Liquid cooling plate and battery pack

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of liquid cooling plates, in particular to a liquid cooling plate and a battery pack. The liquid cooling plate comprises a runner plate, a flat plate and a fastener, the runner plate is provided with a glue containing groove, and polystyrene foam used for bonding the runner plate and the flat plate is contained in the glue containing groove. The fastening piece and the glue containing groove are correspondingly arranged, and the fastening piece sequentially penetrates through the flat plate, the polystyrene foam and the runner plate so as to fixedly connect the flat plate with the runner plate. Wherein the polystyrene foam is configured to be capable of foaming and filling gaps among the flat plate, the runner plate and the fastener when the fastener locks the flat plate and the runner plate. According to the liquid cooling plate and the battery pack provided by the invention, the problem of insufficient sealing performance of a forming mode of an existing liquid cooling plate is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of liquid cooling plates, and in particular to a liquid cooling plate and a battery pack. Background Art

[0002] The battery pack is the power core of electric vehicles. It contains battery cells. Usually, the battery cells generate a lot of heat when working. If the heat cannot be discharged in time, it is easy to cause the battery cells to catch fire or explode. Therefore, a liquid cooling plate is often set in the battery pack to cool the battery cells.

[0003] In the related art, the liquid cooling plate includes a flow channel plate with a flow channel and a flat plate that cooperates with the flow channel plate to achieve flow channel sealing, wherein the flow channel plate and the flat plate are often fixed by brazing and blind rivets. However, this connection method not only consumes a lot of energy, but also cannot solve the gap between the flow channel plate and the flat plate caused by tolerance or assembly factors. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the high sealing requirements of the liquid cooling plate. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a liquid cooling plate and a battery pack to solve the problem of insufficient sealing of the existing liquid cooling plate molding method.

[0005] The present application provides a liquid cooling plate, which includes a flow channel plate, a flat plate and a fastener, wherein the flow channel plate is provided with a glue containing groove, wherein the glue containing groove contains a foam glue for bonding the flow channel plate and the flat plate; the fastener is arranged corresponding to the glue containing groove, and the fastener passes through the flat plate, the foam glue and the flow channel plate in sequence to fix the flat plate and the flow channel plate; wherein the foam glue is configured such that when the fastener locks the flat plate and the flow channel plate, the foam glue can foam and fill the gap between the flat plate, the flow channel plate and the fastener.

[0006] In one of the embodiments, along the depth direction of the glue containing groove, the height of the foaming glue is 20% to 30% of the depth of the glue containing groove.

[0007] In one embodiment, there are multiple fasteners, and the multiple fasteners are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the glue containing groove.

[0008] In one embodiment, the distance L between two adjacent fasteners satisfies 60mm≤L≤120mm.

[0009] In one embodiment, the fastener is a FDS self-tapping screw.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the flow channel plate includes a main board and a flange, wherein the flange is arranged around the circumference of the main board and is arranged at an angle to the main board and connected to the main board; wherein the glue containing groove is opened on the main board.

[0011] In one embodiment, the flow channel plate is an integral die-casting structure.

[0012] In one embodiment, the flow channel plate is a steel part.

[0013] The present application also provides a battery pack, which includes a lower box and the liquid cooling plate described in any one of the above embodiments, wherein the liquid cooling plate is installed in the lower box.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the flow channel plate is welded to the lower box body.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the liquid cooling plate and battery pack provided by the present application can effectively improve the structural strength of the liquid cooling plate itself by connecting the flat plate and the flow channel plate by using foam glue and fasteners, and the operation is simple, which can improve the molding efficiency of the liquid cooling plate. In addition, compared with the traditional brazing process, the cost of using foam glue for connection in the present application is lower, and the foam glue can penetrate and fill the gap between the flat plate and the flow channel plate after foaming, and can also penetrate the small gap between the fastener and the flat plate or the flow channel plate after the fastener is connected, thereby reducing the impact of component tolerances and assembly factors on the liquid cooling plate, and greatly improving the sealing performance of the liquid cooling plate. At the same time, the density of the foam glue after foaming is low, which can achieve better insulation, sound insulation, shock absorption and lightweight effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the conventional technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the conventional technology descriptions are 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 creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 A partial structural schematic diagram of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 An exploded view of a partial structure of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a partial structure of a liquid cooling plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 A top view of a flow channel plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0022] The symbols in the figure mean the following:

