DE102022003614A1 - Carrier plate with heat exchanger and high-voltage battery with carrier plate - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a carrier plate (10) for a high-voltage battery (100) of an electrically operated vehicle, with a plate body (11), wherein the plate body (11) comprises a heat exchanger (12) which is designed to cool at least one battery cell (40) of the high-voltage battery (100) and/or at least one electronic component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of the high-voltage battery (100). The heat exchanger (12) has at least a first heat transfer zone (14) and a second heat transfer zone (16) spatially separated therefrom, wherein during normal operation one of the two heat transfer zones (14, 16) has a lower heat transfer rate than the other of the two heat transfer zones (14, 16).The invention further relates to a high-voltage battery (100) for an electrically operated vehicle with a carrier plate (10).

Description

The invention relates to a carrier plate for a high-voltage battery of an electrically operated vehicle with a heat exchanger and a high-voltage battery with a carrier plate.

Currently, power electronics in electrically powered vehicles is primarily dominated by limitations that lead to the development of smaller components that handle more power and fit into smaller packages. This leads to a higher power density of the electronic components. Higher performance in smaller packages means higher amounts of energy per unit of time that have to be transferred to and from the batteries by the components.

Higher junction temperature of semiconductors in electronic components results in larger temperature gradients that affect other components that may not tolerate higher temperatures. At the module level, these can be bonded interface materials, thermal pastes, etc. At the inverter level, these can be, for example, intermediate circuit capacitors and printed circuit boards.

Typically, different heat exchangers are used to cool low- and high-power electronic components. This is due to the required heat transfer rate and the temperatures involved. This also prevents high-power components with high heat generation from heating up low-power components through the heat exchanger or cooling medium. Thus, electronic components such as a DC charger, an AC charger, a DC/DC converter and a power distribution unit are typically thermally operated separately with direct or indirect cooling means.

The DE 10 2007 022 517 A1 discloses a heat exchanger for cooling an electronic assembly. The direction of flow of a cooling medium along the surface of the heat exchanger to be cooled is controlled by a distribution unit. The pressure loss within the heat exchanger is reduced by the neighboring cells of the distribution unit each having the same inlet opening and/or outlet opening for the cooling medium.

One object of the invention is to create an improved carrier plate for a high-voltage battery of an electrically operated vehicle with a heat exchanger.

Another task is to create a high-voltage battery with such a carrier plate.

The aforementioned tasks are solved with the features of the independent claims.

Favorable refinements and advantages of the invention result from the further claims, the description and the drawing.

According to one aspect of the invention, a carrier plate for a high-voltage battery of an electrically operated vehicle is proposed, with a plate body, the plate body comprising a heat exchanger which is designed to cool at least one battery cell of the high-voltage battery and/or at least one electronic component of the high-voltage battery. The heat exchanger has at least a first heat transfer zone and a second heat transfer zone spatially separated therefrom, with one of the two heat transfer zones having a lower heat transfer rate than the other of the two heat transfer zones during normal operation.

Various variables are included in the heat transfer rate of the heat exchanger. The local heat transfer rate of a heat exchanger is defined as the energy that can be removed per unit of time and per unit of area. The Nusselt number, which represents the ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer at an interface in a liquid, also plays a role in the heat transfer rate of a heat exchanger. Convection includes both advection and diffusion. In the wall of the heat exchanger, the thermal conductivity, measured in watts/meter/K, is important. The thermal conductivity is the rate of heat transfer through a certain material, expressed as the amount of heat per unit of time through a unit of area with a temperature gradient of one degree per unit of distance.

The proposed carrier plate serves as a mounting plate for at least some of the battery cells and the electronic components of the high-voltage battery. The carrier plate comprises a plate body which includes a heat exchanger with at least two heat transfer zones that have different heat transfer rates. The heat exchanger is thus adapted to the components to be cooled in terms of flow and cooling performance. The first heat transfer zone can be designed, for example, for electronic components with low electrical power and the second heat transfer zone can be designed for electronic Components can be designed with high electrical power.

