Battery with cooling function

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a battery with a cooling function, the battery comprises a shell, a porous supporting piece and a plurality of battery packs, the shell is provided with an accommodating cavity for accommodating a first cooling medium, and the surface of the shell is provided with a first medium inlet and a first medium outlet which are communicated with the accommodating cavity; the porous supporting piece is fixed in the accommodating cavity, and the porous supporting piece is provided with a plurality of accommodating grooves; and the plurality of battery packs are arranged in the corresponding accommodating grooves, and the outer surfaces of the battery packs are attached to the groove walls of the accommodating grooves, so that the cooling efficiency is higher.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a battery with a cooling function. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy technologies, power batteries are widely used in various electric vehicles. The temperature environment inside the battery pack has a great impact on the overall performance of the power battery, including battery capacity, power, charge and discharge efficiency, safety and life.

[0003] In the related technologies, in order to increase the driving range and high-rate charge and discharge of electric vehicles, the battery pack is highly integrated in a limited space. On the one hand, the temperature uniformity between the battery cells in the entire battery module cannot be guaranteed. On the other hand, due to the small contact area between the liquid cooling plate and the battery cell, the heat dissipation problem of the battery module with high heat generation cannot be solved. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application provides a battery with a cooling function, which can quickly cool down.

[0005] The battery includes a shell, a porous support member and a plurality of battery packs, wherein the shell has a accommodating cavity for containing a first cooling medium, and the surface of the shell has a first medium inlet and a first medium outlet connected to the accommodating cavity; the porous support member is fixed in the accommodating cavity, and the porous support member has a plurality of accommodating grooves; a plurality of battery packs are arranged in the corresponding accommodating grooves, and the outer surfaces of the battery packs are in contact with the groove walls of the accommodating grooves.

[0006] Based on the battery with cooling function of the embodiment of the present application, the battery packs are arranged one by one in the receiving slot, and the outer surface of the battery pack is attached to the slot wall of the receiving slot. The first cooling medium enters the receiving cavity through the first medium inlet. Since the porous support has good permeability, the first cooling medium can quickly penetrate the porous support, that is, the first cooling medium has good fluidity in the porous support, so as to accelerate the heat exchange efficiency between the first cooling medium and the battery pack. After the first cooling medium absorbs the heat of the battery pack, it flows out of the receiving cavity from the first medium outlet. In this way, the cooling efficiency of the battery is improved.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the porosity of the porous support member is greater than or equal to 60% and less than or equal to 90%.

[0008] Based on the above embodiments, within this range, the porous support member can not only provide a good supporting effect on the battery pack, but also ensure that the first cooling medium has good fluidity in the porous support member.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the porous support member is configured as a foamed aluminum cooling member, a foamed copper cooling member, or a porous ceramic cooling member.

[0010] Based on the above embodiments, foam aluminum, foam copper and porous ceramics all have low density and corrosion resistance. The low density can make the porous support member have a lighter weight, and the corrosion resistance can resist the corrosiveness of the cooling medium and have a longer life. Among them, foam aluminum also has high impact absorption capacity, and the high impact absorption capacity is strong and can buffer the battery pack when the vehicle is bumpy.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the boiling point of the first cooling medium is greater than or equal to 40°C and less than or equal to 50°C.

[0012] Based on the above embodiments, the temperature range in which the battery of the electric vehicle can operate normally is generally -20°C to 60°C. The boiling point of the first cooling medium is set between 40°C and 50°C. After exceeding the boiling point, the first cooling medium is converted into a gas state and no longer exchanges heat with the battery pack. The new first cooling medium is added to prevent the first cooling medium from overheating and reduce the cooling effect on the battery pack.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the first cooling medium is a fluorinated liquid.

[0014] Based on the above embodiments, the fluorinated liquid has the inert characteristics of being insulating and non-flammable, which can prevent the first cooling medium from conducting electricity and prevent the first cooling medium from burning after a battery failure, thereby greatly improving the safety and reliability of the battery.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the first medium inlet and the first medium outlet are located on opposite sides of the shell, a first gap is provided between the porous support member and the side wall of the shell having the first medium inlet, and a second gap is provided between the porous support member and the side wall of the shell having the first medium outlet; wherein the accommodating cavity includes the first gap, the second gap, and a main accommodating sub-cavity located between the first gap and the second gap.

