Current collecting structure, battery and electric equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a current collecting structure, and relates to the technical field of lithium ion battery manufacturing, the current collecting structure comprises a current collecting component, and the current collecting component comprises a first connecting end, a second connecting end and a bending part; the bending part is connected with the first connecting end and the second connecting end; the guide component is provided with a weak part, and the bending strength of the weak part is smaller than that of other parts, except the weak part, of the guide component; the guiding component is matched with the flow collecting component, the weak part corresponds to the bent part in position, and the guiding component is used for guiding the bent part to be bent at the position of the weak part. Due to the fact that the bending strength of the weak part is smaller than that of other areas on the guide component, in the bending process of the current collecting component, the guide component can be bent at the weak part, and due to the fact that the weak part corresponds to the bending part in position, the guide component can guide the current collecting component to be bent at the bending part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of lithium-ion battery manufacturing, and in particular to a current collecting structure, a battery and an electrical device. Background Art

[0002] Due to the advantages of high energy density, high power density, many cycles and long storage time, rechargeable batteries have been widely used in electric vehicles, mobile devices or various power tools.

[0003] At present, for batteries, when using a current collecting structure to connect the battery's tabs and electrode terminals, the current collecting structure usually needs to be bent, so there are certain restrictions on the thickness and hardness of the current collecting structure. During the bending process of the current collecting structure, the problem of crease offset is prone to occur, making it difficult to install the electrode assembly into the battery housing. If forced to install, it will damage the current collecting structure, tabs and electrode terminals, thereby affecting the performance of the battery. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a current collecting structure, a battery and an electrical device, which can reduce the deviation of the bending axis of the bending portion of the current collecting structure during the bending process and improve the service life of the battery.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a current collecting structure, comprising: a current collecting component, the current collecting component comprising a first connection end, a second connection end and a bending portion; the bending portion connects the first connection end and the second connection end; a guide member, the guide member being provided with a weak portion, the bending strength of the weak portion being less than the bending strength of other portions of the guide member except the weak portion; the guide member cooperates with the current collecting component, the weak portion corresponds to the position of the bending portion, and the guide member is used to guide the bending portion to bend at the position of the weak portion.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, the current collecting component has a first connecting end, a bending portion and a second connecting end distributed in sequence, and the guide member has a weak portion. Before the current collecting component is bent, the guide member and the current collecting component are matched so that the guide member and the current collecting component are connected or abutted against each other, and the positions of the weak portion and the bending portion correspond to each other. Since the bending strength of the weak portion is less than the bending strength of other areas on the guide member, the guide member will bend at the weak portion during the bending process of the current collecting component. Since the positions of the weak portion and the bending portion correspond to each other, the guide member will guide the current collecting component to bend at the position of the bending portion, thereby effectively reducing the offset and inclination of the bending axis of the bending portion during the bending process, so that the current collecting component can be smoothly installed into the shell of the battery cell, thereby improving the structural stability of the current collecting component and improving the service life of the battery.

[0007] In some implementations, the guide member is disposed on at least one side of the current collecting member. One guide member may be provided, in which case the guide member may be provided on one side of the current collecting member; two or more guide members may also be provided, in which case some guide members may be provided on one side of the current collecting member, and other guide members may be provided on the other side of the current collecting member. In the case where the guide member is provided on one side of the current collecting member, the guide member may be provided on the side of the current collecting member that will form the inner side surface after bending, because during the bending process of the current collecting member, the guide member located on the inner side of the current collecting member will first undergo a large deformation, thereby better guiding the bending axis of the current collecting member to remain in the bending portion; in the case where the guide member is provided on both sides of the current collecting member, the guide member may guide the position of the bending axis of the current collecting member during the bending process of the current collecting member on both sides of the current collecting member, and may also better guide the bending axis of the current collecting member to remain in the bending portion.

[0008] In some implementations, the current collecting member includes at least two current collecting layers, at least two of the current collecting layers are stacked along the thickness direction of the current collecting member, and at least one of the current collecting layers is provided with the guide member. The current collecting member is formed by at least two current collecting layers, which can reduce the difficulty of bending the current collecting member while ensuring the flow area, making the current collecting member easier to bend. The guide member can be provided on part of the current collecting layers, that is, each of the part of the current collecting layers is provided with a guide member; it can also be provided on all the current collecting layers, that is, each of the all the current collecting layers is provided with a guide member. The use of the guide member can make the current collecting member that is easy to bend always keep the bending axis at the bending portion during the bending process.

[0009] In some implementations, the guide member is disposed between at least one pair of adjacent two current collecting layers. By disposing at least part of the guide member between two adjacent current collecting layers, the spacing between the current collecting layers and the guide member can be made smaller, and the guiding effect of the guide member can be improved, so that the guide member can be better utilized to keep the bending axis of the easily bendable current collecting member always at the bending portion during the bending process.

[0010] In some implementations, the current collecting member is a conductive structure, and the guide member is an insulating structure. The current collecting member needs to be used for current to pass through, so the current collecting member needs to be a conductive structure made of conductive material. Since the guide member needs to form a weak part, when the guide member is a conductive structure, the flow area at the weak part is small, the resistance at this place is large, the temperature at this place will be high during operation, and even the weak part may be hot-melted and broken, which poses a great safety hazard. When the guide member is an insulating structure, the above situation can be effectively avoided.

[0011] In some implementations, the material of the guide member includes at least one of polypropylene PP, polyethylene terephthalate PET, polyethylene PE, polyvinyl chloride PVC, polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer EVA, and rubber. The guide member made of the above materials not only has good insulation, but also has high toughness, is not easy to break during the bending process, and can ensure that the guide member can guide the position of the bending axis of the current collecting member during the entire bending process of the current collecting member; and because the density of the above materials is low, the guide member made of the above materials can effectively reduce the weight of the entire structure.

[0012] In some implementations, the current collecting member and the guiding member are both conductive structures. The current collecting member needs to be used for current to pass through, so the current collecting member needs to be a conductive structure made of conductive material; and when the guiding member is a conductive structure made of conductive material, both the guiding member and the current collecting member can allow current to pass through, in which case the guiding member can share the overcurrent pressure for the current collecting member.

[0013] In some implementations, the guide member is attached to the current collecting member; at least a portion of the guide member is bonded to the current collecting member, and / or at least a portion of the guide member is welded to the current collecting member. By bonding or welding, the larger surface of the guide member and the side of the current collecting member can be fixedly connected. In this case, the two are firmly connected, and during the bending process of the current collecting member, the guide member is not likely to slip with the current collecting member, so that the guide member is not likely to guide the bending axis of the current collecting member to outside the bending portion.

