Explosion venting connecting assembly, high-capacity battery and battery cluster

Abstract

The utility model provides an explosion venting connecting assembly, a high-capacity battery and a battery cluster, and mainly solves the problem of potential safety hazards caused by the fact that thermal runaway smoke in the existing high-capacity battery cannot be timely and accurately exhausted. The explosion venting connecting assembly comprises a first connecting pipe, a second connecting pipe and a connecting assembly body. The first connecting pipe is used for being connected with an explosion venting opening of a high-capacity battery, and the second connecting pipe is used for being connected with an explosion venting collecting pipe; the connecting assembly comprises a tube base, an insulating sleeve, a sealing piece and a locking nut. The connecting assembly is a ferrule type joint, and can realize simple and quick butt joint of the high-capacity battery and the explosion venting collecting pipe. When a single battery in any high-capacity battery in the battery cluster is subjected to thermal runaway, thermal runaway smoke can be discharged through the explosion venting collecting pipe, and the risks of thermal runaway diffusion and combustion or explosion of the high-capacity batteries and even the battery cluster are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of batteries, and in particular relates to an explosion-proof connection component, a large-capacity battery and a battery cluster. Background Art

[0002] As a new type of energy storage equipment, energy storage containers have the advantages of portability, flexibility, and high efficiency, and are widely used in power systems, transportation, aerospace, and other fields. Existing energy storage containers on the market include a box body, a support frame located in the box body, and multiple battery clusters arranged on the support frame. Each battery cluster includes multiple large-capacity batteries (also called battery packs or battery modules). Each large-capacity battery is composed of a shell and multiple single cells arranged in the shell in parallel, series, or a combination of series and parallel.

[0003] Due to the high concentration of large-capacity batteries in energy storage containers, individual single cells in the large-capacity batteries are prone to thermal runaway due to factors such as overcharging, over-discharging, and overheating. If the thermal runaway smoke generated by the thermal runaway cannot be discharged in a timely and accurate manner, the thermal runaway will continue to occur and spread. In severe cases, it will cause the large-capacity batteries or even battery clusters to burn or explode, thus causing safety hazards. Summary of the invention

[0004] The utility model provides an explosion relief connection component, a large-capacity battery and a battery cluster, which mainly solve the potential safety hazard problem caused by the inability to timely and accurately discharge smoke caused by thermal runaway in existing large-capacity batteries.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the technical solution provided by the utility model is:

[0006] The utility model provides an explosion-proof connection assembly, comprising a first connection tube, a second connection tube and a connection assembly; the first connection tube is used to be connected to the explosion-proof port of a large-capacity battery, and an explosion-proof membrane is arranged in the first connection tube, and the second connection tube is used to be connected to the explosion-proof collector; the connection assembly comprises a tube seat, an insulating sleeve, a sealing member and a locking nut; the tube seat is fixed to the end of the second connection tube, and a through hole is arranged inside the tube seat, and an external thread is arranged on the outer wall; the insulating sleeve is sleeved on the first connection tube; a first step hole is arranged in the locking nut, and the large hole of the first step hole is a threaded hole; the locking nut and the tube seat are sleeved on the insulating sleeve, and the locking nut is threadedly connected to the tube seat; the sealing member is sleeved on the insulating sleeve, and is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut and the end face of the tube seat, so as to realize the sealing between the tube seat and the locking nut.

[0007] Furthermore, the second connecting pipe is a three-way pipe, a first interface of which is sealedly connected to the pipe seat, and a second interface and a third interface are respectively used to connect to the flexible pipe section constituting the explosion-relief manifold.

[0008] Furthermore, the second connecting pipe is a flexible hollow pipe fitting, one end of which is sealedly connected to the pipe seat, and the other end of which is used to be connected to the explosion-relief manifold.

[0009] Furthermore, the through hole in the tube seat is a second step hole, and the end of the insulating sleeve close to the second connecting tube is provided with an annular inner rib, and the annular inner rib is squeezed by the end face of the first connecting tube and the step surface of the second step hole to achieve sealing between the tube seat and the first connecting tube. At the same time, the inner diameter of the annular inner rib is smaller than the inner tube diameter of the first connecting tube, and is also smaller than the small hole size of the second step hole.

[0010] Furthermore, an annular outer rib is provided at the end of the insulating sleeve close to the explosion vent of the large-capacity battery, and the annular outer rib is used to abut against the outer shell of the large-capacity battery.

[0011] Furthermore, the sealing member comprises a first sealing ring and a second sealing ring arranged along the axial direction; the first sealing ring contacts the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut to form a first conical surface seal, the second sealing ring contacts the end surface of the pipe seat to form a second conical surface seal, the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring contact to form a third conical surface seal, and the matching angles of the first conical surface seal, the second conical surface seal and the third conical surface seal are different.

[0012] Furthermore, an annular limiting boss is provided on the first connecting tube, and the annular limiting boss is used to cooperate with the explosion vent of the large-capacity battery to achieve fixation of the first connecting tube.

