Round arrangement soft package lithium battery module

Abstract

The utility model relates to a circularly arranged soft package lithium battery module. Comprising an inner supporting cylinder, an outer supporting cylinder and a battery cell, the outer supporting cylinder is sleeved on the periphery of the inner supporting cylinder, and a battery placing cavity is arranged between the outer supporting cylinder and the inner supporting cylinder; battery cells are arranged in the battery placement cavity in the circumferential direction of the inner supporting cylinder, and a pre-fastening mechanism is arranged between at least one group of adjacent two battery cells. The battery cells are assembled in the annular cavity, the gaps between the battery cells are used as reasonable expansion spaces of the battery cells, so that the stress of the outer supporting barrel or the inner supporting barrel during expansion of the battery cells is reduced, the problem of damage to the outer frame is effectively avoided, meanwhile, a certain pre-tightening force is provided for the battery cells by arranging the pre-tightening mechanism, and the battery cells are prevented from being damaged. And the service life of the battery cell is effectively prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of pouch battery technology, and more particularly to a circularly arranged pouch lithium battery module. Background Technology

[0002] Soft-pack (lithium or other) batteries consist of a liquid lithium-ion battery encased in a polymer shell. Structurally, they are packaged using an aluminum-plastic film. Soft-pack batteries are characterized by good safety (reduced risk of explosion), light weight (40% lighter than steel-cased lithium batteries), large capacity (10-15% higher capacity than steel-cased batteries of the same size), low internal resistance, and flexible design (the shape of soft-pack batteries can be customized to customer needs), among other advantages.

[0003] When pouch lithium batteries are used as power sources (such as in automobiles), in order to meet power requirements, many individual battery cells need to be assembled into modules and finally into a battery pack. The assembly method involves stacking multiple cells within a frame. However, pouch batteries undergo significant volume changes during operation (due to changes in the microscopic structure of the battery materials and the generation of gas). The expansion force generated by the expansion of the battery pack is transmitted to the two end frames (or covers), causing significant deformation of the frame and resulting in damage to the entire battery module. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address or partially address the problems existing in related technologies, this application provides a circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module, aiming to solve the technical problem of battery pack expansion causing damage to the outer frame.

[0005] Therefore, this application provides a circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module, including an inner support cylinder, an outer support cylinder, and battery cells;

[0006] The outer support cylinder is fitted around the inner support cylinder, and a battery placement cavity is provided between the outer support cylinder and the inner support cylinder; battery cells are arranged in the battery placement cavity around the circumference of the inner support cylinder, and a pre-tightening mechanism is provided between at least one set of two adjacent battery cells.

[0007] In some designs, the height of the battery cell is less than the height of the battery placement cavity.

[0008] In some embodiments, the length direction of the battery cell is parallel to the radial direction of the inner support cylinder and / or the outer support cylinder.

[0009] In some embodiments, the pre-tightening mechanism includes a spring and contact plates mounted at both ends of the spring.

[0010] In some embodiments, the pre-tightening mechanism includes an adjusting nut and an adjusting screw, with one adjusting screw threaded onto each end of the adjusting nut, and the threads of the two adjusting screws having opposite directions.

[0011] In some designs, a cooling water bag is provided between two adjacent battery cells, with a cooling water inlet pipe connected to one end of the cooling water bag and a cooling water outlet pipe connected to the other end.

[0012] The technical solution provided in this application may include the following beneficial effects:

[0013] This application assembles the battery cells in an annular cavity, using the gaps between the battery cells as a reasonable expansion space for the battery cells, thereby reducing the stress on the outer or inner support cylinder when the battery cells expand, thus effectively avoiding damage to the outer frame. At the same time, by setting a pre-tightening mechanism to provide a certain pre-tightening force to the battery cells, the service life of the battery cells is effectively improved.

[0014] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the more detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments thereof.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery module shown in an embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 This is another structural schematic diagram of the battery module shown in the embodiments of this application;

[0018] Figure 3 This is another structural schematic diagram of the battery module shown in the embodiments of this application;

[0019] Figure label:

[0020] 1. Inner support cylinder; 2. Outer support cylinder; 3. Battery cell; 4. Pre-tightening mechanism; 41. Spring; 42. Contact plate; 43. Adjusting nut; 44. Adjusting screw; 5. Cooling water bag. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Embodiments of this application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make this application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this application to those skilled in the art.

[0022] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0024] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0025] This addresses the issue of damage to the outer frame of existing battery modules using pouch batteries during use due to the expansion of the battery pack.

[0026] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2This application provides a circular soft-pack lithium battery module, including an inner support cylinder 1, an outer support cylinder 2, and a battery cell 3. The inner support cylinder 1 and the outer support cylinder 2 are made of rigid materials such as metal and plastic, and have the same height. The inner diameter of the outer support cylinder 2 is larger than the inner diameter of the inner support cylinder 1. The outer support cylinder 2 is fitted around the inner support cylinder 1 and is coaxially arranged, thereby forming a battery placement cavity between the outer support cylinder 2 and the inner support cylinder 1.

