End plate and battery module

Abstract

The utility model discloses an end plate and a battery module. The end plate comprises a plate body, the plate body is provided with a communicating hole and a plurality of forming holes, the communicating hole penetrates through the plate body in the first direction, each forming hole penetrates through the plate body in the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect. Wherein the orthographic projection of the hole walls of at least part of the forming holes in the second direction is triangular, the length size of the plate body in the second direction is A, the length size of the plate body in the first direction is B, and A is larger than or equal to 2B. The end plate has high strength, can meet the requirement of high expansibility of the high-performance battery cell, and is convenient to process and low in cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of battery technology, and in particular relates to an end plate and a battery module. Background Art

[0002] As the basic unit of the power battery pack, the battery cell will expand due to internal chemical reactions during its service life. The expansion force generated will damage the battery module structure. If the battery module structure does not have good control over the expansion force of the battery cell, it will affect the service life and performance of the battery cell and battery module structure, reducing product safety. At the same time, the shortened life and performance will lead to an increase in the demand for replacement of the battery cell or battery module structure, thereby increasing the cost of using electric vehicles.

[0003] The end plate is an important component of the battery module structure. It connects and fixes the battery pack, can well control the expansion force of the battery cell, and plays a vital role in the strength of the battery module structure. However, the traditional end plate has low strength and cannot meet the high expansion force requirements of high-performance battery cells. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application provides an end plate and a battery module. The end plate has high strength and can meet the high expansion force requirements of high-performance battery cells. It is also easy to process and has low cost.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides an end plate, comprising a plate body. The plate body has a connecting hole and a plurality of forming holes, wherein the connecting hole is arranged through the plate body along a first direction, each forming hole is arranged through the plate body along a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect; wherein the orthographic projection of the hole wall of at least part of the forming holes along the second direction is a triangle, the length dimension of the plate body along the second direction is A, the length dimension of the plate body along the first direction is B, and the following is satisfied: A≥2B.

[0006] In some embodiments, the plurality of forming holes are spaced apart and distributed along the first direction, and the hole walls of two adjacent forming holes are arranged parallel to each other.

[0007] In some embodiments, among the plurality of forming holes, the orthographic projections of the hole walls of at least some of the forming holes along the second direction are in the shape of right triangles, and the orthographic projections of the hole walls of some of the forming holes along the second direction are in the shape of isosceles triangles.

[0008] In some embodiments, the end plate further includes a connecting piece, which is connected to two intersecting side walls of the plate body, and a curved surface is provided on a side of the connecting piece facing away from the plate body.

[0009] In some embodiments, the connecting member and the plate body are an integrated structure, and the orthographic projection of the plate body along the first direction covers the orthographic projection of the connecting member along the first direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, at least part of the connecting member is provided with a limiting protrusion, and the limiting protrusion protrudes from the arc surface.

[0011] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of part of the forming holes in the second direction is rectangular and is correspondingly arranged with the connecting member.

[0012] In some embodiments, a reinforcing protrusion extending in the first direction protrudes inwardly on the hole wall whose orthographic projection in the second direction is rectangular.

[0013] The embodiment of the present application further provides a battery module, including the above-mentioned end plate, battery pack and fixing member. The battery pack includes multiple rows of stacked battery cells; along the third direction, end plates are arranged on both sides of the battery pack, and the battery pack abuts against the end plates; the fixing member connects and fixes the two end plates.

[0014] In some embodiments, the fixing member includes a binding band, and the binding band is sleeved on the end plate and the battery pack.

[0015] The present application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0016] For the end plate and the battery module provided by the present application, the end plate includes a plate body. The length dimension of the plate body in the second direction is A, and the length dimension of the plate body in the first direction is B, and it satisfies: A≥2B, so that the end plate can be dimensionally adapted to the battery pack composed of multiple rows of stacked battery cells. A communication hole penetrating in the first direction and a forming hole penetrating in the second direction are provided on the plate body. The communication hole is used to fix the end plate, and the forming hole is used to reduce the weight of the end plate while meeting the strength requirements of the end plate, which can meet the high expansion force requirements of the battery pack composed of multiple rows of stacked battery cells, is also convenient for processing, and has low cost. In addition, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of at least part of the forming holes in the second direction is triangular, which can decompose the force received by the end plate in the orthogonal direction and further improve the strength of the end plate. Therefore, the end plate has high strength, can meet the high expansion force requirements of high-performance battery cells, is convenient for processing, and has low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 Structural schematic diagram of an end plate provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0019] Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of an end plate provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0020] Figure 3 Side view of the end plate provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 Cross-sectional view of the end plate provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals is as follows:

[0023] 1. End plate; 11. Plate body; 12. Communication hole; 13. Forming hole; 14. Arc surface; 15. Limit protrusion; 16. Reinforcing protrusion; 17. Lifting hole;

[0024] X - First direction; Y - Second direction; Z - Third direction. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. For the purpose of making the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer and more understandable, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain the present application, rather than to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is only intended to provide a better understanding of the present application by showing examples of the present application.

