Connecting piece structure and battery module

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a connecting sheet structure and a battery module. The connecting sheet structure comprises a connecting sheet body, the connecting sheet body comprises a connecting part and a welding part, the connecting part is connected with the welding part; the welding part is provided with a spot welding bump, the spot welding bump is used for spot welding connection with an electrode of a battery cell; the thickness of the connecting sheet body is greater than 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the spot welding bump is less than or equal to 0.3 mm. The connecting sheet structure makes the use safety of the battery module better.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the technical field of battery modules, and in particular to a connecting piece structure and a battery module. Background Technology

[0002] A battery module is an intermediate-level product assembled from multiple battery cells (i.e., individual cells) connected in series or parallel, capable of storing and releasing electrical energy. Battery modules are widely used in new energy vehicles, energy storage systems, electronic devices, industrial equipment, aerospace, and beauty instruments. A battery module consists of a connecting plate structure and multiple battery cells. The connection between the cells is achieved by welding the connecting plate structure to the positive and negative terminals of adjacent cells.

[0003] Furthermore, the connecting piece structure is a conductive metal sheet, and the connecting piece structure is spot-welded to the electrode of each battery cell.

[0004] In related technologies, connector structures can be divided into two types according to their thickness: one with a thickness ≤ 0.3mm and the other with a thickness > 0.3mm. Connector structures with a thickness ≤ 0.3mm are thinner and have a smaller current carrying capacity, making it difficult to meet the requirements of high current. Therefore, battery modules usually use connector structures with a thickness > 0.3mm to meet the requirements of high current.

[0005] However, due to the thin electrode material of the battery cell, when the thickness of the connecting piece structure is greater than 0.3mm, the welding thickness between the battery cell and the connecting piece structure is large during the spot welding process. The operating current required for spot welding is also large, making it easier for the battery cell to be welded through during the spot welding process. This makes the battery cell more prone to leakage, resulting in poor safety of the battery module. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide a connecting piece structure and a battery module that improves the safety of battery module use.

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] A connecting piece structure includes a connecting piece body, the connecting piece body including a connecting portion and a welding portion, the connecting portion being connected to the welding portion; the welding portion having a spot welding protrusion, the spot welding protrusion being used for spot welding connection with the electrode of the battery cell; the thickness of the connecting piece body is greater than 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the spot welding protrusion is less than or equal to 0.3 mm.

[0009] In one embodiment, the connecting part, the welding part, and the spot weld protrusion are integrally formed structures.

[0010] In one embodiment, the welding part has a first avoidance vertical groove, an avoidance horizontal groove and a second avoidance vertical groove. The avoidance horizontal groove is connected to the first avoidance vertical groove and the second avoidance vertical groove to form an avoidance cavity. The spot welding protrusion is located adjacent to the avoidance horizontal groove.

[0011] In one embodiment, the spot welding protrusion and the clearance cavity are correspondingly arranged to form a spot welding area, which is used to correspond to the battery cell.

[0012] In one embodiment, the number of spot weld bumps is two, the avoidance horizontal groove is located between the two spot weld bumps, and each spot weld bump is located between the first avoidance vertical groove and the second avoidance vertical groove.

[0013] In one embodiment, the connecting sheet is a nickel sheet structure, a nickel-plated steel sheet structure, a copper-plated nickel sheet structure, or a stainless steel sheet structure.

[0014] In one embodiment, the thickness of the connecting piece is 0.5-0.7 mm.

[0015] In one embodiment, the height of the spot weld bump is less than the thickness of the spot weld bump.

[0016] In one embodiment, the opening angle of the spot weld bump is 81°-83°.

[0017] A battery module includes a connecting piece structure as described in any of the above embodiments and a plurality of battery cells, wherein the connecting piece structure is spot-welded to the electrodes of each of the battery cells.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, this disclosure has at least the following advantages:

