are therefore non-limiting to the present invention, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack mounting structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 3is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 4 is a side sectional view of a bracket of a battery pack mounting structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 5 A view showing a cooling water flow path in a battery pack mounting structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0019] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a coupling structure of a lower cover according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that they illustrate a somewhat simplified representation of various features of the basic principles of the invention. Specific design features of the invention disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. In the figures, reference numerals designate the same or equivalent parts of the invention throughout the multiple figures of the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be modified into various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are provided to make the present invention detailed and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0022] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, ships including various boats, vessels, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from energy sources other than petroleum).

[0023] Although the exemplary embodiments are described as using multiple units to perform the exemplary processes, it should be understood that the exemplary processes can also be performed by one or more modules. In addition, it should be understood that the term controller / control unit refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor and is specifically programmed to perform the processes described herein. The memory is configured to store the modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes, which will be further described below.

[0024] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one" and "an" and "the" as used herein are intended to also include plural forms. It should be further understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related items listed.

[0025] Unless otherwise specified or obvious from the context, as used herein, the term "about" is understood to mean within the normal tolerance range in the art, such as within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "About" can be understood to mean within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, all numerical values ​​provided herein are modified by the term "about."

[0026] The terms "component," "unit," or "module" refer to a unit for performing at least one function or action and may be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware. In this specification, the term "plate" refers to the bottom surface of the brackets on which the battery modules are mounted and is understood to include all horizontal, flat surfaces of the brackets, each of which has an H-beam shape.

[0027] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or equivalent elements may be represented by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated.

[0028] The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a battery pack 100. Preferably, the mounting structure of the battery pack 100 according to the present invention may include a battery pack 100 having a plurality of battery modules 110 each including a plurality of battery cells vertically stacked on one another, and a mounting portion 210 formed in a rear surface of a vehicle body 200 and having the battery pack 100 mounted therein.

[0029] The battery pack 100 according to the present invention may include a plurality of rows of battery modules 110 that are symmetrically arranged in the same plane in a longitudinal direction with respect to the center of the battery pack 100. In addition, the battery modules may be provided on and under the plates of the battery pack 100.

[0030] Figure 1The figure is a perspective view of a mounting structure of a battery pack 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the battery pack 100 may include a seating portion 210 located on the rear surface of the vehicle. At least a portion of the battery pack 100 in the vertical direction may fit into the seating portion 210, and a lower cover 300 may be coupled to one surface of the battery pack 100 to seal the battery pack 100.

[0031] The seating portion 210 may be integrally formed in the vehicle body 200 and may be pressed downward so that at least a portion of the battery pack 100 is vertically mounted therein. Preferably, the seating portion 210 may have a bottom surface provided with the same pattern as the top surface of the battery pack 100, thereby serving as a seating tray for the battery pack 100. Therefore, when the battery pack 100 is seated in the seating portion 210, the battery module 110 may be at least partially mounted in the seating portion 210 having the predetermined pattern.

[0032] The battery pack 100 may include a plurality of battery modules 110, each of which includes a plurality of battery cells stacked one on top of the other in a height or vertical direction, and a bracket 120, wherein the battery modules 110 are arranged in a plurality of rows in a longitudinal direction via the bracket 120. Preferably, the bracket 120 may be located on the upper and lower surfaces of the plates of the battery pack 100 so that the battery modules 110 are mounted between the brackets 120.

[0033] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery modules 110 in the battery pack 100 mounted on the vehicle body 200 may be arranged in a 2xN matrix pattern and may be located on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate. The heat sink 130 may be arranged to face the lateral side surfaces of the battery modules 110 and may have a central flow path that is located at the center of the battery pack 100 in the longitudinal direction. The central flow path may include an upper flow path 121 and a lower flow path 122 that are arranged to face the lateral side surfaces of the battery modules 110, with a bracket 120 provided between the battery modules 110 so that cooling water introduced from the vehicle flows close to the battery modules 110. Preferably, the central flow path connected to the cooling water inlet may be connected to the upper flow path 121 in the bracket 120, and the cooling water discharged from the lower flow path 122 in the bracket 120 may be passed to another central flow path connected to the outlet.

