Method and device for producing a battery tray with a glued cooling device

Abstract

Method for producing a battery tray (200) equipped with a cooling device (220), wherein the cooling device (220) is formed by at least one cooling tube (225) through which coolant can flow and which is glued directly to the battery tray (200), comprising the steps: - providing the prefabricated battery tray (200) and the prefabricated cooling device (220); - applying an adhesive (K) to the battery tray (200) and / or cooling device (220); - positioning the cooling device (220) on the battery tray (200); - Pressing the cooling device (220) and simultaneously curing or at least partially curing the adhesive (K), wherein a pressing device (120) is used to press the cooling device (220), which applies a contact pressure to the cooling device (220) in such a way that the pressing device (120) has a plurality of pneumatic pressure pads (122) which are individually controlled and press the cooling device (220) against the battery tray (200).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a battery tray equipped with a cooling device.

[0002] A traction battery for the drive of an electric car or hybrid electric vehicle usually requires a cooling device to dissipate the heat released during charging and discharging of the battery cells and to prevent power losses.

[0003] DE 10 2015 217 810 A1 describes a housing for a battery with a channel structure guiding a heat-conducting medium for controlling the temperature of cell modules and / or battery cells arranged or capable of being arranged within the housing. At least a portion of said housing comprises a cast part having a channel structure that is open in cross-section and formed by at least one elongated groove-shaped recess. The groove-shaped recess is covered by at least one cover element such that a channel structure that is closed in cross-section is formed for guiding a temperature-control medium within the same. Manufacturing is relatively complex.

[0004] The closest document, DE 10 2014 203 765 A1, describes a method for producing an assembly comprising an energy storage module and a plate-shaped cooling element. A deformable and adhesive thermally conductive layer is applied between a contact side of the energy storage module and a contact side of the plate-shaped cooling element. The energy storage module and the cooling element are then pressed together, whereby a dimensionally stable adhesive bond is created between the energy storage module and the cooling element via the thermally conductive layer, which permanently connects the energy storage module to the cooling element. During the pressing process, the energy storage module and the cooling element are pressed against each other with a predetermined pressing force for a predetermined pressing time. This is done using a pressing device (not shown in detail).

[0005] Regarding the state of the art, reference is also made to DE 10 2009 025 811 A1, DE 10 2007 034 135 A1, DE 10 2010 038 681 A1, DE 10 2017 204 412 A1, DE 102 18 826 A1 and US 4 692 199 A.

[0006] The invention is based on the object of providing a method and a device for the simple production of a battery tray equipped or provided with a cooling device.

[0007] This object is achieved by the method according to the invention having the features of patent claim 1 and by the device or system according to the invention having the features of the independent patent claim. Further developments and refinements of the invention are evident for both subject matters of the invention from the dependent patent claims, the following description of the invention, and the drawings.

[0008] The method according to the invention comprises at least the following steps: - Providing a prefabricated battery tray, ie a prefabricated tray body (corpus), which in particular has a base (tray base) and side walls surrounding this base, and providing the prefabricated cooling device, wherein the cooling device is formed by at least one cooling line through which coolant can flow, namely at least one cooling pipe; - Applying or applying an adhesive to the battery tray or tray body and / or to the cooling device; - Positioning the cooling device on the battery tray or on the tray body, in particular on the outside or inside of the tray bottom; - Pressing the cooling device or the cooling line by means of a pressing device (see below) and simultaneous curing or at least semi-curing (gelling) of the adhesive, in particular by warming or heating.

[0009] All process steps of the method according to the invention can be carried out automatically, in particular fully automatically. The invention is therefore also suitable for large-scale production.

[0010] The battery tray produced or manufactured using the method and / or the device according to the invention (see below) has a cooling device that can be operated by means of a coolant for cooling battery cells or battery modules to be arranged in the battery tray, wherein this cooling device is glued or glued on, which enables simple and inexpensive production, in particular even with larger battery trays (a battery tray can, for example, have length and width dimensions of up to 2000 mm and more).

[0011] According to the invention, the cooling device, unlike the cast-integrated channel structure described in the aforementioned DE 10 2015 217 810 A1, is formed from at least one cooling line through which coolant (e.g., cooling water) flows, which is a cooling tube. According to the invention, this at least one cooling line or the at least one cooling tube is / is bonded, in particular directly bonded, to the battery tray or the tray body (corpus).

