Integrated Battery Cooling System with Shared Airflow Ducts
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Solution Overview
Problem
In battery-based environmentally friendly vehicles, high voltage and low voltage batteries are separately mounted, leading to inefficient space usage, increased complexity in wire harnesses, and reduced marketability and lifespan due to heat-induced deterioration and potential short-circuits.
Innovation Solution
A battery cooling system where high voltage and low voltage batteries are mounted together in a single package with a housing featuring an inlet and outlet duct, a cooling channel, and brackets to induce air flow, allowing for direct and indirect cooling, and shared use of cooling accessories to reduce weight and volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high voltage battery and low voltage battery are separately mounted in different locations (trunk, engine compartment), then each battery can be independently cooled and managed, but vehicle space is increased, wire harness complexity increases, and marketability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the high voltage battery and low voltage battery into a single integrated battery pack, merging two previously separate mounting locations into one unified structure. This reduces the overall space occupied in the vehicle while maintaining separate cooling channels and management systems for each battery type, thus preserving reliability while improving space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated battery pack housing serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for both battery types, contains separate cooling channels for independent thermal management, houses the battery management system, and facilitates simplified wiring. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate mounting structures and wire harnesses, reducing complexity while maintaining operational reliability.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If low voltage battery is mounted in engine compartment, then it can be cooled by engine heat, but heat from engine accelerates battery deterioration and decreases lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling system into separate cooling channels within the integrated battery pack housing. The low voltage battery has its own dedicated cooling channel that is thermally isolated from the engine compartment, preventing harmful heat transfer while maintaining efficient cooling. This segmentation allows the low voltage battery to be cooled effectively without exposure to engine heat that would accelerate deterioration.
3Volume of moving object
If low voltage battery is mounted in trunk at lower portion, then space is utilized, but connection to ground requires final process assembly and short-circuit risk decreases stability
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the low voltage battery into the same battery pack housing as the high voltage battery, the patent eliminates the need for separate ground connection assembly processes. The unified structure allows both batteries to be connected to ground simultaneously during the same assembly operation, eliminating the short-circuit risk associated with final-process ground connections and improving assembly stability.
4Reliability
If separate IBS and BMS are provided for low voltage and high voltage batteries, then each battery can be controlled independently, but redundant functions decrease control efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a unified battery management system that performs multiple functions: it monitors and controls both the high voltage battery and low voltage battery, integrating previously separate IBS and BMS functions into a single control unit. This multi-functional approach maintains independent control capabilities for each battery type while eliminating redundant components and improving overall control efficiency.
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 extends the lifespan of both batteries, improves marketability by reducing space requirements, and decreases heat loss and accessory needs, while maintaining optimal temperatures through efficient airflow distribution.
Implementation Method 1
A cooling channel through which the air introduced from the inlet duct flows to the outlet duct may be formed in the housing, and the cooling channel may be formed to directly cool the high voltage battery and indirectly cool the low voltage battery
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cooling system includes: a housing in which an inlet duct from which air is introduced and an outlet duct through which the air is discharged are mounted; a first battery mounted in the housing and disposed between the inlet duct and the outlet duct; and a low voltage battery disposed between the first battery and the inlet duct.