Battery pack case, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The present application provides a battery pack case, a battery pack and a vehicle. The battery pack case comprises: a case body provided with a case body mounting cavity, wherein a side portion of the case body is provided with a liquid outlet used for mounting a liquid outlet pipe; and a liquid outlet structure provided with a communication opening and a liquid outlet cavity which are communicated with each other. The case body mounting cavity is communicated with the liquid outlet, a first horizontal plane where the communication opening is located is higher than the upper surfaces of a plurality of battery cells and the bottom of the liquid outlet cavity, and a second horizontal plane where the bottom end of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the first horizontal plane.

Description

Battery pack shell, battery pack and vehicle

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 2024214572931 filed on June 24, 2024 with the China Patent Office, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of batteries, for example to a battery pack shell, a battery pack and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the submerged battery pack, the outlet of the cooling liquid needs to be higher than the upper surface of the battery module by a certain distance, so that the cooling liquid can completely immerse the battery module. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the position design of the outlet in the battery pack shell is limited by the height of the battery module, which is not convenient for the design of the battery pack shell.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a battery pack shell. The battery pack shell comprises: a box body provided with a box body mounting cavity for accommodating cooling liquid to immerse a plurality of battery monomers, a side portion of the box body is provided with an outlet for mounting an outlet pipe to discharge the cooling liquid; and an outlet structure mounted on the side portion of the box body, located in the box body mounting cavity, and provided with a communication opening and an outlet cavity in communication with each other; wherein the box body mounting cavity is communicated with the outlet through the communication opening and the outlet cavity, a first horizontal plane where the communication opening is located is higher than the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers and the bottom of the outlet cavity, and a second horizontal plane where the bottom end of the outlet is located is lower than the first horizontal plane, so that the cooling liquid immersed in the plurality of battery monomers flows into the communication opening, the outlet cavity and the outlet pipe in sequence from the box body mounting cavity.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present application provides a battery pack. The battery pack comprises the above-mentioned battery pack shell.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present application provides a vehicle. The vehicle comprises the above-mentioned battery pack. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

[0009] The battery pack provided in the application can still realize that the cooling liquid completely immerses the plurality of battery monomers and then is discharged from the liquid outlet when the horizontal plane where the bottom end of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the upper surfaces of the plurality of battery monomers. Compared with the related art, the battery pack provided in the application not only can provide a more uniform heat dissipation effect and reduce the temperature gradient of the battery, but also can guarantee that a smaller space is occupied under the same energy storage demand, reduce the required materials and manufacturing cost under the condition of meeting the same energy demand, and reduce the production cost of the battery pack.

[0010] The battery pack provided in the application not only can provide a more uniform heat dissipation effect and reduce the temperature gradient of the battery, but also can guarantee that a smaller space is occupied under the same energy storage demand, reduce the required materials and manufacturing cost under the condition of meeting the same energy demand, and reduce the production cost of the battery pack.

[0011] The vehicle provided in the application includes the battery pack provided in the application, and has all the advantages of the battery pack provided in the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery pack shell provided in an embodiment of the application;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the liquid outlet structure in FIG. 1 being installed on the side of the box;

[0014] FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in FIG. 2;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a top view structural schematic diagram of FIG. 2;

[0017] FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part B in FIG. 4;

[0018] FIG. 7 is a front view structural schematic diagram of FIG. 2;

[0019] FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part C in FIG. 6.

[0020] Explanation of reference signs:

[0021] 100, battery pack shell; 110, box; 120, liquid outlet structure; 121, communication opening; 122, liquid outlet cavity; 123, side plate; 130, box mounting cavity; 140, liquid outlet pipe; 200, battery monomer; 300, cover plate; 400, box mounting opening. Embodiment of the application

[0022] The submerged battery pack is a battery pack design that places the entire battery module or battery monomer in the liquid coolant to provide more effective heat dissipation effect. Compared with the traditional air-cooled or liquid-cooled heat dissipation system, the submerged battery pack can dissipate heat more evenly and has better thermal management performance under extreme working conditions. The submerged battery pack is usually composed of a battery module, a cooling liquid circulation system, a cooling liquid, and a battery pack shell. A plurality of battery monomers in the battery module are placed in a sealed container in the cooling liquid to ensure that the battery is completely submerged. Among them, the cooling liquid circulation system, usually composed of a pump, a radiator, a pipeline and a control unit, is used to circulate the cooling liquid to realize heat dissipation. In the related art, in order to realize the "submerged" effect, when designing the battery pack shell, it is necessary to ensure that the height of the bottom end of the liquid outlet is higher than the upper surface of the battery module by a certain distance, so that the cooling liquid can completely submerge the battery module and then be discharged from the liquid outlet. Therefore, the position design of the liquid outlet in the battery pack shell is limited by the height of the battery module.

