Cooling assembly, battery module, battery pack and electric device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a cooling assembly and a battery module. The cooling assembly comprises a cooling plate and a reversing assembly, the cooling plate is provided with a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet and a cooling flow channel which is formed in the cooling plate and communicates with the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet. And the cooling liquid can exchange heat with the battery cell carried on the cooling plate after flowing through the cooling flow channel, so that heat dissipation is realized. Moreover, the reversing assembly can change the flow direction of the cooling liquid in the cooling flow channel, so that the cooling liquid can flow along at least two different flow paths. When the actual heating condition of the battery cell is changed, the cooling liquid can be switched along the flow path under the control of the reversing assembly, so that the cooling liquid can take away more heat. In other words, the cooling assembly and the battery module can adjust the flow path of the cooling liquid according to the actual working condition, so that the cooling effect can be improved. In addition, the utility model also provides a battery pack and an electric device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of new energy, and in particular to a cooling component, a battery module, a battery pack and an electric device. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the new energy industry, the energy density of batteries has been continuously improved, and the charging time has been significantly shortened. The charging and discharging process of lithium batteries is accompanied by a certain amount of heat. The shortening of charging time corresponds to the increase of charging power, and the increase of charging power will lead to an increase in heat generation. If the generated heat cannot be dissipated in time, the battery system will be in a high temperature environment, which will have a significant negative impact on the life and safety of the battery system.

[0003] Since liquid cooling has the advantages of high heat dissipation efficiency, stability and reliability, current battery systems mainly use this method to achieve heat dissipation. The liquid cooling plate used for liquid cooling has flow channels formed inside, and the flow channels can be designed in series or in parallel. However, the existing liquid cooling plate has a single cooling method, and the coolant can only flow along a preset trajectory, resulting in poor actual cooling effect. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a cooling assembly and a battery module that can improve the cooling effect in order to solve the above problems.

[0005] A cooling assembly comprising:

[0006] A cooling plate having a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a cooling channel formed inside the cooling plate and connected to the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, wherein the coolant can enter the cooling channel through the liquid inlet and flow out from the liquid outlet; and

[0007] The reversing component can change the flow direction of the coolant in the cooling channel and make the coolant flow along at least two different flow paths in the cooling channel.

[0008] In one embodiment, the cooling channel includes a plurality of cooling branches, and the reversing component can be switched to a first state so that the plurality of cooling branches are connected in parallel, and can be switched to a second state so that the plurality of cooling branches are connected in series in sequence.

[0009] In one embodiment, the reversing assembly includes a pull rod and a plurality of control valves arranged in the cooling channel and spaced apart along a preset direction, the pull rod is provided with a rack, the operating end of each control valve extends to the outside of the cooling plate and is provided with a gear, the gears on the plurality of control valves are all engaged with the rack, the pull rod can slide along the preset direction, and the operating ends of the plurality of control valves are synchronously driven to move through the cooperation of the rack and the gear, so that the reversing assembly can switch between the first state and the second state.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, a support seat is provided on the surface of the cooling plate, a limit pin is provided in the support seat, the pull rod is provided with a limit groove extending along the preset direction, the pull rod is slidably installed on the support seat along the preset direction and the limit pin is passed through the limit groove.

[0011] In one embodiment, a plurality of cooling branches are arranged at intervals along the preset direction and connected end to end in sequence to form an S-shaped pipeline, and the cooling channel also includes a first main channel connected to the liquid inlet and a second main channel connected to the liquid outlet, the first main channel is connected to one end of the S-shaped pipeline, and is connected to the connecting points of two adjacent cooling branches near the liquid inlet through a plurality of first confluence branches, the second main channel is connected to the other end of the S-shaped pipeline and is connected to the connecting points of two adjacent cooling branches near the liquid outlet through a plurality of second confluence branches, and the control valve is provided in each of the first confluence branches and each of the second confluence branches.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, two end plates are further included, and the two end plates are fixed to opposite ends of the cooling plate.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, a mounting block is formed on the surface of the cooling plate, a cavity matching the shape of the mounting block is formed inside the end plate, and the mounting block is held in the cavity.

[0014] A battery module, comprising:

[0015] A cooling assembly as described in any one of the above preferred embodiments; and

[0016] A plurality of battery cells are arranged on the surface of the cooling plate, and the plurality of battery cells are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel.

[0017] In the above-mentioned cooling assembly and battery module, the coolant flowing through the cooling channel can exchange heat with the battery cell carried on the cooling plate, thereby achieving heat dissipation. Moreover, the reversing assembly can change the flow direction of the coolant in the cooling channel, so that the coolant can flow along at least two different flow paths. When the actual heating condition of the battery cell changes, the coolant can be switched along the flow path under the control of the reversing assembly so that the coolant can take away more heat. In other words, the above-mentioned cooling assembly and battery module can adjust the flow path of the coolant according to the actual working conditions, so the cooling effect can be improved.

