Battery pack and heater assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016285142-A1
Application number	US-201615074565-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Sep 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A battery pack including adjacent battery modules is provided. Each of the battery modules includes one or more cylindrical batteries; a thermal diffusing plate holding the one or more cylindrical batteries; and a first chamber configured to distribute cooling air to cool each of the one or more cylindrical batteries. The battery pack further includes a second chamber provided between the adjacent battery modules, each of the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules forming at least part of a wall of the second chamber; and a heater provided in the second chamber, the heater facing the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery pack comprising:
adjacent battery modules, each battery module of the adjacent battery modules comprising:
one or more cylindrical batteries;
a thermal diffusing plate holding the one or more cylindrical batteries; and
a first chamber configured to distribute cooling air to cool each of the one or more cylindrical batteries;
a second chamber provided between the adjacent battery modules, each of the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules forming at least part of a wall of the second chamber; and a heater provided in the second chamber, the heater facing the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules.

2 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the second chamber comprises a convection zone between the heater and the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules, the convection zone comprising a convecting substance.

3 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the second chamber comprises an air space provided between the heater and the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules.

4 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the adjacent battery modules are arranged in such a manner that corresponding surfaces of the respective thermal diffusing plates of the adjacent battery modules are coplanar.

5 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising a flow passage provided between the adjacent battery modules, wherein the flow passage is configured to introduce the cooling air into the first chamber of each of the adjacent battery modules.

6 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein:
each battery module of the adjacent battery modules further comprises:
a bottom cover, at least a part of which is located on a side of the thermal diffusing plate opposite the first chamber; and
a smoke exhaust passage between the thermal diffusing plate and the bottom cover, the smoke exhaust passage being partitioned from the first chamber, and
the adjacent battery modules are arranged in such a manner that each of the respective bottom covers face each other so as to form at least part of the wall of the second chamber.

7 . A heated battery pack assembly, comprising:
a vehicle; and a battery pack secured to the vehicle, the battery pack comprising: a first battery module and a second battery module, each of the first and second battery modules comprising:
a plurality of batteries;
a thermal diffusing plate in thermal communication with each of the plurality of batteries; and
a cover portion provided on a first side of the thermal diffusing plate that encloses the plurality of cylindrical batteries in an enclosed area;
a cooling air duct configured to provide air from an interior area of the vehicle to the enclosed area of the first and second battery modules; a heating channel provided between the first and second battery modules, the thermal diffusing plate from each of the first and second battery modules forming at least a portion of a wall of the heating channel; and a heater provided in the heating channel.

8 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 7 , wherein the cooling air duct comprises a through portion formed in a floor panel of the vehicle.

9 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 7 , wherein the battery pack further comprises an airflow passage formed between the first and second battery modules, and wherein the cooling air duct is connected to the airflow passage.

10 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the first and second battery modules further comprises entry slits formed in a side surface thereof.

11 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 10 , wherein each of the first and second battery modules further comprises exit slits formed in another side surface thereof.

12 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 11 , wherein an area outside of the first and second battery modules is connected to the interior area of the vehicle.

13 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second battery modules further comprises a pair of L-shaped flanges on an exterior surface thereof.

14 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 13 , wherein the pair of L-shaped flanges of the first battery module is connected to the pair of L-shaped flanges of the second battery module, so as to define a flange channel bounded by the pairs of L-shaped flanges of the first and second battery modules.

15 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 14 , wherein the flange channel is the airflow passage.

16 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 15 , wherein the heater is a bar heater.

17 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 16 , wherein the bar heater is oriented parallel to the airflow passage.

18 . The heated battery pack assembly of claim 16 , wherein the bar heater is oriented perpendicular to the airflow passage.

19 . The vehicle assembly of claim 7 , wherein the battery pack is secured to a bottom of at least one of a front seat area, a rear seat area, or a luggage area of the vehicle.

20 . The vehicle assembly of claim 7 , wherein the vehicle is one of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kimura Kenji

Classifications

• B60L50/64

  Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60K2001/0422

  Arrangement under the front seats · CPC title

• H01M10/6561

  Gases · CPC title

• B60L2240/545

  Temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/6555

  arranged between the cells · CPC title