Battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of battery packs, in particular to a battery pack and a vehicle. The battery pack is used for solving the technical problem that a battery module of an existing battery pack is high in cost when the number of battery cells is increased. The vehicle is used for solving the technical problem that cost is high when the number of battery cells of a battery pack of an existing vehicle is increased. The battery pack comprises battery modules which are arranged in parallel and are electrically connected, and inter-module liquid cooling plates are assembled among the battery modules in a heat conduction manner. Through the arrangement, the number of the battery cells in the battery pack is increased, so that the battery pack has a relatively good charging rate; and the battery module and the liquid cooling plate for cooling the battery module are fixedly combined into a whole, so that the whole battery pack has relatively high structural strength. Meanwhile, when the number of the battery cells of the battery pack is expanded, only the number of the battery modules needs to be increased according to requirements. The expansion mode is simple and direct, the size of an existing part does not need to be additionally changed, and therefore cost is low, and implementation is easy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of battery packs, and particularly relates to a battery pack and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the technological progress of commercial vehicle electrification, commercial vehicles such as mining trucks and heavy trucks operating under harsh road conditions have also started to develop towards electrification. However, due to the special operating conditions of such commercial vehicles, their battery packs need to have sufficiently high mechanical strength and charging rate during electrification.

[0003] Existing battery packs usually consist of a battery box and battery modules arranged inside the battery box. Existing battery modules are usually cube groups formed by stacking several block-shaped battery cells in a single row. End plates are provided at both ends of the cube group and are integrally bundled with steel straps. Such battery modules have relatively low mechanical strength and charging rate, which do not meet the usage requirements of commercial vehicles.

[0004] A Chinese utility model patent with the authorization publication number CN217334234U discloses a battery module structure. The battery module structure includes a plurality of cubes formed by stacking several block-shaped battery cells in an array. End plates integrally formed are provided at both ends of the cube, and liquid cooling plates are pasted between columns of the cube. The periphery of the cube is integrally bundled with steel straps to integrally strengthen and fix the battery cells, liquid cooling plates, and end plates. The formed battery module structure improves the strength and charging rate of the battery module to a certain extent. However, when the number of battery cell columns of the battery module structure needs to be increased, technicians must redesign and manufacture the end plates and steel straps. This will cause a substantial increase in the expansion cost of the above battery module structure, so the scalability of the above battery module structure is poor.

[0005] A Chinese utility model patent with the authorization publication number CN216980674U, previously applied for by the applicant, discloses a battery pack. It independently arranges each battery module and bonds liquid cooling plates on both sides of each battery module to perform independent heat dissipation control for each battery module. When the battery needs to be expanded, only the number of battery modules needs to be increased, which can solve the problem of poor scalability existing in the above prior art. However, although it is convenient for expansion, each battery module is independent of each other, that is, one battery module is equipped with two side liquid cooling plates, and the number of side liquid cooling plates in the entire battery pack is twice the number of battery modules. The number of liquid cooling plates used is large, the cost is high, and each battery module is independent of each other, so the overall structural strength is poor. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] The purpose of the present utility model is to provide a battery pack to solve the problems of relatively large consumption of liquid cooling plates in the battery modules of the existing battery pack, high cost, and poor overall structural strength. The purpose of the present utility model is to provide a vehicle to solve the technical problems of relatively large consumption of liquid cooling plates in the battery pack of the existing vehicle, high cost, and poor overall structural strength.

[0007] The present utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A battery pack includes battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected; a liquid cooling plate between modules is thermally assembled between adjacent battery modules, and the battery module and the liquid cooling plate between modules are bonded and fixed into one body through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. An outer liquid cooling plate of the module is fixed at the outer side surface of the battery modules arranged side by side along their arrangement direction, and the outer liquid cooling plate of the module is bonded to the battery module through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. The battery module and the liquid cooling plate for cooling the battery module are combined into an integral body with the liquid cooling plate as the framework and the battery module as the filling.

[0009] Further, the outer liquid cooling plate of the module further includes an end plate connection part arranged corresponding to the position of the end plate of the battery module, and the end plate connection part is fixedly connected to the end plate of the battery module.

[0010] Further, two groups of connecting pipes between the cooling plates are connected between adjacent two liquid cooling plates, one group is an inlet pipe, and the other group is an outlet pipe.

[0011] Further, an inlet port is arranged on the inlet pipe between an outer liquid cooling plate of a module and the adjacent liquid cooling plate between modules, and an outlet port is arranged on the outlet pipe between the other outer liquid cooling plate of the module and the adjacent liquid cooling plate between modules.

