VEHICLE

Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to a battery unit employed in electrical vehicles; and more specifically, to a sensor arrangement for the battery unit.

Background

Electrical vehicles are potentially capable of playing a significant role in reducing environmental pollution and encouraging sustainable technologies. Typically, the electrical vehicles produce fewer byproducts that cause anthropogenic climate change in comparison to conventional vehicles powered by fossil fuels. However, it has been appreciated that electrical vehicles of superlative performance have to be manufactured to encourage the use of electrical vehicles in place of corresponding-performance internal combustion engine vehicles. Furthermore, rechargeable batteries have been employed for over a century to supply energy to provide motive power to various designs of electrical vehicles. With recent improvements in design of batteries, contemporary electrical vehicles, when fully charged, may travel further than corresponding-performance internal combustion engine vehicles are able to travel on a full tank of combustible fuel. Furthermore, with the advent of lithium polymer rechargeable batteries, the contemporary electrical vehicles are provided with higher energy storage capacity and are lighter in weight then earlier designs of electrical vehicles. Among types of lithium polymer batteries that are presently manufactured, lithium iron phosphate polymer batteries are most suitable for electrical vehicles. The lithium iron phosphate polymer batteries are capable of surviving in excess of two thousand full recharge cycles without suffering significant charge storage capacity reduction.

Generally, several hundred kilowatts (kW) of peak power have to be provided, by rechargeable batteries, for faster accelerations in short spans of time, for example for achieving an acceleration from 0 km/h to 100 km/h within circa 3 seconds. Additionally, during peak power operations, current supplied from the batteries can be of an order of 200 Amperes or more, when the batteries have an output terminal voltage approaching 400 volts. Therefore, internal heating within the batteries can be significant when such relatively large currents are employed. Moreover, the internal heating within the batteries is not uniform and comprises a temperature differential between different sections of a battery. Furthermore, internal heating can severely affect performance of the batteries and, potentially, cause several safety hazards. Additionally, a degree of internal heating within the batteries may constantly vary depending upon the current supplied from the batteries. Furthermore, unless carefully managed, rechargeable batteries are prone to becoming overcharging . Moreover, the internal heating within the batteries may increase, as the internal resistance of the batteries increases with age of the battery or many charge-discharge cycles. Therefore, in light of the foregoing d iscussion, there exist problems associated with operation of batteries in electrical vehicle and similar electrical apparatus. Summary

The present disclosure seeks to provide an improved battery unit for use in electrical vehicles and similar electrical a pparatus.

Moreover, the present disclosure also seeks to provide an efficient sensor arrangement for monitoring a battery unit of electrical vehicles and similar apparatus.

According to a first aspect, there is provided a battery unit for storing and providing electrical power, characterized in that the battery unit includes : (i) an outer casing ;

(ii) a battery mounting frame that is arranged to be accommodated within the outer casing ;

(iii) a plurality of battery modules that are arranged to be supported upon the battery mounting frame, each battery module having at least one cell , wherein cells are arranged in at least one group;

(iv) a cooling arrangement for removing heat generated by the plurality of battery modules when storing or providing electrical power in operation; and (v) a sensor monitoring arrangement configured to monitor at least one voltage of a cell, group or module, and for monitoring at least one temperature of a cell, group or module.

The present disclosure seeks to provide an efficient sensor arrangement for monitoring a battery unit employed in electrical apparatus, for example in electrical vehicles. Specifically, the sensor arrangement employs a plurality of sensors to monitor voltage and temperatures across battery cells (cells), battery groups (groups) or battery modules (modules) in the battery unit. Furthermore, temperatures of battery cells are determined to provide an adaptive cooling to the plurality of battery modules.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of manufacturing a battery unit for storing and providing electrical power, characterized in that the method includes :

(i) providing an outer casing; (ii) accommodating a battery mounting frame withi n the outer casing;

(iii) arranging for a plurality of battery modules to be supported upon the battery mounting frame, each battery module having at least one cell, wherein cells are arranged in at least one group;

(iv) providing a cooling arrangement for removing heat generated by the plurality of battery modules when storing or providing electrical power in operation; and

(v) providing a sensor monitoring arrangement for monitoring at least one voltage of a cell, group or module, and at least one temperature of a cell, group or module.

