Cooling structure of battery module and battery pack

Abstract

The utility model provides a cooling structure of a battery module and a battery pack. The cooling structure of the battery module comprises a first cooling assembly and a second cooling assembly which are mutually independent, the first cooling assembly comprises a liquid cooling plate arranged at the bottom of the battery module, and the liquid cooling plate is used for cooling the battery cell shell; the second cooling assembly is used for cooling a busbar assembly of the battery module, the second cooling assembly comprises a cooling support, a flow channel is formed in the cooling support, the cooling support is connected with the busbar assembly, and the flow channel is used for circulation of insulating cooling liquid. According to the cooling structure of the battery module disclosed by the utility model, the busbar assembly can be cooled, the temperature of the battery cell pole column area is reduced, the temperature difference between the battery cell pole column and the battery cell shell is reduced, and the temperature equalization performance of a battery module thermal management system is improved. And moreover, the risk of poor insulation can be effectively eliminated, and a good use effect is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of power batteries, and in particular to a cooling structure of a battery module.

[0002] The utility model also relates to a battery pack provided with the cooling structure of the battery module. Background Art

[0003] In the traditional battery pack cooling structure, the busbar cooling pipeline is connected to the internal flow channel of the liquid cold plate at the bottom of the battery module, and the same liquid is used for cooling. This structure has the following disadvantages: the busbar cooling pipeline is set inside the metal cold plate, and the busbar conducts heat transfer through the metal cold plate to take away the heat of the busbar. Although the surface of the metal cold plate is treated with an insulating coating, it is still impossible to avoid the risk of short circuit caused by direct contact between the metal cold plate and the busbar due to cracked coating. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the utility model aims to provide a cooling structure for a battery module, so as to solve the busbar cooling problem and eliminate the risk of poor insulation.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the utility model is implemented as follows:

[0006] A cooling structure for a battery module comprises a first cooling assembly and a second cooling assembly which are independent of each other;

[0007] The first cooling assembly includes a liquid cooling plate disposed at the bottom of the battery module, and the liquid cooling plate is used to dissipate heat from the battery cell housing;

[0008] The second cooling assembly is used to dissipate heat from the bus assembly of the battery module, and the second cooling assembly includes a cooling bracket with a flow channel formed inside, the cooling bracket is connected to the bus assembly, and the flow channel is used for the circulation of insulating cooling liquid.

[0009] Furthermore, the busbar assembly includes a plurality of busbars electrically connected to each battery cell in the battery pack; and the cooling bracket is integrally formed with the plurality of busbars.

[0010] Furthermore, the same end of the plurality of busbars is embedded in the flow channel and is in contact with the insulating cooling liquid.

[0011] Furthermore, the cross section of the cooling bracket is rectangular, the length W of the rectangle satisfies: 5mm≤W≤15mm, and the width H of the rectangle satisfies: 4mm≤H≤10mm.

[0012] Furthermore, the busbar assemblies are provided on both sides of the battery pack; and the cooling brackets are provided corresponding to the busbar assemblies.

[0013] Furthermore, the battery module has a plurality of battery groups arranged along a first direction; in the plurality of battery groups, the plurality of flow channels on the same side are connected end to end in sequence.

[0014] Furthermore, the battery module has a plurality of battery groups arranged along the second direction, and two adjacent flow channels are connected in sequence.

[0015] Furthermore, the battery module has multiple battery groups arranged along the first direction and the second direction; among the multiple battery groups arranged along the first direction, the multiple flow channels on the same side are connected end to end in sequence, and among the multiple battery groups arranged along the second direction, two adjacent flow channels are connected in sequence to form a cooling pipeline.

[0016] Furthermore, both ends of the flow channel are provided with quick-insertion connectors; the two connected flow channels are connected in series with the corresponding quick-insertion connectors via a connecting pipe.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages:

[0018] The cooling structure of the battery module described in the utility model is provided with a first cooling component and a second cooling component which are independent of each other, so that the first cooling component dissipates heat to the battery shell, and the second cooling component dissipates heat to the busbar component, thereby reducing the temperature of the battery pole area, which can significantly reduce the temperature difference between the battery pole and the battery shell, and improve the temperature uniformity performance of the thermal management system of the battery module. At the same time, the flow channel in the cooling bracket is passed through the insulating cooling liquid, which can effectively eliminate the risk of poor insulation and has a good use effect.

