CN111276769A

CN111276769A - Modular header and battery cooler including the same

Info

Publication number: CN111276769A
Application number: CN201811482316.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: B.佩伊恩; 路畅; 肖超; 孙键淇
Original assignee: Valeo Management Beijing Co Ltd Shanghai Branch; Powertrain Thermal Systems Branch of Valeo Automotive Air Conditioning Hubei Co Ltd; Valeo Systemes Thermiques SAS
Current assignee: Valeo Management Beijing Co Ltd Shanghai Branch; Powertrain Thermal Systems Branch of Valeo Automotive Air Conditioning Hubei Co Ltd; Valeo Systemes Thermiques SAS
Priority date: 2018-12-05
Filing date: 2018-12-05
Publication date: 2020-06-12
Also published as: WO2020115253A3; WO2020115253A2

Abstract

A modular header (10), characterized in that said modular header (10) comprises at least two header units (10u), the liquid collecting pipe units (10u) are mutually connected through a connecting structure (4), the connecting structure (4) comprises a male matching end (5) and a female matching end (7) which are respectively positioned at two ends of the liquid collecting pipe units (10u), wherein the collector unit (10u), the male mating end (5) and the female mating end (7) have a cross-section in the form of a flat, and wherein the female mating end (7) comprises a cavity (75) for receiving the male mating end (5), the cavity (75) has a lateral opening (70), the male mating end (5) being insertable into the cavity (75) through the lateral opening (70) in an insertion direction and locked inside the cavity (75) by a snap fit.

Description

Modular header and battery cooler including the same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a modular liquid collection tube and a battery cooler including the same, which is provided in a battery pack of a new energy automobile, for example.

Background

Along with the driving mileage of new energy vehicles, especially pure electric vehicles is longer and longer, the quantity and the energy density of battery module are bigger and bigger. When operated at high power and in a close-packed cell configuration, batteries tend to be very exothermic and exhibit temperature non-uniformity, which can adversely affect battery efficiency, reliability, and life. Therefore, it is desirable to use a battery cooler to cool the battery during operation to optimize battery performance and life.

Different heat transfer media have great influence on the heat exchange performance of the system, the heat exchange quantity provided by the traditional air cooling is not enough to meet the requirement of high refrigerating capacity, and in addition, the heat exchange coefficient between the air and the wall surface of the battery is low and the cooling speed is slow. In terms of cooling efficiency, liquid-cooled battery modules are the preferred choice.

For the connection between different parts of the battery cooler, the existing liquid-cooled battery cooler generally adopts an integral brazing process, the production cost is high, and the internal cleanliness is not easy to control.

The prior art discloses the use of mechanical liquid collectors, i.e. mechanical connections between the different components of a liquid-cooled battery cooler. However, the cross-section of the conventional mechanical header is mostly circular. On one hand, the vertical height of the automobile is very precious, the space in the vertical direction of the battery pack is very limited, and the liquid collecting pipe with the circular section occupies more vertical height. On the other hand, the liquid collecting pipe with the circular section has high pressure drop, and the flow uniformity is difficult to control.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to address at least the above problems and to provide a modular collector tube having a flat cross-section.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a modular header comprising at least two header units, the header units being interconnected by a connecting structure comprising a male mating end and a female mating end at each end of the header units, wherein the header units, the male mating end and the female mating end have a cross-section in the form of a flat, and wherein the female mating end comprises a cavity for receiving the male mating end, the cavity having a lateral opening through which the male mating end can be inserted in an insertion direction and locked inside the cavity by a snap fit.

Preferably, the female mating end includes a resilient tongue having a protrusion, the male mating end includes a locking slot that mates with the resilient tongue, and the protrusion is received in the locking slot to lock the male mating end inside the cavity of the female mating end in the insertion direction.

Preferably, the male portion of the resilient tongue comprises a stop surface, the locking grooves having a mating stop surface, the stop surface abutting the mating stop surface of the locking grooves, thereby locking the male mating end inside the cavity of the female mating end in the insertion direction. Thereby, the male mating end is prevented from being pulled out of the cavity of the female mating end in a direction opposite to the insertion direction.

