Cell housing, battery cell and battery pack

Abstract

Cell housing, characterized in that it comprises the following: a housing body (1) having an opening; a cover plate (2) provided at the opening, wherein the cover plate (2) has a liquid supply opening (21); an explosion protection structure installed on the cover plate (2), the explosion protection structure comprising an explosion protection valve and a protective element (3) provided above the explosion protection valve, a chamber being formed between the protective element (3) and the explosion protection valve, the protective element having at least one outlet channel (31) connected to the chamber, and the shortest distance between the liquid supply opening (21) and the edge of the protective element (3) being set to d1 and the distance between the liquid supply opening (21) and the outlet channel (31) being set to d2, wherein (d2-d1) ≥ 2 mm.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The present utility model relates to the technical field of battery structure and in particular to a cell housing, a battery cell and a battery pack. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] An explosion protection valve and a cover plate are common components of a cell casing. Installing the explosion protection valve on the cover plate is a standard technical measure to correct excessive internal pressure within the battery.

[0003] To prevent damage to the explosion protection valve from sharp objects or the ingress of foreign matter, dust, etc., thus compromising the safety of the power battery, a protective element is incorporated into the conventional cell casing at the explosion protection valve. A receiving chamber is formed between the protective element and the explosion protection valve. However, during battery use, temperature and volume changes occur within the receiving chamber, leading to changes in air pressure, which affects the stability of the explosion protection valve's burst value.

[0004] For this reason, the related technology incorporates a through-hole in the protective element to connect the gas in the receiving chamber with the outside atmosphere, thereby preventing changes in air pressure within the receiving chamber and ensuring the stability of the burst value of the explosion protection valve. The through-hole provides a path through which the electrolyte enters the receiving chamber, and this electrolyte will contaminate the explosion protection valve.

[0005] Therefore, a cell housing is urgently needed to solve the above technical problems. SUMMARY OF THE USAGE SAMPLE

[0006] The subject of the present utility model is the provision of a cell housing, a battery cell and a battery pack that can prevent the ingress of electrolyte into the explosion protection valve and the contamination of the explosion protection valve in order to protect the explosion protection valve.

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present utility model uses the following technical solutions: The first aspect involves providing a cell housing, which includes the following: a housing body that has an opening; a cover plate provided at the opening, wherein the cover plate has a liquid supply opening; an explosion protection structure installed on the cover plate, the explosion protection structure comprising an explosion protection valve and a protective element provided above the explosion protection valve, a chamber being formed between the protective element and the explosion protection valve, the protective element having at least one outlet channel connected to the chamber, and the shortest distance between the liquid supply opening and the edge of the protective element being set to d1 and the distance between the liquid supply opening and the outlet channel being set to d2, wherein (d2-d1) ≥ 2 mm.

[0008] In the second aspect, a battery cell is provided, comprising a cell and a cell housing as described in each of the solutions above, and wherein the battery cell is provided in the cell housing.

[0009] In a third aspect, a battery pack is provided which includes a battery pack housing and a battery cell, as described in the solution above, with the battery cell being provided in the battery pack housing.

[0010] The present utility model has at least the following advantageous effects:

[0011] According to the cell housing, battery cell, and battery pack of the present utility model, the cell housing comprises a cover plate, the cover plate being provided with an explosion protection structure having an outlet channel connected to the chamber. Since the difference between the distance d1 between the liquid supply opening and the outlet channel and the shortest distance d2 between the liquid supply opening and the edge of the protective element is greater than 2 mm, such a limit can adjust the distance between the outlet channel and the liquid supply opening based on the distance between the explosion protection valve and the liquid supply opening, in order to prevent the liquid supply opening from being too close to the outlet channel for contamination of the explosion protection valve, thereby protecting the explosion protection valve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] To better illustrate the particular embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings necessary for describing the particular embodiments or the prior art are briefly presented below. It is understood that the drawings described below represent some embodiments of the present application. A person skilled in the art can derive other drawings from these drawings without any creative effort. Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the structure of the cell housing according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Fig. Figure 2 is a top view of the cell housing according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the structure of the protective element according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Fig. Figure 4 is a partially enlarged view of point A in Fig. 3.

[0013] In the characters: 1, Housing body; 2, Cover plate; 21, Liquid supply opening; 22, Connection pin; 23, First side wall; 24, Second side wall; 3, Protective element; 31, Outlet channel; 4, Flow stop. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXECUTION FORMS

[0014] The present utility model is described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understood that the specific embodiments described here are included only to explain the present utility model and not to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the accompanying drawings show only a part of the structure relating to the present utility model and not the entire structure.

