Battery module and energy storage device with same

Abstract

The utility model provides a battery module and an energy storage device with the same. The battery module comprises N heat conduction pieces, N battery units and a heating device, the N heat conduction pieces are arranged in a stacked mode in the first direction, each heat conduction piece is provided with a battery unit, and N is larger than or equal to 3. The heating device heats the N battery units by heating the N heat conduction pieces. The heating power of the heating device to the first heat conduction piece is P1, the heating power of the heating device to each of the second heat conduction piece to the (N-1) th heat conduction piece is P2, the heating power of the heating device to the Nth heat conduction piece is P3, P1 is larger than P2, and P3 is larger than P2. The first heat conduction piece and the Nth heat conduction piece are located on the outer sides of the other heat conduction pieces, and heat dissipation is more obvious. According to the embodiment of the utility model, the heating device makes up the heat dissipation of the first heat conduction piece and the Nth heat conduction piece by providing higher heating power for the first heat conduction piece and the Nth heat conduction piece, so that the battery unit on the heating device has a heating effect close to that of other battery units.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of batteries, and in particular to a battery module and an energy storage device having therein. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of battery technology, more and more devices incorporating battery modules have been launched on the market. Taking energy storage devices as an example, they can meet the daily electricity needs of a household or serve as an emergency power source, providing power backup during power outages. However, in low-temperature environments, the performance of battery modules is often significantly affected, causing them to malfunction. To adapt battery modules to low-temperature conditions, they can be heated before startup; however, due to the structural limitations of battery modules, uneven heating occurs during the heating process. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a battery module and an energy storage device having the same, aiming to solve the problem of uneven heating during the heating process.

[0004] On one hand, this utility model provides a battery module. The battery module includes N heat-conducting components, N battery cells, and a heating device. The N heat-conducting components include a first heat-conducting component to a Nth heat-conducting component arranged sequentially along a first direction. Each heat-conducting component has a corresponding battery cell. N is greater than or equal to 3. The heating device heats the N battery cells by heating the N heat-conducting components. The heating power of the heating device for the first heat-conducting component is P1, the heating power for each of the second to (N-1)th heat-conducting components is P2, and the heating power for the Nth heat-conducting component is P3. Here, P1 > P2, and P3 > P2.

[0005] As one possible implementation, each heat-conducting component includes a main body plate and at least one side plate. The side plate and the main body plate together enclose an accommodating cavity with an opening. Multiple battery cells are placed in multiple accommodating cavities in a corresponding manner. The main body plate of each heat-conducting component and the corresponding battery cell are stacked along a first direction, and the openings are all oriented along the first direction, wherein P3 > P1.

[0006] As one possible implementation, 1.2≤P1 / P2≤1.5, 1.7≤P3 / P2≤2, 0.6≤P1 / P3≤0.9.

[0007] As one possible implementation, the heating device includes a heating element, which includes a first heating section, a second heating section and a third heating section arranged sequentially along a first direction. The first heating section contacts the side plate of the first heat-conducting element to heat it, the second heating section contacts the side plates of the second heat-conducting element to the (N-1)th heat-conducting element to heat it, and the third heating section contacts the side plate of the Nth heat-conducting element.

[0008] As one possible implementation, the heating power of the second heating element gradually decreases as it approaches the middle of the first direction.

[0009] As one possible implementation, the heating element is located on one side of the N heat-conducting elements in the second direction. The heating element has a dimension of D1 in the third direction, and the N heat-conducting elements have a dimension of D2 in the third direction, with 0.5 ≤ D1 / D2 ≤ 0.9. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0010] As one possible implementation, N heat-conducting components have a first end and a second end relative to each other in a third direction, and heating components have a third end and a fourth end relative to each other in a third direction. The first end is closer to the tabs of the N battery cells than the second end, and the third end is closer to the tabs than the fourth end. The distance between the first end and the third end is D3, and the distance between the second end and the fourth end is D4, where 1.1≤D3 / D4≤2.

