A thermal management system runner plate

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of heat management system flow channel plate, it is related to flow channel plate technical field.The present application includes flow channel plate, the flow channel plate is composed of upper body, middle body and lower body, the lower surface of upper body, the upper and lower surfaces of middle body and the upper surface of lower body are all provided with welding edge, the periphery of upper body, middle body and lower body is provided with outer ring flange, overflow groove is arranged between outer ring flange and welding edge.The present application is positioned by the combination design of middle body opening, lower body positioning blind hole and upper body positioning boss, and then the direction positioning boss of upper body cover is rigid fool-proof structure, so that the problem of installing accessories in reverse is eliminated from the design level, the assembly error rate is reduced to zero, and the material and time waste caused by disassembly and reassembly is completely avoided.The standardized opening and blind hole positioning structure matches the grabbing and assembly logic of industrial robot, without making substantial modification to production line, can be directly connected to automatic production line, and reduce the modification cost of large-scale production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of flow channel plate technology, and more specifically to a flow channel plate for a thermal management system. Background Technology

[0002] With the global energy structure transformation and tightening environmental protection policies, new energy vehicles (including pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles) have become the core direction for the high-quality development of the automotive industry. Their driving range, operational safety and service life have become the core indicators of market competition. As the "central nervous system" that ensures the stable operation of the core components of new energy vehicles, the thermal management system directly determines the overall performance of the vehicle.

[0003] The main drawbacks of existing mainstream designs for runner systems in new energy vehicles are as follows:

[0004] (1) Low assembly efficiency: Existing new energy vehicle flow channel plates mostly use single pins and slots for positioning. Misalignment is likely to occur during the assembly of the upper, middle and lower bodies, requiring repeated manual calibration. Production line assembly is time-consuming and the assembly time per unit is high. The positioning structure is disconnected from the assembly process and cannot be adapted to automated production lines. Labor costs account for a high proportion during large-scale production.

[0005] (2) Poor welding yield: The existing flow channel plates of new energy vehicles do not have a special overflow collection structure. When welding, the molten material overflows and easily sticks to the sealing surface and positioning surface of the flow channel plate, resulting in excessive gaps and sealing failure in subsequent assembly. Manual cleaning of the overflow is required, which increases the cost of subsequent processes. The welding edge design is compact, and the outer flange is fully welded. Not only is the welding path long and the process complex, but the accumulation of molten material can also lead to stress concentration at the weld, resulting in weld cracking after long-term use and affecting the sealing performance of the flow channel plate. Incomplete overflow cleaning can easily leave impurities, which will cause pipeline blockage after entering the flow channel, affecting the fluid transmission efficiency of the thermal management system of new energy vehicles.

[0006] (3) Weak process adaptability: Most of them are simple designs of integral or split type. The structural design only meets the basic functions of fluid transmission and sealing of the flow channel plate, without considering the adaptability to mass production process, resulting in "passable laboratory samples but low mass production yield". The positioning, welding and assembly structures are independent of each other and there is no collaborative design. Optimization of one link will lead to new problems in other links (such as the positioning accuracy decreases after optimizing the welding edge), making it difficult to achieve full-process optimization. The later modification of mass production problems requires re-molding, which has high mold modification costs and long cycle, increasing product research and development and production costs. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a thermal management system flow channel plate in order to solve the above problems.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention specifically adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] A flow channel plate for a thermal management system includes a flow channel plate composed of an upper body, a middle body and a lower body. The lower surface of the upper body, the upper and lower surfaces of the middle body and the upper surface of the lower body are all provided with welding edges. The upper body, the middle body and the lower body are all provided with outer ring flanges around their perimeters. An overflow groove is provided between the outer ring flanges and the welding edges. When the welding edges are hot-pressed, the outer ring flanges do not contact each other.

[0010] The top of the upper body is provided with an injection port, and two upper liquid outlets are provided on the outer side of the upper body. The outer sides of the middle body and the lower body are both provided with lower liquid outlets. The bottom of the lower body is provided with a water valve port and a water pump port.

[0011] Furthermore, a positioning boss is provided on the outer side of the injection port.

[0012] Furthermore, both the upper surface of the upper body and the outer surface of the middle body are provided with two positioning blind holes.

[0013] Furthermore, positioning openings are provided at both ends of the middle body.

[0014] Furthermore, the welding edge is extended outward.

[0015] Furthermore, the width of the overflow trough in the upper and lower bodies is greater than the width of the overflow trough in the middle body. The overflow trough in the upper and lower bodies is provided with an annular sealing protrusion. The annular sealing protrusion is close to the outer flange and is composed of a vertical part and a triangular part. The hypotenuse of the triangular part is close to the outer flange. The inner wall of the overflow trough in the middle body is provided with a groove. The cross-section of the groove is semi-circular and the groove is close to the welding edge.

[0016] Furthermore, the cross-section of the slot is semi-circular.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. This invention achieves full-process adaptation from coarse positioning to fine positioning through the combination design of the middle body opening for rapid positioning, the lower body positioning blind hole and the upper body positioning boss. No manual calibration is required, the assembly alignment time is shortened by more than 80%, and the production line cycle time is greatly improved. Furthermore, the standardized opening and blind hole positioning structure is matched with the gripping and assembly logic of the industrial robotic arm. No major modifications to the production line are required. It can be directly connected to the automated production line, reducing the modification cost for large-scale production.

