[001] The subject matter in general relates to battery cooling system. More
particularly, but not exclusively, the subject matter relates to battery cooling system
that prevents the leakage of the coolant into the battery lower casing.
5 BACKGROUND
[002] Background description includes information that may be useful in
understanding the present subject matter.
[003] The conventional high voltage battery pack of electric or hybrid
vehicles comprises of various components, such as cells, junction box, cooling
10 plate, battery case, etc. Referring to FIG. 1, disclosed is a conventional cooling
system 10 for a battery pack. The conventional cooling system 10 comprises a
battery (not shown), a cooling plate 2 and a battery pack tray 4. The cooling plate 2
is disposed between the bottom of the battery and the battery pack tray 4. The
cooling plate 2 is attached to an inlet 6 and an outlet 8 to allow coolant to flow in
15 and out of the cooling plate 2. The flow of the coolant in the cooling plates through
specially designed cooling paths provide optimum cooling to the cells.
[004] The edges of the cooling plate 2 are closed using various methods such
as weld, sealant etc. However, there is a probability of coolant leaking out of the
cooling plate 2 by breaking the weld or sealant joinery, and getting accumulated in
20 the battery pack tray 4. The accumulation of the coolant in the battery pack tray 4
turns out to be very hazardous, as coolant may come in contact with circuitries and
electrical components during the driving condition of the vehicle. Therefore, there
is a need of a battery cooling system that prevents seepage of coolant into the battery
pack tray and contact with the battery cells.
25 OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[005] In view of the foregoing limitations inherent in the state of the art, some
of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein
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satisfy, are listed herein below.
[006] It is an object of the present disclosure to propose a battery cooling
system for cooling battery.
[007] It is another object of the present disclosure to propose a coolant leak
5 tray to accumulate the spilled coolant.
[008] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to prevent the coolant
from spilling onto the battery casing or battery pack tray.
[009] It is still yet another object of the present disclosure to prevent the
splashing of the coolant within the battery casing.
10 [0010] It is still yet another object of the present disclosure to prevent battery
fluid from coming in contact with the coolant leak tray.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a
15 preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0012] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a battery
cooling system. The concepts are further described below in the detailed
description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential
20 features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope
of the claimed subject matter.
[0013] The present disclosure relates to a battery cooling system for cooling a
battery. The battery cooling system comprises a cooling plate disposed beneath the
battery, a battery case configured to enclose the cooling plate and the battery, and
25 a coolant leak tray. The cooling plate comprises an upper sub-plate and a lower subplate, wherein the upper sub-plate and the lower sub-plate are attached to each other
Page 4 of 12
at regular intervals to form intermediate joineries. The intermediate joineries are
configured to define coolant flow paths. The coolant leak tray is disposed between
the lower sub-plate of the cooling plate and the battery case or battery pack tray.
Ends of the coolant leak tray are attached to the upper sub-plate to form end
5 joineries so that the lower sub-plate of the cooling plate is enclosed between the
upper sub-plate and the coolant leak tray.
[0014] Other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will
become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood,
however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating
10 specific embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since
various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0015] While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out
15 and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as forming the present
subject matter, it is believed that the present disclosure will be better understood
from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, where like reference numerals designate like structural and other
elements, in which:
20 [0016] FIG. 1 illustrates prior art technique for cooling battery;
[0017] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a battery cooling system, in accordance
with an embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 3 is an orthographic projection of the battery cooling system, in
accordance with an embodiment; and
25 [0019] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of portion shown in FIG. 3, in accordance
with an embodiment.
Page 5 of 12
[0020] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the
purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from
the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and
methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles
5 of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the
disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It
should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to
10 clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided
herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the
contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives
falling within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0022] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised
15 that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of
the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects,
and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are
intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0023] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular
20 embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As
used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the
plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further
understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “consisting”
and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,
25 integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the
presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,
elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0024] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the
Page 6 of 12
functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example,
two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts
involved.
5 [0025] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", “third”, and the like in
the present invention are used for the purpose of description only, and are not to be
construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly
indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first"
and "second" may include at least one of the features, either explicitly or implicitly.
10 [0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific
terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further
understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context
15 of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense
unless expressly so defined herein.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 2, disclosed is a battery cooling system 100 for
cooling battery 102, in accordance with an embodiment. The battery cooling system
100 comprises a cooling plate 104, a coolant leak preventive tray 106, and a battery
20 lower case 108. The cooling plate 104 is connected to an inlet 110 and an outlet 112
to allow coolant to flow in and out from the cooling plate 104.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 3, the cooling plate 104 is positioned beneath the
battery 102. The cooling plate 104 comprises an upper sub-plate 202 and a lower
sub-plate 204. The coolant leak preventive tray 106 is positioned between the lower
25 sub-plate 204 of the cooling plate 104 and the battery lower case 108. The battery
lower case 108 is configured to enclose the battery 102, cooling plate 104 and the
coolant leak preventive tray 106.