[0026] It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprising", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, the elements defined by the statement "including..." do not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the said elements.

[0027] During the service life of the battery cell, which is the basic unit of the power battery pack, due to internal chemical reactions, an expansion phenomenon will occur. The expansion force generated will damage the structural components of the battery module. If the battery module structure fails to control the expansion force of the battery cell well, it will affect the service life and performance of the battery cell and the battery module structure, reduce the product safety. At the same time, due to the reduced service life and performance, the replacement demand for the battery cell or the battery module structure will increase, resulting in an increase in the usage cost of electric vehicles.

[0028] In particular, for a battery pack including multiple rows of stacked battery cells, since the battery pack includes multiple rows of stacked battery cells, the length of the battery pack is often relatively large. Therefore, it is necessary to design an end plate 1 with a relatively large length to adapt to this type of battery pack. However, due to the relatively large length of the end plate 1, it is difficult to meet the high expansion force requirements of the battery pack in the middle of the end plate 1, and it is also difficult to process. In addition, in the related art, the extrusion process is often used to manufacture the end plate 1. The long-side extrusion has high requirements for the tonnage of the extruder, resulting in a relatively high die cost, and thus increasing the manufacturing cost of the end plate 1.

[0029] Based on the above considerations, to solve this problem, the present application proposes a new end plate 1. The end plate 1 and the battery module in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 , an end plate 1 is provided in an embodiment of the present application, including a plate body 11. The plate body 11 has a communication hole 12 and a plurality of forming holes 13. The communication hole 12 penetrates the plate body 11 along the first direction X, and each forming hole 13 penetrates the plate body 11 along the second direction Y. The first direction X and the second direction Y intersect; wherein, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of at least part of the forming holes 13 on the second direction Y is triangular. The length dimension of the plate body 11 along the second direction Y is A, and the length dimension of the plate body 11 along the first direction X is B, and it satisfies: A≥2B.

[0031] The length dimension of the plate body 11 along the second direction Y is A, which can be understood as the shortest length dimension of the plate body 11 along the second direction Y is A.

[0032] The length dimension of the plate body 11 along the first direction X is B, which can be understood as the shortest length dimension of the plate body 11 along the first direction X is B, or it can also be understood as the vertical distance between the two end faces in the first direction X.

[0033] Optionally, the shape of the orthographic projection of the hole wall of the communication hole 12 on the first direction X can be a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, etc. Exemplarily, the shape of the orthographic projection of the hole wall of the communication hole 12 on the first direction X is optionally a circle.

[0034] The included angle between the first direction X and the second direction Y can be optionally between 80°-100°, optionally 90°, and the first direction X and the second direction Y are optionally perpendicular to each other.

[0035] At least a part of the hole wall of the forming hole 13 is triangular in the positive projection along the second direction Y, which can be an isosceles, equilateral, or right triangle. Of course, it can also be a triangle with three unequal sides. The shapes of multiple forming holes 13 can be the same or different. For example, it is possible to make the hole walls of at least some of the multiple forming holes 13 be triangular in the positive projection along the second direction Y, and the hole walls of at least some of the multiple forming holes 13 be isosceles triangles in the positive projection along the second direction Y.

[0036] The number of the communication holes 12 can be set to one. Of course, it can also be set to two, three, or more. When there are more than two, the two or more communication holes 12 can be arranged at intervals along the second direction Y. A connecting piece can be inserted into each communication hole 12 to fix the end plate 1 to other structural members.

[0037] In summary, according to an embodiment of the present application, the end plate 1 includes a plate body 11. The length dimension of the plate body 11 along the second direction Y is A, and the length dimension of the plate body 11 along the first direction X is B, and it satisfies: A≥2B, so that the end plate 1 can be adapted to a battery pack composed of multiple rows of stacked battery cells in terms of size. The plate body 11 is provided with a communication hole 12 penetrating along the first direction X and a forming hole 13 penetrating along the second direction Y. The communication hole 12 is used to fix the end plate 1, and the forming hole 13 is used to reduce the weight of the end plate 1 while meeting the strength requirements of the end plate 1, and can also meet the high expansion force requirements of a battery pack composed of multiple rows of stacked battery cells, and is also convenient for processing and has low cost. In addition, at least a part of the hole wall of the forming hole 13 is triangular in the positive projection along the second direction Y, which can decompose the force received by the end plate 1 along the orthogonal direction, further improving the strength of the end plate 1. Therefore, the end plate 1 has high strength, can meet the high expansion force requirements of high-performance battery cells, is convenient for processing, and has low cost.

