Method for introducing a flame-retardant substance into a cell module and cell module

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for introducing a flame-retardant substance into a cell module (1) and to a cell module (1). The cell module (1) has a carrier housing, wherein a battery cell stack (4) with several battery cells (2) is received in the carrier housing, wherein the carrier housing has a bottom wall (13), a support wall, a first side wall (11) and a second side wall opposite the first side wall (11), wherein the battery cells (2) are received in the carrier housing such that an intermediate space (30) is formed between the carrier housing and the battery cell stack (4), wherein at least one filling channel (141) is formed in the support wall, wherein the at least one filling channel (141) extends in the support wall and wherein the at least one filling channel (141) has an inlet opening and an outlet opening opening into the intermediate space (30).

Description

The present invention relates to a method for introducing a flame retardant into a cell module and to a cell module. The cell module is in particular a cell module for a high-voltage battery of an electrically or partially electrically driven motor vehicle.High-voltage batteries for motor vehicles generally have one or more cell modules, wherein the respective cell module comprises a plurality of battery cells electrically connected to one another.For fire protection of high-voltage batteries, it is fundamentally known to introduce fire-retardant substances into the high-voltage battery. Such flame retardants can be incorporated in various ways. For example, fire-retardant substances can be introduced into the high-voltage battery in solid form, for example in the form of plates. However, it is also known to introduce the substances in liquid form or flowable form and subsequently cure them, so that a flame-retardant substance is subsequently present in solid form. It is quite conceivable that the fire-retardant substance in the solid form is nevertheless compressible and / or elastically deformable. The fire retardant in the solid form may well be a foam material. The introduction of the fire-retardant substance in flowable form has the advantage that complex geometries can also be filled and, in addition, manufacturing tolerances of the regions to be filled can be compensated.CN 2 07 368 051 U discloses a high-voltage battery with a fire-retardant substance introduced into the high-voltage battery. CN 107 425 222 A, CN 111 509 163 A and EP 4 064 438 A1 disclose further prior art.The introduction of fire-inhibiting substances in flowable form is problematic, in particular in the case of complex and narrow geometries in an access region of the intermediate space to be filled, since, owing to the generally high viscosity of the flowable substances to be used, undesired air inclusions and thus defects and / or the flowable substance in the filling region can be blown up into the intermediate space. The swelling can lead to undesired contamination of the environment with the flowable substance. In principle, this problem can be solved in that a dispensing nozzle used and the intermediate space to be filled are aligned very exactly with respect to one another. However, this is to be regarded as disadvantageous against the background of a desired automation of the filling process. In order to avoid swelling, the volume flow could be reduced. However, this has a negative effect on the shortest possible cycle time. In addition, with curing substances there is the problem that, in the case of excessively low volume flows, curing could already begin or even be concluded in some regions before the completion of the filling process, as a result of which undesirable defects in the intermediate space could in turn occur. Furthermore, the viscosity of the substance in its liquid phase could be reduced, for example by using suitable additives. However, this would have the disadvantage that the space to be filled must be sealed very well, which generally can only be achieved with great technical complexity. US 2022 / 0 289 891 A1 discloses a method comprising the features of the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, US 2022 / 0 289 891 A1 discloses a cell module having the features of the preamble of claim 9. U.S. Pat. No. 2024 / 0 421 413 A1 discloses further prior art.It is an object of the present invention to specify a novel method for introducing a flame-retardant substance into a cell module. It is also an object of the invention to specify a corresponding cell module.This object is achieved by the subject matters of the independent claims. The dependent claims relate to advantageous further developments.The method according to the invention is a method for introducing a flame-retardant substance into a cell module. The method has at least the following method steps:providing the cell module, wherein the cell module has a carrier housing, wherein a battery cell stack having a plurality of battery cells is accommodated in the carrier housing, wherein the carrier housing has a bottom wall, a carrier wall, a first side wall and a second side wall opposite the first side wall, wherein the battery cells are accommodated in the carrier housing in such a way that an intermediate space is formed between the carrier housing and the battery cell stack, wherein at least one filling channel is formed in the carrier wall, wherein the at least one filling channel extends in the carrier wall and wherein the at least one filling channel has an inlet opening and has an outlet opening opening opening opening into the intermediate space,providing a dispensing device, wherein the dispensing device has a dispensing nozzle, wherein the dispensing device is configured to dispense a flowable