阅读说明：本技术 测量装置和机动车 (Measuring device and motor vehicle ) 是由 M·特米尔 J·劳施 B·梅勒库施 O·门德 于 2021-05-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种测量装置,其包括控制单元(3)、具有第一电极(5)的储能器壳体(4)和具有第二电极(7)的保护盖(6),保护盖(6)布置在储能器壳体(4)上并至少局部地与储能器壳体(4)的底侧间隔开以形成至少一个空腔(12),第一电极(5)和第二电极(7)布置为彼此间隔开并且至少部分地彼此对置,控制单元(3)连接到第一电极(5)和第二电极(7),控制单元(3)被构造为确定测量值,该测量值对第一电极(5)与第二电极(7)之间的距离量度作出描述。(The invention relates to a measuring device comprising a control unit (3), an energy storage housing (4) having a first electrode (5), and a protective cover (6) having a second electrode (7), the protective cover (6) being arranged on the energy storage housing (4) and at least partially spaced apart from the bottom side of the energy storage housing (4) in order to form at least one cavity (12), the first electrode (5) and the second electrode (7) being arranged spaced apart from one another and at least partially opposite one another, the control unit (3) being connected to the first electrode (5) and the second electrode (7), the control unit (3) being designed to determine a measurement value which describes a distance measure between the first electrode (5) and the second electrode (7).)

1. A measuring device comprises a control unit (3), an energy storage housing (4) having a first electrode (5), and a protective cover (6) having a second electrode (7), the protective cover (6) being arranged on the energy storage housing (4) and at least partially spaced apart from a bottom side of the energy storage housing (4) to form at least one cavity (12), the first electrode (5) and the second electrode (7) being arranged spaced apart from each other and at least partially opposite each other, the control unit (3) being connected to the first electrode (5) and the second electrode (7), the control unit (3) being configured to determine a measurement value which describes a measure of a distance between the first electrode (5) and the second electrode (7).

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first electrode (5) is a housing bottom (11) of the energy storage housing (4).

3. The measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first electrode (5) comprises at least one electrode element (19, 20), the electrode element (19, 20) being arranged on the housing bottom (11) of the energy storage housing (4).

4. A measuring device according to claim 3, characterized in that the electrode elements (19, 20) are electrically insulated from the housing bottom (11).

5. Measuring device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the electrode elements (19, 20) are arranged on the side of the housing bottom (11) facing the protective cover (6).

6. Measuring device according to claim 5, characterized in that the electrode element (19, 20) is watertight with respect to the cavity (12), in particular the electrode element (19, 20) has a watertight coating and/or a watertight shield.

7. A measuring device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second electrode (7) is parallel or substantially parallel to the bottom side of the accumulator housing (4).

8. A measuring device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second electrode (7) is a conductive layer arranged on the protective cover (6) or a conductive layer arranged in the protective cover (6).

9. A measuring device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the protective cover (6) is at least partly composed of a fibre composite material; and/or the second electrode (7) is or comprises, in particular is perforated, a metal foil, a metal fiber mesh and/or a metal fabric.

10. Measuring device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (3) is configured to generate a warning message after the determined measurement value falls below or exceeds at least one limit value.

11. A motor vehicle comprising a measuring device (2) according to any of the preceding claims.

12. Motor vehicle according to claim 11, characterized in that the energy storage housing (4) accommodates a power battery of the motor vehicle (1).

13. Motor vehicle according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the protective cover (6) is a underbody protection of the motor vehicle (1).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a measuring device comprising a control unit, an energy storage housing having a first electrode, and a protective cover having a second electrode, which protective cover is arranged on the energy storage housing and is at least partially spaced apart from the bottom side of the energy storage housing to form at least one cavity. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.

