A battery module and vehicle

Abstract

The application discloses a battery module and a vehicle, relates to the technical field of power batteries, and comprises a shell assembly and a cell assembly. The shell assembly comprises a frame assembly, a top plate and a bottom plate. The top plate and the bottom plate are arranged at two ends of the frame assembly along a first direction respectively, and the top plate, the bottom plate and the frame assembly jointly enclose a mounting space. The cell assembly is arranged in the mounting space. A pressure relief hole is formed in the bottom plate and is in communication with the mounting space and the outside. A fireproof layer is arranged between the cell assembly and the top plate to avoid the cell assembly from discharging and erupting in the direction of the top plate. The frame assembly also has sufficient structural strength to ensure that the cell assembly can preferentially expand and discharge in the direction of the pressure relief hole along the first direction. The application can avoid the cell assembly from directly facing the passenger compartment or impacting adjacent cells through the path design of the directional discharge of the cell assembly to the bottom plate, thereby reducing the risk of heat runaway spreading and significantly improving the overall safety level and heat runaway protection capability of the battery module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of power battery technology, and more specifically, to a battery module and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing demand for longer driving range in new energy vehicles and the rapid development of the battery energy storage industry, the market has placed demands on the energy density and safety of power batteries. Although battery technology, represented by lithium-ion batteries, has been continuously improving in energy density, its thermal runaway safety issue remains a key bottleneck restricting the development of the new energy vehicle and energy storage industries.

[0003] Against this backdrop, solid-state electrolyte cells have attracted significant attention due to their high safety and high energy density. Among them, pouch-type solid-state electrolyte cells are considered a highly promising application solution due to their flexible structure and lightweight characteristics. However, during thermal runaway, the high-temperature gases or substances generated by pouch-type cells can easily be ejected to unpredictable locations, posing a serious threat to the safety of surrounding cells, structural components, and personnel.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the safety of pouch solid-state batteries during thermal runaway has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a battery module to improve the safety of pouch solid-state batteries during thermal runaway.

[0006] Another object of this application is to provide a vehicle including the above-described battery module.

[0007] A battery module, comprising:

[0008] The housing assembly includes a frame assembly, a top plate, and a bottom plate. The top plate and the bottom plate are respectively disposed at both ends of the frame assembly along a first direction, and the top plate, the bottom plate, and the frame assembly together form an installation space. The bottom plate has a pressure relief hole that connects the installation space to the outside.

[0009] A battery cell assembly is disposed within the installation space, and a fireproof layer is provided within the installation space, with the fireproof layer disposed between the battery cell assembly and the top plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, a thermally conductive adhesive protective layer is provided in the installation space, and the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer is disposed between the base plate and the battery cell assembly;

[0011] Along the first direction, the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer is arranged to avoid the pressure relief hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, the base plate is provided with a limiting groove for embedding the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer.

[0013] In some embodiments, the fireproof layer is bonded to the top plate.

[0014] In some embodiments, the side of the top plate facing the bottom plate is a planar structure;

[0015] And / or, the top plate is provided with reinforcing ribs on the side facing away from the bottom plate.

[0016] In some embodiments, there are multiple pressure relief holes, which are staggered along the first direction from the middle position of the battery cell assembly along the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are arranged at an angle.

[0017] In some embodiments, the pressure relief holes are arranged in a matrix along the second direction and the third direction, and the third direction is arranged at an angle to both the first direction and the second direction.

[0018] In some embodiments, the framework component includes:

[0019] Two side plates, the two side plates being arranged opposite each other along a second direction;

[0020] Two end plates are arranged opposite each other along a third direction, and the side plates are alternately connected to the end plates in a ring structure. The top plate is connected to the end plates and the side plates at a first end along the first direction, and the bottom plate is connected to the end plates and the side plates at a second end along the first direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are arranged at an angle to each other.

[0021] An insulating support is disposed between the cell assembly and the side plate;

[0022] An electrical connection structure is provided, wherein the electrical connection structure is electrically connected between the side plate and the battery cell assembly.

[0023] In some embodiments, the connection method between the end plate and the side plate includes one or more of bolt connection, welding, and strap connection.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cell assembly includes:

[0025] Multiple battery cell bodies are arranged at intervals along the second direction;

[0026] Multiple heat insulation plates are disposed between two adjacent battery cell bodies and are fitted with the battery cell bodies with a gap.

