Battery pack protection system and vehicle

Abstract

A battery pack protection system (100) and a vehicle, the battery pack protection system (100) including a battery pack (1) and a protective plate (2), the battery pack (1) including a tray (11), the tray (11) including a frame (13) and a bottom plate (12), the battery module being disposed on the bottom plate (12), the protective plate (2) being parallel to the bottom plate (12) and adjacent to one side of the bottom plate (12), at least one sensor (3) being disposed on the protective plate (2), and the protective plate (2) being removably connected to the frame (13).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202023169035.8 and title "Battery Pack Protection System and Vehicle" filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on December 23, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of new energy vehicles, and in particular to a battery pack protection system and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0003] At present, new energy vehicles are increasing rapidly. As a core assembly component of new energy vehicles, the safety and reliability of power batteries are directly related to the safety and reliability of the vehicles, and also directly affect the usage safety of vehicle users.

[0004] For new energy vehicles, the power battery pack is generally placed under the vehicle chassis. When the vehicle runs against stones or bricks on the road during driving, the stones or bricks may fly off or impact the vehicle, or when the vehicle goes up a slope and collides with the bottom plate, when passing through a speed bump, or when the vehicle collides with a curb, all of these may result in collision damage to the bottom of the power battery pack, and even cause serious accidents such as fire or explosion.

[0005] The power battery pack is exposed over a large area at the bottom of the vehicle, and is easily caught and impacted during long-term driving, and such impact occurs at the bottom of the battery pack, which is difficult to notice and has high concealment. If it is not detected and discovered in a timely manner and effectively controlled, serious accidents such as fire or explosion may occur after the battery pack is used for a certain period of time. How to detect and take effective measures in a timely manner to ensure the safety of the use of the battery pack is a major technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the active safety of the battery pack by detecting an impact received by the bottom of the battery pack as early as possible and repairing, maintaining or replacing it in a timely manner, and to provide a battery pack protection system and a vehicle based on this. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problem, in one aspect, a battery pack protection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: A battery pack including a case and a battery module, the case including a top cover and a tray, the top cover adapted to seal the tray, the tray including a frame and a bottom plate, the battery module being mounted on the bottom plate; The protective plate is provided parallel to the bottom plate, adjacent to one side of the bottom plate, and removably connected to the frame, and at least one sensor is provided on the protective plate for detecting the magnitude of an impact force when the protective plate is subjected to an external impact.

[0008] Preferably, the bottom plate and the frame are integrally formed, and the protection plate and the frame are connected by bolts or rivets.

[0009] Preferably, the side of the apron adjacent the tray is provided with a slot, and the sensor is mounted within the slot.

[0010] Preferably, the number of the sensors is multiple, and the multiple sensors are distributed over the protection plate.

[0011] Preferably, the sensors are provided on the same side of the apron.

[0012] Preferably, the battery pack protection system further includes a connector and a vehicle control unit, the connector connecting the vehicle control unit and the sensor, and the vehicle control unit controlling the operation or maintenance of the vehicle in which the battery pack is located based on information detected by the sensor.

[0013] Preferably, when the vehicle control unit receives first detection information transmitted from the sensor, it controls the vehicle to run normally, and when the vehicle control unit further receives second detection information transmitted from the sensor, it prompts an occupant of the vehicle to perform detection maintenance on the protective plate and / or the battery pack within a specified time or a specified vehicle traveling distance, and when the vehicle control unit further receives third detection information transmitted from the sensor, it prompts an occupant of the vehicle to immediately park the vehicle and perform inspection, maintenance or replacement on the protective plate and / or the battery pack.

[0014] Preferably, the sensor is configured by connecting a plurality of resistive strain gauges in series or in parallel, the first detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined safety threshold, the second detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than the predetermined safety threshold and equal to or lower than a predetermined danger threshold, the predetermined safety threshold being smaller than the predetermined danger threshold, and the third detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than the predetermined danger threshold.

[0015] Preferably, at least one detector is provided on the frame, and the detector detects an internal acting force between cells or battery modules inside the battery pack.

