Battery module, battery pack and automobile

Abstract

The battery module comprises a shell and a plurality of battery cell units arranged in the shell at intervals, the shell is of a square cavity structure with an opening in one side, and a plurality of containing cavities used for installing the battery cell units are formed in the shell at intervals; the shell comprises a first shell formed by at least two adjacent surfaces on the shell and a second shell formed by other surfaces, and the first shell is internally provided with liquid cooling flow channels which are at least distributed on the two adjacent surfaces and are communicated with each other; according to the utility model, the shell structure of the battery module is changed to integrally mount the plurality of battery cell units together, and then the liquid cooling heat dissipation structure of the liquid cooling plate is integrated on the shell, so that the shell of the battery module has a liquid cooling heat dissipation function and can continuously cool and dissipate heat for the plurality of battery cell units at the same time; and meanwhile, a plurality of insulating layers are arranged in the accommodating cavities of the battery cell units, so that the normal communication work of the battery cell units is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of power batteries, and in particular to a battery module, a battery pack and a car. Background Art

[0002] Currently, most battery packs in the industry use square aluminum shell batteries, and their heat dissipation methods include bottom heat dissipation and vertical large surface heat dissipation. Bottom heat dissipation uses the overall water-cooling plate at the bottom of the box to contact the bottom of the battery to diffuse heat, and vertical surface heat dissipation uses the water-cooling plate between batteries to contact the large surface of the battery to diffuse heat. The disadvantage of the former method is that the contact area between the battery and the water-cooling plate is small and the heat dissipation efficiency is low. Therefore, a larger coolant flow rate is required to meet the heat dissipation requirements, which in turn requires a larger water pump power. One of the disadvantages of the latter method is that the battery lacks load-bearing structural parts. Either the battery pack needs to add a load-bearing bottom plate, which increases the overall weight of the battery pack, which is not conducive to lightweighting, or it is only suitable for blade-type batteries for structural layout.

[0003] Although the prior art also integrates the battery shell and the water cooling plate to form an integral shell to simultaneously meet the heat dissipation of the battery bottom and the vertical surface, the potential difference between the original individual batteries will change from a state of non-interference to a state where the shell potential is balanced and connected to the battery pack shell and grounded, which will cause the battery electrode and the entire vehicle to be conductive and leak, lowering the battery voltage. Therefore, it is necessary to insulate the battery electrode and the shell to ensure that the shell becomes a zero-potential body, and at the same time ensure that the insulation layer design does not occupy a large amount of internal battery volume space to reduce the battery capacity; in addition, the requirements of feasible insulation layer technology, low cost and high reliability must also be considered.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing battery module structure so that its shell structure can install multiple battery cell units at the same time, and the battery cell units can be liquid-cooled on multiple contact surfaces at the same time through the liquid cooling structure integrated on the shell without affecting the normal operation between the battery cell units. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides a battery module, which integrates and installs multiple battery cell units together by changing the shell structure of the battery module, and then integrates the liquid cooling and heat dissipation structure of the liquid cooling plate on the shell, so that the battery module shell has a liquid cooling and heat dissipation function and can continuously cool and dissipate heat for multiple battery cell units at the same time; at the same time, multiple layers of insulation layers are arranged in the accommodating cavity of the battery cell unit to ensure the normal connectivity of the battery cell unit.

[0006] The utility model provides a battery module, comprising a shell and a plurality of battery cell units arranged at intervals in the shell, wherein the shell is a square cavity structure with a single-side opening and a plurality of accommodating cavities for installing the battery cell units are arranged at intervals inside, the shell comprises a first shell formed by at least two adjacent surfaces on the shell and a second shell formed by the remaining surfaces, and the first shell is provided with liquid cooling channels distributed on at least two adjacent surfaces and interconnected.

[0007] Furthermore, the first shell is a hollow plate structure and is provided with a plurality of ribs for dividing the hollow plate structure into a plurality of the liquid cooling channels. The inlet and outlet of the liquid cooling channels are respectively arranged at both ends, and the ribs are provided with notches for connecting adjacent liquid cooling channels.