[0023] 100, battery pack; 10, liquid cooling plate; 11, flow channel plate; 1101, glue container groove; 1102, flow channel groove; 1103, reinforcement cavity; 111, main board; 112, flange; 1121, reinforcement rib; 12, flat plate; 13, fastener; 20, lower box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application 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 present application. However, the present application 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 present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another component, it may be directly on the other component or there may also be a central component. 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 central component at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in the specification of this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0026] 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 this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0027] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being “above” or “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly in contact with the second feature, or the first feature and the second feature are in contact indirectly 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.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the specification of this application have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used in the specification of this application includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0029] The battery pack is the power core of electric vehicles. It contains battery cells. Usually, the battery cells generate a lot of heat when working. If the heat cannot be discharged in time, it is easy to cause the battery cells to catch fire or explode. Therefore, a liquid cooling plate is often set in the battery pack to cool the battery cells.

[0030] In the related art, the liquid cooling plate includes a flow channel plate with a flow channel and a flat plate that cooperates with the flow channel plate to achieve flow channel sealing, wherein the flow channel plate and the flat plate are often fixed by brazing and blind rivets. However, this connection method not only consumes a lot of energy, but also cannot solve the gap between the flow channel plate and the flat plate caused by tolerance or assembly factors. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the high sealing requirements of the liquid cooling plate.

[0031] See also Figure 1-Figure 5 In order to solve the problem of insufficient sealing of the existing liquid cooling plate molding method, the present application provides a liquid cooling plate 10, which is applied to the battery pack 100. It has strong sealing performance and can reduce the risk of leakage of the coolant in the internal flow channel of the liquid cooling plate 10, thereby improving the safety of the battery pack 100.

[0032] Specifically, the liquid cooling plate 10 is installed in the lower box 20 of the battery pack 100, and the liquid cooling plate 10 is in contact with the battery cells (not shown) of the battery pack 100 for heat exchange to ensure that the battery cells operate at a suitable temperature.

[0033] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3The liquid cooling plate 10 provided in the present application includes a flow channel plate 11, a flat plate 12 and a fastener 13. The flow channel plate 11 is provided with a glue groove 1101 and a flow channel groove 1102. The glue groove 1101 contains a foam glue (not shown) for bonding the flow channel plate 11 and the flat plate 12. The fastener 13 is arranged corresponding to the glue groove 1101, and the fastener 13 passes through the flat plate 12, the foam glue and the flow channel plate 11 in sequence to fix the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11. Among them, the foam glue is configured so that when the fastener 13 locks the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11, the foam glue can foam and fill the gap between the flat plate 12, the flow channel plate 11 and the fastener 13. In addition, when the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11 are fixedly connected, the flat plate 12 can seal the notch of the flow channel groove 1102 to prevent the cooling liquid in the flow channel groove 1102 from leaking.

[0034] It should be noted that foam glue is a kind of glue with foaming and bonding properties. After foaming, foam glue will expand rapidly and form a foam-like structure with good adhesion and sealing properties.

[0035] It is understandable that the present application can effectively improve the structural strength of the liquid cooling plate 10 itself by connecting the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11 by using the combination of foam glue and fasteners 13, and the operation is simple, which can improve the molding efficiency of the liquid cooling plate 10. In addition, compared with the traditional brazing process, the cost of using foam glue for connection in the present application is lower, and the foam glue can penetrate and fill the gap between the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11 after foaming, and can also penetrate the small gap between the fastener 13 and the flat plate 12 or the flow channel plate 11 after the fastener 13 is connected, thereby reducing the impact of component tolerances and assembly factors on the liquid cooling plate 10, and greatly improving the sealing performance of the liquid cooling plate 10. At the same time, the density of the foam glue after foaming is low, which can achieve better insulation, sound insulation, shock absorption and lightweight effects.

[0036] Furthermore, in one embodiment, along the depth direction of the adhesive groove 1101, the height of the foamed adhesive is 20% to 30% of the depth of the adhesive groove 1101. In this way, space can be provided for the subsequent foaming of the foamed adhesive, and at the same time, it is also convenient to control the volume of the foamed adhesive after foaming, so as to avoid squeezing the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11 after foaming, and the safety is higher.

