End plate assembly, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of end plate assembly, battery pack and vehicle.End plate assembly includes end plate body and pre-pressing elastic plate, the structure beam of battery pack is used to connect in the thickness direction of its one side of end plate body, the other side of the thickness direction of end plate body is connected with the pre-pressing elastic plate, and the pre-pressing elastic plate is used to butt the end cell of battery pack.The end plate assembly of the utility model can provide initial pre-tightening force for the end cell of cell module, effectively limit the expansion of end cell, and improve the cycle life of cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of battery technology, specifically to an end plate assembly, a battery pack, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Multiple battery cells are arranged sequentially within a frame. A thermal insulation pad is installed between the middle battery cells. The thermal insulation pad has a certain degree of elasticity and compressibility, which can provide initial contact pressure for the middle battery cells. When the middle battery cells expand, the thermal insulation pad can limit the expansion of the battery cells by interacting with the expansion deformation of the battery cells. However, a module end plate is installed between the battery cells located at the ends and the end expansion beam. The end expansion beam and the module end plate provide rigid support for the battery cells, making it impossible to install thermal insulation pads. This makes it impossible for the module end plate to be aligned with the thermal insulation pad of the middle battery cells, and thus it is impossible to provide pre-tightening force to the battery cells in the initial stage of battery cell installation. As a result, it cannot effectively limit the expansion of the end battery cells, which is detrimental to the battery cell cycle and normal service life. Utility Model Content

[0003] This utility model aims to at least partially solve one of the technical problems in the related art.

[0004] Therefore, embodiments of this utility model propose an end plate assembly that can provide initial preload to the end cells, effectively limiting the expansion of the end cells and improving the cycle life of the cells.

[0005] An embodiment of this utility model proposes a battery pack.

[0006] An embodiment of this utility model proposes a vehicle.

[0007] An end plate assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an end plate body and a pre-compression elastic plate. The end plate body is used to connect a structural beam of a battery pack on one side in its thickness direction, and the end plate body is connected to the pre-compression elastic plate on the other side in its thickness direction. The pre-compression elastic plate is used to abut against the end cells of the battery pack.

[0008] The end plate assembly of this utility model embodiment can provide initial preload to the end cells of the battery cell module, effectively limiting the expansion of the end cells and improving the cycle life of the cells.

[0009] In some embodiments, the pre-compression elastic plate has a cavity in the middle, and the cavity penetrates the pre-compression elastic plate in the thickness direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the endplate assembly further includes a buffer plate disposed within the cavity and connected to the other side of the endplate body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the endplate assembly further includes a first adhesive layer disposed between the buffer plate and the other side of the endplate body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the buffer plate is a foam plate or an aerogel plate.

[0013] In some embodiments, the thickness of the pre-compression elastic plate is H1, and the thickness of the buffer plate is H2, where 0 mm < H2 ≤ 1.5 H1.

[0014] In some embodiments, the pre-compressed elastic plate is a pre-compressed vacuum foam board.

[0015] In some embodiments, the thickness of the vacuum foam board is pre-compressed by 30%-70%.

[0016] In some embodiments, the thickness of the pre-compressed elastic plate is H1, where 0 mm < H1 ≤ 5% H3, and H3 is a preset value.

[0017] In some embodiments, the endplate assembly further includes a second adhesive layer disposed between the pre-compressed elastic plate and the other side of the endplate body.

[0018] In some embodiments, the end plate body is an aluminum plate or an epoxy board.

[0019] In some embodiments, the thickness of the end plate body is 0.5-2 mm.

[0020] The battery pack of this utility model embodiment includes a structural beam, a cell module and the end plate assembly. One side of the end plate body of the end plate assembly is connected to the structural beam, and the pre-compression elastic plate of the end plate assembly abuts against the end cell of the cell module.

