Method and system for detecting an abnormality of a phase change cooling plate without stopping

Abstract

The application relates to a method and system for detecting abnormality of a phase change cooling plate without stopping. The phase change cooling plate is used for cooling the battery cells encapsulated in a battery assembly. The method can identify a potential abnormal heat pipe by monitoring the characteristic value of the single-cell temperature parameter of at least part of the battery cells in the battery assembly and comparing the characteristic value with the characteristic value of the single-cell temperature parameter of other battery cells in the same battery cell group. Furthermore, the method can further determine whether the potential abnormal heat pipe is abnormal by comparing the characteristic value of the battery cell group temperature parameter corresponding to each battery cell group.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a method and system for detecting abnormalities in a phase change cooling plate without shutting down. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of battery technology, the thermal management performance of a battery directly affects its safety, lifespan, and efficiency. Battery thermal management relies on a cooling system. Simultaneously, the operating status of the cooling system needs to be monitored to ensure timely detection and resolution of any anomalies.

[0003] However, the mainstream cooling system currently is liquid cooling, and corresponding anomaly detection solutions are also proposed for liquid cooling systems. But due to the inherent characteristics of liquid cooling systems, they are not ideal in terms of energy consumption, safety, and cooling effect. Specifically, liquid cooling systems have many technical defects in practical applications: On the one hand, when the coolant exchanges heat with the battery cells as it flows through the channels within the cooling plate, a temperature difference is formed between the inlet and outlet due to the absorption of heat from the cells. The longer the channel and the greater the heat generated by the battery cells, the more significant this temperature difference becomes, leading to a large temperature difference within the battery cells themselves, affecting battery consistency and lifespan. On the other hand, battery modules require inlet and outlet connectors, which are prone to coolant leakage or seepage, directly causing a decrease in the insulation level of the battery modules and even leading to serious safety risks such as battery short circuits. Furthermore, due to the limited heat transfer capacity of the coolant, the coolant temperature usually needs to be reduced to maintain the maximum cell temperature below the operating temperature threshold. This makes the temperature of the liquid cooling plate much lower than the ambient air temperature, and condensation easily forms on the surface of the liquid cooling plate in high-temperature and high-humidity environments. Condensation can reduce the insulation performance of battery cells and electrical systems, potentially leading to serious safety hazards such as electrical breakdown or even short circuits.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to upgrade and improve the cooling system required for battery thermal management scenarios, and to propose an adaptive anomaly detection scheme. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method and system for detecting abnormalities in a phase change cooling plate without shutting down, in order to address some or all of the shortcomings in related technologies.

[0006] This application provides a method for detecting abnormal operation of a phase change cooling plate without shutting down.

[0007] The phase change cooling plate is used to cool the battery cells encapsulated within the battery assembly. The phase change cooling plate includes a hot end and a cold end, and a plurality of heat pipes extending from the hot end to the cold end. The plurality of heat pipes are spaced apart and are independent and sealed to each other. A phase change working medium is disposed inside the heat pipes. The phase change working medium absorbs heat from the battery cells at the hot end to change from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase, and dissipates heat at the cold end to change from a gaseous phase to a liquid phase.

[0008] The method includes:

[0009] The characteristic values ​​of the single-cell temperature parameters of at least a portion of the cells within the battery assembly are monitored.

[0010] If the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell is abnormal, then according to the heat pipe in the phase change cooling plate used to cool the cell, the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of each cell in the cell group corresponding to the heat pipe is obtained, and the cell group includes all cells in the battery assembly that are cooled by the heat pipe.

[0011] If the difference between the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell and the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of other cells in the cell group is greater than a preset threshold, then it is determined that the phase change cooling plate is normal and that any cell is abnormal; otherwise, the heat pipe is recorded as a potentially abnormal heat pipe.

[0012] For each cell group corresponding to each heat pipe in the battery assembly: based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell monitored in the cell group, the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters corresponding to the cell group are statistically analyzed.

[0013] If the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery assembly is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0015] If the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potentially abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery module is not greater than a preset threshold, then:

[0016] When the cold end temperature of the heat pipe is collected, the temperature difference characteristic value of the heat pipe corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes in the battery module is determined. The temperature difference characteristic value is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding heat pipe and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding cell group. If the difference between the temperature difference characteristic value of the potential abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes in the battery module is greater than a preset threshold, the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the phase change cooling plate is recorded as a potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0017] Without collecting the cold end temperature of the heat pipe, the phase change cooling plate is directly recorded as a potentially abnormal cooling plate;

[0018] Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each monitored cell in the battery assembly and / or the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters of each cell group, the characteristic values ​​of the battery assembly temperature parameters corresponding to the potentially abnormal cooling plate are statistically analyzed.

[0019] If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be abnormal; wherein, the cooling conditions of the reference cooling plate are the same as or similar to those of the potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0020] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0021] If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then it is determined that the potential abnormal cooling plate is not abnormal, and any of the battery cells is abnormal.

[0022] or,

[0023] If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference between the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is determined respectively. The characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding cooling plate and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding battery module; wherein: if the difference between the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference between the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is greater than the preset threshold, then the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be non-abnormal, and any cell is abnormal.

[0024] Furthermore, the reference cooling plate includes a phase change cooling plate that satisfies at least one of the following conditions:

[0025] The physical distance between it and the potentially abnormal cooling plate is close;

[0026] The cold end temperature is the same as or similar to that of the potentially abnormal cooling plate;

[0027] The ambient temperature and humidity are the same as or similar to those of the potentially abnormal cooling plate.

[0028] Furthermore, the characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters corresponding to the reference cooling plate include at least one of the following:

[0029] Temporary statistics were performed on other phase change cooling plates that differed from the potentially abnormal cooling plates to obtain characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters.

[0030] The characteristic values ​​of battery component temperature parameters obtained statistically from the reference cooling plate at historical moments, the reference cooling plate including the potential abnormal cooling plate and / or other phase change cooling plates that are different from the potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0031] Furthermore, the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters corresponding to the cell group include:

[0032] Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the cell group under real-time monitoring, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: maximum value, minimum value, mean value, and variance.

[0033] And / or,

[0034] Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the cell group under real-time monitoring, and the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell at historical times, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: rate of change and trend of change.

[0035] Furthermore, the phase change cooling plate also includes a bending region disposed between the cold end and the hot end;

[0036] The phase change cooling plate is bent in the bending region so that the liquid phase change working fluid can flow from the cold end to the hot end under the action of gravity.

[0037] This application also provides a phase change cooling system, including:

[0038] A phase change cooling plate is used to cool the battery cells encapsulated within a battery assembly. The phase change cooling plate includes a hot end and a cold end, and a plurality of heat pipes extending from the hot end to the cold end. The plurality of heat pipes are spaced apart and are independent and sealed to each other. A phase change working fluid is disposed inside each heat pipe. The phase change working fluid absorbs heat from the battery cells at the hot end to change from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase, and dissipates heat at the cold end to change from a gaseous phase to a liquid phase.

[0039] The control module is used to detect abnormalities in the phase change cooling plate without stopping it, as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0040] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0041] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program / instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0042] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application may include the following beneficial effects:

[0043] This application utilizes the phase change of the phase change working fluid for heat exchange, ensuring that during the cooling process of the phase change cooling plate on the battery cells encapsulated within the battery module, no significant temperature difference is generated, regardless of the location of the same heat pipe or between different heat pipes. As a result, the phase change cooling plate can achieve a more uniform heat dissipation effect on the battery cells for the battery module. For the cooling system, the cell temperature can be used to accurately detect anomalies in the phase change cooling plate, and the detection process does not require stopping the phase change cooling plate or the battery module, thus avoiding affecting the normal operation of the battery module.