[0016] Based on the above embodiment, the first medium inlet and the first medium outlet are arranged on opposite sides of the shell to ensure that the first cooling medium can flow through all the battery packs in the accommodating cavity, and after the first cooling medium enters the accommodating cavity, it can flow along the first gap to fill the first gap, so that the first cooling medium can flow from one end of the porous support member close to the first gap to the end close to the second gap, so that the first cooling medium can evenly cool the battery pack. After the first cooling medium flows through the porous support member, it can quickly converge to the first medium outlet along the second gap, so that the first cooling medium can flow out of the accommodating cavity faster, thereby accelerating the cooling of the battery pack by the first cooling medium.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the first medium inlet is arranged on the top wall of the shell, and the first medium outlet is arranged on the bottom wall of the shell. The battery also includes an electronic valve and a liquid level monitoring element. The electronic valve is connected to the shell and communicates with the first medium outlet. The liquid level monitoring element is fixed on the cavity wall of the accommodating cavity or the porous support member and is electrically connected to the electronic valve for monitoring the liquid level height of the first cooling medium.

[0018] Based on the above embodiment, the first medium inlet is arranged on the top wall of the shell, that is, the first gap is between the porous support member and the bottom wall of the accommodating cavity. After the first cooling medium absorbs the heat of the battery pack and evaporates, the first cooling medium converted into gas will be accommodated in the first gap to prevent the first cooling medium from absorbing heat and generating a large amount of gas, which will cause excessive pressure in the accommodating cavity, resulting in rupture of the shell and leakage of the first cooling medium.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the bottom wall of the accommodating cavity is provided with supporting ribs, and the porous supporting member is placed on the supporting ribs to form the second gap between the bottom wall of the porous supporting member and the bottom wall of the accommodating cavity.

[0020] Based on the above embodiment, placing the porous support member on the support ribs can form a second gap between the bottom wall of the porous support member and the bottom wall of the accommodating chamber.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery with cooling function further includes a cooling pipe, wherein a portion of the cooling pipe is disposed in the first gap, and both ends of the cooling pipe penetrate the shell and are located outside the shell.

[0022] Based on the above embodiment, the gaseous cooling medium in the first gap can be quickly cooled into liquid through the cooling pipe to prevent the shell from being broken due to excessive gaseous cooling medium in the accommodating cavity.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present application, the shell includes a main body and a cover, the main body having the second gap, the main accommodating subcavity and part of the first gap; the cover having the remaining part of the first gap, and the cooling pipe is fixedly connected to the cover; or,

[0024] The main body has a second gap and the main containing sub-cavity, and the cover has the first gap.

[0025] Based on the above embodiments, the shell is divided into a main body and a cover to facilitate the assembly of the battery. The battery pack and the porous support member can be installed in the accommodating cavity before the main body and the cover are assembled. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a battery with cooling function in one embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a battery with cooling function along the AA section is shown in FIG.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a porous support member in one embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the main body and the supporting ribs are connected in one embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after the cover body and the cooling pipe are connected in one embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Figure numerals: 10, shell; 11, main body; 111, first medium outlet; 112, supporting ribs; 12, cover body; 121, first medium inlet; 13, accommodating cavity; 131, first gap; 132, second gap; 133, main accommodating sub-cavity; 20, porous support member; 21, accommodating groove; 30, battery pack; 40, cooling tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0034] With the rapid development of new energy technologies, power batteries are widely used in various electric vehicles. The temperature environment inside the battery pack has a great impact on the overall performance of the power battery, including battery capacity, power, charge and discharge efficiency, safety and life.

[0035] In the related technologies, in order to increase the driving range and high-rate charge and discharge of electric vehicles, the battery pack is highly integrated in a limited space. On the one hand, the temperature uniformity between the battery cells in the entire battery module cannot be guaranteed. On the other hand, due to the small contact area between the liquid cooling plate and the battery cell, the heat dissipation problem of the battery module with high heat generation cannot be solved.

