A battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The application provides a battery pack and a vehicle, which are used for realizing that a sensor collects environmental information outside a battery pack box body and realizes that the sensor is installed in a limited space in the battery pack. The battery pack comprises a battery box body, a liquid cooling plate arranged at the bottom of the battery box body, a bottom guard plate arranged at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate and used for forming an installation cavity together with the liquid cooling plate, a controller arranged inside the battery box body, a sensor located in the installation cavity and used for collecting environmental parameters outside the battery box body, and a connecting assembly fixed to the liquid cooling plate and located in the installation cavity, wherein the connecting assembly has a first electric connection end and a second electric connection end, the first electric connection end is electrically connected with the sensor, and the second electric connection end is electrically connected with the controller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of batteries, specifically a battery pack and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of the green and low-carbon travel transformation, new energy vehicles have experienced rapid popularization and technological innovation. As a core component, power batteries have also seen vigorous development. Faced with the large-scale application of power batteries, ensuring their safety and reliability has become a challenge that must be addressed. Among these challenges, battery data collection has become a key technical difficulty, especially considering the extent of damage to the battery pack, which directly affects the assessment of vehicle usage strategies throughout its entire lifecycle. Existing technologies have the following key issues: 1. Limitations of battery pack data collection Currently, most electric vehicle battery packs contain thermistors (NTCs), pressure sensors, and shunts to collect basic information such as temperature, pressure, and current. Due to limitations in chip integration design, these are typically fixedly installed within the battery pack housing. For example, in one solution, acoustic and pressure sensors are placed in unused areas within the battery pack. However, the exterior of the battery pack housing is in direct contact with the external environment, facing corrosion, impacts, and pressure. Therefore, it is even more necessary to deploy sensors to monitor data under complex operating conditions and intervene promptly through strategic control to prevent battery structural damage or even thermal runaway risks.

[0003] 2. Existing battery pack external sensor placement technology has defects. Some solutions improve the monitoring performance of battery pack damage by installing detectors on the outside of the battery pack housing, specifically by placing stress sensors and pressure sensors on the inner wall of the battery pack. However, such sensor-integrated designs are usually costly and difficult to scale up. Furthermore, these technologies fail to address the connection between signal acquisition and transmission and the controller for decision-making, lacking reliable wiring harness layout schemes for independent acquisition and control logic. When wiring harnesses pass through the inside and outside of the battery pack, they must pass through structures such as liquid cooling plates and the inner wall of the battery pack housing, disrupting the original sealing design. Sealing failures are prone to occur at wiring harness passages, leading to insufficient feasibility. In addition, deploying sensors in the extremely confined space of the battery pack is very difficult. For example, another solution using sleeves and bases can achieve sealing, but it requires significant vertical installation space, which is difficult to meet in current battery packs that prioritize maximum assembly efficiency due to limited clearance and space. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a battery pack and a vehicle for enabling sensors to collect environmental information from the outside of the battery pack housing and for enabling the sensors to be installed in the confined space within the battery pack.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is as follows: This application provides a battery pack, including: Battery housing; A liquid cooling plate is arranged at the bottom of the battery box; A bottom protective plate is arranged at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate and together with the liquid cooling plate forms an installation cavity; The controller is located inside the battery housing; The sensor, located inside the mounting cavity, is used to collect external environmental parameters of the battery box. A connecting assembly is fixed to the liquid cooling plate and located within the mounting cavity. The connecting assembly has a first electrical connection end and a second electrical connection end. The first electrical connection end is electrically connected to the sensor, and the second electrical connection end is electrically connected to the controller.

[0006] Preferably, a through hole is formed on the liquid cooling plate, and the connecting assembly is electrically connected to the controller through a cable passing through the through hole, and electrically connected to the sensor through a sampling cable.

[0007] Preferably, the through hole and the cooling channel provided inside the liquid cooling plate are structurally isolated from each other.

[0008] Preferably, the connection component includes: a mounting base, a control circuit board, and a connector; The control circuit board and the connector are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the mounting base; The mounting base and the control circuit board are fixed together on the liquid cooling plate; The mounting base is provided with a sampling cable interface for electrical connection with the sampling cable, and the control circuit board is electrically connected to the sampling cable interface. One end of the connector passes through the mounting base and is electrically connected to the control circuit board, while the other end forms a detachable plug-in connection with the cable.

[0009] Preferably, the mounting base has a first mounting hole, and the control circuit board has a second mounting hole. Fasteners pass through the second mounting hole and the first mounting hole in sequence and are connected to the liquid cooling plate, thereby achieving mechanical fixation between the mounting base and the control circuit board and the liquid cooling plate.

[0010] Preferably, the connecting assembly further includes a sealing member fixed to the mounting base for forming a sealing area between the mounting base and the liquid cooling plate, the sealing area enclosing the connection hole of the fastener and the connector therein.

