Patent Description:
A secondary battery refers to a battery that can be charged and discharged, unlike a primary battery that cannot be charged, and the secondary battery is used as a power source not only for small high-tech electronic devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and notebook computers but also for energy storage systems (ESSs), electric vehicles (EVs), or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

The secondary battery has a problem in that safety is greatly reduced, such as shortening the lifespan and causing malfunctions, if the heat accompanied with charging and discharging is not efficiently cooled. For this reason, in order to apply a secondary battery as an energy source for an electric vehicle, for example, a battery module is configured by connecting a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries in series and/or in parallel, and a battery pack is configured by connecting such battery modules usually in series, the battery pack including a cooling system for properly managing the temperature of the battery modules.

There are various cooling systems, and recently, a cooling system that uses a coolant and absorbs heat from a battery module by allowing a heatsink having a flow path to contact the battery module is widely used. A battery pack to which the water-cooled cooling system is applied requires a connecting hose and a coolant port <NUM> as shown in <FIG> to supply a coolant to the heatsink.

A component such as the coolant port <NUM> usually includes a gasket <NUM> to ensure watertightness. For example, a groove <NUM> is formed at a body <NUM> of the coolant port <NUM>, and the gasket <NUM> is assembled to the groove <NUM> by fitting. However, when the gasket <NUM> is assembled to the coolant port <NUM> as above, the gasket <NUM> often moves out of its position or is deviated during the process of transporting components or handling components on a pack assembly line.

In this case, the gasket <NUM> needs to be reassembled or rearranged, which acts as a factor that reduces the reliability of the watertight performance of the coolant port as well as the efficiency of the battery pack assembly process.

Further prior art is disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to solving the problem that a sealing gasket is deviated from a coolant port that is stored in a state where the sealing gasket is assembled thereto.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a coolant port assembly, comprising: a coolant port including a port portion having a pipe shape formed to extend by a predetermined length, and a plate-shaped mounting bracket portion formed at one side of an outer circumference of the port portion to expand in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the port portion; a sealing gasket provided in a ring shape that surrounds a peripheral outer side of the port portion; and a gasket cover configured to be closely coupled to the mounting bracket portion together with the sealing gasket while pressing a part of the sealing gasket, wherein the gasket cover has a perforated hole which is greater than an inner diameter of the sealing gasket and smaller than an outer diameter of the sealing gasket, when being viewed from the front, and the perforated hole gradually increases in a thickness direction of the gasket cover.

The gasket cover may be configured to be closely adhered to the mounting bracket portion while covering an outer peripheral edge area of the sealing gasket.

The mounting bracket portion may include a gasket hanging portion configured to protrude with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the sealing gasket so that the sealing gasket is covered on a periphery of the gasket hanging portion.

The mounting bracket portion may include a cover mounting portion engraved to engage with the gasket cover; and at least two side portions formed to extend in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the port portion with the cover mounting portion being interposed therebetween and to have a bolt fastening hole.

The side portion may be formed thicker than the cover mounting portion by a thickness of the gasket cover.

The cover mounting portion may include a hook provided to at least one of a top end and a bottom end thereof, and the gasket cover may have a hooking hole provided to at least one of a top end and a bottom end thereof to be coupled with the hook by hooking.

The sealing gasket may be made of a rubber material or a silicon material.

The sealing gasket may include a joint portion formed to have a greater thickness at every predetermined interval along a circumferential direction.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a battery pack, comprising the coolant port assembly described above.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a coolant port assembly that may promote sealing performance quality stabilization through flow prevention and removal prevention of the sealing gasket and increase efficiency of the assembly process when applied to a battery pack.

In addition, a person skilled in the art will clearly understand that various technical objects not mentioned above can be solved from the following disclosure.

In this specification, a coolant port assembly refers to a component of a coolant supply/discharge line system. Hereinafter, the following description will be on the assumption that the coolant port assembly is applied to a water-cooled battery pack. However, the use of the coolant port assembly in the present disclosure is not limited to a water-cooled battery pack. That is, the coolant port assembly may also be applied to a coolant supply/discharge line of devices other than the water-cooled battery pack.