[0014] In some implementations, the guide member abuts against the current collecting member; at least a portion of the guide member and at least a portion of the current collecting member are used to abut against each other under the action of an external force. When the guide member and the current collecting member abut against each other, the larger surface of the guide member fits against the side of the current collecting member, and the friction force can keep the positions of the two fixed. During the bending process of the current collecting member, the guide member is not likely to slip with the current collecting member, so that the guide member is not likely to guide the bending axis of the current collecting member to outside the bending portion.

[0015] In some implementations, at least part of the weak portion is a thinned area; the thickness of at least part of the thinned area is less than the thickness of other parts of the weak portion except the thinned area, or at least part of the thinned area is a hollow structure. By forming a thinned area in part or all of the weak portion, the bending strength of the weak portion can be effectively reduced. Specifically, the thinned area can be a region with a relatively low thickness or a hollow area. In both cases, the bending strength of the thinned area can be lower than the bending strength of other areas of the guide member.

[0016] In some implementations, at least a portion of the thinned region is disposed at at least one end of the weak portion in a first direction, and the first direction intersects with a connection direction of the first connection end and the second connection end.

[0017] In the case where the thinning areas are arranged at both ends of the first direction, the positions of the two ends of the fold can be limited by the thinning areas, which is beneficial to control the deflection angle of the fold. Specifically, in the case where the thinning area is only located in the middle area of ​​the fold, the two ends of the fold tend to tilt toward the direction extending out of the weak part, thereby causing the deflection angle of the fold to be too large, resulting in only the middle part of the fold being located in the weak part, and both ends of the fold being located outside the weak part. Specifically, it may happen that one end of the fold is located on one side of the weak part, and the other end of the fold is located on the other side of the weak part opposite to the one side. In the case where the thinning areas are arranged at both ends of the first direction, the positions of the two ends of the fold are determined to be within the weak part, and the middle area of ​​the fold must also be within the weak part. Therefore, the deflection angle of the fold can be effectively controlled to ensure that the entire fold is within the weak part.

[0018] In some implementations, at least a portion of the thinned area is disposed in a middle portion of the weak portion in a first direction, and the first direction intersects with a connection direction of the first connection end and the second connection end.

[0019] The thinning area is arranged in the middle of the weak part in the first direction, which is conducive to making the weak part have a smaller bending strength, so that it is easier to bend and easier to keep the fold in the weak part. Specifically, compared with the two ends of the weak part in the first direction, the middle of the weak part in the first direction has a larger area, so the area of ​​the thinning area can be made larger, and the bending strength of the weak part can be more effectively reduced.

[0020] In some implementations, the guide member is an integrally formed structure.

[0021] The guide member is an integrally formed structure, which is not only convenient for manufacturing, but also ensures the structural strength of the guide member, making it less likely to break during the bending process.

[0022] In a second aspect, a battery cell is provided, comprising: an electrode terminal; an electrode assembly; and the above-mentioned current collecting structure, wherein one end of the current collecting structure is connected to the electrode terminal, and the other end of the current collecting structure is connected to the electrode assembly.

[0023] When using the above-mentioned current collecting structure, the guiding member will guide the current collecting member to bend at the position of the bending portion, thereby effectively reducing the offset and inclination of the bending axis of the bending portion during the bending process, so that the current collecting member can be smoothly installed into the shell of the battery cell, thereby improving the structural stability of the current collecting member and increasing the service life of the battery.

[0024] In some implementations, the battery cell is a cylindrical battery or a prismatic battery.

[0025] Both cylindrical batteries and prismatic batteries can be adapted to the above-mentioned current collecting component, so that the current collecting component can be smoothly installed inside the housing of the battery cell.

[0026] In a third aspect, a battery is provided, comprising: the above-mentioned battery cell.

[0027] Since the battery includes the battery cell, and the battery cell has a relatively long service life, the battery can avoid the situation in which the service life of the battery is reduced due to the deviation of the fold of the current collecting member.

[0028] In a fourth aspect, an electrical device is provided, comprising: the above-mentioned battery.

[0029] Since the electric device comprises the battery, and the battery cells comprised in the battery have a relatively long service life, the electric device can avoid the reduction in service life caused by the deviation of the fold of the current collecting member.

[0030] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a battery provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 4 An exploded view of an end cover assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a current collecting structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a current collecting component provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a guide component provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of another guide component provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Fig. 9 A side view of a current collecting structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Fig.10 A side view of another current collecting structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Fig.11 A side view of another current collecting structure provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] icon:

[0044] 1-electrical device; 10-battery; 20-battery cell; 30-controller; 40-motor; 11-housing; 111-first housing portion; 112-second housing portion; 210-housing; 220-electrode assembly; 230-end cap assembly; 2301-negative end cap assembly; 2302-positive end cap assembly; 231-rivet block; 232-second insulating member; 233-end cap; 234-first insulating member; 235-sealing ring; 236-current collecting structure; 2361-current collecting member; 2362-ear connecting end; 2363-guiding member; 2364-weak portion; 2365-thinning area; 2366-first connecting end; 2367-second connecting end; 2368-bending portion; 237-electrode terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present application are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, and are therefore only used as examples, and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by technicians in the technical field to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application; the terms "including" and "having" in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned figure descriptions and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0047] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0048] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0049] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0050] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "multiple" refers to more than two (including two). Similarly, "multiple groups" refers to more than two groups (including two groups), and "multiple pieces" refers to more than two pieces (including two pieces).

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0052] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0053] A battery generally refers to a single physical module that includes one or more battery cells to provide higher voltage and capacity. For example, the battery may include a battery module or a battery pack. Typically, a battery also includes a box for encapsulating one or more battery cells. The box can prevent liquid or other foreign matter from affecting the charging or discharging of the battery cells.

[0054] In some embodiments, the battery cell may include a lithium-ion battery, a lithium-sulfur battery, a sodium-lithium-ion battery, a sodium-ion battery, or a magnesium-ion battery, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Generally, a battery cell may also be referred to as a battery cell. The battery cell may be cylindrical, flat, rectangular, or other regular or irregular shapes. The technical solution of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to battery cells of any shape, especially cylindrical battery cells.

