Vehicle battery, vehicle with such a vehicle battery and method for fluid-tight sealing of a battery housing of the vehicle battery

Abstract

Vehicle battery (3), having a battery housing (4) which has at least one extrusion profile (11) that forms at least one wall section of a housing wall (7) of the battery housing (4), wherein the at least one extrusion profile (11) has at least one profile chamber (14) which is formed by a hollow profile, and wherein the at least one profile chamber (14) has at least one throughgoing opening (15) extending from the outside to the inside of the battery housing (4) in which at least one connection terminal (16) for at least one electrical and / or media line is arranged, characterized in that hollow profile sections (20) of the profile chamber (14) arranged adjacent to said opening (15) are formed to be fluid-tight sealed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle battery according to the preamble of claim 1. According to claim 8 of the invention, the invention further relates to a vehicle having such a vehicle battery. According to claim 9 of the invention, the invention further relates to a method for fluid-tight sealing of a battery housing of the vehicle battery.

[0002] EP 1 950 070 A1 discloses a battery housing comprising a battery tray made of fiber-reinforced plastic and a battery cover made of metal. The battery tray has a plurality of battery compartments separated from one another by partition walls. Furthermore, the battery tray has a metal reinforcement frame. Holes for passing electrical cables through are provided in the housing. The hole sections can be closed by means of a cover cap with through-holes in the cap and associated rubber caps.

[0003] US 2018 / 0105062 A1 discloses a battery housing with a trough-shaped battery module mounting area for a plurality of battery modules and with a cover made of plastic or sheet metal. The trough-shaped battery module mounting area has a frame made of extruded or die-cast aluminum or sheet metal and a plurality of compartments for said battery modules with inner walls that are welded or glued together to seal the battery module mounting area. Furthermore, connection interfaces, such as coolant interfaces, electrical interfaces, and covers are provided, which are sealed by means of sealing means such as an O-ring, rubber seal, sealing compound, and / or the like.

[0004] DE 10 2017 202 354 A1 describes a battery assembly with a battery housing formed by a profiled strand with a closed profile cross-section. At least one cell pack with electrically interconnected battery cells is arranged in said profiled strand, forming both a high-voltage and a low-voltage interface. A housing cover element is assigned to each end of the battery housing, which is formed as a profiled strand, for closing the same. One cover element has openings through which said high-voltage and low-voltage interfaces pass.

[0005] FR 2 985 690 A3 describes a battery housing comprising a structural frame forming a peripheral portion of the housing with longitudinal and transverse supports, a receiving tray attached to the structural frame, and a cover. The receiving tray has openings in which connection terminals for the quick attachment of connecting cables are arranged.

[0006] EP 3 291 359 A1 discloses a battery housing having housing walls formed by hollow profiles. The hollow profiles have openings extending from the exterior to the interior of the battery housing, which are intended to function as coolant distribution lines.

[0007] US 2016 / 0 093 933 A1 discloses a generic vehicle battery comprising a battery housing having side walls with a hollow, chamber-forming cross-sectional area and formed by extrusion from aluminum. The side walls have channel insertion holes for supplying cooling air, which penetrate the side walls from the exterior to the interior of the battery housing, as well as cable insertion holes for electrically operated heating devices arranged in the formed chambers.

[0008] It is also known in practice to join, in particular weld or glue, extruded or die-cast profiles assembled to form a preferably rectangular or square frame in a fluid-tight manner, preferably in the cross-section, at the corners of the frame. This involves considerable mechanical and time-consuming work, particularly in the case of complex geometries of the frame or its cross-section. This is where the invention described below comes into play.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, it is an object of the invention to provide an alternative vehicle battery with a battery housing compared to the prior art, which minimizes complexity while retaining the advantages of the prior art, namely ensuring a high fluid-tightness of the battery housing. According to a second aspect of the invention, it is an object of the invention to provide a vehicle with such a vehicle battery. According to a third aspect of the invention, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for fluid-tight sealing of a battery housing of a vehicle battery.