[0011] As one possible implementation, the battery module further includes two first end plates, a second end plate, and a third end plate. The two first end plates are respectively disposed on opposite sides of N heat-conducting components in a first direction. Each first end plate has a first ear and a second ear on opposite edges in a second direction. The first and second ears of each first end plate are bent away from the other first end plate, with the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second and third end plates are respectively located on opposite sides of the N heat-conducting components in a second direction. The second end plate has two protruding third ears on opposite sides in the first direction, and the third end plate has two protruding fourth ears on opposite sides in the first direction. The two third ears are stacked and connected to the two first ears of the two first end plates, and the two fourth ears are stacked and connected to the two second ears of the two first end plates, respectively.

[0012] As one possible implementation, the inner surfaces of each first ear and the corresponding third ear facing each other expose a conductive substrate to electrically connect them, and the inner surfaces of each second ear and the connected fourth ear facing each other expose a conductive substrate to electrically connect them.

[0013] As one possible implementation, a third ear is configured to connect to an external component, with the side surface of the third ear facing away from the corresponding first ear exposing a conductive substrate to electrically connect the third ear to the external component.

[0014] As one possible implementation, the end of at least one fourth ear is bent toward the second end plate in a hook shape.

[0015] As one possible implementation, the battery module also includes a tab bracket, which is located on the top side of N heat-conducting components in a third direction. The third direction is perpendicular to both the first and second directions. At least one of the two first end plates, the second end plate, and the third end plate is provided with a fifth ear protruding to the top side, and the fifth ear is connected to the tab bracket.

[0016] On the other hand, this utility model embodiment also provides an energy storage device, which includes the battery module provided in the above aspects.

[0017] Since N heat-conducting components are stacked along the first direction, and the first and Nth heat-conducting components are located outside the second to (N-1)th heat-conducting components, heat dissipation is more significant for the first and Nth heat-conducting components. If the heating device provides the same heating power to each heat-conducting component, the temperature of the battery cells on the first and Nth heat-conducting components will be lower than that on the second to (N-1)th heat-conducting components during heating, resulting in uneven heating of the entire battery module. According to the battery module and energy storage device provided by the present invention, compared to the second to (N-1)th heat-conducting components, the heating device compensates for the heat dissipation of the first and Nth heat-conducting components by providing higher heating power to the first and Nth heat-conducting components, so that the battery cells on them have a similar heating effect to other battery cells, thereby ensuring that the entire battery module is heated more uniformly. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of multiple heat-conducting plates and battery cells in the battery module.

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the battery module.

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the battery module.

[0022] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a heat-conducting component.

[0023] Figure 6 To show Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the battery module.

[0024] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of multiple end plates of the battery module.

[0025] Figure 8 for Figure 1 Another exploded view of the battery module.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an energy storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Numerous specific details are set forth below to provide an understanding of the structure, function, and use of the embodiments described and illustrated in the specification and figures. It is to be understood that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it will be appreciated that the particular structural and functional details disclosed herein are representative and exemplary. Variations and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0028] Battery modules typically comprise multiple battery cells connected in series or parallel to provide higher voltage or capacity. These cells can be stacked. Each cell may include one or more individual cells. To ensure stable operation in low-temperature environments, battery modules may also include heating elements. These elements heat the battery cells under cryogenic conditions to ensure they operate at suitable temperatures. Due to the stacked arrangement of multiple cells, the two cells located on the outer edges of the stack dissipate heat more rapidly, resulting in uneven heating of the entire battery module.

[0029] To address the aforementioned problems, this utility model provides a battery module 100. The battery module 100 will be described with examples below.

