Lead-acid battery and electric power system for a fork lift truck

Abstract

The application provides a lead storage battery and a forklift power system. The lead storage battery comprises a battery module and a balancing module. The battery module comprises at least two battery units, and the battery units are connected in parallel. The balancing module is connected to the battery module and is used for controlling the voltage rise and fall of the battery module. In the application, the battery units are connected in parallel, and then the balancing module can simultaneously control each battery unit synchronously, so that the current and voltage of each battery unit can reach an equilibrium state, the current bias current of the lead storage battery in the charging and discharging process is avoided, and then the uneven voltage of the battery units and the uneven temperature caused by the uneven voltage are avoided, so that the temperature in the battery module does not continuously rise, and then the water in the lead storage battery does not dry up. The forklift power system comprises the lead storage battery. The lead storage battery does not need to be maintained and watered all the time, the maintenance procedure and the maintenance cost are reduced, and the use mode of the forklift power system is simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of forklift battery technology, specifically to a lead-acid battery and a forklift power system. Background Technology

[0002] In existing electric forklifts, most electric drive systems use lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries.

[0003] Among them, the conventional tubular lead-acid battery has a low cost, but because the tubular lead-acid battery is open and not completely sealed, a certain amount of side reactions will be generated during the charging process. When the charging voltage reaches a certain value or exceeds that value, due to the side reactions, the water in the electrolyte inside the battery will be decomposed and diffused outward as gas. Therefore, over time, more and more water will be decomposed, the water in the electrolyte will gradually decrease, and the electrolyte concentration will increase. If the electrolyte is not replenished in time, the battery will gradually dry out and eventually lead to battery failure.

[0004] Therefore, due to the unique structure of tubular lead-acid batteries, they require continuous maintenance during use, with a maintenance cycle of about one month, which increases maintenance costs and adds complexity to their use.

[0005] Therefore, there is room for further improvement in existing forklift electric drive systems. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of this, regarding the technical problem that the existing forklift power system using lead-acid batteries requires long-term maintenance, increasing maintenance costs and making the entire usage method cumbersome, this application provides a lead-acid battery and a forklift power system. The lead-acid battery does not require maintenance during its service life, thereby reducing maintenance costs; and after the forklift power system adopts the lead-acid battery, its usage does not require frequent maintenance, simplifying the usage method.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a lead-acid battery, comprising: A battery module includes at least two battery cells connected in parallel. The equalization module, connected to the battery module, is used to control the voltage rise and fall of the battery module.

[0008] Compared with the prior art, the lead-acid battery of this application includes a battery module and an equalization module. The equalization module is connected to the battery module, and the battery module includes multiple battery cells connected in parallel. This allows the equalization module to synchronously control each battery module simultaneously, so that the current and voltage of each battery cell can reach a balanced state. This avoids current imbalance during the charging and discharging process of the lead-acid battery, and thus avoids uneven voltage and temperature caused by uneven voltage among the battery cells. As a result, the temperature inside the battery module will not rise continuously, and the water in the lead-acid battery will not dry up. This eliminates the need for constant water replenishment, reduces maintenance procedures and costs, and simplifies the usage.

[0009] Preferably, at least two battery cells form a battery pack, and the battery packs are connected in series. The number of battery packs is n, and the number of battery cells in each battery pack is m, where n ≥ m.

[0010] In this embodiment, parallel battery cells form a battery pack, and then the battery packs are connected in series, which increases the total voltage of the battery module and the total capacity. The number of battery packs is less than or equal to the number of battery cells, which can control the number of battery packs connected in series, reduce internal resistance, and better maintain the balance of the lead-acid battery.

[0011] Preferably, the equalization module includes: The detection unit is used to detect the voltage, current, and temperature values ​​of the battery module; The control unit is used to control the on / off state of the charging circuit of the battery module.

[0012] In this embodiment, the control unit can promptly act on the battery module based on the values ​​obtained by the detection unit, thereby ensuring the balance of voltage, current, and temperature values.

[0013] Preferably, the battery cell includes: At least two battery packs are connected in parallel. The unit housing is used to hold the battery.

[0014] In this embodiment, connecting battery packs in parallel can increase the capacity of battery cells and improve the driving time of lead-acid batteries.

[0015] Preferably, the battery cells are arranged horizontally; The battery pack is arranged vertically, and the battery pack includes at least two batteries connected in parallel. A support frame is provided between the battery packs. The support frame is connected to the unit housing and is used to support the battery packs.

