Locking structure and liquid-cooled battery pack

Abstract

The utility model discloses a locking structure and a liquid-cooled battery pack. The locking structure comprises an elastic protective sleeve and a plug connector, wherein the elastic protective sleeve can adapt to deformation of the component to be connected in the thermal expansion and cold contraction process, and structural damage possibly caused by rigid connection is avoided. Meanwhile, the plug connector penetrates through the elastic protection sleeve and abuts against the elastic protection sleeve and the to-be-connected component, rapid positioning of the mounting plate can be achieved without a tool, on the basis that the connection reliability and rapid positioning are guaranteed, a necessary deformation space can be provided through the elastic characteristic of the elastic protection sleeve, and the reliability of connection is improved. Therefore, the connecting firmness is balanced, the deformation adapting requirement is met, and the technical problem that a traditional rigid connecting structure is prone to being damaged in the thermal expansion environment is effectively solved. In addition, by means of the structure, installation procedures are simplified, and convenience of assembly and maintenance is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of solar cell preparation, in particular to a locking structure and liquid cooling battery pack. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, the upper cover of the battery plug-in box is generally connected and fixed with the pull rivet nut of the lower box body by bolts, which plays a fastening and sealing role. With the development of technology, using a composite material upper cover has become a trend. During the charging and discharging cycle of the battery cell in the plug-in box, a large amount of heat will be generated in the package, the composite material upper cover will expand due to heat, and the bolt will be subjected to extrusion force, thereby deforming or damaging the thread, affecting the service life of the bolt, causing subsequent disassembly and assembly difficulties, and there is a great safety hazard.

[0003] Please refer to Figure 1 In the prior art, the battery plug-in box needs to be connected by a locking structure such as a screw 2, which connects two or more layers of outer shells 3 through a gasket 1 to achieve a closed and fastened effect. However, due to the different shapes, materials and sizes of the multi-layer outer shells 3, the position offset of the mounting hole is not the same when each layer of outer shell expands, which leads to the fact that the mounting hole of the outer shell may not be aligned after the battery package expands, and the screw is fixed after installation. Therefore, the outer shell will extrude the screw, causing the screw to be bent or the thread to be damaged, making subsequent disassembly and assembly difficult, affecting the service life of the screw, and causing safety hazards. UTILITY MODEL CONTENTS

[0004] The utility model aims to provide a locking structure and liquid cooling battery pack to avoid damage to the locking structure and reduce the installation difficulty.

[0005] The utility model discloses a locking structure, which comprises:

[0006] The elastic protective sleeve is used for abutting and cooperating with the inner wall of the connecting hole in the to-be-connected component;

[0007] The plug-in piece penetrates through the elastic protective sleeve and abuts and cooperates with the inner wall of the elastic protective sleeve; one end of the plug-in piece extends out of the elastic protective sleeve, and the other end abuts and cooperates with the bottom end of the connecting hole.

[0008] Further, the cross-sectional area of the elastic protective sleeve gradually decreases from one end to the other end along the axial direction.

[0009] Further, the plug-in piece comprises a plug-in head, an extension rod and a locking head;

[0010] The plug-in head and the locking head are arranged at two ends of the extension rod, respectively;

[0011] The extension rod is in abutting fit with the inner wall of the elastic protective sleeve; the plug-in connector and the locking head extend to one end and the other end of the elastic protective sleeve respectively, and one end of the locking head is in abutting fit with the bottom end of the connecting hole.

[0012] Further, the locking head is in the form of a boss structure.

[0013] Further, one end of the elastic protective sleeve is provided with a first limiting ring, and the first limiting ring is in abutting fit with the stepped surface of the boss structure.

[0014] Further, the other end of the elastic protective sleeve is provided with a second limiting ring, and the end surface of the second limiting ring is in abutting fit with the end surface of the plug-in connector.

[0015] Further, the expansion grooves are uniformly distributed along the circumference of the elastic protective sleeve.

[0016] Further, the shape of the expansion grooves includes a triangle or a rectangle.

[0017] Further, the material of the elastic protective sleeve includes one of silicone rubber, polyurethane and neoprene.

