Electronic/electrical component housing with strips of metal plate and shape memory material forming a heat transfer path

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375858-B2
Application number	US-201715442894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 23, 2012
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a housing for electronic/electrical that includes an inner panel and an outer panel, a strip of metal plate, and a strip of shape memory material. The inner panel and the outer panel are disposed parallel to each other at regular intervals to define an internal space. The strip of metal plate extends from an inner surface of the outer panel. The strip of shape memory material extends from an inner surface of the inner panel and is attached or detached to/from the metal plate on the outer panel while changing into an original straight shape or a bent shape according to a temperature variation. Here, when the temperature increase beyond a first transition temperature, the shape memory material straightens to form a heat transfer path. At a low temperature environment, the shape memory material bends and is separated from the metal plate to interrupt the heat transfer path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling the temperature of a battery in an electric vehicle, the method comprising:
in response to an ambient temperature of an internal heat source surrounded by a housing increasing beyond a first transition temperature, forming, by a shape memory material plate, a heat transfer path in an internal space between an inner panel and an outer panel formed in a housing for the battery by the shape memory material plate straightening due to the first transition temperature to contact a metal plate extending from an inner surface of the outer panel, and
in response to the ambient temperature of the internal heat source falling below a second transition temperature, the shape memory material plate bending and separating from the metal plate to interrupt the heat transfer path and provide the battery with heat insulation,
wherein the metal plate extends from the outer panel,
wherein the shape memory material plate extends from the inner panel, and
wherein the metal plate and the shape memory material plate are provided in a plurality of pairs.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal plate is orthogonal to the inner and outer panels, and wherein the metal plate and the shape memory material plate both form and interrupt the heat transfer path between the inner panel and the outer panel of the housing depending upon the ambient temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein both or either of the metal plate and the shape memory material plate comprises a heat conductive coating layer formed thereon.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pairs of the metal plate and the shape memory material plate are disposed within the internal space of the housing at predetermined intervals.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the shape memory material plates have different transition temperatures to provide different heat conductivities at different portions of the housing.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the internal space defined by the inner panel and the outer panel is filled with a foam having a thermal conductivity lower than a predetermined value.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwak Jin Woo
• Song Kyong Hwa
• Choi Byung Sam
• Lee Han Saem

Classifications

• H05K7/20454 Primary

  with a conformable or flexible structure compensating for irregularities, e.g. cushion bags, thermal paste · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H05K7/20436

  Inner thermal coupling elements in heat dissipating housings, e.g. protrusions or depressions integrally formed in the housing · CPC title

• H05K7/20854 Primary

  Heat transfer by conduction from internal heat source to heat radiating structure (H05K7/20863 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title