A liquid-cooled lithium battery module

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the present specification provide a liquid-cooled lithium battery module, including a liquid cooling pipe, wherein the liquid cooling pipe includes a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a branch pipe connecting the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, wherein the liquid inlet is connected to the liquid outlet through a liquid cooling device, and a water pump is provided at the liquid inlet, and the water pump pumps the liquid cooled from the liquid cooling device back into the liquid cooling pipe in the storage compartment. A plurality of lithium battery cells are arranged in the mounting groove. The present invention provides a liquid-cooled lithium battery module, which accelerates the flow rate of the cooling liquid in the liquid cooling pipe by providing a water pump at the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pipe to promote the flow of cooling liquid, and then cools the cooling liquid faster through a separate liquid cooling device, thereby taking away the heat generated by the lithium battery cell faster, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the lithium battery module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] One or more embodiments of the present specification relate to the field of lithium battery technology, and in particular, to a liquid-cooled lithium battery module. Background Art

[0002] With the country's support for the new energy industry, electric vehicles have gradually become the industry with the largest demand for lithium batteries. Due to the technological innovation of lithium battery manufacturers, people's demand for lithium batteries will continue to grow, and the lithium battery industry has a good development prospect. Lithium batteries have been widely used in 3C digital fields such as mobile phones and laptops due to their high energy density and long cycle life.

[0003] Lithium batteries generate a lot of heat when charging or continuously supplying power, which causes the battery temperature to rise, reduces the battery life, and even causes explosion. Lithium battery modules in the prior art usually use liquid cooling plates to cool the battery core. Multiple liquid cooling plates are placed close to the battery module, and the liquid in the liquid cooling plates is used to take away the heat.

[0004] However, the inventors found that in order to save space in the battery pack, the liquid-cooled battery module in the prior art has to reduce the volume of the liquid cooling plate, and the liquid in the liquid cooling plate only relies on self-circulation to discharge the heat of the liquid, and the heat dissipation capacity is limited. When the battery core generates a large amount of heat in a short period of time, it is easy to cause poor heat dissipation, thereby reducing the heat dissipation efficiency of the lithium battery module. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, an object of one or more embodiments of the present specification is to provide a liquid-cooled lithium battery module to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the lithium battery module.

[0006] Based on the above purpose, one or more embodiments of this specification provide a liquid-cooled lithium battery module, characterized in that it includes:

[0007] The shell includes a base and a cover plate, wherein the base is protruded around a peripheral wall and a storage compartment surrounded by the peripheral wall;

[0008] A liquid cooling pipeline is arranged in the storage bin, the liquid cooling pipeline comprises a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet and a branch pipeline connecting the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, the liquid inlet is connected to the liquid outlet through a liquid cooling device, a water pump is arranged at the liquid inlet, the water pump is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the liquid inlet through a fixed base, the water pump will pump the liquid cooled in the liquid cooling device back to the liquid cooling pipeline in the storage bin, adjacent branch pipelines form a mounting groove, a buffer gasket is arranged at the bottom of the mounting groove, and a buffer heat conductive gasket is arranged on the side wall of the mounting groove;

[0009] A plurality of lithium battery cells are arranged in the installation slot.

[0010] As an optional implementation, a battery pole is disposed on the top of the lithium battery core, and the battery pole includes a positive pole and a negative pole.

[0011] As an optional embodiment, the liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a bus, which includes multiple first bus bars and two second bus bars. The first bus bar connects the different battery poles of two adjacent lithium battery cells to connect all the lithium battery cells in the accommodating compartment into a series circuit in the order of positive and negative poles. The second bus bar is arranged at two ports of the series circuit and is led out from the shell.

[0012] As an optional embodiment, a limiting column is arranged on the top of the battery core, and the liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a limiting plate, which is provided with a limiting hole for accommodating the limiting column, and the limiting plate fixes the lithium battery cells located in the same row in the accommodating compartment.

[0013] Specifically, two ends of the limiting plate are bent and fixedly connected to the outer side wall of the shell by bolts.

[0014] As an optional implementation, the lithium battery core is in close contact with the buffer thermally conductive gasket.

[0015] As an optional implementation, a thermal sensing device is provided at the liquid outlet, and the thermal sensing device includes:

[0016] A heat conducting material is disposed on the side wall at the liquid outlet;

[0017] A guide groove is arranged on the outer side of the heat conducting material;

[0018] A heat expansion material is arranged at the bottom of the guide groove and is arranged close to the heat conduction material. One end of the heat expansion material is fixed to the outside of the heat conduction material by a fastening bolt, and the other end is fixed with a first sealing disk adapted to the caliber of the guide groove;

[0019] A push-pull rod, one end of which is fixed with a second sealing disk adapted to the caliber of the guide groove and arranged in the guide groove, and the other end of which extends out of the guide groove;

[0020] The sliding variable resistance device is arranged beside the push-pull rod and comprises an electrical contact fixed on the push-pull rod and a variable resistor fixed in position and slidingly rubbing against the electrical contact.

