Thermal management assembly for battery cell and battery pack

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of power batteries, in particular to a thermal management assembly for a battery cell and a battery pack, the thermal management assembly comprises a main pipe, a branch pipe and a cooling plate, the cooling plate is connected with a first end of the branch pipe, and the main pipe is connected with a second end of the branch pipe; wherein the height direction of the cooling plate is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell, and the connecting direction of the first end and the cooling plate is perpendicular to the height direction of the battery cell. Therefore, the space in the battery pack in the height direction can be saved, and the height of the battery pack can be made smaller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of batteries, and specifically provides a thermal management component for a battery core and a battery pack. Background Art

[0002] At present, with the rapid development of the new energy industry, new energy equipment such as electric vehicles and electric aircraft have been widely used, and battery packs as the core part of new energy equipment have also been widely concerned. At present, mainstream battery packs generally have square shell cells, cylindrical cells or soft pack cells. Power batteries are extremely sensitive to temperature changes. The temperature environment in the battery pack has a great impact on the reliability, life and performance of the battery cells. Battery thermal management has become an important guarantee for the operation of new energy vehicles.

[0003] In order to achieve thermal management of the battery pack, thermal management components such as main pipes and cooling plates are usually arranged in the battery pack. However, the layout of existing thermal management components takes up a lot of space in the battery pack.

[0004] Therefore, a new thermal management component design is needed in the art to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to solve the technical problem that the space utilization rate of the entire battery pack is low.

[0006] In a first aspect, the utility model provides a thermal management component for a battery cell, characterized in that the thermal management component comprises a main pipe, a branch pipe and a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate is connected to a first end of the branch pipe, and the main pipe is connected to a second end of the branch pipe; wherein a height direction of the cooling plate is parallel to a height direction of the battery cell, and a connection direction between the first end and the cooling plate is perpendicular to the height direction of the battery cell.

[0007] Optionally, a connection direction between the second end and the main pipe is parallel to a height direction of the battery cell.

[0008] Optionally, the second end is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe.

[0009] Optionally, the main pipe includes a main water inlet pipe and a main water outlet pipe, and the main water inlet pipe and the main water outlet pipe are arranged up and down along the height direction of the battery core.

[0010] Optionally, the interface between the second end and the main water inlet pipe is recorded as a first interface, and the interface between the second end and the main water outlet pipe is recorded as a second interface, and the first interface and the second interface are arranged relative to each other.

[0011] Optionally, the first interface and the second interface are staggered along the length direction of the main pipe.

[0012] Optionally, the main pipe includes a water inlet and / or a water outlet, and the water inlet and / or the water outlet are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe.

[0013] Optionally, the branch pipe comprises a corrugated pipe.

[0014] Optionally, the branch pipe is connected to the main pipe by a cold extrusion assembly process, and / or the branch pipe is connected to the cooling plate by a cold extrusion assembly process.

[0015] In a second aspect, the utility model further provides a battery pack, comprising any one of the above-mentioned thermal management components for battery cells, battery cells and a housing, wherein the thermal management components and the battery cells are arranged in the housing.

[0016] When the above technical solution is adopted, the thermal management component for the battery cell provided by the utility model can save space in the height direction of the pack, thereby making the height of the battery pack smaller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery cell and a thermal management component provided by the utility model from a first angle;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery cell and a thermal management component provided by the utility model from a second angle;

[0020] Figure 3 A partial structural schematic diagram of a cooling plate provided by the utility model.

[0021] List of reference numerals:

[0022] 10. Battery cell; 20. Main pipe; 201. Main water inlet pipe; 202. Main water outlet pipe; 30. Branch pipe; 301. First end of the branch pipe; 302. Second end of the branch pipe; 40. Cooling plate; 401. Water inlet end; 402. Water outlet end; 501. First interface; 502. Second interface; H. Height direction of battery cell; X. Connection direction between the first end of the branch pipe and the cooling plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "inside", "outside", "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom" and other terms indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] In addition, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "connect", and "install" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] The battery cell mentioned in the present application may include at least one of a square shell battery cell, a cylindrical battery cell or a soft pack battery cell, and the cylindrical battery cell is taken as an example for description below.