[0036] To solve the above problems, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery with a cooling function, the battery comprising a shell 10, a porous support member 20 and a plurality of battery packs 30, the shell 10 having a accommodating cavity 13, the surface of the shell 10 having a first medium inlet 121 and a first medium outlet 111 connected to the accommodating cavity 13; the porous support member 20 is fixed in the accommodating cavity 13, the porous support member 20 having a plurality of accommodating grooves 21; the plurality of battery packs 30 are arranged in corresponding accommodating grooves 21, and the outer surfaces of the battery packs 30 are in contact with the groove walls of the accommodating grooves 21.

[0037] The battery with cooling function of the present application can be used in various electric / hybrid vehicles, especially vehicles with large load requirements that require battery cooling, such as electric / hybrid cars, electric / hybrid tractors, electric / hybrid commercial vehicles, etc.

[0038] The shell 10 is an external protective member of the battery and is also used as a container for the first cooling medium. It is used to protect the battery pack 30 and the porous support member 20 disposed in the accommodating cavity 13, and is used to contain the first cooling medium. In the embodiment of the present application, the shape and size of the shell 10 are not limited. The shape and size of the shell 10 can be determined according to the use environment. For example, the battery is used in an electric vehicle. Since electric vehicles usually have multiple batteries, the battery should have a regular shape to facilitate the electric vehicle to arrange and fix multiple batteries. It is understandable that the shell 10 should be made of an insulating material, such as hard plastic.

[0039] The accommodating cavity 13 is used to accommodate the porous support member 20, the battery pack 30 and the first cooling medium. In the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the shape, size, etc. of the accommodating cavity 13, as long as the accommodating cavity 13 can accommodate the support member, the battery pack 30 and the first cooling medium.

[0040] The battery pack 30 is the core component of the battery, and the battery pack 30 is used to store electrical energy. Usually, the battery will include multiple battery packs 30, and the multiple battery packs 30 are connected in parallel and / or in series. In the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the shape, size, etc. of the battery pack 30, as long as the battery pack 30 can be charged and discharged.

[0041] The porous support member 20 is used to support and fix the battery pack 30, and the first cooling medium can quickly penetrate into the porous support member 20. In order to ensure the flow rate of the first cooling medium in the porous support member 20, in some embodiments of the present application, the porosity of the porous support member 20 is greater than or equal to 60%, and less than or equal to 90%, for example, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80% or 85%, etc. Within this range, the porous support member 20 can not only have a good supporting effect on the battery pack 30, but also ensure that the first cooling medium has good fluidity in the porous support member 20. Among them, the porosity refers to the percentage of the pore volume in the block material to the total volume of the material in the natural state. In a specific embodiment of the present application, the porosity of the porous support member 20 is 70%.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present application, the porous support member 20 is configured as a foam aluminum cooling member, a foam copper cooling member, or a porous ceramic cooling member. Foam aluminum, foam copper, and porous ceramics all have low density and corrosion resistance. The low density can make the porous support member 20 lighter, and the corrosion resistance can resist the corrosion of the first cooling medium and have a longer life. Among them, foam aluminum also has high impact absorption capacity, and the high impact absorption capacity is strong and can buffer the battery pack 30 when the vehicle is bumpy.

[0043] The receiving groove 21 is used to receive and fix the battery pack 30. In order to simplify the processing difficulty of the porous support member 20 and the battery pack 30, in some embodiments of the present application, the receiving groove 21 and the battery pack 30 are configured as regular shapes, such as a rectangular parallelepiped or a cylinder, etc., so as to facilitate the installation of the battery pack 30 into the receiving groove 21.

[0044] It can be understood that there are multiple receiving slots 21. In some embodiments of the present application, the multiple receiving slots 21 can be arranged into multiple groups, and the intervals between adjacent receiving slots 21 in each group are equal.

[0045] The first cooling medium is used for heat exchange with the battery pack 30. It is understandable that since the first cooling medium will be in contact with the battery pack 30, the first cooling medium should be a first cooling medium with high insulation. In order to improve the cooling effect of the first cooling medium on the battery pack 30, in the embodiment of the present application, the electrodes of the battery pack 30 are also in the first cooling medium.

