CN111239182A

CN111239182A - Heat insulation performance testing device and heat insulation performance testing method

Info

Publication number: CN111239182A
Application number: CN202010150857.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵忠印; 顾少卿; 刘婷婷; 吴志刚; 潘杰; 尚策; 李云童
Original assignee: 3M Material Technology Hefei Co Ltd
Current assignee: 3M Material Technology Hefei Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-06
Filing date: 2020-03-06
Publication date: 2020-06-05

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat insulation performance testing device. This heat-proof quality test equipment includes: a heat source device capable of raising a temperature to a target temperature; and the testing chuck is used for fixing a testing sample to be tested to a first surface of the testing chuck, the first surface faces the heat source device, and in the testing position, the first surface of the testing chuck is close to the heat source device and a gap between the first surface of the testing chuck and the heat source device is a testing gap. The insulation performance testing apparatus further includes a gap adjustment device configured to adjust the test gap. The invention also relates to a heat insulation performance testing method. According to the heat insulation performance testing equipment and the heat insulation performance testing method, the actual heat insulation effect can be accurately tested, the applicability of the heat insulation performance testing equipment is improved, the implementation of the heat insulation performance test can be simplified, the testing cost is reduced, and the testing safety is improved.

Description

Heat insulation performance testing device and heat insulation performance testing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a heat insulation performance test apparatus and a heat insulation performance test method.

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Thermal insulation materials are widely used in industrial fields, and various purposes are expected to be achieved by blocking or delaying heat transfer to insulate. In the field of electric vehicles, the performance of a battery module, which is an important component of an electric vehicle, is closely related to the performance of the electric vehicle, and factors such as energy density, total energy capacity, installability, and the like of the battery module have been considered by manufacturers and users of the electric vehicle. In addition, the safety performance of the battery module of the electric vehicle is also important from the safety point of view. A battery module is generally constructed of a plurality of battery cells, which are arranged close to each other, for example, side by side or stacked. A prismatic battery cell is one of the more commonly used battery cells, and a plurality of prismatic battery cells are generally stacked on one another in a battery module. In use, once one battery cell is overheated and fails, heat can be conducted to other adjacent battery cells, so that other battery cells can be quickly overheated, fail and even explode, and safety of passengers is threatened. In order to avoid heat transfer between battery cells in a battery module and thus cause explosion, it is common to provide a thermal insulation material between the battery cells to block or delay heat transfer between the battery cells, to avoid or delay explosion, and to delay spread of fire, so as to strive for more time for safe evacuation of passengers as much as possible. In this regard, the heat insulating property of the heat insulating material between adjacent battery cells is important, and the heat insulating property of the heat insulating material needs to meet the specification. For example, when one cell of a battery module fails due to overheating, the temperature of one side of the insulating material may reach 400 ℃, even as high as 600 ℃, but in order to achieve the required insulating effect, the temperature of the other side (heat insulating side) of the insulating material is often required to not exceed 150 ℃. Therefore, before the electric vehicle is put into service, it is necessary to perform a test for the thermal insulation property of the insulation material to be used.

In a conventional thermal insulation test for a battery module, it is often necessary to test an actual battery module, and the thermal insulation performance of a thermal insulation material used in the battery module is tested by overheating and failing a battery cell of the battery module by heating, overcharging, or the like of the tested battery module. For battery modules of different models, the intervals between the battery cells are different, which requires that the interval between the heat source and the battery cell to be tested needs to be adjusted according to the model of the battery module when the heat insulation performance test is performed. However, the interval between the heat source of the existing testing device and the tested battery core is fixed, the same testing device cannot adapt to the heat insulation performance tests with different intervals, and the universality of the testing device is limited, so that when the testing device is used for performing the heat insulation performance test, a testing platform needs to be set up again for different test samples every time, the temperature of the heat source is difficult to control reliably in the testing process, and the testing preparation work and the operation are complex. On the other hand, the conventional thermal insulation performance testing equipment and the thermal insulation performance testing method are used for performing destructive testing on the battery module, so that the testing cost is high, and explosion and other situations may occur in the testing process, so that the safety problem may also exist.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved thermal insulation performance testing apparatus and a thermal insulation performance testing apparatus, so as to improve the applicability of the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus, simplify the implementation of the thermal insulation performance test, reduce the testing cost, and improve the testing safety.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an insulation performance testing apparatus. This heat-proof quality test equipment includes: a heat source device capable of raising a temperature to a target temperature; and a test chuck to which a test sample to be tested is fixed to a first surface thereof facing the heat source device, the first surface of the test chuck being close to the heat source device and a gap with the heat source device being a test gap at the test position. The insulation performance testing apparatus further includes a gap adjustment device configured to adjust the test gap.