[0016] According to a battery pack protection system of an embodiment of the present invention, a protective plate is provided that is removably connected to the bottom plate of the battery pack, thereby protecting the battery pack from direct damage when the bottom of the battery pack is hit. Furthermore, a sensor is provided on the protective plate, and the sensor detects the magnitude of the external force when the protective plate is hit by an impact, etc., thereby determining the degree of damage to the protective plate and the battery pack. When the protective plate is slightly damaged, the protective plate can be quickly removed for detection or maintenance without removing or replacing the battery pack, making detection and repair easier and reducing repair time and repair costs.

[0017] In another aspect, a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the battery pack protection system described above.

[0018] Preferably, the sensor is oriented proximate to the front end of the vehicle.

[0019] Preferably, the sensors include a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor and a fourth sensor, the first sensor and the second sensor being provided on both sides of the protective plate close to the front end of the vehicle, the third sensor being provided at an intermediate position of the protective plate, and the fourth sensor being provided on the protective plate close to the tail of the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the vehicle of the embodiment of the present application, the vehicle includes a battery pack protection system, which can better monitor external forces such as a vehicle collision and quickly and easily detect the extent of damage to the battery system. Sensors may be rationally installed at positions that are susceptible to impact, and compared to a case in which a battery module and a sensor are installed in one-to-one correspondence, the number of sensors can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of protecting the battery pack. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a battery pack protection system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 2]1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a battery pack protection system according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery pack protection system according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a protection plate and a sensor are assembled. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic assembly diagram of a protection plate and a sensor in a battery pack protection system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] In order to clarify the technical problems, technical means and advantageous effects that the present application aims to solve, the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are merely for the purpose of interpreting the present application, and do not limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery pack protection system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery pack 1 and a protection plate 2.

[0024] The battery pack 1 includes a case and a battery module, the case includes a top cover and a tray 11, the top cover is adapted to seal the tray 11, the tray 11 includes a frame 13 and a bottom plate 12, and the battery module is mounted on the bottom plate 12.

[0025] The protective plate 2 is disposed parallel to the bottom plate 12 and adjacent to one side of the bottom plate 12 . At least one sensor 3 is disposed on the protective plate 2 . The protective plate 2 is detachably connected to the frame 13 .

[0026] The protective plate 2 is provided adjacent to the bottom plate 12 of the battery pack tray 11, and the sensor 3 is provided on the protective plate 2, which can detect the impact force when the battery pack receives an external impact in addition to detecting the impact force when the protective plate 2 receives an external impact. For example, the sensor may sense the external impact of the battery pack received by the protective plate.

[0027] According to the battery pack protection system of the present application, a protective plate is provided that is removably connected to the bottom plate of the battery pack, thereby protecting the battery pack from direct damage when the bottom of the battery pack is hit. Furthermore, a sensor is provided on the protective plate, and the sensor detects the magnitude of the external force when the protective plate is hit, etc., thereby determining the degree of damage to the protective plate and the battery pack. When the protective plate is slightly damaged, the protective plate can be quickly removed for detection or maintenance without removing or replacing the battery pack, making detection and repair easier and reducing repair time and repair costs.

[0028] In one embodiment, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the protective plate and the battery pack are designed separately. By separating the protective plate and the battery pack, the protective plate can focus on protecting the bottom of the entire protection system from damage. In addition, the protective plate is detachably connected to the bottom plate of the battery pack. When the damage to the battery pack protection system is small, for example, when there is no damage to the battery module and only the protective plate is damaged, it is only necessary to replace or repair the protective plate.

[0029] In one embodiment, with regard to a specific structure of the tray 11, as shown in Fig. 2, the tray 11 further includes a frame 13. The tray 11 is integrally formed with the frame 13 and the bottom plate 12, and may be formed, for example, by welding the frame 13 and the bottom plate 12. Both the frame 13 and the bottom plate 12 may be formed by pressing an aluminum profile, and the bottom plate 12 may further include an aluminum plate.

[0030] In one embodiment, the bottom plate 12 and the frame 13 are integrally formed, and the protection plate 2 and the frame 13 are connected by bolts 22. The bottom plate 12 may be fixed by the bolts 22 shown in FIG. 3, and the protection plate 2 may have through holes corresponding to the bolts 22.