It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The present invention is included in the general business context, which aims to substitute vehicles powered by traditional fuels, for example gasoline or diesel, by electric vehicles. In particular, the present invention is intended for use in electric vehicles used within cities, which can be highly beneficial to the local environment due to significant reduction of gaseous emissions as well as significant reduction of noise. Overall environmental benefits can also be significant when electric vehicles are cha rged from renewable energy sources. Description of the drawings

The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers. Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure ; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outer casing of the battery unit of FIG. 1 in an unassembled state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosu re; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a battery mounting frame of the battery unit of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of plurality of battery modules and cooling arrangement supported on the battery mounting frame of FIG. 3, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a battery cell and a heat- conducting plate of a battery module, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a battery module and a cooling plate, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cooling plate of FIG. 6 along an axis A-A', in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGs. 8-9 are perspective views of a cooling plate, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGs. 10-11 are perspective views of a turbulator, in accordance with different embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the battery module of FIG. 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 13 is an illustration of steps of a method of manufacturing a battery unit for storing and providing electrical power, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non- underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.

Description of embodiments

In overview, embodiments of the present disclosure are concerned with a battery unit employed in electrical apparatus, for example in electrical vehicles but not limited thereto, and a sensor arrangement for monitoring cell voltages a nd temperatures of the battery unit. Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a perspective view of a battery unit 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the battery unit 100 comprises an angular portion 102 positioned at an angle, for example a non-orthogonal angle, with respect to a horizontal portion 104 of the battery unit 100; "horizontal" in this example refers to an approximate orientation of the horizontal portion 104 of the battery unit 100 when, for example, the battery unit 100 is mounted in an electrical apparatus. In an embodiment, the battery unit 100 may be configured to be mounted into an electrical vehicle for providing electrical power to an electric motor arrangement of the electrical vehicle for providing motive power to the electrical vehicle and/or for receiving regenerative braking energy provided in operation by the motor arrangement when decelerating the electrical vehicle. Specifically, the battery unit 100, when charged, may provide power to the electric motor arrangement which may be used to provide motion to the electric vehicle. Furthermore, the battery unit 100 may receive energy from the parts, of the electric vehicle, that are braked and store the energy for future use, as aforementioned for regenerative braking purposes.

According to an embodiment, the battery unit 100 may be mounted behind seats of the electrical vehicle. Furthermore, the electrical motor arrangement may receive electrical power from the battery unit 100 and provide driving torque to the rear wheels of the electrical vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 2, illustrated is a perspective view of an outer casing 200 of the battery unit (such as the battery unit 100 of FIG. 1) in an unassembled state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery unit 100, for storing and providing electrical power, comprises such an outer casing 200. In an embodiment, the outer casing 200 of the battery unit 100 may be manufactured from carbon fibre, although other insulating materials may alternatively optionally be employed, for example fibre-glass composite materials. As shown, the outer casing 200 comprises side panels, 202 and 204. Furthermore, the side pa nels 202 and 204 can be screwed together with the central portion 206. In an embodiment, the outer casing 200 may be water-tight for maintaining the plurality of battery modules in a dry state. Specifically, the water-tight casing of the battery unit 100 may significantly reduce risks in event of an accident, for example in an event of a crash situation where water is sprayed to extinguish burning fuel of internal combustion engine vehicles involved in the crash situation. Furthermore, the central portion 206 provides support for battery mounting frame 300 (of FIG.3).