[0037] Exemplarily, the height of the foam glue can be 20%, 22%, 24%, 26%, 28% or 30% of the depth of the glue containing groove 1101, and can be reasonably set according to actual needs.

[0038] In one embodiment, the fastener 13 is an FDS self-tapping screw. The FDS self-tapping screw is a self-tapping screw that is connected using the FDS technology. Among them, the FDS technology (Flow Drill Srew) is a process that melts the parent material through the heat generated by the high-speed rotation of the screw, penetrates the parent material under axial pressure to make threads on the parent material, and finally fixes two or more layers of plate materials together.

[0039] That is, the present application can realize single-sided operation connection by using FDS self-tapping screws for connection, without pre-drilling holes on the flat plate 12 or the flow channel plate 11, so as to facilitate the accommodation of the foam glue in the glue containing groove 1101. Moreover, the connection strength of the FDS self-tapping screws is high, and after the connection is completed, a certain interference fit can be achieved between the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11, so that it has a certain sealing performance. Combined with the foaming filling of the foam glue, it can greatly enhance the sealing performance of the liquid cooling plate 10 and prevent the cooling liquid inside the liquid cooling plate 10 from leaking.

[0040] Of course, in other embodiments, the fastener 13 may also be a common screw or bolt.

[0041] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, there are multiple fasteners 13, and the multiple fasteners 13 are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the adhesive groove 1101. By providing multiple fasteners 13, the reliability of the connection between the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11 can be further improved, thereby improving the overall structural strength of the liquid cooling plate 10.

[0042] Specifically, the glue containing groove 1101 is preferably arranged around the circumference of the flow channel groove 1102. Of course, it can also be arranged in the flow channel groove 1102 at the same time, as long as the coolant can flow along the predetermined flow channel in the flow channel groove 1102.

[0043] Furthermore, if Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the spacing L between two adjacent fasteners 13 satisfies 60mm≤L≤120mm. By reasonably setting the spacing of the fasteners 13, the sealing performance and cost of the liquid cooling plate 10 can be balanced, ensuring the good sealing performance of the liquid cooling plate 10 and preventing leakage of the coolant. Among them, if L>120mm, the arrangement of the fasteners 13 is relatively scattered, and the connection performance and sealing performance of the fasteners 13 to the flat plate 12 and the flow channel plate 11 are insufficient. If L is less than 60mm, the arrangement of the fasteners 13 is relatively tight, which greatly increases the cost of setting the fasteners 13.

[0044] Exemplarily, the distance L between two adjacent fasteners 13 may be 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm, 110 mm or 120 mm, etc., which are not listed here one by one.

[0045] In one embodiment, if Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the flow channel plate 11 includes a main board 111 and a flange 112. The flange 112 is disposed around the main board 111 and is disposed at an angle with the main board 111 and connected to the main board 111. The glue containing groove 1101 is provided on the main board 111.

[0046] It is understandable that the present application greatly improves the structural strength of the flow channel plate 11 by providing a flange 112 on the flow channel plate 11, and the flow channel plate 11 can be connected to the side wall of the lower box 20 of the battery pack 100 through the flange 112, thereby eliminating the bracket structure used to support the flow channel plate 11 in the traditional technology. That is, the flow channel plate 11 of the present application realizes the integration of support and cooling functions, reduces the number of parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing and assembly processes, effectively improving production efficiency and reducing costs. At the same time, the reduction of parts also further increases the internal space of the battery pack 100, which is conducive to further improving the energy density of the battery pack 100.

[0047] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the height of the flange 112 is greater than or equal to 20 mm. In this way, it is possible to ensure that there is sufficient contact area between the flow channel plate 11 and the side wall of the lower box body 20, thereby effectively ensuring a reliable connection between the flow channel plate 11 and the lower box body 20, and greatly enhancing the structural strength of the battery pack 100.

[0048] Exemplarily, the height of the flange 112 can be set to 20 mm, 22 mm, 24 mm or 26 mm, etc., which are not listed here one by one.

[0049] In one embodiment, if Figure 5 As shown, a reinforcing rib 1121 is formed on the flange 112, and a reinforcing cavity 1103 is formed between the reinforcing rib 1121 and the side wall of the lower box body 20. The setting of the reinforcing cavity 1103 can enhance the structural strength of the flange 112, so as to further enhance the overall connection structural strength between the lower box body 20 and the flow channel plate 11.

