Side cold plate, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model discloses a side cold plate, battery pack and vehicle, said side cold plate includes cooling plate and support plate, said cooling plate is connected with said support plate, said cooling plate is used for cooling the upper half part of battery cell side surface, said support plate at least one part is used for being connected with the lower half part of battery cell side surface to support said cooling plate, wherein the heat conductivity coefficient of the cooling plate is greater than that of the supporting plate. According to the cold measuring plate, the temperature difference of the battery cell in the height direction is reduced, and the service life of the battery cell is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of battery pack cooling, and in particular to a side cooling plate, a battery pack and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In order to improve the cooling effect of the battery cell, the battery pack usually has a side cold plate and a bottom cold plate to cool the battery cell together. The side cold plate includes a cooling plate and a support plate. The cooling plate has a cooling channel mainly used to cool the upper half of the battery cell. The support plate is arranged below the cooling plate and is mainly used to increase the bonding area of ​​the side cold plate so that the side cold plate can be reliably bonded to the side of the battery cell.

[0003] In the related art, the cooling plate and the support plate are both made of aluminum material with good thermal conductivity. The coldness of the cooling plate will be transferred to the battery cell through the support plate, and work together with the coldness in the bottom cold plate to cool the lower half of the battery cell. Therefore, the cooling effect of the lower half of the battery cell is better than that of the upper half of the battery cell. Because the heat generated by the upper half of the battery cell is higher than the heat generated by the lower half of the battery cell, it will eventually lead to a large temperature difference in the height direction of the battery cell, thereby reducing the service life of the battery cell. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present disclosure aims to solve one of the technical problems in the related art to at least a certain extent. To this end, the present disclosure proposes a cold plate to reduce the temperature difference of the battery cell in the height direction; the present disclosure also proposes a battery pack to reduce the temperature difference of the battery cell in the height direction; the present disclosure also proposes a vehicle to reduce the temperature difference of the battery cell in the height direction.

[0005] The side cold plate of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cooling plate and a supporting plate, wherein the cooling plate and the supporting plate are connected, the cooling plate is used to cool the upper half of the side surface of the battery cell, and at least a portion of the supporting plate is used to be connected to the lower half of the side surface of the battery cell to support the cooling plate, wherein the thermal conductivity of the cooling plate is greater than the thermal conductivity of the supporting plate.

[0006] In some embodiments, the support plate is a non-metallic plate.

[0007] In some embodiments, a width ratio of the cooling plate to the support plate is greater than or equal to 1 / 20.

[0008] In some embodiments, the support plate has a plurality of weight-reducing holes, the plurality of weight-reducing holes are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the support plate, and the weight-reducing holes extend along the length direction of the support plate.

[0009] In some embodiments, the support plate has an avoidance groove for avoiding a battery pack beam on one side of the support plate away from the cooling plate in the width direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the cooling plate has one of a protrusion and a groove on one side adjacent to the support plate in its width direction, and the support plate has the other of the protrusion and the groove on one side adjacent to the cooling plate in its width direction, and the protrusion is suitable for extending into the groove and being cooperatively connected with the groove.

[0011] In some embodiments, the protrusion has an end face and a first side face and a second side face connected to the end face, a first rounded corner is formed between the first side face and the end face, a second rounded corner is formed between the second side face and the end face, and each of the first rounded corner and the second rounded corner is greater than or equal to 0.6 mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the groove has a bottom wall and a first side wall and a second side wall connected to the bottom wall, a third rounded corner is provided between the first side wall and the bottom wall, a fourth rounded corner is provided between the second side wall and the bottom wall, and each of the third rounded corner and the fourth rounded corner is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

[0013] The battery pack of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the side cold plate described in any of the above embodiments.

[0014] The vehicle of the disclosed embodiment includes the battery pack described in any of the above embodiments.