[0034] The heat sink 130 may be located above and below the plate to correspond to the lateral side surfaces of the battery module 110. Preferably, the flow paths formed in the bracket 120 may be positioned to correspond to the respective battery modules 110. Each bracket 120 may be formed in the shape of an H-beam, and the flow paths formed in the bracket 120 may be formed in the shape of an H-beam, and may be divided into an upper flow path and a lower flow path. The upper flow path 121 formed in the upper portion of the bracket 120 having the H-beam shape may allow the cooling water introduced through the central flow path located at the center of the battery pack 100 to flow to the bracket 120. At the same time, the lower flow path 122 formed in the lower portion of the bracket 120 having the H-beam shape may allow the cooling water introduced to the upper end of the bracket 120 to be discharged through the central flow path. Therefore, the cooling water introduced into the bracket 120 may be introduced into the upper flow path 121 formed in the upper portion of the bracket 120 to exchange heat with the battery module 110 , and then may be introduced into the central flow path through the lower flow path 122 .

[0035] The upper flow path 121 and the lower flow path 122 formed in the bracket 120 may be connected to each other at the end of the battery module 110 to allow fluid to flow therethrough, thereby allowing cooling water in the upper flow path to freely flow to the lower flow path 122. Preferably, the upper flow path 121 may move downwardly inclination from the center toward the end of the battery pack 100 in the width direction, and the lower flow path 122 may move downwardly inclination from the end toward the center of the battery pack 100 in the width direction.

[0036] The heat sink 130 may be configured to dispose the bracket 120 between the battery modules 110 and allow the battery modules 110 to exchange heat through the upper flow path 121 and the lower flow path 122 formed in the bracket 120. Preferably, cooling water introduced from a cooling water reservoir located in the vehicle may flow to the battery pack 100 through an inlet located at one end of the battery pack 100, and may be discharged into the cooling water reservoir through an outlet located at one end adjacent to the inlet.

[0037] The central flow path fluidically connected to the inlet and the central flow path fluidically connected to the outlet may consist of the same flow path or different flow paths isolated from each other. The battery pack 100 may be secured to the vehicle body 200 with one surface of the battery pack 100 in contact with the vehicle's lower cover 300. Preferably, the vehicle's lower cover 300 may be configured to surround the rear surface of the vehicle and may include a sealing member adapted to retain the battery pack 100 between the vehicle body 200 and the lower cover 300.

[0038] The lower cover 300 has a fixing hole 410 formed at a position corresponding to the mounting portion 140 and a fixing pin 400 fixed to the vehicle body 200 through the fixing hole 410 and the mounting portion 140. Therefore, the vehicle body 200, the battery pack 100, and the lower cover 300 can be fixed integrally to each other.

[0039] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery pack 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack 100. The battery pack 100 may include a plate containing battery modules 110 and brackets 120 disposed between the battery modules 110 and extending perpendicular to the plate. Each bracket 120 may include an upper flow path 121 and a lower flow path 122 that are fluidically connected to each other to allow cooling water in the vehicle to flow in the longitudinal direction of the battery modules 110.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the battery module 110 may be located above and below the plate, and twelve battery modules 110 may be provided in the bracket 120. The battery pack 100 may include two rows of battery modules 110. The battery pack 100 may be provided with an electronic component unit 170 at one end thereof, and a low-voltage wiring harness may be provided between the electronic component unit 170 and the battery module 110 to electrically connect the electronic component unit 170 to the battery module 110. The electronic component unit 170 may be fixed to one end in the longitudinal direction of the battery pack 100 and may be provided in at least one row of the two rows of brackets 120, in which at least one row no battery module 110 is provided. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electronic component unit 170 may include a battery management system (BMS), a power relay assembly, a fuse, and the like.

