Battery pack

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a battery pack including: a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules including a plurality of battery cells; and a cooling line disposed adjacent to the battery modules to cool the battery modules by a heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling line, in which the plurality of battery modules are arranged side by side in a first direction, the cooling line including: a plurality of inflow pipes disposed adjacent to imaginary lines passing through centers of the battery modules in the first direction, a passage for the inflow of a heat transfer medium; and a plurality of outflow pipes connected to the most downstream side of the inflow pipe and disposed adjacent to both side surfaces of the battery module in the first direction to provide passages for outflow of the heat transfer medium.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application "Battery Pack" with application date of January 4, 2018 and application number 201880037282.9. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a battery pack, and more particularly, to a battery pack having improved heat exchange efficiency. Background Art

[0003] Generally, a battery cell is used as an energy source for a mobile device, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or other electric devices, and such a battery cell may be modified according to the type of device to which the battery cell is applied.

[0004] For example, a small mobile device such as a cellular phone can operate for a certain period of time by utilizing the power supply and the capacity of only one battery cell. However, for devices that consume a large amount of electricity, have a long operating time, and require high-power driving (such as electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles), a high-capacity battery module can be used, each of which is formed by electrically connecting battery cells to increase power and capacity.

[0005] The output power or output current of such a battery module can be adjusted by changing the number of battery cells of the battery module. In addition, such battery modules can be electrically connected to each other to form a battery pack.

[0006] Generally, a battery cell, while undergoing an electrochemical reaction, increases energy to an external electronic device. The battery cell generates heat during the electrochemical reaction, and when such heat accumulates, the battery cell deteriorates and, in severe cases, can cause battery pack safety issues. Therefore, various studies have been conducted to control the temperature of the battery cell.

[0007] The background technology described above is technical information that the inventor already has or knows when obtaining the embodiments of the present disclosure or at the same time as obtaining the disclosed embodiments, and may not be publicly known before filing the present patent application. Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery pack configured to uniformly cool an entire area of ​​a battery module.

[0009] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery pack configured to improve efficiency of a compressor compressing a heat transfer medium for cooling a battery module of the battery pack.

[0010] Technical Solution An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery pack, which includes: a plurality of battery modules, each of which includes a plurality of battery cells; and a cooling pipe arranged adjacent to the plurality of battery modules and constructed to cool the plurality of battery modules using a heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling pipe, wherein the plurality of battery modules are arranged side by side in a first direction, and the cooling pipe includes: a plurality of inlet pipes arranged adjacent to an imaginary line passing through the center of the plurality of battery modules in the first direction and providing a path for the heat transfer medium to enter therein; and a plurality of outlet pipes connected to the most downstream side of the plurality of inlet pipes and arranged adjacent to the lateral sides of the plurality of battery modules based on the first direction, the plurality of outlet pipes providing a path for the heat transfer medium to be discharged therethrough.

[0011] Disclosure of beneficial effects According to the battery pack of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the portion of the cooling line in which the heat transfer medium is overheated is arranged at the low temperature portion of the battery module, and thus the entire area of ​​the battery module can be uniformly cooled.

[0012] In addition, according to the battery pack of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling lines have a parallel arrangement, so the total length of the cooling lines can be reduced to keep the difference between the inflow pressure and the outflow pressure of the heat transfer medium at a low value, thereby improving the efficiency of the compressor used to compress the heat transfer medium.

[0013] However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA.

[0016] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the components of a battery pack is shown in FIG.

[0017] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A partial perspective view of the assembled state of some components of the battery pack shown in FIG.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a plan view showing the flow of the heat transfer medium in the cooling pipe.

[0019] Figure 6 It shows that according to Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a plan view of the flow of a heat transfer medium in a cooling pipeline of another embodiment of a cooling pipeline shown in FIG.

[0020] Figure 7is a schematic diagram showing the temperature change of the heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling pipe.

