Cell module for a high-voltage battery as well as high-voltage battery

Abstract

The invention relates to a cell module (2) for a high-voltage battery with a cuboid module housing (4) with a cell connector unit, which has a module housing top (6), module housing base (8), module housing front, module housing rear and two module housing side surfaces, in which a number of adjacently arranged cuboid battery cells (10, 12) are provided, each having a cell top (14), cell base (16), a cell front (18), cell rear and two cell side surfaces (20, 22), wherein each battery cell with at least one side surface (20, 22) abuts a cooling surface (24), wherein the cooling surface (24) is part of a cooling arrangement (26) through which coolant can flow, and wherein the battery cells (10, 12) and the cooling surfaces (24) are fastened in the module housing (4) by fastening means (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46). are fixed, characterized in that the fastening means (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) have clamping means (34),which engage between the module housing cover and / or module housing base (6, 8) and the corresponding cell cover and / or cell base (14, 16) of the battery cells (10, 12) such that the respective battery cell i(10, 12) is fixed in the module housing (4). Furthermore, the invention relates to a high-voltage battery with at least one such cell module (2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cell module for a high-voltage battery with a cuboid module housing comprising a cell connector unit, which has a module housing top, module housing base, module housing front, module housing rear and two module housing side surfaces, in which a number of adjacently arranged cuboid battery cells are provided, each having a cell top, cell base, a cell front, a cell rear and two cell side surfaces, wherein each battery cell bears against a cooling surface with at least one side surface, the cooling surface being part of a cooling arrangement through which coolant can flow, and wherein the battery cells and the cooling surfaces are fixed in the module housing by fastening means, the fastening means comprising clamping means that engage between the module housing top and / or module housing base surface and the corresponding cell top and / or cell base surface of the battery cells, such thatthat the respective battery cell is fixed in the module housing, wherein the module housing top and module housing base surfaces have grooves for the fastening means. Furthermore, the invention relates to a high-voltage battery with at least one such cell module.

[0002] The rise of electromobility has dramatically increased the demand for high-voltage batteries. Key factors in the development of such high-voltage batteries are material costs, capacity, lifespan, and manufacturing and assembly costs. In this context, a high-voltage battery is known from German patent application DE 10 2020 216 420 A1, in which the stack of battery cells in a cell module with intervening cooling plates is compressed and fixed in the module housing by means of spring elements. A generic cell module is known from German patent application DE 10 2019 210 198 A1. While this design can compensate for manufacturing tolerances, undesirable movement of the battery cells and cooling surfaces relative to each other is still possible. Furthermore, the assembly of such cell modules is complex.Further cell modules are known from the prior art according to DE 10 2021 122 228 A1, DE 10 2021 114 360 A1, DE 10 2021 115 657 A1, DE 10 2016 215 850 A1, DE 10 2018 114 226 A1, DE 10 2014 218 126 A1, DE 10 2008 059 953 A1 and CN 2 09 709 062 U.

[0003] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a cell module that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages in a simple and cost-effective manner.

[0004] This problem is solved according to the invention by providing the cooling surfaces with a circumferential folded section that is clamped between the clamping element and the groove. It is particularly advantageous if the folded section in the area of ​​the groove includes insulating clamping elements. This allows each battery cell and its associated cooling surfaces to be easily and separately fixed within the module housing. It should be noted that the designation of the surfaces of a battery cell and the module housing was chosen arbitrarily to describe the geometric relationship of the fastening elements. Furthermore, the mounting of the battery cells is simplified even further, and the fixing function is enhanced. Additionally, the cooling surfaces are thermally decoupled from the module housing, preventing any loss of cooling energy.

[0005] The clamping elements are advantageously designed as spring elements, particularly as disc spring elements. This ensures a high degree of fixation with simple assembly.

[0006] In an advantageous embodiment, the fastening means have a sliding block on the cell top or cell base surface opposite the spring element, which further simplifies the assembly of the battery cells.

[0007] The fold area is clamped in a particularly advantageous way between the sliding block and the groove element.

[0008] To increase safety, the clamping devices and / or the sliding blocks can be made of an insulating material.

[0009] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, a coolant pipe section is part of the cooling surfaces, wherein an outer pipe section and an inner pipe section are provided for supplying and removing the coolant.

[0010] The task is also solved by a high-voltage battery with at least one cell module designed in this way.

[0011] It should be clear that the area designations were chosen arbitrarily and may vary depending on the design of the battery cells and their arrangement in the module housing.

[0012] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to a drawing, which shows Fig. 1 a front view of an opened cell module according to the invention for a high-voltage battery, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the cell module from Fig. 1 with a cooling surface for mounting, and Fig. 3 A broken detail view of the cell module during the installation of another battery cell.

