Battery module and method for producing a battery module and battery

Abstract

Battery module (1) with a cooling plate (2) and at least one battery cell (3), wherein the battery module (1) further comprises a connection system (4) which has a first connection element (41) with a first surface (411) and a further first surface (412) and which has a second connection element (42) with a second surface (421) and a further second surface (422), wherein the first surface (411) of the first connection element (41) is connected to the at least one battery cell (3), and the second surface (421) of the second connection element (42) is connected to the cooling plate (2), and the further first surface (412) is connected to the further second surface (422), characterized in thatthat the connection between the further first surface (412) and the further second surface (422) is formed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface (411) and the at least one battery cell (3) and / or than the connection between the second surface (421) and the cooling plate (2).,

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a battery module according to the preamble of the independent claim. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for producing a battery module. The present invention also relates to a battery.

[0002] It is known from the prior art that batteries, in particular batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles, and in particular lithium-ion batteries, consist of at least one battery module or, advantageously, a plurality of battery modules. Furthermore, a battery module preferably has a plurality of individual battery cells that are interconnected to form the battery module. The individual battery cells can be interconnected in series and / or in parallel by means of cell connectors.

[0003] The battery cells can, for example, be prismatic in design, and the electrochemical components of the battery cells can be housed in a metallic housing. During operation of a battery module, and especially during charging or rapid charging of the battery cells, the individual battery cells must be cooled. To achieve efficient heat dissipation, so-called thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used to increase the heat transfer between the cooling plate and the battery cells. These materials compensate for unevenness in the battery cells and can also provide electrical insulation.

[0004] The state of the art in this regard includes, for example, the documents DE 10 2013 207 535 A1, US 2015 / 0 180 099 A1, US 2015 / 0 334 871 A1, US 2018 / 0 191 042 A1 and US 2018 / 0 301 771 A1. Disclosure of the invention

[0005] The battery module with a cooling plate and at least one battery cell having the features of independent claim 1 has the advantage that a reliable temperature control of the at least one battery cell of the battery module and at the same time also a simple separation between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate, for example in the case of maintenance, is enabled.

[0006] According to the invention, a battery module with a cooling plate and at least one battery cell is provided for this purpose.

[0007] The battery module also includes a connection system.

[0008] The connection system has a first connection element with a first surface and a further first surface.

[0009] The connection system has a second connection element with a second surface and a further second surface.

[0010] The first surface of the first connecting element is connected to the at least one battery cell.

[0011] The second surface of the second connecting element is connected to the cooling plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the further first surface is connected to the further second surface.

[0013] The connection between the further first surface and the further second surface is formed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface and the at least one battery cell and / or than the connection between the second surface and the cooling plate.

[0014] The measures listed in the dependent claims enable advantageous further developments and improvements of the devices specified in the independent claims.

[0015] In this context, an adhesive force is understood as the force that counteracts the separation of the connection between two surfaces. Therefore, in order to separate the connection between two surfaces, the respective adhesive force must be overcome.

[0016] A battery module according to the invention has the advantage over the solutions known from the prior art which use thermal interface materials that a high contact pressure for a homogeneous pressing, which should compensate as far as possible for all macroscopic surface roughnesses or surface irregularities by elastic or plastic deformations of the thermal interface material, can be dispensed with.

[0017] This makes it possible to reduce the construction effort.

[0018] Furthermore, a battery module according to the invention has the advantage over the solutions known from the prior art which use thermal interface materials that the heat transfer between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate can be significantly increased, because the thickness of the thermal interface material required to compensate for all unevenness between the individual battery cells at the module level significantly reduces the heat transfer, whereby the heat transfer can be increased in the battery module according to the invention.

[0019] In addition, the battery module according to the invention offers the advantage over prior art solutions in which the individual battery cells are connected to the cooling plate by means of an adhesive that the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate can be separated again without destroying the cooling plate or damaging the battery module or the battery cells.

[0020] It is advantageous if an adhesive is arranged between the first surface of the connecting element and the at least one battery cell. This allows a simple connection to be formed between the first surface of the connecting element and the at least one battery cell in a reliable manner.

[0021] It is also advantageous if a compensating element, which is designed to be elastically and / or plastically deformable, is arranged between the first surface of the connecting element and the at least one battery cell. Since the connection between the further first surface and the further second surface is designed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface and the at least one battery cell, it is not absolutely necessary for the connection between the first surface and the at least one battery cell to be detachable, whereby unevenness, for example of the at least one battery cell, can thus be reliably compensated for by means of the adhesive or the compensating element.

[0022] Overall, it is thus possible to increase the heat transfer between the first surface of the connecting element and the at least one battery cell.

[0023] According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the adhesive or the compensating element comprises additives which are designed to increase the thermal conductivity.

