Battery packs and power devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses a battery pack and an electrical device, which relates to the technical field of power batteries, wherein the battery pack comprises: a shell, a plurality of battery cells and a protective structure, wherein the plurality of battery cells are arranged in the shell, and the upper end of each of the battery cells is respectively provided with a pole and a pressure relief valve; the protective structure is arranged in the shell, and the protective structure comprises a protective cover arranged on the upper end of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the protective cover is formed with a plurality of protective covers protruding upward, and the upper end of each of the protective covers is opened, and the plurality of protective covers are correspondingly provided with the poles of the plurality of battery cells, and the protective cover and the pressure relief valve are arranged in a avoiding position, so that the poles are separated from the pressure relief valve. The technical solution provided by the present invention can improve the problem that when a thermal runaway failure occurs in a battery cell, the high-temperature material ejected from the pressure relief valve directly contacts the pole and causes a short circuit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of power batteries, and in particular to a battery pack and an electrical device. Background Art

[0002] The battery pack contains multiple battery cells. During use, when a battery cell suffers from thermal runaway failure, the liquid and solid sprayed from the pressure relief valve can easily cause an internal short circuit, arc discharge, ignite the high-temperature gas, and cause the battery to catch fire or even explode. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery pack and an electrical device, which are intended to improve the problem that when a thermal runaway failure occurs in a battery cell, the high-temperature material ejected from the pressure relief valve directly contacts the pole and causes a short circuit.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a battery pack, comprising:

[0005] case;

[0006] A plurality of battery cells are arranged in the housing, and a pole and a pressure relief valve are respectively arranged at the upper end of each of the battery cells; and,

[0007] A protective structure is arranged in the shell, and the protective structure includes a protective cover covering the upper ends of the multiple battery cells, the protective cover is formed with a plurality of protective covers protruding upward, the upper end of each of the protective covers is opened, the multiple protective covers are correspondingly covered with the poles of the multiple battery cells, and the protective cover and the pressure relief valves are avoided so that each pole is blocked by the pressure relief valve.

[0008] In one embodiment, the protective structure further includes a bottom plate and a plurality of side plates, and the bottom plate, the plurality of side plates and the protective cover together enclose a protective cavity;

[0009] The plurality of battery cells are arranged in the protective cavity;

[0010] The protective cover is provided with a plurality of avoidance holes corresponding to the plurality of pressure relief valves.

[0011] In one embodiment, an annular sealing portion is provided at the upper end of each of the protective covers.

[0012] In one embodiment, the battery pack also includes an exhaust structure disposed in the shell, the exhaust structure includes a main body, a plurality of air intake channels are disposed at the lower end of the main body, an exhaust channel is disposed inside the main body, the exhaust channel is connected to the plurality of air intake channels, and the main body also has an exhaust port connected to one end of the exhaust channel.

[0013] In one embodiment, a switch component is provided at each of the air inlet channels, and the switch component is used to open the air inlet channel when the pressure of the gas entering the air inlet channel reaches a set pressure value.

[0014] In one embodiment, the switch element is mounted on the air inlet passage via an elastic element; or,

[0015] One end of the switch element is rotatably mounted on the main body, and the other end of the switch element covers the air inlet passage downward under the action of gravity.

[0016] In one embodiment, the exhaust passage extends in a horizontal direction, and the exhaust port is located at one side of the main body in the horizontal direction.

[0017] In one embodiment, the protective cover covers the area where the pressure relief valve is installed, and a plurality of avoidance holes are provided on the protective cover corresponding to the plurality of pressure relief valves;

[0018] The lower end of the exhaust structure is mounted on the protective cover.

[0019] The present invention further provides an electrical device, comprising a battery pack as described in any one of the above items.

[0020] In one embodiment, the power-consuming device includes a new energy vehicle.

[0021] The technical solution of the present invention protects the pole by arranging a protective structure on the battery cell. When a thermal runaway failure occurs in the battery cell, the protective cover and the pressure relief valves are arranged in a avoidance manner, so that the battery cell that has a thermal runaway failure will not be blocked from ejecting high-temperature substances. At this time, since a protective cover is provided on the pole, the high-temperature substance will not directly contact the pole, thereby improving the problem that when a thermal runaway failure occurs in the battery cell, the high-temperature substance ejected from the pressure relief valve directly contacts the pole and causes a short circuit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a battery pack provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the middle protection structure;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Front view of the middle protective structure;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a battery cell in a battery pack provided by the present invention when thermal runaway occurs.