[0041] In addition, the busbars may be coupled to both lateral sides of the battery module 110 by laser welding, and the sensing blocks may be located outside the busbars or at ends of the battery module 110 adjacent to the busbars. The battery modules 110 may be located between the brackets 120 arranged adjacent to each other. The heat dissipation adhesive 150 may be located between the inner surface of the bracket 120 and the battery module 110. Therefore, since the bracket 120 and the battery module 110 exchange heat with each other through the heat dissipation adhesive 150, the heat conduction efficiency is improved.

[0042] A heat dissipation adhesive 150 in a semi-solid state may be applied to the bottom surface and lateral side surfaces of the bracket 120 to fix the battery cells forming the battery module 110 to the bracket 120. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the heat dissipation adhesive 150 may be composed of a two-component resin and may include alumina (which is a thermally conductive material) as a main material and a hardener.

[0043] The process of applying the heat dissipation adhesive 150 and then stacking the battery modules 110 may be performed so that the heat dissipation adhesive 150 is applied to the inner surface of the bracket 120 and the battery cells are stacked obliquely or horizontally. Alternatively, the process of applying the heat dissipation adhesive to the inner surface of the bracket 120, providing a guide film to the heat dissipation adhesive, arranging the battery cells forming the battery module 110 on the heat dissipation adhesive, and then removing the guide film may be performed.

[0044] The exposed surfaces of the battery modules 110 stacked in the bracket 120 may be provided with pads for absorbing reaction force due to battery expansion. At least one of the battery modules 110 exposed to the upper and lower surfaces of the plate of the battery pack 100 may be provided with a pad.

[0045] The mounting portions 140 may be located at both ends of the battery pack 100. Preferably, the mounting portions 140 may be located between the battery modules 110. The mounting portions 140 may be formed at positions corresponding to the fixing holes 410 formed in the lower cover 300 of the vehicle. Each mounting portion 140 may have a hole therein. That is, a hole may be formed to pass through each of the upper and lower ends of each mounting portion 140. Therefore, after the battery pack 100 is placed on the vehicle body 200, the fixing holes 410 in the lower cover 300 may be moved to positions corresponding to the mounting portions 140, and the fixing pins 400 may be fastened to the vehicle body 200, thereby integrally coupling the lower cover 300, the battery pack 100, and the vehicle body 20 to each other.

[0046] Figure 4 is a side sectional view of a bracket 120 constituting a heat sink 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 1 is a view illustrating the flow of cooling water flowing through the brackets 120. Each bracket 120 may be configured to have an H-beam shape, and may have an upper flow path 121 and a lower flow path 122 therein.

[0047] The upper flow path 121 in the bracket 120 may be located vertically above the plate, while the lower flow path 122 may be located vertically below the plate. The upper flow path 121 may be connected to a central flow path located at the center of the battery pack 100 and an inlet located at one end of the battery pack 100 through which cooling water is introduced, while the lower flow path 121 may be connected to an outlet located adjacent to the inlet.

[0048] The upper flow path 121 and the lower flow path 122 can be connected to each other in a fluid communication manner at the end of the bracket 120 away from the center of the battery pack 100. The upper flow path 121 and the lower flow path 122 can be connected to each other in a fluid communication manner through the upper open end and the lower open end of the bracket 120. In other words, the cooling water introduced through the inlet flows into the upper flow path 121 through the central flow path, and the cooling water in the upper flow path 121 flows into the lower flow path 122 due to gravity or fluid pressure, and then is discharged through another central flow path connected to the lower flow path 122.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, cooling water introduced through the inlet flows through the central flow path in the center of the battery pack 100 in the longitudinal direction of the battery pack 100 and flows into the upper flow path 121 of the bracket 120 facing the battery module 110. The cooling water introduced into the upper flow path 121 flows into the lower flow path 122 at the end of the bracket 120 and is discharged from the outlet through the lower flow path 122 and the central flow path of the battery pack 100. The bracket 120 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention holds the individual battery modules 110 and provides rigidity to the battery pack 100 in the width direction, and may include a flow path forming the heat sink 130.

