Battery tray and battery module shell

Abstract

The utility model provides a battery tray and a battery module shell. The battery tray comprises a bottom plate, a pair of side plates formed on two opposite sides of the bottom plate, and a pair of end plates formed on the other two sides of the bottom plate, the battery tray comprises a pair of side plates and a pair of end plates, a cavity for accommodating a battery module is defined by the pair of side plates and the pair of end plates, and the battery tray is characterized by further comprising overflow holes formed in at least one side plate so as to guide fluid in the cavity into a first cavity in the side plates; the drainage hole is communicated with the first cavity and a second cavity in the end plate; a discharge hole formed at the bottom of the end plate; the fluid flowing into the second cavity flows into an end plate of another battery tray stacked below the bottom plate through the discharge hole. According to the battery tray disclosed by the utility model, the overflow hole and the discharge hole are formed in the battery tray, so that fluid for fire fighting can be discharged in time, and the use safety of a battery module is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of batteries, and in particular to a battery tray. The utility model also relates to a battery module housing provided with the battery tray. Background Art

[0002] Lithium-ion batteries and their battery modules have the advantages of high output voltage, high specific capacity, stable discharge voltage, high cycle life and energy density, so lithium-ion batteries and their modules have been widely used in consumer electronics, power tools, electric vehicles, energy storage systems and other fields. At present, the battery modules of energy storage systems require that their combination has a larger capacity to support longer product operation, and at the same time, the battery charging time must be shorter and meet a higher rate of charging current. In addition to using a multi-series and multi-parallel structure battery module to meet these conditions, the battery also needs to meet the performance of high rate charging and discharging.

[0003] Regardless of whether it is a series-parallel mode where battery cells are combined side by side, or a high-rate charge and discharge of the battery, the problem of heat dissipation in the battery will be aggravated, causing abnormal temperature in the center of the battery. Excessive battery temperature will in turn lead to instability of the battery electrochemical system, resulting in battery short circuit or fire, which will lead to thermal runaway of the battery module. In addition, the battery modules and the module assemblies they form are arranged relatively closely. If any battery module has thermal runaway, other battery modules nearby are also prone to thermal runaway, which will lead to the spread of thermal runaway and cause safety accidents.

[0004] In order to avoid the occurrence of the above-mentioned thermal runaway spread, at present, the thermal runaway of battery modules is usually handled by water firefighting, that is, when the battery module has thermal runaway, the firefighting liquid is delivered by the external firefighting system to spray the battery module to cool it down and suppress the battery module from burning. However, since the battery module is set in the battery module shell, if the firefighting liquid cannot be discharged in time, the firefighting liquid will overflow to other battery modules or other electrical components, thereby affecting the normal operation of other battery modules, and further reducing the safety of the battery module. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the utility model aims to provide a battery tray that can discharge fluid in a timely manner, thereby improving the safety of battery module use.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the utility model is implemented as follows:

[0007] A battery tray comprises a bottom plate, a pair of side plates formed on two opposite sides of the bottom plate, and a pair of end plates formed on the other two sides of the bottom plate; the pair of side plates and the pair of end plates enclose a cavity for accommodating a battery module, and the battery tray further comprises: an overflow hole formed on at least one of the side plates to guide the fluid in the cavity to a first cavity in the side plate; a drainage hole connecting the first cavity and the second cavity in the end plate; a discharge hole formed at the bottom of the end plate; the fluid flowing into the second cavity flows into the end plate of another battery tray stacked below the bottom plate via the discharge hole.

[0008] Furthermore, a plug-in hole is provided on the top of the end plate, and a plug-in portion extending to the outside of the end plate is embedded in the discharge hole or the plug-in hole; the plug-in portion can be adaptably inserted into the plug-in hole or the discharge hole of another stacked battery tray.

[0009] Furthermore, the plug-in portion adopts a bushing.

[0010] Furthermore, the overflow hole is arranged adjacent to the drainage hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the overflow holes are arranged to be a plurality of holes spaced apart from each other along the extending direction of the side plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the overflow hole is arranged in a region adjacent to the top of the side plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the height of the side plate is smaller than the height of the end plate.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages:

[0015] The battery tray described in the utility model, by arranging an overflow hole and a discharge hole on the battery tray, can allow the fluid in the battery tray to pass through the overflow hole and then into the battery tray, enter another battery tray through the discharge hole and finally be discharged to the outside of the battery tray, thereby being able to discharge the fluid used for fire fighting in time, preventing the fluid from overflowing and affecting the normal operation of other battery modules, thereby improving the safety of battery module use.