[0027] The inventors have found through research that there are currently three types of thermal management components for cylindrical cells:

[0028] The first method uses a main water inlet / outlet pipe and branch small water pipes. Due to limited space, the connection between the main water pipe and the branch small water pipe can only be connected by laser welding, and the water pipe system cost is relatively high. A joint is set on the upper or lower part of the cooling plate to connect with the branch pipe. The cold plate interface can only be machined, which is relatively expensive.

[0029] The second method uses a short tube made of two-color injection molding to connect two adjacent cooling plates. This solution has a lower cost, but its ability to absorb tolerances in two directions other than the axial direction is poor, and the position of the cooling plate must be very precise, otherwise there is a risk of airtight leakage.

[0030] The third type uses an integrated water pipe, and uses a bellows to absorb the tolerance between two adjacent cooling plates. Since the distance between two adjacent cooling plates is small, only three corrugations can be designed. Even if the product itself can absorb a large axial tolerance, it requires a large force during installation. The joint of the water pipe must be pulled to the corresponding cold plate water outlet position before the assembly can be successful. At the same time, the cold plate interface can only use a combination of machining and high-frequency welding, which is also costly.

[0031] Based on the above three existing thermal management component designs, the present application proposes a thermal management component and a battery pack for a battery cell, which saves the layout space of the thermal management component in the battery pack, is easy to install, and saves costs.

[0032] See also Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery cell and a thermal management component from a first angle; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a cylindrical battery cell and a thermal management component from a second angle; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a cooling plate.

[0033] In a first aspect, the utility model provides a thermal management component for a battery cell 10 , the thermal management component comprising a main pipe 20 , a branch pipe 30 and a cooling plate 40 , the cooling plate 40 being connected to a first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 , and the main pipe 20 being connected to a second end 302 of the branch pipe 30 .

[0034] Optionally, the branch pipe 30 includes a bellows, which can be deformed when subjected to force to absorb tolerances in all directions, facilitate assembly of the branch pipe 30 with the main pipe 20 and the cooling plate 40, and flexibly arrange the position of the branch pipe 30.

[0035] In a specific embodiment, when the battery cell 10 is a cylindrical battery cell, the cooling plate 40 can be disposed between two rows of cylindrical battery cells 10, and the side of the cooling plate 40 is in contact with the arc-shaped side of the cylindrical battery cell 10. The interior of the cooling plate 40 includes a flow channel for the passage of the coolant, and the cylindrical battery cell 10 can be heated or cooled by heating or cooling the coolant. Optionally, a cooling plate 40 can be disposed between every two rows of cylindrical battery cells 10. Alternatively, a cooling plate 40 can be disposed every multiple rows (such as two rows) of cylindrical battery cells 10. The coolant flows out of the main pipe 20, enters the cooling plate 40 through a branch pipe 30, and the coolant in the cooling plate 40 returns to the main pipe 20 through another branch pipe 30.

[0036] The height direction of the cooling plate 40 is parallel to the height direction H of the battery cell 10, and the connection direction X between the first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 and the cooling plate 40 is perpendicular to the height direction H of the battery cell 10. Therefore, the connection direction X between the first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 and the cooling plate 40 is perpendicular to the height direction of the cooling plate 40, and at least part of the branch pipe 30 is arranged along the connection direction X, saving space in the H direction.

[0037] In a second aspect, the utility model further provides a battery pack, comprising any one of the above-mentioned thermal management components for the battery cell 10, the battery cell 10 and a box body (not shown in the figure), wherein the thermal management component and the battery cell 10 are arranged in the box body.

[0038] Optionally, the box body includes a box cover, a lower box body and a bottom plate, the lower box body includes a plurality of side walls connected end to end, the box cover and the bottom plate are respectively covered on two sides of the lower box body, thereby forming a closed cavity in the box body. The above-mentioned thermal management component and battery cell 10 are arranged in the cavity.

[0039] In one embodiment, the top of the battery cell 10 faces the upper box cover, the bottom of the battery cell 10 faces the bottom plate, and the height direction H of the battery cell 10 is also the height direction of the battery pack. The thermal management component for the battery cell 10 provided in the present application can save space in the height direction of the pack, thereby making the height of the battery pack smaller.

[0040] Optionally, the top of the battery cell 10 is bonded to the upper box cover, and the bottom of the battery cell 10 is bonded to the bottom plate. The cooling plate 40 is connected to the battery cell 10 by glue (such as thermally conductive glue, double-sided tape, etc.), which can improve the heat transfer efficiency.

