Method for providing a battery device and battery device for providing a cooling function

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery device (12) comprising a housing lower part (34) and a housing cover (26) arranged on the housing lower part (34), and at least one battery module (10) arranged in a battery housing (32), the battery module having at least one battery cell (14), the at least one battery module (10) having a first side (20) defining an upper side (20) and being arranged in the battery housing (32) such that the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) faces the housing cover (26) and is spaced apart from the housing cover (26) in at least one region of the upper side (20). Furthermore, a heat conducting material (30) is arranged between the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) and the housing cover (26), the heat conducting material completely filling a gap (28) between at least one region of the upper side (20) and the housing cover (26), the battery device (12) having at least one sealing element (54) which at least partially seals the gap (28).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a battery device having a battery housing with a housing lower part and a housing cover arranged on the housing lower part. The battery device also has at least one battery module arranged in the battery housing, the battery module comprising at least one battery cell, wherein the at least one battery module has a first side defining an upper side and is arranged in the battery housing in such a way that the upper side of the battery module faces the housing cover and is spaced apart from the housing cover in at least one region of the upper side. The invention also relates to a method for providing a battery device. Background Art

[0002] Current battery systems, in particular high-voltage batteries for electric or hybrid vehicles, mostly have only one-sided cooling, which is formed by the underside of the battery system. Double-sided or multi-sided cooling to improve the cooling capacity is usually only possible to a limited extent, especially with regard to efficiency. The reason for this is dimensional chains and tolerances, which do not allow for an effective and precise connection of the module to a cooling device, such as a cooling plate.

[0003] For example, DE 10 2008 059 967 A1 describes a battery having a heat conducting plate arranged in a battery housing, wherein the heat conducting plate is fastened to the cells of the battery on the upper side or the lower side. The cells are preferably arranged with their pole sides facing the heat conducting plate, and the heat conducting plate has recesses, wherein the pole contacts of the cells protrude through the recesses. The cell connectors can then be fastened to these pole contacts protruding through the heat conducting plate.

[0004] Furthermore, DE 10 2008 034 873 A1 describes a battery having a plurality of individual cells, in particular round individual cells, and a heat sink having recesses in which one individual cell is arranged in the longitudinal direction.

[0005] Furthermore, EP 2 104 121 A1 describes a battery having a plurality of battery modules arranged in a battery housing, wherein such a battery module in turn has a module housing, the upper part of which is thermally connected to a housing cover via two elastic material strips extending parallel to one another.

[0006] In all these variants, either due to the geometry of the design or due to manufacturing-related tolerances, larger or smaller gaps or air pockets inevitably occur between the battery cells and the associated cooling body or cooling device. This effect reduces the cooling efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a battery arrangement and a method which allow the most efficient possible connection of battery cells or battery modules to a cooling device.

[0008] This object is achieved by a battery arrangement and a method having the features according to the respective independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0009] The battery device according to the invention has a battery housing having a housing lower part and a housing cover arranged on the housing lower part. In addition, the battery device includes at least one battery module arranged in the battery housing, the at least one battery module having at least one battery cell, wherein the at least one battery module has a first side defining an upper side and is arranged in the battery housing such that the upper side of the battery module faces the housing cover and is spaced apart from the housing cover in at least one region of the upper side. In addition, a thermally conductive material is arranged between the upper side of the battery module and the housing cover, which completely fills a gap between the at least one region of the upper side and the housing cover, wherein the battery device has at least one sealing element, which at least partially seals the gap.

[0010] Here, the present invention is based on the following understanding, that is, by filling the gap between the upper side of the battery module and the housing cover with a heat-conducting material, such as a well-conducting potting material, a particularly effective thermal connection between the upper side of the module and the housing cover can be achieved. However, not only can a good thermal connection be achieved, but the heat-conducting material can also compensate for the strong height difference caused by tolerances in different areas of the upper side of the single cell or the different upper sides of the corresponding battery cells. This can be achieved again by designing the housing cover as a cooling cover. This can be provided in the simplest form in the following manner, that is, the housing cover is made of a metal material and, for example, air cooled on the outside flows through in order to output heat from the battery. The housing cover can also be connected to a cooling device or itself is constructed as such a cooling device, for example, with a cooling channel, as described in more detail later. However, the particularly great advantage of the present invention is that by setting the heat-conducting material in combination with the sealing element, a connection of the upper side of the module with the housing cover over as large an area as possible can be achieved to provide such a cooling function. The heat-conducting material can be injected or injected into the gap in the form of a liquid or viscous substance, for example, during the method for providing such a battery arrangement, wherein the sealing element ensures that the heat-conducting material cannot flow out of the gap in the liquid or viscous state. The heat-conducting material can then harden or be cured. Any type of gap or air pocket between the module top and the housing cover can thus be eliminated. This therefore allows a particularly effective implementation of the cover cooling for cooling at least one battery module or the battery cells comprised thereby.

