Insulated box

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a heat insulation box. The heat insulation box comprises a box body, a cover body and a sealing unit. The box body comprises a containing cavity with an opening, and a first heat insulation cavity is arranged in the box body and covers the containing cavity. The cover body is fixedly arranged on the box body to cover the opening, and a second heat insulation cavity is arranged in the cover body. The sealing unit is arranged between the side walls of the box body and the cover body opposite to each other to isolate the containing cavity from the outside. The heat insulation cavities arranged on the box body and the cover body can form isolation of heat transfer, and the sealing unit arranged between the box body and the cover body can avoid heat transfer from the gap between the box body and the cover body, thereby improving the effect of isolating heat transfer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery protection technology, and more particularly to heat insulation boxes. Background Technology

[0002] Power batteries are a type of battery that uses lithium metal or lithium alloy as the negative electrode material and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. Existing lithium batteries are used in various fields, including automobiles, machinery, and other items or devices. Among related technologies, power batteries are significantly affected by ambient temperature. For example, in high or low temperature environments, power batteries are easily subjected to extreme temperatures, leading to performance degradation. Traditional air-cooling solutions cannot isolate heat radiation, while solutions using aerogel for heat insulation are costly. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide an insulated box to solve the problems in the related art.

[0004] The first aspect of this disclosure provides an insulated box, comprising:

[0005] The housing includes a receiving cavity with an opening; the housing is provided with a first heat-insulating cavity covering the receiving cavity;

[0006] A cover is fixedly disposed on the box to cover the opening; a second heat insulation cavity is provided inside the cover;

[0007] A sealing unit is disposed between the side walls of the housing and the cover to isolate the cavity from the outside.

[0008] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the sealing unit includes at least one annular seal.

[0009] In the first aspect of the embodiment, the annular periphery of the housing and the cover form a concave-convex fitting mounting structure, and the sealing unit is disposed between the protrusion and the groove in the mounting structure.

[0010] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the sealing unit includes a plurality of seals; a first annular seal of the plurality of seals is filled in the gap between the opposite sidewalls of the protrusion and the groove, and a second annular seal is filled in the gap between the top surface of the protrusion and the bottom surface of the groove.

[0011] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the wall surface on at least one of the protrusion and the groove that abuts against the second annular seal is implemented as a curved surface; and / or, the protrusion has a cavity extending along its length.

[0012] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the first annular seal is implemented as a plurality of the plurality of the first annular seals, which are spaced apart along the depth direction of the groove.

[0013] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the housing includes an outer shell and an inner shell, the inner shell being fixedly connected to the outer shell with a gap; the receiving cavity is formed in the inner shell; the gap is configured as the first heat-insulating cavity.

[0014] In an embodiment of the first aspect, it includes: at least one wire harness passing through; disposed in the housing communicating with the receiving cavity and the outside, and configured to isolate the first heat insulation cavity from communication with the outside, and to isolate the receiving cavity from the outside after the wire harness passes through.

[0015] In an embodiment of the first aspect, the cover is detachably fixed to the box body.

[0016] In a first aspect embodiment, the first and second heat insulation cavities are filled with heat insulation material.

[0017] As described above, this disclosure provides a heat-insulated box. The heat-insulated box includes a box body, a lid, and a sealing unit. The box body includes a receiving cavity with an opening, and a first heat-insulating cavity covering the receiving cavity is provided inside the box body. The lid is fixedly disposed on the box body to cover the opening; a second heat-insulating cavity is provided on the lid in a region corresponding to the opening; the sealing unit is disposed between the side walls of the box body and the lid opposite to each other to isolate the receiving cavity from the outside. This disclosure, through the heat-insulating cavities provided on the box body and the lid, can form an isolation against heat transfer, and the sealing unit provided between the box body and the lid can prevent heat from being transferred through the gap between the box body and the lid, thereby improving the effect of heat transfer isolation. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an insulated box according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2 The diagram shown is a cross-sectional view of an insulated box according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 The information presented in this disclosure is as follows. Figure 2 A magnified view of A in the middle.

