Battery pack housing, battery pack, and electric vehicle

Abstract

The battery pack shell, battery pack and electric vehicle of the present disclosure comprise a shell and at least one water drainage guide. The top of the shell is provided with a groove open upward. The side of the groove is provided with at least one accumulated water outlet. The water drainage guide is connected to the accumulated water outlet outside the shell to receive and guide the discharged accumulated water outside the shell. The battery pack shell, battery pack and electric vehicle of the present disclosure can guide the discharge of accumulated water outside the battery pack, which is conducive to avoiding corrosion of the battery pack by accumulated water and facilitating maintenance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery pack drainage technology, and more particularly to battery pack housings, battery packs, and electric vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] When electric vehicles, such as electric forklifts, operate outdoors in rainy weather, rainwater can seep into the battery pack beneath the forklift's cab, causing water to accumulate in the recesses at the top of the battery pack. Prolonged water accumulation at the top of the battery pack can corrode the battery pack casing and compromise its waterproof seal, allowing water to seep into the battery pack and ultimately damage the battery cells. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a battery pack casing that can effectively drain water.

[0003] In related technologies, some battery pack casings have drainage structures that collect accumulated water and discharge it through the inside of the battery pack. This method makes maintenance of the drainage structure inconvenient. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a battery pack casing, a battery pack, and an electric vehicle that can guide water out of the battery pack from the outside, which helps to prevent water from corroding the battery pack and facilitates maintenance.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a battery pack housing, comprising: a housing having an upwardly open groove on the top and at least one water outlet on the side of the groove; and at least one drainage guide located outside the housing and connected to the water outlet to receive and guide water out of the housing.

[0006] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the drainage guide includes at least one guide portion that extends obliquely from high to low in a direction away from the housing.

[0007] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, there are multiple guide portions, and the inclination of the multiple guide portions gradually increases along the direction of water outflow.

[0008] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the housing is provided for mounting on a carrier having an edge; wherein at least one of the drainage guides extends in a direction from the housing to the edge and protrudes from the edge.

[0009] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the guiding surface of the drainage guide is provided with a hydrophobic coating.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the housing includes: a lower housing with an installation opening; and an upper cover that is detachably fitted onto the installation opening and cooperates with the lower housing to form the groove.

[0011] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, an electrical connector is provided in the groove, which is electrically connected to the battery cell inside the housing and the cable outside;

[0012] The groove has a cable restraint opening on its side that is higher than the water outlet and is used to restrain the cable.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the side of the groove is provided with a lifting port that is higher than the water outlet.

[0014] This disclosure also provides a battery pack, including: a battery pack housing as described in any of the preceding claims; and a battery cell installed inside the housing.

[0015] This disclosure also provides an electric vehicle, including: a vehicle body; and a battery pack as described above, mounted on the vehicle body and electrically connected to the vehicle body. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery pack casing according to the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drainage guide according to the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery pack casing according to the second embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the drainage guide according to the second embodiment of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure label:

[0021] 11 housing; 111 groove; 1111 water outlet; 1112 cable restraint port; 1113 hoisting port; 113 top cover; 1131 perforation; 114 lower housing;

[0022] Drainage guide 12; guide portion 121; first guide portion 121a; second guide portion 121b; through hole 1211; extension portion 122;

[0023] Battery Management System 900. Detailed Implementation

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] In related technologies, water easily accumulates on the top of battery packs during rainy days. If the water is not drained in time, it will seep into the battery pack, causing water corrosion and damage to the battery cells inside. Some battery pack casings have drainage structures that collect the accumulated water and drain it through the inside of the battery pack, but this type of drainage structure is inconvenient to maintain.

[0034] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a battery pack housing that can guide water accumulated on the top of the battery pack to the outside of the battery pack and facilitates maintenance.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery pack casing according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. (See attached diagram.) Figure 1The battery pack housing of this embodiment includes a housing 11 and a drainage guide 12.

[0036] The housing 11 houses the battery cell, and the top of the housing 11 has an upward-opening groove 111. An electrical connector, such as a battery management system 900 (BMS), a battery cell charging socket, or a battery cell monitoring instrument, can be installed in the groove 111. The groove 111 is prone to water accumulation during rainy weather.

[0037] The groove 111 has a water outlet 1111 on its side. Therefore, when the water level in the groove 111 reaches the height of the water outlet 1111, the water will flow out from the water outlet 1111. Specifically, in the vertical direction, the water outlet 1111 is located adjacent to the bottom surface of the groove 111 to ensure that the water can be discharged when the water level is relatively low. Optionally, there are multiple water outlets 1111, which are circumferentially spaced around the groove 111, allowing water to flow out from multiple points around the groove 111, thus improving the water drainage efficiency.