[0031] The battery pack protection system of the present application is an active safety protection design, which can quickly detect, monitor, diagnose, and repair damage to the bottom of the battery pack, and quickly determine whether the bottom of the battery pack is damaged, thereby reducing the occurrence of safety accidents caused by continuing to use the battery pack after it is damaged, improving the active safety of the battery pack, and ensuring the use safety of personnel and vehicles. In addition, by designing the protective plate in this way, it is possible to prevent the battery pack from being directly damaged when the bottom of the battery pack is subjected to an external impact, and it is also possible to take corresponding measures such as inspection, maintenance, or replacement based on the degree of damage to the battery pack detected by the sensor.

[0032] In one embodiment, for the assembly structure of the protection plate 2 and the sensor 3, as shown in Fig. 4, a groove 21 is provided on the side of the protection plate 2 close to the tray 11, and the sensor 3 is mounted in the groove 21. The groove 21 on the protection plate 2 is assembled with the sensor 3, and the groove 21 is designed to correspond one-to-one with the sensor 3.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present application, the number of sensors 3 on the protective plate 2 may be multiple, or may be one or two. In practical application, the number and arrangement direction of the sensors 3 may be set according to actual needs. For example, the protective plate 2 shown in Figures 1 to 4 is provided with multiple sensors 3, and the multiple sensors 3 are distributed in a dispersed manner on the protective plate 2. The multiple sensors 3 may be distributed in a concentrated manner in an area that is easily damaged.

[0034] In one embodiment of the present application, the number of sensors 3 may be one, and by disposing the battery modules on the bottom plate 12, the bottom plate 12 can sense mechanical forces such as impact expansion received by the battery modules, and the bottom plate 12 is connected to the protective plate 2, and the force transmitted from inside the battery pack received by any battery module can be transmitted to the protective plate 2 by the bottom plate 12 and further detected and sensed by the sensor 3. In addition, when the protective plate 2 receives an external mechanical force, the protective plate 2 itself transmits the force to the position where the sensor 3 is attached, and detects that the protective plate 2 has been impacted or damaged. In this way, the number of sensors 3 may be designed according to demand, and there is no need to provide a sensor 3 corresponding to each battery module one-to-one, which reduces the equipment and reduces the cost of protecting the battery pack.

[0035] The present application does not limit the placement position of the sensor 3, and the sensor may be placed according to actual needs. For example, the sensor may be placed at a position where a collision is more likely to occur. For example, when the battery pack protection system is attached to a vehicle, the sensor may be placed in a direction approaching the front end of the vehicle of the protection plate (a position where the protection plate is likely to come into contact with a collision object when the vehicle collides while moving forward), or a small number of sensors may be placed at a position approaching the tail of the vehicle or approaching the side of the vehicle. Generally, when the vehicle moves forward, the protection plate close to the front end of the vehicle is likely to receive mechanical external forces first, and at this time, the sensor may be preferably placed in a direction approaching the front end of the vehicle. When the vehicle turns, both sides of the protection plate (i.e., both sides in the width direction of the vehicle) are likely to receive mechanical external forces first, and at this time, the sensor may be preferably placed on both sides of the protection plate close to the width direction of the vehicle. From the above, the sensor may be preferably placed on both the left and right sides of the protection plate close to the front end of the vehicle. Naturally, the sensor may be selected to be placed in the center or rear of the protection plate.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present application, the sensors 3 are provided on the same side of the protective plate 2. For example, two sensors are provided on the protective plate, and both sensors are distributed in a direction close to the front end of the vehicle.

[0037] It can be seen from the after-sales big data analysis on the damage to the bottom of the battery pack that the collision damage locations of the bottom of the battery pack are mostly concentrated in the front half of the bottom of the battery pack, accounting for more than 85% of the damage. In one embodiment, the active safety detection and protection for the front half of the bottom of the battery pack is the most important, and other locations should belong to the secondary protection area. Therefore, the collision sensors to protect the bottom of the battery pack are mainly arranged in the front half, with reasonable position layout and quantity, simple and effective, and low cost.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present application, when the battery pack protection system is installed in a vehicle, the battery pack protection system further includes a connector and a vehicle control unit (not shown), where the connector 4 connects the vehicle control unit and the sensor, and the vehicle control unit controls the operation or maintenance of the vehicle in which the battery pack is located based on information detected by the sensor.

