WO2022144657A1

WO2022144657A1 - Battery pack and vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2022144657A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/061674
Authority: WO
Inventors: Baofeng LV; Min Yang; Yi Zhao; Haiping Wu; Cuicui ZHANG
Original assignee: Psa Automobiles Sa
Priority date: 2020-12-31
Filing date: 2021-12-14
Publication date: 2022-07-07
Also published as: CN114696023A

Abstract

A battery pack is provided, which includes: a lower housing formed by a front bracket and a rear bracket extending in a width direction, and a pair of side brackets extending in a length direction enclosing the bottom of a housing; a venting channel extending in the length direction and being located inside the side bracket at a side of the lower housing; a cooling channel having an "L" shape formed by a first side extending in the length direction and a second side extending in the width direction, the first side being located inside the side bracket at another side of the lower housing in parallel with the venting channel, and the second side tightly contacting with the rear bracket; a battery unit formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction, of which both sides respectively tightly contact with the first side and the venting channel, a plurality of battery unit being arranged in the length direction so as to tightly contact with the front bracket and the second side; and a plurality of integrated channels each disposed between two adjacent rows of battery units in a direction parallel to the width direction and having a first end connected to the cooling channel and a second end connected to the venting channel. According to the battery pack of the present disclosure, high temperature gas inside the battery pack can be effectively released and the internal temperature of the battery pack can be effectively decreased.

Description

BATTERY PACK AND VEHICLE

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of vehicle batteries, in particular to a battery pack and a vehicle, and specifically to a battery pack and a vehicle including an integrated channel capable of performing cooling while performing smoke exhaust function.

BACKGROUND

With the continuous development of vehicle technology, people’s acceptance and demand for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are gradually increasing. A battery pack, as a power source of a vehicle, directly affects the operation performance of the vehicle. The temperature of the battery pack is an important factor affecting the operating performance and service life of the battery pack.

Since a motor of the vehicle has a very large power, the battery pack will generate a lot of heat, especially during the charging and discharging process. In order to prevent the battery pack from thermal runaway due to high temperature, a cooling system is usually installed inside the battery pack. A support beam and a cooling system are provided in the traditional battery pack. However, both the support beam and the cooling system will occupy big internal space of the battery pack. In addition, there is a risk of leakage of cooling liquid since the cooling system is mainly consisted of cooling plate and cooling pipes which place above or below cells.

In addition, when a large amount of heat is generated inside the battery pack, the cell or the battery unit consisted of multiple cells may emit smoke. The generated hot smoke is accumulated inside the battery pack and then is discharged to the outside of the battery pack through a venting valve of the battery pack. However, in some cases, the generated smoke cannot be successfully discharged to the outside through the venting valve, or the hot smoke cannot be completely discharged to the outside, which will cause the thermal runaway in a high/low voltage control system of the vehicle, thereby causing short circuits and thermal runaway warning failure.

SUMMARY

(1) Technical problems to be solved According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack is provided, in which a cooling system and a smoke guide system are integrated so as to solve the problems of thermal runaway and coolant leakage inside the battery pack.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, which includes a battery pack integrating a cooling system and a smoke guide system so as to solve the problems of thermal runaway and coolant leakage inside the battery pack.

(2) Technical solution

In order to solve at least above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a battery pack, including: a lower housing formed by a front bracket and a rear bracket extending in a width direction, and a pair of side brackets extending in a length direction enclosing the bottom of a housing; a venting channel extending in the length direction and being located inside the side bracket at a side of the lower housing; a cooling channel having an “L” shape formed by a first side extending in the length direction and a second side extending in the width direction, the first side being in parallel with the venting channel and being located inside the side bracket on another side of the lower housing, and the second side contacting tightly with the rear bracket; a battery unit formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction, the battery unit having both sides respectively contacting tightly with the first side and the venting channel and a plurality of battery unit being arranged in the length direction so as to contact with the front bracket and the second side; and a plurality of integrated channels each disposed between two adjacent rows of battery units in a direction parallel to the width direction and having a first end connected to the cooling channel and a second end connected to the venting channel.

In an embodiment, the integrated channel further includes: an exhaust portion extending from the first end to the second end in the width direction and communicating with the venting channel through the second end; a cooling portion separated from the exhaust portion, extending from the first end to the second end in the width direction, and communicating with the first side through the first end; and a partition disposed between the exhaust portion and the cooling portion to isolate the exhaust portion from the cooling portion.

In an embodiment, the exhaust portion contacts tightly with a rear-row battery unit in two adjacent rows of battery units and the cooling portion tightly contacts with a front-row battery unit in two adjacent rows of battery units.

