Battery cell assembly, battery module, battery pack and power utilization device

Abstract

The utility model provides a battery cell assembly, a battery module, a battery pack and a power utilization device, and belongs to the technical field of battery packaging. The battery cell assembly comprises: a battery cell having two main planes opposite to each other along a first direction; and the elastic assembly is arranged on the two main planes and is used for buffering expansion generated in the charging process of the battery cell. The elastic assembly includes: a first elastic member disposed to cover a middle portion of the two main planes, and the first elastic member having a first hardness; and a second elastic member disposed to cover portions of the two main planes not covered by the first elastic member, and the second elastic member having a second hardness different from the first hardness. The technical problem to be solved is how to protect a battery cell and limit expansion of the battery cell at the same time. The technical effects are that expansion of different parts of the main plane of the battery is better buffered, redundant expansion of the battery cell is limited, and the battery cell is protected.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to battery technology field especially relates to a kind of electric core subassembly, battery module, battery pack and electric device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Battery module usually includes one or more electric cores. During the charging process of battery module, the phenomenon of expansion of electric core is generally present. This phenomenon not only affects the structural stability of battery module, but also can adversely affect the performance and life of electric core.

[0003] In order to suppress the expansion of electric core during charging, metal shell or winding a certain tensile resistance material on the electric core is usually used to form a protective structure, which limits the expansion by applying uniform restraint to the electric core. However, in actual situation, the expansion of the middle region of the electric core is greater than the side (or end), and uniform restraint is easy to damage the electric core.

[0004] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present disclosure is how to protect the electric core while limiting the expansion of the electric core. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides an electric core assembly, a battery module, a battery pack and an electric device.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an electric core assembly is provided, comprising: an electric core having two main planes opposite along a first direction; and an elastic assembly arranged on the two main planes for buffering the expansion of the electric core during charging. The elastic assembly comprises: a first elastic member arranged to cover the middle part of the two main planes, and the first elastic member has a first hardness; and a second elastic member arranged to cover the part of the two main planes not covered by the first elastic member, and the second elastic member has a second hardness different from the first hardness.

[0007] In the technical scheme of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the main planes of the electric core are completely covered by the first elastic member and the second elastic member. In such a design, the middle part of the electric core which expands more and the remaining part are covered by materials with different hardnesses, so that the beneficial effect can be achieved: better buffering of the expansion of different parts of the main plane of the battery, limiting the excess expansion of the electric core and protecting the electric core.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first hardness is greater than the second hardness.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first elastic member has a first thickness, and the second elastic member has a second thickness, and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.

[0010] In some embodiments, the elastic assembly comprises foam.

[0011] In some embodiments, the electric cell has two side planes opposite along the second direction. The electric cell assembly further includes a support structure disposed on the two side planes. The support structure includes a support base extending beyond edges of the side planes in the first direction respectively towards the two sides, and two legs disposed on two ends of the support base opposite in the first direction, each of the two legs extending in the second direction to cover a portion of the second elastic member.

[0012] In some embodiments, each of the two legs extends in the second direction to cover the entire second elastic member.

[0013] In some embodiments, the electric cell assembly further includes a fixing structure. The fixing structure is tightly wound on the outside of the elastic assembly and the support structure to compress and hold the electric cell via the elastic assembly and the support structure.

[0014] In some embodiments, the fixing structure is a tape or a carbon fiber filament coated with glue.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module including a case and at least one electric cell assembly in the above embodiments. Such a battery module can provide the advantages as described above with respect to the electric cell assembly, which will not be repeated for brevity.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack including the battery module in the above embodiments. One or more battery modules can be integrated in the battery pack. Such a battery pack can provide the advantages as described above with respect to the electric cell assembly, which will not be repeated for brevity.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electric device including the battery pack in the above embodiments, which is used to provide electric energy. Such an electric device can provide the advantages as described above with respect to the electric cell assembly, which will not be repeated for brevity.

[0018] It should be understood that the above description is only a summary of the technical solutions of the present disclosure. In order to make the technical means of the present disclosure more clear, the present disclosure can be implemented according to the content of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, the following specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference made to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are for purposes of example only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of an electric cell assembly is shown.