[0021] Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery pack, which includes: a plurality of battery modules, each of which includes a plurality of battery cells; and a cooling pipe arranged adjacent to the plurality of battery modules and constructed to cool the plurality of battery modules using a heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling pipe, wherein the plurality of battery modules are arranged side by side in a first direction, and the cooling pipe includes: a plurality of inlet pipes arranged adjacent to an imaginary line passing through the center of the plurality of battery modules in the first direction and providing a path for the heat transfer medium to enter therein; and a plurality of outlet pipes connected to the most downstream side of the plurality of inlet pipes and arranged adjacent to the lateral sides of the plurality of battery modules based on the first direction, the plurality of outlet pipes providing a path for the heat transfer medium to be discharged therethrough.

[0022] In an embodiment, the heat transfer medium can sequentially cool the multiple battery modules along a first direction while flowing along the multiple inlet tubes, and can then be guided from the multiple inlet tubes to the multiple outflow tubes, and can sequentially cool the multiple battery modules along a second direction opposite to the first direction while flowing along the multiple outflow tubes.

[0023] In an embodiment, the cooling pipeline may include: a central component, including an inlet through which a heat transfer medium enters and an outlet through which the heat transfer medium is discharged; a central pipeline, including an inlet pipeline configured to guide the heat transfer medium entering through the inlet toward a plurality of inlet pipes and an outflow pipeline configured to guide the heat transfer medium from a plurality of outflow pipes toward the outlet; and a turning pipeline, connecting the downstreammost side of the plurality of inflow pipes to the upstreammost side of the plurality of outflow pipes while separating the flow streams of the heat transfer medium flowing in the plurality of inflow pipes adjacent to the imaginary line from each other.

[0024] In an embodiment, the central pipeline may further include a first barrier wall, which is arranged in the central pipeline to isolate the inlet pipeline and the outlet pipeline from each other to prevent the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing in the inlet pipeline and the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing in the outlet pipeline from mixing with each other.

[0025] In an embodiment, the steering pipeline may include: a first sub-steering pipeline, connecting a first sub-inflow pipe among a plurality of inflow pipes to a first sub-outflow pipe among a plurality of outflow pipes, the first sub-inflow pipe being arranged at one side of an imaginary line, and the first sub-outflow pipe being arranged at said one side of the imaginary line; and a second sub-steering pipeline, connecting a second sub-inflow pipe among a plurality of inflow pipes to a second sub-outflow pipe among a plurality of outflow pipes, the second sub-inflow pipe being arranged at the opposite side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-outflow pipe being arranged at said opposite side of the imaginary line.

[0026] In an embodiment, the steering pipeline can be arranged as a component in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction opposite to the first direction, and the steering pipeline can also include a second blocking wall, which is arranged in the steering pipeline and is constructed to isolate the first sub-inflow pipe from the second sub-inflow pipe to prevent the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing in the first sub-inflow pipe from mixing with the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing in the second sub-inflow pipe, the first sub-inflow pipe is an inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes arranged on one side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-inflow pipe is an inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes arranged on the opposite side of the imaginary line.

[0027] In an embodiment, the plurality of inflow tubes and the plurality of outflow tubes may be symmetrical about an imaginary line.

[0028] In an embodiment, a gap between a first sub-inflow pipe among a plurality of inflow pipes and a second sub-inflow pipe among a plurality of inflow pipes may be smaller than a gap between the first sub-inflow pipe and a first sub-outflow pipe among a plurality of outflow pipes and a gap between the second sub-inflow pipe and a second sub-outflow pipe among a plurality of outflow pipes, the first sub-inflow pipe is arranged on one side of an imaginary line, the second sub-inflow pipe is arranged on the opposite side of the imaginary line, the first sub-outflow pipe is arranged on said one side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-outflow pipe is arranged on said opposite side of the imaginary line.

[0029] In an embodiment, the battery pack may further include a support member configured to support the plurality of battery modules and the cooling line and including a recessed portion accommodating the cooling line.

[0030] In an embodiment, the battery pack may further include an elastic member disposed on the recessed portion, disposed between the cooling line and the supporting member, and elastically supporting the cooling line.

[0031] In an embodiment, the battery pack may further include a heat conducting plate disposed between the cooling pipe and the plurality of battery modules and transferring heat generated in the plurality of battery modules to the cooling pipe.

[0032] In an embodiment, the battery pack may further include a buffer pad disposed between the heat conducting plate and the plurality of battery modules to buffer and support sides of the plurality of battery modules.

[0033] In an embodiment, the cooling pipeline may further include a rib extending in the cooling pipeline in the first direction and dividing the path of the heat transfer medium into a plurality of channels.

