BATTERY CONNECTOR AND LITHIUM BATTERY

Abstract

TITLE: BATTERY CONNECTOR AND LITHIUM BATTERY This utility certificate relates to a battery connector and a lithium battery. The battery connector comprises a connector body defining a plurality of cell connection holes, each hole corresponding to at least one battery cell. An elastic connecting element is disposed inside each cell connection hole. This elastic connecting element includes a first elastic pin and a second elastic pin, both of which are connected to the connector body. The first and second elastic pins are respectively bent towards a corresponding battery cell to form an electrical connection with the cell electrode. This configuration provides a solderless effect, and the mechanical electrical connection provided by the elastic pins ensures a stable connection. Figure for abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: BATTERY CONNECTOR AND LITHIUM BATTERY technical field

[0001] This utility certificate relates to the field of battery connectors and, more particularly, a battery connector and a lithium battery. PRIOR STATE OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] A battery connector is a device used to transmit electrical current and is a key component for connecting individual battery cells. Battery connectors come in various shapes, including circular, rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, and stepped, and play a crucial role in battery packs. In conventional technology, battery connectors are electrically connected and attached to the battery cells by methods such as resistance welding or boss welding. However, because the connection formed by welding the battery connector to the battery cell is non-removable, it presents problems such as non-recyclability and difficulty of maintenance.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for a battery connector with a solderless structure that provides a stable electrical connection, in order to facilitate battery disassembly, maintenance and second-life use of battery packs. CONTENTS OF THE CERTIFICATE OF UTILITY

[0004] One object of this utility certificate is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a solderless battery connector that ensures a stable electrical connection, as well as a lithium battery using it.

[0005] This objective is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] A battery connector, comprising:

[0007] a connector body and a plurality of elastic connecting elements, wherein the connector body defines a plurality of cell connection holes, each of the cell connection holes corresponding to at least one battery cell, and an elastic connecting element is disposed inside each of the cell connection holes; the elastic connecting element comprises a first elastic pin and a second elastic pin, wherein the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are both connected to the connector body, and the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are respectively bent towards a battery cell to be electrically connected to an electrode of a corresponding battery cell.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are bent in the same direction.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are bent in opposite directions.

[0010] In one embodiment, there is a plurality of first elastic pins and a plurality of second elastic pins, and the plurality of first elastic pins and the plurality of second elastic pins are distributed uniformly inside the cell connection hole.

[0011] In one embodiment, one of the second elastic pins is arranged between any two adjacent first elastic pins.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first elastic pin comprises an elastic connecting portion and an elastic bent portion, wherein one end of the elastic connecting portion is fixedly connected to the connector body, another end of the elastic connecting portion is fixedly connected to the elastic bent portion, and a junction between the elastic connecting portion and the elastic bent portion is bent in the direction of the corresponding battery cell.

[0013] In one embodiment, a rounded corner is formed between the elastic connecting portion and the elastic folded portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the height at which the elastic connection portion protrudes from the connector body is 1.4 mm to 2.1 mm.

[0015] In one embodiment, the thickness of the first elastic pin is 0.2 mm.

[0016] A lithium battery, comprising at least one battery module and the battery connector according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the battery connector is connected to at least one battery module.

[0017] Compared to the prior art, the present utility certificate offers at least the following advantages:

[0018] In the battery connector described above, the connector body defines a plurality of cell connection holes, and an elastic connection element is disposed inside each cell connection hole. The elastic connection element includes a first elastic pin and a second elastic pin, which are bent toward the battery cells. Specifically, when the connector body is installed at one end of a battery module, the first and second elastic pins bend in the same direction to connect electrically to the battery module. When the connector body is installed between two battery modules, the first and second elastic pins bend in opposite directions, allowing the first elastic pin to connect to one battery module and the second elastic pin to connect to the other. This design allows for a seamless effect and provides a stable electrical-mechanical connection via the elastic pins. DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to illustrate more clearly the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility certificate, the accompanying drawings necessary for describing the embodiments are briefly presented below. It should be understood that the following drawings show only certain embodiments of this utility certificate and should therefore not be considered as limiting its scope. For a person skilled in the art, other relevant drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a structural diagram of a battery connector according to one embodiment.

[0021] [Fig.2] is another structure diagram of the battery connector shown in [Fig.1].

[0022] Fig. 3 is yet another diagram of the structure of the battery connector shown in Fig. 1.

[0023] Fig. 4 is a structural diagram showing the assembly of the battery connector of Fig. 1 with a battery module. SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION METHODS

[0024] To facilitate a more complete understanding of this utility certificate, it will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the utility certificate are shown in the drawings. However, the utility certificate can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments presented here. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make this description thorough and complete.