[0021] Reference Signs

[0022] 100 electric cell assembly

[0023] 10 electric cell

[0024] 11 main plane

[0025] 12 side plane

[0026] 20 elastic assembly

[0027] 210 first elastic member

[0028] 220 second elastic member

[0029] 30 support structure member

[0030] 310 support base

[0031] 320 support leg

[0032] 40 fixing structure member DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The embodiments of the technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and therefore only serve as examples, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this present disclosure belongs; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure; the description and the claims and the above description of drawings herein using the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover the inclusion not the exclusion of one or more elements.

[0035] In the description of the embodiments of the disclosure, the technical terms "first", "second", and the like are only used to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the disclosure, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0036] Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, nor is it necessarily independent or alternative to other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0037] In the description of the embodiments of the disclosure, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " herein generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of the disclosure, the term "multiple" refers to two or more (including two), and similarly, "multiple groups" refers to two or more groups (including two groups), and "multiple pieces" refers to two or more pieces (including two pieces).

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of the disclosure, the technical terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the disclosure and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the embodiments of the disclosure.

[0040] In the description of the embodiments of the disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the technical terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing", and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0041] The prior art battery cell structure is constructed by using a metal shell or by winding a material with certain tensile resistance around the battery cell. However, in actual situations, the expansion of the middle region of the battery cell is greater than that of the side edges (or end portions), and the application of uniform restraint to the battery cell to limit the expansion can damage the battery cell.

[0042] The present disclosure relates to a battery cell assembly including two elastic members with different hardnesses, which can better buffer the expansion of different parts of the main plane of the battery. The battery cell assembly of the present disclosure can be used in a battery.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of a battery cell assembly 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The battery cell assembly 100 includes a battery cell 10 and an elastic assembly 20. The battery cell 10 has two main planes 11 opposite in a first direction. The elastic assembly 20 is arranged on the two main planes 11 to buffer the expansion of the battery cell 10 during charging. The elastic assembly 20 includes a first elastic member 210 and a second elastic member 220. The first elastic member 210 is arranged to cover the middle portions of the two main planes 11, and the first elastic member 210 has a first hardness. The second elastic member 220 is arranged to cover the portions of the two main planes 11 not covered by the first elastic member 210, and the second elastic member 220 has a second hardness different from the first hardness.

[0044] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery cell 10 is a battery cell approximately in the shape of a cube, having two main planes 11 opposite to each other, two side planes 12, and two end faces. Specifically, the main planes 11 are surfaces with relatively large surface areas of the battery cell, and the end faces are surfaces of the battery cell for external electrical connection, wherein one of the two end faces has an electrode tab at the end face. During charging of the battery cell 10, the main planes 11 have the greatest expansion relative to other surfaces.

[0045] The elastic assembly 20 arranged on the two main planes 11 is a material with certain deformation capability, in other words, the elastic assembly 20 includes a compressible and resilient material. When the battery cell 10 expands during charging, the elastic assembly 20 can be compressed by the battery cell 10 to offset the volume change caused by the expansion; when the volume of the battery cell 10 returns after charging is completed, the elastic assembly 20 can cooperate with the volume reduction of the battery cell 10 to rebound, keeping the overall volume of the battery cell assembly 100 unchanged. By arranging the elastic assembly 20, the battery cell 10 can have normal expansion.

[0046] The "normal expansion" mentioned above refers to the normal expansion phenomenon that occurs in the use of the battery cell and does not cause damage or other adverse phenomena to the battery cell. It should be understood that any expansion of the battery cell limited by an external rigid structure can cause excessive internal pressure in a local part of the battery cell, leading to internal damage of the battery cell, damage to the surface of the battery cell, or even explosion.

[0047] In actual situations, during the charging process of the battery cell 10, the middle part of the main plane 11 has a greater expansion than the sides. If a material with uniform composition is used to buffer the expansion of the battery cell, it will cause the stress inside the battery cell to concentrate in the middle part of the surface of the battery cell, leading to uneven stress distribution, which may affect the service life and structural strength of the battery cell. It should also be considered that the edges of the battery cell are more fragile than the middle part, and excessive pressure on the sides should be avoided. In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides that the elastic assembly 20 is composed of the first elastic member 210 and the second elastic member 220, and the first elastic member 210 and the second elastic member 220 have different hardness. Such a setting is consistent with the actual expansion of the battery cell, so the material combination of the first elastic member 210 and the second elastic member 220 can be flexibly set according to the expansion amplitude of different battery cells. In such a design, the middle part and the rest of the battery cell 10 that expands more are covered by materials with different hardness, respectively, wherein the first elastic member 210 compresses / returns in response to the expansion / contraction of the middle part of the main plane 11, and the second elastic member 220 compresses / returns in response to the expansion / contraction of the side part of the battery cell 10. The beneficial effects that can be achieved are: more flexible configuration, better buffering of the expansion of different parts of the main plane 11 of the battery cell 10, limiting excessive expansion and protecting the battery cell 10.