substance, wherein the flowable substance is curable to form the fire-retardant substance,filling the intermediate space with the flowable substance via the filling channel by arranging the dispensing nozzle at the inlet opening and dispensing the flowable substance from the dispensing nozzle.By means of the solution according to the invention, it is also possible to fill intermediate spaces which are poorly accessible for the dispensing nozzle, for example those which are formed very narrow on their outer side or have complex geometries, reliably and in particular without the risk or only a slight risk of contamination of the periphery of the cell module during the filling process. Due to the provision of the inlet opening, a defined metering point for the dispensing nozzle is created. As a result, the filling can be carried out in a simplified manner and, in particular, an automation of the filling method can be implemented. It is thus conceivable, for example, for the filling opening to be designed conically, as a result of which the correct arrangement or introduction of the dispensing nozzle into the inlet opening is facilitated.The curable substance is in particular a flowable substance in which curing takes place by a crosslinking reaction or curing comprises a crosslinking reaction.In a crosslinking reaction, linear chain molecules are formed in particular, which also crosslink three-dimensionally with one another and form a stable structure in the process.Curing can also take place, in particular, using UV light.In principle, it is conceivable for the filling channel to be of branched design and to have a single inlet opening and a plurality of outlet openings. This allows better distribution of the flowable substance supplied via the inlet opening over the intermediate space to be filled.Preferably, the method comprises, as a further method step, curing the flowable substance to form the fire-retardant substance, wherein this method step is carried out after the method step of filling.The curing can be, in particular, a crosslinking reaction or the curing can comprise a crosslinking reaction.In a crosslinking reaction, linear chain molecules are formed in particular, which also crosslink three-dimensionally with one another and form a stable structure in the process.Curing can also take place, in particular, using UV light.It is considered to be particularly advantageous if the flowable substance forms a foam after the curing has been completed. This foam can be, for example, a silicone foam. The use of a silicone foam as a fire-retardant substance has proven to be advantageous in that the silicone foam vitrified on contact with a flame and thus ensures good fire-retardancy.The flame retardant is preferably a solid.Preferably, the fire retardant is elastically deformable.In a particularly preferred embodiment, the battery cells are pouch cells.It is considered to be particularly advantageous if the battery cells are lithium-ion cells.The intermediate space is preferably formed between an end face of the battery cell stack facing the support wall and the support wall.In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided that the dispensing nozzle is arranged at the inlet opening, preferably retracted into the inlet opening, from an upper side opposite the base wall. As a result, the dispensing nozzle can be arranged at the inlet opening in a simple manner.It is considered to be particularly advantageous if the cell module is substantially cuboidal.In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided that the carrier wall has at least one further filling channel with an inlet opening and an outlet opening.In this context, it is considered to be particularly advantageous if the filling of the intermediate space with the flowable substance takes place in such a way that the dispensing nozzle is initially arranged at the inlet opening of the one filling channel and the flowable substance is dispensed and then the dispensing nozzle is arranged at the inlet opening of the further filling channel and the flowable substance is dispensed, wherein the dispensing of the flowable substance is stopped during the transfer of the dispensing nozzle from the inlet opening of the one filling channel to the inlet opening of the further filling channel.In an advantageous development, it is provided that the carrier wall is an end wall.It is quite conceivable for the cell module to have a further carrier wall on a side opposite the carrier wall. This further carrier wall, like the one carrier wall, can also have one or more filling channels for filling an intermediate space formed thereIn an advantageous development, it is provided that the inlet opening has a sealing contour and the dispensing nozzle has a sealing counter contour, wherein the sealing counter contour is formed complementary to the sealing contour, wherein the sealing contour and the sealing counter contour are configured to cooperate in a sealing manner when the dispensing nozzle is arranged at the inlet opening.It is considered to be advantageous if the sealing contour and the sealing counter contour form a line contact, for example in the form of a osculating seal.Preferably, the sealing contour and the sealing counter contour are designed conically, whereby a self-centering of the dispensing nozzle with respect to the inlet opening can be achieved during the process of arranging.It is considered to be particularly advantageous if the outlet opening opens into the intermediate space adjacent to the base wall. Such a configuration ensures that the intermediate space can be filled with the flowable substance starting from the bottom wall. This is advantageous in particular when the intermediate space is open on a side of the intermediate space opposite the base wall, so that the air present