[0015] During operation of the side cold plate of the disclosed embodiment, since the thermal conductivity of the cooling plate is greater than that of the support plate, most of the cold energy in the cooling plate is used to cool the upper half of the battery cell, and a small part is used to cool the lower half of the battery cell through the support plate as a transfer medium, thereby reducing the cooling effect of the support plate on the lower half of the battery cell, avoiding the cooling effect of the lower half of the battery cell being better than the cooling effect of the upper half of the battery cell due to the cooling effect of the support plate, reducing the temperature difference of the battery cell in the height direction, and increasing the service life of the battery cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the installation of the side cooling plate of the embodiment of the utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the cooling plate and the support plate before being connected in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a cooling plate and a support plate after being connected in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of a cooling plate and a supporting plate according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0020] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a cooling plate according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of a support plate according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0022] Reference numerals:

[0023] 100, side cold plate; 200, battery cell; 1, cooling plate; 101, cooling channel; 102, protrusion; 1021, end face; 1022, first side face; 1023, second side face; 2, support plate; 201, weight reduction hole; 202, avoidance groove; 203, groove; 2031, bottom wall; 2032, first side wall; 2033, second side wall; 3, first fillet; 4, second fillet; 5, third fillet; 6, third fillet, 7, fourth fillet; 8, first current collector; 9, second current collector; 10, liquid inlet nozzle; 11, liquid outlet nozzle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present invention, but cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0025] The technical solution of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the side cold plate 100 of the embodiment of the utility model includes a cooling plate 1 and a supporting plate 2, and the cooling plate 1 is connected to the supporting plate 2. The cooling plate 1 is used to cool the upper half of the side of the battery cell 200, and at least a part of the supporting plate 2 is used to be connected to the lower half of the side of the battery cell 200 to support the cooling plate 1, wherein the thermal conductivity of the cooling plate 1 is greater than the thermal conductivity of the supporting plate 2.

[0027] Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, the side cold plate 100 of the embodiment of the utility model can be installed on the side of the battery cell 200 (the large side or the small side of the battery cell 200) by gluing. At least a part of the support plate 2 is used to connect with the lower half of the side of the battery cell 200. It can be understood that the cooling plate 1 is connected to the upper half of the side of the battery cell 200, and the support plate 2 is only connected to the lower half of the side of the battery cell 200. Of course, when the width value of the cooling plate 1 is small, the width value of the support plate 2 can be set larger to improve the support strength, so a part of the support plate 2 will be connected to the upper half of the side of the battery cell 200, and the other part of the support plate 2 will be connected to the lower half of the side of the battery cell 200.

[0028] It should be noted that if the cooling plate 1 is separately arranged on the upper half of the battery cell 200 by gluing, it will fall off due to insufficient bonding force. Therefore, a support plate 2 is provided to increase the bonding area of ​​the side cold plate 100. The main function of the support plate 2 is to fix the side cold plate 100. Therefore, the smaller the thermal conductivity of the support plate 2, the better.

[0029] like Figure 4 As shown, the cooling plate 1 has a cooling channel 101 and a channel inlet and a channel outlet connected to the cooling channel 101. During operation of the side cold plate 100 of the utility model embodiment, the cooling medium enters the cooling channel 101 through the channel inlet on the cooling plate 1. The cooling medium entering the cooling channel 101 exchanges heat with the heat of the upper half of the battery cell 200 and then flows out through the channel outlet to cool the upper half of the battery cell 200. Of course, the cooling plate 1 can also use other cooling methods to cool the battery cell 200, which will not be repeated here.

[0030] Since the thermal conductivity of the cooling plate 1 is greater than that of the support plate 2, most of the cold energy in the cooling plate 1 is used to cool the upper half of the battery cell 200, and a small part of the cold energy is used to cool the lower half of the battery cell 200 through the support plate 2 as a transmission medium, thereby reducing the cooling effect of the support plate 2 on the lower half of the battery cell 200, avoiding the cooling effect of the lower half of the battery cell 200 being better than the cooling effect of the upper half of the battery cell 200 due to the cooling effect of the support plate 2, reducing the temperature difference of the battery cell 200 in the height direction, and improving the service life of the battery cell 200. According to experimental measurements, the temperature difference of the battery cell 200 in the height direction can be reduced by about 2°C.

[0031] Optionally, the support plate 2 is a non-metallic plate. For example, the cooling plate 1 is generally made of metal aluminum material, which has a high thermal conductivity. The support plate 2 can be made of plastic materials such as PCV, PP or PE, which have a low thermal conductivity and are inexpensive, which is conducive to reducing material costs.

