Water inlet and outlet structure of battery pack with externally-mounted sensors

Abstract

Disclosed in the present utility model is a water inlet and outlet structure of a battery pack with externally-mounted sensors. A water inlet and a water outlet are provided on a battery pack, and the water inlet and the water outlet are respectively in communication with a flow channel starting end and a flow channel termination end inside the battery pack; sensors are respectively arranged on a side wall of the water inlet and a side wall of the water outlet; the sensor arranged on the side wall of the water inlet is used for collecting the temperature and water pressure of a refrigerant liquid at the position of the water inlet; and the sensor arranged on the side wall of the water outlet is used for collecting the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the position of the water outlet. The present utility model aims to improve the design of the sensors in the regions of the water inlet and the water outlet of the battery pack, save on the internal design space of the battery pack, improve the reliability and convenience of information acquisition, and reduce the after-sales maintenance cost while reducing the manufacturing cost.

Description

A water inlet and outlet structure for a sensor-external battery pack Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a water inlet and outlet structure of a battery pack with an external sensor, belonging to the technical field of battery pack structures of electric vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Uneven temperature of electric vehicle battery packs (i.e., battery packs) will lead to uneven distribution of lithium battery capacity, shorten the overall service life of the battery pack, and reduce the performance of the vehicle. By designing an efficient thermal management system, not only can the battery pack be kept in a reasonable temperature operating range, but also a series of potential dangers caused by thermal runaway can be eliminated.

[0003] Battery packs usually require refrigerant liquid for heat dissipation. Sensors are usually installed on the battery pack to collect real-time information such as the refrigerant liquid temperature and water pressure. This helps the thermal management system calculate the heat exchange capacity and troubleshoot faults, better monitor the working status of the battery pack, and provide feedback to the vehicle control system for timely response.

[0004] In the prior art, there are two designs for sensor installation: one is to integrate the sensor with the connecting water pipe inside the battery pack, and the other is to integrate the sensor with the connecting water pipe outside the battery pack. These two designs have the following disadvantages:

[0005] (1) There is a certain distance difference between the sensor location and the water inlet and outlet locations, and the reliability of the refrigerant liquid temperature, pressure and other information collected by the sensor is at risk;

[0006] (2) The sensor and the connecting water pipe are integrated into one design, resulting in high manufacturing costs;

[0007] (3) The integrated design of sensors inside the battery pack requires space to be reserved for connecting water pipes, which invisibly increases cost and weight;

[0008] (4) The sensors located inside the battery pack are not convenient for collecting information during production testing;

[0009] (5) After-sales maintenance costs are high, especially for sensors located inside the battery pack, which need to be disassembled and replaced. This is a cumbersome operation and carries high risks.

[0010] Utility Model Content

[0011] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a sensor-external battery pack water inlet and outlet structure, aiming to improve the sensor design in the battery pack water inlet and outlet area, save internal design space of the battery pack, improve the reliability and convenience of information collection, reduce manufacturing costs, and reduce after-sales maintenance costs.

[0012] The technical solutions adopted in this utility model are as follows:

[0013] A sensor-external battery pack water inlet and outlet structure, wherein a water inlet and a water outlet are arranged on the battery pack, and the water inlet and the water outlet are respectively connected to the starting end and the ending end of the flow channel inside the battery pack; sensors are respectively arranged on the side walls of the water inlet and the water outlet, and the sensor arranged on the side wall of the water inlet is used to collect the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the water inlet position, and the sensor arranged on the side wall of the water outlet is used to collect the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the water outlet position.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an epitaxial structure is provided on the battery pack, and the water inlet and the water outlet are provided on the epitaxial structure.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, step holes for installing sensors are respectively formed on the side walls of the water inlet and the water outlet, and a step structure corresponding to the step hole is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor, and the sensor is inserted and installed in the step hole.

[0016] Furthermore, a sealing member is provided between the step surface of the step structure on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor and the step surface of the step hole.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, threaded holes are respectively formed on the outer walls of the water inlet and the water outlet, a flange plate is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor, and a through hole is provided on the flange plate. After the sensor is inserted and installed in the step hole, the through hole on the sensor flange plate corresponds to the threaded hole on the outer wall of the water inlet or the water outlet, and the sensor flange plate is connected to the outer wall of the water inlet or the water outlet by screws.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor is adhesively connected to the step hole.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor is threadedly connected to the step hole.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor is connected to the step hole by welding.

[0021] The utility model is beneficial in that:

[0022] (1) The battery pack adopts an external water inlet and outlet joint design, which saves the internal design space of the battery pack and eliminates the internal water pipe connection of the battery pack, saving the design cost and design space of the water pipe connection, thereby reducing costs and weight.

[0023] (2) The sensor design is installed on the inlet and outlet joints outside the battery pack, which can directly monitor and collect the refrigerant liquid temperature and water pressure information at the inlet and outlet positions, thereby improving the reliability and convenience of information collection.

