Cooling system and battery pack

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooling system and a battery pack, wherein the battery cell group includes a plurality of arranged battery cells, and the cooling system includes a cooling component including a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate, and a relief component provided with spaced-apart liquid cooling channels and relief channels, the relief channels communicating with the relief valves of the battery cells, wherein the first cooling plate is installed on the side of the corresponding battery cell, the second cooling plate is installed on the end of the corresponding battery cell where the relief valve is not installed, and the cooling component and the liquid cooling channels are connected in parallel and communicate with each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority based on a Chinese patent application with application number 202321955381.X filed on July 24, 2023, and all the contents of that application are incorporated herein by reference.

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

Background Art

[0003] With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, users of pure electric vehicles are increasingly demanding longer driving ranges and higher charging rates. At the same time, the energy of battery cells has also increased, resulting in an increase in the heat generation during the operation of battery cells. Meanwhile, with the increase in the number of battery cells and the charging rate, it has become even more difficult to control the temperature uniformity. Therefore, more efficient liquid cooling solutions for cooling and equalizing the temperature of battery cells are required.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In related technologies, to address the problem of high heat generation in cylindrical battery packs, usually, a solution of serpentine tube side liquid cooling is used. That is, a serpentine tube is used to contact the side of the battery cell, and the coolant flows in the serpentine tube-shaped cavity, thereby performing convective heat exchange with the battery cell. Due to the limited heat exchange area in the serpentine tube-shaped cavity, this solution can handle relatively low charging rates, but it is difficult to control the temperature to an ideal state during high-rate charging operations. As a result, it may affect the lifespan of the battery cell and pose a risk to driving safety.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cooling system used to cool a group of battery cells, the group of battery cells comprising a plurality of arranged battery cells, the cooling system comprising at least one cooling component comprising a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate connected to the first cooling plate, and a relief component abutting against one end of the battery cell where a relief valve is provided, and having spaced-apart liquid cooling channels and relief channels, the relief channels communicating with the relief valve of the battery cell, wherein the first cooling plate is installed on the side of the corresponding battery cell, the second cooling plate is installed on the end of the corresponding battery cell where the relief valve is not provided, and the cooling component is connected in parallel to and communicating with the liquid cooling channels.

[0006] In a second embodiment, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery pack, the battery pack including the cooling system and the group of battery cells. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The cooling system provided in this application includes a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate connected to the first cooling plate, which are installed on a cooling component. The first cooling plate is installed on the side of the battery cell in the corresponding row, and the second cooling plate is installed on the top of the battery cell in the corresponding row. The cooling component and the liquid cooling channel are connected in parallel, thereby increasing the contact area for heat exchange with the battery cell, improving the heat exchange efficiency of the battery cell, enhancing the heat exchange effect of the battery cell, and ultimately solving the high-temperature problem caused by super-rapid charging of large cylindrical batteries. Consequently, the pressure loss of the cooling system can be further reduced, and the temperature uniformity effect can be further improved.

[0008] The battery pack provided in this application is designed based on the above-described cooling system, and the effects of the invention can be understood by referring to the effects of the above-described cooling system; therefore, a detailed explanation is omitted here. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is an exploded schematic diagram of the cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the first perspective structure of a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a second perspective view of the cooling system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the top of the first press plate according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the bottom of the first press plate according to an embodiment of the present application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] In the description of this application, terms indicating direction or positional relationships, such as “center,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inside,” “outside,” “clockwise,” and “counterclockwise,” are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of this application, based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and should be understood not to indicate or suggest that the shown device or component is configured in a particular direction or needs to have a particular direction to operate. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Also, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., do not indicate relative importance or the number of technical features, but are merely for distinction. Therefore, features limited as “first,” “second,” etc., may include one or more of the features described above, either explicitly or implicitly. In this description, “plural” means two or more unless specifically and clearly limited.

[0011] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specifically stated in the firmware and limitations, terms such as “attached,” “connected to one another,” and “connected” should be interpreted broadly, and may include, for example, fixed connections, removable connections, or integrated connections; mechanical connections, electrical connections, or mutual communications; direct connections or indirect connections via an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two elements or an interaction relationship between two elements. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application depending on the specific context.

[0012] The following disclosure provides numerous embodiments or examples for realizing different structures of the present application. For the sake of brevity of the disclosure, the components and arrangements of specific examples are described below, but these are illustrative and not limiting to the present application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals and / or reference letters are used repeatedly in different examples in the present application; this repetition is for simplification and clarity, and their presence does not indicate a relationship between each embodiment and / or arrangement described. In addition, while the present application provides examples relating to specific processes and materials, those skilled in the art will recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials. In some embodiments, methods, means, elements and circuits that are well known to those skilled in the art are not described in detail in order to emphasize the idea of ​​the present application.