[0030] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The battery module 100 may include N heat-conducting components 10 and N battery cells 20. The N heat-conducting components include a first heat-conducting component 10a, a second heat-conducting component 10b, ..., an (N-1)th heat-conducting component 10n-1, and an Nth heat-conducting component 10n. The first heat-conducting components 10a to the Nth heat-conducting components 10n are stacked sequentially along a first direction. The N battery cells 20 may be respectively disposed on the N heat-conducting components 10. That is, each heat-conducting component 10 may be provided with a corresponding battery cell 20.

[0031] For ease of explanation, this article uses directional terms such as "first direction," "second direction," and "third direction." These directions are indicated by arrows in the accompanying diagrams for clarity. Specifically, arrow X indicates the first direction, arrow Y indicates the second direction, and arrow Z indicates the third direction. Here, the first, second, and third directions are perpendicular to each other. In this article, perpendicularity does not mean absolute perpendicularity; an error of ±10 degrees should be included.

[0032] In this embodiment of the invention, the value of N is greater than or equal to 3. As a specific example, such as... Figure 2 As shown, N can be equal to 8. It is understood that in other examples of the utility model, N can also take other values, such as 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15, 20 or larger.

[0033] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The battery module 100 may further include a heating device 30. The heating device 30 can heat the N battery cells 20 by heating the N heat-conducting elements 10 respectively. In this embodiment of the invention, the heating efficiency of the heating device 30 for each heat-conducting element 10 is different. Specifically, the heating power of the heating device 30 for the first heat-conducting element 10a can be P1, the heating power of the heating device 30 for each heat-conducting element 10 from the second heat-conducting element 10b to the (N-1)th heat-conducting element 10n-1 is P2, and the heating power of the heating device 30 for the Nth heat-conducting element 10n is P3. Here, P1 > P2, and P3 > P2.

[0034] Since the N heat-conducting elements 10 are stacked along the first direction, and the first and Nth heat-conducting elements 10a and 10n are located outside the second to N-1th heat-conducting elements 10b-10n-1, the heat dissipation of the first and Nth heat-conducting elements 10a and 10n is more significant. If the heating device 30 provides the same heating power to each heat-conducting element 10, the temperature of the battery cells 20 on the first and Nth heat-conducting elements 10a and 10n will be lower than that on the second to N-1th heat-conducting elements 10b-10n-1, resulting in uneven heating of the battery module 100 as a whole.

[0035] According to the battery module 100 provided in this embodiment of the present invention, compared with the second to N-1 heat-conducting elements 10b-10n-1, the heating device 30 compensates for the heat dissipation of the first heat-conducting element and the Nth heat-conducting element 10a, 10n by giving the first and Nth heat-conducting elements 10a, 10n higher heating power, so that the battery unit 20 thereon has a similar heating effect to other battery units 20, thereby ensuring that the battery module 100 as a whole is heated more uniformly.

[0036] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5 Each heat-conducting element 10 may include a main body plate 11 and at least one side plate 12, the side plate 12 being located on one side of the main body plate 11 in the second direction. The side plate 12 and the main body plate 11 together enclose a receiving cavity with an opening, through which the battery cell 20 can be received, and the opening exposes a large surface area of ​​one side of the battery cell 20.

[0037] refer to Figure 2The main body plate 11 can be stacked with the corresponding battery unit 20 along the first direction. That is, the battery unit 20 on each heat conductor 10 is located on the first direction side of its main body plate 11, that is, the side indicated by arrow X. For example, from a perspective where the first direction is from left to right, the battery unit 20 on each heat conductor 10 is located on the right side of its main body plate 11. According to this arrangement, after stacking, for the Mth heat conductor (1≤M≤N-1), the battery unit 20 on it has a main body plate 11 on both sides, that is, one side has the main body plate 11 of the Mth heat conductor 10, and the other side has the main body plate 11 of the (M+1)th heat conductor 10. Only for the Nth heat conductor 10n, the battery unit 20 on it has a main body plate 11 on only one side, that is, the side of the battery unit 20 away from the Nth heat conductor 10n will not have a main body plate 11. This will result in the heating effect of the battery cell 20 on the Nth heat conductor 10n being even worse than that on the first heat conductor 10a. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the heating device 30 will provide the Nth heat conductor 10n with a higher heating efficiency, i.e., P3 > P1, meaning the main body plate 11 of the Nth heat conductor located at the very end along the first direction will be heated to the maximum power. This will improve the heating effect of the battery cell 20 on the Nth heat conductor 10n caused by the above arrangement, further reduce the temperature difference between the battery cells 20, and allow the battery module 100 to be heated more uniformly as a whole.

