Battery pack and battery cell retainer thereof

Abstract

A battery cell retainer includes a plate structure, a pillar structure and an interconnection structure. The pillar structure is disposed on a side of the plate structure and extends in a direction substantially normal to the plate structure. The pillar structure has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. The interconnection structure is connected between the pillar structure and the plate structure. The interconnection structure has a first arc portion and a second arc portion, both of which have concave shapes. The first arc portion extends from one side of the plate structure to the first end of the pillar structure. The second arc portion extends from another side of the plate structure to the second end of the pillar structure.

Description

Battery pack and its cell limiting components This disclosure relates to a battery pack and its cell limiting device. A battery pack typically contains multiple battery cells. Traditionally, foam is used to limit and buffer the cells from the battery pack casing. However, different battery pack models have different structures (for example, different shapes or different cell configurations). Therefore, using the traditional method requires planning the corresponding size of foam and the corresponding amount of adhesive for each different battery pack model, and considering the placement of the foam and the location of the adhesive application, making the process complicated. In view of this, one purpose of this disclosure is to propose a cell limiting device to solve the above problems. According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a battery cell limiting member includes a baffle, a column, and a connecting structure. The column is disposed on one side of the baffle and extends substantially perpendicular to the baffle. The column has opposing first and second ends. The connecting structure connects the column and the baffle and includes a recessed first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion. The first arcuate portion extends from one side of the baffle to the first end of the column, while the second arcuate portion extends from the other side of the baffle to the second end of the column. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the outline of at least one of the first arcuate portion and the second arcuate portion of the connecting structure comprises a plurality of segments, the plurality of segments being sequentially connected and having different radii of curvature, and any two adjacent segments being tangent. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, each segment is an arc, and the angle corresponding to each segment does not exceed forty-five degrees. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the radius of curvature of the segment increases in the direction from the baffle toward the first or second end of the column. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the first arcuate portion and the second arcuate portion of the connecting structure are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the baffle. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the profile of the baffle includes at least one arcuate segment. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the baffle has an elliptical shape. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the baffle includes a first wing and a second wing that extend in a curved manner and extend from both sides of the connecting structure, respectively. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the baffle is arranged symmetrically to the connecting structure. In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the first end and the second end of the column are located on opposite sides of the baffle. The baffle includes rib structures symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the baffle. According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a battery pack includes a housing, a battery cell, a battery cell retaining member, and fasteners. The housing includes a body and a screw hole post. The body has an accommodating space, and the screw hole post is disposed on the inner wall surface of the accommodating space, having an inlet and a groove communicating with the inlet. The battery cell is disposed in the accommodating space of the housing. The battery cell retaining member includes a pillar, a baffle, and a connecting structure. The pillar is disposed in the groove and has opposing first and second ends. The baffle is located outside the groove and abuts against the battery cell. The connecting structure connects the pillar and the baffle and includes a recessed first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion. The first arcuate portion extends from one side of the baffle to the first end of the pillar, and the second arcuate portion extends from the other side of the baffle to the second end of the pillar. The fastener is fixedly inserted into the groove via the inlet of the screw hole post and abuts against the pillar of the battery cell retaining member. In summary, this disclosure provides a cell retaining component applicable to different battery pack models, which helps simplify the installation and securing of the cells. The cylindrical portion of the cell retaining component can be inserted into a screw hole on the inner wall of the battery pack casing, while the baffle portion can hold the cell in place. Fasteners are then tightened into the screw hole to secure the cell. To make the description of this disclosure more detailed and complete, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings and the various embodiments described below. The elements in the drawings are not drawn to scale and are provided for illustrative purposes only. Many practical details are described below to provide a comprehensive understanding of this disclosure; however, those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure can be practiced without one or more of these practical details, and therefore, these details should not be used to limit this disclosure. Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack 12 according to an embodiment of this disclosure, and Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the battery pack 12 shown in Figure 1. As shown, the battery pack 12 includes a housing 20 and a cover 29. The housing 20 may include a body 21 and a screw post 22. The body 21 is, for example, a hollow column, specifically having an opening 23 and an accommodating space 24 communicating with the opening 23. The screw post 22 is disposed on the inner wall surface of the accommodating space 24. For example, the screw post 22 may extend substantially perpendicular to the opening 23. The cover 29 is configured to cover the opening 23 of the body 21. In some embodiments, the cover 29 is secured to the body 21 by at least one fastener 13 (e.g., a screw), the fastener 13 passing through a through hole in the cover 29 and inserted into the screw post 22 and engaging with the threads in the screw post 22. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the battery pack 12 further includes at least one battery module 30, which is disposed in the receiving space 24 of the body 21 and includes at least one battery cell 31. Screw holes 22 are provided in the gap between the battery cell 31 and the body 21 of the housing 20. In some embodiments, the housing 20 is a one-piece molded housing, which may be made of aluminum or other suitable materials. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the battery module 30 further includes an outer frame 32, which is fitted onto the battery cell 31. In some embodiments, the battery module 30 further includes electrode connecting pieces (not shown), which can connect the electrodes of multiple battery cells 31, allowing the multiple battery cells 31 to be connected in series or parallel. In some embodiments, the battery module 30 further includes an insulating sheet 33, which can cover the electrodes of the battery cell 31 and also cover the aforementioned electrode connecting pieces. The insulating sheet 33 can prevent short circuits between the battery cell 31 and other electronic components (e.g., circuit boards). The insulating sheet 33 may contain Mylar or other suitable insulating materials. Please refer to Figure 3 as well. Figure 3 is a top view showing the battery pack 12 shown in Figure 1 with the cover 29 removed. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the battery pack 12 also includes at least one cell retainer 60, which is disposed in the receiving space 24 of the housing 20 and is used to fix the battery module 30 (especially the cell 31) in the receiving space 24. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the screw hole post 22 has an inlet 25 and a groove 26. The inlet 25 is located at one end of the screw hole post 22 facing the opening 23 of the body 21. The groove 26 connects to the inlet 25 and may have internal threads. The screw hole post 22 also has a side opening 27, which is located on the side of the screw hole post 22 facing the battery module 30 and connects to the groove 26. The cell limiting member 60 includes a baffle 63, a post 64, and a connecting structure 65. The baffle 63 is located outside the groove 26 of the screw hole post 22, and one side of the baffle 63 abuts against the cell 31. The post 64 is disposed in the groove 26, and the maximum width of the post 64 is greater than the maximum width of the side opening 27 of the screw hole post 22 to prevent the post 64 from detaching from the groove 26. The connecting structure 65 connects the post 64 and the baffle 63 and extends through the side opening 27 of the screw hole post 22. The fastener 13 is fixedly inserted into the groove 26 through the inlet 25 of the screw hole post 22 and abuts against the post 64 of the cell limiting member 60. With the above configuration, the battery cell 31 can be securely fixed in the receiving space 24, preventing the battery cell 31 from shifting under external force. The battery cell retaining member 60 is simple to use. After the battery cell 31 is installed in the housing 20, simply insert the post 64 of the battery cell retaining member 60 into the screw hole post 22, make the baffle 63 of the battery cell retaining member 60 abut against the battery cell 31, and then tighten the fastener 13 to complete the fixing of the battery cell 31. The post 64 of the battery cell retaining member 60 can slide and adjust its position in the screw hole post 22, so the battery cell retaining member 60 can be used with different models of battery packs 12. Therefore, the battery cell retaining member 60 provided in this disclosure helps to simplify the installation and fixing of the battery cell 31. It should be noted that the above statement "component one abuts against component two" can mean that component one is in contact with and abuts against component two, or it can mean that component one is grounded and abuts against component two through other components. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in some embodiments, the housing 20 includes a plurality of screw hole posts 22 arranged around the battery module 30, and correspondingly, the battery pack 12 includes a plurality of fasteners 13 and a plurality of cell retainers 60, each fastener 13 and each cell retainer 60 being inserted into a groove 26 of a corresponding screw hole post 22. In some embodiments, the cell retainer 60 comprises a metallic material to enhance its structural strength. In these embodiments, insulating tape may be applied between the cell retainer 60 and the battery module 30 to strengthen the electrical insulation between them. Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a top view of the cell limiting member 60 shown in Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a side view of the cell limiting member 60 shown in Figure 2. As described above, the cell limiting member 60 includes a baffle 63, a column 64, and a connecting structure 65. The column 64 is disposed on one side of the baffle 63 and extends substantially perpendicular to the baffle 63. The column 64 may be generally cylindrical, but is not limited thereto. The column 64 has opposing first ends 641 and second ends 642, and the baffle 63 has opposing first sides 631 and second sides 632. The first ends 641 and second ends 642 of the column 64 are located on the first sides 631 and second sides 632 of the baffle 63, respectively. The connecting structure 65 includes a concave first arcuate portion 651 and a second arcuate portion 652. The first arcuate portion 651 extends from the first side 631 of the baffle 63 to the first end 641 of the column 64, while the second arcuate portion 652 extends from the second side 632 of the baffle 63 to the second end 642 of the column 64. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the outline of the first arcuate portion 651 of the connecting structure 65 of the cell retainer 60 comprises a plurality of segments connected sequentially. Each segment of the outline of the first arcuate portion 651 is an arc; in other words, the outline of the first arcuate portion 651 is formed by connecting a plurality of arcs. The plurality of arcs may have different radii of curvature, and any two adjacent segments are tangent to each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the outline of the first arcuate portion 651 comprises two connected segments 66 and 67, which have different radii of curvature and are tangent to each other. With the above configuration, when the battery pack 12 is subjected to an external impact, the cell retainer 60 can effectively disperse stress and prevent the cell retainer 60 from breaking. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the outline of the first arc-shaped portion 651 corresponds to a range of 90 degrees, and the angle corresponding to each segment does not exceed 45 degrees. In the illustrated embodiment, the outline of the first arc-shaped portion 651 includes two segments 66 and 67, and the angles corresponding to the two segments 66 and 67 are both 45 degrees. In other embodiments, the outline of the first arc-shaped portion 651 may include three or more segments. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the outline of the second arcuate portion 652 of the connecting structure 65 also includes a plurality of segments. The structural features of the plurality of segments of the outline in the second arcuate portion 652 can be the same as the structural features of the plurality of segments of the outline of the first arcuate portion 651 described above, and will not be repeated here. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the radii of curvature of a plurality of segments of the contour of the first arcuate portion 651 increase in the direction from the baffle 63 to the first end 641 of the column 64. In the illustrated embodiment, the radius of curvature of segment 67 is greater than that of segment 66. Similarly, in some embodiments, the radii of curvature of a plurality of segments of the contour of the second arcuate portion 652 increase in the direction from the baffle 63 to the second end 642 of the column 64. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the first arcuate portion 651 and the second arcuate portion 652 of the connecting structure 65 of the cell limiting member 60 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the baffle 63. The first arcuate portion 651 and the second arcuate portion 652 are symmetrical about the plane 14 passing through the center of the baffle 63. The symmetrical design of the first arcuate portion 651 and the second arcuate portion 652 helps to improve the structural strength of the cell limiting member 60 and prevent the cell limiting member 60 from breaking. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the outline of the baffle 63 includes at least one arcuate segment, which better avoids stress concentration and prevents the cell retainer 60 from breaking compared to a square-shaped component. In this embodiment, the baffle 63 has a wavy structure. Specifically, the baffle 63 may include a first wing 633 and a second wing 634, which extend in a curved manner and extend from both sides of the connecting structure 65, respectively. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the baffle 63 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the connecting structure 65. For example, in this embodiment, the first wing 633 and the second wing 634 are symmetrical structures, and their plane of symmetry 15 passes through the center of the column 64 and the connecting structure 65. The symmetrical design of the baffle 63 helps to improve the structural strength of the cell retaining member 60 and prevent the cell retaining member 60 from breaking. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the baffle 63 includes a rib structure 635, which comprises a plurality of ribs protruding from the surface of the baffle 63. The rib structures 635 are symmetrically arranged on a first side 631 and a second side 632 of the baffle 63, with a plane 14 passing through the center of the baffle 63 as the plane of symmetry. The rib structures 635 reinforce the structure of the baffle 63, preventing breakage of the cell retainer 60. In some embodiments, the width of each rib of the rib structure 635 is at least 0.6 mm. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the width W2 of the connecting structure 65 is smaller than the width W1 of the column 64, allowing the connecting structure 65 to extend through the side opening 27 of the screw hole column 22 and connect with the baffle 63. In some embodiments, the width W2 of the connecting structure 65 is approximately half the width W1 of the column 64. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in some embodiments, in the direction D of the extension of the column 64 (direction D is, for example, the axial direction of the column 64), the width W3 of the baffle 63 is at least one-quarter of the width W4 of the column 64, so as to improve the structural strength of the cell limiting member 60 and prevent the cell limiting member 60 from breaking. Please refer to Figures 6 through 8. Figure 6 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to another embodiment of this disclosure, Figure 7 is a top view of the cell retaining member 60A shown in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a side view of the cell retaining member 60A shown in Figure 6. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment lies in the structure of the baffle 63A of the cell retaining member 60A in this embodiment, which is different from the baffle 63 of the cell retaining member 60 in the previous embodiment. Specifically, the baffle 63A of the cell retaining member 60A has a generally elliptical shape. The major axis of the elliptical baffle 63A can extend across both sides of the connecting structure 65, and the elliptical baffle 63A can be symmetrically arranged with respect to the connecting structure 65. In addition, the rib structure 635A of the baffle 63A includes a plurality of ribs, which are arranged in an interlaced manner to form a mesh-like rib structure 635A. The remaining structural configurations of the cell limiting component 60A can be the same as or similar to the aforementioned cell limiting component 60. Please refer to the relevant content above, which will not be repeated here. In summary, this disclosure provides a cell retaining component applicable to different battery pack models, which helps simplify the installation and securing of the cells. The cylindrical portion of the cell retaining component can be inserted into a screw hole on the inner wall of the battery pack casing, while the baffle portion can hold the cell in place. Fasteners are then tightened into the screw hole to secure the cell. Although this disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit this disclosure. Anyone skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure shall be determined by the appended claims. 12: Battery pack 13: Fasteners 14, 15: Plane 20: Housing 21: Body 22: Screw hole post 23: Opening 24: Accommodation space 25: Entrance 26: Groove 27: Side opening 29: Cover 30: Battery module 31: Cell 32: Outer frame 33: Insulating sheet 60, 60A: Cell limiting component 63, 63A: Baffle 631: First side 632: Second side 633: First wing 634: Second wing 635, 635A: Rib structure 64: Column 641: First end 642: Second end 65: Connecting structure 651: First arc-shaped part 652: Second arc-shaped part 66, 67: Segment D: Direction W1, W2, W3, W4: Width To make the above and other objects, features, advantages, and embodiments of this disclosure more apparent and understandable, the accompanying drawings are described below: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack according to one embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the battery pack shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a top view of the battery pack shown in Figure 1 with the cover removed. Figure 4 is a top view of the cell retaining member shown in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a side view of the cell retaining member shown in Figure 2. Figure 6 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 7 is a top view of the cell retaining member shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a side view of the cell retaining member shown in Figure 6. Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number): None. International storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number): None. 13: Fasteners 21:Ontology 22: Screw hole post 23: Opening 24: Storage space 25: Entrance 26: Trench 27: Side opening 29: Cover 30: Battery Module 31: Battery Cell 32: Outer frame 33: Insulating sheet 60: Cell limiting component 63: baffle 64: Column 65: Connection Structure