<FIG> is a diagram showing a coolant port assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing the coolant port assembly of <FIG>, and <FIG> is a front view showing the coolant port assembly of <FIG>.

The coolant port assembly <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a coolant port <NUM>, a sealing gasket <NUM>, and a gasket cover <NUM> as main components.

As shown in <FIG>, the coolant port <NUM> includes port portion <NUM> having a pipe shape formed to extend by a predetermined length, and a mounting bracket portion <NUM> formed at one side of an outer circumference of the port portion <NUM> to expand in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the port portion <NUM>.

The port portion <NUM> is, for example, a means installed over the inside and outside of a battery pack to connect an inner connection tube <NUM> and an outer connection tube <NUM> of the battery pack, and the mounting bracket portion <NUM> is a means for securely fixing the port portion <NUM> to a pack case.

The diameter of the port portion <NUM> may be changed according to the diameter of the inner connection tube <NUM>, the outer connection tube <NUM>, or a port hole 210a of the pack case connected thereto, and the length may be changed longer or shorter than this embodiment as needed. In addition, after the inner connection tube <NUM> or the outer connection tube <NUM> is connected to the port portion <NUM>, a wrinkle pattern or the like may be provided on the outer circumference of the port portion <NUM> so that they are not easily separated.

The mounting bracket portion <NUM> has, for example, bolt fastening holes H1, H2, and may be provided in a plate shape for easy attachment to a wall surface <NUM> of the pack case. The mounting bracket portion <NUM> has the bolt fastening holes H1, H2 at locations spaced from the port portion <NUM> by a predetermined distance in a left and right direction (or upper and lower direction) so as not to interfere with the port portion <NUM> during bolt fastening, and is preferably manufactured to have a predetermined thickness so as not to be damaged due to torque when being attached to the wall surface <NUM> of the pack case using a bolt. Also, it is recommended to add a bushing B to the bolt fastening holes H1, H2 to prevent cracks in the bolt fastening holes H1, H2 during bolt fastening.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the mounting bracket portion <NUM> is implemented in a rectangular shape, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this shape. The mounting bracket portion <NUM> may also be implemented in various forms such as a disk shape, a polygonal plate shape, and an oval plate shape.

The port portion <NUM> and the mounting bracket portion <NUM> may be integrally manufactured through injection molding by injecting a plastic resin into a mold. One of the port portion <NUM> and the mounting bracket portion <NUM> may be made of a plastic material and the other of the port portion <NUM> and the mounting bracket portion <NUM> may be made of a metal material by the insert injection molding.

When the coolant port <NUM> is mounted to the pack case, the sealing gasket <NUM> is used to secure the airtightness or watertightness of the corresponding portion to prevent foreign substances or moisture from entering the battery pack through a gap formed due to the difference in diameter between the port hole 210a and the port portion <NUM>.

The sealing gasket <NUM> may be provided in a ring shape made of rubber or silicone material. In this embodiment, the sealing gasket <NUM> has a circular shape, but it may also be implemented in the form of a square ring or a polygonal ring.

The sealing gasket <NUM> may have an inner diameter D1 greater than the port portion <NUM>, surround a peripheral outer side of the port portion <NUM>, and be closely adhered to the front surface of the mounting bracket portion <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the mounting bracket portion <NUM> may include a gasket hanging portion <NUM> capable of covering the sealing gasket <NUM>. The gasket hanging portion <NUM> is provided in the shape of a protruding disk having a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the sealing gasket <NUM>, but the protrusion degree of the gasket hanging portion <NUM> is lower than the thickness of the sealing gasket <NUM>.