[0013] Figure 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the cooling system is used to cool a group of battery cells, and the group of battery cells includes a plurality of battery cells 1 arranged in rows.

[0014] Here, two adjacent rows of the battery cells 1 may be arranged alternately. For example, in Figure 1, the multiple battery cells 1 may be arranged along the x-direction, and every other row of the battery cells 1 may be arranged along the y-direction. Specifically, the multiple battery cells 1 may have odd-numbered rows and even-numbered rows, with the arrangement of the multiple battery cells 1 in the odd-numbered rows being the same, and the arrangement of the multiple battery cells 1 in the even-numbered rows being the same. Thus, different battery cells 1 located in the odd-numbered rows may be placed in the same straight line along the y-direction, and different battery cells 1 located in the even-numbered rows may also be placed in the same straight line along the y-direction. In this way, the arrangement of the multiple battery cells 1 can be made more compact, the energy density of the battery pack can be improved, and space can be reduced.

[0015] Referring to Figure 1, the cooling system may include at least one cooling component 2. If there are multiple cooling components 2, the multiple cooling components 2 are installed parallel to each other. In Figure 1, to more clearly show the specific structure of the cooling components 2, some of the cooling components 2 located at the edges are moved upward and shown separately.

[0016] In one embodiment, the cooling component 2 includes a first cooling plate 21 and a second cooling plate 22 connected to the first cooling plate 21. In each cooling component 2, the number of first cooling plates 21 may be one or more, and the number of second cooling plates 22 may also be one or more. To understand this, the number of first cooling plates 21 and second cooling plates 22 in the cooling component 2 may be set as needed.

[0017] Here, the first cooling plate 21 is installed on the side of the battery cell 1 in the corresponding row. The first cooling plate 21 extends along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells 1 are arranged (i.e., the x-direction in Figure 1) and extends along the height direction of the plurality of battery cells 1 (i.e., the z-direction in Figure 1).

[0018] The second cooling plate 22 is installed on the top of the battery cell 1 in the corresponding row. The second cooling plate 22 extends along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells 1 are arranged, and is expanded along the thickness direction of the first cooling plate 21 (i.e., the y direction in FIG. 1).

[0019] As a possible configuration, the extending direction of the first cooling plate 21 may be parallel to the extending direction of the second cooling plate 22, and the expanding direction of the first cooling plate 21 may be perpendicular to the expanding direction of the second cooling plate 22. The first cooling plate 21 and the second cooling plate 22 constitute a T-shaped structure.

[0020] In the embodiment of the present application, by covering the top of the battery cell with the second cooling plate and covering the side surface of the battery cell with the first cooling plate, the contact area of heat exchange of the battery cell is increased, the heat exchange efficiency and temperature uniformity of the battery cell are improved, the heat exchange effect of the battery cell is improved, and thus the high-temperature problem caused by super-rapid charging of the large cylindrical battery can be solved.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first cooling plate 21 includes a first cooling plate body 210. The first cooling plate body 210 is installed between two adjacent rows of the battery cells 1 along the height direction of the battery cell 1 and is in contact with the two adjacent rows of the battery cells 1. In some embodiments, the first cooling plate body 210 may be installed on one side of one row of the battery cells 1. For example, the first cooling plate body 210 may be installed on one side of one row of the battery cells 1 located at the edge. In that case, the first cooling plate body 210 is in contact with the battery cells 1 in the edge row on one side instead of both sides.

[0022] In one embodiment, the second cooling plate 22 includes a second cooling plate body 220. The second cooling plate body 220 is flatly laid on the top surfaces of two adjacent rows of the battery cells 1. A convex pole 10 is provided on the top surface of each battery cell 1. The second cooling plate body 220 has a first edge portion 2201 and a second edge portion 2202 facing each other. The first edge portion 2201 and the second edge portion

[0023] Exemplarily, the first edge portion 2201 may be engaged with the pole 10 of the battery cell 1 in one row of the two adjacent rows of battery cells 1, and the second edge portion 2202 may be engaged with the pole 10 of the battery cell 1 in the other row of the two adjacent rows of battery cells 1. At least one of the first edge portion 2201 and the second edge portion 2202 is serpentine (or wavy). That is, both the first edge portion 2201 and the second edge portion 2202 may be serpentine, or the first edge portion 2201 may be set to a serpentine shape and the second edge portion 2202 may be set to a straight line or other shape.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a first perspective structural schematic diagram of a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 2, taking the case where the first edge portion 2201 is serpentine as an example, the first edge portion 2201 may include a plurality of arc portions, and the arc portions may be convex portions or concave portions. The convex portions and the concave portions are alternately arranged. Exemplarily, the concave portion is engaged with the corresponding pole 10, and the convex portion extends between two adjacent poles 10, so that not only the structural strength inside the battery pack can be increased by the engagement between the first cooling plate and the pole, but also the contact area between the first cooling plate and the top surface of the battery cell can be increased, and thus the heat exchange effect at the top of the battery cell can be improved.

