Battery Pack Edge Cooling with Thermal Contact Portions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs with cooling fins increase weight and manufacturing costs while offering low heat radiation efficiency and increased thickness, making them unsuitable for high-power, large-capacity applications.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack employs thermal contact portions on the inner surfaces of cooling members to enhance lateral thermal conductivity, eliminating the need for cooling fins by directly contacting the battery cells' outer surfaces, thereby increasing heat radiation efficiency and reducing weight and thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling fins are interposed between battery cells, then heat radiation efficiency is improved, but weight and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling fin structure with the battery cell assembly by forming thermal contact portions directly on the cooling members that contact the battery cells. This integration eliminates the need for separate cooling fins and their associated mounting hardware, reducing weight while maintaining heat dissipation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling members serve multiple functions: they provide thermal contact for heat dissipation, structurally support the battery cells, and eliminate the need for separate cooling fins. This multi-functionality reduces overall component count and weight while maintaining effective heat radiation.
2Temperature
If cooling fins are interposed between battery cells, then heat radiation efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling members are integrated directly with the battery cell assembly structure, eliminating separate cooling fins and their mounting mechanisms. This merging simplifies the cooling system while maintaining effective heat radiation through direct thermal contact portions.
3Temperature
If cooling fins are interposed between battery cells, then heat radiation efficiency is improved, but battery pack thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling members are positioned to contact the battery cells directly without requiring additional space for separate cooling fins. This integration maintains heat radiation efficiency while minimizing the increase in battery pack thickness.
4Temperature
If cooling members with coolant channels are used, then heat elimination is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling members are integrated directly with the battery cell assembly, eliminating the need for separate cooling fins and their complex mounting processes. This integration simplifies manufacturing while maintaining effective heat elimination through direct thermal contact.
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 achieves a heat radiating effect equivalent to conventional cooling methods while minimizing weight and thickness, and reducing the number of components, resulting in a lightweight and efficient battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal contact portion for thermal conduction is formed on an inner surface of the cooling member
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack including: a battery cell assembly in which a plurality of chargeable and dischargeable battery cells are stacked; and a pair of cooling members configured to eliminate heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery cells, wherein the cooling members may include first and second cooling members positioned on first and second surfaces of the battery cell assembly perpendicular to a direction in which the battery cells are stacked, and an inner surface of each of the first cooling member and the second cooling member may be formed with a thermal contact portion with a shape of being in close contact with an outer surface of each of the first and second surfaces of the battery cell assembly for thermal conduction, is provided.