A battery module for an electrical energy storage device for a motor vehicle, an electrical energy storage device, and a method

Abstract

A battery module 10 for an electrical energy storage device 12 of a motor vehicle, comprising several storage elements 14, wherein a respective airbag 16 capable of being filled or is filled with gas

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobiles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a battery module for an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a corresponding energy storage device for a motor vehicle and a method for operating a corresponding battery module. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] In the state of the art, a battery module, which might be designed as a battery pack, comprises several battery cells. The said battery cells may expand and contract upon charge or discharge and may be integrated in the battery pack using some sort of mechanical mechanism to accommodate the volume change. At the same time, a relatively high stack pressure, for example between 50 kilopascal and 3 megapascal, may be applied as it usually may be beneficial for cell performance. In a thermal event, for example triggered by damage of a cell from the outside, this set-up known from the state of the art may not be beneficial because heat may travel easily from the battery cell with the thermal event to the next battery cell. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide a battery module for an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle, a corresponding electrical energy storage device for a motor vehicle, as well as a method for operating a battery module for an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle, by which safety of the battery module can be particularly increased.

[0004] This object is solved by a battery module for an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle, a corresponding electrical energy storage device for a motor vehicle, as well as a method for operating a battery module for an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are presented in the dependent claims.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention relates to a battery module for an electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle. Preferably, the motor vehicle is designed as a passenger car. Preferably, the motor vehicle is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a hybrid vehicle, in particular a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). The energy storage device may be understood as an accumulator or a battery respectively, which may be referred to as storage battery.

[0006] The battery module comprises several storage elements, which are preferably designed as storage cells. The said storage cells may be referred to as battery cells. Therefore, the battery module may be referred to as cell module or cell pack. Preferably, the battery module is designed as a cell array.

[0007] In particular, to increase safety of the battery module, for example safety against the thermal event, a respective airbag which is capable of being filled or filled with gas is arranged between two respective adjacent cells or storage elements. In other words, a respective distance is provided between two respective adjacent cells of the battery module, wherein the respective airbag is arranged at the said respective distance. This means that the respective intermediate distance is at least partially filled by the respective airbag. The said respective distance may be referred to as spacing, gap or clearance. Moreover, the respective airbag is capable of being displaced between a normal position and a safety position, in particular from the normal position to the safety position. In other words, the respective airbag is capable of changing, in particular capable of being moved, between the normal position and the safety position. Preferably, the respective airbag is arranged between the respective cells in the normal position and in the safety position as well. When the respective airbag is displaced from the normal position to the safety position, the respective cells, between which the respective airbag is arranged, are capable of being impacted by the respective airbag in order to increase the respective distance between the respective cells in the battery module. As a result, the respective distance in the safety position is larger than in the normal position. In other words, the respective distance is larger in the safety position than in the normal position, whereby the respective volume of the respective airbag is increased due to the displacement of the respective airbag from the normal position to the safety position in order to increase the respective distance between the respective cells of the battery module. This means, the respective distance in a first state of the battery module comprises a first value and in a second state of the battery module comprises a second value that is larger than the first value, wherein a change from the first state to the second state is effected by the displacement from the respective airbag from the normal position to the safety position. So, the respective airbag is capable of separating the respective cells in the battery module, in particular in the safety position.

[0008] Preferably, the said displacement of the respective airbag from the normal position to the safety position is effected by filling gas in the respective airbag. For example, the said gas is air or the said gas is different from air. The respective airbag may be understood as a material, preferably designed as a bag or as kind of a bag, wherein the said material is capable of being filled or filled with gas, in particular in order to increase its volume.