The thermal insulation performance testing apparatus further includes a cartridge moving device configured to move the test cartridge toward or away from the heat source device to or from the test position.

In one embodiment, the cartridge moving device comprises an actuator configured and adapted to move the movable member towards or away from the heat source device, and a movable member, wherein the test cartridge is detachably secured to the movable member.

In one embodiment, the test cartridge is secured to the cartridge moving device via an adapter plate.

In one embodiment, the gap adjustment device comprises a sliding plate on which the actuator is fixed and a micro-actuator operable to move the sliding plate towards or away from the heat source device.

The gap adjusting device further comprises a locking device configured and adapted to lock the sliding plate such that the position of the sliding plate relative to the heat source device is locked.

The actuator is any one of: cylinder, electric cylinder, hydraulic cylinder.

The test cartridge is provided with a thermocouple configured to measure a temperature at a fixed interface between a first surface of the test cartridge and the test sample.

The heat source device includes a heating plate and an electric heater, and is configured such that the electric heater can heat the heating plate to a target temperature.

In one embodiment, the insulation performance testing apparatus further comprises a controller configured to stop the electric heater from heating when the heating plate is heated to the target temperature.

The test specimen is an insulating material to be set on the target product, and the material of the test cartridge is the same as that of the casing of the target product.

In one embodiment, the target product is a battery cell of a battery module.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for testing thermal insulation performance. The heat insulation performance test method comprises the following steps: setting a test position; heating the heat source device to a target temperature; testing a first test sample to be tested in a first test gap, and recording the change of the temperature at a first fixed interface between the first test sample and a first test chuck fixed with the first test sample along with time, wherein the first fixed interface faces a heat source device, and the first test gap is a gap between the first fixed interface and the heat source device; after the test of the first test sample is finished, a second test sample to be tested is tested in a second test gap, the change of the temperature of a second fixed interface between the second test sample and a second test chuck fixed with the second test sample along with time is recorded, wherein the second fixed interface faces the heat source device, the second test gap is a gap between the second fixed interface and the heat source device, and the second test gap can be equal to the first test gap or not.

The settings of at least one of the following groups are different: (1) a first test sample and a second test sample; (2) a first test cartridge and a second test cartridge; (3) a first test gap and a second test gap.

In one embodiment, the heat source device includes a heating plate and an electric heater provided to be able to heat the heating plate to a target temperature, and the electric heater stops heating when the heating plate is heated to the target temperature.

In one embodiment, the first test specimen and the second test specimen are respectively an insulation material to be disposed on the corresponding target product, and the material of the first test cartridge and the material of the second test cartridge are the same as the material of the corresponding target product.

Once the first test specimen is tested at the first test gap for a predetermined time, the testing of the first test specimen is terminated and the temperature at the first fixed interface at that time is recorded. Alternatively, once the temperature at the first fixed interface reaches a predetermined temperature, the testing of the first test sample is terminated and the length of time the first test sample is tested is recorded.

Once the second test specimen is tested at the second test gap for a predetermined time, the testing of the second test specimen is terminated and the temperature at the second fixed interface at that time is recorded. Alternatively, once the temperature at the second fixed interface reaches the predetermined temperature, the testing of the second test specimen is ended and the length of time the second test specimen is tested is recorded.

The above-described insulation performance test method is implemented using the insulation performance test apparatus according to the present invention.

The invention provides an improved thermal insulation performance testing device and a thermal insulation performance testing method. According to the heat insulation performance testing device and the heat insulation performance testing method, testing positions can be set for different target products using heat insulation materials, appropriate testing gaps are set, the actual heat insulation effect can be accurately tested, the applicability of the heat insulation performance testing device can be improved, the actual target products can be simulated through the testing chuck, the implementation of heat insulation performance testing can be simplified, the testing cost is reduced, and the testing safety is improved.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like features or components are designated with like reference numerals, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an insulation performance testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus of fig. 1 from another angle;

fig. 3 shows a front view of the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus of fig. 2;

fig. 4 shows another front view of the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus of fig. 2, with the casing of the heat source device removed;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a test cartridge of the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a test cartridge of the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a test cartridge with a test specimen mounted thereto;