[0019] Because the thickness of the connecting piece is greater than 0.3mm, the thickness of the welded portion is also greater than 0.3mm to meet high current requirements. The thickness of the spot weld bump is less than or equal to 0.3mm, so that its thickness is less than the thickness of the connecting piece. In other words, the thickness of the spot weld bump is less than the thickness of the welded portion. The spot weld bump is used to spot weld to the electrodes of the battery cell, minimizing the weld thickness between the spot weld bump and the electrodes of the battery cell. This reduces the weld thickness between the battery cell and the connecting piece structure, resulting in a lower operating current required when spot welding the spot weld bump to the electrodes of the battery cell. The current required for spot welding is reduced, thus solving the problem of high current requirements in existing spot welding technologies. This makes it more difficult for the battery cell to be welded through during the spot welding process, reducing leakage and improving the safety of the battery module. Furthermore, the spot welding protrusion is located on the welding part, protruding beyond the connecting piece. Compared to traditional connecting piece structures, the thickness of the spot welding protrusion remains constant, ensuring a good welding effect between the protrusion and the electrode of the battery cell. This effectively avoids damage to the separator or welding through the battery cell, further improving the safety of the battery module. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this disclosure and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the connecting piece structure according to one embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the connecting piece structure from another perspective;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the connecting piece structure from one perspective;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The AA-line sectional view of the connecting piece structure shown;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 4 An enlarged schematic diagram of section B of the connecting piece structure shown;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a partial line cross-sectional view of a battery module according to an embodiment;

[0027] Figure 7 for Figure 6 An enlarged schematic diagram of point C of the battery module shown;

[0028] Reference numerals: 10-Connecting piece structure; 100-Connecting piece body; 110-Connecting part; 120-Welding part; 121-Spot weld protrusion; 122-First clearance vertical groove; 123-Clearing horizontal groove; 124-Second clearance vertical groove; 1221-Clearing cavity; 20-Battery cell; 30-Battery module. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To facilitate understanding of this disclosure, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure.

[0030] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly attached to the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0032] This disclosure provides a connecting piece structure, including a connecting piece body, the connecting piece body including a connecting part and a welding part, the connecting part being connected to the welding part; the welding part having a spot welding protrusion, the spot welding protrusion being used for spot welding connection with the electrode of the battery cell; the thickness of the connecting piece body is greater than 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the spot welding protrusion is less than or equal to 0.3 mm.

[0033] The aforementioned connecting piece structure, with a connecting piece body thickness greater than 0.3mm, ensures the weld portion thickness is also greater than 0.3mm to meet high current requirements. The spot welding bump thickness is less than or equal to 0.3mm, making it less than the connecting piece body thickness. In other words, the spot welding bump thickness is less than the weld portion thickness. The spot welding bump is used for spot welding to the electrodes of the battery cell, minimizing the weld thickness between the bump and the cell electrodes. This reduces the weld thickness between the battery cell and the connecting piece structure, resulting in a lower operating current required for spot welding between the bump and the cell electrodes. The operating current is reduced, thus requiring less current for spot welding connections. This solves the problem of high operating current required for spot welding connections in existing technologies, making it more difficult for the battery cell to be welded through during the spot welding process, reducing leakage and improving the safety of the battery module. Furthermore, the spot welding protrusion is positioned on the welding part, protruding beyond the connecting piece. Compared to traditional connecting piece structures, the thickness of the spot welding protrusion remains constant, ensuring a good welding effect between the protrusion and the battery cell electrodes. This effectively avoids damage to the separator or welding through the battery cell, further improving the safety of the battery module.

[0034] To better understand the technical solutions and beneficial effects of this disclosure, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments:

[0035] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, in one embodiment, the connecting piece structure 10 includes a connecting piece body 100, which includes a connecting portion 110 and a welding portion 120. The connecting portion 110 is connected to the welding portion 120. The welding portion 120 is provided with a spot welding protrusion 121, which is used to spot weld to the electrode of the battery cell 20. The thickness D1 of the connecting piece body 100 is greater than 0.3 mm, and the thickness D2 of the spot welding protrusion 121 is less than or equal to 0.3 mm.

[0036] In this embodiment, the thickness D1 of the connecting piece 100 is greater than 0.3 mm, so that the thickness of the welding portion 120 is greater than 0.3 mm. The thickness of the spot weld bump 121 is less than or equal to 0.3 mm, so that the thickness D2 of the spot weld bump 121 is less than the thickness D1 of the connecting piece 100, that is, the thickness D2 of the spot weld bump 121 is less than the thickness of the welding portion 120.