[0034] In an embodiment, the heat transfer medium may be a refrigerant capable of undergoing a phase change at room temperature.

[0035] Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent and more readily understood from the drawings, claims, and detailed description. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present disclosure may be modified in various ways, and various embodiments may be provided according to the present disclosure. Hereinafter, some embodiments will be shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail. The effects and features of the present disclosure and their implementation methods will become clear through the following embodiments described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, but may be implemented in various forms.

[0037] In the following embodiments, it will be understood that, although terms such as "first" and "second" are used to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. Unless otherwise indicated, terms in the singular may include plural forms. In addition, terms such as "include" or "comprise" illustrate the presence of stated features or elements, but do not exclude other features or elements.

[0038] In the drawings, the size of the elements may be exaggerated for clarity. For example, in the drawings, the size or thickness of each element may be arbitrarily shown for the purpose of explanation, and therefore, the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited thereto.

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same elements or corresponding elements, and their repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0040] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA; Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the components of the battery pack shown in ; Figure 4 It is shown Figure 3 A partial perspective view of the assembled state of some components of the battery pack shown in FIG. Figure 5 is a plan view showing the flow of a heat transfer medium in a cooling pipeline; Figure 6 It shows that according to Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a plan view of the flow of a heat transfer medium in a cooling pipeline of another embodiment of a cooling pipeline shown in FIG.

[0041] First, refer to Figures 1 to 3 , a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a battery module 110 , a cooling line 120 , a support member 130 , an elastic member 140 , a heat conducting plate 160 , and a buffer pad 150 .

[0042] First, the battery module 110 may be a high-voltage and high-capacity battery module including a plurality of battery cells 111 electrically connected to each other. Figure 1As shown in , the battery cells 111 included in the battery module 110 can be arranged side by side in the third direction. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. That is, the battery cells 111 can be arranged side by side in the first direction. However, for the convenience of description, the structure in which the battery cells 111 are arranged in the third direction will be mainly described.

[0043] In addition, a plurality of battery modules 110 may be provided, in which case the battery modules 110 may be arranged side by side in the first direction (or the second direction). The first direction is the direction in which the heat transfer medium generally flows in the cooling pipe 120 (as described later, in addition to flowing in the first direction, the heat transfer medium may also flow in a third direction through the turning pipe 125). For example, although Figure 1 Four battery modules 110 arranged in the first direction are shown, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the number of the shown battery modules 110. That is, a plurality of battery modules 110 may be provided.

[0044] In addition, each of the battery modules 110 may also include a shell 112 that covers and seals the battery cell 111. Here, the shell 112 may include an opening 112h to open a portion of the lateral side / front side of the battery cell 111 so that the heat generated in the battery cell 111 can be dissipated to the outside. The opening 112h shown in the drawings has a rounded rectangular shape, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. As described above, the opening 112h is used to smoothly dissipate the heat generated in the battery cell 111 to the outside, and for this purpose, the opening 112h can be formed in any shape at any part of the shell 112. For example, although not shown in the drawings, the opening 112h may also be formed in the upper side of the shell 112.

[0045] Specifically, the housing 112 may include: a pair of end housings 112e facing the wide sides of the battery cells 111; a pair of side housings 112s connected to the end housings 112e and facing the lateral sides of the battery cells 111; and a cover housing 112c facing the upper sides of the battery cells 111. The end housings 112e, the side housings 112s, and the cover housing 112c are used to fix the battery cells 111 to form the battery module 110, and may be shaped differently according to the design of the battery module 110.

[0046] Each of the battery cells 111 may have a general structure including an electrode assembly (not shown) in which a positive electrode plate (not shown) and a negative electrode plate (not shown) are arranged at both sides of a separator (not shown), and may be charged with a predetermined amount of electricity and may be discharged. In addition, a first terminal (not shown) and a second terminal (not shown) may protrude from an edge of each battery cell 111 with a given distance between the first terminal and the second terminal and the edge of each battery cell 111.

[0047] The first and second terminals of the battery cell 111 may be electrically connected to the first and second terminals of the adjacent battery cell 111 via a bus bar (not shown). Here, the first and second terminals may have positive and negative polarities, respectively.