[0025] In one embodiment, the first cooling plate 21 further includes a first side plate 211 and a second side plate 212 provided at both ends of the first cooling plate body 210, respectively. The shape of the first side plate 211 may be the same as the shape of the second side plate 212. For example, both the first side plate 211 and the second side plate 212 may be rectangular. The first side plate 211 is connected to one end of the first cooling plate body 210 and may be integrally formed with the first cooling plate body 210. The second side plate 212 is connected to the other end of the first cooling plate body 210 and may be integrally formed with the first cooling plate body 210.

[0026] In one embodiment, the second cooling plate 22 further includes a first top plate 221 and a second top plate 222, respectively, provided at both ends of the second cooling plate body 220. The shape of the first top plate 221 may be the same as the shape of the second top plate 222; for example, both the first top plate 221 and the second top plate 222 are rectangular. The first top plate 221 is connected to one end of the second cooling plate body 220 and may be integrally molded with the second cooling plate body 220. The second top plate 222 is connected to the other end of the second cooling plate body 220 and may be integrally molded with the second cooling plate body 220.

[0027] In one embodiment, both the first side plate 211 and the second side plate 212 are extended along the height direction of the plurality of battery cells 1, and both the first top plate 221 and the second top plate 222 are extended along the thickness direction of the first cooling plate 21. The first top plate 221 is placed on the first side plate 211 to form one T-shaped structure. The second top plate 222 is placed on the second side plate 212 to form another T-shaped structure.

[0028] In one embodiment, the first side plate 211 is provided with a first mounting hole 2110 that penetrates the first side plate 211, thereby allowing the first cooling pipe 23 to pass through this first mounting hole 2110. Exemplarily, the first cooling pipe 23 is an inlet pipe used to distribute the incoming coolant to each of the cooling components 2.

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a second cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the second side plate 212 is provided with a second mounting hole 2120 that penetrates the second side plate 212, thereby allowing the second cooling pipe 24 to pass through this second mounting hole 2120. Exemplarily, the second cooling pipe 24 is an outflow pipe and is used to collect the coolant from each of the cooling components 2. In order to dissipate the heat from the battery cell 1, the first cooling pipe 23, the second cooling pipe 24, and each of the cooling components 2 together form a circulation of a cooling medium. In the present invention, the cooling medium may be a coolant. The cooling medium may be in other forms, and the present invention does not limit the specific form of the cooling medium.

[0030] Furthermore, referring to Figures 1 to 3, the cooling system may include a relief component 5, and the multiple battery cells 1 are installed on the relief component 5. The relief component 5 includes a top and a bottom, and the top of the relief component 5 is installed toward the multiple battery cells 1. The relief component 5 is installed at the bottom of the multiple battery cells 1, and the relief component 5 is spread along the thickness direction of the first cooling plate 21.

[0031] In one embodiment, the relief component 5 is in contact with one end of the battery cell 1 where a relief valve is provided, and the relief component 5 is provided with a liquid cooling channel and a relief channel at intervals, the relief channel communicating with the relief valve of the battery cell 1. Here, the relief component 5 includes a first press plate 3 and a second press plate 4.

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the top of a first press plate according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, when viewing the top of the first press plate 3 from the top viewing angle in Figure 1, the top of the first press plate 3 may be provided with a plurality of first protrusions 31 and one first recess 32. Here, the plurality of first protrusions 31 may be spaced apart along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells 1 are arranged, and the plurality of first protrusions 31 may be parallel to each other. The first recess 32 may be located between two adjacent first protrusions 31. One of the first recess 32 and the first protrusion 31 is a liquid cooling channel, and the other is a relief channel.

[0033] In one embodiment, the first protrusion 31 may include a plurality of first sub-parts 310, and the plurality of first sub-parts 310 are connected to each other. The two opposing sides of the first sub-part 310 may be arc-shaped portions with opposite bending directions, for example, arc-shaped portion 3101 and arc-shaped portion 3102. The first sub-part 310 may be provided with a retraction hole 30 that penetrates the first sub-part 310, and the retraction hole 30 is installed adjacent to the arc-shaped portion on one side of the first sub-part 310.