[0039] The connector is communicatively connected to the sensor via a signal transmission line, thereby enabling information transmission from the sensor.

[0040] When the sensor monitors mechanical damage suffered by the battery pack or protective plate, the information can be transmitted to a vehicle control unit, thereby controlling the driving state of the vehicle based on the information transmitted from the sensor, effectively identifying damage to the battery pack or protective plate, and performing procedures such as repair and maintenance when it is determined that damage exists.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present application, the vehicle control unit can perform different processes based on the different information received. For example, when the vehicle control unit receives the first detection information transmitted from the sensor, the vehicle control unit controls the vehicle to run normally. For further example, when the vehicle control unit further receives the second detection information transmitted from the sensor, the vehicle control unit prompts the vehicle occupant to perform detection maintenance on the protection plate and / or the battery pack within a predetermined time or a predetermined vehicle mileage. For further example, when the vehicle control unit further receives the third detection information transmitted from the sensor, the vehicle control unit prompts the vehicle occupant to immediately park the vehicle and perform inspection and maintenance of the protection plate and / or the battery pack or replace the battery pack with a new one.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present application, the sensor is configured by connecting multiple resistive strain gauges in series or in parallel, the first detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined safety threshold, the second detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than a predetermined safety threshold and equal to or lower than a predetermined danger threshold, the predetermined safety threshold is smaller than the predetermined danger threshold, and the third detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than the predetermined danger threshold.

[0043] The vehicle control unit may be configured with a judgment logic, and judges whether the battery pack functions normally or the extent of damage to the battery pack based on the received detection information, and controls the running of the vehicle or controls the inspection and maintenance of the protective plate or the battery pack based on the judgment result. For example, when the voltage value detected by the sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined safety threshold, it is considered that the battery pack or the bottom of the protective plate has received a slight mechanical force such as a collision, but the battery pack functions normally and can run normally, and no inspection or maintenance is required. When the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than the predetermined safety threshold and equal to or lower than a predetermined danger threshold, it is considered that the bottom of the battery pack has received a moderate mechanical force such as a collision, the collision acceleration is large, and the bottom of the battery pack has some damage, and if not repaired in a timely manner, there may be a safety risk. At this time, the vehicle control unitcan detect and maintain the protective plate and / or battery pack within a predetermined time or a predetermined vehicle mileage by issuing a warning and suggesting to the vehicle occupants that the battery pack or protective plate is damaged, there is a safety risk, and they should be inspected or maintained in a timely manner. If the voltage detected by the sensor is greater than the danger threshold, it is considered that the bottom of the battery pack is seriously damaged and there is a serious safety risk, and the vehicle control unit sends a danger signal and suggests to the vehicle occupants to immediately park and contact a professional maintenance person to inspect, maintain, service, or replace the protective plate and / or battery pack to ensure the safety of the vehicle and occupants.

[0044] The sensor is configured by connecting a plurality of resistive strain gauges in series or in parallel. Thus, due to deformation of the resistive strain gauge of the sensor, the resistance value changes, and the magnitude of the collision force is detected by converting it into a change in output voltage by the sensor. Thus, the extent of damage to the bottom of the battery pack is determined based on the output voltage.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present application, the sensor may further sense other information than the output voltage and transmit the information to the vehicle control unit through the connector, where the present application is not limited.

[0046] In one embodiment of the present application, a detector may be provided on the frame, and the detector detects an internal acting force between cells or battery modules inside the battery pack. For example, at least one sensor is provided on the frame, and the sensor is used to sense an acting force such as an internal expansion of the battery pack, and the internal acting force is detected by the sensor on the frame, and the detected internal acting force is transmitted to the vehicle control unit. Information detected by the sensor on the frame and information detected by the sensor on the protective plate may be transmitted to the vehicle control unit together as a basis for determining whether the battery pack is damaged and whether it needs inspection, maintenance, or replacement.

[0047] A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the battery pack protection system shown in FIGS.

[0048] In one embodiment, the sensor is oriented proximate to the front end of the vehicle.