[0048] Optionally, the first elastic member 210 can also be provided in a multi-layer composite form, wherein, along the first direction, the layer of the first elastic member 210 that fits the main plane 11 has the lowest (softest) hardness, and the outermost layer away from the main plane 11 has the highest hardness. In other words, when pressure is applied to such a first elastic member 210, the initial pressure received is softer, and the later pressure received is harder. Therefore, the greater the expansion amplitude of the main plane 11 of the battery cell 10, the greater the pressure or support force of the first elastic member 210 received. The benefit of using such a first elastic member 210 is to limit the excessive expansion of the battery cell 10 in abnormal situations. It should be understood that for such a first elastic member 210, the first hardness refers to the hardness of the layer of the first elastic member 210 that fits the main plane 11.

[0049] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first hardness of the first elastic member 210 is greater than the second hardness of the second elastic member 220. That is, the first elastic member 210 is a harder material, and the second elastic member 220 is a softer material. In such a design, the first elastic member 210 will provide greater support force to the middle part of the main plane 11 with a greater expansion amplitude relative to the sides, while the softer second elastic member 220 also avoids applying excessive pressure to the sides of the battery cell 10, and can better protect the battery cell.

[0050] As Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first elastic member 210 has a first thickness and the second elastic member 220 has a second thickness, and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. Since the middle portion of the main plane 11 has a greater expansion than the side edges, the first elastic member 210 covering the middle portion of the main plane 11 is provided with a greater thickness, thus providing a longer compression / rebound stroke of the elastic member. In such a design, the advantage is that a greater buffer space is provided for the middle portion of the main plane 11.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the elastic assembly 20 includes foam. The shape of the elastic assembly 20 can be cut to be the same as the main plane 11 of the battery cell 10. For example, the first elastic member 210 is first arranged on the middle portion of the main plane 11, and then the second elastic member 220 is cut to be the same as the portion of the main plane 11 not covered by the first elastic member 210. Such a design makes it more convenient to arrange the elastic assembly 20. Additionally, the first elastic member 210 and the second elastic member 220 can also be provided with other various desired effects, such as including heat-conducting materials or fireproof materials or other functional materials, or composite foam including these materials.

[0052] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 The battery cell 10 has two side planes 12 opposite along the second direction. The battery cell assembly 110 further includes a support structure 30 disposed on the two side planes 12. The support structure 30 includes a support base 310 and two support legs 320. The support base 310 extends beyond the edges of the side planes 12 along the first direction toward both sides. The two support legs 320 are disposed on the two ends of the support base 310 opposite along the first direction. For example, the support structure 30 can be configured as a U-shaped or concave component.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the two support legs 320 extends along the second direction to cover a portion of the second elastic member 220. The support structure 30 is used to protect the battery cell 10 and provide support or fixation for the packaging of the battery cell 10. The support base 310 extends beyond the edges of the side planes 12, forming a roof-like protective structure; the two support legs 320 cover a portion or all of the second elastic member 220, so that the support structure 30 is tightly attached to the side planes 12 and "clamps" the battery cell 10 through the second elastic member 220. In such a design, the main plane 11 of the battery cell 10 is covered by the elastic assembly 20, and the side planes 12 are covered by the support structure 30, thus being completely surrounded by the elastic assembly 20 and the support structure 30 in the plane defined by the first direction and the second direction, having a better protection effect. The support structure 30 also has the effect of limiting the relative position of the battery cell 10 and the elastic assembly 20 to remain stable.

[0054] AsFigure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the two legs 320 extends along the second direction to cover the entirety of the second elastic member 220, such that the leg 320 is in abutment with the first elastic member 210. In such a design, the support structure 30 provides support for the first elastic member 210 through the leg 320.