[0008] Furthermore, the first shell has openings at both ends along the extension direction of the rib plate, and a first end plugging piece and a second end plugging piece are respectively provided at the opening positions; the first shell is also provided with a liquid inlet for the coolant to flow into the liquid cooling channel and a liquid outlet for the coolant to flow out of the liquid cooling channel, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are arranged at the same end or both ends of the first shell along the extension direction of the rib plate.

[0009] Furthermore, the first shell is an L-shaped structure and is formed by connecting the bottom plate of the shell and a long side plate on one side. The liquid cooling channel in the first shell is used to dissipate heat and cool the bottom and side surfaces of the battery cell unit at the same time.

[0010] Furthermore, the first shell is provided with joint pipes at the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, and the joint pipes are used for the coolant to flow from the external cooling pipeline into the liquid cooling channel or to flow out from the liquid cooling channel into the external cooling pipeline.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes a shell cover plate, which is correspondingly arranged at the openings of the plurality of accommodating cavities and seals the accommodating cavities.

[0012] Furthermore, an insulating and heat-insulating structure is disposed on the outer side of the second shell, and the insulating and heat-insulating structure is correspondingly bonded to the outer side of the second shell via a single-sided adhesive.

[0013] Furthermore, the inner surface of the accommodating cavity is provided with an insulating wear-resistant coating.

[0014] The utility model further provides a battery pack, comprising a battery pack shell, wherein a plurality of groups of the above-mentioned battery modules are sequentially arranged in the battery pack shell along the length direction.

[0015] The utility model also provides a car, in which the battery pack is installed.

[0016] The utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] (1) The battery module structure reduces the number of components and their corresponding process steps, which can greatly reduce weight and improve energy density and space utilization compared to the traditional single-cell grouping process;

[0018] (2) The structural strength of the battery module is enhanced, and it can serve as part of the box structure beam, which can also help to reduce the weight of the box;

[0019] (3) The first shell of the battery module is an L-shaped structure with a liquid cooling channel inside. Compared with the arrangement and contact method of the traditional liquid cooling plate and the battery cell, no other low thermal conductivity material is filled between the battery and the water cooling system, and the heat conduction path is the most direct. At the same time, when installed in the battery pack, the two large surfaces and the bottom surface of the battery module are surrounded by the liquid cooling channel, and the heat dissipation area is larger, so the overall heat dissipation effect of the battery pack is better;

[0020] (4) The battery module has uniform dimensions and is easy to automatically put into the box and lock when assembled.

[0021] (5) Multiple insulating layers are arranged in the cell unit accommodating cavity of the battery module to ensure the normal connectivity of the cell units. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The utility model is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0023] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the structure of the battery module in the utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the first shell in the utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flow of the coolant in the first housing in the utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second housing in the utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the end plugging member in the utility model;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the battery modules in the battery pack of the utility model;

