A pole extension and a battery member

Abstract

The application belongs to the field of batteries and relates to a pole post extension piece and a battery component, aiming to solve the problem that the pole post of a single battery in a battery pack may cause thermal runaway due to excessive heat. The pole post extension piece comprises a main body and a first support rib plate, the main body is provided with a through groove, the first support rib plate is located at the bottom of the through groove and is integrally formed with the main body by extrusion; the top end surface of the pole post extension piece is a heat pipe bearing surface, which forms a heat pipe installation space together with the inner side wall of the through groove, and the bottom of the through groove is used for connecting the pole post of the single battery. The battery component comprises an outer shell, a single battery and the pole post extension piece, the pole post extension piece is connected to the pole post and extends out of the outer shell avoiding hole, the heat pipe is borne by the first support rib plate, and the heat pipe and the top plate of the outer shell are kept at a safe distance. The heat of the pole post is diffused and dissipated through the heat pipe, and heat dissipation is achieved. The extrusion integral forming process does not need additional splicing or secondary processing, simplifies the process, reduces the cost, ensures the structural integrity and stability, and is suitable for mass production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of batteries, specifically a terminal extension and a battery component. Background Technology

[0002] Battery pack temperature control has always been a hot topic in this field, and most existing battery packs use air cooling or liquid cooling to achieve overall temperature control. However, since the terminals of individual cells in the battery pack are the areas where heat is most concentrated, excessive local heat at the terminals can easily lead to thermal runaway in individual cells. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the problem of excessive heat at the terminal position of individual cells in existing battery packs potentially causing thermal runaway, this invention provides a terminal extension and a battery component.

[0004] The concept of this invention is:

[0005] To improve the heat dissipation effect of the battery pack terminals, this invention considers extending each individual battery terminal out of the battery pack casing, allowing direct heat dissipation from the outside of the casing. Specifically, this can be achieved by opening clearance holes in the casing to allow the terminals to extend and fixing heat transfer pipes on the terminals.

[0006] However, the existing single-cell battery terminals are too low in height, making it difficult for them to extend out of the casing and impossible to install heat transfer tube fixing structures on them.

[0007] Based on this, the present invention considers using an electrode extension member to extend the electrode height and setting a heat transfer tube fixing structure on the electrode extension member, so that the heat transfer tube fixing structure on each individual battery electrode extension member extends out of the outer shell to fix the heat transfer tube.

[0008] This plan needs to focus on the following two aspects:

[0009] The first aspect is how to achieve stable fixation of the heat transfer tube and efficient heat conduction between it and the pole extension;

[0010] To achieve stable fixation and efficient heat conduction of the heat transfer tube, this invention proposes to create a through groove on the pole extension, and to directly embed the heat transfer tube into the through groove. The through groove structure provides initial positioning of the heat transfer tube while ensuring close contact between the two to improve heat conduction efficiency.

[0011] Secondly, how to achieve an effective connection between the pole extension and the pole;

[0012] The pole extension and the pole can be connected in a variety of ways: for example, they can be connected by screws at the bottom of the through slot; or they can be connected by welding at the bottom of the through slot, etc.

[0013] For electrical safety and insulation distance considerations, a safe distance must be maintained between the heat transfer tube and the top plate of the outer shell. Therefore, after the pole extension is installed, the bottom of its through groove, which serves as the bearing surface in the height direction of the heat transfer tube, must be higher than the top plate of the outer shell.

[0014] Because the terminals of conventional single-cell batteries are relatively low and usually located inside the casing, the terminal extension needs to extend into the casing through the clearance hole to connect with the corresponding terminal. If the bottom of the through slot is required to be higher than the top plate of the casing, it will result in an excessively thick through slot bottom, which will lead to new problems: if screw connection is used, it will increase the drilling difficulty when screw connection is used; if welding is used, it will increase the thermal conduction resistance, which is not conducive to the conduction of heat from the terminal to the terminal extension.

[0015] To overcome the above problems, the following two solutions can be adopted:

[0016] Option 1: Machining blind holes at the bottom of the through-slot and connecting the bottom of the blind holes to the pole. While this option avoids the problems caused by an excessively thick slot bottom, machining the blind holes requires additional processes, resulting in higher processing costs.

[0017] Option 2 involves thinning the bottom of the through-slot to facilitate connection with the pole, while integrally forming a supporting rib at the bottom of the through-slot. The top surface of the supporting rib serves as the heat transfer tube bearing surface, extending above the top plate of the outer shell. This supporting rib and the pole extension body are integrally formed through an extrusion process, eliminating the need for secondary processing. Compared to Option 1, this option has lower processing difficulty and cost.

[0018] Based on the above concept, the present invention adopts Scheme 2. Specifically, the first aspect of the present invention provides a pole extension member, including a pole extension member body and a first support rib; a through groove extending along a first direction is formed on the pole extension member body; the first support rib is disposed at the bottom of the through groove and is extruded integrally with the pole extension member body.