[0055] The battery cell includes an electrode assembly and an electrolyte. The electrode assembly is composed of a positive electrode sheet, a negative electrode sheet and a separator. The battery cell mainly relies on the movement of metal ions between the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet to work. The positive electrode sheet includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer is coated on the surface of the positive electrode current collector. The current collector not coated with the positive electrode active material layer protrudes from the current collector coated with the positive electrode active material layer. The current collector not coated with the positive electrode active material layer serves as the positive electrode tab. Taking lithium-ion batteries as an example, the material of the positive electrode current collector may be aluminum, and the positive electrode active material may be lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium or lithium manganese oxide, etc. The negative electrode sheet includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer. The negative electrode active material layer is coated on the surface of the negative electrode current collector. The current collector not coated with the negative electrode active material layer protrudes from the current collector coated with the negative electrode active material layer. The current collector not coated with the negative electrode active material layer serves as the negative electrode tab. The material of the negative electrode current collector may be copper, and the negative electrode active material may be carbon or silicon, etc. In order to ensure that a large current can pass without melting, the number of positive electrode tabs is multiple and stacked together, and the number of negative electrode tabs is multiple and stacked together. The material of the isolation film can be polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). In addition, the electrode assembly can be a winding structure or a laminated structure, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0056] In some embodiments, in addition to the electrode assembly, the battery cell also includes an end cap, on which the electrode terminal of the battery cell is disposed, and an insulating member is disposed between the end cap and the electrode terminal to ensure insulation between the end cap and the electrode terminal. The electrode terminal and the electrode lug of the electrode assembly are electrically connected through the current collecting structure.

[0057] At present, during the installation of the battery, a current collecting structure is usually used to connect the battery's pole ear and electrode terminal. Since the current collecting structure usually needs to be bent during use, and in order to facilitate the bending of the current collecting structure, the bending portion usually cannot be made too thick. At the same time, in order to ensure the flow area of ​​the current collecting structure, the bending portion cannot be set too thin. Therefore, the current collecting structure is usually set as a multi-layer thin sheet structure. When the bending strength of the current collecting structure is low, the fold offset and tilt problems are prone to occur during the bending process. The offset of the fold will make it difficult to install the electrode assembly into the battery casing. If it is forcibly installed, it will damage the current collecting structure, the pole ear and the electrode terminal, affecting their service life, and then affecting the performance of the battery; the tilt of the fold will cause the electrode terminal to have an excessively large deflection angle, affecting the subsequent production steps such as welding.

[0058] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a current collecting structure, including: a current collecting component, the current collecting component including a first connection end, a second connection end and a bending portion; the bending portion connects the first connection end and the second connection end; a guide member, the guide member is provided with a weak portion, and the bending strength of the weak portion is less than the bending strength of other portions of the guide member except the weak portion; the guide member cooperates with the current collecting component, the weak portion corresponds to the position of the bending portion, and the guide member is used to guide the bending portion to bend at the position of the weak portion. The current collecting component has a first connecting end, a bending portion and a second connecting end which are distributed in sequence, and a weak portion is provided on the guide component. Before the current collecting component is bent, the guide component and the current collecting component are matched so that the guide component and the current collecting component are connected or abutted against each other, and the positions of the weak portion and the bending portion correspond to each other. Since the bending strength of the weak portion is less than the bending strength of other areas on the guide component, the guide component will bend at the weak portion during the bending process of the current collecting component. Since the positions of the weak portion and the bending portion correspond to each other, the guide member will guide the current collecting component to bend at the position of the bending portion, thereby effectively reducing the offset and inclination of the bending axis of the bending portion during the bending process, so that the current collecting component can be smoothly installed into the shell of the battery cell, thereby improving the structural stability of the current collecting component, improving the service life of the battery, reducing the deflection angle of the electrode terminal, and reducing the processing difficulty of subsequent production steps such as welding.

[0059] The technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to various electrical devices using batteries.

[0060] Electrical equipment may be vehicles, mobile phones, portable devices, laptops, ships, spacecraft, electric toys, electric tools, and the like. Vehicles may be fuel vehicles, gas vehicles, or new energy vehicles, and new energy vehicles may be pure electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or extended-range vehicles, and the like; spacecraft include airplanes, rockets, space shuttles, and spacecraft, and the like; electric toys include fixed or mobile electric toys, such as game consoles, electric car toys, electric ship toys, and electric airplane toys, and the like; electric tools include metal cutting electric tools, grinding electric tools, assembly electric tools, and railway electric tools, such as electric drills, electric grinders, electric wrenches, electric screwdrivers, electric hammers, impact drills, concrete vibrators, and electric planers, and the like. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any special restrictions on the above-mentioned electrical equipment.

[0061] For the convenience of description, the following embodiments are described by taking the electric device as a vehicle as an example.

[0062] For example, Figure 1As shown, it is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. The vehicle 1 may be a fuel vehicle, a gas vehicle or a new energy vehicle. The new energy vehicle may be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle or an extended-range vehicle, etc. A motor 40, a controller 30 and a battery 10 may be arranged inside the vehicle 1. The controller 30 is used to control the battery 10 to supply power to the motor 40. For example, a battery 10 may be arranged at the bottom, front or rear of the vehicle 1. The battery 10 may be used to supply power to the vehicle 1. For example, the battery 10 may be used as an operating power source for the vehicle 1, for the circuit system of the vehicle 1, for example, for the working power requirements during the start-up, navigation and operation of the vehicle 1. In another embodiment of the present application, the battery 10 may not only be used as an operating power source for the vehicle 1, but also as a driving power source for the vehicle 1, replacing or partially replacing fuel or natural gas to provide driving power for the vehicle 1.

[0063] For example, Figure 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. The battery 10 may include a plurality of battery cells 20. In addition to the battery cells 20, the battery 10 may also include a housing 11, the interior of the housing 11 is a hollow structure, and the plurality of battery cells 20 may be accommodated in the housing 11. Figure 2 As shown, the box body 11 may include two parts, which are respectively referred to as a first box body part 111 and a second box body part 112, and the first box body part 111 and the second box body part 112 are buckled together. The shapes of the first box body part 111 and the second box body part 112 may be determined according to the shapes of the combination of multiple battery cells 20, and at least one of the first box body part 111 and the second box body part 112 has an opening. For example, Figure 2 As shown, only one of the first box body 111 and the second box body 112 is a hollow cuboid with an opening, and the other is a plate-shaped to cover the opening. Here, taking the second box body 112 as a hollow cuboid with only one face as an opening face, and the first box body 111 as a plate-shaped example, the first box body 111 covers the opening of the second box body 112 to form a box body 11 with a closed chamber, which can be used to accommodate multiple battery cells 20. After the multiple battery cells 20 are connected in parallel, in series or in mixed series, they are placed in the box body 11 formed by the first box body 111 and the second box body 112 being buckled together.

