Battery pack and electric equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to a battery pack and electric equipment, the battery pack comprises a battery box body, a multi-way valve and a plurality of battery modules, the battery box body is internally provided with a plurality of accommodating cavities, each accommodating cavity is internally provided with a battery module, each accommodating cavity is internally provided with a heat exchange part, and the heat exchange part is internally provided with a flow channel for a heat exchange medium to flow through; the heat exchange part is used for exchanging heat with the corresponding battery module, and the multi-way valve is mounted on the battery box body. Therefore, the heat exchange medium can be controlled to flow in different flow paths through the multi-way valve according to the heat exchange requirements and operation conditions of the battery modules in different accommodating cavities, so that the temperature control capability of each battery module is improved, the energy consumption of the operation of the battery pack is reduced, and the safety of the battery pack is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of battery pack, and particularly relates to a battery pack and a power consumption device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of electric vehicle technology, the design and manufacture of battery packs are also constantly improving to meet higher performance requirements and more extensive market demands. For example, the battery pack heat exchange system (such as liquid cooling) technology field develops rapidly and becomes a key technology for electric vehicle thermal management. How to meet the heat exchange requirements of the battery pack has become a research direction of the battery pack. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a battery pack and a power consumption device to solve the above technical problems.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack is provided, comprising a battery box, a multi-way valve and a plurality of battery modules;

[0005] The battery box has a plurality of accommodating cavities, and each accommodating cavity is arranged with a battery module;

[0006] Each accommodating cavity is provided with a heat exchange part, and the heat exchange part is provided with a flow channel for a heat exchange medium to flow through, and the heat exchange part is used for heat exchange with the corresponding battery module;

[0007] The multi-way valve is installed on the battery box, and the flow channels of the plurality of heat exchange parts are connected with an external heat exchange system through the multi-way valve.

[0008] Optionally, the multi-way valve is also used for controlling the flow of the flow channel of one or more of the plurality of heat exchange parts.

[0009] Optionally, the battery box comprises a heat exchange plate located at the bottom of the battery module, and the heat exchange plate is provided with a plurality of heat exchange parts arranged at intervals, each heat exchange part corresponding to a battery module.

[0010] Optionally, the heat exchange plate comprises at least one heat insulation part, and two adjacent heat exchange parts are connected through the heat insulation part.

[0011] Optionally, the battery box comprises a plurality of heat exchange plates located at the bottom of the battery module, and the plurality of heat exchange plates are arranged at intervals, each heat exchange plate is provided with the heat exchange part, and each heat exchange plate corresponds to a battery module.

[0012] Optionally, each heat exchange part is provided with a plurality of parallel flow channels.

[0013] Optionally, the battery module comprises a plurality of battery monomers.

[0014] Each of the flow channels comprises a first flow channel section, and the arrangement direction of the first flow channel sections of the plurality of flow channels is consistent with the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery monomers.

[0015] Optionally, a flow-restricting section is arranged on the first flow channel section, and the flow area of the flow-restricting section is smaller than that of other parts of the first flow channel section.

[0016] The flow-restricting section is located at a region on the heat exchange part for connecting with the battery monomer or other components.

[0017] Optionally, each of the first flow channel sections comprises at least two first sub-flow channel sections connected in parallel, and the at least two first sub-flow channel sections share one flow-restricting section.

[0018] Optionally, the multi-way valve has at least one of a first working mode, a second working mode and a third working mode.

[0019] In the first working mode, the flow channel of a single heat exchange part of the plurality of heat exchange parts is connected with the external heat exchange system through the multi-way valve.

[0020] In the second working mode, the flow channels of the plurality of heat exchange parts are connected in parallel through the multi-way valve and connected with the external heat exchange system.

[0021] In the third working mode, the flow channels of the plurality of heat exchange parts are connected in series through the multi-way valve and connected with the external heat exchange system.

[0022] Optionally, the multi-way valve comprises a first opening, a second opening, two third openings and two fourth openings.

[0023] The first opening is a total inlet for heat exchange medium to flow into the battery pack, and the second opening is a total outlet for heat exchange medium to flow out of the battery pack.

[0024] In the first working mode, the inlet end of the flow channel of only one of the two heat exchange parts is connected with the first opening through a corresponding third opening, and the outlet end of the flow channel of the heat exchange part is connected with the second opening through a corresponding fourth opening.

[0025] In the second working mode, the inlet ends of the flow channels of the two heat exchange parts are respectively connected with the first opening through corresponding third openings, and the outlet ends of the flow channels of the two heat exchange parts are respectively connected with the second opening through corresponding fourth openings.