[0048] The first terminal and the second terminal electrically connected by the bus bar as described above may be configured as the positive terminal 113 or the negative terminal 114 of the battery module 110 as shown in the drawings, and may be exposed to the outside of the housing 112. Although not shown in the drawings, the positive terminal 113 and the negative terminal 114 of the battery module 110 may be electrically connected to each other by connecting the bus bars of the battery modules 110.

[0049] Secondly, the cooling line 120 may include: a plurality of inflow pipes 121 , a plurality of outflow pipes 122 , a central component 123 , a central pipe 124 , a turning pipe 125 , and ribs 126 .

[0050] The cooling line 120 may be arranged adjacent to the battery module 110 to cool the battery module 110 using a heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling line 120. Here, the heat transfer medium may be a refrigerant capable of undergoing a phase change at room temperature, and may include, for example, CFC-based refrigerants such as R134a and R1234YF, and Novec. Any refrigerant that is considered optimal for cooling the battery module 110 in terms of physical factors such as the capacity and size of the battery pack and thermodynamic factors such as the heat generated in the battery pack may be selected as the heat transfer medium.

[0051] In addition, despite Figure 1 The cooling line 120 is shown to be disposed on the lower side of the battery module 110, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, based on the direction shown in the drawings, the cooling line 120 may also be disposed on the lateral side and the upper side of the battery module 110. However, in this case, the housing 112, the positive terminal 113, the negative terminal 114, and the bus bar (not shown), which are main components when the battery cells 111 are connected to each other, may be away from the housing 112, the positive terminal 113, the negative terminal 114, and the bus bar (not shown). Figure 1 For convenience of description, the cooling circuit 120 shown in FIG. Figure 1The following description will be given of a structure shown in FIG. 1 in which the cooling line 120 is provided on the lower side of the battery module 110 .

[0052] The inflow pipe 121 may be arranged adjacent to an imaginary line VL passing through the center of the battery module 110 in the first direction, and may provide a path through which the heat transfer medium enters. In addition, the outflow pipe 122 may be arranged adjacent to a lateral side of the battery module 110 based on the first direction, and may provide a path through which the heat transfer medium flows out.

[0053] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The structures of the inflow pipe 121 and the outflow pipe 122 will be described in detail.

[0054] First, refer to Figure 5 , along the imaginary line VL, the inflow tube 121 can be set as a pair, and the outflow tube 122 can also be set as a pair. In this case, the inflow tube 121a set on one side of the imaginary line VL and the other inflow tube 121b set on the opposite side of the imaginary line VL can be arranged symmetrically with each other. In addition, the outflow tube 122a set on one side of the imaginary line VL and the other outflow tube 122b set on the opposite side of the imaginary line VL can be arranged symmetrically with each other. In this case, the inflow tube 121 can be adjacent to the imaginary line VL, rather than the outflow tube 122 being adjacent to the imaginary line VL, and the outflow tube 122 can be farther away from the imaginary line VL than the inflow tube 121 is from the imaginary line VL, that is, the outflow tube 122 can be closer to the lateral side of the battery module 110.

[0055] Hereinafter, the inflow pipe 121a and the outflow pipe 122a arranged on one side of the imaginary line VL will be respectively referred to as the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the first sub-outflow pipe 122a, and the other inflow pipe 121b and the other outflow pipe 122b arranged on the opposite side of the imaginary line VL will be respectively referred to as the second sub-inflow pipe 121b and the second sub-outflow pipe 122b.

[0056] Specifically, Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the gap (not shown) between the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the first sub-outflow pipe 122a, the gap (not shown) between the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the second sub-inflow pipe 121b, and the gap (not shown) between the second sub-inflow pipe 121b and the second sub-outflow pipe 122b may correspond to each other. That is, the inflow pipe 121 and the outflow pipe 122 may be arranged at regular intervals.

[0057] also, Figure 6 It is shown Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a view of another embodiment of the inflow pipe 121 and the outflow pipe 122 shown in FIG. Figure 6, the gap (a) between the first sub-inflow pipe 221a and the second sub-inflow pipe 221b may be smaller than the gap (b) between the first sub-inflow pipe 221a and the first sub-outflow pipe 222a and the gap (b) between the second sub-inflow pipe 221b and the second sub-outflow pipe 222b.