figure 8 shows a flow chart of a method of testing thermal insulation performance according to the present invention; and

fig. 9 shows an example of a test result graph of the thermal insulation performance test according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like or similar parts and features. The drawings are only schematic representations of the concepts and principles of embodiments of the present invention, and do not necessarily show the specific dimensions and proportions of the various embodiments of the invention. Certain features that are part of a particular figure may be used in an exaggerated manner to illustrate relevant details or structures of embodiments of the present invention.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the directional terms used in connection with "up", "down", "left" and "right" are used in the description of the upper, lower, left and right positions of the views shown in the drawings. In practical applications, the positional relationships of "up", "down", "left" and "right" used herein may be defined according to practical situations, and these relationships may be reversed.

Fig. 1 and 2 respectively show perspective views of an insulation performance testing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention from different angles, and fig. 3 and 4 respectively show front views of the insulation performance testing apparatus 1. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus 1 includes a test deck 10, a test cartridge 20, a cartridge moving device 30, a gap adjusting device 40, and a heat source device 50. The test cartridge 20, the cartridge moving device 30, the gap adjusting device 40, and the heat source device 50 are mounted on the test deck 10, and are mounted to the thermal insulation performance test stand through the test deck 10. When the insulation testing apparatus 1 is mounted in place on the insulation testing station by the testing deck 10, the casing 70 is installed for the heat source device 50 to prevent an operator from being accidentally scalded by the heat source device 50.

The test cartridge 20 is mounted to the cartridge moving device 30, and the cartridge moving device 30 is configured to move the test cartridge 20 toward the heat source device 50 to a test position, as shown in fig. 4, or to return from the test position, as shown in fig. 1-3. The collet moving device 30 is mounted to the gap adjusting device 40, and the position of the collet moving device 30 in the X direction, and thus the test position of the test collet 20 with respect to the heat source device 50, can be adjusted by the gap adjusting device 40. After the test position is set by the gap adjusting means 40, the insulation material to be tested is mounted to the test cartridge 20, and if the switch 31 is turned on, the cartridge moving means 30 moves the test cartridge 20 to the test position for the insulation performance test. The respective parts of the insulation testing apparatus 1 according to the present invention and the insulation performance testing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 5 and 6 show perspective and plan views of the test cartridge 20. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the test cartridge 20 includes a cartridge body 21, a thermocouple mount 23, and a thermocouple 24. The cartridge body 21 is made of the same material as a housing of a target product using an insulation material to be tested, and the thickness of the cartridge body 21 may be the same as that of the housing of the target product, so that the target product using the insulation material to be tested is simulated by the cartridge body 21 to obtain a temperature rise characteristic of the target product during an insulation performance test. In this example, a battery cell in a battery module of an electric vehicle is taken as an example of a target product. The cartridge body 21 may be made of, for example, an aluminum material, and the thickness of the cartridge body 21 is the same as that of the battery cell case, so that the battery cell case of the battery module using the insulation material to be tested is simulated by the cartridge body 21 to obtain the temperature increase characteristic of the battery cell case during the insulation performance test. The thermocouple mount 23 is mounted to the collet body 21. In this example, the thermocouple installation element 23 has a generally T-shaped outer profile, and the cartridge body 21 is provided with a T-shaped slot for mounting the thermocouple installation element 23, which opens onto a surface 213 of the cartridge body 21. Alternatively, the thermocouple installation member 23 may be formed to have other outer profile shapes, and a correspondingly shaped installation groove is formed on the cartridge body 21. For example, the thermocouple installation 23 may be wedge-shaped and form a corresponding wedge-shaped slot in the collet body 21. The thermocouple mount 23 is mounted such that the surface 231 of the thermocouple mount 23 is substantially flush with the surface 213 of the collet body 21. The thermocouple installation member 23 is formed with an open groove 232, and the open groove 232 extends from one end of the thermocouple installation member 23 to a middle portion of the thermocouple installation member 23. The thermocouple 24 is installed in the open groove 232. The thermocouple 24 is also connected to a collector (not shown) to display the temperature measured by the thermocouple 24 in real time and to display the temperature rise characteristic. In one example, thermocouple 24 is a type K thermocouple.

