Battery module and battery pack

Abstract

The utility model provides a battery module and a battery pack, the battery module is characterized in that a shell is provided with an accommodating space, a pressure relief opening and a first air inlet, the pressure relief opening and the first air inlet are respectively communicated with the accommodating space, the pressure relief opening is provided with a pressure relief mechanism, and the first air inlet is provided with an air inlet mechanism; the battery cell is arranged in the accommodating space; the first detection unit is installed on the shell and used for detecting a preset object, the first detection unit is electrically connected with the pressure relief mechanism, when the first detection unit detects thermal runaway of the battery cell, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief opening, and when the pressure intensity in the containing space is smaller than or equal to a pressure intensity threshold value, the air inlet mechanism opens the first air inlet. Compared with a passive exhaust mode in the prior art, the condition that the internal pressure of the shell does not burst through the pressure release valve even if the battery cell is subjected to thermal runaway is avoided, so that the risk that the internal pressure of the shell is released unsuccessfully is avoided, on the other hand, external air enters the accommodating space, and the safety of the battery cell is improved. And the thermal runaway of the battery cell is further relieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and specifically to a battery module and a battery pack. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy technology, battery modules have been widely used in various new energy vehicles and energy storage power stations. During the use of battery modules, if short circuits, overcharges and other phenomena occur, a large amount of heat will accumulate inside the battery modules, resulting in thermal runaway. Thermal runaway will cause the internal pressure of the battery modules to be too high, causing fire or even explosion.

[0003] In the prior art, a pressure relief valve is generally provided on the battery module. When the internal pressure of the battery module is too high, the pressure relief valve is opened to release the internal pressure of the battery module. This passive exhaust method is prone to the situation that the pressure relief valve cannot be opened, resulting in failure to release the internal pressure of the battery module. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application mainly provides a battery module and a battery pack that can achieve active exhaust to avoid the situation where even if thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell, the internal pressure of the shell does not open the pressure relief valve.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted in the present application is: to provide a battery module, the battery module comprising: a shell, forming a accommodating space and a pressure relief port and a first air inlet respectively connected to the accommodating space, the pressure relief port is provided with a pressure relief mechanism, and the first air inlet is provided with an air intake mechanism; a battery cell, arranged in the accommodating space; a first detection unit, installed on the shell and used to detect a preset object, the first detection unit is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism, when the first detection unit detects thermal runaway of the battery cell, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port, and when the pressure in the accommodating space is less than or equal to a pressure threshold, the air intake mechanism opens the first air inlet.

[0006] In a specific embodiment, the first detection unit includes a temperature detector, the preset object is the battery cell, the temperature detector is used to detect the temperature of the battery cell, and when the temperature of the battery cell is greater than or equal to a temperature threshold, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port.

[0007] In a specific embodiment, the first detection unit includes a gas detector, the preset object is the gas in the accommodating space, the gas detector is used to detect the gas composition in the accommodating space, and when the gas composition in the accommodating space contains thermal runaway gas, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port.

[0008] In a specific embodiment, the battery module further includes an exhaust unit, and the exhaust unit is used to communicate with the pressure relief port when the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port to exhaust the gas in the accommodating space.

[0009] In a specific embodiment, the exhaust unit includes an exhaust component and an exhaust mechanism, the exhaust component is provided with an exhaust channel and a second air inlet and an air outlet respectively connected to the exhaust channel, when the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port, the second air inlet is connected to the pressure relief port, and the exhaust mechanism is arranged at the air outlet.

[0010] In a specific embodiment, the battery module further includes a second detection unit, and the second detection unit is used to detect the pressure in the accommodating space.

[0011] In a specific embodiment, the pressure relief port and the first air inlet are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the shell.

[0012] In order to solve the above technical problems, another technical solution adopted in the present application is: to provide a battery pack, the battery pack includes a battery management unit and the battery module, the battery management unit is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism, the battery cell and the first detection unit respectively.

[0013] In a specific embodiment, the battery pack further includes a battery rack, the battery rack is provided with a battery compartment, and the shell is disposed in the battery compartment.

