Battery Cooling Chassis with Diffusing Portion

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing power source apparatuses face challenges in maintaining even cooling of batteries due to irregular air flow distribution caused by deformed chassis shapes and inefficient heat management, leading to uneven cooling and reduced cooling efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The power source apparatus incorporates a diffusing portion and a heat-insulating portion to manage air flow and heat exchange, ensuring homogeneous air distribution and reducing heat conduction between the air and inner wall surfaces, thereby maintaining even battery cooling and improving cooling efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the chassis shape is deformed to accommodate installation restrictions, then the adaptability of the power source apparatus is improved, but the air flow distribution becomes uneven and cooling performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to installation restrictionsVSAvoidcooling performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating a diffusing portion with a specific expanded space at the blowing side of the air introduction path. This localized structural modification ensures that air flow is homogenized precisely where needed (at the battery cooling surfaces) without requiring the entire chassis to maintain a regular shape, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability to installation restrictions and cooling performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of energy

If a heat-insulating cover is attached to the outside portion of the chassis, then heat insulation performance is improved, but the air flow becomes uneven and cooling efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat insulation performanceVSAvoidcooling efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the chassis into distinct functional zones: a heat-insulating portion for thermal isolation and a diffusing portion with expanded space for air flow homogenization. This segmentation allows the heat-insulating cover to provide thermal protection while the separately designed diffusing portion ensures uniform air distribution to batteries, resolving the contradiction between heat insulation performance and cooling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Temperature

If the blower is arranged on the center of the lower portion of the chassis, then the air flow is easily homogenized and cooling performance is improved, but the device complexity increases when additional diffusing portions are added

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling performanceVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies merging by integrating the diffusing portion directly into the air introduction path structure of the chassis, rather than adding it as a separate component. The expanded space is formed as part of the chassis geometry itself, combining the structural support function with the air flow diffusion function, thus improving cooling performance while minimizing increases in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 ensures even cooling of batteries by diffusing air flow and reducing heat exchange with inner wall surfaces, enhancing the overall cooling efficiency and maintaining balanced temperature distribution.

Implementation Method 1

a diffusing portion to diffuse the air flow direction, the diffusing portion being disposed on the blowing side of the air introduction path

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

a heat-insulating portion to reduce heat conduction between the air and inner wall surfaces, the heat-insulating portion being disposed on a portion including at least the air introduction path

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Implementation Method 3

a blower having a blowing portion to blow air, the blowing portion being arranged between the batteries and the second lateral wall surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForced convection: Forced Convection

Data Source

PatentEP3570362B1Power source apparatus and work machine having the same
Publication Date: 2022.06.08 DENSO CORP
  • EP3570362B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3570362B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3570362B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A power source apparatus includes a plurality of batteries, a chassis having an inner space surrounded by a plurality of wall surfaces and storing the batteries in the inner space, and a blower to blow air. The power source apparatus further includes a blow path formed between the wall surface and the batteries and configured to introduce the air to the batteries, a direction changing portion formed on the wall surface that constitutes the blow path and configured to change a direction of the blow path, and a heat-insulating portion disposed at least on a portion including the direction changing portion, the portion being included in the wall surface.