[0037] In the aforementioned connecting piece structure 10, the thickness D1 of the connecting piece body 100 is greater than 0.3 mm, so that the thickness of the welding portion 120 is greater than 0.3 mm to meet the high current requirements. The thickness of the spot welding protrusion 121 is less than or equal to 0.3 mm, so that the thickness D2 of the spot welding protrusion 121 is less than the thickness D1 of the connecting piece body 100, that is, the thickness D2 of the spot welding protrusion 121 is less than the thickness of the welding portion 120. The spot welding protrusion 121 is used to spot weld to the electrodes of the battery cell 20, so that the welding thickness between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrodes of the battery cell 20 is smaller, thereby reducing the welding thickness between the battery cell 20 and the connecting piece structure 10. This results in a smaller operating current required when the spot welding protrusion 121 is spot welded to the electrodes of the battery cell 20, that is, the welding thickness between the battery cell 20 and the connecting piece structure 10 is reduced. The working current required for spot welding of the connector structure 10 is reduced, thus solving the problem of high working current required for spot welding in the prior art. This makes it more difficult for the cell 20 to be welded through during the spot welding process, reducing the likelihood of leakage and improving the safety of the battery module 30. Furthermore, the spot welding protrusion 121 protrudes from the welding part 120, extending beyond the connector body 100. Compared to traditional connector structures, the thickness of the spot welding protrusion 121 remains constant, ensuring a good welding effect between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrodes of the cell 20. This effectively avoids damage to the separator or welding through the cell, further improving the safety of the battery module 30.

[0038] In one embodiment, the connecting part 110, the welding part 120 and the spot weld protrusion 121 are integrally formed, which makes the structural strength between the connecting part 110, the welding part 120 and the spot weld protrusion 121 high, thereby making the structural stability of the connecting piece structure 10 better.

[0039] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the welding part 120 is provided with a first avoidance vertical groove 122, an avoidance horizontal groove 123 and a second avoidance vertical groove 124. The avoidance horizontal groove 123 is connected to the first avoidance vertical groove 122 and the second avoidance vertical groove 124 to form an avoidance cavity 1221. The spot welding protrusion 121 is provided adjacent to the avoidance horizontal groove 123 to facilitate spot welding connection between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrode of the battery cell 20, so that the spot welding connection between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrode of the battery cell 20 is convenient.

[0040] like Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, in one embodiment, the spot welding protrusion 121 and the avoidance cavity 1221 are correspondingly arranged to form a spot welding area. The spot welding area is used to correspond to the battery cell 20 so as to facilitate the spot welding connection between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrode of the battery cell 20, effectively ensuring the welding effect between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrode of the battery cell 20.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in one embodiment, there are two spot weld bumps 121, and a clearance groove 123 is located between the two spot weld bumps 121. Each spot weld bump 121 is located between a first clearance groove 122 and a second clearance groove 124. In this embodiment, the clearance groove 123 is located between the two spot weld bumps 121, which can avoid the problem of interference between the welding stress of two adjacent spot weld bumps 121, resulting in a better welding effect between each spot weld bump 121 and the electrode of the battery cell 20.

[0042] Furthermore, there are multiple spot welding protrusions 121, which are spaced apart. Each spot welding protrusion 121 is located between the first avoidance vertical groove 122 and the second avoidance vertical groove 124. In this embodiment, there are four spot welding protrusions 121. Each spot welding protrusion 121 is spot welded to the electrode of the battery cell 20, resulting in a large number of spot welding connections between the connecting piece structure 10 and the battery cell 20, thereby improving the stability of the spot welding connection between the connecting piece structure 10 and the battery cell 20.

[0043] Furthermore, multiple spot welding protrusions 121 and the avoidance cavity 1221 are correspondingly arranged to form a spot welding area, and there are multiple spot welding areas. The multiple spot welding areas are arranged at intervals, and each spot welding area is used to correspond to the corresponding battery cell 20, so that each spot welding protrusion 121 is spot welded to the electrode of the corresponding battery cell 20, further improving the welding effect between the connecting piece structure 10 and the battery cell 20.

[0044] In one embodiment, the connecting piece 100 is a nickel sheet structure, a nickel-plated steel sheet structure, a copper-plated nickel sheet structure, or a stainless steel sheet structure, which reduces the manufacturing cost of the connecting piece 100 and thus reduces the production cost of the connecting piece structure 10.

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the thickness D1 of the connecting piece 100 is 0.5-0.7 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness D1 of the connecting piece 100 is 0.6 mm to meet the high current requirements.

[0046] like Figure 5As shown, in one embodiment, the height H of the spot welding bump 121 is less than the thickness D2 of the spot welding bump 121. In this embodiment, the height H of the spot welding bump 121 is 0.25 mm and the thickness D2 of the spot welding bump 121 is 0.3 mm, which makes the operating current required when the spot welding bump 121 is spot welded to the electrode of the battery cell 20 smaller.

