Battery thermal management system for electrified vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515357-B2
Application number	US-201414155657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2014
Priority date	Jan 15, 2014
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A battery thermal management system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a heat spreader, a coolant channel attached to the heat spreader and a supply manifold fluidly connected with the coolant channel and configured to supply a heat transfer medium to the coolant channel. A return manifold is fluidly connected with the coolant channel and configured to expel the heat transfer medium from the coolant channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery thermal management system, comprising:
a heat spreader in contact with a battery cell;
a coolant channel attached to said heat spreader;
a supply manifold fluidly connected with said coolant channel and configured to supply a heat transfer medium to said coolant channel;
a return manifold fluidly connected with said coolant channel and configured to expel said heat transfer medium from said coolant channel; and
a film heater configured to heat said battery cell.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , comprising a plurality of battery cells and a plurality of heat spreaders, at least one of said plurality of heat spreaders interspersed between adjacent battery cells of said plurality of battery cells.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said heat spreader is an annealed pyrolytic graphite plate or a flexible graphite sheet.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , comprising a second coolant channel attached to an opposite edge of said heat spreader from said coolant channel.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , comprising a vacuum insulation panel beneath said heat spreader.

6. The system as recited in claim 5 , wherein said film heater is on a first side of said vacuum insulation panel and a base is on a second side of said vacuum insulation panel.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said heat transfer medium is a liquid coolant.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said coolant channel includes at least one augmentation feature.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , comprising a central supply line that delivers said heat transfer medium to said supply manifold and a central return line that communicates said heat transfer medium away from said coolant channel.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said film heater is a positive temperature coefficient film heater.

11. A battery system, comprising:
a battery module having at least one battery cell; and
a battery thermal management system configured to heat said at least one battery cell with a film heater in direct contact with a bottom surface of said at least one battery cell in response to a first temperature condition and cool said at least one battery cell by transferring heat into a heat spreader in direct contact with a side surface of said at least one battery cell in response to a second temperature condition.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein said battery thermal management system includes:
said heat spreader adjacent to said at least one battery cell;
a coolant channel attached to said heat spreader;
a supply manifold near a first side of said coolant channel, and
a return manifold near a second side of said coolant channel.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 , wherein said battery thermal management system include a heat exchanger configured to cool a heat transfer medium communicated through said coolant channel.

14. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein said battery thermal management system includes a base that supports said at least one battery cell.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 , comprising a vacuum insulation panel mounted to said base.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 , wherein said film heater is positioned between said vacuum insulation panel and said at least one battery cell.

17. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein said film heater and said heat spreader are in direct contact with different surfaces of said at least one battery cell.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Haskins Harold J
• Miller Theodore James
• Yang Xiao Guang
• Maguire Patrick Daniel
• Kwon Oujung
• Marcicki James Matthew

Classifications

• H01M10/486 Primary

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• B60L50/50 Primary

  using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M10/617 Primary

  for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/653

  characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials · CPC title