Battery cell adapter, battery cell stack and module-free battery pack

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of electric core adapter, electric core pile and module-free battery pack, belong to battery manufacturing field.Electric core adapter is used to connect electric core in series and / or parallel to sampling integrated component, including intersecting first connecting part and second connecting part, wherein, second connecting part is used to electrically connect electric core, and first connecting part is used to electrically connect sampling integrated component, to form the series / parallel of electric core.Electric core pile is formed by several electric core stacks, and each electric core is electrically connected with electric core adapter.Module-free battery pack is sealed and assembled with box and box cover, and the inside of box includes: electric core pile, several above-mentioned electric core piles are pasted in the inside of box, and the adapter on adjacent two electric core piles is arranged side by side and / or oppositely arranged;sampling integrated component is electrically connected with adapter, and positive and negative electrode of battery is led out.The application has simple structure, can effectively improve the integration efficiency of battery pack, improve the energy density of battery pack;Shorten production process, greatly improve production efficiency, reduce production cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery manufacturing, specifically to a cell adapter, a cell stack, and a module-less battery pack. Background Technology

[0002] Lithium-ion batteries have developed rapidly since the 1990s and have become an indispensable energy storage device in modern society. In recent years, with the successive introduction of a series of policies by national and regional governments to support and promote the development of electric vehicles, and a shift in public perception of electric vehicles, the electric vehicle industry has begun to boom. However, as people's requirements for the energy density of electric vehicles increase, existing battery pack technologies are currently unable to meet customer demands.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent application number 202010755286.X, with a publication date of February 23, 2021, discloses a soft-pack modular power battery system. This battery system includes a fixedly connected upper cover and lower housing assembly. Between the upper cover and lower housing assembly, from top to bottom, are arranged a battery management system, a pressure rod assembly, a low-voltage wiring harness, a soft-pack cell assembly, a high-voltage assembly, a crossbeam assembly, and a liquid cooling system. In this modular structure, the soft-pack cells are directly integrated into the battery box. However, it adds multiple steel pressure rod assemblies, which does not reduce weight compared to traditional modular aluminum casings; moreover, it does not describe the composition of its cell assembly. Figure 3 The description of the battery cell assembly shows that the battery cell assembly is surrounded by fire-retardant material, and the density of the highly reliable fire-retardant material can reach 2g / cm³. 3 Its density is close to that of aluminum, 2.7 g / cm³. 3 Although this document does not have the traditional modular aluminum casing, the additional material still adds a lot of weight and does not have a cost advantage; finally, its soft-pack cell assembly only uses elastic pressure rod components to restrict the Z degree of freedom of the cell, resulting in the cell having no effective fixation and its structure is extremely easy to damage.

[0004] Chinese patent application No. 201910544975.3, published on July 17, 2020, discloses a module-frameless battery pack, vehicle, and energy storage device. The battery pack includes: a battery pack casing; multiple individual cells, each cell having a casing, a cell disposed within the casing, and leads connected to the cell and extending beyond the casing; the multiple individual cells are arranged within the battery pack casing. However, it only describes various arrangements of battery cells of different sizes within the pack. These cell arrangements are common in typical battery packs, and in some examples, it still retains structural features of traditional modules, such as end plates, side plates, and upper and lower module housings.

[0005] Chinese patent application No. 202010075473.3, published on June 12, 2020, discloses a module-less pouch battery system, including: a lower housing and its matching upper cover; the lower housing contains a first fixing module, a second fixing module, a cell module, a baffle, a data acquisition module, and a control module; both the first and second fixing modules have grooves, with the cell module positioned within the grooves of the first and second fixing modules; the baffle abuts against the cell module; the data acquisition module is connected to the cell module to acquire temperature and voltage information; and the control module is connected to the data acquisition module to receive the temperature and voltage information. However, while it eliminates the metal casing of the module, it adds too many loose components, increasing the difficulty of assembling the system; moreover, due to the inherently weak rigidity of the pouch cell and the lack of casing support, the pack strength is relatively low; finally, the pouch cell is prone to breakage, and if it breaks and leaks during production, it cannot be effectively handled, resulting in the scrapping of the entire pack.

[0006] Therefore, developing a high-performance module-less battery pack design has become a pressing technical challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0007] 1. The problem to be solved

[0008] To address the issue of excessive components in existing moduleless battery packs, this invention designs a cell adapter plate to enable series and / or parallel connection of battery cells. Subsequently, utilizing the unique structure of this cell adapter plate, a cell stack is assembled to simplify the structure. Finally, this invention also utilizes the aforementioned cell stack to obtain a moduleless battery pack, which improves the energy density of the battery pack compared to existing models.