[0009] In the present invention, it may be possible to actively create the respective spacing, in particular to increase the respective spacing, between the storage elements such as cells due to an expandable material or the respective airbag, respectively, in particular by a method, which depends on a volume increase of the respective expandable material or the airbag, respectively. In some embodiments, the airbag may expand to produce the respective spacing between the battery cells. This may be triggered by a high temperature condition detected by an electronic computing device or automatically triggered by an independent mechanism. The electronic computing device may be designed as a battery management system. For example, the battery management system may detect a battery condition that may indicate a thermal event such as a thermal runaway event. The battery management system may utilize artificial intelligence and / or other processes to determine a thermal event such as a high temperature after detecting an abnormal pressure or another battery condition. The invention is based in particular on the recognition that the material between cells does not need to be a thermal barrier, which may require more space and may lead to inferior thermal properties during normal operation. Only in the event of a problem, for example, the said thermal event, the battery cells may be put in a separated configuration for thermal protection, in particular in the said second state for the safety position. Due to the increase of the distance between the battery cells, heat transfer between the battery cells and in the battery module may be reduced, for example in case of the thermal event. Therefore, an unsafe chain reaction between the storage elements may be avoided securely. In other words, thermal propagation between the storage elements may be avoided securely

[0010] It is therefore intended that with the present invention in case of a safety problem that the storage elements may be placed in a beneficial state in terms of thermal propagation. This could apply for any battery assembly even with cylindrical cells, prismatic or pouch cells with various setup configurations within the battery module. An airbag inflator is in particular established technology and may be utilized to separate battery cells. With the present invention for the on-event battery cell spacing with an airbag, the storage elements may normally be packed denser but moved to a less dense packaging in case of emergency.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the battery module comprises at least one activation device, which is capable of effecting, in particular initiating, the said displacement of the respective airbag from the normal position to the safety position. This means that the activation device causes the said displacement.

[0012] In another embodiment, the battery module comprises at least one temperature sensor and an electronic computing device by which the activation device is capable of being controlled as a function of a temperature detected by the temperature sensor in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag to the safety position.

[0013] In another embodiment, the storage elements are mechanically and / or thermally coupled to the activation device in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag to the safety position by the activation device in the event of overheating of at least one of the storage elements.

[0014] In another embodiment, the battery module comprises a pressure supply device, by which the storage elements are capable of being pressurized or pressurized.

[0015] In another embodiment, the storage elements are capable of being pressurized or pressurized by the pressure supply device during the said displacement of the respective airbag to the safety position.

[0016] In another embodiment, the said pressurization of the storage elements by the pressure supply device is omitted during the said displacement of the respective airbag to the safety position.

[0017] In another embodiment, the storage elements are arranged between two end plates, wherein the storage elements are capable of being pressurized or are pressurized by the pressure supply device via at least one of the end plates.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention relates to an energy storage device for a motor vehicle, comprising at least the battery module according to the first aspect of the invention. Advantageous embodiments of the electrical energy storage device are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments of the battery module and vice versa.

[0019] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for operating a battery module, in particular according to the first aspect of the invention, for an energy storage device, in particular according to the second aspect of the invention, of a motor vehicle. Advantageous embodiments of the method are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments of the battery module and the electrical energy storage device and vice versa. The battery module comprises several storage elements.

[0020] A still further aspect of the present invention relates to a computer program product comprising program code means for performing a method according to the preceding aspect.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising at least the computer program product according to the preceding aspect.

[0022] A computing unit / electronic computing device may in particular be understood as a data processing device, which comprises processing circuitry. The computing unit can therefore in particular process data to perform computing operations. This may also include operations to perform indexed accesses to a data structure, for example a look-up table, LUT.

[0023] In particular, the computing unit may include one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers, and / or one or more integrated circuits, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, ASIC, one or more field-programmable gate arrays, FPGA, and / or one or more systems on a chip, SoC. The computing unit may also include one or more processors, for example one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units, CPU, one or more graphics processing units, GPU, and / or one or more signal processors, in particular one or more digital signal processors, DSP. The computing unit may also include a physical or a virtual cluster of computers or other of said units.

[0024] In various embodiments, the computing unit includes one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more memory units.