[0044] This application achieves graded detection of abnormal cell temperatures by comparing the characteristic values ​​of temperature parameters of a single cell and the characteristic values ​​of temperature parameters of a cell group, at least from the cell dimension and cell group dimension, respectively, thereby further improving the accuracy of abnormal detection of phase change cooling plates.

[0045] Furthermore, compared to traditional liquid cooling systems, the phase change cooling plate-based cooling system of this application is not only simple in structure but also eliminates the need to lower the temperature to ensure cooling effectiveness. This avoids excessive temperature differences between the cooling plate and the outside air, preventing condensation from forming on the surface and thus preventing condensation from affecting cooling performance, increasing the risk of battery overheating, or causing electrical short circuits and other safety hazards. It also achieves the aforementioned uniform heat dissipation effect, preventing excessive temperature differences between the battery cells. Moreover, the heat pipes of this application are independent and sealed, eliminating the need for inlet and outlet connectors on the phase change cooling plate. This effectively prevents leakage or seepage of the phase change working fluid at the connectors, which could lead to a decrease in the insulation capacity of the battery module or even a short circuit.

[0046] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0047] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0048] Figure 1 The diagram shows an overall schematic representation of an embodiment of the battery assembly of this application;

[0049] Figure 2 Shown as Figure 1 A partial magnified view of the battery assembly shown;

[0050] Figure 3 A general schematic diagram of one embodiment of the cooling plate of the battery assembly of this application is shown;

[0051] Figure 4 Shown as Figure 3 The diagram shows a perspective view of the cooling plate, in which the internal heat pipes and heating channels are visible;

[0052] Figure 5 Shown as Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cooling plate from another angle;

[0053] Figure 6 The diagram shows a partial cross-sectional simplified view of an embodiment of the battery assembly of this application;

[0054] Figure 7 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of one embodiment of the phase change cooling system of this application.

[0055] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the non-stop operation abnormality detection method for the phase change cooling plate of this application;

[0056] Figure 9 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the non-stop abnormality detection method for the phase change cooling plate of this application.

[0057] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0058] 100 Battery assembly, 1 Box cover, 2 Cooling plate, 21 Hot end, 22 Cold end, 23 Heat pipe, 231 Protruding structure, 24 Bending area, 25 Bending hole, 26 Flow sub-area, 27 Weight reduction channel, 281 First heating channel, 282 Second heating channel, 283 Third heating channel, 3 Accommodation space, 4 Battery cell, 5 Evaporator, 6 Evaporation pipe, 7 Heat-conducting layer, X Length direction, Y Width direction, Z Height direction. Detailed Implementation

[0059] The technical solutions in the embodiments (or "implementations") of this application will be clearly and completely described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0060] If the embodiments of this application contain terms relating to directional indications or positional relationships (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, inside, outside, top, bottom, center, vertical, horizontal, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, counterclockwise, clockwise, axial, radial, circumferential, etc.), such terms are only used to explain the relative positional relationships and movement of the components in a specific posture (as shown in the attached figures); if the specific posture changes, the directional indications or positional relationships will also change accordingly. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of this application are only for descriptive convenience and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0061] This application proposes a novel cooling system, namely a phase change cooling plate, suitable for battery cell cooling scenarios from a structural perspective. Correspondingly, this application proposes a non-stop anomaly detection scheme for the phase change cooling plate, enabling accurate anomaly detection of the phase change cooling plate without shutting down the battery assembly.

[0062] The structure of the battery module will be described below. The battery module encapsulates the battery cells and a phase change cooling plate, which cools the battery cells. This facilitates understanding of the various structures within the battery module and their interrelationships, thereby providing a full understanding of the hardware structure basis of the anomaly detection scheme of this application, and helping to further understand the non-stop anomaly detection scheme of the phase change cooling plate of this application.

[0063] refer to Figures 1-6 This application provides a battery assembly 100. The battery assembly 100 can be a vehicle battery, an aircraft battery, etc. This application is not limited thereto.

[0064] The battery assembly 100 includes a cover 1, a phase change cooling plate 2, and battery cells 4. The phase change cooling plate 2 is connected to the cover 1 to form an accommodating space 3 of the battery assembly 100. The phase change cooling plate 2 includes a hot end 21 and a cold end 22, as well as a plurality of heat pipes 23 extending from the hot end 21 to the cold end 22. The plurality of heat pipes 23 are spaced apart and are independent and sealed to each other. The battery assembly 100 also includes a phase change working fluid disposed on the heat pipes 23. The phase change working fluid receives heat from the battery cells 4 at the hot end 21 and undergoes a phase change from a liquid state to a gaseous state. The phase change working fluid dissipates heat at the cold end 22 and undergoes a phase change from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

[0065] To ensure that the phase change working fluid moves along a predetermined path within the heat pipe 23, i.e., the liquid phase change working fluid moves from the cold end 22 to the hot end 21, while the gaseous phase change working fluid moves from the hot end 21 to the cold end 22, this can be achieved in various ways.

[0066] For example, a pumping device can be installed to drive the phase change working fluid according to the predetermined route described above, thereby realizing the cooling cycle inside the heat pipe 23.

[0067] For example, by rationally configuring the structure of the phase change cooling plate 2, a pumping device can be eliminated, simplifying the cooling system structure and avoiding the additional resource consumption caused by the pumping device. For instance, the phase change cooling plate 2 also includes a bending region 24 located between the cold end 22 and the hot end 21. The battery cell 4 is disposed in the accommodating space 3. The battery cell 4 is connected to the hot end 21. The bending region 24 and the cold end 22 are located away from the battery cell 4. The phase change cooling plate 2 bends at the bending region 24, allowing the liquid phase change working fluid to flow from the cold end 22 to the hot end 21 under the influence of gravity. When the temperature of the battery cell 4 is too high, the heat from the battery cell 4 is conducted to the phase change cooling plate 2, and then to the phase change working fluid in the heat pipe 23. After receiving heat, the liquid phase change working fluid undergoes a phase change to a gaseous state. In this process, the phase change working fluid absorbs heat, thereby reducing the temperature of the battery cell 4. Because the heat source, the battery cell 4, is placed away from the cold end 22, the temperature of the cold end 22 is lower than that of the hot end 21. Therefore, the phase change working fluid at the cold end 22 tends to dissipate heat and undergo a phase change to become liquid. The liquid phase change working fluid tends to move along the direction of gravity under the influence of gravity. The phase change cooling plate 2 of this application, by providing a bending region 24, allows the cold end 22 to be higher than the hot end 21 in the direction of gravity, thus the liquid phase change working fluid flows towards the hot end 21 under the influence of gravity. Since the volume of the sealed heat pipe 23 is fixed, the gaseous phase change working fluid at the hot end 21 not only tends to move in the opposite direction of gravity compared to the liquid phase change working fluid, but also, because the liquid phase change working fluid at the cold end 22 tends to flow towards the hot end 21 under the influence of gravity, the phase change working fluid in the heat pipe 23 has a self-driving property, eliminating the need for additional pumping devices to pump the phase change working fluid.