[0038] The numerical relationships of heating powers P1, P2, and P3 should be appropriately selected. As an example, the numerical relationships of heating powers P1, P2, and P3 can satisfy: 1.2 ≤ P1 / P2 ≤ 1.5, 1.7 ≤ P3 / P2 ≤ 2, and 0.6 ≤ P1 / P3 ≤ 0.9. If P1 / P2 or P3 / P2 is too small, the temperature of the outer battery cell 20 will be lower than the temperature of the middle battery cell 20. Conversely, if P1 / P2 or P3 / P2 is too large, the temperature of the outer battery cell 20 may be higher than the temperature of the middle battery cell 20. At the same time, if P1 / P3 is too small, the temperature of the battery cell 20 on the first heat conductor 10a may be lower than the temperature of the battery cell 20 on the Nth heat conductor 10n. Conversely, if P1 / P3 is too large, the temperature of the battery cell 20 on the first heat conductor 10a may be higher than the temperature of the battery cell 20 on the Nth heat conductor 10n. The numerical relationship between heating powers P1, P2 and P3 is set to meet the above conditions so that the temperature of each battery cell 20 is relatively close during heating, ensuring that the battery module 100 is heated uniformly as a whole.

[0039] Alternatively, the values ​​of P1 / P2 can also be 1.3 and 1.4, the values ​​of P3 / P2 can also be 1.8 and 1.9, and the values ​​of P1 / P3 can also be 0.7 and 0.8.

[0040] As a concrete example, P1 can be 12W, P2 can be 8.67W, and P3 can be 16W. These values ​​of heating power P1, P2, and P3 result in relatively excellent heating uniformity. For instance, when N is 8, the overall power of the heating device 30 to the second to N-1th heat-conducting plates 10b-10n-1 can be 52W. In this text, "equal to" means not absolutely equal; for example, an error of ±0.5 should be included.

[0041] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 The heating device 30 may include a heating element 31, and each heat-conducting element 10 may also include a side plate 12. The side plate 12 may be located on one side of the main body plate 11 in the second direction, and the heating element 31 may be located outside the side plate 12 and in contact with the side plate 12. In this way, the heat from the heating element 31 will be provided to the heat-conducting element 10 through the side plate 12 in contact with it, and transferred to the battery cell 20 through the main body plate 11, thereby achieving effective heating of the battery cell 20.

[0042] refer to Figure 6 The heating element 31 may include a first heating section 311, a second heating section 312, and a third heating section 313 arranged sequentially along a first direction. The first heating section 311 contacts the side plate 12 of the first heat-conducting element 10a to heat the first heat-conducting element 10a. The second heating section 312 contacts the side plates 12 of the second to N-1th heat-conducting elements 10b-10n-1 to heat the second to N-1th heat-conducting elements 10b-10n-1. The third heating section 313 contacts the side plate 12 of the Nth heat-conducting element 10a to heat the Nth heat-conducting element 10n. In this way, the first heat-conducting element 10a, the second to N-1th heat-conducting elements 10b-10n-1, and the Nth heat-conducting element 10n will be heated by the first heating section 311, the second heating section 312, and the third heating section 313 respectively, so that the heating element 31 provides them with different heating powers to achieve the purpose of uniform heating.