[0023] In order to solve the problem of limited battery pack shell design, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery pack shell 100. Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the battery pack shell 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application, FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the liquid outlet structure 120 installed on the side of the box body 110 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in FIG. 2. The battery pack shell 100 includes a box body 110 and a liquid outlet structure 120, wherein the box body 110 is provided with a box body mounting cavity 130 for containing cooling liquid to submerge a plurality of battery monomers 200, and the side of the box body 110 is provided with a liquid outlet for installing a liquid outlet pipe 140 to discharge the cooling liquid. The liquid outlet structure 120 is installed on the side of the box body 110 and located in the box body mounting cavity 130, and is provided with a communication opening 121 and a liquid outlet cavity 122.

[0024] Among them, please refer to FIG. 4, which is a sectional view of FIG. 3. The box body mounting cavity 130 is communicated with the liquid outlet through the communication opening 121 and the liquid outlet cavity 122. The first horizontal plane where the communication opening 121 is located is higher than the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200 and the bottom of the liquid outlet cavity 122. The second horizontal plane where the bottom end of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the first horizontal plane, so that the cooling liquid that submerges the plurality of battery monomers 200 flows into the communication opening 121, the liquid outlet cavity 122 and the liquid outlet pipe 140 in sequence from the box body mounting cavity 130. When the cooling liquid in the box body mounting cavity 130 submerges the plurality of battery monomers 200, the liquid level of the cooling liquid needs to be gradually raised to the height of the first horizontal plane where the communication opening 121 is located, and then flow into the liquid outlet cavity 122 of the liquid outlet structure 120 from the communication opening 121, and finally flow out from the pipe opening of the liquid outlet pipe 140 located in the liquid outlet cavity 122.

[0025] In the embodiment, even if the second level where the bottom end of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the height where the top surface of the battery monomer 200 is located, the cooling liquid must be immersed in the top surface of the battery monomer 200 before flowing into the liquid outlet pipe 140 installed at the liquid outlet from the communication opening 121 of the liquid outlet structure 120. At the same time, the volume occupied by the liquid outlet structure 120 in the box mounting cavity 130 is small, so as to ensure that the space utilization rate of the battery pack is high, the installation of other components is facilitated, and the production material cost of the battery pack shell 100 is reduced.

[0026] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 1, the second level where the bottom end of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the top surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200.

[0027] Specifically, in the related art, in order to ensure that the cooling liquid can immerse the plurality of battery monomers 200, the height of the second level where the bottom end of the liquid outlet pipe 140 is located is designed to be higher than the height where the top of the plurality of battery monomers 200 is located. In the embodiment, the liquid outlet pipe 140 is located in the liquid outlet cavity 122, and the height of the first level where the communication opening 121 of the liquid outlet structure 120 is located is higher than the height where the top of the plurality of battery monomers 200 is located. Therefore, during the process of adding the cooling liquid in the box mounting cavity 130, first, the liquid level of the cooling liquid gradually rises until it exceeds the height where the top of the plurality of battery monomers 200 is located, then the liquid level of the cooling liquid continues to rise until it exceeds the height of the first level where the communication opening 121 of the liquid outlet structure 120 is located, after that, the cooling liquid flows into the liquid outlet cavity 122 from the communication opening 121, and finally, it is discharged from the liquid outlet pipe 140. The embodiment not only ensures the cooling effect, but also reduces the requirement for the height where the liquid outlet pipe 140 is located, which facilitates the design of the battery pack shell 100.

[0028] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 3. The communication opening 121 is arranged at the top of the liquid outlet structure 120 and communicates with the top of the liquid outlet cavity 122. The liquid outlet structure 120 includes a side plate 123, the side plate 123 is opposite to the liquid outlet and surrounds at least part of the liquid outlet cavity 122, and the orthographic projection of the liquid outlet on the side plate 123 is located within the boundary of the side plate 123.