[0046] Since the operating temperature range of the battery of an electric vehicle is -20°C to 60°C, in the embodiment of the present application, the boiling point of the first cooling medium is greater than or equal to 40°C and less than or equal to 50°C, for example, 43°C, 45°C or 47°C, etc. Within this range, the first cooling medium is converted into a gas state after exceeding the boiling point and no longer exchanges heat with the battery pack 30. The addition of a new first cooling medium can prevent the first cooling medium from overheating and reduce the cooling effect on the battery pack 30.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, the first cooling medium is configured as a fluorinated liquid. The fluorinated liquid has the characteristics of being insulating and non-flammable, which can prevent the first cooling medium from conducting electricity and prevent the first cooling medium from burning after a battery failure, thereby greatly improving the safety and reliability of the battery.

[0048] The boiling point of the first cooling medium can be set according to the operating temperature of the battery, and the boiling point of the first cooling medium should be lower than the maximum operating temperature of the battery.

[0049] Based on the battery of the embodiment of the present application, the battery packs 30 are arranged one by one in the receiving slots 21, and the outer surface of the battery packs 30 is attached to the slot wall of the receiving slots 21. The first cooling medium enters the receiving cavity 13 through the first medium inlet 121. Since the porous support 20 has good permeability, the first cooling medium can quickly penetrate the porous support 20, that is, the first cooling medium has good fluidity in the porous support 20, so as to accelerate the heat exchange efficiency between the first cooling medium and the battery pack 30. After the first cooling medium absorbs the heat of the battery pack 30, it flows out of the receiving cavity 13 from the first medium outlet 111. In this way, the cooling efficiency of the battery is improved.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the first medium inlet 121 and the first medium outlet 111 are located on opposite sides of the shell 10, a first gap 131 is provided between the porous support member 20 and the side wall of the shell 10 having the first medium inlet 121, and a second gap 132 is provided between the porous support member 20 and the side wall of the shell 10 having the first medium outlet 111; wherein the accommodating chamber 13 includes the first gap 131, the second gap 132 and a main accommodating sub-chamber 133 located between the first gap 131 and the second gap 132, so that the first medium inlet 121 and the first medium outlet 111 are arranged on opposite sides of the shell 10 , to ensure that the first cooling medium can flow through all the battery packs 30 in the accommodating cavity 13, and after the first cooling medium enters the accommodating cavity 13, it can flow along the first gap 131 to fill the first gap 131, so that the first cooling medium can flow from the end of the porous support 20 close to the first gap 131 to the end close to the second gap 132, so that the first cooling medium can evenly cool the battery pack 30, and after the first cooling medium flows through the porous support 20, it can quickly converge to the second medium outlet along the second gap 132, so that the first cooling medium can flow out of the accommodating cavity 13 faster, so as to accelerate the cooling of the battery pack 30 by the first cooling medium.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the first medium inlet 121 is arranged on the top wall of the shell 10, and the first medium outlet 111 is arranged on the bottom wall of the shell 10. The battery also includes an electronic valve and a liquid level monitoring element. The electronic valve is connected to the shell 10 and communicates with the first medium outlet 111; the liquid level monitoring element is fixed on the cavity wall of the accommodating cavity 13 or the porous support 20, and is electrically connected to the electronic valve for monitoring the liquid level height of the first cooling medium. In this way, the first medium inlet 121 is arranged on the top wall of the shell 10, that is, the first gap 131 is between the porous support 20 and the bottom wall of the accommodating cavity 13. After the first cooling medium absorbs the heat of the battery pack 30 and evaporates, the first cooling medium converted into a gaseous state will be accommodated in the first gap 131 to prevent the first cooling medium from absorbing heat to generate a large amount of gas, resulting in excessive pressure in the accommodating cavity 13, causing the shell 10 to rupture, resulting in leakage of the first cooling medium.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 2 as well as Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, a support rib 112 is protruding from the bottom wall of the accommodating chamber 13, and the porous support member 20 is placed on the support rib 112 to form a second gap 132 between the bottom wall of the porous support member 20 and the bottom wall of the accommodating chamber 13. In this way, placing the porous support member 20 on the support rib 112 can form a second gap 132 between the bottom wall of the porous support member 20 and the bottom wall of the accommodating chamber 13.

