Patent ID: 9638475
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: F28F,H01M,Y02E

Claim:
1. A heat exchanger and battery unit structure, comprising: at least one battery unit having an outer housing, the outer housing having a base portion; at least one heat exchanger plate pair comprising first and second spaced-apart walls that are sealingly joined together at their periphery so as to define an enclosed fluid channel between said first and second walls, the heat exchanger plate further comprising a fluid inlet formed therein in fluid communication with an inlet end of said enclosed fluid channel and a fluid outlet formed therein in fluid communication with an outlet end of said enclosed fluid channel for inletting and discharging a liquid fluid to and from said enclosed fluid channel, said enclosed fluid channel extending between said inlet end and said outlet end between said first and second walls, wherein one of said first and second walls defines a primary heat transfer surface for heat exchange with said at least one battery unit; a first engaging device formed as part of a bottom surface of the base portion of the battery unit; a second engaging device formed on an outer surface of and extending away from the primary heat transfer surface defined by one of said first and second walls that define the enclosed fluid channel of the heat exchanger plate; wherein one of the first engaging device and the second engaging device is received within and mechanically engages the other of the first engaging device and the second engaging device such that the mechanical engagement between the first engaging device and the second engaging device secures the base portion of the at least one battery unit to the primary heat transfer surface of said at least one heat exchanger plate; and wherein the corresponding first and second engaging devices are arranged so that their spatial distribution across the primary heat transfer surface minimizes thermal resistance between the at least one battery unit and the at least one heat exchanger plate; and wherein the surface area of the primary heat transfer surface underneath the base portion of the at least one battery unit is greater than the surface of the second engaging device in contact with first engaging device of the at least one battery unit.