Thermal conduction device for an electrical storage device of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat-conducting device (14) for an energy storage device (10) of a motor vehicle (12) that is at least partially electric, having at least one heat-conducting element (16) designed to contact at least one battery cell (18) of the energy storage device (10) and dissipate heat (Wy) from the at least one battery cell (18), and having at least one spring element (20) designed to apply a predetermined spring force between the at least one battery cell (18) and the at least one heat-conducting element (16), wherein the heat-conducting element (16) is rotatably mounted on a holding mechanism (24) of the heat-conducting device (14), and the spring element (20) is mounted on the heat-conducting element (16) and / or the holding mechanism (24) in such a way that the rotational movement (26) of the heat-conducting element (16) is damped by the spring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat-conducting device for an energy storage device for at least partially electric motor vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] It is known from existing technology that thermal grease or thermal filler is used to achieve thermal contact between the battery and the cooling system in a motor vehicle for cooling batteries, such as high-voltage batteries. In particular, thermal grease is expensive and heavy. Furthermore, the application process of thermal grease in mass production is difficult to control and may result in air contamination during application, causing problems while driving. Additionally, battery packs can only be removed quite laboriously due to their adhesion. Moreover, thermal grease or thermal filler can only be recycled under certain conditions.

[0003] DE 10 2008 010 839 A1 relates to a battery having a heat-conducting plate disposed within a battery casing for regulating battery temperature, wherein a plurality of individual cells electrically connected in parallel and / or in series are thermally connected to the heat-conducting plate. A key feature of the battery is the presence of springs, thereby allowing the individual cells to be pressed against the heat-conducting plate in a prescribed manner.

[0004] DE 10 2008 034 876 A1 relates to a battery having a heat-conducting plate disposed on a battery casing for regulating battery temperature, wherein a plurality of individual cells are electrically connected in parallel and / or in series with each other via a single-cell connection circuit board and are thermally connected to the heat-conducting plate, wherein at least one spring member is provided to press the individual cells onto the heat-conducting plate in a prescribed manner. One or more preload members are provided on the single-cell connection circuit board or on a metal plate for preloading and securing the spring member.

[0005] DE 10 2011 003 538 A1 relates to an apparatus for pressing a cooler onto a battery, wherein the cooler has at least one cooling surface for absorbing or dissipating heat energy, and wherein the battery has at least one contact surface for abutting against the cooling surface of the cooler. The apparatus includes a pressure member having at least one spring-resilient pressure element for transmitting a pressing force to a localized area on the side of the cooler facing away from the battery. The apparatus also includes a suspension device for suspending the pressure member on the battery, wherein the suspension device is designed to generate a suspension force oriented opposite to the pressing force when the cooler is positioned on the battery and the suspension device is suspended on the battery. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The objective of this invention is to provide a heat-conducting device that enables better heat dissipation from the energy storage device to the cooling device.

[0007] This task is accomplished using a heat-conducting device as described below. Advantageous implementations are described below.

[0008] One aspect of the invention relates to a heat-conducting device for an energy storage device in a motor vehicle that is at least partially electric, having at least one heat-conducting element designed to contact at least one battery cell of the energy storage device and dissipate heat from the at least one battery cell, and at least one spring element designed to apply a predetermined spring force between the at least one battery cell and the at least one heat-conducting element.

[0009] It is specified that the heat-conducting element is rotatably mounted on the holding mechanism of the heat-conducting device, and the spring element is mounted on the heat-conducting element and / or the holding mechanism such that the rotational movement of the heat-conducting element is damped by the spring.

[0010] This allows for better heat dissipation from the at least one battery cell to the cooling device. In particular, the heat-conducting element and the retaining mechanism can be advantageously manufactured. Furthermore, the heat-conducting plate can be easily installed or removed from the vehicle or battery. Additionally, a simple and easily reconfigurable battery structure can be achieved, which is also cost-effective and has good recyclability. Moreover, weight reduction can be achieved, especially compared to commonly known thermal pastes from the prior art.

[0011] Specifically, the heat-conducting element can be specified to contact the housing of the energy storage device, particularly the housing wall. In other words, the heat-conducting element can contact the at least one battery cell on one side and the housing on the other side for heat dissipation. This allows for a heat conduction path from the at least one battery cell to the housing via the heat-conducting element. Therefore, a cooling device for the energy storage device can be formed on the housing side to further dissipate heat. This cooling device can, for example, be fluid.

[0012] It can also be specified that the energy storage device has a number of battery cells and / or battery modules, wherein the heat dissipation device is designed to dissipate heat from the number of battery cells and / or battery modules.