[0011] Preferably, the connection assembly further includes a buffer member that covers the side of the control circuit board facing away from the mounting base.

[0012] Preferably, the sensor is a humidity sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and / or a collision sensor.

[0013] Preferably, the height of the mounting cavity is less than 3 mm.

[0014] This application also provides a vehicle including the aforementioned battery pack.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By placing the sensor within the installation space enclosed by the liquid cooling plate and bottom protective plate beneath the battery pack, and utilizing connecting components fixed to the liquid cooling plate to achieve electrical connection between the sensor and the controller inside the pack, effective acquisition of external environmental information from the battery pack is achieved. This design allows the sensor to be positioned close to the outer wall of the battery pack, directly sensing complex external environments and potential collisions, corrosion, and other conditions. This overcomes the limitation of traditional sensors being only internally mounted, improving the comprehensiveness of battery pack status monitoring and safety early warning capabilities. Furthermore, by integrating the sensor and connecting components into an independent installation space beneath the liquid cooling plate, the sealing challenges posed by opening holes in the battery pack housing for wiring are avoided. It also fully utilizes the often-overlooked three-dimensional space at the bottom of the battery pack, overcoming the implementation difficulties of deploying external sensors under extremely limited internal space. Without significantly altering the existing battery pack structure or increasing costs, this design significantly improves the feasibility of sensor deployment, sealing reliability, and space utilization efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sensor, controller and connection components in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the connection components in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the disassembled connection components in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the battery pack structure in an embodiment of this application; Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 11-Sensor; 12-Controller; 13-Cable; 14-Connecting component; 15-Sampling cable; 141-Buffer component; 142-Sealing component; 143-Mounting base; 144-Control circuit board; 1431-Sampling cable interface; 1432-Connector; 1433-First mounting hole; 1441-Second mounting hole; 2-Liquid cooling plate; 3-Bottom protective plate. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Reference Figures 1 to 4 This application provides a battery pack, including: Battery housing; Liquid cooling plate 2 is arranged at the bottom of the battery box; The bottom protective plate 3 is arranged at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate 2 and together with the liquid cooling plate 2, forms an installation cavity; The controller 12 is located inside the battery box. Sensor 11, located inside the mounting cavity, is used to collect external environmental parameters of the battery box. The connecting component 14 is fixed to the liquid cooling plate 2 and located in the mounting cavity. The connecting component 14 has a first electrical connection end and a second electrical connection end. The first electrical connection end is electrically connected to the sensor 11, and the second electrical connection end is electrically connected to the controller 12.

[0018] In this embodiment, the mounting cavity formed between the bottom protective plate 3 and the liquid cooling plate 2 is extremely small, typically less than 3mm in height. Traditional solutions waste this space, and the battery pack lacks a sensor 11 for collecting external environmental information. In this embodiment, considering the actual layout and design of the bottom protective plate 3 and the liquid cooling plate 2, a sensor 11 and its associated mounting structure and controller 12 are specifically designed to match the mounting cavity between the bottom protective plate 3 and the liquid cooling plate 2. By placing the sensor 11 within the mounting space formed by the liquid cooling plate 2 and the bottom protective plate 3 below the battery pack, and using the connecting component 14 fixed to the liquid cooling plate 2 to achieve electrical connection between the sensor 11 and the controller 12 inside the pack, effective collection of external environmental information from the battery pack is achieved. This design allows the sensor 11 to be placed close to the outer wall of the battery pack, directly sensing the complex external environment and potential collisions, corrosion, and other operating conditions. This overcomes the limitation of the original sensor 11 being only able to be built-in, improving the comprehensiveness of battery pack status monitoring and safety early warning capabilities. On the other hand, by integrating the sensor 11 and the connecting component 14 into an independent installation space below the liquid cooling plate 2, it avoids the sealing challenges caused by opening holes in the battery pack housing for wiring, and makes full use of the often-overlooked three-dimensional space at the bottom of the battery pack. This overcomes the implementation difficulties of deploying external sensors 11 under extremely limited internal space conditions in the battery pack. Without significantly changing the existing battery pack structure or significantly increasing costs, it significantly improves the feasibility of sensor 11 deployment, sealing reliability, and space utilization efficiency.

[0019] In this embodiment, the controller 12 can be a separately arranged controller 12, or it can be an existing battery management system (BMS).

[0020] In this embodiment of the application, a through hole is formed on the liquid cooling plate 2, and the connecting component 14 is electrically connected to the controller 12 through the cable 13 passing through the through hole, and is electrically connected to the sensor 11 through the sampling cable 15.