[0014] In a specific embodiment, the battery pack further includes an alarm, and the battery management unit is electrically connected to the alarm.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: Different from the prior art, the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application comprises: a shell, which is formed with a accommodating space and a pressure relief port and a first air inlet respectively connected with the accommodating space, the pressure relief port is provided with a pressure relief mechanism, and the first air inlet is provided with an air inlet mechanism; a battery cell, which is arranged in the accommodating space; a first detection unit, which is installed on the shell and is used to detect a preset object, the first detection unit is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism, and when the first detection unit detects that the battery cell is thermally runaway, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port, and the pressure in the accommodating space is less than or is equal to the pressure threshold, the air intake mechanism opens the first air intake port. On the one hand, the preset object is actively detected by the first detection unit, so that active exhaust is achieved when thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell. Compared with the passive exhaust method in the prior art, the situation that even if thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell, the internal pressure of the shell does not rush open the pressure relief valve is avoided, thereby avoiding the risk of failure to release the internal pressure of the shell. On the other hand, when the pressure in the accommodation space is less than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air intake mechanism opens the first air intake port, so that external air enters the accommodation space, further alleviating thermal runaway of the battery cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the implementation modes of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the implementation modes will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some implementation modes of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a battery module provided by the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the battery module;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross section of the middle casing and the pressure relief valve at F1-F1 upwards;

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of the middle shell;

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of another embodiment of the battery module provided by the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the battery module in the middle with the battery module facing upward;

[0023] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a battery pack embodiment provided by the present application;

[0024] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Control schematic block diagram of the battery pack;

[0025] Fig. 9 yes Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the cross section of the battery pack with the center facing upward. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and implementation methods. It is particularly noted that the following implementation methods are only used to illustrate the present application, but do not limit the scope of the present application. Similarly, the following implementation methods are only some implementation methods of the present application rather than all implementation methods. All other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] The terms "first", "second" and "third" in this application are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first", "second" and "third" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, and the manner is such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. All directional indications in the implementation mode of this application (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The manner, such as a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0028] Reference to "embodiment" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment 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.

[0029] Please also read Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of a battery module 10 provided in the present application, Figure 2 yes Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a battery module 10 . The battery module 10 in this embodiment includes a housing 11 , a battery cell 12 and a first detection unit 13 .

[0030] Please also refer to 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the middle housing 11 and the pressure relief mechanism 11a taken along the F1-F1 line upwards, Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the middle shell 11, the shell 11 is formed with a accommodating space 101, a pressure relief port 102 and a first air inlet 103, the pressure relief port 102 and the first air inlet 103 are respectively connected to the accommodating space 101, and the battery cell 12 is arranged in the accommodating space 101. In actual applications, the number of battery cells 12 can be multiple, and the multiple battery cells 12 are arranged in the accommodating space 101 in a converging manner.

[0031] The pressure relief port 102 is provided with a pressure relief mechanism 11 a , and the first air inlet 103 is provided with an air inlet mechanism 11 b .

[0032] Further reading Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The first detection unit 13 is installed on the shell 11 and is used to detect a preset object. The first detection unit 13 is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism 11a. When the first detection unit 13 detects that the battery cell 12 is in thermal runaway, the pressure relief mechanism 11a opens the pressure relief port 102, thereby releasing the internal pressure of the shell 11 to avoid fire or even explosion caused by excessive internal pressure of the shell 11. In this embodiment, the first detection unit 13 actively detects the preset object, thereby achieving active exhaust when the battery cell has thermal runaway. Compared with the passive exhaust method in the prior art, it avoids the situation that even if the battery cell 12 has thermal runaway, the internal pressure of the shell 11 does not open the pressure relief valve, thereby avoiding the risk of failure to release the internal pressure of the shell 11.

[0033] Furthermore, when the pressure in the accommodating space 101 is less than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air intake mechanism 11b opens the first air intake port 103, thereby allowing external air to enter the accommodating space 101, further alleviating the thermal runaway of the battery cell 12. It can be understood that the specific value of the pressure threshold can be set according to actual needs and is not limited to this.

[0034] Optionally, in actual applications, the pressure relief mechanism 11a can use a solenoid valve. When it is determined that the battery cell 12 has thermal runaway, the solenoid valve is controlled to open the pressure relief port 102. The air intake mechanism 11b can use a pressure valve or a solenoid valve. For example, when a pressure valve is used, when the pressure in the accommodation space 101 is less than or equal to the pressure threshold, the external pressure of the shell 11 is greater than the internal pressure of the shell 11. At this time, the external air automatically breaks open the pressure valve and enters the accommodation space 101.

[0035] Optionally, the pressure relief port 102 and the first air inlet 103 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the shell 11, so that the airflow direction of the above-mentioned exhaust process and the airflow direction of the air intake process are in the same direction, thereby improving the airflow stability during the exhaust process and the air intake process.

[0036] In a specific application scenario, the first detection unit 13 includes a temperature detector 131, which is used to detect the temperature of the battery cell 12. When the temperature of the battery cell 12 is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold, the pressure relief mechanism 11a opens the pressure relief port 102. That is, in this specific application scenario, the above-mentioned preset object is the battery cell 12, and the detection result of the first detection unit 13 is the temperature of the battery cell 12. In this way, heat accumulation caused by thermal runaway of the battery cell 12 is avoided, which may cause excessive internal pressure of the shell 11 and even cause fire or explosion.