Preferably, the male mating end comprises a guiding groove extending parallel to the insertion direction, and the female mating end comprises a guiding rib cooperating with the guiding groove.

In addition to guiding the insertion process, the cooperation of the guiding ribs of the female mating end and the guiding grooves of the male mating end enables a locking of the female mating end and the male mating end in the longitudinal direction of the collector unit, i.e. a removal of the male mating end from the cavity of the female mating end in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction is prevented.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the guiding groove and the locking groove of the male mating end are aligned in the insertion direction, and the guiding rib of the female mating end and the protruding part of the resilient tongue are aligned in the insertion direction.

Preferably, the male mating end comprises a mating ramp at one end of the guide groove, the ramp and the mating ramp being in sliding contact.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the connection structure further comprises a sealing member compressed between the male and female mating ends to effect a sealed connection between different header units.

Advantageously, the longitudinal end surface of the male mating end extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the male mating end, the receiving surface of the cavity of the female mating end also extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the male mating end, and the sealing member is compressed between the longitudinal end surface of the male mating end and the receiving surface of the cavity of the female mating end.

Because the sealing member is mounted between the male and female mating ends in an interference fit, the insertion process of the male mating end requires a certain amount of force to be applied by the operator. The angled configuration of the longitudinal end surface of the male mating end and the receiving surface of the cavity of the female mating end may result in a reduction of the force required to insert the male mating end into the female mating end.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a battery cooler is presented comprising an inlet duct, an outlet duct and a cooling circuit connected between the inlet and outlet ducts, wherein the inlet and outlet ducts are modular ducts as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

The modular collector tube according to the invention has at least the following advantages:

1. the liquid collecting pipe units are connected with each other through the connecting structure so as to meet the processing requirements of battery coolers with different sizes, and the connecting structure is a plastic piece, so that the processing is convenient, the modularization degree is high, and the cost is saved;

2. the cross section of the modularized liquid collecting pipe is designed to be flat, so that the vertical space of the battery pack of the electric automobile is guaranteed, and the requirement of flow distribution and pressure drop of the system is met by enough space in the horizontal direction.

Drawings

The present disclosure will be better understood and its advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows in perspective view a battery cooler including a modular collector tube according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows in exploded view a modular header including two header units;

FIG. 3 shows a female mating end of a modular header according to the present invention in a different view;

FIG. 4 shows a male mating end of a modular header according to the present invention in a different view; and;

FIG. 5 shows, in cross-section, a modular header according to the present invention with a male mating end inserted into a female mating end.

Detailed Description

In the following description of various exemplary structures according to the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various exemplary embodiments in which aspects of the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other specific arrangements of parts and systems may be utilized, and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, although the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like may be used herein to describe various example features and elements of the invention, these terms are used herein for convenience, e.g., based on the example orientations shown in the figures or orientations during typical use. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a particular three dimensional orientation of structures in order to fall within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the reader should understand that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Fig. 1 shows a battery cooler according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the battery cooler includes a plurality of cooling pipes 3, and a cooling liquid circulates through the cooling pipes 3 and exchanges heat with the battery modules located near the cooling pipes 3. The battery cooler also comprises a liquid inlet pipe 1 and a liquid outlet pipe 2 connected with the ends of a plurality of cooling pipes 3. The liquid inlet pipe 1 distributes the inflowing coolant to the respective cooling lines 3, and the liquid outlet pipe 2 collects the coolant from the respective cooling lines 3 and discharges it.

Advantageously, liquid inlet pipe 1 and liquid outlet pipe 2 are both modular liquid collection pipes 10. By modular header 10 is meant in the context of the present invention that the header may be made up of at least two header units 10u, the different header units 10u being interconnected by a connecting structure 4 to form a header of adaptable length.