[0025] A memory unit may be implemented as a volatile data memory, for example a dynamic random access memory, DRAM, or a static random access memory, SRAM, or as a non-volatile data memory, for example a read-only memory, ROM, a programmable read-only memory, PROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM, a flash memory or flash EEPROM, a ferroelectric random access memory, FRAM, a magnetoresistive random access memory, MRAM, or a phase-change random access memory, PCRAM

[0026] In order to increase safety of the battery module, in particular against the thermal event, a respective airbag which is arranged between two respective adjacent storage elements is filled with gas, whereby the respective airbag is displaced from a normal position to a safety position, in which the respective storage elements, between which the airbag is arranged, are impacted by the airbag, whereby a respective distance between the respective storage elements is increased. In other words, the said increase in the distance between the respective storage elements is caused by the said respective displacement of the airbag from the normal position to the safety position. This means that an expansion of the respective volume of the respective airbag causes a movement of the respective storage elements away from each other.

[0027] Further advantages, features, and details of the present invention derive from the following description of preferred embodiments as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone can be employed not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in any other combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The novel features and characteristic of the present disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and / or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0029] The drawings show in:

[0030] Fig. 1 a schematic side view of an embodiment of a battery module, wherein a respective airbag is in a normal position; and

[0031] Fig. 2 a schematic side view of an embodiment of a battery module, wherein a respective airbag is in a safety position.

[0032] In the figures the same elements or elements having the same function are indicated by the same reference signs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0034] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawing and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0035] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion so that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus preceded by “comprises” or “comprise” does not or do not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.

[0036] In the following detailed description of the embodiment of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawing that forms part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the disclosure may be practiced. This embodiment is described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0037] Fig 1 shows a schematic side view according to an embodiment of a battery module 10 for an electrical energy storage device 12 of a motor vehicle. The said side view in Fig. 1 may be a sectional view. The motor vehicle is preferably at least in part electrically operated or full electrically operated. Therefore, the motor vehicle may comprise at least one electric motor. Preferably, the electric motor is supplied with energy by the electrical energy storage device 12, in particular by the battery module 10. For example, the electrical energy storage device 12 is designed as a battery, in particular, a low voltage or high voltage battery. A high voltage battery may be 60V to 1500V. The battery module 10 comprises several storage elements 14. Preferably, the storage elements 14 are cells, which may be referred to as battery cells. The battery module 10 is capable of executing a method for operating the battery module 10. For example, the respective battery cell may be designed as a cylindrical cell, a prismatic cell, or a pouch cell.

[0038] In order to increase safety of the battery module 10, preferably safety against the thermal event, the battery module 10 comprises several airbags 16. Preferably, the energy storage device 12, in particular the battery module 10, comprises an airbag module comprising the said airbags 16. The respective airbag 16 may be understood as an airbag-like pouch. Moreover, the respective airbag 16 is capable of being filled or is filled with gas. As shown in Fig. 1, the respective airbag 16 or the pouch, respectively, is arranged between two respective battery cells storage elements 14. Therefore, the respective airbag 16 may be referred to as intercell material.

[0039] The respective airbag 16 is capable of being displaced between a normal position 18 and a safety position 20 (Fig. 2). Fig. 1 shows the respective airbag 16 in the normal position 18. Fig. 2 shows a schematic side view of the battery module 10 or the storage device 12 respectively, wherein the respective airbag 16 in Fig. 2 is shown in the safety position 20. When the respective airbag 16 is displaced from the normal position 18 to the safety position 20, the respective storage elements 14, between the respective airbag 16 is arranged, are capable of being impacted by the respective airbag 16 in order to increase a respective distance between the storage elements 14. This means that the respective airbag 16 is filled with gas, for example by an activation device 22, whereby the respective airbag 16 is displaced from the normal position 18 to the safety position 20, in which the respective storage elements 14 are impacted by the respective airbag 16, whereby the respective distance between the respective storage elements 14 is increased. Therefore, for example in case of a thermal event, the respective distance between the storage elements 14 may be increased by the respective airbag 16, in particular of a volume increase of the respective airbag 16, preferably caused by the activation device 22. As a result, heat transfer of the storage elements 14 may be reduced. As shown in Fig. 1, the storage elements 14 and the respective airbag 16 are constructed separately from each other.