[0021] As an optional embodiment, the liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a control circuit, which uses the lithium battery core as a power source and is connected in series with the sliding variable resistance device and a water pump. The thermal expansion material pushes the push-pull rod to move out of the guide groove when it expands when heated, thereby reducing the resistance value of the sliding variable resistance device in the control circuit, increasing the voltage at the water pump end, and increasing the flow rate of the liquid in the liquid cooling pipe.

[0022] From the above description, it can be seen that a liquid-cooled lithium battery module provided by one or more embodiments of the present specification accelerates the flow rate of the cooling liquid in the liquid cooling pipe by setting a water pump at the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pipe to promote the flow of cooling liquid, and then cools the cooling liquid more quickly through a separate liquid cooling device, so that the heat generated by the lithium battery core can be taken away more quickly, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the lithium battery module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate one or more embodiments of the present specification or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only one or more embodiments of the present specification. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a liquid-cooled lithium battery module according to one or more embodiments of the present specification;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a liquid-cooled lithium battery module when one or more embodiments of this specification are not fixed;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a liquid-cooled lithium battery module without a lithium battery cell installed in one or more embodiments of this specification;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a thermal sensing device according to one or more embodiments of the present specification;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a control circuit according to one or more embodiments of the present specification.

[0029] Among them, 1-shell, 1a-containing compartment, 1b-installing groove, 1c-buffered thermal gasket, 1d-buffered gasket, 1e-lithium battery core, 1f-battery pole, 2-liquid cooling pipe, 2a-liquid inlet, 2b-liquid outlet, 2c-branch pipe, 2d-water pump, 3-bus, 3a-first bus, 3b-second bus, 4-limiting column, 4a-limiting plate, 5-thermal sensing device, 5a-heat conduction material, 5b-thermal expansion material, 5c-first sealing disk, 5d-second sealing disk, 5e-push-pull rod, 5f-electrical contact, 5g-variator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the following is combined with specific embodiments and with reference to Figure 1-5 , further describing the present disclosure in detail.

[0031] Based on the above purpose, one or more embodiments of this specification provide a liquid-cooled lithium battery module, characterized in that it includes:

[0032] The housing 1 comprises a base and a cover plate, wherein the base is protruded around a peripheral wall and a storage compartment 1a surrounded by the peripheral wall;

[0033] A liquid cooling pipe 2 is connected and arranged in the accommodating chamber 1a. The liquid cooling pipe 2 includes a liquid inlet 2a, a liquid outlet 2b and a branch pipe 2c connecting the liquid inlet 2a and the liquid outlet 2b. The liquid inlet 2a is connected to the liquid outlet 2b through a liquid cooling device. A water pump 2d is arranged at the liquid inlet 2a. The water pump 2d is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the liquid inlet 2a through a fixed base. The water pump 2d pumps the liquid cooled in the liquid cooling device back into the liquid cooling pipe 2 in the accommodating chamber 1a. Adjacent branch pipes 2c form a mounting groove 1b. A buffer gasket 1d is arranged at the bottom of the mounting groove 1b, and a buffer heat-conducting gasket 1c is arranged on the side wall of the mounting groove 1b.

[0034] A plurality of lithium battery cells 1e are disposed in the mounting groove 1b.

[0035] It can be seen that a liquid-cooled lithium battery module provided by one or more embodiments of the present specification accelerates the flow rate of the cooling liquid in the liquid cooling pipe 2 by setting a water pump 2d at the liquid inlet of the liquid cooling pipe 2 to promote the flow of cooling liquid, and then cools the cooling liquid more quickly through a separate liquid cooling device, so that the heat generated by the lithium battery core 1e can be taken away more quickly, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the lithium battery module.

[0036] As an optional implementation, a battery pole 1f is disposed on the top of the lithium battery core 1e, and the battery pole 1f includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode.

[0037] As an optional embodiment, the liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a bus 3, which includes a plurality of first bus bars 3a and two second bus bars 3b, wherein the first bus bar 3a connects the battery poles 1f of different polarities of two adjacent lithium battery cells 1e to connect all the lithium battery cells 1e in the accommodating compartment 1a into a series circuit in the order of positive and negative pole connection, and the second bus bar 3b is arranged at two ports of the series circuit and is led out from the shell 1.

