Liquid cooling plate, end plate, battery cell module and liquid cooling battery pack

Abstract

The utility model provides a liquid cooling plate, an end plate, a battery cell module and a liquid cooling battery pack, and belongs to the field of secondary batteries. And the longitudinal end part of the liquid cooling plate is provided with a heat resisting structure for reducing heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate and the corresponding end plate. The transverse side face of each end plate is provided with a heat resisting structure used for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the corresponding liquid cooling plate. The battery cell module comprises a battery cell group, an end plate and a liquid cooling plate, the longitudinal end part of the liquid cooling plate is fixedly connected with the corresponding end plate, and one of the liquid cooling plate and the end plate is provided with or both the liquid cooling plate and the end plate or a heat resistance structure between the liquid cooling plate and the end plate is provided with or between the liquid cooling plate and the end plate for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate. The liquid-cooled battery pack comprises a box body and a battery cell module arranged in the box body, according to the liquid-cooled battery pack, the heat insulation structure is arranged, so that the heat exchange between the liquid-cooled plate and the end plate is reduced, the temperature difference between the battery cell attached to the end plate and other battery cells is reduced, the service life difference is further reduced, and the overall service life of the liquid-cooled battery pack is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of secondary batteries, and in particular relates to a liquid cooling plate, an end plate, a battery core module and a liquid cooling battery pack. Background Art

[0002] New energy vehicle battery packs often incorporate heat dissipation structures to actively dissipate heat from the battery cells, preventing them from overheating and potentially impacting their lifespan. A common heat dissipation structure is a liquid cooling plate, attached to the bottom or side of the battery cells to quickly absorb heat when the cells generate excessive heat. When installing the liquid cooling plate, it's also important to consider temperature uniformity across the battery cells, ensuring that each cell has equal heat dissipation capacity to prevent inconsistent lifespans.

[0003] A Chinese utility model patent with authorization publication number CN219610549U and authorization publication date of August 29, 2023, discloses a battery module. The battery module includes a cell assembly formed by arranging multiple battery cells, with end plates provided at both longitudinal ends of the cell assembly and liquid cooling plates provided on both lateral sides of the cell assembly. A heat-conducting structural adhesive is provided between the liquid cooling plates and the battery cells. The liquid cooling plates and end plates are fixedly connected by rivets or bolts, so that the liquid cooling plates and end plates together form a rectangular frame that can enclose the battery cells and improve the integrity of the battery module. Therefore, in this technical solution, the liquid cooling plates are not only functional components with heat absorption capabilities, but also structural components.

[0004] In the aforementioned battery module, the end plate itself is made of metal and has strong thermal conductivity. The end plate has a large contact area with the surrounding air and can transfer heat to the surrounding air through heat conduction. At the same time, the end plate is in contact with the liquid cooling plate and can transfer heat to the liquid cooling plate through heat conduction. Therefore, the end plate can also dissipate heat for the battery cell attached to it. The battery cell attached to the end plate dissipates heat from its lateral sides through the liquid cooling plate, and from its longitudinal sides through the end plate. This makes the heat dissipation capacity of this battery cell significantly stronger than that of the other battery cells, and its operating temperature during use is significantly lower than that of the other battery cells, resulting in a significant difference in the lifespan of this battery cell compared to the other battery cells, which in turn affects the overall lifespan of the battery module and battery pack. Utility Model Content

[0005] One of the purposes of the present utility model is to provide a battery cell module to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell attached to the end plate is significantly stronger than that of the other battery cells, resulting in a lower operating temperature of the battery cell and a large difference in life span from the other battery cells, which in turn affects the overall life of the battery module.

[0006] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a liquid cooling plate to solve the above technical problems.

[0007] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide an end plate to solve the above technical problems.

[0008] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a liquid-cooled battery pack to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the battery cell module provided by the present invention is:

[0010] A battery cell module includes a battery cell group formed by multiple battery cells arranged longitudinally, end plates located at both longitudinal ends of the battery cell group, and a liquid cooling plate located on at least one lateral side of the battery cell group. The longitudinal ends of the liquid cooling plates are fixedly connected to the corresponding end plates. A heat-resistant structure is provided on one of the liquid cooling plates or the end plates, or both of the liquid cooling plates or the end plates, or between the two of the end plates, for reducing heat exchange between the end plates and the liquid cooling plates.

