Multi-way valve, liquid cooling plate, battery module and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model provides a multi-way valve, a liquid cooling plate, a battery module and a vehicle, and relates to the technical field of batteries. The multi-way valve comprises a valve body and a control piece. The liquid inlet of the valve body can be used for being connected with an external liquid inlet pipeline, and the multiple liquid outlets of the valve body can be communicated with the multiple cooling pipelines in the battery pack correspondingly, so that external cooling liquid can enter the multiple cooling pipelines of the battery pack through the multi-way valve. The control piece controls the multiple liquid outlets to be communicated with or disconnected from the liquid inlet, so that the multi-way valve can control the flow of the cooling liquid entering the multiple cooling pipelines in the battery pack, and the cooling liquid can be selectively input into the battery pack according to the heating condition of the battery pack. The plurality of liquid outlets are positioned on the same surface of the valve body, so that the parts, provided with the plurality of liquid outlets, on the valve body can be positioned on the same side of the valve body, and when the plurality of liquid outlets of the valve body are communicated with a cooling pipeline of the battery pack through the external pipelines, the plurality of external pipelines can be distributed on the same side of the valve body, so that the plurality of external pipelines are prevented from being distributed in a scattered manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a multi-way valve, a liquid cooling plate, a battery module, and a vehicle, and belongs to the field of battery technology. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the gradual increase in sales of new energy vehicles, the demand for battery modules for new energy vehicles has also increased. Consequently, the safety and reliability of battery modules have become increasingly important. Battery modules generate a large amount of heat during charging and discharging. To ensure the safety of the battery module during this process, heat dissipation is necessary.

[0003] Currently, the main method for cooling battery modules is water cooling. To ensure precise heat dissipation in different areas of the battery module, a multi-way valve is needed to control the flow of coolant in each area of ​​the same-direction battery module. However, current multi-way valves, designed to achieve multi-channel on / off functionality, have a non-compact structure, making them inconvenient to install on the battery module and resulting in a non-compact overall structure for the battery module. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a multi-way valve, a liquid cooling plate, a battery module, and a vehicle, which solves the problem of non-compact battery module structure in related technologies.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a multi-way valve, comprising:

[0006] The valve body includes an inner cavity, an inlet, and multiple outlets, wherein the inlet and multiple outlets are all connected to the inner cavity;

[0007] A control element is disposed on the valve body, and the control element is configured to control at least one of the plurality of liquid outlets to connect or disconnect from the liquid inlet;

[0008] The multiple liquid outlets are located on the same surface of the valve body.

[0009] In some embodiments, the inlet and the outlet are located on the same surface of the valve body.

[0010] In some embodiments, at least two of the inlet and the plurality of outlets are oriented in the same direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, the valve body includes a first mounting surface, an inlet pipe, and a plurality of outlet pipes. One end of the inlet pipe is connected to the first mounting surface, and the other end of the inlet pipe has an inlet port. One end of the plurality of outlet pipes is connected to the first mounting surface, and the other end of the plurality of outlet pipes has an outlet port.

[0012] In some embodiments, at least two of the inlet pipe and the plurality of outlet pipes extend in the same direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, the control element includes a valve core and a drive unit connected to the valve core. The valve body has a valve port, one end of which is connected to the liquid inlet and the other end of which is connected to the liquid outlet. The drive unit is configured to drive the valve core to move away from or towards the valve port to open or close the valve port.

[0014] In some embodiments, the drive unit includes a driver and a cam, the driver being disposed on the valve body, the cam being connected to the driver, the cam including a protruding end, and the driver being configured to drive the cam to rotate so that the cam switches between a first state and a second state;

[0015] When the cam is in the first state, the protruding end abuts against the valve core so that the valve core blocks the valve port;

[0016] When the cam is in the second state, the protruding end separates from the valve core, and the valve core is driven to move away from the valve port to open the valve port.

[0017] In some embodiments, the drive unit further includes an elastic element connected to the valve core;

[0018] When the cam is in the first state, the valve core compresses or stretches the elastic element to deform the elastic element.

[0019] When the cam is in the second state, the elastic force of the elastic element drives the valve core to move away from the valve port to open the valve port.

[0020] In some embodiments, there are multiple valve cores, elastic elements, and valve ports. One end of each valve port is connected to the liquid inlet, and the other end of each valve port is connected to a plurality of liquid outlets. The cam includes multiple protruding ends, which are spaced apart along the axial direction of the cam. At least two of the protruding ends have different orientations. The multiple protruding ends and the multiple elastic elements are respectively arranged to correspond to the multiple valve cores, so as to drive the multiple valve cores to open and close the multiple valve ports respectively.

[0021] In some embodiments, the surface of the valve body includes a second mounting surface perpendicular to the first mounting surface, the actuator is disposed on the second mounting surface, a plurality of the protruding ends are located within the inner cavity, and one end of the cam passes through the valve body and is connected to the actuator.

[0022] In some embodiments, the valve body includes an upper cover, a lower cover, and a partition, the upper cover and the lower cover being mated to form the inner cavity, the partition being located in the inner cavity, and the valve port being opened on the partition.

[0023] In some embodiments, the valve body further includes a return port and a drain port, the inner cavity includes an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber, the outlet port and the inlet port are both connected to the inlet chamber, the return port and the drain port are both connected to the outlet chamber, the return port is also connected to the outlet end of the cooling pipe of the cooling plate, and the drain port is also connected to an external pipeline.