[0016] In this embodiment, the battery pack is arranged vertically and the battery cells are arranged horizontally, so that the volume of the lead-acid battery can be more uniform and can be placed reasonably on the forklift, reducing the overall vehicle volume; the battery pack includes multiple batteries connected in parallel, which can further increase the capacity of the lead-acid battery; the support frame can support the battery pack, prevent the battery packs from sticking together and causing short circuits, and also ensure the stability of the lead-acid battery.

[0017] Preferably, the battery cell further includes: The third connector is used to connect two adjacent battery packs in parallel; The fourth connector is used to connect two batteries in the same battery pack in parallel. The third and fourth connectors are made of either nickel or copper.

[0018] In this embodiment, by providing the third and fourth connectors, the stability of the electrical connections between battery packs and between batteries can be ensured.

[0019] Preferred options also include: The first connector is connected to the battery cell and is used to connect the battery cells in parallel. The second connector is connected to the battery pack and is used to connect the battery packs in series. The first connector and the second connector are made of either nickel or copper.

[0020] In this embodiment, by providing a first connector and a second connector, the stability of the electrical connection between battery cells and between battery packs can be ensured.

[0021] Preferably, the detection unit includes: The current detection module is connected to the battery and is used to detect the battery's current value. A voltage detection module, connected to the battery, is used to detect the battery's voltage value; The temperature sensing module is connected to the battery and is used to detect the battery temperature.

[0022] In this embodiment, the temperature measurement module can directly measure the battery temperature and provide the most timely and accurate data, ensuring the timeliness and effectiveness of the control module.

[0023] Preferably, it also includes: a complete housing for mounting the battery cells, made of insulating material; The battery cover, located on top of the battery cell, is made of insulating material; The unit housing and support frame are both made of insulating materials.

[0024] In this embodiment, the entire housing, battery cover, unit housing, and support frame are all made of insulating materials, which can reduce the risk of short circuits and the probability of thermal failure propagation in lead-acid batteries, and improve the service life of lead-acid batteries.

[0025] Secondly, this application also provides a forklift power system that includes the lead-acid battery in any embodiment provided in the first aspect.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the lead-acid battery in the forklift power system of this application has a larger capacity and a longer driving range. It also has self-regulating capability to control the current, voltage and temperature inside the lead-acid battery, so that the battery water will not dry out. Therefore, it does not require constant maintenance, resulting in low maintenance cost and simple operation of the forklift power system. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a lead-acid battery provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a top view of a lead-acid battery provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a battery cell provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of part A.

[0028] Attached label: 1. Lead-acid battery; 11. Battery unit; 12. Complete housing; 13. First connector; 14. Second connector; 15. Temperature measurement module; 111. Battery pack; 112. Support frame; 113. Third connector; 114. Fourth connector; 115. Unit housing; 1151. Cabinet body; 1152. Cabinet door; 1153. Battery cover. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this disclosure, the following detailed, clear, and complete description of this disclosure is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not intended to limit it.

[0030] In the description of this application, the use of "first" and "second" is for the purpose of distinguishing technical features only, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated or the order of the technical features indicated.

[0031] Those skilled in the art should understand that in the disclosure of this application, the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0032] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, see below. Figures 1 to 4 illustrate.

[0033] First aspect like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this application provides a lead-acid battery 1 for use in a forklift system. It includes a housing 12, a battery module, and an equalization module. The equalization module and the battery module are disposed within the housing 12. The equalization module is connected to the battery module to control the voltage rise and fall of the battery module, thereby ensuring that the voltage of the battery module is in a balanced state. This prevents the voltage of the battery module from becoming too high and causing the internal temperature to rise, thus avoiding the drying out of the battery water in the lead-acid battery 1. Therefore, it eliminates the need for staff to regularly add battery water, thereby reducing maintenance costs and simplifying the usage.

[0034] The battery module includes at least two battery cells 11, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the battery cells 11 are arranged horizontally and connected in parallel, which allows the balancing module to synchronously control each battery cell 11 simultaneously. This ensures that the current and voltage of each battery cell 11 are balanced, preventing uneven current or voltage distribution in some battery cells that could lead to uneven internal temperature of the lead-acid battery 1. Consequently, each battery cell 11 in the entire lead-acid battery 1 is balanced, increasing both the overall lifespan and capacity of the lead-acid battery 1, thus enhancing its range.