Background

The energy storage housing serves for accommodating one or more energy storage modules of an energy storage device, and for example for securely arranging an energy storage device for a power cell on or in a motor vehicle, which energy storage device comprises one or more battery modules. The energy storage module arranged inside the energy storage housing is protected by the energy storage housing and/or the other cover against external influences, which may occur, for example, during operation of the motor vehicle. It is desirable to be able to determine the state of the energy storage housing and/or of the cover of the energy storage housing, for example in order to be able to provide an output for the operational reliability of the energy storage accommodated in the energy storage housing. Various methods for determining component damage are known from the prior art.

EP 2887446 a1 describes a method and a device for detecting damage in a battery device. The device uses a plurality of cooling channels disposed between the underside of the battery and the underside cover of the battery device. In the event of a force acting on the cover, the cooling channel can absorb this force and partially deform. Due to the deformation of the cooling channel, the coolant flow and/or the coolant pressure in the channel may change, which is determined by one or more sensors, so that conclusions can be drawn about the damage of the cover or the cooling channel.

WO2015/075313a1 describes a measuring device for determining damage in a structure. The measuring device comprises three or more capacitive electrodes and a measuring device to determine the capacitance between the electrodes. By means of this structure, the water ingress of the monitored structure can be determined, wherein the change in capacitance due to the higher dielectric constant of water than the monitored structure is determined via the capacitive electrodes.

A battery housing for a motor vehicle is known from FR 3081393 a1, wherein the battery housing comprises a pressure sensor which is arranged inside the housing and determines an internal pressure. The pressure sensor is connected to a measuring circuit which compares the measured internal pressure with a limit value and issues an alarm when the limit value is exceeded.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved measuring device which makes it possible to determine damage to the energy storage housing and/or to a protective cover associated with the energy storage housing, in particular with a structure which is as simple as possible.

In order to achieve this object, according to the invention, a first electrode and a second electrode are arranged spaced apart from and at least partially opposite each other, a control unit is connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, the control unit being configured to determine a measurement value which describes a measure of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

The protective cover can be arranged, for example, on the bottom side of the energy storage housing, so that the energy storage housing can be advantageously used in a motor vehicle, wherein the energy storage housing or the energy storage module arranged therein is protected from damage caused from below during operation of the motor vehicle by the protective cover on the bottom side of the energy storage housing. The protective cover, which can be used in particular as underbody protection for a motor vehicle, is at least partially spaced apart from the underside of the energy accumulator housing to form at least one cavity, so that a deformation of the protective cover can at least partially enter the cavity. Such deformation may occur due to forces acting on the protective cover, for example, in the event of a collision of the vehicle with a passing obstacle or object.

By the proposed determination of the measured value, which describes a measure of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode, according to the invention, the control unit advantageously achieves that damage caused by deformation of the protective cover and/or the energy storage housing is determined by the determined distance. For example, the distance may decrease into the cavity due at least in part to deformation of the protective cover. In addition to being used in motor vehicles, the measuring device can also be used advantageously in other devices where there is a risk of damage to the energy storage housing and/or the protective cover. The measuring device, which may also be referred to as an energy storage device, comprises a control unit, which is designed to determine a measured value, an energy storage housing and a protective cover.

As a measure describing a measure of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode, a capacitance can be determined, wherein the capacitance describes a plate capacitor formed by the first electrode and the second electrode, which is spaced apart from and at least partially opposite the first electrode. In addition to the dielectric constant of the medium between the first and second electrodes and the electrode area, the capacitance depends on the distance between the electrodes. An increase in the capacitance of the capacitor formed in particular by the first electrode and the second electrode is caused, for example, by a deformation of the protective cover and thus by a decrease in the distance which occurs when the second electrode approaches the first electrode. The distance or the change in distance can thus be determined from the determined or measured capacitance.