[0028] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0029] 100, battery pack; 1, shell; 2, battery cell; 21, pole; 22, pressure relief valve; 3, protection structure; 31, protection cover; 311, avoidance hole; 32, protection cover; 33, bottom plate; 34, side plate; 35, sealing part; 4, exhaust structure; 41, main body; 42, air inlet channel; 43, exhaust channel; 44, exhaust port; 45, switch member

[0030] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0033] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features limited to "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0034] The battery pack contains multiple battery cells. During use, when a battery cell suffers from thermal runaway failure, the liquid and solid sprayed from the pressure relief valve can easily cause an internal short circuit, arc discharge, ignite the high-temperature gas, and cause the battery to catch fire or even explode. In addition, in this process, the high-temperature gas in the battery pack cannot be discharged in a direction, causing a large number of normal battery cells to be affected by heat diffusion and suffer thermal runaway again.

[0035] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a battery pack 100 .

[0036] See also Figures 1 to 3 In one embodiment of the present invention, the battery pack 100 includes: a shell 1, a plurality of battery cells 2 and a protective structure 3, wherein the plurality of battery cells 2 are arranged in the shell 1, and the upper end of each of the battery cells 2 is respectively provided with a pole 21 and a pressure relief valve 22; the protective structure 3 is arranged in the shell 1, and the protective structure 3 includes a protective cover 31 covering the upper ends of the plurality of battery cells 2, the protective cover 31 is formed with a plurality of protective covers 32 protruding upward, and the upper end of each of the protective covers 32 is opened, and the plurality of protective covers 32 are correspondingly provided with the poles 21 of the plurality of battery cells 2, and the protective cover 31 and the pressure relief valves 22 are arranged to avoid each other so that each of the poles 21 and the pressure relief valves 22 are separated.

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention protects the pole 21 by providing a protective structure 3 on the battery cell 2. When a thermal runaway failure occurs in the battery cell 2, since the protective cover 31 and the pressure relief valves 22 are arranged in a avoidance manner, the battery cell 2 that has a thermal runaway failure will not be blocked from ejecting high-temperature substances. At this time, since a protective cover 32 is provided on the pole 21, the high-temperature substances will not directly contact the pole 21. Therefore, the problem of high-temperature substances ejected from the pressure relief valve 22 directly contacting the pole 21 and causing a short circuit when a thermal runaway failure occurs in the battery cell 2 is improved.

[0038] For the conventional configuration of the battery pack 100, the shell 1 of the battery pack 100 includes other necessary components in addition to the battery, and some space is inevitably left for the arrangement of these components. The protective structure 3 in the technical solution of the present invention is installed on the battery cell 2 and does not occupy too much extra space. Therefore, it is possible to provide an extra layer of protection for the battery cell 2 without affecting the original internal layout of the battery pack 100.

[0039] The present invention does not limit the material of the protective structure 3 , but since its main function is to provide heat insulation and ensure normal electrical connection between the pole 21 and external components, the material must have heat-resistant and insulating properties.

[0040] It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the shape and position of the protective cover 31, and the protective cover 31 may not even be provided, but it is necessary to ensure that the protective cover 31 and the pressure relief valves 22 are away from each other, so that when the battery cell 2 has a thermal runaway failure, the pressure relief valves 22 can normally spray out high-temperature substances; at the same time, the present invention does not limit the shape, position and number of the protective cover 32, but only needs to ensure that when the battery cell 2 has a thermal runaway failure, the high-temperature substances sprayed out by the pressure relief valve 22 can be blocked by the protective cover 32 and do not directly contact the pole 21, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 Specifically, in the present embodiment, the protective cover 31 is provided with a avoidance hole 311 at the portion corresponding to the pressure relief valve 22. The protective cover 32 is a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the middle of the rectangular parallelepiped structure provides a space for the pole 21. Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the height of the protective cover 32 is 2-4 mm, and it is ensured to be higher than the height of the pole 21. The diameter of the through hole in the middle of the rectangular parallelepiped structure that provides a space for the pole 21 is 11-13 mm, which meets the specified size of the pole 21.