[0026] In the third working mode, the inlet end of the flow channel of one of the two heat exchange portions is communicated with the first opening through a corresponding third opening, the outlet end of the flow channel of the one of the two heat exchange portions is communicated with the third opening of the other of the two heat exchange portions through a corresponding fourth opening, and the fourth opening of the other of the two heat exchange portions is communicated with the second opening.

[0027] Optionally, the number of the accommodation cavities is two, and the two accommodation cavities are arranged along a first direction, and the flow channels of the two heat exchange portions are symmetric about a center in the first direction of the battery pack.

[0028] Optionally, the battery pack further comprises a plurality of joints, and the first opening and the second opening are respectively connected with an external heat exchange system through corresponding joints.

[0029] The third opening and the fourth opening are respectively connected with the inlet end and the outlet end of the flow channel through corresponding joints.

[0030] Optionally, a first partition beam is arranged in the battery box, the first partition beam extends along a first direction and divides the internal space of the battery box into a first chamber and a second chamber, and the first chamber comprises a plurality of the accommodation cavities.

[0031] The multi-way valve is arranged in the second chamber.

[0032] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a power consuming device is provided, which comprises a device body and the above-mentioned battery pack, and the battery pack is mounted to the device body and used to supply power to the device body.

[0033] According to the above technical solution, since each accommodation cavity is provided with a heat exchange portion, the heat exchange portion is provided with a flow channel for the flow of a heat exchange medium, and the flow channels of the plurality of heat exchange portions are connected with an external heat exchange system through a multi-way valve, therefore, the battery pack only needs to be provided with one heat exchange medium total inlet and one heat exchange medium total outlet, and the battery pack outside only needs to be provided with one heat exchange medium inlet pipeline and one heat exchange medium outlet pipeline, so that the connection between the plurality of heat exchange portions in the battery pack and the external heat exchange system can be realized, which is conducive to reducing the number of pipelines between the battery pack and the external heat exchange system, simplifying the structure of the entire battery pack and the power consuming device, thereby facilitating the simplification of the structural complexity and arrangement difficulty of the system for heat exchange of the battery pack, and further facilitating the arrangement of the battery pack in the power consuming device.

[0034] By the technical scheme, since each accommodating cavity is provided with a heat exchange part, the heat exchange part is provided with a flow channel for the heat exchange medium to flow through, and the flow channels of the plurality of heat exchange parts are connected with the external heat exchange system through the multi-way valve, thus, the heat exchange medium can flow through different flow channels according to the heat exchange demand and operation condition of the battery module in different accommodating cavities, which is not only beneficial to improve the temperature control capability of each battery module, but also beneficial to reduce the energy consumption of the battery pack operation, and beneficial to improve the safety of the battery pack.

[0035] It should be understood that the general description above and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a perspective structure of a battery pack provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a perspective structure of a battery pack provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a perspective structure of a heat exchange plate provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the internal flow channel is shown.

[0040] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a heat exchange medium flow path provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the multi-way valve is in a first working mode, and the dashed line schematically shows the flow path of the heat exchange medium.

[0041] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a heat exchange medium flow path provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the multi-way valve is in a second working mode, and the dashed line schematically shows the flow path of the heat exchange medium.

[0042] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a heat exchange medium flow path provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the multi-way valve is in a third working mode, and the dashed line schematically shows the flow path of the heat exchange medium.

[0043] LEGEND OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] 1000 - battery pack; 100 - battery box; 110 - first partition beam; 120 - second partition beam; 300 - battery module; 310 - battery cell; 410 - first chamber; 411 - containing cavity; 420 - second chamber; 500 - heat exchange part; 510 - flow channel; 511 - inlet end; 512 - outlet end; 513 - first flow channel section; 5131 - first sub-flow channel section; 514 - second flow channel section; 5141 - second sub-flow channel section; 515 - contraction section; 600 - multi-way valve; 610 - first opening; 620 - second opening; 630 - third opening; 640 - fourth opening; 700 - heat exchange plate; 800 - joint. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely intended to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0046] In the present disclosure, the orientation words such as "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom" used without the opposite description are generally defined with the upper, lower, top, and bottom of the battery pack in the normal use state, only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, and a specific orientation configuration and operation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure. The "first direction" and "second direction" can be referred to the first direction and second direction shown in the drawings. "Inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer of the profile of the corresponding component. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like are used only to distinguish one element from another element, and do not have sequential and important meanings. Figure 1

[0047] In the description of the present disclosure, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set", "connected", "linked", "mounted" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixedly connected, can be detachably connected, or integrally connected, can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. It can be understood according to the specific circumstances by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0048] In the related art, the battery pack usually has only one containing cavity containing the battery module, and only one total heat exchange medium inlet and one total heat exchange medium outlet. For the embodiment in which the battery pack includes multiple battery modules and the containing cavity is multiple, for example, for a double-bank battery pack, multiple heat exchange medium total inlets and multiple heat exchange medium total outlets need to be set, at the same time, multiple heat exchange medium inlet pipelines and multiple heat exchange medium outlet pipelines need to be matched and set outside the battery pack, which will increase the complexity and difficulty of system arrangement, and is not conducive to the arrangement of the battery pack in the electrical equipment (such as a vehicle).