[0043] There are various ways to implement the heating element 31, and this embodiment of the utility model does not impose any particular limitation on it. For example, the heating element 31 can be implemented by electric heating, and it can be provided with a conductive heating wire. In particular, the heating element 31 can be a heating film to reduce space occupation. As another example, the heating element 31 can also be implemented by fluid heating, and it can be a flow path plate, through which the heating fluid flows to achieve the heating purpose.

[0044] When the heating element 31 uses electric heating, as an example, the distribution density of the heating wires inside the first heating section 311 can be Q1, the distribution density of the heating wires inside the second heating section 312 can be Q2, and the distribution density of the heating wires inside the third heating section 313 can be Q3. Q1 > Q2, and Q3 > Q2. Here, the distribution density of the heating wires can refer to the ratio of the area occupied by the heating wires to other areas per unit area. The higher the distribution density of the heating wires, the higher the heating power. By arranging different heating wire distribution densities in different parts of a heating element 31, different heating efficiencies can be achieved in different parts. Furthermore, by setting the distribution densities of the heating wires Q1, Q2, and Q3 to satisfy: Q1 > Q2 and Q3 > Q2, the heating powers P1, P2, and P3 will satisfy: P1 > P2 and P3 > P2.

[0045] There are many ways to achieve different heating efficiencies in different heating parts of the heating element 31, and it is not limited to using different heating wire distribution densities. For example, in one example, the first heating part 311, the second heating part 312, and the third heating part 313 can use independent energizing circuits, and different currents can be applied to different energizing circuits to achieve different heating efficiencies. As another example, the heating wires inside the first heating part 311, the second heating part 312, and the third heating part 313 can be made of different materials to achieve different resistance values, thereby achieving different heating efficiencies.

[0046] refer to Figure 6 The heating power of the second heating section 312 gradually decreases as it approaches the center in the first direction. For the second heat conductor 10b to the (N-1)th heat conductor 10n-1, the closer the heat conductor is to the center, the weaker its heat dissipation capacity. The heating power supplied by the second heating section 312 to these heat conductors gradually decreases from both sides towards the center, which helps to achieve uniform heating.

[0047] For example, the number of heat-conducting components is N. When N is odd, the heat-conducting component located in the middle is the N / 2th one; when N is even, the heat-conducting component located in the middle is the (N+1) / 2th one.

[0048] It is understood that the process of gradually reducing the heating power supplied by the second heating part 312 to the heat-conducting component can be either uniform or gradual, and this embodiment of the present invention does not impose any particular limitation on this.

[0049] refer to Figure 6The heating element 31 has the same dimension in the first direction as the N heat-conducting elements 10 in the first direction. The heating element 31 has a smaller dimension in the third direction than the N heat-conducting elements 10 in the third direction, and the heating element 31 is centrally located relative to the N heat-conducting elements 10. Since the N heat-conducting elements 10 are stacked sequentially along the first direction, and the heating element 31 has the same dimension in the first direction as the N heat-conducting elements 10, each heat-conducting element 10 in the first direction can be heated. Furthermore, the smaller dimension of the heating element 31 in the third direction compared to the N heat-conducting elements 10, and its central location relative to the N heat-conducting elements 10 in the third direction, reduces the size of the heating element 31 in the third direction while ensuring uniform heating of each heat-conducting element 10 in the third direction.

[0050] Continue to refer to Figure 6 As a first preferred example, the dimension of the heating element 31 in the third direction can be D1, and the dimensions of the N heat-conducting elements 10 in the third direction can be D2. Dimensions D1 and D2 can satisfy: 0.5 ≤ D1 / D2 ≤ 0.9. If D1 / D2 is too small, it means that the dimension of the heating element 31 in the third direction is too small, only covering the middle of each heat-conducting element 10, and each heat-conducting element 10 is only heated in the middle of the third direction, resulting in uneven heating. If D1 / D2 is too large, it means that the dimension of the heating element 31 in the third direction is large, which will increase costs. Limiting D1 / D2 within the above-mentioned value range can both ensure the heating effect of the heat-conducting elements 10 and effectively control costs.

