Relay, high-voltage distribution box, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a relay, a high-voltage distribution box, a battery pack and a vehicle, and the relay comprises a housing, two leading-out ends, and a BMS connecting piece. The shell comprises a first wall surface and a second wall surface; the leading-out end is arranged on the first wall face, and the BMS connecting piece comprises a welding contact point arranged on the second wall face. According to the scheme, the connection and overall structure of the relay can be simplified, the integration level of the high-voltage distribution box and the BMS is improved, and the cost is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to the technical field of vehicles, in particular to a relay, a high-voltage distribution box, a battery pack and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] The battery pack is a core component of an electric vehicle and is the energy source of the entire vehicle system. The high-voltage distribution box is an important electrical assembly in the power battery and contains fuses, relays, sensors, copper bars, wire harnesses and other components to realize functions such as overload protection of the circuit, on-off control, current and voltage temperature acquisition and signal communication transmission. The relay is an important device for realizing on-off control, and its basic principle is to drive a large current through a small current to realize the closure of the circuit.

[0003] The lead-out end of the relay is connected with the copper bar, and the relay also needs to be connected with the BMS (Battery Management System) through the connecting wire harness. The connection and overall structure of the relay are relatively complex, the integration degree is low and the cost is high.

[0004] Therefore, how to simplify the connection and overall structure of the relay, improve the integration degree of the high-voltage distribution box and the BMS and reduce the cost is a technical problem that needs to be solved by the person skilled in the art. CONTENT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The application aims to provide a relay, a high-voltage distribution box, a battery pack and a vehicle, which can simplify the connection and overall structure of the relay, improve the integration degree of the high-voltage distribution box and the BMS and reduce the cost.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the application provides a relay, which comprises a shell, two lead-out ends and a BMS connecting piece. The shell comprises a first wall surface and a second wall surface. The lead-out ends are arranged on the first wall surface, and the BMS connecting piece comprises a welding contact point arranged on the second wall surface.

[0007] Optionally, the BMS connecting piece comprises two voltage acquisition contact points, the voltage acquisition contact points form at least part of the welding contact point, the two voltage acquisition contact points correspond to the two lead-out ends one by one and are respectively electrically connected through a first connecting piece, and the first connecting piece is located in the shell.

[0008] Optionally, a yoke clamp arranged in the shell is further included, the first connecting piece is arranged on the outer wall surface of the yoke clamp, and an insulating protective layer is further arranged between the first connecting piece and the outer wall surface of the yoke clamp.

[0009] Optionally, the first connecting piece and the lead-out end are welded to one side of the shell.

[0010] Optionally, a coil holder is further arranged in the shell, the coil is arranged around the coil holder, the BMS connecting member further comprises two driving contacts, the driving contacts form at least part of the welding contacts, and two ends of the coil are electrically connected with the two driving contacts respectively.

[0011] Optionally, the ends of the coil are connected with the corresponding driving contacts through a second connecting member, and the second connecting member is fixedly arranged in the coil holder.

[0012] Optionally, the first wall surface and the second wall surface are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the shell.

[0013] Optionally, the shell has a cuboid structure, and the first wall surface and the second wall surface are respectively arranged on two sides in the width direction of the shell, or the first wall surface and the second wall surface are respectively arranged on two sides in the thickness direction of the shell.

[0014] The application further provides a high-voltage distribution box, comprising a copper bar and the relay as described above, and the copper bar is connected with the lead-out end of the relay.

[0015] The application further provides a battery pack, comprising the high-voltage distribution box as described above.

[0016] Optionally, a BMS is further arranged, and a main board of the BMS is welded with the welding contacts.

[0017] Optionally, a liquid cooling plate is further arranged, the copper bar of the high-voltage distribution box is arranged in close contact with the liquid cooling plate, and the first wall surface of the relay is arranged on the side of the liquid cooling plate.