[0015] In the description of this utility model, the terms "interconnected," "connected," and "fastened" are to be understood in a broad sense, unless explicitly stated and limited otherwise. For example, they may refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral body; a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; a direct connection or an indirect connection via an intermediate medium; the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model can be recognized by the average person skilled in the art, depending on the specific circumstances.

[0016] In the description of the present embodiment, unless explicitly stated and limited otherwise, a first feature located "above" or "below" a second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact via another intervening feature. A first feature that is "above," "above," or "above" a second feature also means that the first feature is located directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is located on a higher plane than the second feature.A first feature that is “below”, “below”, and “under” a second feature means that the first feature is located immediately below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is located at a lower level than the second feature.

[0017] In the description of the present embodiment, the terms "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "front," "back," and other directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships depicted in the accompanying drawings. These are intended solely for better description and operational simplification and do not indicate or imply that the designated device or element must have a particular orientation or be assembled and operated in a particular direction, and are therefore not to be understood as a limitation of the present utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the description only for differentiation and have no special meaning.

[0018] To prevent changes in air pressure within the receiving chamber and to ensure the stability of the burst value of the explosion protection valve, prior art designs provide a through-opening on the protective element to connect the receiving chamber to the outside world, allowing electrolyte remaining on the cover plate to enter the receiving chamber through this opening. Addressing this problem, the embodiment of the present utility model provides a cell housing, a battery cell, and a battery pack to prevent electrolyte from entering the explosion protection valve and to prevent contamination of the valve, thereby protecting the explosion protection valve.

[0019] As in Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cell housing comprises a housing body 1, a cover plate 2 and an explosion protection structure, wherein the housing body 1 has an opening and the housing body 1 is provided with an installation cavity so that the battery cell can be installed in the installation cavity; the cover plate 2 is covered at the opening to block the installation cavity, and the cover plate 2 has a liquid supply opening 21;The explosion protection structure is installed on the cover plate 2, and the explosion protection structure comprises an explosion protection valve and a protective element 3 provided above the explosion protection valve, and a chamber is provided between the protective element 3 and the explosion protection valve, and the protective element 3 has at least one outlet channel 31 connected to the chamber, and the shortest distance between the liquid supply opening 21 and the edge of the protective element 3 is set to d1, and the distance between the liquid supply opening 21 and the outlet channel 31 is set to d2, wherein (d2-d1) ≥ 2 mm.;

[0020] The difference between the distance d1 between the liquid supply opening 21 and the outlet channel and the shortest distance d2 between the liquid supply opening 21 and the edge of the protective element 3 is greater than 2 mm. With this arrangement, the distance between the outlet channel 31 and the liquid supply opening 21 can be adjusted based on the distance between the explosion protection valve and the liquid supply opening 21. This prevents the liquid supply opening 21 from being too close to the outlet channel 31 and contaminating the explosion protection valve, thus protecting the explosion protection valve.

[0021] The housing body 1 and the cover plate 2 can, for example, be made from a variety of different materials such as copper, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, plastic, etc.

[0022] The outlet channel 31 is, in particular, a slot provided in the protective element 3 in the direction of the explosion protection valve. The outlet channel 31 can, of course, also be a groove formed by bending the protective element 3 away from the explosion protection valve.

[0023] As in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the cover plate 2 has a first side wall 23 and a second side wall 24. The shape of the cover plate 2 is a rectangular structure. The first side wall 23 and the second side wall 24 are connected to each other. The second side wall 24 is the long side wall of the cover plate 2, and the first side wall 23 is the short side wall of the cover plate 2.

[0024] The minimum distance between the outlet channel 31 and the liquid supply opening 21 is d2 in some embodiments, and d2 can be the straight-line distance between the outlet channel 31 and the liquid supply opening 21 and can be 2 mm ≤ d2 ≤ 150 mm. The value of d2 can be, for example, 2 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm, 110 mm, 120 mm, 130 mm, 140 mm, or 150 mm and is not subject to any particular limitation in this embodiment. By limiting the value range of d2, it can be prevented that the distance between the liquid supply opening 21 and the outlet channel 31 is too small and that the electrolyte from the outlet channel 31 enters the explosion protection valve and contaminates the explosion protection valve.

