Battery pack housing, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

A battery pack housing, a battery pack, and a vehicle are disclosed, relating to the field of battery technology. The battery pack housing includes: a housing frame; a cold plate disposed at the bottom of the housing frame; and a flyback power supply bracket installed on the inner wall of the housing frame, used for mounting the flyback power supply. The flyback power supply bracket and the cold plate are separated from each other along the height direction of the battery pack housing. The battery pack housing, battery pack, and vehicle disclosed herein are beneficial for optimizing the heat damage problem within the battery pack caused by the flyback power supply, and improving the lifespan and performance of the power battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery technology, and more specifically, to a battery pack housing, a battery pack, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] The battery pack contains not only a high-voltage system powering the drive motor, but also a low-voltage system powering the vehicle's domain controller, motor controller, and air conditioning controller. To ensure the low-voltage components function properly when the vehicle is off, a separate low-voltage power supply is typically required. This low-voltage power supply may become depleted and prevent the vehicle from starting if the vehicle is left idle for extended periods or subjected to excessive power consumption.

[0003] In related technologies, a flyback power supply can be integrated inside the battery pack to convert the high-voltage electricity from the power battery into low-voltage electricity to power the low-voltage system. However, the flyback power supply generates a lot of heat during the energy conversion process, causing thermal damage within the battery pack and limiting the lifespan and performance of the power battery. Utility Model Content

[0004] This disclosure provides a battery pack housing, a battery pack, and a vehicle, which helps to optimize the heat damage problem inside the battery pack caused by the flyback power supply and improve the life and performance of the power battery.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a battery pack housing is provided, comprising: Box frame; Cold plate, located at the bottom of the enclosure frame; Flyback power supply bracket, installed on the inner wall of the enclosure frame; the flyback power supply bracket is used to install the flyback power supply. Among them, the flyback power supply bracket and the cold plate are separated along the height direction of the battery pack box.

[0006] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the enclosure frame includes a first side beam and a second side beam, which are opposite to each other; a partition beam connects the first side beam and the second side beam; the partition beam divides the enclosure frame into a control cavity and a battery mounting cavity; a flyback power supply bracket is disposed in the control cavity, and the battery mounting cavity is used to install the battery module.

[0007] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the multi-box enclosure includes a first end beam, which is opposite to a partition beam; a flyback power supply bracket is mounted on the first end beam.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the flyback power supply bracket has a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion. The flyback power supply bracket is mounted on a first end beam via the first mounting portion. The second mounting portion is used to mount the flyback power supply. The second mounting portion is parallel to the cold plate and is separated from the cold plate along the height direction of the battery pack housing.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a thermal pad is provided on the side of the second mounting portion away from the cold plate.

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a positioning post is provided on the side of the second mounting part away from the cold plate. The positioning post is used to install the flyback power supply so that when the flyback power supply is installed on the positioning post, the flyback power supply is in contact with the thermal pad.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a cavity is provided within the second mounting portion.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the first mounting portion extends at least along the height direction of the battery pack housing, the first mounting portion is attached to the first end beam, and is welded to the inner wall of the first end beam.

[0013] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a battery pack is provided, including the battery pack housing of any of the foregoing.

[0014] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle is provided, including the battery pack of any of the foregoing.

[0015] The battery pack housing disclosed herein can alter the heat dissipation path of the flyback power supply. The heat generated during flyback power supply operation can be conducted to the housing frame via the flyback power supply bracket. The housing frame has a large heat dissipation area, enabling more even heat distribution. Furthermore, the heat is transferred to other areas of the housing frame via the frame itself and the cold plate at its bottom. This prevents excessive heat concentration in localized areas of the cold plate and on individual or a few cells, reducing the impact of high localized temperatures on cell calendar life and thus improving the overall battery pack lifespan and reliability. Especially when the vehicle is stationary and the cold plate's heat dissipation efficiency is low, it prevents the heat generated during flyback power supply operation from being directly conducted to cells near the flyback power supply via the highly conductive cold plate.