[0064] For example, different from Figure 2 As shown, the first box body 111 and the second box body 112 can both be hollow cuboids and each have only one open face, the opening of the first box body 111 and the opening of the second box body 112 are arranged opposite to each other, and the first box body 111 and the second box body 112 are buckled together to form a box with a closed chamber. A plurality of battery cells 20 are connected in parallel, in series or in mixed series and are placed in the box 11 formed by the first box body 111 and the second box body 112 being buckled together.

[0065] In some implementations, the battery 10 may also include other structures, which are not described one by one here. For example, the battery 10 may also include a busbar component (not shown in the figure), which is used to realize the electrical connection between multiple battery cells 20, such as parallel, series or mixed connection. Specifically, the busbar component can realize the electrical connection between the battery cells 20 by connecting the electrode terminals of the battery cells 20. In some embodiments, the busbar component can be fixed to the electrode terminals of the battery cells 20 by welding. The electrical energy of multiple battery cells 20 can be further led out through the conductive structure through the box. In some embodiments, the conductive structure may also belong to the busbar component.

[0066] In order to meet different power requirements, the number of battery cells 20 can be multiple, and multiple battery cells can be connected in series, in parallel, or in hybrid connection, where hybrid connection refers to a mixture of series and parallel connection. Battery 10 can also be called a battery pack. In some embodiments, multiple battery cells can be connected in series, in parallel, or in hybrid connection to form a battery module, and multiple battery modules can be connected in series, in parallel, or in hybrid connection to form battery 10. In other words, multiple battery cells can directly form battery 10, or they can first form battery modules, and then battery modules can form battery 10.

[0067] For the sake of convenience, the following Figure 2 The cylindrical battery cell 20 is taken as an example to illustrate the technical solution of the present application. However, it should be understood that the battery cell 20 of the present embodiment can be a square shell battery cell or a blade battery cell in addition to a cylindrical battery cell.

[0068] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the battery cell 20 includes a housing 210, an electrode assembly 220, and an end cap assembly 230. The housing 210 and the end cap assembly 230 form a housing or a battery box. The housing 210 is formed of metal, such as aluminum. The housing 210 is determined according to the shape of one or more electrode assemblies 220. For example, the housing 210 can be Figure 3 The hollow cylinder shown.

[0069] The housing 210 has an opening, the electrode assembly 220 is accommodated in the housing 210, and the end cap assembly 230 is used to cover the opening to place the electrode assembly 220 in the housing 210. The housing 210 and the end cap assembly 230 are used to accommodate and protect the electrode assembly 220 and other components. The housing 210 is filled with an electrolyte, such as an electrolyte.

[0070] like Figure 3As shown, the end cap assembly 230 includes a negative end cap assembly 2301 and a positive end cap assembly 2302, and the negative end cap assembly 2301 and the positive end cap assembly 2302 cover the opening of the shell 210 from both ends of the shell 210 respectively, so as to cover the electrode assembly 220 in the shell 210. The negative end cap assembly 2301 is used to set the negative electrode terminal, and the positive end cap assembly 2302 is used to set the positive electrode terminal. The positive electrode terminal is connected to the positive ear of the electrode assembly 220, and the negative electrode terminal is connected to the negative ear of the electrode assembly 220. The positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal can have any number, for example, the battery cell 20 can have two positive electrode terminals and two negative electrode terminals, the two positive electrode terminals are set on the positive end cap assembly 2302, and the two negative electrode terminals are set on the negative end cap assembly 2301. The positive end cap assembly 2302 has the same structure as the negative end cap assembly 2301. In the following, the end cap assembly 230 described may be any one of the positive end cap assembly 2302 and the negative end cap assembly 2301 .

[0071] In the battery cell 20, the electrode assembly 220 can be provided as a single electrode or multiple electrodes according to actual use requirements, for example, Figure 3 As shown, an electrode assembly 220 is disposed in the battery cell 20 .

[0072] In some implementations, such as Figure 3 As shown, when the battery cell 20 is a cylinder, the diameter of the cylinder may be in the range of [10 mm, 100 mm]. For example, the diameter of the battery cell 20 may be set to 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm, or any value within the range obtained by combining any two of the above values.

[0073] In some implementations, such as Figure 3 As shown, the length of the battery cell 20 may range from [20 mm, 1000 mm]. For example, the length of the battery cell 20 may be set to 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, 400 mm, 500 mm, 600 mm, 700 mm, 800 mm, 900 mm, 1000 mm, or any value within the range obtained by combining any two of the above values.

[0074] Figure 4 FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an end cap assembly 230 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the end cap assembly 230 includes an end cap 233 , an electrode terminal 237 and a tab of the electrode assembly 220 .

[0075] In some implementations, such as Figure 4 As shown, a first insulating member 234 is provided between the end cover 233 and the electrode terminal 237 . The first insulating member 234 may also be referred to as lower plastic, and is used to achieve insulation isolation between the electrode terminal 237 and the end cover 233 .

[0076] In some implementations, such as Figure 4 As shown, the end cover assembly 230 in the battery cell 20 further includes a rivet block 231 , and the rivet block 231 is used to fix the electrode terminal 237 protruding from the end cover 233 .

[0077] In some implementations, such as Figure 4 As shown, the end cap assembly 230 in the battery cell 20 further includes a second insulating member 232 , which may also be referred to as an upper plastic, and is used to achieve insulation isolation between the end cap 233 and the riveting block 231 .

[0078] In some implementations, such as Figure 4 As shown, the end cap assembly 230 in the battery cell 20 further includes a sealing ring 235 for forming a seal between the electrode terminal 237 and the end cap 233. Exemplarily, the sealing ring 235 can be set in a ring shape and sleeved on the outer side of the electrode terminal 237.

[0079] It should be understood that in some implementations, the end cap assembly 230 in the battery cell 20 in the embodiment of the present application also includes a pressure relief structure, which is used to actuate to release the pressure or temperature inside the battery cell 20 when the pressure or temperature inside the battery cell 20 reaches a threshold. The pressure relief structure can have various possible structures. For example, the pressure relief structure may include a temperature-sensitive pressure relief structure, which is configured to melt when the temperature inside the battery cell 20 provided with the pressure relief structure reaches a threshold; and / or, the pressure relief structure may include a pressure-sensitive pressure relief structure, which is configured to rupture when the air pressure inside the battery cell 20 provided with the pressure relief structure reaches a threshold.

[0080] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a current collecting structure 236 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0081] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, for the convenience of description, three directions are defined here, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first direction Z is the thickness direction of the current collecting structure 236, and the first direction Z is perpendicular to the second direction X and the third direction Y; the second direction X is the length direction of the current collecting structure 236; the third direction Y is the width direction of the current collecting structure 236, and the third direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0082] In the embodiments of the present application, Figure 5 As shown, the current collecting structure 236 includes: a current collecting member 2361 and a guide member 2363 .