[0068] By this configuration, the cooling cycle of the battery assembly 100 can eliminate the need for pumping devices such as compressors, thereby avoiding excessive energy consumption caused by the continuous operation of pumping devices. Furthermore, in some designs, the battery assembly 100 is cooled by a low-temperature coolant. The coolant flows within the channels, continuously exchanging heat with the battery cell 4, resulting in a temperature difference between the coolant inlet and outlet, which in turn causes a temperature difference in the battery cell 4. However, the phase change working fluid of this application absorbs heat through a phase change, thus reducing the correlation between the cooling effect of the phase change working fluid and its own temperature. This results in a more uniform heat dissipation effect of the phase change working fluid on the battery cell 4 at various locations on the heat pipe 23, which helps to avoid excessive temperature differences in the battery cell 4. Moreover, since the phase change working fluid of this application does not require temperature reduction to ensure cooling, it avoids excessive temperature differences between the phase change cooling plate 2 and the outside air, preventing condensation on the surface. Condensation reduces the insulation performance of the battery cell 4 and the electrical system, creating serious safety risks such as electrical breakdown or even short circuits. Furthermore, the heat pipe 23 of this application is independent and sealed, so the phase change cooling plate 2 does not need to be equipped with inlet and outlet joints, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of leakage or seepage of phase change working fluid at the joint causing a decrease in the insulation capacity of the battery module 100 or even a short circuit.

[0069] Furthermore, the phase change cooling plate 2 may include bending holes 25 disposed in the bending region 24. The bending holes 25 penetrate the phase change cooling plate 2 along its thickness direction. There are multiple bending holes 25. The multiple bending holes 25 are spaced apart from each other, and a flow sub-region 26 is formed between two adjacent bending holes 25. The heat pipe 23 reaches the cold end 22 from the hot end 21 via the flow sub-region 26. By providing the bending holes 25, the subsequent battery assembly 100 can be connected to a structure such as a fan to allow cooling air to flow through the bending holes 25, thereby removing the heat from the multiple battery assemblies 100 at the cold end 22, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the gaseous phase change working fluid at the cold end 22, and further improving the efficiency of the gaseous cooling working fluid at the cold end 22 to change into a liquid phase.

[0070] In various embodiments of this application, the extension from the hot end 21 to the cold end 22, or from the cold end 22 to the hot end 21, can be interpreted in multiple ways. In fact, as long as one end of the heat pipe 23 is located at the hot end 21 and the other end is located at the cold end 22, it can be considered to conform to the above description.

[0071] For example, in one embodiment, the heat pipe 23 may extend along the length direction X as shown in the figure. In this case, the heat pipe 23 can cool multiple battery cells in the X direction, but cannot cool multiple battery cells in the Y direction. In another embodiment, the heat pipe 23 may be a loop structure, so that the heat pipe 23 can cool multiple battery cells not only in the X direction but also in the Y direction, depending on the specific structure of the loop. For example, a U-shaped loop, an O-shaped loop, a rectangular loop, an S-shaped loop, etc., are not limited to this application.

[0072] This application does not impose any limitation on the bending angle of the bending region 24. The bending region 24 can be as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the cold end 22 and the hot end 21 form a 90° angle. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the angle between the cold end 22 and the hot end 21 can be any value, such as 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 105°, 120°, 135°, 150°, 175°, etc. The hot end 21 and the cold end 22 only need to differ in the height direction Z, and the cold end 22 needs to be higher than the hot end 21 in the direction of gravity.

[0073] When multiple battery modules 100 are stacked along the height direction Z, the bending holes 25 of the multiple battery modules 100 can form a connection in the height direction Z. Subsequently, the battery modules 100 can be connected to structures such as fans to allow cooling air to circulate through the bending holes 25, thereby removing the heat from the multiple battery modules 100 at the cold end 22, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the gaseous phase change working fluid at the cold end 22, and further improving the efficiency of the phase change working fluid exiting the cold end 22 from the gaseous phase to the liquid phase.

[0074] Combination Figures 2 to 5 In some optional embodiments, the phase change cooling plate 2 further includes heating channels. The heating channels include a first heating channel 281 and a second heating channel 282. The first heating channel 281 extends from the heated end 21 toward the cold end 22. A first inlet of the first heating channel 281 communicates with a bending hole 25, and a first outlet of the first heating channel 281 communicates with the outside at the end face of the heated end 21 away from the cold end 22. The second heating channel 282 extends from the heated end 21 toward the cold end 22. A second outlet of the second heating channel 282 communicates with a bending hole 25, and a second inlet of the second heating channel 282 communicates with the outside at the end face of the heated end 21 away from the cold end 22. The first heating channels 281 and 282 are spaced apart. The battery assembly 100 also includes an evaporator 5 and an evaporation pipe 6. The evaporator 5 is fixed to the heated end 21 near the bending region 24. One end of the evaporation pipe 6 is connected to the evaporator 5, and the other end passes through the first inlet, the first outlet, the second inlet, and the second outlet in sequence, and then passes through the phase change cooling plate 2 before connecting to the evaporator 5 to form a heating circuit. A heat exchange working fluid is provided in the heating circuit.

[0075] The through-type first heating channel 281 and second heating channel 282 allow assemblers to easily pass the evaporator pipe 6 through the first heating channel 281 and second heating channel 282 when assembling the evaporator pipe 6 with the phase change cooling plate 2, thus achieving a simple connection of the evaporator pipe 6. Compared to a scheme where the first heating channel 281 and second heating channel 282 are connected to the outside at only one end and connected inside the phase change cooling plate 2 at the other end, the embodiment of this application can improve the ease of assembly. In addition, if the first heating channel 281 and second heating channel 282 are connected inside the phase change cooling plate 2, then the first heating channel 281 and second heating channel 282 will occupy the space inside the phase change cooling plate 2 in the width direction Y, making it difficult for the heat pipe 23 to be laid out and processed in this area and to achieve cooling of the cell 4.

[0076] The arrangement of the evaporator 5 and evaporation pipe 6 enables the battery assembly 100 to have a heating circuit. In seasons with low temperatures, the heating circuit can provide heating for the battery cell 4, thereby improving the battery's usable capacity and energy density in low-temperature environments.

[0077] Optionally, the heating channel further includes a third heating channel 283 extending from the heating end 21 toward the cold end 22. One end of the third heating channel 283 is connected to the bend hole 25, and the other end is connected to the outside at the end face of the heating end 21 away from the cold end 22. The number of third heating channels 283 is even. One end of the evaporation pipe 6 is connected to the evaporator 5, and the other end passes through the phase change cooling plate 2 sequentially via the first inlet, the first outlet, multiple third heating channels 283, the second inlet, and the second outlet to connect to the evaporator 5, thereby forming a heating circuit.

[0078] In other words, the heating channel between the first heating channel 281 and the second heating channel 282 in the width direction Y should be understood as the third heating channel 283. The setting of the third heating channel 283 can improve the heating uniformity inside the phase change cooling plate 2. At the same time, the third heating channel 283 is also designed to penetrate the non-bend area of ​​the phase change cooling plate 2, which is beneficial to simplifying the wiring and assembly of the evaporation pipe 6.

[0079] The even number of third heating channels 283 is designed so that the evaporation pipe 6 can ultimately enter the second heating channel 282 from the second inlet and then exit through the second outlet to connect with the evaporator 5 via the phase change cooling plate 2. This arrangement reduces the area of ​​the evaporation pipe 6 outside the phase change cooling plate 2, thereby reducing heat loss caused by heat exchange between the evaporation pipe 6 and the outside air.

