BATTERY BOX

This application provides a battery box, which includes: a heat exchange plate and a lower frame body located on the heat exchange plate. The lower frame body includes edge beams and internal beams, the edge beams forming a circumferential closure opened in an up-down direction, the edge beams and the heat exchange plate together forming an accommodating space with an upward opening, and the internal beams located inside the accommodating space and divide the accommodating space into sub-accommodating spaces for placing battery modules. The heat exchange plate is configured to support the battery modules and exchanges heat with batteries of the battery modules, and a bottom plane of an internal beam is partly in contact with a top plane of the heat exchange plate in the up-down direction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/CN2019/126001, entitled “BATTERY BOX” filed on Dec. 17, 2019, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201822266635.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on Dec. 29, 2018, and entitled “BATTERY BOX”, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the battery field, and in particular, to a battery box.

BACKGROUND

In the battery field, a battery box includes a lower frame body and a heat exchange plate. The lower framer body and the heat exchange plate form an accommodating space for accommodating a battery module. The lower housing includes a plurality of beams. The battery module includes a plurality of arranged batteries and is supported on the heat exchange plate. The heat exchange plate supports the batteries and exchanges heat with the batteries.

A battery generally needs to stay at a constant temperature range to ensure stability and constancy of the operating temperature of the battery.

However, because the heat exchange plate is fixed to the beams of the lower frame body, the entire bottom planes of the beams are in contact with the heat exchange plate. Therefore, there is heat transfer between the heat exchange plate and the beams of the lower frame body, which affects the heat exchange effect of the heat exchange plate on the batteries and the stability and constancy of the operating temperature of the battery.

SUMMARY

In view of the problem existing in the prior art, an objective of this application is to provide a battery box, which can reduce heat exchange between a heat exchange plate and bottom planes of internal beams.

In order to achieve the above object, this application provides a battery box, which includes: a heat exchange plate; a lower frame body located on the heat exchange plate, where the lower frame body includes edge beams and internal beams, the edge beams form a circumferential closure opened in an up-down direction, the edge beams and the heat exchange plate together form an accommodating space with an upward opening, and the internal beams are located inside the accommodating space and divide the accommodating space into sub-accommodating spaces for placing battery modules; the heat exchange plate is used to support the battery modules and exchanges heat with batteries of the battery modules, and a bottom plane of an internal beam is partly in contact with a top plane of the heat exchange plate in the up-down direction.

In an embodiment, the bottom plane of the internal beam includes: a first plane, which is in contact with the top plane of the heat exchange plate; and a second plane, which is recessed upwardly with respect to the first plane from a side of the first plane in a direction that intersects with the up-down direction, so that the second plane is spaced apart from the top plane of the heat exchange plate in the up-down direction.

In an embodiment, the battery box further includes heat insulation glue, the heat insulation glue being filled between the second plane of the bottom plane of the internal beam and the top plane of the heat exchange plate.

In an embodiment, the bottom plane of the internal beam further includes a third plane, which is recessed upwardly with respect to the first plane from another side of the first plane opposite to the direction that intersects with the up-down direction, so that the third plane is spaced apart from the top plane of the heat exchange plate in the up-down direction.

In an embodiment, the battery box further includes heat insulation glue, which is filled between the third plane and the top plane of the heat exchange plate.

In an embodiment, the top plane of the heat exchange plate is flat in general.

In an embodiment, the heat exchange plate has a main body and a bulge extending from the main body. A downside of the bulge is recessed upwardly with respect to the main body, and an upside of the bulge protrudes upwardly with respect to the main body. The bulge has a top surface constituting part of the top plane and an inclined plane. The inclined plane is located laterally to the top surface along the direction intersecting with the up-down direction. The bottom plane of the internal beam is partly in contact with the top surface of the bulge, and the inclined plane of the bulge is spaced apart from the top plane of the heat exchange plate in the up-down direction.

In an embodiment, the battery box further includes heat insulation glue, which is filled between the bottom plane of the internal beam and the inclined plane of the bulge.

In an embodiment, a notch is provided on a lateral surface of the internal beam facing toward the battery.

In an embodiment, the internal beam has an accommodating cavity located above a location where the bottom plane of the internal beam contacts the top plane of the heat exchange plate. The battery box further includes a fastener which passes through the heat exchange plate and the internal beam at the location where the bottom plane of the internal beam contacts the top plane of the heat exchange plate and extends into the accommodating cavity. A part of the fastener extending into the accommodating cavity is spaced apart from a wall of the accommodating cavity.