Referring to FIG. 3, illustrated is a perspective view of a battery mounting frame 300 of the battery unit (such as the battery unit 100 of FIG. 1), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery unit 100 comprises a battery mounting frame 300 that is arranged to be accommodated within the outer casing 200. According to an embodiment, the battery mounting frame 300 may comprise a bottom support panel 302, a plurality of partitioning plates, depicted as partitioning plates 304, 306, and 308, coupled to the bottom support panel 302 and at least one transverse load-bearing plate 310 disposed substantially orthogonally to the plurality of partitioning plates 304 to 308, wherein the plurality of partitioning plates 304 to 308 are disposed so that their major planes are mutually substantially parallel . Furthermore, the battery mounting frame 300 comprises an angular portion 312 and a horizontal portion 314, corresponding to the angular portion 102 and horizontal portion 104 of the battery unit 100. Furthermore, as shown, each of the plurality of partitioning plates 304 to 308 has substantially an L-shape to be accommodated in the outer casing 200. Moreover, the battery mounting frame 300 may be manufactured from a metal or an alloy, for example from aluminium, titanium or similar, to support a plurality of battery modules. Referring to FIG. 4, illustrated is a perspective view of plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 and cooling arrangement supported on the battery mounting frame 300, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery unit 100 further comprises a plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 that are arranged to be supported upon the battery mounting frame 300, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 comprises a plurality of battery cells. As shown, the horizontal portion 314 of the battery mounting frame 300 supports two battery modules, 402 and 404. Furthermore, the angular portion 312 of the battery mounting frame 300 supports eight battery modules 406 to 420. Additionally, at least one transverse load - bearing plate 310 may be disposed between the battery modules 414 and 418, and 416 and 420. Furthermore, the battery unit 100 comprises a cooling arrangement for removing heat generated by the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 when storing or providing electrical power in operation. Specifically, the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 generate a substantial amount of heat when providing electrical power of high order, for example several hundred kW's, to the electric motor arrangement of the electrical vehicle. Consequently, a cooling arrangement is required to ensure proper functioning of the electric motor arrangement and reduce safety hazards. Furthermore, the cooling arrangement may comprise one or more cooling plates, such as a cooling plate 422. Furthermore, each of the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 may be in contact with one or more cooling plates, such as a cooling plate 422. Moreover, one or more cooling plates employ, in operation, liquid cooling to remove heat generated by the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420. In an embodiment, connections for coupling a liquid coolant for cooling the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 may be provided via holes, such as holes 424, 426, and 428, 430, at outwardly-facing surfaces, depicted as 432 and 434, of one or more of the plurality of partitioning plates 304 and 308, wherein the one or more outwardly-facing surfaces 426 and 428 are proximate to an inside surface of the outer casing 200. Additionally, the cooling arrangement may further comprise a plurality of pipes, such as pipes 436 and 438, that are operable to be connected to the inlet and outlet of one or more cooling plates through the holes 424, 426, and 428, 430 at outwardly-facing surfaces 426 and 428 of the partitioning plates 304 and 308 respectively. Furthermore, coolant liquid for cooling the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 may comprise a mixture of water and an anti-freeze compound. However, it will be appreciated that forced gas cooling is optionally alternatively employed for cooling the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420. Examples of antifreeze compounds include, but are not limited to, ethylene glycol, methanol, propylene glycol, and glycerol . Furthermore, the coolant for cooling the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 may undergo an increase in temperature in the one or more cooling plates. Additionally, a water pump may be employed to ensure mutually similar flow of coolant to the one or more cooling plates, such as the cooling plate 422. Alternatively, the one or more cooling plates may comprise a para llel fluid connection for the supply of coolant to the cooling plate thereof. Yet alternatively, when the cooling plates are provided in parallel with coolant, outlets from the cooling plates are provided with corresponding flow restrictors that are temperature dependent, such that flow resistances of the flow restrictors reduce as a temperature of the coolant increases; in other words, in an event of a given cooling plate having to cope with an unusually high power dissipation in its associated battery module, coolant ejected from the outlet of the given cooling plate will be at a higher temperature relative to the cooling plates of other battery modules, causing the flow restrictor of the given cooling plate to reduce its flow resistance so as to allow a relatively larger portion of the available coolant to be directed through the given cooling plate. By such an approach, automatic adaptive flow of the coolant via the cooling plates can be achieved. Optionally, a cooling arrangement is operable to optimize the distribution and flow of coolant within the one or more cooling plates, such as the cooling plate 422 associated with the battery modules 402 to 420. Furthermore, the fluid flow system comprises temperature sensitive fluid flow restrictors and an adaptive coolant distribution system. Specifically, the temperature sensitive fluid flow restrictors increase or decrease the resistance of flow of coolant at the outlet of one or more cooling plates by responding to decrease or increase in coolant temperature respectively. Typically, the fluid flow restrictors are at the same temperature as the coolant passing through them. Some types of fluid flow restrictors are commercially available as fluid control valves, e.g. from Danfoss. They may be thermostatic or solenoid valves, the latter directly-operated or servo-operated. The material of a flow restrictor may have a positive temperature coefficient of expansion to achieve the desired restriction. Furthermore, in an event of high coolant temperature the fluid flow restrictor will allow more coolant to flow out from the one or more cooling plates, consequently allowing more incoming coolant to flow in for a better heat dissipation. In another event of low coolant temperature the fluid flow restrictor will allow less coolant to flow out of the one or more cooling plates , consequently allowing less coolant to flow in for an efficient use of coolant. Additionally, the fluid flow restrictors are operable to regulate residence time of the coolant in the one or more cooling plates. Optionally, the fluid flow is operable to be optimised based on the temperatures of the battery modules 402 to 420, wherein a higher volume of coolant may be provided to cooling plates proximate to battery modules with a higher temperature. Thus, the outflow is regulated automatically by employing the temperature sensitive fluid flow restrictor and the inflow among various cooling plates 422 is distributed adaptively by analysing the temperature data from the sensor monitoring arrangement.