[0019] The top surface of the first supporting rib plate serves as the bearing surface of the heat transfer pipe and encloses the two inner sidewalls of the through groove to form a heat transfer pipe installation space; the area at the bottom of the through groove where the first supporting rib plate is not provided is used to connect with the electrode post of the single cell.

[0020] When a battery pack is constructed based on the aforementioned individual cells, the pole extension extends out of the corresponding clearance hole on the battery pack casing. The heat transfer tube is supported by the first support rib in the through groove, which ensures that a safe distance is maintained between the heat transfer tube and the top plate of the casing.

[0021] The heat generated by the battery terminals is first conducted to the terminal extension, which is in close contact with them. Because the terminal extension fits tightly to the terminals, heat can be transferred efficiently from the terminals to the extension. The slots in the terminal extension are used to fix the heat transfer tube, ensuring good thermal contact between the heat transfer tube and the terminal extension. After heat is conducted to the terminal extension, it is further transferred to the heat transfer tube. The heat diffuses rapidly within the heat transfer tube and is dissipated through heat exchange with the surrounding environment, thus achieving heat dissipation for the battery pack.

[0022] Meanwhile, the present invention uses an extrusion process to integrally form the main body of the pole extension and the first support rib, which is easier to process and has a lower processing cost compared to the above-mentioned scheme one.

[0023] Furthermore, the area at the bottom of the aforementioned channel where the first supporting rib is not provided is used for welding connection with the individual battery terminal post.

[0024] From the perspective of connection stability, welding enables the electrode extension to form a stable bond with the single battery electrode, greatly enhancing the connection strength between the two.

[0025] In terms of conductivity, welding effectively reduces contact resistance. Because welding eliminates gaps at the connection points, current can flow more smoothly through the connection point between the terminal extension and the individual cell terminal, greatly improving the conductivity of the polar terminal (the overall structure of the terminal and terminal extension is defined as the polar terminal).

[0026] Furthermore, a through hole is provided in the area at the bottom of the aforementioned through groove where the first supporting rib is not provided, and the through hole penetrates the bottom of the through groove along the second direction.

[0027] The aforementioned through-hole has at least the following two functions:

[0028] Firstly, it eliminates welding stress and avoids the risk of deformation at the bottom of the tank;

[0029] Secondly, it serves as a reference positioning hole to ensure that the pole extension is coaxial with the corresponding pole.

[0030] Furthermore, there are at least two first support ribs, which are evenly distributed along a third direction (the width of the slot). Firstly, compared to a single first support rib, which provides only single-point support and is prone to causing the heat transfer tube to shift due to its own weight or thermal stress, at least two evenly distributed first support ribs achieve multi-point uniform support, distributing the load to avoid concentrated deformation, preventing heat transfer tube shift, and ensuring a tight fit between the heat transfer tube and the top surface of the first support rib, maintaining efficient heat conduction.

[0031] Furthermore, the aforementioned pole extension also includes a conductive and heat-conducting block; the conductive and heat-conducting block includes a second supporting rib, which is embedded in the cavity between two adjacent first supporting ribs and between the first supporting rib and the inner wall of the through groove.

[0032] By replacing the air inside the cavity with a conductive heat-conducting block, thermal resistance is significantly reduced, allowing heat on the electrode post to be transferred to the heat transfer tube and dissipated more quickly. Furthermore, the embedded conductive heat-conducting block improves the rigidity of the electrode post extension, maintaining its structural stability.

[0033] Furthermore, the aforementioned conductive and heat-conducting block also includes a support plate, which is connected to the top surface of the second support rib, and the second support rib is an integrally extruded part; the top surface of the support plate serves as the bearing surface of the heat transfer tube.

[0034] With the addition of a support plate, the heat transfer pipes and the support plate are in surface contact, increasing the contact area. This improves heat transfer efficiency while ensuring support stability.

[0035] In addition, the conductive and heat-conducting block is also an extruded part, which has a lower processing cost and will not significantly increase the processing cost of the entire pole extension.

[0036] A second aspect of the present invention provides a battery component, including a casing, n individual battery cells, and 2n of the above-described terminal extension members; wherein n is an integer greater than 1;

[0037] n individual cells are arranged inside the casing; the top plate of the casing has clearance holes corresponding to the terminals of each individual cell;

[0038] The aforementioned electrode extension pieces correspond one-to-one with the electrode pieces of the individual battery cells, and each electrode extension piece extends into the clearance hole and connects to the corresponding electrode piece; and, in the second direction, the heat transfer tube bearing surface is higher than the top plate of the outer casing.

[0039] The aforementioned clearance holes correspond to the top plate area of ​​the outer casing and are sealed to the top cover of the individual battery.

