TWM575923U - Battery module and power battery - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery module and a power battery, the battery module including a plurality of battery units, the battery module further comprising: a first end plate and a second end plate, the first end plate and the second end The plate is integrated with a three-way passage, the three-way passage of the first end plate and the second end plate defines an inlet pipe/outlet pipe and two branch ports; and a first side plate and a second side plate, the first side plate and the first side plate The two side panels comprise a harmonica tube cooling plate, wherein the two ends of the harmonical tube cooling plate of the first side plate and the second side plate are respectively connected to the two branch paths of the three-way channel of the first end plate and the second end plate Forming a cooling fluid flow path around the plurality of battery cells. The battery module and the power battery are characterized by high integration, high heat exchange efficiency and convenient assembly.

Description

Battery module and power battery

The present invention relates to the field of automotive power battery technology, and more particularly, to a battery module and a power battery.

Power batteries require thermal management measures such as heating and cooling to ensure battery life and safety characteristics due to their high power characteristics and high and low temperature requirements. Traditional power battery modules are difficult to integrate with cooling systems due to their complicated assembly.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve or at least alleviate the problems existing in the prior art; the purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery module and a power battery with high integration, high heat exchange efficiency and convenient assembly.

In one aspect, a battery module is provided, the battery module including a plurality of battery units, the battery module further comprising: a first end plate and a second end plate, the first end plate and the second end plate Integrated with a three-way passage, the three-way passage of the first end plate and the second end plate defines an inlet duct/outlet duct and two branch turns; and a first side plate and a second side plate, the first side plate and the second side The side panel includes a harmonica tube cooling plate, wherein the two ends of the harmonical tube cooling plate of the first side plate and the second side plate are respectively connected to the two branches of the three-way channel of the first end plate and the second end plate, To form a cooling fluid flow path around the plurality of battery cells.

Optionally, in the battery module, the branch pipe of the first side plate and the second side plate and the branch of the three-way channel of the first end plate and the second end plate respectively Connect via the quick plug interface.

Optionally, in the battery module, the first end plate and the second end plate comprise an end plate body formed of plastic, the end plate body is formed with a mesh opening, and the three-way A pipe is formed in the end plate body.

Optionally, in the battery module, the first end plate and the second end plate include an equipotential insert attached to the end plate body, the equipotential insert having a flange A longitudinal bolt hole is defined with the first end plate and the second end plate to receive an equipotential bonding bolt.

Optionally, in the battery module, the first end plate and the second end plate further include a notch to receive the terminal of the battery module.

Optionally, in the battery module, the first side plate and the second side plate further include a metal frame, and the equipotential inserts on the first end plate and the second end plate respectively and the first The metal frame of the side panel and the second side panel are connected.

Optionally, in the battery module, the metal frame of the first side plate and the second side plate has a middle opening, and the first side plate and the second side plate further comprise an elastic card, and the elastic card has a The supporting claw of the harmonic tube cooling plate cooperates, the supporting claw engages with the harmonic tube cooling plate through the central opening, and urges the harmonic tube cooling plate to be engaged with the plurality of battery units.

Optionally, in the battery module, the battery module further includes a top plate, the top plate includes a top plate body made of an insulating material, the top plate body and the metal of the first side plate and the second side plate Frame connection.

Optionally, in the battery module, the top board and the sampling board are integrated on the top board.

In another aspect, a power battery is provided that includes a plurality of battery modules in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

It is to be understood that, in accordance with the technical solutions of the present invention, those skilled in the art can propose various structural forms and implementations that are interchangeable without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description and the drawings are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting or limiting the invention.

The orientations of the top, bottom, left, right, front, back, front, back, top, bottom, etc. mentioned or possibly mentioned in this specification are defined with respect to the configurations shown in the respective drawings, they are Relative concepts, so it is possible to change accordingly according to their different locations and different usage states. Therefore, these or other orientation terms should not be interpreted as restrictive terms.

Referring first to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a battery module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells 21. As can be seen in Fig. 3, the battery unit 21 is a flat rectangular battery unit in which a plurality of battery units are arranged side by side, and their electrode sides are all facing upward. In alternative embodiments, the battery cells can have other suitable shapes and can be arranged in other ways. In addition, the battery module further includes: a first end plate 11 and a second end plate 12, a first side plate and a second side plate, and an optional top plate 15. The first side panel and the second side panel are integrated with the harmonica tube cooling plates 16, 17. The two ends of the harmonica tube cooling plates 16, 17 of the first side plate and the second side plate are respectively connected with the three-way passages of the first end plate 11 and the second end plate 12 to form a cooling fluid flow path around the plurality of battery cells .