[0041] Using adhesive bonding as a connection method can minimize the use of connecting parts to further improve space utilization within the battery pack.

[0042] In one embodiment, the end of the cooling plate 40 may include a water inlet end 401 and a water outlet end 402, the water inlet end 401 is connected to the main water inlet pipe 201 through a branch pipe 30, and the water outlet end 402 is connected to the main water outlet pipe 202 through another branch pipe 30. The coolant enters each cooling plate 40 from the main water inlet pipe 201, passes through the flow channel inside the cooling plate 40, and flows from the water outlet end into the main water outlet pipe 202, thereby realizing a coolant circulation loop.

[0043] Optionally, as shown in the figure, the water inlet end 401 and the water outlet end 402 can be arranged at the same end of the cooling plate 40. Thus, the cooling plate 40 and one end are respectively connected to the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202, and the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 can be arranged at the same end of the cooling plate. This solution facilitates the assembly and connection of various components in the thermal management component, and can also save the space occupied by the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 201, thereby improving the space utilization rate in the battery pack.

[0044] In a specific embodiment, see Figure 3 , the water inlet end 401 and the water outlet end 402 are respectively arranged on the two sides of the cooling plate 40, so as to realize that the first end 301 of the branch pipe 30 is connected to the cooling plate 40 along the X direction. Thus, the branch pipe 30 can be plugged into the side of the cooling plate 40, and the joint of the cooling plate 40 (i.e., the water inlet end 401 and the water outlet end 402) can be made by brazing, which is more cost-effective. Compared with the prior art in which the joint is arranged at the upper or lower part of the cooling plate to be plugged into the branch pipe, the solution of the present application can effectively save space in the H direction.

[0045] Optionally, the water inlet 401 and the water outlet 402 are staggered, so that the branch pipes 30 can be staggered in the height direction of the cooling plate, which can also save space for branch pipe arrangement. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the water inlet end 401 is arranged at the lower part of the cooling plate 40, and the water outlet end 402 is arranged at the upper part of the cooling plate 40.

[0046] It should be noted that Figure 3 The water inlet 401 and the water outlet 402 are only an example of the present application. The positions of the water inlet 401 and the water outlet 402 include but are not limited to the examples in the figure. The positions of the water inlet 401 and the water outlet 402 can be interchanged.

[0047] In one embodiment, the connection direction Y (not shown) between the second end 302 of the branch pipe 30 and the main pipe 20 is parallel to the height direction H of the battery cell 10. Thus, the two ends (the first end 301 and the second end 302) of the branch pipe 30 are arranged vertically in the battery pack, thereby facilitating the connection between the branch pipe 30 and the cooling plate 40 and the main pipe 20.

[0048] In one embodiment, the main pipe 20 includes a main water inlet pipe 201 and a main water outlet pipe 202, and the main water inlet pipe 202 and the main water outlet pipe 202 are arranged up and down along the height direction h of the battery cell 10. The main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 are arranged at the same end in the battery pack, and the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 can be arranged in parallel up and down, or not absolutely parallel. The length direction of the main pipe 20 (including the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202) can be parallel to the length direction of the battery pack, or the length direction of the main pipe 20 can be parallel to the width direction of the battery pack. However, the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 are arranged up and down in the height direction of the battery pack (that is, the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell 10), which can save the arrangement space of the main pipe 20 in the pack.

[0049] In one embodiment, the second end 302 of the branch pipe 30 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20. As shown in the figure, interfaces for connecting the branch pipes 30 are provided on the peripheral wall of the main pipe 20, so that the coolant can flow between the main pipe 20 and the branch pipe 30.

[0050] Optionally, the interface between the second end 302 and the main water inlet pipe 201 is recorded as a first interface 501, and the interface between the second end 302 and the main water outlet pipe 20 is recorded as a second interface 502, and the first interface 501 and the second interface 502 are arranged relative to each other.

[0051] As shown in the figure, the main water inlet pipe 201 is above the main water outlet pipe 202, and a plurality of first interfaces 501 can be provided on the downward peripheral wall of the main water inlet pipe 201, and a plurality of second interfaces 502 can be provided on the upward peripheral wall of the main water outlet pipe 202. The branch pipe 30 includes a water inlet branch pipe 30A and a water outlet branch pipe 30B. The second end 302 of the water inlet branch pipe 30A is connected to the first interface 501 of the main water inlet pipe 201, and the first end 301 of the water inlet branch pipe 30A is connected to the water inlet end 401 at the lower part of the cooling plate 40; the second end 302 of the water outlet branch pipe 30B is connected to the second interface 502 of the main water outlet pipe 202, and the first end 301 of the water outlet branch pipe 30B is connected to the water outlet end 402 at the upper part of the cooling plate 40.