in the intermediate space can escape during filling, whereby air inclusions and associated defects in the fire-retardant substance are avoided. In this context, in particular, it is considered to be advantageous if, during the filling process, the cell module is oriented in such a way that the bottom wall lies at the bottom in the vertical direction and the top side of the cell module opposite the bottom wall lies at the top, wherein the intermediate space is open in the region of the top side during the filling process.Preferably, the bottom wall, the first side wall, the second side wall and the support wall are each separate components that are fastened to one another. Preferably, the bottom wall, the first side wall, the second side wall and the carrier wall are connected to one another in a sealing manner, so that an escape of the flowable substance during the process of filling the intermediate space is avoided. The sealing connection can be formed, for example, as a cohesive connection, in particular as an adhesive connection. Preferably, however, the sealing connection is a form-fitting seal, in particular in the form of one or more line contacts.The first side wall and / or the second side wall and / or the bottom wall and / or the support wall are preferably plastic components, preferably fiber-reinforced plastic components.In general, it is considered to be advantageous if an upper side of the intermediate space opposite the base wall is open during the filling of the intermediate space. With regard to the advantages of such an embodiment, reference is made to the above explanations.In connection with an intermediate space that is open in the region of the upper side, it is considered to be particularly advantageous if, after filling, a cover covering the upper side of the intermediate space is attached to the carrier housing.The provision of a cover is advantageous in particular when an increase in the volume of the flowable substance occurs during curing of the flowable substance, as is the case, for example, during foaming. By placing the cover before the curing is completed and thus foaming the flowable substance to form the foam, it is ensured that during the process of expanding all regions of the intermediate space are filled, since outward swelling is at least partially prevented by the cover.It is considered to be advantageous if the cover additionally covers the at least one filling opening.In an advantageous development, it is provided that the cover has a fastening pin and / or positioning pin, wherein the filling opening is formed in a complementary manner to the fastening pin or positioning pin.In a preferred development, it is provided that, during the filling process step, the cell module is oriented in such a way that the intermediate space is flooded with the flowable substance starting from the base wall. In other words, the outlet opening is formed, during the filling of the intermediate space, below a flow front of the flowable substance which forms in the intermediate space. The flowable substance then flows into the intermediate space quasi from below. This design, in contrast to filling from above, prevents the flowable substance from swelling up during the filling process, in particular if the intermediate space has a complex geometry and / or has only a narrow opening to the outside.In an advantageous development, it is provided that the inlet opening is formed on an upper side of the carrier wall facing away from the base wall.Preferably, the at least one filling channel extends substantially linearly from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. Preferably, the direction of extension of the at least one filling channel runs perpendicular to the bottom wall.As already stated, it is considered to be particularly advantageous if the carrier wall has at least one further filling channel. Preferably, the one filling channel and the further filling channel run parallel to one another.In an advantageous development, it is provided that the individual battery cells are electrically interconnected with one another via cell terminals of the battery cells, wherein preferably two cell terminals of different polarity are present on each battery cell, wherein one of the cell terminals is assigned to an anode of the battery cell and the other cell terminal is assigned to the cathode of the battery cell. The anode and / or the cathode of a battery cell can have a plurality of anode layers or cathode layers.A known design of battery cells is the so-called pouch cell, also referred to as a coffee bag cell or softpack cell, in which an electrode arrangement is enclosed in a flexible outer casing, for example made of a plastic aluminum metal sheet. In pouch cells, the cell terminals are generally designed as a flexible cell tobacco or flexible cell tag and are formed on one of the end faces or both end faces of the pouch cell. Pouch cells generally have two cell tobacco cells of different polarity. The two cell tobaccos can be formed on the same end face or on opposite end facesIn connection with the electrical interconnection of the individual battery cells among one another, it is provided that the respective battery cell has a first cell terminal with a first polarity and a second cell terminal with a second polarity, wherein the carrier wall has a contacting carrier plate, wherein the contacting carrier plate has a plurality of supporting webs and, adjacent to the respective supporting web, a first through slot and a second through slot, wherein a first battery cell and a second battery cell of the battery cells are assigned to the respective supporting web, wherein one of the cell terminals of the first battery cell passes through the first through slot adjacent to the respective supporting web and is bent in the