Battery cooling air duct structure, battery pack with battery cooling air duct structure and energy storage device with battery cooling air duct structure

Abstract

The utility model discloses a battery cooling air duct structure which comprises a shell, the shell is provided with an air inlet, an air duct and an air outlet, the air inlet is provided with an air door mechanism, the air door mechanism comprises a driving piece, a connecting rod mechanism and an air door, the connecting rod mechanism is arranged between the driving piece and the air door, and the driving piece is used for driving the connecting rod mechanism to open or close the air door. The utility model further discloses a battery pack with the battery cooling air duct structure and an energy storage device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of battery cooling, and in particular relates to a battery cooling air duct structure and a battery pack and an energy storage device having the same. Background Art

[0002] During the charging and discharging process, batteries inevitably generate a certain amount of heat due to internal resistance. To prevent overheating and the resulting performance impact, air cooling is typically used to ensure the batteries operate within a suitable temperature range. However, when some batteries are disconnected due to protection triggering factors such as overheating or a fault, the air cooling system continues to dissipate heat for all batteries, resulting in energy waste and hindering the energy efficiency of the air cooling system. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, the first object of the present invention is to provide a battery cooling air duct structure that can solve the problem of low energy efficiency of the air cooling system when some batteries are powered off.

[0004] A second object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack and an energy storage device having the battery cooling air duct structure.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the first aspect of the present invention provides a battery cooling air duct structure, including a shell, the shell is provided with an air inlet, an air duct and an air outlet, the air inlet is provided with a damper mechanism, the damper mechanism includes a driving member, a connecting rod mechanism and a damper, the connecting rod mechanism is arranged between the driving member and the damper, and the driving member is used to drive the connecting rod mechanism to open or close the damper.

[0006] In one embodiment, the connecting rod mechanism includes a rocker arm, a push rod and a connecting rod, the rocker arm is fixedly connected to the driving member, the push rod is arranged between the rocker arm and the connecting rod, and is connected to the damper through the connecting rod.

[0007] In one embodiment, the damper mechanism further includes a damper mounting plate disposed in the housing, and the damper is hinged between the damper mounting plate and the connecting rod.

[0008] In one embodiment, an angle between a line connecting a hinge point between the damper and the damper mounting plate and a line connecting a hinge point between the damper and the connecting rod and a vertical direction is an acute angle.

[0009] In one embodiment, there are multiple dampers, and the dampers are arranged in pairs in parallel and at equal intervals.

[0010] In one embodiment, the shell is box-shaped, including an upper top plate, a lower bottom plate, a left side plate, a right side plate and a rear side plate. The damper is arranged between the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate, and when the damper is closed, the damper is connected to the left side plate and the right side plate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the lower base plate is provided with the air outlet.

[0012] In one embodiment, there are multiple air ducts, and the multiple air ducts are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and are independent of each other.

[0013] A second aspect of the present invention provides a battery pack, comprising the battery cooling air duct structure as described in the above technical solution.

[0014] A third aspect of the present invention provides an energy storage device, comprising an air conditioner and a battery pack as described in the above technical solution, wherein an air inlet of a battery cooling air duct structure of the battery pack faces an air outlet of the air conditioner.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The utility model provides a damper mechanism in the cooling air duct structure, which not only can adjust the state of the damper according to demand to connect or interrupt the cooling air entering from the air inlet, but also helps to improve the energy efficiency of the air cooling system when some batteries are powered off. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a battery cooling air duct structure provided by an embodiment of the present utility model when the air door is open;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The battery cooling air duct structure shown is a schematic diagram of the state when the damper is closed;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a housing of a battery cooling duct structure is shown;

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the damper mechanism of the battery cooling air duct structure when the damper is open;

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic diagram of the damper mechanism of the battery cooling air duct structure when the damper is closed.

[0023] Description of reference numerals:

[0024] 1. Housing; 2. Damper mechanism;

[0025] 11. Air inlet; 12. Air duct; 13. Air outlet;

[0026] 21. Driving member; 22. Connecting rod mechanism; 23. Air damper; 24. Air damper mounting plate;

[0027] 221. Rocker arm; 222. Push rod; 223. Connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the description of the present invention, all other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art without inventive effort are also within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "disposed," "installed," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; and direct or indirect connections through an intermediary. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] The directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the directions or positional relationships in which the utility model product is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience and simplification of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they should not be understood as limitations on the utility model.