[0016] A plug hole is provided at the top of the end plate, and a plug part extending to the outside of the end plate is embedded in the discharge hole or the plug hole. Through the plug part, each battery tray can be connected to each other through the plug part, which is conducive to the mutual stacking of each battery tray. At the same time, the plug part is plugged between the discharge hole and the plug hole, thereby improving the connection stability between each battery tray.

[0017] The plug-in portion adopts a bushing, which has good structural strength, so that the fluid can enter the end plate of another battery tray from one battery tray through the bushing, thereby improving the stability of the stacking of the battery trays.

[0018] The overflow hole is arranged adjacent to the drainage hole, so that the fluid enters the first cavity of the side plate through the overflow hole, and can quickly flow to the drainage hole and enter the second cavity of the end plate, thereby shortening the flow path of the fluid, thereby facilitating the discharge of the fluid and avoiding the overflow of the fluid into the cavity of other battery trays due to the inability to discharge the fluid in time.

[0019] The overflow hole is set in the area adjacent to the top of the side plate, increasing the distance between the overflow hole and the bottom plate, so that impurities generated by thermal runaway of the battery module are deposited near the bottom and are difficult to flow to the overflow hole with the fluid, reducing the risk of the overflow hole being blocked, thereby further facilitating the discharge of the fluid. At the same time, it prevents the fluid from entering the cavity of the battery tray through the overflow hole and affecting the normal use of other battery modules.

[0020] Providing multiple overflow holes increases the flow area of ​​the fluid, thereby increasing the discharge speed of the fluid.

[0021] Setting the height of the side plate to be smaller than the height of the end plate can reduce the amount of materials used to form the battery tray while ensuring structural strength, thereby reducing costs and reducing the weight of the battery tray to facilitate stacking of the battery tray. In addition, sufficient installation space can be reserved for other electrical components, facilitating the installation and arrangement of the battery module.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery module housing, which is formed by stacking a plurality of battery trays as described above.

[0023] The battery module housing structure and / or battery tray described in the utility model have the same technical effects as those of the prior art, and will not be described in detail herein. 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 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the battery tray according to the first embodiment of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 For the utility model Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the position described by AA;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a battery tray loaded with a battery module according to Embodiment 1 of the present utility model;

[0028] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the battery tray according to the first embodiment of the utility model when stacked with another battery tray;

[0029] Figure 5 For the utility model Figure 4 An enlarged view of the position described in A;

[0030] Description of reference numerals:

[0031] 1. Base plate; 101. Coolant connector;

[0032] 2. Side plate; 201. Overflow hole; 202. Drainage hole;

[0033] 3. End plate; 301. Exhaust hole; 302. Reinforcement part; 303. Plug-in hole;

[0034] 4. Plug-in part; 5. Battery module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] 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.

[0036] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments.

[0040] Embodiment 1

[0041] This embodiment relates to a battery tray. In terms of overall structure, the battery tray includes a bottom plate 1, a pair of side plates 2 formed on two opposite sides of the bottom plate 1, and a pair of end plates 3 formed on the other two sides of the bottom plate 1. The pair of side plates 2 and the pair of end plates 3 of the battery tray surround and form a cavity for accommodating a battery module 5. In addition, the battery tray of this embodiment further includes: an overflow hole 201, a drainage hole 202, and a discharge hole 301.

[0042] The overflow hole 201 is formed on at least one of the side plates 2, and can guide the fluid in the cavity to the first cavity in the side plate 2. The drainage hole 202 can connect the first cavity and the second cavity in the end plate 3. A discharge hole 301 is formed at the bottom of the end plate 3, and the fluid flowing into the second cavity can flow into the end plate 3 of another battery tray stacked below the bottom plate 1 through the discharge hole 301.

[0043] It is understandable that when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module 5 on any battery tray, the fire fighting system located outside the battery tray can spray fluid to the battery module 5 in the cavity of the battery tray to cool the battery module 5 and suppress combustion and fire of the battery module 5, thereby achieving water fire fighting of the battery module 5.

[0044] If the fluid in the cavity of the battery tray cannot be discharged in time, the fluid will overflow into other battery modules 5 or other electrical modules, thereby affecting other battery modules 5 and causing other battery modules 5 to malfunction.