[0029] In the embodiment, the communication opening 121 formed by the upper end of the side plate 123 opposite to the liquid outlet is arranged at the top of the liquid outlet structure 120, and the orthographic projection of the liquid outlet on the side plate 123 is located within the boundary of the side plate 123, that is, the pipe opening of the liquid outlet pipe 140 towards the one end of the box mounting cavity 130 is located in the liquid outlet cavity 122 of the liquid outlet structure 120. Therefore, when the cooling liquid submerges the upper surfaces of the plurality of battery monomers 200, the liquid level of the cooling liquid gradually rises to be higher than the top of the liquid outlet structure 120, and then flows out from the communication opening 121 into the liquid outlet cavity 122, and finally is discharged from the box 110 through the liquid outlet pipe 140.

[0030] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, FIG. 5 is a top structural schematic view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of part B in FIG. 5. The distance from the side of the side plate 123 close to the liquid outlet to the side of the box 110 is D1, the length of the side plate 123 is D2, and the cross-sectional area of the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140 is S1, wherein 2*S1>D1*D2>S1.

[0031] It is easy to understand that D1*D2 is the area of the communication opening 121 of the liquid outlet structure 120. In the embodiment, the area of the communication opening 121 is set to be greater than the cross-sectional area S1 of the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140. When the liquid level of the cooling liquid in the box mounting cavity 130 gradually rises to the height of the first horizontal plane where the communication opening 121 is located, the cooling liquid flows into the liquid outlet cavity 122 from the communication opening 121 at a faster rate due to the larger area of the communication opening 121, thereby ensuring that the exchange rate of the cooling liquid between the inside and outside of the box mounting cavity 130 is faster when the liquid level of the cooling liquid in the box mounting cavity 130 reaches the first horizontal plane where the communication opening 121 is located, and the cooling effect of the cooling liquid is better.

[0032] If the area of the communication opening 121 is smaller than the cross-sectional area S1 of the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140, the cooling liquid flows into the liquid outlet cavity 122 from the communication opening 121 at a slower rate, which further leads to a slower outlet rate of the cooling liquid from the liquid outlet cavity 122 into the liquid outlet pipe 140, and finally leads to a general cooling effect of the cooling liquid.

[0033] In the embodiment, the area of the communication opening 121 is set to be smaller than twice the cross-sectional area S1 of the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140 and greater than the cross-sectional area S1 of the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140. This can ensure that the cooling liquid flows into the liquid outlet cavity 122 from the communication opening 121 at a faster rate, and the cooling effect of the cooling liquid is better at this time, and also can ensure that the volume occupied by the liquid outlet structure 120 is smaller, so as to ensure that the space utilization rate of the box mounting cavity 130 is higher.

[0034] In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the nozzle of the liquid outlet pipe 140 is r1, and the distance from the side of the side plate 123 close to the liquid outlet to the side of the box body 110 is D1, where 2*r1>D1>r1.

[0035] In the present embodiment, by limiting the distance D1 from the side of the side plate 123 close to the liquid outlet to the side of the box body 110 to be greater than the inner diameter r1 of the nozzle of the liquid outlet pipe 140, the side plate 123 is prevented from being too close to the nozzle of the liquid outlet pipe 140, which would result in a slow flow rate of the cooling liquid from the liquid outlet cavity 122 into the liquid outlet pipe 140, ultimately affecting the cooling effect of the cooling liquid.

[0036] In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140 is R1, and the length of the side plate 123 is D2, where R1+20mm>D2>R1+10mm. In the present embodiment, it is easily understood that, in order to ensure that the liquid outlet cavity 122 can accommodate one end of the liquid outlet pipe 140, it is necessary to ensure that the distance D1 from the side of the side plate 123 close to the liquid outlet to the side of the box body 110 is greater than the vertical distance V1 between the plane where the nozzle of the liquid outlet pipe 140 is located and the side, and at the same time, the length D2 of the side plate 123 is greater than the outer diameter R1 of the liquid outlet pipe 140. In the actual production process of the battery pack shell 100, it is necessary to fix the liquid outlet structure 120 around the liquid outlet pipe 140. When the fixing method is welding, the welding protrusions often appear between the liquid outlet structure 120 and the side, so it is necessary to reserve some distance for the welding protrusions. When the fixing method is bolted, some gap is also needed for the bolts.