[0018] In addition, the utility model also provides a battery pack and an electrical device.

[0019] A battery pack comprises a plurality of battery modules as described in the above preferred embodiment, wherein the plurality of battery modules are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel.

[0020] An electrical device comprises the battery module as described in the above preferred embodiment or the battery pack as described in the preferred embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] 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 ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery module in a preferred embodiment of the utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the cooling assembly in the battery module shown;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cooling plate in the cooling assembly shown;

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 3 An exploded view of the cooling plate shown;

[0026] Figure 5 for Figure 4 An enlarged schematic diagram of a local area A in the cooling plate shown;

[0027] Figure 6 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the upper plate in the cooling plate shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the utility model more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the utility model are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the utility model. However, the utility model can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the utility model, so the utility model is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0030] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0033] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0034] The utility model discloses an electric device, a battery pack and a battery module, wherein the electric device includes the battery pack or the battery module, and can be provided with electric energy by the battery pack or the battery module. The electric device can be a vehicle, a portable device, a ship, a spacecraft, an electric toy, an electric tool, an energy storage device, an amusement equipment, an elevator and a lifting device, etc. The vehicle can be a fuel vehicle, a gas vehicle or a new energy vehicle, and the new energy vehicle can be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle or an extended-range vehicle, etc. The spacecraft includes an airplane, a rocket, a space shuttle and a spacecraft, etc. The electric toy includes a fixed or mobile electric toy, such as a game console, an electric car toy, an electric ship toy or an electric airplane toy, etc. The electric tool includes a metal cutting electric tool, a grinding electric tool, an assembly electric tool and an electric tool for railways, such as an electric drill, an electric grinder, an electric wrench, an electric screwdriver, an electric hammer, an impact drill, a concrete vibrator and an electric planer, etc. The energy storage device can be an energy storage wall, a base station energy storage, a container energy storage, etc. The amusement equipment can be a carousel, a jumping machine, etc. This application does not impose any special restrictions on the above-mentioned electrical devices.

[0035] For new energy vehicles, the above-mentioned battery packs and battery modules can be used as driving power sources, thereby replacing fossil fuels to provide driving power.

[0036] The above-mentioned battery pack usually includes a battery management system (BMS) and multiple battery modules mentioned above. The multiple battery modules can be electrically connected in series, parallel or a mixture of series and parallel, and communicated with the battery management system to form a battery pack. The above-mentioned battery management system controls and monitors the working status of each battery module.

[0037] See also Figure 1 The battery module 10 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a cooling assembly 110 , a battery cell 200 and a connector 300 .

[0038] The cooling assembly 110 can support the battery cell 200 and can cool the battery cell 200. The battery cell 200 is a single battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal. A plurality of battery cells 200 can be electrically connected in series, in parallel, or in a combination of series and parallel through a connector 300. Specifically, the battery cell 200 in this embodiment is square, and its positive terminal and negative terminal are located at the same end and are arranged at intervals. A plurality of battery cells 200 are arranged in sequence and the positive and negative poles of two adjacent battery cells 200 are arranged in reverse, and a plurality of connecting sheets 300 are distributed in two columns and connect a plurality of battery cells 200 in series. The voltages of a plurality of battery cells 200 connected in series can be superimposed, so the battery module 10 can obtain a higher output voltage.

[0039] The connecting sheet 300 can be an aluminum sheet, a copper sheet or other metal-shaped sheet structure. Since the positive and negative electrodes of two adjacent battery cells 200 are arranged in reverse, the positive terminal of each battery cell 200 is parallel to the negative terminal of the adjacent battery cell 200. Therefore, a connecting sheet 300 is arranged between two adjacent battery cells 200 to connect the two battery cells 300 in series, which is more convenient to connect.

[0040] In addition, the battery module 10 generally further includes a box (not shown), and the cooling assembly 110, the battery cell 200 and the connector 300 are accommodated in the box after assembly.

[0041] Please also read Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cooling assembly 100 includes a cooling plate 110 and a switching assembly 120 . A plurality of battery cells 200 are disposed on the cooling plate 110 .

[0042] The shape of the cooling plate 110 matches the box shape of the battery module 10, and is generally rectangular, and can be fixed to the bottom of the box by bolts. In order to limit the battery cells 200, battery cell limit blocks 115 are provided on both side edges of the cooling plate 110, and multiple battery cells 200 can be placed between two battery cell limit blocks 115.

[0043] In this embodiment, the cooling assembly 100 further includes two end plates 130 , which are fixed to opposite ends of the cooling plate 110 . The two end plates 130 can fix the battery cells 200 , and a plurality of battery cells 200 are clamped between the two end plates 130 .