[0041] See also Figure 3 In order to facilitate the installation of the protective structure 3, in the embodiment of the present invention, the protective structure 3 also includes a bottom plate 33 and a plurality of side plates 34. The bottom plate 33, the plurality of side plates 34 and the protective cover 31 are enclosed together to form a protective cavity; the plurality of battery cells 2 are arranged in the protective cavity. During the specific installation, the protective structure 3 can be installed on each battery cell 2 as needed, and then they are combined into a battery cell module with the protective structure 3. Specifically, after the bottom plate 33 and the side plate 34 are installed on each battery cell 2, the protective cover 31 and the protective cover 32 are installed at the corresponding position, and then the battery cells 2 with the protective structure 3 are assembled into a battery cell module. It is also possible to first combine a plurality of battery cells 2 into a battery cell module, and then install a large protective structure 3 for the whole. Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the battery cells 2 are first combined into a battery cell module, and then the bottom plate 33 and the side plate 34 are installed for the whole, and the protective cover 31 and the protective cover 32 are installed at the corresponding position. Compared with the above embodiment, the material is saved and the space occupied by the protective structure is reduced.

[0042] In order to prevent high-temperature substances from penetrating from the upper opening of the protective cover 32 and contacting the pole 21, in the embodiment of the present invention, an annular sealing portion 35 is provided at the upper end of each protective cover 32. Such a configuration can ensure the electrical connection between the pole 21 and the outside of the battery cell, and can also prevent high-temperature substances from penetrating from the upper opening of the protective cover 32. It should be noted that the specific form of the sealing portion 35 is not limited, but it is necessary to ensure that the electrical connection between the pole 21 and the outside world is stable and prevent the infiltration of high-temperature substances. In the embodiment of the present invention, the sealing portion 35 is a sealing ring. It should be noted that the specific installation method of the sealing ring is not limited. The sealing ring can be installed in the annular mounting groove at the upper end of the protective cover 32, or it can be installed in the mounting groove on the component that is electrically connected to the pole 21. Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring is installed in the annular mounting groove at the upper end of the protective cover 32, and its diameter is 10-12mm. With this design, while preventing high-temperature substances from infiltrating from the upper end opening of the protective cover 32, it can also ensure the normal electrical connection between the pole 21 and the outside.

[0043] See also Figure 1 and Figure 4 When a battery cell 2 has a thermal runaway failure, a large amount of high-temperature gas will be ejected. In order to prevent this part of gas from accumulating inside the battery pack 100 and causing a series of chain reactions caused by the heating of other normal battery cells 2, in one embodiment of the present invention, the battery pack 100 also includes an exhaust structure 4 arranged in the shell 1, and the exhaust structure 4 includes a main body 41, and a plurality of air intake channels 42 are arranged at the lower end of the main body 41, and an exhaust channel 43 is arranged inside the main body 41, and the exhaust channel 43 is connected to the plurality of air intake channels 42, and the main body 41 also has an exhaust port 44 connected to one end of the exhaust channel 43. Specifically, the exhaust port 44 is connected to the explosion-proof valve of the battery pack 100, and the explosion-proof valve is connected to the outside of the battery pack 100. With such an arrangement, when a battery cell 2 inside the battery pack 100 suffers from a thermal runaway failure, the exhausted high-temperature gas will enter the air intake passage 42 under the action of air pressure, and after passing through the exhaust passage 43, it will be discharged from the battery pack 100 through the explosion-proof valve from the exhaust port 44, thereby ensuring that the high-temperature gas accumulated inside the battery pack 100 is discharged from the outside of the battery pack 100 through the exhaust structure 4.

[0044] Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure the sealing performance of the exhaust structure 4, the exhaust structure 4 is integrated, and the height of the air inlet channel 42 is 4-6 mm, and the height of the exhaust channel 43 is 18-20 mm. With such a design, when assembling the battery pack 100, the space can be maximized and there is no need to change the shape of the shell 1 of the original battery pack 100. The specific structure of the battery pack 100 has been described above and will not be elaborated here.

