Device for removing residues of a thermal paste when filling a housing of a battery module with a thermal paste

Abstract

Device (2) for removing residues of a thermal paste (20) during the filling of a housing (4) of a battery module with a thermal paste (20), comprising: - a base body (6) with an opening (8) for arrangement above an inlet opening (4a) of the housing (4) of the battery module, - a bearing (10) for controlled pressing of the base body (6) against the housing (4) of the battery module, - a suction passage (12) arranged within the base body (6) for the extraction of residues of the thermal paste (20) from the base body (6).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for removing residues of thermal paste during the filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste, as well as a system and a method for filling a battery module housing with thermal paste.

[0002] High-performance, high-voltage battery modules, consisting of numerous interconnected battery cells, are used to power electric vehicles. To improve the thermal connection between the battery cells and the housing wall of a high-voltage battery module or battery, it is common practice to inject a thermally conductive paste – a so-called gap filler – into the housing, specifically into the gap between the battery cells and the housing, through an inlet opening.

[0003] Unfortunately, due to the pressure required for injection, thermal paste inevitably leaks from the inlet opening after injection is complete and the injection device is disconnected. This leakage is undesirable, and the extruded thermal paste must be removed.

[0004] Typically, the residual thermal paste that oozes from the inlet opening at the end of the injection process is removed mechanically. It is also known to remove the gap filler residue by applying adhesive tape over the filler hole. This tape also has an opening and, after the injection process is complete, is peeled off the housing along with the remaining gap filler and disposed of.

[0005] However, all known methods represent an additional workload that should be avoided. Furthermore, they unnecessarily consume additional materials for removing thermal paste residue (cleaning wipes, adhesive tape, etc.), which is disadvantageous from both a cost and environmental perspective. Finally, the known cleaning methods are difficult to integrate into an automated process.

[0006] From the prior art, e.g. from documents DE 10 2022 102 825 A1, DE 10 2021 002 803 A1, DE 10 2021 104 914 A1 and DE 10 2022 106 391 A1, approaches are known to at least partially solve some of the aforementioned problems, but the prior art lacks, in particular, a method for completely removing thermal paste residues during the filling of a battery module in a convenient and structurally simple manner.

[0007] It is therefore the object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages described above; in particular, it is the object of the present invention to provide a device for removing thermal paste residues during the filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste, which enables the complete and reliable removal of thermal paste residues during the filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste in a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner.

[0008] The foregoing problem is solved by a device having the features of claim 1, a system according to claim 8, and a method according to claim 10. Further features and details are set forth in the dependent claims, the description, and the drawings. Technical features disclosed with respect to the device according to the invention also apply in connection with the system or method according to the invention, and vice versa, so that the disclosure of the individual aspects of the invention is always or can always be made reciprocally. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

[0009] According to the invention, a device is provided for removing thermal paste residues during the filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste. The device according to the invention comprises a base body with an opening for placement above an inlet opening of the battery module housing, a bearing for controlled pressure of the base body against the battery module housing, and a suction opening arranged within the base body for extracting thermal paste residues from the base body.

[0010] According to the invention, the device in question, particularly through the arrangement of the base body, the bearing, and the suction opening located within the base body, is designed to guarantee the complete and reliable removal of thermal paste residues during the filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste in a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly manner. The base body, for example, enables controlled and easily removable collection of thermal paste residues. The bearing ensures, for example, a simple and flexible sealing connection to a filling opening of a battery module housing. Finally, the suction opening provides a structurally simple method for removing thermal paste residues.

[0011] It is understood that the device in question can also be used to remove other fluid materials, particularly paste-like materials, from a surface. The base body can preferably be designed and / or used in the form of an aperture to regulate the flow of the thermal paste.

[0012] To minimize the adhesion of escaping thermal paste to the surface of the base body and to facilitate the removal of thermal paste residues, the invention advantageously provides that the base body has a coating to reduce the binding capacity of the thermal paste, wherein the coating is preferably in the form of a hydrophobic coating and / or a lotus effect coating. Preferably, the coating can be in the form of fluoropolymers, in particular per- and polyfluorinated compounds.

[0013] With a view to ensuring a structurally simple and cost-effective controlled pressing of the base body against the battery module housing, it is particularly advantageous to provide that the bearing for controlled pressing of the base body against the battery module housing is designed in the form of a spring bearing and has a plurality of guide pins and return springs arranged around the guide pins, wherein the guide pins are preferably cylindrical and the return springs are in the form of coil springs. The spring-loaded bearing of the base body makes it particularly possible for the base body to remain attached to the housing while, for example, an injection nozzle for filling the battery module with thermal paste has already been removed from the housing or the housing opening.