[0080] In some optional embodiments, the diameter of at least one of the first heating channel 281, the second heating channel 282, and the third heating channel 283 is greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 8 mm. If the diameter is too small, the flow rate of the heat exchange medium increases, making it difficult for the circulation driving force to overcome resistance. If the diameter is too large, the capillary force or gravity's effect on the reflux of the working medium weakens, potentially causing the liquid phase heat exchange medium to fail to effectively return to the evaporator 5, thus interrupting heat transfer.

[0081] Combination Figure 6 Optionally, the heat pipe 23 includes multiple protrusions 231 disposed on the inner wall of the heat pipe 23. The protrusions 231 extend from the hot end 21 to the cold end 22. The multiple protrusions 231 are evenly distributed around the extension axis of the heat pipe 23. The arrangement of the protrusions 231 increases the contact area between the inner wall of the heat pipe 23 and the phase change working fluid, thus enhancing the interaction between the inner wall of the heat pipe 23 and the liquid phase change working fluid. If the inner wall of the heat pipe 23 is wetted by the phase change working fluid, the liquid molecules will be subject to stronger attraction from the solid molecules, resulting in a decrease in the intermolecular distance and an expansion tendency, thereby promoting the spread of the liquid along the wall surface. Since the heat pipe 23 contains a gas-liquid two-phase mixture of phase change working fluid, the liquid phase change working fluid tends to flow along the inner wall of the heat pipe 23, causing the gaseous phase change working fluid to flow in the middle of the heat pipe 23. This configuration can increase the flow rate of the phase change working fluid inside the heat pipe 23, thereby increasing the rate at which the phase change working fluid travels from the hot end 21 to the cold end 22 to release heat and then returns to the hot end 21 to absorb heat, which is beneficial to improving the overall cooling effect of the battery module 100.

[0082] Optionally, the heat pipe 23 has a dimension of 8 mm in the thickness direction of the phase change cooling plate 2. The thickness of the phase change cooling plate 2 is 12 mm. Figure 6 As shown, this embodiment should be understood as having a heat pipe 23 with a dimension of 8mm in the height direction Z and a phase change cooling plate 2 with a dimension of 12mm in the height direction Z. This arrangement maximizes the proportion of the heat pipe 23 in the height direction Z, thereby increasing the flow area of ​​the phase change working fluid. Thus, the heat pipe 23 can be filled with more phase change working fluid to cool the battery cell 4, and has sufficient space for flow. Furthermore, the heat pipe 23 can be positioned as close as possible to the battery cell 4, thereby improving the heat exchange effect of the phase change working fluid on the battery cell 4.

[0083] It should be understood that the flow cross-section of heat pipe 23 can be circular, in which case the diameter of heat pipe 23 would be 8mm. Or as... Figure 6 As shown, the flow cross-section of heat pipe 23 is irregular. Therefore, this embodiment should be understood as having a maximum dimension of 8mm in the height direction Z of heat pipe 23. This application does not specifically limit the shape of the flow cross-section of heat pipe 23.

[0084] In some optional embodiments, the phase change cooling plate 2 also includes multiple weight-reducing channels 27 extending from the heating end 21 to the cold end 22. The flow area of ​​the weight-reducing channels 27 is larger than that of the heat pipes 23. The multiple weight-reducing channels 27 and the multiple heat pipes 23 are arranged alternately. The multiple weight-reducing channels 27 are independent and sealed from each other. The weight-reducing channels 27 reach the cold end 22 from the heating end 21 via the flow sub-region 26. The independence and sealing of the weight-reducing channels 27 can prevent foreign objects from entering the weight-reducing channels 27 and causing problems such as increased weight and corrosion of the phase change cooling plate 2. Since the flow area of ​​the weight-reducing channels 27 is larger than that of the heat pipes 23, the space of the phase change cooling plate 2 can be utilized to the maximum extent, thereby reducing the overall weight of the battery assembly 100.

[0085] In embodiments where the battery assembly 100 includes a heating channel, the flow area of ​​the weight-reducing channel 27 is larger than that of the heat pipe 23 and the heating channel. The weight-reducing channel 27 is located between the heating channel and the heat pipe 23. This arrangement allows the weight-reducing channel 27 to isolate the heat pipe 23 and the heating channel, thereby preventing the heat exchange medium in the heating channel from causing a phase change in the phase change medium in the heat pipe 23, thus reducing the cooling effect of the phase change medium on the battery cell 4. Conversely, the weight-reducing channel 27 can prevent the phase change medium in the heat pipe 23 from absorbing heat after a phase change, thus preventing heat loss from the heat exchange medium and reducing the heating effect of the heat exchange medium.

[0086] Alternatively, the weight reduction channel 27 is disposed away from the battery cell 4 in the thickness direction of the phase change cooling plate 2. Air is present in the weight reduction channel 27. Therefore, distancing the weight reduction channel 27 from the battery cell 4 can prevent air from acting as a heat exchange medium and affecting the thermal management effect of the battery cell 4. For example, the centerline of the flow area of ​​the weight reduction channel 27 is offset from the thickness center of the phase change cooling plate 2 in the height direction Z and is located away from the battery cell 4.

[0087] In various embodiments, the battery assembly 100 further includes a thermally conductive layer 7. The thermally conductive layer 7 is disposed between the battery cell 4 and the phase change cooling plate 2, and contacts both the battery cell 4 and the phase change cooling plate 2. The thermally conductive layer 7 is made of thermally conductive silicone. The presence of the thermally conductive layer 7 reduces the contact thermal resistance between the battery cell 4 and the phase change cooling plate 2, thereby improving thermal management efficiency.

[0088] Based on the above embodiments, the phase change cooling plate and the battery assembly using the phase change cooling plate proposed in this application have been fully described. Building upon this, this application will further describe in detail the non-stop anomaly detection scheme for the phase change cooling plate.

[0089] From a system architecture perspective, this application proposes a phase change cooling system. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the system includes: a phase change cooling plate 71 and a control module 72. Wherein:

[0090] For a description and understanding of the phase change cooling plate 71, please refer to the phase change cooling plate 2 in the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0091] Regarding the control module 72, it may include any type of processing device or processing module, which can run a computer program based on a general-purpose processor such as a CPU to implement the processing logic of the non-stop abnormality detection method for the phase change cooling plate of this application. Of course, the control module 72 may also include a dedicated processor or a programmable logic device (PLD) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) with the above-mentioned processing logic programmed on it, and this application does not limit it in this way.

[0092] In an exemplary embodiment, the control module 72 can be implemented by a BMS (Battery Management System) hardware with sufficient processing power, specifically referring to a processing chip such as an MCU on the BMS hardware. Since the anomaly detection scheme of this application requires monitoring the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of a single battery cell, and the BMS is precisely capable of acquiring these characteristic values, further implementing the control module 72 through the BMS enables efficient integration of acquisition, processing, and control, helping to simplify the system architecture and reduce internal data processing complexity (e.g., eliminating concerns about inconsistent data formats). Of course, this application does not exclude the possibility that the control module 72 can be implemented by other processing devices / modules independent of the BMS hardware.

[0093] Based on the aforementioned phase change cooling system, Figure 8 The flowchart shows a method for detecting abnormal operation of a phase change cooling plate without shutting down, implemented by control module 72. The method includes the following steps:

[0094] Step 802: Monitor the characteristic values ​​of the single cell temperature parameters of at least a portion of the cells within the battery assembly.