[0049] In view of this, as shown in​Figures 1 to 6 As shown, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack 1000 is provided, comprising a battery box 100, a multi-way valve 600 and a plurality of battery modules 300, the battery box 100 has a plurality of accommodating cavities 411 inside, each of the accommodating cavities 411 is arranged with a battery module 300, each of the accommodating cavities 411 is provided with a heat exchange part 500, the heat exchange part 500 is provided with a flow channel 510 for the heat exchange medium to flow through, the heat exchange part 500 is used for heat exchange with the corresponding battery module 300, and the multi-way valve 600 is installed on the battery box 100.

[0050] When the above-mentioned battery box 100 is applied to the battery pack 1000, the plurality of battery modules 300 in the battery pack 1000 can be arranged in the plurality of accommodating cavities 411 in the battery box 100 respectively, and the device main body is powered, the battery box 100 can realize the fixation of the battery module 300 in the electrical equipment, and the battery module 300 will not shake during use, and the safety of the battery pack 1000 is good.

[0051] Through the above technical solution, since each of the accommodating cavities 411 is provided with the heat exchange part 500, the heat exchange part 500 is provided with the flow channel 510 for the heat exchange medium to flow through, and the flow channels 510 of the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 are connected with the external heat exchange system (such as an external air conditioning system) through the multi-way valve 600, the battery pack 1000 only needs to be provided with one heat exchange medium total inlet and one heat exchange medium total outlet, and the battery pack 1000 also only needs to be provided with one heat exchange medium inlet pipeline and one heat exchange medium outlet pipeline, so that the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 in the battery pack 1000 can be connected with the external heat exchange system, which is conducive to reducing the number of pipelines between the battery pack 1000 and the external heat exchange system, simplifying the structure of the entire battery pack 1000 and the electrical equipment, thereby facilitating the simplification of the structural complexity and arrangement difficulty of the system for heat exchange of the battery pack 1000, and further facilitating the arrangement of the battery pack 1000 in the electrical equipment (such as a vehicle).

[0052] Moreover, the flow path of the heat exchange medium in the flow channels 510 of the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 can be controlled through the multi-way valve 600, so that the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 can be heat exchanged as needed, for example, the heat exchange medium can be conducted only to the heat exchange part 500 corresponding to the battery module 300 which needs to be actively heat exchanged, thereby facilitating the saving of the heat exchange medium, and further facilitating the reduction of the energy consumption of the heat exchange system.

[0053] Alternatively, the heat exchange medium can flow in parallel in the flow channels 510 of the plurality of heat exchange parts 500, so as to realize the active heat exchange of the battery modules 300 in the plurality of accommodating cavities 411, and facilitate the improvement of the temperature uniformity of the battery modules 300 in different accommodating cavities 411.

[0054] Alternatively, the heat exchange medium can be caused to flow in series in the flow channels 510 of the plurality of heat exchange portions 500, so as to realize gradient heat exchange of the battery modules 300 in the plurality of containing cavities 411, which is suitable for the case where the battery modules 300 in two containing cavities 411 have different heat exchange requirements, and when thermal runaway occurs in the battery modules 300 in part of the containing cavities 411, the battery modules 300 and the containing cavities 411 in normal working conditions can be used to absorb the heat of the battery modules 300 in thermal runaway, thereby facilitating the improvement of the temperature control efficiency and control ability of the battery modules 300 in thermal runaway, reducing the risk of thermal runaway spreading, and further facilitating the improvement of the safety of the battery pack 1000.

[0055] In other words, according to the heat exchange requirements and operating conditions of the battery modules 300 in different containing cavities 411, the heat exchange medium can be controlled by the multi-way valve 600 to flow in different flow paths, which not only facilitates the improvement of the temperature control ability of each battery module 300, but also facilitates the reduction of the energy consumption of the battery pack 1000 in operation, and facilitates the improvement of the safety of the battery pack 1000.

