Battery Pack Heating Plate for Uniform Low-Temperature Warm-Up

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery pack structures for electric vehicles face challenges in maintaining uniform temperature distribution and efficiency, particularly at low temperatures, leading to reduced performance, increased maintenance costs, and potential safety issues due to uneven heating and durability problems in small battery packs.

Innovation Solution

A battery pack structure featuring a heating plate that encloses the battery cell unit and a heating unit configured to enclose the heating plate, with a control unit to manage the heating operation, utilizing a heat generating member such as a thermal wire or PTC material to ensure uniform temperature increase and prevent lithium precipitation-related aging or fires.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If a heat generating element is directly mounted on battery cells, then heating rate is fast, but temperature difference between cells becomes large and adhesion durability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating rateVSAvoidadhesion durability and temperature uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A heating plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the heat generating element and battery cells. The heating plate receives heat from the generating element and distributes it uniformly across all battery cells, eliminating direct contact while ensuring even heating and preventing adhesion problems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The heating plate design ensures uniform heat distribution across all battery cells by providing a large contact area and consistent thermal conductivity, eliminating temperature differences between cells that would occur with direct mounting of heat generating elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #33Homogeneity

2Device complexity

If heat generating elements are attached to battery pack case, then structure is simple, but heating efficiency and temperature increase rate are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidtemperature increase rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The heating plate serves as a mediator between the case-mounted heat generating element and the battery cells, efficiently transferring heat from the case to the cells and maintaining high heating efficiency without requiring direct attachment to each cell.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The heating plate provides a two-dimensional heat distribution surface, spreading heat across multiple battery cells simultaneously rather than through point-contact methods, thereby increasing overall heating efficiency while keeping the structure simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If convective heating with fan or coolant is used, then heating uniformity is good, but device complexity and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating uniformityVSAvoidcomponent complexity and weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential function of uniform heat distribution from complex convective systems (fans, coolant pumps, radiators) and implements it through a simple conductive heating plate, achieving the same heating uniformity without the associated complexity and weight.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical convective heating systems with a thermal conduction-based heating plate system, eliminating moving parts such as fans and pumps while achieving effective and uniform heating through direct thermal contact.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical 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 solution provides improved temperature uniformity and increased heating rate for battery cells, reducing maintenance costs and preventing performance degradation and safety risks by controlling the heating unit's operation based on temperature readings, thus enhancing the battery pack's overall efficiency and longevity.

Implementation Method 1

a heat generating member configured to generate heat electrically

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Data Source

PatentUS20230299378A1Battery pack structure
Publication Date: 2023.09.21 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD
  • US20230299378A1 patent drawing
  • US20230299378A1 patent drawing
  • US20230299378A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A battery pack structure includes: a battery cell unit which is provided with a plurality of battery cells and configured to transmit power to a vehicle, a temperature sensor unit which measures a temperature of the battery cell unit, a heating unit which is installed apart in the battery cell unit and configured to transmit heat to the battery cell unit, and a control unit which is connected to the temperature sensor unit and the heating unit, and receives a temperature signal from the temperature sensor unit to control operations of the heating unit.