[0011] As a further improvement, the heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position where the end plate faces the liquid cooling plate and / or a groove provided at a position where the liquid cooling plate faces the end plate.

[0012] As a further improvement, the groove is provided on the liquid cooling plate, which includes a cold plate body with a flow channel provided therein and a cold plate collector located at the longitudinal end of the cold plate body and used to distribute or collect cooling liquid or connect different flow channels. The groove is formed on the cold plate collector.

[0013] The battery cell module provided by the present invention is an improvement over the prior art. By providing a heat-resistant structure on one of the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, on both, or between the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, the battery cell module reduces heat exchange between the end plate and the end plate, thereby reducing the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell in contact with the end plate and narrowing the difference in heat dissipation capacity between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells. Consequently, during use, the temperature difference between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells is also smaller, reducing the difference in lifespan between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells and improving the overall lifespan of the battery cell module.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the liquid cooling plate provided by the present invention is:

[0015] A liquid cooling plate is provided at a longitudinal end portion of the liquid cooling plate with a heat-resistance structure for reducing heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate and a corresponding end plate.

[0016] As a further improvement, the heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position of the liquid cooling plate facing the end plate when the liquid cooling plate is in use.

[0017] As a further improvement, the liquid cooling plate includes a cold plate body with a flow channel therein and a cold plate collector located at the longitudinal end of the cold plate body and used to distribute or collect cooling liquid or connect different flow channels, and the groove is formed on the cold plate collector.

[0018] The beneficial effect is that the liquid cooling plate provided by the present invention is an improvement over the prior art. By providing a heat-resistant structure for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate, the liquid cooling plate reduces heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate and the corresponding end plate. This reduces the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell in contact with the end plate during use, thereby reducing the difference in heat dissipation capacity between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells. As a result, during use, the temperature difference between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells is also smaller, reducing the difference in lifespan between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells, and improving the overall lifespan of the battery cell module and liquid-cooled battery pack.

[0019] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution of the end plate provided by the present invention is:

[0020] An end plate is provided with a heat-resistance structure on a lateral side thereof for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and a corresponding liquid cooling plate.

[0021] As a further improvement, the heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position of the end plate facing the liquid cooling plate when in use.

[0022] The beneficial effect is that the end plate provided by the present invention is an improvement over the prior art. By providing a heat-resistant structure for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the liquid-cooling plate, the end plate reduces heat exchange between the end plate and the corresponding liquid-cooling plate, thereby reducing the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell in contact with the end plate during use, and reducing the difference in heat dissipation capacity between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells. As a result, during use, the temperature difference between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells is also smaller, reducing the difference in lifespan between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells, and improving the overall lifespan of the battery cell module and the liquid-cooled battery pack.

[0023] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present invention is:

[0024] A liquid-cooled battery pack includes a box body, in which a battery cell module is arranged. The battery cell module includes a battery cell group formed by multiple battery cells arranged longitudinally, end plates located at both longitudinal ends of the battery cell group, and a liquid cooling plate located on at least one lateral side of the battery cell group. The longitudinal ends of the liquid cooling plates are fixedly connected to the corresponding end plates. A heat-resistant structure is provided on one of the liquid cooling plates and the end plates, or both of them are provided with a heat-resistant structure, or between them, for reducing heat exchange between the end plates and the liquid cooling plates.

[0025] As a further improvement, the heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position where the end plate faces the liquid cooling plate and / or a groove provided at a position where the liquid cooling plate faces the end plate.

[0026] As a further improvement, the groove is provided on the liquid cooling plate, which includes a cold plate body with a flow channel provided therein and a cold plate collector located at the longitudinal end of the cold plate body and used to distribute or collect cooling liquid or connect different flow channels. The groove is formed on the cold plate collector.