[0011] The battery device can provide, for example, a high-voltage battery for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. Here, the battery device can also have a plurality of battery modules. The at least one battery module preferably includes more than only one battery cell, that is to say, includes a plurality of battery cells. For example, such a battery module can be provided by a cell group or a cell pack. In addition, such a cell pack can have a module housing, which can be designed to be open upward and / or downward, for example, and the module housing can have the shape of a clamping member surrounding the module, for example. In other words, such a module housing can only have a supporting structure for supporting or holding the battery cell of the battery module. However, it can also be provided that the module is only defined as a cell group, which does not have its own supporting structure or its own housing. The upper side of the battery module can be provided by the corresponding upper side of the battery cell included by the battery module and / or by the corresponding upper side of the insulating layer arranged at least partially from its upper side, as described in detail later. The term upper side preferably relates to the installation position of the battery device in the motor vehicle in accordance with the regulations.

[0012] The battery module may also have, for example, a second side, which is opposite to the first side and which defines the bottom side of the battery module. Furthermore, the battery module may also have a third and a fourth side, which are, for example, the front side and the rear side of the battery module, which delimit the battery module in the longitudinal extension direction of the battery module. Furthermore, the battery module may also have a fifth and a sixth side, which are likewise opposite and, for example, delimit the battery module in terms of the width of the battery module.

[0013] The individual battery cells or the at least one battery cell in general can be, for example, a lithium-ion cell. As described, the heat-conducting material can be a substance that can be filled into the gap in a liquid or viscous state and then hardened. In this case, the heat-conducting material preferably has a higher thermal conductivity than the thermal conductivity of air under normal conditions. The heat-conducting material can be provided, for example, in the form of a sealing material or as a kneaded material.

[0014] The sealing element is designed such that it at least partially seals at least the gap, which should be understood here as that the sealing element fulfills a sealing function at least with respect to the heat-conducting material. In this case, it does not necessarily have to provide a sealing function with respect to other fluids, such as air or other gases. Therefore, the sealing element should be designed such that it can prevent the heat-conducting material from flowing out of the gap when it is filled into the gap.

[0015] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, a sealing element, which is particularly designed as a sealing lip, is arranged on an edge region surrounding the upper side of the battery module, which defines the length and width of the upper side of the battery module. The battery module can have a square geometry, for example. The upper side is correspondingly configured as a rectangle. The sealing element can be correspondingly designed as the surrounding edge of the rectangle, which protrudes from the upper side of the battery module in the direction of the housing cover, for example. The sealing element contacts the housing cover at the bottom. Therefore, the sealing element constitutes a connection between the upper side of the battery module and the housing cover of the battery housing that surrounds the upper side of the battery module. Therefore, advantageously, the entire gap between the entire upper side of the battery module and the housing cover can be sealed. Accordingly, the entire gap can be filled with a heat-conducting material, especially in addition to the exhaust area that will be described in detail below. The efficiency of the thermal connection with the housing cover can be maximized thereby.

[0016] In addition, the battery housing preferably constitutes the entire battery housing for the above-mentioned HV battery. Accordingly, a plurality of such battery modules can be arranged in the battery housing. The housing cover is a housing cover used in common for all battery modules. However, it is also conceivable that the battery housing is a module housing as an alternative. In other words, only a single battery module is arranged in such a battery housing with a housing cover, for example in the form of a single cell group. In other words, corresponding housing covers can be specially provided for corresponding battery modules of the high-voltage battery and the corresponding gaps between these housing covers and the relevant upper sides of the corresponding battery modules can be filled with heat-conducting materials. Accordingly, a plurality of such battery devices can then be arranged in a common housing to form a high-voltage battery.

