Decoupled superbeam design for manufacturability

Abstract

A rechargeable energy storage system comprises a housing with a base and sidewall structure. Several support assemblies run parallel across the housing. Each support assemblies includes a first front panel and a second front panel. The first front panel has an elongated body with a top flange that generally extends perpendicular to an upper end of the elongated front panel. The second front panel includes an elongated body with a lower flange that generally extends perpendicular to a lower end of the elongated front panel. A pair of coolant plates is embedded between the first and second front panels.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The information provided in this section serves the purpose of providing a general overview of the context of the disclosure. Neither the work of the inventors currently named, to the extent described in this section, nor those aspects of the description that could not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are expressly or implicitly recognized as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a cooling support design for battery cell arrangements.

[0003] In cylindrical battery cell assemblies, strips are commonly used to facilitate cell cooling. However, several problems exist with strips. First, they lack structural rigidity. Second, they must be attached to the cell walls during assembly, as they cannot stand independently. Third, due to the predefined cell positions determined by the cell holders, the strips do not make close contact with the cells on both sides during assembly, which can impair cooling performance. SUMMARY

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a rechargeable energy storage system comprises a housing with a bottom and side wall structure. Several support assemblies extend parallel over the housing. Each of the multiple support assemblies comprises a first front panel and a second front panel. The first front panel comprises an elongated body with an upper flange that generally extends perpendicular to an upper end of the elongated front panel. The second front panel comprises an elongated body with a lower flange that generally extends perpendicular to a lower end of the elongated front panel.A pair of coolant plates is embedded between the first and second front plates. The coolant plate adjacent to the first front plate is soldered or welded to it to form one cooling plate, and the coolant plate adjacent to the second front plate is soldered or welded to it to form another cooling plate. The pair of cooling plates is connected to a coolant source. Several battery cells are arranged within the housing and are in contact with the front plates of adjacent carrier assemblies.

[0005] According to another aspect, the first front panel also includes a hook-shaped lower flange extending from an inside of a lower end of the elongated front body.

[0006] According to another aspect, the hook-shaped lower flange of the first front panel is connected to the inside of a lower end of the elongated front body of the second front panel.

[0007] According to another aspect, the second front panel includes a hook-shaped upper flange extending from an inside of an upper end of the elongated front body.

[0008] According to another aspect, the hook-shaped upper flange of the second front panel is connected to the inside of an upper end of the elongated front body of the first front panel.

[0009] According to another aspect, the first front panel also includes a lower flange extending from an inside of a lower end of the elongated front body.

[0010] According to another aspect, the lower flange of the first plate is connected to the lower flange of the second front plate.

[0011] According to another aspect, the second front panel also includes an upper flange extending from an inside of an upper end of the elongated front body.

[0012] According to another aspect, the lower flange of the second front panel is connected to the ground.

[0013] According to another aspect, the floor includes several elongated projecting ribs running along the floor, with the multiple projecting ribs comprising a pair of side walls and an upper surface with a step in it.

[0014] According to another aspect, the lower flange of the second front plate of the multiple support arrangements is connected to the upper surface of the multiple elongated projecting ribs adjacent to the step.

[0015] According to another aspect, the multiple battery cells are supported on the lower flange of one of the support arrangements and on the step of an adjacent of the multiple elongated projecting ribs.

[0016] According to another aspect, the base includes a curved side flange that is connected to the side wall.

[0017] According to another aspect, the first and second front panels each include a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port, which are connected to each of the two cooling plates.

[0018] According to another aspect, the pair of coolant passage plates includes a coiled coolant passage that runs from the coolant inlet port to the coolant outlet port.

[0019] According to another aspect, the coolant inlet ports and the coolant outlet ports of each support arrangement are connected to a coolant source.

[0020] According to another aspect, the first front panel includes a top cap comprising a first horizontal section, which generally extends perpendicularly to an outside of an upper end of the elongated front body, a vertical section extending from the first horizontal section, and the top flange of the first front panel, which extends horizontally from a top of the vertical section.