[0012] Further, it further includes a battery box, the battery modules are all arranged in the battery box, and the bottom of the battery module is bonded to the bottom of the battery box through a thermally conductive structural adhesive, and the end plate of the battery module is fixed to the bottom of the battery box through a fastener.

[0013] Further, an intermediate plate is arranged between two adjacent battery cells in the battery cells stacked in columns of the battery module, and the intermediate plate is fixedly installed on the bottom of the battery box.

[0014] Beneficial effects: The present utility model proposes a brand-new battery pack. The battery pack of the present utility model includes battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected. A liquid cooling plate between modules is thermally assembled between two adjacent battery modules. The battery module and the liquid cooling plate between modules are bonded and fixed into one body through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. A liquid cooling plate outside the module is fixed at the outer side surface of the battery modules arranged side by side along their arrangement direction. The liquid cooling plate outside the module is bonded to the battery module through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. In this way, in the entire battery pack, the number of liquid cooling plates corresponding to the side surfaces of the battery modules is only one more than the number of battery modules, reducing the usage amount of liquid cooling plates compared with the prior art. Moreover, the liquid cooling plate - battery module - liquid cooling plate - battery module - liquid cooling plate are bonded together in this way to form an integral body, forming an integral structure in which the battery module and the liquid cooling plate for cooling the battery module are combined with the liquid cooling plate as the framework and the battery module as the filling, and the structural strength is relatively high.

[0015] A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a battery pack. The battery pack includes battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected. A liquid cooling plate between modules is thermally assembled between adjacent battery modules. The battery module and the liquid cooling plate between modules are bonded and fixed into one body through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. A liquid cooling plate outside the module is fixed at the outer side surface of the battery modules arranged side by side along their arrangement direction. The liquid cooling plate outside the module is bonded to the battery module through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. The battery module and the liquid cooling plate for cooling the battery module are combined into an integral body with the liquid cooling plate as the framework and the battery module as the filling.

[0016] Further, the liquid cooling plate outside the module further includes an end plate connection part arranged corresponding to the position of the end plate of the battery module, and the end plate connection part is fixedly connected to the end plate of the battery module.

[0017] Further, two groups of connecting pipes between cold plates are connected and communicated between two adjacent liquid cooling plates, one group is an inlet pipeline, and the other group is an outlet pipeline.

[0018] Further, an inlet port is provided on the inlet pipeline between a liquid cooling plate outside the module and an adjacent liquid cooling plate between modules, and an outlet port is provided on the outlet pipeline between another liquid cooling plate outside the module and an adjacent liquid cooling plate between modules.

[0019] Further, it further includes a battery box. All the battery modules are arranged in the battery box, and the bottom of the battery module is bonded to the bottom of the battery box through a thermally conductive structural adhesive, and the end plate of the battery module is fixed to the bottom of the battery box through a fastener.

[0020] Further, an intermediate plate is arranged between two adjacent battery cells in the battery cells stacked in columns of the battery module, and the intermediate plate is fixedly installed on the bottom of the battery box.

[0021] Beneficial effects: The present utility model improves the existing vehicle. The vehicle described in the present utility model includes a vehicle body and a battery pack for driving the vehicle body. The battery pack includes battery modules arranged side by side and electrically connected, and an inter-module liquid cooling plate is thermally assembled between two adjacent battery modules. The battery module and the inter-module liquid cooling plate are bonded and fixed into one body through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. An outer-module liquid cooling plate is fixed at the outer side surface of the battery modules arranged side by side along their arrangement direction, and the outer-module liquid cooling plate is bonded to the battery module through a thermally conductive structural adhesive. Thus, in the entire battery pack, the number of liquid cooling plates corresponding to the side surfaces of the battery modules is only one more than the number of battery modules, reducing the usage amount of liquid cooling plates compared with the prior art. Moreover, the liquid cooling plate - battery module - liquid cooling plate - battery module - liquid cooling plate are bonded together in this way to form an integral structure, forming an integral structure in which the battery module and the liquid cooling plate for cooling the battery module are combined, with the liquid cooling plate as the framework and the battery module as the filling, and the structural strength is relatively high. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 is an off-axis schematic view of an embodiment of the battery pack of the vehicle described in the present utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 is Figure 1 an off-axis schematic view of the battery modules arranged side by side and electrically connected in

[0024] Figure 3 is Figure 2 an exploded view of

[0025] Figure 4 is Figure 3 an exploded view of a single battery module in

[0026] Figure 5 is an exploded view of a single battery module with an intermediate plate;