This advantageously results in a higher integration density for electronic components. Furthermore, a high power density can be achieved, which results in space advantages.

This allows power electronics modules to be operated at high power levels or, conversely, to have smaller footprints. This enables a reduction in the size and weight of a power electronics module, which can advantageously lead to lower costs. This also results in improved efficiency and reliability of the power electronics under higher operating conditions. For example, smaller inverters can deliver the same electrical power to the motor. This can advantageously result in an increased service life of the power electronic components.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, the plate body can be designed as a heat exchanger. The carrier plate can itself be designed as a heat exchanger. This results in advantages in terms of the installation space as well as the heat dissipation of the electronic components and/or battery cells arranged thereon.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, the heat exchanger can have at least one cooling channel for the flow of a cooling medium, wherein the at least one cooling channel is arranged in a meandering shape in the heat exchanger. By arranging the cooling channel in loops, the heat dissipation of electronic components arranged on the carrier plate can be designed favorably and even adapted to the electronic components.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, the at least one cooling channel in the heat transfer zone with the lower heat transfer rate can have a lower density of meander loops than in the other heat transfer zone. By arranging the meander structure of the cooling channel, the heat transfer rate of electronic components arranged on the carrier plate into the cooling medium can be favorably influenced and thus adapted to the electronic components.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, the cooling channel can be designed in the heat transfer zone with the lower heat transfer rate for the cooling medium to flow through with a high vortex strength. The first heat transfer zone can be designed so favorably in order to increase the vortex strength of the cooling medium for good heat dissipation.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, the cooling channel in the heat transfer zone with the higher heat transfer rate can have cooling fins. The second heat transfer zone can thus be designed for high heat dissipation by arranging cooling fins for a higher surface contact. This results in a uniformly cooled surface which has the lowest possible temperature gradients.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, the heat transfer rates of the first and second heat transfer zones can be adapted to the at least one electronic component and/or at least one battery cell to be cooled arranged thereon. The vehicle can thus be operated under advantageous energetic conditions by dissipating the heat generated in the electronic components and/or the battery cells as cheaply as possible.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the carrier plate, plug connectors for electrically contacting the at least one battery cell and/or at least one electronic component can be arranged in an area immediately adjacent to the heat exchanger. The arrangement of connectors integrated into the carrier plate as close as possible to the heat exchanger also promotes the thermal management of the high-voltage battery and a high integration density.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a high-voltage battery for an electrically operated vehicle with a carrier plate is proposed, at least comprising a plurality of battery cells and electronic components. The carrier plate has a plate body which includes a heat exchanger and is in particular designed as a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is designed to cool at least one battery cell of the high-voltage battery and/or at least one electronic component of the high-voltage battery. The heat exchanger has at least a first heat transfer zone and a second heat transfer zone spatially separated therefrom, with one of the two heat transfer zones having a lower heat transfer rate than the other of the two heat transfer zones during normal operation.

The proposed high-voltage battery comprises a carrier plate which serves as a mounting plate for at least some of the battery cells and the electronic components of the high-voltage battery The carrier plate comprises a plate body which comprises a heat exchanger with at least two heat transfer zones which have different heat transfer rates. The heat exchanger is thus adapted to the components to be cooled in terms of flow and cooling performance. The first heat transfer zone can be designed for electronic components with low electrical power, for example, and the second heat transfer zone can be designed for electronic components with high electrical power.

This advantageously results in a higher integration density for electronic components of the high-voltage battery.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the high-voltage battery, one of the at least one electronic component of the high-voltage battery with a lower electrical power loss can be arranged in the heat transfer zone with the lower heat transfer rate. The electronic components and/or battery cells can advantageously be arranged on the carrier plate with the heat exchanger in such a way that they can be cooled as cheaply as possible. Components with high electrical powers can thus be arranged in a heat transfer zone with a high heat transfer rate and components with low electrical powers in a heat transfer zone with a low heat transfer rate.