[0021] According to another aspect, a rechargeable energy storage system comprises a housing that includes multiple bases. Several support assemblies run parallel across the housing. Each of the multiple support assemblies includes a first front panel and a second front panel. The first front panel comprises an elongated body with a top flange that is generally perpendicular to an upper end of the elongated front panel. The second front panel comprises an elongated body with a lower flange that is generally perpendicular to a lower end of the elongated front panel.A pair of coolant plates is embedded between the first and second front plates. The coolant plate adjacent to the first front plate is soldered or welded to it to form one cooling plate, and the coolant plate adjacent to the second front plate is soldered or welded to it to form another cooling plate. The pair of cooling plates is connected to a coolant source. Several battery cells are arranged within the housing and are in contact with the plates of adjacent support assemblies.A first end carrier arrangement is located on one of the multiple floors and a second end carrier arrangement is located on an adjacent of the multiple floors, the first end carrier being connected to the second end carrier arrangement for coolant flow, the first and second end carrier arrangements each comprising a first front plate and a second front plate connected to the first front plate and a pair of coolant plates arranged between the first front plate and the second front plate.

[0022] According to another aspect, the first end carrier includes a first projecting upper cap, and the second end carrier includes a second projecting upper cap connected to the first projecting upper cap of the first end carrier.

[0023] According to another aspect, a rechargeable energy storage system comprises a housing that includes multiple bases. Several support assemblies run parallel across the housing. Each of these support assemblies includes a first front panel and a second front panel. The first front panel comprises an elongated body with a top flange that is generally perpendicular to an upper end of the elongated front body.The second front panel comprises an elongated body with a lower flange, generally perpendicular to a lower end of the elongated front panel. A pair of coolant plates is embedded between the first and second front panels. The coolant plate adjacent to the first front panel is soldered or welded to it to form one cooling plate, and the coolant plate adjacent to the second front panel is soldered or welded to it to form another cooling plate. The pair of cooling plates is connected to a coolant source. Several battery cells are arranged within the housing and are in contact with the plates of adjacent support assemblies. An end support assembly is positioned between the adjacent of the multiple bottoms. The end support assembly comprises a sheet metal structure with a box-shaped cross-section.A pair of front panels is attached to opposite sides of the sheet metal structure, and a pair of coolant panels is arranged on one inside side of the front panel pair.

[0024] Further applications of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and the specific examples serve only for illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The present revelation is more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings; they show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of part of a battery cell arrangement with supports that are battery separators, according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a cooling medium arrangement according to a first embodiment; Fig. 3 a cross-sectional view of the cooling medium arrangement of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a perspective exploded view of the cooling medium arrangement of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a perspective view of a cooling carrier arrangement according to a second embodiment; Fig. 6 a cross-sectional view of the cooling medium arrangement of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 a perspective view of a corrugated base plate according to the principles of the present disclosure; Fig. 8 a cross-sectional view in longitudinal direction along the corrugated base plate; Fig. 9 a cross-sectional view in the lateral direction along the corrugated base plate; Fig. 10 a cross-sectional view showing the connection of the cooling carrier arrangement with the corrugated base plate; Fig. 11 a cross-sectional view showing the connection of the corrugated base plate with the end support; Fig. 12 a cross-sectional view showing the cooling support arrangements with an integrated top cap connected to a corrugated top sheet according to one aspect of the present disclosure; Fig. 13 a schematic view of an end carrier design of the battery cell arrangement according to a first embodiment; Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 cross-sectional views of an end support design according to a second embodiment; and Fig. 16 a cross-sectional view of an end support design according to a third embodiment.

[0026] Reference symbols can be used multiple times in the drawings to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a part of a rechargeable energy storage system 10 comprising a wall structure 12 (part of which is shown) surrounding a base 14 on which several battery cells 18 are oriented. The battery cells 18 are oriented in several rows, each separated by a support arrangement 22 according to the principles of the present disclosure.

[0028] In the Fig. 2-4 comprises a first embodiment of the support arrangement 22, comprising a first front plate 24, which includes an elongated flat front body 24a with an upper flange 24b that generally extends perpendicular to an outside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 24a. The first front plate 24 further comprises a hook-shaped lower flange 24c that extends from an inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 24a. The support arrangement 22 further comprises a second front plate 26, which comprises an elongated flat front body 26a with a lower flange 26b that generally extends perpendicular to an outside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 26a. The second front plate 26 further comprises a hook-shaped upper flange 26c that extends from an inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 26a.The hook-shaped lower flange 24c of the first front panel 24 is connected to the inside of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 26a of the second front panel 26 by soldering 27 or another fastening technique, and the hook-shaped upper flange 26c of the second front panel 26 is connected to the inside of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 24a of the first front panel 24 by soldering 27 or another fastening technique.