[0040] Fig 1 shows the battery module 10 in a first state, in particular before the said volume increase or the increase of the respective distance between the storage elements 14, respectively. In the said first state, the respective airbag 16 is in its normal position 18. Fig. 2 shows the battery module 10 in a second state or safety position 20, in which the said volume increase or the increase of the distance between the storage elements 14, has already taken place. This means that the said volume increase or the said increase of the distance, respectively, is illustrated in Fig. 2. In the second state, the respective airbag 16 is in its safety position 20.

[0041] Preferably, the battery module 10 comprises the activation device 22 which is capable of effecting, in particular initiating, the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 from the normal position 18 to the safety position 20. This means the activation device 22 preferably effects, in particular initiates, the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20. Preferably, the activation device 22 is designed as an airbag inflation module which is capable of filling the respective airbag 16 with gas. In other words, the said airbag 16 pouches between the storage elements 14 are filled with gas, for example by the airbag inflation module. The airbag module may comprise the activation device 22.

[0042] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the energy storage device 12, in particular the battery module 10, comprises at least one temperature sensor 24 and an electronic computing device 26 by the activation device 22 is capable of being controlled as a function of a temperature detected by the temperature sensor 24 in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20. This means that the temperature sensor may detect the said temperature, and the said electronic computing device 26 may control the activation device 22 as a function of the detected temperature in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20. As a result, it may be possible to fill the respective airbag 16 as a function of the detected temperature.

[0043] In another embodiment that is not shown in the figures, the storage elements 14 are mechanically and / or thermally coupled to the activation device 22 in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20 by the activation device 22 in the event of overheating of at least one of the storage elements 14.

[0044] This means that an inflation of the respective airbag 16 with gas may be triggered by the electronic computing device 26 or by linking a trigger to an overheated battery cell by mechanical or thermal means. For example, the electronic computing device 26 is designed as an electronic control system of the motor vehicle.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the battery module 10 comprises a pressure supply device 28 by which the storage elements 14, and in particular the airbags 16, are capable of being pressurized or are pressurized. In other words, the said pressure supply device 28 is capable of applying a force in order to effect the said pressurization of the storage elements 14 or the airbags 16, respectively.

[0046] For example, the storage elements 14 are capable of being pressurized by the pressure supply device 28 during the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20. In other words, the storage elements 14 are pressurized by the pressure supply device 28, then the respective displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20 takes place, in particular when the respective airbag 16 is filled with gas. This means that the said pressure may stay on while the pouches or the airbag 16, respectively, are filled with gas.

[0047] Alternatively, it is possible that the said pressurization of the storage elements 14 by the pressure supply device 28 is omitted during the said displacement of the respective airbag 16 to the safety position 20. In other words, the said pressure is removed while the pouches or the airbags 16, respectively, are filled with gas. This means that it becomes clear that it may depend on the system whether the said pressure stays on or is removed.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the storage elements 14 are arranged between two end plates 32, 34, wherein the battery cells storage elements 14 are capable of being pressurized or pressurized by the pressure supply device 28 via at least one of the end plates 32, 34. This means that the storage elements 14, and in particular the airbags 16, are force loaded, in particular pressure loaded, by the pressure supply device 28 via at least one of the said end plates 32, 34. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 by respective pressure 30 arrows. In other words, the pressure supply device 28 is capable of applying a force to at least one of the end plates 32, 34, in order to generate the said pressure. In the example in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a first one of the end plates 32 is designed as a mechanical support, and the second one of the end plates 34 is force loaded by the pressure supply device 28. The pressure supply device 28 may be referred to as pressure generating device or stack pressure generating device.