[0014] Alternatively, it can also be provided that the bearing is designed in the form of a pneumatic bearing, a hydraulic bearing, or an electromechanical bearing.

[0015] For the simple, quick, and effective removal of thermal paste residue from the base body, it can be advantageous if the extraction port is positioned laterally to the opening within the base body, preferably perpendicular to the opening. This allows extraction to begin even if, for example, an injection nozzle used to fill the battery module with thermal paste has not yet been completely removed from the battery module housing. It is understood that a suitable pump or similar device can be arranged at the extraction port for this purpose.

[0016] To generate a constant suction pressure for removing residual thermal paste, the suction opening for removing the thermal paste residue can further be provided with a constant cross-section, preferably circular. The suction opening can advantageously be in the form of a suction bore or the like, to which, for example, a pump or similar device can be attached. A constant suction pressure or a constant cross-section not only simplifies manufacturing but also minimizes the likelihood of blockages at constrictions or similar points.

[0017] With regard to simple, quick and effective extraction of thermal paste residues from the base body, it may also be advantageous if the opening for arrangement above an inlet opening of the housing of the battery module is funnel-shaped, the opening preferably having a conical cross-section.

[0018] The invention also relates to a system for filling the housing of a battery module, comprising a device for removing residual thermal paste as described above and a filling unit for filling the housing of the battery module with thermal paste. The system according to the invention thus has the same advantages as those already described in detail with regard to the device according to the invention.

[0019] With a view to simple, fast and precisely controllable filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste, it can also be advantageously provided that the filling unit for filling the battery module housing has an injection nozzle.

[0020] The invention also relates to a method for filling the housing of a battery module, particularly using a system described above. This method comprises the steps of arranging an opening in the base body of a device for removing thermal paste residue via an inlet opening in the housing of a battery module, pressing a bearing of the base body of the device against the housing of the battery module in a controlled manner, filling the housing of the battery module with thermal paste via a filling unit, and extracting thermal paste residue from the base body via an extraction port located within the base body. The method according to the invention thus offers the same advantages as those already described in detail with regard to the device and system according to the invention.

[0021] With a view to simple, fast, clean and precisely controllable filling of a battery module housing with thermal paste and a well-coordinated execution of the individual process steps of the method according to the invention, it can advantageously further be provided that the filling unit for filling the housing of the battery module has an injection nozzle, wherein the injection nozzle moves into the inlet opening of the housing before the housing of the battery module is filled with thermal paste and moves out of the inlet opening of the housing after the housing of the battery module has been filled, wherein preferably only after the injection nozzle has moved out of the inlet opening of the housing is any residue of the thermal paste drawn off the base body.It is understood that individual, several, or all mandatory and / or optional steps of the method according to the invention can be carried out in the proposed sequence, but also in a different sequence. In particular, individual, several, or all mandatory and / or optional steps of the method according to the invention can be carried out repeatedly, e.g., cyclically. It is further understood that individual, several, or all of the mandatory and optional steps of the method according to the invention can also be carried out at least partially automatically, in particular by a computer.

[0022] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description can each be essential to the invention individually or in any combination.

[0023] It shows schematically: Fig. 1 a system according to the invention for filling a housing of a battery module according to a first embodiment during a filling of the housing at a first time (left) and a subsequent second time (right), Fig. 2 the individual steps of a procedure for filling a housing of a battery module.

[0024] Fig. Figure 1 shows a system 1 according to the invention for filling a housing 4 of a battery module according to a first embodiment during a filling of the housing 4 at a first time (left) and a subsequent second time (right).

[0025] As per Fig. As can be seen from Figure 1, the system 1 according to the invention comprises a device 2 for removing residues of a thermal paste 20 and a filling unit for filling the housing 4 of the battery module with a thermal paste 20, which has an injection nozzle 18. The injection nozzle 18 of the filling unit is in Fig. 1. Some of the thermal paste 20 has already been pulled out of the inlet opening 4a of the housing 4 on the right side. Due to the pressure relief, some thermal paste 20 inevitably runs out of the inlet opening 4a.

[0026] As per Fig. As can also be seen in Figure 1, the device 2 for removing residues of a thermal paste 20 during the filling of a housing 4 of a battery module with a thermal paste 20 comprises a base body 6 with an opening 8 for arrangement above an inlet opening 4a of the housing 4 of the battery module, a bearing 10 in the form of a spring bearing for controlled pressure of the base body 6 against the housing 4 of the battery module, and a suction passage 12 arranged within the base body 6 for suctioning residues of the thermal paste 20 from the base body 6.

[0027] The base body 6 can advantageously have a coating to reduce the binding capacity of the thermal paste 20, which can be in the form of a hydrophobic coating and / or a lotus effect coating, for example.

