Battery module

Abstract

The utility model relates to a battery module which comprises a battery pack, end plates are arranged at the two ends of the battery pack in the length direction, a pull rod is arranged on at least one side of the battery pack in the width direction, and the pull rod comprises a rod body and limiting parts formed by bending the two ends of the rod body. The two limiting parts abut against the surfaces of the two end plates respectively, the pull rods are connected with the end plates through fasteners, and the end plates and the battery pack are clamped between the two limiting parts. According to the utility model, the expansion force generated when the battery cell expands can be effectively transferred, so that the structural stress is more reasonable, the material consumption is reduced while the structural stability of the module is ensured, and the cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of batteries, and in particular to a battery module. Background Art

[0002] The current module structure for square cells generally involves stacking the cells along their thickness. After pre-compression, end plates and side plates are placed on both ends of the module, and the side plates are fastened to the sides of the end plates with screws. In this structure, when the cells expand, the enormous expansion force directly acts on the fastening screws, creating a shear force. To ensure the structural strength of the module, multiple screws are often required, with strict requirements for screw specifications and strength, leading to increased costs and reduced assembly efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a battery module that can effectively transfer the expansion force of the battery cell when it expands, make the structural force more reasonable, reduce material usage and lower costs while ensuring the stability of the module structure.

[0004] A battery module includes a battery pack, wherein end plates are provided at both ends of the battery pack in the longitudinal direction, and a pull rod is provided on at least one side of the battery pack in the width direction. The pull rod includes a rod body and a limiting portion formed by bending from both ends of the rod body, and the two limiting portions are respectively abutted against the surfaces of the two end plates. The pull rod is connected to the end plates through fasteners, and the end plates and the battery pack are clamped between the two limiting portions.

[0005] In the above technical solution, a pull rod is used to connect the end plates on the side of the battery pack. Compared with the existing side plate connection method, the pull rod has a simpler structure and requires less material, which can effectively reduce costs and is conducive to module weight reduction and the release of structural space. The end of the pull rod is bent to form a limit portion. During assembly, the two end plates and the battery pack are pre-pressed to an overall length slightly less than the distance between the two limit portions. Then, the pull rod is placed from the side so that the two end plates and the battery pack are clamped between the two limit portions. After pre-locking the fasteners, the pre-pressing is released, and then the fasteners are locked to complete the installation. The operation is simple and convenient, and the assembly efficiency is effectively improved. When the battery cell expands, the expansion force will act on the limit portion of the pull rod, which can avoid unnecessary force on the fasteners or other components. The overall force is more reasonable and the reliability is higher.

[0006] Furthermore, the rod body is provided with a connecting hole, the connecting hole is opposite to the end plate, and the fastener passes through the connecting hole and is connected to the end plate.

[0007] In the above technical solution, a connecting hole is provided on the rod body, and the pull rod can be fixed to the end plate and the side of the battery pack by fasteners to keep the position of the pull rod stable.

[0008] Furthermore, the connection hole is formed as a waist-shaped hole extending along the length direction of the battery pack.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the connection hole is set as a waist-shaped hole. When the battery cell expands, the fastener can slide in the connection hole, thereby avoiding the expansion force acting on the fastener to form a shear force, making the overall force of the module more reasonable and improving the reliability of the module structure.

[0010] Furthermore, the fastener is a bolt, the end plate is provided with a threaded hole, and the fastener is threadedly connected to the end plate.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the fasteners are bolts, which are threadedly connected to the end plates, which can facilitate assembly and improve assembly efficiency.

[0012] Furthermore, the pull rod is provided on one side in the width direction of the battery pack, and a side plate is provided on the other side in the width direction of the battery pack, and both ends of the side plate are respectively connected to the two end plates.

[0013] In the above technical solution, a pull rod is used on one side of the battery pack and a side plate is used on the other side, which can take into account the requirements of ensuring structural strength and reducing costs, making the structure of the module more reasonable.

[0014] Furthermore, at least two pull rods are provided on the same side of the width direction of the battery pack, and at least two pull rods are arranged in parallel and respectively close to two ends of the height direction of the battery pack.

[0015] In the above technical solution, at least two pull rods are provided on the same side of the battery pack, and the two pull rods are arranged in parallel and close to both ends of the height direction of the battery pack, which can make the force more uniform and reasonable and improve the stability of the structure.

[0016] Furthermore, an insulating layer is provided on the surface of the rod.

[0017] In the above technical solution, providing an insulating layer on the surface of the rod body can ensure the insulation performance of the module.

[0018] Furthermore, the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells, and the plurality of battery cells are arranged in sequence.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a pull rod is used to connect the end plates on the side of the battery pack. Compared with the existing side plate connection method, the pull rod has a simpler structure and requires less material, which can effectively reduce costs, and is beneficial to module weight reduction and the release of structural space. The end of the pull rod is bent to form a limit portion. During assembly, the two end plates and the battery pack are pre-pressed to an overall length slightly less than the distance between the two limit portions. Then, the pull rod is placed from the side so that the two end plates and the battery pack are clamped between the two limit portions. After pre-locking the fasteners, the pre-pressing is released, and then the fasteners are locked to complete the installation. The operation is simple and convenient, and the assembly efficiency is effectively improved. When the battery cell expands, the expansion force will act on the limit portion of the pull rod, which can avoid unnecessary force on the fasteners or other components. The overall force is more reasonable and the reliability is higher. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a side view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a top view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of part A.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the connecting hole in an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0024] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0025] Battery pack 1 , end plate 2 , pull rod 3 , rod body 31 , limiting portion 32 , fastener 4 , connecting hole 5 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0027] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 In a preferred embodiment, the battery module of the present invention primarily comprises a battery pack, end plates, tie rods, and fasteners. The battery pack comprises a plurality of independent battery cells, which are stacked side-by-side along the width direction. In some possible embodiments, the battery module may include a base plate, on which the battery cells are arranged.

