A battery pack and electrical device

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of new energy technology and discloses a battery pack and electrical equipment. The battery pack includes: a housing; a cell assembly including multiple cells housed within the housing and stacked along a first direction, wherein the multiple cells in the cell assembly include an inner cell group and two outer cell groups located on either side of the inner cell group, wherein the first direction is along the thickness direction of the cells; a first thermally conductive component housed within the housing and connected to the inner cell group and the housing; and two second thermally conductive components housed within the housing, wherein along the first direction, any one of the second thermally conductive components is connected to one of the outer cell groups and to the housing; wherein the first and second thermally conductive components are separate. Through the above method, the embodiments of this invention can achieve zoned heat dissipation and thermal balance of the cells within the battery pack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of new energy technology, and in particular to a battery pack and electrical equipment. Background Technology

[0002] A battery pack is a device that converts external energy into electrical energy and stores it internally to power external devices when needed. Generally, a battery pack includes battery cells and a housing to house these cells. The core component, the battery cell assembly, typically comprises multiple adjacent, stacked, and interconnected cells that work together to achieve the desired power output. To ensure heat dissipation during operation and thus guarantee the safety of the battery cells, some manufacturers wrap the cells with heat-dissipating aluminum fins and then place a thermally conductive component between the fins and the housing. The heat from the battery cells is conducted through the fins to the thermally conductive component and then to the housing, effectively dissipating heat from the cells.

[0003] However, the applicant of this invention discovered in the process of realizing this invention that: currently, the heat of the battery cells in the battery pack is conducted through the heat dissipation aluminum sheet heat conduction component, and then transferred to the shell by the heat conduction component, and the heat transfer path is too long; in addition, the outer battery cells located on the outside and the inner battery cells located in the middle of the battery pack share the same heat dissipation channel, but the heat generation of the outer battery cells and the inner battery cells is different, which can easily cause heat imbalance between the outer battery cells and the inner battery cells. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a battery pack and an electrical device.

[0005] This invention provides a battery pack, comprising: a housing;

[0006] A battery cell assembly includes a plurality of battery cells housed within a housing and stacked along a first direction. The plurality of battery cells in the battery cell assembly includes an inner battery cell group and two outer battery cell groups located on both sides of the inner battery cell group, wherein the first direction is along the thickness direction of the battery cells.

[0007] A first heat-conducting component is housed within the housing, and the first heat-conducting component is connected to the inner battery cell assembly and the housing.

[0008] Two second thermal conductive components are housed within the housing. Along the first direction, each of the second thermal conductive components is connected to one of the outer battery cells and to the housing. The first and second thermal conductive components are separate.

[0009] Optionally, the housing includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a fourth sidewall, and a lower cover. The first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall, and the fourth sidewall are connected end to end in sequence. The lower cover is connected to the first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall, and the fourth sidewall respectively. The first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall, the fourth sidewall, and the lower cover enclose a receiving cavity. The battery cell assembly, the first heat-conducting assembly, and the second heat-conducting assembly are all housed in the receiving cavity. The second sidewall and the fourth sidewall are arranged opposite each other along the first direction, and the first sidewall and the third sidewall are arranged opposite each other along the second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0010] Optionally, the first thermal conductive component further includes a first thermal conductive element and a second thermal conductive element, wherein one surface of the first thermal conductive element is adjacent to the inner surface of the first sidewall, and the other surface of the first thermal conductive element is adjacent to the side surface of the inner battery cell assembly; one surface of the second thermal conductive element is attached to the bottom surface of the inner battery cell assembly, and the other surface of the second thermal conductive element is attached to the inner surface of the lower cover.

[0011] Optionally, the two surfaces of one of the second heat-conducting components are respectively attached to the inner surface of the second sidewall and the side of one of the outer battery cells located in the first direction and facing the second sidewall, and the two surfaces of another second heat-conducting component are respectively attached to the inner surface of the fourth sidewall and the side of another outer battery cell located in the first direction and facing the fourth sidewall.