[0029] The first front panel 24 and the second front panel 26 each have a coolant inlet port 28a and a coolant outlet port 28b on their outer surface, and the coolant ports 28a, 28b are each connected to openings through the first and second front panels 24, 26. A pair of coolant plates 32 is arranged on an inner surface of each of the first and second front panels 24, 26 and is sealed around a circumference 34 and along their dividing lines to form a coiled coolant passage 36 (best in Fig. 4) to define along the inside of the first and second front panels 24, 26. The coiled coolant passage 36 runs from the coolant inlet port 28a along the surface of the first and second front panels 24, 26 in a coiled or desired pattern and to the coolant outlet port 28b.

[0030] In the Fig. 5 and Fig. A second embodiment of the support arrangement 42 comprises a first front plate 44, which includes an elongated flat front body 44a with a lower flange 44b that generally extends perpendicular to an inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 44a. The first front plate 44 further comprises a hook-shaped upper flange 44c that extends from the inside surface of the upper end of the elongated flat front body 44a. The support arrangement 22 further comprises a second front plate 46, which comprises an elongated flat front body 46a with an upper flange 46b that generally extends perpendicular to an inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 46a. The second front plate 46 further comprises a lower flange 46c that extends from the inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 46a.The upper flange 44c of the first front panel 44 is connected to a bottom of the upper flange 46b of the second front panel 46 by soldering 47 or another fastening technique, and the lower flange 46c of the second front panel 46 is connected to a top of the lower flange 44b of the first front panel 44 by soldering 47 or another fastening technique.

[0031] The first front panel 44 and the second front panel 46 each have a coolant inlet port 48a and a coolant outlet port 48b on their first (outer) side, and the coolant ports 48a, 48b are each connected to openings through the first and second front panels 44, 46. A pair of coolant plates 32 is arranged on an inner side of each of the first and second front panels 44, 46 and sealed around a circumference 34 thereof to form a coiled coolant passage 36 (preferably in Fig. (See Figure 6) along the inside of the first and second front panels 44, 46. The coiled coolant passage 36 runs from the coolant inlet port 48a along the surface of the first and second front panels 44, 46 in a coiled or desired pattern and to the coolant outlet port 48b.

[0032] In the Fig. Figures 7-11 show floor 14, which has a corrugated cross-section, as shown in Fig. Figure 8 shows that the corrugated cross-section of the base 14 includes several elongated projecting ribs 60 extending along the base 14. The number of elongated projecting ribs corresponds to the number of rows of battery cells / modules. The projecting ribs 60 are punched into the base 14 and comprise a pair of side walls 60a, 60b and an upper surface 60c with a step 60d therein. The step 60d has a greater height relative to the rest of the upper surface, which corresponds approximately to the thickness of the lower flanges 26b, 44b of the supports 22, 42.

[0033] In Fig. Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of part of the rechargeable energy storage system 10, including the support assemblies 22, which are attached by welding 61 or brazing the lower flange 26b to the upper surface 60c of the projecting ribs 60 adjacent to the step 60d on the base 14. It should be noted that the cross-section of the base in Fig. 8 in the opposite direction of the in Fig. The cross-section shown in Figure 10 illustrates this. The battery cells or modules 18 are mounted along the projecting ribs 60 and above the lower flange 26b on one side thereof and below the upper flange 24b of an adjacent support arrangement 22. Accordingly, the battery cells 18 are securely fastened by the adjacent support arrangements 22. As shown in Figure 10, the battery cells or modules 18 are mounted along the projecting ribs 60 and above the lower flange 26b on one side thereof and below the upper flange 24b of an adjacent support arrangement 22. Fig. As shown in Figure 10, the base 14 can be attached to a shear plate 62 by welding 63, soldering, gluing or any other known fastening technique.