[0025] It should be noted that when an element is described as being "attached to" another element, it may be directly on the other element, or intermediate elements may be present. When an element is described as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, or intermediate elements may be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not indicate unique embodiments.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as that commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which this utility certificate pertains. The terminology used in the description of this utility certificate is intended to describe particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the utility certificate. The term "and / or" as used here includes any combination of one or more of the elements in the associated list.

[0027] This utility certificate relates to a battery connector, comprising a connector body and a plurality of elastic connecting elements. The connector body defines a plurality of cell connection holes, each corresponding to at least one battery cell. An elastic connecting element is disposed inside each cell connection hole. The elastic connecting element comprises a first elastic pin and a second elastic pin, both of which are connected to the connector body. The first and second elastic pins are respectively bent towards a battery cell and are electrically connected to an electrode of the corresponding battery cell.

[0028] In the battery connector described above, the connector body defines several cell connection holes, each containing an elastic connection element with first and second elastic pins bent towards the battery cells. That is, when the connector body is installed at one end of a battery module, the first and second elastic pins bend in the same direction to connect to that module. When installed between two battery modules, they bend in opposite directions, connecting one module to the first elastic pin and the other module to the second elastic pin. This achieves a solderless effect and ensures a stable electrical connection by mechanical means.

[0029] To better understand the technical solutions and beneficial effects of this utility certificate, a more detailed description is provided below in conjunction with specific embodiments:

[0030] As shown in [Fig. 1] to 3, a battery connector 10a according to one embodiment includes a connector body 100 and a plurality of elastic connecting elements 200. The connector body 100 defines a plurality of cell connection holes 110. Each cell connection hole 110 is intended to correspond to at least one battery cell, meaning that one cell connection hole 110 can also correspond to two battery cells. An elastic connecting element 200 is disposed inside each cell connection hole 110. The elastic connecting element 200 comprises a first elastic pin 210 and a second elastic pin 220. The first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 are both connected to the connector body 100, and they are respectively bent towards a battery cell to be electrically connected to an electrode of the corresponding cell.

[0031] In this embodiment, the plurality of cell connection holes 110 corresponds to a plurality of cells on a battery module 10b. The first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 inside each cell connection hole 110 are intended to connect electrically to the corresponding cells. Specifically, the battery connector 10a can be installed at one end of a battery module 10b or between two battery modules 10b. When the connector body 100 is installed at the end of a battery module 10b, the bending directions of the first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 are the same, so that both sets of pins connect electrically to the battery module 10b.When the connector body 100 is installed between two 10b battery modules, the bending directions of the first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 are opposite, such that the first set of elastic pins 210 connects electrically to one 10b battery module, and the second set of elastic pins 220 connects electrically to the other 10b battery module.

[0032] As shown in [Fig. 3], in one embodiment, the first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 are bent in the same direction. In this embodiment, the connector body 100 is installed at one end of a battery module 10b, and the other end of the connector body 100 is fixed to a bracket. Therefore, the first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 are both bent towards the cells of the battery module 10b, meaning that they are both bent either upwards or downwards in the same direction.

[0033] As shown in [Fig. 1] and 2, in one embodiment, the first elastic pin 210 and the second elastic pin 220 are bent in opposite directions. In this embodiment, the connector body 100 is installed between two battery modules 10b. In this case, the first elastic pin 210 is bent upwards to connect electrically to one battery module 10b, and the second elastic pin 220 is bent downwards to connect electrically to the other battery module 10b, thus creating an electrical path between the two adjacent battery modules 10b via the first and second elastic pins.

[0034] As shown in [Fig. 1] to 3, in one embodiment there is a plurality of first elastic pins 210 and a plurality of second elastic pins 220, which are distributed uniformly inside the cell connection hole 110. In this embodiment there are three first elastic pins 210 and three second elastic pins 220, arranged alternately in a circular pattern inside the cell connection hole 110.

[0035] As shown in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2], in one embodiment, a second elastic pin 220 is arranged between any two adjacent first elastic pins 210. In this embodiment, with three first elastic pins 210 and three second elastic pins 220, they are arranged alternately in a circular pattern. When the connector body 100 is installed between two battery modules 10b, the first elastic pins 210 bend upwards to connect to one module, and the second elastic pins 220 bend downwards to connect to the other, resulting in the pins being bent in opposite directions.