The cooling channel of the energy storage housing can extend over the bottom side of the energy storage housing, so that, in particular by determining the distance between the protective cover and the bottom side of the energy storage housing, it is possible to identify when the cooling channel is damaged or at least for reasons of fear of such damage occurring. Advantageously, this makes it possible to take appropriate measures to take into account possible damage in order to prevent further damage to the energy storage, for example a high-voltage battery, arranged in the energy storage housing, for example in the event of leakage due to damage to the cooling channel.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the first electrode is a housing base of the energy storage housing. At least the housing bottom of the energy storage housing can be made of or at least partially comprise an electrically conductive metal, so that the housing bottom can be used as the first electrode. This has the advantage that the first electrode can be realized easily through the bottom of the housing, so that further components for forming the first electrode can be omitted. The housing bottom is at least partially electrically conductive and is connected to the control unit via, for example, at least one wire. The housing bottom can comprise a base plate, in particular a base plate made of a metal plate. The housing base can also have a base plate and a cover plate arranged thereon, wherein at least one cooling channel is formed at least in sections between the cover plate and the base plate, the cover plate being embodied in particular as a metal plate having a specific profile in cross section.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the first electrode comprises at least one electrode element, wherein the electrode element is arranged on a housing base of the energy storage housing. The at least one electrode element is electrically conductive and is also connected to the control unit via, for example, one lead wire, respectively. The determination of the distance or of the measured value representing the distance measure can be carried out individually for each electrode of the first electrodes or together for all electrode elements. The first electrode may comprise only the at least one electrode element, or the first electrode may comprise both the housing bottom and the at least one electrode element.

According to the invention, it can be provided for the electrode element to be electrically insulated from the housing base. It is thereby possible to achieve that, when using a first electrode which is formed by at least one electrode element, the first electrode is electrically insulated from the housing bottom, so that the housing bottom itself is not influenced, for example, by the voltage which is applied to the electrode element for determining the measured value. This solution is particularly effective if it is desired to isolate the voltage present between the first and second electrodes from the bottom of the housing in order to determine the measured value.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the electrode element is arranged on the side of the housing base facing the protective cover. The electrode element can be arranged in particular in the region of a cavity formed between the bottom side of the energy storage device housing and the protective cover, so that the electrode element arranged on the housing bottom is at least partially spaced apart from the second electrode arranged in the protective cover via the cavity. Thus, the deformation of the protective cover into the cavity, for example, can be determined by determining a measurement describing a measure of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the electrode element is water-tight with respect to the cavity, in particular that the electrode element has a water-tight coating and/or a water-tight protective covering. Thus, if the region between the shield and the energy storage housing when the energy storage housing is mounted is a wet region and moisture can penetrate between the shield and the energy storage housing, damage to the electrode element can advantageously be avoided. This solution may occur, for example, when the measuring device is used in a motor vehicle, wherein the energy storage device housing is arranged on the underside of the motor vehicle and the protective cover is arranged below the energy storage device housing and fastened thereto as a underbody protection for the motor vehicle.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the second electrode is arranged parallel or substantially parallel to the bottom side of the energy storage housing. In particular, the second electrode extends over an area/region which at least substantially corresponds to the bottom of the housing, so that a locally occurring deformation of the protective cover, where the protective cover is only locally stressed, can be determined from the measured values, in particular the change in the capacitance values of the plate capacitor formed by the first electrode and the second electrode.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the second electrode is a conductive layer arranged on or in the protective cover. The second electrode may in particular extend over the entire area of the protective cover or at least substantially over the entire area of the protective cover. The electrically conductive layer can be arranged, for example, on the side of the cover of the protective cover facing the bottom side of the energy storage housing, wherein the second electrode can in particular have a water-tight coating and/or a water-tight protective cover. The conductive layer can also be arranged in the cover of the protective cover, so that the conductive layer is surrounded by the cover, in particular on all sides.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the protective cover is at least partially made of a fiber composite material; and/or the second electrode is or comprises in particular a perforated metal foil, a metal fiber mesh and/or a metal fabric. The use of a metal foil, a metal fiber mesh and/or a metal fabric, in particular perforated, which is arranged inside the cover body of the protective cover formed from the fiber composite material advantageously allows the upper and lower parts of the cover body, between which the second electrode is arranged, to be well connected to each other during the manufacturing of the protective cover. The second electrode may be arranged below the cover layer of the cover body, so that the second electrode is arranged in a watertight manner with respect to the cavity formed between the protective cover and the bottom of the housing, and the second electrode may be prevented from coming into contact with water.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the control unit is designed to generate a warning message as a function of a determination of a measured value that falls below or exceeds at least one limit value. The warning message may be transmitted, for example, to another control unit and/or to a display device connected to the control unit. This warning message can be used, for example, to indicate that the energy storage housing may have been damaged and/or that a motor vehicle comprising the measuring device should be brought to a workshop for inspection and/or repair. By using at least one limit value, it is possible to avoid that a warning is issued already in case of slight variations in distance, which for example represent only slight deformations and thus slight damage of the protective cover. In particular, it can be provided that the use exceeds a limit value, so that different phases of the distance or of the deformation and/or damage to the protective cover and/or the energy storage housing can be detected. The limit value or values may be stored, for example, in a memory device of the control unit.

