Insulating separator assembly, battery module, battery pack and assembling method of battery module

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of energy storage devices, and discloses an insulating partition plate assembly, a battery module, a battery pack and an assembling method of the battery module. The insulating partition plate assembly comprises an insulating partition plate, a first adapter and a second adapter. The insulating partition plate is provided with a first row of through holes and a second row of through holes, which can be used for penetrating two rows of tabs of a plurality of bare battery cells arranged in a row. Therefore, the relative positions of the tabs in the first row and the first adapter are determined, and the relative positions of the tabs in the second row and the second adapter are determined. The relative positions of the tabs in the first row and the first adapter and the relative positions of the tabs in the second row and the second adapter can be determined through the positioning of the insulating partition plate, thereby facilitating connection and simplifying the positioning operation between the tabs of the bare battery cells and the adapters, so that the assembling efficiency is improved. The battery module and the battery pack with the above insulating partition plate assembly also have the above advantages, and the assembling method of the battery module can improve the assembling efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of energy storage device technology, and in particular to an insulating separator assembly, a battery module, a battery pack, and a method for assembling the battery module. Background Technology

[0002] As the primary power source for electric vehicles, the key to meeting the long-range driving requirements of new energy electric vehicles lies in how to efficiently utilize limited space and improve energy density. Most power battery modules typically consist of multiple individual cells combined with a casing and cover. A typical individual cell includes a casing, a bare cell, and a top cover. The bare cell is located inside the casing, and its tabs are connected to the electrode terminals of the top cover. The top cover encapsulates the bare cell within the casing and injects electrolyte to form a single cell. Multiple individual cells are then assembled with the casing, cover, and other components of the battery module to form a module. In this assembly method, the individual cell casing occupies a certain volume and weight, and one of the casing surfaces between adjacent cells is functionally redundant, resulting in a certain degree of wasted volume space. Battery modules based on this structure struggle to efficiently utilize the internal space of the casing.

[0003] Currently, to address the aforementioned issues, related technologies offer a battery module with an integrated casing. This casing contains multiple mounting cavities, within which multiple bare cells are directly mounted. The cavities are sealed by top covers to encapsulate the bare cells. Each top cover has an adapter, and the tabs of each bare cell are connected to the adapter to interconnect the cells. However, during assembly, the tabs of multiple bare cells must be individually positioned and connected to the adapter, resulting in numerous positioning operations and low efficiency. Furthermore, fitting multiple bare cells into the casing after assembly is also difficult. Therefore, this type of battery module has low assembly efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application aims to address at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application proposes an insulating separator assembly that facilitates the positioning and connection between the adapter and the bare battery cell tab, thereby improving assembly efficiency.

[0005] This application also proposes a battery module including the insulating separator assembly and a method for assembling the battery module.

[0006] This application also proposes a battery pack having the above-mentioned battery module.

[0007] An insulating separator assembly according to a first aspect of this application is used to connect two rows of tabs of a plurality of bare battery cells arranged in a row, the insulating separator assembly comprising: An insulating partition has a top surface and a bottom surface facing each other. The insulating partition is provided with a first through hole corresponding to the tab area of ​​the first column of the bare battery cell and a second through hole corresponding to the tab area of ​​the second column of the bare battery cell. The first through hole and the second through hole penetrate the top surface and the bottom surface. The first adapter has multiple components, which are disposed on the top surface and arranged alternately with a plurality of the first through holes. The first adapter is connected to the insulating partition and is adapted to be welded to the first column of the electrode tabs. The second adapter, having multiple components, is disposed on the top surface and arranged alternately with the second through hole. The second adapter is connected to the insulating partition and is adapted to be welded to the tabs of the second column.

[0008] The insulating partition assembly of the first aspect of this application has at least the following beneficial effects: Multiple first through holes can be used to pass through the tabs of the first row of bare battery cells; the relative positions of each tab and each first adapter on the insulating partition can be determined by positioning the insulating partition, achieving unified positioning of multiple tabs and multiple first adapters, thereby facilitating the connection of the tabs and first adapters in the first row. Similarly, the insulating partition assembly also facilitates the connection of the tabs in the second row to the second adapters. Therefore, the positioning operation between the tabs of each bare battery cell and each adapter can be simplified, thereby improving assembly efficiency.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the insulating partition assembly has a plurality of first mounting slots and a plurality of second mounting slots on its top surface. The first mounting slots are arranged alternately with a plurality of first through holes, and each first mounting slot contains a first adapter. The second mounting slots are arranged alternately with a plurality of first through holes, and each second mounting slot contains a second adapter.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, an insulating partition assembly is provided with two first through holes between adjacent first mounting slots and two second through holes between adjacent second mounting slots.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, the insulating partition assembly has a first snap-fit ​​position in the first mounting groove, and the first adapter snaps into the first snap-fit ​​position. The second mounting groove also includes a second snap-fit ​​position, and the second adapter snaps into the second snap-fit ​​position.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, the insulating partition assembly has a first guide groove on its top surface. The first guide groove extends along the arrangement direction of the first through hole and is located between the first through hole and the second through hole. A plurality of guide through holes penetrating the insulating partition are provided in the first guide groove, and the plurality of guide through holes are arranged along the extension direction of the first guide groove.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present application, the bottom surface of the insulating partition assembly is further provided with a second guide groove, the second guide groove is connected to the guide through hole, and the position of the second guide groove is offset from the position of the first through hole and the position of the second through hole.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present application, in the insulating partition assembly, each of the guide through holes is provided with a second guide groove on both sides, and each second guide groove extends in a direction perpendicular to the first guide groove.