[0018] The application further provides a vehicle, comprising the relay, the high-voltage distribution box or the battery pack as described above.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the relay, the high-voltage distribution box, the battery pack and the vehicle provided by the application have the following technical effects:

[0020] The BMS connecting member of the relay is directly welded with the main board of the BMS through the welding contacts, without the need of arranging a connecting wire harness, so that the overall structure in the battery pack can be simplified, the situation of messy lines can be avoided, the space in the battery pack can be reduced, the cost can be effectively reduced, and the integration of the BDU and the BMS is higher.

[0021] Moreover, the BMS is welded with the welding contacts, which is also beneficial to realize automatic operation, and can be completed through pipeline operation and robot welding, so that manpower and material resources can be saved, the cost can be effectively reduced, and the efficiency can be improved.

[0022] The welding contact and the lead-out end are arranged on different wall surfaces of the shell, so that the lead-out end is connected with the copper bar on one side of the first wall surface, and the welding contact is welded with the BMS on one side of the second wall surface, the interference between the copper bar and the BMS is avoided, the high-integration liquid cooling BDU scheme can be met, and the volume utilization rate of the BDU is significantly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a relay provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a relay provided by an embodiment of the present application from another perspective;

[0025] Figure 3 is a top view of Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an internal structure of a relay;

[0027] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of another perspective of an internal structure of a relay.

[0028] The accompanying drawings are briefly described as follows: Figures 1-5 In the drawings, the reference signs are explained as follows:

[0029] 1 shell, 11 first wall surface, 12 second wall surface, 13 baffle, 14 first shell, 15 second shell; 2 lead-out end; 3 voltage acquisition contact; 4 driving contact; 5 first connecting piece; 6 yoke clamp; 7 U-shaped yoke; 8 coil holder; 9 coil; 10 welding contact. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] An embodiment of the present application provides a relay, a high-voltage distribution box, a battery pack and a vehicle, wherein the vehicle comprises the above-mentioned relay, high-voltage distribution box or battery pack, the battery pack comprises a high-voltage distribution box (Battery Disconnect Unit, hereinafter referred to as BDU), a BMS (Battery Management System, battery management system) and the like, the BDU is an important electrical assembly part in the battery pack, and internally contains a fuse, a relay, a sensor, a copper bar, a wire harness and the like, so as to realize functions such as overload protection of a circuit, on-off control, current-voltage-temperature acquisition and communication transmission of a signal, the relay is an important device for realizing on-off control, and its basic principle is to drive a large current through a small current, and then realize the closure of a loop.

[0032] The relay has a coil 9 inside, when the coil 9 is electrified, it magnetizes the iron core (not shown) surrounded by the coil 9, and makes it move upward, the iron core overcomes the spring force in the relay and drives the moving contact to move upward, and when it reaches the specified position, it contacts with the static contact, closes the circuit, and realizes the transmission of large current.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1 , the relay includes a shell 1 and two outgoing terminals 2 (the outgoing terminals 2 can be copper columns), the moving contact of the relay is inside the shell 1, and the static contact extends outside the shell 1 to form the outgoing terminals 2, which are used to connect the copper bars, and the connection between the copper bars and the outgoing terminals 2 can be through bolt connection or welding connection. In addition, the voltage corresponding to the two outgoing terminals 2 of the relay needs to be collected, and the BMS of the battery pack diagnoses the closing state of the relay by calculating the voltage difference between the two outgoing terminals 2. If the voltage difference between the two outgoing terminals 2 is 0, it means that the relay is in the closed state, and if the voltage between the two outgoing terminals 2 is equal, the voltage difference is not 0, which means that the relay is in the open state.

[0034] The relay also includes a BMS connecting piece for connecting with the mainboard of the BMS, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the shell 1 includes a first wall surface 11 and a second wall surface 12 in different directions, and the two outgoing terminals 2 are arranged on the first wall surface 11, and the BMS connecting piece includes a welding contact 10 arranged on the second wall surface 12, which is used to be welded with the mainboard of the BMS through laser welding or the like. That is, the BMS connecting piece of the relay is directly welded with the mainboard of the BMS through the welding contact 10, without the need for additional connection of the wire harness, which can simplify the overall structure of the battery pack, avoid the situation of messy lines, reduce the occupation of space in the battery pack, effectively reduce the cost, and improve the integration of BDU and BMS.