The sealing gasket <NUM> of this embodiment is made of rubber or silicone material to have elasticity. Therefore, for example, the sealing gasket <NUM> may be covered on the gasket hanging portion <NUM> by hanging a part of the peripheral portion of the sealing gasket <NUM> on the gasket hanging portion <NUM> and pulling the remaining peripheral portion slightly. In this way, as the sealing gasket <NUM> is covered on the gasket hanging portion <NUM>, the fixability of the sealing gasket <NUM> may be secured to some extent.

The gasket cover <NUM> is used as a means to prevent the sealing gasket <NUM> from being deviated from its original position or from being removed due to impact or the like while the coolant port <NUM> is being transported or being assembled to the pack case.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the gasket cover <NUM> according to this embodiment includes a plate-shaped body portion <NUM> having a perforated hole <NUM> at a center thereof, a top end bent portion <NUM> bent toward the front surface of the mounting bracket portion <NUM> at an upper edge of the body portion <NUM>, and a bottom end bent portion <NUM> bent toward the front surface of the mounting bracket portion <NUM> at a lower edge of the body portion <NUM>.

The mounting bracket portion <NUM> may include a cover mounting portion <NUM> engraved to engage with the gasket cover <NUM>, and at least two side portions <NUM>, <NUM> formed to extend in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the port portion <NUM> with the cover mounting portion <NUM> being interposed therebetween and having bolt fastening holes H1, H2. The side portions <NUM>, <NUM> may be formed to be thicker than the cover mounting portion <NUM> by the thickness of the gasket cover <NUM>.

The cover mounting portion <NUM> has two hooks 14a at the top end and the bottom end, respectively, and the gasket cover <NUM> may have two hooking holes <NUM> at the top end bent portion <NUM> and the bottom end bent portion <NUM>, respectively, to be coupled with the two hooks 14a by hooking.

With the above configuration, the gasket cover <NUM> may be closely coupled to the cover mounting portion <NUM> of the mounting bracket portion <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. At this time, the front surface of the body portion <NUM> and the front surfaces of the side portions <NUM>, <NUM> are placed on the same plane, and the sealing gasket <NUM> may protrude further to the front compared to the front surface of the body portion <NUM> of the gasket cover <NUM> and the front surfaces of the side portions <NUM>, <NUM>.

In particular, the gasket cover <NUM> may be closely coupled to the mounting bracket portion <NUM> together with the sealing gasket <NUM> while pressing a part of the sealing gasket <NUM>.

The perforated hole <NUM> of the gasket cover <NUM> is formed to have a diameter O greater than the inner diameter D1 of the sealing gasket <NUM> and smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the sealing gasket <NUM>, when the coolant port <NUM> is viewed from the front. In this case, as shown in <FIG>, the outer edge area of the sealing gasket <NUM> may be pressed by the gasket cover <NUM> while the gasket cover <NUM> is being closely adhered to the cover mounting portion <NUM>. Here, the outer edge area of the sealing gasket <NUM> refers to an area between the dotted line of <FIG> and the inner solid line adjacent thereto.

In addition, the perforated hole <NUM> of the gasket cover <NUM> is formed to gradually expand in the thickness direction of the gasket cover <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. That is, the perforated hole <NUM> may be provided to have an inner circumference <NUM> that is slightly expanded from the front surface to the rear surface of the gasket cover <NUM>.

According to this configuration, while the outer edge area <NUM> of the sealing gasket <NUM> is being pressed, the rear surface of the body portion <NUM> of the gasket cover <NUM> may be brought into contact with the front surface of the cover mounting portion <NUM>, so that a step difference is not formed between the gasket cover <NUM> and the side portions <NUM>, <NUM> and the damage to the sealing gasket <NUM> is reduced. In addition, the inner edge area <NUM> of the sealing gasket <NUM> abuts against the gasket hanging portion <NUM>, and the outer edge area <NUM> of the sealing gasket <NUM> is pressed by the gasket cover <NUM>, so that the sealing gasket <NUM> may be fixed more strongly.

If the gasket cover <NUM> is mounted to the mounting bracket portion <NUM> as above, the sealing gasket <NUM> is not deviated from its original position or is not removed even if there is a strong impact while the coolant port <NUM> is being transported or the coolant port <NUM> is being assembled to the pack case.

