Liquid collecting body, heat exchange assembly and battery

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of electric energy storage, and particularly discloses a liquid collector, a heat exchange assembly and a battery. The liquid collecting body comprises a plurality of liquid collecting cavities, one end of each liquid collecting cavity is provided with a connecting pipe protruding outwards, and the other end of each liquid collecting cavity is provided with a pipe inserting groove allowing the connecting pipe of the other liquid collecting body to be inserted therein. The liquid collecting body, the heat exchange assembly and the battery provided by the utility model can effectively solve the problems of complex working procedures and higher cost caused by welding operation required by the existing heat exchange assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of electric energy storage, in particular to a device integrating liquid, heat exchange components and batteries. Background Art

[0002] See also Figure 1 The heat exchange assembly 300 for cooling the battery module 200 inside the battery generally includes:

[0003] A liquid collector 1, wherein the liquid collector 1 is provided with an upper liquid collecting chamber 101 and a lower liquid collecting chamber 102 separated from each other;

[0004] An upper liquid collecting joint 2, which is welded and fixed to the upper part of the liquid collecting chamber 1 and communicates with the upper liquid collecting chamber 101;

[0005] A lower liquid collecting joint 3, which is welded and fixed to the lower part of the liquid collecting body 1 and communicates with the lower liquid collecting chamber 102;

[0006] The liquid flow tube 4 has a U-shaped flow channel disposed therein, wherein one end of the U-shaped flow channel is communicated with the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 , and the other end is communicated with the lower liquid collecting chamber 102 .

[0007] When the battery module 200 needs to be cooled, the heat exchange medium enters the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 from the upper liquid collecting joint 2, then flows through the U-shaped flow channel to dissipate heat for the battery module 200, then returns to the lower liquid collecting chamber 102, and flows out through the lower liquid collecting joint 3.

[0008] At present, the upper liquid collecting joint 2 and the lower liquid collecting joint 3 are both fixed to the liquid collecting joint 1 by brazing. However, the welding process is complicated and the cost is high. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing heat exchange assembly to solve the problem that the welding process is complicated and the cost is high.

[0009] The above information disclosed in this Background section is included only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is currently known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Utility Model Content

[0010] One purpose of the utility model is to provide a liquid, heat exchange component and battery, which can effectively solve the problem that the existing heat exchange component requires welding work, resulting in complex procedures and high costs.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, on the one hand, the utility model provides a liquid collector, wherein the liquid collector is an integrally formed structure;

[0012] The liquid collector comprises a plurality of liquid collecting chambers, and one end of each of the liquid collecting chambers is provided with a connecting pipe protruding outward, and the other end of each of the liquid collecting chambers is provided with a pipe inserting groove for inserting a connecting pipe of another liquid collector.

[0013] Optionally, the one-piece molding structure is a casting molding structure, an extrusion molding structure, or a 3D printing molding structure.

[0014] Optionally, there are two liquid collecting chambers, which are arranged from top to bottom and separated from each other.

[0015] Optionally, a thickening boss is provided at a position of the liquid collecting body corresponding to at least one of the liquid collecting cavities.

[0016] Optionally, an outer wall surface of the liquid collecting chamber at a lower position protrudes outwardly from an outer wall surface of the liquid collecting chamber at a higher position.

[0017] Optionally, the liquid collecting body is provided with a connecting port connected to the liquid collecting cavity at a middle position corresponding to each of the liquid collecting cavities;

[0018] The liquid collecting body is provided with a pipe end slot for inserting the liquid flow pipe, and each of the pipe connection ports extends from the bottom of the pipe end slot toward the corresponding liquid collecting cavity;

[0019] A plurality of partitions for separating two adjacent pipe connection ports are arranged in the pipe end slot.

[0020] Optionally, the connecting pipe is provided with an annular groove for the sealing ring to be inserted into.

[0021] Optionally, at least one surface of the liquid collector is provided with a positioning boss and / or a positioning groove for snap-fitting and positioning with the battery box.