In this example, the cartridge body 21 is mounted to the cartridge moving device 30 via the adapter plate 22. Preferably, the adapter plate 22 is also made of the same material as the battery cell housing to which the insulation material to be tested is applied. The cartridge body 21 is detachably attached to the adapter plate 22, and has substantially the same shape as the adapter plate 22. In the present example, as shown in fig. 5 to 6, the cartridge body 21 and the adapter plate 22 are generally cross-shaped. Screw holes 211, 212 are formed at both ends of the cartridge body 21, respectively, and through holes (not shown) are formed at corresponding positions of the adapter plate 22. The cartridge body 21 is mounted to the adapter plate 22 by passing screws (not shown) through the through holes of the adapter plate 22 and screwing into the threaded

holes

211, 212 of the cartridge body 21. Alternatively, a through hole may be formed on the cartridge body 21 and a screw hole may be formed on the adapter plate 22. The test cartridge 20 is mounted to the cartridge moving device 30 via the adapter plate 22. With this arrangement, when the cartridge body 21 is replaced, the cartridge body 21 can be detached from the adapter plate 22 by screwing the screws in the threaded

holes

211, 212, and a new cartridge body can be attached to the adapter plate 22 by screwing the screws in the threaded

holes

211, 212, without requiring complicated detachment (for example, removal of four or more screws) and attachment between the cartridge body 21 and the cartridge moving device 30 each time, so that replacement and attachment of the cartridge body 21 can be simplified. In addition, the temperature of the collet body 22 needs to be lowered to room temperature each time a test is performed. This cooling process of the chuck body 22 is time consuming. By detachably mounting the cartridge body 21, it is possible to detach the cartridge body 21 after the test is completed, and mount another cartridge body already at room temperature to the adapter plate 22 to continue the test without waiting for the cartridge body 22 to cool down, so that the efficiency of the test can be improved.

The insulation material M to be tested is mounted to the surface 213 of the collet body 21 as shown in fig. 7. After the insulation material M to be tested is mounted to the surface 213 of the collet body 21, it may be fixed using clamps 62, 63 (see fig. 1 and 2). The

jigs

62, 63 are respectively provided at both ends of the chuck body 21 so as not to interfere with the test of the heat insulating material M located at the middle portion. In this example, the clip 62 is a U-shaped clip including a first portion 621 and a second portion 622 opposing each other and a connecting portion 623 connecting the first portion 621 and the second portion 622. In securing the insulation material M, a first portion 621 of the jig 62 faces the insulation material M, and a second portion 622 of the jig 62 faces the interposer 22. The second portion 622 of the clamp 62 is provided with an adjustment screw (not shown) by which the first portion 621 can tightly secure the insulation material M to the surface 213 of the cartridge body 621. The

clamps

62 and 63 have the same configuration, and a description thereof will not be repeated. In addition, the heat insulating material M may be fixed to the chuck body 21 by other methods or by other types of clamps. For example, the heat insulating material M may be directly adhered to the chuck body 21 by an adhesive tape.

Referring again to fig. 1 to 4, the collet moving device 30 includes a switch 31, an actuator 32, and a movable member 33. The switch 31 can be operated to activate or deactivate the actuator 32 so that the movable member 33 extends and contracts relative to the actuator 32. In this example, the actuator 32 is a cylinder, and the movable member 33 is a telescopic rod. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments according to the invention, the actuator 32 may also be of other types, for example, an electric actuator, a hydraulic cylinder, etc. One end of the movable member 33 is mounted to the actuator 32, the other end of the movable member 33 is fixedly mounted with a mounting plate 34 for mounting the test cartridge 20, and the adapter plate 22 of the test cartridge 20 is fixed to the mounting plate 34. The actuator 32 is configured to move the movable member 33 in the X direction. When the switch 31 is closed, the actuator 32 is not actuated, and the movable member 33 is retracted in the housing of the actuator 32, as shown in fig. 1 to 3. When the switch 31 is opened, the actuator 32 is in communication with a gas source (not shown), the actuator 32 is actuated, causing the movable member 33 to move relative to the actuator 32 and extend out of the housing of the actuator 32, as shown in fig. 4, and the movable member 33 urges the test cartridge 20 to move to the test position. Once the switch 31 is closed, the communication between the actuator 32 and the air supply is cut off, and the movable member 33 is moved from the test position towards the actuator 32 and retracted into the housing of the actuator 32. By setting the gas pressure in the actuator 32 and setting the test position of the test cartridge 20, the pressure on the cartridge body 21 during the thermal insulation performance test can be adjusted to simulate as truly as possible the temperature rise occurring in the cell housing. The gas pressure within the actuator 32 and the test position of the test cartridge 20 are the same for the same model of battery module to be tested.