Therefore, when the coolant port assembly <NUM> according to the present disclosure is applied to the battery pack, the sealing performance quality stabilization and the assembly process efficiency may be promoted by preventing the sealing gasket <NUM> from moving and being removed.

For reference, as shown in <FIG>, the coolant port assembly <NUM> of the present disclosure may be installed on the wall surface <NUM> of the pack case. For example, the front end of the port portion <NUM> is inserted into the port hole of the pack case until the sealing gasket <NUM> contacts the wall surface of the pack case. Then, the mounting bracket portion <NUM> is fixed to the wall surface <NUM> of the pack case using a bolt (not shown). At this time, since the sealing gasket <NUM> is strongly adhered to the wall surface <NUM> of the pack case at the peripheral outer side of the port hole 210a, the airtightness and watertightness of the port hole 210a may be reliably secured even if there is a gap between the port hole 210a and the port portion <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the inner connection tube <NUM> of the battery pack may be connected to the front end of the coolant port <NUM> during the assembly process of the battery pack, and the outer connection tube <NUM> may be connected to the rear end of the port portion <NUM> if necessary. The inner connection tube <NUM> may lead to an inlet of a heatsink that is in contact with each battery module inside the battery pack, and the outer connection tube <NUM> may lead to a coolant reservoir outside the battery pack.

<FIG> is a front view showing a coolant port assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Next, another embodiment of the present disclosure will be briefly described with reference to <FIG>. The same reference signs as in the former embodiment denote the same components and will not be described in detail again.

The coolant port assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure has a difference in the configuration of the sealing gasket <NUM> compared to the former embodiment.

The sealing gasket <NUM> according to this embodiment further includes a joint portion <NUM> that is formed thicker at every predetermined interval along the circumferential direction. The joint portion <NUM> may be regarded as a component to increase the durability of the sealing gasket <NUM> and to increase the adhesion between the gasket hanging portion <NUM> and the gasket cover <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the sealing gasket <NUM>, the inner surface portion of the joint portion <NUM> strongly abuts against the gasket hanging portion <NUM>, and the outer surface portion of the joint portion <NUM> strongly abuts against the inner circumference of the perforated hole <NUM> of the gasket cover <NUM>. The inner surface portion and the outer surface portion of the joint portion <NUM> may be pressed more strongly by the gasket hanging portion <NUM> and the inner circumference of the gasket cover <NUM>, respectively, thereby securing fixation.

Meanwhile, the battery pack according to the present disclosure is a water-cooled battery pack and may be configured to include at least one coolant port assembly <NUM> described above. In addition to the coolant port assembly <NUM>, the battery pack may further include a battery module, which is an assembly of battery cells, a control device for controlling charge/discharge and current flow based on voltage and temperature of the battery module, such as a BMS, a fuse and a relay, and cooling components such as a heatsink for cooling the battery module.

Claim 1:
A coolant port assembly (<NUM>), comprising:
a coolant port (<NUM>) including a port portion (<NUM>) having a pipe shape formed to extend by a predetermined length, and a plate-shaped mounting bracket portion (<NUM>) formed at one side of an outer circumference of the port portion (<NUM>) to expand in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the port portion (<NUM>);
a sealing gasket (<NUM>) provided in a ring shape that surrounds a peripheral outer side of the port portion (<NUM>); and
a gasket cover (<NUM>) configured to be closely coupled to the mounting bracket portion (<NUM>) together with the sealing gasket (<NUM>) while pressing a part of the sealing gasket (<NUM>),
characterized in that the gasket cover (<NUM>) has a perforated hole (<NUM>) which is greater than an inner diameter (D1) of the sealing gasket (<NUM>) and smaller than an outer diameter (D2) of the sealing gasket (<NUM>), when being viewed from the front, and
the perforated hole (<NUM>) gradually increases in a thickness direction of the gasket cover (<NUM>).