[0018] The utility model discloses still a kind of liquid-cooled battery pack, using above-mentioned locking structure, wherein, battery pack upper cover is fixedly connected with liquid-cooled tray by the locking structure.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has at least the following technical effects:

[0020] The elastic protective sleeve provided in the utility model can adapt to the deformation of the to-be-connected components during thermal expansion and cold contraction, avoiding the structural damage that may be caused by rigid connection. Meanwhile, the plug-in connector penetrates the elastic protective sleeve and forms abutting fit with the elastic protective sleeve and the to-be-connected components, which can provide necessary deformation space by using the elastic characteristics of the elastic protective sleeve on the basis of ensuring the reliability and rapid positioning of the connection, thereby balancing the requirements of connection firmness and deformation adaptation, effectively overcoming the technical problem that the traditional rigid connection structure is easily damaged in thermal expansion environment. In addition, the above structure also simplifies the installation process, and the plug-in connector can realize rapid positioning of the mounting plate without tools, improving the convenience of assembly and maintenance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic view of liquid-cooled battery pack after packaging in the prior art;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic view of elastic protective sleeve and plug-in connector in the first embodiment of the utility model;

[0023] Figure 3It is a structure schematic view of the elastic protection sleeve in the embodiment one of the utility model.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a structure schematic view of the locking structure after assembly in the embodiment one of the utility model.

[0025] Figure 5 It is a structure schematic view of the liquid-cooled battery pack in the embodiment two of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] A locking structure and a liquid-cooled battery pack will be described below in conjunction with the schematic view, wherein the preferred embodiment of the utility model is represented, and it should be understood that the utility model described herein can be modified by the person skilled in the art, and the advantageous effects of the utility model can still be achieved. Therefore, the following description should be understood as the extensive knowledge of the person skilled in the art, and not as the limitation of the utility model.

[0027] The utility model will be described more specifically in the following paragraphs in conjunction with the drawings. The advantages and features of the utility model will be more apparent according to the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and all use non-precise proportions, only to facilitate, clearly assist the purpose of explaining the embodiment of the utility model.

[0028] Embodiment one

[0029] Please refer to Figures 2-4 The embodiment discloses a locking structure, which comprises an elastic protection sleeve 1 and a plug-in part 2.

[0030] Specifically, the elastic protection sleeve 1 is used for abutting and cooperating with the inner wall of the connecting hole in the component to be connected; the plug-in part 2 penetrates through the elastic protection sleeve 1 and abuts and cooperates with the inner wall of the elastic protection sleeve 1; the two ends of the plug-in part 2 respectively extend out of the elastic protection sleeve 1, and one end is used for abutting and cooperating with the bottom end of the connecting hole.

[0031] In the embodiment, the elastic protection sleeve can adapt to the deformation of the component to be connected in the process of thermal expansion and cold contraction, and avoids the structural damage possibly caused by rigid connection. Meanwhile, the plug-in part penetrates through the elastic protection sleeve and abuts and cooperates with the elastic protection sleeve and the component to be connected, on the basis of guaranteeing the reliability and rapid positioning of connection, the elastic characteristics of the elastic protection sleeve can also be used to provide the necessary deformation space, so that the requirements of connection firmness and deformation adaptation are balanced, and the technical problem that the traditional rigid connection structure is easily damaged in the thermal expansion environment is effectively overcome. In addition, the above structure also simplifies the installation process, and the rapid positioning of the mounting plate can be realized without tools, and the convenience of assembly and maintenance is improved.

[0032] In one embodiment, the elastic protective sleeve is made of plastic, preferably selected from one of silicone rubber, polyurethane and neoprene. Further preferably, the elastic protective sleeve has an elastic modulus of 0.5-3.0 GPa. The elastic modulus in this range enables the elastic protective sleeve to have sufficient deformation capacity to adapt to the size change caused by thermal expansion and contraction, and to maintain the stability of the connecting structure.

[0033] Further, referring to Figures 2-3 , the elastic protective sleeve 1 provided in the embodiment is of a tapered structure. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of the elastic protective sleeve 1 gradually decreases along its axial direction from one end to the other end. The tapered structure enables the elastic protective sleeve 1 to form a variable-diameter structure with wider ends and a narrower middle in the installed state. This structural design can provide sufficient deformation space for the thermal expansion and contraction of the mounting plate when there is a positional deviation in the connecting hole, effectively preventing the mounting plate from directly pressing the plug-in connector in the thermal expansion state, thereby achieving reliable protection of the plug-in connector.

[0034] Further, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the plug-in connector 2 includes a plug-in head 21, an extension rod 22 and a locking head 23. Specifically, the plug-in head 21 and the locking head 23 are respectively arranged at the two ends of the extension rod 22, and the extension rod 22 is in abutting engagement with the inner wall of the elastic protective sleeve 1; the plug-in head 21 and the locking head 23 extend out of one end and the other end of the elastic protective sleeve 1, respectively, and the locking head 23 away from the end of the extension rod 22 is used to form abutting engagement with the bottom end of the connecting hole.

