Temperature-averaged battery module

Abstract

The present invention discloses a temperature-averaging battery module, including a liquid cooling plate, a first end plate and a second end plate, wherein a water inlet is arranged at one end of the liquid cooling plate, a water outlet is arranged at the other end of the liquid cooling plate, the first end plate is close to the water inlet, the second end plate is close to the water outlet, a plurality of battery cells are arranged between the first end plate and the second end plate, the first end plate is spaced apart from the liquid cooling plate, and the second end plate is connected to the liquid cooling plate. In the temperature-averaging battery module of the present invention, the first end plate close to the water inlet of the liquid cooling plate is not in contact with the liquid cooling plate, and the second end plate close to the water outlet of the liquid cooling plate is in contact with the liquid cooling plate, so that the temperature of the second end plate is also regulated by the liquid cooling plate, so that the second end plate close to the water outlet of the liquid cooling plate exerts an additional cooling or heat preservation effect on the battery cell adjacent thereto, compensating for the adverse effect of the battery cell being far from the water inlet, and reducing the temperature difference between the battery cells so that the battery module is in a better working state and has a longer service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a temperature-equalizing battery module. Background Art

[0002] With the widespread application of power batteries, people have higher requirements for the energy density, driving range and safety performance of battery systems. Large module design can efficiently utilize limited system space to achieve structural layout optimization and high safety, and has become a new direction for module development. However, due to the increased length of large modules, the temperature uniformity along the length of the module is poor when cooling or heating. The commonly used method for module temperature uniformity is to optimize the design of the liquid cooling system flow channel.

[0003] In the liquid cooling system, during cooling, the outlet water temperature is higher than the inlet water temperature, and the temperature of the battery cell near the water outlet is higher. During heating, the water inlet temperature is higher than the water outlet, and the temperature of the battery cell near the water outlet is lower. At the same time, due to the heat transfer between the end plate and the battery cell, the temperature difference of the module is more obvious. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a temperature-equalizing battery module, in which an end plate close to a water inlet of a liquid cooling plate does not contact the liquid cooling plate, and an end plate close to a water outlet of the liquid cooling plate contacts the liquid cooling plate, so that the end plate close to the water outlet of the liquid cooling plate can exert an additional cooling or heat preservation effect on adjacent battery cells.

[0005] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A temperature-averaging battery module is provided, comprising a liquid cooling plate, a first end plate and a second end plate, wherein a water inlet is arranged at one end of the liquid cooling plate, a water outlet is arranged at the other end of the liquid cooling plate, the first end plate is close to the water inlet, the second end plate is close to the water outlet, a plurality of battery cells are arranged between the first end plate and the second end plate, the first end plate is spaced from the liquid cooling plate, and the second end plate is connected to the liquid cooling plate.

[0007] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a first groove is provided on the first end plate, one end of the liquid cooling plate passes through the first groove, a second groove is provided on the second end plate, a protrusion is provided in the second groove, the other end of the liquid cooling plate passes through the second groove, and the liquid cooling plate is connected to the protrusion.

[0008] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the second end plate includes a plate body and a connecting piece, the plate body is provided with a through hole for inserting the connecting piece, one end of the through hole is opened at the bottom of the second groove, and the part of the connecting piece protruding from the bottom of the groove forms the protrusion.

[0009] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the connecting member includes a plurality of columns, the columns are in the shape of a cuboid, and the through holes are rectangular holes.

[0010] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a first heat-insulating member is arranged between two adjacent battery cells, and a heat-conducting member is arranged between a plurality of battery cells and the liquid cooling plate.

[0011] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a first insulating member is provided between the battery cell adjacent to the first end plate and the first end plate, and a second insulating member is provided between the battery cell adjacent to the second end plate and the second end plate.

[0012] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the temperature equalizing battery module also includes two side plates, one end of the side plate is connected to the first end plate, the other end of the side plate is connected to the second end plate, and the two side plates are relatively arranged on both sides of the plurality of battery cells.

[0013] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a second thermal insulation member is provided between the side plate and the battery core.

[0014] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the temperature equalizing battery module also includes a shell, which is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The shell includes a bottom frame and an upper cover connected to the bottom frame, and the bottom frame is in the shape of a U-shaped groove. The battery cells, the first end plate, the second end plate and the liquid cooling plate are all arranged inside the shell.

