Battery Cooling Filler Element for Variable Gaps and Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery cooling systems face challenges in achieving effective heat transfer due to gaps between battery cells and the housing, which are typically compensated with thermally conductive materials, but these solutions are complex to produce and may not adapt well to varying gap widths or vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A three-dimensionally deformed filling element made from heat-conducting materials, such as copper-encased foam rubber bodies, that can be plastically or elastically deformed to fit between the battery and cooling system, ensuring consistent heat transfer even under vibration, with optional thermal pastes or adhesives for enhanced performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional thermally conductive pastes or plates are used to fill the gap between battery cells and cooling system, then heat transfer is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and adaptability to varying gap widths decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a foam rubber layer as a flexible gap-filling element that can be compressed to conform to varying gap widths between battery cells and cooling system. This flexible foam structure eliminates the need for complex manufacturing processes required for traditional rigid thermal plates while maintaining effective thermal contact across different assembly tolerances (0.5-5mm gaps).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining foam rubber (providing flexibility and gap-filling capability) with thermally conductive materials (such as aluminum oxide or graphite coatings on the foam surface). This composite approach achieves both adaptability to varying gaps and effective heat transfer, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and thermal performance.
2Reliability
If rigid thermally conductive plates are used to fill the gap, then heat transfer path is stabilized, but adaptability to vibrations and gap width variations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The foam rubber layer's density and compression characteristics are specifically selected to provide optimal balance between structural stability for heat transfer and flexibility for adapting to vibrations and gap variations. The foam can be compressed within a specific range to maintain stable thermal contact while accommodating dynamic changes in the assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible foam rubber structure allows the heat transfer interface to adapt dynamically to vibrations and assembly variations, maintaining reliable thermal contact without requiring rigid fixation. The foam's elastic properties enable it to continuously conform to surface irregularities and maintain stable heat transfer paths under varying conditions.
3Temperature
If complex bellows structures are used between flat plates to improve heat transfer, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential heat transfer function from complex bellows structures and implements it through a simpler foam rubber layer with thermally conductive coating. The foam layer directly fills the gap and provides thermal conduction without requiring intricate folded or bellows configurations, significantly simplifying manufacturing while maintaining effective heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining the gap-filling capability of foam rubber with the thermal conductivity of coated materials (aluminum oxide, graphite), the invention achieves effective heat transfer through a simple single-layer structure, eliminating the need for complex multi-component bellows assemblies and reducing manufacturing complexity.
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 provides a flexible and efficient heat transfer mechanism that adapts to changing gap widths and vibrations, maintaining effective thermal conductivity between the battery and cooling system without the complexity of traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat-conducting layer (13b) which is in direct contact with the battery (11) and a second heat-conducting layer (13c) which is in direct contact with the cooling system (12)
Implementation Method 2
the filling element (13) comprises a layer (13a, 13b, 13c) which has been formed three-dimensionally from a flat layer (13a, 13b, 13c)
Implementation Method 3
Depending on the intended use, the filler element is plastically and/or elastically deformable
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~9
AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement consisting of a battery and a cooling system, comprising a filler element for heat transfer from the battery to the cooling system, the filler element having a layer that is formed three-dimensionally from a planar layer.