[0016] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the battery pack disclosed herein, viewed from one perspective.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the battery pack disclosed herein from another perspective.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a flyback power supply bracket in an exemplary embodiment of the battery pack housing of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a flyback power supply mounted on a flyback power supply bracket in one exemplary embodiment of the battery pack disclosed herein.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Cold plate; 2. Flyback power supply bracket; 21. First mounting part; 22. Second mounting part; 221. Positioning post; 3. Flyback power supply; 41. First side beam; 42. Second side beam; 43. Separator beam; 44. First end beam; 51. High voltage box; 52. Controller. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore detailed descriptions of them will be omitted. Furthermore, the drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0024] Unless otherwise specified or stated, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” and “at least one” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms “comprising” and “having” are used to indicate an open-ended inclusion and to mean that there may be other elements / components / etc. in addition to those listed; the terms “first” and “second” are used only as illustrative marks and are not intended to limit the number, importance, or order of the objects.

[0025] The terms “connection” and “fixation” should be interpreted broadly. For example, unless otherwise specified, “connection” can be a fixed connection, a movable connection, an integral connection, or a detachable connection. It can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0026] The phrase "part A is located on part B" as described in this disclosure can mean that part A is directly connected to part B, or that part A is located on part C, and part C is located on part B.

[0027] Furthermore, in this application, directional terms such as "upper" and "lower" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships. For example, for convenience, they are defined based on the position and state of the battery pack during normal operation, or relative to the orientation of the components schematically placed in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts and can change accordingly depending on the orientation of the components in the accompanying drawings.

[0028] The flyback power supply within the battery pack generates significant heat during energy conversion, posing a thermal hazard. In related technologies, a solution exists where the flyback power supply is connected to a cooling plate 1 within the battery pack via a thermally conductive element. The coolant circulating within the cooling plate 1 carries away the heat generated by the flyback power supply, reducing its temperature and mitigating the thermal hazard. However, the inventors discovered that when the vehicle is parked for extended periods, the cooling system within the power battery is shut off. The heat generated by the flyback power supply cannot dissipate in time, accumulating within the battery pack. This heat is primarily radiated or conducted through the thermally conductive cooling plate 1 to the single or a few cells closest to the flyback power supply, causing the temperature of those cells to rise. This accelerates the aging of those cells, reduces their calendar life, and ultimately affects the overall lifespan and performance of the battery pack.

[0029] To address the aforementioned problems, this disclosure provides a battery pack housing, as shown in the reference. Figures 1 to 4 As shown. The battery pack housing is the main structural frame and load-bearing component of the power battery pack. The battery pack housing may include: a housing frame; a cold plate 1, located at the bottom of the housing frame; and a flyback power supply bracket 2, installed on the inner wall of the housing frame, used to install the flyback power supply 3. The flyback power supply bracket 2 and the cold plate 1 are separated from each other along the height direction of the battery pack housing.

[0030] The battery pack housing disclosed herein can alter the heat dissipation path of the flyback power supply 3. The heat generated during the operation of the flyback power supply 3 can be conducted to the housing frame via the flyback power supply bracket 2. The housing frame has a large heat dissipation area, enabling more even heat distribution. Furthermore, the heat is transferred to other areas of the housing frame via the housing frame itself and the cold plate 1 at the bottom of the housing frame. This prevents excessive heat concentration in localized areas of the cold plate 1 and on corresponding individual or a few cells, reducing the impact of high localized temperatures on the cell calendar life, thereby improving the overall lifespan and reliability of the battery pack. Especially when the vehicle is stationary and the heat dissipation efficiency of the cold plate 1 is low, it prevents the heat generated during the operation of the flyback power supply 3 from being directly conducted to the cells near the flyback power supply 3 via the highly conductive cold plate 1.

[0031] The box-type enclosure may include multiple box beams connected in sequence. For example, see reference. Figure 1As shown, the enclosure frame may include a first side beam 41 and a second side beam 42 arranged opposite to each other. A partition beam 43 connects the first side beam 41 and the second side beam 42. The partition beam 43 divides the enclosure frame into a control cavity and a battery mounting cavity. The flyback power supply bracket 2 is located in the control cavity, and the battery mounting cavity is used to install a battery module composed of multiple cells. By dividing the space inside the battery pack through the partition beam 43, the high-voltage control unit, the low-voltage power supply, and the battery module can be physically isolated, which is beneficial for internal thermal management of the battery and also improves the structural regularity and maintenance convenience of the battery pack. For ease of description and understanding, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the direction in which the first side beam 41 and the second side beam 42 are opposite is taken as the width direction of the battery pack enclosure and the battery pack, and the direction in which the first side beam 41 and the second side beam 42 extend is taken as the length direction of the battery pack enclosure and the battery pack. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above description of the directions is merely a relative expression used to facilitate a clear understanding of the technical solutions disclosed herein, and is not an absolute limitation on the final installation orientation and geometry of the battery pack housing and battery pack of this disclosure.