[0028] Two end plates are provided, one at each end of the battery pack's length. A pull rod is provided on at least one side of the battery pack's width. The pull rod comprises a rod body and a stopper formed by bending the rod body at each end. The two stoppers abut against the surfaces of the two end plates, respectively. The pull rod is connected to the end plates via fasteners, and the end plates and battery pack are clamped between the two stoppers.

[0029] Exemplarily, the limiting portion is perpendicular to the rod body, the two limiting portions are opposite to each other in the air, and the surface of the limiting portion facing the rod body abuts against the surface of the end plate facing away from the battery pack, thereby clamping the two end plates and the battery pack between the two limiting portions.

[0030] A pull rod is used to connect the end plates on the side of the battery pack. Compared with the existing side plate connection method, the pull rod has a simpler structure and requires less material, which can effectively reduce costs, and is conducive to module weight reduction and the release of structural space. The end of the pull rod is bent to form a limit part. During assembly, the two end plates and the battery pack are pre-pressed to an overall length slightly less than the distance between the two limit parts. Then the pull rod is placed from the side so that the two end plates and the battery pack are clamped between the two limit parts. After pre-locking the fasteners, release the pre-pressing, and then lock the fasteners to complete the installation. The operation is simple and convenient, and effectively improves assembly efficiency. When the battery cell expands, the expansion force will act on the limit part of the pull rod, which can avoid unnecessary force on the fasteners or other components. The overall force is more reasonable and the reliability is higher.

[0031] The rod body is provided with a connecting hole, which is opposite to the end plate, and the fastener passes through the connecting hole to connect with the end plate. Exemplarily, the connecting holes are provided at both ends of the rod body, and when the pull rod is installed on the side of the module, the position of the connecting hole corresponds to the position of the side surface of the end plate. In this embodiment, the connecting hole is formed as a waist-shaped hole extending along the length direction of the battery pack. The rod body is provided with a connecting hole, and the pull rod can be fixed to the end plate and the side of the battery pack by the fastener to maintain the stability of the pull rod position. The connecting hole is set as a waist-shaped hole, and when the battery cell expands, the fastener can slide in the connecting hole, thereby avoiding the expansion force acting on the fastener to form a shear force, making the overall force of the module more reasonable and improving the reliability of the module structure.

[0032] In this embodiment, the fastener is a bolt, the end plate is provided with a threaded hole, and the fastener is threadedly connected to the end plate. The fastener is a bolt and is threadedly connected to the end plate, which can facilitate assembly and improve assembly efficiency.

[0033] In one embodiment, a tie rod is provided on one side of the battery pack's width, and a side plate is provided on the other side of the battery pack's width. The ends of the side plate are connected to the two end plates. Using a tie rod on one side of the battery pack and a side plate on the other side balances structural strength and cost reduction, resulting in a more rational module structure.

[0034] It is understandable that in other possible embodiments, tie rods may be provided on both sides of the width direction of the battery pack, that is, side plates are not used to connect the two end plates. By using tie rods on both sides, it is possible to further save materials and reduce costs while meeting the requirements for module structural strength.

[0035] In this embodiment, at least two tie rods are provided on the same side of the battery pack in the width direction. These tie rods are arranged in parallel and close to the two ends of the battery pack in the height direction. This ensures more uniform and reasonable force distribution and improves structural stability.

[0036] The surface of the rod body is provided with an insulating layer, and the insulating layer can adopt existing insulating materials, such as silicone. Providing the insulating layer on the surface of the rod body can ensure the insulation performance of the module.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that terms such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply 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.

[0038] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this utility model, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising a battery pack, wherein end plates are provided at both ends of the battery pack in the longitudinal direction, characterized in that: A pull rod is provided on at least one side in the width direction of the battery pack, and the pull rod includes a rod body and a limiting portion bent from both ends of the rod body. The two limiting portions are respectively abutted against the surfaces of the two end plates. The pull rod is connected to the end plates through fasteners, and the end plates and the battery pack are clamped between the two limiting portions.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The rod body is provided with a connecting hole, the connecting hole is opposite to the end plate, and the fastener passes through the connecting hole and is connected to the end plate.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connection hole is formed as a waist-shaped hole extending along the length direction of the battery pack.

4. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein: The fastener is a bolt, the end plate is provided with a threaded hole, and the fastener is threadedly connected to the end plate.

5. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The pull rod is provided on one side of the battery pack in the width direction, and a side plate is provided on the other side of the battery pack in the width direction. Both ends of the side plate are respectively connected to the two end plates.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least two pull rods are provided on the same side of the battery pack in the width direction, and the at least two pull rods are arranged in parallel and respectively close to two ends of the battery pack in the height direction.

7. The battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: An insulating layer is provided on the surface of the rod body.

8. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells, and the plurality of battery cells are arranged in sequence.

Images