[0024] In some embodiments, the return port and the outlet port are located on the same surface of the valve body.

[0025] In some embodiments, the return port and at least two of the plurality of outlet ports are oriented in the same direction.

[0026] In some embodiments, the drain port and the outlet port are located on the same surface of the valve body.

[0027] In some embodiments, the drain port is oriented in the same direction as at least two of the plurality of outlet ports.

[0028] In some embodiments, the plurality of liquid outlets include a first liquid outlet and a second liquid outlet, the first liquid outlet being always in communication with the inner cavity, and the control element being configured to control the opening and closing of the second liquid outlet.

[0029] In some embodiments, the inner cavity includes multiple sub-cavities, and the first liquid outlet and the liquid inlet are connected to the same sub-cavity.

[0030] In some embodiments, the number of liquid outlets is the same as the number of sub-cavities, and the plurality of liquid outlets are respectively connected to the plurality of sub-cavities.

[0031] Secondly, based on the multi-way valve mentioned above, this application also provides a liquid cooling plate, including a cooling plate body and the multi-way valve mentioned above, wherein the cooling plate body includes a plurality of cooling pipes, and the plurality of cooling pipes are respectively connected to a plurality of liquid outlets.

[0032] Thirdly, based on the liquid cooling plate mentioned above, this application also provides a battery module, including a battery pack and the liquid cooling plate mentioned above.

[0033] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the cooling plate is stacked on the battery pack, and the valve body is fixed to the cooling plate and / or the battery pack.

[0034] In some embodiments, the plurality of liquid outlets include a first liquid outlet and a second liquid outlet, the first liquid outlet being always in communication with the inner cavity, and the cooling pipe communicating with the first liquid outlet being used to cool the end of the battery core of the battery pack.

[0035] Fourthly, based on the multi-way valve, liquid cooling plate, or battery module mentioned above, this application also proposes a vehicle including the multi-way valve, liquid cooling plate, or battery module mentioned above.

[0036] In the multi-port valve provided in this application, the inlet of the valve body can be connected to an external inlet pipe, and the multiple outlets of the valve body can be connected to multiple cooling pipes inside the battery pack, allowing external coolant to enter the multiple cooling pipes of the battery pack through the multi-port valve. A control unit controls the connection or disconnection of the multiple outlets and the inlet, enabling the multi-port valve to control the flow rate of coolant entering the multiple cooling pipes inside the battery pack, thus selectively supplying coolant to the battery pack based on its heat generation. The multiple outlets are located on the same surface of the valve body, placing the outlets on the same side of the valve body. This reduces the space occupied by the multi-port valve. Furthermore, when the multiple outlets of the valve body are connected to the cooling pipes of the battery pack via external pipes, the external pipes can be distributed on the same side of the valve body, avoiding a scattered distribution and resulting in a compact overall structure for the external pipes mounted on the multi-port valve.

[0037] The battery module of this application uses the aforementioned multi-way valve. Since the multiple outlets of the multi-way valve face the same direction, the structure of the multi-way valve is compact, which in turn makes the structure of the battery module relatively compact. Attached Figure Description

[0038] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of embodiments of this application will become more readily understood through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of this application will be described by way of example and non-limitation, wherein:

[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a battery module according to an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of a multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of a multi-way valve with two valve cores according to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the top cover of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the valve core of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cam of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the elastic element of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the back side of the top cover of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the baffle of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lower cover of the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting bracket for the multi-way valve according to an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-way valve including a return port and a drain port, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0051] Figure 12 A schematic diagram showing the upper cover of the multi-way valve in this embodiment of the application having a return port and a drain port;

[0052] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the back side of the multi-way valve in this embodiment of the application when the top cover is provided with a return port and a drain port.

[0053] Figure label:

[0054] 100-Valve body, 110-Upper cover, 111-First mounting surface, 112-Second mounting surface, 120-Lower cover, 130-Baffle plate, 131-Valve port, 140-Inner cavity, 141-Sub-cavity, 142-Inlet chamber, 143-Outlet chamber, 150-Inlet pipe, 151-Inlet port, 160-Outlet pipe, 161-Outlet port, 161a-First outlet port, 161b-Second outlet port, 170-Return port, 180-Drain port, 190-Fixed bracket, 191-Mounting hole

[0055] 200-Control component, 210-Drive unit, 211-Actuator, 212-Cam, 213-Protruding end, 214-Elastic element, 220-Valve core, 221-Sealing ring,

[0056] 300 - Cooling plate, 310 - Cooling pipe

[0057] 400-battery pack. Detailed Implementation

[0058] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0059] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0060] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0061] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between components; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0062] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0063] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0064] In recent years, with the gradual increase in sales of new energy vehicles, the demand for battery modules for new energy vehicles has also increased. Consequently, the safety and reliability of battery modules have become increasingly important. Battery modules generate a large amount of heat during charging and discharging. To ensure the safety of the battery module during this process, heat dissipation is necessary.

[0065] Currently, the main method for cooling battery modules is water cooling. To ensure precise heat dissipation in different areas of the battery module, a multi-way valve is needed to control the flow of coolant in each area of ​​the same-direction battery module. However, current multi-way valves, designed to achieve multi-channel on / off functionality, have a non-compact structure, making them inconvenient to install on the battery module and resulting in a non-compact overall structure for the battery module.