[0021] The vehicle in this embodiment of the utility model includes a battery pack. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 2 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the end plate assembly according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 3 This is the second structural schematic diagram of the end plate assembly according to an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the end plate assembly and the battery cell module in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0023] Figure label: 1000, battery pack; 100. Endplate assembly; 1. End plate body; 2. Pre-compression elastic plate; 21. Cavity; 3. Buffer plate. 200, Structural beam; 300, Battery cell module; 3001, End battery cell; 3002, Thermal insulation pad frame; 400, Potting compound layer. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0025] The following is a reference to the appendix. Figures 1 to 4 The end plate assembly 100, battery pack 1000, and vehicle of this utility model embodiment are described in detail below.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the battery pack 1000 of this utility model embodiment includes a structural beam 200, a cell module 300, and an end plate assembly 100.

[0027] The end plate assembly 100 of this utility model embodiment includes an end plate body 1 and a pre-compression elastic plate 2. The end plate body 1 is connected to a structural beam 200 on one side in its thickness direction, and the end plate body 1 is connected to the pre-compression elastic plate 2 on the other side in its thickness direction. The pre-compression elastic plate 2 abuts against the end cell 3001 of the cell module 300.

[0028] Specifically, the battery pack 1000 also includes a housing, which has a structural beam 200 and a mounting position for mounting the cell module 300. The cell module 300 includes multiple cells arranged in sequence, and a heat insulation pad frame 3002 is provided between adjacent cells. The cells located at both ends of the cell module 300 are end cells 3001, and the cells located between the two end cells 3001 are middle cells.

[0029] In this embodiment of the present invention, during installation of the end plate assembly 100, the pre-compression elastic plate 2 is first compressed to deform and accumulate elastic force. Then, the cell module 300 and the end plate assembly 100 are stacked, so that the pre-compression elastic plate 2 abuts against the end cell 3001 of the cell module 300. After stacking, it is installed in the installation position inside the battery pack 1000. Then, potting compound is injected into the gap between the structural beam 200 and the end plate body 1 of the end plate assembly 100. After the potting compound cures, it forms a potting compound layer 400. The potting compound layer 400 seals the gap between the structural beam 200 and the end plate body 1 and fixes the structural beam 200 and the end plate body 1. That is, the end plate assembly 100 is installed in place, and the assembly of the battery pack 1000 is completed.

[0030] Because the pre-compressed elastic plate 2 is compressed before installation, it has an elastic force that expands and returns to its original position. After installation, due to the high stiffness of the structural beam 200, the structural beam 200 exerts a force on one side of the pre-compressed elastic plate 2 (e.g., ...). Figure 1 The pre-compression elastic plate 2 (on the left side) is fixed, and the pre-compression elastic plate 2 cannot expand and reset towards the structural beam 200. This allows the elastic force of the pre-compression elastic plate 2 to act on the end cell 3001 of the cell module 300, providing pre-tightening force to the end cell 3001. That is, after the battery pack 1000 is assembled, the end plate assembly 100 forms an initial pre-tightening force on the end cell 3001. Thus, when the cell expands cyclically, the pre-compression elastic plate 2 can provide a rebound force to the end cell 3001. At the same time, the pre-compression elastic plate 2 has compressive deformation characteristics. The interaction between the pre-compression elastic plate 2 and the expanding end cell 3001 can suppress excessive expansion of the end cell 3001, maintain structural stability, and improve the cell cycle life.

[0031] Therefore, the end plate assembly 100 of this utility model embodiment can provide an initial preload force to the end cell 3001 of the cell module 300, which can effectively limit the expansion of the end cell 3001 and improve the cycle life of the cell.

[0032] Specifically, structural beam 200 is an expansion beam.

[0033] In some embodiments, the end plate body 1 is an aluminum plate or an epoxy board. The end plate body 1 provides stable support for the pre-compressed elastic plate 2, ensuring the strength of the end plate assembly 100. The end plate body 1 is made of aluminum plate, which has the advantages of being lightweight, high-strength, and easy to process. The end plate body 1 is made of epoxy board, which has the advantages of good insulation, flame retardancy, corrosion resistance, and structural stability.