[0050] Figure 6 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a lower cover 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which is coupled to a vehicle body 200. As shown in the figure, a seating portion 210 may be formed in a lower surface of the vehicle body 200, and the lower cover 300 may be coupled to the lower surface of the vehicle body 200 to surround the seating portion 210.

[0051] The lower cover 300 may be positioned to completely surround the periphery of the battery pack 100 and surround at least a portion of the lower surface of the vehicle body 200. The lower cover 300 may include a sealing member 220 for vibration and waterproofing between the lower cover 300 and the vehicle body 200. Preferably, to couple the lower cover 300 to the vehicle body 200, the battery pack 100 may first be placed on the upper surface of the lower cover 300, and then the lower cover 300 including the battery pack 100 may be integrally coupled to the vehicle body 200.

[0052] The lower cover 300 may include a pattern corresponding to the lower surface of the battery pack 100, and the battery pack 100 may be positioned on the upper surface of the lower cover 300 such that the fixing holes 410 correspond to the mounting portions 140. Specifically, to secure the battery pack 100 to the vehicle body 200, the battery pack 100 may be secured to the lower cover 300, and the lower cover 300, including the battery pack 100 secured thereto, may be integrally coupled to the vehicle body 200. At this time, the fixing pins 400 may be inserted into the fixing holes 410 in the lower cover 300, thereby integrally coupling the vehicle body 200, the battery pack 100, and the lower cover 300.

[0053] Through the above-described configurations of the exemplary embodiments and their combination, the present invention provides the following effects. The battery pack mounting structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention enables the battery pack to be mounted to the vehicle body with a high ratio of battery pack volume to vehicle body area. Furthermore, the battery pack mounting structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention enables the battery pack to be mounted on the lower surface of the vehicle body, thereby facilitating the assembly process.

[0054] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A battery pack mounting structure, comprising: a battery pack, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules; brackets formed as H-beams located at the separated battery packs and allowing the battery modules to be mounted to the respective upper or lower sides of the H-beams and each battery module to be mounted between the corresponding brackets; a housing portion formed in the vehicle body to define a space for accommodating the battery pack; a lower cover, the lower cover being located on a lower surface of the battery pack; and a heat sink disposed to face a lateral side surface of the battery module and defining a flow path through which cooling water flows; The flow paths include: a central flow path located at the center of the battery pack in the longitudinal direction and comprising a first central flow path and a second central flow path, wherein the first central flow path is in communication with an inlet through which cooling water is introduced into the flow path, and the second central flow path is in communication with an outlet through which cooling water is discharged from the flow path; an upper flow path formed at an upper portion of the H-beam, branching from the first central flow path so that cooling water introduced at the inlet flows into the upper flow path through the first central flow path; and a lower flow path formed at a lower portion of the H-beam, branching from the second central flow path and connected to the upper flow path so that cooling water in the upper flow path flows into the lower flow path and is discharged through the second central flow path; wherein the upper flow path is positioned adjacent to an upper battery module mounted on an upper side of the H-beam; wherein the lower flow path is positioned adjacent to a lower battery module mounted on a lower side of the H-beam; wherein the lower flow path is positioned adjacent to a lower battery module mounted on a respective lower side of a respective H-beam; wherein the bracket comprises a plate forming a horizontal flat surface of an H-beam; The upper battery module and the lower battery module are arranged on the upper surface and the lower surface of the plate of the H-beam.

2. The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: The battery pack includes a mounting portion fixed to a vehicle body through the lower cover and the placement portion. 3 . The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat dissipation adhesive between the bracket and the battery module.

4. The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: The radiator includes an inlet through which cooling water is introduced and an outlet through which the cooling water having undergone heat exchange is discharged, the inlet and the outlet being formed in the same surface of the battery pack.

5. The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein: The placement portion is formed in a lower surface of the vehicle body. 6 . The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1 , further comprising an electronic component unit disposed at at least one end of the battery pack. 7 . The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a sealing member provided between the lower cover and the vehicle body.

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