Battery module and battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery module and a battery pack.SOLUTION: A battery module 100 includes: a fixing bracket 20 mounted on a bottom plate 11 of the battery module, where a plurality of rows of positioning slots are disposed on the fixing bracket; a cell stack 30, comprising cylindrical cells arranged in a plurality of rows, where a top portion of each of the cylindrical cells is provided with an electrode terminal, a bottom portion of each of the cylindrical cells is provided with an explosion proof valve, and bottom portions of the cylindrical cells are installed in the positioning slots; a CCS assembly 40 disposed on a side of the cell stack close to a top plate and connected to electrode terminals of the cylindrical cells; and a serpentine cold plate 50 disposed between two rows of cylindrical cells. The battery module is further integrated, is easy to maintain, and has a simple process, thereby large-scale production is facilitated. At the same time, the size of the battery module may be designed according to needs so that its applicable range is further expanded.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cylindrical cell battery modules, and more specifically to battery modules and battery packs.

Background Art

[0002] A power battery is a power source for an electric vehicle. A power battery with a CTP (Cell To Pack) structure is a common power battery structure. The CTP technology of a power battery directly connects a large number of cylindrical cells in series and parallel by omitting modules. For the CTP structure employing cylindrical cells, the assembly process of the CTP structure includes first arranging a plurality of cylindrical cells in groups to form a cell group, and then adhesively potting the cell group in the housing of the battery pack. However, due to the large number of single cylindrical cells in the CTP structure, the grouping process becomes complicated, and there is a problem that adhesive potting of the entire package is difficult. And there is a common problem that the current structural form of the cylindrical cell CTP is difficult to repair. For example, when a quality problem occurs in a single cylindrical cell, it may be necessary to disassemble the entire battery pack.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the existing technology, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module and a battery pack that improve the problems of complicated grouping process, difficult adhesive potting of the entire package, and difficult repair existing in the existing structural form of the cylindrical cell CTP.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] To achieve the above object and other related objects, the present invention provides a battery module. The battery module includes a bottom plate, side plates, a top plate, and end plates. The side plates are provided on both opposite sides of the bottom plate, and the end plates are provided on the other two sides of the bottom plate. A housing is formed by enclosing an accommodation cavity with the top plate, the bottom plate, the side plates and the end plates fixedly connected to the top plate and the bottom plate in sequence. A fixed bracket is located in the accommodation cavity and mounted on the bottom plate. A plurality of rows of positioning slots are provided on the fixed bracket. A cell stack includes a plurality of rows of cylindrical cells. An electrode terminal is provided at the top of each cylindrical cell, and an explosion-proof valve is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical cell. The bottom of the cylindrical cell is mounted in the positioning slot. A CCS assembly is mounted on the side of the cell stack close to the top plate and is electrically connected to the electrode terminal of the cylindrical cell. A serpentine cold plate is provided between two rows of the cylindrical cells.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present invention, the side plate and the bottom plate are of an integral U-shaped frame structure.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, an exhaust channel is formed between the fixed bracket and the bottom plate, and the exhaust channel communicates with the positioning slot.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the two end plates on both sides of the bottom plate is provided with an exhaust slot, and the exhaust slot communicates with the exhaust channel.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a low-voltage signal collection terminal is provided on one of the two end plates on both sides of the bottom plate, and a high-voltage output terminal is provided on the other. The low-voltage signal collection terminal and the high-voltage output terminal are electrically connected to the CCS assembly respectively.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust slot is provided on the end plate where the low-voltage signal collection terminal is provided.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of protrusion structures are provided on the surface of the fixed bracket close to the bottom plate, an exhaust channel is formed between two adjacent protrusion structures and the bottom plate, and the positioning slot is located between two adjacent protrusion structures.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the positioning slot includes a through hole and a groove, the groove is located on the surface of the fixed bracket far from the bottom plate, and the groove is arranged to surround the through hole. The bottom of the cylindrical cell is mounted in the groove, and the explosion-proof valve corresponds to the through hole.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the serpentine cold plate is provided between the cell stack and the end plate, and includes a wing plate provided with a first cooling channel and a plurality of sub-plates provided on the same side of the wing plate and connected to the wing plate. Each sub-plate is located between two rows of the cylindrical cells, a second cooling channel is provided in the sub-plate, and the second cooling channel communicates with the first cooling channel.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a liquid-inlet water-cooling connector and a liquid-outlet water-cooling connector. The liquid-inlet water-cooling connector and the liquid-outlet water-cooling connector are provided on the wing plate, and one end of the liquid-inlet water-cooling connector and the liquid-outlet water-cooling connector penetrates the end plate and is located outside the housing, and the other ends communicate with the first cooling channel respectively.

