Thermal management assembly for battery cell and battery pack

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of power batteries, in particular to a thermal management assembly for a battery cell and a battery pack, the thermal management assembly comprises a main pipe, a branch pipe and a cooling plate, the cooling plate is connected with a first end of the branch pipe, and the main pipe is connected with a second end of the branch pipe; wherein the height direction of the cooling plate is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell, and the connecting direction of the first end and the cooling plate is perpendicular to the height direction of the battery cell. Therefore, the space in the battery pack in the height direction can be saved, and the height of the battery pack can be made smaller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery technology, specifically providing a thermal management component for battery cells and a battery pack. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, with the rapid development of the new energy industry, electric vehicles, electric aircraft, and other new energy equipment have been widely used, and battery packs, as the core component of these devices, have also received widespread attention. Most mainstream battery packs now contain prismatic, cylindrical, or pouch cells. Power batteries are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, and the temperature environment within the battery pack significantly impacts the reliability, lifespan, and performance of the cells. Therefore, battery thermal management has become a crucial guarantee for the operation of new energy vehicles.

[0003] To achieve thermal management of the battery pack, thermal management components such as main pipes and cooling plates are usually installed inside the battery pack. However, the existing thermal management components occupy a lot of space in the battery pack.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the field for a new thermal management component design to address the aforementioned issues. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the technical problem of low overall space utilization of battery packs.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a thermal management assembly for a battery cell, characterized in that the thermal management assembly includes a main pipe, a branch pipe, and a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate and a first end of the branch pipe are connected, and the main pipe and a second end of the branch pipe are connected; wherein the height direction of the cooling plate is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell, and the connection direction between the first end and the cooling plate is perpendicular to the height direction of the battery cell.

[0007] Optionally, the connection direction between the second end and the main tube is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell.

[0008] Optionally, the second end is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main tube.

[0009] Optionally, the main pipe includes a main water inlet pipe and a main water outlet pipe, which are arranged vertically along the height direction of the battery cell.

[0010] Optionally, the interface between the second end and the main water inlet pipe is referred to as the first interface, and the interface between the second end and the main water outlet pipe is referred to as the second interface, with the first interface and the second interface being arranged opposite to each other.

[0011] Optionally, the first interface and the second interface are staggered along the length of the main pipe.

[0012] Optionally, the main pipe includes an inlet and / or an outlet, which are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe.

[0013] Optionally, the branch pipe includes a corrugated pipe.

[0014] Optionally, the branch pipe is connected to the main pipe via a cold extrusion assembly process, and / or the branch pipe is connected to the cooling plate via a cold extrusion assembly process.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention also provides a battery pack, the battery pack comprising a thermal management component for a battery cell, a battery cell, and a housing as described in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thermal management component and the battery cell are disposed within the housing.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the thermal management component for battery cells provided by the present invention can save space in the height direction of the pack, thereby making the height of the battery pack smaller. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cylindrical battery cell and thermal management assembly provided by the present invention from a first angle;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cylindrical battery cell and thermal management assembly provided by the present invention from a second angle;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of a cooling plate provided by the present invention.

[0021] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram:

[0022] 10. Battery cell; 20. Main pipe; 201. Main water inlet pipe; 202. Main water outlet pipe; 30. Branch pipe; 301. First end of branch pipe; 302. Second end of branch pipe; 40. Cooling plate; 401. Water inlet end; 402. Water outlet end; 501. First interface; 502. Second interface; H. Height direction of battery cell; X. Connection direction between the first end of branch pipe and cooling plate. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, terms such as "inner," "outer," "upper," "lower," "top," and "bottom," which indicate direction or positional relationships, are based on the direction or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These are used merely for ease of description and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "connect," and "install" should be interpreted broadly, for example, referring to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] The battery cells mentioned in this application may include at least one of prismatic cells, cylindrical cells, or pouch cells. The following description uses cylindrical cells as an example.

[0027] The inventors discovered through research that there are currently three types of thermal management components for cylindrical battery cells:

[0028] The first method uses a main inlet / outlet water pipe and branch water pipes. Due to space constraints, the connection between the main water pipe and the branch water pipes can only be achieved through laser welding, resulting in a high cost for the water pipe system. Connectors are installed on the upper or lower part of the cooling plate to the branch pipes, but the cooling plate interfaces can only be machined, further increasing costs.

