Battery thermal management systems including heat spreaders with thermoelectric devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9590282-B2
Application number	US-201414437645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2014
Priority date	Oct 29, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include thermoelectric-based thermal management systems and methods configured to heat and/or cool an electrical device. Thermal management systems can include a heat spreader positioned near a localized heat general of the electrical device. A fin can be connected to the heat spreader with a thermoelectric device positioned on the fin. Electric power can be directed to the thermoelectric device to provide controlled heating and/or cooling to the electrical device.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1. A thermoelectric battery thermal management system configured to manage battery cell temperature, the system comprising:
a battery cell comprising an electrode configured to deliver electric power to or from the battery cell, the electrode connected to the battery cell on a first side of the battery cell, wherein the battery cell is capable of generating a hotspot corresponding to a temperature increase of the battery cell when the battery cell is operating via the electrode delivering electric power to or from the battery cell, the hotspot having a center corresponding to a point or a region of the battery cell having a highest temperature relative to other regions of the battery cell;
a heat spreader on a second side of the battery cell and in thermal communication with the hotspot, the heat spreader over the center of the hotspot on the second side of the battery cell; and
a thermoelectric device comprising a main surface and a waste surface, the thermoelectric device configured to transfer thermal energy between the main surface and the waste surface of the thermoelectric device upon application of electric current to the thermoelectric device, wherein the main surface of the thermoelectric device is in thermal communication with the heat spreader to heat or cool the battery cell by adjusting a polarity of the electric current delivered to the thermoelectric device, wherein the thermoelectric device is proximate to a third side of the battery cell, and wherein a geometric center of the main surface of the thermoelectric device is substantially on a line along a shortest thermal path on the heat spreader from the center of the hotspot to the third side of the battery cell with the geometric center of the main surface of the thermoelectric device projected onto a plane of the heat spreader extending along the second side of the battery cell.

2. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the second side is substantially perpendicular to a shortest dimension of the battery cell.

3. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the battery cell has a prismatic shape, and wherein when the prismatic shape is positioned in an X-Y-Z coordinate system, the first side is along an X-Z plane of the X-Y-Z coordinate system, the second side is along an X-Y plane of the X-Y-Z coordinate system, and the third side is along an Y-Z plane of the X-Y-Z coordinate system.

4. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising a fin connected to the heat spreader and in thermal communication with the hotspot via the heat spreader, the fin proximate to the third side of the battery cell.

5. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an other thermoelectric device comprising a main surface and a waste surface, the other thermoelectric device configured to transfer thermal energy between the main surface and the waste surface of the other thermoelectric device upon application of electric current to the other thermoelectric device, wherein the main surface of the other thermoelectric device is in thermal communication with the heat spreader to heat or cool the battery cell by adjusting a polarity of the electric current delivered to the other thermoelectric device, wherein the other thermoelectric device is proximate to a fourth side of the battery cell opposite the third side of the battery cell, wherein a geometric center of the main surface of the other thermoelectric device is substantially on the line along the shortest thermal path on the heat spreader with the geometric center of the main surface of the other thermoelectric device projected onto the plane of the heat spreader extending along the second side of the battery cell.

6. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the battery cell comprises an other electrode connected to the battery cell on the first side of the battery cell.

7. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device extends along the third side of the battery cell less than half of a length of the third side along the second side of the battery cell.

8. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the battery cell is sealed within an enclosure, and wherein the waste surface of the thermoelectric device is in thermal communication with a wall of the enclosure, the wall of enclosure capable of acting as a heat source or a heat sink for the system.

9. The thermoelectric battery of thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising an other battery cell, the other battery cell comprising an electrode configured to deliver electric power to or from the other battery cell, the electrode of the other battery cell connected to the other battery cell on a first side of the other battery cell, wherein the other battery cell is capable of generating an other hotspot corresponding to a temperature increase of the other battery cell when the other battery cell is operating via the electrode of the other battery cell delivering electric power to or from the other battery cell, the other hotspot having a center corresponding to a point or a region of the other battery cell having a highest temperature relative to other regions of the other battery cell, and wherein the battery cell and the other battery cell are stacked with the first side of the battery cell and the first side of the other battery cell positioned substantially in parallel along a same plane.

10. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 9 , wherein the other battery cell is in thermal communication with the heat spreader to heat or cool the other battery cell by adjusting the polarity of the electric current delivered to the thermoelectric device.

11. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 9 , further comprising:
an other heat spreader on a second side of the other battery cell and in thermal communication with the other hotspot, the other heat spreader over the center of the other hotspot on the second side of the other battery cell; and
an other thermoelectric device comprising a main surface and a waste surface, the other thermoelectric device configured to transfer thermal energy between the main surface and the waste surface of the other thermoelectric device upon application of electric current to the other thermoelectric device, wherein the main surface of the other thermoelectric device is in thermal communication with the other heat spreader to heat or cool the other battery cell by adjusting a polarity of the electric current delivered to the other thermoelectric device, wherein the other thermoelectric device is proximate to a third side of the other battery cell, and wherein a geometric center of the main surface of the other thermoelectric device is substantially on a line along an other shortest thermal path on the other heat spreader from the center of the other hotspot to the third side of the other battery cell with the geometric center of the main surface of the other thermoelectric device projected onto a plane of the other heat spreader extending along the second side of the other battery cell.

12. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 1 , further comprising a strip extending along the shortest thermal path to the thermoelectric device, the strip shorter than the heat spreader in at least one dimension.

13. The thermoelectric battery thermal management system of claim 12 , wherein the strip is connected to the heater spreader and comprising a material

Assignees

• Gentherm Inc

Inventors

• Kossakovski Dmitri
• Piggott Alfred
• Barnhart Todd

Classifications

• F25B21/02

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• H01M10/6554

  Rods or plates · CPC title

• H01M10/6572 Primary

  Peltier elements or thermoelectric devices · CPC title

• H01M10/6551

  Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings · CPC title

• H01M10/63

  Control systems (charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 {, H01M10/443}; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 {, H01M10/486}) · CPC title