[0017] In another particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the battery device has a gas exhaust region that is not filled with a heat-conducting material and is spatially separated from the gap, which is connected to the gas exhaust device of the at least one battery cell and is configured in such a way that the gas discharged from the gas exhaust device of the battery cell can be discharged through the gas exhaust region at least from the area between the upper side of the battery module and the housing cover and in particular by penetrating the sealing element. Therefore, at least one battery cell has a gas exhaust device, which is designed, for example, as a rupture membrane or valve or the like in the cell housing. Through such a gas exhaust opening or such a gas exhaust device, gas can be discharged from the battery cell and thus prevent overpressure in the battery cell and the resulting explosion of the battery cell. In order to enable such a discharge of the gas even when the gap between the upper side of the battery module and the housing cover is filled with a heat-conducting material, it is now advantageous to provide such a gas exhaust region that is kept free of heat-conducting material. The gas exhaust region is therefore a channel that is kept open from such a gas exhaust device of the at least one battery cell to the outside of the battery module. This embodiment is particularly advantageous when these battery cells are prismatic battery cells, because prismatic battery cells usually have exhaust devices, which are arranged on the upper side of the relevant battery cells. It is thus possible to achieve a thermal connection of the upper side of such a battery cell to the housing cover over as large an area as possible and still advantageously keep the exhaust area unobstructed, which allows the escape of gases that may be generated in the battery cell. Here, the exhaust area does not necessarily have to be guided outward in a way that penetrates the sealing element, but can, for example, be designed to be directly upward toward the housing cover and through an opening in the housing cover itself, which opening is particularly designed to be closable. However, it is particularly advantageous that the exhaust area is guided to the sealing element. This is so because such an exhaust area can then be arranged to simultaneously cover multiple exhaust devices of the corresponding battery cells. Therefore, the space required for setting such an exhaust area can be significantly reduced. Accordingly, more space that can be filled with heat-conducting material to improve cooling efficiency can be provided.

[0018] Correspondingly, another particularly advantageous design of the present invention is that the exhaust region is designed as an exhaust channel, which extends on the upper side of the battery module in the longitudinal extension direction of the battery module until the area of ​​the sealing element. In addition, the exhaust region is preferably such an area, which is directly connected to the upper side of the relevant battery cell or is usually connected to the upper side of at least one battery cell and does not have to extend completely to the housing cover in the direction from the upper side to the housing cover. Such an exhaust channel can be provided, for example, in the following manner, that is, when providing a battery device, before filling the heat-conducting material, a tunnel-shaped, for example, and a laying device extending in the longitudinal extension direction of the battery module is first laid on the upper side of the corresponding battery cell, so that the corresponding exhaust device of the battery cell is located below the laying device, but is spaced apart from the laying device. If the housing cover is subsequently placed and the heat-conducting material is injected, the area below the laying device is kept without heat-conducting material. As described, the exhaust channel can be guided to the sealing element or an area of ​​the sealing element. The sealing element can be designed in such a way that it is automatically penetrated by the gas escaping from the battery cell when the gas pressure is correspondingly high, for example exceeding a certain limit value. The sealing lip providing the sealing element can be made of a correspondingly elastic material, for example a rubber-like material, or of silicone or the like, for example. Furthermore, the sealing lip can be designed such that it bends outwards under a corresponding gas pressure and thereby opens a path for escaping gas.

[0019] In another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the at least one battery module has a plurality of battery cells which are arranged side by side in the longitudinal extension direction, wherein the exhaust duct is arranged to cover the corresponding exhaust devices of the battery cells. In other words, the corresponding exhaust devices of the relevant battery cells lead into a single common exhaust duct. This embodiment is particularly efficient, since only one separate exhaust duct has to be provided for each battery module, thereby saving structural space. Preferably, the corresponding exhaust devices of the battery cells are located on a straight line extending in the longitudinal extension direction, in particular an imaginary line. This enables a particularly space-efficient and simple and in particular linear construction of the exhaust duct.

[0020] In another very advantageous embodiment of the present invention, at least one closable or closed filling opening is arranged in the housing cover above the gap in a first direction from the upper side to the housing cover, and in particular a closable or closed ventilation opening is additionally arranged. Through such a filling opening, a heat-conducting material can be filled or injected when providing the battery device. Injection via the filling opening in the housing cover is particularly advantageous here, because this enables the heat-conducting material to be distributed as evenly as possible on the upper side of the entire battery module. Accordingly, it is preferred that such a filling opening is arranged centrally at least with respect to one direction, in particular in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extension direction. Since the gap filled with the heat-conducting material is sealed and thus delimited at the side by a sealing element, it is less preferred to arrange such a filling opening at the side, because after filling the heat-conducting material, when the injection device is pulled out of the opening, the heat-conducting material must be prevented from flowing out of the opening, so this may impair the sealing function or lead to more expensive sealing measures. Through the filling opening in the housing cover, outflow through the opening cannot occur due to gravity and no additional sealing measures are required. Nevertheless, the filling opening can still be closed after the heat-conducting material is filled, for example, by a suitable closure, such as a plug, etc. However, the filling opening can also be designed in a self-sealing manner, that is, the filling opening is automatically closed by the hardened overflowing filling material. In addition, a ventilation opening is also provided in the housing cover. Thus, during the filling of the heat-conducting material into the gap, the air displaced at the same time can escape from the gap through the ventilation opening. After filling the heat-conducting material, the ventilation opening can be closed as described for the filling opening, that is, when the gap is completely filled, it is closed by the own cover or closure provided for the ventilation opening, or by the filling material, i.e. the heat-conducting material, which partially flows out of the opening. Automatic closure by the flowing out heat-conducting material is particularly advantageous because no additional sealing measures need to be provided here.