[0029] The second method uses short tubes with two-color injection molding to connect two adjacent cooling plates. This solution has a lower cost, but it has poor tolerance in the two directions other than the axial direction. It requires the cooling plates to be positioned very precisely, otherwise there is a risk of airtight leakage.

[0030] The third type uses an integrated water pipe, with corrugated pipes absorbing tolerances between adjacent cooling plates. Due to the small distance between adjacent cooling plates, only three corrugations can be designed. Even though the product itself can absorb a large axial tolerance, a significant amount of force is required during installation. The water pipe joint must first be pulled to the corresponding cold plate inlet position before successful assembly. Furthermore, the cold plate interface can only use a combination of machining and high-frequency welding, resulting in higher costs.

[0031] Based on the above three existing thermal management component designs, this application proposes a thermal management component and battery pack for battery cells, which saves space for the thermal management component in the battery pack, facilitates installation, and saves costs.

[0032] Please see Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1A schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery cell and thermal management components from a first angle; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cylindrical battery cell and thermal management components from a second angle; Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of a cooling plate.

[0033] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a thermal management assembly for a battery cell 10, the thermal management assembly including a main pipe 20, a branch pipe 30 and a cooling plate 40, wherein the cooling plate 40 is connected to a first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 and the main pipe 20 is connected to a second end 302 of the branch pipe 30.

[0034] Optionally, the branch pipe 30 includes a bellows. The bellows can deform under stress to absorb tolerances in all directions, facilitating the assembly of the branch pipe 30 with the main pipe 20 and the cooling plate 40, and allowing for flexible arrangement of the branch pipe 30's position.

[0035] In one specific embodiment, when the battery cell 10 is a cylindrical battery cell, the cooling plate 40 can be disposed between two rows of cylindrical battery cells 10, and the side of the cooling plate 40 is fitted with the arc-shaped side of the cylindrical battery cell 10. The cooling plate 40 includes flow channels for coolant to pass through, and heating or cooling the cylindrical battery cell 10 can be achieved by heating or cooling the coolant. Optionally, a cooling plate 40 can be disposed between every two rows of cylindrical battery cells 10. Alternatively, a cooling plate 40 can be disposed every few rows (e.g., two rows) of cylindrical battery cells 10. The coolant flows out from the main pipe 20, enters the cooling plate 40 through a branch pipe 30, and then returns to the main pipe 20 through another branch pipe 30.

[0036] The height direction of the cooling plate 40 is parallel to the height direction H of the battery cell 10, and the connection direction X between the first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 and the cooling plate 40 is perpendicular to the height direction H of the battery cell 10. Therefore, since the connection direction X between the first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 and the cooling plate 40 is perpendicular to the height direction of the cooling plate 40, at least a portion of the branch pipe 30 is arranged along the connection direction X, saving space in the H direction.

[0037] Secondly, the present invention also provides a battery pack, the battery pack including the thermal management component for the cell 10 described in any one of the above-mentioned claims, the cell 10 and the housing (not shown in the figure), wherein the thermal management component and the cell 10 are disposed in the housing.

[0038] Optionally, the enclosure includes a cover, a lower enclosure, and a bottom plate. The lower enclosure includes multiple side walls connected end to end. The cover and bottom plate cover both sides of the lower enclosure, thereby forming a sealed cavity inside the enclosure. The aforementioned thermal management components and battery cell 10 are disposed within the cavity.

[0039] In one embodiment, the top of the cell 10 faces the upper cover, the bottom of the cell 10 faces the base plate, and the height direction H of the cell 10 is also the height direction of the battery pack. The thermal management component for the cell 10 provided in this application can save space in the height direction inside the pack, thereby making the height of the battery pack smaller.

[0040] Optionally, the top of the battery cell 10 is bonded to the upper casing cover, and the bottom of the battery cell 10 is bonded to the base plate. The cooling plate 40 is connected to the battery cell 10 with adhesive (such as thermally conductive adhesive, double-sided tape, etc.), which can improve heat transfer efficiency.