[0027] The names of the components corresponding to the respective reference numerals in the drawings are: 1, bottom of the box; 2, module assembly; 3, total inlet and outlet of the battery pack; 4, mounting hole; 5, connecting pipe between cold plates; 6, inter-module liquid cooling plate; 7, liquid inlet and outlet of the module assembly; 8, liquid cooling plate fastener; 9, first battery module; 10, second battery module; 11, third battery module; 12, outer-module liquid cooling plate; 13, battery cell; 14, end plate; 15, expansion buffer structure; 16, steel tie strap; 17, end plate connection part; 18, extension pipeline; 19, intermediate plate. Detailed Embodiments

[0028] The features and performance of the present utility model will be further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0029] The scheme principle of the vehicle described in the present utility model is as follows:

[0030] A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a battery pack. The battery pack and its internal structure can be referred to Figures 1-3 as shown. The battery pack includes battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected. A liquid cooling plate 6 between adjacent battery modules is thermally assembled, that is, adjacent battery modules and the liquid cooling plate 6 can conduct heat to each other while ensuring the assembly relationship.

[0031] Since there are multiple battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected in the battery pack, the number of battery cells 13 in the battery pack is effectively expanded, so that the battery pack has a good charging rate. The liquid cooling plate 6 between the battery modules is thermally assembled, making the battery modules and the liquid cooling plate for cooling the battery modules form an integral body with the liquid cooling plate as the framework and the battery modules as the filling, so the overall battery pack has a high structural strength.

[0032] At the same time, since each battery module is an independent and complete product, when expanding the number of battery cells 13 in the battery pack, only the number of battery modules needs to be increased according to the demand, or the number of battery cells 13 in the battery module is increased, and then the battery module and the liquid cooling plate are installed into one body according to the foregoing arrangement method. Such an expansion method is simple and direct, does not require additional changes to the dimensions of existing parts, so the cost is low and it is easy to implement. The vehicle using the above battery pack can easily select the number of battery modules in the battery pack according to actual needs, and will not bring a huge cost burden when expanding the number of battery cells 13 in the battery pack.

[0033] Based on the above scheme principle, an embodiment of the vehicle of the present utility model is:

[0034] A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a battery pack for driving the vehicle to run. The battery pack and its internal structure can be referred to Figures 1-3 as shown. The battery pack includes battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected. A liquid cooling plate 6 between the battery modules is thermally assembled. A single battery module can be a cube group formed by stacking several block-shaped battery cells 13 in a single column, and its structure can be referred to Figure 4 as shown. End plates 14 are provided at both ends of the cube group, and the end plates 14 and the block-shaped battery cells 13 are integrally bundled by steel straps 16. A single battery module can also adopt the battery module structure disclosed in the Chinese utility model patent with the authorization announcement number CN217334234U. During assembly, only one of the above two battery modules can be used, or both can be used at the same time. For the convenience of description, only the first type of battery module is used in the battery pack in this embodiment.

[0035] The key point of this embodiment is that a heat-conducting medium is provided between the battery modules and the inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6. This facilitates heat conduction between the battery modules and the inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6, thereby improving the cooling effect of the inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6 on the battery modules. On this basis, the heat-conducting medium can be a heat-conducting structural adhesive to bond the battery modules and the inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6 into one body to further improve the overall strength of the battery pack. Of course, a heat-conducting pad as the heat-conducting medium can also be laid between the battery modules and the inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6, and then the battery modules and the inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6 are installed into one body through fasteners.

[0036] An outer-module liquid-cooling plate 12 is fixed at the outer side surface of the side-by-side arranged battery modules along their arrangement direction. Refer to Figures 1-3 As shown, in this embodiment, the battery pack includes three columns of side-by-side arranged battery modules. For the convenience of understanding, the structure formed by the three columns of battery modules is named module assembly 2. The three columns of side-by-side arranged battery modules are Figure 2 sequentially named the first battery module 9, the second battery module 10, and the third battery module 11 from right to left. It should be noted that the statement "the battery pack includes three columns of side-by-side arranged battery modules" here is only a specific example for the convenience of explanation. The battery pack can also include two columns, four columns, five columns or even more columns of side-by-side arranged battery modules. An outer-module liquid-cooling plate 12 is provided on the outer sides of both the first battery module 9 and the third battery module 11. An inter-module liquid-cooling plate 6 is pasted between the first battery module 9 and the second battery module 10 and between the third battery module 11 and the second battery module 10 through a heat-conducting structural adhesive. For any one of the first battery module 9, the second battery module 10, or the third battery module 11, liquid-cooling plates are provided on both sides thereof. Such a setting improves the heat dissipation capacity of a single battery module and the overall module assembly 2 on the one hand; on the other hand, it also improves the overall structural strength of a single battery module and the module assembly 2.