[0027] The beneficial effect is that the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present invention is an improvement over the prior art. The battery cell modules in the liquid-cooled battery pack are provided with a heat-resistance structure on one of the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, on both, or between the two, for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate. This reduces heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, thereby reducing the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell in contact with the end plate and narrowing the difference in heat dissipation capacity between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells. Consequently, during use, the temperature difference between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells is also smaller, reducing the difference in lifespan between the battery cell and the remaining battery cells, and thus improving the overall lifespan of the liquid-cooled battery pack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of Example 1 of the liquid-cooled battery pack of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the liquid-cooled battery pack in Example 1 of the present invention after removing the upper box, lower box and liquid cooling plate;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the connection between the liquid cooling plate and the cooling pipeline in Example 1 of the liquid-cooled battery pack of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of one of the liquid cooling plates in Example 1 of the liquid-cooled battery pack of the present invention.

[0032] Description of reference numerals:

[0033] 1. Upper box; 2. Lower box; 3. Cell group; 4. End plate; 5. Liquid cooling plate; 51. Cold plate body; 52. First cold plate current collector; 53. Second cold plate current collector; 54. Liquid inlet; 55. Connection hole; 6. Groove; 7. Cooling pipe; 8. Perforation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0035] In order to solve the technical problems in the prior art, the basic concept of the present invention is to set up a heat-resistant structure to reduce the heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, narrow the temperature difference between the battery cell attached to the end plate and the other battery cells, thereby narrowing the life difference and improving the overall life of the liquid-cooled battery pack.

[0036] Specific embodiment 1 of the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present utility model:

[0037] A liquid-cooled battery pack, see attached Figure 1 , including a box body and a battery cell module arranged in the box body.

[0038] The box body includes an upper box body 1 and a lower box body 2. During assembly, the battery cell module is installed in the lower box body 2, and then the upper box body 1 is snapped onto the lower box body 2, and the upper box body 1 and the lower box body 2 are fixed together with bolts.

[0039] Combined with attachment Figure 2 The cell module includes a cell group 3, an end plate 4, and a liquid cooling plate 5. The cell group 3 is formed by a plurality of cells arranged longitudinally, with structural adhesive securing adjacent cells. Two end plates 4 are provided, one at each longitudinal end of the cell group. The end plates 4 are attached to the cells at each longitudinal end of the cell group 3 and connected via structural adhesive. The liquid cooling plate 5 is located on one lateral side of the cell group and is connected to the corresponding cell via thermally conductive structural adhesive. The liquid cooling plate 5 can be provided on only one lateral side of the cell group 3, or on both lateral sides of the cell group 3, as needed.

[0040] The liquid cooling plate 5 is provided with a heat-resistance structure, see the attached Figure 3 and attached Figure 4 In this embodiment, the heat-resistant structure is specifically a groove 6 located on the liquid cooling plate 5. The groove 6 is provided at the position where the liquid cooling plate 5 faces the end plate 4. After the groove 6 is provided, the contact area between the liquid cooling plate 5 and the end plate 4 can be reduced, thereby reducing the heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate 5 and the end plate 4, and further reducing the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell adjacent to the end plate 4, thereby avoiding the operating temperature of the battery cell being significantly lower than that of the other battery cells, thereby preventing its life from being inconsistent with that of the other battery cells.

[0041] Specifically, the liquid cold plate 5 includes a cold plate body 51 and a first cold plate current collector 52 and a second cold plate current collector 53 located at the longitudinal ends of the cold plate body 51. The cold plate body 51 is a harmonica tube having two longitudinally extending flow channels. The first cold plate current collector 52 and the second cold plate current collector 53 are both made of copper and welded to the cold plate body 51. The first cold plate current collector 52 is provided with an inlet 54 for introducing coolant and an outlet for discharging coolant. The inlet 54 and the outlet are located on either side of the first cold plate current collector 52. The first cold plate current collector 52 is provided with a first channel for connecting the inlet 54 with one of the flow channels within the cold plate body 51 and a second channel for connecting the outlet with another flow channel within the cold plate body 51. The inlet 54 and the outlet are both connected to the cooling pipeline 7. The second cold plate current collector 53 is provided with a third channel for connecting the two flow channels within the cold plate body 51.

