CN106785191A - battery module and electric equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

This application relates to the field of battery structure technology, and in particular to a battery module and electrical equipment. The battery module includes a box, a battery installed in the box, and a cooling medium filled in the inner cavity of the box. , the boundary of the cooling medium is the inner wall of the box and the outer surface of the battery. The cooling medium in the box can take away the heat generated by the battery module, so that the battery module can be kept as low as possible. Therefore, the battery module provided by the embodiment of the present application has higher safety.

Description

Battery modules and electrical equipment

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of battery structure, in particular to a battery module and electrical equipment.

Background technique

Batteries have developed rapidly since their appearance, and are widely used in almost all fields such as digital cameras, MP3 players, electric tools, and electric vehicles. The abuse of the battery, such as overcharging, high current output, and internal short circuit, has caused qualitative changes in the battery, causing certain chemical reactions and generating a lot of heat. The heat released by the battery raises both its own temperature and the ambient temperature, and the continuous rise of the battery temperature causes the chemical reaction of the battery to continue to release heat, prompting the battery temperature to continue to rise, causing the battery to catch fire or even explode, directly threatening the user safety.

Taking lithium-ion batteries as an example, thermal runaway is the most serious safety accident, which can cause lithium-ion batteries to catch fire or even explode. Thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries is mainly due to the fact that the internal heat generation is much higher than the heat dissipation rate. A lot of heat built up, which set off a chain reaction that caused the battery to catch fire and explode.

Contents of the invention

The present application provides a battery module and electrical equipment to improve the safety of the battery module.

The first aspect of the present application provides a battery module, which includes a box, a battery installed in the box, and a cooling medium filled in the inner cavity of the box, the boundary of the cooling medium is the The inner wall of the box and the outer surface of the battery.

Preferably, a radiator is also included, the radiator is installed inside or outside the box, and the inside of the radiator has a cooling medium cooling cavity, and the cooling medium cooling cavity is connected to the inner cavity of the box Pass.

Preferably, the radiator includes at least one of a condenser, a refrigerator, a fan, a heat pipe, and a heat sink.

Preferably, a communication pipe is also included, and the cooling medium heat dissipation chamber communicates with the inner chamber of the box body through the communication pipe.

Preferably, a vent valve is also included, the vent valve is arranged on the box body, on the radiator, on the communicating pipe and/or between the communicating pipe and the radiator, and the vent valve is connected to the radiator. The inner cavities of the boxes are communicated with each other.

Preferably, there are a plurality of the air release valves on the box body, and each of the air release valves is arranged on the box body at intervals.

Preferably, an air outlet valve is also included, the communication pipe includes an air intake pipe and an air outlet pipe, and the air outlet valve is arranged on the radiator, on the communication pipe and/or between the communication pipe and the radiator, The air outlet valve communicates with the inner cavity of the box body.

Preferably, it also includes a control device electrically connected to the heat sink, the control device is used to detect the state parameters of the battery module, and control the start and stop of the heat sink according to the state parameters.

Preferably, the control device includes at least one of a temperature detector, a pressure detector, a pressure detector, a thermal field detector, and a heat detector.

The second aspect of the present application provides an electric device, which includes the battery module described in any one of the above.

The technical solution provided by the application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

After the battery module is adopted, the cooling medium in the box can take away the heat generated by the battery module, so that the battery module can be kept at a lower temperature as much as possible. Therefore, the battery module provided by the embodiment of the present application has higher safety.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary only and are not restrictive of the application.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the first battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a second battery module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a third battery module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth battery module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a fifth battery module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Reference signs:

10-cabinet;

11 - battery;

12 - cooling medium;

13 - Radiator;

14 - intake pipe;

15 - outlet pipe;

16 - air release valve;

17 - air release valve;

18-air outlet valve;

19 - Control device.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application.

detailed description

The present application will be described in further detail below through specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figures 1-5, the embodiment of the present application provides a battery module, which may include a box body 10, a battery 11 installed in the box body 10, and a cooling medium 12 filled in the inner cavity of the box body 10 , the boundary of the cooling medium 12 is the inner wall of the box body 10 and the outer surface of the battery 11, that is, the cooling medium 12 can extend to the inner wall of the box body 10 and the outer surface of the battery 11, so that the cooling medium 12 is in contact with the inner wall of the box body 10 and the outer surface of the battery 11. The outer surfaces of the cells 11 are in contact. The area where the cooling medium 12 covers the box body 10 and the battery 11 can be adjusted according to actual conditions.

