Mounting bracket for cell supervision circuit, battery pack, and vehicle

This disclosure relates to the technical field of energy storage devices, and in particular, to a mounting bracket for a cell supervision circuit, a battery pack, and a vehicle. The mounting bracket includes: a management system mounting part, including a management system mounting surface, which is configured to mount a cell supervision circuit; and a thermally conductive part, configured to fit snugly to a container of the battery pack, which is connected to one end of the management system mounting part, and disposed on a side where the management system mounting surface is located.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/CN2018/124862, filed on Dec. 28, 2018, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201820090372.1, filed on Jan. 19, 2018, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the technical field of energy storage devices, and in particular, relates to a mounting bracket for a cell supervision circuit, a battery pack, and a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Currently, strict requirements are imposed on power batteries in terms of cost, size, energy density, and other aspects; to meet these requirements, not only battery cells need to be continuously optimized, but other components in a battery pack also need to be continuously optimized in terms of weight, size, assembly time, cost, and other aspects while strength and performance requirements are satisfied. A cell supervision circuit (CSC) is a control system in a battery pack; in the prior art, there is no fixed position for the cell supervision circuit in the battery pack; and after other components are mounted, the cell supervision circuit is mounted wherever there is free space. In most cases, the mounting position is affected by other surrounding components; consequently, it difficult to conduct heat from the cell supervision circuit out of the battery pack; under a high temperature for a long time, the cell supervision circuit will have decreased performance and will be damaged in severe cases, which thereby affects safety of the battery pack.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides a mounting bracket for a cell supervision circuit, a battery pack, and a vehicle to solve the above problems.

A first aspect of this disclosure provides a mounting bracket for a cell supervision circuit, including:a management system mounting part, including a management system mounting surface, wherein the management system mounting surface is configured to mount a cell supervision circuit; anda thermally conductive part, configured to fit snugly to a container of a battery pack, wherein the thermally conductive part is connected to one end of the management system mounting part, and disposed on a side where the management system mounting surface is located.

Optionally, the mounting bracket further includes one or more module pressing parts; each module pressing part is connected to an end of the management system mounting part away from the thermally conductive part, and the module pressing part and the thermally conductive part are located on two sides of the management system mounting part respectively.

Optionally, the mounting bracket further includes a force balancing structure, and the force balancing structure is disposed on at least one of the management system mounting part and the module pressing part.

Optionally, the mounting bracket further includes a connecting bolt;the management system mounting part includes a plurality of through-holes, some of which are mounting holes, and others are spare holes; each mounting hole is connected to the connecting bolt, and the connecting bolt and the management system mounting surface are located on the same side.

Optionally, a container mounting part is disposed on two sides of the thermally conductive part, the container mounting part includes a container mounting surface, and the container mounting surface is perpendicular to the management system mounting surface.

Optionally, the mounting bracket has an integrated structure.

A second aspect of this disclosure provides a battery pack, including:a container;a battery module, including an end plate;any of the above mounting brackets, where the management system mounting part is oppositely disposed on one side of the end plate; and the thermally conductive part fits snugly to the container; anda cell supervision circuit, where the cell supervision circuit is mounted on the management system mounting surface.

Optionally, an outer contour of the thermally conductive part is consistent with an outer contour of the container.

Optionally, the battery pack further includes a module pressing part; the module pressing part is connected to an end of the management system mounting part away from the thermally conductive part, and the module pressing part and the thermally conductive part are located on two sides of the management system mounting part respectively;a plurality of battery modules are disposed, and the module pressing part is connected onto and presses adjacent end plates concurrently.

Optionally, the container includes an upper container part and a lower container part that engage with each other;a container mounting part is disposed on two sides of the thermally conductive part, the container mounting part includes a container mounting surface, and the container mounting surface is perpendicular to a direction of engaging the upper container part with the lower container part.

Optionally, the battery pack further includes a thermally conductive adhesive; the thermally conductive adhesive is disposed on at least one of a side of the management system mounting part away from the management system mounting surface and a surface of the thermally conductive part which fits snugly to the container.

A third aspect of this disclosure provides a vehicle, including any of the above battery packs.