[0045] In order to further improve the efficiency of thermal and electrical separation, in one embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover 31 covers the area where the pressure relief valve 22 is installed, and the protective cover 31 is provided with a plurality of avoidance holes 311 corresponding to the plurality of pressure relief valves 22; the lower end of the exhaust structure 4 is installed on the protective cover 31. By covering the area where the pressure relief valve 22 is installed, and providing a plurality of avoidance holes 311 at positions corresponding to the plurality of pressure relief valves 22 on the protective cover 31, it is ensured that the pressure relief valve 22 is connected to the avoidance holes 311. At this time, by installing the lower end of the exhaust structure 4 on the protective cover 31, that is, the plurality of air inlet channels 42 are directly connected to each of the pressure relief valves 22, it is possible to ensure to the greatest extent that the high-temperature gas ejected from the pressure relief valve 22 is guided out of the battery pack 100 from the exhaust structure 4. There is no limitation on the shapes and positions of the pressure relief valve 22 and the avoidance hole 311, but it is necessary to ensure that when the battery cell 2 has a thermal runaway failure, the pressure relief valve 22 can normally eject high-temperature substances without being blocked by the protective cover 31. Therefore, the size of the avoidance hole 311 is preferably greater than or equal to the size of the pressure relief valve 22. Specifically, in an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure relief valve 22 is the same size as the avoidance hole 311, with a length of 14-17 mm and a width of 11-13 mm, which meets the size requirements of the pressure relief valve 22 and can ensure that the pressure relief valve 22 can normally eject high-temperature substances.

[0046] It should be noted that the installation method of the exhaust structure 4 and the protective cover 31 is not limited. In the embodiment of the present invention, they are fixed in the form of limiting holes and limiting protrusions. Specifically, 3-4mm limiting holes are set around the avoidance hole 311, and matching limiting protrusions are set at the corresponding parts of the air inlet channel 42 for cooperation and fixation.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present invention, a switch 45 is provided at each of the air inlet channels 42, and the switch 45 is used to open the air inlet channel 42 when the pressure of the gas entering the air inlet channel 42 reaches a set pressure value. When a thermal runaway failure occurs in the battery cell 2, the pressure relief valve 22 will spray a large amount of high-temperature gas. When the air pressure value in the air inlet channel 42 rises to a set value, the switch 45 of the air inlet channel 42 can be automatically opened, thereby ensuring that the high-temperature gas will not accumulate inside the battery pack 100 and will be normally discharged from the battery pack 100 through the exhaust structure 4. The specific implementation has been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0048] It should be noted that the specific form of the switch component 45 is not limited, and it can be a splint or other form equipped with an air pressure sensing device. It only needs to ensure that when the air pressure in the air intake channel 42 reaches a certain value, the switch component 45 can be automatically opened to allow high-temperature gas to be discharged normally.

[0049] At the same time, in order to ensure that the high-temperature gas will not enter other air inlet channels 42 after flowing into the exhaust channel 43, it is necessary to ensure that the switch member 45 is in a normally closed state under normal circumstances. In an embodiment of the present invention, one end of the switch member 45 is rotatably mounted on the main body 41, and the other end covers the air inlet channel 42 downward under the action of gravity. In this way, it can be ensured that the switch member 45 is in a normally closed state under the action of its own gravity. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the size of the switch member 45 is set to be larger than the air inlet channel 42, so that it can be ensured that the switch member 45 completely covers the air inlet channel 42 to enhance its sealing effect.

[0050] That is to say, under normal circumstances, all the switch components 45 are in a normally closed state. When a thermal runaway fault occurs in the battery cell 2, the pressure relief valve 22 of the battery cell 2 will spew out a large amount of high-temperature gas, and the pressure of the high-temperature gas in the air intake channel 42 connected to the pressure relief valve 22 will increase rapidly, thereby causing the switch component 45 in the air intake channel 42 to be in an open state, and the high-temperature gas is able to enter the exhaust channel 43 and be discharged from the battery pack 100 through the exhaust port 44. At this time, since other battery cells 2 are in a normal state, the switch components 45 corresponding to the air intake channel 42 connected to the pressure relief valves 22 of these normal battery cells 2 are all in a closed state. This ensures that when a battery cell 2 inside the battery pack 100 is in a thermal runaway state, the high-temperature gas can be directly discharged from the runaway battery cell 2 out of the battery pack 100 without affecting other normal battery cells 2, and the unidirectionality of high-temperature gas discharge is achieved.

[0051] In order to prevent the switch element 45 from being unable to reset due to the large impact force given by the high-temperature gas when it is opened, causing the switch element 45 to be opened too large an angle, a maximum rotation angle can be set for the switch element 45. In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotation angle of the switch element 45 is less than or equal to 40°. Such a setting ensures the efficiency of high-temperature gas discharge and ensures that the switch element 45 can be reset under the action of its own gravity after being opened.