[0051] refer to Figure 6 In the figure, Z indicates the direction in which the tab 21 extends from the top side of the heat-conducting element 10. N heat-conducting elements have opposing first and second ends in the third direction, and heating elements have opposing third and fourth ends in the third direction. The first end is closer to the tabs of the N battery cells than the second end, and the third end is closer to the tabs than the fourth end. The distance between the first and third ends is D3, and the distance between the second and fourth ends is D4, where 1.1 ≤ D3 / D4 ≤ 2. The values ​​of D3 / D4 can be 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, or 1.9. During the use of the battery cell 20, the connection between the tab 21 and the external circuit will generate heat, allowing the portion of the heat-conducting element 10 near the tab 21 to be heated. The heating element 31 and the N heat-conducting elements have two gaps in the third direction. According to this embodiment, the gap on the side near the tab 21 is larger than the gap on the other side, enabling the heat-conducting element 10 to be heated uniformly.

[0052] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4The battery module 100 may further include an elastic heat insulation element 40, an insulating element 50, and an end plate 60 stacked with the heating element 31. The elastic heat insulation element 40 may be located outside the heating element 31, the insulating element 50 may be located outside the elastic heat insulation element 40, and the end plate 60 may be located outside the insulating element 50. The elastic heat insulation element 40 can effectively isolate the heat generated by the heating element 31, reduce heat diffusion to the external environment, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the battery cell 20. At the same time, the elastic properties of the elastic heat insulation element 40 can also absorb external impacts and vibrations, preventing the battery cell 20 from being damaged by concentrated stress. The insulating element 50 can effectively prevent leakage current, ensuring the safety of the battery module 100. The end plate 60 can enhance the structural strength of the battery module 100 and protect the internal components.

[0053] For example, the material of the elastic thermal insulation member 40 can be foam, silicone, rubber, etc., and the material of the insulation member 50 can be polycarbonate (PC), polyvinyl fluoride (PTFE), etc., and this disclosure does not impose any particular limitation thereon. The end plate 60 can be made of metal. The heat-conducting member 10 can be made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as metal. In particular, the heat-conducting member 10 can be made of aluminum to have excellent thermal conductivity and low weight.

[0054] Continue to refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 Each heat-conducting element 10 may include two side plates 12, and the heating device 30 includes two heating elements 31. The two side plates 12 are located on opposite sides of the main body plate 11 in the second direction, and the two heating elements 31 are located on the outer sides of the two side plates 12. In this way, the heating device can simultaneously heat the two side plates 12 of the heat-conducting element 10 through the heating elements 31, thereby shortening the heating time of the battery cell 20 and improving heating efficiency and heating uniformity.

[0055] Continue to refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 Each heat conductor 10 may also include a base plate 13 located on the bottom side of the main body plate 11 in the third direction, and each heat conductor 10 is open on the top side in the third direction to allow the tab 21 of the corresponding battery cell 20 to extend through the outlet on the top side.

[0056] refer to Figure 7The battery module 100 may include multiple end plates 60, namely two first end plates 60a, one second end plate 60b, and one third end plate 60c. The two first end plates 60a are respectively disposed on opposite sides of N heat-conducting elements 10 in a first direction. Each first end plate 60a has a first ear 61 and a second ear 62 on opposite edges in a second direction. The first ear 61 and the second ear 62 of each first end plate 60a are bent away from the other first end plate 60a. The second end plate 60b and the third end plate 60c are respectively located on opposite sides of the N heat-conducting elements 10 in a second direction. The second end plate 60b has two protruding third ears 63 on opposite sides in the first direction, and the third end plate 60c has two protruding fourth ears 64 on opposite sides in the first direction. The two third ears 63 are stacked and connected to the first ears 61 of the two first end plates 60a, respectively. The two fourth ears 64 are stacked and connected to the second ears 62 of the two first end plates 60a, respectively. In this way, the end plates 60 can be connected to form a whole that surrounds the N heat-conducting components 10, protecting the N heat-conducting components 10 and the N battery cells 20. Furthermore, according to this structure, the directions of the third ear 63 and the fourth ear 64 are parallel to the first direction, and the first ear 61 and the second ear 62, after being bent, are also parallel to the first direction. This ensures that after the third ear 63 is connected to the first ear 61 and the fourth ear 64 is connected to the second ear 62, the dimension in the second direction will not be too large, which helps to reduce the thickness of the battery module 100.

