Battery pack and method of controlling an electric fan in the battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9722286-B2
Application number	US-201414489613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2014
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes first and second temperature sensors that are disposed in first and second interior spaces, respectively. The first temperature sensor generates a first signal indicative of a first temperature level of the battery cell. The second temperature sensor generates a second signal indicative of a second temperature level of the DC-DC voltage converter. The battery pack further includes a microprocessor that determines a first fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the first temperature level, and a second fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the second temperature level. The microprocessor selects the first fan speed percentage value if the first fan speed percentage value is greater than the second fan speed percentage value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack, comprising:
a battery pack housing having a bottom wall, first, second, third, and forth side walls, and an upper cover defining and interior region; the first, second, third, and fourth side walls being coupled to the bottom wall and extending upwardly from the bottom wall; the interior region having a first interior space and a second interior space, the first side wall having an inlet aperture extending therethrough that communicates with the first interior space, and the second side wall having an outlet aperture extending therethrough that communicates with the second interior space, the upper cover being coupled to the fist, second, third, and forth side walls;
a battery module being disposed in the first interior space of the battery pack housing and proximate to the inlet aperture, the battery module further having a longitudinal axis extending from the inlet aperture and through the battery module toward a DC-DC voltage converter, the battery module having first and second end plates, a first battery cell, and a first heat exchanger; the first battery cell being disposed against and directly contacting a top side of the first end plate and further directly contacting a bottom side of the fist heat exchanger; the fist battery cell and the fist heat exchanger being disposed between the first and the second end plates; the first end plate having a first end portion that extends longitudinally past a first end of the fist battery cell and directly contacts the fist side wall of the battery pack housing below the inlet aperture; the fist end plate extending from the fist side wall toward the DC-DC voltage converter; the second end plate having a fist end portion that extends longitudinally past the fist end of the first battery cell and directly contacts the fist side wall of the battery pack housing above the inlet aperture; the second end plate extending from the fist side wall toward the DC-DC voltage converter; the first end portion of the fist end plate and the first end portion of the second end plate directing air from the inlet aperture to the fist heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger configured to receive the air through an internal region of the fist heat exchanger to cool the fist battery cell;
the DC-DC voltage converter being disposed in the second interior space and between the first and second side walls such that the air flowing from the first heat exchanger further cools the DC-DC voltage converter;
an electric fan adapted to urge the air to flow from the inlet aperture through the first and second interior spaces to the outlet aperture of the battery pack housing;
a first temperature sensor being disposed in the first interior space, the first temperature sensor adapted to generate a first signal indicative of a first temperature level of the first battery cell;
a second temperature sensor being disposed in the second interior space, the second temperature sensor adapted to generate a second signal indicative of a second temperature level of the DC-DC voltage converter;
a microprocessor operably coupled to the first and second temperature sensors such that the microprocessor receives the first and second signals, respectively, the microprocessor further operably coupled to the electric fan;
the microprocessor being programmed to determine a first fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the first temperature level, the first fan speed percentage value corresponding to a first percentage of a threshold operational speed value associated with the electric fan;
the microprocessor being further programmed to determine a second fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the second temperature level, the second fan speed percentage value corresponding to a second percentage of the threshold operational speed value associated with the electric fan; and
the microprocessor being further programmed to select the first fan speed percentage value if the first fan speed percentage value is greater than the second fan speed percentage value; and
the microprocessor being further programmed to generate a first control signal that induces the electric fan to operate at an operational speed corresponding to the first fan speed percentage value if the first fan speed percentage value is selected.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein:
the microprocessor being further programmed to select the second fan speed percentage value if the second fan speed percentage value is greater than the first fan speed percentage value; and
the microprocessor being further programmed to generate a second control signal that induces the electric fan to operate at an operational speed corresponding to the second fan speed percentage value if the second fan speed percentage value is selected.

3. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein:
the microprocessor being further programmed to determine an amount of electrical power being output by the DC-DC voltage converter;
the microprocessor being further programmed to determine a third fan speed percentage value of the electric fan based on the amount of electrical power being output by the DC-DC voltage converter, the third fan speed percentage value corresponding to a third percentage of the threshold operational speed value associated with the electric fan;
the microprocessor being further programmed to select the third fan speed percentage value if the third fan speed percentage value is greater than the first fan speed percentage value, and if the third fan speed percentage value is greater than the second fan speed percentage value; and
the microprocessor being further programmed to generate a third control signal that induces the electric fan to operate at an operational speed corresponding to the third fan speed percentage value if the third fan speed percentage value is selected.

4. The battery pack of claim 1 , further comprising a thermally conductive housing being disposed in the second interior space, the thermally conductive housing having the DC-DC voltage converter disposed therein.

5. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the electric fan being disposed in the second interior space proximate to the outlet aperture.

6. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the DC-DC voltage converter is electrically coupled to at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth battery cells of the battery module.

7. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger includes first and second thermally conductive plates that are coupled together and define a flow path portion, the flow path portion extending longitudinally between the first and second thermally conductive plates.

8. The battery pack of claim 7 , wherein the first thermally conductive plate is substantially rectangular-shaped and is constructed of aluminum.

9. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein:
the battery module further includes second and third battery cells and a second heat exchanger, the second battery cell being disposed against and contacting a top side of the fist heat exchanger, the third battery cell being disposed against and contacting a top side of the second battery cell and a bottom side of the second heat exchanger, the first and second heat exchangers extending parallel to the longitudinal axis.

10. The battery pack of claim 9 , wherein a portion of the air flows longitudinally through the first heat exchanger toward the outlet aperture to cool the first and second battery cells, and another portion of the air flows longitudinally through the second heat exchanger toward the outlet aperture to cool the third battery cell.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Smith Alexander Jeffrey
• Mccormick Richard
• Ketkar Satish
• Merriman Robert
• Yang Heekook

Classifications

• H01M10/486

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H01M50/211

  adapted for pouch cells · CPC title

• H01M50/233

  characterised by physical properties of casings or racks, e.g. dimensions · CPC title

• H01M2/1061

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M10/635

  based on ambient temperature · CPC title