Battery Pack Cooling Fan Control Board with Centralized Wiring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cooling fan control systems for battery packs require a large number of wires and limited space for signal processing, making it difficult to achieve efficient cooling and stability, especially when abnormality occurs in cooling fans.

Innovation Solution

A multiple cooling fan control system using a single large printed circuit board to house multiple cooling fans, with a signal processing device for centralized control, and a minimal wiring harness to connect with the battery management system, allowing independent or centralized operation of cooling fans and maintaining air volume even if one fan fails.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple cooling fans are controlled individually with separate control circuits, then each fan can be precisely controlled, but the device complexity and wiring quantity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling control precisionVSAvoidwiring quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple independent control circuits into a single integrated control board that can control multiple cooling fans simultaneously. The control board includes a microcontroller and driver circuits that manage multiple fans through a unified architecture, reducing the overall wiring complexity while maintaining individual fan control capability through software-based fan-specific control parameters.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The control board is designed with universal functionality to control multiple cooling fans of different types and configurations. It includes multiple output channels that can be independently configured to drive different fans based on temperature sensors and control algorithms, making a single control unit capable of managing the entire cooling system rather than requiring dedicated control circuits for each fan.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Device complexity

If a single control board is used to control multiple cooling fans, then the wiring is minimized, but the control board size and space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewiring quantityVSAvoidcontrol board area
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The control board utilizes nested mounting configurations where cooling fans are mounted directly on the control board structure or in close proximity to it. The control board serves as both the control unit and the mounting structure for the fans, eliminating the need for separate fan housings and reducing overall space requirements. This integrated approach allows the control board to accommodate multiple fans while minimizing the total assembly footprint.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Device complexity

If cooling fans are controlled in fixed states (high, medium, low, off), then the control system is simple, but the cooling efficiency and temperature management precision are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol system complexityVSAvoidtemperature management precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control system transitions from fixed discrete states to dynamic continuous control by implementing pulse-width modulation (PWM) technology. The microcontroller on the control board can adjust the duty cycle of PWM signals to precisely control the rotational speed of each cooling fan, enabling continuous speed adjustment rather than fixed states. This dynamic control allows the system to respond precisely to varying temperature conditions and optimize cooling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control board incorporates temperature sensors that continuously monitor the battery pack temperature and feed this information back to the microcontroller. Based on the feedback temperature data, the control algorithm dynamically adjusts the cooling fan speeds to maintain optimal temperature levels. This closed-loop feedback control system enables precise temperature management by continuously adapting fan operation to actual thermal conditions rather than relying on fixed control states.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

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

This configuration reduces assembly costs, enables efficient cooling, and maintains system stability by allowing centralized control of multiple cooling fans with a minimal wiring harness, ensuring consistent air volume even if one fan fails.

Implementation Method 1

a plurality of cooling fans arranged corresponding to the plurality of suction ports on a rear surface of the first housing and generating a ventilation power

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectImpeller rotation: Impeller

Data Source

PatentEP3316390B1System for controlling multiple cooling fans for battery pack
Publication Date: 2019.12.25 AMOTECH CO LTD
  • EP3316390B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3316390B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3316390B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a multiple cooling fan control system for a battery pack, which is capable of using a wire harness made of a minimum number of wirings by driving a plurality of cooling fans for cooling the battery pack while using a single control board. The multiple cooling fan control system for a battery pack includes: a plurality of cooling fans installed at intervals in a housing provided on a side of the battery pack to generate a ventilation power; and a control board controlling the cooling fans and supplying power to the cooling fans, in which the cooling fans are directly mounted in the control board, wherein the control board includes at least one signal processing device for driving the plurality of cooling fans according to motor driving information received from a battery management system (BMS).