[0032] In some embodiments, the width ratio of the cooling plate 1 to the support plate 2 is greater than or equal to 1 / 20. For example, the width ratio of the cooling plate 1 to the support plate 2 is 1 / 20, 1 / 10 or 1 / 4, etc., to avoid setting the width of the cooling plate 1 too small, resulting in poor cooling effect on the upper half of the battery cell 200.

[0033] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the support plate 2 has a plurality of weight-reducing holes 201 , which are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the support plate 2 , and extend along the length direction of the support plate 2 .

[0034] The side cold plate 100 of the embodiment of the utility model can reduce the overall weight of the support plate 2 by providing a plurality of weight-reducing holes 201 on the support plate 2, thereby avoiding the risk of the side cold plate 100 falling off the battery cell 200 due to the large gravity, which is beneficial to improving the bonding strength between the side cold plate 100 and the battery cell 200, and is also beneficial to reducing material costs.

[0035] In addition, it should be noted that, in order to facilitate processing and manufacturing, the side cold plate in the related technology is made of aluminum material by integral stamping of the cooling plate and the support plate. Therefore, there are cooling channels on both the cooling plate and the support plate. However, the cooling channel on the cooling plate is used to flow the cooling medium, and the channel on the support plate is sealed with sealing glue to avoid the residual aluminum chips in the channel on the support plate causing a short circuit in the battery pack. However, the support plate 2 of the embodiment of the utility model is made of non-metallic material, and there is no short circuit in the battery pack caused by the residual conductive medium due to processing. Therefore, even if the weight reduction hole 201 is processed, the weight reduction hole 201 after processing does not need to be sealed with sealing glue, which makes the process simple and convenient for processing and manufacturing.

[0036] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the support plate 2 has a circumvention groove 202 on one side of the support plate 2 away from the cooling plate 1 in the width direction for circumventing the cross beam of the battery pack, thereby facilitating the installation of the side cold plate 100 and avoiding interference between the support plate 2 and the cross beam on the battery pack when installing the cold plate 100. Specifically, the setting position of the circumvention groove 202 on the support plate 2 can be set according to the specific position of the cross beam of the battery pack.

[0037] In some embodiments, the cooling plate 1 has one of a protrusion 102 and a groove 203 on one side adjacent to the support plate 2 in the width direction, and the support plate 2 has the other of a protrusion 102 and a groove 203 on one side adjacent to the cooling plate 1 in the width direction, and the protrusion 102 is suitable for extending into the groove 203 and being cooperatively connected with the groove 203.

[0038] Specifically, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the protrusion 102 is provided on the cooling plate 1, and the groove 203 is provided on the support plate 2. When the cooling plate 1 is processed and manufactured, the cooling plate 1 and the protrusion 102 on the cooling plate 1 are processed by extrusion die extrusion, and the processing cost is low. Alternatively, the cooling plate 1 can be extruded first, and then the protrusion 102 can be processed on the cooling plate 1 by CNC process.

[0039] Optionally, the protrusion 102 and the groove 203 are connected by interference fit, which facilitates adjustment of the relative position between the cooling plate 1 and the support plate 2 after preliminary assembly, and the adjustment is convenient.

[0040] Optionally, the protrusion 102 and the groove 203 are gap-fitted, and then a reliable connection is performed in the gap between the protrusion 102 and the groove 203 by bonding, hot melting or welding.

[0041] Optionally, the depth of the protrusion 102 extending into the groove 203 is greater than or equal to 2 mm, so that the connection strength between the two can be effectively guaranteed to improve the installation reliability of the side cold plate 100.

[0042] In some embodiments, Figure 5 As shown, the protrusion 102 has an end face 1021 and a first side face 1022 and a second side face 1023 connected to the end face 1021, a first fillet 3 is provided between the first side face 1022 and the end face 1021, a second fillet 4 is provided between the second side face 1023 and the end face 1021, and each of the first fillet 3 and the second fillet 4 is greater than or equal to 0.6 mm. For example, the size of the first fillet 3 and the second fillet 4 is 0.6 mm, 1 mm, or 1.5 mm, so as to facilitate the processing and manufacturing of the protrusion 102.