[0015] The battery module of the second aspect embodiment of this application includes: The outer casing has an inner cavity inside, and the top of the outer casing has an opening communicating with the inner cavity. Multiple partition plates are arranged at intervals in the inner cavity, and the partition plates divide the inner cavity into multiple mounting cavities. Multiple bare battery cells are housed in the mounting cavity. The positive and negative tabs of each bare battery cell face the top of the housing. The tabs of the multiple bare battery cells are arranged in two rows, and each row of tabs includes alternating positive and negative tabs. In the insulating partition assembly of the second aspect embodiment described above, the insulating partition is located above the mounting cavity, the first column of the electrode tabs passes through the first through hole and is connected to the first adapter, the second column of the electrode tabs passes through the second through hole and is connected to the second adapter, the first adapter, the second adapter and the two columns of the electrode tabs are used to connect multiple bare cells in series and form a positive output electrode tab and a negative output electrode tab; A top cover is provided on top of the insulating partition and connected to the outer shell at the opening. The top cover is provided with a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The positive terminal is electrically connected to the positive output tab, and the negative terminal is electrically connected to the negative output tab.

[0016] The battery module of the second aspect embodiment of this application has at least the following beneficial effects: the bare cell is housed in the mounting cavity, eliminating the need for the conventional single-cell casing, thereby improving the space utilization rate inside the casing and helping to improve the energy density of the battery module; the insulating separator assembly realizes the unified positioning of multiple tabs and multiple adapters, which simplifies the positioning operation between the bare cell tabs and adapters; and the bare cell can be inserted into the casing first, and then the tabs are connected to the insulating separator assembly, solving the problem of difficulty in inserting the bare cell into the casing, thereby improving assembly efficiency.

[0017] The battery pack of the third aspect of this application includes a housing and the battery module of the second aspect embodiment described above, wherein the battery module is housed in the housing.

[0018] The assembly method of the battery module according to the fourth aspect embodiment of this application includes the following steps: Prepare a housing, multiple bare battery cells, an insulating separator assembly, and a top cover as described in the second aspect embodiment above; Each of the bare battery cells is placed in each of the mounting cavities of the housing, and the positive and negative tabs of the plurality of bare battery cells are arranged alternately; The insulating partition is placed above the partition plate in the outer casing, so that the first row of tabs protrudes upward through the first through hole, and the second row of tabs protrudes upward through the second through hole; The positive and negative tabs of the first column of electrodes are fixedly connected to the first adapter in such a way that adjacent bare cells are connected in series, and the positive and negative tabs of the second column of electrodes are fixedly connected to the second adapter in such a way that adjacent bare cells are connected in series, so that multiple bare cells are connected in series. The positive output tab of the series-connected bare battery cell is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the top cover, and the negative output tab of the series-connected bare battery cell is electrically connected to the negative terminal of the top cover. The top cover is pressed into the opening of the housing from above the insulating partition assembly, and the top cover is sealed to the housing.

[0019] The battery module assembly method of the fourth aspect embodiment of this application has at least the following beneficial effects: the bare battery cell is placed in the mounting cavity first, and then the tabs are positioned and connected, which reduces the difficulty of assembling the bare battery cell into the shell. The positioning of the tabs and the adapter is achieved by positioning the insulating partition and the shell, which facilitates the connection of the tabs and the adapter, simplifies the positioning operation, and thus improves the assembly efficiency.

[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein: Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an insulating partition assembly according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the insulating partition in the middle; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the insulating partition assembly of the embodiment shown in the figure. Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of section B in the diagram; Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the top surface of the middle insulating partition; Figure 6 for Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the insulating partition in the embodiment shown in the figure (CC section). Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified view of part D in the diagram; Figure 8 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the bottom surface of the middle insulating partition; Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a battery module according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 for Figure 9 A partial structural exploded view of the battery module in the illustrated embodiment. Figure 11 for Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the assembly state of the bare battery cell and insulating separator assembly in the embodiment shown (outer casing omitted); Figure 12 for Figure 11 Top view.