[0035] In the specific installation process, first, the extension rod 22 with the locking head 23 is inserted through the elastic protective sleeve 1; after the extension rod 22 abuts against the elastic protective sleeve 1, the bottom of the elastic protective sleeve 1 is spread open; the locking head 23 moves towards the hole bottom of the connecting hole in the component to be connected until it abuts against the bottom surface of the connecting hole.

[0036] In the embodiment, the locking head 23 is in the form of a boss structure. Specifically, the boss structure includes a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section, and the connection between the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section forms an annular stepped surface 24. One end of the elastic protective sleeve 1 is provided with a first limiting ring 13, and the end face of the first limiting ring 13 abuts against the annular stepped surface 24. The abutting engagement limits the axial movement of the locking head 23 and prevents the locking head 23 from coming out of the elastic protective sleeve 1.

[0037] Further, in the embodiment, the bottom end of the elastic protective sleeve 1 is provided with a second limiting ring 12 extending inward. The inner diameter of the second limiting ring 12 is smaller than the outer diameter of the plug-in connector 21, the inner peripheral surface of the second limiting ring 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the plug-in connector 21 form radial abutment, and the end surface of the second limiting ring 12 and the end surface of the plug-in connector 21 form axial abutment. This matching structure not only prevents the plug-in connector 21 from moving downward, but also ensures that the plug-in connector 21 remains coaxial in the elastic protective sleeve 1. In cooperation with the first limiting ring 12, bidirectional displacement limitation and radial centering of the plug-in connector 2 are realized, and the installation stability of the plug-in connector 2 is ensured.

[0038] Further, the elastic protective sleeve 1 is provided with a plurality of expansion grooves 11 in the circumferential direction; the expansion grooves 11 are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the elastic protective sleeve 1. The number of expansion grooves 11 is preferably 4-8, which are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction of the elastic protective sleeve 1.

[0039] In a specific embodiment, the number of expansion grooves 11 is 6, which are arranged at an interval of 60° in the circumferential direction of the elastic protective sleeve 1. Each expansion groove 11 is rectangular in shape, and the length direction is parallel to the axial direction of the elastic protective sleeve 1. Alternatively, the expansion groove 11 is triangular in shape, and the base of the triangle is located at the bottom end of the elastic protective sleeve 1.

[0040] In the embodiment, when the plug-in connector 2 is inserted into the elastic protective sleeve 1, due to the tapered structure of the elastic protective sleeve 1 and the abutting action of the extension rod 22, the bottom end of the elastic protective sleeve 1 is radially expanded. The arrangement of the expansion grooves 11 enables the elastic protective sleeve 1 to have better deformation capability in the radial direction, ensuring that the bottom can be fully expanded. At the same time, due to the uniform distribution of the expansion grooves 11, the deformation of the elastic protective sleeve 1 is also uniform, avoiding stress concentration. At this time, the locking head 23 moves towards the direction of the to-be-connected component, and the end surface thereof abuts against the surface of the to-be-connected component, thereby realizing reliable locking and fixing.

[0041] Embodiment two

[0042] Please refer to Figure 5 The embodiment discloses a liquid-cooled battery pack, which adopts the locking structure disclosed in embodiment one to fixedly connect the upper cover 4 of the battery pack and the liquid-cooled plate 8 in the liquid-cooled tray. The liquid-cooled battery pack disclosed in embodiment two also has the technical effects and advantages of the locking structure in embodiment one, which will not be described here.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the liquid-cooled battery pack mainly comprises a battery box upper cover 4 and a liquid-cooled tray (i.e. lower box body). The battery box upper cover 4 is made of composite material and has a large thermal expansion coefficient. A plurality of mounting holes are provided on the upper cover for mounting the locking structure 1, and a lifting bracket 5 is provided on the upper surface to facilitate lifting and handling of the battery pack. In addition, the inner side of the upper cover is provided with a reinforcing rib structure to improve the overall strength, and a sealing groove is provided around the periphery to accommodate a sealing ring.