[0066] In the multi-port valve proposed in this application, the inlet of the valve body can be connected to an external inlet pipe, and the multiple outlets of the valve body can be connected to multiple cooling pipes inside the battery pack, allowing external coolant to enter the multiple cooling pipes of the battery pack through the multi-port valve. A control unit controls the connection or disconnection of the multiple outlets and the inlet, enabling the multi-port valve to control the flow rate of coolant entering the multiple cooling pipes inside the battery pack, thus selectively supplying coolant to the battery pack based on its heat generation. The multiple outlets are located on the same surface of the valve body, placing the outlets on the same side of the valve body. This reduces the space occupied by the multi-port valve. Furthermore, when the multiple outlets of the valve body are connected to the cooling pipes of the battery pack via external pipes, the external pipes can be distributed on the same side of the valve body, avoiding a scattered distribution and resulting in a compact overall structure for the external pipes mounted on the multi-port valve.

[0067] The battery module of this application uses the aforementioned multi-way valve. Since the multiple outlets of the multi-way valve face the same direction, the structure of the multi-way valve is compact, which in turn makes the structure of the battery module relatively compact.

[0068] The multi-way valve, liquid cooling plate, battery module, and vehicle provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0069] This application proposes a multi-way valve, referencing... Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the multi-way valve includes a valve body 100 and a control component 200. This multi-way valve can be applied to the liquid cooling plate of a battery module.

[0070] The valve body 100 is the basic component of the multi-way valve of this application. The valve body 100 provides a mounting base for at least some of the other components of the multi-way valve and serves to protect them. The valve body 100 can be made of a metallic material, giving it better structural strength, thus improving its durability and reliability. Alternatively, the valve body 100 can be made of a polymer material, allowing it to maintain a certain structural strength while remaining relatively lightweight.

[0071] The valve body 100 includes an inner cavity 140, which is a hollow structure within the valve body 100. The valve body 100 also includes a liquid inlet 151 and a liquid outlet 161, which are located on the surface of the valve body 100 and are both connected to the inner cavity 140. The liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100 can be connected to an external water tank containing coolant. The coolant in the water tank can be pumped into the inner cavity 140 through the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100 using a water pump. The liquid outlet 161 of the valve body 100 can be connected to the cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate, allowing the coolant in the inner cavity 140 to flow into the cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate, thereby enabling heat exchange between the coolant and the battery pack 400 of the battery module, achieving the purpose of heat dissipation for the battery pack 400.

[0072] The liquid cooling plate can have multiple cooling pipes 310, each corresponding to a different area of ​​the battery pack 400. This allows the coolant within the multiple cooling pipes 310 to absorb heat from different parts of the battery pack 400. Correspondingly, the valve body 100 also has multiple outlets 161, all of which communicate with the inner cavity 140 and are connected to multiple cooling pipes 310 of the liquid cooling plate. A control element 200 is located in the valve body 100 and is configured to connect or disconnect at least one of the multiple outlets 161 from the inlet 151, thereby controlling the flow rate of coolant input to each cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate.

[0073] Specifically, when a certain area of ​​the battery pack 400 generates a large amount of heat, while other areas generate less heat, the control unit 200 can connect the outlet 161 of the cooling pipe 310 corresponding to the area of ​​the battery pack 400 with high heat generation to the inner cavity 140. This allows coolant to be supplied to the area of ​​the battery pack 400 with high heat generation, ensuring sufficient heat dissipation. Conversely, when the area of ​​the battery pack 400 with low heat generation does not require heat dissipation, the control unit 200 can disconnect the outlet 161 of the cooling pipe 310 corresponding to the area of ​​the battery pack 400 with low heat generation from the inner cavity 140. This reduces the amount of coolant used and lowers the energy consumption of the battery module.

[0074] The valve body 100 includes a single surface, and the multiple surfaces of the valve body 100 are arranged at an angle to each other. Specifically, when the valve body 100 has a rectangular structure, it includes at least four surfaces. Multiple liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100 can be located on the same surface of the valve body 100. When the multiple liquid outlets 161 on the surface of the valve body 100 are connected to the cooling pipes 310 within the liquid cooling plate of the battery pack 400 via external pipes, the multiple external pipes can be located on the same side of the valve body 100, avoiding a scattered distribution of the external pipes.

[0075] In some embodiments, the orientation of the plurality of liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100 can be set to be consistent, thereby placing the plurality of liquid outlets 161 on the same side surface of the valve body 100. When the plurality of liquid outlets 161 on the surface of the valve body 100 are connected to the cooling pipes 310 of the liquid cooling plate through pipes, the plurality of external pipes can be located on the same side of the valve body 100, avoiding the haphazard distribution of the plurality of pipes. In this way, when the valve body 100 is mounted on the liquid cooling plate, the overall structure of the battery module can be made more compact.

[0076] Specifically, when the multiple liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100 face the same direction, the surface of the valve body 100 without liquid outlets 161 can be fitted to the surface of the liquid cooling plate, thereby reducing the gap between the valve body 100 and the liquid cooling plate and making the battery module structure more compact. Furthermore, when the liquid outlets 161 of the multiple valve bodies 100 face the same direction, the openings of the multiple cooling pipes 310 on the liquid cooling plate can also be aligned in the same direction. This allows the multiple liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100 to be connected to the openings of the multiple cooling pipes 310 on the liquid cooling plate, reducing the number of intermediate connecting parts between the liquid cooling plate and the multi-way valve, thus making the battery module structure more compact.

