Inclined Flexible Cell Cover for Battery Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cell covers for battery modules with pouch-type secondary batteries face challenges in achieving close contact with cooling plates due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to increased thermal contact resistance and reduced cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A cell cover design featuring inclined and flexible bottom plates with hooks and hook engagement holes, allowing for secure attachment and adaptation to uneven cooling plate surfaces, thereby ensuring a consistent and enhanced heat transfer interface without the need for additional thermal interface materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional cell cover is mounted on a cooling plate with manufacturing tolerances, then the assembly is simple and quick, but the contact area is insufficient and thermal contact resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cell cover incorporates a flexible bottom plate that can dynamically adapt its shape to match the cooling plate surface, transitioning from a rigid structure to a compliant one that conforms to manufacturing tolerances and ensures consistent contact area
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom plate is designed as a flexible thin structure that can bend and conform to the cooling plate surface, allowing the cell cover to maintain good thermal contact despite variations in cooling plate flatness due to manufacturing tolerances
2Loss of energy
If additional thermal interface materials are used to improve heat transfer, then thermal contact resistance decreases, but production costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible bottom plate serves its own function as both a structural support and a thermal interface, eliminating the need for separate thermal interface materials by inherently providing the necessary compliance and contact area for efficient heat transfer
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the need for additional thermal interface materials by integrating the thermal interface function directly into the flexible bottom plate structure of the cell cover, simplifying the overall 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 facilitates improved heat transfer between the cell cover and cooling plate, enhancing cooling efficiency and reducing production costs by eliminating the requirement for additional thermal interface materials.
Implementation Method 1
Heat generated in the secondary battery B is transferred to the cooling plate 2 along a plate surface of the cell cover 1
Data Source
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AI summary
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cell cover for a secondary battery, which accommodates at least one secondary battery in an internal space and is mounted in a groove formed on a top surface of a cooling plate having an uneven plate shape, the cell cover including a first side plate and a second side plate facing each other to form opposite side surfaces of the internal space, a top plate forming a top surface of the internal space and connecting upper edges of the first side plate and the second side plate, and a first bottom plate extending from a lower edge of the first side plate and a second bottom plate extending from a lower edge of the second side plate to face the first bottom plate, the first bottom plate and the second bottom plate forming a bottom surface of the internal space, in which the first bottom plate and the second bottom plate are inclined downwardly at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane, respectively.