Battery Pack Cooling Members with Varying Heat Capacities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery packs tend to accumulate heat unevenly along the stacking direction, leading to temperature variations among stacked battery cells.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design incorporating a refrigerant pipe and cooling members, including first and second cooling members with varying heat capacities and contact areas with the refrigerant pipe, along with a restraining unit to stabilize cell temperatures and reduce temperature variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling members are added to stabilize cell temperatures, then temperature uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple cooling members (first cooling members and second cooling members) distributed among different cell groups. Each cooling member independently cools adjacent cells, dividing the cooling function into discrete units that can be selectively positioned to achieve temperature uniformity without requiring a fully complex integrated system
Solution Approach 2:
Different cooling members are configured with different heat capacities and contact areas based on local heat accumulation characteristics. Second cooling members with higher heat capacity are positioned in regions where cells generate more heat, while first cooling members are placed in other regions, creating a non-uniform cooling configuration that matches the local thermal requirements of different cell groups
2Temperature
If second cooling members with higher heat capacity are used, then temperature stabilization is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Second cooling members with higher heat capacity are not uniformly distributed but are selectively positioned only in regions where cells are prone to accumulating excessive heat. This localized placement ensures temperature stabilization where needed while avoiding the weight penalty of high-capacity cooling members in all positions
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system uses a combination of first cooling members and second cooling members with higher heat capacity, applying partial excessive cooling action only in specific regions where heat accumulation is problematic. This partial application of enhanced cooling capability achieves temperature stabilization without the excessive weight of a uniformly high-capacity cooling system
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 design effectively stabilizes cell temperatures and reduces temperature variations by efficient heat exchange, optimizing the placement and configuration of cooling members and the refrigerant pipe to manage heat distribution.
Implementation Method 1
The refrigerant pipe extends alongside the plurality of cells arranged side by side... Each of the cooling members includes a plate-shaped portion interposed between the cells, and a contact portion jutting out from between the cells and contacting the refrigerant pipe
Implementation Method 2
Each of the cooling members includes a plate-shaped portion interposed between the cells, and a contact portion jutting out from between the cells and contacting the refrigerant pipe... the one or more second cooling members having a higher heat capacity and a greater contact area with the refrigerant pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a plurality of cells, a refrigerant pipe, a plurality of cooling members, and a restraining unit. Each of the cooling members includes a plate-shaped portion interposed between the cells, and a contact portion jutting out from between the cells and contacting the refrigerant pipe. The restraining unit includes a pair of restraining members and a support member supporting the pair of restraining members, the pair of restraining members restraining opposite ends of the plurality of cells arranged with the plurality of cooling members interposed. The cooling members include one or more first cooling members and one or more second cooling members, the one or more second cooling members having a heat capacity higher than the one or more first cooling members and having a greater contact area with the refrigerant pipe than the one or more first cooling members.