[0013] The utility model provides a large-capacity battery, characterized in that it comprises a shell and a plurality of single cells arranged in the shell along the same direction; a shared chamber is arranged in the shell, and the inner cavity of the shared chamber is connected to the inner cavities of all the single cells; an explosion vent is arranged on the shell, and the explosion vent is connected to the explosion vent connection assembly.

[0014] The utility model provides a battery cluster, which comprises an explosion venting manifold and n large-capacity batteries, wherein n is an integer greater than 1; the second connecting tubes of the large-capacity batteries are all connected to the explosion venting manifold, one end of the explosion venting manifold is sealed, and the other end is open, serving as a thermal runaway smoke exhaust port of the battery cluster.

[0015] Furthermore, the second connecting pipe is a three-way pipe, and the second connecting pipes of adjacent large-capacity batteries are connected through a flexible pipe section to form an explosion-relief manifold.

[0016] Furthermore, the second connecting pipe is a flexible hollow pipe, and the explosion-relief manifold includes a main pipe and n branch pipes arranged on the main pipe; the n branch pipes are connected to the second connecting pipes of the n large-capacity batteries in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the utility model has the following advantages:

[0018] 1. The utility model utilizes an explosion-proof connection assembly to merge the explosion-proof ports of all large-capacity batteries in a battery cluster with an explosion-proof manifold. When a single cell in any large-capacity battery in the battery cluster experiences thermal runaway, its thermal runaway smoke can be discharged through the explosion-proof manifold, thereby reducing the risk of thermal runaway spreading, combustion or explosion of large-capacity batteries or even battery clusters.

[0019] At the same time, the large-capacity batteries and the explosion-proof manifold are connected through the explosion-proof connection assembly, which is a ferrule-type joint. This connection structure is relatively reliable and has good sealing. At the same time, the ferrule-type joint can realize a simple and quick connection between the large-capacity battery and the explosion-proof manifold, with good assembly efficiency and convenient disassembly. In addition, the insulating sleeve in the explosion-proof connection assembly realizes reliable insulation between the large-capacity battery and the explosion-proof manifold, ensuring the safety of the large-capacity battery when in use.

[0020] 2. In the explosion-proof connection assembly of the utility model, the second connecting pipe is a three-way pipe, and the three-way pipes of adjacent large-capacity batteries are connected by a flexible pipe section to form an explosion-proof manifold. This method has relatively low requirements on the installation accuracy of the large-capacity batteries and the explosion-proof manifold. The installation deviation of the explosion-proof connection assembly can be compensated by the deformation of the flexible pipe section, thereby reducing the difficulty of installing the explosion-proof manifold.

[0021] 3. In the explosion-proof connection assembly of the utility model, the second connecting pipe is a flexible hollow pipe, which is connected to the non-spliced ​​whole explosion-proof manifold by the flexible hollow pipe. The installation accuracy requirements for large-capacity batteries and the explosion-proof manifold are relatively small. The installation deviation of the explosion-proof connection assembly can be compensated by the deformation of the flexible hollow pipe, reducing the difficulty of its installation with the explosion-proof manifold. At the same time, the use of a non-spliced ​​whole explosion-proof manifold reduces the risk of leakage to a certain extent.

[0022] 4. In the explosion-proof connection assembly of the utility model, the insulating sleeve has an annular inner rib, which is squeezed by the end face of the first connecting pipe and the step face of the second step hole of the pipe seat to achieve the seal between the pipe seat and the first connecting pipe. This connection method adds an extra seal, improves the sealing between the first connecting pipe and the second connecting pipe, and further ensures the sealing reliability of the connection between the first connecting pipe and the second connecting pipe. At the same time, the inner diameter of the annular inner rib is smaller than the inner diameter of the first connecting pipe, and is also smaller than the small hole size of the second step hole, so that the insulating sleeve completely covers the end of the first connecting pipe, improving the insulation performance between the first connecting pipe and the second connecting pipe.

[0023] 5. In the explosion-proof connection assembly of the utility model, an outward annular outer rib is provided at the end of the insulating sleeve close to the shell, and the annular outer rib is used to abut against the shell of the large-capacity battery, further improving the insulation performance of the insulating sleeve.

[0024] 6. In the explosion-proof connection assembly of the utility model, the sealing member includes a first sealing ring and a second sealing ring arranged along the axial direction. The first sealing ring and the second sealing ring form three conical surface seals, which greatly improves the sealing performance between the tube seat and the locking nut, thereby ensuring the safety of large-capacity batteries during use.

[0025] 7. In the explosion-proof connection assembly of the utility model, the first connecting tube is fixedly connected to the large-capacity battery through an annular limiting boss. This connection method can not only realize the accurate installation of the first connecting tube, but also facilitate the sealing of the connection between the first connecting tube and the large-capacity battery.

[0026] 8. In the battery cluster of the utility model, the explosion-proof connection components of all large-capacity batteries in the battery cluster are converged through the explosion-proof manifold. When a single cell in any large-capacity battery in the battery cluster experiences thermal runaway, its thermal runaway smoke can be discharged through the explosion-proof manifold, thereby reducing the risk of thermal runaway spreading, combustion or explosion of large-capacity batteries or even battery clusters.

