Electric vehicle air-cooled battery pack

Abstract

The air-cooled battery pack according to the present application can include a plurality of battery modules; a battery pack case including an air inlet and an air outlet and configured to accommodate the plurality of battery modules; a cooling passage formed between the plurality of battery modules and a bottom surface of the battery pack case; an air inlet duct module forming an air passage of the air inlet to the cooling passage; and an air outlet duct module disposed within the battery pack case and configured to include at least one exhaust fan and to form an air passage from the cooling passage to the air outlet so that air can be exhausted to the outside of the battery pack case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a battery pack, and more specifically, to an air-cooled battery pack for electric vehicles with an integrated exhaust fan.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0146830, filed in Korea on November 5, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] Unlike primary batteries, which cannot be recharged, secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged, and are used as power sources for energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), as well as small high-tech electronic devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and laptops.

[0004] Currently, a single secondary battery cell cannot provide sufficient output to power an electric vehicle. In order to use secondary batteries as an energy source for electric vehicles, multiple lithium-ion battery cells need to be connected in series and / or in parallel to form a battery module. The battery pack typically includes a battery management system (BMS) that connects the battery modules in series and maintains their functionality, a cooling system, a battery pack disconnect unit (BDU), cables, etc.

[0005] In the case of battery modules used in electric vehicles, since several to dozens of secondary battery cells are alternately charged and discharged, it is necessary to control this charging and discharging to keep the battery module in an appropriate operating state.

[0006] Specifically, the heat generated during the operation of a secondary battery raises its temperature. Therefore, if this heat is not effectively cooled, stability is significantly reduced, leading to shortened battery life and potential malfunctions. Thus, cooling is a crucial task in manufacturing battery packs that include secondary batteries.

[0007] There are two types of cooling systems for battery packs: air-cooled and water-cooled. The disadvantage of water-cooled systems is that short circuits in the secondary batteries, water damage, and the large number of components added to the cooling path reduce the energy density of the battery pack. On the other hand, air-cooled systems have the advantages of relatively avoiding short-circuit and water damage issues, and can be connected to the air conditioning system of electric vehicles.

[0008] Reference Figure 1 For example, the air-cooled battery pack 1 has an air inlet 2 and an air outlet 3 and can be installed under the seat of the vehicle. It can be configured to introduce external air into the air-cooled battery pack 1 through the air inlet 2 to cool the battery module and exhaust it to the outside through the air outlet 3.

[0009] Generally, an exhaust fan 5 of 200 W or more is required to generate forced convection inside the air-cooled battery pack 1, and the exhaust fan 5 is large in size, and thus is located outside the battery pack 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, one side of the exhaust fan 5 can be communicated with a duct 4 (the duct 4 is communicated with the air outlet 3 of the battery pack), and the other side of the exhaust fan 5 can be connected to a duct (not shown) communicated with the air outlet 3 of the vehicle. Figure 1

[0010] However, as described above, in the case where the exhaust fan 5 is present outside the battery pack 1, problems such as a decrease in quietness of the vehicle due to fan noise at the time of fan operation, difficulty in layout design around the battery pack, and a decrease in the effect of generating forced convection inside the battery pack compared to the output of the exhaust fan 5 occur in the vehicle, and the cooling performance is decreased.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need for an air-cooled battery pack capable of solving the problems in the related art by comprehensively considering the solution of the fan noise problem, the space utilization, the cost, and the cooling performance. SUMMARY

[0012] TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0013] The present disclosure aims to solve the problems of the related art, and thus the present disclosure aims to provide an air-cooled battery pack in which a fan is embedded to reduce fan noise, optimize a cooling passage space, reduce a cost, and have excellent cooling performance.

[0014] These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be understood by the following detailed description, and will become more apparent by the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, it is readily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved by the means shown in the claims and combinations thereof.

[0015] TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0016] In one aspect of the present disclosure, an air-cooled battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules; a battery pack case including an air inlet and an air outlet and disposed to accommodate the plurality of battery modules; a cooling passage formed between the plurality of battery modules and a bottom surface of the battery pack case; an air inlet duct module configured to form an air passage from the air inlet to the cooling passage; and an air outlet duct module including at least one exhaust fan installed inside the battery pack case and disposed to discharge air outside the battery pack case by forming an air passage from the cooling passage to the air outlet.

