Battery pack housing assembly, battery pack, and electric vehicle

Abstract

A battery pack shell assembly, a battery pack and an electric vehicle of the present disclosure comprise a shell and a water drainage guide. The shell is arranged to be mounted on a movable carrier, and a top portion of the shell is provided with an upwardly open groove, and the groove is provided with a water outlet. The water drainage guide is connected to the water outlet outside the shell to guide the discharged water. A guide surface of the water drainage guide is provided with a through hole, and a through direction of the through hole is consistent with a moving direction of the carrier. The battery pack shell assembly, the battery pack and the electric vehicle of the present disclosure are beneficial to quickly guide and discharge the water accumulated on the top portion of the battery pack, and are beneficial to avoid the water erosion on the battery cells in the battery pack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery pack drainage technology, and more particularly to battery pack housing components, 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. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a battery pack housing assembly, a battery pack, and an electric vehicle that facilitates the rapid drainage of accumulated water and helps to prevent water from corroding the cells inside the battery pack.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a battery pack housing assembly, comprising: a housing for mounting on a movable carrier, and having an upwardly open groove on the top, the groove having a water outlet on its side; and a drainage guide located outside the housing and connected to the water outlet to guide the drainage of water; wherein the guiding surface of the drainage guide has a through hole whose through direction is consistent with the moving direction of the carrier.

[0005] According to some embodiments provided in this disclosure, the through holes are strip-shaped and there are multiple through holes, which extend along a first direction and are spaced apart along a second direction.

[0006] According to some embodiments provided in this disclosure, at least one of the drainage guides extends along the edge from the housing to the carrier and protrudes from the edge.

[0007] According to some embodiments provided in this disclosure, the drainage guide is configured to form a plurality of guide portions extending obliquely downward in a direction away from the housing, and the through hole is provided in the guide portions.

[0008] According to some embodiments provided in this disclosure, an electrical connector is provided in the groove to be electrically connected to the battery cell inside the housing and the cable outside;

[0009] The groove has a cable restraint opening on its side that is higher than the water outlet and is used to restrain the cable.

[0010] According to some embodiments provided in this disclosure, the side of the groove is provided with a lifting port that is higher than the water outlet.

[0011] According to some embodiments provided in this disclosure, the guiding surface of the drainage guide is provided with a hydrophobic coating.

[0012] According to some embodiments provided in 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.

[0013] This disclosure also provides a battery pack, including: a battery pack housing assembly as described in any of the preceding claims; and a battery cell installed inside the housing.

[0014] 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

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery pack casing disclosed herein.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the drainage guide described in this disclosure.

[0017] Figure label:

[0018] 11 housing; 111 groove; 1111 water outlet; 1112 cable restraint port; 1113 hoisting port; 113 top cover; 1131 perforation; 114 lower housing;

[0019] Drainage guide 12; guide part 121; first guide part 121a; second guide part 121b; through hole 1211;

[0020] Battery Management System 900. Detailed Implementation

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] In related technologies, water tends to accumulate on the top of the battery pack during rainy days. If the water is not drained in time, it will seep into the battery pack, causing the battery cells inside the pack to be corroded and damaged by water.

[0031] In view of this, the present disclosure provides a battery pack housing assembly that facilitates the rapid drainage of water accumulated at the top of the battery pack, thereby preventing water from corroding the battery cells inside the battery pack.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery pack housing assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the drainage guide 12 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. (See attached diagram.) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The battery pack housing assembly of this disclosure includes a housing 11 and a drainage guide 12.

[0033] The housing 11 houses the battery cell, and its top 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 within the groove 111. The groove 111 is prone to water accumulation during rainy weather. The housing 11 is mounted on a movable carrier and moves synchronously with the carrier. The movement of the carrier creates an airflow along the direction of movement. Specifically, as the carrier moves forward, the air in front of it is compressed, creating a high-pressure zone, while the air behind it is sparse, creating 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 creating an airflow in the front-to-back direction.

[0034] For example, the carrier can be a mobile vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, and when the battery pack is installed in the mobile vehicle, it can move synchronously with the movement of the vehicle. Of course, it is understood that the carrier in this disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be other mobile devices.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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 water flows out through the water outlet 1111, it is guided out by the drainage guide 12. Optionally, there are multiple drainage guides 12, each corresponding to one of the multiple water outlets 1111. Therefore, multiple drainage guides 12 can guide the drainage of water from multiple water outlets 1111, which helps improve the drainage efficiency.

[0042] The drainage guide 12 has a through hole 1211 on its guiding surface, with the through direction aligned with the moving direction of the carrier. Thus, airflow along the moving direction of the carrier can penetrate the through hole 1211, and the airflow can use its kinetic energy to carry accumulated water across the guiding surface away from its current position, thereby causing the water to be carried away from the drainage guide 12 and quickly discharged, thus facilitating the timely and rapid drainage of accumulated water.