[0045] When thermal runaway occurs in the battery module 5, the fluid used for water fire fighting can enter the first cavity in the side plate 2 through the overflow hole 201 of the battery tray, and then the fluid can enter the second cavity of the end plate 3 through the drainage hole 202, and be discharged from the battery tray through the discharge hole 301. Or enter the end plate 3 of the next battery tray. When the fluid enters the interior of another battery tray, it will not enter the cavity on the battery tray for accommodating the battery module 5, thereby avoiding affecting the battery module 5 accommodated in another battery tray. After the fluid flows through each battery tray, it is finally discharged to the outside of the battery tray.

[0046] As described above, by providing the overflow hole 201 and the discharge hole 301 on the battery tray, the fluid in the battery tray can pass through the overflow hole 201 and then into the battery tray, enter another battery tray through the discharge hole 301 and finally be discharged to the outside of the battery tray, thereby enabling the fluid used for fire fighting to be discharged in time, preventing the fluid from overflowing and affecting the normal operation of other battery modules 5, thereby improving the safety of the battery module 5.

[0047] Based on the above overall introduction, specifically, the bottom plate 1 of the battery tray of this embodiment is a liquid cooling plate integrated on the battery tray, which can cool and dissipate heat for the battery module 5 on the battery tray, reduce the working stability of the battery module 5, and thus ensure the normal operation of the battery module 5. The two cooling liquid connectors 101 of the liquid cooling plate are arranged on the same side of the battery tray to facilitate the connection between the liquid cooling plate and the cooling liquid delivery circuit.

[0048] In addition, the battery modules 5 are configured to be arranged in sequence along the length direction of the battery tray. The fluid of this embodiment adopts a conventional fire-fighting fluid for fire-fighting of lithium-ion batteries that is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0049] In addition, the end plate 3 of the present embodiment is provided with a reinforcing portion 302 between the two plates in the thickness direction thereof, which can strengthen the overall structural strength of the end plate 3 and prevent the second cavity inside the end plate 3 from being deformed when the battery trays are stacked on each other, causing the battery tray to be damaged, thereby improving the overall structural strength of the battery tray.

[0050] In order to facilitate the stacking of battery trays, in this embodiment, a plug hole 303 is provided on the top of the end plate 3, and a plug part 4 extending to the outside of the end plate 3 is embedded in the discharge hole 301 or the plug hole, and the plug part 4 can be adapted to be inserted into the plug hole 303 or the discharge hole 301 of another stacked battery tray. Through the provision of the plug part 4, each battery tray can be connected to each other through the plug part 4, which simplifies the assembly operation and facilitates the stacking of each battery tray. At the same time, the plug part 4 is inserted between the discharge hole 301 and the plug hole, which can prevent horizontal relative movement between each battery tray, thereby improving the connection stability between each battery tray.

[0051] In a specific implementation, the discharge holes 301 are configured to be four at the four corners of the bottom of the battery tray, and the plug-in parts 4 are all embedded in the four discharge holes 301. At the same time, the two battery end plates 3 of the battery tray are each provided with four plug-in holes corresponding to the plug-in parts 4 one by one. By placing one battery tray on top of the other battery tray and inserting the plug-in parts 4 into the plug-in holes of the other battery tray, the two battery trays can be stacked.

[0052] In order to further facilitate the stacking of battery trays and improve the stability of the connection between the battery trays, the plug-in portion 4 of this embodiment adopts a bushing, which is a tubular structure made of metal material, has good structural strength, and improves the stability of the stacking of the battery trays. The fluid can enter the end plate 3 of another battery tray from one battery tray through the bushing. In a specific implementation, the bushing can be connected to the discharge hole 301 by threading or welding.

[0053] In order to facilitate the discharge of the fluid, the overflow hole 201 of the present embodiment is arranged adjacent to the drainage hole 202, so that the fluid enters the first cavity of the side plate 2 through the overflow hole 201, and can quickly flow to the drainage hole 202 and enter the second cavity of the end plate 3, thereby shortening the flow path of the fluid, thereby facilitating the discharge of the fluid and avoiding the overflow of the fluid into the cavity of other battery trays due to the failure of the fluid to be discharged in time.