Different automobile manufacturers may place different demands on the size of the battery module, and accordingly, the size of the battery cooler needs to be adapted to the variation in the size of the battery module. An advantage of using modular headers 10 is that inlet 1 and outlet 2 in the form of modular headers 10 can meet the different size requirements of the battery module by increasing or decreasing the number of connected header units 10u, allowing the manufacturing and assembly of the battery cooler to be accomplished in a simple, quick and economical manner.

FIG. 2 shows in exploded view a modular header 10 comprising two header units 10 u. Wherein, the two header units 10u are connected with each other through the connecting structure 4. The connection structure 4 includes a male mating end 5 at one end of each header unit 10u and a female mating end 7 at the other end of each header unit 10 u. The male 5 and female 7 mating ends form part of a header unit 10 u. In particular, the header unit 10u is formed of a plastic material. According to one embodiment of the invention, the header unit 10u, including the male 5 and female 7 mating ends, is integrally injection molded.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the header unit 10u, the male mating end 5 and the female mating end 7 each have a cross-section in the form of a flat. The generally rectangular flat cross-section of the female mating end 7 has upper and lower long sides of longer length and left and right short sides of shorter length. Likewise, the generally rectangular flat cross-section of the male mating end 5 also has upper and lower long sides of longer length and left and right short sides of shorter length. Compared with the liquid collecting pipe with the circular cross section, the liquid collecting pipe with the flat cross section reduces the vertical space in the electric automobile battery pack occupied by the liquid collecting pipe, and improves the pressure drop and the flow uniformity in the liquid collecting pipe.

As shown in FIG. 2, two header units 10u are placed end to end, i.e. the male mating end 5 of a first header unit 10u is opposite the female mating end 7 of a second header unit 10 u. By inserting the male mating end 5 into the female mating end 7, a mechanical connection between the two header units 10u is achieved. In addition, the connection structure 4 further comprises a sealing member 6 for forming a sealed connection between the male mating end 5 and the female mating end 7.

Although only two header units 10u are shown in FIG. 2, it will be apparent that the modular header 10 unit may include more than two header units 10 u. Each header unit 10u is of identical construction and includes a male mating end 5 at one end and a female mating end 7 at the other end. Two adjacent collector tube units 10u are connected end to end, and the sealing member 6 is arranged between the two adjacent collector tube units 10u, so that the connection between more than two collector tube units 10u is realized.

The connection structure 4 of the header unit 10u according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

FIG. 3 shows the female mating end 7 of a header unit 10u according to the invention in top and perspective view. FIG. 4 shows the male mating end 5 of the header unit 10u according to the present invention in plan and perspective views.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, as shown in fig. 3, the female mating end 7 includes a cavity 75 for receiving the male mating end 5. The chamber 75 has a lateral opening 70 on one side. The lateral opening 70 is advantageously provided at one short side of the female mating end 7. The male mating end 5 can be inserted into the cavity 75 through the lateral opening 70 in the insertion direction and locked inside the cavity 75, for example in a snap-fit manner.

To lock the male mating end 5 inside the cavity 75, the female mating end 7 may comprise a resilient tongue 71 with a protrusion 72. The resilient tongues 71 are for example two resilient tongues 71 in the form of a cantilever structure arranged at the upper and lower long sides of the female mating end 7, respectively. The protrusion 72 of the resilient tongue 71 protrudes into the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7 to form a resilient catch. Preferably, the resilient tongue 71 is located close to the lateral opening 70 of the female mating end 7 and further away from the other short side where the lateral opening 70 is not formed.

Correspondingly, as shown in fig. 4, in an exemplary embodiment according to the invention, the male mating end 5 may comprise a locking groove 52 cooperating with the protruding portion 72 of said resilient tongue 71. The locking grooves 52 are provided, for example, at the upper and lower long sides of the male mating end 5, respectively. By receiving the protrusion 72 in the locking slot 52, the male mating end 5 can be locked inside the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7 in the insertion direction.