The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: by making the bottom plane of the internal beam partly in contact with the top plane of the heat exchange plate in the up-down direction, the contact area between the bottom plane of the internal beam and the top plane of the heat exchange plate is reduced. This reduces the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate and the bottom plane of the internal beam, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate and the battery modules (mainly the batteries) is reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries are improved.

Reference signs are described as follows:

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of this application and it is understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of this application, which may be implemented in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to implement this application in various ways.

Additionally, expressions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back that are used to indicate directions for the operations and construction of the constituent components in the embodiments are not absolute but rather relative. Such indications are appropriate when these components are in the locations illustrated in the drawings; however, these directions should be interpreted differently when these locations change, in order to correspond to the changes.

FIG. 1is a perspective view of a battery box according to this application, where battery modules are shown for the sake of clarity.FIG. 2is an assembled perspective view of the battery box according to this application.FIG. 3is a top view ofFIG. 2.FIG. 4is a sectional view ofFIG. 3.FIG. 5is an enlarged view of a circled part inFIG. 4.FIG. 6is a variation ofFIG. 5.FIG. 7is another view corresponding toFIG. 5, showing another internal beam of a lower frame body of the battery box according to this application.FIG. 8is a variation ofFIG. 7.

The battery box according to this application includes a heat exchange plate1and a lower frame body2. The battery box further includes heat insulation glue3. The battery box further includes a fastener4, a heat insulation pad5, and a protective plate6.

The heat exchange plate1is used to support battery modules7and exchanges heat with batteries71of the battery modules7. The battery71may generally include a housing and an electrode assembly and an electrolyte that are accommodated inside the housing. The electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator. The battery71may be a can-type (or hard-case) battery, and accordingly as shown inFIG. 1, and the housing includes a top cover and an outer case fitted with the top cover; or the battery71may be a pouch-type (or soft-case) battery, and the case is made of a packaging film (such as an aluminum plastic film). The heat exchange plate1includes a first plate14and a second plate15. The second plate15joins from below with the first plate14to form a flow passage F for a heat exchange medium to flow through, as shown inFIG. 5andFIG. 6. The first plate14and/or the second plate15may be formed by stamping. To improve the heat exchange effect, the heat exchange plate1is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, preferably a metal material, and more preferably an aluminum alloy material.

The lower frame body2is located on the heat exchange plate1. The lower frame body2includes edge beams21and internal beams22. The edge beams21form a circumferential closure opened in an up-down direction Z, and the edge beams21and the heat exchange plate1together form an accommodating space with an upward opening. The internal beams22are located inside the accommodating space and divide the accommodating space into sub-accommodating spaces R for placing the battery modules7, and a bottom plane B22of the internal beam22is partly in contact with a top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z. By making the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22partly in contact with the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z, the contact area between the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1is reduced. This reduces the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the battery modules7(mainly the batteries71) is reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries71are improved.

Both the edge beams21and the internal beams22can be made of a metal material, such as an aluminum alloy, and may use die castings or extrusion profiles. To reduce weight, the edge beams21and the internal beams22can have cavities (that is, a later described accommodating cavity225is present in the internal beam22, but no cavity is shown for the edge beam21). In a word, they are profiles with cavities. It is to be noted that, the respective longitudinal directions of the edge beams21and the internal beams22may be an X direction and their respective transverse directions may be a Y direction, or the longitudinal direction may be a Y direction and the transverse direction may be an X direction. However, in this specification, the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction are directions of a beam structure itself, which constitute a local coordinate system, while the X, Y, and Z directions of the battery box inFIG. 1form a global coordinate system. There is no strict correspondence between the two coordinate systems.

In an example inFIG. 5, the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22includes: a first plane B221, which is in contact with the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1; a second plane B222, which is recessed upwardly with respect to the first plane B221from a side of the first plane B221in a direction that intersects with the up-down direction Z, so that the second plane B222is spaced apart from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z.

Further, in the example inFIG. 5, the heat insulation glue3is filled between the second plane B222of the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate. The filling of the heat insulation glue3may fill seamlessly a gap between the second plane B222of the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1. This prevents heat from transferring to the second plane B222of the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22through the air by means of heat radiation from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1. This further reduces the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the internal beam22, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the battery modules7(mainly the batteries71) is further reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries71are further improved.

In an example inFIG. 6, on the basis of the embodiment shown inFIG. 5, the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22further includes a third plane B223, which is recessed upwardly with respect to the first plane B221from another side of the first plane B221opposite to the direction that intersects with the up-down direction Z, so that the third plane B223is spaced apart from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z. By making the third plane B223spaced apart from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z, the contact area between the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1is further reduced. This further reduces the heat exchange between the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1and the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the battery modules7(mainly the batteries71) is further reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries71are further improved.