[0021] Figure 4 The diagram shown is a cross-sectional view of the insulated box from another perspective in one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0022] Reference numerals: 100, heat insulation box; 110, box body; 1101, receiving cavity; 1102, first heat insulation cavity; 111, outer shell; 112, inner shell; 120, cover; 1201, second heat insulation cavity; 121, bolt; 1211, stop; 130, sealing unit; 131, first annular seal; 132, second annular seal; 140, mounting structure; 141, protrusion; 1411, cavity; 142, groove; 150, wire harness insertion piece. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the information disclosed herein. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this disclosure can be modified or changed according to different viewpoints and application modules without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0024] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can readily implement it. This disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0025] In this disclosure, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic represented in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics represented may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or a group of embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples represented in this disclosure, as well as the features of those different embodiments or examples.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the representation of this disclosure, "a set" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0027] For the purpose of clarity, devices unrelated to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components throughout the specification are given the same reference numerals.

[0028] Throughout this specification, when it is said that a device is "connected" to another device, this includes not only "direct connection" but also "indirect connection" by placing other components in between. Furthermore, when it is said that a device "comprises" a certain constituent element, unless otherwise stated otherwise, this does not exclude other constituent elements, but rather implies that other constituent elements may be included.

[0029] While the terms first, second, etc., are used in some examples herein to refer to various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, first interface and second interface, etc., are used. Furthermore, as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” indicate the presence of the stated feature, step, operation, element, module, item, kind, and / or group, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, modules, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms “or” and “and / or” as used herein are interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. Thus, “A, B, or C” or “A, B, and / or C” means “any one of: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C.” Exceptions to this definition will only occur if the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0030] The technical terms used herein are for reference only to specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The singular form used herein includes the plural form unless the statement explicitly indicates otherwise. The word "comprising" as used in this specification means to specify a particular characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, and does not exclude the presence or addition of other characteristics, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components.

[0031] Although not explicitly defined, all terms, including technical and scientific terms used herein, shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be further interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technical literature and the message of the present disclosure, and shall not be over-interpreted as having an ideal or overly formulaic meaning unless otherwise defined.

[0032] Power batteries are a type of battery that uses lithium metal or lithium alloy as the negative electrode material and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. Existing lithium batteries are used in various fields, including automobiles, machinery, and other items or devices. Among related technologies, power batteries are significantly affected by ambient temperature. For example, in high or low temperature environments, power batteries are easily subjected to extreme temperatures, leading to performance degradation. Traditional air-cooling solutions cannot isolate heat radiation, while solutions using aerogel for heat insulation are costly.

[0033] Based on the above problems, this disclosure provides a heat insulation cavity on the box and the cover to isolate heat transfer, and a sealing unit between the box and the cover can prevent heat from being transferred through the gap between the box and the cover, thereby improving the effect of heat transfer isolation.

[0034] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of an insulated box according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 The image shown is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an insulated box according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the example, the insulated box 100 includes a box body 110 and a cover 120.

[0035] The housing 110 includes a receiving cavity 1101 with an opening. When the insulation housing 100 is used to insulate the battery cell, an operator can place the battery cell into the receiving cavity 1101 through the opening. Exemplarily, the receiving cavity 1101 is implemented with a rectangular cross-section to accommodate a rectangular battery cell. In other embodiments, for example, the battery cell is implemented as a cylindrical battery cell, and the receiving cavity 1101 may also be implemented with a cross-section of multiple interconnected circles, but is not limited thereto.

[0036] To further improve the heat insulation effect, a mica fireproof partition (not shown in the figure) is provided between every two adjacent battery cells in the receiving cavity 1101, and a mica fireproof partition is also provided between the two battery cells at the edge and the cavity wall of the receiving cavity 1101. The advantage is that the mica fireproof partition can isolate heat transfer between battery cells, thereby improving the heat insulation effect.

[0037] The housing 110 has a first heat-insulating cavity 1102 for covering the receiving cavity 1101. Exemplarily, the first heat-insulating cavity 1102 is formed in the area of ​​the cavity wall of the receiving cavity 1101 on the housing 110. For example, the receiving cavity 1101 is a rectangular cavity, and the first heat-insulating cavity 1102 is also rectangular.

[0038] For example, the first heat insulation cavity 1102 is filled with heat insulation material. For instance, aluminum silicate fiber cotton, with a thermal conductivity ≤0.04 W / m·K, can effectively insulate against heat transfer. Specifically, when the heat insulation box 100 is in a high-temperature environment, the heat insulation material in the first heat insulation cavity 1102 can prevent external heat from being transferred to the battery cell in the receiving cavity 1101, thereby preventing the battery cell from experiencing performance degradation due to temperature rise. Alternatively, when the heat insulation box 100 is in a low-temperature environment, the heat insulation material in the first heat insulation cavity 1102 can prevent the battery cell's heat from being transferred to the outside, thereby preventing the battery cell from experiencing performance degradation due to temperature loss. In other embodiments, the heat insulation material filling the first heat insulation cavity 1102 can also be an inert gas other than helium, such as argon, krypton, and xenon.