[0027] Other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be embodied in part through the following description, and in part will be understood by those skilled in the art through research and practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model 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 utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the explosion relief connection assembly in Example 1 (the second connecting pipe is a flexible hollow pipe);

[0030] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the explosion relief connection assembly in Example 1;

[0031] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the explosion relief connection assembly in Example 1 (the second connecting pipe is a three-way pipe);

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large-capacity battery in Example 2 (the second connecting tube is a flexible hollow tube);

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large-capacity battery in Example 2 (the second connecting tube is a three-way tube);

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large-capacity battery in Example 2 (the front cover of the housing is omitted);

[0035] Figure 7 An exploded view of a large-capacity battery in Example 2;

[0036] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the explosion of the battery cluster in Example 3 (the explosion-relief manifold is a spliced ​​tube);

[0037] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cluster in Example 3 (the explosion-relief manifold is a spliced ​​tube);

[0038] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the battery cluster in Example 3 (the explosion-proof busbar is a whole tube).

[0039] Figure markings: 1-large capacity battery, 2-explosion venting connection assembly, 3-explosion venting manifold, 11-housing, 12-single battery, 13-polarity terminal, 14-insulating sealant layer, 15-insulating protective cover, 16-heat transfer tube, 111-gas sharing chamber, 112-electrolyte sharing chamber, 113-avoidance hole, 114-explosion venting port, 131-through groove, 21-first connecting tube, 22-second connecting tube, 23-tube seat, 24-insulating sleeve, 25-seal, 26-locking nut, 211-explosion venting membrane, 212-annular limiting boss, 241-annular inner rib, 242-annular outer rib, 251-first sealing ring, 252-second sealing ring, 253-first conical surface seal, 254-second conical surface seal, 255-third conical surface seal, 31-flexible pipe section, 32-main pipe, 33-branch pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the utility model more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the utility model are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings of the specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, but not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary persons in the field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0041] The "other embodiments" that appear in different places in this specification do not all refer to the same embodiment, nor are they separate or selective embodiments that are mutually exclusive with other embodiments. In the description of this specification, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. In the description of this utility model, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically limited.

[0042] In the description of this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate, or the internal communication of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0043] At the same time, in the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "top, bottom, inside and outside" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0044] In order to prevent the thermal runaway smoke of a single cell in an individual large-capacity battery from spreading to the entire container and causing safety problems, the utility model uses an explosion-proof manifold to converge the thermal runaway smoke of all large-capacity batteries in the battery cluster. When a single cell in any large-capacity battery in the battery cluster experiences thermal runaway, its thermal runaway smoke can be discharged through the explosion-proof manifold, thereby reducing the risk of thermal runaway spreading and the risk of combustion or explosion of the large-capacity batteries or even the battery cluster.

[0045] In order to further improve the safety of large-capacity battery use, the connection between the explosion-proof manifold and the large-capacity battery needs to ensure sealing and insulation. Based on this, the utility model provides an explosion-proof connection assembly, which realizes a reliable sealed and insulated connection between the large-capacity battery and the explosion-proof manifold, so that the thermal runaway smoke of all large-capacity batteries in the battery cluster can be converged by the explosion-proof manifold.

[0046] The above-mentioned explosion-proof connection assembly can be applicable to large-capacity batteries of various structures, for example, it can be applicable to large-capacity batteries disclosed in Chinese patents CN117477186A, CN117477063A, and CN115275453A; such large-capacity batteries include a plurality of single cells and a shared chamber connected to the inner cavities of each single cell (the shared chamber described here is the first hollow component or the second hollow component described in CN117477186A, the hollow component described in CN117477063A, and the electrolyte shared channel described in CN115275453A); the utility model uses one end of the above-mentioned shared chamber as an explosion-proof port for a large-capacity battery and connects it to the explosion-proof connection assembly.

[0047] The above-mentioned explosion-proof connection assembly can also be applied to the large-capacity battery disclosed in Chinese patent CN220324596U. Such large-capacity battery includes a shell and a plurality of single cells arranged in the shell; the inner cavity of each single cell is connected to the inner cavity of the shell; an explosion-proof port is provided on the shell, and the utility model seals and connects the explosion-proof connection assembly to the explosion-proof port.

[0048] The explosion venting connection assembly can also be applied to single cells and connected to the explosion venting ports of the single cells; for example, it can be used as an explosion venting tube in a battery disclosed in Chinese patent CN113725552A to connect the explosion venting ports of each single cell with the explosion venting manifold.

[0049] The structure of the explosion-proof connection assembly is described in detail below by taking a large-capacity battery including a housing and a plurality of single cells arranged in the housing as an example.

[0050] Example 1

[0051] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment provides an explosion venting connection assembly, and the explosion venting connection assembly 2 mainly realizes the connection between the large-capacity battery and the explosion venting manifold, so as to realize the directional discharge of the thermal runaway smoke in the large-capacity battery. The explosion venting connection assembly 2 includes a first connecting tube 21, a second connecting tube 22 and a connecting assembly; the first connecting tube 21 is used to be sealed and connected with the explosion venting port 114 of the large-capacity battery 1, and an explosion venting membrane 211 is provided in the first connecting tube 21, and the second connecting tube 22 is used to connect with the explosion venting manifold 3. The connecting assembly realizes the connection between the first connecting tube 21 and the second connecting tube 22. The connecting assembly is similar to the structure of the ferrule-type connector, and is used to realize a fast, reliable, sealed and insulated connection between the large-capacity battery 1 and the explosion venting manifold 3.