[0019] In addition, the cooling bracket is integrally formed with multiple busbars, which has a simple structure and is easy to process and manufacture. The same end of multiple busbars is embedded in the flow channel, and multiple busbars are in direct contact with the insulating cooling liquid, which not only has the characteristics of low thermal resistance and high heat transfer efficiency, but also can quickly take away the heat on the busbar, thereby reducing the temperature of the battery cell pole area.

[0020] In addition, the cross section of the cooling bracket is designed to be rectangular, and the length and width of the rectangle are limited, which can improve the grouping efficiency and volume utilization of the module. Busbar assemblies are provided on both sides of the battery pack. At the same time, the number of cooling brackets corresponds to the busbar assemblies on each side, which can dissipate heat from each busbar on the battery pack, that is, it can cool the pole area of ​​each battery cell.

[0021] In addition, a plurality of battery packs are arranged side by side in the first direction and the second direction in the battery module, and the cooling brackets on the plurality of battery packs are connected in a certain order, that is, the flow channels are connected in a certain order to form cooling pipelines, so that the insulating cooling liquid in the cooling pipeline can be used to cool down the battery packs in the battery module, and the temperature uniformity of the thermal management system of the battery module can be improved. The connection between the quick-connect connector and the first connecting pipe and the connection between the quick-connect connector and the second connecting pipe are conducive to ensuring the reliability of the connection between the cooling brackets, that is, the flow channels.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack, in which the cooling structure of the battery module mentioned above is provided.

[0023] The battery pack of the present invention, by adopting the above-mentioned cooling structure of the battery module, is conducive to improving the temperature uniformity performance of the thermal management of the battery module, and can also effectively avoid the risk of short circuit caused by poor insulation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a cooling structure of a battery module according to an embodiment of the utility model from a first perspective;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a cooling structure of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present utility model from a second viewing angle;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cooling pipeline according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cooling bracket and the busbar assembly in the assembled state according to the embodiment of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cooling bracket and the busbar assembly state according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a battery pack equipped with a second cooling assembly according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0031] Description of reference numerals:

[0032] 1. Battery pack lower shell; 2. Battery pack; 3. Liquid cooling plate; 4. Cooling bracket;

[0033] 10. First connecting pipe; 20. Second connecting pipe; 21. Bus bar; 40. Flow channel; 41. Quick-connect connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer" and the like indicating orientation or positional relationship, they are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, if there are terms such as "first" and "second", they are also used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0036] In addition, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, the terms "installation", "connection", "connection" and "connector" 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 it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in combination with specific circumstances.

[0037] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments.

[0038] Embodiment 1

[0039] The present embodiment relates to a cooling structure of a battery module, which can reduce the temperature difference between the battery cell pole and the battery cell shell, improve the temperature uniformity performance of the battery module thermal management system, and at the same time, can effectively eliminate the risk of poor insulation.

[0040] In terms of overall structure, the cooling structure of the battery module of this embodiment is as follows: Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first cooling component and the second cooling component are independent of each other.

[0041] The first cooling assembly includes a liquid cooling plate 3 disposed at the bottom of the battery module, and the liquid cooling plate 3 is used to dissipate heat from the battery cell shell. The second cooling assembly is used to dissipate heat from the busbar assembly of the battery module, and the second cooling assembly includes a cooling bracket 4 with a flow channel 40 formed therein, the cooling bracket 4 is connected to the busbar assembly, and the flow channel 40 is used to allow the circulation of insulating cooling liquid.

[0042] In the above structure, by setting up the first cooling assembly and the second cooling assembly independently of each other, not only can the heat be dissipated from the cell shell and the busbar assembly respectively, the temperature of the cell shell and the cell pole area can be reduced, and the temperature difference between the cell pole and the cell shell can be effectively reduced, thereby improving the temperature uniformity performance of the battery module thermal management system. Moreover, the first cooling assembly and the second cooling assembly can be cooled independently of each other, which can also effectively eliminate the risk of poor insulation.