direction of the supporting web, wherein one of the cell terminals of the second battery cell passes through the second through slot adjacent to the respective supporting web and is bent in the direction of the supporting web, such that the one cell terminal of the first battery cell and the one cell terminal of the second battery cell overlap with one another on a contacting side of the contacting carrier plate facing away from the battery cell stack, wherein the one cell terminal of the first battery cell and the one cell terminal of the second battery cell are electrically connected with one another in the region of their overlap, wherein the at least one filling channel runs within a supporting web of the supporting webs.The interconnection of the battery cells with one another is simplified by the contact carrier plate. The contacting carrier plate is particularly advantageous in particular when the battery cell stack has a plurality of battery cells which are stacked next to one another in a stacking direction and the battery cells arranged next to one another are electrically connected to one another, in particular in pairs. The support webs serve in particular to simplify bending of the free ends of the respective cell terminal guided through the through slots and to provide a support structure for the bent cell terminals, whereby a good stabilization of the bent cell terminals is achieved, in particular in order subsequently to electrically connect the overlapping cell terminals to one another in their overlap region. The electrical connection can be effected, for example, by welding and / or soldering. According to the invention, such a supporting web is advantageously also used for forming the filling channel, whereby the supporting web has a dual function. Since the supporting web has a certain width for the necessary mechanical stabilization, the necessary wider design of the supporting web can be used advantageously for forming the filling channel. Therefore, an additional structure having a greater extension need not be formed on the carrier wall or the contacting carrier plate, in order to be able to form a filling channel there.It is considered to be particularly advantageous if each of the supporting webs has a filling channel.In a particularly preferred embodiment, provision is made for an intermediate web to be formed in each case between the supporting webs, the respective intermediate web separating two adjacent through slots from one another. The provision of an intermediate web prevents the cell terminals of adjacently arranged battery cells, which are not assigned to the same supporting web, from coming into contact with one another.In an advantageous development, it is provided that the carrier wall has a sealing plate, wherein the sealing plate is arranged on the contacting side of the contacting carrier plate facing away from the battery cell stack, in such a way that the sealing plate covers the through slots and is connected to the contacting carrier plate in a sealing manner. The sealing plate prevents flowable substance which comes out of the through slots during the filling process from emerging to the outside. This prevents contamination of the periphery of the cell module with the flowable substance.The cell module according to the invention is designed for use in the method according to the invention. Accordingly, the statements regarding the advantages and advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention correspondingly apply to the cell module according to the invention.A further cell module according to the invention is configured in such a way that the cell module has a carrier housing, wherein a battery cell stack having a plurality of battery cells is accommodated in the carrier housing, wherein the carrier housing has a base wall, a carrier wall, a first side wall and a second side wall opposite the first side wall, wherein the battery cells are accommodated in the carrier housing in such a way that an intermediate space is formed between the carrier housing and the battery cell stack, wherein at least one filling channel is formed in the carrier wall, wherein the at least one filling channel has an inlet opening and an outlet opening opening opening into the intermediate space, wherein the intermediate space and the filling channel are filled with a flame-retardant solid, wherein the respective battery cell has a first cell terminal having a first polarity and a second cell terminal having a second polarity, wherein the carrier wall has a contact-making carrier plate, wherein the contacting support plate has a plurality of support webs and, adjacent to the respective support web, a first through slot and a second through slot, wherein a first battery cell and a second battery cell of the battery cells are assigned to the respective support web, wherein one of the cell terminals of the first battery cell passes through the first through slot adjacent to the respective support web and is bent in the direction of the support web, wherein one of the cell terminals of the second battery cell passes through the second through slot adjacent to the respective support web and is bent in the direction of the support web, such that the one cell terminal of the first battery cell and the one cell terminal of the second battery cell overlap one another on a contacting side of the contacting support plate facing away from the battery cell stack, wherein the one cell terminal of the first battery cell and the one cell terminal of the second battery cell are electrically connected to one another in the region of their overlap, wherein the at least one filling channel extends within a supporting web of the supporting webs.Such a cell module can be produced, for example, by means of the method according to the invention. Accordingly, the statements regarding the advantages and advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention apply correspondingly to the cell module and vice versa.In the following figures, the invention is explained in more detail on the basis of an exemplary embodiment, without being restricted to this. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a cell module before filling an intermediate space with a fire-retardant substance in a perspective view, FIG. 2 shows the cell module in a longitudinal section along the line A-A in FIG. 1 in a perspective view, FIG. 3 shows the cell module according to FIG. 1 after filling the intermediate space with the flame retardant substance and attached lid in a perspective view, FIG. 4 shows the cell module according to FIG. 3 with the cover removed in a perspective view, FIG. 5 shows the cell module according to FIG. 1 in a cross section in a perspective view, FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method for introducing the flame retardant substance into the cell module.FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a cell module 1. The cell module 1 has a multiplicity of battery cells 2, wherein the battery cells 2 are arranged in the form of a battery cell stack 4, also referred to as a cell stack. The battery cells 2 are stacked next to one another in a stacking direction, which in the present case corresponds to the X direction. The battery cells 2 are designed as pouch cells. The respective battery cell 2 has a first cell terminal 21 with a first polarity and a second cell terminal 22 with a second polarity. The first cell terminal 21 is assigned to an anode of the respective battery cell 2 and the second cell terminal 22 is assigned to a cathode of the respective battery cell 2. The cell terminals 21, 22 are formed on opposite end sides of the respective battery cell 2. The cell terminals 21, 22 are designed in the form of a flexible cell tag. The battery cell stack 4 has eight battery cells 2 in the present case. So-called compression pads 3 are arranged between the individual battery cells 2. The battery cells 2 are electrically connected to one another in pairs on their end face illustrated or visible in FIG. 1 by connecting the end-face cell terminals 21, 22 of adjacent battery cells 2.The cell module 1 has a carrier housing, wherein the battery cells 2 are accommodated in the carrier housing. The carrier housing has a first side wall 11, a second side wall 12 opposite the first side wall 11 in the X direction, a bottom wall 13 sealingly connected to the first side wall 11 and the second side wall 12, and a carrier wall 14 sealingly connected to the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12 and the bottom wall 13. The support wall 14 forms an end face of the cell module 1.The battery cells 2 are accommodated in the carrier housing in such a way that a space 30 is formed between the carrier housing and the battery cell stack. This intermediate space 30 is formed on an end side of the cell module 1 between an end side of the battery cell stack 4 and the support wall 14. This intermediate space 30 is filled in the final cell module 1 with a fire-retardant substance 40, which is illustrated in FIG. 3. FIGS. 1 and 2 and 5 show the cell module 1 before the flame-retardant substance 40 is introduced into the cell module 1.Filling of the intermediate space 30 is effected by means of a dispensing device, wherein the dispensing device has a dispensing nozzle 50. The dispensing nozzle 50 is configured to dispense a flowable substance 41, wherein the flowable substance 41 is curable to form the fire retardant substance 40. The dispensing nozzle 50 is schematically illustrated in Figure 5. The dispensing device can have a conveying device, for example a delivery pump, for conveying the flowable medium to a dispensing opening of the dispensing nozzle 50.The filling of the intermediate space 30 does not take place directly into the intermediate space 30, but via four filling channels 141, wherein these filling channels 141 are formed in the carrier wall 14. The respective filling channel 141 has an inlet opening 142 and an outlet opening 143, wherein the outlet opening 143 opens into the intermediate space 30 in the region of the bottom wall 13, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 5. The respective inlet opening 142 is formed on an upper side of the carrier wall 14 facing away from the bottom wall 13.Due to the configuration of the inlet opening 142 on the upper side, the dispensing nozzle 50 is arranged on the inlet opening 142 of the respective filling channel 41 from an upper side of the cell module 1 opposite the bottom wall 13.Filling of the intermediate space 30 with the flowable substance 41 takes place in such a way that the dispensing nozzle 50 is initially arranged at the inlet opening 141 of one of the filling channels 141 and the flowable substance 41 is dispensed.Subsequently, the dispensing nozzle 50 is arranged at the inlet opening 142 of another one of the filling channels 141 and the flowable substance 41 is again dispensed. During the transfer of the dispensing nozzle 50 from the inlet opening 180 of the filling channel to the inlet opening 142 of the other filling channel 141, the dispensing of the flowable substance 41 is stopped in order to avoid contamination of the periphery of the cell module 1.In order to prevent a leakage of flowable substance 41 from occurring in the region of the inlet opening 142 during filling via the respective filling channel 141, the respective inlet opening 142 has a sealing contour and the dispensing nozzle 50 has a sealing counter contour complementary to the sealing contour.Since the outlet opening 143 of the respective filling channel 141 opens into the intermediate space 30 adjacent to the bottom