Battery Module Bus Bar Cooling Plate for Fast-Charge Heat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs face challenges in efficiently cooling batteries during rapid charging, leading to thermal deterioration, and increasing the heat capacity of bus bars to address this issue results in larger and more costly battery packs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design that includes a plurality of batteries electrically connected by bus bars and a thermally connected cooling plate, allowing for efficient cooling of the batteries while downsizing the bus bar and maintaining effective heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the heat capacity of the bus bar is increased to efficiently conduct Joule heat outside the battery, then thermal deterioration of the battery is suppressed and inside cooling is improved, but the size of the bus bar increases leading to larger battery pack size and increased manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heat dissipation function into two separate components: the bus bar maintains its primary electrical connection function with standard size, while a dedicated cooling plate handles the thermal management. This segmentation allows the bus bar to avoid unnecessary size increase while achieving effective heat dissipation through the separate cooling plate component.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plate acts as an intermediary component between the bus bar and the cooling system. It thermally connects to the bus bar to absorb Joule heat and then dissipates it through cooling passages, allowing the bus bar to maintain its original size while still achieving efficient heat conduction through the intermediary cooling plate.
2Temperature
If the heat capacity of the bus bar is increased to efficiently conduct Joule heat outside the battery, then thermal deterioration of the battery is suppressed and inside cooling is improved, but manufacturing cost of the battery pack increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the electrical connection function (bus bar) from the thermal management function (cooling plate), the patent avoids the need to manufacture oversized bus bars with high heat capacity. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall manufacturing cost while achieving the same thermal management effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plate serves as a cost-effective intermediary that provides the necessary heat dissipation capability without requiring expensive, large-dimension bus bars. This intermediary approach allows the use of standard-size bus bars combined with a dedicated cooling component, optimizing the overall manufacturing cost.
3Productivity
If rapid charging is performed with large current flow, then charging speed is improved, but large Joule heat is generated inside the battery requiring enhanced cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate acts as a thermal intermediary that directly contacts the bus bar where Joule heat is generated during rapid charging. It efficiently absorbs and dissipates this heat through its cooling passages, enabling high-current rapid charging while preventing harmful heat accumulation in the battery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional approach of relying solely on the bus bar's thermal mass for heat dissipation with a dedicated thermal management system using the cooling plate. This substitution provides more effective and controllable heat dissipation during rapid charging operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient cooling of the battery module, preventing thermal deterioration and allowing for a smaller, cost-effective battery pack design.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling plate that is thermally connected to the one or more bus bars
Implementation Method 2
The cooling plate has a cooling passage extending along an axis orthogonal to a height of the battery pack. This battery pack cools each battery by dissipating heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery to a space in the cooling passage.
Data Source
AI summary
Battery module includes a plurality of batteries (secondary batteries), one or more bus bars that electrically connect the plurality of batteries, and cooling plate that is in contact with bus bar and has one or more passages through which a coolant flows. Each of the plurality of batteries has: an electrode body; an outer can that accommodates the electrode body; a lid that seals an opening of the outer can; and positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal that are individually inserted through a pair of through holes provided on the lid, are insulated from the lid, and are electrically connected to the electrode body. One of positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal is connected to bus bar.