[0021] Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous if the at least one filling opening is arranged above the exhaust channel with respect to the first direction. Since the exhaust channel preferably extends in the middle relative to the width of the battery module in the longitudinal extension direction, uniform filling of the heat-conducting material can be achieved through the filling opening above the exhaust channel. At the same time, lateral forces acting on the exhaust channel, for example an insert covering the exhaust channel, which could lead to displacement of such an insert if the insert is not fastened, are avoided in this way. By filling the heat-conducting material above the exhaust channel and therefore above such an insert, such displacement of the insert does not have to be feared. Furthermore, the number of required filling openings can be reduced to a minimum, in particular to such an extent that a uniform distribution of the heat-conducting material is ensured.

[0022] In another advantageous design of the present invention, at least one battery cell has a first side, on which at least one battery cell terminal and in particular an exhaust device are arranged, wherein at least one battery cell is arranged in the battery housing so that the first side of at least one battery cell faces the housing cover. This is particularly advantageous when the battery cell is a prismatic cell. The cell is usually arranged in the battery housing so that its cell terminal points upward. Now, the present invention can advantageously achieve that, although the surface area height of the upper side of such a battery cell is different due to tolerance and construction reasons-the cell terminal and exhaust device of the corresponding battery cell are arranged on the surface area, the corresponding upper side of the battery cell is still well thermally connected to the housing cover at least locally, so that effective cover cooling can be provided. At the same time, the exhaust device on the upper side of the battery cell can also be avoided by the above-mentioned exhaust channel from being closed by the heat-conducting material. Therefore, exhaust is still guaranteed. The present invention and its embodiments have particularly great advantages when using prismatic battery cells. Nevertheless, the present invention and its embodiments can also be implemented in a similar manner using soft-pack cells. However, its single-cell terminal is usually not on the upper side, but in the side area between the upper side and the lower side. In addition, the soft-packed single cell usually has a circumferential folding seam, which is, for example, on the upper side, but also extends in the side area and the lower side. Through this folding seam, the possibility of exhausting the soft-packed single cell is usually also provided. Therefore, an exhaust channel extending on the upper side is not necessarily necessary, and such an exhaust channel can also be arranged in the side area of ​​the battery cell and is therefore not arranged between the upper side of the corresponding battery cell and the housing cover. As a result, the thermal connection of this soft-packed single cell to the housing cover is even simpler, because, for example, the entire gap between the entire upper side of this soft-packed single cell and the housing cover can be filled with a heat-conducting material. However, in the soft-packed single cell, the electrical insulation on the upper side - as explained in more detail below - can also be arranged on the upper side in the same way, even if there is no single cell pole at this position.

[0023] In another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust duct extends over a first region of a first side of at least one battery cell, and the battery device has at least one electrically insulating insulating layer, which is arranged in at least one second region of the first side of the battery cell that is different from the first region to at least cover the cell terminal, in particular, the exhaust device is arranged between two cell terminals of the battery cell in terms of the second direction, wherein the first side of the battery cell is divided into two second regions and a first region arranged in the middle between the two second regions, the exhaust duct extends over the first region in the middle, wherein the electrically insulating insulating layer is arranged in one of the second regions to at least cover the corresponding cell terminal. Safety can be advantageously increased by such an insulating layer. In particular, complete electrical insulation between the upper side of the corresponding battery cell and the heat-conducting material can be provided by such an insulating layer in combination with the exhaust duct. In addition, such an insulating layer can also be used as touch protection. Here, the exhaust duct or its wall is also preferably composed of an electrically insulating material, for example plastic. The region of the upper side of the battery cell that is not covered by the exhaust duct is insulated from the heat-conducting material by the insulating layer. Since the ventilation channel preferably extends in the middle in the longitudinal extension direction of the battery module with respect to the width direction, two insulating layers in the form of electrically insulating strips are preferably provided on the upper side of the battery cells to the left and right in the longitudinal extension direction of the battery module. However, if the cell terminals and ventilation devices are arranged differently on the respective upper sides of the battery cells, it is also conceivable, for example, for the ventilation channel to extend in the edge region of the upper side of the battery cells and for the remaining region of the upper side to be covered by a one-piece insulating layer.