[0024] For example, the additives can be formed as metal particles.

[0025] In particular, the adhesive can be designed as an epoxy adhesive comprising aluminum and / or silver particles, which, for example, has a thermal conductivity of more than 5 watts per meter and Kelvin.

[0026] It is expedient if the first connecting element is designed as a first film and if the second connecting element is designed as a second film.

[0027] In particular, the first film and the second film are each formed as a plastic film, which can also provide electrical insulation between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate. For example, the first film and the second film are each formed as a polyvinyl chloride film.

[0028] Of course, other material combinations are also possible, including adhesives with low adhesion. This has the advantage that the adhesive effect between two polyvinyl chloride films can be used to connect the first connecting element and the second connecting element, particularly without the use of an additional adhesive.

[0029] A first connecting element formed as a first film and a second connecting element formed as a second film offer the advantage that the connecting elements can be formed with a comparable small layer thickness and thus do not negatively influence the heat transfer between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate.

[0030] It is expedient for the second connecting element to further comprise an adhesive layer on the second surface. In particular, the second surface can be self-adhesive.

[0031] The second film is designed in particular as a polyester film or polyvinyl chloride film with an acrylate adhesive layer.

[0032] Advantageously, a further adhesive layer is arranged between the further first surface and the further second surface.

[0033] The additional adhesive layer comprises, in particular, a rubber adhesive. This design has the advantage of providing sufficient adhesive force during operation of a battery module while simultaneously allowing for easy separation of the connection.

[0034] As a result, the further first surface and the further second surface are reliably connected to each other.

[0035] According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the first connecting element further comprises a first adhesive layer on the further first surface. In particular, the further first surface can also be self-adhesive.

[0036] According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the second connecting element further comprises a second adhesive layer on the further second surface. In particular, the further second surface can also be self-adhesive.

[0037] This enables a simple construction of the connecting element, in particular the connection between the further first surface and the further second surface.

[0038] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a method for producing a battery module.

[0039] In a first process step, a cooling plate, at least one battery cell and a connection system are provided.

[0040] The connection system is designed in such a way that the connection system comprises a first connection element having a further first surface and a second connection element having a further second surface.

[0041] In this case, the further first surface and the further second surface are formed connected to one another.

[0042] In a second process step, a second surface of the second connecting element is connected to the cooling plate.

[0043] In a third method step, a first surface of the first connecting element is connected to the at least one battery cell.

[0044] The battery module is designed in such a way that the connection between the further first surface and the further second surface is formed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface and the at least one battery cell and / or than the connection between the second surface and the cooling plate.

[0045] This makes it possible to provide a battery module in which a reliable heat transfer is provided between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate and in which a defective battery cell can also be easily separated from the battery module.

[0046] It is advantageous if, in the third method step, an adhesive or an elastically and / or plastically deformable compensating element is arranged between the first surface of the connecting element and the at least one battery cell.

[0047] In particular, at least one battery cell is clamped against the cooling plate.

[0048] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a battery comprising a battery module which is as just described or a battery module which is produced according to a method just described.

[0049] Overall, a battery module according to the invention offers the advantage that the connection system can be designed to be electrically insulating and can ensure electrical insulation between the cooling plate and the at least one battery cell.

[0050] Furthermore, the distance between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate can be reduced to a minimum, whereby, for example, the adhesive or the compensating element can compensate for any remaining unevenness.

[0051] This advantageously makes it possible to improve the heat transfer between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate, since on the one hand the distance between the at least one battery cell and the cooling plate can be reduced and on the other hand the thermal conductivity can be increased, for example by means of additives.

[0052] In a battery module according to the invention, it is also possible that after replacing a defective battery cell, a new battery cell can be arranged in a simple manner by arranging a new connecting element in the battery module. Short description of the drawings

[0053] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description.

[0054] It shows: Fig. 1 schematically shows a battery module according to the invention.

[0055] The Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a battery module 1 according to the invention.

[0056] The battery module 1 has a cooling plate 2 and battery cells 3.

[0057] Furthermore, the battery module 1 comprises a connection system 4.

[0058] The connection system 4 has a first connecting element 41 and a second connecting element 42.

[0059] The first connecting element 41 has a first surface 411 and a further first surface 412.

[0060] The first surface 411 and the further first surface 412 are arranged on opposite sides of the first connecting element 41. The second connecting element 42 has a second surface 421 and a further second surface 422.

[0061] The second surface 421 and the further second surface 422 are arranged on opposite sides of the second connecting element 42.

[0062] The first connecting element 41 can be designed as a first film 43 and the second connecting element 42 can be designed as a second film 44.

