Liquid cooling assembly, liquid cooling module, battery pack case body, battery pack and electrical device

Abstract

The present application relates to a liquid cooling assembly, a liquid cooling module, a battery pack case body, a battery pack and an electrical device. The liquid cooling assembly comprises a liquid cooling plate and a support member. The liquid cooling plate extends in a predetermined direction and is used for accommodating a cooling liquid. The support member is connected to the bottom of the liquid cooling plate and extends in the predetermined direction, wherein the cross-section of a structure formed by the support member and the liquid cooling plate is in an inverted T shape and the support member is used for supporting battery cells. In the present application, the support member used for supporting battery cells is disposed at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate, so as to form the liquid cooling assembly having an inverted T-shaped cross-section, achieving integration of battery cell supporting and cooling functions. The present application integrates support structures, such as plastic bases required for module assembly of cylindrical cells in the prior art, with the liquid cooling plate, thereby eliminating the need for the plastic bases, and reducing part types and assembling procedures, improving the production takt, and improving the assembling efficiency of battery pack assembly processes.

Description

Liquid cooling assembly, liquid cooling module, battery pack box, battery pack and electric equipment

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese invention patent application No. 202410641426.9, filed on May 22, 2024, and entitled "Liquid cooling assembly, liquid cooling module, battery pack box, battery pack and electric equipment". TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of batteries, and in particular to a liquid cooling assembly, a liquid cooling module, a battery pack box, a battery pack and an electric equipment. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the existing cylindrical cell grouping scheme, the cylindrical cell and the liquid cooling plate are glued together through a heat-conducting structure, and then assembled with the plastic base at the bottom to form a module. Then the module is fixed with the battery pack box to form a battery PACK. The plastic base is designed with a smoke exhaust channel and a ventilation hole. When the cell is in thermal runaway, the exhaust gas is discharged through the bottom smoke exhaust channel and the ventilation hole.

[0004] However, the existing cylindrical cell grouping scheme has the following problems:

[0005] (1) Structural glue and heat-conducting structural glue are required to glue and fix the cell with the plastic base and the liquid cooling plate, respectively. The cell stacking process is complex, and the production efficiency is low.

[0006] (2) The high-temperature eruption material diffuses into the battery pack through the smoke exhaust channel of the plastic base, and then is discharged outside the pack through the battery pack explosion-proof valve. In this process, the high-temperature material may cause failure of other insulation parts in the pack, causing arc drawing, fire and other problems.

[0007] (3) The plastic base is not fixed with the battery box. The module is then sealed in the pack by foaming glue. That is, the plastic base is always not connected with the battery box. During the dynamic driving of the vehicle, the plastic base may be worn out, causing mechanical strength. At the same time, due to the poor strength of the plastic base itself, when the battery pack is subjected to bottom support or bottom impact working conditions, the plastic base cannot absorb high-strength impact, and the external impact energy will invade the bottom of the cell, causing short circuit, fire and other abnormalities.

[0008] (4) The lower box bottom plate needs to be thickened and reinforced for supporting the weight of the internal cells, which increases the weight of the battery pack and affects the vehicle's range.

[0009] (5) Because the plastic base can melt at high temperature, when the battery cell sprays, the plastic base melts or deforms, blocks the smoke exhaust channel, causes the high-temperature material to be unable to be quickly discharged, causes the thermal runaway in the package, when the battery cell has thermal runaway, the plastic base becomes a combustible material, aggravates the battery package fire; at the same time, the plastic base is affected by temperature and humidity and can be aged to different degrees, at this time, if the bottom support or impact working condition occurs, the plastic base cannot meet the design and demand, causes the external ability to directly invade the battery cell, causes the battery cell short circuit and fire, causes a safety accident. SUMMARY

[0010] Therefore, in view of the technical problems existing in the current cylindrical battery cell grouping scheme, the purpose of the present application is to provide a liquid cooling assembly, a liquid cooling module, a battery pack box, a battery pack and an electric device,

[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical scheme.

[0012] The liquid cooling assembly provided by the present application comprises:

[0013] The liquid cooling plate extends along a predetermined direction and is used for containing cooling liquid; and

[0014] The support member is connected at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate and extends along the predetermined direction, and the cross section of the structure formed by the liquid cooling plate and the support member is formed in an inverted T shape.

[0015] As an embodiment of the above-mentioned scheme of the present application, the liquid cooling assembly further comprises:

[0016] The current collector is connected at one end of the liquid cooling plate and communicates with the liquid cooling plate, and the liquid inlet connector and the liquid outlet connector are arranged on the current collector.

