Battery module having improved cooling duct sealing properties

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10637111-B2
Application number	US-201615571125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

Provided is a battery module having improved sealing properties of a cooling duct. The battery module includes a battery stack, in which an inlet of an air flow path is opened at one side and an outlet of the air flow path is opened at another side, and a plurality of cooling ducts combined to two side portions of the battery stack to respectively communicate with the inlet of the air flow path and the outlet of the air flow path. At least one of the plurality of cooling ducts includes a plug accommodating part defining a through hole, and a harness accommodating plug air-tightly inserted into the through hole and having a plurality of wire accommodating holes. The harness accommodating plug passes a wire of the internal harness or a wire of the external harness through the wire accommodating hole. The internal harness and the external harness are electrically combined around the harness accommodating plug.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery module comprising:
a battery stack having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, an inlet of an air flow path at the first side and an outlet of the air flow at the second side; and
a plurality of cooling ducts, the plurality of cooling ducts including at least one cooling duct at the first side of the battery stack and at least one cooling duct at the second side of the battery stack to respectively communicate with the inlet of the air flow path and the outlet of the air flow path,
wherein the plurality of cooling ducts each comprise a convex duct housing having an end wall and a flange extending from the end wall to form a top wall, a bottom wall and a pair of side walls and create an interior space, and
wherein at least one of the plurality of cooling ducts comprises:
a plug accommodating part defining a through hole in the duct housing;
a harness accommodating plug air-tightly inserted into the through hole and having a plurality of wire accommodating holes;
a harness, in which an internal harness and an external harness are combined, extending from outside to inside of the duct housing by passing through the harness accommodating plug;
a fan mounted on the end wall of the duct housing, the internal harness connected to the fan; and
an air port in the top wall of the duct housing, the air port aligned with the fan,
wherein a plurality of wires of the internal harness or a plurality of corresponding wires of the external harness are inserted into one side and protrude from another side of the plurality of wire accommodating holes,
wherein the plurality of wires and the plurality of corresponding wires are electrically connected to each other,
wherein the harness accommodating plug comprises a stopper block and an insertion part protruding from a top of the stopper block at a predetermined height,
wherein the stopper block is located below the insertion part, and externally protrudes and extends from a bottom edge of the insertion part, and
wherein the insertion part has repetitive uneven shapes from a lower portion to an upper portion on an outer circumferential surface of the insertion part.

2. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cooling duct at the first side of the battery stack and the at least one cooling duct at the second side of the battery stack surround the battery stack in a sandwich structure.

3. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each duct housing communicates with the air flow path by adhering to a side wall of the battery stack.

4. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cooling ducts comprising the plug accommodating part defines the through hole at an upper corner thereof.

5. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the harness accommodating plug is formed of a ductile material.

6. The battery module of claim 5 , wherein the ductile material is silicon or rubber.

7. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the insertion part is frictionally engaged through the through hole.

8. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the stopper block shields the through hole by being hooked at a lower edge of the plug accommodating part below the through hole of the plug accommodating part inside the duct housing, and
wherein the insertion part protrudes from the through hole by being inserted into the through hole of the plug accommodating part and is exposed outside the duct housing.

9. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wire accommodating holes air-tightly surround a surface of a wire passing each of the plurality of wire accommodating holes.

10. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the internal harness is electrically connected to a driving motor configured to drive the fan.

11. The battery module of claim 10 , wherein the internal harness is electrically connected to a temperature sensor provided on the inner surface of the duct housing.

12. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the internal harness and the external harness are electrically connected to each other at the harness accommodating plug.

13. The battery module of claim 1 , further comprising a connector connected to an end portion of the external harness.

14. The battery module of claim 13 , further comprising a battery management system connected to the connector.

15. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the internal harness has a first end inside the at least one of the plurality of cooling ducts and a second end,
wherein the external harness has a first end and a second end connected to a connector, and
wherein the second end of the internal harness is connected to the first end of the external harness.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Yong-Joon
• Kim Ki-Youn
• Moon Duck-Hee
• Seong Jun-Yeob
• Yu Sung-Chun
• Lee Gang-U
• Lee Jung-Hang
• Jeong Sang-Yoon

Classifications

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M10/6563

  with forced flow, e.g. by blowers · CPC title

• H01M2010/4271

  Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing · CPC title

• H01M10/613 Primary

  Cooling or keeping cold · CPC title

• H01M10/6556 Primary

  Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange (closed pipes H01M10/6552) · CPC title