[0052] The first connecting tube 21 is a straight metal tube, which is used for sealing connection with the explosion vent 114 of the large-capacity battery 1. It can usually be made of the same aluminum metal as the shell 11 of the large-capacity battery 1, or other metals, such as stainless steel. The explosion vent 114 of the large-capacity battery 1 can be sealed by welding, threaded connection, interference fit, etc. After connection, it is necessary to ensure that the first connecting tube 21 is connected to the inner cavity of the shell 11 of the large-capacity battery 1.

[0053] When connecting, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first connecting tube 21 is provided with an annular limiting boss 212, which is embedded in the explosion vent 114 of the large-capacity battery 1 to fix the first connecting tube 21. This connection method can realize the accurate installation of the first connecting tube 21 and facilitate the sealing of the connection between the first connecting tube 21 and the large-capacity battery 1.

[0054] like Figure 2As shown, an explosion-proof membrane 211 is installed in the first connecting tube 21. The explosion-proof membrane 211 can be a plastic sheet or a metal sheet. If a plastic sheet is used, the explosion-proof membrane 211 needs to be fixed to the first connecting tube 21 by bonding. However, due to the insufficient pressure bearing capacity of the bonding method, an accidental explosion may occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, the explosion-proof membrane 211 is made of a metal sheet and fixed to the first connecting tube 21 by welding. In order to facilitate welding, the explosion-proof membrane 211 is preferably made of an aluminum sheet. In order to facilitate welding of the explosion-proof membrane 211, in this embodiment, the explosion-proof membrane 211 is welded to a side port of the first connecting tube 21 away from the explosion-proof port 114 of the large-capacity battery 1. In addition, in order to further ensure that the explosion-proof membrane 211 can rupture and release pressure under the action of thermal runaway smoke pressure, an annular groove is set in the middle area of ​​the explosion-proof membrane 211 to form a weak explosion-proof area. The setting of the annular groove can effectively ensure that the weak explosion-proof area can be broken when the pressure increases to 0.6Mpa to 0.8Mpa.

[0055] The second connecting pipe 22 is used to connect to the explosion venting manifold 3, and the explosion venting manifold 3 realizes the confluence of thermal runaway smoke from multiple large-capacity batteries 1. The second connecting pipe 22 can specifically adopt the following structure:

[0056] First, Figure 3 As shown, the second connecting pipe 22 is a three-way pipe, the first interface of which is sealedly connected to the pipe seat 23, and the second interface and the third interface are respectively used to connect with the flexible pipe section constituting the explosion relief manifold;

[0057] The second connecting pipe 22 is a three-way pipe, which uses a flexible pipe section to connect the three-way pipes of adjacent large-capacity batteries 1 to form an explosion-proof manifold 3. The installation accuracy requirements for the explosion-proof connection components 2 of the large-capacity batteries 1 are relatively small. The installation deviation of the explosion-proof connection components 2 can be compensated by the deformation of the flexible pipe section 31, thereby reducing the installation difficulty of the explosion-proof manifold 3.

[0058] Second, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the second connecting pipe 22 is a flexible hollow pipe, one end of which is sealed and connected to the pipe seat 23, and the other end is used to connect to the explosion venting manifold 3. When specifically connected, the second connecting pipe 22 can be fixed to the explosion venting manifold 3 by welding or threaded connection. The flexible hollow pipe is a bellows, which can be a metal bellows or a plastic bellows, but such bellows must meet at least the following two requirements: 1. High temperature resistance (thermal runaway flue gas temperature), that is, when thermal runaway occurs, the bellows cannot be deformed; 2. Corrosion resistance, that is, when thermal runaway occurs, it cannot be corroded or deformed due to contact with thermal runaway flue gas or thermal runaway emissions.

[0059] The second connecting tube 22 is a flexible hollow pipe, which is connected to the non-spliced ​​whole explosion-proof manifold 3 by the flexible hollow pipe, and the installation accuracy requirements of the explosion-proof connection assembly 2 of each large-capacity battery 1 are relatively small. The installation deviation of the explosion-proof connection assembly 2 can be compensated by the deformation of the flexible hollow pipe, thereby reducing the installation difficulty of the explosion-proof manifold 3. At the same time, the use of the non-spliced ​​whole explosion-proof manifold 3 reduces the risk of leakage to a certain extent.