The detailed structure of the embodiment of the first end plate 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, and the second end plate 12 may have the same or similar structure. The first end plate 11 has an end plate body 118 that is injection molded, and the end plate body 118 can be formed with a meshed opening to facilitate heat dissipation. A three-way passage is integrated into the end plate body 118 during injection molding. The three-way channel includes an inlet/outlet conduit and two branch conduits. The inlet duct 116 and the two quick-release female joints 111, 112 are respectively mounted to the three turns of the three-way passage to form a three-way flow path for the cooling fluid. The upper portion of the end plate body 118 can have a notch to accommodate the first terminal 114 and the second terminal 115. In the illustrated embodiment, the first terminal 114 and the second terminal 115 have raised features for insertion into recessed features in the respective indentations To be fixed to the upper portion of the end plate body 118. At least one of the first terminal 114 and the second terminal 115 is electrically coupled to a battery unit in the battery module adjacent to the end plate to serve as an electrical output terminal of the battery module. In some embodiments, the four corners of the end plate body 118 can have through holes 1132, such as hexagonal through holes, for receiving corresponding protrusions 1131 on the equipotential insert 119 that define the mounting holes. In some embodiments, the end plate body 118 also defines at least one set of longitudinal locating holes 1172 that mate with mounting holes 1171 on the flanges of the equipotential insert 119. In some embodiments, the first end plate 11 can also have an equipotential insert 119 of electrically conductive material attached to the outer side surface of the end plate body 118. In the illustrated embodiment, the equipotential insert 119 has an I-shape with four corners having protrusions 1131, and the protrusions 1131 are hexagonal to fit to the hexagonal through holes 1132 at the four corners of the end plate body 118. 1131 defines the mounting hole at the same time. The equipotential insert 119 can also have a flange having a mounting hole 1171 corresponding to the longitudinal mounting hole 1172 of the end plate body 118. As shown in FIG. 2, the equipotential bonding bolt 3 passes through the mounting hole 1171 and the longitudinal mounting hole 1172 and is connected to the battery case (not shown), so that the battery module is fixed to the battery case and due to the battery case The body is electrically conductive, thus achieving equipotential bonding between the individual battery module housings.

In some embodiments, the first side panel and the second side panel each include a harmonica tube cooling plate 16, 17 and metal frames 13, 14 respectively. Figure 6 shows the harmonica tube cooling plate 17 of the second side panel. The harmonica tube cooling plate 17 includes quick-release male connectors 171, 172 at both ends, a confluence chamber 174, 175, and a harmonica duct portion 173. The harmonica duct portion 173 includes a plurality of side-by-side cooling ducts. Cooling fluid may, for example, enter the confluence chamber 174 from the interface 172 and be dispersed into a plurality of side-by-side cooling ducts, then converge at the confluence chamber 175 and exit the interface 171. Although not shown, the harmonica tube cooling plate 16 of the first side panel may have the same or similar structure. Referring again to Figures 7 and 8, which show the front and back views of the metal frame 13 of the first side panel, respectively, it should be understood that the metal frame 14 of the second side panel may have the same or similar structure. The metal frame 13 has a central opening 133 to facilitate heat dissipation. The metal frame 13 can also have side flanges 1311 with mounting holes 131 therein. The metal frame 13 can be coupled to the first end plate and the second end plate by means of the mounting holes 131. The metal frame 13 can also have a top flange 1321 with a two-folded flange with mounting holes 132 thereon. The metal frame 13 can be coupled to the top plate 15 by means of the mounting holes 132. In addition, the metal frame 13 may also have a bottom flange 135 for supporting the battery unit 21 from the bottom. One or more elastic cards 134 are attached to the metal frame 13, for example by welding the two ends 1341, 1342 thereof to the metal frame 13. The elastic card 134 has a punched support claw 1343. After assembly, the support claw 1343 engages with the harmonic tube cooling plate and causes the harmonic tube cooling plate to conform to the side walls of the plurality of battery cells.

Referring next to Figure 9, an exploded view of the top plate 15 is shown. The top plate 15 may have a top plate body 150 made of an insulating material such as plastic. In this embodiment, the top plate body 150 can be roughly divided into three rows, two side rows 152, 153 for arranging the bus bars, and an intermediate row 157 for arranging the sampling plates. Two rows of bus bars 154, 156 are respectively disposed in the rows on both sides and are connected to the corresponding battery cells through the openings of the top plate body 150. In this embodiment, each battery unit is connected in series, and two ends 1561 and 1562 of one row of bus bars 156 are respectively connected with corresponding terminals of the first end plate and the second end plate for electrical output of the battery module. In an alternative embodiment, the bus bars may be arranged in other ways, such as by connecting the battery cells in parallel, in which case both terminals of the first end plate and/or the second end plate will function. In addition, the sampling plate 155 is disposed in the middle row 157, and the sampling line 1551 is connected between the respective bus bars and the sampling plate to collect information such as voltage and/or temperature of the battery cells.

Referring again to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, a battery module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be assembled as follows. The first end plate 11 and the second end plate 12 are connected to the first side plate and the second side plate mouth tube cooling plates 16, 17 through a quick connector. The first end plate 11 and the second end plate 12 are then joined to the metal frames 13, 14 of the first side plate and the second side plate by bolts or welding. The metal frames 13, 14 of the first side plate and the second side plate are connected to the bolt holes 151 of the top plate 15 by bolts. The bus bars on the top plate 15 are connected to the electrodes of the respective battery cells 21 by bolts or welding. The sampling board is connected to the busbar through a sampling line.

