Thermal management assembly, battery pack and battery pack

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of power batteries, and particularly provides a heat management assembly, a battery pack and a battery pack, the heat management assembly comprises a main water pipe and a plurality of cold plates arranged adjacently in sequence, and each cold plate is connected with the main water pipe through a branch pipe; the heat management assembly further comprises a plurality of target areas, and each target area is an area between the ends of every two adjacent cold plates. Wherein the target area comprises an arrangement area and a non-arrangement area, the branch pipe is arranged in the arrangement area, and the branch pipe is not arranged in the non-arrangement area. Therefore, the occupied space of the heat management assembly can be reduced, and the space utilization rate is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of power batteries, in particular to a thermal management assembly, a battery pack and a battery pack. BACKGROUND

[0002] In new energy equipment (such as electric vehicles), the battery system is one of the key systems, and its safety performance directly affects the safety of the whole vehicle. Among them, the battery pack is the core component of the battery system, and can also provide power to the new energy equipment.

[0003] Now the mainstream battery pack generally sets square shell cells, cylindrical cells or soft package cells. Power batteries are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, and the temperature environment in the battery pack has a great influence on the reliability, life and performance of the cells. Battery thermal management has become an important guarantee for the operation of new energy vehicles.

[0004] In order to realize the thermal management of the battery pack, a main pipe, a cooling plate and other thermal management assemblies are usually arranged in the battery pack. However, the arrangement of the existing thermal management assemblies occupies a large space, resulting in low space utilization rate in the battery pack.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a new thermal management assembly design to solve the above problems. SUMMARY

[0006] As mentioned in the background, the arrangement of the current thermal management assembly occupies a large space, resulting in low space utilization rate in the battery pack.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide an improved thermal management assembly, a battery pack and a battery pack, which can reduce the occupied space of the thermal management assembly and improve the space utilization rate.

[0008] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a thermal management assembly, which comprises a total water pipe and a plurality of cooling plates arranged in sequence, each cooling plate being connected to the total water pipe through a branch pipe; the thermal management assembly further comprises a plurality of target areas, the target area being the area between the end portions of two adjacent cooling plates; wherein the target area comprises an arrangement area and a non-arrangement area, the branch pipe is arranged in the arrangement area, and the branch pipe is not arranged in the non-arrangement area.

[0009] In an optional embodiment, the space of the arrangement area is greater than the space of the non-arrangement area.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the interface between the cooling plate and the branch pipe is arranged on the side surface of the cooling plate.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the cold plate has an arc surface matching the side surface of the cylindrical battery, and the arc surface is in contact with the side surface of the cylindrical battery to manage the heat of the cylindrical battery.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, a row of the cylindrical batteries is arranged between two adjacent cold plates.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the plurality of cold plates includes a first cold plate, a second cold plate, a third cold plate, and a fourth cold plate, and the first cold plate, the second cold plate, the third cold plate, and the fourth cold plate are arranged in sequence; a first arrangement region is between the end of the first cold plate and the end of the second cold plate, the non-arrangement region is between the end of the second cold plate and the third cold plate, and a second arrangement region is between the end of the third cold plate and the fourth cold plate.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the branch pipes include a first branch pipe, a second branch pipe, a third branch pipe, and a fourth branch pipe, the first cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the first branch pipe, the second cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the second branch pipe, the third cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the third branch pipe, and the fourth cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the fourth branch pipe; wherein the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are arranged in the first arrangement region, and the third branch pipe and the fourth branch pipe are arranged in the second arrangement region.

[0015] In an optional embodiment, the interface between the first cold plate and the first branch pipe is arranged on the first side in the height direction, and the structure of the second cold plate and the second branch pipe is arranged on the second side in the height direction; and / or, the interface between the third cold plate and the third branch pipe is arranged on the first side in the height direction, and the structure of the fourth cold plate and the fourth branch pipe is arranged on the second side in the height direction.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, the main water pipe includes a first pipe and a second pipe arranged in the height direction.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are staggered, and / or the third branch pipe and the fourth branch pipe are staggered.

[0018] In the second aspect, the application further provides a battery pack, which includes a plurality of cylindrical batteries and the heat management assembly of any one of the above, and the main water pipe is arranged on at least one side of the battery pack.

[0019] In a third aspect, the application also provides a battery pack, which comprises an upper cover and a lower box body, the upper cover and the lower box body are arranged to form a closed containing cavity, the battery pack is arranged in the containing cavity, and the height direction of the cylindrical battery is parallel to the height direction of the battery pack.