[0060] The first connecting tube 21 and the second connecting tube 22 are sealed and insulated by a connecting assembly. After the connection, the first connecting tube 21 and the second connecting tube 22 are insulated from each other, and the sealing performance of the first connecting tube 21 and the second connecting tube 22 is good.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, the connection assembly in this embodiment includes a tube seat 23, an insulating sleeve 24, a sealing member 25 and a locking nut 26; the tube seat 23 is fixed at the end of the second connecting tube 22, and is provided with a through hole inside and an external thread on the outer wall; the insulating sleeve 24 is sleeved on the first connecting tube 21; the locking nut 26 has a first step hole inside, and the large hole of the first step hole is a threaded hole; the locking nut 26 and the tube seat 23 are sleeved on the insulating sleeve 24, and the locking nut 26 is threadedly connected to the tube seat 23; the sealing member 25 is sleeved on the insulating sleeve 24, and is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut 26 and the end face of the tube seat 23, so as to realize the sealing between the tube seat 23 and the locking nut 26.

[0062] The pipe seat 23 is connected to the second connecting pipe 22 , and can be fixed to the end of the second connecting pipe 22 by welding, threaded connection or the like.

[0063] The insulating sleeve 24 is sleeved on the first connecting pipe 21, mainly to achieve insulation between the second connecting pipe 22 and the second connecting pipe 22. Since the thermal runaway flue gas has a high temperature and there may be corrosive gases or molten impurities in the thermal runaway flue gas, the insulating sealing rubber sleeve needs to be made of high temperature resistant and corrosion resistant materials.

[0064] In this embodiment, the insulating sleeve 24 can be made of a perfluoro rubber sleeve, which is generally suitable for continuous temperatures of 260°C to 290°C, can be used for long-term use at 316°C, and can even be used at high temperatures of 360°C for a short period of time. At the same time, at room temperature, the insulation resistance of fluoro rubber is generally above 10^13Ω, a value that other high-temperature rubber materials do not have. Moreover, the insulation resistance of fluoro rubber increases with the increase of temperature, and can maintain a certain insulation resistance at high temperatures.

[0065] The seal 25 is mainly used to seal the locking nut 26 and the tube seat 23. Specifically, a sealing ring structure such as an O-ring can be adopted. After installation, the seal 25 is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut 26 and the end surface of the tube seat 23 to achieve sealing.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, the sealing member 25 in this embodiment includes a first sealing ring 251 and a second sealing ring 252 arranged in the axial direction; the first sealing ring 251 and the locking nut 26 step surface contact type form a first conical surface seal 253, the second sealing ring 252 and the tube seat 23 end surface contact form a second conical surface seal 254, the first sealing ring 251 and the second sealing ring 252 contact to form a third conical surface seal 255, and the first conical surface seal 253, the second conical surface seal 254 and the third conical surface seal 255 have different matching angles. The first sealing ring 251 and the second sealing ring 252 form three conical surface seals, which greatly improves the sealing performance between the tube seat 23 and the locking nut 26, ensuring the safety of the large-capacity battery 1 during use.

[0067] In addition, in this embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the end of the insulating sleeve 24 close to the second connecting pipe 22 is provided with an inward annular inner rib 241, and the through hole in the tube seat 23 is a second step hole. The annular inner rib 241 is squeezed by the end face of the first connecting pipe 21 and the step surface of the second step hole, so as to achieve the sealing between the tube seat 23 and the first connecting pipe 21. The inner diameter of the annular inner rib 241 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first connecting pipe 21, and is also smaller than the small hole size of the second step hole. The annular inner rib 241 of the insulating sleeve 24 is squeezed by the end face of the first connecting pipe 21 and the step surface of the second step hole of the tube seat 23, so as to achieve the sealing between the tube seat 23 and the first connecting pipe 21. This connection method adds an extra seal, improves the sealing between the first connecting pipe 21 and the second connecting pipe 22, and further ensures the reliability of the connection between the first connecting pipe 21 and the second connecting pipe 22.

[0068] At the same time, the inner diameter of the annular inner rib 241 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first connecting tube 21, and is also smaller than the small hole size of the second step hole, so that the insulating sleeve 24 completely covers the end of the first connecting tube 21, thereby improving the insulation performance between the first connecting tube 21 and the second connecting tube 22.

[0069] In addition, an outward annular outer rib 242 is provided at the end of the insulating sleeve 24 close to the outer shell 11 . The annular outer rib 242 is used to abut against the outer shell 11 of the large-capacity battery 1 , further improving the insulation performance of the insulating sleeve 24 .

[0070] When the above-mentioned connecting components are connected, the tube seat 23 is fixed on the second connecting tube 22, the insulating sleeve 24 is sleeved on the first connecting tube 21, and the locking nut 26 and the tube seat 23 are sleeved on the upper insulating sleeve 24; finally, the locking nut 26 and the tube seat 23 are threadedly connected, and the locking nut 26 is rotated. The sealing member 25 is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut 26 and the end surface of the tube seat 23, thereby realizing the sealing between the first connecting tube 21 and the second connecting tube 22.