[0037] It can be understood that in actual applications, the installation position of the temperature detector 131 can be set according to actual needs, and the temperature threshold can also be set according to actual needs. There is no limitation on this. For example, the temperature detector 131 can be set on the shell 11, and the temperature threshold can be set to be greater than or equal to 75°C.

[0038] In another specific application scenario, the first detection unit 13 includes a gas detector 132, which is used to detect the gas composition in the accommodating space 101. When the gas composition in the accommodating space 101 includes thermal runaway gas, the pressure relief mechanism 11a opens the pressure relief port 102. That is, in this other specific application scenario, the above-mentioned preset object is the gas in the accommodating space 101, and the detection result of the first detection unit 13 is the gas composition in the accommodating space 101. In this way, the toxic gas generated by the thermal runaway of the battery cell 12 can be prevented from causing poisoning of people, or even fire or explosion.

[0039] It can be understood that in actual applications, the installation position of the gas detector 132 can be set according to actual needs, and the gas components detected in the accommodating space 101 can also be set according to actual needs. There is no limitation on this. For example, the gas detector 132 can be set on the shell 11, and the gas components detected in the accommodating space 101 can be at least one of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and other gases.

[0040] Among them, in this embodiment, the first detection unit 13 performs detection through the above-mentioned temperature detector 131 and the gas detector 132 respectively, and when the temperature of the battery cell 12 is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold and the gas composition in the accommodating space 101 contains thermal runaway gas, it is determined that the battery cell 12 has thermal runaway, so that the pressure relief mechanism 11a opens the pressure relief port 102, thereby improving the accuracy of thermal runaway detection of the battery cell 12.

[0041] Optionally, the battery module 10 in this embodiment also includes a second detection unit (not shown in the figure), which is used to detect the pressure in the storage space 101. For example, the above-mentioned air intake mechanism 11b uses an electromagnetic valve. When the second detection unit detects that the pressure in the storage space 101 is less than or equal to the pressure threshold, the electromagnetic valve is controlled to open the first air inlet 103, thereby realizing active detection of the pressure in the storage space 101.

[0042] It can be understood that in practical applications, the position of the second detection unit can be set according to actual needs, for example, the second detection unit is set on the housing 11.

[0043] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the battery module 20 provided in the present application, Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The schematic cross-sectional view of the battery module 20 in the middle is taken along F2-F2 upwards. The battery module 20 in this embodiment further includes an exhaust unit 21. The other structures of the battery module 20 in this embodiment are the same as those of the battery module 10 in the above-mentioned embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0044] The exhaust unit 21 is included, and the exhaust unit 21 is used to communicate with the pressure relief port 102 when the pressure relief mechanism 11a opens the pressure relief port 102, so as to exhaust the gas in the accommodating space 101 and improve the exhaust efficiency of the gas in the accommodating space 101.

[0045] Furthermore, the exhaust unit 21 includes an exhaust component 211 and an exhaust mechanism 212. The exhaust component 211 is provided with an exhaust channel 201 and a second air inlet 202 and an air outlet 203 respectively connected to the exhaust channel 201. When the pressure relief mechanism 11a opens the pressure relief port 102, the second air inlet 202 is connected to the pressure relief port 102, and the exhaust mechanism 212 is arranged at the air outlet 203, so that the gas in the accommodating space 101 is discharged into the exhaust channel 201 through the pressure relief port 102 and the second air inlet 202 in turn, and then discharged from the air outlet 203 by the exhaust mechanism 212.

[0046] In practical applications, the exhaust mechanism 212 may be a fan.

[0047] Please also read Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , Figure 7 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a battery pack 30 embodiment provided in the present application, Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The control schematic block diagram of the battery pack 30 is shown in FIG. Fig. 9 yes Figure 7 The schematic cross-sectional view of the battery pack 30 taken along the line F3 - F3 upwards, the battery pack 30 in this embodiment includes a battery management unit 31 and a battery module in any of the above embodiments, and the above battery module 20 is taken as an example in this embodiment.

[0048] Among them, the battery management unit 31 is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism 11a, the battery cell 12 and the first detection unit 13 respectively, so that the battery management unit 31 determines whether the battery cell 12 has thermal runaway according to the detection result of the first detection unit 13. If thermal runaway occurs, the pressure relief mechanism 11a is controlled to open the pressure relief port 103.

[0049] It can be understood that in this embodiment, the battery management unit 31 is electrically connected to the temperature detector 131 and the gas detector 132 of the first detection unit 13 respectively.