[0039] For example, the cavity wall of the receiving cavity 1101 is provided with a buffer layer (not shown in the figure) to prevent the battery cell from directly colliding with the cavity wall of the receiving cavity 1101 due to shaking, thereby protecting the battery cell. For example, foam or silicone pads are laid on the side walls and bottom walls of the receiving cavity 1101.

[0040] The housing 110 includes an outer shell 111 and an inner shell 112. The inner shell 112 is fixedly connected to the outer shell 111 with a gap, which is implemented as the first heat-insulating cavity 1102. The receiving cavity 1101 is formed in the inner shell 112. Exemplarily, the outer shell 111 has a cavity, the inner shell 112 is inserted into the cavity, and the gap exists between a portion of its outer wall surface and the cavity wall for filling with the heat-insulating material. The annular edge of the inner shell 112 forming the opening is fixedly connected to the cavity wall.

[0041] The fixed connection can be implemented by welding. For example, after the inner shell 112 is inserted into the cavity, the annular edge of the outer shell 111 is sealed and fixedly connected to the annular edge of the inner shell 112 by welding. It is understood that welding is only applicable when both the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 are made of metal (galvanized steel sheet, etc.).

[0042] In other embodiments, for example, at least one of the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 is made of a non-metallic material, and the fixing connection can be implemented as a screw connection or an adhesive connection. For example, both the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 are shells with a circular cross-section, and the fixing connection between the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 can be implemented as a threaded connection, such as the inner wall of the outer shell 111 having an internal thread, and the outer wall of the inner shell 112 having an external thread for engaging with the internal thread.

[0043] For example, the outer shell 111 is made of aluminized steel sheet with a corrosion-resistant coating to improve the lifespan of the housing 110. The inner shell 112 is made of composite material, such as glass fiber reinforced PP. In this case, the outer shell 111 and the inner shell 112 can be fixedly connected in a non-welding manner, such as screwing, plugging, or bonding.

[0044] exist Figure 2 In this example, the inner shell 112 is configured so that the outer shell 111 is not exposed after the cover 120 is closed onto the housing 110. It is understood that the inner shell 112, as the component closest to the power battery, is the first barrier to prevent heat transfer. If the inner shell 112 is exposed after the cover 120 is closed onto the housing 110, heat will be directly transferred through the exposed inner shell 112 to the inside / outside of the receiving cavity 1101, causing the power battery to degrade due to high temperature or heat loss.

[0045] The cover 120 is fixedly disposed on the housing 110 to cover the opening. The cover 120 can isolate the receiving cavity 1101 from the outside by covering the opening, thereby further isolating the receiving cavity 1101 from the outside heat transfer.

[0046] Exemplarily, the cover 120 is provided with a second heat-insulating cavity 1201. The second heat-insulating cavity 1201 is provided to further isolate the receiving cavity 1101 from external heat transfer. Exemplarily, the second heat-insulating cavity 1201 is filled with heat-insulating material, such as aluminum silicate fiber cotton and inert gas. Its function is the same as that of the heat-insulating material in the first heat-insulating cavity 1102, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0047] Preferably, the second heat-insulating cavity 1201 is formed on the cover 120 in the region corresponding to the opening. Preferably, the size of the second heat-insulating cavity 1201 is configured to cover the opening. It is understood that this ensures that the second heat-insulating cavity 1201 can effectively isolate the receiving cavity 1101 from heat transfer to the outside.

[0048] For example, the cover 120 is detachably disposed on the housing 110. Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2Each corner of the cover 120 is provided with a bolt 121, and the top wall of the outer shell 111 has threaded holes corresponding to the positions of the bolts 121. Therefore, when it is necessary to fix the cover 120 to the box 110 to close the opening, the cover 120 is moved until the bolts 121 are aligned with the corresponding threaded holes, and the bolts 121 are screwed into the bolt holes. As the bolts 121 are screwed into the threaded holes, the cover 120 gradually presses against the top wall of the outer shell 111, finally closing the opening.