[0040] Furthermore, the aforementioned battery component also includes a heat transfer tube; the heat transfer tube extends along a first direction and is fixed within the heat transfer tube mounting space of each electrode extension body located on the same side; the inner cavity of the heat transfer tube serves as a flow cavity for the heat transfer medium, thereby realizing heat exchange of the electrode extension.

[0041] Furthermore, the aforementioned battery component also includes 2n electrical insulating components, and the aforementioned heat transfer tube is made of metal; the 2n electrical insulating components are spaced apart along the length of the heat transfer tube on the outer wall of the heat transfer tube and are located between the heat transfer tube and each electrode extension component.

[0042] Based on the excellent thermal conductivity of metals, heat transfer tubes made of metal are selected to achieve efficient heat dissipation.

[0043] However, the conductivity of metals can pose a short-circuit risk. Furthermore, to prevent the cooling water flowing within the heat transfer tubes from becoming electrified and affecting the electrical safety of the battery system, multiple electrically insulating components are spaced along the length of the heat transfer tube's outer wall. Each electrically insulating component not only ensures a reliable mechanical connection between the battery's polarity terminals and the heat transfer tube, guaranteeing rapid and efficient heat transfer, but more importantly, it avoids short circuits caused by metal conductivity and prevents the cooling water from becoming electrified, successfully solving the insulation problem of using metal materials in heat transfer tubes and cooling water. Thus, the electrically insulating components, the metal heat transfer tubes, and the cooling water work together to leverage the high thermal conductivity of metal while ensuring electrical safety. The circulation of cooling water within the heat transfer tubes rapidly dissipates heat from the polarity terminals, effectively solving the problem of thermal runaway caused by excessive localized heat at the individual battery terminals.

[0044] Furthermore, within the casing, the internal cavities of each individual battery cell are interconnected. The electrolyte and / or gas within each individual battery cell are interconnected, ensuring that the electrolyte and / or gas of all individual cells are in the same system. This reduces the differences between individual cells, improves the consistency between individual cells to some extent, and thus enhances the cycle life of the battery component to a certain degree.

[0045] Furthermore, the outer casing is provided with a venting channel extending along a first direction, which covers the venting ports of each individual battery cell. When the venting membrane at the gas port of any individual battery cell is ruptured by the internal flue gas, the flue gas inside is discharged through the venting channel, improving the safety of the battery component.

[0046] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0047] The present invention connects the terminal extension to the single cell and opens the corresponding clearance hole on the outer shell of the battery component, so that the terminal extension extends out of the corresponding clearance hole on the outer shell. The heat transfer tube is supported by the first support rib in the through groove of the terminal extension, which can ensure that a safe distance is maintained between the heat transfer tube and the top plate of the outer shell.

[0048] The heat generated by the battery terminals is first conducted to the terminal extension, which is in close contact with them. Because the terminal extension fits tightly to the terminals, heat can be transferred efficiently from the terminals to the extension. The slots in the terminal extension are used to fix the heat transfer tube, ensuring good thermal contact between the heat transfer tube and the terminal extension. After heat is conducted to the terminal extension, it is further transferred to the heat transfer tube. The heat diffuses rapidly within the heat transfer tube and is dissipated through heat exchange with the surrounding environment, thus achieving heat dissipation for the battery pack.

[0049] Meanwhile, the present invention adopts an extrusion process to integrally form the main body of the pole extension and the first support rib. This process does not require additional splicing or secondary processing, which not only simplifies the production process and reduces the processing difficulty, but also ensures the integrity and connection stability of the two structures. In this way, while ensuring heat dissipation performance, it significantly reduces the overall processing cost and is suitable for mass production. Attached Figure Description

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the pole extension component in Example 1;

[0051] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the pole extension in Example 1;

[0052] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the battery component in Example 1;

[0053] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the second type of battery component in Example 1;

[0054] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the third type of battery component in Example 1;

[0055] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the pole extension component in Example 2;

[0056] Figure 7 This is an exploded structural diagram of the pole post extension in Example 2;

[0057] Figure 8 This is an exploded structural diagram of the pole post extension in some other embodiments;

[0058] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the third type of battery component in Example 2;

[0059] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the battery component in Example 3;

[0060] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the third type of battery component in Example 3;

[0061] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the third type of battery component in Example 3.

[0062] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0063] 1. Terminal extension piece; 11. Terminal extension piece body; 12. Through groove; 13. First support rib; 14. Through hole; 15. Conductive and heat-conducting block; 151. Support plate; 152. Second support rib; 2. Outer shell; 21. Explosion relief channel; 22. Clearance hole; 23. Electrolyte sharing chamber; 24. Gas sharing chamber; 25. Support piece; 3. Single cell; 31. Terminal; 4. Heat transfer tube; 5. Cavity; 6. Electrical insulation piece. Detailed Implementation

[0064] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0065] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0066] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "top," "bottom," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0067] This invention discloses a terminal extension member and a battery component having such a terminal extension member. The terminal extension member is mainly used to extend the terminal of a single cell in the battery component to fix the heat transfer tube and exchange heat with the battery component based on the heat transfer tube.