Preferably, a guiding mechanism may also be provided for the insertion action of the male 5 to female 7 mating ends. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the male mating end 5 may comprise a guiding groove 53 extending parallel to said insertion direction and the female mating end 7 may comprise a guiding rib 73 cooperating with said guiding groove 53, also extending parallel to said insertion direction. The guide grooves 53 are provided, for example, at the upper and lower long sides of the male mating end 5, respectively, and the guide ribs 73 are provided, for example, at the upper and lower long sides of the female mating end 7, respectively.

Preferably, the guiding groove 53 and the locking groove 52 of the male mating end 5 are aligned in said insertion direction, and the guiding rib 73 and the protruding part 72 of the resilient tongue 71 of the female mating end 7 are aligned in said insertion direction. Thus, at the beginning of the insertion process, the protrusion 72 of the resilient tongue 71 of the female mating end 7 first slides along the guiding groove 53 of the male mating end 5 to guide the insertion of the male mating end 5. As the male mating end 5 is inserted further into the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7, the guide ribs 73 of the female mating end 7 engage the guide grooves 53 of the male mating end 5, continuing to guide the insertion of the male mating end 5 until the final locked state is reached.

In addition to serving as a guide for the insertion process, the engagement of the guide ribs 73 of the female mating end 7 with the guide grooves 53 of the male mating end 5 also enables the female mating end 7 and the male mating end 5 to be locked in the longitudinal direction of the header unit 10u, i.e., prevents the male mating end 5 from coming out of the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

The connection structure 4 of the modular header 10 may also include a sealing member 6, the sealing member 6 being configured to be compressed between the male mating end 5 and the female mating end 7.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connection structure 4 further comprises a sealing member 6, the sealing member 6 being configured to be compressed between the longitudinal end surface 54 of the male mating end 5 and the receiving surface 74 of the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7. However, the sealing member 6 according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described placement, and it is contemplated to provide the sealing member 6 at other locations between the male and female mating ends 5, 7, such as providing corresponding grooves at other opposing surfaces of the male and female mating ends 5, 7 to accommodate the sealing member 6.

Preferably, the longitudinal end surface 54 of the male mating end 5 extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the male mating end 5, and the receiving surface 74 of the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7 also extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the male mating end 5. The sealing member 6 is configured to be compressed between the longitudinal end surface 54 of the male mating end 5 and the receiving surface 74 of the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7. The insertion process of the male mating end 5 requires a certain amount of force to be applied by the operator as the sealing member 6 is mounted between the male mating end 5 and the female mating end 7 in an interference fit. The angled configuration of the longitudinal end surface 54 of the male mating end 5 and the receiving surface 74 of the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7 may allow for a reduction in the force required to insert the male mating end 5 into the female mating end 7.

Fig. 5 shows in cross-section the male 5 and female 7 mating ends in the final locked state.

The protrusion 72 of the spring tongue 71 of the female mating end 7 may include a stop surface 72b and a ramp surface 72 a. The stop surface 72b extends in a direction perpendicular to the long side of the female mating end 7. Alternatively, the projection 72 of the spring tongue 71 may comprise a transition surface between the stop surface 72b and the inclined surface 72a extending parallel to the direction of the long side of the female mating end 7.

The locking slot 52 of the male mating end 5 may include a mating stop surface 52b that extends in a direction perpendicular to the long sides of the male mating end 5. The male mating end 5 includes a mating ramp 53a at an end of the guide groove 53 adjacent the locking groove 52. Alternatively, the male mating end 5 may comprise a transition section between the mating slope 53a of the guiding groove 53 and the mating stop surface 52b of the locking groove 52 that is flush with the upper surface of the male mating end 5. In the sectional view of fig. 5, the fitting slope 53a of the guide groove 53, the transition section, and the fitting stop surface 52b of the locking groove 52 take the shape of a partial protrusion.