[0047] like Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the opening angle α of the spot welding bump 121 is 81°-83°, so that the opening of the spot welding bump 121 is relatively large, which is beneficial for spot welding the spot welding bump 121 to the electrode of the battery cell 20, and makes the spot welding connection between the spot welding bump 121 and the electrode of the battery cell 20 more convenient. In this embodiment, the opening angle α of the spot welding bump 121 is 82°.

[0048] like Figures 6 to 7 As shown, this disclosure also provides a battery module 30, including a connecting piece structure 10 and a plurality of battery cells 20 in any of the above embodiments, wherein the connecting piece structure 10 is spot welded to the electrodes of each battery cell 20.

[0049] Compared with the prior art, this disclosure has at least the following advantages:

[0050] Because the thickness D1 of the connecting piece 100 is greater than 0.3 mm, the thickness of the welding portion 120 is greater than 0.3 mm to meet the high current requirements. The thickness of the spot welding bump 121 is less than or equal to 0.3 mm, so that the thickness D2 of the spot welding bump 121 is less than the thickness D1 of the connecting piece 100, i.e., the thickness D2 of the spot welding bump 121 is less than the thickness of the welding portion 120. The spot welding bump 121 is used to spot weld to the electrodes of the battery cell 20, so that the welding thickness between the spot welding bump 121 and the electrodes of the battery cell 20 is smaller, thereby reducing the welding thickness between the battery cell 20 and the connecting piece structure 10. This results in a smaller operating current required when the spot welding bump 121 is spot welded to the electrodes of the battery cell 20, i.e., the welding thickness between the battery cell 20 and the connecting piece structure 10 is smaller. The operating current required for spot welding is reduced, thus solving the problem of high operating current required for spot welding in the prior art. This makes it more difficult for the cell 20 to be welded through during the spot welding process, reducing the likelihood of leakage and improving the safety of the battery module 30. Furthermore, the spot welding protrusion 121 protrudes from the welding part 120, extending beyond the connecting piece 100. Compared to the traditional connecting piece structure, the thickness of the spot welding protrusion 121 remains constant, ensuring a good welding effect between the spot welding protrusion 121 and the electrodes of the cell 20. This effectively avoids damage to the separator or welding through the cell, further improving the safety of the battery module 30.

[0051] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this disclosure, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosed patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this disclosure, and these all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A connecting piece structure, characterized in that, The device includes a connecting piece (100), which includes a connecting part (110) and a welding part (120). The connecting part (110) is connected to the welding part (120). The welding part (120) has a spot welding protrusion (121) for spot welding to the electrode of the battery cell (20). The thickness of the connecting piece (100) is greater than 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the spot welding protrusion (121) is less than or equal to 0.3 mm.

2. The connecting piece structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting part (110), the welding part (120) and the spot welding protrusion (121) are integrally formed structures.

3. The connecting piece structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The welding part (120) is provided with a first avoidance vertical groove (122), an avoidance horizontal groove (123) and a second avoidance vertical groove (124). The avoidance horizontal groove (123) is connected to the first avoidance vertical groove (122) and the second avoidance vertical groove (124) to form an avoidance cavity (1221). The spot welding protrusion (121) is arranged adjacent to the avoidance horizontal groove (123).

4. The connecting piece structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The spot welding protrusion (121) and the avoidance cavity (1221) are correspondingly arranged to form a spot welding area, which is used to correspond to the battery cell (20).

5. The connecting piece structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, There are two spot welding protrusions (121), and the avoidance horizontal groove (123) is located between the two spot welding protrusions (121). Each spot welding protrusion (121) is located between the first avoidance vertical groove (122) and the second avoidance vertical groove (124).

6. The connecting piece structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting sheet (100) is a nickel sheet structure, a nickel-plated steel sheet structure, a copper-plated nickel sheet structure, or a stainless steel sheet structure.

7. The connecting piece structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the connecting piece (100) is 0.5-0.7 mm.

8. The connecting piece structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the spot weld bump (121) is less than the thickness of the spot weld bump (121).

9. The connecting piece structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The opening angle of the spot weld protrusion (121) is 81°-83°.

10. A battery module, characterized in that, The device includes a connecting piece structure (10) as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 and a plurality of battery cells (20), wherein the connecting piece structure (10) is spot welded to the electrode of each of the battery cells (20).

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