[0063] At this point, a film 43, 44 is to be understood as a component which can be deformed solely by the gravitational force during rotation in a gravitational field.

[0064] The first surface 411 of the first connecting element 41 is connected to a battery cell 3.

[0065] An adhesive 51 is arranged between the first surface 411 of the first connecting element 41 and the battery cells 3.

[0066] Furthermore, a compensating element 52 can also be arranged between the first surface 411 of the first connecting element 41 and the battery cells 3, which compensating element is designed to be elastically and / or plastically deformable.

[0067] The adhesive 51 or the compensating element 52 can also comprise additives 53 which are designed to increase the thermal conductivity.

[0068] The second surface 421 of the second connecting element 42 is connected to the cooling plate 2.

[0069] The second connecting element 42 can further comprise an adhesive layer 54 on the second surface 421, wherein the second connecting element 42 is in particular self-adhesive on the second surface 421.

[0070] Of course, it is also possible for an adhesive 55 to be arranged between the second surface 421 of the second connecting element 42 and the cooling plate 2.

[0071] Furthermore, the further first surface 412 of the first connecting element 41 is connected to the further second surface 422 of the second connecting element 42.

[0072] In this case, a further adhesive layer 56 can be arranged between the further first surface 412 and the further second surface 442.

[0073] Furthermore, it is also possible that the further first surface 412 is self-adhesive

[0074] The connection between the further first surface 412 and the further second surface 422 is formed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface 411 and the battery cell 3 and / or than the connection between the second surface 421 and the cooling plate 2.

[0075] Thus, a battery cell 3 can be easily separated from the cooling plate 2.

Claims

[1] Battery module (1) with a cooling plate (2) and at least one battery cell (3), wherein the battery module (1) further comprises a connection system (4) which has a first connection element (41) with a first surface (411) and a further first surface (412) and which has a second connection element (42) with a second surface (421) and a further second surface (422), wherein the first surface (411) of the first connection element (41) is connected to the at least one battery cell (3), and the second surface (421) of the second connection element (42) is connected to the cooling plate (2), and the further first surface (412) is connected to the further second surface (422), characterized bythat the connection between the further first surface (412) and the further second surface (422) is formed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface (411) and the at least one battery cell (3) and / or than the connection between the second surface (421) and the cooling plate (2). [2] Battery module (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that an adhesive (51) or an elastically and / or plastically deformable compensating element (52) is arranged between the first surface (411) of the first connecting element (41) and the at least one battery cell (3). [3] Battery module (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the adhesive (51) or the compensating element (52) comprises additives (53) designed to increase the thermal conductivity, wherein the adhesive (51) is designed in particular as an epoxy adhesive comprising aluminum and / or silver particles. [4] Battery module (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the first connecting element (41) is designed as a first film (43) and that the second connecting element (42) is designed as a second film (44), wherein the first film (43) and the second film (44) are each designed in particular as a polyvinyl chloride film or polyester film. [5] Battery module (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the second connecting element (42) further comprises an adhesive layer (54) on the second surface (421) and in particular the second surface (421) is self-adhesive, wherein the second film (44) is designed in particular as a polyester film with an acrylate adhesive layer. [6] Battery module (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat a further adhesive layer (56) is arranged between the further first surface (412) and the further second surface (422), wherein the further adhesive layer (56) in particular comprises a rubber adhesive. [7] Battery module (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the first connecting element (41) further comprises a further first adhesive layer on the further first surface (412) and in particular the further first surface (412) is self-adhesive, and / or the second connecting element (42) further comprises a further second adhesive layer on the further second surface (422) and in particular the further second surface (422) is self-adhesive. [8] A method for producing a battery module (1), wherein in a first method step, a cooling plate (2), at least one battery cell (3) and a connection system (4) are provided, and the connection system (4) is formed comprising a first connection element (41) having a further first surface (412) and comprising a second connection element (42) having a further second surface (422), wherein the further first surface (412) and the further second surface (422) are formed connected to one another, and in a second method step, a second surface (421) of the second connection element (42) is connected to the cooling plate (2), and in a third method step, a first surface (411) of the first of the at least one battery cell (3) is connected, characterized bythat the battery module (1) is designed in such a way that the connection between the further first surface (412) and the further second surface (422) is formed with a lower adhesive force than the connection between the first surface (411) and the at least one battery cell (3) and than the connection between the second surface (421) and the cooling plate (2). [9] Method according to the preceding claim, characterized by that in the third method step, an adhesive (51) or an elastically and / or plastically deformable compensating element (52) is further arranged between the first surface (411) of the first connecting element (41) and the at least one battery cell (3), and wherein in particular the battery cell (3) is clamped against the cooling plate (2). [10] Battery comprising a battery module (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7 or produced by a method according to one of claims 8 or 9.

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