[0049] Figure 3 The information presented in this disclosure is as follows. Figure 2 A magnified view of A in the diagram. Figure 3 In the example, the bolt 121 is provided in the cover 120 with restricted detachment. Exemplarily, the cover 120 has a vertically penetrating groove, and the bolt 121 is slidably engaged with the groove. The groove has a variable diameter portion in the middle, larger than its two ends, and the bolt 121 has a stop portion 1211 that matches the size of the variable diameter portion and is slidably engaged with it. Therefore, when the bolt 121 is removed from the threaded hole, it cannot be removed from the cover 120 because the stop portion 1211 abuts against both sides of the variable diameter portion, thereby improving the efficiency of installing the cover 120 onto the housing 110.

[0050] In other embodiments, the threaded holes on the housing 111 are implemented as through holes to reduce the thickness of the area where the threaded holes are formed on the housing 111, thereby reducing the area of ​​the housing 111 in contact with the outside and reducing heat transfer.

[0051] The heat-insulating box 100 further includes a sealing unit 130 disposed between the opposing side walls of the box body 110 and the cover 120 to isolate the receiving cavity 1101 from the outside. Exemplarily, the sealing unit 130 is implemented as an annular sealing gasket (not shown in the figure) disposed between the opposing side walls of the box body 110 and the cover 120. In other embodiments, the sealing unit 130 is implemented as two annular sealing gaskets, with one annular sealing gasket provided on the bottom wall of the cover 120 and the top wall of the box body 110, to further improve the effect of isolating the receiving cavity 1101 from the outside heat transfer.

[0052] Figure 4 The image shown is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the insulation box from another perspective, according to one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 and Figure 4In the example, a mounting structure 140 with a concave-convex fit is formed between the annular periphery of the housing 110 and the cover 120, and the sealing unit 130 is disposed between the protrusion 141 and the groove 142 in the mounting structure 140. For example, the protrusion 141 is formed on the bottom wall of the cover 120 (e.g., integrally formed), and the groove 142 is formed on the top wall of the housing 110. In other embodiments, the arrangement of the protrusion 141 and the groove 142 can be interchanged, such that the protrusion 141 is formed on the top wall of the housing 110, and the groove 142 is formed on the bottom wall of the cover 120.

[0053] exist Figure 3 In this example, the sealing unit 130 includes a plurality of seals. A first annular seal 131 of the plurality of seals fills the gap between the opposing sidewalls of the protrusion 141 and the groove 142, and a second annular seal 132 fills the gap between the top surface of the protrusion 141 and the bottom surface of the groove 142. Exemplarily, both the first annular seal 131 and the second annular seal 132 are implemented as heat-resistant rubber pads. Therefore, when the protrusion 141 is inserted into the groove 142, the first annular seal 131 on the protrusion 141 deforms due to abutting against the wall of the groove 142, thereby forming a first seal that isolates the receiving cavity 1101 from heat transfer to the outside. When the protrusion 141 is inserted to the bottom wall of the groove 142, the protrusion 141 abuts against and compresses the second annular seal 132 until deformed, thereby forming a second seal that isolates the receiving cavity 1101 from heat transfer to the outside. By isolating heat transfer through two layers, the heat transfer isolation effect is improved.

[0054] Exemplarily, the wall surface on at least one of the protrusion 141 and the groove 142 that abuts against the second annular seal 132 is implemented as a curved surface (not shown in the figure). Those skilled in the art will understand that by making the wall surfaces on the protrusion 141 and the groove 142 that abut against the second annular seal 132 non-planar, the contact area after the protrusion 141, groove 142, and second annular seal 132 abut against each other can be increased, thereby further improving the sealing effect of the sealing unit 130.

[0055] In other embodiments, it may be implemented such that only the wall surface of the protrusion 141 that abuts against the second annular seal 132 is curved; or, only the wall surface of the groove 142 that abuts against the second annular seal 132 is curved, and is not limited thereto.

[0056] Exemplarily, multiple first annular seals 131 are implemented. Multiple first annular seals 131 are spaced apart along the depth direction of the groove 142, for example, on the outer side wall of the protrusion 141. In this way, by providing multiple second annular seals 132, multiple second blockages against heat transfer are achieved, further improving the sealing effect of the sealing unit 130.