[0068] It should be noted that:

[0069] 1. The heat exchange here can be understood as: heat dissipation or heating of the battery component; when the temperature of the battery component is higher than the set threshold, the battery component is cooled by introducing a lower temperature heat transfer medium into the heat transfer pipe; when the temperature of the battery component is lower than the set threshold, the battery component is heated by introducing a higher temperature heat transfer medium into the heat transfer pipe; by controlling the temperature of the heat transfer medium, it can be ensured that the battery component always operates at the normal operating temperature.

[0070] 2. The aforementioned battery components may include at least the following three categories:

[0071] First type of battery components:

[0072] The first type of battery component includes a casing and multiple individual battery cells located inside the casing;

[0073] For ease of description, in this invention, the arrangement direction of individual cells is defined as the x-direction (the x-direction is the first direction); the height direction of individual cells is defined as the z-direction (the z-direction is the second direction); and the direction perpendicular to both the x and z directions is defined as the y-direction (the y-direction is the third direction).

[0074] This invention does not specifically limit the above-mentioned shell structure, but at least the following two structures can be adopted:

[0075] The first structure includes a cylindrical body with open ends (i.e., the port parallel to the yz plane is the open end) and end plates fixed to the two open ends of the cylindrical body (i.e., the end plates are parallel to the yz plane).

[0076] The second structure includes a cylindrical body with open ends at the top and bottom (i.e., the port parallel to the xy plane is the open end) and a top plate and a bottom plate fixed to the open ends at the top and bottom of the cylindrical body respectively (i.e., the top plate and the bottom plate are both parallel to the xy plane, and the bottom plate or the top plate can be an integral structure with the cylindrical body).

[0077] A clearance hole is made on the top plate of the casing corresponding to each individual battery terminal; the area of ​​the top plate of the casing corresponding to the clearance hole is fixedly sealed to the individual battery casing, so that the clearance hole part of the top plate of the casing is sealed.

[0078] The area on the top plate of the housing corresponding to the clearance hole can be the area around the clearance hole on the top plate of the housing, or it can be the wall of the clearance hole.

[0079] Each terminal extension extends into the clearance hole and connects to the corresponding terminal. A heat transfer pipe is installed on the part of the terminal extension located outside the housing, and heat is exchanged on the battery components based on the heat transfer pipe.

[0080] Second type of battery components:

[0081] The second type of battery component, based on the first type of battery component, has a venting channel in the outer shell. The venting channel extends along the x-direction and covers the venting ports of each individual battery cell. When the venting membrane at the venting port of any individual battery cell is ruptured by the internal smoke, the internal smoke is discharged through the venting channel, thereby improving the safety of the battery component.

[0082] Category III battery components:

[0083] The third type of battery component, based on the first type of battery component, has a shared chamber inside the outer casing, which enables the connection of the internal cavities of each individual battery cell.

[0084] It should be noted that:

[0085] The aforementioned shared chamber can be an electrolyte sharing chamber, with its inner cavity connected to the inner cavities of each individual battery cell. This shared chamber ensures that each individual battery cell is in a uniform electrolyte environment, guaranteeing electrolyte homogeneity and improving battery component performance and charge-discharge cycle life. The electrolyte sharing chamber described here is a liquid channel extending along the length of the casing between the casing's bottom plate and each individual battery cell. This liquid channel can be integrally formed with the casing's bottom plate or formed by a support structure between the individual battery's lower cover and the casing's bottom plate. It should be noted that in the first type of casing structure, the casing's bottom plate here is a cylindrical bottom plate; in the second type of casing structure, the casing's bottom plate here is a base plate.

[0086] The aforementioned shared chamber can also be a gas-sharing chamber located on the top plate of the outer casing, which covers the gas ports on the top of each individual cell in the battery assembly.

[0087] It should be noted that in the first type of shell, the top plate of the shell here is the top plate of the cylinder; in the second type of shell, the top plate of the shell here is the top plate.

[0088] It should also be noted that the gas port here has the following two meanings:

[0089] 1) The gas port is a through hole directly opened on the top cover of the single cell and penetrating the inner cavity of the single cell;

[0090] At this time, the gas-sharing chamber is connected to the gas region of each individual cell through the gas port. Based on the gas-sharing chamber, the gas regions of each individual cell can be connected to achieve gas balance, so that the gas of each individual cell is shared to ensure the consistency of each individual cell and improve the cycle life of the battery component to a certain extent. When any individual cell experiences thermal runaway, the flue gas in the inner cavity of that individual cell enters the gas-sharing chamber and is discharged through the gas-sharing chamber, thereby improving the safety of the battery component.

[0091] 2) The gas port is a vent or explosion-proof port installed on the top cover of the individual battery, and a vent membrane is provided at the vent or explosion-proof port.