In an embodiment, the cooling arrangement may be operable to provide thermal energy for cabin heating for a cabin of the electrical vehicle; a driver and one or more passengers are susceptible to being accommodated within the cabin. Specifically, the cool ant from the outlet of one or more cooling plates may be supplied to a heat exchange arrangement that is operable to provide heating to the cabin in winter climate. Alternatively, the heat exchange arrangement may be cooled to ambient environment in summer climate. Furthermore, flow of the coolant may be controlled to ensure that the plurality of battery modules may receive a mutually similar flow of coolant; however, as described in the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the coolant may be adaptively preferentially directed to those battery modules that have a greatest need for receiving the coolant, for example by using temperature-sensitive flow restrictors at cooling outlets of the cooling plates.

In an embodiment, that the battery unit 100 may be configured to be mounted into an electrical vehicle for providing electrical power to an electric motor arrangement of the electrical vehicle for providing motive power to the electrical vehicle, and the battery unit may be arrangement to increase a torsio nal stiffness of the electrical vehicle along its elongate axis from a front region of the electrical vehicle to a rear region of the electrical vehicle. Furthermore, the torsional strength is provided primarily by arrangement of the at least one transverse load-bearing plate 310, the bottom support panel 302 and the plurality of partitioning plates 304, 306, 308.

Referring to FIG. 5, illustrated is a perspective view of a battery cell 500 and a heat-conducting plate 502, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to an embodiment, each of plurality of heat-conducting plates, such as heat-conducting plate 502, comprises a central portion 504 that covers one major face 506 of the battery cell 500 and a pair of folded lateral portions 508 and 510, integral with the central portion 504, that covers the two peripheral faces 512 and 514 of the battery cell 500. Furthermore, the battery cell 500 may have a plastic frame, for example manufactured from glass-filled polymer. Furthermore, the heat-conducting plate 502 may be manufactured from a metal or an alloy. Consequently, the heat-conducting plate 502 is arranged to be in close contact with the battery cell 500 to ensure efficient heat transfer therebetween. Additionally, the battery cell 500 may include cooperating moulded indents and corresponding projections on the major faces, such as major face 506, to assist stacking of the plurality of battery cells.

In an embodiment, the battery cell 500 may have electrical terminals 516 and 518, on a top peripheral face 520. Subsequently, each of the plurality of heat-conducting plates, such as heat-conducting plate 502, may be electrically isolated from the electrical terminals 516 and 518 of the battery cell 500 of battery module. Specifically, the battery cell 500 may comprise an electrically insulated material adapted to cover the top peripheral face 520 of the battery cell 500. More specifically, the electrically insulated material may restrict flow of current from the electrical terminals 516 and 518 to the heat-conducting plate 502.

In an example embodiment, the battery cell 500 may be a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFeP04) gel polymer cell. Specifically, the Lithi um

Iron Phosphate (LiFeP04) gel may be included in central portion of the battery cell 500. Furthermore, the battery cell 500 may have a terminal voltage of 4 Volts and a current capacity of 100 Ampere- hours. Referring to FIG. 6, illustrated is a perspective view of a battery module 402 and a cooling plate 422, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cooling arrangement comprises a plurality of heat-conducting plates, such as heat- conducting plates 602, 604, 606, arranged parallely between the plurality of battery cells, such as battery cell 500, wherein the plurality of battery cells and their corresponding heat-conducting plates 602 to 606 are arranged mechanically in series in a stack formation, and wherein each of the plurality of heat-conducting plates 602 to 606 is operable to cover at least one major face of its corresponding battery cell, such as major face 506 of battery cell 500, and folded to cover one or more peripheral faces of its corresponding battery cell, such as peripheral faces 512 and 514 of battery cell 500; and one or more cooling plates, such as cooling plate 422, that is operable to be in contact with at least one of folded portions of each of the plurality of heat-conducting plates, such as folded portions 508 and 510 of heat-conducting plate 502, that are arranged on one or more peripheral faces of the battery cells, wherein the one or more cooling plates, such as cooling plate 422, comprises a hollow structure having an inlet 608 and outlet 610 for flow of the coolant therethrough.

In an embodiment, the pair of the folded lateral portions of each of the plurality of heat-conducting plates 602 to 606, such as folded lateral portions 508 and 510 of heat-conducting plate 502, when arranged parallely between the plurality of battery cells, such as battery cell 500, may define a pair of flat sequential side peripheral faces 612 and 614, of the battery module 402. Specifically, the pair of flat sequential side peripheral faces 612 and 614 is arranged to be in contact with one or more cooling plates, such as the cooling plate 422. Furthermore, the plurality of heat- conducting plates 602 to 606 are employed to improve thermal contact and facilitate heat transfer between the battery module 402 and the cooling plate 422. Additionally, a silicone-impregnated thermally-conductive flexible buffer sheet may be employed between the cooling plate 422 and the battery module 402 to further improve the thermal contact therebetween; the silicone- impregnated thermal ly-conductive flexible buffer sheet is optionally in a range of 1 mm to 3 mm thick, and is flexible to accommodate mechanical tolerances between the battery cells and the cooling plate 422, when the cooling plate 422 is clamped to its associated battery cells.