[0017] The battery pack case can include a battery pack tray on which the plurality of battery modules are disposed, and a battery pack cover configured to cover an upper side portion of the battery pack tray and including the air inlet and the air outlet.

[0018] ​The plurality of battery modules include a cooling fin protruding downward at a lower plate portion of the plurality of battery modules and toward the battery pack tray.

[0019] The cooling passage can be fixed through a gap between the cooling fins.

[0020] The plurality of battery modules can be arranged in two rows in a longitudinal direction on the battery pack tray, the intake port can include a first intake port above a first battery module in the first row and a second intake port above a first battery module in the second row, and the exhaust port can be one, and the exhaust port can be above the intake port between a last battery module in the first row and a last battery module in the second row.

[0021] The intake duct module can include a first intake duct configured to guide an airflow in a direction from the first intake port to the cooling passage formed below the battery modules in the first row, and a second intake duct configured to guide an airflow in a direction from the second intake port to the cooling passage formed below the battery modules in the second row.

[0022] The first intake duct can include a first horizontal intake duct portion including a first intake duct inlet connected to the first intake port and arranged above a top side portion of the first battery module in the first row, and a first vertical intake duct portion bent downward from the first horizontal intake duct portion and extended, arranged parallel to a front side portion of the first battery module in the first row, and a lowermost end of the first vertical intake duct portion including a first intake duct outlet toward an opening of the cooling passage.

[0023] The second intake duct can be vertically symmetrical to the first intake duct, and can include a second horizontal intake duct portion including a second intake duct inlet connected to the second intake port and arranged above a top side portion of the first battery module in the second row, and a second vertical intake duct portion bent downward from the second horizontal intake duct portion and extended, arranged parallel to a front side portion of the first battery module in the second row, and a lowermost end of the second vertical intake duct portion including a second intake duct outlet toward an opening of the cooling passage.

[0024] The air outlet duct module can include a first air outlet duct configured to guide an air flow in a direction from a cooling passage formed below the battery module in the first row to an air outlet, a second air outlet duct configured to guide an air flow in a direction from a cooling passage formed below the battery module in the second row to the air outlet, a first exhaust fan installed above the battery module in the first row and communicating with the first air outlet duct, a second exhaust fan installed above the battery module in the second row and communicating with the second air outlet duct, and a fan bridge duct including a first opening provided to communicate with the first exhaust fan, a second opening provided to communicate with the second exhaust fan, and a third opening provided to communicate with the air outlet.

[0025] The fan bridge duct can further include a partition plate configured to partition an inner space from the first opening to the third opening from an inner space from the second opening to the third opening.

[0026] The fan bridge duct can include a duct bottom cover and a duct top cover provided to form the inner space and to be vertically coupled to each other, and the first opening and the second opening are formed by coupling the duct bottom cover and the duct top cover, and the third opening is provided above the duct top cover.

[0027] In another aspect of the disclosure, an electric vehicle including the air-cooled battery pack described above is provided.

[0028] Advantageous Effects

[0029] According to embodiments of the disclosure, an air-cooled battery pack including a built-in exhaust fan to reduce fan noise can be provided, while the air-cooled battery pack has excellent space utilization, economic efficiency, cooling performance, etc.

[0030] Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, through the following description, that various embodiments according to the disclosure can solve several technical problems not mentioned above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional air-cooled battery pack.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of an air-cooled battery pack according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the air-cooled battery pack of Figure 2 after separating a battery pack cover.

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the air-cooled battery pack taken along line I-I' of Figure 2

[0035] Figure 5 ​It is along Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the air-cooled battery pack taken from line II-II'.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a perspective view showing the installation structure of the intake pipe module and the exhaust pipe module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 7 Is along with Figure 6 Observe the intake duct module from different directions Figure 6 A perspective view of the air intake duct module.

[0038] Figure 8 It is a perspective view showing two exhaust fans and fan bridging ducts separate from the first and second exhaust ducts.

[0039] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the first and second air outlet pipes.

[0040] Figure 10 It is a plan view of two exhaust fans and fan bridging ducts.

[0041] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the fan bridging duct.