[0058] As described above, since the central portion of the battery module 110 adjacent to the imaginary line VL generally has a higher temperature than the lateral sides of the battery module 110, the gap (a) between the first sub-inflow pipe 221a and the second sub-inflow pipe 221b may be adjusted to be smaller than the gap (b) between the first sub-inflow pipe 221a and the first sub-outflow pipe 222a and the gap (b) between the second sub-inflow pipe 221b and the second sub-outflow pipe 222b. Figure 7 Describe in detail when Figure 5 and Figure 6 The effects that can be obtained when the inflow pipes 121 and 221 and the outflow pipes 122 and 222 shown in FIG. 1 have such a structure.

[0059] Furthermore, the heat transfer medium flows as follows. Figure 5 As shown in , the heat transfer medium entering the cooling line 120 can sequentially cool the battery modules 110 in the first direction (in the order of the battery modules 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and 110-4) while flowing along the inflow pipe 121. Specifically, the heat transfer medium can flow in the first direction along the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the second sub-inflow pipe 121b adjacent to the imaginary line VL.

[0060] After the heat transfer medium flows along the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the second sub-inflow pipe 121b and reaches the most downstream side of the inflow pipe 121, the heat transfer medium can be guided from the inflow pipe 121 to the outflow pipe 122, and then, while flowing along the outflow pipe 122 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the heat transfer medium can sequentially cool the battery modules 110 (in the order of battery modules 110-4, 110-3, 110-2 and 110-1).

[0061] The structure of the cooling line 120 will now be described in more detail.

[0062] The cooling line 120 may further include a core member 123 including an inlet 123a through which a heat transfer medium enters and an outlet 123b through which the heat transfer medium is discharged.

[0063] Specifically, among the compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator forming a general refrigeration cycle, the cooling line 120 may correspond to the evaporator. In this case, although not shown in the drawings, the inlet 123a may be connected to the downstream of the expansion valve through a heat transfer medium pipe (not shown), and the outlet 123b may be connected to the upstream of the compressor through a heat transfer medium pipe (not shown).

[0064] In this structure, the heat transfer medium can enter the cooling line 120 through the inlet 123a in a low temperature, low pressure liquid state after passing through the expansion valve, and can then volatilize by absorbing heat from the battery module 110 while flowing along the cooling line 120. Figure 7 To describe the flow characteristics of the heat transfer medium in detail.

[0065] That is, the central member 123 may be used as a pipeline for conveying the heat transfer medium to the cooling pipeline 120, and specifically, the central member 123 may also control the flow rate of the heat transfer medium flowing into the cooling pipeline 120. That is, although not shown in the drawings, the central member 123 may be electrically connected to a controller (not shown) including hardware having a microprocessor and a circuit and software for driving the hardware, and the controller may control the opening and closing of the inlet 123a and the outlet 123b and the degree of opening of the inlet 123a and the outlet 123b.

[0066] In addition, the cooling pipeline 120 may further include a central pipeline 124, which may include an inlet pipeline 124a configured to guide the heat transfer medium from the inlet 123a toward the inlet pipe 121, and an outlet pipeline 124b configured to guide the heat transfer medium from the outlet pipe 122 toward the outlet 123b.

[0067] In addition, the central pipeline 124 may further include a first barrier wall 124c, which is disposed in the central pipeline 124 to isolate the inflow pipeline 124a from the outflow pipeline 124b, so as to prevent the stream of the heat transfer medium flowing in the inflow pipeline 124a from mixing with the stream of the heat transfer medium flowing in the outflow pipeline 124b. That is, the first barrier wall 124c may physically isolate the inner spaces of the inflow pipeline 124a and the outflow pipeline 124b from mixing with each other, so as to prevent the stream of the heat transfer medium entering the most upstream side of the inflow pipe 121 from mixing with the stream of the heat transfer medium flowing through the most downstream side of the outflow pipe 122.

[0068] In addition, the cooling line 120 may further include a turning line 125 configured to connect the most downstream side of the inflow pipe 121 and the most upstream side of the outflow pipe 122 to each other while preventing the heat transfer medium from flowing between the inflow pipes 121 adjacent to the virtual line VL.