[0037] Preferably, the aforementioned outer-module liquid-cooling plate 12 is fixed to the battery module by means of bonding with a heat-conducting structural adhesive. This installation method is simple and does not affect the heat conduction between the outer-module liquid-cooling plate 12 and the battery module. In addition, an end-plate connection part 17 can be provided at the position of the end plate 14 of the battery module corresponding to the outer-module liquid-cooling plate, so that the end plate 14 of the battery module and the outer-module liquid-cooling plate are fixedly connected into one body through the end-plate connection part 17. In this embodiment, the end-plate connection part 17 is a sheet body extending from both side edges of the outer-module liquid-cooling plate 12 along its own length direction. Fastener connection holes are provided on the sheet body for fastening connection to the end plate 14 through the liquid-cooling plate fastener 8. Or riveting holes can also be provided on the aforementioned sheet body for fixedly connecting the end-plate connection part 17 and the end plate 14 into one body through a riveting nut or a riveting bolt.

[0038] When connecting the liquid cooling plates, two adjacent liquid cooling plates can be connected through two groups of inter-cold plate connecting pipes 5, one group of which is a liquid inlet pipe and the other group is a liquid outlet pipe. It should be noted that the liquid cooling plate described in the text refers to both the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6 and the external-module liquid cooling plate 12. In this embodiment, inlets and outlets are provided on both side panels of the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6, and the external-module liquid cooling plate 12 is only provided with an inlet and an outlet on the side facing the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6. Pipe joints are provided on the inlet and the outlet so as to connect the above-mentioned liquid cooling plates through the inter-cold plate connecting pipe 5. The inter-cold plate connecting pipe 5 is connected between the liquid inlet pipe joints and the liquid outlet pipe joints on the adjacent liquid cooling plates to form a complete liquid cooling circuit connecting the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6 and the external-module liquid cooling plate 12. When increasing or decreasing the number of battery modules, the liquid cooling pipeline only needs to connect the inter-cold plate connecting pipe 5 according to the specific arrangement of the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6 and the external module liquid cooling plate 12, and no special changes are required. Therefore, the above structure is conducive to adjusting the number of battery cells 13 in the battery pack. On this basis, a liquid inlet can be provided on the liquid inlet pipeline between an external module liquid cooling plate and an adjacent inter-module liquid cooling plate, and a liquid outlet can be provided on the liquid outlet pipeline between another external module liquid cooling plate and an adjacent inter-module liquid cooling plate. The liquid inlet and the liquid outlet together constitute the module assembly liquid inlet and outlet 7, so that the coolant flows into or out of the liquid cooling circuit through the module assembly liquid inlet and outlet 7. Since the module assembly liquid inlet and outlet 7 are arranged between the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6 and the external module liquid cooling plate 12, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are respectively arranged on both sides of the battery pack. This is conducive to the coolant fully and evenly cooling the battery module, thereby making the battery pack have a balanced heat dissipation effect. On this basis, the liquid inlet and outlet 7 of the module assembly can each be connected to an extension pipeline 18 to form a battery pack total water inlet and outlet 3 of the entire battery pack.

[0039] The battery pack described in the utility model also includes a battery box, in which the aforementioned battery modules are arranged, and the bottom of the battery module is bonded to the bottom 1 of the battery box by a heat-conducting structural adhesive, and the end plate 14 of the battery module is fixed to the bottom 1 of the battery box by a fastener. Such an arrangement allows the battery modules arranged side by side to be further fixed as a whole through the body of the battery box, so as to improve the structural strength between the battery modules arranged side by side and the battery modules themselves. At the same time, before the battery pack is installed on the vehicle body, the battery module and the battery box can be pre-installed as a whole. When the battery pack is installed on the vehicle body, it is only necessary to directly install the battery box. Therefore, such an arrangement can also increase the speed of disassembling and assembling the battery pack on the vehicle body, thereby improving production efficiency. Signal acquisition control equipment can also be set on the battery box to monitor and control the battery pack. In order to further improve the strength of the battery module and ensure the fixed relationship between the battery module and the bottom 1 of the box, reference can be made to Figure 5As shown in the figure, there is an intermediate plate 19 provided between two adjacent battery cells 13 in the columnar stacked battery cells 13 of the battery module. The intermediate plate 19 is used for fixed installation on the bottom 1 of the battery box. In this embodiment, the intermediate plate 19 is similar in structure to the end plate 14, and both are provided with mounting holes 4 so that the intermediate plate 19 and the end plate 14 can be fixedly connected to the bottom 1 through fasteners.