[0057] Exemplarily, the protrusion 141 has a cavity 1411 extending along its length. It is understood that the cavity 1411 reduces heat transfer through the protrusion 141. Further exemplaryly, the cavity 1411 is filled with insulating material, thereby further improving the sealing effect of the sealing unit 130.

[0058] Back to Figure 2 In the example, the heat insulation box 100 further includes at least one wire harness passing member 150. The wire harness passing member 150 is disposed in the box body 110, connecting the receiving cavity 1101 to the outside, and is configured to isolate the first heat insulation cavity 1102 from the outside, and to isolate the receiving cavity 1101 from the outside after the wire harness passes through it. For example, the inner shell 112 and the outer shell 111 each have a through hole at the same position to connect the outside to the receiving cavity 1101. The wire harness passing member 150 is disposed in the two through holes, and the outer wall of the wire harness passing member 150 is sealed against the inner wall of the through hole to prevent heat transfer from the gap between the wire harness passing member 150 and the through hole. After the wire harness passes through the wire harness passing member 150, a seal between the wire harness passing member 150 and the wire harness can be achieved through processes such as wire binding or thermoforming, thereby preventing heat transfer from the gap between the wire harness passing member 150 and the wire harness.

[0059] For example, a heating element (not shown in the figure), such as a PTC heating film, is provided inside the receiving cavity 1101. The heating element is electrically connected to a control device and a temperature monitoring device outside the heat insulation box 100. Therefore, when the temperature monitoring device detects that the ambient temperature is low (<5°C), the control device can activate the heating element to heat the power battery inside the receiving cavity 1101, thereby preventing the power battery from degrading due to heat loss.

[0060] For example, the edges of the heat insulation box 100 are all chamfered or rounded (not shown in the figure) to avoid scratching the operator.

[0061] It is understood that the heat insulation box 100 can be used for other components, such as instruments or controllers.

[0062] In summary, this disclosure provides a heat-insulated box. The heat-insulated box includes a box body, a lid, and a sealing unit. The box body includes a receiving cavity with an opening, and a first heat-insulating cavity covering the receiving cavity is provided inside the box body. The lid is fixedly disposed on the box body to cover the opening; a second heat-insulating cavity is provided inside the lid; the sealing unit is disposed between the opposite side walls of the box body and the lid to isolate the receiving cavity from the outside. The advantage of the above arrangement is that, through the heat-insulating cavities provided on the box body and the lid, this disclosure can form an isolation against heat transfer, and the sealing unit provided between the box body and the lid can prevent heat from being transferred through the gap between the box body and the lid, thereby improving the effect of heat transfer isolation.

[0063] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this disclosure should still be covered by the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An insulated box, characterized in that, include: The housing includes a receiving cavity with an opening; the housing is provided with a first heat-insulating cavity covering the receiving cavity; A cover is fixedly disposed on the box to cover the opening; The cover body is provided with a second heat insulation cavity; A sealing unit is disposed between the side walls of the housing and the cover to isolate the cavity from the outside.

2. The heat-insulating box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing unit includes at least one annular seal.

3. The heat-insulating box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular periphery of the box and the cover form a concave-convex fitting mounting structure, and the sealing unit is located between the protrusion and the groove in the mounting structure.

4. The heat-insulating box according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sealing unit includes multiple sealing elements; a first annular sealing element among the multiple sealing elements fills the gap between the opposite sidewalls of the protrusion and the groove, and a second annular sealing element fills the gap between the top surface of the protrusion and the bottom surface of the groove.

5. The heat-insulating box according to claim 4, characterized in that, The wall surface on at least one of the protrusion and the groove that abuts against the second annular seal is implemented as a curved surface; and / or, the protrusion has a cavity extending along its length.

6. The heat-insulating box according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first annular seal is implemented in multiple forms; the multiple first annular seals are arranged at intervals along the depth direction of the groove.

7. The heat-insulating box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The enclosure includes an outer shell and an inner shell, the inner shell being fixedly connected to the outer shell with a gap; the receiving cavity is formed in the inner shell; the gap is configured as the first heat insulation cavity.

8. The heat-insulating box according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: At least one wire-through component; The housing is disposed in connection with the outside and is configured to isolate the first heat insulation cavity from the outside and to isolate the housing from the outside after the wire harness passes through.

9. The heat-insulating box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cover is detachably and fixedly connected to the box.

10. The heat-insulating box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first and second insulation cavities are filled with insulation material.

Images