[0083] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a current collecting component 2361 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0084] like Figure 6 As shown, the current collecting member 2361 includes a first connection end 2366, a second connection end 2367 and a bending portion 2368. The first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367 are respectively connected to opposite sides of the bending portion 2368, that is, the first connection end 2366, the bending portion 2368 and the second connection end 2367 are sequentially distributed. Specifically, the first connection end 2366 can be an end away from the tab connection end 2362, and the second connection end 2367 can be an end close to the tab connection end 2362.

[0085] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a guide member 2363 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0086] like Figure 7 As shown, the guide member 2363 is provided with a weak portion 2364, and the bending strength of the weak portion 2364 is smaller than the bending strength of other portions of the guide member 2363 except the weak portion 2364, that is, the weak portion 2364 belongs to the area with the smallest bending strength in the entire guide member 2363; the guide member 2363 cooperates with the current collecting member 2361, and when the guide member 2363 cooperates with the current collecting member 2361, the position of the weak portion 2364 corresponds to the position of the bending portion 2368, and the guide member 2363 is used to guide the bending portion 2368 to bend at the position of the weak portion 2364.

[0087] The first connection end 2366 refers to the portion of the current collecting component 2361 on one side of the fold after being bent, and the second connection end 2367 refers to the portion of the current collecting component 2361 on the other side of the fold after being bent. Generally speaking, the bending angle of the current collecting component 2361 is relatively large, and the bending angle is generally between 170° and 180°. After the current collecting component 2361 is bent, the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367 are usually stacked, that is, the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367 are close to each other and arranged oppositely. Of course, in some special cases, when the bending angle of the current collecting component 2361 is relatively small, the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367 can also be spaced relatively large apart. The bending angle of the current collecting component 2361 is not limited in the present application.

[0088] The bending portion 2368 refers to the area where the fold of the current collecting member 2361 is expected to be located after the bending. If the fold is in the bending portion 2368, it means that the current collecting member 2361 after bending will not make it difficult to install the electrode assembly into the battery housing, and will not cause the electrode terminal 237 to have an excessively large deflection angle. In order to ensure the accuracy of the position of the fold, the bending portion 2368 should not be set too wide. Generally speaking, the width of the bending portion 2368 should not be greater than 5mm. Preferably, the width of the bending portion 2368 should not be greater than 3mm. Of course, in some special cases, such as when the current collecting member 2361 is small and the fold offset is large and it does not make it difficult to install the electrode assembly into the battery housing, the width of the bending portion 2368 can be appropriately increased, for example, it can be increased to 7mm or 10mm or 13mm, etc. The width of the bending portion 2368 is not limited in this application. Generally speaking, the current collecting member 2361 will be bent in the length direction, in which case, the length of the bent portion 2368 should be equal to the width of the current collecting member 2361 at the position of the bent portion 2368. Of course, in some special cases, the current collecting member 2361 can also be bent in the width direction, in which case, the length of the bent portion 2368 should be equal to the length of the current collecting member 2361 at the position of the bent portion 2368. The length of the bent portion 2368 is not limited in this application.

[0089] The weak portion 2364 refers to an area with a smaller bending strength in the guide member 2363. Generally speaking, in order to correspond to the current collecting member 2361, the bending strengths of both sides of the weak portion 2364 should be greater than the weak portion 2364, that is, the weak portion 2364 should be located in the middle area of ​​the guide member 2363, that is, one side of the weak portion 2364 is a structure with a greater bending strength than the weak portion 2364, and the other side of the weak portion 2364 is also a structure with a greater bending strength than the weak portion 2364. In this case, the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are matched, and it is only necessary to match the first connecting end 2366 of the current collecting member 2361 with the portion of the guide member 2363 located on one side of the weak portion 2364, match the second connecting end 2367 of the current collecting member 2361 with the portion of the guide member 2363 located on the other side of the weak portion 2364, and match the bending portion 2368 of the current collecting member 2361 with the weak portion 2364 in the guide member 2363. Of course, in some special cases, the weak portion 2364 may also be located at one end of the guide member 2363. In this case, one side of the weak portion 2364 is a structure with a greater bending strength than the weak portion 2364, and no structure exists on the other side of the weak portion 2364. In this case, the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are matched, and it is only necessary to match the first connecting end 2366 of the current collecting member 2361 with the portion of the guide member 2363 located on the side of the weak portion 2364, and to match the bent portion 2368 of the current collecting member 2361 with the weak portion 2364 of the guide member 2363.

[0090] The cooperation between the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 refers to that the guide member 2363 is attached to the current collecting member 2361 . Specifically, the guide member 2363 may be attached to the surface of the current collecting member 2361 or to the inside of the current collecting member 2361 . When the weak portion 2364 is in the middle area of ​​the guide member 2363, the portion of the guide member 2363 located on one side of the weak portion 2364 fits with the first connection end 2366 of the current collecting member 2361, the weak portion 2364 of the guide member 2363 fits with the bending portion 2368 of the current collecting member 2361, and the portion of the guide member 2363 located on the other side of the weak portion 2364 fits with the second connection end 2367 of the current collecting member 2361; when the weak portion 2364 is at one end of the guide member 2363, the portion of the guide member 2363 located on one side of the weak portion 2364 fits with the first connection end 2366 of the current collecting member 2361, and the weak portion 2364 of the guide member 2363 fits with the bending portion 2368 of the current collecting member 2361. In summary, the weak portion 2364 in the guide member 2363 needs to cooperate with the bent portion 2368 in the current collecting member 2361, that is, the weak portion 2364 and the bent portion 2368 are stacked, and the projection of the weak portion 2364 in the stacking direction at least partially falls into the bent portion 2368, that is, the weak portion 2364 and the bent portion 2368 at least partially overlap in the stacking direction. Preferably, in order to ensure the guiding effect of the guide member 2363, the projection of the weak portion 2364 in the guide member 2363 in the stacking direction can all fall into the bent portion 2368, so as to ensure that after the current collecting member 2361 is bent, the folds are all within the range of the bent portion 2368.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, the current collecting member 2361 has a first connection end 2366, a bending portion 2368 and a second connection end 2367 distributed in sequence, and the guide member 2363 has a weak portion 2364. Before the current collecting member 2361 is bent, the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are matched so that the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are connected or abutted against each other, and the positions of the weak portion 2364 and the bending portion 2368 correspond to each other. Since the bending strength of the weak portion 2364 is less than the bending strength of other areas on the guide member 2363, Therefore, during the bending process of the current collecting component 2361, the guide component 2363 will bend at the weak portion 2364. Since the positions of the weak portion 2364 and the bending portion 2368 correspond to each other, the guide member 2363 will guide the current collecting component 2361 to bend at the position of the bending portion 2368, thereby effectively reducing the offset and inclination of the bending axis of the bending portion 2368 during the bending process, thereby allowing the current collecting component 2361 to be smoothly installed in the shell of the battery cell, thereby improving the structural stability of the current collecting component 2361 and increasing the service life of the battery.