[0021] This through-hole provides a dedicated and shortest signal transmission channel for connecting the sensor 11 outside the battery pack housing to the controller 12 inside the battery pack housing. This effectively simplifies the wiring harness layout and avoids potential interference and wear risks caused by the complex winding of the wiring harness inside the battery pack. Simultaneously, the through-hole is integrally machined with the liquid cooling plate 2, facilitating the design and implementation of highly reliable sealing solutions (such as using sealing rings or sealant) around it. This ensures electrical connection while fundamentally preventing sealing failures such as coolant leakage or external moisture intrusion that may occur due to the wiring harness passing through the hole, thus guaranteeing the sealing integrity and safe operation of the entire battery pack system.

[0022] The sampling cable 15 can be made of materials such as FFC and FPC, and a reinforcing plate and adhesive can be added to its back to ensure mechanical strength and bonding effect.

[0023] The through-hole is structurally isolated from the cooling channels inside the liquid-cooled plate 2. This design ensures that the signal transmission channel and the coolant circulation channel are completely independent, avoiding damage to the internal channel structure or weakening its mechanical properties when machining the through-hole on the liquid-cooled plate 2. This ensures the heat dissipation efficiency and long-term operational reliability of the liquid cooling system. Simultaneously, the structural isolation fundamentally eliminates the possibility of coolant contacting electrical connections through the through-hole, completely eliminating the risk of short circuits, sensor 11 failure, or controller 12 damage due to coolant leakage, significantly improving the safety and reliability of the battery pack system.

[0024] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this embodiment of the application, the connection component 14 includes: a mounting base 143, a control circuit board 144, and a connector 1432; The control circuit board 144 and the connector 1432 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the mounting base 143; The mounting base 143 and the control circuit board 144 are together fixed on the liquid cooling plate 2; The mounting base 143 is provided with a sampling cable interface 1431 for electrical connection with the sampling cable 15, and the control circuit board 144 is electrically connected to the sampling cable interface 1431. One end of the connector 1432 passes through the mounting base 143 and is electrically connected to the control circuit board 144, while the other end forms a detachable plug-in connection with the cable 13.

[0025] The integrated connection design of the connection component 14 concentrates signal conditioning, transmission, and interface functions within the limited space below the liquid cooling plate 2. This not only significantly saves layout space and meets the high integration requirements of the battery pack, but also enables convenient installation and subsequent maintenance of the cable 13 through detachable plug-in connections. Simultaneously, the control circuit board 144 and the mounting base 143 are jointly fixed to the liquid cooling plate 2, effectively utilizing the mechanical strength and thermal management capabilities of the liquid cooling plate 2. This provides a stable mounting foundation and heat dissipation path for electronic components, and also enhances the structural reliability and durability of the connection component 14 under harsh conditions such as vibration and shock.

[0026] Reference Figure 3 The mounting base 143 has a first mounting hole 1433, and the control circuit board 144 has a second mounting hole 1441. Fasteners pass through the second mounting hole 1441 and the first mounting hole 1433 in sequence and are then connected to the liquid cooling plate 2, thereby achieving mechanical fixation between the mounting base 143, the control circuit board 144, and the liquid cooling plate 2. A recessed area is provided on the liquid cooling plate 2, and a through hole is arranged within this recessed area. The connecting assembly 14 is arranged within this recessed area. The fasteners are bolts. The shared fasteners achieve coordinated fixation of the mounting base 143 and the control circuit board 144 on the liquid cooling plate 2, greatly simplifying the assembly process, reducing the number of parts and installation steps, and improving production efficiency and consistency. This top-down clamping method ensures a tight fit between the control circuit board 144 and the mounting base 143, as well as between the mounting base 143 and the liquid cooling plate 2. This not only significantly improves the overall structural rigidity and vibration resistance of the connecting assembly 14, ensuring mechanical reliability under harsh working conditions, but also effectively establishes an efficient heat dissipation path from the control circuit board 144 to the liquid cooling plate 2. By utilizing the powerful thermal management capabilities of the liquid cooling plate 2, the electronic components are cooled down in a timely manner, ensuring their long-term operational stability.

[0027] Reference Figure 3The connecting assembly 14 also includes a sealing member 142, which is fixed to the mounting base 143 and forms a sealing area between the mounting base 143 and the liquid cooling plate 2. This sealing area encloses the connection holes of the fasteners and the connector 1432. By using a single sealing member 142 to simultaneously provide centralized sealing protection for both the mechanical mounting interface (i.e., the connection holes of the fasteners) and the electrical interface (connector 1432), the sealing structure is greatly simplified, reducing the probability of seal failure and maintenance costs. This design effectively prevents external moisture, dust, and other contaminants from entering through the mounting holes and connector 1432 interfaces, avoiding potential short circuits, metal corrosion, or signal transmission failures. Simultaneously, by concentrating critical components requiring protection within a single sealed area, it not only saves space and meets the compact layout requirements of the battery pack bottom but also improves the long-term protection level and operational reliability of the connecting assembly 14 in complex and harsh environments.