[0020] The one or more technical solutions of the application have at least one or more of the following beneficial effects:

[0021] In the implementation of the technical solutions of the application, an improved thermal management assembly, battery pack and battery pack are provided, which can reduce the occupied space of the thermal management assembly and improve the space utilization. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] The disclosure of the application will become more apparent with reference to the drawings. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the drawings are only for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the application. In addition, similar numbers in the figures are used to represent similar components, wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 is a front view of a thermal management assembly 10 for a cylindrical battery according to an embodiment of the application;

[0024] Figure 2 is a top view of a thermal management assembly 10 for a cylindrical battery according to an embodiment of the application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a side view of a thermal management assembly 10 for a cylindrical battery according to an embodiment of the application;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic view of a cylindrical battery pack according to an embodiment of the application.

[0027] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0028] 10, thermal management assembly, 101, main pipe, 1011, first pipe, 1012, second pipe, 1013, third pipe, 1014, fourth pipe, 102, cold plate, 1021, first cold plate, 1022, second cold plate, 1023, third cold plate, 1024, fourth cold plate, 103, branch pipe, 1031, first branch pipe, 1032, second branch pipe, 1033, fourth branch pipe, 1034, fourth branch pipe, 104, arrangement area, 1041, first arrangement area, 1042, second arrangement area, 105, non-arrangement area, 20, cylindrical battery, H, height direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Some embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0030] As described in the background, the current arrangement of the thermal management assembly occupies a large space, resulting in low space utilization in the battery pack.

[0031] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide an improved thermal management assembly, battery pack and battery pack, which can reduce the occupied space of the thermal management assembly and improve the space utilization. The thermal management assembly provided by the present application can heat or cool the battery to achieve thermal management. It should be noted that the battery in the present application can refer to one or more of square cell, cylindrical cell, soft pack battery, prismatic battery, etc. Hereinafter, a cylindrical battery will be taken as an example for description.

[0032] Please refer to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 to the accompanying drawings Figure 4 which provide a schematic view of a thermal management assembly 10 and a cylindrical battery 20 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] The thermal management assembly 10 comprises a main pipe 101 and a plurality of cold plates 102 arranged in sequence, each cold plate 102 being connected to the main pipe 101 through a branch pipe 103; wherein the area between the end portions of the two adjacent cold plates 102 is a target area, the target area comprising an arrangement area 104 and a non-arrangement area 105, the arrangement area 104 being provided with the branch pipe 103, and the non-arrangement area 105 being not provided with the branch pipe 103.

[0034] The cold plate 102 can also be referred to as a liquid cooling plate, a cooling plate, a cooling pipe, a cold pipe, etc. The cold plate 102 can be provided with a flow channel for the cooling liquid to flow, and the heating or cooling of the cooling liquid can be used to heat or cool the cylindrical battery pack. The cooling liquid can be water, ethylene glycol or a mixture of the two, or other liquids, which will not be described here.

[0035] That is, one or more branch pipes 103 can be arranged between the end portions of the two adjacent cold plates 102, or no branch pipe 103 can be arranged. The plurality of branch pipes 103 are arranged in the arrangement area 104, thereby saving part of the arrangement space of the branch pipe 103, and improving the space utilization of the thermal management assembly 10.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the space of the arrangement area 104 is greater than the space of the non-arrangement area 105. That is, for the non-arrangement area 105 which is not provided with the branch pipe 103, the space thereof can be reduced, thereby reducing the arrangement space of the thermal management assembly 10 and improving the space utilization.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the figure, the cold plate 102 has an arc-shaped surface that matches the side surface of the cylindrical battery 20, and the arc-shaped surface is in contact with the side surface of the cylindrical battery 20 to perform thermal management on the cylindrical battery 20.

[0038] In an optional embodiment, the non-arrangement region 105 and the arrangement region 104 are arranged alternately. That is, one non-arrangement region 105 can be arranged between two arrangement regions 104, or one arrangement region 104 can be arranged between two non-arrangement regions 105.

[0039] An example is provided below, please refer to Figure 2 , the plurality of cold plates 102 includes a first cold plate 1021, a second cold plate 1022, a third cold plate 1023, and a fourth cold plate 1024, and the first cold plate 1021, the second cold plate 1022, the third cold plate 1023, and the fourth cold plate 1024 are arranged in sequence. The end of the first cold plate 1021 and the end of the second cold plate 1022 are the first arrangement region 1041, the end of the second cold plate 1022 and the third cold plate 1023 are the non-arrangement region 105, and the end of the third cold plate 1023 and the fourth cold plate 1024 are the second arrangement region 1042.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, the two adjacent cold plates 102 are arranged completely in parallel, and the width between the two cold plates 102 on both sides of the non-arrangement region 105 is smaller than the width between the two cold plates 102 on both sides of the arrangement region 104.