[0012] The cooling device is thus formed by at least one cooling line or cooling tube through which coolant (e.g., cooling water) can flow. The cooling line can, for example, be shaped in a meandering manner. Furthermore, several cooling lines can be provided, which extend, for example, between opposing headers. A cooling line is, in particular, a flat tube, preferably designed as a multi-chamber profile, which is glued on one of its flat sides, in particular directly, to the battery tray or the tray body. The cooling line and, in particular, the flat tube are preferably made of aluminum.

[0013] The battery tray or tray body can be formed in one piece or in multiple pieces from sheet metal and / or plastic (including fiber-reinforced plastic). It is preferably a deep-drawn aluminum (sheet metal) tray. The battery tray can be closed with a lid. Tray and lid then form a battery housing. Battery cells or modules can be arranged in the tray or inside the battery housing in a manner known per se. The battery housing and the cells or modules form a battery, in particular a traction or drive battery, which can then be arranged, for example, in the floor of a motor vehicle and actively cooled with the cooling device.

[0014] According to the invention, a pressing device is used to press the cooling device onto the battery tray or tray body, which presses the cooling device against the battery tray or tray body, applying a preferably flat and, in particular, defined contact pressure to the cooling device. This contact pressure is preferably constant during the joining process. The pressing of the cooling device is thus force- or pressure-controlled, so that a predetermined adhesive gap (of, for example, 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm) can be established despite manufacturing tolerances. To form the predetermined adhesive gap, an adhesive containing metal particles is used, in particular. The invention enables a significant reduction in the amount of adhesive required. Furthermore, bubble-free bonding is also enabled. A flat contact pressure prevents damage to the cooling device, such as, in particular, compression of the cooling line.

[0015] The pressing device has several pneumatic pressure pads that press the cooling device against the battery tray. Preferably, the pressing device has several pneumatic pressure pads that press the cooling device flat against the battery tray. The pneumatic pressure pads are individually controlled, i.e., the contact force or contact pressure can be individually adjusted or controlled for each pressure pad by varying the internal pressure. This allows for the generation of inhomogeneous contact pressure, thus compensating for larger dimensional deviations, for example.

[0016] The battery tray or tray body can be secured in a receiving device even before the adhesive is applied. Preferably, the battery tray is secured in a receiving device at least during the pressing of the cooling device. The pressing device can then be aligned with the receiving device. Preferably, the pressing device can also be fixed or locked to the receiving device in such a way that the contact pressure can only be generated by the pressure pad(s).

[0017] The device or system according to the invention comprises at least the following components: - a receiving device for the battery tray, in which the battery tray or the tray body is or can be fixed; and - a pressing device with which the cooling device is pressed or can be pressed onto the battery tray fixed in the receiving device for bonding and can in particular apply a (flat) contact pressure to the cooling device, as explained above.

[0018] The pressure device comprises a plurality of individually controllable pneumatic pressure pads. The pressure pads are preferably formed by housings that have at least one pocket sealed by at least one membrane. The pressure pads can be identical or different.

[0019] The receiving device and the pressing device can have means that enable alignment and / or locking or fixing of the pressing device to the receiving device.

[0020] The device according to the invention may further comprise at least one of the following components: - at least one heating device for heating the receiving device and / or the pressing device in order to cure or harden the adhesive; - at least one robot for the automated insertion of the prefabricated battery tray into the receiving device, for the automated application of the adhesive, for the automated positioning of the prefabricated cooling device, for the automated attachment of the pressing device, for the automated removal of the pressing device and / or for the automated removal of the battery tray after bonding; - a control device, in particular for controlling the heating device, the robot and / or the pressure pad(s), wherein the control of the heating device and / or the pressure pad(s) can also take place in a control loop.

[0021] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. Fig. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an apparatus according to the invention for producing a battery tray with a cooling device. Fig. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of a device made with the Fig. 1 manufactured battery tray with a cooling device.