[0024] Such an insulating layer can be provided, for example, in the form of a mica plate or so-called mica sheet or in the form of an insulating tape, that is to say in the form of a flexible insulating tape, in particular an adhesive tape, or as a plastic plate or plastic film or the like. The flexibly deformable design of the insulating layer is particularly advantageous here, since it can thus be adapted particularly well to the surface geometry of the upper side of the battery cell to be covered by the layer. This in turn requires a heat transfer from the upper side of the battery cell to the housing cover via the heat-conducting material, since air gaps and air pockets can thereby be minimized or completely eliminated.

[0025] Furthermore, the cell terminals are connected to one another, for example, via cell connectors or busbars or the like. This electrical connection is then also covered by the insulating layer, at least as long as it is not located below the exhaust duct. Any electrical or electronic components arranged in the region of the module top can also be covered by the insulating layer. This provides comprehensive electrical protection and nevertheless enables a particularly effective thermal connection of the top of the battery cell to the housing cover.

[0026] As already mentioned at the outset, it is particularly advantageous if the housing cover is designed as a cooling device and has cooling channels through which a cooling medium can flow, as proposed in another advantageous embodiment of the invention. This makes it possible to provide particularly effective cooling, in particular active, in particular actively controllable cooling. Any desired cooling medium can be used to flow through the cooling channels, for example a water-glycol mixture.

[0027] In addition, the battery device may also have a cooling device on the bottom side. For example, the battery housing may include a battery bottom, which is arranged opposite to the housing cover and the at least one battery module is arranged on the battery bottom with its bottom side. Here, the bottom side of the battery module is arranged opposite to the upper side. In addition, the bottom side of the at least one battery module can also be connected to the bottom of the battery housing by a heat-conducting material. The bottom of the battery housing can also include a cooling channel through which a cooling medium can flow, so as to provide cooling as effectively as possible. The bottom of the housing is therefore constructed as a cooling base plate. Alternatively, the bottom of the housing can also be constructed only as a plate or a thin plate, which is arranged on a cooling device, for example, a plate with an integrated cooling channel. The connection of the battery module to such a cooling base plate on the bottom side is usually implemented more simply because the corresponding bottom sides of the battery cells included by at least one battery module can be initially aligned relative to each other, so that the spacing between the bottom side of the battery cell and the cooling base plate varies significantly less than, for example, the spacing between the upper side of the corresponding battery cell and the housing cover. In order to introduce a heat-conducting material between the cooling base and at least one battery module, the heat-conducting material can be first applied to the cooling base on the upper side and the battery module can then be placed into the housing and pressed onto the heat-conducting material, or vice versa, the battery module can first be arranged and fixed in the battery housing and the heat-conducting material can then be injected into the gap between the lower side of the battery cell and the cooling base, for example through a filling opening arranged in the cooling base or a filling opening arranged laterally.

[0028] Particularly effective cooling of the battery module and the battery cells contained therein can be provided precisely when both the battery housing bottom and the housing cover are designed as cooling devices.

[0029] The invention furthermore relates to a method for providing a battery device, wherein a housing lower part is provided, in which at least one battery module is arranged, the battery module having at least one battery cell, wherein the at least one battery module has a first side defining an upper side. Furthermore, a housing cover is provided and the housing cover is arranged on the housing lower part in such a way that the upper side of the battery module faces the housing cover, wherein the upper side is spaced apart from the housing cover in at least one region of the upper side. Furthermore, a heat-conducting material is introduced between the upper side of the battery module and the housing cover, which completely fills a gap between the at least one region of the upper side and the housing cover, wherein the battery device has at least one sealing element, which at least partially seals at least the gap.

[0030] The advantages described for the battery device according to the invention and its configurations apply in the same manner to the method according to the invention. Furthermore, the specific features described in conjunction with the battery device according to the invention and its configurations enable the method according to the invention to be improved by further corresponding method steps.

[0031] Furthermore, a motor vehicle having a battery arrangement according to the invention or one of its embodiments is also to be regarded as belonging to the invention. The motor vehicle can be designed, for example, as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

[0032] The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a car, in particular a passenger car or a truck, or as a passenger bus or a motorcycle.

[0033] The present invention also includes combinations of features of the described embodiments. Therefore, the present invention also includes implementations that each have a combination of features of a plurality of the described embodiments that are not described mutually exclusively. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. The accompanying drawings show:

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic side view showing a battery module for a battery device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 An embodiment of the present invention is shown Figure 1 A schematic top view of a battery module in FIG.

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic top view of a battery module for a battery device having a plurality of battery cells included in the battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic side view of a battery device having a battery module arranged in a battery housing according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0039] Figure 5 An embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 4 A schematic top view of the battery device shown in FIG. 1 ; and

[0040] Figure 6 A schematic top view of a battery arrangement having a plurality of battery modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The embodiments set forth below are preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the embodiments, the described parts of the embodiments are respectively the features of the present invention that can be considered independently of each other, and these features also improve the present invention independently of each other. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to include the combination of the features of the embodiments except for the combinations shown. In addition, the embodiments can also be supplemented by other features in the features already described of the present invention.