[0071] Example 2

[0072] like Figures 4 to 7 As shown, this embodiment provides a large-capacity battery, which includes a shell 11 and a plurality of single cells 12 arranged in the same direction and placed in the shell 11. The single cells 12 in this embodiment are square shell batteries, and the number can be adjusted according to actual needs. The inner cavity of each single cell 12 includes an electrolyte area and a gas area. After the multiple single cells 12 are arranged in the same direction and placed in the shell 11, avoidance holes 113 are opened on the top plate of the shell 11 corresponding to the polarity terminals 13 of each single cell 12, and the polarity terminals 13 of each single cell 12 extend out of the corresponding avoidance holes 113 as the polarity terminals 13 of the large-capacity battery 1 (the polarity terminals 13 of all single cells 12 on one side serve as the positive polarity terminals of the large-capacity battery 1, and the polarity terminals 13 of all single cells 12 on the other side serve as the negative polarity terminals of the large-capacity battery 1), and the top plate area of ​​the shell 11 corresponding to the avoidance holes 113 is fixedly sealed with the shell of the single cell 12.

[0073] It should be noted that the polarity terminal 13 of the single cell 12 here can be the pole of the single cell 12. In order to avoid the pole of the single cell 12 from being unable to smoothly extend out of the avoidance hole 113 as a polarity terminal, a pole adapter can also be connected to the pole of the single cell 12, and the overall structure of the pole of the single cell 12 and the pole adapter can be used as the polarity terminal 13 of the single cell 12.

[0074] like Figure 6 As shown, the inner cavity of the shell 11 is connected to the inner cavities of each single battery 12. The above-mentioned connection effect can be achieved by providing a shared cavity in the shell 11 so that the inner cavity of the shared cavity is connected to the inner cavities of all single batteries 12.

[0075] The above-mentioned shared chamber may be an electrolyte shared chamber 112, the inner cavity of the electrolyte shared chamber 112 is connected to the electrolyte area of ​​the inner cavity of all the single cells 12, and the electrolyte shared chamber 112 can make each single cell 12 in a unified electrolyte environment, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the electrolyte in each single cell 12 and improving the performance and charge-discharge cycle life of the large-capacity battery 1. The electrolyte shared chamber 112 in this embodiment is a liquid channel arranged between the bottom plate of the housing 11 and the bottom of each single cell 12.

[0076] The above-mentioned shared chamber can also be a gas shared chamber 111. The inner cavity of the gas shared chamber 111 is connected to the gas area of ​​the inner cavity of all the single cells 12. The gas balance of each single cell 12 is achieved through the gas shared chamber 111, which can also improve the performance and charge-discharge cycle life of the large-capacity battery 1. In this embodiment, the gas shared chamber 111 is a gas channel arranged on the top plate of the shell 11. At this time, the top plate of the shell 11 is provided with a protrusion extending along the arrangement direction of the single cells 12, and a gas channel is formed at the protrusion.

[0077] The above-mentioned shared chamber can also be a gas-liquid shared chamber, and the inner cavity of the gas-liquid shared chamber is connected to the electrolyte area and gas area of ​​the inner cavity of all single cells 12. Through a gas-liquid shared chamber, each single cell 12 can be placed in a unified electrolyte environment and gas environment, thereby improving the performance and charge and discharge cycle life of the large-capacity battery 1.

[0078] like Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, a through groove 131 is provided at the portion where the polarity terminal 13 of the single battery 12 protrudes from the avoidance hole 113, and the heat transfer tube 16 is fixed in the through groove 131. When the temperature of the large-capacity battery 1 is higher than the set threshold, a heat transfer medium with a lower temperature is introduced into the heat transfer tube 16 to cool the large-capacity battery 1; when the temperature of the large-capacity battery 1 is lower than the set threshold, a heat transfer medium with a higher temperature is introduced into the heat transfer tube 16 to heat the large-capacity battery 1; by controlling the temperature of the heat transfer medium, it is ensured that the large-capacity battery 1 always operates at a normal operating temperature.

[0079] like Figure 7 As shown, in order to prevent condensation generated by the heat transfer tube 16 from causing safety problems, in this embodiment, an insulating sealant layer 14 can also be laid on the top plate of the shell 11, and a partial area of ​​the polarity terminal 13 of each single battery 12 is covered by the insulating sealant layer 14, and the electrical connection part (i.e., the upper end surface) of the polarity terminal 13 of each single battery 12 extends out of the insulating sealant layer 14 and is connected to the electrical connector (based on the electrical connector, the parallel connection of each single battery 12 or the series connection of multiple large-capacity batteries 1 can be achieved); the main part of the heat transfer tube 16 is covered by the insulating sealant layer 14, and the liquid inlet and outlet ends of the heat transfer tube 16 extend out of the insulating sealant layer 14 for connection with the liquid cooling equipment.

[0080] The polarity terminal 13 is directly exposed to the external environment, and there is a great safety hazard during use because the polarity terminal 13 is charged. Based on this, an insulating protective cover 15 is set on the top of the large-capacity battery 1 to provide insulation protection for the polarity terminal 13, avoiding the potential safety hazard of the polarity terminal 13 being exposed during the operation of the large-capacity battery 1, and also avoiding the problem that some foreign matter in the external environment falls into the position of the polarity terminal 13 and causes the large-capacity battery 1 to short-circuit, thereby improving the safety of the large-capacity battery 1.