[0022] The Fig. The device or system 100 shown in Figure 1 comprises a receiving device 110 and a pressing device 120. With the device 100, the Fig. 2 can be produced. The battery tray 200 has a tray body 210 with a tray bottom 215 and side walls 212 surrounding the latter, as well as a cooling device 220 glued to the outside or underside of the tray bottom 215. The cooling device 220 is formed by at least one cooling line 225. The cooling line 225 is a flat tube multi-chamber profile formed from aluminum, which is glued on one of its flat sides to the tray body 210 or the tray bottom 215. The adhesive is designated K.

[0023] To produce the battery tray 200, the prefabricated tray body 210 is fixed in the so-called hat position in or on the receiving device 110, as shown in Fig.1. The adhesive K is then applied to the underside of the tub base 215. The adhesive K is applied in beads, with the adhesive beads being applied sparingly and essentially in the center of the adhesive surfaces where the cooling line 225 will later run. The prefabricated cooling device 220 is then placed on top and pressed down using the pressing device 120, with the tub base 215 being supported from the inside or below by the receiving device 110. For this purpose, the pressing device 120 is moved up to a provided holding line H. The contact pressure is then generated using several pneumatic pressure pads (air cushions) 122. At the same time, the pressed adhesive K is cured by heating, for which purpose, for example, the receiving device 110 can be designed with an inductive heating device (not shown).

[0024] The pressure pads (segments) 122 of the pressing device 120 are attached to a base plate or frame 121, with each line section of the cooling line 225 being assigned a pressure pad 122. Each pressure pad 122 has a plastic housing 123 with a pocket 124 closed by a deflectable or elastic membrane 125. The membranes 125 are made of rubber or silicone, for example. The membranes 125 press directly against the cooling line(s) 225. By changing the internal pressures acting in the pockets 124, the contact pressure for each pressure pad 122 can be individually adjusted and adapted. The pressure pads 122 are preferably controlled such that the contact pressure builds up slowly, for example, over a period of 1 to 3 seconds.

[0025] The receiving device 110 and the pressing device 120 may have means (not shown) that enable alignment of the pressing device 120 to the receiving device 110. Furthermore, means such as laterally arranged clamping elements may be provided for locking, i.e., for fixing or bracing the pressing device 120 to the receiving device 110, particularly in position H, so that the contact pressure can be generated only by the pressure pads 122.

[0026] The contact pressure is maintained during the curing of the adhesive K, with a constant contact pressure preferably being provided. However, the contact pressure can also be varied during the joining process. After the adhesive K has cured or at least partially cured, the pressure pads 122 are first released and then the pressing device 120 is removed, so that the battery tray 200 with the glued-on cooling device 220 can be removed from the receiving device 110.

[0027] Preferably, all of the steps explained above are carried out automatically, e.g., using robots or the like. Similarly, the cooling device 220 can also be applied from the inside or to the inside of the bottom of the tub body 210.

Claims

[1] Method for producing a battery tray (200) equipped with a cooling device (220), wherein the cooling device (220) is formed by at least one cooling tube (225) through which coolant can flow and which is glued directly to the battery tray (200), comprising the steps: - providing the prefabricated battery tray (200) and the prefabricated cooling device (220); - applying an adhesive (K) to the battery tray (200) and / or cooling device (220); - positioning the cooling device (220) on the battery tray (200); - Pressing the cooling device (220) and simultaneously curing or at least partially curing the adhesive (K), wherein a pressing device (120) is used to press the cooling device (220), which applies a contact pressure to the cooling device (220) in such a way that the pressing device (120) has a plurality of pneumatic pressure pads (122) which are individually controlled and press the cooling device (220) against the battery tray (200). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the battery tray (200) is fixed in a receiving device (110) when the cooling device (220) is pressed on and the pressing device (120) is aligned with the receiving device (110). [3] Device (100) for producing a battery tray (200) equipped with a cooling device (220), wherein the cooling device (220) is formed by at least one cooling tube (225) through which coolant can flow and which is glued directly to the battery tray (200), comprising: - a receiving device (110) in which the battery tray (200) is fixed; - a pressing device (120) with which the cooling device (220) is pressed against the fixed battery tray (200) for bonding, wherein the pressing device (120) has a plurality of pneumatic pressure pads (122) which are individually controllable. [4] Device (100) according to claim 3, characterized by that the receiving device (110) and the pressing device (120) have means, namely laterally arranged clamping elements, which enable the pressing device (120) to be locked on the receiving device (110).

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