[0022] Figure label: Insulating partition 100, top surface 101, bottom surface 102; First through hole 110, second through hole 120, first mounting groove 130, first snap-fit ​​position 131, snap fastener 132, peripheral wall 133, bottom wall 134, inclined surface 135, second mounting groove 140, second snap-fit ​​position 141, first guide groove 150, guide through hole 160, second guide groove 170. Insulating partition assembly 200, first adapter 210, clearance groove 211, second adapter 220; The outer shell is 300, the inner cavity is 310, the opening is 320, the partition plate is 330, and the mounting cavity is 340. Bare battery cell 400, first row of tabs 410, second row of tabs 420, positive output tab 421, negative output tab 422; Top cover 500, positive terminal 510, negative terminal 520, liquid injection hole 530, explosion-proof valve 540. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0025] In the description of this application, "several" means "more than one," and "above," "below," "within," etc., are understood to include the stated number. If "first," "second," etc., are used only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated, or implicitly indicating the order of the technical features indicated.

[0026] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0027] In the description of this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an insulating partition assembly according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the insulating partition in the diagram is provided for reference. Figure 1 and Figure 2The first aspect of this application provides an insulating partition assembly 200 for connecting two rows of tabs of a plurality of bare battery cells arranged in a row. The insulating partition assembly 200 includes an insulating partition 100, a first adapter 210, and a second adapter 220. The insulating partition 100 has a top surface 101 and a bottom surface 102 facing each other. The insulating partition 100 is provided with a row of first through holes 110 corresponding to the tab areas of the first row of bare battery cells, and a row of second through holes 120 corresponding to the tab areas of the second row of bare battery cells. Both the first through holes 110 and the second through holes 120 penetrate the top surface 101 and the bottom surface 102. The plurality of first through holes 110 are arranged at intervals for passing through the tabs of the first row of bare battery cells, and the plurality of second through holes 120 are arranged at intervals for passing through the tabs of the second row of bare battery cells.

[0029] A first adapter 210 is disposed on the top surface 101 of the insulating partition 100 and is staggered with a plurality of first through holes 110, and the first adapter 210 is connected to the insulating partition 100. A second adapter 220 is disposed on the top surface 101 of the insulating partition 100 and is staggered with a plurality of second through holes 120, and the second adapter 220 is connected to the insulating partition 100. Thus, when the tabs of the first row are inserted into the first through holes 110, each tab in the first row can be located beside the corresponding first adapter 210; when the tabs of the second row are inserted into the second through holes 120, each tab in the second row can be located beside the corresponding second adapter 220, thereby facilitating soldering. The first adapter 210 is used to connect the tabs of the first row of bare cells, and the second adapter 220 is used to connect the tabs of the second row of bare cells, so as to connect the bare cells in series. Therefore, in this embodiment, the insulating separator assembly is applied to a battery module. Each tab in the first row of bare cells can pass through the insulating separator 100 via the first through-hole 110 to reach the top surface 101 and be located beside the first adapter 210, thereby facilitating the welding of the tabs in the first row to the first adapter 210. Similarly, each tab in the second row of bare cells can pass through the insulating separator 100 via the second through-hole 120 to reach the top surface 101 and be located beside the first adapter 210, thereby facilitating the welding of the tabs in the second row to the second adapter 220.

[0030] Structurally, the first through hole 110 has a certain limiting effect on the first row of tabs, and the second through hole 120 has a certain limiting effect on the second row of tabs. After the first row of tabs passes through the first through hole 110, their relative positions with the first adapter 210 disposed on the top surface 101 are determined. After the second row of tabs passes through the second through hole 120, their relative positions with the second adapter 220 disposed on the top surface 101 are determined. Therefore, the positions of the first row of tabs of multiple bare cells relative to the first adapter 210 and the positions of the second row of tabs relative to the second adapter 220 can be limited by the positioning of the insulating partition 100. There is no need to position and weld each bare cell and each first adapter 210 separately, or position and weld each bare cell and each second adapter 220 separately. This simplifies the positioning operation between each tab of the bare cell and each adapter, thereby improving assembly efficiency.

[0031] In terms of assembly, when the insulating separator assembly 200 of this embodiment is used in the battery module, the bare cells can be inserted into the casing first, and then the tabs can be inserted. This avoids the difficulty of inserting the bare cells into the casing after assembly. The positions of the first through hole 110 and the second through hole 120 can be determined by positioning the insulating separator 100. Therefore, the relative positions of each tab and each adapter are determined, which simplifies the positioning operation of the bare cell tabs and adapters, facilitates the connection of the first row of tabs and the first adapter 210, and solves the problem of difficulty in inserting bare cells into the casing, thereby helping to improve the assembly efficiency of the battery module.

[0032] It is understood that the rows of bare battery cells can form two rows of tabs arranged along the direction of the bare battery cells. Series and / or parallel connections of the bare battery cells can be achieved through the connection of the adapter with the positive and negative tabs of the bare battery cells. In the above embodiment, the alternating arrangement of the first adapter 210 and several first through holes 110 can be varied. For example, one first through hole 110 and one first adapter 210 can be arranged alternately, or two first through holes 110 and one first adapter 210 can be arranged alternately, or a combination of the above two methods can be used, or other alternating arrangements can be adopted. The same applies to the alternating arrangement of the second adapter 220 and several second through holes 120. The specific arrangement can be reasonably set according to the distribution of the positive and negative tabs in the two rows of tabs of the bare battery cells to be connected, so as to facilitate the insertion of the tabs and the connection between the tabs and the adapter, thereby achieving series and / or parallel connections of the bare battery cells.