[0035] Moreover, the welding connection between the BMS and the welding contact 10 is also conducive to realizing automatic operation, which can be completed through pipeline operation and robot welding, saving manpower and material resources, effectively reducing cost and improving efficiency.

[0036] The welding contact 10 and the outgoing terminal 2 are arranged on different wall surfaces of the shell 1, so that the outgoing terminal 2 can be connected with the copper bar on one side of the first wall surface 11, and the welding contact 10 can be welded with the BMS on the other side of the second wall surface 12, avoiding the interference between the copper bar and the BMS, and also meeting the high-integration liquid-cooled BDU scheme, and significantly improving the volume utilization rate of the BDU.

[0037] In this embodiment, the number of welding contacts 10 is not limited, and each welding contact 10 can be arranged at any position on the second wall surface 12, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3In the embodiment shown, there are two types of welding contact points 10, namely voltage acquisition contact 3 and drive contact 4. The BMS connector includes two voltage acquisition contacts 3 and two drive contacts 4. Of course, the welding point 10 can also be only one type, either voltage acquisition contact 3 or drive contact 4.

[0038] Two voltage acquisition contacts 3 correspond one-to-one with two leads 2, and the voltage acquisition contacts 3 are electrically connected to the corresponding leads 2 through the first connector 5, which is located inside the housing 1.

[0039] The first connector 5 is connected to the lead-out end 2 on the side facing the inside of the housing 1. The specific connection method is not limited, but welding is preferred. Of course, bolt connection or other methods can also be used. Welding the first connector 5 to the lead-out end 2 can avoid the risk of bolt loosening after durability. In addition, welding has a smaller contact resistance than bolt connection, which is also beneficial to improve the problem of relay overheating.

[0040] The setup of the first connector 5 and the voltage acquisition contact 3 is equivalent to integrating the voltage acquisition harness inside the relay housing 1. The BMS can directly acquire the voltage of the relay, eliminating the need for the traditional acquisition harness. This makes the external structure of the relay more regular, the overall structure inside the battery pack simpler, and effectively reduces costs.

[0041] The voltage acquisition contact 3 can be formed by the end of the first connector 5 extending out of the second wall 12 of the housing 1, or it can be formed by a separately provided structural component that extends out of the second wall 12 of the housing 1 and is welded to the end of the first connector 5 away from the lead-out end 2. No specific restrictions are made here.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, the first wall surface 11 is also provided with a baffle 13, which is located between the two leads 2 to isolate the two leads 2 and ensure that the electrical clearance creepage distance meets the requirements.

[0043] The housing 1 includes a first housing 14 and a second housing 15. The first housing 14 and the second housing 15 are each provided with a mounting groove. After the openings of the first housing 14 and the second housing 15 are aligned and fixed, a mounting cavity is formed between the first housing 14 and the second housing 15 to provide protection for internal components. Specifically, both the first housing 14 and the second housing 15 can be plastic housings and are fixed by means of clips or other methods, making installation relatively convenient.

[0044] Specifically, the first housing 14 may be provided with a lead-out end 2, or the second housing 15 may be provided with a lead-out end 2, or the first housing 14 and the second housing 15 may each be provided with a lead-out end 2. Furthermore, the arrangement of the aforementioned welding contact points 10 in the first housing 14 and the second housing 15 is not limited.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the relay further comprises yoke clamps 6 and U-shaped yokes 7 arranged in the shell 1, the yoke clamps 6 and the U-shaped yokes 7 are common structures of the relay, the inside of the yoke clamps 6 is provided with a magnetic steel, and the left and right two yoke clamps 6 are respectively adsorbed on the two sides of the lead-out end 2 through the magnetic steel attraction, the magnetic steel is a common structure for realizing arc extinguishing of the relay, and the U-shaped yoke 7 is a common current guide structure of the relay. In order to save space, it is not emphasized here. The first connecting piece 5 is arranged on the outer wall surface of the yoke clamp 6, and an insulating protective layer is further arranged between the first connecting piece 5 and the outer wall surface of the yoke clamp 6 to prevent the first connecting piece 5 from being directly connected with the yoke clamp 6.