[0044] In addition, the battery module 10 in this embodiment further includes a strapping tape 400, which tightens the two end plates 130 and the plurality of battery cells 200 located between the two end plates 130, thereby making the battery module 100 highly stable. To prevent the strapping tape 400 from falling off, a slot 131 is formed at the position where the edge of the end plate 130 contacts the strapping tape 400, so as to constrain the strapping tape 400.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a mounting block 114 is formed on the surface of the cooling plate 110, and a cavity 132 matching the shape of the mounting block 114 is formed inside the end plate 130, and the mounting block 114 is clamped in the cavity 132. During assembly, the mounting block 114 can be inserted into the cavity 132 on the end plate 130 to achieve quick assembly, which is simple and efficient. Moreover, the provision of the cavity 132 can also reduce the weight of the end plate 130, which is conducive to lightweight design.

[0046] Please also read Figures 4 to 6 The cooling plate 110 has a liquid inlet 111, a liquid outlet 112, and a cooling channel 113 formed inside the cooling plate 110, and the cooling channel 113 is connected with the liquid inlet 111 and the liquid outlet 112. The coolant can enter the cooling channel 113 through the liquid inlet 111 and flow out from the liquid outlet 112. In this way, the coolant can exchange heat with the battery cell 200 carried on the cooling plate 110, thereby achieving heat dissipation.

[0047] In order to facilitate the formation of the cooling channel 113 inside the cooling plate 110, the cooling plate 110 is divided into two parts, an upper plate 110a and a lower plate 110b. The connecting surfaces of the upper plate 110a and the lower plate 110b are each designed with a half channel. When the upper plate 110a and the lower plate 110b are welded together into a whole, a complete cooling channel 113 can be formed.

[0048] The reversing assembly 120 can change the flow direction of the coolant in the cooling channel 113, and make the coolant flow along at least two different flow paths in the cooling channel 113. When the actual heating condition of the battery cell 200 changes, the coolant can be switched along the flow path under the control of the reversing assembly 120 so that the coolant can take away more heat. It can be seen that the above cooling assembly 100 can flexibly adjust the flow path of the coolant according to the actual working conditions, so as to improve the cooling effect.

[0049] In this embodiment, the cooling channel 113 includes a plurality of cooling branches 1131 , and the reversing assembly 120 can be switched to a first state to connect the plurality of cooling branches 1131 in parallel, and can be switched to a second state to connect the plurality of cooling branches 1131 in series.

[0050] The cooling branches 1131 are generally in the shape of long strips, and multiple cooling branches 1131 are arranged in parallel and at intervals. When multiple cooling branches 1131 are connected in parallel, the coolant can flow from one end of the multiple cooling branches 1131 to the other end at the same time, and finally flow out from the liquid outlet 112. When multiple cooling branches 1131 are connected in series, the coolant can first flow through the multiple cooling branches 1131, and finally flow out from the liquid outlet 112.

[0051] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of cooling branches 1131 are arranged at intervals along a preset direction and are connected end to end in sequence to form an S-shaped pipeline (not shown in the figure), and the cooling channel 113 also includes a first main channel 1132 connected to the liquid inlet 111 and a second main channel 1133 connected to the liquid outlet 112, the first main channel 1132 is connected to one end of the S-shaped pipeline, and the second main channel 1133 is connected to the other end of the S-shaped pipeline.

[0052] The first trunk 1132 is also connected to the connecting point of two adjacent cooling branches 1131 near the liquid inlet 111 through multiple first confluence branches 1134, and the second trunk 1133 is connected to the connecting point of two adjacent cooling branches 1131 near the liquid outlet 112 through multiple second confluence branches 1135.

[0053] Each first bus branch 1134 and second bus branch 1135 can be turned on or off. When multiple first bus branches 1134 and multiple second bus branches 1135 are all turned off, the coolant flowing in from the liquid inlet 111 will enter one end of the S-shaped pipeline through the first trunk 1132 and flow along the S-shaped pipeline, and finally flow out from the liquid outlet 112. At this time, multiple cooling branches 1131 are connected in series in sequence. When multiple first bus branches 1134 and multiple second bus branches 1135 are all turned on, the coolant flowing into the first trunk 1132 from the liquid inlet 111 will first flow into multiple cooling branches 1131 through multiple first bus branches 1134, then enter the second trunk 1133 through the second bus branch 1135, and finally flow out from the liquid outlet 112. At this time, multiple cooling branches 1131 are connected in parallel.

[0054] Two switching components 120 are provided, one of which is used to control the on-off of the plurality of first bus branches 1134 , and the other is used to control the on-off of the plurality of second bus branches 1135 .

[0055] Please refer again Figure 5In this embodiment, the reversing assembly 120 includes a pull rod 121 and a plurality of control valves 122 disposed in the cooling channel 113 and spaced apart along a preset direction. A control valve 122 is disposed in each first confluence branch 1134 and each second confluence branch 1135 .