[0033] The insulating separator assembly of this application embodiment is applicable to connecting bare battery cells arranged in rows in series. Each row of tabs on the bare battery cells includes alternating positive and negative tabs. The first adapter and the second adapter facilitate connecting the positive and negative tabs of adjacent bare battery cells, thereby connecting the bare battery cells in series. (Reference) Figure 2In this configuration, the first through-hole 110 and the first adapter 210 on the insulating partition 100 can be arranged in an alternating manner, with two first through-holes 110 and one first adapter 210. Thus, each first adapter 210 has a first through-hole 110 on both sides. The arrangement of the second through-holes 120 and the second adapter 220 is similar. Therefore, in the first row of tabs, the positive and negative tabs of two adjacent bare cells can pass through the first through-holes 110 on both sides of the same first adapter 210, facilitating welding to the same first adapter 210. Similarly, in the second row of tabs, the positive and negative tabs of two adjacent bare cells can pass through the second through-holes 120 on both sides of the same second adapter 220, facilitating welding to the same second adapter 220, thereby connecting the positive and negative tabs of adjacent bare cells and achieving series connection of multiple bare cells.

[0034] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the top surface 101 of the insulating partition 100 is provided with a plurality of first mounting slots 130 and a plurality of second mounting slots 140. The plurality of first mounting slots 130 are arranged alternately with a plurality of first through holes 110. Each first mounting slot 130 contains a first adapter 210. Therefore, after the tabs of the first row of bare cells pass through the first through holes 110, they can be connected to the adjacent first adapter 210 on the top surface of the insulating partition 100. The plurality of second mounting slots 140 are arranged alternately with a plurality of second through holes 120. Each second mounting slot 140 contains a second adapter 220. Therefore, after the tabs of the second row of bare cells pass through the second through holes 120, they can be connected to the adjacent second adapter 220 on the top surface of the insulating partition 100. The first mounting groove 130 and the second mounting groove 140 facilitate the quick positioning and installation of the first adapter 210 and the second adapter 220. A predetermined distance exists between them to achieve insulation between the first adapter 210 and the second adapter 220. The insulating separator assembly 200 of this embodiment is suitable for battery modules with multiple bare cells arranged in a row along one direction. The bare cells are arranged in a row to form two rows of tabs arranged along the arrangement direction of the bare cells. Therefore, the first through hole 110 can correspond to the tabs of the first row of bare cells, and the tabs of the first row can be easily connected to the first adapter 210 after passing through the first through hole 110. Similarly, the second through hole 120 can correspond to the tabs of the second row of bare cells, and the tabs of the second row can be easily connected to the second adapter 220 after passing through the second through hole 120.

[0035] In the above embodiments, the connection methods between the first adapter 210 and the first mounting groove 130, and between the second adapter 220 and the second mounting groove 140, can be various, such as riveting, bonding, snap-fitting, etc. This application embodiment provides a snap-fit ​​connection method: Figure 3 for Figure 1A cross-sectional view of the insulating partition assembly of the embodiment shown in the figure. Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of section B in the diagram, for reference. Figures 1 to 4 In some implementations of the insulating partition assembly 200, a first snap-fit ​​position 131 is provided in the first mounting groove 130 of the insulating partition 100. The first adapter 210 is accommodated in the first mounting groove 130 and snaps into the first snap-fit ​​position 131, thereby fixing the first adapter 210 to the insulating partition 100. Similarly, a second snap-fit ​​position 141 is provided in the second mounting groove 140. The second adapter 220 is accommodated in the second mounting groove 140 and snaps into the second snap-fit ​​position 141, thereby fixing the second adapter 220 to the insulating partition 100. Thus, the snap-fit ​​method facilitates the processing and assembly of the first adapter 210, the second adapter 220, and the insulating partition 100.

[0036] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the top surface of the middle insulating partition. Figure 6 for Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the insulating partition in the embodiment shown in the figure. Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified view of part D in the diagram, for reference. Figures 2 to 7 In some embodiments, the first mounting groove 130 includes a bottom wall 134 and a peripheral wall 133. A protruding buckle 132 is provided on the peripheral wall 133. A first engaging position 131 is defined between the buckle 132 and the bottom wall 134. The side of the first adapter 210 corresponding to the buckle 132 can be inserted into the first engaging position 131 and thus be limited by the buckle 132 to prevent it from falling off. Additionally, refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 4 The first adapter 210 can be provided with a clearance groove 211 at the position corresponding to the buckle 132 to allow the buckle 132 to be cleared so that the first adapter 210 can be engaged with the first engagement position 131. The engagement structure between the second mounting groove 140 and the second adapter 220 is similar.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5In some embodiments, the first mounting groove 130 may also be provided with a foolproof structure to prevent the first adapter 210 from being installed incorrectly or backwards. For example, a slope 135 is provided on the peripheral wall 133 of the first mounting groove 130 in any direction. The outer edge of the first adapter 210 is designed to match the peripheral wall 133 and the slope 135 of the first mounting groove 130. If the first adapter 210 is misaligned or installed upside down, interference will occur at the slope 135, thus preventing it from being correctly accommodated in the first mounting groove 130. This creates a foolproof structure, facilitating the quick and accurate installation of the first adapter 210. Similarly, the second mounting groove 140 may also be provided with a foolproof structure, the structure of which can be referenced from that of the first mounting groove 130.