[0027] Battery cells 3 are arranged around the inner support cylinder 1 in the battery placement cavity. One end of the battery cell 3 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the inner support cylinder 1, and the other end is in contact with the inner surface of the outer support cylinder 2. At least one set of two adjacent battery cells 3 are provided with a pre-tightening mechanism 4. Preferably, one set of two adjacent battery cells 3 are provided with a pre-tightening mechanism 4. During use, when the battery cell 3 expands, it squeezes the pre-tightening mechanism 4, transferring the expansion force generated by the expansion of the battery cell 3 to the pre-tightening mechanism 4, thereby reducing the force on the outer frame (inner support cylinder 1 and outer support cylinder 2) and effectively avoiding the technical problem of damage to the outer frame.

[0028] In this embodiment, it is conceivable that, in order to ensure the stability of force transmission between adjacent cells 3, a filler is provided between two adjacent cells 3 without a pre-tightening mechanism 4. The filler can be made of materials such as foam or plastic.

[0029] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, the height of the battery cell 3 is less than the height of the battery placement cavity, so that the outer support cylinder 2 and the inner support cylinder 1 can wrap around the battery cell 3, effectively ensuring the safety of the battery cell 3.

[0030] In this embodiment, the length direction of the battery cell 3 is parallel to the radial direction of the inner support cylinder 1 and / or the outer support cylinder 2 to ensure the rationality of the arrangement of the battery cells 3 and to ensure the smooth force transmission when adjacent battery cells 3 expand directly.

[0031] In some specific implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the pre-tightening mechanism 4 includes a spring 41 and contact plates 42 installed at both ends of the spring 41. The two contact plates 42 are in contact with the surfaces of two adjacent battery cells 3 respectively. When the battery cell 3 expands, the elastic deformation of the spring 41 provides expansion space for the reasonable expansion of the battery cell 3, thereby avoiding the technical problem of damage to the outer frame caused by the expansion of the battery cell 3. At the same time, the elasticity of the spring 41 provides a certain pre-tightening force for the battery cell 3, which helps to extend the service life of the battery cell 3.

[0032] In some specific implementations, such as Figure 2As shown, the pre-tightening mechanism 4 includes an adjusting nut 43 and an adjusting screw 44. An adjusting screw 44 is threaded onto each end of the adjusting nut 43, and the threads of the two adjusting screws 44 are in opposite directions. When the battery cell 3 expands, due to the annular arrangement of the battery cells 3, there will inevitably be a gap between adjacent battery cells 3. The gap between adjacent battery cells 3 provides expansion space for the reasonable expansion of the battery cells 3, thereby avoiding the technical problem of damage to the outer frame caused by the expansion of the battery cells 3. At the same time, by rotating the adjusting nut 43, a certain pre-tightening force can be preset between the battery cells 3, which helps to extend the service life of the battery cells 3.

[0033] In some specific implementations, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown, a cooling water bag 5 is provided between two adjacent battery cells 3. The cooling water bag 5 is made of materials such as aluminum, copper or rubber. One end of the cooling water bag 5 is connected to the cooling water inlet pipe, and the other end is connected to the cooling water outlet pipe, so as to provide a certain cooling for the battery cell 3 and effectively avoid the technical problem of overheating of the battery cell 3.

[0034] In this embodiment, it is conceivable that cooling water bags 5 are not placed between adjacent cells 3 where the pre-tightening mechanism is placed, or that the water bags at this location are provided with clearance holes at the corresponding positions where the pre-tightening mechanism is placed.

[0035] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module, characterized in that: Includes inner support cylinder, outer support cylinder, and battery cell; The outer support cylinder is fitted around the inner support cylinder, and a battery placement cavity is provided between the outer support cylinder and the inner support cylinder; battery cells are arranged in the battery placement cavity around the circumference of the inner support cylinder, and a pre-tightening mechanism is provided between at least one set of two adjacent battery cells.

2. A circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the battery cell is less than the height of the battery placement cavity.

3. A circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The length direction of the battery cell is parallel to the radial direction of the inner support cylinder and / or the outer support cylinder.

4. A circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-tightening mechanism includes a spring and contact plates mounted at both ends of the spring.

5. A circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pre-tightening mechanism includes an adjusting nut and an adjusting screw. Each end of the adjusting nut is threaded with an adjusting screw, and the threads of the two adjusting screws are in opposite directions.

6. A circularly arranged soft-pack lithium battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cooling water bag is provided between two adjacent battery cells. One end of the cooling water bag is connected to a cooling water inlet pipe, and the other end is connected to a cooling water outlet pipe.

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