[0022] On the other hand, a heat exchange component is provided, comprising a plurality of the liquid collecting bodies, wherein the liquid collecting bodies are connected in sequence, and each of the liquid collecting bodies is connected to a liquid flow pipe.

[0023] On the other hand, a battery is provided, including a battery case, a battery module located in the battery case, and the heat exchange component that is snap-fitted and positioned in the battery case and is disposed in close contact with the battery module.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the utility model are: providing a liquid, heat exchange component and battery, setting the liquid collector as an integrally formed structure, without the need for welding operations, thereby solving the problem that the existing heat exchange components require welding operations, resulting in complex procedures and high costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model 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 utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an existing liquid collector provided as background technology;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a battery provided in an embodiment;

[0028] Figure 3 An exploded view of a battery provided in an embodiment;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a heat exchange assembly provided in an embodiment;

[0030] Figure 5 A front view schematic diagram of a liquid collector provided in an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the back side of the liquid collector provided in the embodiment;

[0032] Figure 7 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a heat exchange assembly and a battery box provided in an embodiment.

[0033] In the figure:

[0034] 100, battery box; 100a, positioning groove;

[0035] 200. Battery module;

[0036] 300, heat exchange component;

[0037] 1. Liquid collecting; 101. Upper liquid collecting cavity; 1011. Upper outer wall; 102. Lower liquid collecting cavity; 1021. Lower outer wall; 103. Connecting pipe; 1031. Annular groove; 104. Insertion groove; 105. Pipe end slot; 106. Pipe connection port; 107. Separator; 108. Thickening boss; 109. Positioning boss;

[0038] 2. Upper liquid collecting joint;

[0039] 3. Lower liquid collecting joint;

[0040] 4. Liquid flow pipe;

[0041] 5. Sealing ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the utility model more obvious and easy to understand, the technical scheme in the embodiment of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiment of the utility model. Obviously, the embodiment described below is only a part of the embodiment of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiment of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0043] In the description of the present utility model, it is to be understood that when a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be a centrally arranged component at the same time. When a component is considered to be "set on" another component, it may be directly set on the other component or there may be a centrally arranged component at the same time.

[0044] In addition, terms such as "long", "short", "inside" and "outside" indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only used to facilitate the description of the present invention. They do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have this specific direction or operate with a specific direction structure, and should not be understood as a limitation of the present invention.

[0045] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by a person skilled in the art based on these embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] The utility model provides a device that integrates liquid, heat exchange components and batteries, and is suitable for application scenarios of cooling or heating battery modules. It can effectively solve the problem that existing heat exchange components require welding operations, resulting in complex processes and high costs.

[0047] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The battery provided in this embodiment includes a battery case 100, a battery module 200 located in the battery case 100, and a heat exchange assembly 300 that is snap-fitted and positioned in the battery case 100 and is arranged in close contact with the battery module 200. For example, the battery module 200 in this embodiment is composed of a plurality of cylindrical battery cells. In some other embodiments, the battery module 200 may also be composed of a plurality of square shell battery cells, which is not limited in the present invention.

[0048] See also Figure 4 The heat exchange component 300 includes a plurality of liquid collectors 1 , each of which is connected in sequence, and each of which is connected to a liquid flow pipe 4 for exchanging heat with the battery module 200 .

[0049] In this embodiment, the liquid collecting body 1 is an integrally formed structure, for example, it can be a casting structure, an extrusion structure, or a 3D printing structure.

[0050] It is understandable that the liquid collector 1 is set as an integrally formed structure, and no welding operation is required, so the problem that the existing heat exchange component 300 requires welding operation, resulting in complex procedures and high costs, can be solved.

[0051] Specifically, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 The liquid collector 1 includes a plurality of liquid collecting chambers, and one end of each of the liquid collecting chambers is provided with a connecting pipe 103 protruding outward, and the other end of each of the liquid collecting chambers is provided with a pipe insertion groove 104 for inserting the connecting pipe 103 of another liquid collector 1.