[0056] A rack 1211 is provided on the pull rod 121, and the operating end of each control valve 122 extends to the outside of the cooling plate 110 and is provided with a gear 1221. The gears 1221 on multiple control valves 122 are all engaged with the rack 1211. The pull rod 121 can slide along a preset direction and synchronously drive the operating ends of multiple control valves 122 to move through the cooperation of the rack 1211 and the gear 1221, so that the reversing assembly 120 switches between the first state and the second state.

[0057] It can be seen that by operating the pull rod 121, the switch states of multiple control valves 122 can be switched at the same time, so that multiple first bus branches 1134 or multiple second bus branches 1135 can be switched on and off at the same time, so the operation is more convenient.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a support seat 123 is provided on the surface of the cooling plate 110, a limit pin 1231 is provided in the support seat 123, and the pull rod 121 is provided with a limit groove 1212 extending along a preset direction. The pull rod 121 can be slidably installed on the support seat 123 along the preset direction and the limit pin 1231 is passed through the limit groove 1212.

[0059] The support seat 123 can be installed on the surface of the cooling plate 110 by welding or threaded fastening. A slide groove extending along a preset direction is provided on the support seat 123, and the pull rod 121 is arranged in the slide groove. The limit pin 1231 cooperates with the limit groove 1212 to limit the pull rod 121, so that the pull rod 121 is limited to slide only within a set range.

[0060] In the above-mentioned cooling assembly 100 and battery module 10, the coolant flowing through the cooling channel 113 can exchange heat with the battery cell 200 carried on the cooling plate 110, thereby achieving heat dissipation. Moreover, the reversing assembly 120 can change the flow direction of the coolant in the cooling channel 113, so that the coolant can flow along at least two different flow paths. When the actual heating condition of the battery cell 200 changes, the coolant can be switched along the flow path under the control of the reversing assembly 120 so that the coolant can take away more heat. In other words, the above-mentioned cooling assembly 100 and battery module 10 can adjust the flow path of the coolant according to the actual working conditions, so the cooling effect can be improved.

[0061] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0062] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the utility model, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the utility model, which all belong to the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model patent shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. A cooling assembly, characterized in that: include: A cooling plate having a liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and a cooling channel formed inside the cooling plate and connected to the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, wherein the coolant can enter the cooling channel through the liquid inlet and flow out from the liquid outlet; and a reversing component capable of changing the flow direction of the coolant in the cooling channel and allowing the coolant to flow along at least two different flow paths in the cooling channel; the cooling channel comprises a plurality of cooling branches, the reversing component capable of switching to a first state so that the plurality of cooling branches are connected in parallel, and capable of switching to a second state so that the plurality of cooling branches are connected in series in sequence; The reversing assembly includes a pull rod and a plurality of control valves arranged in the cooling channel and spaced apart along a preset direction, the pull rod is provided with a rack, the operating end of each control valve extends to the outside of the cooling plate and is provided with a gear, the gears on the plurality of control valves are all engaged with the rack, the pull rod can slide along the preset direction, and the operating ends of the plurality of control valves are synchronously driven to move through the cooperation of the rack and the gear, so that the reversing assembly can switch between the first state and the second state.

2. The cooling assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that A support seat is provided on the surface of the cooling plate, a limit pin is provided in the support seat, the pull rod is provided with a limit groove extending along the preset direction, the pull rod is slidably installed on the support seat along the preset direction and the limit pin is passed through the limit groove.

3. The cooling assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The plurality of cooling branches are arranged at intervals along the preset direction and connected end to end in sequence to form an S-shaped pipeline. The cooling channel also includes a first main channel connected to the liquid inlet and a second main channel connected to the liquid outlet. The first main channel is connected to one end of the S-shaped pipeline and is connected to the connecting points of two adjacent cooling branches near the liquid inlet through a plurality of first confluence branches. The second main channel is connected to the other end of the S-shaped pipeline and is connected to the connecting points of two adjacent cooling branches near the liquid outlet through a plurality of second confluence branches. The control valve is provided in each of the first confluence branches and each of the second confluence branches.

4. The cooling assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that It also includes two end plates, which are fixed to two opposite ends of the cooling plate.

5. The cooling assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that A mounting block is formed on the surface of the cooling plate, a cavity matching the shape of the mounting block is formed inside the end plate, and the mounting block is clamped in the cavity.

6. A battery module, characterized in that: include: A cooling assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5; and A plurality of battery cells are arranged on the surface of the cooling plate, and the plurality of battery cells are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel.

7. A battery pack, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of battery modules as described in claim 6 above, wherein the plurality of battery modules are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel.

8. An electrical device, characterized in that: It comprises the battery module as claimed in claim 6 or the battery pack as claimed in claim 7.

Images