[0095] A battery assembly may contain one or more battery cells. "Monitoring" can be understood as continuously acquiring the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of at least a portion of the battery cells. Here, "at least a portion of the battery cells" can be understood as the number of monitored cells typically representing a certain proportion of all cells in the battery assembly. This proportion is typically 10% to 100%, but can also be any other proportion; this application does not impose any limitations on this. Regarding the acquisition of characteristic values, in some embodiments, it can be understood as acquisition, meaning the executing entity of this method embodiment directly acquires the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the single battery cells. For example, the aforementioned executing entity can be BMS hardware, which can simultaneously acquire and process the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the single battery cells. In other embodiments, it can be understood as receiving, meaning the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the single battery cells can be acquired by an acquisition module outside the executing entity of this method embodiment. For example, the acquisition module can be the aforementioned BMS hardware, and the executing entity receives the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the single battery cells from, for example, the BMS hardware and performs subsequent processing (as described in the following steps).

[0096] The temperature parameter of a single cell can be understood as the temperature parameter of a single cell. This is mainly to distinguish it from the concepts of cell group temperature parameter and battery module temperature parameter mentioned below, to avoid confusion. In fact, these three concepts correspond to three different dimensions or levels: the temperature parameter of a single cell corresponds to a single cell, the temperature parameter of a cell group corresponds to a group of cells, and the temperature parameter of a battery module corresponds to all the cells within a battery module.

[0097] The single-cell temperature parameter can include the real-time temperature of a single cell, such as the temperature value collected by the BMS in a single acquisition. Correspondingly, the feature value of the single-cell temperature parameter can be the real-time temperature itself, or it can be a value obtained by statistically processing multiple real-time temperatures collected over a period of time (e.g., 10 seconds or other set durations). For example, this statistical processing can include one or more of the following: obtaining the maximum value, obtaining the minimum value, calculating the mean, calculating the range, calculating the variance, calculating the standard deviation, calculating the rate of change, statistically analyzing the trend, etc. This application does not limit this. Many algorithms can be used when performing statistical processing, such as IQR (Interquartile Range), Z-Score (Standard Score), Isolation Forest, Local Outlier Factor (LOF), SVM (Support Vector Machine), DBSCAN (Density-Based Noise Spatial Clustering), etc. This application does not limit this.

[0098] For the various types of single-cell temperature parameters listed above, in the actual implementation of the solution, the single-cell temperature parameter corresponding to each cell can include any one or more of these parameters, depending on the system settings. Of course, the single-cell temperature parameters corresponding to different cells should be the same to facilitate comparison and processing.

[0099] By periodically acquiring the characteristic values ​​of individual cell temperature parameters at a preset frequency, continuous monitoring of the cells within the battery pack can be achieved. Of course, this application does not limit the use of non-periodic, trigger-based mechanisms to acquire the characteristic values ​​of individual cell temperature parameters. Taking a periodic approach as an example, the monitoring frequency is not necessarily fixed. For instance, a default standard frequency can be used initially. If no anomalies are detected within a preset time period, the frequency can be reduced by a preset step size to reduce resource consumption until the frequency reaches a preset minimum frequency. Similarly, after each anomaly is detected, if the current frequency is lower than the standard frequency, it can first be restored to the standard frequency. If the current frequency is not lower than the standard frequency, the frequency can be increased by a preset step size to strengthen monitoring until the frequency reaches a preset maximum frequency.

[0100] If a Battery Management System (BMS) is used to collect characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of a single battery cell, the BMS can accurately collect the real-time temperature of the cell using a thermistor. If the temperature parameter of the single cell is the real-time temperature, the collected value can be directly determined as the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter. If the temperature parameter of the single cell is the result of statistical calculation based on the real-time temperature, then statistical calculations can be performed based on the collected real-time temperature value to obtain the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter. For example, the MCU on the BMS hardware can perform this statistical calculation.

[0101] Of course, real-time temperature can also be collected by setting up independent temperature sensors to determine the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell, and this application does not limit this.

[0102] Step 804: If the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell is abnormal, then according to the heat pipe in the phase change cooling plate used to cool the cell, the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of each cell in the cell group corresponding to the heat pipe is obtained. The cell group includes all cells in the battery assembly that are cooled by the heat pipe.

[0103] Taking real-time temperature as an example. Assume the battery module contains n cells, d1-dn. Correspondingly, characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters for each cell can be obtained, namely the real-time temperature t1 for cell d1, t2 for cell d2, and so on, up to the real-time temperature tn for cell dn. For instance, if the real-time temperature t1 of cell d1 is greater than the temperature threshold t0, the characteristic value of the temperature parameter for cell d1 can be considered abnormal. Of course, it's also possible that the number of cells in the battery module is greater than n, but in reality, only n cells are monitored; this depends on the actual monitoring ratio.

[0104] Since the positions of the phase change cooling plate and battery cells are fixed after the battery assembly is encapsulated, the correspondence between the heat pipes within the phase change cooling plate and the battery cells can be clearly defined. Specifically, each heat pipe is responsible for cooling which battery cells, and each battery cell is cooled by which heat pipes. This correspondence can be pre-recorded. Therefore, when an anomaly is detected in battery cell d1, the heat pipe used to cool cell d1, such as heat pipe r1, can be determined based on this correspondence. Furthermore, based on this correspondence, it can be further determined which battery cells heat pipe r1 cools, such as cells d1, d2, d3, and d4. Battery cells d1-d4 can be identified as the cell group z1 corresponding to heat pipe r1.

[0105] Of course, there can be more than one heat pipe cooling cell d1. For example, in addition to heat pipe r1, there can be other heat pipes, and the cell groups corresponding to these other heat pipes can be determined in the same way as described above. In fact, the processing method for each cell group is the same.

[0106] Step 806: If the difference between the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell and the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of other cells in the cell group is greater than a preset threshold, then it is determined that the phase change cooling plate is normal and that any cell is abnormal; otherwise, the heat pipe is recorded as a potential abnormal heat pipe.

[0107] As mentioned earlier, the cooling mechanism employed by heat pipes involves heat exchange through the phase change of the internal working fluid between the liquid and gas phases. This mechanism ensures a high degree of consistency in cooling effect across the hot end of the heat pipe, preventing temperature differences between different locations from exceeding 1°C or even lower. Therefore, for cells within the same cell group, since they are all cooled by the same heat pipe, the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters should theoretically be close, i.e., the differences should not exceed a preset threshold, assuming no abnormalities in the heat pipe or individual cells.

[0108] Taking the aforementioned cell group z1 as an example, if the real-time temperature t1 of cell d1 is abnormal, and the difference between the real-time temperature t1 of cell d1 and the real-time temperatures t2, t3, and t4 of other cells d2, d3, and d4 is greater than a preset threshold (e.g., a temperature difference δt = 5℃), then the state of cell d1 is inconsistent with that of other cells in the same cell group z1. Therefore, it can be determined that cell d1 is abnormal, while the phase change cooling plate is not abnormal. In other words, the abnormality in the characteristic value of the single-cell temperature parameter of cell d1 is due to the abnormality of cell d1 itself, and not due to inadequate cooling by the phase change cooling plate.

[0109] Conversely, if the real-time temperature t1 of cell d1 differs from the real-time temperatures t2, t3, and t4 of other cells d2, d3, and d4 by no greater than a preset threshold (i.e., cell d1's state is consistent with other cells in the same cell group z1, but its real-time temperature t1 happens to be slightly higher than the real-time temperatures of other cells and exceeds the temperature threshold t0), then it can be temporarily assumed that the phase change cooling plate is more likely to be abnormal. In particular, the heat pipe r1 used to cool cell group z1 is more likely to be abnormal and can be temporarily recorded as a potential abnormal heat pipe. Further processing steps will be used later to verify whether the potential abnormal heat pipe is indeed abnormal, ensuring the accuracy of the detection results and reducing the probability of misjudgment.