[0057] It is understood that the connection between the third ear 63 and the first ear 61, and the connection between the fourth ear 64 and the second ear 62, can be a bolt connection, a welding connection, an adhesive connection, or a riveting connection. This utility model does not impose any special restrictions.

[0058] Continue to refer to Figure 6 Each first ear 61 and its corresponding third ear 63 have their inner surfaces facing each other exposed with conductive substrate to electrically connect them. Similarly, each second ear 62 and the connected fourth ear 64 have their inner surfaces facing each other exposed with conductive substrate to electrically connect them. In this way, multiple end plates 60 can be connected in series to form a single conductive unit, and the grounding circuit only needs to connect one end plate 60 to achieve overall grounding of the multiple end plates 60.

[0059] Furthermore, at least one third ear 63 can be configured to connect to an external component, for example, by bolting, welding, bonding, or riveting. For instance, when the battery module 100 is used in the energy storage device 200, this external component can be the housing 210 of the energy storage device 200. The side surface of the third ear 63 facing away from the corresponding first ear 61 exposes a conductive substrate to electrically connect the third ear 63 to the external component. Thus, simply connecting the third ear 63 to the external component achieves both fixing and grounding of the battery module 100.

[0060] In addition to the inner surfaces of the first ear 61, the second ear 62, the third ear 63 and the fourth ear 64 mentioned above, and the outer surface of the third ear 63 that is opposite to the corresponding first ear 61, the other surfaces of the multiple end plates 60 may be provided with an insulating protective layer to improve safety.

[0061] Continue to refer to Figure 7 At least one end of the fourth ear 64 can be bent into a hook shape toward the second end plate 60b. When moving the battery module 100, for example when installing the battery module 100 into the housing 210 of the energy storage device 200, the sling can use the hook-shaped structure of the fourth ear 64 as a force point to facilitate lifting or lowering the battery module 100 as a whole.

[0062] refer to Figure 8 The battery module 100 may further include a tab support 70, which is disposed on the top side of the N heat-conducting components 10 in a third-direction orientation. The tabs 21 of the N battery cells 20 can be led out through and supported by the tab support 70. At least one of the two first end plates 60a, the second end plate 60b, and the third end plate 60c may be provided with a fifth ear 65 protruding to the top side. The fifth ear 65 can be connected to the tab support 70 to fix the tab support 70 to the plurality of end plates 60. By way of example only, the fifth ear 65 and the tab support 70 may be connected by bolts, welding, adhesive, or riveting. This utility model does not impose any particular limitation in this regard.

[0063] refer to Figure 9 This utility model embodiment also provides an energy storage device 200, which may include the battery module 100 mentioned above. As an example, the energy storage device 200 may be a home energy storage device 200. As an example, the energy storage device 200 may include two battery modules 100 connected in series. Of course, in other embodiments, the energy storage device 200 may also serve as a power source, and the number of battery modules 100 may be one or more; this utility model does not place particular limitations on this. As an example, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the energy storage device 200 may also include a housing 210, in which the battery module 100 may be installed.

[0064] It should be understood that the term "comprising" and its variations used in the embodiments of this utility model are open-ended, meaning "including but not limited to". The term "according to" means "at least in part according to". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least another embodiment". The term "a plurality of" means "more than one", which implies covering two, three or more cases.