[0031] The terms "first," "second," "third," etc. are merely used to distinguish elements of similar nature and do not indicate or imply relative importance or a particular order.

[0032] The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion of elements other than the listed elements and may also include additional elements not specifically listed.

[0033] During the charging and discharging process, the battery will inevitably generate a certain amount of heat due to internal resistance. In the related art, in order to prevent the battery from overheating and affecting its performance, air cooling is usually used to ensure that the battery operates within an appropriate temperature range. However, according to the inventor's understanding, when some batteries are powered off due to protection triggered by reasons such as excessive temperature or failure, the air cooling system still dissipates heat for all batteries, resulting in the loss of cooling air in the powered-off batteries, which is not only not conducive to improving the energy efficiency of the air cooling system, but also not conducive to reducing the loss of auxiliary power supply. In addition, due to the limitations of the cooling air duct structure, if the cooling air volume to the battery is reduced when one or several batteries are powered off, the air intake volume of all batteries will be uniformly reduced, which is also not conducive to dissipating heat for the batteries that are charging and discharging.

[0034] In order to improve the energy efficiency of the air cooling system when some batteries are powered off, so as to save energy and reduce emissions, the existing cooling air duct structure needs to be improved.

[0035] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 The embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention provides a battery cooling air duct structure, which includes a shell 1, on which an air inlet 11, an air duct 12 and an air outlet 13 are provided, wherein the air duct 12 is connected between the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 13, and is used to guide the cooling air entering from the air inlet 11 to gather and flow out at the air outlet 13.

[0036] From the overall perspective, the shell 1 is a rectangular box body, including an upper top plate, a lower bottom plate, a left side plate, a right side plate and a rear side plate, wherein the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate are arranged opposite to each other in the vertical direction, the left side plate and the right side plate are connected between the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate, and the rear side plate is located at one end of the upper top plate, the lower bottom plate, the left side plate and the right side plate, and an air duct 12 is formed in the enclosed upper top plate, the lower bottom plate, the left side plate, the right side plate and the rear side plate, and an air inlet 11 is formed on the end of the upper top plate, the lower bottom plate, the left side plate and the right side plate away from the rear side plate, and an air outlet 13 is opened on the lower bottom plate.

[0037] In some embodiments, to facilitate cooling of batteries in different areas, multiple air ducts 12 are provided. In this embodiment, eight air ducts 12 are arranged horizontally side by side and are independent of each other. Each air duct 12 has an independent air outlet 13. Specifically, to reduce manufacturing steps and processes, the eight air ducts 12 are formed by disposing seven partitions within the housing 1. These seven partitions are located between the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate and are parallel to the left and right side plates. This allows the eight air ducts 12 to share a common upper top plate, lower bottom plate, and rear side plate.

[0038] In this embodiment, to improve the energy efficiency of the cooling system when some batteries are powered off, thereby saving energy and reducing emissions, the battery cooling duct structure also includes a damper mechanism 2 mounted at the air inlet 11. This facilitates adjusting the connection or disconnection between the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 13 as needed, reducing energy waste. This is particularly true when some batteries are powered off due to overheating or faults, triggering protection. It should be noted that battery power outages can occur for a variety of reasons, and battery power outages can occur randomly. To precisely control the damper mechanism 2, the damper mechanism 2 is specifically controlled by a battery management system and a corresponding control system that is in communication with the battery management system. The damper mechanism 2 is in communication with the battery management system and the control system. Thus, when the battery management system detects an abnormality in one or more batteries, the control system in communication with the battery management system receives one or more signals indicating the nature and location of the abnormal battery. The corresponding control system then controls the damper mechanism 2 to connect or disconnect the air inlets 11 and air outlets 13 of the air ducts 12 corresponding to batteries in different zones, achieving independent control of the eight air ducts 12.

[0039] In some embodiments, there are multiple damper mechanisms 2. In this embodiment, there are eight damper mechanisms 2. The eight damper mechanisms 2 are all communicatively connected to the battery management system and correspond one-to-one with the above-mentioned eight air ducts 12, so as to independently control the connection or interruption of the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 13.

