Thermal management system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12215935-B2
Application number	US-202217672930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2022
Priority date	Feb 16, 2022
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A thermal management system and a method of operating thereof includes a housing body having a first broad surface and an opposing second broad surface and may extend between a first end and a second end. The housing body defines plural passages disposed between the first and second broad surfaces. The plural passages extend in one or more orthogonal directions between the first and second ends of the body. An inlet conduit is fluidly coupled with a first passage of the plural passages via an inlet structure that defines an inlet of the housing body, and directs a fluid into the first passage of the plural passages. An outlet conduit is fluidly coupled with a second passage of the plural passages via an outlet structure that defines an outlet of the housing body, and directs the fluid out of the second passage of the plural passages.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system comprising:
a housing body having a first broad surface and an opposing second broad surface and extending between a first end and a second end, the housing body defining plural passages disposed between the first and second broad surfaces, the plural passages extending in one or more orthogonal directions between the first end and the second end of the housing body;
an inlet conduit fluidly coupled with two or more first passages of the plural passages via an inlet structure that defines an inlet of the housing body, the inlet conduit configured to direct a fluid into each of the two or more first passages of the plural passages; [and] an outlet conduit fluidly coupled with two or more second passages of the plural passages via an outlet structure that defines an outlet of the housing body, the outlet conduit configured to receive the fluid from each of the two or more second passages of the plural passages; and
a fluid reservoir housing comprising one or more surfaces defining one or more chambers disposed within the fluid reservoir housing, wherein a first chamber is fluidly coupled with the inlet conduit and configured to direct the fluid toward the inlet conduit and the two or more first passages of the plural passages, and a second chamber is fluidly coupled with the outlet conduit and configured to receive the fluid from the outlet conduit and the two or more second passages of the plural passages.

2. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the first passage is fluidly coupled with the second passage within the housing body.

3. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the first broad surface is configured to thermally couple with a first device and the second broad surface is configured to thermally coupled with a second device, the housing body configured to facilitate thermal energy exchange between the fluid and at least one of the first device or the second device.

4. The thermal management system of claim 3 , wherein the two or more first passages and the two or more second passages of the plural passages are oriented between the first and second broad surfaces to distribute the fluid within the housing body based on an amount of thermal energy generated by one or more of the first or second devices.

5. The thermal management system of claim 3 , wherein the housing body selectively secures the first device and the second device in a determined position of the first and second devices, respectively.

6. The thermal management system of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the two or more first passages and at least one of the two or more second passages are located between the first broad surface and the second broad surface based an amount of thermal energy generated by one or more of the first or second devices.

7. The thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to receive sensor data indicative of a thermal condition of the housing body, the controller configured to control one or more characteristics of the fluid directed into each of the two or more first passages via the inlet conduit and the fluid directed out of each of the two or more second passages via the outlet conduit based on the thermal condition of the housing body.

8. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the two or more first passages include a first group of first passages fluidly coupled with the inlet conduit, wherein the inlet conduit is configured to direct the fluid into the first group of the first passages.

9. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the two or more second passages include a second group of second passages fluidly coupled with the outlet conduit, wherein the outlet conduit is configured to receive the fluid from the second group of the second passages.

10. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet conduit is oriented to control one or more characteristics of the fluid directed into the two or more first passages of the plural passages, and the outlet conduit is oriented to control one or more characteristics of the fluid directed out of the two or more second passages of the plural passages.

11. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the housing body is a first housing body, the first housing body defining a first set of plural passages disposed between the first and second broad surfaces of the first housing body, the thermal management system further comprising:
a second housing body having a third broad surface and a fourth broad surface, the second housing body defining a second set of plural passages disposed between the third and fourth broad surfaces of the second housing body, wherein the first set of the plural passages and the second set of the plural passages are fluidly coupled with the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit.

12. The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein:
the inlet conduit is oriented to control one or more characteristics of a first portion of the fluid directed into the first set of the plural passages and one or more characteristics of a second portion of the fluid directed into the second set of the plural passages, and
the outlet conduit is oriented to control one or more characteristics of the first portion of the fluid directed out of the first set of the plural passages and one or more characteristics of the second portion of the fluid directed out of the second set of the plural passages.

13. The thermal management system of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to receive sensor data indicative of a thermal condition of the first housing body and a thermal condition of the second housing body, the controller configured to control one or more characteristics of a first portion of the fluid moving through the first set of the plural passages, and one or more characteristics of a second portion of the fluid moving through the second set of the plural passages based on the thermal condition of the first housing body and the thermal condition of the second housing body.

14. The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein the first housing body is aligned with the second housing body in a vertical direction, wherein the second broad surface of the first housing body faces toward the third broad surface of the second housing body.

15. A method comprising:
controlling one or more characteristics of a fluid directed out of a first chamber of a fluid reservoir housing into two or more first passages of plural passages via an inlet conduit, wherein the first chamber is fluidly coupled with the inlet conduit and configured to direct the fluid toward the inlet conduit and the two or more first passages of the plural passages, the plural passages defined by a housing body having a first broad surface and an opposing second broad surface and extending between a first end and a second end, the plural passages extending in one or more directions between the first end and the second end; and
controlling one or more characteristics of the fluid directed out of two or more second passages of the plural passages via an outlet conduit into a second chamber of the fluid reservoir, wherein the second chamber is fluidly coupled with the outlet conduit and configured to receive the fluid from the outlet conduit and the two or more second passages of the plural passages, each of the two or more second passages fluidly coupled with at least one of the two or more first passages.

16. A thermal management system comprising:
a housing body having a first broad surface and an opposing second broad surface and ex

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Krivonak Andrew Louis
• Jansen Patrick Lee
• Bradley Neil
• Badders Gregory
• Zysk Mark
• Grutkowski Michael Jay

Classifications

• G05D23/1917

  using digital means · CPC title

• G05D7/0641

  using a plurality of throttling means (G05D7/067 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F9/026

  with static flow control means, e.g. with means for uniformly distributing heat exchange media into conduits · CPC title

• F28D15/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls {; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies (F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01M10/6568

  characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings · CPC title