[0015] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the bottom frame includes a frame body and two positioning rods, one of the positioning rods is arranged close to one end of the frame body, and the other positioning rod is arranged close to the other end of the frame body, and the positioning rods are provided with positioning grooves, and the two ends of the liquid cooling plate can be respectively inserted into one of the positioning grooves, and the first end plate and the second end plate are both provided with connecting holes, and the first end plate and the second end plate are respectively fixed to one of the positioning rods by fasteners passing through the connecting holes.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0017] In the temperature-averaged battery module of the present invention, the first end plate near the water inlet of the liquid cooling plate is not in contact with the liquid cooling plate, and the second end plate near the water outlet of the liquid cooling plate is in contact with the liquid cooling plate. Therefore, the temperature of the second end plate is also regulated by the liquid cooling plate, so that the second end plate near the water outlet of the liquid cooling plate can exert additional cooling or heat preservation effect on the battery cell adjacent to it, compensate for the adverse effects caused by the battery cell being far from the water inlet, reduce the temperature difference between the battery cells so that the battery module is in a better working state and has a longer service life. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a temperature-controlled battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded diagram of

[0020] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a liquid cooling plate, a first end plate, and a second end plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Exploded diagram of

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 3 The main view of

[0023] Figure 6 for Figure 3 Rear view of

[0024] Figure 7 An exploded view of a second end plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a temperature-controlled battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 Exploded diagram.

[0027] In the figure:

[0028] 1. Liquid cooling plate; 110. Water inlet; 120. Water outlet; 21. First end plate; 200. Connecting hole; 210. First groove; 22. Second end plate; 220. Second groove; 220', protrusion; 221. Plate body; 2211. Through hole; 222. Connector; 2221. Column; 31. First thermal insulation member; 32. Second thermal insulation member; 4. Heat conducting member; 51. First insulating member; 52. Second insulating member; 6. Side plate; 61. Opening; 7. Shell; 71. Bottom frame; 711. Frame body; 712. Positioning rod; 7121. Positioning groove; 72. Upper cover; 8. Heat insulating plate; 100. Battery cell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0030] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0031] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the temperature equalizing battery module of this embodiment includes a liquid cooling plate 1, a first end plate 21 and a second end plate 22, a water inlet 110 is provided at one end of the liquid cooling plate 1, a water outlet 120 is provided at the other end of the liquid cooling plate 1, the first end plate 21 is close to the water inlet 110, the second end plate 22 is close to the water outlet 120, a plurality of battery cells 100 are arranged between the first end plate 21 and the second end plate 22, the first end plate 21 is separated from the liquid cooling plate 1, and the second end plate 22 is connected to the liquid cooling plate 1.

[0033] When the liquid cooling plate 1 cools a plurality of battery cells 100, due to the heat exchange between the coolant in the liquid cooling plate 1 and the battery cells 100, the water temperature on the side close to the water outlet 120 is higher than the water temperature on the side close to the water inlet 110, so that the cooling effect on the battery cells 100 close to the water outlet 120 is relatively weak; when heating a plurality of battery cells 100, the water temperature on the side close to the water outlet 120 is lower than the water temperature on the side close to the water inlet 110, and the heating effect on the battery cells 100 close to the water outlet 120 is also relatively weak. In addition, the battery cell 100 adjacent to the water outlet 120 is located at the edge, with one side thereof close to another battery cell 100, and the other side thereof not adjacent to other battery cells 100 but close to the second end plate 22. The temperature of the second end plate 22 is greatly affected by the ambient temperature. If the temperature of the second end plate 22 is not controlled, the temperature difference between the battery cell 100 adjacent to the second end plate 22 and the other battery cells 100 will be further aggravated, which is not conducive to the good operation of the battery module and shortens the service life of the battery module.

[0034] In the temperature-averaged battery module of the present embodiment, the first end plate 21 near the water inlet 110 of the liquid cooling plate 1 is not in contact with the liquid cooling plate 1, and the second end plate 22 near the water outlet 120 of the liquid cooling plate 1 is in contact with the liquid cooling plate 1. Therefore, the temperature of the second end plate 22 is also regulated by the liquid cooling plate 1, so that the second end plate 22 near the water outlet 120 of the liquid cooling plate 1 has an additional cooling or heat preservation effect on the battery cell 100 adjacent to it, which is similar to turning the second end plate 22 into an additional "battery cell 100". The battery cell 100 adjacent to the second end plate 22 is also changed from an edge position to a non-edge position, compensating for the adverse effect caused by the battery cell 100 being far away from the water inlet 110, reducing the temperature difference between the battery cells 100 to put the battery module in a better working state and have a longer service life.