[0036] As shown in [Fig.2], in one embodiment, the first elastic pin 210 comprises an elastic connecting portion 211 and an elastic bent portion 212. One end of the elastic connecting portion 211 is fixedly connected to the connector body 100, and the other end is fixedly connected to the elastic bent portion 212. The junction between the elastic connecting portion 211 and the elastic bent portion 212 is bent in the direction of the corresponding battery cell, i.e., upwards or downwards, to allow this junction to connect electrically to the cell.

[0037] As shown in [Fig. 2], in one embodiment, a rounded corner 21la is formed between the elastic connecting portion 211 and the elastic bent portion 212. It can be understood that this rounded corner 21la at the junction connects electrically to the electrode of the battery cell. The curved design of the rounded corner 211a helps to improve the stability of the connection with the battery cell.

[0038] In one embodiment, the height at which the elastic connecting portion 211 protrudes from the connector body 100 is from 1.4 mm to 2.1 mm. In this specific embodiment, the protrusion height is 2.0 mm. The elastic connecting portion 211 can protrude upwards or downwards to allow the elastically folded portion 212 to connect electrically to the cell electrode.

[0039] In one embodiment, the first elastic pin 210 has a thickness of 0.2 mm. In this embodiment, the first elastic pin 210 is made of beryllium copper and has a thickness of 0.2 mm to ensure good elasticity. Furthermore, the second elastic pin 220 is also made of beryllium copper and has the same thickness as the first elastic pin 210 to ensure its good elasticity.

[0040] As shown in [Fig. 2], in one embodiment, the battery connector 10a further comprises a fastening element 300 fixedly connected to an external periphery of the connector body 100. The fastening element 300 is used to snap onto the support. It can be understood that after the connector body 100 is secured by a fastening rod, the fastening element 300 It snaps into a slot on the bracket to further secure the connector body 100 to the bracket, resulting in a more robust attachment.

[0041] In one embodiment, the fastening element 300 and the connector body 100 are of a one-piece molded structure. In this embodiment, the fastening element 300 and the connector body 100 are formed integrally by stamping, which provides a higher connection strength between them.

[0042] As shown in [Fig. 4], the present application also relates to a lithium battery 10, comprising at least one battery module 10b and the battery connector 10a according to any one of the preceding embodiments. The battery connector 10a is connected to the battery module 10b such that the cells of the battery module 10b are electrically connected to the battery connector 10a.

[0043] The preceding embodiments are only a few implementations of this utility certificate, and their description is relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be interpreted as a limitation of the scope of the utility certificate. It should be emphasized that, for those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of this utility certificate, and all of these fall within the scope of protection of this utility certificate. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of this utility certificate will be governed by the appended claims.

Claims

Demands

1. Battery connector, comprising: a connector body defining a plurality of cell connection holes; and a plurality of elastic connecting elements, wherein one of the plurality of elastic connecting elements is disposed inside each of the plurality of cell connection holes, wherein each of the plurality of elastic connecting elements comprises a first elastic pin and a second elastic pin, the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin both being connected to the connector body, and wherein, for each of the plurality of cell connection holes, the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are configured to bend in the direction of an electrode of at least one corresponding battery cell to establish an electrical connection therewith.

2. The battery connector according to claim 1, wherein: the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are bent in the same direction.

3. The battery connector according to claim 1, wherein: the first elastic pin and the second elastic pin are bent in opposite directions.

4. The battery connector according to claim 3, wherein: the elastic connecting element comprises a plurality of first elastic pins and a plurality of second elastic pins, and the plurality of first elastic pins and the plurality of second elastic pins are distributed uniformly inside the cell connection hole.

5. The battery connector according to claim 4, wherein: one of the plurality of second elastic pins is disposed between any two adjacent first elastic pins of the plurality of first elastic pins.

6. The battery connector according to claim 1, wherein: the first elastic pin comprises an elastic connecting portion and an elastically bent portion; one end of the elastic connecting portion is fixedly connected to the connector body, and the other end of the

7.

8.

9.

10. The elastic connecting portion is fixedly connected to the elastic folded portion; and a junction between the elastic connecting portion and the elastic folded portion is bent in the direction of the corresponding battery cell. The battery connector according to claim 6, wherein: a rounded corner is formed at Injunction between the elastic connecting portion and the elastic folded portion. The battery connector according to claim 6, wherein: a height at which the elastic connection portion protrudes from the connector body is 1.4 mm to 2.1 mm. The battery connector according to claim 1, wherein: a thickness of the first elastic pin is 0.2 mm. Lithium battery, comprising: at least one battery module; and the battery connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the battery connector is connected to at least one battery module.

Images