[0054] In order to further facilitate the discharge of the fluid, the overflow hole 201 of this embodiment is arranged in the area adjacent to the top of the side plate 2. It is understandable that when the battery module 5 has thermal runaway, the battery module 5 will produce a large amount of impurities such as melt or particles due to thermal runaway. In the process of spraying fluid to the battery module 5, the above impurities will move with the fluid and pass through the overflow hole 201. Some impurities will be deposited at the overflow hole 201, thereby causing the aperture of the overflow hole 201 to be reduced, and even causing the overflow hole 201 to be blocked. By arranging the overflow hole 201 in the area adjacent to the top of the side plate 2, the distance between the overflow hole 201 and the bottom plate 1 is increased, and the cavity of the battery module 5 can accommodate a part of the fluid. The impurities in the fluid will be deposited near the bottom and it is difficult to follow the fluid to flow to the overflow hole 201, which reduces the risk of the overflow hole 201 being blocked to a certain extent, thereby further facilitating the discharge of the fluid.

[0055] In addition, when the fluid in one battery tray flows into another battery tray, if the fluid flowing into the battery tray cannot be discharged through the discharge hole 301 in time, part of the fluid will pass through the drainage hole 202 and enter the first cavity of the side plate 2. By setting the overflow hole 201 close to the top of the side plate 2, the overflow hole 201 can be kept at a sufficient distance from the bottom of the side plate 2, thereby increasing the space for the side plate 2 to accommodate the fluid, and preventing the fluid from entering the cavity of the battery tray through the overflow hole 201 and affecting the normal use of other battery modules 5.

[0056] In order to increase the discharge speed of the fluid and prevent the fluid from overflowing to other battery modules due to the inability to be discharged in time, in this embodiment, a plurality of overflow holes 201 are provided and spaced apart along the extending direction of the side plate 2. By increasing the number of overflow holes 201, the flow area of ​​the fluid is increased, thereby increasing the discharge speed of the fluid.

[0057] In order to ensure the structural strength of the battery tray of this embodiment, reduce the material cost of the battery tray, and facilitate the installation of other electrical components connected to the battery module 5, the height of the side plate 2 of this embodiment is less than the height of the end plate 3, which can reduce the amount of materials used to form the battery tray while ensuring the structural strength, reduce costs, and reduce the weight of the battery tray to facilitate the stacking of the battery tray. In addition, it can also leave enough installation space for other electrical components, which is convenient for the installation and arrangement of the battery module 5.

[0058] In summary, the battery tray of the present embodiment, by arranging an overflow hole 201 and a discharge hole 301 on the battery tray, can allow the fluid in the battery tray to pass through the overflow hole 201 and then into the interior of the battery tray, enter another battery tray through the discharge hole 301 and finally be discharged to the outside of the battery tray, thereby being able to timely discharge the fluid used for fire fighting, preventing the fluid from overflowing and affecting the normal operation of other battery modules 5, thereby improving the safety of the battery module 5 and having good practicality.

[0059] Embodiment 2

[0060] This embodiment relates to a battery module 5 housing. In terms of overall structure, the housing is formed by stacking a plurality of battery trays as described in the first embodiment.

[0061] The housing of the battery module 5 of this embodiment is formed by stacking a plurality of battery trays, which can discharge the fluid used for fire fighting to the outside of the housing, thereby ensuring the normal operation of each battery module 5, and thus having good practicality.

[0062] 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 battery tray, comprising a bottom plate, a pair of side plates formed on two opposite sides of the bottom plate, and a pair of end plates formed on the other two sides of the bottom plate; A pair of side plates and a pair of end plates surround and form a cavity for accommodating the battery module, characterized in that: The battery tray also includes: an overflow hole formed on at least one of the side plates to guide the fluid in the cavity to the first cavity in the side plate; a drainage hole, communicating the first cavity with the second cavity in the end plate; A discharge hole is formed at the bottom of the end plate; the fluid flowing into the second cavity flows into the end plate of another battery tray stacked below the bottom plate through the discharge hole.

2. The battery tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plug-in hole is provided on the top of the end plate, and a plug-in portion extending to the outside of the end plate is embedded in the discharge hole or the plug-in hole; the plug-in portion can be adaptably inserted into the plug-in hole or the discharge hole of another stacked battery tray.

3. The battery tray according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plug-in portion adopts a bushing.

4. The battery tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overflow hole is arranged adjacent to the drainage hole.

5. The battery tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overflow holes are arranged to be a plurality of holes spaced apart from each other along the extending direction of the side plate.

6. The battery tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overflow hole is disposed in a region adjacent to the top of the side plate.

7. The battery tray according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The height of the side plate is smaller than the height of the end plate.

8. A battery module housing, characterized in that: The housing is formed by stacking a plurality of battery trays according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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