wall 13, the intermediate space 30 is flooded with the flowable substance 41 starting from the bottom wall 13, thus flooded from below. Since the intermediate space 30 is open on the upper side of the cell module 1 opposite the bottom wall 13 during filling of the intermediate space 30, the air present in the intermediate space 30 can escape from the bottom to the top during the filling process, whereby air inclusions are avoided. After completion of the filling process of the intermediate space 30 with the flowable substance 41, a cover 15 covering the intermediate space 30 is attached to the upper side of the cell module 1. The cell module 1 with cover 15 is shown in FIG. 4.The carrier wall 14 is embodied in two parts in the present case and has a contact plate 146 and a sealing plate 147. The contact carrier plate 146 is sealingly connected to the first side wall 11, the second side wall 12 and the bottom wall 13. The contact carrier plate 146 serves to facilitate the establishment of the electrical connection of the battery cells 2 to one another. For this purpose, the contact carrier plate 146 has four supporting webs 148 and, adjacent to the respective supporting web 148, a first through slot 149 and a second through slot 149 for in each case one of the cell terminals 21, 22 of adjacent battery cells 2. Accordingly, two battery cells 2 are assigned to each supporting web 148. A first cell terminal 21 of one of the adjacent battery cells 2 passes through the first through slot 149 and is bent in the direction of the supporting web 148. The second cell terminal 22 of the adjacent battery cell 2 passes through the second through-slot 149 and is likewise bent in the direction of the supporting web 3, with the result that the first cell terminal 21 of the one battery cell 2 and the second cell terminal 22 of the other battery cell 2 overlap one another on a contacting side of the contacting carrier plate 146 facing away from the battery cell stack 4. The overlapping cell terminals 21, 22 are electrically connected to one another in their overlapping region, namely by a welded connection 23 running along the direction of extension of the supporting web 148, which in the present case corresponds to the Z direction. The welded joint 23 may be produced, for example, by laser welding. Between the support webs 148, an intermediate web 150 is formed in each case, which extends parallel to the support webs 148.The sealing plate 147 is arranged on the contacting side of the contacting carrier plate 146 facing away from the battery cell stack 4 in such a way that the sealing plate 147 covers the through slots 149 and is connected to the contacting carrier plate 146 in a sealing manner. This prevents the introduced flowable substance 41, which passes through the open through slots 149, from emerging outwards during the process of filling or curing.FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram according to one embodiment of a method for introducing the flame retardant substance 40 into the cell module 1.In a first method step S 1, the cell module 1 according to FIG. 1 is provided.In a second method step S 2, the dispensing device is provided with the dispensing nozzle 50.In a third method step S 3, the intermediate space 30 is filled with the flowable substance 41 via the filling channels 141. For this purpose, the dispensing nozzle 50 is arranged one after the other at the inlet opening 142 of the respective channel 141 and the flowable substance 41 is dispensed from the dispensing nozzle 50.In a fourth method step S 4, which is carried out after the third method step S 3, the flowable substance 41 introduced into the intermediate space 30 is cured to form the flame-retardant substance 40.List of reference characters1 Cell module 2 Battery cells 3 Compression pad 4 Battery cell stack 11 First side wall 12 Second side wall 13 Bottom wall 14 Carrier wall 15 Cover 21 Cell terminal 22 Cell terminal 23 Weld seam 30 Intermediate space 40 Fire-retardant substance 41 Flowable substance 141 Filling channel 142 Inlet opening 143 Outlet opening 146 Contacting carrier plate 147 Sealing plate 148 Web 149 Passage slot 150 Intermediate web X direction Y direction Z direction

Claims

Method for introducing a flame retardant substance (40) into a cell module (1), wherein the method has at least the following method steps: - providing the cell module (1), wherein the cell module (1) has a carrier housing, wherein a battery cell stack (4) having a plurality of battery cells (2) is accommodated in the carrier housing, wherein the carrier housing has a bottom wall (13), a carrier wall (14), a first side wall (11) and a second side wall (12) opposite the first side wall (11), wherein the battery cells (2) are accommodated in the carrier housing in such a way that an intermediate space (30) is formed between the carrier housing and the battery cell stack (4), wherein at least one filling channel (141) is formed in the carrier wall (14), wherein the at least one filling channel (141) extends in the support wall (14) and wherein the at least one filling channel (141) has an inlet opening (142) and an outlet opening (143) opening into the intermediate space (30), - providing a dispensing device, wherein the dispensing device has a dispensing nozzle (50), wherein the dispensing device is configured to dispense a flowable substance (41), wherein the flowable substance (41) is curable to form the flame retardant substance (40), - filling the intermediate space (30) with the flowable substance (41) via the filling channel (141) by arranging the dispensing nozzle (50) at the inlet opening (142) and dispensing the flowable substance (41) from the dispensing nozzle (50), characterized in that, the respective battery cell (2) having a first cell terminal (21) with a first polarity