[0027] An insulating partition is disposed between the cell body and the end plate.

[0028] A vehicle comprising the battery module described in any of the preceding claims.

[0029] The battery module provided in this application includes a housing assembly and a cell assembly. The housing assembly includes a frame assembly, a top plate, and a bottom plate. The top plate and the bottom plate are respectively disposed at both ends of the frame assembly along a first direction, and the top plate, the bottom plate, and the frame assembly together form an installation space. The cell assembly is disposed within the installation space. The housing assembly provides mechanical strength to the cell assembly to apply and maintain stable stacking pressure. A pressure relief hole is provided on the bottom plate to connect the installation space with the outside, providing a directional channel for pressure relief of the cell assembly. A fireproof layer is provided within the installation space and between the cell assembly and the top plate to prevent the cell assembly from releasing pressure and ejecting in the direction of the top plate. The frame assembly also has sufficient structural strength to ensure that the cell assembly can preferentially expand and release pressure in the direction of the pressure relief hole along the first direction.

[0030] Compared to related technologies, the battery module provided in this application forms a constraint structure on the cell assembly through the outer shell assembly, providing continuous external stacking pressure to resist the expansion force of the cell assembly during use, thus meeting the high-strength fixing structure requirements of the pouch solid-state battery module. This application uses fireproof layers and pressure relief holes located at both ends of the cell assembly, as well as frame components located around the cell assembly, to form a thermal safety protection scheme at the pouch solid-state battery module level. This can extend the protection time against thermal runaway of the cell body and realize a directional pressure relief path design towards the base plate, which can prevent it from directly impacting the passenger compartment or adjacent cells, thereby reducing the risk of thermal runaway propagation and significantly improving the overall safety level and thermal runaway protection capability of the battery module.

[0031] The vehicle provided in this application includes the aforementioned battery module, and therefore also possesses the aforementioned structure and beneficial effects. Other structures are described in reference to relevant technologies and will not be elaborated upon here. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or related technologies of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the battery module disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the battery module disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the battery cell assembly disclosed in the embodiments of this application.

[0036] Among them, 100 is the outer shell assembly, 110 is the frame assembly, 111 is the end plate, 112 is the side plate, 113 is the strap, 120 is the top plate, 121 is the reinforcing rib, 130 is the bottom plate, 131 is the pressure relief hole, 140 is the fireproof layer, and 150 is the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer.

[0037] 200 is the battery cell assembly, 210 is the battery cell body, 220 is the heat insulation plate, and 230 is the insulating partition. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The core of this application is to disclose a battery module to improve the safety of pouch solid-state batteries during thermal runaway.

[0039] Another key aspect of this application is the disclosure of a vehicle that includes the aforementioned battery module.

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the embodiments shown below do not limit the scope of the utility model as described in the claims. Additionally, the complete contents of the structures represented in the embodiments below are not limited to those necessary for the solution of the utility model as described in the claims. It should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the utility model are shown in the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0041] It should be noted that in the accompanying drawings of this application embodiment, the arrow marked Z represents the first direction Z, the arrow marked X represents the second direction X, and the arrow marked Y represents the third direction Y. The first direction Z, the second direction X, and the third direction Y are perpendicular to each other. In practical applications, the above three directions can be set at an angle between each other, and the angle can be less than or greater than 90 degrees. The first direction Z, the second direction X, and the third direction Y are introduced to more clearly illustrate the structure and relative positional relationship of each component in the battery module. In practical applications, the first direction Z, the second direction X, and the third direction Y may change depending on the placement of the battery module. For example, the following description uses the first direction Z as the thickness direction of the battery module, the second direction X as the width direction of the battery module, and the third direction Y as the length direction of the battery module.

[0042] Existing pouch solid-state battery technology still faces many challenges. On the one hand, solid-state cells require a high-strength external structure to apply and maintain stable stacking pressure while suppressing their expansion during cycling; on the other hand, the direction of pressure release in pouch cells during thermal runaway is uncontrollable, posing a severe challenge to their thermal safety design. Based on this, this application discloses the following battery module.