[0069] Specifically, the steering pipeline 125 may include: a first sub-steering pipeline 125a, through which the first sub-inflow pipe 121a arranged at one side of the imaginary line VL in the inflow pipe 121 is connected to the first sub-outflow pipe 122a arranged at the side of the imaginary line VL in the outflow pipe 122; and a second sub-steering pipeline 125b, through which the second sub-inflow pipe 121b arranged at the other side (opposite side) of the imaginary line VL in the inflow pipe 121 is connected to the second sub-outflow pipe 122b arranged at the other side of the imaginary line VL in the outflow pipe 122.

[0070] Here, for example, Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first sub-steering conduit 125a and the second sub-steering conduit 125b may be formed as one component. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, Figure 7 As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , the first sub-diverting pipe 125a and the second sub-diverting pipe 125b may be separated from each other as independent elements connecting the first sub-inflow pipe 121a to the first sub-outflow pipe 122a and connecting the second sub-inflow pipe 121b to the second sub-outflow pipe 122b, respectively.

[0071] However, for the convenience of description, the following will be mainly based on Figure 5 The following description is given of a case in which the first sub-steering line 125a and the second sub-steering line 125b of the steering line 125 are formed as one component as shown in FIG.

[0072] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first sub-steering line 125 a and the second sub-steering line 125 b of the steering line 125 may be formed in one part along a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction.

[0073] In this case, the turning pipeline 125 may also include a second blocking wall 125c, which is arranged in the turning pipeline 125 to isolate the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the second sub-inflow pipe 121b from each other, so that the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing along the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and reaching the most downstream side of the first sub-inflow pipe 121a will not mix with the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing along the second sub-inflow pipe 121b and reaching the most downstream side of the second sub-inflow pipe 121b.

[0074] As described above, since the second barrier wall 125c is provided in the turning pipe 125, the heat transfer medium passing through the most downstream side of the first sub-inflow pipe 121a can be turned along the first sub-turning pipe 125a toward the most upstream side of the first sub-outflow pipe 122a. Similarly, since the second barrier wall 125c is provided in the turning pipe 125 formed in one component, the heat transfer medium passing through the most downstream side of the second sub-inflow pipe 121b can be turned along the second sub-turning pipe 125b toward the most upstream side of the second sub-outflow pipe 122b.

[0075] Refer again Figure 2 The cooling line 120 may further include ribs 126 extending in the cooling line 120 in the first direction to divide the path of the heat transfer medium into a plurality of channels C1 to C9.

[0076] That is, the ribs 126 may be formed in the inflow pipe 121 and the outflow pipe 122 in a first direction in which the inflow pipe 121 and the outflow pipe 122 extend to divide the interior of each of the inflow pipe 121 and the outflow pipe 122 into the plurality of channels C1 to C9 .

[0077] The support member 130 may support the battery module 110 and the cooling duct 120 and may include a recessed portion 131 for accommodating the cooling duct 120. That is, as shown in the drawings, the support member 130 is a basic frame that supports all components of the battery pack.

[0078] The recessed portion 131 is formed by recessing a contact surface of the support member 130 with respect to the cooling line 120 at a preset interval, and the elastic member 140 may be disposed in the recessed portion 131 .

[0079] That is, the elastic member 140 may be disposed between the cooling line 120 and the support member 130 to elastically support the cooling line 120. Specifically, the elastic member 140 is used to improve the contact between the cooling line 120 and the support member 130, and may have the same width as that of the cooling line 120, so that the cooling line 120 can be stably disposed at the support member 130.

[0080] The buffer pad 150 may be disposed between the battery module 110 and the heat conducting plate 160 to buffer and support the side of the battery module 110, that is, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 For example, the buffer pad 150 may be formed of a silicone-based material to minimize the tolerance between the battery module 110 and the heat conducting plate 160 .

[0081] The heat conducting plate 160 may be disposed between the battery module 110 and the cooling line 120 to transfer heat generated from the battery module 110 to the cooling line 120. That is, the heat conducting plate 160 may prevent direct contact between the battery module 110 and the cooling line 120 to protect the opposing surfaces of the battery module 110 and the cooling line 120. Specifically, the heat conducting plate 160 may be disposed between the cooling line 120 and the buffer pad 150 supporting the battery module 110 to mechanically connect the cooling line 120 and the buffer pad 150 to each other.