[0032] For example, refer to Figures 1 to 2 As shown, the high-voltage box 51 and controller 52 can also be installed inside the control cavity. The high-voltage box 51 is responsible for the switching control of the power battery, while the controller 52 includes a battery management unit, which can collect and manage the voltage and temperature within the battery pack, and communicate with the vehicle controller to manage the power battery throughout its entire life cycle. The high-voltage box 51 and controller 52 can be installed independently from the flyback power supply 3, or in some embodiments, they can be integrated into a single assembly module.

[0033] The enclosure frame and partition beams can be made of metal materials such as aluminum alloy or steel plate, and connected as a whole by welding. The cold plate 1 can also be made of aluminum alloy or other materials with good thermal conductivity, and is sealed to the bottom of the enclosure frame by welding. The cold plate 1 has internal channels for coolant flow to control the temperature of the battery module.

[0034] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the enclosure frame includes a first end beam 44, which is positioned opposite to the partition beam 43. The flyback power supply bracket 2 is mounted on the first end beam 44. The first end beam 44 can typically be the front or rear crossbeam of the battery pack enclosure, and it has high structural strength, providing stable support for the flyback power supply bracket 2.

[0035] For example, Figure 1 , Figure 2The row of battery cells closest to the separator beam 43 is shown by a dashed line. The first end beam 44 is positioned opposite the separator beam 43, and the flyback power supply bracket 2 is mounted on the first end beam 44. This distance from the separator beam 43 and the battery cells within the battery mounting cavity helps to reduce the impact of the flyback power supply 3's heat radiation on the battery cells. Furthermore, the first end beam 44 extends to both sides where the first side beam 41 and the second side beam 42 are located, which can diffuse the heat from the flyback power supply 3 along the width of the battery pack housing, making the heat distribution more uniform.

[0036] refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the flyback power supply bracket 2 has a first mounting portion 21 and a second mounting portion 22. The flyback power supply bracket 2 is mounted on the first end beam 44 via the first mounting portion 21. The second mounting portion 22 is used to mount the flyback power supply 3. The second mounting portion 22 is parallel to the cold plate 1 and is separated from the cold plate 1 along the height direction of the battery pack housing. Specifically, the second mounting portion 22 can be parallel to the upper surface of the cold plate 1. The second mounting portion 22 allows the flyback power supply 3 to be fixed in a suspended manner relative to the cold plate 1, so that there is no direct rigid connection and main heat conduction path between the flyback power supply 3 and the cold plate 1. This avoids heat being directly conducted from the second mounting portion 22 to the cold plate 1, and then directly conducted from the cold plate 1 to the nearest local battery cell, causing excessive temperature rise of the battery cell and shortening its lifespan.

[0037] For example, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown, the first mounting portion 21 extends at least along the height direction of the battery pack housing, thus the flyback power supply bracket 2 can be an L-shaped structure. When the flyback power supply bracket 2 is installed to the first end beam 44, the side of the first mounting portion 21 can fit against the inner wall of the first end beam 44 and be fixedly connected by welding. The large-area contact between the first mounting portion 21 and the first end beam 44, and the connection by welding, helps to reduce the thermal resistance of the heat conduction path from the flyback power supply bracket 2 to the first end beam 44, increases the proportion of heat conduction and diffusion from the first end beam 44, facilitates uniform heat dissipation, and reduces the impact on the battery cells that are close to the flyback power supply 3. In addition, it also helps to ensure the firmness of the connection when subjected to vibration and impact during vehicle operation.

[0038] In some embodiments, the flyback power supply bracket 2 can also be connected to the first end beam 44 by bolts or the like. For example, the inner wall of the first end beam 44 can be provided with rivet bolts. When the flyback power supply bracket 2 is installed to the first end beam 44, the first mounting part 21 is fastened to the rivet bolts by nuts, thereby fixing the flyback power supply bracket 2 to the first end beam 44.