[0056] In addition, since the plurality of battery modules 300 can be arranged in the plurality of containing cavities 411 respectively, it is beneficial to reduce the temperature conduction between the battery modules 300 in different containing cavities 411, thereby facilitating the realization of the differential control of the temperature of different battery modules 300.

[0057] It can be understood that the number of battery cells of different battery modules 300 can be the same or different, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0058] The present disclosure does not limit the form of heat exchange between the heat exchange medium and the battery module 300, which can be cooling the battery module 300 or heating the battery module 300, for example, when the heat exchange medium cools the battery module 300, the heat exchange medium can be a cooling liquid.

[0059] In the present disclosure, the top and bottom of the battery pack 1000 can be the top and bottom of the battery pack 1000 in the use state, for example, when the battery pack 1000 is used for a vehicle, the bottom of the battery pack 1000 is the side of the battery pack 1000 close to the ground, and the top of the battery pack 1000 is the side of the battery pack 1000 away from the ground.

[0060] Alternatively, the action of the multi-way valve 600 can be controlled by the BMS, for example, when the BMS detects a battery module 300 thermal runaway trigger condition (voltage drop, temperature rise, BPS signal), etc., the BMS can control the multi-way valve 600 to switch, so that the heat exchange medium flows in series in the flow channels 510 of different heat exchange portions 500 (for example, the third working mode in the following).

[0061] To meet the different heat exchange requirements of different battery modules 300 in the battery pack 1000, the multi-way valve 600 is also used to control the flow of the flow channel 510 of one or more of the plurality of heat exchange units 500. By controlling the flow of the flow channel 510 of the heat exchange unit 500 through the multi-way valve 600, that is, controlling the flow of the heat exchange medium flowing through the flow channel 510, the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchange unit 500 can be adjusted, thereby facilitating the improvement of the temperature control capacity of the heat exchange unit 500 to the battery module 300.

[0062] Furthermore, by adjusting the flow of the flow channel 510 of the plurality of heat exchange units 500 respectively, the heat exchange requirements of different battery modules 300 in the battery pack 1000 can be met, thereby facilitating the improvement of the accuracy of temperature control of the plurality of battery modules 300 in the battery pack 1000, and further facilitating the reduction of the energy consumption of the battery pack 1000 and the improvement of the performance of the battery pack 1000.

[0063] Optionally, as shown in Figures 1 to 3 The battery box 100 includes a heat exchange plate 700 located at the bottom of the battery module 300, and the heat exchange plate 700 is provided with a plurality of heat exchange units 500 arranged at intervals, and each heat exchange unit 500 corresponds to a battery module 300. In this way, the heat exchange plate 700 can not only support the battery module 300, but also provide the heat exchange unit 500, so as to facilitate the heat exchange between the heat exchange unit 500 and the corresponding battery module 300, thereby facilitating the saving of space in the battery box 100, and being suitable for the battery box 100 in which a plurality of accommodating cavities 411 are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction.

[0064] Optionally, the heat exchange unit 500 can also be arranged on the side beam adjacent to the corresponding battery module 300.

[0065] To reduce the heat conduction between the adjacent two heat exchange units 500, as an embodiment, the heat exchange plate 700 includes at least one heat insulation part, and the adjacent two heat exchange units 500 are connected through the heat insulation part. Since the adjacent two heat exchange units 500 are connected through the heat insulation part, the heat insulation part can play a role of heat insulation, thereby facilitating the reduction of the heat conduction between the adjacent two heat exchange units 500, and further facilitating the improvement of the temperature control capacity of the adjacent two heat exchange units 500 to the corresponding battery module 300.

[0066] Optionally, the heat insulation part can be a metal material or a non-metal material with low thermal conductivity, such as ceramic, aerogel, etc.

[0067] As other embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery box 100 can include a plurality of heat exchange plates 700 located at the bottom of the battery modules 300, the plurality of heat exchange plates 700 are arranged at intervals, each heat exchange plate 700 is provided with a heat exchange part 500, and each heat exchange plate 700 corresponds to one battery module 300. Since the plurality of heat exchange plates 700 are arranged at intervals, the heat conduction of the heat exchange parts 500 on the adjacent two heat exchange plates 700 through the heat exchange plates 700 can be reduced, thereby facilitating the reduction of heat conduction between the adjacent two heat exchange parts 500, and further facilitating the improvement of the temperature control capability of the adjacent two heat exchange parts 500 on the corresponding battery modules 300.