[0082] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 7 The cooling operation of the cooling circuit 120 of the battery pack described above according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is described in more detail.

[0083] Figure 7 1 is a schematic diagram showing the temperature change of the heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling pipe 120 .

[0084] Reference Figure 7 , the heat transfer medium entering the inflow pipe 121 may cool the central portion of the battery module 110 adjacent to the imaginary line VL while flowing in the first direction along the first sub inflow pipe 121a and the second sub inflow pipe 121b, and may then flow to the outflow pipe 122 through the turning pipe 125. After flowing from the turning pipe 125 to the outflow pipe 122, the heat transfer medium may cool the lateral side of the battery module 110 while flowing in the second direction along the first sub outflow pipe 122a and the second sub outflow pipe 122b.

[0085] As described above, the heat transfer medium may absorb heat generated in the battery module 110 while flowing through the cooling pipe 120, and may thus undergo a phase change at a certain temperature. After the heat transfer medium is completely evaporated, the heat transfer medium may be overheated while the temperature of the heat transfer medium is rapidly increased. By considering the characteristics described above, referring to Figure 7 , when the temperature of the heat transfer medium entering the inlet pipe 121 is defined as T1, and the temperature of the heat transfer medium flowing out of the outlet pipe 122 is defined as T2, T2 may be higher than T1. That is, the heat transfer medium entering the cooling line 120 may initially undergo a phase change at a constant temperature T1, and may be at the outlet 123b (refer to Figure 5 ) is fully evaporated at a position adjacent to the temperature T1, and can then be superheated while the temperature of the heat transfer medium is rapidly increased to a temperature T2 that is higher than the temperature T1.

[0086] In addition, when the battery cells 111 are arranged side by side in the battery module 110, the temperature of the battery module 110 will be highest at the central portion of the battery module 110 and lowest at the lateral side of the battery module 110. The reason is as follows. The central battery cell 111 exchanges heat with the adjacent battery cell 111, while each side battery cell 111 does not contact another battery cell 111 on its side. Therefore, while the central battery cells 111 exchange heat with each other, the heat will not be smoothly dissipated from the central battery cell 111 to the outside, but because the side battery cells 111 are exposed to the outside through the openings 112h formed in the housing 112, the heat can be dissipated from the side battery cells 111 to the outside through natural convection.

[0087] As described above, the temperature of the battery modules 110 each including the battery cells 111 at the central portion of the battery module 110 is structurally higher than the temperature of the battery modules 110 each including the battery cells 111 at the lateral sides of the battery module 110. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first sub-inflow pipe 121a and the second sub-inflow pipe 121b are arranged at positions adjacent to the imaginary line VL passing through the center of the battery module 110 in the first direction, and the first sub-outflow pipe 122a and the second sub-outflow pipe 122b are arranged at positions adjacent to the lateral sides of the battery module 110. Then, the heat transfer medium having a relatively low temperature T1 can cool the central portion of the battery module 110 having a relatively high temperature, and the heat transfer medium having a relatively high temperature T2 can cool the lateral sides of the battery module 110 having a relatively low temperature. Therefore, the effect of uniformly cooling the entire area of ​​the battery module 110 can be maximized.

[0088] In addition, refer to Figure 7 , the cooling line 120 has a parallel structure including two inflow pipes 121 and two outflow pipes 122. In this case, the total length of the cooling line 120 can be reduced compared to the case where the cooling line 120 has a series structure. According to this structure, the difference between the pressure of the heat transfer medium when the heat transfer medium enters the cooling line 120 and the pressure of the heat transfer medium when the heat transfer medium is discharged from the cooling line 120 can be maintained at a low value, and thus the efficiency of the compressor that compresses the heat transfer medium can be improved.

[0089] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, these embodiments are only for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications may be made therefrom. Therefore, the scope and spirit of the present disclosure should be defined by the claims.