[0042] In the figures, the same reference numerals respectively denote elements with the same function.

[0043] Figure 1 A battery device 12 (see FIG. Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 ) is a schematic side view of a battery module 10. In addition, Figure 2 Shown in Figure 1 A schematic top view of this battery module is schematically shown in FIG. Figure 3 Another top view is shown in FIG. Figure 3 1 , the individual battery cells 14 of the battery module 10 are additionally shown, of which only one is provided with a reference numeral for reasons of simplicity. In principle, the battery module 10 has at least one such battery cell 14, but preferably a plurality of battery cells which are arranged side by side in a longitudinal extension direction corresponding to the y direction shown here. In this example, prismatic battery cells 14 are shown, but the invention can also be used in the same way for soft-pack cells as battery cells 14.

[0044] Furthermore, the individual battery cells 14 also have corresponding cell terminals 16, in particular each battery cell 14 has two terminal connections 16, one of which is designed as a positive pole and one as a negative pole. In addition, these cell terminals are arranged on the upper side 18 of the respective battery cell 14. The term upper side here refers to the proper installation position in the motor vehicle, such as, for example, on the upper side of the vehicle. Figure 1 Accordingly, the upper side 20 of the battery module is also defined, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in . The lower side 22 of the battery module is arranged opposite to the upper side 20. The individual single-cell terminals 16 of the corresponding battery cells 14 are connected to each other, wherein the connecting parts are not explicitly shown here. In addition, the multiple battery cells have an exhaust device 24, which is arranged between two single-cell terminals 16 on the upper side 18 of the corresponding battery cell 14, in particular, in the middle between these single-cell terminals 16. The exhaust device 24 can be configured as a rupture membrane, a valve or the like, for example. The exhaust device 24 allows gas to escape from the corresponding battery cell 14, for example, in the event of overheating of the battery cell 14, in order to prevent the battery cell 14 from exploding.

[0045] In order to cool such a battery module 10 as effectively as possible, it is now advantageously provided that the upper side 20 of such a battery module 10 is connected to a cooling device which is provided by a housing cover 26. The housing cover 26 is also provided at the bottom of the housing cover 26. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , a dashed line is used to schematically illustrate the relationship between the two. Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, such a housing cover 26 is usually spaced apart from the upper side 20 of the battery module 10. As a result, a gap 28 is formed between the housing cover 26 and the upper side 20 of the battery module, which gap is advantageously filled with a potting material, in particular a heat-conducting material 30. By means of such targeted potting of the gap 28 between the module upper part 20 and the cooling cover 26 with a heat-conducting material 30, the upper side 20 of the battery module 10 can be connected in a targeted manner to the cooling cover 26 located above, that is to say to the housing cover 26. As a result, heat can be particularly effectively dissipated from the battery cells 14 by transferring the heat to the housing cover 26.

[0046] Here, Figure 4 A schematic side view of such a battery module arrangement 12 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown, and Figure 5 1 shows a schematic top view of the battery module arrangement 12. The battery modules 10 of the battery module arrangement 12 can be configured as described above. Figures 1 to 3 Additionally, Figure 42, a battery housing 32 is now also shown, which comprises a housing lower part 34 and a housing cover 26. As can be seen, the housing cover 26 is designed as a cooling cover in this example and has cooling channels 38 through which a coolant 36 can flow. The housing bottom 34 can also be designed as a cooling device having such cooling channels 38 through which a coolant 36 or other coolant can flow. In addition, the cooling base 34 can also be connected to the lower side 22 of the relevant battery module 10 via a heat-conducting material 40. The heat-conducting material 40 for connecting the cooling base 34 can in particular be the same heat-conducting material 30 as the heat-conducting material 30 for connecting the module upper side 20 to the cooling cover 26 or a different heat-conducting material. In addition, in order to electrically insulate the battery module 10 from the heat-conducting material 30 arranged between the module upper side 20 and the housing cover 26, an insulating layer 42 is also provided, which covers the cell terminal 16 and also covers the connector and other electrical and / or electronic components that can be arranged on the upper side of the battery cell 14. Such an insulating layer 42 can be designed as an insulating tape or the like, for example. The insulating layer 42 preferably extends over the entire upper side 18 of the corresponding battery cell 14 to a region 44 in which the exhaust device 24 of the battery cell 14 is arranged. An exhaust region in the form of an exhaust channel 46 is arranged in such a way as to cover the region 44. The exhaust channel 46 is free of heat-conducting material 30, so that the gas discharged from the plurality of battery cells 14 can also escape from the exhaust device 24. In order to prevent the heat-conducting material 30 from entering the exhaust region 46 when providing the battery module device 12, a cover 48 is provided, which can be designed as, for example, an insert, a PVC insert. Such a cover 48 is designed here so that the cover has a spacing with the corresponding exhaust device 24, so that these exhaust devices 24 are not closed by the cover 48. In addition, the cover 48 is composed of an electrically insulating material, so that, for example, it is not necessary to cover the region 44 of the upper side 18 of the battery cell 14 with an insulating layer 42.

