Battery pack

Abstract

The present application relates to a battery pack, which includes a housing provided with a cavity for accommodating a plurality of battery cells and a relief cavity corresponding to an explosion-proof valve of the battery cells, the plurality of battery cells, and at least one cooling component installed on a side of the battery cells along an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells, the cooling component including a cooling body and at least one protrusion connected to the cooling body, the cooling body abutting against the plurality of battery cells in a corresponding row, and the protrusion inserted into the relief cavity.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority from a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202310898476.0, filed on July 20, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of battery technology, and more particularly to battery packs. [Background technology]

[0003] With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, users of pure electric vehicles have increasingly higher requirements for vehicle mileage and charging rate, and the energy of battery cells is also increasing, resulting in an increase in the amount of heat generated by the battery cells during operation. At the same time, with the increase in the number of battery cells and charging rate, it becomes more difficult to control the temperature uniformity, which means that more efficient liquid cooling solutions are needed to cool and temperature-uniformize the battery cells.

[0004] In the related art, to address the problem of the relatively large heat generation of cylindrical battery packs, a solution of serpentine tube side liquid cooling is usually used, that is, a serpentine tube is used to contact the side of the battery cells, and the cooling liquid flows into the serpentine tube-shaped cavity to perform convective heat exchange with the battery cells.

[0005] Cylindrical battery cells also have the advantage of releasing pressure downwards when a thermal runaway occurs. To ensure the safety of passengers, it is necessary to guide the heat release after a thermal runaway in the battery cells. Therefore, the design of the relief path and the structural strength of the battery pack are extremely important for the safety of automobiles. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present application provides a battery pack to solve the above technical problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An embodiment of the present application provides a battery pack, which includes a housing having a cavity for accommodating a plurality of battery cells and a relief cavity corresponding to an explosion-proof valve of the battery cells, a plurality of battery cells, and at least one cooling component installed on a side of the battery cells along an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the cooling component includes a cooling body and at least one protrusion connected to the cooling body, the cooling body abutting against a corresponding row of the plurality of battery cells, and the protrusion being inserted into the relief cavity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present application provides a cooling component installed on the side of a plurality of battery cells along the arrangement direction of the battery cells, and a cooling body and at least one protrusion connected to the cooling body installed on the cooling component, so that the cooling body abuts against the plurality of battery cells and the protrusion is inserted into the relief cavity, thereby allowing the protrusion to play a supporting role for the battery cells and the cooling body, strengthening the structural strength of the battery pack, improving the temperature uniformity of the battery cells, and guiding heat release after thermal runaway of the battery cells, thereby improving safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded schematic view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of a cooling component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective structural schematic diagram of a cooling component according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a cooling pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the bottom of a cooling component according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a relief cavity according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention after being attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 is an exploded schematic view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack may include a housing 1, a plurality of battery cells 2, and at least one cooling component 3. Here, the housing 1 may have a rectangular parallelepiped structure with an opening facing upward, and a cavity is provided within the housing 1, and this cavity is used to accommodate the plurality of battery cells 2.

[0011] 1, the battery cells 2 may be arranged in rows, with the battery cells 2 in two adjacent rows alternately arranged. For example, in FIG. 1, the battery cells 2 may be arranged along the row direction (i.e., the x direction), with every other battery cell 2 arranged along the y direction perpendicular to the row direction. Specifically, the battery cells 2 may have odd-numbered rows and even-numbered rows, with the battery cells 2 in the odd-numbered rows arranged in the same order, and the battery cells 2 in the even-numbered rows arranged in the same order. Thus, different battery cells 2 in the odd-numbered rows may be arranged in the same straight line along the y direction, and different battery cells 2 in the even-numbered rows may also be arranged in the same straight line along the y direction. This allows the arrangement of the battery cells 2 to be more compact, improving the energy density of the battery pack and saving space.

[0012] In one embodiment, the cooling component 3 is installed on the side of the battery cell 2 of a corresponding row along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells 2 are arranged. The plurality of cooling components 3 may be arranged sequentially along the y direction. As a possible configuration, the cooling component 3 may be installed in the gap between the battery cells 2 of two adjacent rows along the height direction of the battery cells 2.