[0038] In some embodiments, multiple forming holes 13 are distributed at intervals along the first direction X, and the walls of adjacent two forming holes 13 facing each other are parallel.

[0039] For the end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application, by setting the walls of adjacent two forming holes 13 facing each other to be parallel, the part between adjacent two forming holes 13 is in the shape of a regular plate, which can make the area of the forming hole 13 smaller while meeting the strength requirements of the end plate 1, facilitating reducing the weight of the end plate 1 and meeting the lightweight requirements of the end plate 1.

[0040] In some embodiments, among multiple forming holes 13, at least a part of the hole walls of the forming holes 13 are triangular in the positive projection along the second direction Y, and a part of the hole walls of the forming holes 13 are isosceles triangles in the positive projection along the second direction Y.

[0041] Exemplarily, two forming holes 13 whose orthographic projections on the hole wall along the second direction Y are in the shape of a right triangle can be provided, and the two forming holes 13 whose orthographic projections on the hole wall along the second direction Y are in the shape of a right triangle are provided at the two ends of the forming hole 13 whose orthographic projections on the hole wall along the second direction Y are in the shape of an isosceles triangle along the first direction X.

[0042] The number of the forming holes 13 whose orthographic projections of the hole wall along the second direction Y are isosceles triangles may be two, three or more. Exemplarily, the number of the forming holes 13 whose orthographic projections of the hole wall along the second direction Y are isosceles triangles may be three.

[0043] An end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application is configured such that the hole walls of at least some of the formed holes 13 have a right triangle shape as their orthographic projection along the second direction Y, and the hole walls of some of the formed holes 13 have an isosceles triangle shape as their orthographic projection along the second direction Y. This can further reduce the weight of the end plate 1 while meeting the strength requirements of the end plate 1, thereby meeting the lightweight requirements of the end plate 1.

[0044] Of course, the above is only an optional arrangement. In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of at least part of the forming holes 13 along the second direction Y may be a right triangle shape, and the orthographic projection of the hole wall of part of the forming holes 13 along the second direction Y may be an equilateral triangle.

[0045] In some embodiments, the end plate 1 further includes a connecting piece, which is connected to two intersecting walls of the plate body 11 , and a curved surface 14 is provided on a side of the connecting piece facing away from the plate body 11 .

[0046] The connecting member is connected to the two intersecting walls of the plate body 11. It is understood that the connection can be either a fixed connection or a detachable connection. The fixed connection can be fixed by welding or bonding. The detachable connection can be detachably connected by fastening with fasteners such as bolts, or by partially extending one into the other for a snap-fit connection.

[0047] The number of the connectors can be one, two, three or more. For example, the number of the connectors can be four.

[0048] An end plate 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided with a connecting piece connected to the plate body 11, and an arc surface 14 is provided on the side of the connecting piece facing away from the plate body 11, so that when the plate body 11 is fixed to other equipment with a fixing piece, the friction between the fixing piece and the plate body 11 is reduced, thereby increasing the service life of the plate body 11 and the fixing piece.

[0049] Alternatively, the other device may be a battery pack or a battery cell.

[0050] Optionally, the fixing member can be a strap, a rope or a fixing plate.

[0051] In some embodiments, the connecting member and the plate body 11 are an integral structure, and the orthographic projection of the plate body 11 along the first direction X covers the orthographic projection of the connecting member along the first direction X.

[0052] For the end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application, by setting the connecting member and the plate body 11 as an integral structure, the connection strength between the connecting member and the plate body 11 is increased.

[0053] For the end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application, by setting the orthographic projection of the plate body 11 along the first direction X to cover the orthographic projection of the connecting member along the first direction X, when the fixing member fixes the plate body 11, the two intersecting side walls of the plate body 11 can limit the fixing member, avoiding the fixing member from sliding relative to the arc surface 14.

[0054] In some embodiments, a limiting protrusion 15 is provided on at least part of the connecting member, and the limiting protrusion 15 protrudes from the arc surface 14.