According to an embodiment, the cooling plate 422 may comprise two major faces 616 and 618 arranged to be in contact with at least one battery module, such as the battery module 402. Furthermore, the cooling plate 422 may comprise two elongate side peripheral faces, depicted as a first elongate peripheral face 620 and a second elongate side peripheral face 622, and two lateral peripheral faces 624 and 626. Furthermore, the inlet 608 and the outlet 610 for the flow of coolant are provided on the lateral peripheral face 624. Additionally, the cooling plate 422 may be arranged such that the inlet 608 and outlet 610 may be accessed through holes 424 and 428, or 426 and 430 respectively, to attach the fluid connections thereto.

In an embodiment, the plurality of battery cells may be arranged such that electrical terminals of the plurality of battery cells, such as electrical terminals 516 and 518 of the battery cell 500, may define a top peripheral face 628 of the battery module 402, when the battery module 402 is installed in the battery unit 100. Specifically, the electrical terminals are screw terminals that are connected to provide the battery unit 100 with an overall electrical output of 400 Volts that is electrically connected to the electric motor arrangement of the electrical vehicle to provide electrical power thereto. It will be appreciated that the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402 exhibits a higher power dissipation, and hence a higher operating temperature, in comparison with the lower region of the battery module 402, because current flow within the battery module 402 become concentrated in the electrical terminal region 630 when the battery module 402 is supplying current during its operation.

According to an embodiment, the one or more cooling plates may be adapted to provide relatively more cooling to a region of the cooling plate 422 that abuts to an electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402. Specifically, the electrical termina l region 630 of the battery module 402 exhibits a higher temperature in comparison with the lower region thereof and requires relatively more cooling provided by the cooling plate 422, as aforementioned. It will be appreciated that the upper half of the cooling plate 422 is disposed adjacent to the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402 that requires relatively more cooling. Therefore, the coolant at the inlet 608, which is at lower temperature and has higher cooling potential, is advantageously firstly directed to the upper half of the cooling plate 422.

According to an embodiment, the one or more cooling plates, such as the cooling plate 422, may be manufactured from machined metal plate, for example aluminium metal plate, or a stack of metal sheets that are peripherally seam welded together. Furthermore, the metal sheets of the stack may be press-formed to provide an internal cavity when assembled together for guiding the coolant therethrough. Specifically, the inlet 608 and the outlet 610 may be machined on the lateral peripheral face 624 of the cooling plate 422. Subsequently, a channel, such as channel 700 of FIG. 7, may be milled into the stack of metal sheets connecting the inlet 608 to the outlet 610.

Referring to FIG. 7, illustrated is a cross-sectional view of the cooling plate 422 of FIG. 6 along an axis A-A', in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the cooling plate 422 comprises a channel 700 connecting the inlet 608 to the outlet 610; optionally, the channel 700 is implemented as a simple "U" channel from inlet to outlet, although the channel 700 is optionally implemented to have a meandering form, as illustrated. Furthermore, the upper half of the cooling plate 422 is disposed adjacent to the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402. Therefore, the channel 700 may be adapted such that the upper half of the cooling plate 422 comprises relatively more channels for flow of the coolant therethrough, in comparison with the lower half of the cooling plate 422. Specifically, the channel 700 may be adapted such that the coolant flows through the upper half of the cooling plate 422 for a longer period of time in comparison with the lower half of the cooling plate 422. In an embodiment, the inlets of the one or more cooling plates may receive a double injection of the coolant. Specifically, the double injection of the coolant may provide a higher amount of coolant to the inlets of the one or more cooling plates. Furthermore, the double injection of the coolant may be supplied to the inlets when a relatively higher amount of cooling to the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 is required. Alternatively, the higher throughput of coolant makes possible design of smaller coo ling plates, for size and weight advantage.