The collet moving device 30 is mounted to the gap adjusting device 40 via a first mounting member 61. The switch 31 and the actuator 32 of the collet moving device 30 are fixed to the vertical wall 611 of the first mounting member 61, and the horizontal wall 612 of the first mounting member 61 is fixedly mounted to the gap adjusting device 40.

The gap adjusting device 40 is fixedly installed at one end of the test stage plate 10, and includes a base plate 41, a sliding plate 42, a fine actuator 43, and a position locking device 44. The substrate 41 is fixedly mounted on the test platen 10. The sliding plate 42 is mounted on the base plate 41 and is movable in the X direction relative to the base plate 41. The horizontal wall portion 612 of the first mounting member 61 is fixedly mounted to the slide plate 42, and is movable in the X direction together with the slide plate 42. As shown in fig. 2, the fine adjuster 43 is installed at one side of the thermal insulation testing apparatus 1, and includes an adjusting portion 431, a fixing block 432, and a stopper 433. The fixed block 432 is fixedly installed on the base plate 41, the stopper 433 is fixedly installed on the sliding plate 42, and an end of the adjusting portion 431 passes through the fixed block 432 and is connected to the stopper 433. The fine actuator 43 is configured to move the stopper 433 and thus the slide plate 42 in the X direction by the rotation of the adjustment portion 431. For example, when the adjustment portion 431 is rotated in one direction, the stopper 433 is brought to move toward the heat source device 50 in the X direction, and when the adjustment portion 431 is rotated in the opposite direction, the stopper 433 is brought to move away from the heat source device 50 in the X direction. In one example, the trimmer 43 may employ a micrometer. In addition, as shown in fig. 1, the position locking device 44 is installed at the other side of the insulation testing apparatus 1, and includes a positioning plate 441 and a set screw 442. The positioning plate 441 is provided with a groove portion and is fixedly mounted on a side surface of the base plate 41, and is mounted such that the groove portion of the positioning plate 441 extends in the X direction in the drawing and is aligned with the slide plate 42. The end of the set screw 47 passes through the groove portion of the positioning plate 441 and can be screwed against the sliding plate 42 to lock the position of the sliding plate 42 in the X direction with respect to the base plate 41 and the test platen 10. When the fastening screw 47 does not lock the sliding plate 42, the micro-adjuster 43 may be adjusted to correspondingly move the sliding plate 42 in the X direction, so that the test gap between the surface 213 of the body portion 21 of the test cartridge 20 and the heat source device 50 during the thermal insulation performance test can be adjusted to meet the test requirement for the gap of adjacent battery cell housings in different types of battery modules, thereby expanding the application range of the thermal insulation performance test apparatus 1.

The heat source device 50 is fixedly installed at the other end of the test platen 10. In the present example, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the heat source device 50 includes a heating plate 51 and an electric heater 52 disposed inside the heating plate 51. In this example, the electric heater 52 is a plurality of resistance heating rods. The heat source device 50 is configured to heat the heating plate 51 to a predetermined target temperature by the electric heater 52. The heating plate 51 serves as a heat source for the heat insulating performance test. The heat source device 50 is also provided with a thermocouple (not shown) for measuring the temperature of the heating plate 51. The thermocouple is connected to a temperature control box (not shown) that controls the electric heater 52 so that the electric heater 52 stops heating once the temperature measured by the thermocouple (i.e., the temperature of the heating plate 51) reaches a target temperature. Preferably, the temperature control box is further provided with a temperature display screen capable of displaying the temperature of the heating plate 51 measured by the thermocouple in real time. When the thermal insulation testing apparatus 1 is mounted to a test stand, a casing 70 may be provided for the heat source device 50 to prevent an operator from being burned by inadvertently touching the heat source device 50 during a test. The casing 70 is configured to shield the heat source device 50 and expose a surface 511 of the heating plate 51 of the heat source device 50 to enable the test cartridge 20 to approach or contact the surface 511 of the heating plate 51.

The main structure of the thermal insulation performance test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is described above. The heat insulation performance test apparatus 1 according to the present invention can adjust the test gap by the gap adjusting device 40, so that it can be applied to heat insulation performance tests of different types of battery cells, and test preparation work can be simplified. In addition, the thermal insulation performance test apparatus 1 according to the present invention simulates a battery cell using the test cartridge 20, and by setting the actuation force (gas pressure in the cylinder) of the actuator 32 and setting the test position of the test cartridge 20, the degree of contact of the test cartridge 20 with the heat source device 50 during the test can be adjusted, so that the pressure to which the cartridge body 21 of the test cartridge 20 is subjected during the test can be adjusted, the heated temperature rise characteristic of the battery cell case can be truly simulated, the accuracy of the test can be improved, and the test does not need to be performed using an actual battery cell, the test cost can be reduced, and the test safety can be advantageously improved.