[0034] In one embodiment, the relief component 5 has a uniform wall thickness and is formed in an uneven shape. Specifically, the first press plate 3 has a uniform wall thickness and is formed in an uneven shape.

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the bottom of a first press plate according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, when viewing the bottom of the first press plate 3 from the bottom viewing angle in Figure 1, a plurality of second recesses 33 and one second protrusion 34 may be provided on the bottom of the first press plate 3. Here, the plurality of second recesses 33 may be spaced apart along the row direction in which the plurality of battery cells 1 are arranged, and the plurality of second recesses 33 may be parallel to each other. The second protrusion 34 may be located between two adjacent second recesses 33.

[0036] In one embodiment, the second recess 33 may include a plurality of second sub-parts 320, and the plurality of second sub-parts 320 are connected to each other. The two opposing sides of the second sub-part 320 may be arc-shaped portions with opposite bending directions, for example, arc-shaped portion 3201 and arc-shaped portion 3202. The second sub-part 320 may be provided with a retraction hole 30 that penetrates the second sub-part 320, and the retraction hole 30 may be provided adjacent to the arc-shaped portion on one side of the second sub-part 320.

[0037] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the relief component 5 may further include a second press plate 4, the second press plate 4 being placed on the first press plate 3 and positioned between the first press plate 3 and the bottoms of the plurality of battery cells 1.

[0038] In one embodiment, the first recess 32 and the second press plate 4 are spaced apart to form the liquid cooling channel, the first protrusion is in contact with the second press plate 4, and the side of the first protrusion 31 away from the second press plate 4 forms the relief channel.

[0039] In one embodiment, retractable holes are provided in both the first protrusion 31 and the second press plate 4, and these retractable holes face the relief valve of the battery cell. For example, the second press plate 4 may have a plurality of retractable holes 40, and the retractable holes 40, the retractable holes 30, and the battery cell 1 are installed in correspondence. Possible configurations include the second press plate 4 having a planar structure, and the second press plate 4 covering the top of the first press plate 3.

[0040] In one embodiment, both the first protrusion 31 and the second recess 33 are wavy. By installing the relief valve and the escape hole at the bottom of the battery cell in this way, the advantages of bottom relief of the cylindrical battery cell are maintained, and in the event of thermal runaway of the battery cell, flames will not erupt toward passengers in the passenger compartment, thereby improving safety. Furthermore, by designing the flow path of the press plate to be wavy, the cooling performance of the battery cell is further enhanced, and the wavy flow path design makes it easier to form turbulence in the flow path, which in turn improves the heat exchange performance of the cooling plate.

[0041] In one embodiment, the second cooling plate 22 is installed on the end of the corresponding battery cell 1 where the relief valve is not installed, and the cooling component 2 is connected in parallel to the liquid cooling channel. The first press plate 3 and the cooling component 2 are installed to be connected in parallel, and the second press plate 4 and the cooling component 2 are installed to be connected in parallel. By designing all connections between the cooling components and press plates to be in parallel, the pressure loss of the cooling system can be further reduced and the temperature uniformity effect can be improved.

[0042] Furthermore, the present invention provides a battery pack comprising the cooling system and a group of battery cells.

[0043] As described above, in the embodiment of the present application, a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate connected to the first cooling plate are installed in the cooling component, the first cooling plate is installed on the side of the battery cell in the corresponding row, the second cooling plate is installed on the top of the battery cell in the corresponding row, and the cooling component and the liquid cooling channel are connected in parallel, thereby increasing the contact area for heat exchange of the battery cell, improving the heat exchange efficiency of the battery cell, improving the heat exchange effect of the battery cell, and ultimately solving the high temperature problem caused by super-rapid charging of large cylindrical batteries. Consequently, the pressure loss of the cooling system can be further reduced and the uniform temperature effect can be further improved.

[0044] In the above embodiments, each embodiment has a different emphasis, but for parts not explained in detail in one embodiment, you can refer to the relevant explanations in other embodiments.