[0025] The shortest distance between the liquid supply opening 21 and the edge of the protective element 3 is d1 and is 5 mm ≤ d1 ≤ 40 mm. The value of d1 can be, for example, 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, or 40 mm and is not subject to any specific limitation in this embodiment. By limiting the range of values ​​for d1, it is possible to prevent the distance between the liquid supply opening 21 and the protective element 3 from being too small, which would allow the electrolyte to be too close to the protective element 3 and contaminate the explosion protection valve.

[0026] In some embodiments, the second side wall 24 of the cover plate 2 is the side wall closest to the cover plate 2 and the explosion protection valve, and the minimum distance between the second side wall 24 of the cover plate 2 and the side wall of the explosion protection valve is L. The minimum distance between the outlet channel 31 and the second side wall 24 of the cover plate 2 is set to C, where C ≤ 1.2L. Such an arrangement can ensure that the outlet channel 31 falls onto the side wall of the explosion protection valve (or the adjacent arc wall), so that the outlet channel 31 is adjacent to and close to the second side wall 24 of the cover plate 2. If electrolyte leaks, the probability is higher that the electrolyte will leak from the end face of the cell housing, which reduces the leakage path of the electrolyte and thus decreases the risk of the electrolyte entering the explosion protection valve.

[0027] The outlet channel 31 can ensure that the inner cavity of the protective element 3 does not deform as a result of pressure absorption and temperature rise. In some embodiments, such as in the Fig. 3 and Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the width of the outlet channel 31 for this purpose is b, 1 mm ≤ b ≤ 15 mm. The value of b can be, for example, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, 11 mm, 12 mm, 13 mm, 14 mm, or 15 mm and is not subject to any particular limitation in this embodiment. If b is too small, the effect of the outlet channel 31 cannot be achieved; if b is too large, the probability of electrolyte entering the explosion protection valve is higher, thereby ensuring the discharge effect while simultaneously reducing the probability of electrolyte ingress into the explosion protection valve.

[0028] In some embodiments, the cover plate 2 is provided with a flow stop 4 to retain the electrolyte. The flow stop 4 is located at the edge of the explosion protection structure to prevent the electrolyte from entering the outlet channel 31. The leaked electrolyte has no fixed flow direction and spreads everywhere, so that if the electrolyte flows in the direction of the explosion protection structure, it is blocked by the flow stop 4 and cannot flow over the flow stop 4 directly to the explosion protection structure, thus preventing electrolyte from passing through the outlet channel 31.

[0029] The flow barrier 4, for example, is a groove, so that when the electrolyte flows towards the explosion protection structure, some of the electrolyte first flows into the groove, thus reducing the amount of electrolyte flowing to the explosion protection structure while simultaneously blocking the electrolyte, while the other part flows out of the cover plate 2. The groove is therefore used to collect the escaping electrolyte, prevent the electrolyte from entering the explosion protection structure, and protect the explosion protection valve.

[0030] It is understood that in other embodiments the flow barrier 4 may also be a projection or a protruding rib, so that the flow barrier 4 can prevent the electrolyte from flowing through to the explosion protection structure, prevent the electrolyte from entering the explosion protection structure and play a role in protecting the explosion protection valve.

[0031] Since the flow barrier 4 is arranged to project from the cover plate 2, the height of the projection or protruding rib is less than the height of the connecting pin 22 provided outside the cell housing, thus preventing the flow barrier 4 from interfering with other structures outside the cell housing.

[0032] In combination with the Fig. 1 and Fig.2. The flow stop 4 is also positioned towards the outlet channel 31, meaning that the flow stop 4 is located opposite the outlet channel 31, thus preventing the electrolyte from directly entering the outlet channel 31 and contaminating the explosion protection valve. One flow stop 4 corresponds one to one outlet channel 31; that is, the number of flow stop 4s equals the number of outlet channels 31, and one flow stop 4 corresponds exactly to one outlet channel 31. Such an arrangement ensures that each outlet channel 31 can be protected by the groove and also reduces the difficulties and costs associated with manufacturing the flow stop 4. Furthermore, the above arrangement ensures that the flow stop 4 can better protect the outlet channel 31 and can contain any electrolyte that may leak out.