[0013] In particular, the heat-conducting device is also formed on the bottom surface of the accumulator, especially on the lower casing wall.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment, the heat-conducting element is made of aluminum. In particular, aluminum is a good thermal conductor, thus dissipating heat from the battery cell more effectively. Furthermore, aluminum is very light, allowing for a lighter weight for the heat-conducting device.

[0015] It has also proven advantageous that the retaining mechanism is made of plastic. In particular, this allows for a retaining mechanism that can be easily manufactured. Furthermore, plastic is durable and particularly suitable for installation in storage devices because, for example, it is non-conductive. Additionally, plastic is lightweight, thus the heat-conducting device can be designed to be even lighter.

[0016] In another advantageous embodiment, the retaining mechanism is a plastic injection molded part. This allows the retaining mechanism to be injection molded in a simple manner. Therefore, the retaining mechanism can be manufactured in an injection mold at a lower manufacturing cost.

[0017] Advantageously, the heat-conducting element is designed in an S-shape when viewed in cross-section. Specifically, for example, the upper arm of the S-shape can be connected to a battery cell. Furthermore, the other arm of the S-shape, and particularly the lower arm, can be connected to the housing. This S-shape allows for the establishment of thermal coupling between the at least one battery cell and the housing in a very simple manner. Additionally, the S-shape can easily rotate about a center of rotation, thus simplifying the implementation of this rotation.

[0018] It has also proven advantageous that the heat-conducting device has multiple rotatably mounted heat-conducting elements. In particular, this allows for good thermal conductivity of the heat-conducting device based on these mounted heat-conducting elements. Therefore, the heat from the at least one battery cell can be dissipated more effectively.

[0019] It has also proven advantageous that these individually rotatable heat-conducting components are stacked in layers. In particular, the heat-conducting components can be designed in an S-shape. This S-shape allows for simple stacking. This has the particular advantage that the heat-conducting components can be stacked, thereby significantly increasing the number of heat transfer components, especially heat-conducting components. Therefore, better heat dissipation of the battery cell can be achieved. In particular, these heat-conducting components thus at least partially overlap.

[0020] It also proves advantageous that the spring is made of plastic. In particular, this allows for a simpler and lighter variation of the spring. Furthermore, it is very easy to manufacture and install.

[0021] Another advantage is that the spring element is designed as a leaf spring. In particular, the spring element is then at least partially in contact with the heat-conducting element. A simple spring action can be generated by using a leaf spring.

[0022] In another advantageous embodiment, two spring members are respectively provided on the heat-conducting element. For example, in an embodiment where the heat-conducting element is S-shaped, one spring member can abut against the upper arm of the S-shape, and the other spring member can abut against the lower arm. In particular, these spring members can be supported on the retaining mechanism, thereby enabling the spring action.

[0023] Another aspect of the invention relates to a storage device having a heat-conducting device according to the foregoing aspect. The storage device is particularly designed as a high-voltage battery. In particular, the storage device has a cooling device for cooling the at least one battery cell.

[0024] Another aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle having an electrical storage device according to the preceding aspect. The motor vehicle is particularly designed to be at least partially electric, and especially fully electric. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Other advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and in conjunction with the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the specification, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the drawings and / or shown individually in the figures, may be used not only in their respective specified combinations, but also in other combinations or individually, without departing from the scope of the invention, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 A side view schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a storage device having a heat-conducting device is provided.

[0027] Figure 2 A perspective schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the heat-conducting device. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the figure, identical or functionally identical parts are labeled with the same reference numerals.

[0029] Figure 1 A side view schematic diagram illustrates one embodiment of the energy storage device 10 for a motor vehicle 12 that is at least partially electric, as shown only schematically. In particular, the motor vehicle 12 may also be fully electric.

[0030] Figure 1 A heat-conducting device 14 for the energy storage device 10 is also shown. The heat-conducting device 14 has at least one heat-conducting element 16, and in particular three heat-conducting elements 16. The heat-conducting elements 16 are designed to contact at least one battery cell of the energy storage device 10 and dissipate heat from the battery cell. In particular, it can be specified that the energy storage device 10 has a plurality of battery cells. The battery cells can, for example, be designed as prismatic battery cells. The energy storage device 10 can therefore be designed, in particular, as a high-voltage battery.