A method for testing thermal insulation performance according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 8 shows a flow chart of a method of testing thermal insulation performance according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, first, in step S10, a test position is set. The step S10 of setting the test position includes steps S11 and S12. In step S11, a position zero point is set. In this process, the cartridge body 21 of the test cartridge 20 is fixedly mounted to the mounting plate 34 of the movable member 33 of the cartridge moving device 30 via the adapter plate 22. Then, the switch 31 is turned on, and the actuator 32 is actuated, moving the movable member 33 toward the heat source device 50, protruding out of the housing of the actuator 32, and contacting the heating plate 51 of the heat source device 50. This position is set as the position zero point of the thermal insulation performance test apparatus 1. Then, in step S12, a test gap is set according to the gap between the battery cell cases in the battery module using the heat insulating material M to be tested, thereby setting a test position. For a battery module used on an electric vehicle, for example, the test gap may be set between 2mm and 8 mm. By screwing the adjusting portion 431 of the fine adjuster 43, the stopper 433 and the slide plate 42 are moved in the X direction, so that the gap between the surface 213 of the cartridge body 21 and the surface 511 of the heating plate 51 in the X direction is the set test gap. Once in position, set screw 442 is tightened to lock slide plate 42 to complete the set up of the test positions. In addition, in the process, the actuating force (gas pressure in the cylinder) of the actuator 20 can be set according to the actual condition of the battery module, and the stress of the chuck body 21 during the test can be adjusted by combining the set test position, so that the stress of the battery cell can be simulated. Once the test position is set, the switch 31 is closed, causing the movable member 33 to return the test cartridge 20 from the test position.

Next, in step S20, the heat source device 50 is warmed up to the target temperature. The electric heater 52 is turned on to heat the heater plate 51, and the temperature of the heater plate 51 is displayed in real time. Once the heating plate 51 is heated to a target temperature, for example, 600 ℃, the heating is stopped. Next, in step S30, the test specimen is fixed to the test cartridge. In this example, the thermal insulation material M is fixedly mounted to the test cartridge 20, simulating a battery cell housing by the cartridge body 21. The insulation material M is aligned to the surface 213 of the chuck body 21 and then secured to the chuck body 21 by the

clamps

62, 63 or otherwise. In this process, the heat source device 50 may be shielded in order to prevent the heat of the heat source device 50 from being radiated to the heat insulating material M and the cartridge body 21 before the test is started to affect the test result. For example, the side of the casing 70 that faces the opening of the test cartridge 20 may be shielded by a heat shield.

Next, in step S40, the test is started. The switch 31 is opened and the actuator 32 is actuated to move the movable member 33 and the test cartridge 20 toward the hot plate 51 to the testing position such that the insulation material M is sandwiched (e.g., compressed) in the testing gap between the surface 213 of the cartridge body 21 and the surface 511 of the hot plate 51, the insulation material M being tested at the set testing gap. In this process, the thermocouple 24 measures the temperature of the adiabatic side (the side facing the cartridge body 21) of the adiabatic material M, that is, the temperature at the fixed interface between the cartridge body 21 and the adiabatic material M in real time, and displays it on the collector in real time.

Once the test time for the insulation material M has reached the predetermined test duration, the test cartridge 20 is removed from the test position and the temperature rise characteristics of the insulation material M are read over the test duration. The test duration of the insulation material M refers to the time that the insulation material M has elapsed from the time it is tested at the set test gap as the test cartridge 20 is moved to the test position. If the temperature of the heat-insulating material M after the test time with the set test gap is lower than the preset temperature, the heat-insulating property of the heat-insulating material M meets the requirement, otherwise, the heat-insulating property of the heat-insulating material M does not meet the requirement. Fig. 9 shows a temperature rise graph of one test example. The purpose of this example was to measure the temperature rise characteristic of the heat-insulating side of the heat-insulating material M within five minutes, the test duration being five minutes, and the predetermined temperature being 150 ℃. In fig. 9, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents temperature. As shown in fig. 9, in this test conducted, the temperature of the insulating side of the insulating material M was below 70 ℃ in five minutes (300 seconds), and the temperature of the insulating side (e.g., the temperature measured by the thermocouple 24) did not exceed 150 ℃ in five minutes, indicating that the insulating properties of the insulating material M were satisfactory. In the above example, the test is ended after the test time period has elapsed by testing the heat insulating material M with the set test gap. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in a modified example according to the present invention, the test may be ended according to the temperature of the adiabatic side of the adiabatic material M, for example, once the temperature measured by the thermocouple 24 reaches a predetermined temperature, the test cartridge 20 may be moved away from the test position and the test duration that the adiabatic material M has been subjected to is recorded. If the test duration is longer than a preset test time (for example, a temperature rise time threshold of a target product), it indicates that the thermal insulation performance of the thermal insulation material M is satisfactory, and otherwise, it is not satisfactory.