[0077] In some implementations, reference Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100 of this application can be configured to be located on the same surface of the valve body 100 as multiple liquid outlets 161. When the liquid inlet 151 on the surface of the valve body 100 is connected to the cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate through an external pipe, the external pipe can be located on the same side of the valve body 100 as the external pipe connecting the liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100, avoiding the multiple external pipes being scattered. In this way, when the valve body 100 is mounted on the liquid cooling plate, the overall structure of the battery module can be made more compact.

[0078] In some embodiments, at least two of the liquid inlet 151 and the plurality of liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100 of this application are oriented in the same direction. This ensures that the liquid inlet 151 and the plurality of liquid outlets 161 are located on the same side surface of the valve body 100. When the liquid inlet 151 on the surface of the valve body 100 is connected to the battery pack 400 through an external pipeline, the external pipeline can be located on the same side of the valve body 100 as the external pipeline connecting the liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100, avoiding the multiple external pipelines being scattered. In this way, when the valve body 100 is disposed on the battery pack 400, the overall structure of the battery module can be made more compact.

[0079] Specifically, at least two of the multiple liquid outlets 161 can be configured to face the same direction, or the liquid inlet 151 can be configured to face the same direction as at least one of the multiple liquid outlets 161. This will make the multi-way valve of this application occupy less space during installation.

[0080] In addition, in other embodiments, the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100 may be located on the side of the valve body 100 facing away from the liquid outlet 161. In this way, when the liquid outlet 161 of the valve body 100 is connected to the opening of the cooling pipe 310 on the surface of the liquid cooling plate, the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100 may be located on the side of the valve body 100 facing away from the liquid cooling plate, so that the liquid inlet 151 can be easily connected to the water tank through an external pipeline.

[0081] In some implementations, reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the valve body 100 of this application includes a first mounting surface 111, an inlet pipe 150, and a plurality of outlet pipes 160. One end of the inlet pipe 150 is connected to the first mounting surface 111 of the valve body 100, and the other end of the inlet pipe 150 is provided with an inlet port 151. One end of the plurality of outlet pipes 160 is connected to the first mounting surface 111 of the valve body 100, and the other end of the plurality of outlet pipes 160 is provided with an outlet port 161. Both the inlet pipe 150 and the outlet pipes 160 protrude from the first mounting surface 111 of the valve body 100. In this way, when the inlet port 151 and the outlet port 161 need to be connected to an external pipeline, the external pipeline can be fitted onto the inlet pipe 150 and the outlet pipe 160, thereby making it more convenient for the external pipeline to connect with the inlet port 151 and the outlet port 161.

[0082] In addition, when the valve body 100 is provided with an inlet pipe 150 and an outlet pipe 160, the inlet pipe 150 and the outlet pipe 160 can also be connected to the openings of multiple cooling pipes 310 in the liquid cooling plate by plugging in, thereby making the installation of the valve body 100 and the liquid cooling plate more convenient.

[0083] In some embodiments, at least two of the inlet pipe 150 and the plurality of outlet pipes 160 extend in the same direction. That is, at least two of the multiple pipes of the inlet pipe 150 and the plurality of outlet pipes 160 extend in the same direction. The plurality of outlet ports 161 are oriented in the same direction, so that the plurality of outlet pipes 160 with outlet ports 161 can extend in the same direction, thereby reducing the size of the valve body 100 in other directions, so that the structure of the valve body 100 can be more compact. The orientation of the inlet port 151 is the same as that of the outlet port 161, so that the inlet pipe 150 with inlet port 151 and the outlet pipe 160 with outlet port 161 can extend in the same direction, thereby reducing the size of the valve body 100 in other directions, so that the structure of the valve body 100 can be more compact.

[0084] Of course, it should be understood that when the inlet pipe 150 and the outlet pipe 160 extend in the same direction, the inlet port 151 and the outlet port 161 can also be set to face different directions, which can also make the overall structure of the multi-way valve compact.

[0085] In some implementations, reference Figure 7 As shown, to facilitate the control of multiple liquid outlets 161 by the controller 200, the inner cavity 140 of the valve body 100 may include multiple sub-cavities 141. Each sub-cavity 141 can be connected to a different liquid outlet 161, and the liquid inlet 151 can be connected to or disconnected from the multiple sub-cavities 141. Liquid entering the inner cavity 140 through the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100 can selectively enter multiple sub-cavities 141, and finally be input into the corresponding cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate through the corresponding liquid outlet 161. This allows the coolant to transition from the inner cavity 140 of the valve body 100 to other sub-cavities 141.

[0086] The inlet 151 of the valve body 100 can be configured to communicate with one of the multiple sub-cavities 141. That is, the number of sub-cavities 141 can be configured to correspond to the total number of outlets 161 and inlets 151 of the valve body 100, thus allowing the inlet 151 and multiple outlets 161 to communicate with the multiple sub-cavities 141. Alternatively, the inlet 151 can be configured to communicate with one of the multiple outlets 161 within the same sub-cavity 141. In other words, the number of sub-cavities 141 can be the same as the number of outlets 161. This reduces the number of sub-cavities 141 within the valve body 100, simplifying the valve body 100's structure, reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the valve body 100, and ultimately reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the multi-way valve.

[0087] Furthermore, the outlet 161 corresponding to the sub-cavity 141 connected to the inlet 151 can always be connected to the inlet 151, so that when coolant is introduced into the inlet 151, it can be introduced into the cooling pipe 310 through the outlet 161.