[0009] 2. Technical Solution

[0010] To solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0011] A battery cell adapter for connecting battery cells in series and / or in parallel to a sampling integration assembly includes an intersecting first connection portion and a second connection portion, wherein the second connection portion is used to electrically connect the battery cells and the first connection portion is used to electrically connect the sampling integration assembly to form a series / parallel connection of the battery cells.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a transition section, which forms a bent or curved structure at the connection between the first connecting section and the second connecting section to avoid direct contact with the battery cell. When applied to an electric vehicle and subjected to an impact, it is used to share the impact force, while reducing the contact area with the battery cell and increasing the battery energy density.

[0013] The aforementioned cell adapter is used in the manufacture of module-less cell stacks, namely:

[0014] A cell stack is formed by stacking several cells, each cell being electrically connected to the aforementioned adapter. Preferably, the cells are aluminum-cased cells with terminals on both sides, the terminals arranged side-by-side, and each welded with an adapter. It should be noted that the cells can also be used for AVIC's one-stop batteries and pouch cells; however, the structure is much more complex for pouch cells, and because pouch cells are relatively thin, the current handling capacity of the aluminum busbar connected using the aforementioned cell adapter may be insufficient.

[0015] Furthermore, adjacent cells are bonded together using spacers. These spacers are sheet-like materials with compressible properties, such as foam, rubber pads, or aerogel; or sheet-like insulating materials, such as PC sheets or PP sheets.

[0016] Furthermore, side plates are bonded to the starting and ending ends of the stack, respectively. These are injection-molded plastic parts with a functional structure. The battery cell stack of this invention only has side plates bonded to the starting and ending ends, and these side plates are injection-molded parts without any other structural components that increase weight. Simultaneously, the battery cell stack is adhered to the bottom inner side of the housing using thermally conductive structural adhesive, and several reinforcing members are provided inside the housing to ensure the fixation of the battery cells and the structural strength of the housing.

[0017] This invention not only details a module-less cell stack layout, but also elaborates on a novel structural form for series and / or parallel cell connections. This structural form not only reduces the number of components integrated into the pack and reduces the pack weight, but also significantly improves production efficiency. In other words:

[0018] A module-less battery pack, wherein the casing and cover are sealed together by bolts and seals to achieve a sealed effect. The interior of the casing includes:

[0019] The battery cell stack has several of the above-mentioned battery cell stacks pasted inside the housing. The adapters on two adjacent battery cell stacks are arranged side by side and / or opposite to each other. The battery cell stacks are pasted to the bottom inside the housing using thermally conductive structural adhesive.

[0020] The sampling integration component is installed on top of the cell stack, connected to an adapter via electrical connection, and leads out the positive and negative terminals of the battery.

[0021] When the positive and negative electrodes of multiple cell stacks are arranged side by side in the box, the adapters on each cell stack are arranged side by side. By electrically connecting the adapters of adjacent cell stacks, the current of each cell stack is combined to the sampling integration component to form a module-less battery.

[0022] When the positive and negative electrodes of multiple cell stacks are arranged in parallel inside the box, the adapters on adjacent cell stacks are arranged opposite each other, and each adapter is electrically connected to the sampling integrated component to form a module-less battery. It is worth noting that the cell stacks are preferably arranged in a single layer. If it is for a multi-layer cell stack arrangement, in order to strengthen the fixing strength during assembly, busbars need to be connected in series between the upper and lower layers and bolts are used for locking.

[0023] Furthermore, the interior of the enclosure is divided into several spaces by multiple support members for installing battery cell stacks. The support members serve two purposes: firstly, they are used to overlap / fix the adapters, where overlapping means that the adapters are placed on the support members. For a secure connection, the adapters can also be glued and fixed to the support members; secondly, the support members provide insulation and protection for the enclosure.

[0024] The support structure here can be either a plate-like structure or a frame structure, meaning the support structure is a perforated support frame made up of multiple thin plate-like or sheet-like structures. When the support structure is a frame structure, it reduces the weight of the enclosure and also facilitates heat dissipation.