[0019] 2. This invention utilizes a dedicated overflow groove design on the upper body to directly collect welding molten material, completely eliminating the overflow cleaning process. This saves subsequent processing time and avoids flow channel blockage caused by impurities, improving the operational stability of the thermal management system. The expanded overflow space at the welding edge prevents overflow from interfering with subsequent assembly and reduces stress concentration caused by molten material accumulation, lowering the risk of weld cracking by over 90% and improving the sealing reliability and service life of the flow channel plate. With overflow collected centrally, the flow channel plate surface is free of molten material residue and scratches, eliminating the need for additional grinding. The finished product appearance yield is increased to over 99.5%, meeting the high-precision appearance requirements of new energy vehicle components.

[0020] 3. This invention splits the flow channel plate into three parts: upper, middle, and lower. This is not a simple structural disassembly, but a targeted design tailored to the positioning and welding process requirements. It retains the core functions of the flow channel plate, such as fluid transmission and high-pressure sealing, while fully adapting to the process requirements of mass production, achieving uncompromised functionality and more efficient mass production. No subsequent mold modification is required; mass production can begin immediately after mold opening. Automated assembly, simplified welding processes, and the elimination of post-production cleaning and grinding steps reduce the overall mass production cost of a single flow channel plate by 20%-30%, while increasing production line efficiency by over 40%. In the industry trend of "cost reduction and efficiency improvement" for new energy vehicle components, its cost-effectiveness advantage is outstanding. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the flow channel plate of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the flow channel plate of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the flow channel plate structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the upper body structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the upper body structure of the present invention. Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the hot plate welding of the flow channel plate of the present invention.

[0027] Reference numerals: 1. Upper body; 2. Middle body; 3. Lower body; 4. Positioning boss; 5. Welding edge; 6. Outer ring flange; 7. Overflow groove; 8. Positioning blind hole; 9. Positioning opening; 10. Annular sealing edge protrusion; 11. Slot; 12. Injection port; 13. Upper outlet; 14. Lower outlet; 15. Water valve port; 16. Water pump port. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Example 1, as Figures 1-5 As shown, a flow channel plate for a thermal management system includes a flow channel plate composed of an upper body 1, a middle body 2, and a lower body 3. The lower surface of the upper body 1, the upper and lower surfaces of the middle body 2, and the upper surface of the lower body 3 are all provided with welding edges 5. The upper body 1, the middle body 2, and the lower body 3 are all provided with outer ring flanges 6 around their perimeters. An overflow groove 7 is provided between the outer ring flanges 6 and the welding edges 5. When the welding edges 5 are hot-pressed, the outer ring flanges 6 do not contact each other, and the height difference between the outer ring flanges 6 and the welding edges 5 is set to 1-2 mm.

[0030] The top of the upper body 1 is provided with an injection port 12, and the outer side of the upper body 1 is provided with two upper liquid outlets 13. The outer sides of the middle body 2 and the lower body 3 are both provided with lower liquid outlets 14, and the bottom of the lower body 3 is provided with a water valve port 15 and a water pump port 16.

[0031] A positioning boss 4 is provided on the outside of the injection port 12 to prevent the cap from being installed backwards, thus ensuring the correctness and consistency of the assembly.

[0032] Both the upper surface of the upper body 1 and the outer surface of the middle body 2 are provided with two positioning blind holes 8. Positioning openings 9 are provided at both ends of the middle body 2. The design of the positioning openings 9 and the positioning blind holes 8 allows for quick alignment of the upper, middle, and lower bodies during assembly, significantly improving the assembly efficiency and accuracy of the production line. The welding edge 5 is extended outward to provide space for overflow material, preventing overflow from blocking the medium flow hole.

[0033] The flow channel plate of this invention is made entirely of plastic and employs a hot plate welding process. Through a specific welding plate structure, the welding edges 5 are first heated to high temperature to melt, and then hot-pressed together. During the hot-pressing process, the outer flanges 6 do not contact each other and are not welded. Excess material extruded enters the overflow tank 7 to directly collect the welding molten material, completely eliminating the overflow cleaning process. This saves subsequent processing time, avoids flow channel blockage caused by impurities, and improves the operational stability of the thermal management system. The upper body 1 and middle body 2 are first welded to form a preliminary welded body, and then the lower body 3 is welded together with the preliminary welded body.

[0034] Furthermore, the positioning boss 4 and positioning blind hole 8 enable rapid installation and positioning of the upper body 1. The positioning blind hole 8 and positioning opening 9 facilitate rapid installation and positioning of the middle body 2, improving welding accuracy. The lower body 3 is positioned using the structure of the water pump port 16 and water valve port 15. This achieves full-process adaptation from coarse positioning to fine positioning, eliminating the need for manual calibration, reducing assembly alignment time by over 80%, and significantly improving production line cycle time. Furthermore, the standardized opening and blind hole positioning structure matches the gripping and assembly logic of industrial robotic arms, eliminating the need for significant modifications to the production line and allowing direct integration into automated production lines, reducing the cost of scaling up production.