Further, in the example shown inFIG. 6, the heat insulation glue3is filled between the third plane B223and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1. Again, the filling of the heat insulation glue3may fill seamlessly a gap between the third plane B223of the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1. This prevents heat from transferring to the third plane B223of the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22through the air by means of heat radiation from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1. This further reduces the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the internal beam22, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the battery modules7(mainly the batteries71) is further reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries71are further improved.

In the examples inFIG. 5andFIG. 6, the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1is flat in general. This improves the flatness for heat exchange with the batteries71of the battery modules7, thereby improving the uniformity of heat exchange. The second plane B222and the third plane B223may form a ring, or may not form a ring, which may be dependent on the control of heat exchange.

In examples inFIG. 7andFIG. 8, the heat exchange plate1has a main body12and a bulge13extending from the main body12. A downside of the bulge13is recessed upwardly with respect to the main body12, and an upside of the bulge13protrudes upwardly with respect to the main body12. The bulge13has a top surface131constituting part of the top plane T11and an inclined plane132. The inclined plane132is located laterally to the top surface131along the direction intersecting with the up-down direction Z. The bottom plane B22of the internal beam22is partly in contact with the top surface131of the bulge13, and the inclined plane132of the bulge13is spaced apart from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z. By making the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22partly in contact with the top surface131of the bulge13, and the inclined plane132of the bulge13spaced apart from the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1in the up-down direction Z, the contact area between the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1is reduced. This reduces the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate and the bottom plane of the internal beam, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate and the battery modules (mainly the batteries) is reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries are improved. Moreover, the provision of the bulge13also helps to strengthen the performance of the internal beam22to buffer against outside shocks.

Further, in the examples inFIG. 7andFIG. 8, the heat insulation glue3is filled between the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the inclined plane132of the bulge13. Again, the filling of the heat insulation glue3may fill seamlessly a gap between the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22and the inclined plane132of the bulge13. This prevents heat from transferring to the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22through the air by means of heat radiation from the inclined plane132of the bulge13of the heat exchange plate1. This further reduces the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the internal beam22, and in turn the impact on the heat exchange between the heat exchange plate1and the battery modules7(mainly the batteries71) is further reduced, and the stability, constancy and controllability of the operating temperature of the batteries71are further improved.

In the example inFIG. 7, the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22is similar to that inFIG. 6; in the example inFIG. 8, the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22is flat.

In the examples inFIG. 7andFIG. 8, a notch224ais provided on a lateral surface224of the internal beam22facing toward the battery. The provision of the notch224acan reduce the contact area of the lateral surface of the battery module7with the internal beam22in case of impact vibration, reducing the level of unexpected heat exchange. Moreover, the notch224amay also reduce the weight of the internal beam22, helping the weight reduction of the battery box.

In the examples inFIG. 5toFIG. 8, the internal beam22has an accommodating cavity225located above a location where the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22contacts the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1. A fastener4passes through the heat exchange plate1and the internal beam22at the location where the bottom plane B22of the internal beam22contacts the top plane T11of the heat exchange plate1and extends into the accommodating cavity225. A part of the fastener4extending into the accommodating cavity225is spaced apart from a wall of the accommodating cavity225. In this way, the part of the fastener4extending into the accommodating cavity225is prevented from coming into contact with the wall of the accommodating cavity225, so the heat exchange area between the internal beam22and the heat exchange plate1will not increase because of the fastener4.

A material of the heat insulation glue3may be selected from any suitable materials, such as polyurethane heat insulation glue and heat insulation epoxy glue.

The fastener4is configured to fix the heat exchange plate1to the lower frame body2. The fastener4may use any suitable forms, such as a rivet, a combination of a bolt and a nut, or a screw. A material of the fastener4is preferably a material with low thermal conductivity.

A heat insulation pad5is provided under the heat exchange plate1, as shown inFIG. 1. With the provision of the heat insulation pad5, heat transfer of the heat exchange plate1is blocked in at least the downward direction, which facilitates heat preservation for the batteries71of the battery module7. A material of the heat insulation pad5may be heat insulation cotton, foam, or the like.

A protective plate6supports the heat insulation pad5and the heat exchange plate1from below, as shown inFIG. 1. Under the impact of an external force (for example, flying rocks), the protective plate6protects the heat exchange plate1from failure due to damage by the external force. A material of the protective plate6is preferably a material with strong impact resistance, such as an aluminum alloy, a stainless steel, a high-strength steel, and a hot dip galvanized dual-phase DP high-strength alloy steel.

The above detailed description describes various example embodiments, but this specification is not intended to be limited to the specifically disclosed combinations. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the various features disclosed herein can be combined together to form a plurality of additional combinations that are not shown for the sake of clarity.