[0092] Fig. 9 A side view of a current collecting structure 236 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0093] like Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the guide member 2363 is disposed on at least one side of the current collecting member 2361. Specifically, the current collecting member 2361 has a side located at one end of the stacking direction in the stacking direction, and the current collecting member 2361 also has another side located at the other end of the stacking direction in the stacking direction. The guide member 2363 can be disposed only on the above-mentioned one side of the current collecting member 2361. In this case, the guide member 2363 can be used to guide the position of the fold generated during the bending process of the current collecting member 2361 from one side of the current collecting member 2361. The guide member 2363 can also be disposed only on the above-mentioned other side of the current collecting member 2361. In this case, the guide member 2363 can be used to guide the position of the fold generated during the bending process of the current collecting member 2361 from the other side of the current collecting member 2361.

[0094] Fig.10 A side view of another current collecting structure 236 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0095] like Fig.10As shown, the guide members 2363 can also be set to at least two, wherein some of the guide members 2363 are set on the above-mentioned one side of the current collecting member 2361, and other part of the guide members 2363 are set on the above-mentioned other side of the current collecting member 2361. In this case, the guide members 2363 can be used to guide the position of the crease generated during the bending process of the current collecting member 2361 from both sides of the current collecting member 2361.

[0096] In summary, the guide member 2363 can be set to one, in which case the guide member 2363 can be set on one side or the other side of the current collecting member 2361; the guide member 2363 can also be set to two or more, in which case some of the guide members 2363 can be set on one side of the current collecting member 2361, and other parts of the guide members 2363 can be set on the other side of the current collecting member 2361. When the guide member 2363 is arranged on one side of the current collecting member 2361, the guide member 2363 can be arranged on the side of the current collecting member 2361 that will form the inner side surface after bending. During the bending process of the current collecting member 2361, the guide member 2363 located on the inner side of the current collecting member 2361 will first undergo a larger deformation, thereby better guiding the bending axis of the current collecting member 2361 to remain in the bending portion 2368; when the guide member 2363 is arranged on both sides of the current collecting member 2361, the guide member 2363 can guide the position of the bending axis of the current collecting member 2361 during the bending process on both sides of the current collecting member 2361, and can also better guide the bending axis of the current collecting member 2361 to remain in the bending portion 2368.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present application, the current collecting member 2361 includes at least two current collecting layers, which are stacked along the thickness direction of the current collecting member 2361 , and at least one current collecting layer is provided with a guide member 2363 .

[0098] The current collecting layer refers to a layered structure forming the current collecting member 2361. The current collecting layer can be a metal sheet, and the current collecting layer is used to pass current. Specifically, the material of the current collecting layer can include any one of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, and iron. In order to make the current collecting member 2361 have a sufficient flow area, the current collecting member 2361 needs to have a sufficient cross-sectional area, which leads to the structural strength of the current collecting member 2361 being too high, and then the current collecting member 2361 is difficult to bend. Using at least two current collecting layers to form the current collecting member 2361 together can reduce the structural strength of the entire current collecting member 2361 while ensuring the flow area, so that the entire current collecting member 2361 is easy to bend. The number of layers of the current collecting layer can be any number of layers not less than two layers. For example, the number of layers of the current collecting layer can be any number of layers from 2 layers to 50 layers. Preferably, the number of layers of the current collecting layer can be any number of layers from 5 layers to 15 layers. Specifically, the number of layers of the current collecting layer can be 7 layers, 8 layers, 9 layers, 10 layers, 11 layers, 12 layers, 13 layers, etc.

[0099] At least one current collecting layer is provided with a guide member 2363 means that the guide member 2363 is connected to at least one current collecting layer. Specifically, there can be one or at least two guide members 2363. When there is one guide member 2363, the guide member 2363 can be connected to the outermost current collecting layer alone, and at this time only one current collecting layer is provided with the guide member 2363; the guide member 2363 can also be connected to the middle current collecting layer, and at this time the current collecting layers on both sides of the guide member 2363 are provided with guide members 2363. When there are at least two guide members 2363, the guide member 2363 can be connected to multiple current collecting layers respectively, and at this time at least two current collecting layers are provided with guide members 2363.

[0100] The current collecting member 2361 is formed by at least two current collecting layers, which can reduce the difficulty of bending the current collecting member 2361 while ensuring the flow area, making the current collecting member 2361 easier to bend. The guide member 2363 can be set on part of the current collecting layers, that is, each of the part of the current collecting layers is provided with a guide member 2363; it can also be set on all the current collecting layers, that is, each of the all the current collecting layers is provided with a guide member 2363. The guide member 2363 can be used to make the current collecting member 2361, which is easy to bend, always keep the bending axis at the bending portion 2368 during the bending process.

[0101] Fig.11 A side view of another current collecting structure 236 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0102] like Fig.11 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the guide member 2363 is disposed between at least one pair of adjacent current collecting layers.

[0103] When there is one guide member 2363, the guide member 2363 can be set between a pair of adjacent current collecting layers; when there are at least two guide members 2363, one of the guide members 2363 can be set between a pair of adjacent current collecting layers, and the other guide members 2363 can be set at other positions, for example, part of the guide members 2363 can be set between two current collecting layers, and for example, part of the guide members 2363 can be set on the outside of the outermost current collecting layer.

[0104] By disposing at least part of the guide member 2363 between two adjacent current collecting layers, the distance between the current collecting layers and the guide member 2363 can be made smaller, thereby improving the guiding effect of the guide member 2363. The guide member 2363 can be better utilized to enable the easily bendable current collecting member 2361 to always keep the bending axis at the bending portion 2368 during the bending process.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present application, the current collecting member 2361 is a conductive structure, and the guide member 2363 is an insulating structure.

[0106] The current collecting member 2361 is a conductive structure, which means that the current can be transferred from one end of the current collecting member 2361 to the other end of the current collecting member 2361 in a direction perpendicular to the fold. Specifically, the current collecting member 2361 can be made entirely of conductive materials such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum, or partially of conductive materials and partially of non-conductive materials, as long as the current can be transferred from one end of the current collecting member 2361 to the other end in a direction perpendicular to the fold.