[0035] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, preferably, a first groove 210 is provided on the first end plate 21, one end of the liquid cooling plate 1 passes through the first groove 210, a second groove 220 is provided on the second end plate 22, a protrusion 220' is provided in the second groove 220, the other end of the liquid cooling plate 1 passes through the second groove 220, and the liquid cooling plate 1 is connected to the protrusion 220'. The first groove 210 and the second groove 220 provide space for the liquid cooling plate 1 to pass through. The reason why the first end plate 21 is not allowed to contact the liquid cooling plate 1 is to reduce the temperature difference of the battery cells 100 at both ends. Since the liquid cooling plate 1 is connected to the protrusion 220', the second end plate 22 is also temperature-regulated by the liquid cooling plate 1, thereby performing temperature compensation on the battery cells 100 adjacent to the second end plate 22.

[0036] like Figure 7 As shown, further, the second end plate 22 includes a plate body 221 and a connecting member 222. The plate body 221 is provided with a through hole 2211 for inserting the connecting member 222. One end opening of the through hole 2211 is located at the bottom of the second groove 220. The portion of the connecting member 222 protruding from the bottom of the second groove 220 forms a protruding portion 220'. If the protruding portion 220' is directly machined in the second groove 220, a very high machining accuracy is required to ensure that the protruding portion 220' is in contact with the surface of the liquid cooling plate 1. The second end plate 22 of this embodiment adopts such a split structure, which has low requirements on machining accuracy, is relatively easy to implement, and is suitable for large-scale industrial production.

[0037] Furthermore, the connector 222 includes a plurality of columns 2221, the columns 2221 are in a rectangular shape, and the through hole 2211 is a rectangular hole. The through hole 2211 can accommodate the connector 222 formed by a plurality of columns 2221. By adjusting the number of columns 2221, the temperature regulation capability of the liquid cooling plate 1 on the second end plate 22 can be changed. The columns 2221 can adopt a hollow structure to reduce weight and manufacturing cost.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, preferably, a first thermal insulation member 31 is provided between two adjacent battery cells 100, and a heat conductive member 4 is provided between a plurality of battery cells 100 and the liquid cooling plate 1. The first thermal insulation member 31 is used to maintain the temperature of the battery cells 100, and the heat conductive member 4 enables the liquid cooling plate 1 to perform more sufficient and uniform cooling or heating of a plurality of battery cells 100, and can improve the temperature consistency of each battery cell 100. In a specific embodiment, the first thermal insulation member 31 is made of foam, and the heat conductive member 4 is made of a thermally conductive silicone pad. Since the foam has a certain elasticity, the first thermal insulation member 31 can absorb the expansion of the battery cell 100 during the cycle to a certain extent, and maintain the stability of the battery module shape.

[0039] Preferably, a first insulating member 51 is provided between the battery cell 100 adjacent to the first end plate 21 and the first end plate 21, and a second insulating member 52 is provided between the battery cell 100 adjacent to the second end plate 22 and the second end plate 22. The first insulating member 51 and the second insulating member 52 can be made of plastic plates, and the first insulating member 51 and the second insulating member 52 can play a certain role in temperature regulation in addition to playing an insulating role. Since the first end plate 21 is not in contact with the liquid cooling plate 1, and the second end plate 22 is in contact with the liquid cooling plate 1, the first insulating member 51 can be made of a material with better thermal insulation performance, and the second insulating member 52 can be made of a material with relatively weaker thermal insulation performance, so that the temperature of the first end plate 21 has less impact on the adjacent battery cell 100, and the temperature of the second end plate 22 has a greater impact on the adjacent battery cell 100, so that the temperature compensation effect of the second end plate 22 on the adjacent battery cell 100 is more fully exerted, and the temperature difference is reduced.

[0040] Preferably, the temperature-averaging battery module further includes two side plates 6, one end of the side plate 6 is connected to the first end plate 21, and the other end of the side plate 6 is connected to the second end plate 22, and the two side plates 6 are relatively arranged on both sides of the plurality of battery cells 100. The side plates 6 are used to resist the expansion of the plurality of battery cells 100 during the cycle process and maintain the stability of the battery module shape. In a specific embodiment, a plurality of openings 61 are provided on the side plates 6 to reduce the weight of the side plates 6.

[0041] Furthermore, a second heat-insulating member 32 is disposed between the side plate 6 and the battery cell 100 , which prevents the battery cell 100 from directly contacting the side plate 6 and causing relatively rapid heat conduction, and also provides a certain degree of buffering to protect the battery cell 100 .

[0042] like Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, preferably, the temperature-averaged battery module further includes a shell 7, which is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and includes a bottom frame 71 and an upper cover 72 connected to the bottom frame 71, and the bottom frame 71 is in the shape of a U-shaped groove, and a plurality of battery cells 100, a first end plate 21, a second end plate 22 and a liquid cooling plate 1 are all arranged inside the shell 7. The shell 7 is used to provide a fixed position for the first end plate 21 and the second end plate 22, so that a plurality of battery cells 100 are fixed and protected.