[0043] For more details, see Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first cooling assembly of this embodiment includes a liquid cooling plate 3, which is arranged at the bottom of the battery module and is bonded to the battery module. A cooling liquid channel is provided in the liquid cooling plate 3, wherein the cooling liquid channel uses, for example, a mixed liquid of water and ethylene glycol in the prior art. The liquid cooling plate 3 is used to dissipate heat from the battery cell housing in the battery module, and the specific structure of the liquid cooling plate 3 can refer to the prior art.

[0044] The second cooling assembly of this embodiment is used to dissipate heat from the busbar assembly in the battery module. The second cooling assembly includes a cooling bracket 4 having a flow channel 40 formed therein. Figures 1 to 3 , and combined with Figures 4 to 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the battery pack 2 has a plurality of cells stacked together, and the busbar assembly includes a plurality of busbars 21 electrically connected to each cell. As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the cooling bracket 4 and the plurality of busbars 21 are integrally formed, and the structure is simple and easy to manufacture.

[0045] As a further preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, the same end of multiple busbars 21 is embedded in the flow channel 40 and in contact with the insulating cooling liquid. In this way, multiple busbars 21 are in direct contact with the insulating cooling liquid, which not only has the characteristics of low thermal resistance and high heat transfer efficiency, but also can quickly take away the heat on the busbars 21, thereby reducing the temperature of the battery cell pole area.

[0046] It is understandable that, in addition to the above-mentioned structure between the multiple bus bars 21 and the cooling bracket 4, the same end of the multiple bus bars 21 can also be arranged on one side of the cooling bracket 4, so that the bus bar assembly can be cooled. However, the cooling effect is not as advantageous as the above-mentioned structure.

[0047] In order to improve the grouping efficiency and volume utilization of the module. Figure 5As shown, the cross section of the cooling bracket 4 is preferably rectangular, and the length W of the rectangle satisfies: 5mm≤W≤15mm, and the width H of the rectangle satisfies: 4mm≤H≤10mm. In specific implementation, the length W can be set to 5mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm or 15mm, for example. The width H can be set to 4mm, 6mm, 8mm or 10mm, for example.

[0048] The positive pole and negative pole of each cell in the battery pack 2 of this embodiment are respectively arranged at opposite ends of the cell. In this case, busbar assemblies are arranged on both sides of the battery pack 2. The cooling brackets are arranged corresponding to the busbar assemblies on each side. In this way, each busbar 21 on the battery pack 2 can dissipate heat, that is, the pole area of ​​each cell can be cooled.

[0049] As a preferred implementation, in this embodiment, the battery module has a plurality of battery groups 2 arranged along a first direction, and in the plurality of battery groups 2, a plurality of flow channels on the same side are connected end to end in sequence, so that a first cooling channel is formed on both sides of the battery group 2, and the two second cooling channels may be connected in series or not, and each bus is cooled by the insulating cooling liquid flowing through the first cooling channel.

[0050] As another preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the battery module has a plurality of battery groups 2 arranged along the second direction, and in the flow channels corresponding to the plurality of battery groups 2, two adjacent flow channels are connected in sequence to form a tortuous second cooling channel. At this time, each bus is cooled by the insulating cooling liquid flowing through the second cooling channel.

[0051] As another preferred implementation, in this embodiment, review Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the battery module has a plurality of battery packs 2 arranged in both the first direction and the second direction. As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, among the plurality of battery packs 2 arranged in the first direction, the plurality of cooling brackets 4 on the same side are connected end to end in sequence, that is, the plurality of flow channels 40 are connected end to end in sequence. Among the plurality of battery packs 2 arranged in the second direction, two adjacent flow channels 40 are connected in sequence, thus forming a tortuous cooling pipeline. In this way, each battery pack 2 in the battery module can be cooled by the insulating cooling liquid in the cooling pipeline, and the temperature uniformity performance of the thermal management system of the battery module can be improved.

[0052] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the insulating cooling liquid can be, for example, fluorinated liquid. The flow of the insulating cooling liquid in the flow channel 40 can not only take away the heat on the bus 21 to cool the bus 21, but also based on the insulating properties of the insulating cooling liquid, it can also effectively avoid the risk of short circuit due to poor insulation.