The technical solutions according to this disclosure achieve the following beneficial effects:the mounting bracket according to this disclosure includes a management system mounting part and a thermally conductive part; the heat from the cell supervision circuit can be transmitted to the container through the thermally conductive part such that the heat inside the container will be dissipated quickly, which will maximally ensure a proper working temperature of the cell supervision circuit and improve reliability of the cell supervision circuit and safety of the battery pack.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary without limiting this disclosure.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

The drawings described here are incorporated into the specification as a part of the specification, and illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and are used together with the specification to interpret the principles of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Below, this disclosure will be further described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

As shown inFIG.1toFIG.10, an embodiment of this disclosure provides a battery pack, including a container100, a battery module200, a cell supervision circuit300, and a mounting bracket400; the battery module200includes an end plate210; the cell supervision circuit300is mounted on the mounting bracket400; and the battery module200, the cell supervision circuit300, and the mounting bracket400are all contained in the container100.

Specifically, as shown inFIG.5,FIG.7, andFIG.9, the mounting bracket400includes a management system mounting part410and a thermally conductive part420; the management system mounting part410includes a management system mounting surface411, and the management system mounting surface411is configured to mount the cell supervision circuit300; the thermally conductive part420is disposed to fit snugly to the container100of the battery pack; the thermally conductive part420is connected to one end of the management system mounting part410, and disposed on a side where the management system mounting surface411is located, i.e., the thermally conductive part420is bent with respect to the management system mounting part410and extends in a direction away from the management system mounting part410. In assembling of the battery pack, the management system mounting part410is oppositely disposed on one side of the end plate210of the battery module200, i.e., the management system mounting part410is disposed to face the end plate210and is located on one side of the end plate210; and the cell supervision circuit300is mounted on the management system mounting surface411, and the thermally conductive part420fits snugly to the container100.

The above mounting bracket400includes the management system mounting part410and the thermally conductive part420; a position for fixing the cell supervision circuit300is provided in the battery pack such that heat from the cell supervision circuit300can be transmitted through the management system mounting part410and the thermally conductive part420to the container100and thereby the heat inside the container100will be dissipated quickly, which will maximally ensure a proper working temperature of the cell supervision circuit300and improve reliability of the cell supervision circuit300and safety of the battery pack.

The management system mounting part410may fit snugly to the end plate210to increase a support capacity of the mounting bracket400and implement more reliable mounting of the cell supervision circuit300.

Further, an outer contour of the thermally conductive part420is consistent with an outer contour of the container100, i.e., the thermally conductive part420has a conformal shape of the container100; and when the thermally conductive part420and the container100are mounted, it is desirable to make respective portions of the thermally conductive part420fits snugly to the container100to improve heat conduction efficiency and mounting stability of the mounting bracket400.

The battery pack may further include a thermally conductive adhesive; the thermally conductive adhesive is disposed on at least one of a side of the management system mounting part410away from the management system mounting surface411and a surface of the thermally conductive part420which fits snugly to the container100; in other words, the thermally conductive adhesive may be disposed on only the side of the management system mounting part410away from the management system mounting surface411, i.e., the thermally conductive adhesive is disposed between the management system mounting part410and the end plate210to transmit the heat from the battery module200through the mounting bracket400to the container100, or alternatively, the thermally conductive adhesive may be disposed on only the surface of the thermally conductive part420which fits snugly to the container100, i.e., the thermally conductive adhesive is disposed between the thermally conductive part420and the container100so as to further improve the heat conduction efficiency of the mounting bracket400and the container100. The thermally conductive adhesive may also be disposed on both the side of the management system mounting part410away from the management system mounting surface411and the surface of the thermally conductive part which fits snugly to the container100.

The mounting bracket400further includes a module pressing part430; the module pressing part430is connected to the other end of the management system mounting part410away from the thermally conductive part420, and the module pressing part430and the thermally conductive part420are located on two sides of the management system mounting part410respectively; in other words, the module pressing part430extends in a direction away from the management system mounting part410, wherein an extending direction of the module pressing part430is opposite to and not collinear with an extending direction of the thermally conductive part420; and the module pressing part430disposed in such a way that the mounting bracket400is also fastened to the battery module200, which will better improve internal stability of the battery pack.