[0055] For the end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application, by providing the limiting protrusion 15 on the connecting member and setting the limiting protrusion 15 to protrude from the arc surface 14, when the fixing member fixes the plate body 11, the fixing member is limited, avoiding the fixing member from sliding relative to the arc surface 14.

[0056] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of part of the forming holes 13 along the second direction Y is rectangular and is correspondingly arranged with the connecting member.

[0057] For the end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application, by making the orthographic projection of the hole wall of part of the forming holes 13 along the second direction Y be rectangular and correspondingly arranged with the connecting member, the processing of the forming holes 13 is facilitated.

[0058] In some embodiments, a reinforcing protrusion 16 extending along the first direction X protrudes inwardly on the hole wall whose orthographic projection along the second direction Y is rectangular.

[0059] For the end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application, by inwardly protruding a reinforcing protrusion 16 extending along the first direction X on the hole wall whose orthographic projection along the second direction Y is rectangular, the strength of the plate body 11 is further increased, thereby meeting the high expansion force requirements of high-performance battery cells.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , in some embodiments, the number of the communication holes 12 is set to three, and the three communication holes 12 are spaced apart along the second direction Y.

[0061] The end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application increases the connection strength of the plate body 11 by providing three communication holes 12 distributed along the second direction Y.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 2 , in some embodiments, a plurality of lifting holes 17 are further provided on the plate body 11.

[0063] Optionally, the number of the lifting holes 17 can be one, two, three or more. Exemplarily, four lifting holes 17 are provided, and the four lifting holes 17 are spaced apart along the second direction Y.

[0064] The end plate 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application realizes the lifting of the end plate 1 by providing four lifting holes 17 spaced apart along the second direction Y.

[0065] The present application further provides a battery module, which includes the above-mentioned end plate 1, a battery pack and a fixing member. The battery pack includes multiple rows of stacked battery cells. Along the third direction Z, end plates 1 are provided on both sides of the battery pack, and the battery pack abuts against the end plates 1. The fixing member is used to connect and fix the two end plates 1.

[0066] The battery module provided by an embodiment of the present application has the advantages of high strength, convenient processing and low cost because it includes the above-mentioned end plate 1.

[0067] In some embodiments, the fixing member includes a binding strap, and the binding strap is sleeved on the end plate 1 and the battery pack.

[0068] The battery module provided by an embodiment of the present application sleeved the binding strap on the end plate 1 and the battery pack. On the one hand, it increases the connection strength between the end plate 1 and the battery pack, and on the other hand, it increases the overall strength of the battery module.

[0069] The above are only the specific embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, modules and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An end plate, characterized in that, Comprising: A plate body having a communication hole and a plurality of formed holes arranged at intervals, the communication hole penetrating the plate body along a first direction, each formed hole penetrating the plate body along a second direction, the first direction intersecting the second direction; Wherein, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of at least part of the formed holes along the second direction is triangular, the length dimension of the plate body along the second direction is A, the length dimension of the plate body along the first direction is B, and it satisfies: A≥2B.

2. The end plate according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of formed holes are spaced along the first direction, and the wall surfaces of the adjacent two formed holes facing each other are parallel.

3. The end plate according to claim 1, wherein, Among the plurality of formed holes, the orthographic projection of the hole wall of at least part of the formed holes along the second direction is right-angled triangular, and the orthographic projection of the hole wall of part of the formed holes along the second direction is isosceles triangular.

4. The end plate according to claim 1, wherein The end plate further includes a connecting member, the connecting member is connected to two side walls of the plate body that intersect, and an arc surface is provided on a side of the connecting member facing away from the plate body.

5. The end plate according to claim 4, characterized in that, The connecting member and the plate body are an integral structure, and the orthographic projection of the plate body along the first direction covers the orthographic projection of the connecting member along the first direction.

6. The end plate according to claim 4, wherein At least part of the connecting member is provided with a limiting protrusion, and the limiting protrusion protrudes from the arc surface.

7. The end plate according to claim 4, characterized in that, The hole wall of part of the formed holes has a rectangular orthographic projection along the second direction and is correspondingly arranged with the connecting member.

8. The end plate according to claim 7, characterized in that, A reinforcing protrusion extending along the first direction protrudes inward on the hole wall having a rectangular orthographic projection along the second direction.

9. A battery module, characterized in that, Comprising: The end plate according to any one of claims 1-8; A battery pack including a plurality of rows of stacked battery cells; Along a third direction, the end plates are provided on both sides of the battery pack, and the battery pack abuts against the end plates; A fixing member for connecting and fixing the two end plates.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, wherein The fixing member includes a strap, and the strap is sleeved on the end plate and the battery pack.

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