[0088] In some implementations, reference Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 4 and Figure 8 As shown, in order for the control component 200 to control the connection or disconnection of the liquid outlet 161 and the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100, the control component 200 may be provided with a valve core 220 and a drive unit 210, with the drive unit 210 connected to the valve core 220. A valve port 131 is provided inside the valve body 100, and the two ends of the valve port 131 can be connected to the liquid inlet 151 and the liquid outlet 161 respectively. The drive unit 210 is configured to drive the valve core 220 to move away from or towards the valve port 131 to open or close the valve port 131, thereby connecting or disconnecting the liquid inlet 151 and the liquid outlet 161.

[0089] Specifically, the inner diameter of the valve port 131 of the valve body 100 can be set to be consistent with the outer diameter of the valve core 220. The drive unit 210 can drive the valve core 220 to move toward the valve port 131 of the valve body 100 until the valve core 220 is inserted into the valve port 131. In this way, the outer wall of the valve core 220 fits against the inner wall of the valve port 131, so that the valve core 220 can seal the valve port 131. A sealing ring 221 can also be fitted on the surface of the valve core 220. When the valve core 220 is inserted into the valve port 131, the sealing ring 221 can fit against the inner wall of the valve port 131, and the sealing ring 221 can enhance the effect of the valve core 220 in sealing the valve port 131.

[0090] In some implementations, reference Figure 2A , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 8As shown, in order for the drive unit 210 to drive the valve core 220 to move toward or away from the valve port 131 of the valve body 100, the drive unit 210 may be provided with a driver 211 and a cam 212. The driver 211 is disposed in the valve body 100, and one end of the cam 212 is connected to the output end of the driver 211. The driver 211 is a motor, enabling the driver 211 to drive the cam 212 to rotate. The cam 212 includes a protruding end 213, and the driver 211 driving the cam 212 to rotate allows the cam 212 to switch between a first state and a second state.

[0091] When the cam 212 is in the first state, the protruding end 213 of the cam 212 abuts against the valve core 220 to drive the valve core 220 to move toward the valve port 131 of the valve body 100 to block the valve port 131.

[0092] When cam 212 is in the second state, the protruding end 213 of cam 212 separates from valve core 220, so that the protruding end 213 no longer holds valve core 220 to block valve port 131. At this time, valve core 220 can be driven to move away from valve port 131, thereby separating valve core 220 from valve port 131 and opening valve port 131.

[0093] In some implementations, reference Figure 6 As shown, in order to enable the valve core 220 to be driven to separate from the valve port 131 and open the valve port, the drive part 210 of this application may also be provided with an elastic element 214, which is connected to the valve core 220.

[0094] When the cam 212 is in the first state, the protruding end 213 of the cam 212 abuts against the valve core 220 to drive the valve core 220 to move toward the valve port 131 of the valve body 100 to block the valve port 131. At this time, the valve core 220 will stretch or compress the elastic element 214, causing the elastic element 214 to deform and generate elastic restoring force.

[0095] When the cam 212 is in the second state, the protruding end 213 of the cam 212 separates from the valve core 220, so that the protruding end 213 no longer holds the valve core 220 to block the valve port 131. At this time, the elastic restoring force of the elastic element 214 can drive the valve core 220 to move away from the valve port 131, thereby separating the valve core 220 from the valve port 131 and opening the valve port 131.

[0096] Specifically, the elastic element 214 can be a spring, which can be sleeved on the valve core 220, with one end of the elastic element 214 abutting against the inner wall of the cavity of the valve body 100. When the cam 212 rotates and pushes the valve core 220 toward the valve port 131, the valve core 220 can compress the elastic element 214.

[0097] In other embodiments, the valve core 220 and the cam 213 may be provided with corresponding magnetic adsorption elements. When the cam 212 is in the first state, the protruding end 213 of the cam 212 abuts against the valve core 220 to drive the valve core 220 to move toward the valve port 131 of the valve body 100 to block the valve port 131. At this time, the distance between the magnetic adsorption element on the cam 212 and the magnetic adsorption element on the valve core 220 is at its maximum.

[0098] When cam 212 is in the second state, the protruding end 213 of cam 212 separates from valve core 220, so that the protruding end 213 no longer abuts against valve core 220 to block valve port 131. At this time, the distance between the magnetic adsorption component on cam 212 and the magnetic adsorption component on valve core 220 is relatively minimal. The magnetic adsorption component on cam 212 can drive valve core 220 towards cam 212 through magnetic attraction until it separates from valve port 131, thereby opening valve port 131. In this way, the elastic component 214 is not required.

[0099] In some implementations, reference Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 8 As shown, the number of valve cores 220 in this application can also be set to multiple, and the number of valve ports 131 can also be set to multiple. Multiple valve ports 131 can be connected to multiple liquid outlets 161 respectively. The drive unit 210 can drive multiple valve cores 220 to move towards or away from multiple valve ports 131 respectively, so that multiple valve cores 220 can open and close multiple valve ports 131. In this way, the flow rate of coolant in the cooling pipes 310 connected to the multiple liquid outlets 161 in the liquid cooling plate can be controlled.

[0100] Specifically, the number of elastic elements 214 can be set to multiple, and multiple elastic elements 214 are connected to multiple valve cores 220 respectively. The cam 212 can be provided with multiple protruding ends 213, which can be arranged around the circumference of the cam 212 and also along the axial direction of the cam 212. The multiple protruding ends 213 can be correspondingly arranged to multiple valve cores 220. When the driver 211 drives the cam 212 to rotate, the multiple protruding ends 213 can all abut against the valve cores 220 and drive the valve cores 220 to move toward the valve port 131 to block the valve port 131. The multiple protruding ends 213 can also cause the driving part 210 of some of the protruding ends 213 to move the valve core 220 toward some valve ports 131 to block some valve ports 131, while the other valve cores 220 are misaligned with the corresponding protruding ends 213, so that the other valve cores 220 are not blocked by the protruding ends 213 and are not blocked at the corresponding valve ports 131. Thus, the driving part 210 can drive the cam 212 to rotate, so that the multiple valve ports 131 can be selectively opened and closed.