[0041] Using adhesive bonding as a connection method can minimize the use of connecting parts, thereby further improving the space utilization within the battery pack.

[0042] In one embodiment, the end of the cooling plate 40 may include an inlet end 401 and an outlet end 402. The inlet end 401 is connected to the main inlet pipe 201 via a branch pipe 30, and the outlet end 402 is connected to the main outlet pipe 202 via another branch pipe 30. Coolant enters each cooling plate 40 from the main inlet pipe 201, flows through the flow channels inside the cooling plate 40, and flows from the outlet end into the main outlet pipe 202, thus realizing a coolant circulation loop.

[0043] Optionally, as shown in the figure, the water inlet 401 and the water outlet 402 can be located at the same end of the cooling plate 40. Thus, one end of the cooling plate 40 is connected to the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202, respectively, and the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 can be arranged at the same end of the cooling plate. This design facilitates the assembly and connection of various components within the thermal management assembly and also saves space occupied by the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 201, improving the space utilization rate within the battery pack.

[0044] In one specific embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 The inlet end 401 and the outlet end 402 are respectively located on two sides of the cooling plate 40, so that the first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 can be connected to the cooling plate 40 along the X direction. Thus, the branch pipe 30 can be inserted into the side of the cooling plate 40, and the joints of the cooling plate 40 (i.e., the inlet end 401 and the outlet end 402) can be manufactured by brazing, which is more cost-effective. Compared with the prior art where joints are set at the upper or lower part of the cooling plate for insertion into the branch pipe, the solution of this application can effectively save space in the H direction.

[0045] Optionally, the inlet end 401 and the outlet end 402 are staggered, allowing the branch pipes 30 to be arranged in a staggered manner along the height of the cooling plate, thus saving space for the branch pipe arrangement. Figure 3 In the middle, the water inlet 401 is located at the lower part of the cooling plate 40, and the water outlet 402 is located at the upper part of the cooling plate 40.

[0046] It should be noted that, Figure 3 The water inlet 401 and water outlet 402 are merely examples of this application. The positions of the water inlet 401 and water outlet 402 are not limited to the example in the figure, and the positions of the water inlet 401 and water outlet 402 can be interchanged.

[0047] In one embodiment, the connection direction Y (not shown in the figure) between the second end 302 of the branch pipe 30 and the main pipe 20 is parallel to the height direction H of the battery cell 10. Thus, the two ends (the first end 301 and the second end 302) of the branch pipe 30 are arranged vertically within the battery pack, which facilitates the connection between the branch pipe 30 and the cooling plate 40 and the main pipe 20.

[0048] In one embodiment, the main pipe 20 includes a main water inlet pipe 201 and a main water outlet pipe 202, which are arranged vertically along the height direction h of the battery cell 10. The main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 are located at the same end within the battery pack, and can be arranged vertically parallel or not absolutely parallel. The length direction of the main pipe 20 (including the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202) can be parallel to the length direction of the battery pack, or the length direction of the main pipe 20 can be parallel to the width direction of the battery pack. However, arranging the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 vertically along the height direction of the battery pack (i.e., the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 10) can save space within the pack.

[0049] In one embodiment, the second end 302 of the branch pipe 30 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20. As shown in the figure, an interface for connecting the various branch pipes 30 is provided on the peripheral wall of the main pipe 20, thereby allowing coolant to flow between the main pipe 20 and the branch pipes 30.

[0050] Optionally, the interface between the second end 302 and the main water inlet pipe 201 is referred to as the first interface 501, and the interface between the second end 302 and the main water outlet pipe 20 is referred to as the second interface 502. The first interface 501 and the second interface 502 are arranged opposite to each other.

[0051] As shown in the figure, the main water inlet pipe 201 is above the main water outlet pipe 202. Multiple first interfaces 501 can be provided on the downward-facing peripheral wall of the main water inlet pipe 201, and multiple second interfaces 502 can be provided upward-facing on the upward-facing peripheral wall of the main water outlet pipe 202. The branch pipe 30 includes an inlet branch pipe 30A and an outlet branch pipe 30B. The second end 302 of the inlet branch pipe 30A is connected to the first interface 501 of the main water inlet pipe 201, and the first end 301 of the inlet branch pipe 30A is connected to the water inlet end 401 at the lower part of the cooling plate 40. The second end 302 of the outlet branch pipe 30B is connected to the second interface 502 of the main water outlet pipe 202, and the first end 301 of the outlet branch pipe 30B is connected to the water outlet end 402 at the upper part of the cooling plate 40.