[0042] Grooves 6 are provided on the first and second cold plate current collectors 52, 53, with their length running parallel to the vertical direction. Connection holes 55 are provided transversely through the upper and lower ends of the first and second cold plate current collectors 52, 53. Corresponding holes 8 are provided on the end plates 4 to facilitate bolts passing through the connection holes 55 to securely connect the end plates 4 to the liquid cooling plates 5. Positioning the connection holes 55 on the first and second cold plate current collectors 52, 53 at the upper and lower ends allows for more space for the grooves 6 and ensures an uninterrupted arrangement.

[0043] The groove 6 is used to reduce the heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate 5 and the end plate 4, so that the liquid cooling plate 5 and the end plate 4 still have a direct hard contact position, thereby ensuring the connection reliability after the end plate 4 and the liquid cooling plate 5 are fixedly connected, and ensuring that the liquid cooling plate 5 can play the role of a structural component.

[0044] In the above embodiment, since the cold plate body 51 of the liquid cooling plate 5 is a harmonica tube with a relatively thin wall, the groove 6 cannot be directly provided on the cold plate body 51 and must be provided on the cold plate current collector. In other embodiments, the liquid cooling plate 5 can also be composed of two separate parts that interlock with each other in the transverse direction, each of which has a groove-like structure machined into the two parts. When the two parts are interlocked, the groove-like structure forms a flow channel. In this embodiment, the groove 6 can be machined into one of the parts of the liquid cooling plate 5.

[0045] Specific embodiment 2 of the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present utility model:

[0046] This embodiment is based on embodiment 1, and differs from embodiment 1 in that the heat-resistance structure in this embodiment is a heat-insulating pad fixed on the liquid cooling plate.

[0047] Specifically, the thermal insulation pad is glued to the first and second cold plate current collectors. In this embodiment, the first and second cold plate current collectors are not provided with grooves. The thermal insulation pad also blocks heat exchange between the liquid cold plate and the end plate, preventing the battery cells adjacent to the end plate from operating at excessively low temperatures, resulting in a lifespan different from that of the remaining cells, if their heat dissipation capacity is significantly greater than that of the other cells.

[0048] However, the thermal insulation pad has a certain thickness. Therefore, in order to ensure that the liquid cold plate can still be in close contact with each battery cell after the thermal insulation pad is installed, the thickness of the first cold plate collector and the second cold plate collector can be thinned, or grooves for embedding the thermal insulation pad can be opened on the first cold plate collector and the second cold plate collector.

[0049] Specific embodiment 3 of the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present utility model:

[0050] This embodiment is based on embodiment 1, and differs from embodiment 1 in that the heat-resistance structure in this embodiment is provided on the end plate, and no heat-resistance structure is provided on the liquid cooling plate.

[0051] In this embodiment, a groove is formed on the lateral side of the end plate by stamping. The groove is set at the position where the end plate faces the liquid cooling plate. The groove can also reduce the contact area between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate, reduce the heat exchange between the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, and prevent the heat dissipation capacity of the battery cell adjacent to the end plate from being significantly stronger than that of the other electrical cells, resulting in the temperature of the battery cell being too low during operation, causing its life span to be different from that of the other battery cells.

[0052] In this embodiment, the grooves may no longer be provided on the liquid cooling plate, and thus no changes need to be made to the existing liquid cooling plate.

[0053] Specific embodiment 4 of the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present utility model:

[0054] This embodiment is based on embodiment 1, and differs from embodiment 1 in that a heat-resistance structure is also provided on the end plate in this embodiment.

[0055] In this embodiment, grooves are formed on the lateral sides of the end plates by stamping, and the grooves are provided at the locations where the end plates face the liquid cooling plates. After the end plates are fixedly connected to the corresponding liquid cooling plates, the grooves on the end plates engage with the grooves on the liquid cooling plates.

[0056] Specific embodiment 5 of the liquid-cooled battery pack provided by the present utility model:

[0057] This embodiment is based on embodiment 1, and differs from embodiment 1 in that in this embodiment, no heat-resistance structure is provided on either the liquid cooling plate or the end plate, and the heat-resistance structure is provided between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate.