[0043] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the groove 203 has a bottom wall 2031 and a first side wall 2032 and a second side wall 2033 connected to the bottom wall 2031, a third fillet 5 is provided between the first side wall 2032 and the bottom wall 2031, a fourth fillet 7 is provided between the second side wall 2033 and the bottom wall 2031, and each of the third fillet 5 and the fourth fillet 7 is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm. For example, the third fillet 5 and the fourth fillet 7 are 0.5 mm, 1 mm or 1.5 mm, which is convenient for the processing and manufacturing of the groove 203 on the one hand, and can ensure that the protrusion 102 and the groove 203 are assembled in place on the other hand.

[0044] Optionally, there are multiple cooling channels 101, and the multiple cooling channels 101 are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the cooling plate 1, and the cooling channels 101 extend along the length direction of the cooling plate 1. The cold plate 100 of the utility model embodiment further includes a first collector 8 and a second collector 9, which are arranged at intervals at both ends of the cooling plate 1 in the length direction of the cooling plate 1, the first collector 8 is connected to the channel inlet, the second collector 9 is connected to the channel outlet, the first collector 8 has a liquid inlet nozzle 10, and the second collector 9 has a liquid outlet nozzle 11.

[0045] Specifically, the first current collector 9 and the second current collector 10 can be manufactured by casting or by CNC machining, and then the cooling plate 1 is connected to the first current collector 9 and the second current collector 10 by welding or bonding.

[0046] The side cold plate 100 of the embodiment of the utility model is designed with composite materials, which increases the heat exchange capacity at the position with high heat generation and reduces the heat exchange capacity at the position with low heat generation, thereby reducing the temperature difference of the battery cell 200 in the height direction to increase the service life of the battery cell 200. In addition, the sealing glue process is eliminated, reducing the processing difficulty of the side cold plate 100.

[0047] The battery pack of the present utility model embodiment includes the side cooling plate 100 described in any of the above embodiments. Therefore, the battery cell 200 of the battery pack of the utility model embodiment has a small temperature difference in the height direction, so that the battery cell 200 has a longer service life.

[0048] The vehicle of the embodiment of the utility model includes the battery pack described in any of the above embodiments. Therefore, the temperature difference of the battery cell 200 in the height direction of the vehicle of the embodiment of the utility model is small, so that the service life of the battery cell 200 is long.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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 one; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] In the present utility model, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present utility model. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0054] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and cannot be construed as limitations of the present invention. Changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of the above embodiments made by a person of ordinary skill in the art are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A side cooling plate, characterized in that: It includes a cooling plate and a support plate, wherein the cooling plate is connected to the support plate, the cooling plate is used to cool the upper half of the side of the battery cell, and at least a part of the support plate is used to be connected to the lower half of the side of the battery cell to support the cooling plate, wherein the thermal conductivity of the cooling plate is greater than the thermal conductivity of the support plate.

2. The side cold plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support plate is a non-metallic plate.

3. The side cooling plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The width ratio of the cooling plate to the support plate is greater than or equal to 1 / 20.

4. The side cooling plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The support plate has a plurality of weight-reducing holes, which are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the support plate and extend along the length direction of the support plate.

5. The side cooling plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The support plate has an avoidance groove on one side away from the cooling plate in the width direction thereof for avoiding the battery pack crossbeam.

6. The side cold plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The cooling plate has one of a protrusion and a groove on one side adjacent to the support plate in its width direction, and the support plate has the other of the protrusion and the groove on one side adjacent to the cooling plate in its width direction, and the protrusion is suitable for extending into the groove and being matched with the groove.

7. The side cold plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: The protrusion has an end face and a first side face and a second side face connected to the end face, a first rounded corner is formed between the first side face and the end face, a second rounded corner is formed between the second side face and the end face, and each of the first rounded corner and the second rounded corner is greater than or equal to 0.6 mm.

8. The side cooling plate according to claim 7, characterized in that: The groove has a bottom wall and a first side wall and a second side wall connected to the bottom wall, a third rounded corner is provided between the first side wall and the bottom wall, a fourth rounded corner is provided between the second side wall and the bottom wall, and each of the third rounded corner and the fourth rounded corner is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

9. A battery pack, characterized in that: The invention comprises the side cold plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: Comprising the battery pack described in claim 9.

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