[0038] In some embodiments of the insulating partition assembly, reference is made to Figure 6 Each first mounting groove 130 on the insulating partition 100 has at least one first through hole 110 on both sides, and two first through holes 110 are provided between adjacent first mounting grooves 130. Therefore, the positive and negative electrodes of two adjacent bare cells in the same row of electrodes can pass through the two first through holes 110 between adjacent first mounting grooves 130 respectively, avoiding confusion between the positive and negative electrodes of adjacent bare cells in the same row of electrodes. This makes the positive electrodes, negative electrodes and first adapters 210 form an orderly arrangement, which facilitates the identification of the positive and negative electrodes at each position and the welding of the positive and negative electrodes to the corresponding first adapters 210. This helps to improve welding efficiency and reduce the risk of welding errors. Similarly, each second mounting slot 140 has at least one second through hole 120 on both sides, and two second through holes 120 are provided between adjacent second mounting slots 140. This facilitates the insertion operation, avoids confusion between the positive and negative tabs in the same row of tabs of adjacent bare cells, makes it easier to identify the positive and negative tabs at each position, and facilitates welding the positive and negative tabs to the corresponding second adapter 220. This helps to improve welding efficiency and reduce the risk of welding errors.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5In some embodiments, the top surface 101 of the insulating separator 100 is further provided with a first guide groove 150 for guiding the electrolyte during electrolyte injection. The first guide groove 150 extends along the arrangement direction of the first through holes 110 and is located between the first through holes 110 and the second through holes 120, thereby guiding the electrolyte to the positions of each bare cell. The first guide groove 150 is provided with multiple guide through holes 160 penetrating the insulating separator 100, and the multiple guide through holes 160 are arranged along the extension direction of the first guide groove 150. Therefore, when the insulating separator assembly 200 of this embodiment is applied in a battery module, during electrolyte injection, the electrolyte can be guided from the first guide groove 150 to each guide through hole 160. Each guide through hole 160 corresponds to the position of each bare cell, and the electrolyte can be injected into each bare cell through each guide through hole 160, eliminating the need to inject electrolyte into each bare cell separately, thus improving the electrolyte injection efficiency.

[0040] Figure 8 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the bottom surface of the middle insulating partition, also referencing... Figures 5 to 8 Based on the above embodiments, the insulating partition 100 may also be provided with a second guide groove 170 on the bottom surface 102. The position of the second guide groove 170 is offset from the positions of the first through hole 110 and the second through hole 120. The second guide groove 170 is connected to the guide through hole 160 to increase the flow range of the electrolyte, so that the electrolyte can enter the chamber where the bare cell is located from more positions. Therefore, during electrolyte injection, the electrolyte flowing downward through the guide through hole 160 can flow along the second guide groove 170 to reach more positions of the bare cell, so that the electrolyte can wrap the bare cell more quickly and evenly, which helps to improve the electrolyte injection efficiency.

[0041] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 8In some embodiments, each guide through hole 160 is provided with a second guide groove 170 on both sides. The second guide groove 170 extends in a direction perpendicular to the first guide groove 150. The second guide groove 170 may have a strip-shaped structure, and each second guide groove 170 is perpendicular to the first guide groove 150. Thus, through the guiding effect of the second guide groove 170, the electrolyte flowing from the guide through hole 160 to the bare cell can flow in a direction perpendicular to the first guide groove 150 toward both sides of the guide through hole 160, thereby reaching both sides of the bare cell. Each second guide groove 170 can correspond to the position of each bare cell, thus ensuring that the electrolyte is injected synchronously into each bare cell and that the amount of electrolyte reaching each bare cell is consistent. In practical implementation, battery modules typically use bare cells with an approximately square structure. Multiple bare cells are stacked and arranged along the thickness direction, with a small thickness and a large width (perpendicular to the arrangement direction). When the insulating separator 100 of this embodiment is applied to such battery modules, each guide hole 160 corresponds to the position of each bare cell. The second guide grooves 170 on both sides of the guide hole 160 can extend along the width direction of the bare cell to the edge of the bare cell. Therefore, during electrolyte injection, the electrolyte can be guided along the width direction of the bare cell, so that the electrolyte can wrap the bare cell more quickly and evenly, which can effectively improve the electrolyte injection efficiency.