[0012] Optionally, the battery pack further includes two first heat insulation components, one of which is disposed between the bottom surface of an outer cell assembly and the lower cover of the housing.

[0013] Optionally, the first insulation element includes foam.

[0014] Optionally, the outer surface of the housing is provided with a plurality of ribs.

[0015] Optionally, the battery pack further includes two second heat insulation components, with one of the second heat insulation components disposed between an outer cell group and an inner cell group along the first direction.

[0016] Optionally, the second insulation element is made of foam.

[0017] Optionally, the second thermal conductive component forms a heat dissipation channel for the outer battery cell assembly.

[0018] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide an electrical device, including a battery pack and a load as described in any one of the above, wherein the battery pack is used to supply power to the load.

[0019] Optionally, the electrical equipment may include drones or power tools.

[0020] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: a first heat-conducting component is disposed between the inner battery cell and the housing, and a second heat-conducting component is disposed between the outer battery cell and the housing. The heat of the inner battery cell is transferred to the housing through the first heat-conducting component and then diffused to the outside from the housing. The heat of the outer battery cell is transferred to the housing through the first heat-conducting component and then diffused to the outside from the housing. The first heat-conducting component and the second heat-conducting component constitute the heat dissipation channel of the inner battery cell. The first heat-conducting component and the second heat-conducting component are separate, which means that the heat dissipation channels of the inner battery cell and the outer battery cell are independent of each other. Therefore, the heat dissipation effect of the first heat-conducting component and the second heat-conducting component can be adjusted according to the difference in heat generation of the inner battery cell and the outer battery cell, so that the temperature of the inner battery cell and the outer battery cell remains the same, achieving thermal balance. In addition, the present invention reduces the amount of heat dissipation aluminum fins, shortening the heat dissipation path of the inner battery cell and the outer battery cell. The first heat-conducting component and the second heat-conducting component directly contact the housing for heat dissipation, which is beneficial to improving heat dissipation efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0021] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0022] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the inner and outer battery cells of an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the housing of an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. When an element is described as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0030] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The battery pack 1 includes a housing 10, a cell assembly 20, a first heat-conducting component 30, and a second heat-conducting component 40. The cell assembly 20 is disposed within the housing 10 and includes multiple cells (not shown). Both the first heat-conducting component 30 and the second heat-conducting component 40 are located within the housing 10. The first heat-conducting component 30 is used to transfer the heat of some of the cells in the cell assembly 20 to the housing 10, and then diffuse it to the outside. The second heat-conducting component 40 is used to transfer the heat of another portion of the cells in the cell assembly 20 to the housing 10, and then diffuse it to the outside.

[0031] For the aforementioned cell assembly 20, please refer to... Figure 3 The battery cell assembly 20 comprises multiple battery cells stacked sequentially along the thickness direction of the battery cells. These cells can be connected in series or in parallel. The multiple battery cells are divided into an inner battery cell group 201 and two outer battery cell groups 202 located on either side of the inner battery cell group 201. When the battery cell assembly 20 is operating, the inner battery cell group 201 and the outer battery cell group 202 generate different amounts of heat, which can easily lead to a temperature difference between them.

[0032] It should be noted that the number of inner cell groups 201 can be one or more. The outer cell group 202 on each side can be the outermost cell on that side. In some embodiments, when the number of cells is relatively large, the heat generation of the cells adjacent to the outer cell group 202 is usually the same as the heat generation of the cells on that side. Therefore, the cells adjacent to the outer cell group 202 may not be included in the inner cell group 201, and the cells can dissipate heat through the outer cell group 202.

[0033] To facilitate reader understanding, the top, side, and bottom surfaces of a battery cell are explained below: The top surface of a battery cell refers to the surface where the tabs are located; the bottom surface of a battery cell refers to the surface opposite to the top surface; the side surface of a battery cell refers to the surface located between the top and bottom surfaces; the shape of a battery cell is usually cuboid; and there are usually four side surfaces. The side surface of a battery cell located in the first direction refers to the side surface perpendicular to the first direction; the side surface of a battery cell located in the second direction refers to the side surface perpendicular to the second direction.