[0034] Specifically, the thickness of the end plate body 1 is 0.5-2mm to ensure that the end plate body 1 provides stable support for the pre-compressed elastic plate 2. For example, the thickness of the end plate body 1 is 0.5mm, 0.6mm, 0.7mm, 0.8mm, 0.9mm, 1.0mm, 1.1mm, 1.2mm, 1.3mm, 1.4mm, 1.5mm, 1.6mm, 1.7mm, 1.8mm, 1.9mm, or 2mm.

[0035] In some embodiments, the end plate assembly 100 further includes a second adhesive layer (not shown) disposed between the pre-compression elastic plate 2 and the other side of the end plate body 1. The end plate body 1 and the pre-compression elastic plate 2 are connected by bonding with the second adhesive layer, which is convenient to operate and easy to assemble the pre-compression elastic plate 2 and the end plate body 1.

[0036] Specifically, double-sided adhesive is used to bond the end plate body 1 and the pre-pressed elastic plate 2, and the double-sided adhesive forms a second adhesive layer after curing.

[0037] In some embodiments, a cavity 21 is provided in the middle of the pre-compression elastic plate 2, and the cavity 21 penetrates the pre-compression elastic plate 2 in the thickness direction. Then, the pre-compression elastic plate 2 forms a pre-tightening force around the end cell 3001, thereby adapting to the heat insulation pad frame 3002 installed inside the cell module 300 and located between two adjacent middle cells, forming pressure towards the cell from both sides of the end cell 3001.

[0038] In this case, the thickness direction of the pre-compression elastic plate 2 is the same as the thickness direction of the end plate body 1, such as... Figure 1 The left and right directions in the middle.

[0039] Specifically, with cavity 21 as the inner side, the distance between the inner and outer sides of the pre-compression elastic plate 2 is 5-20mm. Figure 2 As shown, cavity 21 is a rectangular cavity 21, and pre-compressed elastic plate 2 has four rectangular borders with a width of 5-20mm, which is the same size as the border of the heat insulation pad.

[0040] In some embodiments, the end plate assembly 100 further includes a buffer plate 3 disposed within the cavity 21 and connected to the other side of the end plate body 1. The buffer plate 3 has a certain degree of elasticity and compressibility, and can form a flexible transition zone within the cavity 21 inside the pre-compressed elastic plate 2. The buffer plate 3 can contact the end cell 3001 during cyclic expansion, absorb the expansion force of the end cell 3001, and apply a rebound force to the end cell 3001, so that the end cell 3001 is uniformly stressed, reducing local stress concentration, protecting the end cell 3001 from mechanical damage, thereby further improving the cell life.

[0041] Specifically, the compression ratio of buffer plate 3 is ≥15%@0.7Mpa, and it can undergo appropriate deformation when encountering cell expansion, rather than being too hard or too soft.

[0042] Specifically, the buffer plate 3 is a foam board or an aerogel board.

[0043] Foam boards are made of foam material, which has the advantages of being soft, compression-resilient, easy to process, low in density, lightweight, and moderately costly.

[0044] Aerogels have significant advantages in terms of thermal insulation, fire resistance and lightweighting.

[0045] In some embodiments, the end plate assembly 100 further includes a first adhesive layer (not shown in the figure), which is disposed between the buffer plate 3 and the other side of the end plate body 1. The end plate body 1 and the buffer plate 3 are connected by bonding with the first adhesive layer, which is convenient to operate and easy to assemble the buffer plate 3 and the end plate body 1.

[0046] Specifically, double-sided adhesive is used to bond the end plate body 1 and the buffer plate 3, and the first adhesive layer is formed after the double-sided adhesive cures.

[0047] In some embodiments, the pre-compressed elastic plate 2 is a pre-compressed vacuum foam board. The vacuum foam board has an ultra-high compression ratio, excellent resilience, and outstanding cushioning protection capability. The vacuum foam board can be compressed by vacuuming after being sealed in a vacuum bag or aluminum-plastic film, which facilitates the stacking and packing of the end plate assembly 100 and the cell module 300 into the housing. There is no need to apply external force to pre-compress the pre-compressed elastic plate 2 during the stacking and packing process. After the vacuum foam board is unsealed and the vacuum is released, the vacuum foam board has an expansion and rebound force, thereby applying a pre-tightening force to the end cell 3001.