[0041] In another optional embodiment, the two adjacent cold plates 102 are not arranged completely in parallel. For example, the width between the two cold plates 102 on both sides of the non-arrangement region 105 is smaller than the width between the two cold plates 102 at other positions.

[0042] Further, as shown in Figure 2 , two rows of cylindrical batteries 20 can be arranged between the two cold plates 102. In the region where the cylindrical batteries 20 are arranged, the width between the two cold plates 102 (such as the first cold plate 1021 and the second cold plate 1022) can vary between D1 and D2 to match the shape of the side surface of the cylindrical battery 20. As can be seen from the figure, the width between the two cold plates 102 on both sides of the non-arrangement region 105 is smaller than D1 and D2.

[0043] It should be noted that two or more rows of cylindrical batteries 20 can also be arranged between the two cold plates 102, and the width between the two cold plates 102 can be specifically set according to the arrangement of the cylindrical batteries 20 therebetween, which will not be described here.

[0044] Please continue to refer to Figure 2For example, branch pipe 103 may include a first branch pipe 1031, a second branch pipe 1032, a third branch pipe 1033, and a fourth branch pipe 1034. The first cold plate 1021 is connected to the main water pipe 101 through the first branch pipe 1031, the second cold plate 1022 is connected to the main water pipe 101 through the second branch pipe 1032, the third cold plate 1023 is connected to the main water pipe 101 through the third branch pipe 1033, and the fourth cold plate 1024 is connected to the main water pipe 101 through the fourth branch pipe 1034. The first branch pipe 1031 and the second branch pipe 1032 are arranged in the first arrangement area 1041, and the third branch pipe 1033 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 are arranged in the second arrangement area 1042.

[0045] That is, each cold plate 102 is connected to the main water pipe 101 through at least one branch pipe 103 to realize the circulation of coolant in the battery pack. The four cold plates are arranged in sequence, with the branch pipes of two cold plates arranged in the same arrangement area (i.e., the first arrangement area 1041), and the branch pipes of the other two cold plates arranged in the same arrangement area (i.e., the second arrangement area 1042). A non-arrangement area 105 is set between the first arrangement area 1041 and the second arrangement area 1042.

[0046] This arrangement allows for the rational use of the arrangement area 104 to arrange the branch pipes 103 of the cold plates 102 on both sides, and also allows for the rational setting of the arrangement area 104 and the non-arrangement area 105, thereby enabling the rational use of the space inside the battery pack and improving the space utilization rate of the thermal management component 10.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the interface between the cold plate 102 and the branch pipe 103 is located on the side of the cold plate 102. Furthermore, the interfaces on two adjacent cold plates 102 are located on different sides, thereby enabling the branch pipes 103 of two cold plates 102 to be arranged in the same arrangement area 104, and the branch pipes 103 of the other two cold plates 102 to be arranged in the same arrangement area 104, with a non-arrangement area 105 provided between the two arrangement areas 104 (i.e., the first arrangement area 1041 and the second arrangement area 1042).

[0048] Furthermore, the interfaces on the two adjacent cold plates 102 are located at different positions on the side to achieve staggered arrangement of the branch pipes, thereby further improving space utilization.

[0049] In one specific embodiment, the interface between the first cold plate 1021 and the first branch pipe 1031 is located on a first side in the height direction (the height direction refers to the height direction of the cold plate), the interface between the second cold plate 1022 and the second branch pipe 1032 is located on a second side in the height direction; and the interface between the third cold plate 1023 and the third branch pipe 1033 is located on the first side in the height direction, and the interface between the fourth cold plate 1024 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 is located on the second side in the height direction. The first and second sides are arranged opposite to each other.

[0050] In another specific embodiment, the interface between the first cold plate 1021 and the first branch pipe 1031 is located on the first side in the height direction (the height direction refers to the height direction of the cold plate), and the interface between the second cold plate 1022 and the second branch pipe 1032 is located on the second side in the height direction.

[0051] In another specific embodiment, the interface between the third cold plate 1023 and the third branch pipe 1033 is located on the first side in the height direction, and the interface between the fourth cold plate 1024 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 is located on the second side in the height direction.