[0034] In Fig. 12 A third embodiment of the support arrangement 72 comprises a first front plate 74, which includes an elongated flat front body 74a with an integrated upper cap 75, comprising a first horizontal section 74b, generally perpendicular to an outside of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 74a, a vertical section 74c extending from a first horizontal section 74b, and a horizontal upper section 74d extending from a top of the vertical section 74c. The first front plate 74 further comprises a hook-shaped lower flange 74e extending from an inside of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 74a.The support arrangement 72 further comprises a second front panel 76, which includes an elongated flat front body 76a with a lower flange 76b that generally extends perpendicular to an outside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 76a. The second front panel 76 further comprises a hook-shaped upper flange 76c extending from an inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 76a. The hook-shaped lower flange 76c of the first front panel 74 is connected to the inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 76a of the second front panel 76 by soldering 77 or another fastening technique, and the hook-shaped upper flange 76c of the second front panel 76 is connected to the inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 74a of the first front panel 74 by soldering 77 or another fastening technique.The upper cap 75 can be connected to a projecting rib 79 of a corrugated upper sheet 80. The horizontally extending upper section 74d of the upper cap 75 can be joined to the corrugated upper sheet by laser welding, adhesive bonding, or another known joining technique.

[0035] The first front panel 74 and the second front panel 76 each have a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet on their outer surface, and the coolant outlets are each connected to openings through the first and second front panels 74, 76. A pair of coolant plates 30, as previously described in the Fig. As described in 2-4, the coolant passage 36 is arranged on the inner side of each of the first and second front panels 74, 76 and sealed around its circumference to define a coiled coolant passage 36 along the inner side of the first and second front panels 74, 76. The coiled coolant passage 36 extends from a coolant inlet port along the surface of the first and second front panels 74, 76 in a coiled or desired pattern and to the coolant outlet port.

[0036] In Fig. 11 a side wall 12 can be connected to a side flange 64 of the bottom 14 by welding 65, soldering, gluing or any other known fastening technique.

[0037] In the Fig. 14 and Fig. A P-shaped end carrier assembly 82 is provided, which can be arranged along an end row of battery cells. The end carrier assembly 82 comprises a first front plate 84, which includes an elongated flat front body 84a with an integrated top cap 85. The cap 85 includes a first horizontal section 84b, which generally extends perpendicular to an outside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 84a, a vertical section 84c extending from the first horizontal section 84b, and a horizontal upper section 84d extending from a top surface of the vertical section 84c. The first front plate 84 further includes a hook-shaped lower flange 84e extending from an inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 84a.The end carrier arrangement 82 further comprises a second front panel 86, which includes an elongated flat front body 86a with a lower flange 86b that generally extends perpendicular to an inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 86a. The second front panel 86 further comprises a hook-shaped upper flange 86c extending from an inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 86a. The hook-shaped lower flange 84e of the first front panel 84 is connected to the inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 86a of the second front panel 86 by soldering 87 or another fastening technique, and the hook-shaped upper flange 86c of the second front panel 86 is connected to the inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 84a of the first front panel 84 by soldering 87 or another fastening technique.

[0038] Further into the Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 A suitable P-shaped end carrier arrangement 92 is provided, which can be positioned along an end row of battery cells and connected to the P-shaped end carrier arrangement 82, as shown in Fig. 15 shown. The end carrier arrangement 92 comprises a first front plate 94, which includes an elongated flat front body 94a with an integrated upper cap 95, which, as shown in Fig. Figure 15 shows the upper cap 95 of the end carrier assembly 82 being arranged below the upper cap 85. The integrated upper cap 95 comprises a first horizontal section 94b, generally extending perpendicular to an outside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 94a; a first vertical section 94c extending from the first horizontal section 94b; a second horizontal upper section 94d extending from a top surface of the first vertical section 94c; a second vertical section 94e extending from the second horizontal section 94c; and an upper horizontal flange 94f extending from the second vertical section 94e. The first front plate 94 further comprises a hook-shaped lower flange 94g extending from an inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 94a.The end carrier arrangement 92 further comprises a second front panel 96, which includes an elongated flat front body 96a with a lower flange 96b that generally extends perpendicularly to an outside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 96a. The second front panel 96 further comprises a hook-shaped upper flange 96c extending from an inside surface of an upper end of the elongated flat front body 96a. The hook-shaped lower flange 96c of the first front panel 94 is connected by soldering 97 or another fastening technique to the inside surface of a lower end of the elongated flat front body 96a of the second front panel 96, and the hook-shaped upper flange 96c of the second front panel 96 is connected by soldering 97 or another fastening technique to the inside surface of the second vertically extending section 94e and to the upper horizontal flange 94f of the first front panel 94.

[0039] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 15, the upper cap 85 of the end carrier assembly 82 can be connected to the upper cap 95 of the end carrier assembly 92 by a pin 98 or by another connection technique.