It should be understood that one or more battery modules200may be disposed in the battery pack; and in a case that a plurality of battery modules are disposed, a module batten may be disposed additionally to fasten the adjacent battery modules200. In an embodiment of this disclosure, the module pressing part430is also connected onto and presses adjacent end plates210concurrently, i.e., two adjacent end plates210may be connected to the same module pressing part430; obviously, in this way, the module pressing part430serves as the module batten; therefore, the battery pack will require fewer module battens, and the mounting bracket400will increase connection points between the battery modules200and the container100, and achieve higher stability of the battery modules200.

In a case that three or more battery modules200are disposed, a plurality of module pressing parts430are disposed; one module pressing part430is connected onto and presses the end plates210of two adjacent battery modules200concurrently; as shown inFIG.4, three battery modules200are disposed, and two module pressing parts430are disposed, and each module pressing part430is connected to two adjacent end plates210by screws; and the two adjacent end plates210may be fastened to the module pressing part430by one screw.

Herein, the container100includes an upper container part110and a lower container part120that engage with each other; in the mounting of the battery pack, the upper container part110is opened first, the battery module200, the cell supervision circuit300, the mounting bracket400, and other parts in the battery pack are mounted in the lower container part120, and then the upper container part110is engaged with the lower container part120to form the battery pack.

The mounting bracket400may be connected to the container100through the thermally conductive part420; in an embodiment, container mounting parts440are disposed on two sides of the thermally conductive part420; the container mounting part440includes a container mounting surface441; the container mounting surface441is perpendicular to the management system mounting surface411; in the fixing of the mounting bracket400onto the container100, the container mounting surface441is perpendicular to a direction of engaging the upper container part110with the lower container part120, as shown inFIG.3; in this way, screws are arranged along the engaging direction to lock the mounting bracket400and the container100firmly.

The cell supervision circuit300is a wearing part, and therefore, often needs to be replaced and repaired. In the prior art, there is no fixed position for the mounting bracket400in the battery pack; at some locations, when the cell supervision circuit300is disassembled and the mounting bracket400is mounted, there is no enough operating space, and the whole battery module needs to be disassembled and after the replacement, be reassembled, thus it is labor and time consuming to replace the cell supervision circuit300. With the above container mounting part440, after the upper container part110is opened during disassembly and repair, the screws that connect the mounting bracket400to the container100and the screws that connect the mounting bracket400to the end plate210are all disposed vertically, and no other parts are disposed above the screws, thus this manner will provide an enough operating space to make the replacement of the cell supervision circuit300more convenient and improve efficiency of replacing and repairing the cell supervision circuit300.

To increase strength of the container100, the container100may include a step130recessed inward; the step130may be disposed on both the upper container part110and the lower container part120; the container mounting part440is snugly connected to the step130; in this way, a recessed space will be formed outside the container100, and will be available for accommodating screws and increase the strength of the container100. In this case, the thermally conductive part420protrudes outward with respect to the container mounting part440, so as to be as close as possible to the container100.

The container mounting part440may be transitionally connected to the thermally conductive part420through an arc-shaped surface; specifically, the container mounting part440and the thermally conductive part420may be formed by a flange of the management system mounting part410to increase the strength of the entire mounting bracket400.

Optionally, the mounting bracket400has an integrated structure to increase the strength of the mounting bracket400. Each of the management system mounting part410, the thermally conductive part420, the module pressing part430, and the container mounting part440may have a plate-shaped structure; in a case that the mounting bracket400has an integrated structure, each of the module pressing part430, the container mounting part440, and the thermally conductive part420are bent and formed with respect to the management system mounting part410.

Further, the mounting bracket400further includes a force balancing structure450; the force balancing structure450is disposed on at least one of the management system mounting part410and the module pressing part430to better increase the strength of the mounting bracket400.

The force balancing structure450may be a tear-resistant groove451; the tear-resistant groove451is disposed on the management system mounting part410, and the tear-resistant groove451is formed by recessing inward the management system mounting surface411, i.e., by recessing toward the end plate210; this structure enables a majority of areas of the management system mounting surface411to contact the cell supervision circuit300, thereby improving heat dissipation effects of the cell supervision circuit300.