[0052] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the interface between the first cold plate 1021 and the first branch pipe 1031 (position shown in Figure 1031) is located at the lower part of the side of the first cold plate 1021; the interface between the second cold plate 1022 and the second branch pipe 1032 (position shown in Figure 1032) is located at the upper part of the side of the second cold plate 1022; the interface between the third cold plate 1023 and the third branch pipe 1033 (position shown in Figure 1033) is located at the lower part of the side of the third cold plate 1023; the interface between the fourth cold plate 1024 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 (position shown in Figure 1034) is located at the upper part of the side of the fourth cold plate 1024; and the interfaces of the remaining cold plates 102 and their corresponding branch pipes 103 are arranged in this manner.

[0053] In an optional embodiment, the main water pipe 101 includes a first pipe 1011 and a second pipe 1012 arranged along the height direction (the height direction refers to the height direction of the cold plate).

[0054] The first pipe 1011 can be a water inlet pipe, through which coolant flows into each cold plate 102. The second pipe 1012 can be a water outlet pipe, through which coolant in each cold plate 102 flows out.

[0055] It should be noted that the inlet pipe can be placed above the outlet pipe, or the outlet pipe can be placed above the inlet pipe. The two can be parallel or not parallel.

[0056] In an optional embodiment, the first branch pipe 1031 and the second branch pipe 1032 are staggered, and / or the third branch pipe 1033 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 are staggered.

[0057] For example, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the interface of the first cold plate 1021 and the first branch pipe 1031 is arranged at the lower part of the side surface of the first cold plate 1021, and the other end of the first branch pipe 1031 is connected to the first pipe 1011 located above; the interface of the second cold plate 1022 and the second branch pipe 1032 is arranged at the upper part of the side surface of the second cold plate 1022, and the other end of the second branch pipe 1032 is connected to the second pipe 1012 located below. In this way, the first branch pipe 1031 and the second branch pipe 1032 can be staggered.

[0058] Correspondingly, the interface of the third cold plate 1023 and the third branch pipe 1033 is arranged at the lower part of the side surface of the third cold plate 1023, and the other end of the third branch pipe 1033 is connected to the first pipe 1011 located above; the interface of the fourth cold plate 1024 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 is arranged at the upper part of the side surface of the fourth cold plate 1024, and the other end of the fourth branch pipe 1034 is connected to the second pipe 1012 located below. In this way, the third branch pipe 1033 and the fourth branch pipe 1034 can be staggered.

[0059] It should be noted that the above only shows one way of arranging the branch pipes 103 (including the first branch pipe 1031, the second branch pipe 1032, the third branch pipe 1033 and the fourth branch pipe 1034) along the height direction H, and other ways of arranging the branch pipes 103 along the height direction also belong to the protection scope of the present application, which will not be described here. In this way, the space in the height direction of the arrangement space 104 can be fully utilized, thereby improving the space utilization rate in the arrangement space 104.

[0060] In the second aspect, the present application also provides a battery pack, which comprises a plurality of cylindrical batteries 20 and the heat management assembly 10 of any one of the above, and the main pipe 101 is arranged on at least one side of the battery pack.

[0061] In a specific embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 , which shows that the first pipe 1011 and the second pipe 1012 arranged in an up-down manner are arranged on one side of the battery pack. The third pipe 1013 and the fourth pipe 1014 arranged in an up-down manner are arranged on the other side of the battery pack. When the first pipe 1011 is an inlet pipe, the cooling liquid in the first pipe 1011 flows into the first cold plate 1021, and can flow out through the outlet pipe (corresponding to one of the third pipe 1013 or the fourth pipe 1014) on the other side of the battery pack. Similarly, the inlet pipe (corresponding to one of the third pipe 1013 or the fourth pipe 1014) on the other side of the battery pack. Figure 4 Figure 4 ​The cooling liquid in the first pipe 1011 flows into the first cold plate 1021, and the cooling liquid in the first cold plate 1021 flows into the second cold plate 1022 through the connection between the first cold plate 1021 and the second cold plate 1022, and then flows out of the second cold plate 1022 through the second pipe 1012.

[0062] In another embodiment, every two adjacent cold plates 102 are connected in series, for example, the first cold plate 1021 and the second cold plate 1022 are connected in series on the other side of the battery pack (not shown in the figure), and when the first pipe 1011 is the inlet pipe, the cooling liquid in the first pipe 1011 flows into the first cold plate 1021, the cooling liquid in the first cold plate 1021 flows into the second cold plate 1022 through the connection between the first cold plate 1021 and the second cold plate 1022, and then flows out of the second cold plate 1022 through the second pipe 1012. Correspondingly, the third cold plate 1023 and the fourth cold plate 1024 can also be connected in series. In this embodiment, the total water pipe can be arranged only on one side of the battery pack.