[0052] In another embodiment of the present invention, the switch member 45 is installed on the air inlet passage 42 through an elastic member. The elastic member will always give the switch member 45 a force to keep it in a normally closed state, so that the switch member 45 is in a normally closed state. At the same time, when the air pressure value in the air inlet passage 42 reaches a certain level, the switch member 45 automatically opens and has an automatic reset function.

[0053] In order to ensure that all high-temperature gases entering the exhaust channel 43 are discharged from the battery pack 100, in the embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust channel 43 extends in the horizontal direction, and the exhaust port 44 is located on one side of the main body 41 in the horizontal direction. In the embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust port 44 is connected to the explosion-proof valve of the battery pack 100, and the explosion-proof valve is connected to the outside of the battery pack 100, thereby ensuring that all high-temperature gases entering the exhaust channel 43 are completely discharged from the battery pack 100. At the same time, the exhaust channel 43 is arranged horizontally, which conforms to the structural design of the battery pack 100 and can maximize the use of space.

[0054] The present invention also proposes an electric device, which includes the battery pack 100 as described above, and the battery pack 100 includes: a shell 1, a plurality of battery cells 2, and a protective structure 3, wherein the plurality of battery cells 2 are arranged in the shell 1, and the upper end of each of the battery cells 2 is respectively provided with a pole 21 and a pressure relief valve 22; the protective structure 3 is arranged in the shell 1, and the protective structure 3 includes a protective cover 31 covering the upper ends of the plurality of battery cells 2, wherein the protective cover 31 is formed with a plurality of protective covers 32 protruding upward, and the upper end of each of the protective covers 32 is opened, and the plurality of protective covers 32 are correspondingly provided with the poles 21 of the plurality of battery cells 2, and the protective cover 31 and the pressure relief valve 22 are arranged in a position-avoiding manner, so that each of the poles 21 and the pressure relief valve 22 are arranged to be separated. The specific structure of the battery pack 100 refers to the above embodiment. Since the present electric device adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present invention, the power-consuming device includes a new energy vehicle.

[0056] The above description is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising: case; A plurality of battery cells are arranged in the housing, and a pole and a pressure relief valve are respectively arranged at the upper end of each of the battery cells; as well as, A protective structure is arranged in the shell, and the protective structure includes a protective cover covering the upper ends of the multiple battery cells, the protective cover is formed with a plurality of protective covers protruding upward, the upper end of each of the protective covers is opened, the multiple protective covers are correspondingly covered with the poles of the multiple battery cells, and the protective cover and the pressure relief valves are avoided so that each pole is blocked by the pressure relief valve.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective structure further comprises a bottom plate and a plurality of side plates, wherein the bottom plate, the plurality of side plates and the protective cover together enclose a protective cavity; The plurality of battery cells are arranged in the protective cavity; The protective cover is provided with a plurality of avoidance holes corresponding to the plurality of pressure relief valves.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that: An annular sealing portion is arranged at the upper end of each protective cover.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The battery pack also includes an exhaust structure arranged in the shell, the exhaust structure includes a main body, a plurality of air intake channels are arranged at the lower end of the main body, an exhaust channel is arranged inside the main body, the exhaust channel is connected to the plurality of air intake channels, and the main body also has an exhaust port connected to one end of the exhaust channel.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that: A switch component is provided at each of the air inlet channels, and the switch component is used to open the air inlet channel when the pressure of the gas entering the air inlet channel reaches a set pressure value.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that: The switch element is installed on the air inlet passage through an elastic element; or, One end of the switch element is rotatably mounted on the main body, and the other end of the switch element covers the air inlet passage downward under the action of gravity.

7. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that: The exhaust passage extends in a horizontal direction, and the exhaust port is located at one side of the main body in the horizontal direction.

8. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that: The protective cover covers the area where the pressure relief valve is installed, and the protective cover is provided with a plurality of avoidance holes corresponding to the plurality of pressure relief valves; The lower end of the exhaust structure is mounted on the protective cover.

9. An electrical device, characterized in that: Comprising a battery pack as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The electrical device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electricity-consuming device includes a new energy vehicle.

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