[0065] It should be understood that although terms such as "first" or "second" may be used in embodiments of the present invention to describe various elements, such as a first heating part and a second heating part, these elements are not defined by these terms, which are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0066] The protection scope of this utility model embodiment is not limited to the above embodiments. Any variations or substitutions that can be conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model embodiment should be included within the protection scope of this utility model embodiment. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model embodiment should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that, include: N heat-conducting components, including a first heat-conducting component, a second heat-conducting component, and so on to the Nth heat-conducting component arranged sequentially along a first direction; There are N battery cells, and each heat-conducting component has a corresponding battery cell, where N is greater than or equal to 3. as well as The heating device heats each of the N battery cells by heating the N heat-conducting elements. Wherein, the heating power of the heating device for the first heat-conducting element is P1, the heating power for each of the second to the (N-1)th heat-conducting elements is P2, and the heating power for the Nth heat-conducting element is P3, where P1 > P2 and P3 > P2.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each heat-conducting component includes a main plate and at least one side plate, the side plate and the main plate together enclosing an accommodating cavity with an opening, and multiple battery cells are placed in multiple accommodating cavities in a corresponding manner; The main body plate of each heat-conducting component and the corresponding battery cell are stacked along the first direction, and the openings are all oriented along the first direction, wherein P3 > P1.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that: 1.2≤P1 / P2≤1.5, 1.7≤P3 / P2≤2, 0.6≤P1 / P3≤0.

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4. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating device includes a heating element, which includes a first heating section, a second heating section, and a third heating section arranged sequentially along the first direction. The first heating section is in contact with the side plate of the first heat-conducting element, the second heating section is in contact with the side plates of the second heat-conducting element to the (N-1)th heat-conducting element, and the third heating section is in contact with the side plate of the Nth heat-conducting element.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heating power of the second heating element gradually decreases as it approaches the middle of the first direction.

6. The battery module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heating element is located on one side of the N heat-conducting elements in the second direction. The heating element has a dimension D1 in the third direction, and the N heat-conducting elements have a dimension D2 in the third direction. 0.5≤D1 / D2≤0.9, wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

7. The battery module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The N heat-conducting components have a first end and a second end opposite to each other in the third direction, and the heating component has a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other in the third direction. The first end is closer to the tab of the N battery cells than the second end, and the third end is closer to the tab than the fourth end. The distance between the first end and the third end is D3, and the distance between the second end and the fourth end is D4. 1.1≤D3 / D4≤2.

8. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Two first end plates are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the N heat-conducting components in the first direction. Each first end plate has a first ear and a second ear on opposite edges in the second direction. The first ear and the second ear of each first end plate are bent toward the side away from the other first end plate. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. as well as The second end plate and the third end plate are respectively located on opposite sides of the N heat-conducting components in the second direction. The second end plate has two protruding third ears on opposite sides in the first direction, and the third end plate has two protruding fourth ears on opposite sides in the first direction. The two third ear portions are respectively stacked and connected to the two first ear portions of the two first end plates, and the two fourth ear portions are respectively stacked and connected to the two second ear portions of the two first end plates.

9. The battery module according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each first ear and its corresponding third ear have their inner surfaces facing each other exposed with conductive substrate to electrically connect them; each second ear and the connected fourth ear have their inner surfaces facing each other exposed with conductive substrate to electrically connect them; a third ear is configured to connect to an external component, the side of the third ear facing away from the corresponding first ear having exposed conductive substrate to electrically connect the third ear to the external component; and / or At least one end of the fourth ear is bent toward the second end plate in a hook shape; and / or The battery module also includes a tab bracket, which is disposed on the top side of the N heat-conducting components in a third direction. The third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. At least one of the two first end plates, the second end plate, and the third end plate is provided with a fifth ear protruding towards the top side, and the fifth ear is connected to the tab bracket.

10. An energy storage device, characterized in that, Includes the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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