[0055] With continued reference to Figure 1 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery cell assembly 100 further comprises a fixing structure 40. The fixing structure 40 is tightly wound on the outside of the elastic assembly 20 and the support structure 30 to press and hold the battery cell 10 via the elastic assembly 20 and the support structure 30. The fixing structure 40 provides support for the first elastic member 210, which can improve the cushioning effect of the first elastic member 210 on the middle portion of the main plane 11. In such a design, the fixing structure 40 significantly improves the structural strength and stability of the battery cell assembly 100 without significantly increasing the overall weight.

[0056] It should be understood that tightly winding refers to providing a predetermined tension to the fixing structure 40, and the fixing structure 40 remains tight within an expected time after winding. In some embodiments, the expected time may, for example, be the service life specified by the manufacturer of the battery cell. By tightly winding the fixing structure 40 on the outside of the elastic assembly 20 and the support structure 30, on the one hand, the volume can be controlled, so that the structure of the battery cell assembly 100 remains compact, improving the energy density; on the other hand, the fixing structure 40 can maintain a certain shear strength and hardness, thereby facilitating the protection of the internal structure of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixing structure 40 is a tape or a carbon fiber wire coated with glue. In other embodiments, the fixing structure 40 can also be other forms of wires or tapes, such as glass fibers or other materials with high tensile strength, light weight, high temperature resistance, and wear resistance. By winding with these non-rigid materials, the fixing structure 40 can be adapted to battery cells 10 of different sizes or shapes.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a battery module can include a box and at least one battery cell assembly 100 according to the above embodiments. The box is used to support and fix the battery cell assembly 100 and provide packaging for the battery cell assembly 100. In some embodiments, multiple battery cell assemblies 100 can be arranged in parallel or in series within the box. The number and connection manner of the battery cell assemblies 100 can be configured according to the desired voltage or current or other output parameters.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a battery pack includes the battery module in the above embodiments. Multiple battery modules can be integrated within the battery pack for providing greater electrical energy storage capacity and output power. For example, the battery pack can also include a battery management system (BMS), a cooling system, a housing, and connectors for monitoring the normal operation of the battery modules and providing desired electrical energy output. It should be understood that the battery pack is a high-integration battery system capable of providing electrical energy or storing electrical energy as needed. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery pack can be configured with connectors, switches, or other electrical components for external electrical connection as needed.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an electrical device includes the battery pack in the above embodiments for providing electrical energy. The electrical device can be, for example, an automobile, a large-scale working platform, a portable digital product, or other electronic equipment.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than limit the same; although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and they should be covered in the scope of the claims and the specification of the present disclosure. In particular, the technical features mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrochemical cell assembly, comprising: The battery cell assembly comprises: a battery cell having two major planes opposite along a first direction; and a resilient assembly disposed on the two major planes for buffering expansion of the battery cell during charging, the resilient assembly comprising: a first resilient member disposed to cover a middle portion of the two major planes, the first resilient member having a first hardness; and a second resilient member disposed to cover a portion of the two major planes not covered by the first resilient member, the second resilient member having a second hardness different from the first hardness.

2. The cell assembly of claim 1, wherein, The first hardness is greater than the second hardness.

3. The cell assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first resilient member has a first thickness, and the second resilient member has a second thickness, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness.

4. The cell assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The resilient assembly comprises foam.

5. The cell assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The battery cell has two side planes opposite along a second direction, and the battery cell assembly further comprises: a support structure disposed on the two side planes, the support structure comprising: a support base extending beyond edges of the side planes along the first direction to two sides, respectively; and two legs disposed on two ends of the support base opposite along the first direction, each of the two legs extending along the second direction to cover a portion of the second resilient member.

6. The cell assembly of claim 5, wherein, Each of the two legs extends along the second direction to cover all of the second resilient member.

7. The cell assembly of claim 5, wherein, The battery cell assembly further comprises a fixing structure wrapped tightly on an outer side of the resilient assembly and the support structure to press and hold the battery cell via the resilient assembly and the support structure.

8. The cell assembly of claim 7, wherein, The fixing structure is an adhesive tape or a carbon fiber thread coated with glue.

9. A battery module comprising a case and at least one battery cell assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 9.

11. An electric device comprising the battery pack according to claim 10, the battery pack being configured to provide electric energy.

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