[0039] The flyback power supply bracket 2 can be made of extruded aluminum profile, or it can be formed by bending or welding aluminum plates to balance structural strength and thermal conductivity. In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a thermal pad is provided on the side of the second mounting portion 22 away from the cold plate 1. The heat generated by the flyback power supply 3 can be conducted to the second mounting portion 22 through the thermal pad. For example, a positioning post 221 is provided on the side of the second mounting portion 22 away from the cold plate 1. The positioning post 221 is used to mount the flyback power supply 3 so that when the flyback power supply 3 is mounted on the positioning post 221, the flyback power supply 3 is in contact with the thermal pad. For example, the mounting holes on the housing of the flyback power supply 3 can be aligned with the mounting holes on the positioning post 221 and fixed by fasteners such as screws. The positioning post 221 can form a gap between the bottom of the flyback power supply 3 and the top surface of the second mounting portion 22 for mounting the thermal pad, and ensure that after the flyback power supply 3 is mounted on the second mounting portion 22, the thermal pad can make full contact with the flyback power supply 3 and the second mounting portion 22 to form a stable thermal interface and reduce contact thermal resistance.

[0040] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a cavity can be provided inside the second mounting portion 22 to reduce the overall weight of the flyback power supply bracket 2, achieve a lightweight design, and save material costs.

[0041] This disclosure also provides a battery pack, including a battery pack housing comprising any of the foregoing exemplary embodiments and possible combinations thereof. The battery pack housing of this disclosure can optimize the heat dissipation path of the flyback power supply 3, particularly mitigating localized heat damage to adjacent battery cells under static conditions, thereby improving the battery pack's lifespan and performance stability. Multiple battery cells connected in series and / or parallel can be installed within the battery pack to provide electrical energy; for example, the battery cells can be installed within a battery mounting cavity and bonded to the cold plate 1.

[0042] Furthermore, this disclosure also provides a vehicle equipped with the aforementioned battery pack. The vehicle of this disclosure features a battery pack with superior performance stability and longer lifespan, thereby improving the vehicle's range, power performance, and overall lifespan reliability.

[0043] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the utility models disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery pack housing, characterized in that, include: Box frame; Cold plate (1) is provided at the bottom of the enclosure frame of the box; A flyback power supply bracket (2) is installed on the inner wall of the enclosure frame; the flyback power supply bracket (2) is used to install the flyback power supply (3). The flyback power supply bracket (2) is separated from the cold plate (1) along the height direction of the battery pack housing.

2. The battery pack housing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The enclosure frame includes a first side beam (41) and a second side beam (42), the first side beam (41) and the second side beam (42) being opposite to each other; a partition beam (43) is connected between the first side beam (41) and the second side beam (42); the partition beam (43) divides the enclosure frame into a control cavity and a battery mounting cavity; the flyback power supply bracket (2) is located in the control cavity, and the battery mounting cavity is used to install the battery module.

3. The battery pack housing according to claim 2, characterized in that, The enclosure frame includes a first end beam (44), which is opposite to the partition beam (43); the flyback power supply bracket (2) is installed on the first end beam (44).

4. The battery pack housing according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flyback power supply bracket (2) has a first mounting part (21) and a second mounting part (22). The flyback power supply bracket (2) is mounted on the first end beam (44) through the first mounting part (21). The second mounting part (22) is used to mount the flyback power supply (3). The second mounting part (22) is parallel to the cold plate (1) and is separated from the cold plate (1) along the height direction of the battery pack housing.

5. The battery pack housing according to claim 4, characterized in that, A heat-conducting pad is provided on the side of the second mounting part (22) away from the cold plate (1).

6. The battery pack housing according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second mounting part (22) has a positioning post (221) on the side away from the cold plate (1). The positioning post (221) is used to install the flyback power supply (3) so that when the flyback power supply (3) is installed on the positioning post (221), the flyback power supply (3) is in contact with the thermal pad.

7. The battery pack housing according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second mounting part (22) has a cavity.

8. The battery pack housing according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first mounting part (21) extends at least along the height direction of the battery pack housing, and the first mounting part (21) is attached to the first end beam (44) and welded to the inner wall of the first end beam (44).

9. A battery pack, characterized in that, The battery pack housing includes any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the battery pack as described in claim 9.

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