[0042] A second aspect of this application provides a battery module. Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a battery module according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 for Figure 9 The exploded view of a portion of the battery module in the embodiment shown is for reference only. Figure 9 and Figure 10 The battery module of this application embodiment includes a housing 300, multiple bare battery cells 400, an insulating separator assembly 200, and a top cover 500. The housing 300 has an internal cavity 310, and the top of the housing 300 has an opening 320 communicating with the internal cavity 310. Multiple partition plates 330 are arranged at intervals in the internal cavity 310, dividing the internal cavity 310 into multiple mounting cavities 340. The bare battery cells 400 are housed in the mounting cavities 340, with the positive and negative tabs of the bare battery cells 400 facing the top of the housing 300 for connection to the insulating separator assembly 200. The positive and negative tabs of each bare battery cell 400 are separated along the width direction of the bare battery cell. The tabs of the multiple bare battery cells 400 are arranged in two rows, each row including staggered positive and negative tabs. Figure 11 and Figure 12In this embodiment, "+" indicates that the tab is a positive tab, and "-" indicates that the tab is a negative tab. In the battery module of this embodiment, the bare cell 400 is placed in the mounting cavity 340, eliminating the need for a conventional single-cell battery casing, thereby improving the space utilization rate inside the casing 300 and helping to improve the energy density of the battery module. The top of the separator 330 is lower than the top of the peripheral wall of the casing 300. Therefore, a longitudinal space is formed between the top of the separator 330 and the peripheral wall of the casing 300 to accommodate the insulating separator assembly 200, so that the insulating separator 100 can be placed on the separator 330 and located inside the casing 300. The edge of the insulating separator 100 can fit against the inner wall of the casing 300 to limit the position of the insulating separator 100 and prevent the insulating separator 100 from shaking.

[0043] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the assembly state of the bare battery cell and insulating separator assembly in the embodiment shown (outer shell 300 omitted). Figure 12 for Figure 11 Top view, see reference Figure 10 and Figure 11The battery module in this embodiment uses the insulating separator assembly 200 of any of the previous embodiments. The insulating separator assembly 200 is located above the mounting cavity 340. The two rows of tabs of the multiple bare cells 400 can be represented as the first row of tabs 410 and the second row of tabs 420, respectively. The first row of tabs 410 passes through the first through hole 110 on the insulating separator 100 and is connected to the first adapter 210 on the top surface 101 of the insulating separator 100. The second row of tabs 420 passes through the second through hole 120 on the insulating separator 100 and is connected to the second adapter 220 on the top surface 101 of the insulating separator 100, so that the multiple bare cells 400 are connected in series. The first adapter 210, the second adapter 220 and the two rows of tabs are used to connect the multiple bare cells 400 in series and form the positive output tab 421 and the negative output tab 422. In specific implementation, the first through holes 110 and the first adapter 210 on the insulating partition 100 can be arranged in an alternating manner with two first through holes 110 and one first adapter 210. Thus, each first adapter 210 has a first through hole 110 on both sides. The arrangement of the second through holes 120 and the second adapter 220 is similar. Therefore, in the first row of tabs 410, the positive and negative tabs of two adjacent bare cells pass through the first through holes 110 on both sides of the same first adapter 210 and are welded to the same first adapter 210 on the top surface 101 of the insulating partition 100. In the second column of tabs 420, the positive and negative tabs of two adjacent bare cells can pass through the second through holes 120 on both sides of the same second adapter 220, which facilitates welding with the same second adapter 220, thereby connecting the positive and negative tabs of adjacent bare cells, realizing the series connection of multiple bare cells, and leaving positive and negative tabs at the bare cells at both ends, forming the positive output tab 421 and negative output tab 422 of multiple bare cells in series.

[0044] It should be noted that the first row of tabs 410 passing through the first through hole 110 can be bent to the surface of the first adapter 210 and then laser-welded to the first adapter 210. Similarly, the second row of tabs 420 passing through the second through hole 120 can be bent to the surface of the second adapter 220 and then laser-welded to the second adapter 220. The insulating separator assembly 200 achieves unified positioning of multiple tabs and multiple adapters, which simplifies the positioning operation between the tabs and adapters of the bare cell 400, thereby improving assembly efficiency. Furthermore, the insulating separator 100 provides insulation between the positive and negative tabs of the bare cell and the outer casing 300 and the separator 330, effectively preventing short circuits within the cell and improving cell safety.

[0045] refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10The top cover 500 is equipped with common components such as a positive terminal 510, a negative terminal 520, a liquid injection port 530, and an explosion-proof valve 540, which can be adapted to specific production requirements. The positive terminal 510 is electrically connected to the positive tab, the negative terminal 520 is electrically connected to the negative tab, and the liquid injection port 530 is used to inject liquid into the mounting cavity 340. The top cover 500 covers the insulating partition 100 and connects to the outer casing 300 at the opening 320, thereby encapsulating the bare battery cell 400 within the outer casing 300. The top cover 500 presses the insulating partition 100 from above, thus restricting the vertical position of the insulating partition 100 and preventing shaking that could cause connection failure between the tab and the adapter.