[0033] The minimum distance between the flow stop 4 and the outlet channel 31 is, in particular, E, where 0.5 mm ≤ E ≤ 20 mm. The value of E is, for example, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, 11 mm, 12 mm, 13 mm, 14 mm, 15 mm, 16 mm, 17 mm, 18 mm, 19 mm, or 20 mm. In this embodiment, the value of E is not subject to any particular limitation. If E is too large, the outlet channel 31 cannot be better protected; if E is too small, when the flow stop 4 is a groove, the electrolyte in the groove can overflow and enter the explosion protection valve, which poses a high risk of contamination.

[0034] In some embodiments, the explosion protection valve is a rectangular structure, and the direction of the flow barrier 4 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second side wall 24 of the cover plate 2. In this way, the flow barrier 4 can be made longer, which can increase the area for blocking the electrolyte, especially if the flow barrier 4 is a groove, then the groove can hold more electrolyte and thus increase the capacity of the groove for collecting the electrolyte.

[0035] In some other embodiments, the flow barrier 4 is provided around the periphery of the explosion protection valve; that is, the shape enclosed by the flow barrier 4 corresponds to the circumference of the explosion protection valve. Furthermore, the shape of the explosion protection valve is not restricted and can be circular, triangular, or rectangular, so that the flow barrier 4 can prevent the electrolyte flowing onto the explosion protection valve from all sides from reaching the valve itself. This prevents the electrolyte from flowing along the circumference of the explosion protection valve and into the outlet channel 31, which further reduces the probability of electrolyte entering the outlet channel 31 and thus protects the explosion protection valve.In particular, if the flow barrier 4 is a groove, the groove's capacity to absorb electrolyte is further increased.

[0036] In some embodiments, the cover plate 2 has a first surface and a second surface that are opposite to each other. The first surface is provided with a groove that is concave towards the second surface, so that the second surface is formed with a convex projection, and the flow barrier 4 is a concave groove of the first surface. That is, the formation of the groove and the projection can be achieved by stamping the cover plate 2. After stamping, the first surface forms a groove and the second surface forms a projection. Compared to the design in which the groove on the cover plate 2 is provided by abrading, this design can improve the strength of the cover plate 2 and avoid a reduction in the strength of the local position of the cover plate 2.In the first surface and second surface, one surface is the outer surface of the cover plate 2 facing away from the housing body 1, and the other is the inner surface of the cover plate 2 facing the housing body 1.

[0037] In some embodiments, there is no opening on the upper side in the center of the protective element. Such a design can prevent foreign substances or liquids from entering the chamber through the opening.

[0038] The present utility model also provides a battery cell comprising a cell and the cell housing provided according to one embodiment of the present utility model, and the battery cell is provided in the cell housing. The battery cell uses the cell housing provided according to the embodiment of the present utility model, and the cell housing comprises a cover plate 2, and the cover plate 2 is provided with an explosion-proof structure having an outlet channel 31 connected to the chamber.Since the projections of the outlet channel 31 and the liquid supply opening 21 do not overlap on the same side wall of the cover plate 2, it is possible to prevent the liquid supply opening 21 from being too close to the outlet channel 31, and to prevent the electrolyte from entering the explosion protection valve from the outlet channel 31 and contaminating the explosion protection valve, thus protecting the explosion protection valve.

[0039] Due to the presence of the cell housing, as described above, the battery cell according to the embodiment of the present utility model has all the advantages and beneficial effects of the above embodiments, which will not be discussed again here.

[0040] The battery cell is roughly cube-shaped and has a length, a width, and a height. The length of the battery cell is greater than its width, and the height of the battery cell is greater than its width. The Y-direction is the width direction of the battery cell, the Z-direction is the height direction, and the X-direction is the length direction.

[0041] The present utility model also provides a battery pack comprising a battery pack housing and a battery cell according to one embodiment of the present utility model, and the battery cell is provided in the battery pack housing. The battery cell uses the cell housing according to the embodiment of the present utility model. The cell housing comprises a cover plate 2, and the cover plate 2 is provided with an explosion-proof structure, and the explosion-proof structure has an outlet channel 31 connected to the chamber.Since the projections of the outlet channel 31 and the liquid supply opening 21 do not overlap on the same side wall of the cover plate 2, it is prevented that the distance between the liquid supply opening 21 and the outlet channel 31 is too small, and it is prevented that the electrolyte from the outlet channel 31 enters the explosion protection valve and contaminates the explosion protection valve, thus protecting the explosion protection valve.