[0092] At this time, the gas sharing chamber is used as a venting channel. When the venting membrane at the gas port of any single cell is ruptured by the flue gas in the inner cavity, the inner cavity of that single cell is connected to the gas sharing chamber, and the flue gas inside is discharged through the gas sharing chamber, thereby improving the safety of the battery component.

[0093] It should be noted that the gas-sharing chamber and electrolyte-sharing chamber mentioned above can be set up simultaneously or independently. When the third type of battery component is only set up as a gas-sharing chamber serving as an explosion relief channel, its structure is the same as that of the second type of battery component.

[0094] The aforementioned shared chamber can also be a gas-liquid shared chamber. Through a gas-liquid shared chamber, each individual battery cell can be placed in a unified electrolyte environment and gas environment, thereby improving the performance of the battery components and the charge-discharge cycle life.

[0095] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0096] Example 1

[0097] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The figures shown are a schematic diagram and a cross-sectional view of the pole extension member 1 in this embodiment. It can be made of a metal material with good electrical and thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. However, considering the cost and the electrical and thermal conductivity, aluminum is generally chosen as the material for the pole extension member 1.

[0098] In this embodiment, the pole extension member 1 includes a pole extension member body 11 and a first support rib plate 13.

[0099] The main body 11 of the pole extension is usually designed as a rectangular block structure. The length, width and height of the rectangular block can be customized according to the actual application scenario to adapt to different battery specifications.

[0100] In some other embodiments, the electrode extension body 11 may also be cylindrical or other shapes, which may be determined according to the shape of the electrode post 31 of the single cell 3 that it is adapted to; typically, the electrode extension body 11 has the same shape as the electrode post 31 of the single cell 3.

[0101] A through groove 12 for mounting the heat transfer tube 4 is provided on the main body 11 of the pole extension member. The through groove 12 extends through the main body 11 of the pole extension member along the x-direction (first direction), that is, the length direction of the through groove 12 is parallel to the x-axis. The inner cavity shape of the through groove 12 is adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the heat transfer tube 4, and it is necessary to ensure that the heat transfer tube 4 is tightly clamped in it to ensure installation stability while maintaining efficient heat conduction between the heat transfer tube 4 and the pole extension member 1. As can be seen from the figure, a rectangular through groove 12 is used in this embodiment, and the heat transfer tube 4 adapted to it should be a square tube. In some other embodiments, the through groove 12 can also be designed as circular, trapezoidal, etc., to adapt to heat transfer tubes 4 of different shapes such as circular tubes and trapezoidal tubes, as long as the contact between the two is tight.

[0102] As can be seen from the figure, in this embodiment, two first support ribs 13 are provided at the bottom of the through groove 12. The two first support ribs 13 are evenly arranged along the width direction of the through groove 12 (the width direction of the through groove 12 is the y direction), and both first support ribs 13 are parallel to the side wall of the through groove 12.

[0103] The top surfaces of the two first support ribs 13 serve as the bearing surfaces of the heat transfer tube 4. After the pole extension 1 is fixed to the corresponding pole 31 and extends out of the corresponding clearance hole 22, the height of the top surfaces of the two first support ribs 13 must be higher than the top plate of the battery component housing 2 to ensure that the heat transfer tube 4 and the top plate of the housing 2 maintain a safe distance and avoid unnecessary safety hazards caused by contact.

[0104] In other embodiments, the number and arrangement of the first support ribs 13 can be adjusted according to factors such as load-bearing capacity and the width of the through groove 12. For example, when the heat transfer pipe 4 is heavy, three or more first support ribs 13 can be provided to enhance support stability. The arrangement can also be optimized according to the stress distribution of the heat transfer pipe 4, and is not limited to uniform arrangement, as long as multi-point balanced load-bearing can be achieved. At the same time, the top surface shape of the first support rib 13 can be adapted to the shape of the outer wall of the heat transfer pipe 4. For example, for a rectangular heat transfer pipe 4, the top surface of the support rib can be designed as a plane, and for a circular heat transfer pipe 4, the top surface of the support rib can be designed as an arc surface to increase the contact area and improve heat conduction efficiency.

[0105] The area at the bottom of the through groove 12 where the first supporting rib 13 is not provided is used to connect with the single cell 3 pole post 31.

[0106] In this embodiment, the bottom of the through groove 12 is connected to the terminal post 31 of the single cell 3 by welding. To eliminate welding stress and achieve reference positioning, a through hole 14 is formed in the bottom of the through groove 12. The through hole 14 extends through the bottom of the through groove 12 along the z-direction (second direction), and its diameter is specifically determined according to the size of the terminal post 31 and the welding process. The through hole 14 can effectively release the stress generated during the welding process, prevent weld cracking or deformation of the connection due to stress concentration, and improve the reliability and stability of the connection. On the other hand, the through hole 14 can serve as a reference positioning hole, which cooperates with the positioning structure on the terminal post 31 during assembly to ensure that the terminal post extension 1 is coaxial with the corresponding terminal post 31, thus ensuring the stability of the current conduction path.