[0017] As an embodiment of the above-mentioned scheme of the present application, the liquid cooling plate and the support member are in a serpentine structure and are made of metal material, and the liquid cooling plate and the support member are integrally stamped, glued or welded.

[0018] The liquid cooling module provided by the present application comprises a plurality of liquid cooling assemblies as described above, and the plurality of liquid cooling assemblies are arranged side by side and spaced apart, and the support members of any two adjacent liquid cooling assemblies form a smoke exhaust channel one.

[0019] The battery pack box provided by the application comprises a lower box, which further comprises a plurality of liquid cooling modules as described above; a plurality of longitudinal beams arranged in parallel and spaced apart are arranged in the lower box, and two transverse beams are arranged at the two ends of the longitudinal beams; the longitudinal beams, the transverse beams and the bottom plate of the lower box cooperatively form a plurality of assembly grooves; one of the transverse beams is provided with a smoke exhaust channel two, and a plurality of smoke exhaust holes are arranged on the side of the transverse beam facing the longitudinal beam; a smoke exhaust channel three is formed on the bottom plate of the lower box and is in communication with the smoke exhaust channel two, and the end of the smoke exhaust channel three away from the smoke exhaust channel two is in communication with the outside; each assembly groove is assembled with a liquid cooling module, and the support member of the liquid cooling module is connected with the bottom plate of the lower box; and the plurality of smoke exhaust channels one are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of smoke exhaust holes.

[0020] As an embodiment of the above-mentioned scheme of the application, the support member is connected with the bottom plate of the lower box by means of adhesion.

[0021] The battery pack provided by the application comprises the battery pack box as described above.

[0022] As an embodiment of the above-mentioned scheme of the application, the battery pack further comprises a plurality of battery modules, and the plurality of battery modules are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of liquid cooling modules; each battery module comprises a plurality of rows of cylindrical battery cells, one row of cylindrical battery cells is arranged between any two adjacent liquid cooling modules, the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell is supported by the adjacent two support members, and the two side surfaces of the cylindrical battery cell are respectively attached to the two adjacent liquid cooling plates; any two adjacent liquid cooling plates are connected with the side surface of the cylindrical battery cell therebetween through the heat-conducting structural adhesive; and the top of any two adjacent support members is connected with the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell therebetween through the structural adhesive.

[0023] As an embodiment of the above-mentioned scheme of the application, each battery module further comprises a plurality of separators, and the plurality of separators are arranged at the bottom of the plurality of rows of cylindrical battery cells; the separator comprises a mica sheet attached to the bottom of each row of cylindrical battery cells and a mica paper attached below the mica sheet; a through hole with a size matched with the explosion-proof valve is formed in the mica sheet at a position corresponding to the explosion-proof valve of the bottom of each cylindrical battery cell; and an annular notch is formed on the mica paper at a position corresponding to each through hole.

[0024] The electric equipment provided by the application comprises the battery pack as described above.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] 1. The application sets a supporting part for supporting the battery cell at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate, forming a liquid cooling assembly with an inverted T-shaped section, realizing the integration of battery cell support and cooling function, integrating the supporting structure such as plastic base required when traditional cylindrical battery cells are grouped with the liquid cooling plate, so that the plastic base can be cancelled, a series of problems caused by the use of plastic base can be effectively avoided, and the number of parts is reduced, the assembly process is reduced, the production rhythm is improved, and the assembly efficiency of the battery pack grouping process is improved.

[0027] 2. The application adopts a supporting part made of metal material, which is not affected by the environment, resistant to high temperature and non-combustible, avoiding aggravating the combustion when the battery cell is out of control.

[0028] 3. In the battery pack box of the application, the supporting parts of any two adjacent liquid cooling assemblies form a smoke exhaust channel, and the smoke exhaust channels two and three are also set, when the battery cell is out of control, the high-temperature substances are directly exhausted to the outside of the pack through the smoke exhaust channel one, the smoke exhaust channel two and the smoke exhaust channel three, in the whole process, the high-temperature substances will not affect other parts in the pack, greatly reducing the risk of thermal runaway.