[0029] The figures are marked as follows: 1-first shell; 2-battery cell unit; 3-second shell; 4-shell cover; 5-first end plugging piece; 6-second end plugging piece; 7-liquid inlet connector; 8-liquid outlet connector; 9-foam frame; 10-aerogel; 11-electronic coating; 12-ceramic coating; 13-battery module; 101-liquid outlet; 102-liquid inlet; 103-liquid cooling channel; 104-rib plate; 301-mounting groove; 302-partition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] As shown in the figure, a battery module provided by the utility model includes a shell and a plurality of battery cell units 2 arranged at intervals in the shell, the shell is a square cavity structure with a single-side opening and a plurality of accommodating cavities for installing the battery cell units 2 are arranged at intervals inside, the shell includes a first shell 1 composed of at least two adjacent surfaces on the shell and a second shell 3 composed of the remaining surfaces, the first shell 1 is provided with a liquid cooling flow channel 103 distributed on at least two adjacent surfaces and interconnected with each other; in this scheme, the shell is a square cavity structure with a single-side opening and a plurality of accommodating cavities for installing the battery cell units 2 are arranged at intervals inside along the length direction of the shell, and a plurality of battery cell units 2 can be integrated in the shell of the same battery module 13 to work through the plurality of accommodating cavities, and the shelling process of the battery cell units 2 can adopt conventional process steps; the shell is a square cavity structure with a single-side opening and includes a first shell 1 and a second shell 3, and the second shell 3 is also provided with a plurality of partitions 302 for dividing the shell into a plurality of accommodating cavities at intervals, and the accommodating cavities are formed by the first shell 1. The second shell 3 and the partition 302 are connected to each other, and the single-side opening of the shell is usually arranged on the top surface to facilitate the installation of the battery cell unit 2 into the shell; the first shell 1 is composed of at least two adjacent surfaces and is provided with a liquid cooling channel 103 that is interconnected, wherein the first shell 1 can be specifically composed of the bottom surface of the shell and one or more adjacent side surfaces, or can be composed of two or more adjacent side surfaces of the shell, depending on the liquid cooling structure arrangement of the battery module 13, and the second shell 3 is mainly composed of the remaining surface of the shell; by setting the shell as a split structure, it is convenient to integrate the liquid cooling channel 103 with liquid cooling and heat dissipation function on the first shell 1 and form a housing cavity for the battery cell unit 2 on the shell, and it is beneficial to dissipate heat and cool multiple surfaces of the battery cell unit 2 at the same time, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect inside the battery module 13; while ensuring the normal use of the battery module 13, the number of components and their corresponding process steps are reduced, and compared with the use of the traditional single battery cell unit 2 grouping process, the weight can be greatly reduced, and the energy density and space utilization can be improved.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first shell 1 is a hollow plate structure and is provided with a plurality of ribs 104 for dividing the hollow plate structure into a plurality of the liquid cooling channels 103. The inlet and outlet of the liquid cooling channels 103 are respectively provided at both ends, and the ribs 104 are provided with notches for connecting adjacent liquid cooling channels 103. Figure 3 As shown, the bottom plate and side plate of the first shell 1 are provided with a plurality of ribs 104 in the same direction as the length direction of the first shell 1, and the hollow plate structure in the first shell 1 is divided by the ribs 104 to form a plurality of liquid cooling channels 103, and the flow direction of the coolant in the liquid cooling channel 103 is also consistent with the length direction of the first shell 1. At the same time, in order to make adjacent cooling channels 103 interconnected, notches are provided on the ribs 104.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first shell 1 has openings at both ends along the extension direction of the rib plate 104, and a first end plugging member 5 and a second end plugging member 6 are respectively provided at the opening positions; the first shell 1 is also provided with a liquid inlet 102 for coolant to flow into the liquid cooling channel 103 and a liquid outlet 101 for coolant to flow out of the liquid cooling channel 103, and the liquid inlet 102 and the liquid outlet 101 are provided at the same end or both ends of the first shell 1 along the extension direction of the rib plate 104. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first shell 1 has openings at both ends along the extension direction (i.e., the length direction) of the rib plate 104. In order to block the openings so that the liquid-cooling channel 103 in the first shell 1 forms a closed channel, a first end plugging member 5 and a second end plugging member 6 are respectively provided at the openings at both ends. The structural shapes of the first end plugging member 5 and the second end plugging member 6 are designed according to the shape of the end of the first shell 1 and are manufactured by sheet metal stamping. Mounting holes for mounting and fixing with the battery pack shell are respectively provided at the bottom of the first end plugging member 5 and the second end plugging member 6. ; In order to connect the closed flow channel with the external cooling pipeline to form an active flow channel through which the coolant continuously flows, a liquid inlet 102 and a liquid outlet 101 are also provided on the first shell 1, and the liquid inlet 102 and the liquid outlet 101 may be arranged at the same end or at both ends on the first shell 1, depending on the arrangement of the external cooling pipeline; in the present embodiment, the liquid inlet 102 and the liquid outlet 101 are arranged on the same side of the end of one side of the first shell 1, mainly to facilitate the connection with the external cooling pipeline, so as to optimize the arrangement of the pipeline in the battery pack.