[0034] For the aforementioned housing 10, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the housing 10 includes a first sidewall 101, a second sidewall 102, a third sidewall 103, a fourth sidewall 104, a lower cover 105, and an upper cover 106. The first sidewall 101, second sidewall 102, third sidewall 103, and fourth sidewall 104 are connected end-to-end in sequence, and the first sidewall 101, second sidewall 102, third sidewall 103, fourth sidewall 104, and lower cover 105 form a receiving cavity 107. The battery cell assembly 20, the first heat-conducting assembly 30, and the second heat-conducting assembly 40 are all housed in the receiving cavity 107. The first heat-conducting assembly 30 and the second heat-conducting assembly 40 transfer heat from the battery cell assembly 20 to the housing 10. Optionally, the second sidewall 102 and the fourth sidewall 104 are arranged opposite each other along the first direction, and the first sidewall 101 and the third sidewall 103 are arranged opposite each other along the second direction.

[0035] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the housing is provided with a plurality of ribs 108, which increase the contact area between the housing 10 and the air, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect of the housing 10.

[0036] In some embodiments, the housing 10 is made of metal, such as aluminum, copper, etc. Metal has good thermal conductivity, which can greatly improve the heat dissipation effect of the housing 10. Of course, in other embodiments, the housing 10 is not limited to being made of metal, and can also be made of other materials with good thermal conductivity.

[0037] For the first heat-conducting component 30 mentioned above, please refer to Figure 5The first thermally conductive component 30 includes a first thermally conductive element 301 and a second thermally conductive element 302. The first thermally conductive element 301 is disposed between the side of the inner cell assembly 201 facing the first sidewall 101 in the second direction and the first sidewall 101 of the housing 10. One surface of the first thermally conductive element 301 is adjacent to the inner surface of the first sidewall 101, and the other surface of the first thermally conductive element 301 is adjacent to one side of the inner cell assembly 201. The second thermally conductive element 302 is disposed between the bottom surface of the inner cell assembly 201 and the lower cover 105 of the housing 10. One surface of the second thermally conductive element 302 is attached to the bottom surface of the inner cell assembly 201, and the other surface of the second thermally conductive element 302 is attached to the inner surface of the lower cover. In this design, the first thermally conductive component 301 is a thermally conductive adhesive, and the second thermally conductive component 302 is a thermally conductive pad. The thermally conductive pad is a polymer material made of silicone and thermally conductive ceramic filler using a special process, and is commonly referred to as a thermally conductive silicone pad. During operation, the heat generated by the inner battery cell assembly 201 can be rapidly transferred to the first sidewall 101 and the lower cover 105 of the housing 10 via the first thermally conductive component 301 and the second thermally conductive component 302, thereby completing heat dissipation.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first thermally conductive component 30 may further include a third thermally conductive element 303, one surface of which is adjacent to the inner surface of the third sidewall 103, and the other surface of which is adjacent to the other side of the inner cell assembly 201. It is worth noting that the third thermally conductive element 303 is a thermally conductive adhesive.

[0039] It is worth noting that the battery cells inside the housing 10 can also be arranged in multiple rows, with multiple rows of battery cells arranged side by side, and the first heat-conducting element 301 and the third heat-conducting element 303 are disposed on the side of the inner battery cell group 201 of the outermost two rows of battery cells.