[0052] When multiple liquid collectors 1 need to be connected in sequence, it is only necessary to insert the connecting pipe 103 of the next liquid collector 1 into the inserting groove 104 of the previous liquid collector 1 in sequence (the end can be sealed with a plug or the like). Optionally, the connecting pipe 103 is provided with an annular groove 1031 for the sealing ring 5 to be inserted into, so as to improve the sealing performance. Furthermore, the sealing ring 5 is generally made of rubber, such as EPDM ethylene propylene diene rubber, etc.

[0053] According to the requirements of the flow channel design, the number of liquid collecting chambers can be one, two, three, four or even more. In this embodiment, the description is mainly based on the case where the number of liquid collecting chambers is two. Accordingly, the liquid flow tube 4 is a serpentine harmonica tube with a U-shaped flow channel inside.

[0054] When there are two liquid collecting chambers, the two liquid collecting chambers are arranged from top to bottom and are separated from each other and not connected to each other. For the convenience of distinction, the upper liquid collecting chamber is called "upper liquid collecting chamber 101" and the lower liquid collecting chamber is called "lower liquid collecting chamber 102".

[0055] The liquid collecting body 1 is provided with a pipe end slot 105 for inserting the liquid flow pipe 4, and each pipe port 106 extends from the bottom of the pipe end slot 105 toward the corresponding liquid collecting cavity until it is connected with the corresponding liquid collecting cavity. A plurality of partitions 107 for separating two adjacent pipe ports 106 are provided in the pipe end slot 105.

[0056] After the liquid flow tube 4 is inserted into the tube end slot 105, the flow channel tube is welded and fixed to the liquid collector 1, so that one end of the U-shaped flow channel is connected to the upper liquid collection chamber 101, and the other end of the U-shaped flow channel is connected to the lower liquid collection chamber 102. The partition 107 separates the two pipe ports 106, so the heat exchange medium cannot flow directly from the upper liquid collection chamber 101 to the lower liquid collection chamber 102. At this time, the heat exchange medium enters the U-shaped flow channel from the upper liquid collection chamber 101, then flows along the U-shaped flow channel and exchanges heat with the battery module 200, then returns to the lower liquid collection chamber 102, and finally flows out.

[0057] In this embodiment, since the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 is a liquid inlet chamber, the pressure of the heat exchange medium is relatively high at this time, so a thickening boss 108 can be set at the back of the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 to increase the strength of the liquid collecting body 1 at the upper liquid collecting chamber 101. In some other embodiments, if it is necessary to set the lower liquid collecting chamber 102 as a liquid inlet chamber based on actual production, the thickening boss 108 can also be set at the back of the lower liquid collecting chamber 102, or, when it is necessary to set multiple liquid collecting chambers as liquid inlet chambers, a thickening boss 108 can be set at the back of each liquid inlet chamber to improve the structural strength.

[0058] Optionally, at least one surface of the current collector 1 is provided with a positioning boss 109 and / or a positioning groove 100a for engaging and positioning with the battery case 100. Specifically, in this embodiment, the bottom surface of the current collector 1 is provided with a positioning boss 109, and correspondingly, the battery case 100 is provided with a positioning groove 100a for the positioning boss 109 to be inserted into.

[0059] In some other embodiments, the bottom surface of the liquid collector 1 is provided with a positioning groove 100a, and accordingly, the battery case 100 is provided with a positioning boss 109 inserted into the positioning groove 100a; or, the bottom surface of the liquid collector 1 is provided with both the positioning groove 100a and the positioning boss 109, and accordingly, the battery case 100 is provided with both the positioning boss 109 inserted into the positioning groove 100a of the liquid collector 1 and the positioning groove 100a for the positioning boss 109 of the liquid collector 1 to be inserted, and the present utility model is not limited to this.

[0060] Furthermore, glue may be provided in the positioning groove 100 a to further improve the reliability of positioning between the current collector 1 and the battery box 100 .