[0033] In this embodiment, the first shell 1 is an L-shaped structure and is formed by connecting the bottom plate of the shell and a long side plate on one side. The liquid cooling channel 103 in the first shell 1 is used to simultaneously dissipate heat and cool the bottom and side of the battery cell unit 2; Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, the first shell 1 is an L-shaped structure formed by connecting the long side panel on one side of the shell with the bottom plate, specifically an L-shaped aluminum profile with hollow multiple channels formed by extrusion, and the second shell 3 is formed by connecting the long side panel on the other side with two short side panels, wherein a plurality of partitions 302 are arranged in the second shell 3 to divide the second shell 3 into a plurality of installation grooves 301, and when the second shell 3 is connected to the first shell 1, it is connected to the first shell 1 through the installation grooves 301 to form a accommodating cavity for installing the battery cell unit 2; the connecting side of the second shell 3 and the first shell 1 is also provided with a flange and is laser welded with the first shell 1 through the flange to form an integral structure, and after welding, the accommodating cavities in the shell are independent of each other, without air holes and leaking weld gaps.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first shell 1 is provided with joint pipes at the liquid inlet 102 and the liquid outlet 101, and the joint pipes are used for the coolant to flow from the external cooling pipeline into the liquid cooling channel 103 or to flow from the liquid cooling channel 103 to the external cooling pipeline; Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the joint pipe includes a liquid inlet joint 7 and a liquid outlet joint 8. Due to the different arrangements of the liquid inlet port 102 and the liquid outlet port 101, the structural forms of the liquid inlet joint 7 and the liquid outlet joint 8 are also selected and adapted accordingly to ensure that the coolant can flow from the external cooling pipeline into the liquid cooling channel 103 or flow out from the liquid cooling channel 103 to the external cooling pipeline.

[0035] It can be seen that when the first shell 1 is assembled and manufactured, the L-shaped extruded aluminum profile is first machined into the required outer contour, liquid inlet 102 and liquid outlet 101 according to the required length of the battery module 13, and the rib plate 104 is again de-materialized to form the required liquid cooling channel 103 in the first shell 1, and then the first end sealing member 5 and the second end sealing member 6 are respectively welded to the two side ends of the first shell 1 to seal the liquid cooling channel 103, and finally the joint pipes are welded at the liquid inlet 102 and the liquid outlet 101.

[0036] In this embodiment, a shell cover plate 4 is also included, and the shell cover plate 4 is correspondingly arranged at the openings of the plurality of accommodating cavities and seals the accommodating cavities; Figure 1 As shown, the shell cover 4 is formed by high-temperature pressing of ceramic material. The shell cover 4 needs to be designed to match each accommodating cavity in the shell, but the material can be weldable ceramic. Brazing, laser welding or ultrasonic welding can be used between the shell cover 4 and the shell. After the main components on the battery module 13 are assembled, subsequent process steps such as vacuum injection and sealing can be carried out according to general processes.

[0037] In this embodiment, an insulating heat-insulating structure is provided on the outer side of the second shell 3, and the insulating heat-insulating structure is correspondingly bonded to the outer side of the second shell 3 through a single-sided adhesive; Figure 1As shown, the insulating and heat-insulating structure is mainly an insulating and heat-insulating buffer sheet formed by a foam frame 9 and an aerogel 10 filled in the foam frame 9, wherein the foam frame 9 has a good buffering effect, the aerogel 10 has a good heat-insulating effect, and the foam frame 9 is designed to fit according to the outer surface shape of the second shell 3, and the insulating and heat-insulating structure is bonded to the second shell 3 by a single-sided adhesive.