[0042] Figure 12 This is an exploded perspective view of the fan bridging duct. Detailed Implementation

[0043] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terminology used in the specification and appended claims should not be construed as limited to its general and dictionary meanings, but rather is interpreted according to the meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure, based on the principle of allowing the inventors to appropriately define terms for the best interpretation.

[0044] Therefore, the description presented herein is merely a preferred example and is intended for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Consequently, it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic perspective view of an air-cooled battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of the air-cooled battery pack after the battery pack cover has been removed. Figure 4 It is along Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the air-cooled battery pack taken along line I-I'. Figure 5 It is along Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the air-cooled battery pack taken from line II-II'.

[0046] Referring to Figures 2 to 4 The air-cooled battery pack 10 according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes a plurality of battery modules 100, a battery pack case 200, a cooling passage P, an air intake duct module 300, and an air exhaust duct module 400 including two exhaust fans 420 and 430.

[0047] The battery module 100 includes secondary battery cells (not shown) connected in series and / or in parallel with each other. The secondary battery cells can be pouch-type secondary battery cells. The pouch-type secondary battery cells can include electrode assemblies, electrolytes, and pouch cases.

[0048] The electrode assembly is an assembly of electrodes and separators, and can be configured such that one or more positive electrode plates and one or more negative electrode plates are interposed with separators therebetween. Electrode tabs can be included in each electrode plate of the electrode assembly and can be connected to electrode leads. Specifically, in the case of the pouch-type secondary battery cell, one or more electrode tabs can be connected to the electrode leads, and the electrode leads can serve as electrode terminals by being interposed between the pouch cases and having one end thereof exposed to the outside. The pouch case can include an outer insulating layer, a metal layer, and an inner adhesive layer, and can be configured with a laminate capable of accommodating the electrode assembly and the electrolyte and sealing the edges by thermal bonding.

[0049] The configuration of such a pouch-type secondary battery cell will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains, and thus a more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0050] The pouch-type secondary battery cells can be configured to be accommodated in the module case in a form in which their wide surfaces are erected and stacked on each other in one direction. In this case, the lower edge of each pouch-type secondary battery cell contacts the bottom surface of the module case. By providing the cooling passage P below such a battery module 100 and allowing cooling air to flow through the cooling passage P such that the bottom surface of the module case contacts the cooling air, heat exchange between each pouch-type secondary battery cell and the cooling air can be allowed.

[0051] The battery module 100 can not necessarily include the pouch-type secondary battery cell. In other words, the battery module 100 can include various other secondary battery cells known at the time of filing the disclosure, including cylindrical secondary battery cells, square secondary battery cells, etc. that accommodate electrode assemblies and electrolytes by using metal cans.

[0052] The battery pack case 200 includes a battery pack tray 210 provided with a plurality of battery modules 100, and a battery pack cover 220 covering the upper surface of the battery pack tray 210 and provided to be combined with the battery pack tray 210.

[0053] Although not shown in detail for the sake of illustration, a battery management system (BMS), a battery pack breaker unit (BDU) 130, electric wire cables, and the like can be installed on the battery pack housing 200 together with the battery modules 100.

[0054] The plurality of battery modules 100 can be arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) on the battery pack tray 210.

[0055] For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack according to the present embodiment includes six battery modules 100(A), 100(B), 100(C), 100(D), 100(E), and 100(F) in total, and three battery modules 100 are arranged in each of the first and second rows in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 3 Each of the battery modules 100 includes downwardly protruding fins 110 with gaps therebetween in a lower plate portion thereof. For example, a plate-shaped plate including the fins 110 can be attached to the lower plate portion of the battery module 100, or the plate-shaped plate can be used as the lower plate portion of the battery module 100. The fins 110 can be formed of a metal material (e.g., aluminum) having high thermal conductivity.

[0056] Each of the battery modules 100 is arranged on the battery pack tray 210 so that the fins 110 face the bottom surface of the battery pack tray 210. In this case, the lower plate portion of each of the battery modules 100 is spaced apart from and supported by the bottom surface of the battery pack tray 210 by the fins 110, and an empty space is provided between the lower plate portion of each of the battery modules 100 and the bottom surface of the battery pack tray 210. The empty space serves as a cooling passage P.