The motor vehicle arrangement according to the invention comprises a measuring device according to the invention. The energy storage housing can be arranged in particular on the underside of the motor vehicle. The control unit of the measuring device can be a separate control unit or can be integrated in a common control unit with another control unit of the motor vehicle.

According to the invention, it can be provided that the protective cover is a underbody protection of the motor vehicle. The underbody protection can be arranged on the underside of the motor vehicle, in particular in an externally accessible manner. With such underbody protectors, there is a risk of damage or deformation of the underbody protector, for example in the event of an accident or when driving over a high obstacle (such as a bollard, a curb, etc.), in particular in the event of severe damage or severe deformation of the underbody protector, it is also possible for the energy accumulator housing, in particular the cooling channel arranged on the underside of the energy accumulator housing, to be damaged.

All the advantages and embodiments described above with respect to the measuring device according to the invention are also correspondingly applicable to the motor vehicle according to the invention.

Drawings

Further advantages and details of the invention emerge from the exemplary embodiments described below and with reference to the drawings. These are schematic and show:

figure 1 shows a side view of a motor vehicle according to the invention,

figure 2 shows a first view of an energy storage housing of a measuring device according to the invention,

figure 3 shows a top view of a protective cover of a measuring device according to the invention,

figure 4 shows a first embodiment of a measuring device according to the invention,

fig. 5 shows a detailed view of a first embodiment of a measuring device according to the invention, an

Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment of the measuring device according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention. The motor vehicle 1 comprises a measuring device 2, which comprises a control unit 3, an energy storage housing 4 with a first electrode 5, and a protective cover 6 with a second electrode 7. The protective cover 6 is a underbody protection of the motor vehicle 1 and is arranged on the underside of the energy storage housing 4. The control unit 3 is connected to the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 7 via at least one conductor line, respectively. In the energy storage housing 4, a power battery of the motor vehicle 1 is arranged, via which a power motor (not shown) of the motor vehicle 1 can be driven.

Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of the energy storage housing 4. The energy storage housing 4 comprises a frame 8 consisting of a plurality of frame elements 9, 10 and a housing bottom 11 arranged below the frame. The protective cover 6, which is designed as an underbody protection, is fixed to the frame elements 9, 10 of the frame 8. Between the protective cover 6 and the housing base 11, in each case in the region between the frame elements 9, a cavity 12 is formed, via which the protective cover 6 is spaced apart from the housing base. The energy accumulator housing 4 can be fastened to the motor vehicle, for example, via a fastening element 13 embodied as a threaded connection. In this example, the frame elements 9, 10 of the frame 8 are embodied as hollow profiles and are made of metal. The housing bottom 11 is also at least partially made of metal and can serve as the first electrode 6 of the measuring device 2.

In fig. 3, a view of the bottom side of the housing is shown. The protective cover 6 is arranged parallel to the housing bottom 11 and has at least substantially the same dimensions as the housing bottom 11. In this embodiment, the protective cover 6 has a width of 1.5m and a length of 2.2 m. The protective cover 6 is screwed on the edge side to the frame elements 9, 10 of the frame 8 and is thereby fixed to the energy storage housing 4.