[0028] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the spring bearing for controlled pressing of the base body 6 against the housing 4 of the battery module has a plurality of guide pins 14 and a plurality of return springs 16 arranged around the guide pins 14. Alternatively, this pressing function can also be achieved pneumatically, hydraulically, or electromechanically.

[0029] The extraction passage 12 for extracting residues of the thermal paste 20 is arranged laterally to the opening 8 within the base body 6, in particular perpendicular to the opening 8 within the base body 6 and has a constant circular cross-section.

[0030] The opening 8 for the arrangement above the inlet opening 4a of the housing 4 of the battery module is also funnel-shaped and has a conical cross-section.

[0031] Fig. Figure 2 shows the individual steps of a procedure for filling a housing 4 of a battery module.

[0032] As per Fig. As can be seen from Figure 2, the method according to the invention comprises the steps of arranging 100 an opening 8 of a base body 6 of a device 2 for removing residues of a thermal paste 20 above an inlet opening 4a of a housing 4 of a battery module, a controlled pressing 200 of a bearing 10 of the base body 6 of the device 2 against the housing 4 of the battery module, a filling 300 of the housing 4 of the battery module with a thermal paste 20 via a filling unit, and a suction 400 of residues of the thermal paste 20 from the base body 6 via a suction passage 12 arranged within the base body 6.

[0033] The preceding explanation of the embodiments describes the present invention solely by way of examples. Naturally, individual features of the embodiments can be freely combined with one another, provided this is technically feasible, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

[1] Device (2) for removing residues of a thermal paste (20) during the filling of a housing (4) of a battery module with a thermal paste (20), comprising: - a base body (6) with an opening (8) for arrangement above an inlet opening (4a) of the housing (4) of the battery module, - a bearing (10) for controlled pressing of the base body (6) against the housing (4) of the battery module, - a suction passage (12) arranged within the base body (6) for the extraction of residues of the thermal paste (20) from the base body (6). [2] Device (2) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the base body (6) has a coating to reduce the binding capacity of the thermal paste (20), wherein the coating is preferably in the form of a hydrophobic coating and / or a lotus effect coating. [3] Device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by, that the bearing (10) for controlled pressing of the base body (6) against the housing (4) of the battery module is designed in the form of a spring bearing and has a plurality of guide pins (14) and return springs (16) arranged around the guide pins (14), wherein the guide pins (14) are preferably cylindrical and the return springs (16) are in the form of spiral springs. [4] Device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the bearing (10) is designed in the form of a pneumatic bearing or a hydraulic bearing or an electromechanical bearing. [5] Device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the extraction passage (12) for extraction of residues of the thermal paste (20) is arranged laterally to the opening (8) within the base body (6), preferably perpendicular to the opening (8) within the base body (6). [6] Device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the extraction passage (12) for extraction of residues of the thermal paste (20) has a constant cross-section, wherein the cross-section is preferably circular. [7] Device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the opening (8) for arrangement above an inlet opening (4a) of the housing (4) of the battery module is funnel-shaped, wherein the opening (8) preferably has a conical cross-section. [8] System (1) for filling a housing (4) of a battery module with a thermal paste (20), comprising a device (2) for removing residues of a thermal paste (20) according to one of the preceding claims and a filling unit for filling the housing (4) of the battery module with a thermal paste (20). [9] System (1) according to claim 8, characterized by, that the filling unit for filling the housing (4) of the battery module has an injection nozzle (18). [10] Method for filling a housing (4) of a battery module with a thermal paste (20), in particular using a system (1) according to one of claims 8 or 9, comprising the steps: - Arranging (100) an opening (8) of a base body (6) of a device (2) for removing residues of a thermal paste (20) above an inlet opening (4a) of a housing (4) of a battery module, - controlled pressing (200) of a bearing (10) of the base body (6) of the device (2) onto the housing (4) of the battery module, - Filling (300) the housing (4) of the battery module with thermal paste (20) via a filling unit, - Extraction (400) of thermal paste residues (20) from the base body (6) via an extraction passage (12) arranged within the base body (6). [11] Method according to claim 10, characterized by , that the filling unit for filling the housing (4) of the battery module has an injection nozzle (18), wherein the injection nozzle (18) moves into the inlet opening (4a) of the housing (4) before filling (300) the housing (4) of the battery module with a thermal paste (20) and moves out of the inlet opening (4a) of the housing (4) after filling (300) the housing (4) of the battery module, wherein preferably only after the injection nozzle (18) has moved out of the inlet opening (4a) of the housing (4) is a suction (400) of residues of the thermal paste (20) taken from the base body (6).

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