[0057] In other words, the air-cooled battery pack 10 according to the present disclosure cools each of the battery modules 100 by supplying cooling air to the cooling passage P by introducing external air into the battery pack housing 200 through the air inlets 221 and 222, and discharging internal air having a raised temperature from the battery pack housing 200 through the air outlet 223.

[0058] The battery pack tray 210 includes a center frame 510 and side frames 520 to reinforce the rigidity of the battery pack tray 210. The center frame 510 can extend in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) between the battery modules 100(A), 100(B), and 100(C) in the first row and the battery modules 100(D), 100(E), and 100(F) in the second row, and the side frames 520 can be two side frames and can extend in the longitudinal direction between the battery modules 100 of the first row and a right wall of the battery pack tray 210 and between the battery modules 100 of the second row and a left wall of the battery pack tray 210, respectively.

[0059] The plurality of battery modules 100 can be arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) on the battery pack tray 210.

[0060] In addition to serving to enhance the rigidity of the battery pack tray 210, the center frame 510 and the side frames 520 can also serve as structures to fix an inlet bracket 530 for mounting an air intake duct module 300, an air outlet bracket 540, and a fan mounting bracket, which will be described later.

[0061] The battery pack cover 220 includes air inlets 221 and 222 and an air outlet 223.

[0062] According to the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , two air inlets 221 and 222 are provided on the upper surface of the battery pack cover 220 and located in the front region of the battery pack case 200, and one air outlet 223 is provided on the upper surface of the battery pack cover 220 and located in the rear region of the battery pack case 200.

[0063] When the battery pack cover 220 is combined with the battery pack tray 210, the two air inlets 221 and 222 and the single air outlet 223 can be vertically matched with the first air intake duct inlet 311, the second air intake duct inlet 321, and the third opening 453 of the fan bridge duct 450, respectively.

[0064] In detail, the air inlets 221 and 222 include a first air inlet 221 and a second air inlet 222 and are formed in the battery pack cover 220 such that the first air inlet 221 is located above the first battery module 100 (A) in the first row and such that the second air inlet 222 is located above the first battery module 100 (D) in the second row.

[0065] The air outlet 223 is formed in the battery pack cover 220 and located above the upper portion between the last battery module 100 (C) in the first row and the last battery module 100 (F) in the second row.

[0066] As shown in Figure 4 , cooling air can be introduced into the battery pack case 200 from the outside of the battery pack case 200 through the first air inlet 221 and the second air inlet 222 and can be guided to the cooling passage P through the air intake duct module 300.

[0067] As shown in Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the air intake duct module 300 can include a first air intake duct 310 and a second air intake duct 320.

[0068] The first intake duct 310 guides the flow of cooling air in a direction from the first air intake 221 toward the cooling passage P formed below the battery modules 100 in the first row, and the second intake duct 320 guides the flow of cooling air in a direction from the second air intake 222 toward the cooling passage P formed below the battery modules 100 in the second row.

[0069] The first intake duct 310 can include a first horizontal intake duct portion 312 provided as a plate-shaped body having a hollow structure through which air can flow, and a first vertical intake duct portion 313 bent downward and extending from an edge of the first horizontal intake duct portion 312, and can be arranged to partially surround the first battery module 100 (A) in the first row.

[0070] The first horizontal intake duct portion 312 is arranged above the top side portion of the first battery module 100 (A) in the first row, and the first vertical intake duct portion 313 is arranged parallel to the front side portion of the first battery module 100 (A) in the first row. The first horizontal intake duct portion 312 includes a first intake duct inlet 311 that is open upward, and the first vertical intake duct portion 313 includes a first intake duct outlet 314 that is open toward the cooling passage P at a lowermost end thereof.

[0071] When the battery pack tray 210 is combined with the battery pack cover 220, the first intake duct inlet 311 can be connected to the first air intake 221. In this case, a sealing gasket is installed on the outside of the first intake duct inlet 311 to prevent leakage of external air.

[0072] The width of the first horizontal intake duct portion 312 can gradually increase in a direction away from the first intake duct inlet 311, and thus can become equal to the width of the first vertical intake duct portion 313. The width of the first vertical intake duct portion 313 can be provided to substantially correspond to the width of the cooling passage P.

[0073] According to this structure, external air can be introduced into the first air intake 221 and can be detoured in a direction from the top side portion of the first battery module 100 (A) in the first row to the front side portion thereof to be guided to the beginning of the cooling passage P. The external air can be widely diffused in the first horizontal intake duct portion 312, can be vertically descended along the first vertical intake duct portion 313, and can enter the cooling passage P.