During insertion of the male mating end 5 into the female mating end 7, the projections 72 of the resilient tongue 71 slide along the guiding grooves 53 of the male mating end 5 until the inclined surfaces 72a of the projections 72 of the resilient tongue 71 engage the mating inclined surfaces 53a of the guiding grooves 53. As the male mating end 5 continues to be inserted, the resilient tongue 71 will flex from its initial position and bend in a direction opposite the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7. The inclined surface 72a of the convex portion 72 of the resilient tongue piece 71 is in sliding contact with the mating inclined surface 53a of the guide groove 53, and then the transition surface of the convex portion 72 of the resilient tongue piece 71 is in sliding contact with the transition section of the male mating end 5 until the local protrusion formed by the mating inclined surface 53a of the guide groove 53, the transition section, and the mating stop surface 52b of the locking groove 52 moves past the convex portion 72 of the resilient tongue piece 71 in the insertion direction. The resilient tongue piece 71 is restored to its original position, and the convex portion 72 of the resilient tongue piece 71 is received in the locking groove 52. At this point, the male and female mating ends 5, 7 reach a final locked state. The stop surfaces 72b of the projections 72 of the spring tongue 71 abut the mating stop surfaces 52b of the locking grooves 52, thereby preventing the male mating end 5 from coming out of the cavity 75 of the female mating end 7 in a direction opposite to the insertion direction.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention, presented in connection with the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular header (10), characterized in that said modular header (10) comprises at least two header units (10u), the liquid collecting pipe units (10u) are mutually connected through a connecting structure (4), the connecting structure (4) comprises a male matching end (5) and a female matching end (7) which are respectively positioned at two ends of the liquid collecting pipe units (10u), wherein the collector unit (10u), the male mating end (5) and the female mating end (7) have a cross-section in the form of a flat, and wherein the female mating end (7) comprises a cavity (75) for receiving the male mating end (5), the cavity (75) has a lateral opening (70), the male mating end (5) being insertable into the cavity (75) through the lateral opening (70) in an insertion direction and locked inside the cavity (75) by a snap fit.

2. The modular header (10) of claim 1, wherein said female mating end (7) includes a resilient tongue (71) having a protrusion (72), said male mating end (5) including a locking slot (52) that mates with said resilient tongue (71), said protrusion (72) being received in said locking slot (52) to lock said male mating end (5) within a cavity (75) of said female mating end (7) in said insertion direction.

3. The modular header (10) of claim 2, wherein the male portion (72) of the resilient tongue (71) includes a stop surface (72b), the locking groove (52) having a mating stop surface (52b), the stop surface (72b) abutting the mating stop surface (52b) of the locking groove (52) to lock the male mating end (5) within the cavity (75) of the female mating end (7) in the direction of insertion. .

4. The modular header (10) of claim 2, wherein said male mating end (5) includes a guide groove (53) extending parallel to said insertion direction and said female mating end (7) includes a guide rib (73) cooperating with said guide groove (53).

5. The modular header (10) of claim 4, wherein the guide groove (53) and the locking slot (52) of the male mating end (5) are aligned along the insertion direction, and the guide rib (73) of the female mating end (7) and the protrusion (72) of the resilient tongue (71) are aligned along the insertion direction.

6. The modular header (10) of claim 5 wherein said protrusion (72) of said spring tongue (71) includes a ramp surface (72a) and said male mating end (5) includes a mating ramp surface (53a) at one end of said guide groove (53), said ramp surface (72a) and said mating ramp surface (53a) being in sliding contact.

7. The modular drip tube (10) of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said connection structure (4) further comprises a sealing member (6), said sealing member (6) being configured to be compressed between said male mating end (5) and said female mating end (7).

8. The modular header (10) of claim 7, wherein the longitudinal end surface (54) of said male mating end (5) extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of said male mating end (5), the receiving surface (74) of the cavity (75) of said female mating end (7) also extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of said male mating end (5), said sealing member (6) being configured to be compressed between the longitudinal end surface (54) of said male mating end (5) and the receiving surface (74) of the cavity (75) of said female mating end (7).

9. A battery cooler comprising a liquid inlet pipe (1), a liquid outlet pipe (2) and a cooling line (3) connected between the liquid inlet pipe (1) and the liquid outlet pipe (2), wherein the liquid inlet pipe (1) and the liquid outlet pipe (2) are modular liquid collection pipes (10) according to any of the preceding claims.