[0013] One or more cooling components 3 may be provided. When more than one cooling component 3 is provided, two adjacent cooling components 3 may be located on either side of the battery cells 2 in the same row, or on either side of the battery cells 2 in two adjacent rows. This allows the two cooling components 3 to be aligned in the same direction along the row direction in which the battery cells 2 are arranged, rather than alternately, which improves the structural strength of the battery pack and reduces the number of cooling components, thereby reducing costs and the weight of the entire battery pack.

[0014] 1, the cooling component 3 may include a cooling body 31 and at least one protrusion 32 connected to the cooling body 31. The cooling body 31 and the at least one protrusion 32 are both installed along the height direction of the battery cells 2. The cooling body 31 abuts against the battery cells 2 in the corresponding row. A portion of the cooling body 31 may be connected to the battery cells 2 in the corresponding row, and another portion of the cooling body 31 may form a gap with the battery cells 2. The protrusions 32 are installed at intervals along the row direction in which the battery cells 2 are arranged, and the gap between two of the protrusions 32 may be referred to as a perforated area.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present application, at least one protrusion is formed on the bottom of the serpentine tube cooling plate by partially applying an openwork design, so that the protrusion plays a supporting role for the battery cell and the cooling body, thereby enhancing the structural strength of the battery pack.

[0016] In one embodiment, the cooling body 31 and the protrusion 32 may both be hollow, and the cooling body 31 and the protrusion 32 may be connected to each other, forming a U-shaped structure, which further plays a role in equalizing the temperature of the battery cells and solves the high temperature problem caused by rapid charging of large cylindrical batteries.

[0017] 2 is a side view of a cooling component according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 2, the cooling body 31 may include a first sub-body 311, and a second sub-body 312 and a third sub-body 313, which are respectively provided at both ends of the first sub-body 311.

[0018] In one embodiment, the first sub-body 311 extends along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells 2 are arranged. The first sub-body 311 may have a serpentine (also called wavy) structure.

[0019] In one embodiment, the first sub-body 311 includes a plurality of first arcuate surfaces, each of which includes a first sub-arcuate surface 3111 and a second sub-arcuate surface 3112, and is bonded to a side of the corresponding row of battery cells 2. For example, in FIG. 2 , the first sub-arcuate surface 3111 and the second sub-arcuate surface 3112 are adjacent to each other, and the protrusion 32 may be connected to the first sub-arcuate surface 3111 and the second sub-arcuate surface 3112. That is, the protrusion 32 may be connected to the adjacent first sub-arcuate surface 3111 and the second sub-arcuate surface 3112.

[0020] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the second sub-body 312 and the third sub-body 313 are both connected to the first sub-body 311. In one possible configuration, the second sub-body 312 and the first sub-body 311 are integrally molded, and the third sub-body 313 and the first sub-body 311 are integrally molded.

[0021] 3 is a perspective structural schematic diagram of a cooling component according to an embodiment of the present application. In order to more clearly illustrate the specific structure of the cooling component, the rows of battery cells shown in FIG. 1 are not shown in FIG. 3. However, in practice, the rows of battery cells may be installed between two cooling components. Referring to FIG. 3, in a top view, the first sub-body 311 of the cooling component 3 has a serpentine structure and extends along the row direction in which the battery cells 2 are arranged.

[0022] In one embodiment, the convex portion 32 may include a first convex portion 321 and a second convex portion 322 connected to the first convex portion 321. The first convex portion 321 is located directly below a first sub-arc surface 3111 and is connected to the first sub-arc surface 3111. The second convex portion 322 is located directly below a second sub-arc surface 3112 and is connected to the second sub-arc surface 3112. In other words, the first convex portion 321 and the second convex portion 322 may be connected to the adjacent first sub-arc surface 3111 and second sub-arc surface 3112, respectively.

[0023] In one embodiment, the bending direction of the first arcuate surface connected to the first protrusion 321 is opposite to the bending direction of the first arcuate surface connected to the second protrusion 322. For example, the first sub-arc surface 3111 may be bent along the y direction in FIG. 1, and the second sub-arc surface 3112 may be bent along the opposite direction to the y direction in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the second sub-arc surface 3112 may be bent along the y direction in FIG. 1, and the first sub-arc surface 3111 may be bent along the opposite direction to the y direction in FIG. 1. By connecting the protrusion 32 to two arcuate surfaces bent in opposite directions, the protrusion 32 can support the first sub-body, thereby making the cooling component structure more stable.