Claims

1. A battery cell limiting member includes: a baffle; a column disposed on one side of the baffle and extending substantially perpendicular to the baffle, wherein the column has a first end and a second end opposite to each other; and a connecting structure connecting the column and the baffle, and including a recessed first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion, the first arcuate portion extending from one side of the baffle to the first end of the column, and the second arcuate portion extending from the other side of the baffle to the second end of the column. As claimed in claim 1, the battery cell limiting member, wherein the profile of at least one of the first arcuate portion and the second arcuate portion of the connecting structure comprises a plurality of segments connected sequentially and having different radii of curvature, and any two adjacent segments are tangent. The cell limiting member as described in claim 2, wherein each of the segments is an arc and the angle corresponding to each of the segments does not exceed forty-five degrees. The cell limiting member as described in claim 2, wherein the radius of curvature of the segments increases in the direction from the baffle to the first or second end of the column. The cell limiting member as described in claim 1, wherein the first arcuate portion and the second arcuate portion of the connecting structure are symmetrically disposed on both sides of the baffle. The cell limiting member as described in claim 1, wherein a profile of the baffle includes at least one arcuate segment. The cell limiting member as described in claim 6, wherein the baffle has an elliptical shape. The cell limiting member as described in claim 6, wherein the baffle includes a first wing and a second wing that extend in a curved manner and extend from both sides of the connecting structure, respectively. The cell limiting member as described in claim 1, wherein the baffle is arranged symmetrically to the connection structure. As described in claim 1, the cell limiting member, wherein the first end and the second end of the column are located on opposite sides of the baffle, the baffle including a rib structure symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the baffle. A battery pack includes: a housing comprising a body and a screw post, the body having an accommodating space, the screw post being disposed on an inner wall surface of the accommodating space and having an inlet and a groove communicating with the inlet; a battery cell disposed in the accommodating space of the housing; a battery cell retaining member comprising: a column disposed in the groove and having a first end and a second end opposite to each other; a baffle located outside the groove and abutting against the battery cell; and a connecting structure connecting the column and the baffle, and including a recessed first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion, the first arcuate portion extending from one side of the baffle to the first end of the column, and the second arcuate portion extending from the other side of the baffle to the second end of the column; and a fastener fixedly inserted into the groove via the inlet of the screw post and abutting against the column of the battery cell retaining member.

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