After the end of the test, another test sample can be tested, and the test gap of the other test sample can be the same as or different from the test gap of the previous test sample. For example, after a first test sample is tested at a first test gap, if it is desired to continue testing a second test sample of other insulation materials of the same type of battery module, the test gap of the second test sample may be equal to the first test gap, without resetting the test position, by simply detaching the test cartridge 20 from the adapter plate 22, securing the second test sample to another test cartridge and securing the test cartridge to the adapter plate. Alternatively, the second test specimen may be secured to the test cartridge 20 and to the adapter plate for testing after the test cartridge 20 has cooled. If a second test sample of the heat insulating material used for another type of battery module having a different gap between adjacent cell casings is tested after the first test sample is tested at the first test gap, the test gap of the second test sample is different from the first test gap, and therefore, the heat insulating property test of the second test sample can be performed after the test position adjustment test set by the gap adjustment device 40 is continued as described above.

The above description explains the thermal insulation performance test apparatus and the thermal insulation performance test method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. According to the heat insulation performance testing equipment and the heat insulation performance testing method, the practical application environment of the heat insulation material can be simulated, so that the heat insulation performance of the heat insulation material can be accurately tested, corresponding testing gaps can be set according to different application environments, and testing preparation work and testing operation are simplified.

In the above embodiment, the cartridge body 21 is fixedly mounted to the mounting plate 34 of the actuator 32 by the adapter plate 22, simulating a battery cell housing by the cartridge body 21. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments according to the present invention, the collet body 21 may also be removably fixedly mounted to the mounting plate 34 of the actuator 32 without the use of an adapter plate. In other embodiments according to the invention, it is possible not to use the cartridge body 21 to simulate a battery cell housing, but to attach a battery cell housing provided with an insulating material M to the cartridge body 21 or directly to the adapter plate 22 and to adjust the settings of the thermocouples accordingly.

In the above embodiment, the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus 1 includes the above-described collet moving device 30 and the gap adjusting device 40. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other modified examples according to the present invention, the insulation performance testing apparatus may achieve the adjustment of the test gap by other structures. For example, in one example, the thermal insulation performance testing device may employ a resilient telescoping structure to enable adjustment of the test gap.

In the above embodiment, the thickness of the cartridge body of the test cartridge 20 is equal to the thickness of the target product housing to simulate the temperature rise characteristic of the target product. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other modified examples according to the present invention, the thickness of the cartridge body 21 may not be equal to the thickness of the housing of the target product, but the temperature increase characteristic of the target product is estimated from the ratio between the thickness of the cartridge body and the thickness of the housing of the target product and the temperature increase characteristic of the cartridge body by setting the thickness of the cartridge body to be proportional to the thickness of the housing of the target product.

The above illustrates the thermal insulation performance test apparatus and the thermal insulation performance test method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention in connection with the thermal insulation material used between the adjacent battery cells of the battery module of the electric vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The heat insulation performance test apparatus and the heat insulation performance test method according to the present invention can also be applied to heat insulation performance tests in other fields, and are particularly suitable for a case where a target product is a sheet member.

Herein, exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, but it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and illustrated in detail above. Various modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, all the components described herein may be replaced by other technically equivalent components.

Claims

1. An insulating property testing device (1) comprising:

a heat source device (50), the heat source device (50) being capable of warming to a target temperature; and

a test cartridge (20) to which a test sample to be tested is fixed to a first surface (213) of the test cartridge (20), the first surface (213) facing the heat source device (50), the first surface (213) of the test cartridge (20) being close to the heat source device (50) and a gap with the heat source device (50) being a test gap in a test position,

characterized in that the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus (1) further comprises a gap adjustment device (40), the gap adjustment device (40) being configured to adjust the test gap.

