Battery coolant loop pad for electric vehicles
AssigneeThunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
InventorYung-Kang Yang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A battery pack for an electric vehicle may include a plurality of battery cells arranged into at least a first row and a second row. The first row may be parallel to the second row. The battery pack may also include a coolant loop with at least one channel through which liquid can flow. The coolant tube may run between the first row and the second row. The battery pack may additionally include a thermal pad comprising a first side and a second side. The first side of the thermal pad may be shaped to conform to the coolant loop and the second side of the thermal pad may be shaped to conform to curvatures of the first row.
Claims16
A battery pack for an electric vehicle, the battery pack comprising:
- a plurality of battery cells arranged into at least a first row and a second row, wherein the first row is parallel to the second row;
- a coolant loop comprising at least one channel through which liquid can flow, wherein a first portion of the coolant loop runs between the first row and the second row perpendicular to a long axis of each the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the first portion of the coolant loop is straight;
- and
- a flexible, compressible thermal pad that is bonded to and can move with the coolant loop, the thermal pad comprising a single molded piece having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of the thermal pad is substantially flat to conform to the first portion of the coolant loop and the second side of the thermal pad comprises a plurality of semi-circular cutouts that are shaped to conform to curvatures of the plurality of batteries in the first row without completely encircling the plurality of battery cells in the first row.
A method of manufacturing a battery pack for an electric vehicle, the method comprising:
- arranging a plurality of battery cells into at least a first row and a second row, wherein the first row is parallel to the second row;
- placing a first portion of a coolant loop between the first row and the second row perpendicular to a long axis of each the plurality of battery cells, wherein the coolant loop comprises at least one channel through which liquid can flow, and wherein the first portion of the coolant loop is straight;
- and
- placing a flexible, compressible thermal pad that is bonded to and can move with the coolant loop between the coolant loop and the first row, wherein the first side of the thermal pad is substantially flat to conform to the first portion of the coolant loop and the second side of the thermal pad comprises a plurality of semi-circular cutouts that are shaped to conform to curvatures of the plurality of batteries in the first row without completely encircling the plurality of battery cells in the first row.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.