[0052] It should be noted that the main water inlet pipe 201 can be located directly above the main water outlet pipe 202, or the main water inlet pipe 201 can also be located obliquely above the main water outlet pipe 202. In addition, the positions of the main water inlet pipe 201 and the main water outlet pipe 202 can be exchanged.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the two main pipes 20 are arranged up and down in the height direction of the battery cells in the battery pack, and the interfaces between the two main pipes 20 and the branch pipes 30 are arranged on the opposite outer peripheral surfaces of the two main pipes, that is, the interface between the upper main pipe 20 and the branch pipe is arranged at the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20, and the interface between the lower main pipe 20 and the branch pipe is arranged at the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20, so that the connection part between the main pipe 20 and the branch pipe 30 is located between the two main pipes, saving the arrangement space of the thermal management component in the H direction.

[0054] Optionally, the first interface 501 and the second interface 502 are staggered along the length direction (ie, X direction) of the main pipe 20. Thus, adjacent branch pipes 30 (such as the inlet branch pipe 30A and the outlet branch pipe 30B in the figure) can be staggered, which can more reasonably utilize the space in the H direction.

[0055] In one embodiment, the main pipe 20 includes a water inlet and / or a water outlet, and the water inlet and / or the water outlet (not shown in the figure) are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20. The water inlet and the water outlet (including the water inlet and the water outlet) of the main pipe are used to connect with the external pipeline of the battery pack, and the coolant can flow from the external pipeline of the battery pack into the main pipe 20 through the water inlet, and the coolant can also flow from the main pipe 20 into the external pipeline of the battery pack through the water outlet, thereby realizing the circulation of the coolant inside and outside the battery pack.

[0056] Optionally, the water inlet and the water outlet are both arranged on a side of the main pipe 20 close to the side wall to facilitate the circulation of coolant with the outside of the battery pack.

[0057] In this embodiment, the water inlet and outlet are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe 20 instead of at both ends of the main pipe in the length direction, so as to reduce the size of the battery pack in the length direction of the main pipe.

[0058] In one embodiment, the branch pipe 30 is connected to the main pipe 20 by a cold extrusion assembly process, and / or the branch pipe 30 is connected to the cooling plate 40 by a cold extrusion assembly process. Compared with the laser welding process commonly used in the prior art, the cold extrusion assembly process used in the present application can effectively reduce costs.

[0059] In a third aspect, the utility model further provides a vehicle, and the vehicle of the utility model includes any one of the battery packs introduced above.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present application and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims of the present application, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0061] So far, the technical solution of the present invention has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principle of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal management component for a battery cell, characterized in that: The thermal management component includes a main pipe, a branch pipe and a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate is connected to a first end of the branch pipe, and the main pipe is connected to a second end of the branch pipe; The height direction of the cooling plate is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell, and the connection direction between the first end and the cooling plate is perpendicular to the height direction of the battery cell.

2. The thermal management assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The connection direction between the second end and the main pipe is parallel to the height direction of the battery cell.

3. The thermal management assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The second end is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe.

4. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that: The main pipe comprises a main water inlet pipe and a main water outlet pipe, and the main water inlet pipe and the main water outlet pipe are arranged up and down along the height direction of the battery core.

5. The thermal management assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that The interface between the second end and the main water inlet pipe is a first interface, the interface between the second end and the main water outlet pipe is a second interface, and the first interface and the second interface are arranged opposite to each other.

6. The thermal management assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that The first interface and the second interface are staggered along the length direction of the main pipe.

7. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The main pipe comprises a water inlet and / or a water outlet, and the water inlet and / or the water outlet are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the main pipe.

8. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The branch pipe includes a bellows.

9. The thermal management assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The branch pipe is connected to the main pipe by a cold extrusion assembly process, and / or the branch pipe is connected to the cooling plate by a cold extrusion assembly process.

10. A battery pack, characterized in that: The battery pack comprises a thermal management component for a battery cell as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, a battery cell and a casing, wherein the thermal management component and the battery cell are arranged in the casing.

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