[0040] For the aforementioned second heat-conducting components 40, there are two such components. One second heat-conducting component 40 is connected to the side of one of the outer battery cell groups 202 facing the second sidewall 102 in the first direction and to the second sidewall 102 of the housing 10, respectively. The two surfaces of this second heat-conducting component 40 are respectively attached to the inner surface of the second sidewall 102 and the side of the outer battery cell group 202 facing the second sidewall 102 in the first direction. The other second heat-conducting component 40 is connected to the side of one of the outer battery cell groups 202 facing the fourth sidewall 104 in the first direction and to the fourth sidewall 104 of the housing 10, respectively. The two surfaces of this other second heat-conducting component 40 are respectively attached to the inner surface of the fourth sidewall 104 and the side of the other outer battery cell group 202 facing the fourth sidewall 104 in the first direction. The heat generated by the two outer battery cell groups 202 during operation can be quickly transferred to the housing 10 through the second heat-conducting components 40, where it is dissipated by the housing 10. Optionally, any of the second thermally conductive components 40 is connected to one of the outer battery cell groups 202.

[0041] In some embodiments, the second heat-conducting component 40 is a heat-conducting sheet, and the area of ​​the second heat-conducting component 40 is larger than the area of ​​the first heat-conducting component 30. The areas of the side surface and bottom surface of the battery cell in the second direction are smaller than the area of ​​the side surface in the first direction. When the battery cell assembly 20 is working, the temperature of the outer battery cell group 202 is higher than the temperature of the inner battery cell group 201. By attaching the larger second heat-conducting component 40 to the side surface of the outer battery cell group 202 in the first direction, and attaching the smaller first heat-conducting component 30 to the bottom surface and side surface of the inner battery cell in the second direction, the heat dissipation effect of the second heat-conducting component 40 on the outer battery cell group 202 is better than that of the first heat-conducting component 30 on the inner battery cell. This achieves faster heat dissipation for cells with high heat generation and slower heat dissipation for cells with low heat generation, maintaining a consistent temperature between the inner and outer battery cell groups 201 and achieving thermal equilibrium between them.

[0042] In some embodiments, the battery pack 1 further includes a first heat insulation element 50 and a second heat insulation element 60.

[0043] Regarding the aforementioned first heat insulation element 50, there are two first heat insulation elements 50, each disposed at the bottom of one of the two outer battery cell assemblies 202. The outer battery cell assemblies 202 abut against the lower cover 105 via the heat insulation elements 40. The two first heat insulation elements 50 separate the two outer battery cell assemblies 202 from the lower cover 105, and prevent the heat generated by the outer battery cell assemblies 202 during operation from being transferred to the lower cover 105 or vice versa, thus preventing heat dissipation disturbance.

[0044] There are two second heat insulation elements 60. Along the first direction, one second heat insulation element 60 is disposed between one of the outer cell groups 202 and the inner cell group 201, and another second heat insulation element 60 is disposed between the other outer cell group 202 and the inner cell group 201. The two second heat insulation elements 60 separate the inner cell group 201 and the two outer cell groups 202, so that the heat generated by the outer cell group 202 and the inner cell group 201 during operation will not be transferred to each other.

[0045] In some embodiments, both the first heat insulation element 50 and the second heat insulation element 60 are made of foam.

[0046] In this embodiment of the invention, a first heat-conducting component 30 is disposed between the inner cell assembly 201 and the housing 10, and a second heat-conducting component 40 is disposed between the outer cell assembly 202 and the housing 10. Heat from the inner cell assembly 201 is transferred to the housing 10 via the first heat-conducting component 30 and then diffused to the outside from the housing 10. Similarly, heat from the outer cell assembly 202 is transferred to the housing 10 via the first heat-conducting component 30 and then diffused to the outside from the housing 10. The first heat-conducting component 30 forms a heat dissipation channel for the inner cell assembly 201, and the second heat-conducting component 40 forms a heat dissipation channel for the outer cell assembly 202. The 40-phase separation means that the heat dissipation channels of the inner cell group 201 and the outer cell group 202 are independent of each other. Therefore, the heat dissipation effect of the first heat-conducting component 30 and the second heat-conducting component 40 can be adjusted according to the different heat generation of the inner cell group 201 and the outer cell group 202, so that the temperature of the inner cell group 201 and the outer cell group 202 remains the same, achieving thermal balance. In addition, the present invention reduces the number of heat dissipation aluminum fins, which shortens the heat dissipation path of the inner cell group 201 and the outer cell group 202. The first heat-conducting component 30 and the second heat-conducting component 40 directly contact the housing 10 for heat dissipation, which is beneficial to improving heat dissipation efficiency.