[0101] Of course, in other embodiments, the plurality of liquid outlets 161 of the valve body 100 may include a first liquid outlet 161a and a plurality of second liquid outlets 161b. The first liquid outlet 161a is always in communication with the liquid inlet 151 of the valve body 100. Correspondingly, the number of valve ports 131 and valve cores 220 may correspond to the number of the plurality of second liquid outlets 161b, so that the control element 200 controls the plurality of second liquid outlets 161 to connect or disconnect from the liquid inlet 151.

[0102] In addition, the first outlet 161a can be configured to be connected to the same sub-cavity 141 as the inlet 151. In this way, after the coolant enters the valve body 100 through the inlet 151, it can directly enter the first outlet 161a through the corresponding sub-cavity 141 and then be input into the cooling pipe 310 of the cooling plate 300.

[0103] The second outlet 161b can be connected to other sub-cavities 141, and each second outlet 161b is individually connected to a sub-cavity 141.

[0104] It should be understood that the multiple cooling pipes 310 within the liquid cooling plate may include a main channel, which corresponds to the part of the battery pack 400 that generates the most heat. Therefore, the main channel needs to be continuously circulated with coolant during battery module charging and discharging. The first outlet 161 of the valve body 100 can be connected to the main channel of the liquid cooling plate, allowing the coolant in the water tank to flow directly into the main channel of the liquid cooling plate through the first outlet 161 after entering the multi-way valve. This ensures that the part of the battery pack 400 that generates the most heat can always exchange heat with the coolant in the liquid cooling plate, allowing the battery pack 400 to dissipate heat effectively. Furthermore, the control component 200 does not need to control the opening and closing of the first outlet 161, which simplifies the structure of the control component 200 and ultimately reduces the manufacturing cost of the multi-way valve.

[0105] In some implementations, reference Figure 2A , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the valve body 100 of this application may include an upper cover 110, a partition 130, a lower cover 120, and a fixed bracket 190. The upper cover 110 and the lower cover 120 are mated to form an inner cavity 140, and the partition 130 is located in the inner cavity 140, with multiple valve ports 131 disposed on the partition 130. The fixed bracket 190 is also disposed in the inner cavity 140, and the valve core 220 is movably disposed on the fixed bracket 190. The cam 212 may also be mounted on the fixed bracket 190. The fixed bracket 190 may have mounting holes 191 for the valve core 220 to pass through.

[0106] In some implementations, reference Figure 2AAs shown, the surface of the valve body 100 of this application includes a second mounting surface 112, which is located on one side of the first mounting surface 111 and is perpendicular to the first mounting surface 111. When the surface of the valve body 100 opposite to the first mounting surface 111 is opposite to the liquid cooling plate, the actuator 211 located on the second mounting surface 112 can be located on the side wall of the valve body 100. This ensures that the actuator 211 does not interfere with the multiple liquid outlets 161, facilitating the mounting of the actuator 211 on the valve body 100.

[0107] In some implementations, reference Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the valve body 100 of this application may also be provided with a return port 170 and a drain port 180, and the inner cavity 140 of the valve body 100 may be provided with an inlet chamber 142 and an outlet chamber 143. Specifically, the inlet port 151 and the outlet port 161 of the valve body 100 are both connected to the inlet chamber 142, and the return port 170 and the drain port 180 of the valve body 100 are both connected to the outlet chamber 143. The return port 170 of the valve body 100 is also connected to the end of the cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate away from the inlet port 151 of the valve body 100, that is, connected to the outlet of the cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate. The drain port 180 of the valve body 100 can be connected to an external pipeline. After the coolant flowing through the cooling pipe 310 of the liquid cooling plate exchanges heat with the battery pack 400, it can flow back to the outlet chamber 143 of the valve body 100 through the return port 170 of the valve body 100, and finally be discharged to the outside of the valve body 100 through the drain port 180.

[0108] By providing a return port 170 and a drain port 180 on the valve body 100, the battery module does not need to be equipped with an additional multi-way valve structure for connecting the cooling pipe 310 of the battery pack 400 to the return pipe, thereby reducing the number of components in the battery module and lowering the manufacturing cost of the battery module.

[0109] In some implementations, reference Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the return port 170 of the valve body 100 of this application can be configured to be located on the same surface of the valve body 100 as the outlet port 161. This ensures that the return port 170 and multiple outlet ports 161 are located on the same side surface of the valve body 100. When the return port 170 on the surface of the valve body 100 is connected to the battery pack 400 through an external pipeline, this external pipeline can be located on the same side of the valve body 100 as the external pipeline connecting the outlet ports 161 of the valve body 100, avoiding the multiple external pipelines being scattered. In this way, when the valve body 100 is installed on the battery pack 400, the overall structure of the battery module can be made more compact.

[0110] In addition, one end of the cooling pipe 310 of the battery pack 400 that is connected to the return port 170 of the valve body 100 can be located on the same side of the surface of the battery pack 400 as the other end of the cooling pipe 310. This reduces the distance between the return port 170 of the valve body 100 and the opening of the cooling pipe 310 of the battery pack 400, thereby making the structure of the battery module more compact.