[0090] Industrial Applicability As described above, the entire region of the battery module of the battery pack may be uniformly cooled according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules sequentially arranged in a first direction, and each of the plurality of battery modules includes a plurality of battery cells arranged in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a cooling line arranged adjacent to the plurality of battery modules and configured to cool the plurality of battery modules using a heat transfer medium flowing in the cooling line, The cooling circuit includes: a plurality of inflow pipes arranged adjacent to an imaginary line passing through the center of the plurality of battery modules in a first direction and providing a path for a heat transfer medium to enter therein; and a plurality of outflow pipes connected to the most downstream side of the plurality of inflow pipes and arranged adjacent to the lateral side of the plurality of battery modules based on the first direction, the plurality of outflow pipes providing a path for the heat transfer medium to be discharged therethrough, wherein the plurality of inflow pipes and the plurality of outflow pipes have different flow directions and are both disposed below each of the plurality of battery modules, and The heat transfer medium sequentially cools the multiple battery modules along a first direction while flowing along the multiple inlet pipes, and then is guided from the multiple inlet pipes to the multiple outflow pipes and sequentially cools the multiple battery modules along a second direction opposite to the first direction while flowing along the multiple outflow pipes.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The cooling circuit includes: a central member including an inlet through which a heat transfer medium enters and an outlet through which the heat transfer medium exits; a central pipeline including an inlet pipeline configured to guide a heat transfer medium entering through an inlet toward the plurality of inlet pipes and an outlet pipeline configured to guide the heat transfer medium from the plurality of outlet pipes toward an outlet; and The turning pipe connects the most downstream side of the plurality of inflow pipes to the most upstream side of the plurality of outflow pipes while separating the streams of the heat transfer medium flowing in the plurality of inflow pipes adjacent to the imaginary line from each other.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The central pipeline further includes a first barrier wall disposed in the central pipeline to isolate the inlet pipeline and the outlet pipeline from each other to prevent the flow stream of the heat transfer medium flowing in the inlet pipeline and the flow stream of the heat transfer medium flowing in the outlet pipeline from mixing with each other.

4. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The steering line includes: a first sub-diverting pipeline connecting a first sub-inflow pipe among the plurality of inflow pipes to a first sub-outflow pipe among the plurality of outflow pipes, the first sub-inflow pipe being arranged at one side of the imaginary line, the first sub-outflow pipe being arranged at the one side of the imaginary line; and The second sub-diverting pipeline connects a second sub-inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes to a second sub-outflow pipe among the multiple outflow pipes, the second sub-inflow pipe is arranged at the opposite side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-outflow pipe is arranged at the opposite side of the imaginary line.

5. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The steering line is provided as one component in a third direction intersecting the first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and The turning pipeline includes a second blocking wall, which is arranged in the turning pipeline and is constructed to isolate the first sub-inflow pipe from the second sub-inflow pipe to prevent the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing in the first sub-inflow pipe from mixing with the flow of the heat transfer medium flowing in the second sub-inflow pipe. The first sub-inflow pipe is an inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes arranged on one side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-inflow pipe is an inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes arranged on the opposite side of the imaginary line.

6. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of inflow tubes and the plurality of outflow tubes are symmetrical about an imaginary line.

7. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: A gap between a first sub-inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes and a second sub-inflow pipe among the multiple inflow pipes is smaller than a gap between the first sub-inflow pipe and a first sub-outflow pipe among the multiple outflow pipes and a gap between the second sub-inflow pipe and a second sub-outflow pipe among the multiple outflow pipes. The first sub-inflow pipe is arranged on one side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-inflow pipe is arranged on the opposite side of the imaginary line. The first sub-outflow pipe is arranged on the one side of the imaginary line, and the second sub-outflow pipe is arranged on the opposite side of the imaginary line. 8 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising a support member configured to support the plurality of battery modules and the cooling duct and including a recessed portion accommodating the cooling duct. 9 . The battery pack according to claim 8 , further comprising an elastic member disposed on the recessed portion, disposed between the cooling duct and the supporting member, and elastically supporting the cooling duct. 10 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat conducting plate disposed between a cooling line and the plurality of battery modules and transferring heat generated in the plurality of battery modules to the cooling line. 11 . The battery pack according to claim 10 , further comprising a buffer pad disposed between the heat conducting plate and the plurality of battery modules to buffer and support sides of the plurality of battery modules.

12. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The cooling line further includes a rib extending in the cooling line in a first direction and dividing a path of the heat transfer medium into a plurality of channels.

13. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The heat transfer medium is a refrigerant that is capable of undergoing a phase change at room temperature.

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