[0058] The heat-resistant structure in this embodiment is a heat-insulating adapter, which is made of plastic and can play an effective heat-insulating role. The heat-insulating adapter includes an end plate connecting part for fixing to the end plate and a cold plate connecting part for fixing to the liquid cooling plate; wherein the end plate connecting part has an opening corresponding to the connecting hole on the end plate opened horizontally along the upper edge, and the end plate connecting part can be fixedly connected to the lateral end of the end plate by bolts; the lateral thickness of the cold plate connecting part is less than the lateral thickness of the end plate connecting part, so that the heat-insulating adapter is L-shaped as a whole, and the cold plate connecting part is located on the side of the liquid cooling plate away from the battery cell group, and the cold plate connecting part has an opening corresponding to the connecting holes on the first current collector and the second current collector of the liquid cooling plate opened horizontally along the upper edge, so that the heat-insulating adapter and the liquid cooling plate can be fixedly connected.

[0059] In this embodiment, a thermal insulation adapter is used as a heat-resistant structure to reduce heat exchange between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate. The end plate and the liquid cooling plate are also connected. Moreover, the structure of the end plate does not need to be changed, and the liquid cooling plate only has a smaller longitudinal length.

[0060] Specific embodiments of the battery module provided by the present utility model:

[0061] The battery cell module is the battery cell module in the specific embodiment 1, embodiment 2, embodiment 3, embodiment 4, or embodiment 5 of the above-mentioned liquid-cooled battery pack, and will not be described in detail here.

[0062] Specific embodiments of the liquid cooling plate provided by the utility model:

[0063] The liquid cooling plate is the liquid cooling plate in the specific embodiment 1, embodiment 2 or embodiment 4 of the liquid-cooled battery pack mentioned above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0064] The specific embodiment of the end plate provided by the utility model is as follows:

[0065] The end plate is the end plate in the specific embodiment 3 or embodiment 4 of the liquid-cooled battery pack mentioned above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0066] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments without inventive effort, or replace some of the technical features therein with equivalents. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery cell module, comprising a battery cell group formed by a plurality of battery cells arranged in a longitudinal direction, end plates located at both longitudinal ends of the battery cell group, and a liquid cooling plate located at least on one transverse side of the battery cell group, wherein the longitudinal ends of the liquid cooling plate are fixedly connected to the corresponding end plates, characterized in that: A heat-resistance structure for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the liquid cooling plate is provided on one of the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, or both of the liquid cooling plate and the end plate, or between the two of the liquid cooling plate and the end plate.

2. The battery cell module according to claim 1, wherein: The heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position where the end plate faces the liquid cooling plate and / or a groove provided at a position where the liquid cooling plate faces the end plate.

3. The battery cell module according to claim 2, wherein: The groove is provided on the liquid cooling plate, which includes a cold plate body with a flow channel therein and a cold plate collector located at the longitudinal end of the cold plate body and used to distribute or collect cooling liquid or connect different flow channels. The groove is formed on the cold plate collector.

4. A liquid cooling plate, characterized in that: The longitudinal ends of the liquid cooling plates are provided with heat-resistance structures for reducing heat exchange between the liquid cooling plates and the corresponding end plates.

5. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 4, wherein: The heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position facing the end plate when the liquid cooling plate is in use.

6. The liquid cooling plate according to claim 5, wherein: The liquid cooling plate includes a cooling plate body with a flow channel therein and a cooling plate collector located at the longitudinal end of the cooling plate body and used to distribute or collect cooling liquid or connect different flow channels. The groove is formed on the cooling plate collector.

7. An end plate, characterized in that: The lateral side of the end plate is provided with a heat-resistant structure for reducing heat exchange between the end plate and the corresponding liquid cooling plate.

8. The end plate according to claim 7, wherein: The heat-resistance structure is a groove provided at a position of the end plate facing the liquid cooling plate when in use.

9. A liquid-cooled battery pack, comprising a box, characterized in that: The battery cell module according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is arranged in the box.

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