[0063] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a battery pack, which comprises an upper cover and a lower box body, and the upper cover and the lower box body form a closed containing cavity, and the battery pack described above is arranged in the containing cavity, and the height direction of the cylindrical battery 20 is parallel to the height direction of the battery pack.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the electrodes (including the positive electrode 201 and the negative electrode 202) of the cylindrical battery 20 can face the upper cover. The height direction of the cylindrical battery 20 and the height direction of the battery pack can also be referred to as the height direction H.

[0065] In a fourth aspect, the present application also provides an electric device, which comprises the battery pack described above, and the battery pack is used to provide energy for the electric device. The electric device can be an electric vehicle, an electric aircraft, or the like.

[0066] When the battery pack is installed on the electric device, the upper cover of the battery pack can face the electric device, or can face away from the electric device.

[0067] So far, the technical solution of the present application has been described in combination with one embodiment shown in the drawings, but those skilled in the art can easily understand that the protection scope of the present application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to the related technical features without departing from the principles of the present application, and the technical solutions after the changes or replacements will all fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0068] It should be noted that, in the description of the present application, the term "A and / or B" means all possible combinations of A and B, such as only A, only B, or both A and B. The term "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and B" has a similar meaning to "A and / or B", and can include only A, only B, or both A and B. The singular form of the term "one", "this" can also include the plural form. "Multiple" appearing in the embodiments of the present application means two or more. The first, second, and the like appearing in the embodiments of the present application are only illustrative and distinguishing description objects, and there is no order, nor does it represent a special limitation on the number of the embodiments of the present application, and cannot constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermal management assembly, characterized by, The heat management assembly comprises a main water pipe and a plurality of cold plates arranged in sequence and adjacent to each other, each of the cold plates being connected to the main water pipe through a branch pipe; The heat management assembly further comprises a plurality of target regions, the target regions being regions between the end portions of two adjacent cold plates; The target regions comprise arrangement regions and non-arrangement regions, the branch pipes being arranged in the arrangement regions, and no branch pipes being arranged in the non-arrangement regions.

2. The thermal management assembly of claim 1, wherein, The space of the arrangement regions is greater than the space of the non-arrangement regions.

3. The thermal management assembly of claim 1, wherein, The interface between the cold plate and the branch pipe is arranged on the side surface of the cold plate.

4. The thermal management assembly of claim 1, wherein, The cold plate has an arc-shaped surface matching the side surface of the cylindrical battery, and the arc-shaped surface is in contact with the side surface of the cylindrical battery to perform heat management on the cylindrical battery.

5. The thermal management assembly of claim 4, wherein, A row of cylindrical batteries is arranged between two adjacent cold plates.

6. The thermal management assembly of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The plurality of cold plates comprises a first cold plate, a second cold plate, a third cold plate and a fourth cold plate, and the first cold plate, the second cold plate, the third cold plate and the fourth cold plate are arranged in sequence and adjacent to each other; The end portion of the first cold plate and the end portion of the second cold plate form a first arrangement region, the end portion of the second cold plate and the third cold plate form the non-arrangement region, and the end portion of the third cold plate and the fourth cold plate form a second arrangement region.

7. The thermal management assembly of claim 6, wherein, The branch pipes comprise a first branch pipe, a second branch pipe, a third branch pipe and a fourth branch pipe, the first cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the first branch pipe, the second cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the second branch pipe, the third cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the third branch pipe, and the fourth cold plate is connected to the main water pipe through the fourth branch pipe; The first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are arranged in the first arrangement region, and the third branch pipe and the fourth branch pipe are arranged in the second arrangement region.

8. The thermal management assembly of claim 7, wherein, The interface between the first cold plate and the first branch pipe is arranged on the first side in the height direction, and the interface between the second cold plate and the second branch pipe is arranged on the second side in the height direction; and / or, The interface between the third cold plate and the third branch pipe is arranged on the first side in the height direction, and the interface between the fourth cold plate and the fourth branch pipe is arranged on the second side in the height direction.

9. The thermal management assembly of claim 8, wherein, The main water pipe comprises a first pipe and a second pipe arranged in the height direction.

10. The thermal management assembly of claim 9, wherein, The first branch pipe and the second branch pipe are arranged alternately, and / or the third branch pipe and the fourth branch pipe are arranged alternately.

11. A battery pack, characterized by The battery pack comprises a plurality of cylindrical batteries and a heat management assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the main water pipe is arranged on at least one side of the battery pack.

12. A battery pack, characterized by, The battery pack comprises an upper cover and a lower box, and the upper cover and the lower box form a closed containing cavity, the battery pack according to claim 11 is arranged in the containing cavity, and the height direction of the cylindrical battery is parallel to the height direction of the battery pack.

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