[0053] In order to make the thickness of the second gap 132 along the height direction a of the battery uniform, the number of the support ribs 112 is at least two, and the two support ribs 112 are respectively located at two opposite ends of the bottom wall of the porous support.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 2 as well as Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the battery with a cooling function also includes a cooling tube 40, and a portion of the cooling tube 40 is disposed in the first gap 131. Both ends of the cooling tube 40 pass through the shell 10 and are located outside the shell 10. In this way, the gaseous cooling medium in the first gap 131 can be quickly cooled into a liquid state through the cooling tube 40 shell to prevent the shell 10 from being broken due to excessive gaseous cooling medium in the accommodating cavity 13.

[0055] A second cooling medium flows in the cooling tube 40. Since the second cooling medium in the cooling tube 40 does not contact the battery pack 30, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the second cooling medium in the cooling tube 40. For example, the second cooling medium can be water or windshield washer fluid, as long as the second cooling medium can lower the temperature of the liquid first cooling medium.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the shell 10 includes a main body 11 and a cover body 12, the main body 11 has a second gap 132, a main accommodating subcavity 133 and a portion of the first gap 131; the cover body 12 has the remaining portion of the first gap 131, and the cooling pipe 40 is fixedly connected to the cover body 12; dividing the shell 10 into the main body 11 and the cover body 12 facilitates the assembly of the battery, that is, after the battery pack 30 and the porous support member 20 are installed in the accommodating cavity 13, the assembly of the main body 11 and the cover body 12 is completed.

[0057] Similarly, in some other embodiments of the present application, the main body portion 11 has a second gap 132 and a main accommodating subcavity 133 , and the cover portion 12 has a first gap 131 .

[0058] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0059] The above contents are only specific implementation methods of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A battery with cooling function, characterized in that: include: A shell, wherein the shell has a receiving cavity for containing a first cooling medium, and a surface of the shell has a first medium inlet and a first medium outlet communicating with the receiving cavity; A porous support member, fixed in the accommodating cavity, wherein the porous support member has a plurality of accommodating grooves; A plurality of battery packs are arranged in the corresponding receiving grooves, and the outer surfaces of the battery packs are in contact with the groove walls of the receiving grooves.

2. The battery with cooling function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The porosity of the porous support member is greater than or equal to 60% and less than or equal to 90%.

3. The battery with cooling function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The porous support member is configured as a foamed aluminum cooling member, a foamed copper cooling member or a porous ceramic cooling member.

4. The battery with cooling function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The boiling point of the first cooling medium is greater than or equal to 40° C. and less than or equal to 50° C.

5. The battery according to claim 1, wherein: The first cooling medium is a fluorinated liquid.

6. The battery with cooling function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first medium inlet and the first medium outlet are located at opposite sides of the shell, a first gap is formed between the porous support member and the side wall of the shell having the first medium inlet, and a second gap is formed between the porous support member and the side wall of the shell having the first medium outlet; The accommodating cavity includes the first gap, the second gap, and a main accommodating sub-cavity located between the first gap and the second gap.

7. The battery with cooling function according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first medium inlet is arranged on the top wall of the housing, and the first medium outlet is arranged on the bottom wall of the housing. The battery further includes: an electronic valve connected to the housing and communicating with the first medium outlet; A liquid level monitoring element is fixed to the cavity wall of the accommodating cavity or the porous support member, is electrically connected to the electronic valve, and is used to monitor the liquid level height of the first cooling medium.

8. The battery with cooling function according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bottom wall of the accommodating chamber is protrudingly provided with supporting ribs, and the porous supporting member is placed on the supporting ribs, so that the second gap is formed between the bottom wall of the porous supporting member and the bottom wall of the accommodating chamber.

9. The battery with cooling function according to claim 6, characterized in that: include: A cooling pipe, wherein a portion of the cooling pipe is disposed in the first gap, and both ends of the cooling pipe penetrate the shell and are located outside the shell.

10. The battery with cooling function according to claim 9, characterized in that: The housing comprises a main body and a cover, wherein the main body has the second gap, the main accommodating sub-cavity and a portion of the first gap; The cover body has a remaining portion of the first gap, and the cooling pipe is fixedly connected to the cover body; or, The main body has a second gap and the main containing sub-cavity, and the cover has the first gap.

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