[0043] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 The battery module disclosed in this application includes a housing assembly 100 and a cell assembly 200. The housing assembly 100 includes a frame assembly 110, a top plate 120, and a bottom plate 130. The top plate 120 and the bottom plate 130 are respectively disposed at both ends of the frame assembly 110 along the first direction Z, and the top plate 120, the bottom plate 130, and the frame assembly 110 together form an installation space. The cell assembly 200 is disposed within the installation space. The housing assembly 100 provides mechanical strength to the cell assembly 200 to apply and maintain stability. A certain stacking pressure is maintained; a pressure relief hole 131 is provided on the base plate 130 to connect the installation space with the outside, so as to provide a directional channel for the pressure relief of the cell assembly 200. A fireproof layer 140 is provided in the installation space, between the cell assembly 200 and the top plate 120, to prevent the cell assembly 200 from being ejected in the direction of the top plate 120. The frame assembly 110 also has sufficient structural strength to ensure that the cell assembly 200 can preferentially expand and relieve pressure in the direction of the pressure relief hole 131 in the first direction Z.

[0044] For example, in actual use, the top plate 120 of the battery module can be arranged facing the passenger compartment and the bottom plate 130 can be arranged facing the ground to achieve pressure relief of the cell assembly 200 towards the ground and avoid affecting the safety of the passenger compartment. The top plate 120 and the bottom plate 130 can be fixedly installed with the frame assembly 110 by welding, bolting or other methods.

[0045] Compared to existing technologies, the battery module disclosed in this application forms a constraint structure on the cell assembly 200 through the outer shell assembly 100, providing continuous external stacking pressure to resist the expansion force of the cell assembly 200 during use, thus meeting the high-strength fixing structure requirements of the soft-pack solid-state battery module. This application uses the fireproof layer 140 and pressure relief hole 131 located at both ends of the cell assembly 200, and the frame assembly 110 located around the cell assembly 200 to form a thermal safety protection scheme at the level of the soft-pack solid-state battery module. This can extend the protection time of the cell body 210 against thermal runaway and realize the path design of directional pressure relief towards the base plate 130, which can prevent it from directly facing the passenger compartment or impacting adjacent cells, thereby reducing the risk of thermal runaway propagation and significantly improving the overall safety level and thermal runaway protection capability of the battery module.

[0046] The aforementioned fireproof layer 140 can specifically be made of materials with excellent high-temperature resistance and thermal insulation, such as ceramic fiber, aerogel, mica board, or intumescent fireproof coating, so as to effectively delay heat transfer and flame spread in the event of thermal runaway of the battery cell assembly 200. At the same time, ceramic fiber and aerogel are lightweight and will not significantly increase the weight of the battery module, while mica board can provide good electrical insulation to prevent short circuit risk. Intumescent fireproof coating will expand to form a carbonized layer after being heated, which can further isolate oxygen and heat.

[0047] Further optimize the plan, combined with Figure 2 A thermally conductive adhesive protective layer 150 is provided within the installation space. This layer is positioned between the base plate 130 and the cell assembly 200 to strengthen the structural connection between the cell assembly 200 and the base plate 130, and to optimize the heat conduction and dissipation between them. During assembly, thermally conductive structural adhesive can be applied to the base plate 130 first, and then the base plate 130 and the cell assembly 200 can be assembled together.

[0048] Those skilled in the art will understand that, along the first direction Z, the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer 150 is positioned to avoid the arrangement of the pressure relief hole 131 on the base plate 130, so as to avoid affecting the pressure relief function of the pressure relief hole 131; in addition, the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer 150 also avoids the structural holes on the base plate 130 used for connection or positioning with the frame assembly 110, so as to avoid affecting the connection between the base plate 130 and the frame assembly 110.

[0049] To ensure the accuracy of the adhesive application position and to prevent adhesive from overflowing or clogging the pressure relief hole 131, a limiting adhesive groove can be designed on the base plate 130. This limiting adhesive groove allows the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer 150 to be embedded, thereby effectively limiting the adhesive application area and ensuring that the opening areas such as the pressure relief hole 131 remain clean, free of adhesive overflow, and free of clogging.

[0050] In some embodiments disclosed in this application, the fireproof layer 140 and the top plate 120 are bonded together using an adhesive method, and the top plate 120 provides support and puncture resistance for the fireproof layer 140. To facilitate the bonding of the protective layer, the side of the top plate 120 facing the bottom plate 130 can be a planar structure. Alternatively, the fireproof layer 140 and the top plate 120 can also be connected by bolts, snap-fit ​​connections, or other methods, which are not limited in this application. For example, a slot extending along a second direction X or a third direction Y can be provided on the top plate 120, and the fireproof layer 140 can be slidably installed into the slot using an insert method, making disassembly and maintenance convenient.