[0074] As described above, since the first intake duct 310 is configured to be in contact with the top side portion and the front side portion of the first battery module 100 (A) in the first row, an air passage from the first air intake 221 to the cooling passage P can be compactly implemented.

[0075] The second intake duct 320 is substantially identical in structure and function to the first intake duct 310, and thus is arranged symmetrically to the first intake duct 310.

[0076] In other words, the second intake duct 320 includes a second horizontal intake duct portion 322 arranged above the top side portion of the first battery module 100 (D) in the second row, and a second vertical intake duct portion 323 bent downward and extending from an edge of the second horizontal intake duct portion 322, and arranged to be parallel to the front side portion of the first battery module 100 in the second row.

[0077] The second horizontal intake duct portion 322 includes a second intake duct inlet 321 opened upward to be connected with the second intake port 222 of the battery pack cover 220, and the second vertical intake duct portion 323 includes a second intake duct outlet 324 opened to the cooling passage P at a lowermost end thereof.

[0078] As Figures 8 to 12 shown, the exhaust duct module 400 can include a first exhaust duct 410, a second exhaust duct 420, a first exhaust fan 430, a second exhaust fan 440, and a fan bridge duct 450.

[0079] The first exhaust duct 410 guides the flow of cooling air in a direction from the cooling passage P formed under the battery modules 100 (A), 100 (B), and 100 (C) in the first row to the exhaust port 223, and the second exhaust duct 420 guides the flow of cooling air in a direction from the cooling passage P formed under the battery modules 100 (D), 100 (E), and 100 (F) in the second row to the exhaust port 223.

[0080] The first exhaust duct 410 functions in reverse to the above-described first intake duct 310, but the structure of the first exhaust duct 410 can be similar to that of the above-described first intake duct 310. The first exhaust duct 410 includes a first horizontal exhaust duct portion 412 arranged above the top side portion of the third battery module 100 (C) in the first row, and a first vertical exhaust duct portion 413 bent downward and extending from an edge of the first horizontal exhaust duct portion 312, and parallel to the rear side portion of the third battery module 100 (C) in the first row.

[0081] The first horizontal exhaust duct portion 412 includes a first exhaust duct outlet 411 opened upward, and the first vertical exhaust duct portion 413 includes a first exhaust duct inlet 414 opened toward the cooling passage P at a lowermost end thereof.

[0082] The second exhaust duct 420 is substantially identical in structure to the first exhaust duct 410, and thus the second exhaust duct 420 is arranged symmetrically to the first exhaust duct 410.

[0083] The second air outlet duct 420 includes a second horizontal air outlet duct portion 422 disposed above the top side portion of the third battery module 100(F) in the second row, and a second vertical air outlet duct portion 423 bent downward and extending from the edge of the second horizontal air outlet duct portion 422 and disposed parallel to the rear side portion of the third battery module 100(F) in the second row.

[0084] The second horizontal air outlet duct portion 422 includes a second air outlet duct outlet 421 opened upward, and the second vertical air outlet duct portion 424 includes a second air outlet duct inlet 424 opened toward the cooling passage P at the lowermost end thereof.

[0085] The first and second horizontal air outlet duct portions 412 and 422 can be fixed to and combined with the air outlet bracket 540 and can be disposed parallel to the top side portion of the third battery module 100(C) in the first row and the top side portion of the third battery module 100(F) in the second row, respectively.

[0086] According to this structure, cooling air that has undergone heat exchange with the battery modules 100(A), 100(B), and 100(C) in the first row can enter the first air outlet duct inlet 414 at the end of the cooling passage P, can be detoured around the rear side portion and the top side portion of the third battery module 100(C) in the first row, and can be guided to the first air outlet duct outlet 411. Cooling air that has undergone heat exchange with the battery modules 100(D), 100(E), and 100(F) in the second row can enter the second air outlet duct inlet 424 at the end of the cooling passage P, can be detoured around the rear side portion and the top side portion of the third battery module 100(F) in the second row, and can be guided to the second air outlet duct outlet 421.