[0038] Optionally, the electrical connector is also electrically connected to an external cable, such as the aforementioned battery management system 900, to transmit relevant status information of the battery cell. The side of the groove 111 is also provided with a cable constraint port 1112, higher than the water outlet 1111, for constraining the cable. This ensures that the cable connected to the electrical connector is well constrained and does not scatter, improving the safety of the battery pack in actual operating conditions and increasing space utilization. Specifically, the cable constraint port 1112 is non-circular; for example, it is triangular or rectangular. This provides good constraint, preventing the cable from slipping.

[0039] Optionally, the side of the groove 111 is provided with a lifting port 1113 that is higher than the water outlet 1111. Therefore, when the battery pack needs to be moved, a hook can be suspended at the lifting port 1113 to lift the battery pack, thus facilitating its movement.

[0040] Optionally, the housing 11 includes a lower housing 114 and an upper cover 113. The lower housing 114 has a mounting opening at its top. The upper cover 113 is detachably fitted onto the mounting opening, and the upper cover 113 and the lower housing 114 cooperate to form a groove 111. Thus, multiple battery cells can be installed into the lower housing 114 through the mounting opening at its top, facilitating battery cell installation.

[0041] Specifically, the upper cover 113 is provided with a plurality of through holes 1131 along the circumference, and a plurality of screws (not shown in the figure) are threaded through the plurality of through holes 1131 and fixed to the lower housing 114, thereby realizing the detachable connection between the lower housing 114 and the upper cover 113.

[0042] Optionally, a waterproof sealing ring may be provided between the outer peripheral surface of the upper cover 113 and the inner peripheral surface of the lower housing 114 for sealing and waterproofing.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drainage guide 12 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. (See attached diagram) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The drainage guide 12 is located outside the housing 11 and connected to the water outlet 1111 to receive and guide the drainage outside the housing 11. Thus, when the water flows out through the water outlet 1111, it is guided out by the drainage guide 12. Because the drainage guide 12 is outside the housing 11, it is not necessary to disassemble the housing 11 for maintenance, cleaning, or replacement, making maintenance of the drainage guide 12 convenient.

[0044] Optionally, there are multiple drainage guides 12, each corresponding to one of the multiple water outlets 1111. Thus, the multiple drainage guides 12 can guide the water from multiple water outlets 1111 to drain, which helps improve the efficiency of water drainage.

[0045] Optionally, the housing 11 is mounted on a carrier and adjacent to at least one edge of the carrier, and at least one of the drainage guides 12 extends from the housing to the edge and protrudes beyond the edge. Thus, the drainage guide 12 can guide accumulated water beyond the edge of the carrier, thereby helping to reduce water accumulation on the carrier and reducing water erosion of the carrier.

[0046] For example, when the carrier is an electric forklift, the housing 11 is mounted on a carrier and adjacent to the rear contour edge of the carrier, and at least one of the drainage guides 12 extends in the direction from the housing to the rear contour edge and extends beyond the rear contour edge, thereby guiding accumulated water to be discharged beyond the rear contour edge of the electric forklift.

[0047] Optionally, the drainage guide 12 is connected below the water outlet 1111 and includes at least one guide portion 121, which extends obliquely from high to low in a direction away from the housing 11 to guide the water downwards for discharge. Thus, when water accumulates in the groove 111, the water can use its own gravity to fall obliquely from high to low on the drainage guide 12 and be discharged, which facilitates faster drainage.

[0048] In some examples, the guide 121 is a single unit that extends at an angle from high to low in a direction away from the housing 11 to guide accumulated water downwards.

[0049] In other examples, there are multiple guide sections 121. These multiple guide sections 121 are arranged sequentially in a direction away from the housing 11, and their inclination gradually increases along the water discharge direction. Therefore, when water is guided down and discharged sequentially through the multiple guide sections 121, the greater the inclination angle of the guide section 121, the greater the component force (i.e., the sliding force) of the water along the guide surface of the drainage guide 12, the greater the acceleration of the water's downward tilt, and the faster the water's falling speed increases, which is beneficial for accelerating the discharge of the water.

[0050] Specifically, the plurality of guide portions 121 include a first guide portion 121a and a second guide portion 121b. Along the water discharge direction, the second guide portion 121b is located after the first guide portion 121a, and the inclination angle of the second guide portion 121b is greater than that of the first guide portion 121a. Specifically, the inclination angle of the first guide portion 121a relative to the horizontal plane is 5 degrees to 10 degrees. The inclination angle of the second guide portion 121b relative to the horizontal plane is greater than 10 degrees.

[0051] Optionally, the drainage guide 12 further includes an extension 122. The extension 122 connects the two guides 121, thereby increasing the distance between the end of the drainage guide 12 facing away from the housing 11 and the housing 11, facilitating the drainage of accumulated water at a greater distance from the housing 11. Specifically, the extension 122 extends horizontally in a direction away from the housing 11 and connects the first guide 121a and the second guide 121b.