[0040] During installation, first use thermal conductive structural adhesive and screws (riveting or other methods can also be used) to fix the external liquid cooling plate 12 of the module on the outside of the first battery module 9 and the third battery module 11, and then use thermal conductive structural adhesive to bond the inter-module liquid cooling plates 6 between the first battery module 9 and the second battery module 10, and between the third battery module 11 and the second battery module 10 respectively. During this process, positioning pins can be added between the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6 and the battery module to achieve the positioning installation of the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6. After the installation of the inter-module liquid cooling plate 6 is completed, use pipelines to connect all the inter-module liquid cooling plates 6 and the external liquid cooling plate 12. When it is necessary to adjust the number of battery cells 13 in the battery pack, the adjustment purpose can be achieved by changing the number of battery cells 13 in the battery module or changing the number of battery modules in the battery pack. After completion, fix the battery modules on the bottom 1 of the battery box through thermal conductive structural adhesive and screws, connect the aforementioned extended pipeline 18 out of the box body, and then install the electrical connection and signal acquisition and control equipment to form the battery pack described in the present utility model.

[0041] In order to avoid the risk brought by the expansion and deformation of the battery cells, an expansion buffer structure 15 is provided between the battery cells 13 of the battery module. Such a setting can absorb the expansion and deformation of the battery cell 13 through the expansion buffer structure 15 when a single battery cell 13 expands due to heat, so as to prevent the expansion of a single battery cell 13 from affecting the battery module where it is located and even the entire module assembly 2 formed by the battery modules. In this embodiment, the battery cells 13 of the battery module are all arranged in a column along the thickness direction of the battery cell 13, and the expansion buffer structure 15 is a square expansion buffer pad pasted between the battery cells 13. Since the center of the side surface of the battery cell 13 arranged along the thickness direction is the most easily expanded and deformed part, the expansion buffer structure 15 specifically adopts a square anti-expansion buffer pad, and the cavity in the center of the buffer pad can be used to accommodate the expansion and deformation of the battery cell 13 as much as possible. In addition, the above structure is simple to install, low in cost, and easy to implement; and it does not occupy too much space volume, and will not cause the battery modules in the battery pack to be bulky. Of course, the expansion buffer structure 15 can also be a circular expansion buffer pad pasted between the battery cells 13.

[0042] The scheme principle of the battery pack described in the present utility model is as follows:

[0043] The embodiment of the battery pack described in the present utility model is the same as the battery pack in the scheme principle and embodiment of the vehicle described in the present utility model, and will not be elaborated here.

[0044] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present utility model, and are not intended to limit the present utility model. The patent protection scope of the present utility model is subject to the claims. Any equivalent structural changes made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present utility model shall likewise be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A battery pack, characterized in that: It includes battery modules arranged in parallel and electrically connected; an inter-module liquid cooling plate is heat-conductingly installed between adjacent battery modules, the battery module and the inter-module liquid cooling plate are bonded and fixed into one body by heat-conducting structural adhesive, the battery modules arranged in parallel are fixed with module-external liquid cooling plates on the outer side surfaces along the arrangement direction thereof, the module-external liquid cooling plates are bonded to the battery modules by heat-conducting structural adhesive, and the battery modules and the liquid cooling plates used for cooling the battery modules are combined into a whole with the liquid cooling plate as the skeleton and the battery modules as the filling.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The module outer liquid cooling plate further comprises an end plate connecting portion arranged at a position corresponding to the end plate of the battery module, and the end plate connecting portion is fixedly connected to the end plate of the battery module.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two adjacent liquid cooling plates are connected via two groups of inter-cold plate connecting pipes, one group of which is a liquid inlet pipe and the other group is a liquid outlet pipe.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, characterized in that: A liquid inlet is provided on the liquid inlet pipe between one module external liquid cooling plate and an adjacent module inter-liquid cooling plate, and a liquid outlet is provided on the liquid outlet pipe between another module external liquid cooling plate and an adjacent module inter-liquid cooling plate.

5. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: It also includes a battery box, in which the battery modules are arranged, and the bottom of the battery module is bonded to the bottom of the battery box by a heat-conductive structural adhesive, and the end plate of the battery module is fixed to the bottom of the battery box by fasteners.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that: An intermediate plate is arranged between two adjacent battery cells stacked in a row of the battery module, and the intermediate plate is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the battery box.

7. A vehicle, comprising a vehicle body and a battery pack, characterized in that: The battery pack is the battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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