[0038] In this embodiment, the inner surface of the accommodating cavity is provided with an insulating wear-resistant coating; wherein the insulating wear-resistant coating comprises an electronic coating 11 provided on the inner surface of the accommodating cavity and a ceramic coating 12 provided on the inner surface of the electronic coating 11; Figure 1 As shown, it is necessary to spray an electronic coating 11 on the inner surface of the accommodating cavity for corrosion protection and insulation treatment, with a thickness of about 1 micron. The purpose is to prevent the electrolyte from corroding the shell material and to provide electrical insulation between adjacent battery cells 2. The inner surface of the electronic coating 11 in the accommodating cavity needs to be treated with a wear-resistant ceramic coating again to prevent the insulation from being damaged due to friction between the battery cell 2 and the electronic coating 11.

[0039] This embodiment also discloses a battery pack, including a battery pack housing, in which a plurality of battery modules 13 are arranged in sequence along the length direction; Figure 6 As shown, a plurality of battery modules 13 are arranged in sequence on the battery pack shell along the length direction of the vehicle body, the liquid inlet connector 7 and the liquid outlet connector 8 are respectively connected to the cooling pipeline in the battery pack, and are connected and fixed to the battery pack shell through the mounting holes at the bottom of the first end plugging member 5 and the second end plugging member 6. The size of the battery module 13 is standardized and unified, and the assembly is convenient for automatic box insertion and locking. At the same time, there is no need to set a liquid cooling plate at the bottom of the battery module 13 or between adjacent battery modules 13 in the battery pack, so that the overall structure of the battery pack is simpler and more compact.

[0040] This embodiment also discloses a car, in which the above-mentioned battery pack is installed. By using the battery pack in the car, the heat dissipation effect of the battery thermal management system can be effectively improved, and the battery pack has a high degree of integration and reduces the number of components and their corresponding process steps, which is convenient for assembly on the car body and achieving lightweight body.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the utility model rather than to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, ordinary technicians in the field should understand that the technical solution of the utility model can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the purpose and scope of the technical solution of the utility model, which should be included in the scope of the claims of the utility model.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that: The invention comprises a shell and a plurality of battery cell units arranged at intervals in the shell, wherein the shell is a square cavity structure with a single-side opening and a plurality of accommodating cavities for installing the battery cell units are arranged at intervals inside the shell, the shell comprises a first shell formed by at least two adjacent surfaces on the shell and a second shell formed by the remaining surfaces, and the first shell is provided with liquid cooling channels distributed on at least two adjacent surfaces and interconnected.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first shell is a hollow plate structure and is provided with a plurality of ribs for dividing the hollow plate structure into a plurality of the liquid cooling channels. The inlet and outlet of the liquid cooling channels are respectively arranged at both ends, and the ribs are provided with notches for connecting adjacent liquid cooling channels.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first shell has openings at both ends along the extension direction of the rib plate, and a first end plugging piece and a second end plugging piece are respectively provided at the opening positions; the first shell is also provided with a liquid inlet for the coolant to flow into the liquid cooling channel and a liquid outlet for the coolant to flow out of the liquid cooling channel, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are arranged at the same end or both ends of the first shell along the extension direction of the rib plate.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first shell is an L-shaped structure and is formed by connecting the bottom plate of the shell and a long side plate on one side. The liquid cooling channel in the first shell is used to dissipate heat and cool the bottom and side surfaces of the battery cell unit at the same time.

5. The battery module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first shell is provided with joint pipes at the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, and the joint pipes are used for cooling liquid to flow from the external cooling pipeline into the liquid cooling channel or to flow out from the liquid cooling channel into the external cooling pipeline.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a shell cover plate, which is correspondingly arranged at the openings of the plurality of accommodating cavities and seals the accommodating cavities.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: An insulating and heat-insulating structure is disposed on the outer side of the second shell, and the insulating and heat-insulating structure is correspondingly bonded to the outer side of the second shell via a single-sided adhesive.

8. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner surface of the accommodating cavity is provided with an insulating wear-resistant coating.

9. A battery pack, characterized in that: It comprises a battery pack shell, in which a plurality of groups of battery modules according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are arranged in sequence along the length direction.

10. An automobile, characterized in that: The battery pack according to claim 9 is installed in the automobile.

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