[0040] like Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the damper mechanism 2 includes a driving member 21, a connecting rod mechanism 22 and a damper 23, wherein the damper 23 is located in the housing 1, and the surface area thereof matches the corresponding cross-sectional area on the air inlet 11, and the connecting rod mechanism 22 is installed between the driving member 21 and the damper 23, and the driving member 21 is used to drive the connecting rod mechanism 22 to open or close the damper 23. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, in order to avoid the situation where the driving member 21 occupies the space of the air duct 12 and causes an increase in wind resistance, the driving member 21 is fixedly mounted on the top outer surface of the upper plate of the housing 1 by fasteners or a fixing bracket, and the output shaft of the driving member 21 passes through the upper plate of the housing 1 and is connected to the connecting rod mechanism 22. Specifically, the driving member 21 mentioned here refers to an engine that controls the operation of mechanical components in a servo system, such as a servo motor.

[0041] Furthermore, the linkage mechanism 22 includes a rocker arm 221, a push rod 222, and a connecting rod 223. One end of the rocker arm 221 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the driver 21, and the other end is hingedly connected to the push rod 222. The push rod 222 is mounted between the rocker arm 221 and the connecting rod 223 and is in transmission connection with the damper 23 via the connecting rod 223. It should be noted that in this embodiment, to prevent the air duct 12 from becoming airtight due to the configuration of the linkage mechanism 22, the rocker arm 221, the push rod 222, and the connecting rod 223 are all located on the top inner side of the upper plate of the housing 1. Specifically, the connecting rod 223 is pivotally connected to the push rod 222 and the damper 23.

[0042] Furthermore, to ensure that the damper 23 can be opened or closed under the transmission action of the connecting rod mechanism 22, the damper mechanism 2 also includes a damper mounting plate 24. The damper mounting plate 24 is fixedly mounted on the top of the lower base plate of the housing 1, facilitating the hinged connection of the damper 23 between the damper mounting plate 24 and the connecting rod 223. Specifically, the connecting rod 223 has a first bearing hole for mounting a bearing, and the damper mounting plate 24 has a second bearing hole corresponding to the bearing hole of the connecting rod 223. By installing bearings in the first and second bearing holes, the damper 23 and the connecting rod 223, as well as the damper 23 and the damper mounting plate 24, are hinged. In this way, when the battery management system detects that the battery temperature is higher than the appropriate operating range, the control system that communicates with the battery management system will receive one or more signals to indicate the nature and position of the battery to be cooled. Then the corresponding control system controls the driving member 21 to rotate counterclockwise, and adjusts the damper 23 from a closed state to an open state, so that the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 13 are connected. During this period, the rocker arm 221 rotates counterclockwise under the drive of the driving member 21, and the push rod 222 swings from the right front to the left rear under the drive of the rocker arm 21. At the same time, the connecting rod 223 also swings from the right front to the left rear under the drive of the push rod 222, so that the damper 23 rotates counterclockwise to a certain position to be in an open state. When the battery management system detects that one or more batteries are powered off due to protection triggered by reasons such as overtemperature or failure, the control system communicating with the battery management system will receive one or more signals to indicate the nature and location of the powered-off batteries, and then the corresponding control system controls the driving member 21 to rotate in a clockwise direction, adjusting the damper 23 from an open state to a closed state to interrupt the connection between the air inlet 11 and the air outlet 13. During this period, the rocker arm 221 rotates in a clockwise direction under the drive of the driving member 21, and the push rod 222 swings from the left rear to the right front under the drive of the rocker arm 21. At the same time, the connecting rod 223 also swings from the left rear to the right front under the drive of the push rod 222, so that the damper 23 rotates in a clockwise direction to a certain position to be in a closed state, so as to save energy and reduce emissions by blocking the entry of cooling air.

[0043] In this embodiment, in order to overcome the situation where transmission failure occurs due to the existence of a dead point between the connecting rod mechanism 22 and the damper 23, the angle between the connecting line between the damper 23 and the connecting rod 223 and the connecting line between the damper 23 and the damper mounting plate 24 and the vertical direction is an acute angle. Specifically, the top edge of the damper 23 is hinged to the connecting rod 223, and the bottom middle part of the damper 23 is hinged to the damper mounting plate 24, so as to ensure that the transmission between the mechanism 22 and the damper 23 is effective.