[0087] The first and second exhaust fans 430 and 440 can be detachably provided on the fan bridge duct 450 and can be disposed above the third battery module 100(C) in the first row and the third battery module 100(F) in the second row. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the first and second exhaust fans 430 and 440 can be mounted on the fan bracket 550 first, and can be stably fixed to and combined with the fan bracket 550. Figure 8

[0088] ​The first exhaust fan 430 is installed above the battery modules 100(A), 100(B), and 100(C) and communicates with the first exhaust duct 410, and the second exhaust fan 440 is installed above the second row of battery modules 100(D), 100(E), and 100(F) and communicates with the second exhaust duct 420. For example, the first exhaust fan 430 can be provided to be directly connected to the first exhaust duct outlet 411, and the second exhaust fan 440 can be provided to be directly connected to the second exhaust duct outlet 421.

[0089] The first exhaust fan 430 sucks cooling air from the first exhaust duct 410 and the cooling passage P communicating with the first exhaust duct 410, and the second exhaust fan 440 sucks cooling air from the second exhaust duct 420 and the cooling passage P communicating with the second exhaust duct 420.

[0090] For example, a conventional air-cooled battery pack connects a large fan of 200W or more (see Figure 1 ) at the outside of the battery pack case to the exhaust outlet of the battery pack case and sucks internal air from the battery pack case 200, and as described above, the air-cooled battery pack 10 according to the disclosure includes two cooling passages P, so that cooling performance can be sufficiently secured even by using two small exhaust fans of about 70W.

[0091] The protruding area 225 of the battery pack cover covering the first exhaust fan 430, the second exhaust fan 440, and the fan bridge duct 450 can protrude from the other parts of the battery pack cover. According to deformation of the protruding area 225 of the battery pack cover, the protruding area 225 of the battery pack cover can be manufactured in the form of a special cover that can be detached from the battery pack cover 220. In this case, when the first exhaust fan 430 and the second exhaust fan 440 need to be replaced or repaired, the first exhaust fan 430 and the second exhaust fan 440 can be easily removed by opening the cover of the first exhaust fan 430 and the second exhaust fan 440.

[0092] The fan bridge duct 450 collects air sucked by the first exhaust fan 430 and the second exhaust fan 440 at one place inside the battery pack case 200 and discharges the collected air to the exhaust outlet 223, and the fan bridge duct 450 can be configured to communicate with the first exhaust fan 430 and the second exhaust fan 440 and be directly connected to the exhaust outlet 223 of the battery pack cover 220 in the vertical direction.

[0093] As shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11 , the fan bridge duct 450 can be provided in a box shape including openings in three directions, and the openings in the three directions include a first opening 451 formed in the right direction, a second opening 452 formed in the left direction, and a third opening 453 formed in the upward direction.

[0094] The first opening 451 can be connected to the first exhaust fan 430, and the second opening 452 can be connected to the second exhaust fan 440. The third opening 453 can be vertically matched with the air outlet 223 of the battery pack cover 220. A sealing gasket can be installed on the outside of the third opening 453 to prevent cooling air from leaking.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 4A, the fan bridge duct 450 can include a duct bottom cover 450a and a duct top cover 450b disposed to be vertically combined with each other. In this case, the first opening 451 and the second opening 452 can be formed by combining the duct bottom cover 450a with the duct top cover 450b, and the third opening 453 can be provided in the upper portion of the duct top cover 450b. Figure 12

[0096] The fan bridge duct 450 can further include a partition 455 configured to separate an internal space from the first opening 451 to the third opening 453 from an internal space from the second opening 452 to the third opening 453. The duct bottom cover 450a and the duct top cover 450b can include a partition lower plate 455a and a partition upper plate 455b, respectively, and can be configured such that the partition lower plate 455a and the partition upper plate 455b are connected to each other when the duct bottom cover 450a and the duct top cover 450b are combined with each other.

[0097] In this case, cooling air immediately flows out to the outside of the battery pack case 200 through the air outlet 223 directly without moving from the first exhaust duct 410 to the second exhaust duct 420 or vice versa from the second exhaust duct 420 to the first exhaust duct 410, thereby reducing pressure loss and improving cooling efficiency compared to the outputs of the first exhaust fan 430 and the second exhaust fan 440.