Referring to FIG. 8, illustrated is a perspective view of a cooling plate 800, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, each of the cooling plates, such as cooling plate 800, may include a central inlet 802 and a pair of outlets 804 and 806 adjacent to the central inlet 802, wherein the central inlet 802 and the pair of outlets 804 and 806 are arranged on a lateral peripheral face 808 of each of the cooling plates, such as the cooling plate 800. Furthermore, design of channels in the cooling plate 800 may be such that the central inlet 802 is connected to the pair of outlets 804 and 806. Therefore, the coolant may enter the cooling plate 800 through the central inlet 802. Subsequently, the coolant may flow through the channels and exit from the pair of outlets 804 and 806. Moreover, the portion of the cooling plate 800 may comprise a channel connecting the central inlet 802 and the outlet 804, corresponding to the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402. Therefore, the design of the channels may be adapted such that the channel connecting the central inlet 802 and the outlet 804 may observe a higher flux of the coolant, to provide relatively more cooling to the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402. Referring to FIG. 9, illustrated is a perspective view of a cooling plate 900, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, each of the cooling plates, such as cooling plate 900, may include a central outlet 902 and a pair of inlets 904 and 906, adjacent to the central outlet 902, wherein the central outlet 902 and the pair of inlets 904 and 906 are arranged on a lateral peripheral face 908 of each of the cooling plates, such as cooling plate 900. Furthermore, channels milled into the cooling plate 900 may be designed such that the fluid from the pair of inlets 904 and 906 may converge and exit from the central outlet 902. Moreover, the upper half of the cooling plate 900 may comprise a channel connecting the inlet 904 and the central outlet 902, corresponding to the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402. Therefore, the flow of the coolant in the cooling plate 900 may be adapted such that the inlet 904 receives a higher quantity of coolant in comparison with the inlet 906, to provide relatively more cooling to the electrical terminal region 630 of the battery module 402.

It is to be understood that the outwardly-facing surfaces, such as outwardly-facing surfaces 432 and 434 of FIG. 4, of one or more of the plurality of partitioning plates 304 and 308 may comprise an arrangement of three holes for connections of coolant to the inlet and outlet of one or more cooling plates, such as the central inlet 802 and the pair of outlets 804 and 806 of the cooling plate 800 of FIG. 8 and the central outlet 902 and a pair of inlets 904 and 906 of the cooli ng plate 900 of FIG. 9. Subsequently, the plura lity of pi pes, such as pi pes 436 and 438, that are operable to be connected to the i nlet and outlet of one or more cooli ng plates, such as the cool ing plates 800 and 900, through the holes, may be adapted accordi ng to the required flow of the coolant to the one or more cool ing plates thereof.

Referri ng next to FIG. 10, i llustrated is a perspective view of a turbulator 1000, i n accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, each of the cool ing plates may i nclude an i nternal cavity i ncludi ng a turbulator, such as turbulator 1000, for increasi ng a turbulence of a fluid flowing through the cooli ng plates when i n operation to increase uniformity of coolant temperature a nd enhance heat exchange occurri ng via the one or more cool i ng plates. Specifically, the turbulator 1000 may provide a resista nce to the flow of the coolant. Subsequently, resistance to the flow of the coolant may cause the coolant to flow through the one or more cool ing plates, such as the cool ing plate 422, for a longer period of time and increase retention time thereby improving heat tra nsfer between the one or more cool ing plates and the plural ity of battery modules 402 to 420.

Accordi ng to an embodiment, the turbulator 1000 is manufactured from at least one metal sheet that has a configuration of holes, such as holes 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, formed therein, wherein the at least one meta l sheet is folded to provide a sequentia l series of cavities, such as cavities 1010, 1012, 1014, 1016, for coolant to flow, and wherein the configuration of holes 1002 to 1008 is spatial ly disposed to cause the coolant, via a plurality of flow paths, such as a flow path 1018, to undergo a change in flow di rection when flowi ng from a given cavity to a subsequent cavity thereto . In an example, the coolant may flow through the hole 1002 to the cavity 1010. Subsequently, the coolant may undergo a change in the flow direction to continue its flow to the cavity 1012 through the hole 1004. Similarly, the coolant may flow to the subsequent cavities 1014 and 1016 through consecutive holes 1006 and 1008 respectively, and undergo the change in the flow direction. Therefore, the flow paths are arranged to follow a zig-zag flow trajectory for the coolant. Further, the coolant may flow via a plurality of flow paths through the turbulator 1000 thereby increasing exchange occurring via the one or more cooling plates.