[0044] In some embodiments, in order to reduce wind resistance, the damper mounting plate 24 can be eliminated by opening a second bearing hole corresponding to the bearing hole of the connecting rod 223 on the lower base plate of the shell 1, so that the two ends of the damper 23 are hinged between the connecting rod 223 and the lower base plate.

[0045] In some embodiments, there are multiple dampers 23. In this embodiment, there are four dampers 23 in each damper mechanism 2. The four dampers 23 are installed in pairs in parallel and at equal intervals between the damper mounting plate 24 and the connecting rod 223. When the four dampers 23 are in a closed state, two dampers 23 located on opposite sides are connected to the left and right plates of the shell 1 to block the entry of cooling air.

[0046] Furthermore, to improve the airtightness between the damper 23 and the housing 1, the battery cooling air duct structure may further include a sealing strip disposed within the housing 1. Thus, when the damper 23 is closed, the sealing strip disposed between the edge of the damper 23 and the inner wall of the housing 1 effectively blocks the cooling air from flowing from the air inlet 11 into the air duct 12.

[0047] An embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention provides a battery pack, which includes the battery cooling air duct structure as described in the above embodiment, so that the battery pack has the characteristic of energy saving.

[0048] The third embodiment of the present invention provides an energy storage device comprising an air conditioner and the battery pack described in the above embodiment, wherein the air inlet 11 of the battery cooling duct structure of the battery pack faces the air outlet of the air conditioner. Thus, when some battery packs are de-energized due to overheating or a fault, the damper mechanism 2 of the battery cooling duct structure controls the deflection angle of the damper 23, thereby preventing cooling air from flowing into the air duct 12 of the de-energized battery packs. Furthermore, since the number of battery packs to be cooled is reduced, the output power of the refrigeration system can be appropriately reduced, thereby ensuring that the energy storage device still maintains relatively high energy efficiency even when some battery packs are de-energized.

[0049] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0050] The utility model provides a damper mechanism 2 in the cooling air duct structure, which not only can adjust the state of the damper 23 according to demand to connect or interrupt the cooling air entering from the air inlet 11, but also helps to improve the energy efficiency of the air cooling system when some batteries are powered off.

[0051] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention are intended to be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery cooling air duct structure, comprising a housing (1), wherein the housing (1) is provided with an air inlet (11), an air duct (12) and an air outlet (13), characterized in that: The air inlet (11) is provided with a damper mechanism (2), the damper mechanism (2) comprising a driving member (21), a connecting rod mechanism (22) and a damper (23), the connecting rod mechanism (22) being provided between the driving member (21) and the damper (23), and the driving member (21) being used to drive the connecting rod mechanism (22) to open or close the damper (23).

2. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting rod mechanism (22) comprises a rocker arm (221), a push rod (222) and a connecting rod (223); the rocker arm (221) is fixedly connected to the driving member (21); the push rod (222) is arranged between the rocker arm (221) and the connecting rod (223), and is transmission-connected to the damper (23) via the connecting rod (223).

3. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The damper mechanism (2) further comprises a damper mounting plate (24) arranged in the housing (1), and the damper (23) is hinged between the damper mounting plate (24) and the connecting rod (223).

4. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The angle between the connecting line between the hinge point between the damper (23) and the damper mounting plate (24) and the hinge point between the damper (23) and the connecting rod (223) and the vertical direction is an acute angle.

5. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are multiple dampers (23), and the dampers (23) are arranged in pairs in parallel and at equal intervals.

6. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 1, wherein: The housing (1) is box-shaped and comprises an upper top plate, a lower bottom plate, a left side plate, a right side plate and a rear side plate. The damper (23) is arranged between the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate, and when the damper (23) is closed, the damper (23) is connected to the left side plate and the right side plate.

7. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lower base plate is provided with the air outlet (13).

8. The battery cooling air duct structure according to claim 1, wherein: There are multiple air ducts (12), and the multiple air ducts (12) are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and are independent of each other.

9. A battery pack, characterized in that: The battery cooling air duct structure comprises the battery cooling air duct structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An energy storage device, characterized in that: It comprises an air conditioner and a battery pack as claimed in claim 9, wherein the air inlet (11) of the battery cooling air duct structure of the battery pack faces the air outlet of the air conditioner.

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