[0024] In one embodiment, the first protrusion 321 and the second protrusion 322 are both provided with a second arcuate surface 3221. Furthermore, the first protrusion 321 and the second protrusion 322 are both second arcuate surfaces 3221, and the bending direction of the second arcuate surface 3221 is the same as the bending direction of the first arcuate surface connected to the second arcuate surface 3221. As a result, the first protrusion 321 and the second protrusion 322 are aligned with the length direction of the corresponding first sub-body 311, which provides better support and facilitates the integral molding of the protrusion 32 and the first sub-body.

[0025] The first convex portion 321 and the second convex portion 322 may have other shapes, such as a triangle. The first convex portion 321 and the first sub-circular surface 3111 are integrally formed, and the second convex portion 322 and the second sub-circular surface 3112 are integrally formed. In actual applications, the first convex portion 321 and the second convex portion 322 may be appropriately modified as needed, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a cooling pipe according to an embodiment of the present application. Combining FIGS. 2 and 4, the second sub-body 312 has at least one connection hole through which the cooling pipe passes. The cooling pipe may be an inlet pipe 33 or an outlet pipe 34. Specifically, the second sub-body 312 may have two connection holes, which are an inlet 3121 and an outlet 3122, respectively. Both the inlet 3121 and the outlet 3122 may pass through the second sub-body 312. Here, the inlet 3121 is used to insert the inlet pipe 33 so that the inlet pipe 33 passes through the second sub-body 312. The outlet 3122 is used to insert the outlet pipe 34 so that the outlet pipe 34 passes through the second sub-body 312. To save space in the row direction of the battery cells, the inlets 3121 and the outlets 3122 may be arranged along the height direction of the battery cells 2.

[0027] In one embodiment, the coolant flows in through the inlet pipe 33, is diverted into the corresponding cooling component, passes through the cooling component to remove heat from the battery cells, and flows out through the outlet pipe 34, forming a heat exchange circuit. Note that the locations of the inlet pipe 33 and the outlet pipe 34 are variable and not fixed, and the relative positions of the inlet pipe 33 and the outlet pipe 34 may be adjusted as needed in the actual process.

[0028] 5 is a schematic diagram showing the bottom of a cooling component according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, when viewed upward from the bottom of the cooling component, the first protrusion 321 and the second protrusion 322 may be attached to the sides of battery cells in different rows. For example, in FIG. 5, the top row of battery cells is the first row of battery cells. The second protrusion 322 is attached to the first row of battery cells, and the first protrusion 321 is attached to the second row of battery cells. The battery cells attached to the first protrusion 321 and the battery cells attached to the second protrusion 322 are adjacent to each other.

[0029] In one embodiment, a foam adhesive 4 is filled between the cooling body 31 and the plurality of battery cells 2. In practical applications, the foam adhesive 4 may also be filled between the plurality of battery cells and the sidewall of the housing 1. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 5 , when the overall shape of the filled foam adhesive 4 is a rectangular parallelepiped, for example, it can be adapted to the sidewall structure of the housing 1.

[0030] Here, the foam adhesive 4 has foam properties and adhesive properties, and may be used to bond the cooling body 31 and the plurality of battery cells 2. By bonding the foam adhesive 4, the cooling body 31 and the plurality of battery cells 2 may be regarded as a single unit, and at least one protrusion 32 can play a supporting role for this entire unit.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present application, a foam adhesive is filled between the cooling body and the multiple battery cells, and the multiple battery cells are attached to the housing by the foam adhesive, thereby strengthening the structural strength of the entire battery pack, making the temperature of the battery cells more uniform, improving the temperature consistency of each battery cell, and providing better heat retention during low-temperature operation.

[0032] 6 is a schematic diagram showing a relief cavity according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the top of the protrusion 32 is connected to the cooling body 31, and the bottom of the protrusion 32 is abutted against the bottom of the housing 1 to form a relief cavity 5.

[0033] 1 and 6, a relief valve 50 is provided on the side wall of the housing 1, and the housing 1 is further provided with a relief cavity 5 corresponding to the explosion-proof valve 60 of the battery cell 2, with the protrusion 32 abutting against the housing 1 and inserted into the relief cavity 5. The bottoms of the multiple battery cells 2, at least one of the protrusions 32, and the bottom of the housing 1 together form the relief cavity 5, and the relief valve 50 is opened when the target battery cell experiences thermal runaway to reduce the air pressure in the relief cavity 5. In a possible configuration, an opening 51 is provided on the side wall of the housing 1, and the relief valve 50 is attached to the opening 51.