[0047] In order to arrange the heat conducting material 30 in the gap 28 between the upper side 20 of the battery module 10 and the housing cover 26, it is provided that the heat conducting material 30 is filled or injected in a liquid or viscous state through at least one filling opening 50 in the housing cover 26. The filling openings 50 are schematically shown, for example, at Figure 5. In addition, at least one ventilation opening 52 is also provided in the housing cover 26, through which the air displaced during the filling process can escape from the gap 28. It is not important here which of the two openings 50, 52 shown here is currently used for filling and which is used as a ventilation opening. In particular, the two openings 50, 52 can be designed in the same manner. Preferably, these openings 50, 52, at least one filling opening 50, are located above the exhaust duct 46 or above the cover 48, because at this central position above the exhaust duct 46 a distribution of the heat-conducting material 30 that is as uniform as possible during filling can be achieved. In order to prevent the heat-conducting material 30 filled into the gap 28 from flowing out of the gap 28 laterally, a sealing element in the form of a sealing lip 54 is advantageously provided. The sealing element surrounds the upper side 20 of the battery module 10 in an edge region 56, which defines both the length L of the battery module 10 or its upper side 20 (see Figure 3 ) in turn defines its width B in the x-direction. The sealing lip 54 can be designed, for example, as a rubber lip or a silicone lip. It is also particularly advantageous here if the sealing lip 54 is arranged on the top side 20 in an edge region 56 of the battery module 10, such as, for example, in Figure 1 . The housing cover can then be simply put on the battery module 10 or the housing lower part 34 and thus automatically sealed with the sealing lip 54. In terms of a particularly advantageous embodiment, a circumferential lip 54 is arranged on the module 10, which is supported on the upper cooling cover 26 in the assembled state. In addition, the sealing lip 54 can be designed flexibly here, so that the sealing lip can be bent or bent outwardly, that is, directed away from the module 10 under a certain minimum pressure. This can be advantageously used to guide the gas escaping from these battery cells 14 through the exhaust channel 46 to the following area of ​​the sealing lip 54, which is represented by 54a in this example and in which the sealing lip 54 can be penetrated by the particle flow under the exhaust condition. That is, in order to be able to exhaust the single cell 14, the gas channel or the exhaust channel 46 is joined to the module cover or on the module cover, that is, for example, on the upper side 18 of the battery cell 14, and the exhaust channel prevents the filling material 30 from being placed in front of the exhaust opening, that is, in front of the exhaust device 24 of the battery cell 14. The exhaust gas channel leads to the edge of the sealing lip 54 and, in the event of exhaust gas, the sealing lip 54 is penetrated by the particle flow.

[0048] The battery device 12 may also include a plurality of such battery modules 10, as schematically shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown in the top view in . The battery device 12 can be configured as a high-voltage battery for an electric vehicle, for example. Here, these multiple battery modules 10 are arranged in a common battery housing 32 and are covered by a common housing cover 26 accordingly. The cooling channels 38 of the housing cover 26 are shown here with dotted lines and extend, for example, in the y direction over the entire length of the cover 26 and thus extend simultaneously on multiple battery modules 10. In addition, it can also be seen here that a filling opening 50 and an exhaust or ventilation opening 52 are respectively provided in the cover 26 for each battery module 10. The sealing of the injection hole 50 and the ventilation opening 52 can be achieved by overflowing filler 30 or by a separate cover.

[0049] In the method for providing such a battery device, the module 10 can be installed in a housing 32 together with other modules 10 and thus be thermally connected to the cooling plate 34 below. In a subsequent process, the cover 26 is placed on the battery system. In addition to the cooling channels 38, the cover also has injection holes 50, which can be used to introduce the potting material between the cover 26 and the module 10. Another opening 52 is used for ventilation. The sealing of the injection hole 50 and the ventilation opening 52 is achieved by overflowing filler 30 or a separate cover.

[0050] Overall, these examples show how a connection for cover cooling of a battery system can be provided by the invention, which connection enables a particularly efficient thermal connection of the battery module to the cover cooling provided by the battery cover.