[0024] (3) Since the sensor is located outside the battery pack, during production testing, the sensor can be connected to a conventional simple acquisition module to complete the signal acquisition and storage work, which is very convenient and does not require special testing equipment. At the same time, the installation and after-sales maintenance of the sensor are simpler. Compared with the current industry's integrated design, the design and manufacturing costs, and after-sales maintenance costs have certain advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the water inlet of the present invention;

[0027] The meanings of the reference numerals in the figure are: 1-battery pack, 2-extension structure, 3-water inlet, 4-water outlet, 5-sensor, 6-seal, 7-flange plate, 8-screw. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this embodiment is a sensor-external battery pack water inlet and outlet structure. An extension structure 2 is provided on the battery pack 1, and a water inlet 3 and a water outlet 4 are provided on the extension structure 2. The water inlet 3 and the water outlet 4 are respectively connected to the starting end and the ending end of the flow channel inside the battery pack 1. In actual application, the extension structure 2 can also be omitted, and the water inlet 3 and the water outlet 4 can be directly provided on the battery pack 1.

[0030] Sensors 5 are respectively arranged on the side walls of the water inlet 3 and the water outlet 4. The sensor 5 arranged on the side wall of the water inlet 3 is used to collect the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the water inlet 3 position, and the sensor 5 arranged on the side wall of the water outlet 4 is used to collect the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the water outlet 4 position.

[0031] In this embodiment, step holes for installing the sensor 5 are respectively formed on the side walls of the water inlet 3 and the water outlet 4. The outer circumferential surface of the sensor 5 is formed with a step structure corresponding to the step hole, and the sensor 5 is inserted and installed in the step hole; a sealing member 6 is provided between the step surface of the step structure on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor 5 and the step surface of the step hole.

[0032] In this embodiment, threaded holes are respectively formed on the outer walls of the water inlet 3 and the water outlet 4, and a flange plate 7 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor 5. A through hole is provided on the flange plate 7. After the sensor 5 is inserted and installed in the step hole, the through hole on the flange plate 7 of the sensor 5 corresponds to the threaded hole on the outer wall of the water inlet 3 or the water outlet 4, and screws 8 are passed through the corresponding through holes and threaded holes. The flange plate 7 of the sensor 5 is connected to the outer wall of the water inlet 3 or the water outlet 4 by the screws 8; thereby, the sensor 5 is fixed.

[0033] In practical applications, the sensor 5 and the step hole may also be connected by any one of adhesive connection, threaded connection or welding connection, or a combination of two connection methods.

[0034] This embodiment adopts an external water inlet and outlet joint design for the battery pack, which saves the internal design space of the battery pack and eliminates the connecting water pipe adapter inside the battery pack, saving the design cost and design space of the connecting water pipe adapter, thereby achieving cost and weight reduction.

[0035] This embodiment installs a sensor design on the inlet and outlet joints outside the battery pack, which can directly monitor and collect the refrigerant liquid temperature and water pressure information at the inlet and outlet positions, thereby improving the reliability and convenience of information collection.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the sensor is located outside the battery pack, during production testing, the sensor can be connected to a conventional simple acquisition module to complete the signal acquisition and storage work, which is very convenient and does not require special testing equipment. At the same time, the installation and after-sales maintenance of the sensor are simpler, and compared with the current industry's integrated design, the design and manufacturing costs, and after-sales maintenance costs have certain advantages.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that: unless otherwise clearly stipulated and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", "setting" and "formation" should be understood in a broad sense; for example: it can be a fixed connection, setting, or a detachable connection, setting, or an integrated structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two components; for those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0039] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments do not limit the present invention in any form. Any technical solutions obtained by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inlet and outlet structure for a sensor-external battery pack, characterized in that: An inlet and an outlet are provided on the battery pack, and the inlet and the outlet are respectively communicated with the starting end and the ending end of the flow channel inside the battery pack; sensors are respectively provided on the side walls of the inlet and the outlet. The sensor provided on the side wall of the inlet is used to collect the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the position of the inlet, and the sensor provided on the side wall of the outlet is used to collect the temperature and water pressure of the refrigerant liquid at the position of the outlet.

2. The water inlet and outlet structure of an externally-mounted battery pack for a sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that An extension structure is provided on the battery pack, and the inlet and the outlet are provided on the extension structure.

3. The water inlet and outlet structure of the sensor-external battery pack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Step holes for installing sensors are respectively formed on the side walls of the inlet and the outlet. A step structure corresponding to the step holes is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor, and the sensor is inserted and installed in the step holes.

4. The water inlet and outlet structure of the sensor-external battery pack according to claim 3, characterized in that A seal is provided between the step surface of the step structure on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor and the step surface of the step hole.

5. The water inlet and outlet structure of an externally-mounted battery pack for a sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that, Threaded holes are respectively formed on the outer side walls of the inlet and the outlet. A flange plate is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the sensor, and through holes are provided on the flange plate. After the sensor is inserted and installed in the step hole, the through holes on the flange plate of the sensor correspond to the threaded holes on the outer side wall of the inlet or the outlet, and the flange plate of the sensor is connected to the outer side wall of the inlet or the outlet by screws.

6. The water inlet and outlet structure of an externally-mounted battery pack for a sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that, The sensor is adhesively connected to the step hole.

7. The water inlet and outlet structure of an externally-mounted battery pack for a sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that The sensor is threadedly connected to the step hole.

8. The water inlet and outlet structure of an externally-mounted battery pack for a sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that, The sensor is welded to the step hole.

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