[0035] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 , Figure 3 As shown, at least two battery cells 11 are connected in parallel to form a battery pack. The lead-acid battery 1 includes at least two battery packs, which are arranged horizontally and connected in series, thereby increasing the total voltage of the battery module and enabling the lead-acid battery 1 to have a more efficient power transmission capability to meet the usage requirements of the forklift power system.

[0036] Wherein, the number of battery packs is n, and the number of battery cells 11 in each battery pack is m, where n≥m; in this application, it is preferable to set the number of battery cells 11 to be greater than the number of battery packs, that is, n>m. By controlling the number of battery packs connected in series, the internal resistance is reduced while the balance effect of lead-acid battery 1 can be better maintained.

[0037] Specifically, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the number of battery packs is m=2, and the number of battery cells 11 in each battery pack is n=10. The lead-acid battery 1 includes a total of 20 battery cells 11. The lead-acid battery 1 also includes a first connector 13 and a second connector 14. The first connector 13 is used to connect two adjacent battery cells 11 in parallel, and the second connector 14 is used to connect two adjacent battery packs in series.

[0038] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, each battery cell 11 has a positive terminal interface and a negative terminal interface. The battery cells 11 in the battery pack are arranged in two rows and five columns. The two battery cells 11 at the far left are the first column, and they are arranged sequentially from left to right. The battery pack at the top is the first battery pack, and they are arranged sequentially from top to bottom. In the first battery pack, the leftmost of the battery cells 11 in the first column are all positive terminals. The positive terminals of the two battery cells 11 in the first column are connected by a first connector 13. The battery cells 11 in the second column are close to the negative terminals of the battery cells 11 in the first column, and are then connected to the negative terminals of the battery cells 11 in the second column and the first column through a first connector 13. The positive terminals of the battery cells 11 in the second column and the battery cells 11 in the third column are connected by a first connector 13, and they are connected sequentially according to the above order, so that the leftmost of the battery cells 11 in the first column of the second battery pack is the negative terminal.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, one end of the second connector 14 is connected to the negative terminal of one of the battery packs, and the other end is connected to the positive terminal of another battery pack, thereby realizing the series connection of the two adjacent battery packs.

[0040] In this embodiment, the first connector 13 and the second connector 14 can be made of either nickel or copper. Preferably, the first connector 13 and the second connector 14 are both copper busbars, which have good conductivity and can ensure the high efficiency of electrical transmission between battery cells 11.

[0041] Specifically, battery cell 11 will be further described; such as Figure 3 , Figure 4As shown, the battery unit 11 includes a battery pack 111, a unit housing 115, and a support frame 112. The unit housing 115 has a rectangular structure, and the battery pack 111 is placed inside the unit housing 115. The battery housing includes a cabinet 1151, a battery cover 1153, and a cabinet door 1152. The cabinet door 1152 is located on the side of the cabinet 1151, and the cabinet door 1152 is detachably connected to the cabinet 1151 of the battery housing for easy disassembly and maintenance by personnel. The battery cover 1153 is located on the top of the cabinet 1151 to close and shield the top of the battery pack 111, thereby preventing external impurities from entering the battery pack 111. Each battery unit 11 includes at least two battery packs 111, which are arranged vertically, and adjacent battery packs 111 are connected in parallel, thereby increasing the capacity of a single battery unit 11 and further increasing the overall quantity of the lead-acid battery 1.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, each battery pack 111 has a support frame 112 between them. The support frame 112 is used to support the battery pack 111, to prevent the battery packs 111 from sticking together and causing a short circuit, and to ensure the stability of the lead-acid battery 1.

[0043] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, each battery unit 11 includes four battery packs 111 arranged vertically; each battery pack 111 includes at least two batteries arranged horizontally, thus making the structure of the lead-acid battery 1 more reasonable and allowing it to be placed reasonably on a forklift, reducing the overall vehicle volume; the battery unit 11 also includes a third connector 113 and a fourth connector 114, which are used to connect two adjacent battery packs 111 in parallel; the fourth connector 114 is used to connect two adjacent batteries in parallel; the third connector 113 and the fourth connector 114 can be made of either nickel or copper; preferably, the third connector 113 and the fourth connector 114 are both nickel busbars, which are easy to weld and can ensure the stability of electrical transmission between the battery packs 111 and the batteries.

[0044] The connection principle of the third connector 113 and the fourth connector 114 is the same as that of the first connector 13 and the second connector 14 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0045] It should be noted that in this application, the complete housing 12, battery cover 1153, unit housing 115, and support frame 112 are all made of insulating materials, which can reduce the short circuit risk and thermal failure propagation probability of lead-acid battery 1 and improve the service life of lead-acid battery 1.