In an embodiment, the exhaust portion has a contact portion protruding rearward in the length direction, and a plurality of holes are formed on the contact portion.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of holes corresponds to a cell venting valve of respective cell of the battery units.

In an embodiment, the cooling portion includes a plurality of drainage channels disposed in the width direction.

In an embodiment, the plurality of drainage channels are arranged from top to bottom.

In an embodiment, the partition is made of an aluminum plate.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of holes and the respective cell venting valve are connected by welding.

The present disclosure also provides a vehicle including the battery pack according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

(3) Beneficial effects

The present disclosure provides a battery pack, including: a lower housing formed by enclosing a front bracket and a rear bracket extending in a width direction, and a pair of side brackets extending in a length direction around the bottom of a housing; a venting channel extending in the length direction and being located inside the side bracket on a side of the lower housing; a cooling channel having an “L” shape formed by a first side extending in the length direction and a second side extending in the width direction, the first side being located inside the side bracket on another side of the lower housing in parallel with the venting channel, and the second side tightly contacting with the rear bracket; battery units formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction, of which both sides respectively tightly contact with the first side and the venting channel and arranging a plurality of battery unit in the length direction so as to tightly contact with the front bracket and the second side; and a plurality of integrated channels disposed between two adjacent rows of battery units respectively parallel to the width direction and having a first end connected to the cooling channel and a second end connected to the venting channel. By the battery pack according to the present disclosure, functions of guiding the release of high temperature gas and poisonous gas and cooling the battery pack can be simultaneously provided through the integrated channel, the internal temperature of the battery pack can be effectively reduced while high temperature gas is effectively prevented from spreading into a battery management system or other components inside the battery pack so as to avoid serious short circuit and thermal runaway warning failure. In addition, the integrated channel can also function as a support frame to save space while ensuring the mechanical strength of the battery pack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objectives, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be understood more clearly from the following detailed description in conjunction with accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a connection between an integrated channel and a venting channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a connection between an integrated channel and a cooling channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Reference Numerals:

10: lower housing; 11: front bracket; 12: rear bracket; 13: left bracket; 14: right bracket; 15: battery pack venting valve; 20: venting channel; 30: cooling channel; 31: first side; 32: second side; 40: battery unit; 50: integrated channel; 51: exhaust portion; 511: hole; 52: cooling portion; 521: drainage channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to illustrate the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The described embodiments are a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

With respect to the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner” “outer”, etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, the purpose of which is only to facilitate the description of the present disclosure and simplify the description, rather than to indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as a limitation of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, terms “first,” “second” and “third” are used for descriptive purpose only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an integrated channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the connection between an integrated channel and a venting channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the length direction and the width direction will be described according to the arrows in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present disclosure provides a battery pack. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery pack includes: a lower housing 10 formed by a front bracket 11 and a rear bracket 12 and a pair of side brackets enclosing the bottom of a housing, the front bracket 11 and the rear bracket 12 extend in a width direction, and the pair of side brackets, i.e., a left side bracket 13 and a right side bracket 14 extend in a length direction; a venting channel 20 extending in the length direction and being located inside the side bracket at a side of the lower housing 10; a cooling channel 30 having an “L” shape formed by a first side 31 extending in the length direction and a second side 32 extending in the width direction, the first side 31 being located inside the side bracket on another side of the lower housing 10 and being in parallel with the venting channel 20, and the second side 32 tightly contacting with the rear bracket 12; battery units 40 formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction, of which both sides respectively tightly contact with the first side 31 and the venting channel 20 and a plurality of battery unit 40 are arranged in the length direction so as to tightly contact with the front bracket 11 and the second side 32; and a plurality of integrated channels 50 each disposed between two adjacent rows of battery units 40 in a direction parallel to the width direction, of which each having a first end connected to the cooling channel 30 and a second end connected to the venting channel 20. Alternatively, the venting channel 20 is located inside the side bracket on the left side of the lower housing 10, and is connected to the battery pack venting valve 15 of the lower housing 10 to release smoke and other gases inside the venting channel 20 out of the battery pack. Preferably, an end of the venting channel 20 is connected to the front bracket 11 of the lower housing 10, and another end is connected to the rear bracket 12 of the lower housing 10, and a battery pack venting valve 15 is provided on the rear bracket 12.

Further, the cooling channel 30 is formed by a first side 31 and a second side 32 that are perpendicular to each other. That is, the cooling channel 30 is formed in an “L” shape, the first side 31 is parallel to the venting channel 20 and the side brackets of the lower housing 10 and are located inside the right bracket 14 of the lower housing 10; and the second side 32 tightly contacts with the rear bracket 12 of the lower housing 10. A water inlet port is formed on the cooling channel 30 so that the coolant can flow into the cooling channel 30.