[0025] Furthermore, several reinforcing members are integrally formed inside the housing to enhance its strength. Simultaneously, a support member is fixedly installed above the height of the reinforcing members. The reinforcing members have a certain height; if the height of the reinforcing member is H and the height of the battery cell is W, then the relationship is 0.3W ≤ H ≤ 0.9W.

[0026] Furthermore, the bottom of the support is designed as an inverted "U"-shaped mounting section, which sits on top of the reinforcement and can be glued together to ensure a stable connection.

[0027] Furthermore, the enclosure is a Pack enclosure.

[0028] Furthermore, the sampling integration component is electrically connected to the adapter via a bus, and adjacent battery cells are connected to the same bus.

[0029] Furthermore, the sampling integration component is also equipped with several temperature acquisition devices.

[0030] Furthermore, all of the above electrical connections can be achieved using laser welding.

[0031] This invention reduces the number of components in the entire package by 30% through the integrated design of the sampling integrated component electrical connection adapter, effectively improving production efficiency; at the same time, the design of the support components and the beams inside the box ensures the structural strength of the pack.

[0032] 3. Beneficial effects

[0033] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of this invention are reflected in:

[0034] (1) The present invention only has plastic side plates bonded at the beginning and end of the cell stack, which reduces the use of structural components. The design of electrical connection adapters and support components reduces the distance between adjacent cell stacks, allowing the whole pack to hold more energy, effectively improving the integration efficiency of the battery pack and increasing the energy density of the battery pack. At the same time, the setting of reinforcing components ensures the structural strength of the module-free system.

[0035] (2) The integrated design of the sampling integration component and electrical connection adapter of the present invention reduces the number of components in the package by 30%, effectively improving production efficiency, shortening the production process and reducing production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of one embodiment of the moduleless battery pack of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the battery cell stack of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the connector of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the connector of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the sampling integration component of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram from the first perspective of an installation method for stacking battery cells on a housing according to the present invention;

[0042] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified view of a portion of region A in the middle;

[0043] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A magnified view of a portion of region B in the middle;

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram from a second perspective of one installation method of stacking battery cells on a housing according to the present invention;

[0045] Figure 10 for Figure 9 A magnified view of a portion of region C in the middle;

[0046] Figure 11 for Figure 9 A magnified view of a portion of region D in the middle;

[0047] Figure 12 for Figure 9 A magnified view of a portion of region E in the middle;

[0048] Figure 13 for Figure 9 A magnified view of a portion of region F in the middle;

[0049] Figure 14 for Figure 9 A magnified view of a portion of region J in the middle;

[0050] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram from a third perspective of one installation method of stacking battery cells on a housing according to the present invention;

[0051] Figure 16 for Figure 15 A magnified view of a portion of region H in the middle;

[0052] Figure 17 for Figure 15 A magnified view of a portion of region I;

[0053] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the battery cell connector and the support member of the present invention.

[0054] In the picture:

[0055] 100. Battery cell stack; 110. Battery cell; 120. Adapter; 121. First connecting part; 1211. First connecting surface; 1212. Supporting surface; 122. Second connecting part; 1221. Second connecting surface; 1222. Limiting surface; 123. Transition part; 130. Spacer; 140. Side plate; 200. Housing; 210. Supporting component; 220. Reinforcing component; 300. Sampling integrated assembly; 310. Busbar; 320. Temperature acquisition component; 330. Circuit integrated board; 340. Nickel sheet; 350. Connector; 360. Insulating sheet; 400. Adhesive layer; 500. Housing cover. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The present invention will now be further described with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0057] Example 1

[0058] This embodiment is a battery cell adapter made of conductive metal, including a first connecting part 121 for electrically connecting to the sampling integrated assembly 300 and a second connecting part 122 for electrically connecting to the battery cell 110, wherein the first connecting part 121 and the second connecting part 122 intersect to form an "L" shape.

[0059] Specifically, such as Figure 3As shown, the upper and lower opposing surfaces of the first connecting part 121 are a first connecting surface 1211 and a supporting surface 1212, respectively. The first connecting surface 1211 is electrically connected to the sampling integration component 300, and the supporting surface 1212 is used for overlapping or fixing. The left and right opposing surfaces of the second connecting part 122 are a second connecting surface 1221 and a limiting surface 1222. The second connecting surface 1221 is electrically connected to the battery cell 110, and works with the first connecting surface 1211 to conduct current to the sampling integration component 300. The adapter 120 uses the limiting surface 1222 and the supporting surface 1212 to limit and support the battery cell 110 within the housing 200. It should be noted that by selecting one or more first connecting surfaces 1211 to connect to the same busbar 310, multiple parallel and multiple series battery cells can be achieved.