[0050] Specifically, there are multiple reinforcing ribs 1121 , and the multiple reinforcing ribs 1121 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the lower box body 20 on the flange 112 , so that the overall structural strength of the battery pack 100 is further improved.

[0051] Since the lower box body 20 in this embodiment has four side walls, preferably, at least four reinforcing ribs 1121 are provided on the flange 112 corresponding to each side wall to better increase the structural strength. However, it is not limited thereto, in other embodiments, five, six or more reinforcing ribs 1121 may be provided on the flange 112 corresponding to each side wall, and the specific arrangement may be reasonable according to actual needs.

[0052] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the reinforcing ribs 1121 extend to both ends of the flange 112 along the height direction of the flange 112. That is, the reinforcing cavity 1103 is through-shaped, so that when the lower box 20 and the flow channel plate 11 are subjected to surface treatment, the electrophoretic liquid can flow through the reinforcing cavity 1103 to ensure that the electrophoretic liquid is in full contact with the surface thereof. At the same time, the reinforcing cavity 1103 can prevent the electrophoretic liquid from being retained in the cavity formed inside, which is conducive to the normal progress of subsequent production.

[0053] In one embodiment, the flow channel plate 11 is welded to the lower box body 20. In this way, the connection between the flow channel plate 11 and the lower box body 20 is simple, and the support strength of the flow channel plate 11 to the battery cell can be further improved.

[0054] Specifically, the flange 112 of the flow channel plate 11 is spot-welded to the side wall of the lower box body 20, and the main board 111 of the flow channel plate 11 is welded to the bottom wall of the lower box body 20. In this way, the bottom wall of the lower box body 20 can provide further support and protection for the flow channel plate 11, reducing the probability of the flow channel plate 11 being damaged by impact.

[0055] In order to further improve the structural strength of the flow channel plate 11 and the supporting performance of the flow channel plate 11 for the battery cell, in one embodiment, the flow channel plate 11 can be configured as a steel part.

[0056] In one embodiment, the flow channel plate 11 is an integrated die-casting structure. In this way, the flow channel plate 11 is easily formed, and when the flow channel plate 11 is formed, the through hole features used for connection or positioning, and the reinforcing features such as the reinforcing structure on the flow channel plate 11 can be simultaneously formed by die-casting, which greatly simplifies the production process, reduces the processing time of processing through holes and reinforcing structures, and greatly improves production efficiency.

[0057] The present application also provides a battery pack 100 , which includes a lower box body 20 and the liquid cooling plate 10 described in any one of the above embodiments, and the liquid cooling plate 10 is installed in the lower box body 20 .

[0058] 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.

[0059] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling plate, characterized in that: It comprises a flow channel plate (11), a flat plate (12) and a fastener (13); the flow channel plate (11) is provided with a glue containing groove (1101); the glue containing groove (1101) contains a foaming glue for bonding the flow channel plate (11) and the flat plate (12); The fastener (13) is arranged corresponding to the glue containing groove (1101), and the fastener (13) is sequentially passed through the flat plate (12), the foam glue and the flow channel plate (11) to fixedly connect the flat plate (12) and the flow channel plate (11); The foam glue is configured such that when the fastener (13) locks the flat plate (12) and the flow channel plate (11), the foam glue can foam and fill the gap between the flat plate (12), the flow channel plate (11) and the fastener (13).

2. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the depth direction of the glue containing groove (1101), the height of the foaming glue is 20% to 30% of the depth of the glue containing groove (1101).

3. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the fasteners (13) is plural, and the plural fasteners (13) are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the glue containing groove (1101).

4. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The distance L between two adjacent fasteners (13) satisfies 60mm≤L≤120mm.

5. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fastener (13) is an FDS self-tapping screw.

6. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow channel plate (11) comprises a main plate (111) and a flange (112), wherein the flange (112) is arranged around the circumference of the main plate (111), and the flange (112) is arranged at an angle with the main plate (111) and is connected to the main plate (111); Wherein, the glue containing groove (1101) is opened on the main board (111).

7. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow channel plate (11) is an integral die-casting structure.

8. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow channel plate (11) is a steel part.

9. A battery pack, characterized in that: It comprises a lower box (20) and a liquid cooling plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the liquid cooling plate is installed in the lower box (20).

10. The battery pack according to claim 9, characterized in that: The flow channel plate (11) is welded to the lower box body (20).

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