Claims

1. A battery device (12), comprising: a battery housing (32) having a housing lower part (34) and a housing cover (26) arranged on the housing lower part (34); at least one battery module (10) arranged in a battery housing (32), the at least one battery module having at least one battery cell (14); -in, The at least one battery module (10) has a first side defining an upper side (20) and is arranged in a battery housing (32) such that the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) faces the housing cover (26) and is spaced apart from the housing cover (26) in at least one region of the upper side (20); It is characterized in that A heat conducting material (30) is arranged between the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) and the housing cover (26), which completely fills a gap (28) between the at least one region of the upper side (20) and the housing cover (26), wherein the battery device (12) has at least one sealing element (54) which at least partially seals the gap (28). The sealing element (54) is arranged at an edge region (56) surrounding the upper side (20) of the battery module (10), the edge region defining the length (L) and the width (B) of the upper side (20) of the battery module (10).

2. The battery device (12) according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The sealing element (54) is designed as a sealing lip.

3. The battery device (12) according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The battery device (12) has a degassing area (46, 48) which is not filled with a heat-conducting material (30) and is spatially separated from the gap (28), the degassing area (46, 48) being connected to a degassing device (24) of at least one battery cell (14) and being designed so that gas discharged from the degassing device (24) of the battery cell (14) can be guided out via the degassing area (46, 48) at least from the area between the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) and the housing cover (26).

4. The battery device (12) according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The degassing region (46, 48) is designed as a degassing channel (46) which extends on the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) in the longitudinal extension direction (y) of the battery module (10) to a region (54a) of the sealing element (54).

5. The battery device (12) according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The at least one battery module (10) has a plurality of battery cells (14) which are arranged next to one another in a longitudinal extension direction (y), wherein the exhaust duct (46) is arranged to cover corresponding exhaust devices (24) of the battery cells (14).

6. The battery device (12) according to claim 5, It is characterized in that At least one closable or closed filling opening (50) is arranged in the housing cover (26) above the gap (28) with respect to a first direction (z) from the top side (20) to the housing cover (26).

7. The battery device (12) according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The at least one battery cell (14) has a first side (18) on which a cell terminal connection (16) of the at least one battery cell (14) is arranged, wherein the at least one battery cell (14) is arranged in a battery housing (32) such that the first side (18) of the at least one battery cell (14) faces a housing cover (26).

8. The battery device (12) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, It is characterized in that The exhaust duct (46) is arranged to extend over a first region of a first side (18) of the at least one battery cell (14), the battery device (12) having at least one electrically insulating insulation layer (42), the at least one insulation layer being arranged in at least one second region of the first side of the battery cell (14) different from the first region to at least cover the cell terminal (16).

9. The battery device (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, It is characterized in that The housing cover (26) is designed as a cooling device and has cooling channels (38) through which a coolant (36) can flow.

10. The battery device (12) according to claim 3, characterized in that Gas exhausted from the exhaust device (24) of the battery cell (14) is guided out in a manner penetrating the sealing element (54).

11. The battery device (12) according to claim 6, characterized in that In addition, a closable or closed ventilation opening (52) is arranged in the housing cover (26) above the gap (28) with respect to a first direction (z) from the top side (20) to the housing cover (26).

12. The battery device (12) according to claim 7, characterized in that An exhaust device (24) is arranged on the first side.

13. The battery device (12) according to claim 8, characterized in that The exhaust device (24) is arranged between two cell terminals (16) of the battery cell (14) in terms of the second direction (y), wherein a first side (18) of the battery cell (14) is divided into two second areas and a first area in the middle arranged between the two second areas, and the exhaust channel (46) extends over the first area in the middle, wherein an electrically insulating insulating layer (42) is arranged in each of the second areas to at least cover the corresponding cell terminal (16).

14. A method for providing a battery device (12), the method comprising the steps of: - providing a housing lower part (34), in which at least one battery module (10) is arranged, the at least one battery module having at least one battery cell (14), wherein the at least one battery module (10) has a first side (20) defining a top side (20); - providing a housing cover (26); - arranging the housing cover (26) on the housing lower part (34) in such a way that the upper side (20) of the battery module (10) faces the housing cover (26), wherein the upper side (20) is spaced apart from the housing cover (26) in at least one region of the upper side (20); It is characterized in that A heat conducting material (30) is introduced between the upper side (20) and the housing cover (26) of the battery module (10), the heat conducting material completely filling a gap (28) between the at least one region of the upper side (20) and the housing cover (26), wherein the battery device (12) has at least one sealing element (54) which at least partially seals the gap (28). The sealing element (54) is arranged at an edge region (56) surrounding the upper side (20) of the battery module (10), the edge region defining the length (L) and the width (B) of the upper side (20) of the battery module (10).

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