[0111] In some embodiments, at least two of the return port 170 and the plurality of outlet ports 161 of the valve body 100 are oriented in the same direction, so that the pipelines connected to the return port 170 and the outlet ports 161 can be extended in the same direction, thereby making the pipeline arrangement connected to the return port 170 and the outlet ports 161 more regular.

[0112] Specifically, at least two of the multiple outlet ports 161 can be configured to face the same direction, or the return port 170 can be configured to face the same direction as at least one of the multiple outlet ports 161. This will make the multi-way valve of this application occupy less space during installation.

[0113] In some implementations, reference Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the drain port 180 of the valve body 100 of this application can be configured to be located on the same surface of the valve body 100 as the outlet port 161. This ensures that the drain port 180 and multiple outlet ports 161 are located on the same side surface of the valve body 100. When the drain port 180 on the surface of the valve body 100 is connected to an external pipeline, the external pipeline can be located on the same side of the valve body 100 as the external pipeline connecting to the outlet ports 161 of the valve body 100, avoiding the multiple external pipelines being scattered. In this way, when the valve body 100 is installed on the battery pack 400, the overall structure of the battery module can be made more compact.

[0114] In some embodiments, at least two of the drain port 180 of the valve body 100 and the plurality of outlet ports 161 are oriented in the same direction, so that the pipelines connected to the drain port 180 and the outlet ports 161 can be extended in the same direction, thereby making the pipeline arrangement connected to the drain port 180 and the outlet ports 161 more regular.

[0115] Specifically, at least two of the multiple outlets 161 can be configured to face the same direction, or the drain port 180 can be configured to face the same direction as at least one of the multiple outlets 161. This will make the multi-way valve of this application occupy less space during installation.

[0116] Based on the multi-way valve described above, this application also proposes a liquid cooling plate, including a cooling plate body 300 and the aforementioned multi-way valve. The cooling plate body 300 contains multiple cooling pipes 310, and the inlet ends of the multiple cooling pipes 310 are respectively connected to multiple outlet ports 161 of the multi-way valve. By controlling the connection and disconnection between the outlet ports 161 and the corresponding cooling pipes 310 through the multi-way valve, the flow rate of the coolant input into the cooling pipes 310 within the cooling plate body 300 can be controlled.

[0117] Based on the liquid cooling plate mentioned above, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 11 As shown, this application also proposes a battery module, including a battery pack 400 and the liquid cooling plate mentioned above, which can be used to dissipate heat from the battery pack 400.

[0118] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the cooling plate 300 is stacked on the battery pack 400, and the valve body 100 is fixed to the cooling plate 300 and / or the battery pack 400. Specifically, multiple liquid outlets 161 are provided on the surface of the valve body 100 facing away from the cooling plate 300 and / or the battery pack 400. This further reduces the size of the battery module, facilitates the connection of the liquid outlets 161 to external pipelines, and makes the overall structure of the entire battery module more compact.

[0119] Specifically, the cooling plate 300 is stacked on the battery pack 400, and the valve body 100 can be set on the side of the cooling plate 300 facing away from the battery pack 400. In this way, the cooling plate 300 and the battery pack 400 can be closer together, so that the coolant flowing through the cooling pipe 310 in the cooling plate 300 can more fully contact and exchange heat with the battery pack 400, and ultimately make the heat dissipation effect of the battery module of this application better.

[0120] It should be understood that the area with the highest heat generation in the battery pack 400 is the end of the battery cell inside the battery pack 400, and correspondingly, this part of the area needs to be cooled more thoroughly.

[0121] To address the aforementioned issues, in some embodiments, among the multiple cooling pipes 310 of the cooling plate 300 of this application, the cooling pipe 310 connected to the first outlet 161a of the multi-way valve can be configured to cool the end of the battery core of the battery pack 400. In this way, when the coolant enters the multi-way valve, the end of the battery core of the battery pack 400 can always exchange heat with the coolant, thereby lowering the temperature of the battery pack 400.

[0122] Based on the battery module described above, this application also proposes a vehicle that includes the battery module described above. The battery module can be used to power the vehicle.

[0123] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A multi-way valve, characterized in that, include: The valve body (100) includes an inner cavity (140), an inlet (151) and a plurality of outlets (161), wherein the inlet (151) and the plurality of outlets (161) are all connected to the inner cavity (140); A control element (200) is disposed on the valve body (100), the control element (200) being configured to control at least one of the plurality of liquid outlets (161) to connect or disconnect from the liquid inlet (151); The plurality of liquid outlets (161) are located on the same surface of the valve body (100).

2. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet (151) and the outlet (161) are located on the same surface of the valve body (100).

3. The multi-way valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, Of the inlet (151) and the plurality of outlets (161), at least two are oriented in the same direction.

4. The multi-way valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The valve body (100) includes a first mounting surface (111), an inlet pipe (150), and a plurality of outlet pipes (160). One end of the inlet pipe (150) is connected to the first mounting surface (111), and the other end of the inlet pipe (150) is provided with an inlet port (151). One end of the plurality of outlet pipes (160) is connected to the first mounting surface (111), and the other end of the plurality of outlet pipes (160) is provided with an outlet port (161).

5. The multi-way valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, Of the inlet pipe (150) and the plurality of outlet pipes (160), at least two extend in the same direction.

