Protection module and protection method for battery pack of vehicle, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a protection module and a protection method for a battery pack of a vehicle, the battery pack and the vehicle. A protection module for a battery pack of a vehicle may be provided within the battery pack and may include: a first protection layer composed of a sensor array for fault sensing and fault location; and a second protective layer composed of an elastic material, wherein the first protective layer is coupled between the lower bottom plate of the battery pack and the second protective layer. According to the protection module for the battery pack of the vehicle, when the lower bottom plate of the shell of the battery pack of the vehicle is damaged due to collision, the alarm signal can be sent out through the first protection layer composed of the sensor array; and protection can be provided through the second protection layer made of the elastic material after the lower bottom plate of the shell is collided and damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery pack protection technology, and more particularly to protection modules and methods for battery packs used in vehicles, battery packs, and vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Electric vehicles are gradually becoming an important part of the vehicle fleet due to their energy-saving and environmentally friendly advantages. Vehicle safety remains a major concern. For vehicles that include high-voltage batteries (HVB), the safety of the HVB component is crucial and key to ensuring overall vehicle safety. Currently, electric vehicles issue warnings when serious collisions cause severe HVB malfunctions such as battery deformation or coolant leakage. However, they do not monitor or address minor malfunctions such as battery pack rupture caused by minor collisions, posing a safety hazard to continued vehicle operation.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the security of HVB. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems, this disclosure provides a protection module and protection method for a battery pack of a vehicle, a battery pack, and a vehicle. The protection module for a battery pack of the vehicle disclosed herein can provide timely warnings in the event of a collision.

[0005] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a protective module for a battery pack in a vehicle. The protective module may be disposed within the battery pack and may include: a first protective layer consisting of a sensor array, wherein the sensor array is used for fault sensing and fault location; and a second protective layer consisting of an elastic material, wherein the first protective layer is coupled between a lower base plate of the battery pack and the second protective layer.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the first protective layer is bonded to the lower base plate by an insulating adhesive material.

[0007] According to one embodiment of this application, the sensor array may optionally consist of electrical signal sensors.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the elastic material is capable of dehumidification.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the protection module may be connected to the vehicle's onboard control unit.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the sensor array may be configured to report the location of the fault to the vehicle control unit when a fault is sensed.

[0011] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the vehicle control unit may alert the user to the battery pack fault and fault location upon receiving fault location information.

[0012] The protective module for a vehicle battery pack according to this disclosure can issue an alarm signal via a first protective layer composed of a sensor array when the bottom of the battery pack housing (e.g., the bottom plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock). The protective module for a vehicle battery pack according to this disclosure can also provide protection (e.g., physical protection) and absorb liquid inside the battery pack (if leakage occurs inside the battery pack) via a second protective layer composed of an elastic material after the bottom of the housing (e.g., the bottom plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock).

[0013] In a second aspect, this disclosure provides a method for protecting a battery pack for a vehicle. The protection method may include: attaching one side of a first protective layer consisting of a sensor array to one side of a lower base plate within the battery pack, wherein the sensor array is used for fault sensing and fault location; and attaching one side of a second protective layer consisting of an elastic material to the other side of the first protective layer.

[0014] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the first protective layer is bonded to the lower base plate by an insulating adhesive material.

[0015] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the elastic material is capable of dehumidification.

[0016] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the protection module is connected to the vehicle's on-board control unit.

[0017] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the sensor array is configured to report the location of the fault to the vehicle control unit when a fault is sensed.

[0018] According to one embodiment of this application, optionally, the vehicle control unit may alert the user to the battery pack fault and fault location upon receiving fault location information.

[0019] The battery pack protection method for a vehicle according to this disclosure attaches a first protective layer composed of a sensor array to one side of the lower base plate of the battery pack inside the battery pack, such that when the bottom of the battery pack housing (e.g., the lower base plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock), the first protective layer issues an alarm signal. The battery pack protection method for a vehicle according to this disclosure further attaches one side of a second protective layer composed of an elastic material to the other side of the first protective layer, such that after the bottom of the housing (e.g., the lower base plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock), the second protective layer provides protection (e.g., physical protection) and absorbs liquid inside the battery pack (if the battery pack leaks due to a collision).