[0107] The guide member 2363 is an insulating structure, which means that in the direction perpendicular to the fold of the guide member 2363, the current cannot be transferred from one end of the guide member 2363 to the other end of the guide member 2363. Specifically, the guide member 2363 can be made entirely of insulating material, or partially of insulating material and partially of conductive material, as long as the current cannot be transferred from one end of the current collecting member 2361 to the other end in the direction perpendicular to the fold.

[0108] Since the guide component 2363 needs to form a weak portion 2364, when the guide component 2363 is a conductive structure, the flow area at the weak portion 2364 is small, the resistance at this location is large, the temperature at this location will be high during operation, and the weak portion 2364 may even break due to thermal melting, posing a great safety hazard. The above situation can be effectively avoided when the guide component 2363 is an insulating structure.

[0109] In some embodiments of the present application, the material of the guide member 2363 includes at least one of polypropylene PP, polyethylene terephthalate PET, polyethylene PE, polyvinyl chloride PVC, polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer EVA, and rubber.

[0110] The guide member 2363 made of the above material not only has good insulation properties, but also has high toughness and is not easy to break during the bending process, thereby ensuring that the guide member 2363 can guide the position of the bending axis of the current collecting member 2361 during the entire bending process of the current collecting member 2361; and since the density of the above material is relatively low, the guide member 2363 made of the above material can effectively reduce the weight of the entire structure.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present application, both the current collecting member 2361 and the guide member 2363 are conductive structures.

[0112] In the direction perpendicular to the fold, the current can be transferred from one end of the current collecting member 2361 to the other end of the current collecting member 2361, and the current can also be transferred from one end of the guide member 2363 to the other end of the guide member 2363. Specifically, the current collecting member 2361 and the guide member 2363 can be made entirely of conductive materials such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum, or can be made partially of conductive materials and partially of non-conductive materials, as long as the current can be transferred from one end of the current collecting member 2361 and the guide member 2363 to the other end in the direction perpendicular to the fold.

[0113] When the ratio of the cross-section of the weak part of the guide component 2363 to the cross-section of other areas of the guide component 2363 is high, so that the difference between the two is small, the heat generated by the current flowing through the weak part is low, thereby effectively increasing the flow area of ​​the entire current collecting structure 236 while ensuring safety. The guide component 2363 can be used to share the flow pressure for the current collecting component 2361, thereby improving the flow capacity of the entire current collecting structure 236.

[0114] In some embodiments of the present application, the guide member 2363 is attached to the current collecting member 2361 , and at least a portion of the guide member 2363 is bonded to the current collecting member 2361 .

[0115] The guide member 2363 is fitted to the current collecting member 2361, which means that the surface of the guide member 2363 and the surface of the current collecting member 2361 are completely connected at the opposing parts; or the surfaces of the two are connected at a part of the opposing parts, and the gap formed at the other parts of the opposing parts is smaller.

[0116] The guide member 2363 can be bonded to the current collecting member 2361 by applying glue. Specifically, the glue between the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 can be a soft glue with low structural strength to avoid the situation where the current collecting member 2361 is difficult to bend due to excessive structural strength of the glue.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, at least a portion of the guide member 2363 is welded to the current collecting member 2361 .

[0118] When both the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are made of metal materials, the two can be fixedly connected by welding to fit the two together. Of course, with the advancement of welding technology, when at least one of the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 is non-metallic, as long as the two can be welded, they can also be fixedly connected by welding.

[0119] By means of bonding or welding, the larger surface of the guide member 2363 and the side of the current collecting member 2361 can be fixedly connected. In this case, the two are firmly connected, and during the bending process of the current collecting member 2361, the guide member 2363 is not likely to slip with the current collecting member 2361, so that the guide member 2363 is not likely to guide the bending axis of the current collecting member 2361 to outside the bending portion 2368.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present application, the guide member 2363 abuts against the current collecting member 2361 , and at least a portion of the guide member 2363 and at least a portion of the current collecting member 2361 are configured to abut against each other under the action of an external force.

[0121] The guide member 2363 abuts against the current collecting member 2361 means that: when the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are not fixedly connected by bonding, welding, etc., at least a portion of the guide member 2363 and at least a portion of the current collecting member 2361 are kept in contact with each other. Specifically, the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 can abut against each other under the action of an external force. For example, the guide member 2363 can receive the action of an external force on the side away from the current collecting member 2361, so that the guide member 2363 can move toward the current collecting member 2361 or the guide member 2363 has a tendency to move toward the current collecting member 2361; and the current collecting member 2361 can receive the action of an external force on the side away from the guide member 2363, so that the current collecting member 2361 can move toward the guide member 2363 or the current collecting member 2361 has a tendency to move toward the guide member 2363. Under the action of the above-mentioned forces on both sides, the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 can be pressed against each other, and the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 can keep their relative positions fixed under the action of friction force. When a bending force is applied to the current collecting member 2361, the guide member 2363 can bend first at the weak part 2364 to guide the bending area of ​​the current collecting member 2361.

[0122] When the guide member 2363 and the current collecting member 2361 are against each other, the larger surface of the guide member 2363 fits against the side of the current collecting member 2361, and the friction force can be used to keep the positions of the two fixed. During the bending process of the current collecting member 2361, the guide member 2363 is not easy to slip with the current collecting member 2361, so that the guide member 2363 is not easy to guide the bending axis of the current collecting member 2361 to the outside of the bending portion 2368.

[0123] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a guide member 2363 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0124] like Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, at least part of the weak portion 2364 is a thinned area 2365. The thickness of at least part of the thinned area 2365 is less than the thickness of other parts of the weak portion 2364 except the thinned area 2365, or at least part of the thinned area 2365 is a hollow structure.

[0125] The thinned area 2365 refers to a location where the thickness of the guide member 2363 is lower than the thickness of other areas of the guide member 2363. When the thickness of the thinned area 2365 is as low as 0, the thinned area 2365 refers to a hole in the hollow structure.

[0126] By forming a thinned area 2365 in part or all of the weak portion 2364, the bending strength of the weak portion 2364 can be effectively reduced. Specifically, the thinned area 2365 can be a region with a relatively low thickness or a hollow region. In both cases, the bending strength of the thinned area 2365 can be lower than the bending strength of other regions of the guide member 2363.

[0127] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a guide member 2363 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0128] like Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, at least a portion of the thinned area 2365 is disposed at at least one end of the weak portion 2364 in a first direction, and the first direction intersects with a connection direction between the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367 .