[0052] Optionally, the drainage guide 12 is plate-shaped to smoothly guide the drainage of accumulated water. Alternatively, the guiding surface of the drainage guide 12 is provided with a water guide groove to restrict the accumulated water inside the water guide groove and guide the accumulated water out through the water guide groove.

[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery pack casing according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drainage guide 12 according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. (See attached diagram) Figure 3 and Figure 4 The carrier is movable, and its guiding surface has a through hole 1211 with the same direction of movement as the carrier. Specifically, along the direction of movement, when the carrier moves forward, the air in front of the carrier is compressed to form a high-pressure zone, while the air behind the carrier is sparse to form a low-pressure zone. This pressure difference causes the air around the carrier to flow from the high-pressure zone to the low-pressure zone, thus forming an airflow in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, the airflow formed along the carrier can penetrate the through hole 1211, and the airflow can use its kinetic energy to carry the accumulated water across the guiding surface away from its current position, thereby being carried away from the drainage guide 12 and discharged. This improves the drainage speed, promotes drainage, and facilitates the timely and rapid discharge of accumulated water.

[0054] Optionally, the guiding surface of the drainage guide 12 that contacts the accumulated water is provided with a hydrophobic coating. For example, the hydrophobic coating can be a silica-based nano-coating or a polytetrafluoroethylene nano-coating, both of which are hydrophobic materials already existing in the related art. Therefore, when the accumulated water passes through the hydrophobic coating, the contact angle between the water droplet and the drainage guide 12 is relatively large, greater than or equal to 150 degrees, and the contact area between the water droplet and the drainage guide 12 is small. This allows the water droplet to roll more easily on the surface of the drainage guide 12 and carry away dirt, thereby facilitating self-cleaning of the surface of the drainage guide 12 and making it less prone to dirt adhesion.

[0055] Specifically, the first guide portion 121a, the second guide portion 121b, and the extension portion 122 are all provided with the hydrophobic coating.

[0056] This disclosure also provides a battery pack, which includes a battery pack housing and battery cells as described above. The battery cells are installed inside the housing 11.

[0057] This disclosure also provides an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle includes a vehicle body and a battery pack as described in any of the above embodiments. The battery pack is mounted on the vehicle body and electrically connected to the vehicle body to supply power.

[0058] Specifically, the electric vehicle can be an electric forklift, and the battery pack is spaced apart and installed below the driver's cab of the electric forklift. However, it is understood that the battery pack disclosed herein can be applied to vehicles including but not limited to the electric forklift, and the battery pack can also be applied to other vehicles.

[0059] Therefore, when the electric forklift is operating in the rain, rainwater can easily fall through the gap between the cab and the battery pack onto the top of the battery pack, accumulating there. If this water remains for a long time, it will seep into the battery pack through the top, causing excessive humidity inside the battery pack, which in turn will damage the battery cells due to water corrosion.

[0060] Regarding the battery pack described in this disclosure, once water accumulates on the top of the battery pack, the water can be guided out through the water outlet 1111 and the drainage guide 12, thereby preventing water from accumulating on the top of the battery pack for a long time. This ensures that the humidity inside the battery pack can remain stable below a predetermined range when the electric forklift is operating in the rain, which is beneficial to the safety of the electric forklift in rainy weather and facilitates maintenance.

[0061] Specifically, when the electric forklift operates under heavy rain conditions of 50 mm / h, the relative humidity of the air inside its battery pack can be kept stable below 40%, thus ensuring the safety of the electric forklift during rainy weather operations.

[0062] 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. A battery pack casing, characterized in that, include: The casing has an upward-opening groove on the top, and at least one water outlet on the side of the groove; as well as At least one drainage guide is located outside the housing and connected to the water outlet to receive and guide the water out of the housing.

2. The battery pack casing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drainage guide includes at least one guide portion that extends obliquely from high to low in a direction away from the housing.

3. The battery pack casing according to claim 2, characterized in that, There are multiple guide sections, and the inclination of the multiple guide sections gradually increases along the direction of water outflow.

4. The battery pack casing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing is designed for mounting on a carrier with edges; At least one of the drainage guides extends along the direction from the housing to the edge and protrudes from the edge.

5. The battery pack casing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide surface of the drainage guide is provided with a hydrophobic coating.

6. The battery pack casing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes: The lower housing has an installation port; and The top cover is detachably fitted onto the mounting opening and cooperates with the lower housing to form the groove.

7. The battery pack casing according to claim 1, characterized in that, An electrical connector is provided in the groove, which is electrically connected to the battery cell inside the housing and the cable outside. The groove has a cable restraint opening on its side that is higher than the water outlet and is used to restrain the cable.

8. The battery pack casing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The groove has a lifting opening on its side that is higher than the water outlet.

9. A battery pack, characterized in that, include: The battery pack casing as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; And the battery cell, which is installed inside the housing.

10. An electric vehicle, characterized in that, include: Vehicle body; And the battery pack as described in claim 9, installed in the vehicle body and electrically connected to the vehicle body.

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