[0029] 4. The supporting part of the liquid cooling assembly of the application is glued with the lower box, thereby forming a grid structure at the bottom of the battery pack, improving the impact resistance of the bottom of the battery pack; at the same time, due to the grid structure at the bottom of the battery pack, the bottom plate of the lower box can be thinner, thereby realizing the lightweight of the battery pack and improving the energy density of the whole pack and the endurance of the electric equipment such as electric vehicles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic view of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0031] Fig. 2 is a top view of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0032] Fig. 3 is a sectional view along A-A in Fig. 2;

[0033] Fig. 4 is a structural schematic view of a lower box in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0034] Fig. 5 is a structural schematic view of a liquid cooling module in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0035] Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a liquid cooling assembly in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0036] Fig. 7 is an assembly view of a battery module and a liquid cooling module in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0037] Fig. 8 is a top view of a battery module and a liquid cooling module in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the application;

[0038] Fig. 9 is a top view of a separator in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 10 is a bottom view of a separator in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Reference signs: 1, liquid cooling plate; 2, support; 3, current collector; 4, liquid inlet connector; 5, liquid outlet connector; 6, smoke exhaust passage one; 7, lower box body; 8, longitudinal beam; 9, transverse beam; 10, smoke exhaust hole; 11, smoke exhaust passage three; 12, cylindrical battery cell; 13, mica sheet; 14, mica paper; 15, through hole; 16, annular score. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully below in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. The terminology used in the specification of the present application is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present application.

[0043] Referring to Figs. 1-3, the present embodiment proposes a battery pack for an electric vehicle or other power-consuming device, which includes a battery pack box body and a plurality of battery modules, wherein the battery pack box body includes a lower box body 7 and a plurality of liquid cooling modules.

[0044] In combination with Fig. 4, the lower box body 7 is provided with a plurality of parallel and spaced longitudinal beams 8 and two transverse beams 9 located at both ends of the longitudinal beams 8, and a plurality of assembly grooves are formed between the longitudinal beams 8, the transverse beams 9 and the bottom plate of the lower box body 7. One of the transverse beams 9 is provided with a smoke exhaust passage two, and the side of the transverse beam 9 facing the longitudinal beam 8 is provided with a plurality of smoke exhaust holes 10. The bottom plate of the lower box body 7 is formed with a smoke exhaust passage three 11 communicating with the smoke exhaust passage two, and the end of the smoke exhaust passage three 11 away from the smoke exhaust passage two is in communication with the outside.

[0045] A plurality of liquid cooling modules are arranged in the assembly grooves. In combination with Fig. 5, each liquid cooling module includes a plurality of liquid cooling assemblies, which are arranged side by side and spaced apart in the assembly groove. In the present embodiment, the number of liquid cooling assemblies of each liquid cooling module can be the same or different, and the number of liquid cooling assemblies of each liquid cooling module is reasonably set according to the width of the corresponding assembly groove.

[0046] In one embodiment, each liquid cooling assembly comprises a liquid cooling plate 1 and a supporting member 2, and can further comprise a current collector 3. The liquid cooling plate 1 extends along a predetermined direction and has a serpentine structure, and the liquid cooling plate 1 is internally formed with an S-shaped liquid cooling channel for containing cooling liquid. The crest of the serpentine structure of the liquid cooling plate 1 is arranged opposite to the trough of the serpentine structure of an adjacent liquid cooling plate 1, so that the crest of the serpentine structure of the liquid cooling plate 1 and the trough of the serpentine structure of the adjacent liquid cooling plate 1 can accommodate a cylindrical battery cell 12. The supporting member 2 is arranged below the liquid cooling plate 1 and extends along the predetermined direction. In combination with FIG. 6, the cross section of the structure formed by the supporting member 2 and the liquid cooling plate 1 is formed in an inverted T shape. In this embodiment, the supporting member 2 is bonded to the bottom plate of the lower box body 7 by structural adhesive. The supporting members 2 of any two adjacent liquid cooling assemblies form a smoke exhaust channel 6 for discharging high-temperature substances when the battery cell 12 is ejected. In this embodiment, the supporting member 2 also has a serpentine structure, and the thickness of the supporting member 2 is greater than the thickness of the liquid cooling plate 1. In this embodiment, the supporting member 2 and the liquid cooling plate 1 are both made of aluminum and are integrally formed into a serpentine structure by a stamping process for assembly with the cylindrical battery cell 12. Of course, in other embodiments, the supporting member 2 and the liquid cooling plate 1 can also be separately formed by using aluminum profiles, and the thickness of the supporting member 2 and the liquid cooling plate 1 are spliced together by adhesive or welding to form an inverted T-shaped cross section. The current collector 3 is integrally formed at one end of the liquid cooling plate 1 and communicates with the liquid cooling channel of the liquid cooling plate 1. The current collector 3 is provided with an inlet connector 4 and an outlet connector 5. The inlet connector 4 and the outlet connector 5 are standard components, which are convenient to connect with external structures and reduce the assembly difficulty. In this embodiment, the liquid cooling plate 1, the supporting member 2, the inlet connector 4, and the outlet connector 5 are all structural components that are batch processed or purchased, and have high structural precision, so as to ensure the structural precision of the assembled liquid cooling assembly. In this embodiment, the liquid cooling module further comprises an inlet pipe (not shown in the figure) and an outlet pipe (not shown in the figure). The inlet pipe is connected to a plurality of inlet connectors 4, and the outlet pipe is connected to a plurality of outlet connectors 5.