[0107] In some other embodiments, the bottom of the through-slot 12 can be connected to the three-terminal post 31 of the individual battery via screws. However, this method has certain disadvantages compared to the welding connection in this embodiment. Screw connections require machining threaded holes at the corresponding positions of the bottom of the through-slot 12 and the three-terminal post 31 of the individual battery. This increases the machining process and complexity, and requires high thread precision. Any deviation in thread machining will affect the tightness of the connection. Welding, on the other hand, directly fuses the two together, eliminating the need for additional complex thread machining. From a conductivity perspective, the contact area of ​​a screw connection has gaps, which can easily create contact resistance and affect current transmission efficiency. Welding eliminates these gaps, achieving efficient current conduction. In a vibration environment, screw connections are affected by vibration, and the screws may loosen, leading to connection failure. Welding effectively resists vibration, ensuring a stable connection.

[0108] In this embodiment, the two first support ribs 13 and the pole extension body 11 are integrally formed by aluminum extrusion process.

[0109] In other embodiments, when other extrudable metal materials such as copper are used, extrusion processes can also be employed. Compared to casting, machining, and other processes, extrusion processes can form complex structures in one step, reduce subsequent processing steps, significantly reduce processing costs, and at the same time ensure uniform internal structure of the material, which is beneficial to improving the overall electrical and thermal conductivity.

[0110] like Figure 3 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the battery component in this embodiment, taking the second and third types of battery components mentioned above as examples.

[0111] Combination Figure 4 The second type of battery component includes a housing 2 and 12 individual battery cells 3 located inside the housing 2 and arranged along the x-direction.

[0112] In this embodiment, the individual battery 3 is a prismatic battery, and the internal cavity of each individual battery 3 includes an electrolyte region and a gas region. In other embodiments, the number of individual batteries 3 can be adjusted according to actual needs, and the shape of the individual battery 3 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0113] An explosion venting channel 21 is provided in the outer casing 2. The explosion venting channel 21 extends in the x direction and covers the explosion venting ports of each individual battery 3. When the explosion venting membrane at the explosion venting port of any individual battery 3 is broken by the internal smoke, the smoke inside is discharged through the explosion venting channel 21, thereby improving the safety of the battery component.

[0114] An avoidance hole 22 is provided on the top plate of the outer casing 2 corresponding to the terminal post 31 of each individual battery 3; the area of ​​the top plate of the outer casing 2 corresponding to the avoidance hole 22 is fixedly sealed with the outer casing of the individual battery 3, so that the area of ​​the avoidance hole 22 on the top plate of the outer casing 2 is sealed.

[0115] Each individual battery cell 3 has a terminal extension 1 connected to its terminal post 31. The specific installation process is as follows: First, each terminal extension 1 is inserted into the corresponding clearance hole 22 on the top plate of the outer casing 2 and aligned with the terminal post 31 of the individual battery cell 3 to ensure contact between the two; then, the bottom of the through groove 12 and the terminal post 31 are connected by through soldering.

[0116] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The battery components may also include heat transfer pipes 4. After all the terminal extensions 1 are fixed, the heat transfer pipes 4 are fixed along the x-direction in the through grooves 12 of the main bodies 11 of each terminal extension located on the same side. The bottom of the heat transfer pipe 4 contacts the top surface of the first support rib 13 and maintains a safe distance from the top plate of the outer casing 2. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As can be seen from the image, two heat transfer pipes 4 are provided on the top of the battery component in this embodiment.

[0117] In this embodiment, the heat transfer tube 4 can be made of a non-conductive material with good thermal conductivity to avoid the safety hazards caused by the heat transfer tube 4 being electrified.

[0118] Combination Figure 5 The third type of battery component in this embodiment differs from the second type of battery component described above in that it also has a support member 25 extending in the x direction between the bottom plate of the outer casing 2 and each individual battery cell 3 to form a liquid channel, which serves as a shared electrolyte chamber 23.

[0119] On the top plate of the outer casing 2, a boss extending in the x direction may also be provided, and a gas channel is opened on the boss, which serves as a gas sharing chamber 24.

[0120] Example 2

[0121] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 The figures show a schematic diagram of the pole extension member 1 in this embodiment and an exploded view. As can be seen from the figures, this embodiment adds a conductive and heat-conducting block 15 to the pole extension member 1 in embodiment 1 to further optimize the heat conduction effect.

[0122] In Example 1, after the heat transfer tube 4 is fixed to the through groove 12 of the pole extension member 1, due to the existence of the cavity 5 between the two first support ribs 13 and between each first support rib 13 and the through groove 12 (the specific cavity 5 can be found in the following example), Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 7This inevitably creates a non-contact area between the heat transfer tube 4 and the pole extension 1. The air-filled cavity 5 will form a large thermal resistance, affecting the efficiency of heat transfer from the pole extension 1 to the heat transfer tube 4. In order to further optimize the heat transfer effect, this embodiment fixes a conductive heat-conducting block 15 in each cavity 5, and replaces the air with a highly conductive and thermally conductive material to significantly reduce the thermal resistance.