[0010] Starting from a vehicle battery with a battery housing which has at least one extruded profile which forms at least one wall section of a housing wall of the battery housing, wherein the at least one extruded profile has at least one profile chamber which is formed by a hollow profile, and wherein the at least one profile chamber has at least one opening passing through the same from the outside to the inside of the battery housing, in which opening at least one connection terminal for at least one electrical and / or media line is arranged, the stated object is achieved in that hollow profile sections of the profile chamber arranged adjacent to the said opening are designed to be fluid-tight.

[0011] This measure eliminates the need for complex, fluid-tight joining of the extruded profiles, which preferably form a frame with a complex geometry, in the corner areas of the resulting frame, as seen in the cross-section of the extruded profiles. A fluid-tight joining seam only needs to be ensured inside the battery housing, which, considering the state of the art, involves less effort. Irrespective of this, a joining connection may be required to stabilize the frame in the area of ​​the outer contour of said corner areas. This joining connection does not necessarily have to be fluid-tight, however, since the extruded profiles are fluid-tightly sealed towards the interior of the battery housing, at least in the area of ​​said opening.This advantageously prevents any fluid, such as water, penetrating the extruded profiles from the outside, particularly via the possibly non-fluid-tight areas of the frame corners, from entering the interior of the battery housing through the opening. In the present case, an extruded profile is preferably understood to mean an extruded profile, a pultrusion profile, and an extrusion profile.

[0012] The subclaims describe preferred developments or embodiments of the invention.

[0013] According to a particularly practical embodiment of the invention, the hollow profile sections of the profile chamber adjacent to the opening are each sealed in a fluid-tight manner by means of at least one separately manufactured closure means.

[0014] An increased sealing effect is achieved in that the at least one closure means has at least two partition walls arranged at a distance from one another and forming a defined cavity between them.

[0015] Preferably, the bulkheads are integrally connected to one another by means of at least one connecting web. This simplifies the assembly of the at least one closure means and advantageously reduces the number of components.

[0016] Further preferably, the at least one connecting web is designed and positioned on the bulkhead walls in such a way that a cavity in the form of an annular space is formed between the bulkhead walls. This configuration enables simple and secure centering of the closure means in the profile chamber of the extruded profile.

[0017] To this end, the at least one connecting web has at least one centering means that corresponds to a bore in an outer wall of the profile chamber. This advantageously makes it possible to center the closure means by means of a centering mandrel extending through said bore.

[0018] In order to achieve a particularly high sealing effect, the cavity formed between the bulkhead walls is filled with a sealant, which is preferably introduced into the cavity via the said hole in the outer wall of the profile chamber.

[0019] The invention also relates to a vehicle with a vehicle battery of the type described above.

[0020] The process for fluid-tight sealing of a battery housing of a vehicle battery is essentially characterized by the following steps: a1) Providing a battery housing which has at least one extruded profile which forms at least one wall section of a housing wall of the battery housing, or a2) providing an extruded profile forming at least one wall section of a housing wall of the battery housing, b) wherein the extruded profile has at least one profile chamber formed by a hollow profile, c) wherein the at least one profile chamber has at least one opening passing through it from the outside to the inside of the battery housing for arranging at least one connection terminal for at least one electrical and / or media line, and d) wherein the at least one profile chamber has hollow profile sections adjacent to the opening, e) provision of at least one separately manufactured closure means for each hollow profile section, and f) fluid-tight closure of the profile chamber in the respective hollow profile section by inserting at least one closure means into the respective hollow profile section.

[0021] This simple and cost-effective process advantageously ensures that any fluid, particularly water, penetrating the extruded profile with the perforation from the exterior of the battery housing does not penetrate the perforation into the interior of the battery housing. The sealing process is also advantageously automatable and reworkable. Furthermore, any profile chamber cross-section can be sealed quickly and cost-effectively.