Referring again to Figure 10, there is shown a path of cooling fluid in a battery module in accordance with an embodiment. The cooling fluid enters through the inlet conduit 116 of the first end plate 11, passes through the three-way passage to the harmonic tube cooling plates 16, 17, and converges at the second end plate 12, exiting the outlet conduit 126.

The characteristics of the battery module of the present invention include but are not limited to: integrating the harmonica tube in the module, and the integration degree is high; the harmonica tube is arranged on both sides of the module to improve the heat exchange area and uniform heat transfer direction; Improve the assembly efficiency; The side panel is equipped with an elastic card design, which can make the cold plate closely fit the heat exchange surface of the battery and ensure the compression of the thermal pad; the plastic end plate is embedded with equipotential metal strips; the end plate, the side plate and the bottom are adopted Open ventilation design for easy heat dissipation.

The specific embodiments described above are only intended to more clearly describe the principles of the present invention, in which the various components are embodied to make the principles of the present invention easier to understand. Various modifications of the present invention can be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the above specific embodiments.

11‧‧‧First end plate

111‧‧‧ fast plug female connector

112‧‧‧ fast plug female connector

1131‧‧‧ bumps

1132‧‧‧through hole

114‧‧‧First terminal

115‧‧‧second terminal

116‧‧‧Inlet Pipeline

1171‧‧‧ mounting holes

1172‧‧‧Longitudinal positioning holes

118‧‧‧End plate body

119‧‧‧ equipotential inserts

12‧‧‧ second end plate

126‧‧‧Export Pipeline

13‧‧‧Metal frame

131‧‧‧Installation holes

132‧‧‧Installation holes

133‧‧‧Central opening

1311‧‧‧(two) side flapping

1321‧‧‧Top Flanging

134‧‧‧Flexible card

1341, 1342‧‧ (two) end

1343‧‧‧Supporting claws

135‧‧‧Bottom cuff

14‧‧‧Metal frame

15‧‧‧ top board

150‧‧‧ top body

151‧‧‧Bolt holes

152, 153‧‧ (two) side rows

154‧‧‧ Busbar

155‧‧‧Sampling board

1551‧‧‧Sampling line

156‧‧‧ Busbar

1561, 1562‧‧ (two) end

157‧‧‧ middle row

16‧‧‧harmonic tube cooling plate

17‧‧‧harmonic tube cooling plate

171‧‧‧Insert male connector, interface

172‧‧‧ fast plug male connector

173‧‧‧Harmonica pipe section

174‧‧ ‧ confluence chamber

175‧‧‧ confluence chamber

21‧‧‧ battery unit

3‧‧‧ equipotential bonding bolt

The above and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings, in which: FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate perspective views of different perspectives of a battery module according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 shows a battery according to an embodiment. 4 is a perspective view of the end plate; FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the end plate; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the side plate of the harmonica tube cooling plate; FIGS. 7 and 8 show the side plate A perspective view of a different perspective of the metal frame; FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of the top plate; and FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of a cooling fluid path of the battery module according to an embodiment.

Claims (10)

A battery module includes a plurality of battery units, wherein the battery module further includes: a first end plate and a second end plate, wherein the first end plate and the second end plate are integrated with a three-way channel a three-way passage of the first end plate and the second end plate defining an inlet duct/outlet duct and two branch turns; and a first side panel and a second side panel, the first side panel and the second side panel including a harmonica tube cooling plate The two ends of the harmonical tube cooling plate of the first side plate and the second side plate are respectively connected to the two branch ports of the three-way channel of the first end plate and the second end plate to form a surrounding of the plurality of battery cells Cooling fluid flow path. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the branch pipe cooling plates of the first side plate and the second side plate respectively pass the quick insertion of the branch path of the three-way passage of the first end plate and the second end plate Interface connection. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the first end plate and the second end plate have an end plate body formed of plastic, the end plate body is formed with a mesh opening, and the three-way passage is formed at In the end plate body. The battery module of claim 3, wherein the first end plate and the second end plate comprise an equipotential insert attached to the end plate body, the equipotential insert having a flange to The end plate and the second end plate together define a longitudinal bolt hole to receive the equipotential bonding bolt. The battery module of claim 3, wherein the first end plate and the second end plate further include a notch to receive a terminal of the battery module. The battery module of claim 3, wherein the first side panel and the second side panel further comprise a metal frame, the equipotential inserts on the first end panel and the second end panel are respectively associated with the first side panel and the first side panel The metal frame connection of the two side panels. The battery module of claim 6, wherein the metal frame of the first side panel and the second side panel has a central opening, the first side panel and the second side panel further comprising an elastic card, the elastic card having a supporting claw, the supporting The claw engages the cooling tube of the harmonic tube through the central opening and urges the cooling tube of the harmonic tube to fit the plurality of battery cells. The battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the battery module further comprises a top plate, the top plate comprising a top plate body made of an insulating material, the top plate body and the first side plate and the second side plate Metal frame connection. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein the top plate and the sampling plate are integrated on the top plate. A power battery, comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.