[0043] For example, when the carrier moves in the front-back direction to form an airflow in the front-back direction, the drainage guide 12 and the housing 11 are arranged in the front-back direction, and the through hole 1211 penetrates the guide surface of the drainage guide 12 in the front-back direction, so that the airflow formed in the front-back direction can penetrate the through hole 1211 and carry away the water accumulated on the guide surface, which is conducive to guiding the water to be discharged in a timely and rapid manner.

[0044] Optionally, the through holes 1211 are strip-shaped and there are multiple through holes 1211 extending along the first direction and spaced apart along the second direction. Specifically, the first direction and the second direction are different directions. For example, the first direction can be the width direction of the drainage guide 12, and the second direction can be the length direction of the drainage guide 12. Thus, the multiple strip-shaped through holes 1211 have a large air leakage area, and multiple airflows can penetrate the strip-shaped through holes 1211, which is beneficial for allowing more flowing airflow, thereby further improving the drainage speed and promoting drainage, and is also convenient to manufacture. Of course, it is understood that the arrangement of the through holes 1211 in the embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the through holes 1211 can also be small circular holes, and multiple small circular holes are arranged in the guide portion 121.

[0045] Optionally, the carrier has an edge, and the drainage guide 12 extends along the direction from the housing 11 to the edge and extends beyond the edge. Thus, the drainage guide 12 can guide accumulated water beyond the edge of the carrier, thereby facilitating water drainage outside the carrier and reducing water accumulation and erosion of the carrier. For example, when the carrier is an electric forklift, the housing 11 is mounted below the driver's cab of the electric forklift and has a rear profile edge. At least one of the drainage guides 1212 extends along the direction from the housing 11 to the rear profile edge and extends beyond the rear profile edge, thereby guiding accumulated water to drain beyond the rear profile edge of the electric forklift.

[0046] The drainage guide 12 is connected below the water outlet 1111 and includes multiple guide sections 121. The multiple guide sections 121 are arranged sequentially 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.

[0047] Optionally, the through hole 1211 is located in the last stage of the guide portion 121. Thus, when airflow passes through the last stage of the guide portion 121, it can carry away any accumulated water that has passed through the last stage of the guide portion 121.

[0048] 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 of the second guide portion 121b is greater than that of the first guide portion 121a. The through hole 1211 is located in the second guide portion 121b.

[0049] The drainage guide 12 is plate-shaped and is used to smoothly guide the accumulated water out. Alternatively, the guiding surface of the drainage guide 12 is provided with a water guide groove, which is used to restrict the accumulated water inside the water guide groove and guide the accumulated water out through the water guide groove.

[0050] Optionally, the guiding surface of the drainage guide 12 that comes into contact with 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 accumulated water passes through the hydrophobic coating, the contact area between the water droplets and the drainage guide 12 is small, making it easier for the water droplets to roll and carry away dirt on the surface of the drainage guide 12. This facilitates self-cleaning of the surface of the drainage guide 12 and prevents dirt from adhering to it.

[0051] This disclosure also provides a battery pack, which includes a battery pack housing assembly and battery cells as described above. The battery cells are installed inside the housing 11.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] Therefore, when the electric forklift operates in rainy weather, and 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, preventing prolonged water accumulation on the top of the battery pack. This ensures that the humidity inside the battery pack remains stable below a predetermined range during rainy weather operations, thus improving the safety of the electric forklift during rainy weather. Specifically, when the electric forklift operates under heavy rain conditions of 50mm / h, the relative humidity inside its battery pack can be stabilized below 40%, guaranteeing the safety of the electric forklift during rainy weather operations.

[0055] 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 housing assembly, characterized in that, include: A housing for mounting on a movable carrier, having an upward-opening recess at the top and a water outlet on the side of the recess; and A drainage guide is located on the outside of the housing and connected to the water outlet to guide the drainage of accumulated water; The drainage guide has a through hole on its guide surface, the through direction of which is consistent with the moving direction of the carrier.

2. The battery pack housing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The through holes are strip-shaped and there are multiple through holes, which extend along a first direction and are spaced apart along a second direction.

3. The battery pack housing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the drainage guides extends along the edge from the housing to the carrier and protrudes beyond the edge.

4. The battery pack housing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drainage guide is angled to form a plurality of guide portions extending obliquely downward in a direction away from the housing, and the through hole is provided in the guide portions.

5. The battery pack housing assembly 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.

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

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

8. The battery pack housing assembly 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.

9. A battery pack, characterized in that, include: The battery pack housing assembly 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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