[0037] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the length D2 of the side plate 123 is set to be greater than the outer diameter R1 of the liquid outlet pipe 140, and 10mm is reserved, i.e., D2>R1+10mm, for the welding protrusions or bolts. In addition, in order to avoid the length D2 of the side plate 123 being too large and affecting the space utilization rate of the box mounting cavity 130, the length D2 of the side plate 123 is set to be less than the outer diameter R1+20mm of the liquid outlet pipe 140 in the present embodiment, so that the length of the side plate 123 meets the requirement of the space occupied by the welding protrusions or bolts when the liquid outlet structure 120 is fixed, and at the same time, the volume occupied by the liquid outlet structure 120 is small, so as to ensure the space utilization rate of the box mounting cavity 130.

[0038] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, FIG. 7 is a front structural schematic diagram of FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part C in FIG. 7. The battery pack shell 100 further comprises a cover plate 300, and the top of the box body 110 is provided with a box body mounting opening 400 communicating with the box body mounting cavity 130, and the cover plate 300 covers the box body mounting opening 400. The distance between the cover plate 300 and the communicating opening 121 is D3, and the height difference between the first horizontal plane where the communicating opening 121 is located and the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200 is H1, wherein D3>5mm, and H1>10mm.

[0039] In the present embodiment, by limiting the distance D3 between the cover plate 300 and the communicating opening 121 to be greater than 5mm, it can be ensured that the liquid level of the cooling liquid in the box body mounting cavity 130 is always less than the box body 110 mounting opening, preventing the cooling liquid in the box body mounting cavity 130 from overflowing due to excessive amount, thereby ensuring safety. At the same time, by limiting the height difference H1 between the first horizontal plane where the communicating opening 121 is located and the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200 to be greater than 10mm, it can be ensured that when the amount of cooling liquid in the box body mounting cavity 130 gradually increases to a stable state, the liquid level of the cooling liquid is always higher than the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200, thereby avoiding the position design of the liquid outlet being limited by the height of the battery module, making the design of the battery pack shell 100 more convenient.

[0040] In some embodiments, the width of the side plate 123 is D4, and the outer diameter of the liquid outlet pipe 140 is R1, wherein R1+20mm>D4>R1+10mm. In the present embodiment, the width D4 of the side plate 123 is limited to meet the requirements of welding protrusions or bolt space occupation when the liquid outlet structure 120 is fixed, while making the volume occupied by the liquid outlet structure 120 smaller, which is consistent with the beneficial effect of limiting the length D2 of the side plate 123 in the above embodiment, which can be referred to above.

[0041] In some embodiments, the center of the liquid outlet is located on the center line in the width direction of the side plate 123.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the center of the liquid outlet is located on the center line in the width direction of the side plate 123. This design ensures that the distance between the liquid outlet pipe 140 installed at the liquid outlet and the end plates at both ends of the side plate 123 in the length direction is equal. By locating the liquid outlet at the center line of the side plate 123, the symmetry between the liquid outlet and the end plates can be effectively ensured, thereby reserving sufficient space on the side where the liquid outlet is located in the liquid outlet cavity 122 to facilitate the fixation of the liquid outlet structure 120 on the side of the box body 110. This design aims to reserve sufficient space for welding bumps or bolts, etc., to facilitate the fixation of the liquid outlet structure 120.

[0043] In some cases, the thickness of the liquid outlet structure 120 is generally between 0.5mm and 1.5mm. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the liquid outlet structure 120 is set to be greater than 0.5mm to ensure that its strength meets the required standard. At the same time, the thickness of the liquid outlet structure 120 is also set to be less than 1.5mm to reduce the space it occupies, thereby ensuring that the space utilization of the box mounting cavity 130 is maximized. Such a design strikes a suitable balance between the strength requirements and space utilization of the liquid outlet structure 120. By controlling the thickness of the liquid outlet structure 120 to be between 0.5mm and 1.5mm, we not only ensure that it has sufficient strength, but also maximize space savings, making the overall design more compact and efficient.

[0044] In some embodiments, when the liquid outlet structure 120 is fixed to the side of the box 110 by welding, the welding position is the two side plates 123 connected to the side plate 123 and the bottom plate, and the two side plates 123 and the bottom plate are welded together by continuous welding to ensure the sealing between the two side plates 123, the bottom plate and the side of the box 110. At the same time, the structural material of the liquid outlet structure 120 is consistent with the structural material of the box 110, as the combination of the same material is easier to form a uniform weld, thereby improving the strength and stability of the welded joint, thereby providing higher welding strength. At the same time, it can also avoid the problem of brittle fracture caused by the difference in material between the two during welding. In addition, keeping the structural material of the liquid outlet structure 120 consistent with the structural material of the box 110 ensures that the melting points and other physical properties of the two are consistent, making the welding process easier to control and ensuring the quality of the welding. Such consistency helps to ensure the stability and controllability during the welding process, while improving the quality and reliability of the welded joint.