[0047] The present invention also provides an embodiment of an electrical device, which includes the battery pack 1 described in any of the above embodiments. The structure and function of the battery pack 1 are described in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. In some embodiments, the electrical device may be a drone or a power tool.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; under the concept of the present invention, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the present invention as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery pack, characterized in that, include: The housing includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a fourth sidewall, and a lower cover. The first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall, and the fourth sidewall are connected end to end in sequence. The lower cover is connected to the first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall, and the fourth sidewall respectively. The first sidewall, the second sidewall, the third sidewall, the fourth sidewall, and the lower cover enclose a receiving cavity, in which the battery cell assembly, the first heat-conducting assembly, and the second heat-conducting assembly are all housed. The second sidewall and the fourth sidewall are disposed opposite to each other along a first direction, and the first sidewall and the third sidewall are disposed opposite to each other along a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; A battery cell assembly includes a plurality of battery cells housed within a housing and stacked along a first direction. The plurality of battery cells in the battery cell assembly include an inner battery cell group and two outer battery cell groups located on both sides of the inner battery cell group along the first direction, wherein the first direction is along the thickness direction of the battery cells. A first thermally conductive component is housed within the housing. The first thermally conductive component is connected to the inner battery cell assembly and the housing. The first thermally conductive component includes a first thermally conductive element and a third thermally conductive element. The first thermally conductive element is disposed between the side of the inner battery cell assembly located in the second direction and facing the first sidewall and the first sidewall. One surface of the third thermally conductive element is adjacent to the inner surface of the third sidewall, and the other surface of the third thermally conductive element is adjacent to the other side of the inner battery cell assembly. Two second thermal conductive components are housed within the housing. The two surfaces of one second thermal conductive component are respectively attached to the inner surface of the second sidewall and the side of the outer battery cell assembly facing the second sidewall. The two surfaces of the other second thermal conductive component are respectively attached to the inner surface of the fourth sidewall and the side of the other outer battery cell assembly facing the fourth sidewall. The first and second thermal conductive components are separate. The area of ​​the side surface and the bottom surface of the battery cell in the second direction are both smaller than the area of ​​the side surface of the battery cell in the first direction, and the area of ​​the second heat-conducting component is larger than the area of ​​the first heat-conducting component. The battery pack also includes two first heat insulation components, which are respectively disposed at the bottom of the two outer cell groups. The outer cell groups abut against the lower cover through the first heat insulation components, and the two first heat insulation components separate the two outer cell groups from the lower cover.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first thermal conductive component further includes a first thermal conductive element and a second thermal conductive element. One surface of the first thermal conductive element is adjacent to the inner surface of the first sidewall, and the other surface of the first thermal conductive element is adjacent to the side of the inner cell assembly. One surface of the second thermal conductive element is attached to the bottom surface of the inner battery cell assembly, and the other surface of the second thermal conductive element is attached to the inner surface of the lower cover.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that, One of the second heat-conducting components has two surfaces respectively attached to the inner surface of the second sidewall and the side of the outer battery cell group located in the first direction and facing the second sidewall; the other of the second heat-conducting components has two surfaces respectively attached to the inner surface of the fourth sidewall and the side of the other outer battery cell group located in the first direction and facing the fourth sidewall.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes two first heat insulation components, one of which is disposed between the bottom surface of an outer cell assembly and the lower cover of the housing.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first heat insulation component includes foam.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that, The outer surface of the shell is provided with several ribs.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes two second heat insulation elements, one of which is disposed between the outer cell group and the inner cell group along the first direction.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second heat insulation component is made of foam.

9. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The second heat-conducting component forms a heat dissipation channel for the outer battery cell assembly.

10. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, Includes a battery pack and a load as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the battery pack is used to power the load.

11. The electrical equipment according to claim 10, characterized in that, This includes drones or power tools.

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