According to an embodiment, the upper half of the cooling plate 422 includes a first turbulator, and the lower half of the cooling plate 422 includes a second turbulator, wherein the first turbulator has a higher flow resistance to the coolant than the second turbulator. Specifically, the upper half of the cooling plate 422 is disposed adjacent to the electrical region of the battery module 402 and require relatively more cooling. Therefore, the first turbulator has a higher flow resistance to the coolant and may provide an increased retention time of the coolant in the upper half of the cooling plate in comparison with the lower half of the cooling plate. Further, the higher flow resistance of the first turbulator may be achieved by folding the at least one metal sheet in a narrow configuration and thereby reducing size of the cavities 1010 to 1016. Referring next to FIG. 11, illustrated is a perspective view of a turbulator 1100, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the turbulator 1100 may comprise a configuration of slots, such as slots 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108 and wherein the configuration of slots 1102 to 1108 is formed to cause the flow of coolant, via a plurality of flow paths. Furthermore, the slots 1102 to 1108 are formed such that the coolant may flow through cavities, such as cavities 1110, 1112, 1114 and 1116. Furthermore, the turbulator 1100 may be formed such that loss of pressure of coolant in a flow direction, such as flow direction 1118 may be reduced, for example minimal . Therefore, the flow of coolant in the flow direction 1118 may be significant. Furthermore, the loss of pressure of coolant in an alternate flow direction, such as flow direction 1120, may be substantial . Therefore, the flow of coolant in the flow direction 1120 may be minimal.

Referring to FIG. 12, illustrated is a top view of the battery module 402 of FIG. 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the battery module 402 may comprise a plurality of fifty battery cells, such as the battery cell 500, arranged in a stack formation to provide electric power to the electric motor arrangement. Voltages and/or temperatures of each of the fifty cells may be read by sensors and relayed to a module of the sensor monitoring arrangement. Furthermore, within the battery module 402, the plurality of fifty battery cells may be connected to each other as ten groups, such as the groups 1202, 1204 and 1206, wherein each group may comprise five battery cells connected to each other in a parallel electrical connection configuration. Voltages and/or temperatures of each of the ten groups may be read by sensors and relayed to a module of the sensor monitoring arrangement. Furthermore, the ten groups of battery cells may be connected with each other in series electrical connections. Voltages and/or temperatures of each of the battery modules of the battery unit may be read by sensors and relayed to a module of a sensor monitoring arrangement. Other voltages or temperatures may be calculated in the battery management system, based on readings from sensors.

It is to be understood that the electrical terminals of a group of battery cells is connected to the alternate electrical terminals of consecutive group of battery cells to achieve a series electrical connection configuration therebetween. For instance, the positive and negative terminals of the group 1202 may be connected to the negative and positive terminals of the group 1204, respectively.

It will be appreciated that a battery cell, such as the battery cell 500, may have a terminal voltage of 4 Volts and a current capacity of 100 Ampere-hours. Furthermore, the battery cells in a given group, such as groups 1202 to 1206, connected in a parallel electrical connection configuration provide an output electrical terminal potential of 4 Volts. Furthermore, the ten groups of the battery module 402 connected in electrical series connection configuration provide an output electrical terminal potential of 40 Volts. Moreover, the ten groups of the battery module 402 may be connected to each other using copper busbars. Additionally, the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420 (of FIG. 4) of the battery unit 100 (of FIG. l) may be connected with each other in an electrical series connection configuration. Therefore, the battery unit 100, as an entirety, may provide an output terminal potential of 400 Volts.

The battery unit 100 further comprises a sensor monitoring arrangement for monitoring one or more battery cell voltages and one or more battery cell temperatures of each of the battery modules. Furthermore, the sensor monitoring arrangement may further comprise a voltage monitoring arrangement, denoted by 1208, a temperature monitoring arrangement, denoted by 1210, and a battery management system (not shown), which processes data from sensors and outputs signals to control parts of the battery unit. Optionally, the battery management system is an external battery management system. Furthermore, the voltage monitoring arrangement 1208 and the temperature monitoring arrangement 1210 are arranged on an elongate fibre glass circuit board 1212. Furthermore, the voltage monitoring arrangement 1208, may sense voltage developed between a group of five battery cells, such as groups 1202, 1204 and 1206. Furthermore, it may be appreciated that the sensor monitoring arrangement comprises 10 voltage monitoring arrangement 1208, to sense voltage developed across the plurality of fifty battery cells comprised in each of the plurality of battery modules 402 to 420. Furthermore, temperatures of each of the battery cells in each of the plurality of battery modules may be analysed using the temperature monitoring arrangement 1210. Consequently, a temperature sensor is connected with each of the battery cells in a battery module to determine temperatures thereof. Moreover, an average of the temperatures of each of the battery cells in a battery module may be determined to determine the temperature of the battery module.