[0045] The present application provides a battery pack shell 100, which comprises a box 110 and a liquid outlet structure 120. The box 110 is provided with a box mounting cavity 130, and the side thereof is provided with a liquid outlet for mounting a liquid outlet pipe 140 to discharge the cooling liquid. The liquid outlet structure 120 is mounted on the side of the box 110 and located in the box mounting cavity 130, and is provided with a communication opening 121 and a liquid outlet cavity 122. The box mounting cavity 130 is communicated with the liquid outlet in turn through the communication opening 121 and the liquid outlet cavity 122. The first horizontal plane where the communication opening 121 is located is higher than the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200 and the second horizontal plane where the liquid outlet is located. When the cooling liquid immerses the plurality of battery monomers 200, the cooling liquid flows through the communication opening 121, the liquid outlet cavity 122 and the liquid outlet pipe 140 in turn. Therefore, the battery pack shell 100 provided by the present application can still realize the discharge of the cooling liquid from the liquid outlet after the plurality of battery monomers 200 are completely immersed when the horizontal plane where the bottom end of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the upper surface of the plurality of battery monomers 200.

[0046] The application further provides a battery pack, which comprises the battery pack shell 100. Compared with the prior art, the immersion type battery pack provided by the application can not only provide a more uniform heat dissipation effect and reduce the temperature gradient of the battery, but also can occupy a smaller space under the same energy storage requirement, reduce the required materials and manufacturing cost under the same energy requirement, and reduce the production cost of the battery pack.

[0047] The application further provides a vehicle, which comprises the battery pack comprising the battery pack shell 100. The vehicle has all the advantages of the battery pack provided by the application, which will not be described here.

Claims

1. A battery pack casing, comprising: The housing has a housing mounting cavity configured to contain coolant to immerse multiple battery cells. The side of the housing has a coolant outlet configured to install a coolant outlet pipe to discharge the coolant. The device includes a liquid outlet structure installed on the side of the housing, located within the housing mounting cavity, and having a communicating opening and a liquid outlet cavity. The housing mounting cavity is connected to the liquid outlet through the communicating opening and the liquid outlet cavity. The first horizontal plane where the communicating opening is located is higher than the upper surface of the plurality of battery cells and the bottom of the liquid outlet cavity. The second horizontal plane where the bottom of the liquid outlet is located is lower than the first horizontal plane, so that the coolant immersing the plurality of battery cells flows sequentially from the housing mounting cavity into the communicating opening, the liquid outlet cavity, and the liquid outlet pipe.

2. The battery pack housing according to claim 1, wherein, The second horizontal plane is lower than the upper surface of the plurality of battery cells.

3. The battery pack housing according to claim 1, wherein, The connecting opening is located at the top of the liquid outlet structure and connects to the top of the liquid outlet cavity. The liquid outlet structure includes a side plate, which faces the liquid outlet and forms at least a portion of the liquid outlet cavity. The orthographic projection of the liquid outlet on the side plate is located within the boundary of the side plate.

4. The battery pack housing according to claim 3, wherein, The distance from the side of the side plate closest to the liquid outlet to the side portion is D1, the length of the side plate is D2, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the inner diameter of the liquid outlet pipe is S1; wherein, 2×S1>D1×D2>S1.

5. The battery pack housing according to claim 4, wherein, The inner diameter of the outlet pipe is r1; where 2×r1>D1>r1.

6. The battery pack housing according to claim 4, wherein, The outer diameter of the outlet pipe is R1; where R1+20mm>D2>R1+10mm.

7. The battery pack housing according to claim 3, further comprising a cover plate, wherein the top of the housing is provided with a housing mounting opening communicating with the housing mounting cavity, the cover plate covers the housing mounting opening, the distance between the cover plate and the communicating opening is D3, and the height difference between the first horizontal plane and the upper surfaces of the plurality of battery cells is H1; wherein, D3>5mm, H1>10mm.

8. The battery pack housing according to claim 3, wherein, The width of the side plate is D4; where R1+20mm>D4>R1+10mm.

9. The battery pack housing according to claim 3, wherein, The center of the liquid outlet is located on the center line in the width direction of the side plate.

10. A battery pack comprising a battery pack housing as described in any one of claims 1-9.

11. A vehicle comprising the battery pack as claimed in claim 10.

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