The box 10 can be a sealed box, a pressure vessel, a sealed space, and the like.

The battery 11 can be but not limited to lithium-based batteries, nickel-based batteries, lead-acid batteries, etc. The number of batteries 11 can be one or more. When there are multiple batteries 11, each battery 11 can be connected in series or in parallel. connection method.

The cooling medium 12 can be liquid, gas or solid. When the cooling medium is solid, it can be a powdery medium, and the cooling medium is preferably non-flammable and non-corrosive (not compatible with the poles of the casing 10 and the battery 11). column, the casing of the battery 11 and other structures react), insulating medium. In order to remove heat more quickly and suppress the overheating positive feedback of the battery, the best choice is to remove heat by changing the material form of the cooling medium, such as liquid-to-gas or solid-to-liquid. When the material form of the cooling medium changes, it can absorb a large amount of heat, thereby suppressing the temperature rise. Here, a liquid with a low boiling point (such as alcohol, ether, etc.) may be preferred, for example, the boiling point of the cooling medium 12 may be 60 degrees.

When the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application is in a working state, as the working time of the battery module continues to prolong, the heat generated by the battery module increases accordingly. The cooling medium 12 in the box body 10 can take away the heat generated by the battery module, so that the battery module can be kept at a lower temperature as much as possible. Therefore, the battery module provided by the embodiment of the present application has higher safety.

In order to further reduce the temperature of the battery module, the battery module provided by the embodiment of the present application may also include a radiator 13, which is installed inside or outside the box body 10, and has a cooling medium cooling chamber inside, and the cooling medium The cooling cavity communicates with the inner cavity of the box body 10, and the inner cavity of the box body is filled with a cooling medium 12, so the cooling medium 12 in the box body 10 can enter the cooling medium cooling cavity of the radiator 13, so that the cooling medium 12 The temperature is further reduced, and then returns to the inner cavity of the box body 10. Such a cycle can ensure that the temperature of the battery module is always kept in a low range.

Optionally, the radiator 13 can be an active cooling structure, such as a condenser, a refrigerator, a fan, or a passive cooling structure, such as a heat pipe, a cooling fin, etc. Of course, the radiator 13 can also include an active cooling structure at the same time. The type cooling structure and the passive cooling structure may specifically include at least one of a condenser, a refrigerator, a fan, a heat pipe, a heat sink, and other structures.

When the radiator 13 is directly placed inside the box body 10, only the cooling medium inlet and the cooling medium outlet can be provided on the radiator 13, and the cooling medium inlet and the cooling medium outlet are all directly connected with the inner cavity of the box body 10, In order to realize the cycle that the cooling medium enters the radiator 13 from the cooling medium inlet to lower the temperature, and then returns to the inner cavity of the box body 10 through the cooling medium outlet. However, in order to facilitate the introduction of the cooling medium into the radiator 13 , a communication pipe may also be provided, through which the cooling medium cooling cavity of the radiator 13 can communicate with the inner cavity of the box body 10 . After such setting, the cooling medium 12 can enter into the radiator 13 through the communication pipe, or flow out from the radiator 13 .

Further, the above-mentioned communication pipe may include an air inlet pipe 14 and an air outlet pipe 15 , the cooling medium 12 may enter the radiator 13 through the air inlet pipe 14 , flow out of the radiator 13 through the air outlet pipe 15 , and enter the inner cavity of the box body 10 . The air inlet pipe 14 and the air outlet pipe 15 here can adopt pipe fittings capable of absorbing heat and dissipating heat, so as to achieve a better heat dissipation effect.