[0035] Workflow: The electric water pump starts, pumping coolant into the flow channel plate through pump port 16 to provide circulation power. The multi-pass water valve in water valve port 15 receives control signals (such as battery temperature) and switches the position of the internal valve core in real time to determine the flow direction and mode of the coolant. According to the water valve instructions, the coolant is precisely distributed to the target components (such as the battery, motor, and air conditioning heat exchanger) from the corresponding upper outlet 13 and lower outlet 14. The coolant flows through the components externally, absorbing heat (during cooling) or releasing heat (during heating), completing its temperature regulation mission. The coolant that has completed heat exchange flows back from the components and is sucked back into the water pump, ready for the next cycle. Inlet port 12 is mainly for system filling and venting; it is the main inlet for adding coolant to the entire thermal management cycle system. During vehicle production or maintenance, the system is evacuated and coolant is added through this port. As one of the interfaces for system pressure balancing and expansion compensation, it is usually connected to the expansion tank.

[0036] Example 2, as Figure 6 As shown, the width of the overflow trough 7 in the upper body 1 and lower body 3 is greater than the width of the overflow trough 7 in the middle body 2. The overflow trough 7 in the upper body 1 and lower body 3 is provided with an annular sealing protrusion 10. The annular sealing protrusion 10 is close to the outer flange 6. The annular sealing protrusion 10 is composed of a vertical part and a triangular part. The hypotenuse of the triangular part is close to the outer flange 6. The inner wall of the overflow trough 7 in the middle body 2 is provided with a slot 11. The cross-section of the slot 11 is semi-circular. The slot 11 is close to the welding edge 5.

[0037] After the welding edge 5 is hot-melted, the upper body 1 and the middle body 2 are hot-pressed together. Under pressure, the annular sealing protrusion 10 is inserted into the overflow groove 7. As the pressure increases, the welding edge 5 is tightly hot-pressed together. At the same time, the edge of the overflow groove 7 in the middle body 2 pushes the triangular part towards the welding edge 5 through the inclined side of the triangular part, so that the molten material entering the overflow groove 7 is pressed into the slot 11. After cooling, a snap-fit ​​protrusion is formed in the slot 11, which fits tightly with the slot 11. At the same time, the solidified part and the inclined triangular part form a secondary snap-fit ​​structure. The double snap-fit ​​structure improves the connection strength and welding sealing. Furthermore, the vertical part of the annular sealing protrusion 10 seals the gap between the outer flange 6, improving the overall aesthetics and forming a seal. Therefore, the entire hot-press welding part forms a quadruple seal of welding edge 5, slot 11, triangular part and vertical part. Through the ingenious geometric structure, welding, mechanical locking and appearance sealing are completed simultaneously in a single hot-press welding operation, which greatly improves product quality and production efficiency.

[0038] During injection molding, under normal injection molding conditions, since the cross-section of the slot 11 is semi-circular, demolding can be achieved by slightly increasing the force. Similar to conventional semi-circular snap-fit ​​protrusions, it can be integrally injection molded.

[0039] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A flow channel plate for a thermal management system, comprising a flow channel plate, characterized in that, The flow channel plate is composed of an upper body (1), a middle body (2) and a lower body (3). The lower surface of the upper body (1), the upper and lower surfaces of the middle body (2) and the upper surface of the lower body (3) are all provided with welding edges (5). The upper body (1), the middle body (2) and the lower body (3) are all provided with outer ring flanges (6). An overflow groove (7) is provided between the outer ring flanges (6) and the welding edges (5). When the welding edges (5) are hot-pressed, the outer ring flanges (6) do not contact each other. The top of the upper body (1) is provided with a liquid injection port (12), and the outer side of the upper body (1) is provided with two upper liquid outlets (13). The outer sides of the middle body (2) and the lower body (3) are provided with lower liquid outlets (14). The bottom of the lower body (3) is provided with a water valve port (15) and a water pump port (16). The width of the overflow trough (7) in the upper body (1) and lower body (3) is greater than the width of the overflow trough (7) in the middle body (2). The overflow trough (7) in the upper body (1) and lower body (3) is provided with an annular sealing protrusion (10). The annular sealing protrusion (10) is close to the outer flange (6). The annular sealing protrusion (10) is composed of a vertical part and a triangular part. The hypotenuse of the triangular part is close to the outer flange (6). The inner wall of the overflow trough (7) in the middle body (2) is provided with a slot (11). The slot (11) is close to the welding edge (5). The cross-section of the slot (11) is semi-circular.

2. The flow channel plate of a thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A positioning boss (4) is provided on the outside of the injection port (12).

3. A flow channel plate for a thermal management system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The upper surface of the upper body (1) and the outer surface of the middle body (2) are provided with two positioning blind holes (8).

4. A flow channel plate for a thermal management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both ends of the middle body (2) are provided with positioning openings (9).

5. A flow channel plate for a thermal management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The welding edge (5) is extended outward.

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