[0038] The first busbar 3a electrically connects the multiple lithium battery cells 1e installed in the accommodating compartment 1a, and the voltages of the multiple lithium battery cells 1e can be superimposed in series, strictly following the connection sequence of the positive and negative electrodes to prevent the voltages between the lithium battery cells 1e from being offset. The second busbar 3b leads the two ports of the series circuit to the outside of the housing 1, and the external circuit is connected to the second busbar 3b when in use.

[0039] As an optional embodiment, a limiting column 4 is arranged on the top of the battery core, and the liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a limiting plate 4a, and the limiting plate 4a is provided with a limiting hole for accommodating the limiting column 4, and the limiting plate 4a fixes the lithium battery core 1e located in the same row in the accommodating compartment 1a.

[0040] The limiting column 4 is arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and is made of insulating material. The limiting plate 4a is also an insulator. The limiting column 4 is inserted into the limiting hole in the limiting plate 4a to prevent the lithium battery core 1e from sliding in the accommodating compartment 1a, thereby ensuring the structural stability of the liquid-cooled lithium battery module.

[0041] Specifically, both ends of the limiting plate 4a are bent and fixedly connected to the outer side wall of the housing 1 by bolts.

[0042] As an optional embodiment, the lithium battery core 1e is in close contact with the buffer thermal pad 1c. The heat generated by the lithium battery core 1e is first dissipated to the buffer thermal pad 1c, and then conducted to the liquid cooling pipe 2 in close contact with the buffer thermal pad 1c, and the buffer thermal pad 1c plays a role of heat conduction; at the same time, as an intermediate buffer, the buffer thermal pad 1c can effectively buffer the force between the lithium battery core 1e and the liquid cooling pipe 2.

[0043] As an optional embodiment, a thermal sensing device 5 is provided at the liquid outlet 2b, and the thermal sensing device 5 includes:

[0044] The heat conducting material 5a is arranged on the side wall of the liquid outlet 2b;

[0045] A guide groove, arranged on the outer side of the heat conducting material 5a;

[0046] A heat expansion material 5b is arranged at the bottom of the guide groove and is arranged close to the heat conduction material 5a. One end of the heat expansion material 5b is fixed to the outside of the heat conduction material 5a by a fastening bolt, and the other end is fixed with a first sealing disk 5c adapted to the caliber of the guide groove;

[0047] A push-pull rod 5e, one end of which is fixed with a second sealing disc 5d adapted to the caliber of the guide groove and arranged in the guide groove, and the other end of which extends out of the guide groove;

[0048] The sliding variable resistance device is arranged beside the push-pull rod 5e, and includes an electrical contact 5f fixed on the push-pull rod 5e and a variable resistor 5g at a fixed position that slides and rubs against the electrical contact 5f.

[0049] When the temperature of the coolant in the liquid outlet 2b rises, the thermal expansion material 5b senses the heat change through the heat conduction material 5a, and when it expands due to the heat, it pushes the push-pull rod 5e to slide toward the outside of the guide groove, and the electrical contact 5f moves forward in the direction of reducing the resistance value in the sliding variable resistance device. The air gap between the first sealing disk 5c and the second sealing disk 5d is used to prevent direct contact between the thermal expansion material 5b and the push-pull rod 5e, which may cause material fatigue of the thermal expansion material 5b; when the temperature of the coolant in the liquid outlet 2b drops, the thermal expansion material 5b senses the heat change through the heat conduction material 5a, and shrinks, pulling the push-pull rod 5e to slide toward the inside of the guide groove, and the electrical contact 5f moves in the direction of increasing the resistance value in the sliding variable resistance device. The heat dissipation rate of the liquid-cooled lithium battery module can be dynamically controlled according to the specific temperature change of the liquid outlet 2b, preventing the temperature of the lithium battery core 1e from being too high or too low, so that it can be maintained at a relatively efficient working temperature.

[0050] As an optional embodiment, the liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a control circuit, which uses the lithium battery core 1e as a power source, and is connected in series with the sliding variable resistance device and the water pump 2d. The thermal expansion material 5b expands when heated and pushes the push-pull rod 5e to move out of the guide groove, thereby reducing the resistance value of the sliding variable resistance device in the control circuit, increasing the voltage at the end of the water pump 2d, and increasing the flow rate of the liquid in the liquid cooling pipe 2.