In this case, the interior of the lower housing 10 is divided into two areas by the cooling channel 30, the first area may be surrounded by the front bracket 11, the venting channel 20, the first side 31 and the second side 32; and the second area may be surrounded the front bracket 11, the rear bracket 12, the right side bracket 14 and the first side 31.

Further, a plurality of rows of battery units 40 are provided in the first area. The battery unit 40 is formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction of the battery pack, and the left side surface of the battery unit 40, that is, the left side surface of the leftmost cell forming the battery unit 40 may tightly contact with the venting channel 20; the right side surface of the battery unit 40, that is, the right side surface of the rightmost cell forming the battery unit 40 can tightly contact with the cooling channel 30.

A plurality of battery units 40 are then arranged in the length direction of the battery pack. In this case, the front surface of the front-row battery unit 40 may tightly contact with the front bracket 11, and the rear surface of the last-row battery unit 40 may tightly contact with the second side 32 of the cooling channel 30.

Control systems such as a battery management unit and a junction box may be disposed in the second area. These control systems are spaced from the plurality of battery units 40 by the first side 31, so that when coolant flows into the cooling channel 30, high temperature can be effectively prevented from spreading to the second area, so that the control system can be avoided to be affected by high temperature.

Further, each of a plurality of integrated channels 50 is in parallel to the width direction of the lower housing 10 and disposed between the adjacent battery units 40 in front and rear direction, and a first end, that is, the left end of the integrated channel 50, is connected to the cooling channel 30 and a second end, that is, the right end of the integrated channel 50 is connected to the venting channel 20.

Alternatively, the integrated channel 50 includes an exhaust portion 51 and a cooling portion 52. The exhaust portion 51 extends from the first end to the second end in the width direction of the battery pack, and communicates with the venting channel 20 through the second end; and the cooling portion 52 is separated from the exhaust portion 51, and extends from the first end to the second end in the width direction of the battery pack, and communicate with the first side 31 of the cooling channel 30 through the first end. That is, when the coolant flows into the cooling channel 30, the coolant may flow into the cooling portion 52 of the integrated channel 50 through the first end. Similarly, the exhaust portion 51 can also release the gas inside the exhaust portion 51 to the venting channel 20 through the second end.

Alternatively, in the integrated channel 50, the exhaust portion 51 may be closer to the front bracket 11 of the lower housing 10, and the cooling portion 52 may be closer to the rear support 12 of the lower housing. That is, since the integration channel 50 is disposed between adjacent battery units 40 in front and rear direction, the exhaust portion 51 may be closer to the rear-row battery unit 40 in two adjacent rows of battery unit 40, and the cooling portion 52 may be closer to the front-row battery unit 40 in two adjacent rows of battery unit 40. Preferably, the integrated channel 50 tightly contacts with two adjacent rows of battery units 40, so that the exhaust portion 51 tightly contacts with the rear-row battery units 40, and the cooling portion 52 tightly contacts with the front-row battery units 40.

Furthermore, the exhaust portion 51 is provided with a contact portion protruding rearward in the longitudinal direction. That is, in a front-rear direction, the exhaust portion 51 has a cross section in a convex shape. When the exhaust portion 51 tightly contacts with the rear-row battery unit 40, the contact portion closely contacts with the battery unit 40.

A plurality of holes 511 are formed on the contact portion. In addition, a cell venting valve is provided on the front surface of each cell, which is used to discharge gas generated in the cell due to high temperature. The plurality of holes 511 correspond to positions of cell venting valves of respective cells of the battery unit 40, respectively. That is, when the cell discharges gases inside the cell through the cell venting valve, the gases may flow into the exhaust portion 51 through the holes 511, and then flow into the venting channel 20, and go out of the battery pack through the battery pack venting valve 15. Preferably, in order to enable the gases discharged from the cell venting valve to successfully enter the exhaust portion 51 through the holes 511, the venting valve of each battery unit 40 and the holes 511 may be connected by welding.

In addition, the cooling portion 52 includes a plurality of drainage channels 521 disposed in the width direction. Since an end of the drainage channel 521 is connected to the first side 31 through the first end, when the coolant flows into the cooling channel 30, it can further flow into the drainage channel 521, so as to cool the gas in the front-row battery unit 40 and exhaust portion 51. Preferably, the plurality of drainage channels 521 may be arranged from top to bottom.

Due to a plurality of integrated channels 50, the overall temperature in the battery pack may also be decreased through the cooling portion 52 of each integrated channel 50.

The cooling channel 30 may further include a partition disposed between the exhaust portion 51 and the cooling portion 52 to isolate the exhaust portion 51 from the cooling portion 52. In order to effectively cool the high temperature gases in the exhaust portion 51, preferably, the isolation portion may be formed of an aluminum plate to better transfer the cooling temperature.

