Integrated Battery Module Housing With Direct Refrigerant Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules suffer from inefficient heat dissipation and non-uniform cooling, leading to potential deterioration and safety issues, with conventional cooling methods requiring separate housing and heat sink components and varying cooling effectiveness across modules.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design where the housing unit and heat sink are integrally formed, allowing direct contact between battery cells and the heat sink, with a refrigerant flow passage for enhanced cooling efficiency and uniform temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a water-cooled heat sink is used to cool the battery module, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but the module housing and heat sink become separated components requiring additional heat transfer paths through the housing plate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the heat sink directly into the module housing as a unified structure. The housing plate itself serves as the heat transfer component with cooling channels embedded within it, eliminating the need for separate heat sink components and reducing structural complexity while maintaining effective cooling.
2Volume of moving object
If multiple battery modules are placed on one heat sink at the bottom surface of the battery pack, then space utilization is improved, but cooling uniformity deteriorates with varying cooling effectiveness depending on module location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements localized cooling channels within each module's housing plate that are optimally positioned to cool the specific battery cells in that module. Each housing plate contains cooling paths that directly contact the battery cells, ensuring uniform cooling distribution across all modules regardless of their position in the battery pack.
3Ease of manufacture
If separate housing and heat sink components are used, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the number of connection members and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing and heat sink are merged into a single integrated component where the housing plate contains embedded cooling channels. This reduces the total number of components and connection members required, simplifying assembly while maintaining the functional benefits of active cooling.
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 design increases cooling efficiency, maximizes space utilization, reduces the number of connection members, and ensures uniform cooling across multiple battery modules, improving assembly performance and energy density.
Implementation Method 1
heat is generated by an electrochemical charging or discharging of the secondary reaction during battery
Implementation Method 2
a refrigerant flow passage formed therein
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a battery module, which includes a plurality of battery cells with stacked each other which include a cell body configured to house an electrode assembly and electrode tabs drawn out from the cell body, respectively; and a housing unit configured to enclose at least a portion of an outer surface of the plurality of stacked battery cells to house the plurality of stacked battery cells, wherein the housing unit includes a heat sink unit having a refrigerant flow passage formed therein.