[0110] Step 808: For each cell group corresponding to each heat pipe in the battery assembly: Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each monitored cell in the cell group, statistically analyze the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters corresponding to the cell group.

[0111] The characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the battery cell group are statistically analyzed, including: based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the battery cell group monitored in real time, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following battery cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: maximum value, minimum value, mean value, range, standard deviation, variance; and / or, based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the battery cell group monitored in real time, and the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell at historical times, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following battery cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: rate of change, trend of change.

[0112] Cell pack temperature parameters are used to characterize the overall temperature status of a cell pack, facilitating comparison and analysis between different cell packs. When performing statistical processing on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters within a cell pack, the aforementioned statistical processing can also be referenced. This statistical processing may include one or more of the following: obtaining the maximum value, obtaining the minimum value, calculating the mean, calculating the range, calculating the variance, calculating the standard deviation, calculating the rate of change, and statistically analyzing the trend, etc. This application does not impose any limitations on these methods.

[0113] Step 810: If the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery assembly is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal.

[0114] A single battery assembly may include multiple cell groups, each corresponding to a different heat pipe. Since the cell groups within the same battery assembly are housed in the same package, it can be understood that the cooling environment of these cell groups is the same or similar (with minimal differences). Therefore, the presence of any abnormalities in the heat pipes can be confirmed by comparing the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters of these cell groups.

[0115] For example, the potential abnormal heat pipe assumed above is heat pipe r1, and its corresponding cell group z1 includes cells d1, d2, d3, and d4. If we take the variance of the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of each individual cell within the same cell group as the cell group temperature parameter, let's assume the characteristic value for cell group z1 is m1. The same battery assembly can also include cell groups z2 and z3. For example, cell group z2 includes cells d5, d6, d7, and d8, with the corresponding characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter being m2; cell group z3 includes cells d9, d10, d11, and d12, with the corresponding characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter being m3. Then, we can compare the characteristic value m1 with the aforementioned m2 and m3: if the difference is greater than a preset threshold, it indicates that the overall temperature condition of cell group z1 is different from that of cell groups z2 and z3, meaning the overall temperature condition of cell group z1 is abnormal. This abnormal condition is highly likely due to an abnormality in the heat pipe r1 corresponding to cell group z1, resulting in insufficient cooling. Therefore, it can be determined that the potentially abnormal heat pipe is indeed abnormal.

[0116] When comparing the characteristic values ​​of the cell assembly temperature parameters corresponding to a potentially abnormal heat pipe with the characteristic values ​​of the cell assembly temperature parameters corresponding to other heat pipes, various methods can be used. Taking the aforementioned characteristic values ​​m1, m2, and m3 as examples, the absolute deviation of characteristic value m1 relative to the mean or median of m2 and m3, the range ratio relative to m2 and m3, and the Z-Score relative to m2 and m3 can be calculated. This application does not impose any limitations on these methods.

[0117] Therefore, by employing a phase change mechanism-based cooling plate, this application can fully utilize the high temperature consistency provided by the phase change cooling plate. This allows for accurate analysis of whether a single cell or heat pipe malfunctions when a single-point anomaly in the characteristic values ​​of a cell's temperature parameters is detected, requiring only the acquisition of characteristic values ​​of individual cell temperature parameters or further simple statistical processing. In particular, when implemented using BMS hardware, it only requires existing BMS hardware without adding any additional system architecture. Furthermore, the simplicity of the process and the low hardware performance requirements of the BMS reduce the cost of control system upgrades.

[0118] Through the aforementioned embodiments, this application achieves graded detection of abnormal cell temperatures by comparing the characteristic values ​​of temperature parameters of a single cell and the characteristic values ​​of temperature parameters of a cell group, at least from the cell dimension and cell group dimension, respectively. This further improves the accuracy of abnormal detection of phase change cooling plates and can accurately identify abnormal heat pipes.

[0119] As an optional optimization, the cold-end temperature of the heat pipe can be further combined with anomaly detection from the perspective of the battery module. Specifically, parallel to step 810 above, it may also include, for example... Figure 9 The following steps are shown:

[0120] Step 910: If the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery module is not greater than a preset threshold, then proceed to step 920a if the cold end temperature of the heat pipe can be collected; otherwise, proceed to step 920b.

[0121] Step 920a: Determine the heat pipe temperature difference characteristic value between the potential abnormal heat pipe and the heat pipe corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery module. If the difference between the potential abnormal heat pipe and the heat pipe temperature difference characteristic value corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery module is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the phase change cooling plate is recorded as a potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0122] The heat pipe temperature difference characteristic value is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding heat pipe and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding cell group.

[0123] If, within the same battery module, the difference in characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the cell groups corresponding to a potentially abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes is not greater than a preset threshold, it indicates that the overall temperature conditions of these cell groups are similar or not significantly different. However, if the heat pipe is indeed abnormal, then the difference between the average temperature of the cold end of the heat pipe and its corresponding cell group should also be significantly abnormal. Therefore, for a potentially abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes within the same battery module, the characteristic value of the heat pipe temperature difference corresponding to each heat pipe can be determined separately. Based on the difference between the characteristic values ​​of the heat pipe temperature difference corresponding to the potentially abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes within the same battery module, a judgment can be made: if the difference is greater than a preset threshold, it indicates that the heat dissipation performance of the potentially abnormal heat pipe is significantly different from that of other heat pipes, and therefore, it can be determined that the potentially abnormal heat pipe is abnormal.

[0124] If the above methods fail to determine whether the potential abnormal heat pipe is abnormal, but considering that the characteristic value of the temperature parameter of at least one cell is indeed abnormal, it is reasonable to suspect that all cells of the entire battery assembly may not have received normal cooling treatment. Therefore, it is speculated that the phase change cooling plate may be abnormal, so the phase change cooling plate is recorded as a potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0125] Step 920b: Directly record the phase change cooling plate as a potentially abnormal cooling plate.

[0126] Step 930: Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each monitored cell in the battery assembly and / or the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters of each cell group, statistically analyze the characteristic values ​​of the battery assembly temperature parameters corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0127] Battery module temperature parameters are used to characterize the overall temperature status of all cells within a battery module, facilitating comparison and analysis between different battery modules. Specifically, statistical processing can be performed on the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of individual cells within the battery module, or on the characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of cell groups obtained in the aforementioned steps. This application does not impose any limitations on this approach. When performing statistical processing, the aforementioned statistical processing methods can also be referenced, which may include one or more of the following: obtaining the maximum value, obtaining the minimum value, calculating the mean, calculating the range, calculating the variance, calculating the standard deviation, calculating the rate of change, and statistically analyzing the trend. This application does not impose any limitations on this approach.

[0128] Step 940a: If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be abnormal; wherein, the cooling conditions of the reference cooling plate are the same as or similar to those of the potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0129] Cooling conditions can include the environmental conditions of the phase change cooling plate, such as ambient temperature and humidity, as well as the performance conditions of the phase change cooling plate itself, such as cold-end temperature. In short, for multiple phase change cooling plates with similar cooling conditions, theoretically, the difference between the characteristic values ​​of the corresponding battery module temperature parameters should not exceed a preset threshold. Therefore, when actual comparison results show that the difference between the characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters corresponding to a potentially abnormal cooling plate and those corresponding to a reference cooling plate exceeds the preset threshold, it indicates that the potentially abnormal cooling plate has failed to properly cool the cells within the battery module, thus causing an abnormal overall temperature condition of the battery module. Therefore, it can be determined that the potentially abnormal cooling plate is abnormal.