[0020] In a third aspect, this disclosure provides a battery pack. The battery pack may include the protective module described above.

[0021] The battery pack according to this disclosure can issue an alarm signal via a protection module when the bottom of the battery pack housing (e.g., the bottom plate) is damaged by a collision (e.g., impact or shock, etc.) (e.g., breakage or damage). Furthermore, after the bottom of the housing (e.g., the bottom plate) is damaged by a collision (e.g., impact or shock, etc.) (e.g., breakage or damage, etc.), the protection module can provide protection (e.g., physical protection) and absorb liquid inside the battery pack (if leakage occurs inside the battery pack). The battery pack according to this disclosure has a long service life.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, this disclosure provides a vehicle. The vehicle may include the battery pack described above.

[0023] According to this disclosure, the vehicle can provide protection (e.g., physical protection) against damage to the vehicle's battery pack (e.g., breakage or damage) and absorb liquid inside the battery pack (if leakage occurs inside the battery pack) and perform timely maintenance upon alarm, thereby giving the vehicle's battery pack a long service life.

[0024] These and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To gain a more detailed understanding of the manner in which the features of this disclosure are described above, reference can be made to the various embodiments for a more specific description of the above-briefly summarized aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as this description may allow for other equivalent and effective aspects.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of the sensor array in the first protective layer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided.

[0028] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a method for protecting a battery pack for a vehicle, including embodiments of the present disclosure, is provided.

[0029] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of a vehicle including an example battery pack according to embodiments of the present disclosure is provided. Detailed Implementation

[0030] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other embodiments, well-known structures or processing steps have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of this disclosure.

[0031] In the description of the embodiments disclosed herein, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, the term "multiple" means two or more; the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone; the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims and foregoing description of the drawings of this disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusively encompass.

[0033] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0034] Numerous specific details (such as examples of specific components and / or processes) are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this disclosure. The specific meanings of the terms used in this disclosure will be understood by those skilled in the art as appropriate. Furthermore, specific naming is set forth in the following description and for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of this disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various example embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known modules and devices are illustrated in block diagram form to avoid obscuring this disclosure.

[0035] The term "vehicle" in the embodiments described herein refers to a vehicle that includes at least a high-voltage battery (HVB) and at least one type of drive mechanism that is electrically driven. For vehicles containing at least one type of electric drive mechanism, the safety of the HVB is paramount and is key to ensuring the overall safety of the vehicle. The HVB assembly is typically mounted at the bottom of the vehicle body. If there is any vibration, foreign object, etc., at the bottom of the vehicle body, the HVB (especially the HVB housing) will be directly impacted. For severe collisions resulting in battery deformation or coolant leakage, the vehicle will issue a warning. However, for minor collisions that only cause the battery pack housing to rupture but not battery deformation and with no or minimal coolant leakage, the vehicle may not issue a warning because the collision does not directly affect vehicle functionality. However, if the user continues to drive the vehicle with a damaged battery pack housing, water or other liquids may enter the HVB enclosure, potentially leading to serious consequences (e.g., malfunction or fire) or any other failure.

[0036] To address one or more of the above-mentioned problems, this disclosure provides a protective module and a protective method for a battery pack used in a vehicle. The protective module and protective method for a battery pack used in a vehicle will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example battery pack 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. Figure 1 As shown, the battery pack 100 includes a protective module disposed within the battery pack. In some embodiments, the protective module may include a first protective layer 120 composed of a sensor array and a second protective layer 130 composed of an elastic material, wherein the first protective layer 120 is coupled between the lower base plate 110 of the battery pack and the second protective layer 130.