and a second cell terminal (22) with a second polarity, wherein the support wall (14) has a contacting support plate (146), wherein the contacting support plate (146) has a plurality of support webs (148) and, adjacent to the respective support web (148), a first through slot (149) and a second through slot (149), wherein a first battery cell (2) and a second battery cell (2) of the battery cells (2) are associated with the respective support web (148), wherein one of the cell terminals (21, 22) of the first battery cell (2) passes through the first through slot (149) adjacent to the respective support web (148) and is bent in the direction of the support web (148), wherein one of the cell terminals (21, 21, 22) of the battery cell (2) is associated, 22 of the second battery cell (2) passes through the second through-slot (149) adjacent to the respective supporting web (148) and is bent in the direction of the supporting web (148), so that the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the first battery cell (2) and the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the second battery cell (2) overlap one another on a contacting side of the contacting support plate (146) facing away from the battery cell stack (4), wherein the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the first battery cell (2) and the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the second battery cell (2) are electrically connected to one another in the region of their overlap, wherein the at least one filling channel (141) extends within a supporting web (148) of the supporting webs (148).Method according to claim 1, wherein the inlet opening (142) has a sealing contour and the dispensing nozzle (50) has a sealing counter contour, wherein the sealing counter contour is formed complementary to the sealing contour, wherein the sealing contour and the sealing counter contour are configured to cooperate in a sealing manner when the dispensing nozzle (50) is arranged at the inlet opening (142).Method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the outlet opening (143) opens into the intermediate space (30) adjacent to the bottom wall (13).Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein, in the filling method step, the cell module (1) is oriented in such a way that the intermediate space (30) is flooded with the flowable substance (41) starting from the base wall.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the inlet opening (142) is formed on an upper side of the carrier wall (14) which is remote from the base wall (13).Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the carrier wall (14) has at least one further filling duct (141).Method according to one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the carrier wall (14) has a sealing plate (147), wherein the sealing plate (147) is arranged on the contacting side of the contacting carrier plate (146) facing away from the battery cell stack (4) in such a way that the sealing plate (147) covers the through slots (149) and is connected sealingly to the contacting carrier plate (146).A cell module (1), wherein the cell module (1) is configured for use in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.Cell module (1), wherein the cell module (1) has a carrier housing, wherein a battery cell stack (4) having a plurality of battery cells (2) is accommodated in the carrier housing, wherein the carrier housing has a bottom wall (13), a carrier wall (14), a first side wall (11) and a second side wall (12) opposite the first side wall (11), wherein the battery cells (2) are accommodated in the carrier housing in such a way that an intermediate space (30) is formed between the carrier housing and the battery cell stack (4), wherein at least one filling channel (141) is formed in the carrier wall (14), wherein the at least one filling channel (141) has an inlet opening (142) and has an outlet opening (143) opening into the intermediate space (30), wherein the intermediate space (30) and the filling channel (141) are filled with a fire-retardant solid (40), characterized in that, the respective battery cell (2) having a first cell terminal (21) with a first polarity and a second cell terminal (22) with a second polarity, wherein the support wall (14) has a contacting support plate (146), wherein the contacting support plate (146) has a plurality of support webs (148) and, adjacent to the respective support web (148), a first through slot (149) and a second through slot (149), wherein a first battery cell (2) and a second battery cell (2) of the battery cells (2) are associated with the respective support web (148), wherein one of the cell terminals (21, 22) of the first battery cell (2) passes through the first through slot (149) adjacent to the respective support web (148) and is bent in the direction of the support web (148), wherein one of the cell terminals (21, 21, 22) of the battery cell (2) is associated, 22 of the second battery cell (2) passes through the second through-slot (149) adjacent to the respective supporting web (148) and is bent in the direction of the supporting web (148), so that the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the first battery cell (2) and the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the second battery cell (2) overlap one another on a contacting side of the contacting support plate (146) facing away from the battery cell stack (4), wherein the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the first battery cell (2) and the one cell terminal (21, 22) of the second battery cell (2) are electrically connected to one another in the region of their overlap, wherein the at least one filling channel (141) extends within a supporting web (148) of the supporting webs (148).

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