[0123] The conductive and heat-conducting block 15 can be made of a material with high electrical and thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. Aluminum has good electrical and thermal conductivity, which can effectively enhance the heat transfer efficiency between the electrode extension 1 and the heat transfer tube 4. At the same time, it has good compatibility with the aluminum material of the electrode extension body 11, which can reduce the thermal resistance of the contact interface.

[0124] In this embodiment, the conductive and heat-conducting block 15 includes a support plate 151 and three second support ribs 152. The support plate 151 is connected to the top surface of the three second support ribs 152. The three second support ribs 152 are respectively embedded between the two first support ribs 13 and in the cavity 5 between each first support rib 13 and the inner wall of the through groove 12, so as to achieve a tight fit with the pole extension body 11 and ensure that heat can be efficiently conducted from the pole extension body 11 to the conductive and heat-conducting block 15. The top surface of the support plate 151 serves as the bearing surface of the heat transfer pipe 4 and is in close contact with the outer wall of the heat transfer pipe 4.

[0125] The second support rib plate 152 and the support plate 151 are integrally formed by aluminum extrusion process, which not only ensures the integrity of the structure of the conductive and heat-conducting block 15 itself and a good heat conduction path, but also simplifies the processing flow and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0126] In some other embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, only three second support ribs 152 can be selected and embedded into the three cavities 5 respectively, with the top surface of the second support ribs 152 flush with the top surface of the first support ribs 13. Compared with this embodiment, although this design can also reduce thermal resistance by replacing some air with the second support ribs 152 and using less material, the contact area between the top surface of the second support ribs 152 and the heat transfer pipe 4 is smaller than that between the support plate 151 and the heat transfer pipe 4 in this embodiment, resulting in lower heat conduction efficiency. Therefore, this embodiment, through the combination design of the support plate 151 and the second support ribs 152, has advantages in heat conduction efficiency and structural stability, and does not significantly increase processing costs by adding support plates 151, thus maintaining the overall economic efficiency of the solution.

[0127] like Figure 9 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of the battery component in this embodiment, taking the third type of battery component as an example.

[0128] The second support rib 152 is embedded in the cavity 5 to achieve a tight fit with the pole extension body 11, ensuring that heat can be efficiently conducted from the pole extension body 11 to the conductive heat block 15; the support plate 151 is connected to the top surface of the second support rib 152, and its top surface serves as the bearing surface of the heat transfer pipe 4, and is in close contact with the outer wall of the heat transfer pipe 4.

[0129] Example 3

[0130] This embodiment is another battery component. Unlike the above embodiments, this embodiment uses a metal heat transfer tube 4. At the same time, an electrical insulation component 6 is set between the heat transfer tube 4 and each electrode extension 1 to solve the short circuit risk caused by the conductivity of the metal heat transfer tube 4 and the problem of the cooling water becoming electrified. This ensures the electrical safety of the battery system while ensuring efficient heat dissipation.

[0131] In this embodiment, the heat transfer tube 4 is made of metal (electrical conductor), preferably aluminum or aluminum alloy (such as 6063 aluminum alloy). Compared with non-conductive materials, this material has excellent thermal conductivity and can efficiently transfer heat to achieve heat dissipation; however, the conductivity of metal also brings potential risks. If it comes into direct contact with the polar terminals, it may cause a short circuit, and if the cooling water flowing in the heat transfer tube 4 is electrified, it will seriously affect the electrical safety of the battery system.

[0132] To solve the above problems, such as Figures 10 to 12 As shown, taking the third type of battery component as an example, in this embodiment, 2n electrically insulating components 6 (where n is the number of individual battery cells 3) are spaced apart along the length of the outer wall of the heat transfer tube 4, with n corresponding to the positive terminal and n corresponding to the negative terminal. In some other embodiments, the number of electrically insulating components 6 can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual number of polarity terminals.

[0133] The electrical insulation component 6 can be either an electrically insulating tube or an electrically insulating coating. Both can achieve electrical isolation between the heat transfer tube 4 and the polarized terminals, but they have different focuses in terms of performance and application scenarios:

[0134] In terms of fit, the electrical insulating coating can tightly cover the outer wall of the heat transfer tube 4, which is especially suitable for irregular shapes or surfaces with slight bumps and depressions. It can achieve seamless insulation and reduce the risk of local thermal resistance and insulation failure caused by poor contact. Moreover, by adjusting the spraying parameters (such as thickness and material ratio), the insulation and thermal conductivity can be precisely controlled, making it more adaptable to customized scenarios.