[0049] The electronic computing device may be understood as a data processing device, which comprises processing circuitry. Therefore, the electronic computing device may be referred to as a computing unit. The electronic computing device may, in particular, process data to perform computing operations. This may also include operations to perform indexed accesses to a data structure.

[0050] In particular, the electronic computing device 26 may include one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers, and / or one or more integrated circuits, for example, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, ASIC, one or more field-programmable gate arrays, FPGA, and / or one or more systems-on-a-chip, SoC. The electronic computing device may also include one or more processors, for example one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units, CPU, one or more graphics processing units, GPU, and / or one or more signal processors, in particular one or more digital signal processors, DSP. The electronic computing device may also include a physical or a virtual cluster of computers or other ones of said units.

[0051] In various embodiments, the electronic computing device includes one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more memory units. A memory unit may be implemented as a volatile data memory, for example a dynamic random access memory, DRAM, or a static random access memory, SRAM, or as a non-volatile data memory, for example a read-only memory, ROM, a programmable read-only memory, PROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM, a flash memory or flash EEPROM, a ferroelectric random access memory, FRAM, a magnetoresistive random access memory, MRAM, or a phase-change random access memory, PCRAM. of reference signs battery module energy storage device storage element airbag normal position safety position activation device temperature sensor electronic computing device pressure supply device arrow first end plate second end plate

Claims

1. A battery module (10) for an electrical energy storage device (12) of a motor vehicle, comprising several storage elements (14), characterized in thata respective airbag (16), which is capable of being filled or is filled with gas, is arranged between two respective adjacent storage elements (14) and the respective airbag (16) is capable of being displaced between a normal position (18) and a safety position (20), wherein, when the respective airbag (16) is displaced from the normal position (18) to the safety position (20), the respective storage elements (14), between which the respective airbag (16) is arranged, are capable of being impacted by the respective airbag (16) in order to increase a respective distance between the respective storage elements (14).

2. The battery module (10) according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe battery module (10) comprises at least one activation device (22), which is capable of effecting the said displacement of the respective airbag (16) from the normal position (18) to the safety position (20).

3. The battery module (10) according to claim 2, characterized in thatthe battery module (10) comprises at least one temperature sensor (24) and an electronic computing device (26) by which the activation device (22) is capable of being controlled as a function of a temperature detected by the temperature sensor (24) in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag (16) to the safety position (20).

4. The battery module (10) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in thatthe storage elements (14) are mechanically and / or thermally coupled to the activation device (22) in order to effect the said displacement of the respective airbag (16) to the safety position (20) by the activation device (22) in the event of overheating of at least one of the storage elements (14).

5. The battery module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in thatthe battery module (10) comprises a pressure supply device (28), by which the storage elements (14) are capable of being pressurized or are pressurized.

6. The battery module (10) according to claim 5, characterized in thatthe storage elements (14) are capable of being pressurized by the pressure supply device (28) while the said displacement of the respective airbag (16) to the safety position (20).

7. The battery module (10) according to claim 5, characterized in thatthe said pressurization of the storage elements (14) by the pressure supply device (28) is omitted during the said displacement of the respective airbag (16) to the safety position (20).

8. The battery module (10) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in thatthe storage elements (14) are arranged between two end plates (32, 34), wherein the storage elements (14) are capable of being pressurized by the pressure supply device (28) via at least one of the end plates (32, 34).

9. An electrical energy storage device (12) for a motor vehicle, comprising at least the battery module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method for operating a battery module (10) for an electrical energy storage device (12) of a motor vehicle, wherein the battery module (10) comprises several storageelements (14),characterized in thata respective airbag (16) which is arranged between two respective adjacent storage elements (14) is filled with gas, whereby the respective airbag (16) is displaced from a normal position (18) to a safety position (20), in which the respective storage elements (14), between which the airbag (16) is arranged, are impacted by the airbag (16), whereby a respective distance between the respective storage elements (14) is increased.17

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