[0046] Based on any of the above embodiments, the equalization module will be further described; such as... Figure 3, Figure 4 As shown, the balancing module includes a detection unit and a control unit. The detection unit is connected to the control unit and the battery pack 111. The control unit is connected to the charging circuit of the battery pack 111. The detection unit is used to detect the voltage, current and temperature values ​​of each battery pack 111 and transmit these values ​​to the control unit. The control unit compares the voltage, current and temperature values ​​of each battery pack 111, thereby controlling the battery pack 111 with high bias voltage, bias current or high temperature, suspending the charging of the battery pack 111, so as to control the voltage and current values ​​of each battery pack 111, so that the battery cells 11 can reach a balanced state, thereby avoiding thermal runaway, avoiding battery water loss, and thus extending the service life of the lead-acid battery 1.

[0047] Furthermore, the detection unit includes a voltage detection module and a temperature measurement module 15. Both the voltage detection module and the temperature measurement module 15 are connected to each battery, thereby enabling accurate measurement of the voltage and temperature of each battery. This assists the control unit in achieving precise regulation of each battery, ensuring the self-regulation capability of the lead-acid battery 1, further reducing the probability of battery water loss, lowering maintenance costs, and extending the service life of the lead-acid battery 1.

[0048] Furthermore, the detection unit may also include a current detection module, which can directly detect the current value of each battery, assisting the control unit in quickly determining the state of each battery, thereby achieving rapid equalization and regulation.

[0049] Second aspect This application provides a forklift power system, which includes a lead-acid battery 1 in any embodiment provided in the first aspect. The lead-acid battery 1 in the forklift power system of this application has a large capacity and a strong endurance. It also has a self-regulating capability to control the current, voltage and temperature inside the lead-acid battery 1, so that the battery water will not dry out, thus eliminating the need for constant maintenance. As a result, the maintenance cost of the forklift power system is low and the usage is simple.

[0050] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this application can be arbitrarily combined into new embodiments, provided that the solutions do not conflict and the technical solutions can coexist.

[0051] The present application has been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the present application and its core ideas. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to the present application without departing from the principles of the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A lead-acid battery, characterized in that, include: A battery module includes at least two battery cells (11) connected in parallel. The equalization module, connected to the battery module, is used to control the voltage rise and fall of the battery module.

2. The lead-acid battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least two battery cells (11) form a battery pack, and the battery packs are connected in series; The number of battery packs is n, and the number of battery cells (11) in each battery pack is m, where n≥m.

3. The lead-acid battery according to claim 2, characterized in that, The equalization module includes: The detection unit is used to detect the voltage, current, and temperature values ​​of the battery module; The control unit is used to control the on / off state of the charging circuit of the battery module.

4. The lead-acid battery according to claim 3, characterized in that, The battery cell (11) includes: At least two battery packs (111) are connected in parallel. Unit housing (115) is used to hold batteries.

5. The lead-acid battery according to claim 4, characterized in that, The battery cells (11) are arranged in a horizontal direction; The battery pack (111) is arranged in a vertical direction, and the battery pack (111) includes at least two batteries connected in parallel. A support frame (112) is provided between the battery packs (111). The support frame (112) is connected to the unit box (115) and is used to support the battery packs (111).

6. The lead-acid battery according to claim 5, characterized in that, The battery cell (11) also includes: The third connector (113) is used to connect two adjacent battery packs (111) in parallel; The fourth connector (114) is used to connect two batteries in the same battery pack (111) in parallel; The third connector (113) and the fourth connector (114) are made of either nickel or copper.

7. The lead-acid battery according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: The first connector (13) is connected to the battery unit (11) and is used to connect the battery units (11) in parallel. The second connector (14) is connected to the battery pack and is used to connect the battery packs in series. The first connector (13) and the second connector (14) are made of either nickel or copper.

8. The lead-acid battery according to claim 3, characterized in that, The detection unit includes: The current detection module is connected to the battery and is used to detect the battery's current value. A voltage detection module, connected to the battery, is used to detect the battery's voltage value; Temperature measurement module (15) is connected to the battery and is used to detect the battery temperature.

9. The lead-acid battery according to claim 5, characterized in that, The complete housing (12), used to hold the battery unit (11), is made of insulating material; A battery cover (1153) is located on top of the battery cell (11) and is made of insulating material; The unit box (115) and the support frame (112) are both made of insulating materials.

10. A forklift power system, characterized in that, Includes the lead-acid battery as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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