[0068] The present disclosure does not limit the structure of the flow channel 510 of the heat exchange part 500, and as an embodiment, as shown in Figure 3 , a plurality of parallel flow channels 510 are arranged in each heat exchange part 500. In this way, the flow channel 510 can well cover the heat exchange part 500, thereby facilitating the improvement of the active heat exchange area of the heat exchange part 500, and the flow path between the inlet end 511 and the outlet end 512 of the flow channel 510 is not too long, thereby facilitating the improvement of the circulation efficiency of the heat exchange medium.

[0069] Optionally, as shown in Figures 1 to 3 , the battery module 300 includes a plurality of battery monomers 310, each flow channel 510 includes a first flow channel section 513, and the arrangement direction of the first flow channel sections 513 of the plurality of flow channels 510 is consistent with the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery monomers 310, for example, the arrangement direction of the first flow channel sections 513 of the plurality of flow channels 510 and the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery monomers 310 are both the first direction.

[0070] In this way, the plurality of flow channels 510 and the plurality of battery monomers 310 can be better corresponded, thereby facilitating the improvement of the uniform heat exchange capability of the heat exchange part 500 on the plurality of battery monomers 310.

[0071] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 , each flow channel 510 includes a second flow channel section 514, the extension direction of the second flow channel section 514 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the first flow channel section 513, and the adjacent two first flow channel sections 513 can be connected through the second flow channel section 514 to adjust the flow direction of the heat exchange medium, for example, the first flow channel section 513 can extend along the second direction, and the second flow channel section 514 can extend along the first direction.

[0072] In addition, as shown in Figure 3 , the first flow channel section 513 can be provided with a limiting section 515, the flow area of the limiting section 515 is smaller than that of other parts of the first flow channel section 513, and the limiting section 515 is located at the region of the heat exchange part 500 for connecting the battery monomer 310 or other components.

[0073] Since the flow area of the constriction section 515 is smaller than that of other parts of the first flow channel section 513, the distance between two adjacent first flow channel sections 513 at the constriction section 515 is greater than that of other parts, and thus the constriction section 515 can serve as a relief to avoid the installation area of the heat exchange part 500 or the heat exchange plate 700, facilitating the connection of the heat exchange part 500 or the heat exchange plate 700 with the battery monomer 310 or other components.

[0074] The present disclosure does not limit the specific position of the constriction section 515 on the first flow channel section 513, for example, the constriction section 515 can be located at the middle of the extension direction (such as the second direction) of the first flow channel section 513, or the constriction section 515 can be located closer to the second flow channel section 514 in the extension direction (such as the second direction) of the first flow channel section 513.

[0075] The present disclosure does not limit the structure of the first flow channel section 513, as an embodiment, as shown in Figure 3 Each first flow channel section 513 includes at least two parallel first sub-flow channel sections 5131, and the at least two first sub-flow channel sections 5131 share one constriction section 515.

[0076] The at least two first sub-flow channel sections 5131 share one constriction section 515, which can make the flow area of the constriction section 515 smaller than that of other parts of the first flow channel section 513, so that the distance between two adjacent first flow channel sections 513 at the constriction section 515 is greater than that of other parts.

[0077] As another embodiment of the present disclosure, each first flow channel section 513 includes at least two first sub-flow channel sections 5131 and at least one constriction section 515, two adjacent first sub-flow channel sections 5131 are connected in series through the constriction section 515, and the flow area of the constriction section 515 is smaller than that of the first sub-flow channel section 5131.

[0078] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 Each second flow channel section 514 can include at least two parallel second sub-flow channel sections 5141.

[0079] As another embodiment of the present disclosure, the flow channel 510 in each heat exchange part 500 can also be only one.

[0080] In the present disclosure, the accommodation cavity 411 can be set to any number as required, and the present disclosure does not limit this, as an embodiment, as shown in Figure 1As shown, the number of accommodating cavities 411 is two, and the two accommodating cavities 411 are arranged along the first direction. At least two battery modules 300 can be accommodated in the two accommodating cavities 411 respectively, and the heat exchange parts 500 in the two accommodating cavities 411 can exchange heat with the corresponding battery modules 300 respectively.

[0081] Optionally, as shown, Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the multi-way valve 600 has at least one of a first working mode, a second working mode and a third working mode. In the first working mode, the flow channel 510 of a single heat exchange part 500 of the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 is communicated with the external heat exchange system through the multi-way valve 600. In the second working mode, the flow channels 510 of the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 are connected in parallel through the multi-way valve 600 and communicated with the external heat exchange system. In the third working mode, the flow channels 510 of the plurality of heat exchange parts 500 are connected in series through the multi-way valve 600 and communicated with the external heat exchange system.