[0031] Furthermore, the heat-conducting device 14 has at least one spring element 20, or in this case, multiple spring elements 20. Additionally, the respective installation directions within the vehicle 12 are indicated by their respective axes x, y, and z. The z-axis specifically describes the vehicle's vertical direction, the y-axis describes the vehicle's lateral direction, and the x-axis describes the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The battery 10 also has a housing wall 22 to which the at least one heat-conducting element 16 contacts. In particular, the housing wall 22 can also contact the cooling device of the battery 10, thereby generating heat Wy that is output from the battery cell via the heat-conducting element 16 to the housing wall 22 and then to the cooling device. The housing wall 22 is specifically the lower housing wall 22 of the housing.

[0032] In particular, it is shown that the heat-conducting element 16 is rotatably mounted on the holding mechanism 24 of the heat-conducting device 14, and the spring element 20 is mounted on the heat-conducting element 16 such that the rotational movement 26 of the heat-conducting element 16 is damped by the spring. In particular, the heat-conducting element 16 is rotatably mounted about the rotation center 28.

[0033] In particular, it can be seen that the heat-conducting component 16 is designed in an S-shape when viewed from its cross-section. Additionally, Figure 1 The heat-conducting device 14 is shown to have a plurality of heat-conducting elements 16, each of which is rotatably mounted.

[0034] Figure 1 It is also shown that the spring element 20 is specifically designed as a leaf spring, and two spring elements 20 are respectively provided on the heat-conducting element 16.

[0035] Figure 2 Another embodiment of the heat-conducting device 14 is shown in perspective. In particular, it is shown that these rotatably mounted heat-conducting elements 16 are arranged in a stacked manner. Specifically, these heat-conducting elements 16 thus at least partially overlap.

[0036] Specifically, it can be specified that the heat-conducting element 16 is made of aluminum. The retaining mechanism 24 can be made of plastic, and in particular, the retaining mechanism 24 can be a plastic injection molded part. The spring element 20 can also be made of plastic.

[0037] therefore, Figure 2 Specifically, the heat-conducting element 16 is designed as a separate plate, particularly as a heat transfer element, for conducting heat and may be made of a heat-conducting material such as aluminum. The heat-conducting element 16 is housed in a retaining mechanism 24, which may also be made of plastic, and the retaining mechanism is also capable of rotatably mounting the heat-conducting element.

[0038] This has the following advantages over metal plates known from the prior art: the heat transfer elements can be stacked, thus allowing for a significantly greater number of heat transfer elements to be selected. Furthermore, the plastic springs, or spring elements 20, can be freely arranged within the holding mechanism 24, thereby enabling the achievement of low spring stiffness.

[0039] This, in particular, allows for the low-cost manufacture of components for the heat-conducting device 14 or the energy storage device 10. The heat-conducting plate can be easily installed and removed from the vehicle 12 or the energy storage device 10. Furthermore, very simple and easily reversible battery structures can be achieved, making them cost-effective and readily recyclable. In addition, structural weight can be reduced because the heat-conducting component 16 is significantly lighter than, for example, thermal paste.

[0040] The figure generally shows a heat-conducting plate used in a high-voltage battery.

[0041] List of reference numerals

[0042]

Claims

1. A heat-conducting device (14) for an energy storage device (10) in a motor vehicle (12) that is at least partially electric, comprising: At least one thermally conductive element (16) is designed to contact at least one battery cell of the energy storage device (10) and dissipate heat (Wy) from the at least one battery cell, and At least one spring (20) is provided, which is designed to apply a specified spring force between the at least one battery cell and the at least one heat-conducting element (16). Its characteristics are, The heat-conducting element (16) is rotatably mounted on the holding mechanism (24) of the heat-conducting device (14), and the spring element (20) is mounted on the heat-conducting element (16) and / or the holding mechanism (24) in such a way that the rotational movement (26) of the heat-conducting element (16) is damped by the spring, and the heat-conducting element (16) is designed to be S-shaped in terms of its cross-section.

2. The heat conducting device (14) according to claim 1, characterized in that The heat-conducting component (16) is made of aluminum.

3. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The retaining mechanism (24) is made of plastic.

4. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The retaining mechanism (24) is a plastic injection molded part.

5. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The heat-conducting device (14) has multiple heat-conducting elements (16) that are rotatably mounted.

6. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 5, characterized in that, These heat-conducting components (16), which can be rotatably installed, are arranged in a stacked manner.

7. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The spring (20) is made of plastic.

8. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The spring element (20) is designed as a leaf spring.

9. The heat-conducting device (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Two springs (20) are respectively provided on the heat-conducting component (16) and / or the retaining mechanism (24).

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