[0081] It should be noted that if the insulating protective cover 15 completely covers the polarity terminal 13, it will make the electrical connection of such a large-capacity battery 1 difficult. Therefore, in this embodiment, a slit is provided on the side wall of the insulating protective cover 15, through which the electrical connector can be connected to the polarity terminal 13, thereby achieving electrical connection. It should also be noted that a channel for the liquid inlet and liquid outlet of the heat transfer tube 16 to extend out is also required on the side wall of the insulating protective cover 15.

[0082] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in order to lead the thermal runaway smoke out of the shell 11 of the above-mentioned large-capacity battery 1, the shell 11 is provided with an explosion vent 114 connected to the inner cavity of the shell 11; usually, the explosion vent 114 is connected to the above-mentioned shared chamber. The explosion vent 114 is connected to the explosion vent connection component 2 in Example 1, and the explosion vent connection component 2 directs the thermal runaway smoke generated by the thermal runaway of any single cell 12 in the large-capacity battery 1 to the explosion vent manifold 3, avoiding the safety hazard of combustion or explosion of the large-capacity battery 1.

[0083] Example 3

[0084] like Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, this embodiment provides a battery cluster, which includes at least two large-capacity batteries 1 in embodiment 2. In order to prevent the thermal runaway smoke of the single cell 12 in the individual large-capacity battery 1 from spreading to the entire container and causing safety hazards. In this embodiment, the explosion-proof connection components 2 of all large-capacity batteries 1 in the battery cluster are connected using an explosion-proof manifold 3. After the connection, one end of the explosion-proof manifold 3 is sealed and the other end is open, which serves as the thermal runaway smoke exhaust port of the battery cluster. When a single cell 12 in any large-capacity battery 1 in the battery cluster undergoes thermal runaway, the thermal runaway smoke can be discharged through the explosion-proof manifold 3, reducing the risk of combustion or explosion of the large-capacity battery 1 and the battery cluster.

[0085] When the explosion relief manifold 3 is connected to the explosion relief connection assembly 2, the following structure can be specifically adopted:

[0086] First, the explosion relief manifold 3 is a spliced ​​structure, which is suitable for the structure in which the second connecting pipe 22 is a three-way pipe;

[0087] like Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the second connecting pipes 22 of adjacent large-capacity batteries 1 are connected by a flexible pipe section 31 to form an explosion-proof manifold 3. The second connecting pipe 22 is a three-way pipe, including a horizontal pipe and a vertical pipe section, wherein the vertical pipe section is fixedly connected to the pipe seat 23, that is, the first interface of the three-way pipe is sealed and connected to the pipe seat 23, and the horizontal pipe section is respectively connected to the two ends of the flexible pipe section 31 by welding or screwing, that is, the second interface and the third interface are respectively connected to the flexible pipe section 31. The flexible pipe section 31 can specifically adopt a metal bellows, which is resistant to high temperature and has a certain flexibility. After the explosion-proof manifold 3 is formed by the flexible pipe section 31, the installation accuracy requirements for the explosion-proof connection assembly 2 of each large-capacity battery 1 are relatively small. The installation deviation of the explosion-proof connection assembly 2 can be compensated by the deformation of the flexible pipe section 31, thereby reducing the difficulty of installing the explosion-proof manifold 3.

[0088] The assembly process of the explosion relief manifold 3 and the explosion relief connection assembly 2 of this structure is as follows:

[0089] First, each pipe seat 23 is fixedly connected to the first interface of each second connecting pipe 22, and then the transverse pipe section of the second connecting pipe 22 is respectively connected to the two ends of the flexible pipe section 31 by welding or screwing;

[0090] Secondly, the insulating sleeve 24 is sleeved on the first connecting pipe 21, and the locking nut 26 and the pipe seat 23 are sleeved on the upper insulating sleeve 24;

[0091] Finally, the locking nut 26 is threadedly connected to the tube seat 23, and the locking nut 26 is continuously rotated, so that the seal 25 is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut 26 and the end surface of the tube seat 23, thereby achieving sealing between the tube seat 23 and the locking nut 26.

[0092] In the above-mentioned spliced ​​explosion-proof manifold 3, part of the pipe section of the explosion-proof manifold 3 is a flexible pipe section 31. The deformation of the flexible pipe section 31 can compensate for the installation error of the explosion-proof connection assembly 2 and the spacing deviation of the large-capacity battery 1, thereby reducing the difficulty of installing the explosion-proof manifold 3.

[0093] Second, the explosion relief manifold 3 is a whole pipe structure, which is suitable for the structure in which the second connecting pipe 22 is a flexible hollow pipe;

[0094] like Fig.10 As shown, the explosion-proof manifold 3 includes a main pipe 32 and a plurality of branch pipes 33 arranged on the main pipe 32; the plurality of branch pipes 33 are connected one by one with the flexible hollow pipe fittings in the large-capacity batteries 1, wherein the flexible hollow pipe fittings and the branch pipes 33 of the explosion-proof manifold 3 can be connected by welding or screwing.