[0042] The battery cell can be present in multiples, and several battery cells can be connected in series, parallel, or mixed circuits to form a complete cell. The complete cell formed by the multiple battery cells is then directly housed in the installation cavity of the housing body 1. In other embodiments, multiple battery cells can also be connected in series, parallel, or mixed circuits and then arranged and secured to form a battery module, which is then housed in the installation cavity of the housing body 1. In some other embodiments, multiple battery cells can be connected in series, parallel, or mixed circuits and then arranged to form multiple battery modules. These multiple battery modules are then connected in series, parallel, or mixed circuits to form a complete cell and housed in the installation cavity of the housing body 1.

[0043] In one example, several battery cells can be attached using cable ties to form a battery module.

[0044] In other embodiments, the battery cell can also exist in singular form.

[0045] The battery cell according to the embodiment of the present application refers to the smallest unit for storing and outputting electrical energy. The battery cell can be a secondary or a primary battery. The battery cell can be a metal battery, a lithium-sulfur battery, a sodium-ion battery, or a magnesium-ion battery, but is not limited to these. The battery cell can have a cylindrical, flat, prismatic, or other shape.

[0046] Due to the presence of the aforementioned battery cell, the battery pack according to the embodiment of the present utility model has all the advantages and beneficial effects of the above embodiments, which will not be discussed again here.

[0047] Furthermore, the above descriptions only concern preferred embodiments of the present utility model and the technical principles employed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein and that various obvious modifications, adaptations, and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present utility model. Even though the present utility model is described in more detail above, it is therefore not limited to the embodiments described above and can include further equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present utility model, and the scope of protection of the present utility model is determined by the scope of protection of the accompanying claims.

Claims

[1] Cell casing, characterized by that it includes the following: a housing body (1) having an opening; a cover plate (2) provided at the opening, wherein the cover plate (2) has a liquid supply opening (21); an explosion protection structure installed on the cover plate (2), the explosion protection structure comprising an explosion protection valve and a protective element (3) provided above the explosion protection valve, a chamber being formed between the protective element (3) and the explosion protection valve, the protective element having at least one outlet channel (31) connected to the chamber, and the shortest distance between the liquid supply opening (21) and the edge of the protective element (3) being set to d1 and the distance between the liquid supply opening (21) and the outlet channel (31) being set to d2, wherein (d2-d1) ≥ 2 mm. [2] Cell housing according to claim 1, characterized by, that 5 mm ≤ d1 ≤ 40 mm and 2 mm ≤ d2 ≤ 150 mm. [3] Cell housing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the second side wall (24) of the cover plate (2) is the side wall closest to the explosion protection valve, the minimum distance between the second side wall (24) of the cover plate (2) and the side wall of the explosion protection valve is set to L, and the minimum distance between the outlet channel (31) and the second side wall (24) of the cover plate (2) is set to C, where C ≤ 1.2 L. [4] Cell housing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by , that the width of the outlet channel (31) is b, where 1 mm ≤ b ≤ 15 mm. [5] Cell housing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that the cover plate (2) is provided with a flow barrier (4) to stop the electrolyte and the flow barrier (4) is provided on the circumference of the explosion protection structure. [6] Cell housing according to claim 5, characterized by, that the flow barrier (4) is a groove. [7] Cell housing according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by , that the flow barrier (4) is a projection or a projecting rib. [8] Cell housing according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by , that the flow barrier (4) is provided towards the outlet channel (31) and that the flow barrier (4) corresponds one to one with the outlet channel (31). [9] Cell housing according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized by , that the minimum distance between the flow barrier (4) and the outlet channel (31) is E, where 0.5 mm ≤ E ≤ 20 mm. [10] Cell housing according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized by , that the explosion protection valve is a rectangular structure and the direction of the flow barrier (4) is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second side wall (24) of the cover plate (2). [11] Cell housing according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized by, that the flow barrier (4) is provided around the outer circumference of the explosion protection valve. [12] Cell housing according to any one of claims 5 to 11, characterized by , that the cover plate (2) has a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other, the first surface is provided with a groove recessed towards the second surface, so that the second surface is formed with a convex projection, and the flow barrier (4) is a groove recessed in the first surface. [13] Cell housing according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by , that the protective element (3) has no opening in the middle of its upper surface. [14] Battery cell, characterized by a cell and a cell housing according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cell is provided in the cell housing. [15] Battery pack, characterized bya battery pack housing and a battery cell according to claim 14, wherein the battery cell is provided in the battery pack housing.

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