In an embodiment, the sensor monitoring arrangement for monitoring one or more battery cell voltages comprises at least one of: a capacitive voltage sensor, a resistive voltage sensor, an inductive voltage sensor, a hall-effect sensor. Moreover, output from the voltage monitoring arrangement 1208, may be operable to be received by the battery management system that is configured to monitor the voltages developed across the battery cells in the plurality of battery module 402 to 420 of the battery unit 100. In an embodiment, the battery management system may comprise 10 monitoring groups consisti ng of 100 voltage monitoring arrangement. In such instance, it may be appreciated that each monitoring group of the 10 monitoring groups is operable to monitor at least one battery module. In an embodiment, the temperature monitoring arrangement 1210 is mounted on the elongate fibre glass circuit board 1212 to be in contact, or in near spatial proximity, for example within a couple of centimetres, with one or more terminals of the battery cells, such as electrical terminals 516 and 518 of the battery cell 500. Furthermore, the sensor monitoring arrangement comprises 5 temperature monitoring arrangement 1210, wherein each temperature monitoring arrangement 1210 may be operable to sense the temperature developed at terminals of 10 battery cells. The output from the temperature monitoring arrangement 1210 may be operable to be received by the battery management system. In an embodiment, the sensor monitoring arrangement for monitoring one or more temperatures of the battery modules comprises at least one of a thermostat, a thermistor, a thermocouple, a thermometer, a resistive temperature detector, and/or a semiconductor-based temperature sensor.

It will be appreciated that the battery management system may receive the output from the voltage monitoring arrangement, such as 1208 and the temperature monitoring arrangement 1210. Furthermore, the battery management system may receive the output therefrom at a rate of 1 measurement per second. Furthermore, the battery management system may utilize the output therefrom to maintain a given temperature across the plurality of battery module 402 to 420. Optionally, a distribution of coolant flow between the battery modules is controlled by the battery management system as a function of temperature measurements from the temperature monitoring arrangement; specifically, the battery management system may control the quantity and flow of coolant through one or more cooling p lates. Furthermore, the battery management system may protect the battery unit 100 from overcharging, for example by monitoring a temporal temperature increase profile of the battery unit 100.

It will be further appreciated that the flow of coolant from the inlet and outlet of one or more cooling plates, such as the central inlet 802 and the pair of outlets 804 and 806 of the cooling plate 800 of FIG. 8 and the central outlet 902 and a pair of inlets 904 and 906 of the cooling plate 900 of FIG. 9, may be regulated by the battery management system, for example as aforementioned. Furthermore, each of the cooling plates includes fluid flow restrictors that provide in operation a fluid flow resistance that reduces as a function of fluid temperature of a coolant that flows through the cooling plates when in operation. Specifically, the outlet of the cooling plate, such as the outlet 610 of the cooling plate 422, may comprise a fluid flow restrictor. Furthermore, the operation of the fluid flow restrictor may be controlled by the battery management system. Consequently, the battery management system may receive the output from the temperature monitoring arrangement 1210 and adjust resistance of the fluid flow restrictor. In an example, the resistance of the fluid flow restrictor may decrease, as temperature of the battery module increases, to a llow relatively higher quantity of coolant to flow through one or more cooling plates. Alternatively, the fluid flow restrictor may be thermally activated. Therefore, the resistance of the fluid flow restrictor may decrease when the temperature of the coolant at the outlet 610 i ncreases.

Referri ng to FIG. 13, il lustrated are steps of a method 1300 of manufacturi ng a battery unit (such as the battery unit 100 of FIG. 1) for stori ng and providi ng electrical power, in accorda nce with an embodiment of the present disclosure. At a step 1302, an outer casi ng is provided . At a step 1304, a battery mounting frame is accommodated withi n the outer casi ng . At a step 1306, a plural ity of battery modules is arranged to be supported upon the battery mounting frame. At a step 1308, a cool ing arrangement for removi ng heat generated by the plural ity of battery modules when stori ng or providi ng electrical power in operation is provided . At a step 1310, a sensor monitori ng arrangement for monitori ng one or more battery cel l voltages and one or more temperatures of the battery modules is provided .

The steps 1302 to 1310 a re only il lustrative and other alternatives can also be provided where one or more steps are added, one or more steps are removed, or one or more steps are provided i n a different sequence without departing from the scope of the claims herein.

The part of the sensor arrangement for the battery module of the battery unit provides many benefits and enhances control led operation of the battery modules. The sensor arrangement of the present d isclosure may uti lize the coolant effectively by supplyi ng lesser quantities of coolant duri ng normal operation a nd increasing the flow of the coolant during peak power operations. Furthermore, the sensor arrangement may protect the battery cel ls from overcharg ing a nd battery cell damage due to high voltages. Additional ly, the sensor arrangement may control the operation of the cooling arrangement as the internal resistance of the battery modules increases, leading to an increase of internal heating. The sensor arrangement of the battery unit may also provide data for a battery management system to aid in calculation of the state of charge of the battery and hence the range of the electric vehicle.

Modifications to embodiments of the present disclosure described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as "including", "comprising", "incorporating", "have", "is" used to describe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.