[0051] To enhance structural strength, combined with Figure 2A reinforcing rib 121 is provided on the side of the top plate 120 facing away from the bottom plate 130, thereby improving the rigidity and load-bearing capacity of the top plate 120 and strengthening the tensile strength of the battery module.

[0052] Due to the structural constraints of the frame assembly 110, the cell assembly 200 expands mainly along the first direction Z during thermal runaway. Therefore, in order to avoid the expansion of the cell assembly 200 blocking the pressure relief hole 131, multiple pressure relief holes 131 can be provided. Along the first direction Z, the pressure relief holes 131 and the cell assembly 200 are staggered at the middle position along the second direction X, thereby avoiding the main expansion position of the cell assembly 200.

[0053] Specifically, when there are multiple pressure relief holes 131, they can be distributed in a matrix along the second direction X and the third direction Y. For example, combined with... Figure 2 The pressure relief holes 131 are arranged in a double row of four rows, and the opening position of each pressure relief hole 131 avoids the middle area of ​​the cell assembly 200 along the second direction X. This ensures that while increasing the coverage area of ​​the pressure relief holes 131, it avoids the maximum expansion area of ​​the cell assembly 200 during thermal runaway, and also reduces the impact of the pressure relief holes 131 on the overall structural strength of the battery module. The shape of the pressure relief holes 131 can be circular, rectangular, etc., and this application does not limit it.

[0054] In some embodiments disclosed in this application, the frame assembly 110 includes two side plates 112, two end plates 111, an insulating bracket, and an electrical connection structure. The two side plates 112 are arranged opposite each other along a second direction X; the two end plates 111 are arranged opposite each other along a third direction Y, and the side plates 112 and end plates 111 are alternately connected to form a ring structure. The top plate 120 is connected to the end plates 111 and side plates 112 at the first end along a first direction Z, and the bottom plate 130 is connected to the end plates 111 and side plates 112 at the second end along the first direction Z, together forming an installation space. The insulating bracket is disposed between the cell assembly 200 and the side plates 112 to achieve insulation between the cell body 210 and the side plates 112, ensuring safety. The electrical connection structure is electrically connected between the side plates 112 and the cell assembly 200 to achieve high and low voltage connection functions. Specifically, the electrical connection structure may include a high-voltage connection piece for current output, and a low-voltage monitoring system for monitoring the status of the cell assembly 200. The low-voltage monitoring system includes a low-voltage sampling harness for collecting parameters such as voltage and temperature of each cell body 210, and a data acquisition unit for processing this data. In addition, other auxiliary devices such as fuses and temperature sensors may also be integrated inside the frame assembly 110.

[0055] The connection method between the end plate 111 and the side plate 112 can be one or a combination of bolt connection, welding, and strap connection 113. For example, Figure 2The paper illustrates a technical solution in which the end plate 111 and the side plate 112 are first connected together by bolts or welding, and then bound and fixed by straps 113, so as to achieve high-strength structural constraint of the frame assembly 110, ensure that the cell body 210 ejects pressure in a direction other than the frame assembly 110 under thermal runaway, and improve the thermal safety protection level of the battery module.

[0056] In some embodiments disclosed in this application, combined with Figure 3 The battery cell assembly 200 includes multiple battery cell bodies 210, multiple heat insulation plates 220, and insulating partitions 230. The battery cell bodies 210 are arranged at intervals along the second direction X. Each heat insulation plate 220 is disposed between the large surfaces of two adjacent battery cell bodies 210. The large surface of the battery cell body 210 is the side with the largest area of ​​the battery cell body 210, which is perpendicular to the second direction X. The heat insulation plate 220 is fitted with the battery cell body 210 with a gap to provide a buffer space for the expansion of the large surface of the battery cell body 210, thereby reducing the impact of the expansion force of the battery cell body 210 on the life and safety of the battery cell body 210. The heat insulation plate 220 is made of heat insulation material to ensure the heat insulation effect between adjacent battery cell bodies 210 during thermal runaway and prevent thermal runaway of adjacent battery cell bodies 210. The insulating partition 230 is disposed between the battery cell body 210 and the end plate 111 to achieve insulation isolation between the battery cell body 210 and the end plate 111. Specifically, the heat insulation material can be aerogel, mica board, foamed ceramic and high-performance composite board, etc., which have heat insulation, insulation and buffer functions. The insulating partition 230 can be made of polypropylene insulating sheet, polyester insulating sheet, silicone gasket and other materials with insulation function. This application does not limit this.