[0028] Reference Figure 3 The connection assembly 14 also includes a buffer member 141, which covers the side of the control circuit board 144 facing away from the mounting base 143. This buffer member 141 provides comprehensive physical protection and electrical insulation for the control circuit board 144, effectively preventing short circuits caused by falling metal objects, condensation buildup, or accidental contact. Simultaneously, the buffer member 141 also prevents mechanical damage to components on the control circuit board 144 during installation, maintenance, or vibration and shock, improving the long-term durability of the connection assembly 14. Its design also considers the compactness requirements of the battery pack's bottom space, providing necessary protection without adding extra structural complexity.

[0029] In this embodiment, sensor 11 is a humidity sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, and / or a collision sensor.

[0030] In this embodiment, both the sealing member 142 and the buffer member 141 are made of insulating material.

[0031] By selecting the compressibility of the materials of the sealing member 142 and the buffer member 141, the overall height of the connecting assembly 14 can be adjusted by the torque of the fasteners relative to the liquid cooling plate 2, thereby matching the size assembly and sealing requirements of different gap heights under the limited space at the bottom of the battery pack.

[0032] This design allows for the installation of the required sensor 11 within the limited space of the bottom protective plate 3 or liquid cooling plate 2 of the battery pack. Holes are made on the contact surface at the bottom of the cell to install the designed connecting component 14. Subsequently, the liquid cooling plate 2 is installed on the battery pack housing, facilitating the passage of the sampling cable 15 and the adjustment of the sensor 11 position, making assembly, disassembly, and maintenance easy.

[0033] This application also provides a vehicle including the battery pack described above.

[0034] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

[0035] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0036] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0037] Any process or method description in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing a particular logical function or process, and the scope of preferred embodiments of this disclosure includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the function involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of this disclosure pertain.

[0038] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer-based system, a system including a processing module, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit programs for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable media include: an electrical connection having one or more wires (control method), a portable computer disk drive (magnetic device), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable and editable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic device, and portable optical disc read-only memory (CDROM). Furthermore, computer-readable media can even be paper or other suitable media on which programs can be printed, because programs can be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other media, followed by editing, interpreting, or otherwise processing as necessary, and then stored in computer memory.

[0039] It should be understood that various parts of the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented in software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods described in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0041] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into a single processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a single module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The aforementioned storage medium can be a read-only memory, a hard disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0042] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery pack, characterized in that, include: Battery housing; Liquid cooling plate (2) is arranged at the bottom of the battery box; A bottom protective plate (3) is arranged at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate (2) and together with the liquid cooling plate (2) forms an installation cavity; The controller (12) is located inside the battery box. Sensor (11), located inside the mounting cavity, is used to collect external environmental parameters of the battery box; The connecting component (14) is fixed to the liquid cooling plate (2) and located in the mounting cavity. The connecting component (14) has a first electrical connection end and a second electrical connection end. The first electrical connection end is electrically connected to the sensor (11), and the second electrical connection end is electrically connected to the controller (12).

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, A through hole is provided on the liquid cooling plate (2). The connecting component (14) is electrically connected to the controller (12) through a cable (13) passing through the through hole, and is electrically connected to the sensor (11) through a sampling cable (15).

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that, The through hole and the cooling channel provided inside the liquid cooling plate (2) are structurally isolated from each other.

4. The battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connection assembly (14) includes: a mounting base (143), a control circuit board (144), and a connector (1432). The control circuit board (144) and the connector (1432) are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the mounting base (143); The mounting base (143) and the control circuit board (144) are fixed together on the liquid cooling plate (2); The mounting base (143) is provided with a sampling cable interface (1431) for electrical connection with the sampling cable (15), and the control circuit board (144) is electrically connected to the sampling cable interface (1431). One end of the connector (1432) passes through the mounting base (143) and is electrically connected to the control circuit board (144), while the other end forms a separable plug-in connection with the cable (13).

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The mounting base (143) has a first mounting hole (1433), and the control circuit board (144) has a second mounting hole (1441). The fastener passes through the second mounting hole (1441) and the first mounting hole (1433) in sequence and is connected to the liquid cooling plate (2), thereby realizing the mechanical fixation between the mounting base (143) and the control circuit board (144) and the liquid cooling plate (2).

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that, The connecting assembly (14) further includes a sealing member (142), which is fixed on the mounting base (143) and is used to form a sealing area between the mounting base (143) and the liquid cooling plate (2). The sealing area encloses the connecting hole of the fastener and the connector (1432).

7. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The connection assembly (14) further includes a buffer member (141) that covers the side of the control circuit board (144) away from the mounting base (143).

8. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor (11) is a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor and / or a collision sensor.

9. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The height of the mounting cavity is less than 3mm.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the battery pack as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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