[0061] In this embodiment, the outer wall surface of the liquid collecting chamber at the lower position protrudes outwardly from the outer wall surface of the liquid collecting chamber at the higher position. Figure 7When the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 and the lower liquid collecting chamber 102 are both cylindrical spaces with equal diameters, the horizontal distance from the axis of the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 to the liquid flow tube 4 is smaller than the horizontal distance from the axis of the lower liquid collecting chamber 102 to the liquid flow tube 4, so that the lower outer wall surface 1021 of the lower liquid collecting chamber 102 can protrude outward from the upper outer wall surface 1011 of the upper liquid collecting chamber 101, so that when the heat exchange component 300 is installed into the battery box 100 from top to bottom, the lower outer wall surface 1021 of the lower liquid collecting chamber 102 can be seen, thereby avoiding the upper liquid collecting chamber 101 completely covering the lower liquid collecting chamber 102, causing installation inconvenience.

[0062] The liquid collector 1, heat exchange assembly 300 and battery provided in this embodiment have the following advantages:

[0063] ① The liquid 1 is integrated into an integrally formed structure, and no welding operation is required, so the problem that the existing heat exchange component 300 requires welding operation, resulting in complex procedures and high costs can be solved;

[0064] ② Two adjacent liquid collectors 1 can be directly plugged in and out for easy expansion and strong flexibility;

[0065] ③ A thickened boss 108 is provided on the back of the liquid collecting chamber as the liquid inlet chamber, so as to improve the structural strength of the liquid inlet measuring device and extend the service life;

[0066] ④ The liquid collector 1 is fixed to the battery box 100 by snapping, and the positioning is reliable and the assembly and disassembly are convenient;

[0067] ⑤ The outer wall surfaces of each liquid collecting chamber do not overlap, which is convenient for observation and installation.

[0068] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to implementation modes, not every implementation mode contains only one independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each implementation mode may also be appropriately combined to form other implementation modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0069] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of the utility model. They are not intended to limit the protection scope of the utility model. Any equivalent implementation methods or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the utility model should be included in the protection scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. A liquid collector, characterized in that: The liquid collector (1) is an integrally formed structure; The liquid collecting body (1) comprises a plurality of liquid collecting chambers, and one end of each of the liquid collecting chambers is provided with a connecting pipe (103) protruding outward, and the other end of each of the liquid collecting chambers is provided with a pipe inserting groove (104) for inserting a connecting pipe (103) of another liquid collecting body (1).

2. The liquid collector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the liquid collecting chambers is two, and the two liquid collecting chambers are arranged from top to bottom and separated from each other.

3. The liquid collector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The liquid collecting body (1) is provided with a thickened boss (108) at a position corresponding to at least one of the liquid collecting chambers.

4. The liquid collector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall surface of the liquid collecting chamber located at a lower position protrudes outwardly from the outer wall surface of the liquid collecting chamber located at a higher position.

5. The liquid collector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collecting body (1) is provided with a connecting port (106) connected to the collecting chamber at a middle position corresponding to each collecting chamber; The liquid collecting body (1) is provided with a pipe end slot (105) for inserting the liquid flow pipe (4), and each pipe connection port (106) extends from the bottom of the pipe end slot (105) toward the corresponding liquid collecting cavity; A plurality of partitions (107) for separating two adjacent pipe ports (106) are arranged in the pipe end slot (105).

6. The liquid collector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting pipe (103) is provided with an annular groove (1031) for the sealing ring (5) to be inserted into.

7. The liquid collector according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one surface of the liquid collector (1) is provided with a positioning boss (109) and / or a positioning groove (100a) for clamping and positioning with the battery box (100).

8. The liquid collector according to claim 7, characterized in that: Adhesive is provided in the positioning groove (100a).

9. A heat exchange component, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of liquid collectors (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the liquid collectors (1) are connected in sequence, and each of the liquid collectors (1) is connected to a liquid flow pipe (4).

10. A battery, characterized in that: The invention comprises a battery case (100), a battery module (200) located in the battery case (100), and a heat exchange component (300) as claimed in claim 9 which is snap-fitted and positioned in the battery case (100) and is arranged in close contact with the battery module (200).

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