Since the above-mentioned cooling medium usually changes its state after absorbing a certain amount of heat, and then expands, in order to prevent damage to the box body 10 due to excessive internal pressure, and to take away the heat generated by the battery module more thoroughly, it can be installed in the box body A leak valve 16 is arranged on the housing 10 , and the leak valve 16 communicates with the inner cavity of the box body 10 . When the internal pressure of the box 10 reaches a preset value, the air release valve 16 is opened to introduce the cooling medium 12 into the external space of the battery module. Optionally, one or more air release valves 16 may be provided on the box body 10 . In order to improve the air release effect, multiple air release valves 16 may be provided, and each air release valve 16 is arranged on the box body 10 at intervals.

When the battery module includes the above-mentioned radiator 13, a vent valve 17 can be provided on the radiator 13 or on the communication pipe or between the communication pipe and the radiator 13, and the vent valve 17 can be directly communicated with the inner cavity of the box body 10 , and communicate with the cooling medium cooling chamber of the radiator 13 at the same time. When the internal pressure of the box body 10 reaches a preset value, the air release valve 17 is opened, and the cooling medium 12 is introduced into the cooling medium cooling chamber of the radiator 13 for further cooling.

Of course, a vent valve can be provided on the box body 10 and the radiator 13 or on the communication pipe or between the communication pipe and the radiator 13 at the same time, so as to remove the heat in the battery module more quickly. If this kind of structure is adopted, the vent valve 16 on the casing 10 and the vent valve 17 on the radiator 13 or on the communicating pipe or between the communicating pipe and the radiator 13 can adopt the same conducting conditions (for example conducting pressure, conduction pressure, etc.), the two can specifically be electromagnetic valves or structures made of deformable materials, etc.

Similarly, an air outlet valve 18 can also be provided, and the air outlet valve 18 is arranged on the radiator 13, on the communication pipe and/or between the communication pipe and the radiator 13, and the air outlet valve 18 is communicated with the inner cavity of the box body 10 and the heat dissipation Between the cooling medium cooling cavity of the device 13. When the pressure in the cooling medium cooling cavity reaches a preset value, the outlet valve 18 is opened, so that the cooling medium cooled by the radiator 13 is introduced into the inner cavity of the box body 10 .

Furthermore, the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include a control device 19 electrically connected to the radiator 13, the control device 19 can detect the state parameters of the battery module, and control the temperature of the radiator 13 according to the state parameters. Start and stop. The state parameters of the battery module here can reflect the state change of the inner cavity of the box body 10, so as to reflect the heat change of the battery module, which can be: temperature parameters, pressure parameters, pressure parameters, thermal field parameters, heat parameters at least one of the . The control device 19 can be set separately or integrated on the radiator 13 . When the control device 19 detects that the state parameter of the battery module reaches the preset value, it controls the radiator 13 to enter the working state. work, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the battery module.

When the state parameters of the battery module include at least one of temperature parameters, pressure parameters, pressure parameters, thermal field parameters, and heat parameters, correspondingly, the control device 19 may include a temperature detector, a pressure detector, a pressure detector, At least one of a thermal field detector and a heat detector. Wherein, the temperature detector can be a temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor can be a thermistor (positive and negative temperature coefficient), a thermocouple, a digital temperature sensor and other characteristic temperature obtained by deforming materials such as temperature and pressure. The structure; the pressure detector can be a pressure gauge; the pressure detector can be a manometer; the thermal field detector can be a thermal field gauge; the heat detector can be a calorimeter. The various detectors listed above can be set independently or used in combination to improve detection accuracy.