[0022] In order to achieve a particularly high sealing effect, with regard to step e), closure means are preferably used which form at least two partition walls arranged at a distance from one another and delimiting a defined cavity, wherein the cavity can be or is filled with a sealing agent in a subsequent step.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment schematically illustrated in the drawings. However, it is not limited to this embodiment, but encompasses all embodiments defined by the patent claims. They show: Fig. 1 shows a very schematic view of a vehicle having a vehicle battery designed according to the invention, Fig. 2 the vehicle battery Fig. 1 in a perspective view, Fig. 3 the section “II” according to Fig. 2, Fig. 4 a representation of an area of ​​the battery housing of the vehicle battery that is essential to the invention, including a closure means that is also essential to the invention, Fig. 5 the closure means according to Fig. 4 in a perspective view, Fig. 6 the area of ​​the battery housing essential to the invention according to Fig. 4 with the closure means according to a further development of the invention, and Fig. 7 the section “II-II” according to Fig. 6.

[0024] Fig. 1 initially shows a vehicle 1, in this case a passenger car, with an electric motor 2 as the drive motor and with a vehicle battery 3 forming a traction or high-voltage battery. According to this exemplary embodiment, this is a purely electrically powered vehicle 1. The invention also encompasses, in particular, a so-called hybrid vehicle which, in addition to one or more electric motors 2, also has an internal combustion engine (not shown in the drawing). The vehicle battery 3 has a battery housing 4, in which preferably two or more battery modules (not shown in the drawing and electrically interconnected) are arranged, which in turn preferably consist of several electrically interconnected battery cells.

[0025] The battery housing 4 has Fig. 2 a bowl- or trough-shaped housing base 5 with a housing base 6 (cf. Fig. 3) and a housing wall 7. The above-mentioned battery modules are placed and secured on the housing base 6. A housing cover 8 is assigned to the lower housing part 5, which closes the battery housing 4 and is placed from above onto the housing wall 7 of the lower housing part 5, as viewed in the vertical direction of the vehicle (Z direction), and is non-positively connected to the housing wall 7 at a plurality of fastening points 9 by means of a mechanical fastening element 10, in this case a fastening screw each.

[0026] According to this embodiment, the battery housing 4 is cuboid-shaped and has four corners (cf. Fig. 2). The housing wall 7 of the housing base 5 is formed from four extruded profiles 11, which are joined, in particular welded or glued, to form a frame 12 at the corners of the housing wall 7. The housing base 6 and, beneath it, an underrun protection 13 are attached to said frame 12 in a fluid-tight manner (cf. Fig. 3).

[0027] The extruded profiles 11 have according to Fig. 3, viewed in cross-section, each have a complex geometry formed by a plurality of profile chambers 14 arranged next to and / or one above the other, integrally connected to one another, and extending in the longitudinal direction of the extruded profile 12. The profile chambers 14 are each formed by a hollow profile with a closed hollow profile cross-section, in this case merely by way of example with a rectangular profile cross-section. The extruded profiles 11 have a first, vertically oriented extruded profile section 11a, 11b and a second, horizontally oriented extruded profile section 11a, 11b directed towards the exterior of the battery housing 4. The first, vertically oriented extruded profile section 11a is formed by three profile chambers 14 arranged one above the other. The second extruded profile section 11b is also formed by three profile chambers 14.This creates a particularly deformation-resistant, so-called crash frame, which has a high crash resistance in the event of a crash event occurring.

[0028] According to Fig. 3, the middle profile chamber 14 of the three profile chambers 14 arranged one above the other of the first, vertically aligned extruded profile section 11a has an opening 15 directed from the outside to the inside of the battery housing 4. A connection terminal 16 is arranged in said opening 15. With regard to said vehicle battery 3, a connection terminal 16 is understood to be a mounting element that can be attached or is attached to the battery housing 4 and which has or provides at least one, preferably two or more, connection and / or feedthrough options for electrical lines and / or media lines, such as fluid lines for temperature control of electrical components of the vehicle battery 3.