[0050] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, there are multiple battery modules 10, and the battery management unit 31 is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism 11a, the battery cell 12 and the first detection unit 13 of each battery module 10, respectively, so that the first detection unit 13 of each battery module 10 can be detected individually, so that if a battery cell 12 in multiple battery modules 10 suffers from thermal runaway, each battery module 10 can perform exhaust and intake processes individually, thereby avoiding the thermal runaway spread caused by the battery cell 12 suffering from thermal runaway, thereby affecting the battery cells that have not suffered from thermal runaway.

[0051] Among them, in this embodiment, the number of second air inlets 202 formed by the exhaust part 211 of the exhaust unit 21 is multiple, and the multiple second air inlets 202 are respectively connected to the exhaust channel 201, so that the gas in the accommodating space 101 of the multiple battery modules 10 is discharged into the exhaust channel 201 respectively through the multiple second air inlets 202, and finally discharged from the air outlet 203.

[0052] Furthermore, the battery pack 30 in this embodiment also includes a battery rack 32, the battery rack 32 is provided with a battery compartment 301, the shell 11 is arranged in the battery compartment 301, that is, the battery module 10 is arranged in the battery compartment 301, and in this embodiment, the number of battery compartments 301 is multiple, and each battery compartment 301 accommodates a battery module 10.

[0053] Furthermore, the battery pack 30 in this embodiment also includes an alarm 23, and the battery management unit 31 is electrically connected to the alarm 23, so that when the battery management unit 31 determines that the battery cell 12 has thermal runaway, it controls the alarm 23 to sound an alarm to alert the staff.

[0054] Different from the prior art, the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a shell, formed with a accommodating space and a pressure relief port and a first air inlet respectively connected to the accommodating space, the pressure relief port is provided with a pressure relief mechanism, and the first air inlet is provided with an air inlet mechanism; a battery cell is arranged in the accommodating space; a first detection unit is installed on the shell and is used to detect a preset object, the first detection unit is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism, and when the first detection unit detects thermal runaway of the battery cell, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port, and the pressure in the accommodating space is less than or equal to the pressure When the threshold is strong, the air intake mechanism opens the first air intake port. On the one hand, the preset object is actively detected by the first detection unit, so that active exhaust is achieved when thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell. Compared with the passive exhaust method in the prior art, the situation that even if thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell, the internal pressure of the shell does not rush open the pressure relief valve is avoided, thereby avoiding the risk of failure to release the internal pressure of the shell. On the other hand, when the pressure in the accommodation space is less than or equal to the pressure threshold, the air intake mechanism opens the first air intake port, so that external air enters the accommodation space, further alleviating the thermal runaway of the battery cell.

[0055] The above description is only part of the implementation methods of the present application, and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that: The battery module comprises: A shell is formed with a containing space and a pressure relief port and a first air inlet respectively connected to the containing space, the pressure relief port is provided with a pressure relief mechanism, and the first air inlet is provided with an air inlet mechanism; A battery cell is arranged in the accommodation space; A first detection unit is installed on the shell and is used to detect a preset object. The first detection unit is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism. When the first detection unit detects thermal runaway of the battery cell, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port. When the pressure in the accommodating space is less than or equal to a pressure threshold, the air intake mechanism opens the first air intake port.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first detection unit includes a temperature detector, the preset object is the battery cell, the temperature detector is used to detect the temperature of the battery cell, and when the temperature of the battery cell is greater than or equal to a temperature threshold, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port.

3. The battery module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first detection unit includes a gas detector, the preset object is the gas in the accommodating space, the gas detector is used to detect the gas composition in the accommodating space, and when the gas composition in the accommodating space contains thermal runaway gas, the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery module further includes an exhaust unit, which is used to communicate with the pressure relief port when the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port, so as to exhaust the gas in the accommodation space.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The exhaust unit includes an exhaust component and an exhaust mechanism. The exhaust component is provided with an exhaust channel and a second air inlet and an air outlet respectively connected to the exhaust channel. When the pressure relief mechanism opens the pressure relief port, the second air inlet is connected to the pressure relief port. The exhaust mechanism is arranged at the air outlet.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery module further includes a second detection unit, and the second detection unit is used to detect the pressure in the accommodation space.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure relief port and the first air inlet are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the shell.

8. A battery pack, characterized in that: The battery pack includes a battery management unit and the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the battery management unit is electrically connected to the pressure relief mechanism, the battery cell and the first detection unit respectively.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8, characterized in that: The battery pack also includes a battery rack, the battery rack is provided with a battery compartment, and the shell is arranged in the battery compartment.

10. The battery pack according to claim 8, characterized in that: The battery pack further includes an alarm, and the battery management unit is electrically connected to the alarm.

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