[0013] Fig. Figure 1 shows an open front view of a cell module 2 for a high-voltage battery (not shown). The cell module 2 has a cuboid module housing 4, of which only the top surface 6 and the base surface 8 are shown here. The cell module 2 also has a cell connector unit (not shown) for electrically connecting individual battery cells 10, 12. In this embodiment, the battery cells 10, 12 are designed as cuboid battery cells, each having a top surface 14, a base surface 16, a front surface 18, two side surfaces 20, 22, and a rear surface (not shown). They are arranged side by side with their side surfaces 20, 22 facing each other. In the present embodiment, a cooling surface 24 is located on each cell side surface 20, 22, i.e. between each pair of battery cells 10, 12, which is part of a cooling arrangement 26.The cooling arrangement 26, of which in . Fig. Figure 1 shows an additional coolant pipe section 28, consisting of an outer pipe section 30 and an inner pipe section 32, through which coolant flows in a known manner. The coolant pipe section 28 is an integral part of the cooling surfaces 24.

[0014] The battery cells 10, 12 and the cooling surfaces 24 are fixed in the module housing 4 by fastening means 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46. For this purpose, the fastening means 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 first have clamping elements 34, which in the present embodiment are designed as disc spring elements 34, and engage the module housing top surface 6 and the corresponding cell top surface 14. In the present embodiment, a sliding block 36 is provided on the cell base surface 16 opposite the disc spring element 34, which simplifies the assembly in such a way that battery cells 10, 12 (see [reference]) Fig. 3) can be easily pushed into the module housing 4 in the direction of the cell side surface 22 of an already mounted battery cell 10. To increase safety, in the present embodiment the clamping means 34 and the sliding blocks 36 are made of an insulating material.

[0015] To simplify the fixing of the battery cells 10, 12, the module housing top surface 6 and the module housing base surface 8 have grooves 38, 40 between which the disc spring elements 34 and the sliding blocks 36 are arranged. In addition, an insulating clamping element 42, 44 is clamped on one side between each disc spring element 34 and sliding block 36 and the corresponding groove 38, 40. This insulating clamping element engages a circumferential folded area 46 of the cooling surfaces 24 and thus additionally fixes the cooling surfaces 24 (see [reference]). Fig. 3) and thermally decoupled from the module housing 4. The insulating clamping elements 42, 44 are also made of a thermally insulating, damping plastic, which further increases the fastening in the module housing 4 and prevents any movement noise from the cooling surfaces 24 and the battery cells 10, 12. The respective insulating clamping element 42, 44, and the fold area 46 are therefore also considered fastening elements 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46. In this way, a very compact cell module 2 is created, with the installed battery cells 10, 12 being optimally cooled and fixed.

[0016] Fig. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the assembly of another cooling surface 24, which is attached to the side surface 22 of the battery cell 10. The coolant pipe section 26 integrated into the cooling surface 24 is also clearly visible and is sealed onto the existing coolant pipe section 26 in a known manner.

[0017] Fig.Figure 3 shows a broken side view of the already mounted second cooling surface 24, the second mounted disc spring element 34, and the second mounted sliding block 36. Both the disc spring element 34 and the sliding block 36 are pressed into contact with the insulating clamping element 42, 44 on one side and the groove elements 38, 40 on the other. Both the disc spring element 34 and the sliding block 36 each have a projection 48, 50 that overlaps the respective groove element 38, 40. This is intended to ensure smooth insertion of the battery cell 12. It is clearly visible how, when the battery cell 12 is inserted, the disc spring 34 is compressed and the cell base 16 slides over the sliding block 36.

Claims

[1] Cell module for a high-voltage battery with a cuboid module housing (4) with a cell connector unit, which has a module housing cover (6), a module housing base (8), a module housing front, a module housing rear and two module housing side surfaces, in which a number of adjacently arranged cuboid battery cells (10, 12), each having a cell cover (14), a cell base (16), a cell front (18), a cell rear and two cell side surfaces (20, 22), are provided, wherein each battery cell bears with at least one side surface (20, 22) against a cooling surface (24), wherein the cooling surface (24) is part of a cooling arrangement (26) through which coolant can flow, and wherein the battery cells (10, 12) and the cooling surfaces (24) are fixed in the module housing (4) by fastening means (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) wherein the fastening means (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) have clamping means (34) which are arranged between the module housing cover and / or module housing base surface (6,8) and the corresponding cell cover and / or cell base surface (14, 16) of the battery cells (10, 12), such that the respective battery cell (10, 12) is fixed in the module housing (4), wherein the module housing cover and module housing base surfaces (6, 8) have groove members (38, 40), , characterized by that the cooling surfaces have a circumferential folded area (46) which is clamped between the clamping means (34) and the groove member (38, 40). [2] Cell module according to claim 1, characterized by that the clamping means (34) are designed as a spring element, in particular as a disc spring element. [3] Cell module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the fastening means (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) have a sliding block (36) on the cell cover or cell base surface opposite the spring member (34). [4] Cell module according to claim 3, characterized by that the folding area (46) is clamped between the sliding block (36) and the groove member (38, 40). [5] Cell module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the clamping means (34) and / or the sliding blocks (36) are made of an insulating material. [6] Cell module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the fold area (46) has insulating clamping elements (42, 44) in the area of ​​the groove elements (38, 40). [7] Cell module according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a coolant pipe part (26) is a component of the cooling surfaces (24), wherein an outer pipe part and an inner pipe part (30, 32) are provided for the supply and removal of the coolant. [8] High-voltage battery with at least one cell module (2) according to one of the preceding claims.

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