[0046] Specifically, the insulating protective layer can be a rubber pad, a wooden board, a plastic board, a ceramic board and the like arranged between the first connecting piece 5 and the yoke clamp 6, or a rubber sleeve wrapped on the outer wall surface of the first connecting piece 5, or an insulating coating coated on the outer wall surface of the yoke clamp 6.

[0047] The specific position of the voltage collection contact 3 on the second wall surface 12 is not limited, which can be adjusted according to the design of the first connecting piece 5, and can be adapted to the needs of BMS and process production.

[0048] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the relay further comprises a coil holder 8 arranged in the shell 1, and a coil 9 is arranged on the coil holder 8, and two ends of the coil 9 are respectively connected with two driving contacts 4 one by one. That is, the two driving contacts 4 are respectively connected with the positive and negative electrodes of the coil 9, and the driving function of the coil 9 can be realized by energizing the driving contact 4 to apply corresponding current, thereby realizing the closing of the relay.

[0049] Preferably, the end of the coil 9 is electrically connected with the driving contact 4 through a second connecting piece (not shown in the figure), and the second connecting piece is fixedly arranged on the coil holder 8. Of course, the end of the coil 9 can be directly electrically connected with the driving contact 4, and the end of the coil 9 and the driving contact 4 are connected through the second connecting piece, which is more flexible, reduces the position requirement of the end of the coil 9, and avoids the case that the structure is relatively messy.

[0050] The second connecting piece can be integrally formed with the coil holder 8, such as a copper piece integrally injection molded with the coil holder 8, or the second connecting piece can be arranged independently of the coil holder 8 and fixed with the coil holder 8 by bonding, clamping or the like.

[0051] The specific position of the driving contact 4 on the second wall surface 12 is not limited, which can be adjusted according to the design of the coil holder 8, and can be adapted to the needs of BMS and process production.

[0052] Relays typically come in three forms: vertical, horizontal, and inverted. The specific form of the relay provided in this application embodiment can be selected based on the BDU design scheme and the layout of the BMS mainboard to achieve low cost and high volume utilization. If the relay is a vertical relay, the first wall surface 11 faces upward, i.e., the lead-out terminal 2 faces upward. If the relay is a horizontal relay, the first wall surface 11 faces to the side, i.e., the lead-out terminal 2 faces to the side. If the relay is an inverted relay, the first wall surface 11 faces downward, i.e., the lead-out terminal 2 faces downward.

[0053] The bottom of the battery pack is equipped with a liquid cooling plate. The copper busbars of the BDU are attached to the liquid cooling plate, which cools the copper busbars. The copper busbars and the liquid cooling plate can be directly attached or indirectly connected. To ensure cooling effect, a thermal pad can also be used to indirectly attach the liquid cooling plate and copper busbars to balance tolerances and prevent impacts from direct contact with the wall surface. To keep the BDU copper busbars as close to the bottom as possible, the relay design will preferably choose an inverted or horizontal position, so that the relay connection copper busbars are closer to the bottom, the heat transfer path is shorter, the connection copper busbar length is shorter, and the cost is lower.

[0054] Preferably, the relay is set as an inverted relay, which allows the copper busbar to fit snugly against the liquid cooling plate at the bottom of the BDU while reducing the length of the copper busbar connected to lead-out terminal 2, thereby reducing costs.

[0055] Furthermore, the first wall surface 11 and the second wall surface 12 can be arranged adjacent to each other or opposite to each other. Preferably, the first wall surface 11 and the second wall surface 12 are located on opposite sides of the housing 1. For an inverted relay, the first wall surface 11 is installed facing downwards, and the second wall surface 12 is installed facing upwards. This facilitates the arrangement of the BMS that is welded to the welding contact point 10 located on the second wall surface 12, and reduces the requirements of the BMS for lateral installation space.