[0057] The battery module disclosed in this application has high scalability and flexibility: at the functional level, it can be used as an independent unit, or it can be adapted to different needs by replacing internal electrical components; at the capacity level, it can match different application scenarios, and the total energy can be customized by increasing or decreasing the number of battery modules or adjusting the number of battery cells 210 in a single battery module; at the structural level, it supports the free combination of the physical layout of each functional unit to achieve optimal space integration.

[0058] The vehicle disclosed in this application includes the battery module described above, and therefore also has the structure and beneficial effects described above. Other structures refer to related technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0059] The application areas of the battery modules disclosed in this application include, but are not limited to: passenger cars, commercial vehicles, special vehicles, ships, aircraft, and other transportation vehicles that use secondary batteries as the sole or primary energy storage method, as well as various energy storage facilities. In addition to the above-mentioned areas, the battery modules disclosed in this application are also applicable to any other technical fields that require energy storage and supply. The above are merely exemplary applications and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of application of this application.

[0060] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units may include steps or units not listed, but rather steps or units not listed. Additionally, in the description of embodiments in this application, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0061] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Specific technical means in some embodiments may be incorporated, in whole or in part, into another embodiment unless explicitly excluded by another embodiment. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that, include: The housing assembly (100) includes a frame assembly (110), a top plate (120), and a bottom plate (130). The top plate (120) and the bottom plate (130) are respectively disposed at both ends of the frame assembly (110) along a first direction, and the top plate (120), the bottom plate (130), and the frame assembly (110) together form an installation space. The bottom plate (130) has a pressure relief hole (131) that connects the installation space to the outside. A battery cell assembly (200) is disposed within the installation space, and a fireproof layer (140) is disposed within the installation space, and the fireproof layer (140) is disposed between the battery cell assembly (200) and the top plate (120).

2. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A thermally conductive adhesive protective layer (150) is provided in the installation space, and the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer (150) is disposed between the base plate (130) and the battery cell assembly (200); Along the first direction, the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer (150) is arranged to avoid the pressure relief hole (131).

3. The battery module as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The base plate (130) is provided with a limiting groove for embedding the thermally conductive adhesive protective layer (150).

4. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fireproof layer (140) is bonded to the top plate (120).

5. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The side of the top plate (120) facing the bottom plate (130) is a planar structure; And / or, the top plate (120) is provided with reinforcing ribs (121) on the side facing away from the bottom plate (130).

6. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple pressure relief holes (131), which are staggered from the middle position of the battery cell assembly (200) along the second direction along the first direction, and the first direction and the second direction are arranged at an angle.

7. The battery module as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The pressure relief holes (131) are distributed in a matrix along the second direction and the third direction, and the third direction is arranged at an angle to both the first direction and the second direction.

8. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The framework component (110) includes: Two side plates (112) are arranged opposite each other along a second direction; Two end plates (111) are arranged opposite each other along a third direction, and the side plate (112) is alternately connected to the end plate (111) in a ring structure. The top plate (120) is connected to the end plate (111) and the side plate (112) at a first end along the first direction. The bottom plate (130) is connected to the end plate (111) and the side plate (112) at a second end along the first direction. The first direction, the second direction and the third direction are arranged at an angle to each other. An insulating support is disposed between the cell assembly (200) and the side plate (112); An electrical connection structure is electrically connected between the side plate (112) and the battery cell assembly (200).

9. The battery module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The connection method of the end plate (111) and the side plate (112) includes one or more of bolt connection, welding, and strap connection.

10. The battery module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The battery cell assembly (200) includes: Multiple battery cell bodies (210) are arranged at intervals along the second direction; Multiple heat insulation plates (220) are disposed between two adjacent battery cell bodies (210) and are in clearance fit with the battery cell bodies (210); An insulating partition (230) is disposed between the cell body (210) and the end plate (111).

11. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the battery module as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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