6. The multi-way valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control unit (200) includes a valve core (220) and a drive unit (210). The drive unit (210) is connected to the valve core (220). A valve port (131) is provided inside the valve body (100). One end of the valve port (131) is connected to the liquid inlet (151), and the other end of the valve port (131) is connected to the liquid outlet (161). The drive unit (210) is configured to drive the valve core (220) to move away from or towards the valve port (131) to open or close the valve port (131).

7. The multi-way valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, The drive unit (210) includes a driver (211) and a cam (212). The driver (211) is disposed on the valve body (100). The cam (212) is connected to the driver (211). The cam (212) includes a protruding end (213). The driver (211) is configured to drive the cam (212) to rotate so that the cam (212) switches between a first state and a second state. When the cam (212) is in the first state, the protruding end (213) abuts against the valve core (220) so that the valve core (220) blocks the valve port (131). When the cam (212) is in the second state, the protruding end (213) separates from the valve core (220), and the valve core (220) is driven to move away from the valve port (131) to open the valve port (131).

8. The multi-way valve according to claim 7, characterized in that, The drive unit (210) also includes an elastic element (214), which is connected to the valve core (220); When the cam (212) is in the first state, the valve core (220) compresses or stretches the elastic element (214) to deform the elastic element (214); When the cam (212) is in the second state, the elastic force of the elastic element (214) drives the valve core (220) to move away from the valve port (131) to open the valve port (131).

9. The multi-way valve according to claim 8, characterized in that, The number of valve cores (220), elastic elements (214), and valve ports (131) is multiple. One end of each valve port (131) is connected to the liquid inlet (151), and the other end of each valve port (131) is connected to the liquid outlet (161). The cam (212) includes multiple protruding ends (213). The multiple protruding ends (213) are spaced apart along the axial direction of the cam (212), and at least two of the protruding ends (213) have different orientations. The multiple protruding ends (213) and the multiple elastic elements (214) are all corresponding to the multiple valve cores (220) to drive the multiple valve cores (220) to open and close the multiple valve ports (131) respectively.

10. The multi-way valve according to claim 7, characterized in that, The surface of the valve body (100) includes a second mounting surface (112), which is perpendicular to the first mounting surface (111). The driver (211) is disposed on the second mounting surface (112). A plurality of the protruding ends (213) are located in the inner cavity (140). One end of the cam (212) passes through the valve body (100) and is connected to the driver (211).

11. The multi-way valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, The valve body (100) includes an upper cover (110), a lower cover (120) and a partition (130). The upper cover (110) and the lower cover (120) are connected to form the inner cavity (140). The partition (130) is located in the inner cavity (140), and the valve port (131) is opened on the partition (130).

12. The multi-way valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve body (100) further includes a return port (170) and a drain port (180). The inner cavity (140) includes an inlet cavity (142) and an outlet cavity (143). The outlet port (161) and the inlet port (151) are both connected to the inlet cavity (142). The return port (170) and the drain port (180) are both connected to the outlet cavity (143). The return port (170) is also connected to the outlet end of the cooling pipe (310) of the cooling plate (300). The drain port (180) is also connected to an external pipeline.

13. The multi-way valve according to claim 12, characterized in that, The return port (170) and the outlet port (161) are located on the same surface of the valve body (100).

14. The multi-way valve according to claim 13, characterized in that, The return port (170) and at least two of the plurality of outlet ports (161) are oriented in the same direction.

15. The multi-way valve according to claim 12, characterized in that, The drain port (180) and the outlet port (161) are located on the same surface of the valve body (100).

16. The multi-way valve according to claim 15, characterized in that, The drain port (180) and at least two of the plurality of outlet ports (161) are oriented in the same direction.

17. The multi-way valve according to any one of claims 1-16, characterized in that, The plurality of liquid outlets (161) include a first liquid outlet (161a) and a second liquid outlet (161b), the first liquid outlet (161a) being always in communication with the inner cavity (140), and the control element (200) being configured to control the opening and closing of the second liquid outlet (161b).

18. The multi-way valve according to claim 17, characterized in that, The inner cavity (140) includes multiple sub-cavities (141), and the first liquid outlet (161a) and the liquid inlet (151) are connected to the same sub-cavity (141).

19. The multi-way valve according to claim 18, characterized in that, The number of liquid outlets (161) is the same as the number of sub-cavities (141), and the plurality of liquid outlets (161) are respectively connected to the plurality of sub-cavities (141).

20. A liquid-cooled plate, characterized in that, The device includes a cooling plate (300) and a multi-way valve as described in any one of claims 1-19, wherein the cooling plate (300) includes a plurality of cooling pipes (310), and the plurality of cooling pipes (310) are respectively connected to a plurality of liquid outlets (161).

21. A battery module, characterized in that, Includes a battery pack (400) and a liquid cooling plate as described in claim 20.

22. The battery module according to claim 21, characterized in that, At least a portion of the cooling plate (300) is stacked on the battery pack (400), and the valve body (100) is fixed to the cooling plate (300) and / or the battery pack (400).

23. The battery module according to claim 22, characterized in that, The plurality of liquid outlets (161) include a first liquid outlet (161a) and a second liquid outlet (161b). The first liquid outlet (161a) is always in communication with the inner cavity (140). The cooling pipe (310) connected to the first liquid outlet (161a) is used to cool the end of the battery core of the battery pack (400).

24. A vehicle, characterized in that, It includes the liquid cooling plate as described in claim 20, or the battery module as described in any one of claims 21-23, or the multi-way valve as described in any one of claims 1-19.

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