[0047] In one embodiment, the battery pack box further comprises an upper box (not shown in the figure), which is arranged above the lower box body 7. The edges of the upper box are connected to the edges of the lower box body 7 by bolts, so as to form a sealed battery pack box.

[0048] In one embodiment, a plurality of battery modules are respectively arranged in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of liquid cooling modules. In combination with FIGS. 7 and 8, each battery module includes a plurality of rows of cylindrical cells 12, and one row of cylindrical cells 12 is arranged between any two adjacent liquid cooling assemblies. The bottom of the cylindrical cell 12 is supported by the adjacent two supporting members 2, and the two side surfaces of the cylindrical cell 12 are respectively attached to the two adjacent liquid cooling plates 1. Any two adjacent liquid cooling plates 1 are connected to the side surfaces of the cylindrical cells 12 therebetween through a heat-conducting structural adhesive. The top of any two adjacent supporting members 2 is connected to the bottom of the cylindrical cells 12 therebetween through a structural adhesive. After grouping, the two adjacent rows of cylindrical cells 12 share one liquid cooling plate 1, and each row of cylindrical cells 12 is attached to two liquid cooling plates 1, thereby increasing the heat dissipation area of the cylindrical cells 12. At the same time, after grouping, a clamping plate can be arranged at each end to bind the plurality of liquid cooling modules together to avoid loosening.

[0049] In one embodiment, each battery module further includes a plurality of spacers, and the plurality of spacers are respectively arranged at the bottom of the plurality of rows of cylindrical cells 12. In combination with FIGS. 8 and 9, the spacer includes a mica sheet 13 attached to the bottom of each row of cylindrical cells 12 and a mica paper 14 attached below the mica sheet 13. A through hole 15 with a size matching that of the explosion-proof valve is formed in the mica sheet 13 at a position corresponding to the explosion-proof valve at the bottom of each cylindrical cell 12. An annular notch 16 is formed in the mica paper 14 at a position corresponding to each through hole 15.

[0050] The above structure of the present embodiment, when the cylindrical cell 12 undergoes thermal runaway, the high-temperature substance inside the cylindrical cell 12 is ejected from the explosion-proof valve at the bottom of the cylindrical cell 12. Due to the arrangement of the annular notch 16 of the mica paper 14, the high-temperature substance enters the corresponding through hole 15 and breaks through the mica paper 14, thereby entering the corresponding first smoke exhaust channel 6, then entering the second smoke exhaust channel through the corresponding smoke exhaust hole 10, and finally being discharged from the third smoke exhaust channel 11 to the outside of the battery pack. During this process, the high-temperature substance ejected from the cell will no longer contact other components in the pack, greatly reducing the probability of failure of other components.

[0051] The above structure of the present embodiment, since the annular notch 16 is arranged around the through hole 15, that is, the diameter of the annular notch 16 is greater than the diameter of the through hole 15. When a certain cylindrical cell 12 undergoes thermal runaway, the high-temperature substance enters the first smoke exhaust channel 6, and the high-temperature substance cannot break through other annular notches 16 in the opposite direction to affect other cylindrical cells 12, thereby avoiding the risk of mutual influence of thermal runaway between cells.

[0052] The battery pack in the embodiment cancels the plastic base, realizes the integration of the cell support and the cooling function through the integrated design of the liquid cooling assembly, reduces the types of parts, and improves the assembly efficiency of the cylindrical cell 12 battery pack grouping process; at the same time, the smoke exhaust channel 6 is formed between the support pieces 2 of the liquid cooling assembly, and the smoke exhaust channel two and the smoke exhaust channel three 11 are arranged, and the spacer is arranged at the bottom of each row of cylindrical cells 12, when the cell occurs thermal runaway, the high-temperature substance is directly exhausted to the outside of the pack through the smoke exhaust channel one 6, the smoke exhaust channel two, and the smoke exhaust channel three 11, and the whole process, the high-temperature substance will not affect other parts in the pack; in the embodiment, the support pieces 2 of the liquid cooling assembly are glued with the lower box body 7, so as to form a grid structure at the bottom of the battery pack, improve the impact strength of the bottom of the battery pack, and at the same time, due to the grid structure at the bottom of the battery pack, the bottom plate wall thickness of the lower box body 7 can be thinner, so as to realize the lightweight of the battery pack, improve the energy density of the whole pack, and improve the endurance of the electric vehicle and other electric equipment; at the same time, the support pieces 2 of the metal material are not affected by the environment, are high-temperature resistant and non-combustible, and can avoid aggravating the burning when the cell occurs thermal runaway.