[0029] The fluid-tight seal of the connection terminal 16 is created on the screw-on plane provided by the outer wall 17 of the aforementioned central profile chamber 14. Due to the tight tolerances here, a robust seal design is possible by, firstly, securing the necessary mechanical fastening means 18, in this case blind rivet nuts, to the profile chamber 14 arranged above or below the central profile chamber 14, which is closed in cross-section and therefore has no opening 15, and secondly, by applying a seal 19 to the aforementioned screw-on plane from the outside. Consequently, no fluid, especially water, can penetrate into the interior of the battery housing 4 from the outside in the area of ​​the connection terminal 16.

[0030] According to the prior art described in the introduction, the extruded profiles 12 are joined in a fluid-tight manner in the corners of the frame 12 in cross-section, in particular by welding or bonding, which, in particular with complex geometries of the frame 12 or its cross-section, involves considerable mechanical and time-consuming expenditure. There is a need to create a fluid-tight joint by welding or bonding only inside the battery housing 4 to connect the relevant extruded profiles 12. Irrespective of this, a joint by welding or bonding may be necessary to stabilize the frame 12 in the area of ​​the outer contour of said corners, although this joint does not necessarily have to be fluid-tight.However, this creates the risk that fluid, such as water in particular, will penetrate into the said central profile chamber 14 via the non-fluid-tight joint and then pass into the interior of the battery housing 4 via the opening 15.

[0031] To counteract this circumstance, the middle profile chamber 14 is designed to be fluid-tightly closed in hollow profile sections 20 arranged adjacent to the said opening 15. Adjacent hollow profile sections 20 are understood to mean both the left and the right hollow profile section 20 of the middle profile chamber 14 adjoining the opening 15, as viewed from the outside of the battery housing 4 towards the middle profile chamber 14. For the sake of simplicity, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 only the left hollow profile section 20 arranged adjacent to the said opening 15 is shown.

[0032] According to the Fig. 4 to 7, the said hollow profile sections 20 of the middle profile chamber 14 are each closed by means of a separately manufactured closure means 21, which, when the frame 12 is already joined, is inserted or pushed into the respective hollow profile section 20 from the opening 15 (cf. Fig. 4, directional arrow). If the extruded profiles 11 have not yet been joined to the frame 12, the closure means 21 can also be inserted or pushed into the central profile chamber 14 starting from the free ends of the extruded profiles 11.

[0033] The closure means 21 is preferably formed by a molded body made of, more preferably, a plastic, which integrally comprises two partition walls 23 arranged at a distance from one another and forming a defined cavity 22 between them. The partition walls 23 each occupy the cross-section of the central profile chamber 14 and are preferably supported by means of elastically deformable ribs 24 arranged or formed on the outer surface of the partition walls 23 (cf. in particular Fig. 5), also referred to as pinch ribs, clamp onto the inner contour of the profile chamber 14. This ensures that the closure means 21 automatically holds itself at a predetermined axial depth in the profile chamber 14.

[0034] The bulkheads 23 are interconnected by a connecting web 25. The connecting web 25 is configured and positioned at both ends of the bulkheads 23 such that a cavity 22 in the form of an annular space is formed between them. Furthermore, the connecting web 25 integrally comprises a centering means 26, which corresponds to a bore 27 in the outer wall 16 of the central profile chamber 14. The centering means 26 is formed, for example, by a hollow cylinder aligned axially with said bore 27. This advantageously makes it possible to center the closure means 21 by means of a centering mandrel (not shown in the drawing) penetrating the bore 27.