[0046] refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 In some embodiments of the battery module, the insulating separator 100 is provided with the aforementioned first guide groove 150 and guide through hole 160. The first guide groove 150 is located on the top surface 101 of the insulating separator 100, and the liquid injection hole 530 on the top cover 500 is located at a position corresponding to the first guide groove 150. Therefore, during liquid injection, the electrolyte entering through the liquid injection hole 530 can enter the first guide groove 150 and flow along the first guide groove 150 to the top of the bare cell 400 in each mounting cavity 340, and enter each mounting cavity 340 through each guide through hole 160, thereby realizing simultaneous liquid injection in multiple mounting cavities 340. In some embodiments of the battery module, the bottom surface 102 of the insulating separator 100 is also provided with the aforementioned second guide groove 170 (see reference). Figure 6 and Figure 8 Therefore, during electrolyte injection, the second guide groove 170 can guide the electrolyte along the width direction of the bare cell 400, thereby enabling the electrolyte to enter the mounting cavity 340 more quickly and effectively improving the injection efficiency.

[0047] A third aspect of this application also provides a battery pack, including a housing and the battery module described in the above embodiment, wherein the battery module is housed within the housing. As can be seen from the above, the battery module provided in this application embodiment can effectively improve energy density and assembly efficiency; therefore, the battery pack having this battery module also possesses the aforementioned advantages.

[0048] The fourth aspect of this application also provides a method for assembling a battery module, used to assemble the battery module of the second aspect embodiment described above. (Refer to...) Figures 9 to 12 In this embodiment, the assembly method first places the bare battery cell 400 in the mounting cavity 340, and then positions and connects the electrode tabs, which reduces the difficulty of assembling the bare battery cell 400 into the casing. The assembly method includes the following steps: Prepare the outer casing 300, multiple bare battery cells 400, insulating partition assembly 200, and top cover 500 as described in the above embodiments; Each bare cell 400 is placed in each mounting cavity 340 of the housing 300, and the positive and negative tabs of the multiple bare cells 400 are arranged alternately. The insulating partition 100 is placed above the partition 330 in the housing 300, so that the first row of tabs 410 protrudes upward through the first through hole 110, and the second row of tabs 420 protrudes upward through the second through hole 120. The positive and negative tabs of the first column of tabs 410 are fixedly connected to the first adapter 210 in such a way that adjacent bare cells 400 are connected in series. The positive and negative tabs of the second column of tabs 420 are fixedly connected to the second adapter 220 in such a way that adjacent bare cells 400 are connected in series, so that multiple bare cells 400 are connected in series. The tabs of the second column are fixedly connected to the second adapter, so that multiple bare cells are connected in series, forming a positive output tab 421 and a negative output tab 422. The positive output tab 421 of the series-connected bare cell 400 is electrically connected to the positive terminal 510 of the top cover 500, and the negative output tab 422 of the series-connected bare cell 400 is electrically connected to the negative terminal 520 of the top cover 500. The top cover 500 is pressed into the opening 320 of the housing 300 from above the insulating partition assembly 200, and the top cover 500 is sealed to the housing 300.

[0049] In the above assembly method, the positioning of the electrode tab and the adapter is achieved by positioning the insulating partition 100 and the outer shell 300, which facilitates the connection of the electrode tab and the adapter, effectively simplifies the positioning operation, and thus improves the assembly efficiency.

[0050] In the above assembly method, before inserting the tabs into the first through hole 110 and the second through hole 120, the tabs of each bare cell 400 can be pre-welded together, which facilitates the insertion of the tabs and prevents the tabs from separating. After pre-welding, each tab is closed and in an upward upright state, which is convenient for assembly with the insulating partition 100.

[0051] In the above assembly method, when connecting the first row of tabs 410 and the first adapter 210, each tab is first bent until it is in close contact with the surface of the first adapter 210, and then laser welding is used to connect the tabs to the first adapter 210. Therefore, the welding of the first row of tabs 410 and the first adapter 210, positioned by the insulating partition 100, can be performed mechanically, which helps to ensure welding quality and consistency. The connection of the second row of tabs 420 and the second adapter 220 is done in the same way.

[0052] In the above assembly method, laser welding can be used to connect the positive output tab 421 to the positive terminal 510 of the top cover 500, the negative output tab 422 to the negative terminal 520 of the top cover 500, and the top cover 500 to the outer shell 300.