[0052] It should be noted that the main water inlet pipe 201 can be located directly above the main water outlet pipe 202, or it can be located diagonally above the main water outlet pipe 202. Furthermore, the positions of the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 can be interchanged.

[0053] In the above embodiment, two main pipes 20 are arranged vertically above and below the height of the battery cell within the battery pack. The interfaces between the two main pipes 20 and the branch pipes 30 are located on the opposite outer peripheral surfaces of the two main pipes. That is, the interface between the upper main pipe 20 and the branch pipe is located at the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20, and the interface between the lower main pipe 20 and the branch pipe is located at the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20. This allows the connection between the main pipe 20 and the branch pipe 30 to be located between the two main pipes, saving space for the thermal management components in the H direction.

[0054] Optionally, the first interface 501 and the second interface 502 are staggered along the length direction (i.e., the X direction) of the main pipe 20. Thus, adjacent branch pipes 30 (such as the inlet branch pipe 30A and outlet branch pipe 30B in the figure) can be staggered, making more efficient use of space in the H direction.

[0055] In one embodiment, the main pipe 20 includes an inlet and / or an outlet (not shown in the figure), which are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20. The inlet and outlet of the main pipe (including the inlet and outlet) are used to connect to external pipelines of the battery pack. Coolant can flow into the main pipe 20 from the external pipelines of the battery pack through the inlet, and coolant can also flow into the external pipelines of the battery pack from the main pipe 20 through the outlet, thereby realizing coolant circulation inside and outside the battery pack.

[0056] Optionally, both the inlet and outlet are located on the side of the main pipe 20 near the side wall to facilitate coolant circulation with the outside of the battery pack.

[0057] In this embodiment, the inlet and outlet are located on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20, rather than at both ends along the length of the main pipe, which can reduce the size of the battery pack along the length of the main pipe.

[0058] In one embodiment, the branch pipe 30 is connected to the main pipe 20 via a cold extrusion assembly process, and / or the branch pipe 30 is connected to the cooling plate 40 via a cold extrusion assembly process. Compared with the laser welding process commonly used in the prior art, the cold extrusion assembly process adopted in this application can effectively reduce costs.

[0059] Thirdly, the present invention also provides a vehicle comprising any of the battery packs described above.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not others, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this application and form different embodiments. For example, any of the claimed embodiments in the claims of this application can be used in any combination.

[0061] The technical solution of the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after such changes or substitutions will all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal management component for battery cells, characterized in that, The thermal management assembly includes a main pipe, a branch pipe, and a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate is connected to a first end of the branch pipe, and the main pipe is connected to a second end of the branch pipe; Wherein, the height direction of the cooling plate is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell, and the connection direction between the first end and the cooling plate is perpendicular to the height direction of the battery cell.

2. The thermal management component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection direction between the second end and the main tube is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell.

3. The thermal management component according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second end is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main tube.

4. The thermal management component according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that, The main pipe includes a main water inlet pipe and a main water outlet pipe, which are arranged vertically along the height direction of the battery cell.

5. The thermal management component according to claim 4, characterized in that, The interface between the second end and the main water inlet pipe is the first interface, and the interface between the second end and the main water outlet pipe is the second interface. The first interface and the second interface are arranged opposite to each other.

6. The thermal management component according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first interface and the second interface are staggered along the length of the main pipe.

7. The thermal management component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The main pipe includes an inlet and / or an outlet, which are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe.

8. The thermal management component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The branch pipe includes a corrugated pipe.

9. The thermal management component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The branch pipe is connected to the main pipe through a cold extrusion assembly process, and / or the branch pipe is connected to the cooling plate through a cold extrusion assembly process.

10. A battery pack, characterized in that, The battery pack includes a thermal management component for the battery cell, the battery cell, and a housing as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the thermal management component and the battery cell are disposed within the housing.

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