[0082] When the multi-way valve 600 is switched to the first working mode, as shown, Figure 4 the heat exchange medium of the external heat exchange system can flow through the flow channel 510 of only one heat exchange part 500, so that the heat exchange part 500 has active heat exchange capacity, which is suitable for the case that only the battery module 300 in one accommodating cavity 411 needs active heat exchange, and is beneficial to reduce energy consumption.

[0083] When the multi-way valve 600 is switched to the second working mode, as shown, Figure 5 the heat exchange medium of the external heat exchange system can flow through two heat exchange parts 500 at the same time, i.e. in parallel, so that the two heat exchange parts 500 both have active heat exchange capacity, which is suitable for the case that the battery modules 300 in the two accommodating cavities 411 both need active heat exchange, and is beneficial to realize uniform control of the temperature of the battery modules 300 in the two accommodating cavities 411.

[0084] When the multi-way valve 600 is switched to the third working mode, the flow path of the heat exchange medium can be that the heat exchange medium of the external heat exchange system flows through the two heat exchange parts 500 in sequence, i.e. in series, which is suitable for the case that the heat exchange amounts required by the battery modules 300 in the two accommodating cavities 411 are different.

[0085] When the battery module 300 in a certain accommodating cavity 411 experiences thermal runaway, the third working mode can be started, so that the heat exchange medium sequentially flows through the flow channel 510 of the heat exchange part 500 corresponding to the battery module 300 experiencing thermal runaway and the flow channel 510 of the heat exchange part 500 corresponding to the battery module 300 in normal working condition, and the battery module 300 in normal working condition and the accommodating cavity 411 thereof absorb the heat of the battery module 300 experiencing thermal runaway, thereby being beneficial to improving the temperature control efficiency and control ability of the battery module 300 experiencing thermal runaway, reducing the risk of thermal runaway spreading, and further being beneficial to improving the safety of the battery pack 1000.

[0086] In other words, according to the heat exchange needs and operating conditions of the battery module 300 in different accommodating cavities 411, the appropriate working mode of the multi-way valve 600 can be selected, which is not only beneficial to improving the temperature control ability of each battery module 300, but also beneficial to reducing the energy consumption of the battery pack 1000 in operation, and further beneficial to improving the safety of the battery pack 1000.

[0087] In order to enable the multi-way valve 600 to realize the above working modes, as an embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 to 6 The multi-way valve 600 includes a first opening 610, a second opening 620, two third openings 630, and two fourth openings 640. The first opening 610 is a total inlet for the heat exchange medium to flow into the battery pack 1000, and the second opening 620 is a total outlet for the heat exchange medium to flow out of the battery pack 1000.

[0088] In the first working mode, the inlet end 511 of the flow channel 510 of only one of the two heat exchange parts 500 is in communication with the first opening 610 through the corresponding third opening 630, and the outlet end 512 of the flow channel 510 of the heat exchange part 500 is in communication with the second opening 620 through the corresponding fourth opening 640.

[0089] In the second working mode, the inlet ends 511 of the flow channels 510 of the two heat exchange parts 500 are respectively in communication with the first opening 610 through the corresponding third openings 630, and the outlet ends 512 of the flow channels 510 of the two heat exchange parts 500 are respectively in communication with the second opening 620 through the corresponding fourth openings 640.

[0090] In the third working mode, the inlet end 511 of the flow channel 510 of one of the two heat exchange parts 500 is in communication with the first opening 610 through the corresponding third opening 630, the outlet end 512 of the flow channel 510 of one of the two heat exchange parts 500 is in communication with the third opening 630 of the other of the two heat exchange parts 500 through the corresponding fourth opening 640, and the fourth opening 640 of the other of the two heat exchange parts 500 is in communication with the second opening 620.

[0091] When the multi-way valve 600 is switched to the first working mode, as shown in Figure 4As shown, the flow path of the heat exchange medium can be: first opening 610 - a third opening 630 - a flow channel 510 in a heat exchange section 500 - a fourth opening 640 - a second opening 620, or: first opening 610 - another third opening 630 - another flow channel 510 in another heat exchange section 500 - another fourth opening 640 - second opening 620.

[0092] When the multi-way valve 600 switches to the second operating mode, such as Figure 5 As shown, the flow path of the heat exchange medium can be: first opening 610 - two third openings 630 - two flow channels 510 of the heat exchange section 500 - two fourth openings 640 - second opening 620.

[0093] When the multi-way valve 600 switches to the third working mode, such as Figure 6 As shown, the flow path of the heat exchange medium can be: a first opening 610 - a third opening 630 - a flow channel 510 of a heat exchange section 500 - a fourth opening 640 - another third opening 630 - another flow channel 510 of a heat exchange section 500 - another fourth opening 640 - a second opening 620.