Further advantages emerge from the following description of the drawings. The drawings show an embodiment of the invention. The drawings, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will also expediently consider the features individually and combine them into further useful combinations.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer Hochvoltbatterie für ein elektrisch betreibbares Fahrzeug mit einer Trägerplatte nach einem Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung; und
• 2 eine Trägerplatte für eine Hochvoltbatterie eines elektrisch betreibbaren Fahrzeugs nach einem Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung.

Showing:

• 1 a schematic representation of a high-voltage battery for an electrically operated vehicle with a carrier plate according to an embodiment of the invention; and
• 2 a carrier plate for a high-voltage battery of an electrically operated vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

In the figures, identical or similar components are numbered with identical reference symbols. The figures show only examples and are not to be understood as limiting.

1 shows a schematic representation of a high-voltage battery 100 for an electrically operated vehicle with a carrier plate 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The high-voltage battery 100 includes a plurality of battery cells 40, shown as a block, and a number of electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, such as a power distribution unit 30, E/E components 32 of the high-voltage battery 100, a DC-DC converter 34, an AC charger 36, and a DC charger 38.

The battery cells 40 and the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 are arranged on a carrier plate 10.

The carrier plate 10 has a plate body 11 which includes a heat exchanger 12. The plate body 11 with the heat exchanger 12 is designed so that it can accommodate the battery cells 40 and the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38. The plate body 11 itself can be designed as a heat exchanger 12 particularly advantageously. The heat exchanger 12 is designed specifically for cooling the battery cells 40 of the high-voltage battery 100 and the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 of the high-voltage battery 100 and has at least a first heat transfer zone 14 and a second heat transfer zone 16 spatially separated therefrom. During normal operation, one of the two heat transfer zones 14, 16 has a lower heat transfer rate than the other of the two heat transfer zones 14, 16.

The electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 of the high-voltage battery 100 are arranged on the carrier plate 10 such that electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 with a lower electrical power loss are arranged in the heat transfer zone 14, 16 with the lower heat transfer rate and electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 with a higher electrical power loss are arranged in the heat transfer zone 14, 16 with the higher heat transfer rate.

In 2 Such a carrier plate 10 for a high-voltage battery 100 of an electrically operated vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention is shown.

The plate body 11 of the carrier plate 10 comprises the heat exchanger 12, which is designed to cool the battery cells 40 of the high-voltage battery 100 and/or the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 of the high-voltage battery 100. The heat exchanger 12 can be connected directly to the plate body 11, or, particularly advantageously, the plate body 11 itself can be designed as a heat exchanger 12.

For this purpose, the plate body 11, as shown in 2 shown, have at least one cooling channel 18 for the flow of a cooling medium from an inlet 24 to an outlet 26. The at least one cooling channel 18 can be arranged in a meandering shape in the heat exchanger 12, i.e. arranged in winding loops in the plate body 11. By arranging the cooling channel 18 in loops, the heat dissipation from electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 arranged on the carrier plate 10 can be designed favorably and even adapted to the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38.

The heat exchanger 12 has a first heat transfer zone 14 and a spatially separated second heat transfer zone 16.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the first heat transfer zone 14 has a lower heat transfer rate than the second heat transfer zone 16, as can be seen from the lower density of meander loops 20 of the cooling channel 18 in the first heat transfer zone 14. Furthermore, the cooling channel 18 in the first heat transfer zone 14 has no cooling fins 22. As a result, the cooling channel 18 in the first heat transfer zone 14 is designed for the cooling medium to flow through with a high turbulence.

In the second heat transfer zone 16, however, the cooling channel 18 has cooling fins 22, whereby a high heat transfer rate can be achieved. The second heat transfer zone 16 can thus be designed for high heat dissipation by arranging cooling fins 22 for a higher surface contact. This results in a uniformly cooled surface which has the lowest possible temperature gradients.

The design of the carrier plate 10 with the heat exchanger 12 can thus be advantageous for effective thermal management and a low pressure drop of the cooling medium.