[0095] When the explosion relief manifold 3 of this structure is assembled with the explosion relief connection assembly 2,

[0096] First, each pipe seat 23 is fixedly connected to one end of each second connecting pipe 22, and then the other ends of the plurality of second connecting pipes 22 are respectively connected to the plurality of branch pipes 33 on the main pipe 32 in a one-to-one correspondence;

[0097] Secondly, the insulating sleeve 24 is sleeved on the first connecting pipe 21, and the locking nut 26 and the pipe seat 23 are sleeved on the upper insulating sleeve 24;

[0098] Finally, the locking nut 26 is threadedly connected to the tube seat 23, and the locking nut 26 is continuously rotated, so that the seal 25 is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut 26 and the end surface of the tube seat 23, thereby achieving sealing between the tube seat 23 and the locking nut 26.

[0099] In this connection structure, a flexible hollow pipe is used to connect with a non-spliced ​​whole explosion-proof manifold 3, and the installation accuracy of each large-capacity battery 1 explosion-proof connection assembly 2 and the spacing deviation between the large-capacity batteries 1 are required to be relatively small. The installation deviation of the explosion-proof connection assembly 2 and the spacing deviation between the large-capacity batteries 1 can be compensated by the deformation of the flexible hollow pipe, thereby reducing the difficulty of installation between the explosion-proof manifold 3 and the explosion-proof manifold 3. At the same time, the use of a non-spliced ​​whole explosion-proof manifold 3 reduces the risk of leakage to a certain extent compared with a spliced ​​explosion-proof manifold 3.

Claims

1. An explosion relief connection assembly, characterized in that: It includes a first connecting pipe, a second connecting pipe and a connecting assembly; The first connecting tube is used to connect to the explosion vent of the large-capacity battery, and an explosion vent membrane is provided in the first connecting tube, and the second connecting tube is used to connect to the explosion vent manifold; The connection assembly includes a pipe seat, an insulating sleeve, a seal and a locking nut; The pipe seat is fixed at the end of the second connecting pipe, and has a through hole inside and an external thread on the outer wall; The insulating sleeve is sleeved on the first connecting pipe; The locking nut has a first step hole in it, and the large hole of the first step hole is a threaded hole; The locking nut and the pipe seat are sleeved on the insulating sleeve, and the locking nut is threadedly connected to the pipe seat; The sealing member is sleeved on the insulating sleeve and is squeezed by the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut and the end surface of the tube seat, so as to achieve sealing between the tube seat and the locking nut.

2. The explosion relief connection assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second connecting pipe is a three-way pipe, a first interface of which is sealedly connected to the pipe seat, and a second interface and a third interface are respectively used to connect to the flexible pipe section constituting the explosion-relief manifold.

3. The explosion relief connection assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second connecting pipe is a flexible hollow pipe, one end of which is sealed and connected to the pipe seat, and the other end of which is used to be connected to the explosion-relief manifold.

4. The explosion relief connection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The through hole in the tube seat is a second step hole, and the end of the insulating sleeve close to the second connecting pipe is provided with an annular inner rib, and the annular inner rib is squeezed by the end face of the first connecting pipe and the step face of the second step hole to achieve sealing between the tube seat and the first connecting pipe. At the same time, the inner diameter of the annular inner rib is smaller than the inner tube diameter of the first connecting pipe, and is also smaller than the small hole size of the second step hole.

5. The explosion relief connection assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: An annular outer rib is provided at the end of the insulating sleeve close to the explosion vent of the large-capacity battery, and the annular outer rib is used to abut against the outer shell of the large-capacity battery.

6. The explosion relief connection assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sealing member comprises a first sealing ring and a second sealing ring arranged along the axial direction; the first sealing ring contacts the step surface of the first step hole of the locking nut to form a first conical surface seal, the second sealing ring contacts the end surface of the pipe seat to form a second conical surface seal, the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring contact to form a third conical surface seal, and the matching angles of the first conical surface seal, the second conical surface seal and the third conical surface seal are different.

7. The explosion relief connection assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: An annular limiting boss is provided on the first connecting tube, and the annular limiting boss is used to cooperate with the explosion vent of the large-capacity battery to achieve the fixation of the first connecting tube.

8. A large capacity battery, characterized in that: It comprises a shell and a plurality of single cells arranged in the shell in the same direction; a shared chamber is provided in the shell, and the inner cavity of the shared chamber is connected to the inner cavities of all the single cells; an explosion vent is provided on the shell, and the explosion vent is connected to the explosion vent connection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A battery cluster, characterized in that: It comprises an explosion venting manifold and n large-capacity batteries as described in claim 8, wherein n is an integer greater than 1; the second connecting tubes of the large-capacity batteries are all connected to the explosion venting manifold, one end of the explosion venting manifold is sealed, and the other end is open, serving as a thermal runaway smoke exhaust outlet for the battery cluster.

10. The battery cluster according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second connecting pipe is a three-way pipe, and the second connecting pipes of adjacent large-capacity batteries are connected through a flexible pipe section to form an explosion-relief manifold.

11. The battery cluster according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second connecting pipe is a flexible hollow pipe, and the explosion-relief manifold comprises a main pipe and n branch pipes arranged on the main pipe; the n branch pipes are connected to the second connecting pipes of the n large-capacity batteries in a one-to-one correspondence.

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