2. The insulating performance testing apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the insulating performance testing apparatus (1) further comprises a cartridge moving device (30), and the cartridge moving device (30) is configured to move the test cartridge (20) towards the heat source device (50) to the testing position or away from the heat source device (50) from the testing position.

3. The insulating performance testing apparatus (1) according to claim 2, wherein the cartridge moving device (30) comprises an actuator (32) and a movable member (33), the actuator (32) being configured and adapted to move the movable member (33) towards or away from the heat source device (50), wherein the testing cartridge (20) is detachably fixed to the movable member (33).

4. The insulating performance testing apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein the test cartridge (20) is fixed to the cartridge moving device (30) via an adapter plate (22).

5. The insulating performance testing apparatus (1) of claim 3, wherein the gap adjustment device (40) comprises a sliding plate (42) and a micro-actuator (43), the actuator (32) being fixed on the sliding plate (42), the micro-actuator (43) being operable to move the sliding plate (42) towards or away from the heat source device (50).

6. The insulating performance testing apparatus (1) according to claim 5, wherein the gap adjusting device (40) further comprises a locking device (44), the locking device (44) being configured and adapted to lock the sliding panel (42) such that the position of the sliding panel (42) relative to the heat source device (50) is locked.

7. The insulating property testing device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the actuator (32) is any one of: cylinder, electric cylinder, hydraulic cylinder.

8. The insulating property testing apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the test cartridge (20) is provided with a thermocouple (24), the thermocouple (24) being configured to measure the temperature at a fixed interface between the first surface (213) and the test sample.

9. The thermal insulation performance testing apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the heat source device (50) comprises a heating plate (51) and an electric heater (52), the heat source device (50) being configured such that the electric heater (52) is capable of heating the heating plate (51) to the target temperature.

10. The thermal insulation performance testing apparatus (1) according to claim 9, wherein the thermal insulation performance testing apparatus (1) further comprises a controller configured to stop heating of the electric heater (52) when the heating plate (51) is heated to the target temperature.

11. The insulating property testing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the test sample is an insulating material (M) to be set onto a target product and the material of the test cartridge (20) is the same as the material of the casing of the target product.

12. The insulating property testing device (1) according to claim 11, wherein the target product is a battery cell of a battery module.

13. A method of testing thermal insulation performance, the method comprising:

setting a test position;

heating a heat source device (50) to a target temperature;

testing a first test sample to be tested with a first test gap, and recording the change of temperature at a first fixed interface between the first test sample and a first test chuck (20) fixed with the first test sample along with time, wherein the first fixed interface faces the heat source device (50), and the first test gap is a gap between the first fixed interface and the heat source device (50);

after the test of the first test sample is finished, a second test sample to be tested is tested in a second test gap, and the change of the temperature at a second fixed interface between the second test sample and a second test chuck fixed with the second test sample along with time is recorded, wherein the second fixed interface faces the heat source device (50), the second test gap is a gap between the second fixed interface and the heat source device (50), and the second test gap can be equal to or not equal to the first test gap.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the settings of at least one of the following groups are different: (1) the first test sample and the second test sample; (2) the first test cartridge and the second test cartridge; (3) the first test gap and the second test gap.

15. The insulation performance test method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the heat source device (50) comprises a heating plate (51) and an electric heater (52), the electric heater (52) being arranged to be able to heat the heating plate (51) to the target temperature, and the electric heater (52) stops heating when the heating plate (51) is heated to the target temperature.

16. The insulation performance test method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first test specimen and the second test specimen are insulation materials to be set on the respective target products, respectively, and the material of the first test cartridge (20) and the material of the second test cartridge are the same as the material of the casing of the respective target products.

17. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein the testing of the first test specimen is terminated once the first test specimen is tested at the first test gap for a predetermined time and the temperature at the first fixed interface at that time is recorded, or the testing of the first test specimen is terminated once the temperature at the first fixed interface reaches a predetermined temperature and the length of time of the testing of the first test specimen is recorded;

ending the testing of the second test specimen once the second test specimen is tested at the second test gap for a predetermined time and recording the temperature at the second fixed interface at that time, or ending the testing of the second test specimen once the temperature at the second fixed interface reaches a predetermined temperature and recording the length of time the second test specimen is tested.

18. The insulation performance test method according to claim 13 or 14, which is carried out using the insulation performance test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12.