[0038] In one example, the first protective layer 120 may be bonded to the lower base plate 110 using an insulating adhesive. For example, the first protective layer 120 may be bonded to the lower base plate 110 using insulating adhesive. In some cases, the first protective layer 120 may be tightly fitted to the lower base plate 110. In an alternative example, the size of the first protective layer 120 may be equal to or slightly smaller than the size of the lower base plate 110. In one example, the first protective layer 120 may be tightly fitted to or joined to the second protective layer 130 with a certain gap (e.g., 1 mm to 20 mm).

[0039] In one example, a sensor array is used for fault detection and fault location. The sensor array can consist of multiple identical or different types of sensors (e.g., electrical signal sensors, force sensors, etc.). In an optional example, the sensor array can consist of electrical signal sensors. These sensors can be arranged in a certain pattern, such as linear, circular, matrix, or other geometric shapes, to suit different application requirements. As an example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of the sensor array in the first protective layer 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Figure 2 As shown, the sensor array can be arranged in a rectangular matrix. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that... Figure 2 The arrangement of the sensor array shown is merely an example, and the sensor array can be arranged in other ways without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0040] In one example, the sensor array can be configured to report the fault location (e.g., the location of the fault) to the vehicle control unit (not shown) upon sensing a fault. For example, when a sensor in the sensor array detects a fault, the sensor array can be configured to report the fault to the vehicle control unit (not shown) upon sensing the fault, and simultaneously report the location of the sensor that detected the fault as the fault location. The first protective layer composed of the sensor array can issue a warning signal when the bottom of the battery pack housing (e.g., the lower base plate) of the vehicle is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock). For example, the first protective layer composed of the sensor array can issue a warning signal when the lower base plate of the battery pack housing is damaged by a collision, even if it is a minor crack in the lower base plate of the housing.

[0041] In one alternative example, the onboard control unit can classify alarms based on the location of the fault. For instance, if the fault location is relatively unlikely to cause battery deformation or coolant leakage, the onboard control unit issues a low-level alarm. Conversely, if the fault location is relatively likely to cause battery deformation or coolant leakage, the onboard control unit issues a high-level alarm.

[0042] In one example, the protection module may be connected to the vehicle's onboard control unit. In an optional example, the sensor array of the first protection layer 110 in the protection module may be connected to the vehicle's onboard control unit. In one example, the onboard control unit alerts a user (e.g., driver, maintenance personnel, etc.) to a battery pack fault and its location upon receiving a fault location.

[0043] In one example, the second protective layer 130, composed of an elastic material, is capable of dehumidification. In an alternative example, the size of the second protective layer 130 may be equal to or slightly smaller than the size of the lower first protective layer 120 or the base plate 110. For example, the second protective layer composed of an elastic material provides protection (e.g., physical protection) and absorbs liquid inside the battery pack (if leakage occurs inside the battery pack) after the bottom of the housing (e.g., the lower base plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock). In other words, the elastic material can provide temporary protection for the battery pack after the housing breaks, while absorbing a small amount of liquid in the event of a coolant leak, thereby preventing serious accidents (e.g., fire) and providing time for the user to repair the battery pack after a collision.

[0044] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method 300 for protecting a battery pack for a vehicle, including embodiments of the present disclosure, is described.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the protection method 300 may include the following steps.

[0046] In step 302, one side of the first protective layer consisting of the sensor array can be attached to the side of the lower base plate of the battery pack within the battery pack, wherein the sensor array is used for fault sensing and fault location. In one example, the first protective layer can be bonded to the lower base plate using an insulating adhesive material. For example, the first protective layer can be bonded to the lower base plate using insulating glue. In some cases, the first protective layer 120 can be tightly fitted to the lower base plate.

[0047] In step 304, one side of the second protective layer, which is composed of an elastic material, can be attached to the other side of the first protective layer. In one example, the first protective layer and the second protective layer can be tightly fitted together or connected together with a certain gap (e.g., 1 mm to 20 mm).