That is, when the cell generates smoke due to the high temperature, gas can flow into the exhaust portion 51 through the holes 511 of the integrated channel 50, and the high temperature gas can be guided to the venting channel 20 through the exhaust portion 51, and then can be discharged to the outside of the battery pack through the venting channel 20. At the same time, the coolant entering the cooling channel 30 flows into the cooling portion 52 of the integrated channel 50, thereby decreasing the temperature of gases in the exhaust portion 51 while reducing the temperature of the battery unit 40, which can effectively control the thermal runaway of the battery pack.

In addition, since the first area and the second area are spaced by the first side of the cooling channel, the high temperature generated by the battery unit can also be prevented from spreading to other control system components in the battery pack such as the battery management unit.

Further, the integrated channel of the battery pack according to the present disclosure can also function as a support frame, thereby ensuring the mechanical strength of the battery pack while saving space.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle including the battery pack according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is further provided.

In summary, the present disclosure provides a battery pack, including: a lower housing formed by a front bracket and a rear bracket and a pair of side brackets enclosing the bottom of a housing, the front bracket and the rear bracket extending in a width direction, and the pair of side brackets extending in a length direction; a venting channel extending in the length direction and being located inside the side bracket at a side of the lower housing; a cooling channel having an “L” shape formed by a first side extending in the length direction and a second side extending in the width direction, the first side being located inside the side bracket on another side of the lower housing and being in parallel with the venting channel, the second side tightly contacting with the rear bracket; a battery unit formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction, of which both sides respectively tightly contact with the first side and the venting channel, a plurality of battery unit being arranged in the length direction so as to tightly contact with the front bracket and the second side; and a plurality of integrated channels each disposed between two adjacent rows of battery units in a direction parallel to the width direction and having a first end connected to the cooling channel and a second end connected to the venting channel. According to the battery pack of the present disclosure, both the function of guiding high temperature gas and discharging poisonous gas and the function of cooling the battery pack can be simultaneously achieved through the integrated channel, the temperature in the battery pack can be effectively decreased while high temperature gas can be effectively prevented from spreading into a battery management system or other components in the battery pack so as to avoid serious short circuit and thermal runaway warning failure. In addition, the integrated channel can also function as a support frame to ensure the mechanical strength of the battery pack while saving space.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, but not to limit them. The battery pack according to the present disclosure is not limited to have the above-mentioned structure. In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the battery pack of the present disclosure may also include other structures that are not mentioned, for example well-known structures such as the upper housing. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should understand for those skilled in the art that modifications or equivalent replacements of some of the technical features may also be made to the technical solutions in the foregoing embodiment without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

Claims:

1. A battery pack, comprising: a lower housing formed by a front bracket, a rear bracket and a pair of side brackets enclosing a bottom of a housing, wherein the front bracket and the rear bracket extend in a width direction, and a pair of side brackets extend in a length direction; a venting channel extending in the length direction and being located inside the side bracket at a side of the lower housing; a cooling channel having an “L” shape formed by a first side extending in the length direction and a second side extending in the width direction, wherein the first side is in parallel with the venting channel and is located inside the side bracket at another side of the lower housing, and the second side contacts tightly with the rear bracket; a battery unit formed by a plurality of cells arranged in the width direction, wherein the battery unit has both sides respectively contacting tightly with the first side and the venting channel, and a plurality of battery units are arranged in the length direction so as to contact with the front bracket and the second side; and a plurality of integrated channels each disposed between two adjacent rows of battery units in a direction parallel to the width direction, of which each having a first end connected to the cooling channel and a second end connected to the venting channel.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the integrated channel further comprises: an exhaust portion extending from the first end to the second end in the width direction and communicating with the venting channel through the second end; a cooling portion separated from the exhaust portion, extending from the first end to the second end in the width direction, and communicating with the first side through the first end; and a partition disposed between the exhaust portion and the cooling portion to isolate the exhaust portion from the cooling portion.

3. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the exhaust portion contacts tightly with a rear-row battery unit in two adjacent rows of battery units and the cooling portion contacts tightly with a front-row battery unit in two adjacent rows of battery units.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the exhaust portion has a contact portion protruding rearward in the length direction, and a plurality of holes are formed on the contact portion.

5. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of holes corresponds to a cell venting valve of respective cell of the battery units.

6. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the cooling portion comprises a plurality of drainage channels disposed in the width direction.

7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the plurality of drainage channels are arranged from top to bottom.

8. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the partition is made of an aluminum plate.

9. The battery pack of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of holes and the respective cell venting valve are connected by welding.

10. A vehicle, comprising the battery pack according to any one of claims 1-9.