[0135] However, considering the requirements of battery operating environment for stability and ease of installation, this embodiment prefers an electrically insulating tube as the electrically insulating component 6. Compared with a coating, the electrically insulating tube has a three-dimensional tubular structure, which has stronger resistance to external forces and is not easily damaged under battery vibration, extrusion and other conditions, and can maintain stable insulation performance; moreover, it can be directly sleeved on the outer wall of the heat transfer tube 4 during installation, which is simple and quick and avoids problems such as uneven thickness and local peeling that may occur in the coating process.

[0136] The material of the electrical insulation tube can be plastic, rubber, or ceramic, etc., and ceramic is preferred in this embodiment. Ceramic not only has excellent electrical insulation and high temperature resistance, but also has good thermal conductivity, which can ensure the efficient transfer of heat from the polarity terminal to the heat transfer tube 4 through the electrical insulation tube while achieving electrical isolation.

[0137] The structure of the electrically insulating tube can be either a whole tube or a half tube. Based on the advantage that a whole tube can achieve all-round insulation protection, this embodiment selects a whole tube structure (defined as a ceramic tube segment).

[0138] Despite the inherent brittleness and susceptibility to impact fracture of ceramics, this embodiment effectively avoids this problem by spaced ceramic tube segments along the length of the heat transfer tube 4. When vibration or compression occurs during battery operation, the spaced areas act as stress release buffers, dispersing the force and preventing stress concentration in the ceramic tube segments, thus significantly reducing the risk of fracture. Simultaneously, the spaced distribution reduces the overall amount of ceramic material used, lowering production costs and reducing potential failure points, thereby improving system reliability. Furthermore, the areas of the heat transfer tube 4 without ceramic tube segments retain a degree of flexibility, allowing them to adapt to minor assembly errors during installation without requiring stringent precision, significantly improving assembly efficiency.

[0139] In summary, this embodiment utilizes the high thermal conductivity of the metal heat transfer tube 4 by setting spaced ceramic electrically insulating tubes between the metal heat transfer tube 4 and the polar terminals. It also achieves reliable electrical isolation through the electrically insulating tubes, solving the problems of short circuits and electrified cooling water. At the same time, the structural design overcomes the brittleness of ceramics, ensuring a balance between efficient heat dissipation and electrical safety in the battery components.

Claims

1. A pole post extension member, characterized in that: It includes a pole extension body and a first support rib; the pole extension body has a through groove extending in a first direction; the first support rib is disposed at the bottom of the through groove and is extruded integrally with the pole extension body; The top surface of the first supporting rib serves as the bearing surface of the heat transfer tube, and together with the two inner side walls of the through groove, it forms a heat transfer tube installation space; the area at the bottom of the through groove where the first supporting rib is not provided is used to connect with the electrode post of the single cell.

2. The pole extension member according to claim 1, characterized in that: The area at the bottom of the channel where the first supporting rib is not provided is used for welding connection with the terminal post of the individual battery.

3. The pole extension member according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the through groove is provided with a through hole in the area where the first supporting rib is not provided. The through hole extends through the bottom of the through groove in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The pole extension member according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first support rib is at least two, and the at least two support ribs are evenly arranged along a third direction, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

5. The pole extension member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: It also includes a conductive and heat-conducting block; the conductive and heat-conducting block includes a second supporting rib plate, which is embedded in the cavity between two adjacent first supporting rib plates and between the first supporting rib plate and the inner wall of the through groove.

6. The pole extension member according to claim 5, characterized in that: The conductive and heat-conducting block also includes a support plate, which is connected to the top surface of the second support rib, and the second support rib is an integrally extruded part; the top surface of the support plate serves as the bearing surface of the heat transfer tube.

7. A battery component, characterized in that: It includes a casing, n individual battery cells, and 2n terminal extension members as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; where n is an integer greater than 1; n individual cells are arranged inside the casing; the top plate of the casing has clearance holes corresponding to the terminals of each individual cell; Each electrode extension corresponds to a single battery electrode, and each electrode extension extends into the clearance hole and connects to the corresponding electrode; and, in the second direction, the heat transfer tube bearing surface is higher than the top plate of the outer shell. The clearance hole corresponds to the top plate area of ​​the outer casing and is sealed with the top cover of the individual battery.

8. The battery component according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes heat transfer tubes; The heat transfer tube extends along the first direction and is fixed within the heat transfer tube installation space of each pole extension body located on the same side; the inner cavity of the heat transfer tube serves as the flow cavity for the heat transfer medium, thereby realizing heat exchange of the pole extension.

9. The battery component according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes 2n electrically insulating components; the heat transfer tube is made of metal. 2n electrical insulating components are spaced apart along the length of the heat transfer tube and are located between the heat transfer tube and each pole extension component.

10. The battery component according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: Inside the outer casing, the internal cavities of each individual battery cell are interconnected.

11. The battery component according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The outer casing is provided with a venting channel extending in a first direction, which covers the venting ports of each individual battery cell.

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