[0034] By using the protrusion to form a relief channel, air pressure is guided along the relief channel to the outside of the battery pack when a battery cell experiences thermal runaway, reducing the risk of the battery cell experiencing thermal runaway and improving the safety of the vehicle.In addition, because the relief channel is formed by part of the cooling component, it is possible to reduce the cost of the battery pack and improve assembly efficiency.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application after installation. As shown in FIG. 6, multiple battery cells 2 are installed in the housing 1, and foam adhesive 4 is filled between the different battery cells 2, between the battery cells 2 and the cooling component 3, and between the battery cells 2 and the side wall of the housing 1, thereby obtaining the assembled battery pack shown in FIG. 7. Here, the inlet pipe 33 and the outlet pipe 34 may be exposed from the outer surface of the housing 1 to facilitate the charging of the cooling medium. The relief valve 50 is located on the outer surface of the housing 1 to facilitate opening.

[0036] As described above, in the embodiments of the present application, a cooling component is installed on the side of the battery cells along the arrangement direction of the battery cells, and a cooling body and at least one protrusion connected to the cooling body are installed on the cooling component, so that the cooling body abuts against the battery cells, and the protrusion abuts against the housing and is inserted into the relief cavity. As a result, the protrusion plays a supporting role for the battery cells and the cooling body, strengthens the structural strength of the battery pack, improves the temperature uniformity of the battery cells, and guides heat dissipation after thermal runaway of the battery cells, improves safety, reduces the cost of the battery pack, and increases assembly efficiency.

Claims

1. a housing (1) provided with a cavity for accommodating a plurality of battery cells (2) and a relief cavity (5) corresponding to an explosion-proof valve (60) of the battery cells (2); A plurality of battery cells (2); and at least one cooling component (3) installed on a side of the battery cells (2) along the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells (2), wherein the cooling component (3) includes a cooling body (31) and at least one protrusion (32) connected to the cooling body (31), the cooling body (31) abuts against the plurality of battery cells (2) in a corresponding row, and the protrusion (32) is inserted into the relief cavity (5); Battery pack.

2. The protrusion (32) is in contact with the housing (1). The battery pack according to claim 1 .

3. The cooling body (31) and at least one of the protrusions (32) are installed along the height direction of the battery cells (2), wherein the battery cells (2) of two adjacent rows are alternately arranged, and two adjacent cooling components (3) are respectively located on both sides of the battery cells (2) of the two adjacent rows. The battery pack according to claim 1 .

4. The cooling body (31) The battery pack further includes a first sub-body (311) extending along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells (2) are arranged. The battery pack according to claim 1 .

5. The first sub-body (311) has a serpentine structure, and the first sub-body (311) has: a plurality of first arcuate surfaces (3111) bonded to the sides of the battery cells (2) in the corresponding rows; The battery pack according to claim 4.

6. The convex portion (32) includes a first convex portion (321) and a second convex portion (322) connected to the first convex portion (321), The first convex portion (321) and the second convex portion (322) are connected to two adjacent first arc surfaces, respectively. The battery pack according to claim 5 .

7. The bending direction of the first arc surface connected to the first convex portion (321) is opposite to the bending direction of the first arc surface connected to the second convex portion (322). The battery pack according to claim 6.

8. The first convex portion (321) and the second convex portion (322) are both provided with a second arcuate surface (3221), and the bending direction of the second arcuate surface is the same as the bending direction of the first arcuate surface connected to the second arcuate surface. The battery pack according to claim 6.

9. The cooling body (31) further includes a second sub-body (312) and a third sub-body (313); The second sub-body (312) and the third sub-body (313) are respectively provided at both ends of the first sub-body (311), and the second sub-body (312) has at least one connection hole (3121) for a cooling pipe to pass through. The battery pack according to claim 4.

10. A foam adhesive (4) is filled between the cooling body (31) and the plurality of battery cells (2), and the foam adhesive (4) bonds the cooling body (31) and the plurality of battery cells (2). The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A relief valve (50) is provided on the side wall of the housing (1), and the relief valve (50) is in communication with the relief cavity (5). The relief valve (50) is configured to be opened when the target battery cell experiences thermal runaway, thereby reducing the air pressure in the relief cavity (5). The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. The cooling body (31) and the protrusion (32) are integrally installed. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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