In this way, the heat transfer rates of the first and second heat transfer zones 12, 14 can be particularly advantageously adapted to the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and/or battery cells 40 arranged thereon that are to be cooled.

In an area 52 immediately adjacent to the heat exchanger 12, as in the exemplary embodiment in 2 shown, connectors 50 can be arranged for electrical contacting of the battery cells 40 and the electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38.

With the proposed carrier plate 10 with integrated heat exchanger 12, battery cells 40 and/or electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 can be cooled particularly effectively. Of course, it is also possible with the heat exchanger 12 to warm up the battery cells 40 and/or electronic components 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 particularly effectively to a suitable operating temperature using a suitably tempered fluid.

Reference symbol list

10

carrier plate

11

plate body

12

Heat exchanger

14

first heat transfer zone

16

second heat transfer zone

18

Cooling channel

20

Meander loop

22

Cooling fin

24

inlet

26

outlet

30

Power distribution unit

32

E/E

34

DC-DC converter

36

AC charger

38

DC charger

40

Battery cells

50

Connectors

52

Area

100

High voltage battery

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102007022517 A1 [0005]

Claims (10)

Carrier plate (10) for a high-voltage battery (100) of an electrically operated vehicle, with a plate body (11), wherein the plate body (11) comprises a heat exchanger (12) which is designed to cool at least one battery cell (40) of the high-voltage battery (100) and/or at least one electronic component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of the high-voltage battery (100), wherein the heat exchanger (12) has at least a first heat transfer zone (14) and a second heat transfer zone (16) spatially separated therefrom, wherein during normal operation one of the two heat transfer zones (14, 16) has a lower heat transfer rate than the other of the two heat transfer zones (14, 16). Carrier plate according to Claim 1 , wherein the plate body (11) is designed as a heat exchanger (12). carrier plate Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the heat exchanger (12) has at least one cooling channel (18) for the flow of a cooling medium, the at least one cooling channel (18) being arranged in a meandering shape in the heat exchanger (12). Carrier plate according to Claim 3 , wherein the at least one cooling channel (18) in the heat transfer zone (14) with the lower heat transfer rate has a lower density of meander loops (20) than in the other heat transfer zone (16). carrier plate Claim 3 or 4 , wherein the cooling channel (18) in the heat transfer zone (14) with the lower heat transfer rate is designed for the cooling medium to flow through with a high vortex strength. Carrier plate according to one of the Claims 3 until 5 , wherein the cooling channel (18) in the heat transfer zone (16) with the higher heat transfer rate has cooling fins (22). Carrier plate according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the heat transfer rates of the first and the second heat transfer zone (12, 14) are adapted to the at least one electronic component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) and/or at least one battery cell (40) arranged thereon to be cooled. Carrier plate according to one of the preceding claims, wherein connectors (50) for electrically contacting the at least one battery cell (40) and / or at least one electronic component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) in an area (52) immediately adjacent to the Heat exchanger (12) are arranged. High-voltage battery (100) for an electrically operated vehicle with a carrier plate (10) according to one of the preceding claims, at least comprising a plurality of battery cells (40) and electronic components (30, 32, 34, 36, 38), wherein the carrier plate (10) has a plate body (11) which comprises a heat exchanger (12), in particular wherein the plate body (11) is designed as a heat exchanger (12), wherein the heat exchanger (12) is designed to cool at least one battery cell (40) of the high-voltage battery (100) and/or at least one electronic component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of the high-voltage battery (100), wherein the heat exchanger (12) has at least a first heat transfer zone (14) and a second heat transfer zone (16) spatially separated therefrom, wherein when operated as intended, one of the two heat transfer zones (14, 16) has a lower heat transfer rate than the other of the two heat transfer zones ( 14, 16). High-voltage battery according to Claim 9 , wherein one of the at least one electronic component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of the high-voltage battery (100) with a lower electrical power loss is arranged in the heat transfer zone (14) with the lower heat transfer rate.

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