[0098] As described above, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, an air-cooled battery pack including a built-in exhaust fan to reduce fan noise can be provided, while the air-cooled battery pack has excellent space utilization, economic efficiency, cooling performance, etc.

[0099] The battery pack according to the present disclosure can be applied to, for example, an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle. In other words, an electric vehicle according to the present disclosure can include a battery pack according to the present disclosure.

[0100] The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while describing preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration only and various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description.

[0101] ​Meanwhile, although terms such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are used in this specification, these terms are only for convenience in describing, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these terms can vary according to the position of the target object or the position of the observer.

Claims

1. A forced air-cooled battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery modules; a battery pack case including an air inlet and an air outlet and configured to house the plurality of battery modules; a cooling passage formed between the plurality of battery modules and a bottom surface of the battery pack case; an air inlet duct module configured to form an air passage from the air inlet to the cooling passage; and an air outlet duct module including at least one exhaust fan installed inside the battery pack case and configured to exhaust air to the outside of the battery pack case by forming an air passage from the cooling passage to the air outlet, wherein the battery pack case includes: a battery pack tray on which the plurality of battery modules are disposed; and a battery pack cover configured to cover an upper side portion of the battery pack tray and including the air inlet and the air outlet, wherein the plurality of battery modules are arranged in two rows in a longitudinal direction on the battery pack tray, wherein the air inlet includes a first air inlet located above a first battery module in a first row and a second air inlet located above a first battery module in a second row, wherein the air outlet is one and is located above a portion between a last battery module in the first row and a last battery module in the second row, and wherein the air inlet duct module includes: a first air inlet duct configured to guide an air flow in a direction from the first air inlet to a cooling passage formed below the battery modules in the first row; and a second air inlet duct configured to guide an air flow in a direction from the second air inlet to a cooling passage formed below the battery modules in the second row. the plurality of battery modules include fins protruding downward at a lower plate portion of the plurality of battery modules and facing the battery pack tray, 2. The air-cooled battery pack of claim 1, wherein, wherein the cooling passage is fixed by gaps between the fins. the first air inlet duct includes:

3. The air-cooled battery pack of claim 1, wherein, a first horizontal air inlet duct portion including a first air inlet duct inlet connected to the first air inlet and arranged above a top side portion of the first battery module in the first row; and a first vertical air inlet duct portion bent downward from the first horizontal air inlet duct portion and extending arranged parallel to a front side portion of the first battery module in the first row, and a lowermost end of the first vertical air inlet duct portion includes a first air inlet duct outlet opened toward the cooling passage. the second air inlet duct is disposed symmetrically with the first air inlet duct, the second air inlet duct includes:

4. The air-cooled battery pack of claim 3, wherein, a second horizontal air inlet duct portion including a second air inlet duct inlet connected to the second air inlet and arranged above a top side portion of the first battery module in the second row; and a second vertical air inlet duct portion bent downward from the second horizontal air inlet duct portion and extending arranged parallel to a front side portion of the first battery module in the second row, and a lowermost end of the second vertical air inlet duct portion includes a second air inlet duct outlet opened toward the cooling passage. ​ 5. The air-cooled battery pack of claim 1, wherein, The air outlet duct module includes: a first air outlet duct configured to guide air flow in a direction from a cooling passage formed below the battery modules in the first row to the air outlet; a second air outlet duct configured to guide air flow in a direction from a cooling passage formed below the battery modules in the second row to the air outlet; a first exhaust fan installed above the battery modules in the first row and communicating with the first air outlet duct; a second exhaust fan installed above the battery modules in the second row and communicating with the second air outlet duct; and a fan bridge duct including a first opening provided to communicate with the first exhaust fan, a second opening provided to communicate with the second exhaust fan, and a third opening provided to communicate with the air outlet.

6. The air-cooled battery pack of claim 5, wherein, The fan bridge duct further includes a partition configured to separate an internal space from the first opening to the third opening from an internal space from the second opening to the third opening. 7.The air-cooled battery pack of claim 6, wherein the fan bridge duct includes a duct bottom cover and a duct top cover provided to form an internal space and capable of being coupled to each other vertically, and the first opening and the second opening are formed by coupling the duct bottom cover and the duct top cover, and the third opening is provided above the duct top cover. 8.An electric vehicle including the air-cooled battery pack of any one of claims 1 to 7.

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