[0029] FIG. 4 discloses an enlarged view of portion 200 shown in FIG. 3. The
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upper sub-plate 202 and the lower sub-plate 204 are attached to each other at regular
intervals to form intermediate joineries 300. These intermediate joineries 300 are
configured to define coolant flow paths 206. The coolant flow paths 206 are
configured to allow coolant flow within the cooling plate 104.
5 [0030] In an embodiment, ends of the coolant leak preventive tray 106 are
attached to the upper sub-plate 202 of the coolant plate 104 to form end joineries
302. The end joineries 302 enclose the lower sub-plate 204 of the cooling plate 104
between the upper sub-plate 202 and the coolant leak preventive tray 106. The
coolant leak preventive tray 106 is joined with the upper sub-plate 202 of the
10 coolant plate 104 by means of spot welding, arc welding, sealant, bolting or any
other suitable means.
[0031] In an embodiment, a gap 304 is defined between the end joineries 302
and the immediate intermediate joinery 300. The gap 304 allows the coolant to flow
through and collect in the coolant leak preventive tray 106 in case of a coolant
15 leakage.
[0032] In an embodiment, the end joineries 302 are configured to be relatively
stronger than the intermediate joineries 300. This allows the intermediate joineries
300, in worst case scenarios, to break before the end joineries 302 break, thereby
directing the coolant to flow into the coolant leak preventive tray 106 and not to the
20 battery case 108.
[0033] In an embodiment, the end joineries 302 prevent the flow of battery
fluid into the coolant leak preventive tray 106.
[0034] In an embodiment, the battery cooling system 100 comprises a pressure
sensor (not shown). The pressure sensor is configured to sense the pressure of the
25 coolant inside the battery cooling system 100. When the there is a change in
pressure of the coolant due to leakage, the pressure sensor determines the coolant
leakage to have been occurred within the battery cooling system 100. This may
cause stopping the circulation of coolant in the battery cooling system 100, and
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letting the vehicle operate with limited performance, instead of completely halting
the vehicle.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGE
[0035] The present disclosure proposes a battery cooling system for cooling
5 battery.
[0036] The present disclosure proposes a coolant leak preventive tray to
accumulate the spilled coolant.
[0037] The present disclosure proposes to prevent the coolant from spilling
onto the battery casing.
10 [0038] The present disclosure proposes to prevent the splashing of the coolant
within the battery casing.
[0039] The present disclosure proposes to prevent battery fluid from coming
in contact with the coolant leak preventive tray.
[0040] Furthermore, each of the appended claims defines a separate invention,
15 which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the
various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context,
all references below to the “invention” may in some cases refer to certain specific
embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the
“invention” will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily
20 all, of the claims.
[0041] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention
disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be
referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of
the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be
25 included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or
patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein
Page 9 of 12
deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of
all groups used in the appended claims.
[0042] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the terminology
used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not
5 intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that several
of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may
be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or
unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may
subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope
10 of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[0043] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended,
encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and
substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein,
including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for
15 example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
[0044] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present
disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised
without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure
is determined by the claims that follow. The present disclosure is not limited to the
20 described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a
person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined
with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the
art.

We claim:

1. A battery cooling system (100) for cooling battery (102), the battery cooling
system (100) comprising:
a cooling plate (104) disposed beneath a battery (102), wherein the
5 cooling plate (104) comprises an upper sub-plate (202) and a lower sub-plate
(204), wherein the upper sub-plate (202) and the lower sub-plate (204) are
attached to each other at regular intervals to form intermediate joineries (300)
that are configured to define coolant flow paths (206);
a battery case (108) configured to enclose the cooling plate (104) and
10 the battery (102); and
characterized in that,
a coolant leak preventive tray (106) disposed between the lower subplate (204) of the cooling plate (104) and the battery case (108), wherein ends
of the coolant leak preventive tray (106) are attached to the upper sub-plate
15 (202) to form end joineries (302) so that the lower sub-plate (204) of the
cooling plate (104) is enclosed between the upper sub-plate (202) and the
coolant leak preventive tray (106).
2. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coolant
20 flow paths (206) are configured to carry coolant that is used to cool the battery
(102).
3. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a gap (304)
is defined between the end joineries (302) and the immediate intermediate
25 joinery (300).
4. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the
intermediate joineries (300) are configured to break before the end joineries
(302) break to restrict the flow of the coolant into the battery case (108).
30
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5. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the coolant
flows through the gap (304) and is collected in the coolant leak preventive
tray (106) when the intermediate joineries (300) break.
5 6. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end
joineries (302) are configured to be relatively stronger than the intermediate
joineries (300).
7. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery
10 case (108) is configured to enclose the coolant leak preventive tray (106).
8. The battery cooling system (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a pressure
sensor, wherein the pressure sensor is configured to detect coolant leakage
inside the battery cooling system (100).