Claims

1. A cooling system used for cooling a group of battery cells (1) that are arranged in a plurality of cells, wherein the cooling system is A cooling component (2) includes at least one cooling plate (21) and a second cooling plate (22) connected to the first cooling plate (21), The battery cell (1) includes a relief component (5) which is in contact with one end of the battery cell (1) where a relief valve is provided, and which has a liquid cooling channel and a relief channel spaced apart, and the relief channel and the relief valve of the battery cell (1) are in communication with each other. Here, the first cooling plate (21) is installed on the side of the corresponding battery cell (1), the second cooling plate (22) is installed on the end of the corresponding battery cell (1) where the relief valve is not installed, and the cooling component (2) and the liquid cooling channel are connected in parallel and in communication. Cooling system.

2. The first cooling plate (21) extends along the direction of arrangement of the plurality of battery cells (1) and is widened along the height direction of the plurality of battery cells (1). The cooling system according to claim 1.

3. The second cooling plate (22) extends along the direction of arrangement of the plurality of battery cells (1) and is widened along the thickness direction of the first cooling plate (21). The cooling system according to claim 1.

4. The extending direction of the first cooling plate (21) is parallel to the extending direction of the second cooling plate (22), and the spreading direction of the first cooling plate (21) is perpendicular to the spreading direction of the second cooling plate (22), and the first cooling plate (21) and the second cooling plate (22) form a T-shaped structure. A cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The first cooling plate (21) includes a first cooling plate body (210), the first cooling plate body (210) is mounted between two adjacent rows of the battery cells (1) along the height direction of the battery cells (1), and is in contact with the two adjacent rows of the battery cells (1). The cooling system according to claim 1.

6. The first cooling plate (21) further includes a first side plate (211) and a second side plate (212) installed at both ends of the first cooling plate body (210), the first side plate (211) being connected to one end of the first cooling plate body (210), and the second side plate (212) being connected to the other end of the first cooling plate body (210), and the first side plate (211) and the second side plate (212) being configured for inflow and outflow, respectively. The cooling system according to claim 5.

7. The second cooling plate (22) includes a second cooling plate body (220), which is laid flat on the top surface of two adjacent rows of the battery cells (1). The cooling system according to claim 1.

8. The second cooling plate (22) further includes a first top plate (221) and a second top plate (222) installed at both ends of the second cooling plate body (220), and the first cooling plate (21) includes a first cooling plate body (210) and a first side plate (211) and a second side plate (212) installed at both ends of the first cooling plate body (210), wherein the first top plate (221) is installed on the first side plate (211) to form one T-shaped structure, and the second top plate (222) is installed on the second side plate (212) to form another T-shaped structure. The cooling system according to claim 7.

9. Each of the battery cells (1) has a convex pole column (10) on its top surface, and the second cooling plate body (220) has opposing first edge portion (2201) and second edge portion (2202), and the first edge portion (2201) and second edge portion (2202) are installed facing the pole columns (10) of two adjacent rows of the battery cells (1). The cooling system according to claim 7.

10. The second cooling plate (22) includes a first top plate (221) and a second top plate (222) installed at both ends of the second cooling plate body (220), the first top plate (221) being connected to one end of the second cooling plate body (220), and the second top plate (222) being connected to the other end of the second cooling plate body (220), and the first top plate (221) and the second top plate (222) being configured for inflow and outflow, respectively. The cooling system according to claim 7.

11. The relief component (5) includes a first press plate (3) and a second press plate (4), wherein the top of the first press plate (3) is provided with a plurality of first protrusions (31) and one first recess (32), the first recess (32) being located between two adjacent first protrusions (31), and one of the first recess (32) and the first protrusions (31) being a liquid cooling channel and the other being a relief channel. The cooling system according to claim 1.

12. The first protrusion (31) includes a plurality of first sub-parts (310), the plurality of first sub-parts (310) are connected to each other, and the two opposing sides of the first sub-parts (310) are arcs with opposite bending directions. The cooling system according to claim 11.

13. The bottom of the first press plate (3) is provided with a plurality of second recesses (33) and one second protrusion (34), the second protrusion (34) is located between two adjacent second recesses (33), and both the first protrusion (31) and the second recesses (33) are formed in a wavy shape. The cooling system according to claim 11.

14. The relief component (5) has a uniform wall thickness and is formed in an uneven shape. The cooling system according to claim 11.

15. The first recess (32) and the second press plate (4) are spaced apart to form the liquid cooling channel, the first protrusion (31) abuts against the second press plate (4), and the side of the first protrusion (31) away from the second press plate (4) forms the relief channel. The cooling system according to claim 11.

16. The first protrusion (31) and the second press plate (4) are both provided with retractable holes that communicate with each other, and the retractable holes face the relief valve of the battery cell. The cooling system according to claim 11.

17. A cooling system and a group of battery cells according to any one of claims 1 to 16, Battery pack.

Images