[0060] As another type of battery cell adapter in this embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first connecting part 121 and the second connecting part 122 are connected by a transition part 123. The first connecting part 121, the transition part 123 and the second connecting part 122 are integrally formed. The transition part 123 is a bent structure, that is, in the longitudinal section direction, the transition part 123 forms a certain angle with the first connecting part 121 and the second connecting part 122. Alternatively, the transition part 123 is a curved structure, that is, the longitudinal section of the transition part 123 is arc-shaped. The purpose of the transition part 123 in both structures is to avoid direct contact with the battery cell 110. When it is applied to an electric vehicle and is subjected to an impact, it is used to share the impact force. At the same time, it reduces the contact area with the battery cell and increases the battery energy density.

[0061] Example 2

[0062] This embodiment is a cell stack, formed by stacking several cells 110 along the thickness direction. Plastic spacers 130 are adhered between adjacent cells 110 for insulation. The beginning and end ends are sealed with side plates 140. Figure 2 As shown, the battery cell 110 in this embodiment is an aluminum-cased battery cell with terminals on both sides, arranged side by side. Each terminal of the battery cell 110 is welded with an adapter 120 as described in Embodiment 1. Specifically, the second connecting surface 1221 of the adapter 120 is electrically connected to the terminal of the battery cell 110. The supporting surface 1212 and the limiting surface 1222 are positioned perpendicularly to fix and limit the adapter 120, thereby supporting the battery cell 110. This embodiment eliminates the need for a module casing, significantly reducing weight and cost, increasing battery cell energy density, shortening the heat transfer path, and improving efficiency.

[0063] Example 3

[0064] This embodiment describes a module-less battery pack, combined with... Figure 1 As shown, it includes several cell stacks 100, a housing 200, several sampling integration components 300, an adhesive layer 400, and a housing cover 500, wherein:

[0065] The interior of the housing 200 is divided into multiple spaces by several support members 210, serving as mounting positions for the battery cell stack 100. The support members 210 can be insulating boards, preferably a frame structure made of thin insulating boards. One example of a frame structure support member 210 is... Figure 18 As shown, the support surface 1212 of the adapter 120 is mounted or adhered to the top of the support member 210, and the limiting surface 1222 of the adapter 120 abuts against or adheres to the side of the support member 210, so that the support member 210 supports the adapter 120, and at the same time, the support member 210 isolates adjacent cell stacks 100. In order to enhance the mechanical strength of the housing 200, several reinforcing members 220 are integrally formed inside the housing 200. The height of the reinforcing members 220 is lower than that of the support member 210. In this embodiment, the support member 210 is fixedly installed on the reinforcing member 220 to save the internal space of the housing 200. That is, the bottom of the support member 210 is designed as an inverted "U"-shaped mounting part, which is placed on the reinforcing member 220. It can also be glued to ensure a stable connection. (See reference) Figure 6 and its local magnification Figure 7 and Figure 8 ,or Figure 9 and its local magnification Figures 10-14 ,or Figure 15 and its local magnification Figure 16 , Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure installation of the housing 200 of the module-less battery pack in this embodiment.

[0066] The battery cell stack 100 is the product described in Example 2. This example will not elaborate further. In this example, the battery cell stack 100 consists of 8 cells arranged in two rows and four columns and is attached to the mounting positions at the bottom of the housing 200 separated by the support member 210 by the adhesive layer 400. The adhesive layer 400 is a thermally conductive structural adhesive.