[0043] Specifically, the bottom frame 71 includes a frame body 711 and two positioning rods 712, one positioning rod 712 is arranged near one end of the frame body 711, and the other positioning rod 712 is arranged near the other end of the frame body 711. The positioning rod 712 is provided with a positioning groove 7121, and the two ends of the liquid cooling plate 1 can be respectively inserted into a positioning groove 7121. Figure 7 As shown, the first end plate 21 and the second end plate 22 are both provided with connection holes 200, and the first end plate 21 and the second end plate 22 are respectively fixed to a positioning rod 712 by fasteners (not shown in the figure) passing through the connection holes 200, and the corresponding positions on the positioning rod 712 are provided with threaded holes (not shown in the figure) and other fixing structures. The positioning groove 7121 provides positioning for the installation of the liquid cooling plate 1. During the actual installation process, the liquid cooling plate 1 does not contact the positioning rod 712 to prevent heat conduction between the two, resulting in a decrease in the performance of the liquid cooling plate 1. In this embodiment, a heat insulation plate 8 is also provided between the liquid cooling plate 1 and the frame body 711. Since the area of ​​the liquid cooling plate 1 is large, if the heat insulation plate 8 is not provided, the large-area contact between the frame body 711 and the liquid cooling plate 1 will directly lead to a significant reduction in the temperature control efficiency of the liquid cooling plate 1 for a number of battery cells 100.

[0044] As preferred embodiments of the present invention, in the description of this specification, the reference terms "preferably", "further", etc., mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0045] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the detailed scheme of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above detailed scheme, that is, it does not mean that the present invention must rely on the above detailed scheme to be implemented. Those skilled in the art should understand that any improvement of the present invention, equivalent replacement of various raw materials of the product of the present invention, addition of auxiliary components, selection of specific methods, etc., all fall within the protection scope and disclosure scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A temperature-controlled battery module, characterized in that: It includes a liquid cooling plate, a first end plate and a second end plate, wherein a water inlet is arranged at one end of the liquid cooling plate, a water outlet is arranged at the other end of the liquid cooling plate, the first end plate is close to the water inlet, the second end plate is close to the water outlet, a plurality of battery cells are arranged between the first end plate and the second end plate, the first end plate is spaced from the liquid cooling plate, the second end plate is connected to the liquid cooling plate, the liquid cooling plate adjusts the temperature of the second end plate, and the battery cell adjacent to the water outlet has one side close to another battery cell and the other side close to the second end plate.

2. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first end plate is provided with a first groove, one end of the liquid cooling plate passes through the first groove, the second end plate is provided with a second groove, a protrusion is arranged in the second groove, the other end of the liquid cooling plate passes through the second groove, and the liquid cooling plate is connected to the protrusion.

3. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second end plate includes a plate body and a connecting piece. The plate body is provided with a through hole for inserting the connecting piece. One end of the through hole is opened at the bottom of the second groove. The part of the connecting piece protruding from the bottom of the groove forms the protruding portion.

4. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting member comprises a plurality of columns, the columns are in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the through holes are rectangular holes.

5. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first heat-insulating member is arranged between two adjacent battery cells, and a heat-conducting member is arranged between a plurality of battery cells and the liquid cooling plate.

6. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first insulating member is disposed between the battery core adjacent to the first end plate and the first end plate, and a second insulating member is disposed between the battery core adjacent to the second end plate and the second end plate.

7. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes two side plates, one end of the side plate is connected to the first end plate, and the other end of the side plate is connected to the second end plate, and the two side plates are arranged oppositely on both sides of the plurality of battery cells.

8. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 7, characterized in that: A second heat-insulating member is arranged between the side plate and the battery core.

9. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a shell, which is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The shell includes a bottom frame and an upper cover connected to the bottom frame. The bottom frame is in the shape of a U-shaped groove. The plurality of battery cells, the first end plate, the second end plate and the liquid cooling plate are all arranged inside the shell.

10. The temperature-controlled battery module according to claim 9, characterized in that: The bottom frame includes a frame body and two positioning rods, one of the positioning rods is arranged close to one end of the frame body, and the other positioning rod is arranged close to the other end of the frame body, the positioning rods are provided with positioning grooves, and the two ends of the liquid cooling plate can be respectively inserted into one of the positioning grooves, and the first end plate and the second end plate are both provided with connecting holes, and the first end plate and the second end plate are respectively fixed to one of the positioning rods by fasteners passing through the connecting holes.

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