[0130] There are several ways to select a reference cooling plate. For example, the reference cooling plate may include a phase change cooling plate that meets at least one of the following conditions: ① it is physically close to the potentially anomalous cooling plate; ② its cold end temperature is the same as or close to that of the potentially anomalous cooling plate; ③ its ambient temperature and humidity are the same as or close to those of the potentially anomalous cooling plate.

[0131] For type ① phase change cooling plates, it is not necessary to actually measure parameters such as temperature or humidity. Instead, it is assumed that multiple phase change cooling plates that are physically close to each other will have the same or similar ambient temperature and humidity, cold end temperature, etc., so they can be selected as reference cooling plates without testing.

[0132] For type ② phase change cooling plates, if the cold end temperature refers to the target cold end temperature set for the phase change cooling plate, then actual testing is not required. However, if the cold end temperature refers to the actual temperature of the cold end of the phase change cooling plate, then the actual measured cold end temperature needs to be obtained.

[0133] For category ③ phase change cooling plates, it is necessary to obtain information such as the actual ambient temperature and humidity during testing.

[0134] The characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters corresponding to the aforementioned reference cooling plate can be obtained in multiple ways.

[0135] In one embodiment, the characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters can be obtained by temporarily statistically analyzing other phase change cooling plates that are different from the potentially abnormal cooling plates. For example, if a potentially abnormal cooling plate is identified, other phase change cooling plates that are different from the potentially abnormal cooling plates are temporarily selected and statistically analyzed to obtain the characteristic values ​​of their corresponding battery module temperature parameters.

[0136] In another embodiment, the characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters obtained from statistical analysis of a reference cooling plate at historical times can be used. For example, the characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters obtained from statistical analysis of each phase change cooling plate at historical times (referred to as historical characteristic values) and the corresponding cooling conditions can be pre-recorded. Then, when it is necessary to detect and judge anomalies for a potentially abnormal cooling plate, the corresponding historical characteristic value with the same or similar cooling conditions can be selected based on the cooling conditions of the potentially abnormal cooling plate. The phase change cooling plate corresponding to the historical characteristic value can include other phase change cooling plates that are different from the potentially abnormal cooling plate, or it can include the potentially abnormal cooling plate itself. Of course, all of the above-mentioned historical characteristic values ​​should be obtained by statistical processing after determining that the corresponding phase change cooling plate is not abnormal, so as to avoid misjudgment.

[0137] Furthermore, the temperature of the cold end of the cooling plate can also be used for judgment. Specifically, this can include:

[0138] Step 940b: If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then proceed to step 950a if the cold end temperature of the cooling plate can be collected; otherwise, proceed to step 950b.

[0139] Step 950a: Determine the temperature difference characteristic value of the cooling plate corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate respectively. If the difference between the temperature difference characteristic value of the cooling plate corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is greater than a preset threshold, it is determined that the potential abnormal cooling plate is abnormal; otherwise, it is determined that the potential abnormal cooling plate is not abnormal and that any of the battery cells is abnormal.

[0140] The temperature difference characteristic value of the cooling plate is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding cooling plate and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding battery module.

[0141] If the cooling plate is indeed abnormal, then the difference between the average temperature of the cold end of the cooling plate and the corresponding battery module should also be significantly abnormal. Therefore, for the potentially abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate, the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference can be determined for each cooling plate separately. Based on the difference between the characteristic values ​​of the cooling plate temperature difference corresponding to the potentially abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate, a judgment can be made: if the difference is greater than a preset threshold, it indicates that the heat dissipation performance of the potentially abnormal cooling plate is significantly different from that of the reference cooling plate, and therefore the potentially abnormal cooling plate can be determined to be abnormal.

[0142] Step 950b: Determine that the potential abnormal cooling plate is not abnormal, and that any one of the battery cells is abnormal.

[0143] If the above methods fail to determine that the potential abnormal cooling plate is abnormal, that is, if the battery components corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate are consistent in overall temperature, it means that the potential abnormal cooling plate can provide normal cooling function as a whole, so only a single cell (i.e. any of the cells mentioned above) is abnormal.

[0144] Based on the above embodiments, it is possible to accurately determine whether an anomaly occurs in the battery cell, heat pipe, or the entire phase change cooling plate. Furthermore, predefined anomaly handling operations can be executed for the identified anomalies. For example, the handling can be based on the urgency of the anomaly: for an anomaly in a single battery cell, the urgency is considered relatively low, and only an alarm can be issued; for an anomaly in a heat pipe, the urgency is considered relatively high, and the power of the corresponding battery module can be reduced; for an anomaly in the phase change cooling plate, the urgency is considered relatively extremely high, and the corresponding battery module can be shut down.

[0145] This application provides a non-stop abnormality detection device for a phase change cooling plate, which is used to cool the battery cells encapsulated in a battery assembly. The phase change cooling plate includes a hot end and a cold end, and a plurality of heat pipes extending from the hot end to the cold end. The plurality of heat pipes are spaced apart and are independent and sealed to each other. A phase change working medium is provided inside the heat pipes. The phase change working medium absorbs heat from the battery cells at the hot end to change from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase, and dissipates heat at the cold end to change from a gaseous phase to a liquid phase.

[0146] The aforementioned non-stop abnormality detection device for phase change cooling plates may include:

[0147] The monitoring unit monitors the characteristic values ​​of the single-cell temperature parameters of at least a portion of the cells within the battery assembly.

[0148] If the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell is abnormal, the single cell feature value acquisition unit acquires the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of each cell in the cell group corresponding to the heat pipe used to cool the cell in the phase change cooling plate. The cell group includes all cells in the battery assembly that are cooled by the heat pipe.

[0149] The cell-level anomaly judgment unit determines that if the difference between the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell and the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of other cells in the cell group is greater than a preset threshold, the phase change cooling plate is determined to be normal and the cell is abnormal; otherwise, the heat pipe is recorded as a potential abnormal heat pipe.

[0150] The cell group characteristic value statistics unit, for each cell group corresponding to each heat pipe in the battery assembly: according to the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each monitored cell in the cell group, counts the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters corresponding to the cell group.

[0151] The cell-level anomaly detection unit determines that the potential abnormal heat pipe is abnormal if the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery assembly is greater than a preset threshold.

[0152] Optional,

[0153] The cell-level anomaly detection unit is further configured to, if the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potentially abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery assembly is not greater than a preset threshold, then:

[0154] When the cold end temperature of the heat pipe is collected, the temperature difference characteristic value of the heat pipe corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes in the battery module is determined. The temperature difference characteristic value is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding heat pipe and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding cell group. If the difference between the temperature difference characteristic value of the potential abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes in the battery module is greater than a preset threshold, the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the phase change cooling plate is recorded as a potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0155] Without collecting the cold end temperature of the heat pipe, the phase change cooling plate is directly recorded as a potentially abnormal cooling plate;

[0156] The device further includes:

[0157] The component feature value statistics unit calculates the feature values ​​of the battery component temperature parameters corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate based on the feature values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each monitored cell in the battery component and / or the feature values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters of each cell group.