[0053] To facilitate the connection between the flow channels 40, in this embodiment, quick-connect connectors 41 are provided at both ends of each flow channel 40, and the two connected flow channels are connected in series with the corresponding quick-connect connectors through a connecting pipe. Figures 1 to 3 Taking the example shown in the figure for illustration, along the first direction, multiple flow channels 40 on the same side are connected in series with the corresponding quick-connect connectors 41 through the first connecting tube 10. Along the second direction, two adjacent flow channels 40 are connected in series with the corresponding quick-connect connectors 41 through the second connecting tube 20. In this way, an integral cooling circuit is formed. At this time, by circulating the insulating cooling liquid in the cooling circuit, each busbar 21 in the battery module can be cooled, and the temperature of the battery cell pole area can be reduced, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the battery cell pole and the battery cell shell, and improving the temperature uniformity performance of the battery module thermal management system.

[0054] Moreover, in the specific implementation, in this embodiment, the two connecting ports at both ends of the cooling pipeline constitute the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet respectively, and in terms of layout, as a preference, the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid cooling plate 3 are all located on the same side of the battery module, which can help improve the space utilization of the battery pack.

[0055] The cooling structure of the battery module of this embodiment, by setting up a first cooling component and a second cooling component that are independent of each other, can not only reduce the temperature difference between the battery cell pole and the battery cell shell and improve the temperature uniformity performance of the battery module thermal management system, but also effectively eliminate the risk of poor insulation and improve the safety performance of the battery module, thereby having a good use effect.

[0056] Embodiment 2

[0057] This embodiment relates to a battery pack, in which the cooling structure of the battery module of the first embodiment is provided. Figure 1 As shown, the battery pack of this embodiment has a battery pack lower shell 1 and an upper cover. A battery module receiving cavity is formed between the battery pack lower shell 1 and the upper cover. The first cooling assembly and the second cooling assembly are specifically located in the battery pack lower shell 1.

[0058] The battery pack of this embodiment adopts the cooling structure of the battery module of the first embodiment, which is beneficial to improving the temperature uniformity performance of the thermal management of the battery module, and can also effectively avoid the risk of short circuit caused by poor insulation.

[0059] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cooling structure for a battery module, characterized in that: It includes a first cooling component and a second cooling component which are independent of each other; The first cooling assembly includes a liquid cooling plate disposed at the bottom of the battery module, and the liquid cooling plate is used to dissipate heat from the battery cell housing; The second cooling assembly is used to dissipate heat from the bus assembly of the battery module, and the second cooling assembly includes a cooling bracket with a flow channel formed inside, the cooling bracket is connected to the bus assembly, and the flow channel is used for the circulation of insulating cooling liquid.

2. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The busbar assembly includes a plurality of busbars electrically connected to each battery cell in the battery pack; The cooling support and the plurality of bus bars are integrally formed.

3. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The same end of the plurality of busbars is embedded in the flow channel and is in contact with the insulating cooling liquid.

4. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cross section of the cooling bracket is rectangular, the length W of the rectangle satisfies: 5mm≤W≤15mm, and the width H of the rectangle satisfies: 4mm≤H≤10mm.

5. The cooling structure of the battery module according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The busbar assembly is provided on both sides of the battery pack; The cooling bracket is arranged corresponding to each of the busbar assemblies.

6. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The battery module has a plurality of battery groups arranged along a first direction; In the plurality of battery packs, the plurality of flow channels on the same side are connected end to end in sequence.

7. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The battery module has a plurality of battery groups arranged along the second direction, and two adjacent flow channels are connected in sequence.

8. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The battery module has a plurality of battery packs arranged along a first direction and a second direction; In the plurality of battery packs arranged along the first direction, the plurality of flow channels on the same side are connected end to end in sequence, and in the plurality of battery packs arranged along the second direction, two adjacent flow channels are connected in sequence to form a cooling pipeline.

9. The cooling structure of the battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that: Both ends of the flow channel are provided with quick-connect connectors; The two connected flow channels are connected in series with the corresponding quick-plug connectors through a connecting pipe.

10. A battery pack, characterized in that: The battery pack is provided with a cooling structure for the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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