In an embodiment, especially in a case that the mounting bracket400is integrally formed, due to a relatively large internal force caused by the bending near the module pressing part430, an tear-resistant groove451is disposed in at least an area of the management system mounting part410near the module pressing part430, so as to improve the strength of the area and prevent a tear from occurring in the area.

As mentioned above, in a case that the mounting bracket400has an integrated structure, a junction between the management system mounting part410and the module pressing part430is likely to fracture due to the bending; therefore, a force balancing structure450is disposed at the junction between the management system mounting part410and the module pressing part430to increase the strength at the junction and ensure reliability of the connection between the management system mounting part410and the module pressing part430; the force balancing structure450at this junction may be a tear-resistant hole452, as shown inFIG.5,FIG.7, andFIG.9, so as to better release the internal force caused by the bending and prevent a fracture at the j unction.

It needs to be noted that the tear-resistant hole452may also be disposed on the management system mounting part410, and the tear-resistant groove451may also be disposed at the junction between the management system mounting part410and the module pressing part430.

In addition, the force balancing structure450may further include a bent flange453; the bent flange453is disposed along at least a part of the edge of the management system mounting part410to form a flanging structure; as shown inFIG.5,FIG.7, andFIG.9, the bent flange453is disposed in a section of the edge of the management system mounting part410between the module pressing part430and the container mounting part440; because the management system mounting part410is large in size, such flanging structure can further improve the strength of the mounting bracket400.

A plurality of through-holes are disposed on the management system mounting part410; among the through-holes, some are mounting holes and others are spare holes470, so as to adapt to cell supervision circuits300of different specifications. Specifically, each mounting hole may be connected with a connecting bolt460, and the connecting bolt460and the management system mounting surface411are located on the same side of the management system mounting part410. In this way, external structures of the cell supervision circuits300are similar, and the cell supervision circuits300of different specifications differ only in lengthwise size, thus in manufacturing of the mounting bracket400, all other structures of the mounting bracket400than the connecting bolt460are processed and formed first, and finally, the connecting bolt460is connected to the mounting hole according to different cell supervision circuits300. As shown inFIG.5toFIG.10that illustrate three embodiments of the mounting bracket400and assembly diagrams of fixing the mounting bracket400of the corresponding embodiments to different cell supervision circuits300, the three embodiments differ only in the location of the connecting bolt460, so as to adapt to mounting of different cell supervision circuits300. Obviously, this structure will improve structural consistency of the mounting bracket400, increase universal applicability of the mounting bracket400, reduce the quantity of processing molds for the mounting bracket400, reduce cost, and facilitate the design of the entire battery pack. It needs to be noted that the cell supervision unit300may also be connected to the mounting hole by other means, or directly clamped, welded, or otherwise connected to the mounting bracket400.

Optionally, the mounting bracket400may also include a heat dissipation hole, and the heat dissipation hole may also be a through-hole to facilitate heat dissipation of the cell supervision circuit300.

As shown inFIG.4, the cell supervision circuit300needs to be connected to other parts in the battery pack through a connection harness500, i.e., the battery pack further includes a connection harness500; to prevent vibration of the connection harness500from affecting the entire battery pack during transportation and use of the battery pack, a harness fixing hole480is further disposed on the management system mounting part410; the harness fixing hole480may be a through-hole or a blind hole; after the connection harness500is connected, the connection harness500is fastened to the harness fixing hole480through a band, a wire clip, or the like.

In conclusion, in other words, the mounting bracket400may include a plurality of through-holes; the through-holes include the mounting holes and spare holes adapted to mount the cell supervision circuits300of different sizes, a connection hole for fixing the connection harness500, and a heat dissipation hole for dissipating heat, and may also include a weight-reducing hole. In addition, this disclosure further provides a vehicle, including the battery pack according to any embodiment described above.

The foregoing descriptions are merely exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, but are not intended to limit this disclosure; and a person skilled in the art understands that this disclosure may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, and the like made without departing from the spirit and principles of this disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.