[0094] This allows for the selection of a suitable operating mode for the multi-way valve 600 based on the heat exchange requirements and operating conditions of the battery modules 300 within different accommodating cavities 411. This not only improves the temperature control capability of each battery module 300 but also reduces the energy consumption of the battery pack 1000 and enhances its safety.

[0095] Optionally, such as Figure 6 As shown, the flow channels 510 in the two heat exchange sections 500 are symmetrical about the center of the battery pack 1000 along a first direction. For example, the inlet end 511 of one of the two heat exchange sections 500 and the outlet end 512 of the other of the two heat exchange sections 500 are symmetrically arranged in the first direction, and / or, the outlet end 512 of one of the two heat exchange sections 500 and the outlet end 512 of the other of the two heat exchange sections 500 are symmetrically arranged in the first direction.

[0096] This configuration facilitates a more uniform weight distribution within the battery pack 1000, thereby improving its balance. Furthermore, the symmetrical flow channels 510 of the two heat exchange sections 500 enhance the consistency of their heat exchange and regulation performance, thus improving their ability to control the temperature of the corresponding battery module 300.

[0097] Optionally, such as Figure 1 As shown, the multi-way valve 600 is located in the middle of the battery housing 100 along the first direction. This arrangement facilitates the even distribution of the weight of the battery pack 1000, thereby improving the balance of the battery pack 1000.

[0098] And, in the implementation where the flow channels 510 in the two heat exchange parts 500 are symmetric about the center of the battery pack 1000 in the first direction, the multi-way valve 600 is located in the middle of the battery box 100 in the first direction, which is conducive to improving the consistency of the distance between the multi-way valve 600 and the inlet ends 511 of the two heat exchange parts 500, and is conducive to improving the consistency of the distance between the multi-way valve 600 and the outlet ends 512 of the two heat exchange parts 500, thereby being conducive to improving the consistency of the heat exchange performance and the adjustment performance of the two heat exchange parts 500, and further being conducive to improving the temperature control capability of the two heat exchange parts 500 on the corresponding battery modules 300.

[0099] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1 , the battery pack 1000 can also include a plurality of joints 800, the first opening 610 and the second opening 620 are connected to the external heat exchange system through the corresponding joints 800 respectively, and the third opening 630 and the fourth opening 640 are connected to the inlet ends 511 and the outlet ends 512 of the flow channels 510 through the corresponding joints 800 respectively.

[0100] That is, the multi-way valve 600 can be connected to the external heat exchange system through the corresponding joints 800, and can be connected to the inlet ends 511 and the outlet ends 512 of the flow channels 510 through the corresponding joints 800, so on the one hand, the installation and replacement of the multi-way valve 600 can be facilitated, and on the other hand, the multi-way valve 600 can be installed at any suitable position in the battery box 100 by designing the position and orientation of the joints 800.

[0101] Here, the joint 800 can be directly connected to the external heat exchange system, or can be connected to the external heat exchange system through an intermediate pipeline, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0102] In order to improve the operation stability of the multi-way valve 600, as an implementation, as shown in Figure 1 , a first partition beam 110 can be arranged in the battery box 100, the first partition beam 110 extends in the first direction and divides the internal space of the battery box 100 into a first chamber 410 and a second chamber 420, the first chamber 410 includes a plurality of accommodation cavities 411, and the multi-way valve 600 is arranged in the second chamber 420.

[0103] Since the battery modules 300 can be arranged in the accommodation cavities 411 of the first chamber 410, and the multi-way valve 600 can be arranged in the second chamber 420, under the blocking action of the first partition beam 110 between the first chamber 410 and the second chamber 420, the influence of the temperature of the battery modules 300 on the multi-way valve 600 can be reduced, thereby being conducive to improving the operation stability of the multi-way valve 600 and being conducive to improving the service life of the multi-way valve 600.

[0104] And, under the blocking effect of the first partition beam 110, it is beneficial to reduce or avoid the high-temperature substances generated when the battery module 300 is in thermal runaway from contacting the multi-way valve 600, thereby benefiting the normal operation of the multi-way valve 600 and the heat exchange part 500 when the battery module 300 is in thermal runaway, and further benefiting the safety of the battery pack 1000.

[0105] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1 The second partition beam 120 can be arranged in the second chamber 420, and the second partition beam 120 extends in a second direction and divides the second chamber 420 into at least two accommodating cavities 411, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. For example, as shown in the drawings, the first direction can be the width direction of the battery box 100, and the second direction can be the length direction of the battery box 100.

[0106] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a power utilization device is provided, which comprises a device body and the above-mentioned battery pack 1000, and the battery pack 1000 is installed on the device body and used to supply power to the device body.