[0158] The cell-level anomaly detection unit determines that the potential abnormal cooling plate is abnormal if the difference between the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is greater than a preset threshold; wherein the cooling conditions of the reference cooling plate are the same as or similar to those of the potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0159] Optionally,

[0160] The cell-level anomaly judgment unit is further configured to: if the difference between the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then determine that the potential abnormal cooling plate is not abnormal and that any cell is abnormal.

[0161] or,

[0162] If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference between the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is determined respectively. The characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding cooling plate and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding battery module; wherein: if the difference between the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference between the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is greater than the preset threshold, then the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be non-abnormal, and any cell is abnormal.

[0163] Optionally, the reference cooling plate includes a phase change cooling plate that satisfies at least one of the following conditions:

[0164] The physical distance between it and the potentially abnormal cooling plate is close;

[0165] The cold end temperature is the same as or similar to that of the potentially abnormal cooling plate;

[0166] The ambient temperature and humidity are the same as or similar to those of the potentially abnormal cooling plate.

[0167] Optionally, the characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters corresponding to the reference cooling plate include at least one of the following:

[0168] Temporary statistics were performed on other phase change cooling plates that differed from the potentially abnormal cooling plates to obtain characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters.

[0169] The characteristic values ​​of battery component temperature parameters obtained statistically from the reference cooling plate at historical moments, the reference cooling plate including the potential abnormal cooling plate and / or other phase change cooling plates that are different from the potential abnormal cooling plate.

[0170] Optionally, the step of statistically analyzing the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters corresponding to the cell group includes:

[0171] Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the cell group under real-time monitoring, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: maximum value, minimum value, mean value, range, standard deviation, and variance.

[0172] And / or,

[0173] Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the cell group under real-time monitoring, and the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell at historical times, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: rate of change and trend of change.

[0174] Optionally, the phase change cooling plate further includes a bending region disposed between the cold end and the hot end;

[0175] The phase change cooling plate is bent in the bending region so that the liquid phase change working fluid can flow from the cold end to the hot end under the action of gravity.

[0176] This application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0177] This application also proposes a computer program product, including a computer program / instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0178] It should be noted that the technical solutions or features described in the above embodiments can be combined or supplemented with each other without conflict. The scope of protection of this application is not limited to the precise structures described in the above embodiments and shown in the accompanying drawings; all modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for detecting abnormal operation of a phase change cooling plate without shutting down, characterized in that, The phase change cooling plate is used to cool the battery cells encapsulated within the battery assembly. The phase change cooling plate includes a hot end and a cold end, and a plurality of heat pipes extending from the hot end to the cold end. The plurality of heat pipes are spaced apart and are independent and sealed to each other. A phase change working medium is disposed inside the heat pipes. The phase change working medium absorbs heat from the battery cells at the hot end to change from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase, and dissipates heat at the cold end to change from a gaseous phase to a liquid phase. The method includes: The characteristic values ​​of the single-cell temperature parameters of at least a portion of the cells within the battery assembly are monitored. If the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell is abnormal, then according to the heat pipe in the phase change cooling plate used to cool the cell, the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of each cell in the cell group corresponding to the heat pipe is obtained, and the cell group includes all cells in the battery assembly that are cooled by the heat pipe. If the difference between the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of any cell and the characteristic value of the single cell temperature parameter of other cells in the cell group is greater than a preset threshold, then it is determined that the phase change cooling plate is normal and that any cell is abnormal; otherwise, the heat pipe is recorded as a potentially abnormal heat pipe. For each cell group corresponding to each heat pipe in the battery assembly: based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell monitored in the cell group, the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters corresponding to the cell group are statistically analyzed. If the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery assembly is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: If the difference between the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to the potentially abnormal heat pipe and the characteristic value of the cell group temperature parameter corresponding to other heat pipes in the battery module is not greater than a preset threshold, then: When the cold end temperature of the heat pipe is collected, the temperature difference characteristic value of the heat pipe corresponding to the potential abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes in the battery module is determined. The temperature difference characteristic value is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding heat pipe and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding cell group. If the difference between the temperature difference characteristic value of the potential abnormal heat pipe and other heat pipes in the battery module is greater than a preset threshold, the potential abnormal heat pipe is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the phase change cooling plate is recorded as a potential abnormal cooling plate. Without collecting the cold end temperature of the heat pipe, the phase change cooling plate is directly recorded as a potentially abnormal cooling plate; Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each monitored cell in the battery assembly and / or the characteristic values ​​of the cell group temperature parameters of each cell group, the characteristic values ​​of the battery assembly temperature parameters corresponding to the potentially abnormal cooling plate are statistically analyzed. If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is greater than a preset threshold, then the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be abnormal; wherein, the cooling conditions of the reference cooling plate are the same as or similar to those of the potential abnormal cooling plate.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery component temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then it is determined that the potential abnormal cooling plate is not abnormal, and any of the battery cells is abnormal. or, If the difference between the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the potential abnormal cooling plate and the characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate is not greater than a preset threshold, then the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference between the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is determined respectively. The characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference is used to characterize the difference between the cold end temperature of the corresponding cooling plate and the average temperature of each monitored cell in the corresponding battery module; wherein: if the difference between the characteristic value of the cooling plate temperature difference between the potential abnormal cooling plate and the reference cooling plate is greater than the preset threshold, then the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be abnormal; otherwise, the potential abnormal cooling plate is determined to be non-abnormal, and any cell is abnormal.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reference cooling plate includes a phase change cooling plate that satisfies at least one of the following conditions: The physical distance between it and the potentially abnormal cooling plate is close; The cold end temperature is the same as or similar to that of the potentially abnormal cooling plate; The ambient temperature and humidity are the same as or similar to those of the potentially abnormal cooling plate.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The characteristic value of the battery module temperature parameter corresponding to the reference cooling plate includes at least one of the following: Temporary statistics were performed on other phase change cooling plates that differed from the potentially abnormal cooling plates to obtain characteristic values ​​of the battery module temperature parameters. The characteristic values ​​of battery component temperature parameters obtained statistically from the reference cooling plate at historical moments, the reference cooling plate including the potential abnormal cooling plate and / or other phase change cooling plates that are different from the potential abnormal cooling plate.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The characteristic values ​​of the temperature parameters of the battery cell group corresponding to the statistical analysis include: Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the cell group under real-time monitoring, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: maximum value, minimum value, mean value, range, standard deviation, and variance. And / or, Based on the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell in the cell group under real-time monitoring, and the characteristic values ​​of the individual cell temperature parameters of each cell at historical times, the characteristic values ​​of at least one of the following cell group temperature parameters are statistically analyzed: rate of change and trend of change.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The phase change cooling plate also includes a bending region disposed between the cold end and the hot end; The phase change cooling plate is bent in the bending region so that the liquid phase change working fluid can flow from the cold end to the hot end under the action of gravity.

8. A phase change cooling system, characterized in that, include: Phase change cooling plates are used to cool the cells encapsulated within the battery assembly. The phase change cooling plate includes a hot end and a cold end, and a plurality of heat pipes extending from the hot end to the cold end. The plurality of heat pipes are spaced apart and are independent and sealed to each other. A phase change working fluid is disposed inside the heat pipes. The phase change working fluid absorbs heat from the battery cell at the hot end to change from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase, and dissipates heat at the cold end to change from a gaseous phase to a liquid phase. A control module is used to detect abnormalities in the phase change cooling plate without shutting down, using the method described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

10. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program / instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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