[0040] The first front plate 84 and the second front plate 86 of the end carrier assembly 82 and the first front plate 94 and the second front plate 96 of the end carrier assembly 92 each have a coolant inlet port 88a and a coolant outlet port 88b on their outer surface, and the coolant ports 88a, 88b are each connected to openings through the first and second front plates 84, 86 and 94, 96, respectively. A pair of coolant plates, as previously described in the Fig. As described in 2-4, the coolant passage 36 can be arranged on the inner side of each of the first and second front panels 84, 86 and 94, 96 and sealed around its circumference to define a coiled coolant passage along the inner side of the first and second front panels 84, 86 and 94, 96. The coiled coolant passage 36 extends from a coolant inlet port 88a along the surface of the first and second front panels 84, 86 and 94, 96 in a coiled or desired pattern and to the coolant outlet port 88b.

[0041] Alternatively, the end carrier can be 100, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 16, the front panel 102 is formed as a rectangular box and comprises a pair of front panels 102 joined at opposite sides. The front panel 102 includes an elongated flat front body 102a and an upper flange 102b extending from an upper end of the elongated flat front body 102a. Each of the front panels 102 includes a coolant plate 104, which is arranged between the front panel 102 and the end support 100. The coolant plate 104 is, as previously shown in the Fig. As described in 2-4, the coolant passage is arranged on an inner side of the front panel pair 102 and sealed around its circumference to define a coiled coolant passage along the inner side of the front panel pair 102. The coiled coolant passage runs from a coolant inlet port 106a along the surface of the front panel pair 102 in a coiled or desired pattern and to the coolant outlet port 106b.

[0042] The preceding description is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The comprehensive teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in various forms. While this disclosure contains specific examples, the true scope of protection of the disclosure should therefore not be so limited as to reveal other modifications upon study of the drawings, the description, and the following claims. It is to be understood that one or more steps within a process may be carried out in a different order (or overlapping in time) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Although each of the embodiments described above has been described with specific features, one or more of these features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure may also be implemented in any of the further embodiments and / or combined with its features, even if this combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with each other remain within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0043] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, such as "connected," "interlocking," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "arranged." Unless explicitly described as "direct," when a relationship between a first and a second element is described in the disclosure above, this relationship can be a direct relationship in which no further intervening elements exist between the first and the second element, or it can be an indirect relationship in which one or more intervening elements (either spatial or functional) exist between the first and the second element.As the expression "at least one of A, B and C" is used here, it should be interpreted as meaning a logical (A OR B OR C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be interpreted as meaning "at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C".

Claims

[1] Rechargeable energy storage system comprising: a case with a base and side wall structure; Several support arrangements extending parallel over the housing, each supporting arrangement comprising a first front panel and a second front panel, the first front panel having an elongated body with an upper flange generally perpendicular to an upper end of the elongated front body, the second front panel having an elongated body with a lower flange generally perpendicular to a lower end of the elongated front body, a pair of coolant plates embedded between the first front panel and the second front panel, the coolant plate being brazed or welded to the first front panel adjacent to the first front panel to form a cooling plate, and the coolant plate being brazed or welded to the second front panel adjacent to the second front panel to form another cooling plate.wherein the cooling plate pair is connected to a coolant source; and, several battery cells arranged in the housing and in contact with the plates of adjacent support arrangements. [2] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first front panel further comprises a hook-shaped lower flange extending from an inside of a lower end of the elongated front body. [3] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 2, wherein the hook-shaped lower flange of the first front panel is connected to the inside of a lower end of the elongated front body of the second front panel. [4] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 2, wherein the second front panel has a hook-shaped upper flange extending from an inside of an upper end of the elongated front body. [5] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first front panel further comprises a lower flange extending from an inside of a lower end of the elongated front body. [6] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the lower flange of the first plate is connected to the lower flange of the second front plate. [7] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the second front panel further comprises an upper flange extending from an inside of an upper end of the elongated front body. [8] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the lower flange of the second front panel is connected to the ground. [9] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second front plates each have a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port that are connected to each of the two coolant passage plates. [10] Rechargeable energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first front panel has an upper cap comprising a first horizontal section, generally perpendicular to an outside of an upper end of the elongated front body, a vertical section extending from the first horizontal section, and the upper flange of the first front panel, extending horizontally from a top of the vertical section.

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