[0056] And, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the housing 1 has a cuboid structure. Preferably, the first wall 11 and the second wall 12 are respectively disposed on the two side walls in the width direction of the housing 1. Alternatively, the first wall 11 and the second wall 12 can be respectively disposed on the two side walls in the thickness direction of the housing 1. Of course, the first wall 11 and the second wall 12 can also be disposed on the two side walls in the length direction of the housing 1. When the first wall 11 and the second wall 12 are respectively disposed on the two side walls in the width direction or the two side walls in the thickness direction of the housing 1, the space requirement in the height direction of the relay can be reduced in the installed state, thereby reducing the overall height requirement of the BDU or even the battery pack, which facilitates space arrangement.

[0057] That is, the relay provided by the embodiment, by arranging the welding contact 10 on the second wall surface 12 of the shell 1, without the need for wiring harness connection between the relay and the BMS, the overall structure can be simplified, and by adopting the inverted relay, the length of the copper bar can also be reduced, effectively reducing the cost while meeting the high integration of the liquid cooling BDU scheme, significantly improving the volume utilization rate of the BDU. The arrangement of the relay is suitable for the welding BDU without wiring harness, which is conducive to improving the product consistency and delivery quality, realizing automatic production, improving the production rhythm, and having cost advantages.

[0058] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0059] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0060] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and it should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, a number of improvements and refinements can be made, which should also be considered as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A relay characterized by comprising: The shell (1), two outgoing ends (2) and a BMS connecting piece are included. The shell (1) includes a first wall (11) and a second wall (12). The outgoing end (2) is arranged on the first wall (11), and the BMS connecting piece includes a welding contact (10) arranged on the second wall (12).

2. The relay according to claim 1, characterized in that The BMS connecting piece includes two voltage collection contacts (3), the voltage collection contacts (3) form at least part of the welding contact (10), the two voltage collection contacts (3) correspond to the two outgoing ends (2) one by one, and are respectively electrically connected through a first connecting piece (5), and the first connecting piece (5) is located in the shell (1).

3. The relay according to claim 2, characterized in that A yoke clip (6) arranged in the shell (1) is further included, the first connecting piece (5) is arranged on the outer wall of the yoke clip (6), and an insulating protective layer is further arranged between the first connecting piece (5) and the outer wall of the yoke clip (6).

4. The relay of claim 2, wherein The first connecting piece (5) is welded and connected to the side of the outgoing end (2) facing the shell (1).

5. A relay according to any one of claims 1-4, characterised in that A coil holder (8) arranged in the shell (1) is further included, the coil holder (8) is wound with a coil (9), the BMS connecting piece further includes two driving contacts (4), the driving contacts (4) form at least part of the welding contact (10), and the two ends of the coil (9) are respectively electrically connected to the two driving contacts (4).

6. The relay of claim 5, wherein The end of the coil (9) and the corresponding driving contact are connected through a second connecting piece, and the second connecting piece is fixedly arranged on the coil holder (8).

7. A relay according to any one of claims 1-4, characterised in that The first wall (11) and the second wall (12) are respectively located on the opposite sides of the shell (1).

8. The relay according to claim 7, characterized in that The shell (1) is a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the first wall (11) and the second wall (12) are respectively located on the two sides in the width direction of the shell (1), or the first wall (11) and the second wall (12) are respectively located on the two sides in the thickness direction of the shell (1).

9. The relay of claim 5, wherein, The first wall (11) and the second wall (12) are respectively located on the opposite sides of the shell (1).

10. The relay of claim 9, wherein The shell (1) is a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the first wall (11) and the second wall (12) are respectively located on the two sides in the width direction of the shell (1), or the first wall (11) and the second wall (12) are respectively located on the two sides in the thickness direction of the shell (1).

11. A high voltage distribution box characterized by, The copper bar is connected with the outgoing end of the relay.

12. A battery pack, characterized by, The high-voltage distribution box is included.

13. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein, The main board of the BMS is welded and connected with the welding contact (10).

14. The battery pack of claim 13, wherein, The liquid cooling plate is further included, the copper bar of the high-voltage distribution box is arranged in close contact with the liquid cooling plate, and the first wall of the relay is arranged on the side facing the liquid cooling plate.

15. A vehicle characterized by comprising: The relay according to any one of claims 1-10, the high-voltage distribution box according to claim 11, or the battery pack according to any one of claims 12-14 are included.

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