[0044] The liquid-cooled tray is made of aluminum alloy material with good thermal conductivity and is an integrated composite structure system. The core is the liquid-cooled plate 8 as the foundation, which is processed with cooling liquid flow channels for temperature control of the battery module. On this basis, the front module mounting beam and the rear module mounting beam are fixed on the liquid-cooled plate 8 by brazing to form the main support structure, and the liquid-cooled plate 8 is also provided with a module positioning structure and a guide column to ensure accurate installation of the battery module. The limiting insulating sheet 2 is arranged on the inner side wall of the liquid-cooled plate for electrical insulation and position limitation of the battery module. In terms of sealing design, the tray edge is provided with a boss structure to cooperate with the sealing ring of the upper cover, and a sealing strip 3 is also provided to form double sealing protection. The tray is designed with mounting holes corresponding to the upper cover for installation and connection of the locking structure 1. The CCS (information collection) assembly 6 is installed on the battery module for real-time monitoring of the battery status. In addition, the tray also integrates communication interfaces, positive and negative plug-in base positive and negative plug-in base negative, fuse system (including fuse base and fuse upper cover) and fire detector functional components, which are electrically interconnected through copper bars and other connecting components. In addition, the liquid-cooled tray also comprises a mounting panel 7, and the BMU is installed in the mounting panel 7 for collecting battery module information.

[0045] The locking mechanism of the present embodiment is used to reliably fix and connect the battery box upper cover 4 and the liquid-cooled tray. Specifically, the locking structure 1 is arranged at the connecting edge of the battery pack upper cover and the liquid-cooled plate 8, and the elastic protective sleeve is sequentially passed from top to bottom through the corresponding mounting holes designed in advance on the edge parts of the battery box upper cover 4 and the liquid-cooled plate 8, and then the elastic protective sleeve bottom end is expanded by inserting the plug-in part from the top, and the locking head is in abutment with the bottom of the liquid-cooled plate 8, thereby realizing reliable fixation of the upper cover and the liquid-cooled tray; a plurality of locking structures are evenly distributed along the edge and cooperate with the sealing strip 3 to ensure the connection strength and overall sealing.

[0046] Preferably, four battery modules are arranged between the battery box upper cover 4 and the liquid-cooled tray, and an insulating sheet 6 is arranged on each of the two poles of the module for protection. In addition, the battery pack also comprises a mounting panel, and the BMU (Battery Management Unit) is installed in the mounting panel for collecting and monitoring the working parameters of the battery module.

[0047] The above structure design fully considers multiple requirements of the liquid-cooled battery pack in use: the balance between weight and strength is realized through the combination of the composite material upper cover and the aluminum alloy tray; the connection problem caused by the difference in thermal expansion coefficient of different materials is solved by using the locking structure of the application; the battery pack is ensured to work reliably through perfect sealing and heat dissipation design; and the intelligent monitoring system is equipped to ensure the safe operation of the battery pack.

[0048] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations of the present application belong to the scope of the claims of the present application and the equivalent technologies thereof, the present application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A locking structure, characterized by comprising: The utility model relates to a connecting structure of a battery pack and a liquid cooling tray, which comprises the following parts: An elastic protective sleeve is used to abut the inner wall of a connecting hole in a component to be connected; A plug-in part penetrates the elastic protective sleeve and abuts the inner wall of the elastic protective sleeve; the two ends of the plug-in part respectively extend out of the elastic protective sleeve, one end of which is used to abut the bottom end of the connecting hole.

2. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The cross-sectional area of the elastic protective sleeve gradually decreases from one end to the other end along the axial direction.

3. The locking structure of claim 2, wherein The plug-in part comprises a plug-in head, an extension rod and a locking head; The plug-in head and the locking head are respectively arranged at the two ends of the extension rod; The extension rod abuts the inner wall of the elastic protective sleeve; the plug-in head and the locking head extend out of one end and the other end of the elastic protective sleeve respectively, and the locking head away from the end of the extension rod is used to abut the bottom end of the connecting hole.

4. The locking structure of claim 3, wherein The locking head is in the form of a boss structure, which comprises a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section, and the connection between the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section forms an annular stepped surface.

5. The locking structure of claim 4, wherein One end of the elastic protective sleeve is provided with a first limiting ring, and the end face of the first limiting ring abuts the annular stepped surface.

6. The locking structure of claim 5, wherein The other end of the elastic protective sleeve is provided with a second limiting ring, and the end face of the second limiting ring abuts the end face of the plug-in head.

7. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The utility model also comprises expansion grooves, which are uniformly distributed circumferentially along the elastic protective sleeve.

8. The locking structure of claim 7, wherein The shape of the expansion grooves comprises a triangle or a rectangle.

9. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The material of the elastic protective sleeve comprises one of silicone rubber, polyurethane and neoprene.

10. A liquid-cooled battery pack employing the locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by The battery pack upper cover is fixedly connected with the liquid cooling tray through the locking structure.

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