[0051] When the number of lithium battery cells 1e connected to the receiving slot increases, the power supply voltage of the control circuit increases, thereby increasing the voltage across the water pump 2d, so that the actual working power of the water pump 2d increases, and the flow rate of the coolant in the liquid cooling pipe 2 is accelerated, and the heat generated in the liquid-cooled battery module is taken away more quickly, thereby improving the cooling efficiency; when the number of lithium battery cells 1e connected to the receiving slot is reduced, similarly, the power supply voltage of the control circuit decreases, reducing the voltage across the water pump 2d, so that the actual working power of the water pump 2d is reduced, and the flow rate of the coolant in the liquid cooling pipe 2 is slowed down; the above process realizes that the heat dissipation rate of the liquid-cooled lithium battery module can be dynamically controlled according to the specific number of lithium battery cells 1e installed, thereby preventing the temperature of the lithium battery cells 1e from being too high or too low, so that it is maintained at a relatively efficient working temperature.

[0052] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in one or more embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0053] The above is a description of a specific embodiment of the present specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or continuous order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0054] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present disclosure (including the claims) is limited to these examples. In line with the present disclosure, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of the present specification as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity.

[0055] In addition, to simplify the description and discussion, and in order not to obscure one or more embodiments of the present specification, devices may or may not be shown in the provided figures, so as to avoid obscuring one or more embodiments of the present specification, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of the implementation of these block diagram devices are highly dependent on the platform on which one or more embodiments of the present specification will be implemented (i.e., these details should be fully within the scope of understanding of those skilled in the art). Where specific details are set forth to describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more embodiments of the present specification can be implemented without these specific details or with variations in these specific details. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0056] While the disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.

[0057] One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification should be included in the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled lithium battery module, It is characterized in that include: The shell includes a base and a cover plate, wherein the base is protruded around a peripheral wall and a storage compartment surrounded by the peripheral wall; A liquid cooling pipeline is arranged in the storage bin, the liquid cooling pipeline comprises a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet and a branch pipeline connecting the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, the liquid inlet is connected to the liquid outlet through a liquid cooling device, a water pump is arranged at the liquid inlet, the water pump is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the liquid inlet through a fixed base, the water pump will pump the liquid cooled in the liquid cooling device back to the liquid cooling pipeline in the storage bin, adjacent branch pipelines form a mounting groove, a buffer gasket is arranged at the bottom of the mounting groove, and a buffer heat conductive gasket is arranged on the side wall of the mounting groove; A plurality of lithium battery cells are arranged in the installation slot; A thermal sensing device is provided at the liquid outlet, and the thermal sensing device comprises: A heat conducting material is disposed on the side wall at the liquid outlet; A guide groove is arranged on the outer side of the heat conducting material; A heat expansion material is arranged at the bottom of the guide groove and is arranged close to the heat conduction material. One end of the heat expansion material is fixed to the outside of the heat conduction material by a fastening bolt, and the other end is fixed with a first sealing disk adapted to the caliber of the guide groove; A push-pull rod, one end of which is fixed with a second sealing disk adapted to the caliber of the guide groove and arranged in the guide groove, and the other end of which extends out of the guide groove; A sliding variable resistance device is arranged beside the push-pull rod, comprising an electrical contact fixed on the push-pull rod and a variable resistor fixed in position and slidingly rubbing against the electrical contact; The liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a control circuit, which uses the lithium battery core as a power source and is connected in series to the sliding variable resistance device and a water pump. The thermal expansion material pushes the push-pull rod to move out of the guide groove when it expands when heated, thereby reducing the resistance value connected to the sliding variable resistance device in the control circuit, increasing the voltage at the water pump end, and increasing the flow rate of the liquid in the liquid cooling pipeline.

2. The liquid-cooled lithium battery module according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A battery pole is arranged on the top of the lithium battery core, and the battery pole includes a positive pole and a negative pole.

3. The liquid-cooled lithium battery module according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The liquid-cooled lithium battery module also includes a bus, which includes multiple first bus bars and two second bus bars. The first bus bar connects the battery poles of two adjacent lithium battery cells of different polarity so as to connect all the lithium battery cells in the accommodating compartment into a series circuit in the connection sequence of positive and negative poles. The second bus bar is arranged at two ports of the series circuit and is led out from the shell.

4. The liquid-cooled lithium battery module according to claim 1, It is characterized in that A limiting column is arranged on the top of the battery core, and the liquid-cooled lithium battery module further comprises a limiting plate, wherein the limiting plate is provided with a limiting hole for accommodating the limiting column, and the limiting plate fixes the lithium battery cores in the same row in the accommodating compartment.

5. The liquid-cooled lithium battery module according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The two ends of the limiting plate are bent and fixedly connected to the outer side wall of the shell by bolts.

6. The liquid-cooled lithium battery module according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The lithium battery core is in close contact with the buffer thermally conductive pad.

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