[0067] The sampling integration component 300 is installed on top of the connection between adjacent cell stacks 100, such as... Figure 5As shown, the circuit includes a busbar 310, several temperature acquisition devices 320, a circuit integration board 330, nickel strips 340, connectors 350, and insulating sheets 360. Multiple busbars 310 are electrically connected to the circuit integration board 330 via nickel strips 340, allowing the nickel strips 340 to receive voltage signals from the busbars 310 and transmit them to the circuit integration board 330. Each busbar 310 is soldered with any number of adapters 120. For example, a busbar 310 can connect two adapters 120 on the same cell stack 100, effectively connecting two cells in parallel. Simultaneously, the busbar 310 also electrically connects two cell stacks 100, enabling the connection of multiple cell stacks 100. Temperature acquisition devices 320 are mounted on the circuit integration board 330 and attached to the surface of the cell 110 to monitor the temperature of the cell 110 and transmit the data to the circuit integration board 330. Connector 350 is connected to the end of circuit integration board 330 to receive voltage signals, temperature signals, etc., received by circuit integration board 330. There are generally two ways to connect connector 350 to circuit integration board 330: ① When the circuit is made of wire or FFC, terminal crimping is used; ② When the circuit is made of PCB or FPC, reflow soldering is used. The plug-in structures used in these two methods are also different. Those skilled in the art can choose the appropriate circuit manufacturing method according to their needs; this invention will not describe it in detail. Insulating sheet 360 is pasted on the bottom of sampling integration component 300 to separate each electrical connector from the battery cell, achieving insulation protection and scratch prevention. Insulating sheet 360 can also be pasted on the upper surface of sampling integration component 300 to protect it.

[0068] The cover 500 is fastened to the sealed housing 200 by bolts and sealing rings, and the two are assembled together to achieve a sealed effect for the battery pack.

[0069] The aforementioned housing 200 is a pack housing and can be sold separately. This embodiment features a novel, simple, and rationally designed module-less battery pack, which can significantly improve battery energy density, reduce battery manufacturing processes, and increase production efficiency.

[0070] The present invention and its embodiments have been described above illustratively. This description is not restrictive, and the figures shown are only one embodiment of the present invention; the actual structure is not limited thereto. Therefore, if those skilled in the art are inspired by this description and design similar structures and embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such designs should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical cell adapter, characterized by: The application relates to a transition piece (120) for connecting a battery cell (110) in series and / or parallel to a sampling integrated assembly (300), which comprises a first connecting part (121) and a second connecting part (122) intersecting in an L-shaped structure, wherein the first connecting part (121) has a first connecting surface (1211) and a supporting surface (1212) on the opposite surfaces, the first connecting surface (1211) is used for electrically connecting the sampling integrated assembly (300), and the supporting surface (1212) is used for lapping or fixing; the second connecting part (122) has a second connecting surface (1221) and a limiting surface (1222) on the opposite surfaces, the limiting surface (1222) is perpendicular to the supporting surface (1212), and the second connecting surface (1221) is used for electrically connecting the battery cell (110) and is matched with the first connecting surface (1211) to converge the current to the sampling integrated assembly (300) to form the series / parallel connection of the battery cell (110).

2. The cell adapter of claim 1, wherein: The transition piece (120) further comprises a transition part (123) which is connected to the first connecting part (121) and the second connecting part (122) and forms a bending or curved structure.

3. An electric pile, characterized by: The transition piece (120) is electrically connected to the battery cell (110) stacked by a plurality of battery cells (110) according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The cell stack of claim 3, wherein: The adjacent battery cells (110) are bonded by a separator (130), and the starting end and the ending end of the stack are respectively bonded with side plates (140).

5. A module-free battery pack, its box (200) and box cover (500) are sealed assembled, characterized in that: The box (200) comprises: The battery cell stack (100) is bonded with a plurality of battery cell stacks (100) according to claim 3 or 4 in the box (200), and the transition pieces (120) on the adjacent two battery cell stacks (100) are arranged side by side and / or oppositely; The sampling integrated assembly (300) is electrically connected to the transition piece (120) and leads out the positive and negative electrodes of the battery; A plurality of supporting members (210) are separated into a plurality of spaces as mounting positions of the battery cell stack (100), the supporting member (210) is a frame structure, and the supporting surface (1212) of the transition piece (120) is lapped or bonded and fixed thereon.

6. The moduleless battery pack of claim 5, wherein: The box (200) is divided into a plurality of spaces by a plurality of supporting members (210) to mount the battery cell stack (100), wherein the supporting member (210) is used for lapping / fixing the transition piece (120).

7. The moduleless battery pack of claim 6, wherein: The supporting member (210) is a frame structure.

8. The module-less battery pack of claim 6, wherein: The box (200) is integrally formed with a plurality of reinforcing members (220) to enhance the strength of the box (200).

9. The moduleless battery pack of claim 5, wherein: The sampling integrated assembly (300) is electrically connected to the transition piece (120) through a busbar (310), and the adjacent battery cell stacks (100) are connected to the same busbar (310).

10. The moduleless battery pack of claim 9, wherein: The sampling integrated assembly (300) is further provided with a plurality of temperature acquisition members (320).

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