[0048] In one example, the elastic material of the second protective layer, which is composed of elastic material, is capable of dehumidification.

[0049] In one example, the sensor array can be configured to report the location of the fault to the onboard control unit when a fault is detected.

[0050] In one example, the vehicle control unit can alert the user to a battery pack fault and its location upon receiving a fault location.

[0051] The battery pack protection method for a vehicle according to this disclosure attaches a first protective layer composed of a sensor array to one side of the lower base plate of the battery pack inside the battery pack, such that when the bottom of the battery pack housing (e.g., the lower base plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock), the first protective layer issues an alarm signal. The battery pack protection method for a vehicle according to this disclosure further attaches one side of a second protective layer composed of an elastic material to the other side of the first protective layer, such that after the bottom of the housing (e.g., the lower base plate) is damaged (e.g., broken or damaged) by a collision (e.g., impact or shock), the second protective layer provides protection (e.g., physical protection) and absorbs liquid inside the battery pack (if the battery pack leaks due to a collision).

[0052] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of a vehicle 400 including an example battery pack 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is provided. Figure 4 As shown, vehicle 400 may include battery pack 100 as described above. Battery pack 100 may include protective module as described above.

[0053] According to this disclosure, the vehicle can provide protection (e.g., physical protection) against damage to the vehicle's battery pack (e.g., breakage or damage) and absorb liquid inside the battery pack (if leakage occurs inside the battery pack) and perform timely maintenance upon alarm, thereby giving the vehicle's battery pack a long service life.

[0054] The "range" disclosed herein is defined by a lower limit and an upper limit. A given range is defined by selecting a lower limit and an upper limit, which define the boundaries of the particular range. Ranges defined in this way may or may not include endpoints and can be arbitrarily combined; that is, any lower limit can be combined with any upper limit to form a range. In this application, unless otherwise stated, the numerical range "ab" represents a shortened representation of any combination of real numbers between a and b, where a and b are real numbers.

[0055] Unless otherwise specified in this application, all embodiments and preferred embodiments mentioned herein can be combined to form new technical solutions.

[0056] Unless otherwise specified, all technical features and preferred features mentioned herein can be combined to form new technical solutions. Although this application has been described with reference to optional embodiments, various modifications can be made and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of this application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any manner. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A protective module for a vehicle battery pack, the protective module being disposed within the battery pack and comprising: A first protective layer consisting of a sensor array, wherein the sensor array is used for fault detection and fault location; as well as A second protective layer composed of an elastic material, wherein the first protective layer is coupled between the bottom plate of the battery pack and the second protective layer.

2. The protection module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first protective layer is bonded to the lower base plate by an insulating adhesive material.

3. The protection module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor array consists of electrical signal sensors.

4. The protection module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic material is capable of dehumidification.

5. The protection module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The protection module is connected to the vehicle's onboard control unit.

6. The protection module as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The sensor array is configured to report the location of the fault to the vehicle control unit when a fault is detected.

7. The protection module as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Upon receiving a fault location, the vehicle control unit will alert the user to the battery pack fault and fault location.

8. A method for protecting a battery pack for a vehicle, comprising: One side of the first protective layer, consisting of a sensor array, is attached to one side of the lower base plate of the battery pack within the battery pack, wherein the sensor array is used for fault detection and fault location; and One side of the second protective layer, which is made of elastic material, is attached to the other side of the two sides of the first protective layer.

9. The protection method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first protective layer is bonded to the lower base plate by an insulating adhesive material.

10. The protection method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The elastic material is capable of dehumidification.

11. The protection method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The protection module is connected to the vehicle's onboard control unit.

12. The protection method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The sensor array is configured to report the location of the fault to the vehicle control unit when a fault is detected.

13. The protection method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, Upon receiving a fault location, the vehicle control unit will alert the user to the battery pack fault and fault location.

14. A battery pack comprising a protective module as described in any one of claims 1-7.

15. A vehicle comprising the battery pack as claimed in claim 14.

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