[0129] The thinning area 2365 can be entirely set at one end in the first direction; the thinning area 2365 can also be partially set at one end in the first direction, and the other part is set at the other end in the first direction; the thinning area 2365 can also be partially set at one end in the first direction, and the other part is set at the other end in the first direction, and the remaining part is set at other positions such as the middle in the first direction.

[0130] The current collecting member 2361 is bent between the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367, and the fold of the current collecting member 2361 intersects with the connection direction of the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367. In the present application, the first direction and the fold are roughly parallel. Specifically, the angle between the first direction and the fold is 0 to 15 degrees. In the present application, the first direction and the fold are completely parallel as an example for explanation.

[0131] The thinning area 2365 is arranged at one or both ends of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction, which can facilitate processing and manufacturing. Specifically, when the thinning area 2365 is a region with a relatively low thickness, one or both ends of the weak portion 2364 can be directly processed by grinding, cutting, etc., because the position to be processed is at the end, the operation space is large, and it is easy to process. When the thinning area 2365 is a hole in the hollow area, one or both ends of the weak portion 2364 can be directly processed by grinding, cutting, stamping, etc., and similarly, because the position to be processed is at the end, the operation space is large, and it is easy to process.

[0132] Furthermore, when the thinning area 2365 is disposed at both ends of the first direction, the thinning area 2365 can be used to limit the positions of the two ends of the fold, which is conducive to controlling the deflection angle of the fold. Specifically, when the thinning area 2365 is only located in the middle area of ​​the fold, the two ends of the fold are easily inclined toward the direction extending out of the weak portion 2364, thereby causing the deflection angle of the fold to be too large, resulting in only the middle part of the fold being located in the weak portion 2364, and both ends of the fold being located outside the weak portion 2364. Specifically, it may happen that one end of the fold is located on one side of the weak portion 2364, and the other end of the fold is located on the other side of the weak portion 2364 opposite to the one side. When the thinning area 2365 is disposed at both ends of the first direction, the positions of the two ends of the fold are determined to be within the weak portion 2364, and the middle area of ​​the fold must also be within the weak portion 2364, so the deflection angle of the fold can be effectively controlled to ensure that the fold is entirely within the weak portion 2364.

[0133] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of another guide member 2363 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0134] like Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, at least part of the thinned area 2365 may also be disposed in the middle of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction. The first direction intersects with the connection direction of the first connection end 2366 and the second connection end 2367 .

[0135] The thinning area 2365 is arranged in the middle of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction, which means that both ends of the thinning area 2365 in the first direction are a certain distance away from the edge of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction, for example, the distance may be 1 to 10 mm.

[0136] The thinned area 2365 may be entirely located at the middle of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction; the thinned area 2365 may also be partially located at the middle of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction, and the rest may be located at other positions such as the end of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction.

[0137] The thinning area 2365 is disposed in the middle of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction, which is beneficial for making the weak portion 2364 have a smaller bending strength, so that it is easier to bend and easier to keep the fold in the weak portion 2364. Specifically, compared with the two ends of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction, the middle of the weak portion 2364 in the first direction has a larger area, so the area of ​​the thinning area 2365 can be made larger, and the bending strength of the weak portion 2364 can be more effectively reduced.

[0138] In some embodiments of the present application, the guide member 2363 is an integrally formed structure.

[0139] The weak portion 2364 and other portions of the guide member 2363 can be formed by one-time manufacturing. For example, the guide member 2363 can be formed by cutting a portion of a larger plate structure; or the guide member 2363 can be formed by integral casting of a mold. For another example, the guide member 2363 embryo can be formed by cutting a portion of a larger plate structure, and then the guide member 2363 is formed by grinding, cutting, stamping, etc.; or the guide member 2363 embryo can be formed by integral casting of a mold, and then the guide member 2363 is formed by grinding, cutting, stamping, etc.

[0140] The guide member 2363 is an integrally formed structure, which is not only convenient for manufacturing, but also ensures the structural strength of the guide member 2363, making it less likely to break during the bending process.

[0141] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any way. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions that fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A current collecting structure, characterized in that: include: A current collecting component, the current collecting component comprising a first connecting end, a second connecting end and a bending portion; The bending portion connects the first connection end and the second connection end; A guide member, wherein the guide member is provided with a weak portion, and the bending strength of the weak portion is less than the bending strength of other portions of the guide member except the weak portion; the guide member cooperates with the current collecting member, the weak portion corresponds to the position of the bending portion, and the guide member is used to guide the bending portion to bend at the position of the weak portion.

2. The current collecting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide member is disposed on at least one side of the current collecting member.

3. The current collecting structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The current collecting member includes at least two current collecting layers, at least two of the current collecting layers are stacked along a thickness direction of the current collecting member, and at least one of the current collecting layers is provided with the guide member.

4. The current collecting structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guide member is disposed between at least one pair of adjacent two current collecting layers.

5. The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The current collecting member is a conductive structure, and the guiding member is an insulating structure.

6. The current collecting structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The material of the guide member includes at least one of polypropylene PP, polyethylene terephthalate PET, polyethylene PE, polyvinyl chloride PVC, polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer EVA, and rubber.

7. The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The current collecting member and the guide member are both conductive structures.

8. The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The guide member is attached to the current collecting member; at least a portion of the guide member is bonded to the current collecting member, and / or at least a portion of the guide member is welded to the current collecting member.

9. The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The guide member abuts against the current collecting member; at least a portion of the guide member and at least a portion of the current collecting member are used to abut against each other under the action of an external force.

10. The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: At least part of the weak portion is a thinned area; The thickness of at least part of the thinned area is smaller than the thickness of other parts of the weak portion except the thinned area, or at least part of the thinned area is a hollow structure.

11. The current collecting structure according to claim 10, characterized in that: At least a portion of the thinned area is disposed at at least one end of the weak portion in a first direction, and the first direction intersects with a connection direction of the first connection end and the second connection end.

12. The current collecting structure according to claim 10, characterized in that: At least a portion of the thinned area is disposed in a middle portion of the weak portion in a first direction, and the first direction intersects with a connection direction of the first connection end and the second connection end.

13. The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The guide component is an integrally formed structure.

14. A battery cell, characterized in that: include: Electrode terminal; Electrode assembly; The current collecting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein one end of the current collecting structure is connected to the electrode terminal, and the other end of the current collecting structure is connected to the electrode assembly.

15. The battery cell according to claim 14, characterized in that: The battery cell is a cylindrical battery or a prismatic battery.

16. A battery, characterized in that: include: The battery cell according to claim 14 or 15.

17. An electrical equipment, characterized in that: include: The battery of claim 16.

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