In the above embodiments, the battery 11 is cooled by the cooling medium to prevent the battery 11 from overheating. In order to control the state of the battery 11 more precisely, reference can be made to cooling the battery 11 by improving the type of cooling medium. Optionally, the cooling medium 12 whose physical properties will change after being heated can be accommodated in the box 10 . For example, the radiator 13 can be arranged outside the box body 10, the air intake pipe can be arranged as a transparent pipe, and the cooling medium 12 can be a medium that changes color as the temperature rises. Accordingly, whether the battery 11 is overheated can be judged according to whether the physical properties of the cooling medium 12 change, so as to control the working state of the battery module more accurately. For example, other equipment or devices can be used to detect whether the physical properties of the cooling medium have changed, and when a change occurs, a relevant early warning signal can be sent. The early warning signal can be fed back to the driver or nearby personnel, and the driver or nearby personnel can deal with it in time Or escape to ensure personal safety.

When the battery module formed after the combination of the above-mentioned embodiments is used, the temperature of a certain battery 11, some batteries 11 or a certain part (including but not limited to the inside and outside) in the box body 10 rises (such as rising to a temperature including But not limited to 60 degrees), the cooling medium 12 in the box body 10 will absorb the heat in the box body 10, and transform from the original state (this state includes but not limited to liquid, gas or solid (including but not limited to powder)) It is a form including but not limited to gas (steam) or powder, and the internal pressure of the box 10 increases at the same time. When the internal pressure of the box 10 increases to a certain value (including but not limited to a set critical value), the leak valve opens, and the cooling medium 12 is transformed into other forms (gas (vapor) or solid (including but not limited to powder) )) or discharge out of the casing 10 through the air release valve, or enter the radiator 13. After entering the radiator 13, the radiator 13 cools the high-temperature coolant, opens the outlet valve 18, sends the low-temperature coolant back to the casing 10 through the outlet pipe 15, and repeats this process to achieve the cooling effect. Furthermore, the working state of the radiator 13 can be controlled according to the state parameters in the box body 10 . After the control device 19 detects a signal indicating that the box body 10 has changed, it sends a control signal (or the control device 19 directly controls the work of the radiator 13), and after the radiator 13 receives the control signal, the above-mentioned conversion form (gas (steam) body or powder) for cooling, and then the condensed cooling medium 12 is sent back to the box 10, and this process is repeated to achieve the purpose of heat dissipation.

Based on the above structure, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electric device, which may be an electric vehicle, and includes the battery module described in any one of the above embodiments.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes may be made to the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of this application shall be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims (10)

1. A battery module, characterized in that it includes a box, a battery installed in the box, and a cooling medium filled in the inner cavity of the box, and the boundary of the cooling medium is the box body the inner wall and the outer surface of the battery. 2. The battery module according to claim 1, further comprising a radiator, the radiator is installed inside or outside the box, and the inside of the radiator has a cooling medium cooling cavity, so The cooling medium cooling cavity communicates with the inner cavity of the box body. 3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the heat sink comprises at least one of a condenser, a refrigerator, a fan, a heat pipe, and a heat sink. 4 . The battery module according to claim 2 , further comprising a communication pipe, and the cooling medium cooling chamber communicates with the inner chamber of the box through the communication pipe. 5. The battery module according to claim 4, further comprising a vent valve, on the box body, on the radiator, on the communication pipe and/or on the communication pipe and the heat sink The air release valve is arranged between the devices, and the air release valve communicates with the inner cavity of the box body. 6 . The battery module according to claim 5 , wherein the gas release valves on the box are provided in plurality, and each of the gas release valves is arranged on the box at intervals. 6 . 7. The battery module according to claim 4, further comprising an air outlet valve, the communication pipe includes an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe, and the radiator, the communication pipe and/or the communication pipe The air outlet valve is arranged between the pipe and the radiator, and the air outlet valve communicates with the inner cavity of the box body. 8. The battery module according to any one of claims 2-7, further comprising a control device electrically connected to the heat sink, the control device being used to detect the state of the battery module parameters, and control the start and stop of the radiator according to the state parameters. 9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein the control device comprises at least one of a temperature detector, a pressure detector, a pressure detector, a thermal field detector, and a heat detector. 10. An electrical device, comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1-9.