[0053] The insulating separator assembly 200, battery module, and battery pack of this application embodiment can be applied to the power battery systems of various electrical devices, such as the power battery systems of new energy vehicles. As an energy storage device that provides electrical energy to new energy vehicles, the energy density of the power battery is a direct factor affecting the driving range, and the internal structure of the battery module has a significant impact on the energy density and economy of the battery module. As mentioned above, the insulating separator assembly 200 of this application embodiment, when applied to the battery module, can simplify the assembly of the battery module, thereby reducing the assembly cost to a certain extent. The battery module of this application embodiment eliminates the conventional casing of a single battery cell, thereby improving the space utilization rate inside the casing 300, which helps to improve the energy density of the battery module. At the same time, it also reduces the difficulty of inserting the bare cell 400 into the casing, optimizes the assembly process, and reduces the assembly cost, thereby meeting the requirements of high energy density, high assembly efficiency, and low cost of power battery systems.

[0054] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that, include: The outer casing has an inner cavity inside, and the top of the outer casing has an opening communicating with the inner cavity. Multiple partition plates are arranged at intervals in the inner cavity, and the partition plates divide the inner cavity into multiple mounting cavities. Multiple bare battery cells are stacked along their thickness direction and housed in the mounting cavity. The positive and negative tabs of each bare battery cell face the top of the housing. The tabs of the multiple bare battery cells are arranged in two rows, and each row of tabs includes alternating positive and negative tabs. An insulating partition assembly includes an insulating partition, a plurality of first adapters, and a plurality of second adapters. The insulating partition is located above the mounting cavity and has a top surface and a bottom surface facing each other in the vertical direction. The insulating partition has a row of first through holes corresponding to the tab areas of a first column of bare cells, and a row of second through holes corresponding to the tab areas of a second column of bare cells. The first and second through holes penetrate the top and bottom surfaces. The tabs of the first column pass through the first through holes. The first adapters are disposed on the top surface and arranged alternately with the plurality of first through holes. The first adapters are connected to the insulating partition and are adapted to be welded to the tabs of the first column. The tabs of the second column pass through the second through holes. The second adapters are disposed on the top surface and arranged alternately with the plurality of second through holes. The second adapters and the first adapters have a gap between them. The second adapters are connected to the insulating partition. The second adapter is adapted to be welded to the tabs of the second column; the first adapter, the second adapter, and the two columns of tabs are used to connect multiple bare cells in series to form a positive output tab and a negative output tab; the top surface is also provided with a first guide groove, which extends along the thickness direction of the bare cells to above each bare cell and is located between the first through hole and the second through hole. The first guide groove is provided with multiple guide through holes penetrating the insulating partition, and the multiple guide through holes are arranged along the extension direction of the first guide groove; the bottom surface is also provided with a second guide groove, and the second guide groove is provided on both sides of each guide through hole. The second guide groove is connected to the guide through hole, and the position of the second guide groove is offset from the position of the first through hole and the position of the second through hole. Each guide through hole corresponds to the position of each bare cell in the vertical direction, and each second guide groove extends along the width direction of the bare cell to the edge of the bare cell; A top cover is provided above the insulating partition and connected to the outer shell at the opening. A positive terminal and a negative terminal are provided on the top cover. The positive terminal is electrically connected to the positive output tab and the negative terminal is electrically connected to the negative output tab. An injection hole is provided on the top cover at a position corresponding to the first guide groove along the vertical direction.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top surface of the insulating partition is provided with a plurality of first mounting slots and a plurality of second mounting slots. The first mounting slots are arranged alternately with a plurality of first through holes, and each first mounting slot contains a first adapter. The second mounting slots are arranged alternately with a plurality of second through holes, and each second mounting slot contains a second adapter.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that, Two first through holes are provided between adjacent first mounting slots, and two second through holes are provided between adjacent second mounting slots.

4. The insulating partition assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first mounting slot is provided with a first snap-fit ​​position, and the first adapter snaps into the first snap-fit ​​position. The second mounting slot also includes a second snap-fit ​​position, and the second adapter snaps into the second snap-fit ​​position.

5. A battery pack, characterized in that, The device includes a housing and a battery module as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the battery module is housed within the housing.

6. An assembly method for preparing a battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Prepare the casing, multiple bare battery cells, insulating separator assembly, and top cover; Each of the bare battery cells is placed in each of the mounting cavities of the housing, and the positive and negative tabs of the plurality of bare battery cells are arranged alternately; The insulating partition is placed above the partition plate in the outer casing, so that the first row of tabs protrudes upward through the first through hole, and the second row of tabs protrudes upward through the second through hole; The positive and negative tabs of the first column of electrodes are fixedly connected to the first adapter in such a way that adjacent bare cells are connected in series, and the positive and negative tabs of the second column of electrodes are fixedly connected to the second adapter in such a way that adjacent bare cells are connected in series, so that multiple bare cells are connected in series. The positive output tab of the series-connected bare battery cell is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the top cover, and the negative output tab of the series-connected bare battery cell is electrically connected to the negative terminal of the top cover. The top cover is pressed into the opening of the housing from above the insulating partition assembly, and the top cover is sealed to the housing. Electrolyte is injected into the mounting cavity through the injection hole, allowing the electrolyte to enter the first guide groove and flow along the first guide groove to each of the guide through holes, and flow downward through the guide through holes. The second guide groove can guide the electrolyte along the width direction of the bare cell.

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