Battery Pack Cooling Plate Assembly With Shared Refrigerant Inlet

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Solution Overview

Problem

Secondary battery cells in a battery pack are prone to overcharging and exposure to high-temperature environments, leading to risks of ignition or explosion due to inefficient cooling and space utilization.

Innovation Solution

A battery pack design incorporating integrated cooling plates with inlet and outlet pipes, a main supply and outlet pipe, and a flexible pipe structure, which allows for efficient refrigerant circulation and assembly without additional fastening components, enhancing cooling efficiency and space utilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If multiple separate cooling plates with individual inlet pipes are used for each battery cell, then cooling coverage is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple inlet pipes into a single common inlet pipe that serves multiple cooling plates. This merging approach reduces the number of separate components and connection points, thereby simplifying the overall structure and assembly process while still enabling cooling of multiple battery cells through the shared inlet pipe distribution system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Temperature

If multiple separate cooling plates with individual inlet pipes are used for each battery cell, then cooling coverage is improved, but the number of components and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling efficiencyVSAvoidcooling system weight
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple inlet pipes into one common inlet pipe structure, reducing the total material usage and component count. This consolidation directly reduces the weight of the cooling system while maintaining the capability to cool multiple battery cells through the shared piping infrastructure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Stability of the object's composition

If additional fastening components are used to secure cooling plates, then structural stability is improved, but assembly efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidassembly efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent integrates the inlet pipe structure to serve both as a functional component for refrigerant supply and as a structural element that provides inherent positioning and stabilization for the cooling plates. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate fastening components, thereby maintaining structural stability while significantly improving assembly efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

Improves cooling efficiency, reduces assembly complexity and weight, and increases the number of battery cells per volume by optimizing refrigerant flow and reducing unnecessary components.

Implementation Method 1

a first cooling plate (110) including a first cooling path (111), along which a refrigerant is circulated... a second cooling plate (120) including a second cooling path (121), along which a refrigerant is circulated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP4160789B1Battery pack
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 SK ON CO LTD
  • EP4160789B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4160789B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4160789B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A battery pack includes: a first cooling plate including a first cooling path, along which a refrigerant is circulated, and a first inlet pipe connected to the first cooling path; a second cooling plate including a second cooling path, along which a refrigerant is circulated, and a second inlet pipe connected to the second cooling path and sealingly coupled to the first inlet pipe; a main supply pipe branching from the first inlet pipe or the second inlet pipe and supplying a refrigerant to the first inlet pipe and the second inlet pipe; and a pack unit body including at least one battery cell and disposed between the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate.