CN118507869A - Battery management unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery management unit, comprising: a first conductor device (20); a second conductor device (30); at least one electrical component (40), the electrical component being electrically connected to at least one of the two conductor devices (20, 30); and a carrier device (50), the first conductor device (20), the second conductor device (30) and the electrical component (40) being fixed on the carrier device, wherein the carrier device (50) is multilayered and comprises a plurality of carrier elements (52, 54, 56) which are releasably connected to one another, wherein the first conductor device (20) is fixedly arranged on the first carrier element (52), the second conductor device (30) is fixedly arranged on the second carrier element (54), and wherein the at least one electrical component (40) is fixedly arranged on one of the two carrier elements (20, 30) or on a third carrier element (56) arranged between the two carrier elements (52, 54).

Description

Battery Management Unit

Technical Field

The invention relates to a battery management unit for monitoring and controlling the operation of a rechargeable battery, in particular an HV traction battery, of an electric vehicle.

Background Art

In this context, the operation of a battery includes in particular the charging and discharging processes of the battery. A discharging process is to be understood in particular as the use of a battery of an electric vehicle with corresponding electrical loads, such as an electric traction machine. A charging process describes the recharging of a discharged battery by connection to an external charging station. In both processes, the battery management system generally ensures reliable operation while taking into account the safety, performance and/or service life requirements imposed on the battery.

In this case, in addition to low voltages, such as the individual voltages of a battery cell, other system voltages, in particular high voltages, such as the high voltage of a plurality of or all battery cells, the intermediate circuit voltage, the onboard power supply voltage of the charger and the system voltage of the low-voltage-high-voltage-DC-DC converter are also measured and monitored in the battery management unit. In this case, the voltage of the high-voltage part of the battery or the system connected thereto is measured by the high-voltage part of the battery management unit and the corresponding measurement data are transmitted to the low-voltage part of the battery management unit. In addition, the individual voltages of the individual battery cells or other measurement parameters, such as the temperature of the battery cell or its control electronics, are measured by an independent battery cell measuring device and the corresponding measurement data are transmitted to the battery management unit.

Furthermore, such battery management units usually include contactors as disconnecting devices for electrically isolating the battery from electrical consumers and/or charging devices. Such contactors are designed to receive control signals and, based on these, electrically disconnect individual battery cells or groups of battery cells, such as in particular individual battery modules, from the pole terminals of the battery when the detected measured values indicate a safety-critical state of the battery cells. Such disconnection of the battery cells is very important in order to avoid greater damage not only to the battery but also to electrical consumers supplied by the battery or to charging devices which recharge the battery.

In order to provide such a battery management unit, a plurality of electrical conductor arrangements and electrical components are therefore required, which must be positioned and oriented relative to one another. This is achieved by means of a carrier arrangement, on which the electrical conductor arrangements and electrical components are fixed.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a battery management unit which can be assembled simply and in a time-saving manner.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1 .

According to the invention, the carrier arrangement is multilayered and has a plurality of carrier elements that are releasably connected to one another, wherein the carrier elements can be easily connected to one another. The carrier elements preferably each have a plate-like shape and can thereby be stacked to form a sandwich-like structure. In this case, the carrier elements lie against one another with their sides facing one another.

The individual conductor arrangements, which preferably have a plurality of rigid busbars, are each fastened to a carrier element, so that a first conductor arrangement is arranged fixedly on the first carrier element and a second conductor arrangement is arranged fixedly on the second carrier element. The conductor arrangements can be connected to the respective carrier element in a releasable or non-releasable manner. During the assembly process, the conductor elements can be fastened to the carrier element in a process that is carried out before the carrier arrangement is assembled, so that the conductor arrangements are also automatically placed in a predefined position during the assembly of the carrier element.

The at least one electrical component, which is preferably a contactor, a resistor, a pyrotechnic fuse or a fuse, is arranged fixedly on one of the two carrier elements. Alternatively, the at least one electrical component is arranged fixedly on a third carrier element, wherein the third carrier element is arranged between the two other carrier elements and is likewise releasably connected to the carrier elements. In both cases, the at least one electrical component is fixed to the carrier element in a process carried out before the mounting of the carrier arrangement, so that the electrical component is also automatically moved into a predefined position when the carrier arrangement is mounted, that is, when the carrier elements are fixed to each other, and is mounted together.

In this way, the battery management unit can be assembled in a simple and time-saving manner, wherein only the carrier elements have to be fastened to one another in order to position the electrical conductor arrangement and the at least one electrical component.

Preferably, the at least one electrical component is arranged on a side of the first carrier element facing the second carrier element or on a side of the second carrier element facing the first carrier element, wherein the at least one component is fixed to the carrier element in a form-locked and/or force-locked manner. Since the at least one electrical component is arranged on a side of one of the carrier elements facing the other carrier element, the electrical component can be arranged between the carrier elements and preferably in a space defined by the two carrier elements so that the electrical component is protected from mechanical loads. By fixing the electrical component to the carrier element in a form-locked and/or force-locked manner, the assembly cost can be reduced. Here, the electrical component can be connected to the carrier element in a force-locked manner by a clamping connection, wherein the electrical component is pushed into the receiving opening of the carrier element in such a way that a certain friction force must be overcome here. In the assembled state, the electrical component is fixed to the carrier element by a slight press fit and the friction that acts here. By subsequently fixing the carrier elements to each other, the electrical component is fixed again to prevent it from falling out. The positive connection of the electrical component can be realized by a latching or clipping connection, wherein the electrical component is also pushed into the receiving space and is not held in the pushed-in position by a friction effect as in a non-positive connection, but by a latching hook or a clip. Here, the electrical component rests with a first end on a stop and is held at the other end by a latching hook or a clip. The fixing of the electrical component can also be realized by a combination of a positive and non-positive connection.

Alternatively, the at least one electrical component is fixed to a third carrier element, wherein the third carrier element has a receiving cavity, the electrical component is arranged in the receiving cavity and is connected to the third carrier element in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner. The third carrier element is particularly used to accommodate a plurality of electrical components, so that the third carrier element has a plurality of receiving spaces, wherein each electrical component is arranged in a receiving space provided for this purpose. In this way, the electrical component can be pre-positioned by the third carrier element and can be simply connected to the conductor device pre-positioned on another carrier element when the carrier device is assembled. Here, the fixing of one or more electrical components is also achieved in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner. For different design schemes for fixing, see the above paragraphs.

Preferably, the carrier device is made of plastic. This allows the carrier element to be manufactured simply and cost-effectively. The carrier device is manufactured in particular by an injection molding process, which allows the carrier device to be manufactured particularly simply. In a preferred embodiment, the first conductor device is at least partially injection-molded by the first carrier element and/or the second conductor device is at least partially injection-molded by the second carrier element. In this way, the pre-assembly step of the conductor device on the carrier element is eliminated, which simplifies the manufacture of the battery management unit. In addition, the electrical insulation of the electrically conductive conductor device is provided by the injection molding of the conductor device, and the conductor device is protected from dust and moisture in a simple manner.

Preferably, the carrier elements are latched to one another and/or screwed together. In this way, the carrier elements can be connected to one another in a simple and time-saving manner. In particular, the fastening of the carrier elements by latching results in a particularly simple and time-saving assembly of the battery management unit. For example, one of the carrier elements has a plurality of latching openings and the other carrier element has a plurality of latching projections that are elastically deformable during latching, wherein all latching projections latch into the latching openings when the carrier elements are plugged together.

In a preferred embodiment, a circuit board is fixed on one of the carrier elements. The circuit board is electrically connected to the conductor arrangement. By fixing the circuit board on one of the carrier elements, the circuit board can also be preassembled and assembled together when the carrier arrangement is assembled. In this way, the assembly of the battery management unit can be simplified.

Preferably, the conductor device, the at least one electrical component and the carrier device are arranged in a housing. As a result, the conductor device, the at least one electrical component and the carrier device are protected from environmental influences, in particular from moisture and dirt, wherein the housing has a housing interior space that is separated from the external environment in a fluid-tight manner for this purpose. In addition, the housing preferably includes an exhaust valve to provide a pressure balance between the housing interior space and the external environment. In order to fix the carrier device in the housing, one of the carrier elements has a through opening, through which a corresponding screw can be inserted and screwed into a thread on the housing. Therefore, the finally assembled carrier device with the conductor device and the electrical component can be inserted into the housing and fixed in the housing by a threaded connection. The housing has a pot-shaped base and a cover.

Preferably, at least one electrical connection element electrically connected to one of the two conductor devices and/or a coolant interface for introducing a coolant into the housing is arranged on the housing. The electrical connection element is implemented as an HV connection element or an NV connection element and is arranged at an opening of the housing, wherein the connection element has a plurality of conductive contact connection elements. Within the housing, the contact connection element is connected to the corresponding conductor device. Outside the housing, a matching connection element can be inserted or inserted into the connection element, wherein the matching connection element is fixed to a cable, which is connected to another component of the components, such as an electrical consumer, a charging device or a sensor. The coolant interface is used to introduce a coolant into the housing or to guide it out of the housing. The coolant flows through the housing, whereby the components arranged within the housing are cooled. The coolant is in particular a dielectric coolant, such as oil.

Alternatively, the battery management unit can preferably be arranged in the battery housing and have no separate housing. The battery housing has a housing interior which is sealed off from the external environment and in which the battery cells and the battery management unit are arranged.

Preferably, the two conductor devices are electrically connected to each other. In a preferred design, at least one of the two conductor devices has at least one wire segment bent in the direction of the other conductor device, through which the two conductor devices are electrically connected to each other or at least one of the two conductor devices is electrically connected to the electrical structural element. The bent wire segment extends in the assembly direction of the carrier element, wherein, during the assembly process of the carrier device, the two conductor devices are moved toward each other in the assembly direction and are arranged with each other in the end position of the carrier element so that the wire segment can be simply connected to the other conductor device in an electrically conductive manner. In the current third carrier element, the third carrier element preferably has a through opening for each wire segment, through which the wire segment extends. Therefore, the bent wire segment protrudes through the third carrier element.

In a preferred embodiment, the two electrical conductor arrangements and/or one of the two electrical conductor arrangements and the at least one electrical component are electrically connected to one another via a plug-in connector. The plug-in connector is designed so that the plug-in direction of the plug-in connector corresponds to the assembly direction of the carrier element, so that the plug-in connection is also automatically established by assembling the carrier arrangement.

This provides a battery management unit which can be assembled in a simple and time-saving manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is explained in detail below with the aid of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a battery management unit in an exploded view, and

FIG. 2 shows a second specific embodiment of a battery management unit in an exploded illustration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a battery management unit 10 for a battery of an electric vehicle. The battery management unit 10 is used for the operation of the battery, that is, the charging process and the discharging process of the battery, in particular in the driving operation of the electric vehicle. Taking into account the safety requirements, power requirements and/or service life requirements to be imposed on the battery, the battery management unit 10 is used for reliable operation not only in the charging process but also in the discharging process. In this regard, in the battery management unit 10, in addition to low voltages, such as the individual voltages of battery cells, other system voltages, in particular high voltages, such as the high voltages of multiple or all battery cells, the intermediate circuit voltage, the onboard power supply voltage of the charger, and the system voltage of the low voltage-high voltage-DC-DC converter are also measured and monitored. For this purpose, the battery management unit 10 has two conductor devices 20, 30 and a plurality of electrical components 40. The conductor devices 20, 30 and the electrical components 40 are fixed on the carrier device 50 in such a way that the conductor devices 20, 30 and the electrical components 40 are not only predefined relative to each other but also relative to other components and are electrically connected accordingly.

According to the invention, the carrier device 50 is designed to be multilayered and thus has a sandwich-like structure. The multilayer carrier device 50 has a plurality of carrier elements 52, 54, 56, which are releasably connected to one another in the final assembled state, wherein the electrical conductor devices 20, 30 and the electrical component 40 are fixed to the carrier elements 52, 54, 56. The carrier device 50, that is to say the carrier elements 52, 54, 56, is designed to be plate-shaped and made of plastic. The carrier elements 52, 54, 56 are manufactured by an injection molding method.

In the following paragraphs, two different specific embodiments of a battery management unit 10 are explained with reference to two figures ( FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 ).

1 shows a first specific embodiment of a battery management unit 10 . In this case, a carrier device 50 has three carrier elements 52 , 54 , 56 .

The first carrier element 52 forms the lower layer of the carrier arrangement 50, wherein the first electrical conductor arrangement 20 is fixed on the first carrier element 52. The first carrier arrangement 52 has a plurality of rigid busbars 22, 24, wherein only two busbars 22, 24 are shown in FIG. 1. The busbars 22, 24 are encapsulated by the first carrier element and protrude from the first carrier element 52 at predefined positions for electrical coupling with other components. Therefore, the busbars 22, 24 are electrically insulated by the first carrier element 52.

The second carrier element 54 forms the upper layer of the carrier device 50. A second electrical conductor device 30 is fixed on the second carrier element 54, which, like the first electrical conductor device 20, also includes a plurality of rigid busbars 32, 34, 36, of which only three busbars 32, 34, 36 are shown in FIG. 1. The busbars 32, 34, 36 are injection-molded over the second carrier element 54 and protrude from the second carrier element 54 at predefined positions for electrical coupling with other components. The busbars 32, 34, 36 are also electrically insulated by the second carrier element 54. In addition, the second carrier element 54 is used to accommodate a circuit board 68, which is arranged on the side of the second carrier element 54 facing away from the first carrier element 52 and is electrically connected to the second electrical conductor device 30.

The third carrier element 56 forms an intermediate layer and is arranged between the two other carrier elements 52, 54. The third carrier element 56 is used to accommodate the electrical components 40. Such electrical components 40 can be contactors, fuses or resistors. Here, for example, only the contactors 42 are shown, which are used to electrically separate the battery from the electrical consumer device and the charging device. In order to accommodate the electrical components 40, the third carrier element 56 has a receiving space 60 for each electrical component 40, wherein the electrical component 40 is fixed in the receiving space 60 in a form-fitting manner. Here, the electrical component 40 is in contact with the surface 62 that delimits the receiving space 60 in the circumferential direction with its outer peripheral surface. In addition, the electrical component 40 is in contact with the stop 63 with a first end and with the latching projection 66 of the latching connector 64 with a second end. Therefore, the electrical component 40 is latched to the third carrier element 56.

The connection of the carrier elements 52, 54, 56 is realized by two latching connections 70, 80. The first carrier element 52 is releasably connected to the third carrier element 56 by the first latching connection 70. For this purpose, the first carrier element 52 has a plurality of latching hooks 72, which in the coupled state respectively engage in latching openings 74 corresponding to the latching hooks 72. The third carrier element 56 also has a plurality of latching hooks 82 on the side facing the second carrier element 54, which in the coupled state respectively engage in a corresponding latching opening 84 of the second carrier element 54.

The two conductor devices 20, 30 are electrically connected to each other in the final assembled state of the battery management unit 10. In addition, the electrical component 40 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is electrically connected to the two conductor devices 20, 30 in the final assembled state of the battery management unit 10. The electrical connection is achieved by the wire sections 26, 27, 28, 29 of the first conductor device 20 that are bent in the assembly direction of the carrier elements 52, 54, 56 and by the wire sections 44, 45, 46 of the second conductor device 30 that are also bent in the assembly direction of the carrier elements 52, 54, 56. The two wire sections 26, 29 of the first conductor device 20 and the two wire sections 44, 45 of the second conductor device 30 are used for electrical coupling between the two conductor devices 20, 30. Here, the line sections 26, 29, 44, 45 extend into two through-openings 581, 582 provided on the third carrier element 56 and are connected to one another via a plug connector 110, 112, respectively. The line sections 27, 28, 46 are used for electrical coupling to the electrical component 40, wherein these electrical components are also electrically connected to the electrical component 40 via a plug connector 114, 116, 118, respectively. Furthermore, the electrical component 40 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 68 via the line section 47 and the plug connector 120.

When the battery management unit 10 is assembled, the three carrier elements 52, 54, 56 are moved toward one another in the assembly direction and latched to one another via the latching connections 70, 80. In this case, plug connections 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120 are also formed.

2 shows a second embodiment of a battery management unit 10, wherein the decisive difference is that the electrical component 40 is not fastened to the third carrier element 56, but to the first carrier element 52, and the third carrier element 56 is omitted. Here again, only one of the electrical components 40 is shown and explained. To accommodate the electrical component 40, the first carrier element 52 has a receiving space 61, wherein the electrical component 40 is fixed in the receiving space 61 by a clamping connection having friction.

1 , the carrier elements 52, 54 are fixed by means of a latching connection 71, wherein two latching hooks 75 are provided on the first carrier element 52 and two latching openings 77 are provided on the second carrier element 54. The electrical connection between the electrical conductor arrangements 20, 30, the electrical component 40 and the printed circuit board 68 is also achieved by means of plug-in connections 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 132.

In the second embodiment, the carrier elements 52 , 54 are also simply plugged together and the electrical connections 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , 130 , 132 are also produced in this case.

Such a battery management unit 10 can be arranged in a separate housing 90 or in a battery housing to protect it from environmental influences. In FIGS. 1 and 2 , the battery management unit 10 is arranged in a housing 90. The housing 90 has a pot-shaped base body 92 and a cover 94, wherein, in order to seal fluid-tightly with respect to the external environment, a circumferential seal 97 is arranged between the cover 94 and the base body 92 in the final assembled state. An electrical connection element 96 is arranged on the housing 90 by way of example, which is electrically connected to the first electrical conductor device 20 and through which the battery management unit 10 can be connected to other components. In addition, two coolant interfaces 100, 102 are provided on the housing 90, through which coolant can be introduced into the housing 90 or discharged into the housing 90. As a result, the components arranged in the housing 90 can be actively cooled.

This provides a battery management unit 10 which can be assembled in a simple and time-saving manner.

Reference numerals list

10 Battery Management Unit

20. First conductor device

22 Bus 1

24 Second bus

26 Wire Section

27 Wire Section

28 Wire Section

29 Wire Section

30. Second conductor device

32 Bus 1

34 Second bus

36 Bus 3

40 Electrical structural components

42 Contactor

44 Wire Section

45 Wire Section

46 Wire Section

47 Wire Section

50 Carrier device

52 first carrier element

54 Second carrier element

56 Third carrier element

581 Through opening

582 Through opening

60, 61 Accommodation Space

62 faces

64 snap-on connector

66 Locking protrusion

68 Circuit Board

70 First latch connection

70 snap-on connector

72 Locking protrusion

74 Lock opening

75 Locking protrusion

77 Lock opening

80 Second locking connector

82 Locking protrusion

84 Lock opening

90 Shell

92 Matrix

94 Cover

96 Electrical connection components

97 Seals

100 Coolant connection

102 Coolant connection

110 to 132 Plug connectors

Claims (15)

1. A battery management unit, the battery management unit having: a first electrical conductor device (20), a second electrical conductor device (30), at least one electrical structural element (40) electrically connected to at least one of the two electrical conductor devices (20, 30), and a carrier device (50), the first conductor device (20), the second conductor device (30) and the electrical structural element (40) being fixed on the carrier device, The invention is characterized in that the carrier device (50) is embodied in multiple layers and has a plurality of carrier elements (52, 54, 56) which are releasably connected to one another, wherein the first electrical conductor device (20) is fixedly arranged on a first carrier element (52), and the second electrical conductor device (30) is fixedly arranged on a second carrier element (54), and wherein the at least one electrical component (40) is fixedly arranged on one of the two carrier elements (20, 30) or on a third carrier element (56) which is arranged between the two carrier elements (52, 54). 2. The battery management unit according to claim 1 is characterized in that the at least one electrical structural element (40) is arranged on a side of the first carrier element (52) facing the second carrier element (54) or on a side of the second carrier element (54) facing the first carrier element (52), wherein the at least one structural element (40) is fixed to one of the carrier elements (52, 54) in a form-locking and/or force-locking manner. 3. The battery management unit according to claim 1 is characterized in that the at least one electrical structural element (40) is fixed on the third carrier element (56), wherein the third carrier element (56) has a receiving cavity (60), the electrical structural element (40) is arranged in the receiving cavity and is connected to the third carrier element (56) in a form-locking and/or force-locking manner. 4 . The battery management unit according to claim 1 , characterized in that the carrier device ( 50 ) is made of plastic. 5. The battery management unit according to claim 4, characterized in that the first conductor arrangement (20) is at least partially encapsulated by the first carrier element (52) and/or the second conductor arrangement (30) is at least partially encapsulated by the second carrier element (54). 6. The battery management unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier elements (52, 54, 56) are latched to one another and/or are screwed to one another. 7. The battery management unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a printed circuit board (68) is fastened to one of the carrier elements (52, 54, 56). 8. The battery management unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrical component (40) is a contactor, a resistor, a pyrotechnic fuse or a fuse. 9. The battery management unit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrical conductor arrangement (20, 30), the at least one electrical component (40) and the carrier arrangement (50) are arranged in a housing (90). 10. The battery management unit according to claim 9 is characterized in that at least one electrical connection element (96) electrically connected to one of the two conductor devices (20, 30) and/or a coolant interface (100, 102) for introducing a coolant into the housing (90) are arranged on the housing (90). 11. The battery management unit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two electrical conductor arrangements (20, 30) are electrically connected to one another. 12. The battery management unit according to claim 11 is characterized in that at least one of the two conductor devices (20, 30) has at least one wire segment (26, 29; 44, 45, 46, 47) bent in the direction of the other conductor device (20, 30), through which the two conductor devices (20, 30) are electrically connected to each other or at least one of the two conductor devices (20, 30) is electrically connected to the at least one electrical structural element (40). 13. The battery management unit according to claim 3 and 12, characterized in that the third carrier element (56) has at least one through-opening (581, 582) through which the bent-over cable section (26, 29; 44, 45) extends. 14. A battery management unit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two conductor devices (20, 30) and/or one of the two conductor devices (20, 30) and the at least one electrical structural element (40) are electrically connected to each other via a plug-in connection (110, 112, 114, 116; 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 132). 15. The battery management unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first electrical conductor arrangement (20) and/or the second electrical conductor arrangement (30) comprises a plurality of rigid busbars.