[0048] In some embodiments, the thickness of the vacuum foam board is pre-compressed by 30%-70%, and the rebound pressure formed on the end cell 3001 after the vacuum foam board is de-vacuumed is 30-150 kPa, ensuring that an initial pre-tightening force is provided around the end cell 3001.

[0049] The thickness of the pre-compression elastic plate 2 is H1, where 0mm < H1 ≤ 5%H3, and H3 is a preset value. Specifically, H3 is the thickness of the end cell 3001. Cell expansion requires space. If the thickness of the pre-compression elastic plate 2 is less than or equal to 5% of the thickness of the end cell 3001, then the expansion space of the end cell 3001 is less than or equal to 5% of its thickness, thus controlling the expansion of the end cell 3001 within 5%, ensuring that the cell's stress and circulation are in a better state.

[0050] The thickness of the buffer plate 3 is H2, where 0mm < H2 ≤ 1.5H1. When 0mm < H2 ≤ H1, after the end cell 3001 expands, it gradually comes into contact with the buffer plate 3. When the buffer plate 3 uses a softer foam with a higher compression ratio, it will not affect the expansion space of the end cell 3001, allowing H1 < H2 ≤ 1.5H1. The buffer plate 3 can then contact the end cell 3001, providing initial support and improving the cycle life of the cell. It should be noted that the buffer plate 3 is not pre-compressed; its thickness is the thickness under normal pressure and in its natural state.

[0051] The vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below.

[0052] The vehicle of this embodiment includes a battery pack 1000. This, in turn, helps to extend the service life of the vehicle according to this embodiment.

[0053] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and are not intended to 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 utility model.

[0054] 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 indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0055] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," 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, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; 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, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0056] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0057] In this utility model, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of this utility model. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0058] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An endplate assembly (100), characterized in that, It includes an end plate body (1) and a pre-compression elastic plate (2). The end plate body (1) is used to connect the structural beam (200) of the battery pack (1000) on one side in its thickness direction, and the end plate body (1) is connected to the pre-compression elastic plate (2) on the other side in its thickness direction. The pre-compression elastic plate (2) is used to abut against the end cells (3001) of the battery pack (1000).

2. The end plate assembly (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pre-compression elastic plate (2) has a cavity (21) in the middle, and the cavity (21) penetrates the pre-compression elastic plate (2) in the thickness direction.

3. The end plate assembly (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that, It further includes a buffer plate (3) disposed in the cavity (21) and connected to the other side of the end plate body (1).

4. The end plate assembly (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that, It further includes a first adhesive layer disposed between the buffer plate (3) and the other side of the end plate body (1).

5. The endplate assembly (100) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The buffer plate (3) is a foam board or an aerogel board.

6. The endplate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the pre-compression elastic plate (2) is H1, and the thickness of the buffer plate (3) is H2, where 0mm < H2 ≤ 1.5H1.

7. The endplate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The pre-compressed elastic plate (2) is a pre-compressed vacuum foam board.

8. The end plate assembly (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The thickness of the vacuum foam board is pre-compressed by 30%-70%.

9. The endplate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The thickness of the pre-compressed elastic plate (2) is H1, 0mm < H1 ≤ 5%H3, where H3 is a preset value.

10. The endplate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, It further includes a second adhesive layer disposed between the pre-compressed elastic plate (2) and the other side of the end plate body (1).

11. The endplate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The end plate body (1) is an aluminum plate or an epoxy plate.

12. The endplate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The thickness of the end plate body (1) is 0.5-2mm.

13. A battery pack (1000), characterized in that, The device includes a structural beam (200), a battery cell module (300), and an end plate assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein one side of the end plate body (1) of the end plate assembly (100) is connected to the structural beam (200), and the pre-compression elastic plate (2) of the end plate assembly (100) abuts against the end battery cell (3001) of the battery cell module (300).

14. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the battery pack (1000) as described in claim 13.

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