[0035] In order to achieve a particularly high sealing effect, according to the Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the cavity 22 formed between the bulkheads 23 is filled with a sealant 28, which is introduced into the presently annular cavity 22 via the aforementioned bore 27 in the outer wall 16 of the central profile chamber 14. Said sealant 28 is, for example, a butyl rubber, which is marketed by Henkel under the name Teroson RB 81 VA. Hot butyl is injected into the cavity 22 at a specific metering pressure (cf. Fig. 6, injection direction 29), whereby displaced air can escape via openings 30 on the closure means 21. In the present case, the openings 30 are formed by a spaced arrangement of the said ribs 24. Due to the adhesive and restoring properties of butyl rubber, the seal is very robust against undermining (cf. in particular Fig. 5). List of reference symbols 1 vehicle 2 electric motor 3 vehicle battery 4 battery housing 5 Housing base 6 Case back 7 Housing wall 8 Housing cover 9 Attachment point 10 Fastening element 11 Extruded profile 11a first extruded profile section 11b second extruded profile section 12 frames 13 Underrun protection 14 profile chamber 15 Breakthrough 16 connection terminal 17 Exterior wall 18 fasteners 19 Seal 20 hollow profile section 21 Closure means 22 Cavity 23 bulkhead 24 ribs 25 connecting bridge 26 centering devices 27 Hole 28 Sealants 29 Injection direction 30 franking

Claims

[1] Vehicle battery (3), with a battery housing (4) which has at least one extruded profile (11) which forms at least one wall section of a housing wall (7) of the battery housing (4), wherein the at least one extruded profile (11) has at least one profile chamber (14) which is formed by a hollow profile, and wherein the at least one profile chamber (14) has at least one opening (15) passing through it from the outside to the inside of the battery housing (4), in which opening at least one connection terminal (16) for at least one electrical and / or media line is arranged, characterized by that hollow profile sections (20) of the profile chamber (14) arranged adjacent to said opening (15) are designed to be fluid-tight. [2] Vehicle battery (3) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the hollow profile sections (20) of the profile chamber (14) adjacent to the opening (15) are each closed in a fluid-tight manner by means of at least one separately produced closure means (21). [3] Vehicle battery (3) according to claim 2, characterized by that the at least one closure means (21) has at least two partition walls (23) arranged at a distance from one another and forming a defined cavity (22) between them. [4] Vehicle battery (3) according to claim 3, characterized by that the bulkheads (23) are integrally connected to one another by means of at least one connecting web (25). [5] Vehicle battery (3) according to claim 4, characterized by that the at least one connecting web (25) is designed and positioned on the bulkhead walls (23) in such a way that a cavity (22) in the form of an annular space is formed between the bulkhead walls (23). [6] Vehicle battery (3) according to claim 5, characterized bythat the at least one connecting web (25) has at least one centering means (26) which corresponds to a bore (27) in an outer wall (17) of the profile chamber (14). [7] Vehicle battery (3) according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized by that the cavity (22) is filled with a sealant (28). [8] Vehicle (1) comprising a vehicle battery (3) according to one of claims 1 to 7. [9] Method for fluid-tight sealing of a battery housing (4) of a vehicle battery (3), characterized by following steps: a1) providing a battery housing (4) which has at least one extruded profile (11) which forms at least one wall section of a housing wall (7) of the battery housing (4), or a2) providing an extruded profile (11) forming at least one wall section of a housing wall (7) of the battery housing (4), b) wherein the extruded profile (11) has at least one profile chamber (14) which is formed by a hollow profile, c) wherein the at least one profile chamber (14) has at least one opening (15) passing through it from the outside to the inside of the battery housing (4) for arranging at least one connection terminal (16) for at least one electrical and / or media line, and d) wherein the at least one profile chamber (14) has hollow profile sections (20) adjacent to the opening (15), e) providing at least one separately manufactured closure means (21) for each hollow profile section (20), and f) fluid-tight closure of the profile chamber (14) in the respective hollow profile section (20) by inserting at least one closure means (21) into the respective hollow profile section (20). [10] Method according to claim 9, characterized bythat with regard to step e), closure means (21) are used which form at least two partition walls (23) arranged at a distance from one another and delimiting a defined cavity (22), wherein the cavity (22) can be or is filled with a sealing agent (28) in a subsequent step.

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