[0053] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "mounted on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there can be a middle component. When a component is referred to as being "disposed on" another component, it can be directly disposed on the other component or there can be a middle component. When a component is referred to as being "fixed on" another component, it can be directly fixed on the other component or there can be a middle component.

[0054] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description herein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0055] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined in any manner. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described, but it should be considered that any combination of the technical features is within the scope of the present disclosure as long as the combination does not result in a contradiction.

[0056] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, some modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled assembly for a battery pack, comprising: It comprises: a liquid cooling plate (1) extending along a predetermined direction and used for containing cooling liquid; and a supporting member (2) connected at the bottom of the liquid cooling plate (1) and extending along a predetermined direction, forming a structure with the liquid cooling plate (1) in the form of an inverted T-shaped section and used for supporting the battery cell.

2. The liquid-cooling assembly of claim 1, wherein, The liquid cooling assembly further comprises: a current collector (3) connected at one end of the liquid cooling plate (1) and in communication with the liquid cooling plate (1), and provided with an inlet joint (4) and an outlet joint (5) thereon.

3. The liquid-cooling assembly of claim 1, wherein, The liquid cooling plate (1) and the supporting member (2) are both in a serpentine structure and are made of metal, and the liquid cooling plate (1) and the supporting member (2) are integrally stamped, glued or welded.

4. A liquid-cooled module, comprising: It comprises a plurality of liquid cooling assemblies as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, and the plurality of liquid cooling assemblies are arranged side by side and spaced apart, and a smoke exhaust passage (6) is formed between the supporting members (2) of any two adjacent liquid cooling assemblies.

5. A battery pack case comprising a lower case (7), characterized by The battery pack box further comprises a plurality of liquid cooling modules as claimed in claim 4; a plurality of longitudinal beams (8) arranged in parallel and spaced apart are arranged in the lower box (7), and two transverse beams (9) are arranged at both ends of the longitudinal beams (8), and a plurality of assembly grooves are formed in cooperation between the longitudinal beams (8) and the transverse beams (9) and the bottom plate of the lower box (7), one of the transverse beams (9) is provided with a second smoke exhaust passage, and a plurality of smoke exhaust holes (10) are arranged on the side of the transverse beam (9) facing the longitudinal beam (8), a third smoke exhaust passage (11) is formed in the bottom plate of the lower box (7) and is in communication with the second smoke exhaust passage, and the end of the third smoke exhaust passage (11) away from the second smoke exhaust passage is in communication with the outside; each assembly groove is assembled with a liquid cooling module, and the supporting member (2) of the liquid cooling assembly is connected with the bottom plate of the lower box (7), and the plurality of smoke exhaust passages (6) are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of smoke exhaust holes (10).

6. The battery pack enclosure of claim 5, wherein, The supporting member (2) is connected with the bottom plate of the lower box (7) by gluing.

7. A battery pack, characterized by, It comprises the battery pack box as claimed in any one of claims 5-6.

8. The battery pack of claim 7, wherein, The battery pack further comprises a plurality of battery modules, and the plurality of battery modules are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of liquid cooling modules; each battery module comprises a plurality of rows of cylindrical battery cells (12), and one row of cylindrical battery cells (12) is arranged between any two adjacent liquid cooling assemblies, the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell (12) is supported by the two adjacent supporting members (2), and the two side surfaces of the cylindrical battery cell (12) are respectively attached to the two adjacent liquid cooling plates (1), any two adjacent liquid cooling plates (1) are connected with the side surfaces of the cylindrical battery cell (12) therebetween by heat-conducting structural adhesive, and the top of any two adjacent supporting members (2) is connected with the bottom of the cylindrical battery cell (12) therebetween by heat-conducting structural adhesive.

9. The battery pack of claim 8, wherein, The battery module further comprises a plurality of separators, which are arranged at the bottom of the plurality of rows of cylindrical battery cells (12) respectively; the separator comprises a mica sheet (13) attached to the bottom of each row of cylindrical battery cells (12) and a mica paper (14) attached below the mica sheet (13); a through hole (15) corresponding in size to the explosion-proof valve is formed in the mica sheet (13) at a position corresponding to the explosion-proof valve at the bottom of each cylindrical battery cell (12); and an annular notch (16) surrounding the through hole (15) is formed in the mica paper (14) at a position corresponding to each through hole (15).

10. An electric device, characterized by It comprises the battery pack of any one of claims 7-9. It comprises the battery pack of any one of claims 7-9.

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