[0049] As one example, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the sensor 3 includes a first sensor 31, a second sensor 32, a third sensor 33 and a fourth sensor 34, where the first sensor 31 and the second sensor 32 are provided on both sides of a protective plate close to the front end of the vehicle, the third sensor 33 is provided at an intermediate position of the protective plate, and the fourth sensor 34 is provided on a protective plate close to the tail of the vehicle.

[0050] According to the vehicle of the embodiment of the present application, the vehicle includes a battery pack protection system, which can better monitor external forces such as vehicle collisions and quickly and easily detect damage to the battery system. Sensors may be selected to be installed at positions that are susceptible to impacts, and compared with a case in which a battery module and a sensor are installed in one-to-one correspondence, the number of sensors can be reduced, and the cost of protecting the battery pack can be reduced.

[0051] The description of the battery pack protection system in the above-mentioned Figs. 1 to 4 also applies to the battery pack protection system in a vehicle, and therefore, to avoid duplication, the description will be omitted here.

[0052] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. All modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the concept and principle of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100 Battery Pack Protection System 1 Battery pack 11 Tray 12 Bottom plate 13 Frame 2 Protective plate 21 Concave slot 22 Volts 3 Sensors 31 First Sensor 32 Second Sensor 33 3rd Sensor 34 4th Sensor 4 Connector

Claims

1. A battery pack protection system, comprising: A battery pack including a case and a battery module, the case including a top cover and a tray, the top cover adapted to seal the tray, the tray including a frame and a bottom plate, the battery module being disposed on the bottom plate; a protective plate disposed parallel to the bottom plate and adjacent to one side of the bottom plate, and removably connected to the frame; at least one sensor disposed on the protective plate for detecting a magnitude of an impact force when the protective plate receives an external impact; The battery pack protection system is mounted on a vehicle, A battery pack protection system, characterized in that the number of sensors arranged on the protective plate in the front half of the vehicle is greater than the number of sensors arranged on the protective plate in the rear half of the vehicle.

2. 2. The battery pack protection system according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate and the frame are integrally formed, and the protection plate and the frame are connected by bolts or rivets.

3. 3. The battery pack protection system according to claim 1, wherein a slot is provided on the side of the protection plate adjacent to the tray, and the sensor is mounted within the slot.

4. 2. The battery pack protection system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a plurality of sensors, the plurality of sensors being distributed over the protection plate.

5. 2. The battery pack protection system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are provided on the same side of the protection plate.

6. a connector; and a vehicle control unit; The battery pack protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the connector connects the sensor and the vehicle control unit, and the vehicle control unit controls the operation or maintenance of the vehicle in which the battery pack is located based on information detected by the sensor.

7. The vehicle control unit controls the vehicle to run normally when the vehicle control unit receives the first detection information transmitted from the sensor, The vehicle control unit further notifies a vehicle occupant to perform detection maintenance on the protective plate and / or the battery pack within a predetermined time or a predetermined vehicle mileage when the vehicle control unit receives the second detection information transmitted from the sensor; The battery pack protection system of claim 6, characterized in that, when the vehicle control unit receives third detection information transmitted from the sensor, it further advises an occupant of the vehicle to immediately park the vehicle and perform inspection, maintenance, or replacement of the protective plate and / or the battery pack.

8. The sensor is configured by connecting a plurality of resistance strain gauges in series or in parallel, The first detection information is that a voltage value detected by the sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined safety threshold value, The second detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than the predetermined safety threshold and is equal to or less than a predetermined danger threshold, and the predetermined safety threshold is smaller than the predetermined danger threshold; 8. The battery pack protection system according to claim 7, wherein the third detection information is that the voltage value detected by the sensor is greater than the predetermined danger threshold value.

9. 3. The battery pack protection system according to claim 1, wherein at least one detector is disposed on the frame, and the detector detects an internal acting force between cells or battery modules inside the battery pack.

10. A vehicle comprising the battery pack protection system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. 11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the sensors include a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, and a fourth sensor, the first sensor and the second sensor being provided on both sides of a protective plate adjacent to a front end of the vehicle, the third sensor being provided at an intermediate position of the protective plate, and the fourth sensor being provided on a protective plate adjacent to a tail of the vehicle.

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