Fig. 4 shows a partial view of a first embodiment of a measuring device 2 according to the invention. As described above, the measuring device comprises the control unit 3 as well as the energy storage housing 4 and the protective cover 6. An energy storage module 14 accommodated in the energy storage housing 4 is also shown. In this embodiment, the protective cover 6 comprises a cover 15 made of a fiber composite material, and comprises a second electrode 7 arranged inside the cover 15. The second electrode 15 is implemented as a perforated metal foil. Alternatively, the second electrode 7 can also be embodied as a metal fiber mesh or a metal fabric, or in particular as a combination of perforated metal foil, metal fiber mesh and/or metal fabric. The second electrode 7 is arranged parallel to the housing bottom 11 and extends substantially over an area corresponding to the housing bottom 11. In this embodiment, the case bottom 11 arranged to be spaced apart from and opposed to the second electrode 7 is used as the first electrode.

As shown in detail in fig. 5, the housing bottom 11 comprises a base plate 21 and a cover plate 17. A plurality of cooling channels 16 are defined by a cover plate 17 arranged on a base plate 21. Alternatively to this, it is possible that the housing bottom only comprises the base plate 21 and therefore no cooling channels 16 are present, or that the cooling channels are formed in a separate component arranged on the housing bottom 11.

The base plate 21 and/or the cover plate 17 of the housing bottom 11 are made of sheet metal and have a thickness of 0.5mm to 2mm, in particular 1mm or 1.3mm, respectively. A gap filler or gap pad, for example, having a thickness of between 0.3mm and 0.5mm, in particular 0.4mm, can be arranged between the housing base 11 and the battery module 14 arranged thereon in order to improve the thermal connection of the battery module 14 to the housing base 11. In the region of the cooling channels 16, the maximum distance of the cover plate from the base plate can be between 4mm and 5mm, in particular 4.5 mm.

As shown in fig. 4, when a force acts on the protective cover 6 (indicated by arrow 18), the second electrode 7 in the protective cover 6 approaches the first electrode formed by the housing bottom 11. This approach can be determined by measuring the capacitance by the control unit 3, which is connected to the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 7. The capacitance of the plate capacitor formed by the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 7 is related to the distance between the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 7, in addition to the dielectric constant of the medium in the cavity 12 and the area of the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 7.

One or more limit values are stored in the control unit 3, so that if at least one of the limit values is exceeded or is undershot, the control unit 3 can generate a warning message and transmit it to another control unit and/or a display device connected to the control unit 3. By using a plurality of limit values, for example, the strength of deformation or the strength of the damaging effect of the protective cover 6 or the battery case 4 can be classified, wherein a warning message relating to the classification can be output.

Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment of a measuring device 2 according to the invention. This second exemplary embodiment essentially corresponds to the first exemplary embodiment, but the housing base 11 is replaced by a plurality of electrode elements 19 arranged on the cover 17 of the housing base 11 as the first electrode 5. Additionally or alternatively, one or more electrode elements 20 can also be used as first electrodes 5, which are arranged between the cooling channels 16 or directly on the base plate 21 of the housing base 11. The electrode element 19 or 20 is arranged to be electrically insulated from the housing bottom 11 and is water-tight sealed with respect to the cavity 12. For this purpose, the electrode element 19 or 20 has a water-tight coating on its side facing the protective cover 6. In addition to or as an alternative to the waterproof coating, the electrode element 19 or 20 may also have a waterproof protective covering, respectively, so that the electrode element is protected against corrosion when water penetrates into the cavity 12, which is a moist space when the motor vehicle is in operation.

The electrode elements 19 and/or 20 are each connected to the control unit 3, wherein a measurement value, for example a capacitance, can be determined jointly for all electrode elements 19 or 20 by the control unit 3, and/or wherein the control unit 3 determines a measurement value for each electrode individually, which measurement value is a measure of the distance between the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 7. For this purpose, the electrode elements 19, 20 each comprise at least one line (not shown), with which they are each connected to the control unit 3.