[0107] Optionally, the power utilization device can be a vehicle, or any other device suitable for using the above-mentioned battery pack 1000, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0108] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in combination with the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above-mentioned embodiments. Within the technical concept range of the present disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection range of the present disclosure.

[0109] In addition, it should be noted that each specific technical feature described in the above-mentioned specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction, and in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combination manners.

[0110] In addition, any combination of various different embodiments of the present disclosure can also be made, as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present disclosure, and it should also be considered as the disclosed content of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery pack, characterized in that, Includes battery housing, multi-way valve, and multiple battery modules; The battery box has multiple receiving cavities, and the battery module is arranged in each receiving cavity; Each cavity is equipped with a heat exchange section, which has a flow channel for the heat exchange medium to flow through. The heat exchange section is used to exchange heat with the corresponding battery module. The multi-way valve is installed in the battery housing, and the flow channels of the multiple heat exchange sections are connected to the external heat exchange system through the multi-way valve.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-way valve is also used to control the flow rate of one or more of the flow channels in the multiple heat exchange sections.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery housing includes a heat exchange plate located at the bottom of the battery module; The heat exchange plate is provided with multiple heat exchange sections arranged at intervals, and each heat exchange section corresponds to a battery module.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, characterized in that, The heat exchange plate includes at least one heat insulation part, and two adjacent heat exchange parts are connected by the heat insulation part.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery housing includes multiple heat exchange plates located at the bottom of the battery module; Multiple heat exchange plates are arranged at intervals, each heat exchange plate is provided with a heat exchange section, and each heat exchange plate corresponds to a battery module.

6. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the heat exchange sections is provided with multiple parallel flow channels.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6, characterized in that, The battery module includes multiple individual battery cells; Each of the flow channels includes a first flow channel segment, and the arrangement direction of the first flow channel segments of the plurality of flow channels is consistent with the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, characterized in that, A limiting section is provided on the first flow channel section, and the flow area of ​​the limiting section is smaller than the flow area of ​​other parts of the first flow channel section; The constriction section is located in the area of ​​the heat exchange section used for connecting to the battery cell or other components.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each of the first flow channel segments includes at least two parallel first sub-flow channel segments, which share a single limiting segment.

10. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The multi-way valve has at least one of a first operating mode, a second operating mode, and a third operating mode; In the first operating mode, the flow channel of a single heat exchanger among the plurality of heat exchangers is connected to the external heat exchange system through the multi-way valve; In the second working mode, the flow channels of the multiple heat exchange units are connected in parallel through the multi-way valve and are connected to the external heat exchange system. In the third operating mode, the flow channels of the multiple heat exchange units are connected in series through the multi-way valve and communicated with the external heat exchange system.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, characterized in that, The multi-way valve includes a first opening, a second opening, two third openings, and two fourth openings; The first opening is the main inlet for the heat exchange medium to flow into the battery pack, and the second opening is the main outlet for the heat exchange medium to flow out of the battery pack; In the first working mode, the inlet end of the flow channel of only one of the two heat exchange sections is connected to the first opening through a corresponding third opening, and the outlet end of the flow channel of that heat exchange section is connected to the second opening through a corresponding fourth opening. In the second working mode, the inlet ends of the flow channels of the two heat exchange units are respectively connected to the first opening through the corresponding third opening, and the outlet ends of the flow channels of the two heat exchange units are respectively connected to the second opening through the corresponding fourth opening. In the third operating mode, the inlet end of the flow channel of one of the two heat exchange sections is connected to the first opening through a corresponding third opening, the outlet end of the flow channel of one of the two heat exchange sections is connected to the third opening of the other of the two heat exchange sections through a corresponding fourth opening, and the fourth opening of the other of the two heat exchange sections is connected to the second opening.

12. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The number of the receiving cavities is two, and the two receiving cavities are arranged along a first direction. The flow channels in the two heat exchange sections are symmetrical about the center of the battery pack along the first direction.

13. The battery pack according to claim 11, characterized in that, The battery pack also includes multiple connectors, and the first opening and the second opening are respectively connected to an external heat exchange system through corresponding connectors; The third opening and the fourth opening are respectively connected to the inlet and outlet of the flow channel via corresponding connectors.

14. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The battery box is provided with a first partition beam, which extends along a first direction and divides the internal space of the battery box into a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber includes a plurality of the receiving cavities. The multi-way valve is located in the second chamber.

15. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, It includes a device body and a battery pack according to any one of claims 1-14, the battery pack being mounted on the device body and used to supply power to the device body.

Images