Air cooling battery module having guide vane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018248239-A1
Application number	US-201815901321-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2018
Priority date	Feb 24, 2017
Publication date	Aug 30, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is battery module, which includes a cell assembly having battery cells arranged side by side in one direction and air channels formed at the intervals of the battery cells, and an inlet duct mounted to a front surface of the cell assembly at which the air channels are located to distribute a cooling air to the air channels. The inlet duct includes an air inlet disposed to face air channels, which are located in a central region in the arrangement of the air channels, at a location spaced apart therefrom, a cooling fan being installed at the air inlet to introduce the cooling air; and a guide vane composed of a plurality of plate barriers respectively extending obliquely toward the air channels based on the air inlet at a predetermined acute angle to distribute the flow of air.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery module, which includes a cell assembly having battery cells arranged side by side in one direction and air channels formed at the intervals of the battery cells, and an inlet duct mounted to a front surface of the cell assembly at which the air channels are located to distribute a cooling air to the air channels,
wherein the inlet duct includes: an air inlet disposed to face air channels, which are located in a central region in the arrangement of the air channels, at a location spaced apart therefrom, a cooling fan being installed at the air inlet to introduce the cooling air; and a guide vane composed of a plurality of plate barriers respectively extending obliquely at a predetermined acute angle toward the air channels based on the air inlet to distribute the flow of air.

2 . The battery module according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide vane is segmented behind the air inlet to have four plate barriers that are symmetrical in lateral and vertical directions, and a gap is present among the four plate barriers so that the cooling air passes therethrough.

3 . The battery module according to claim 2 ,
wherein each of the four plate barriers includes: a main plate barrier located within a region to which the cooling air is perpendicularly introduced through the air inlet; and a sub plate barrier configured to extend outwards from the main plate barrier and having a smaller width in comparison to the main plate barrier.

4 . The battery module according to claim 3 ,
wherein a tail portion bent toward an inlet of the air channel is formed at a terminal of the sub plate barrier.

5 . The battery module according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plate barriers are formed to have a width that gradually decreases from the air inlet so that the gap is gradually expanded.

6 . The battery module according to claim 1 ,
wherein the guide vane is segmented behind the air inlet to have two plate barriers that are symmetrical in a lateral direction, and a gap is present between the two plate barriers so that the cooling air passes therethrough.

7 . The battery module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an outlet duct having an air outlet and mounted to a rear surface of the cell assembly at which outlets of the air channels are located, wherein the air inlet, the inlets and outlets of the air channels, and the air outlet are disposed side by side in order so that the cooling air is guided to flow in one direction.

8 . The battery module according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inlet duct includes a duct housing provided to be mountable to the front surface of the cell assembly, and the duct housing has an inner cover surface forming an inclined surface from the air inlet to an edge of the cell assembly.

9 . The battery module according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cell assembly further includes a plurality of cartridges that form the air channel, support at least one of the battery cells and be configured to be assembled to each other.

10 . The battery module according to claim 1 ,
wherein electrode leads of the battery cells are electrically connected by a plurality of bus bars and located at the front surface of the cell assembly.

11 . The battery module according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a plurality of insulation plates made of an insulating material and located between two adjacent bus bars to prevent the bus bars from being electrically shorted.

12 . An energy storage system, comprising the battery module defined in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Nam Jin-Moo
• Shin Jin-Kyu
• Park Jung-Il
• Ahn Jong-Kyu
• Kang Gyung-Soo

Classifications

• H01M10/6557

  arranged between the cells · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

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

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M10/613

  Cooling or keeping cold · CPC title

• H01M10/6566 Primary

  Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers (H01M10/6565 takes precedence) · CPC title