[0014] The present invention further provides a battery pack including at least one battery module of any one of the above embodiments.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] The present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. The battery module and the battery pack composed of the battery modules have a simpler process compared with the conventional CTP structure, thereby facilitating the realization of large-scale production. At the same time, the size of the battery module can be designed as required, and its application range is further expanded.

[0016] The present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. By stacking a small number of cylindrical cells to form a cell stack and attaching it to the accommodation cavity in the housing, the number of single cylindrical cells is reduced, and the adhesive potting of small modules is realized, thereby solving the problem that the adhesive potting of the entire package in the CTP structure is difficult. At the same time, structures such as a cold plate and a fixing bracket are provided on the battery module itself, enhancing the integrity of the battery module.

[0017] The present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. By providing a fixing bracket in the module to position the cylindrical cells, the problem of difficult positioning of the cylindrical cells in the CTP structure is solved, thereby reducing the difficulty of the process. At the same time, an exhaust channel is formed between the fixing bracket and the bottom plate, providing an exhaust channel when cell thermal runaway occurs in the module, enhancing safety, and avoiding affecting other cells in the module.

[0018] The present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. When a quality problem or thermal runaway occurs in a certain core in the battery module, only the problematic battery module needs to be repaired or replaced, improving the overall maintenance convenience.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the following description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0020]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] The following describes the implementation of the present invention according to specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the disclosure of this specification. The present invention may be implemented or applied according to other different specific embodiments, and various changes or modifications can be made to the details in this specification without departing from the spirit of the present invention based on different viewpoints and responses.

[0022] It should be noted that the drawings provided in this embodiment only schematically show the basic concept of the present invention, and only show the components related to the present invention in the drawings. It is a drawing that does not conform to the number, shape, and size of the components in actual implementation. The type, quantity, and ratio of each component during actual implementation may be freely modified, and the arrangement form of the components may be more complex.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 10, the present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack that improve the problems existing in the existing cylindrical cell CTP structure form, namely, the complicated assembly process, the difficulty in adhesive potting of the whole package, and the difficulty in repair. For example, when a quality problem of a single cylindrical cell appears, it will affect the safety of the whole battery pack and lead to the disposal of the whole battery pack. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the battery module 100 includes a housing 10, a fixing bracket 20, a cell stack 30, a CCS (Cell Contact System) component 40, and a serpentine cold plate 50. A receiving cavity is formed in the housing 10, and the fixing bracket 20 is mounted in the receiving cavity and located at the bottom of the receiving cavity. The cell stack 30 includes cylindrical cells 31 arranged in multiple rows, and the cell stack 30 is attached to the fixing bracket 20. The fixing bracket 20 is used to position and fix each cylindrical cell 31. The CCS assembly 40 is attached to the surface of the cell stack 30 far from the fixing bracket 20 and is electrically connected to the cylindrical cell 31. The serpentine cold plate 50 is provided between two rows of cylindrical cells and is used to dissipate heat from the cylindrical cell 31. That is, structures such as the cold plate 50 and the fixing bracket 20 are provided in the battery module 100, which enhances the integrity of the battery module.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, in the present embodiment, an electrode terminal 311 is provided at the top of each cylindrical cell 31, and an explosion-proof valve is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical cell 31. For example, the cylindrical cell 31 includes an electrode terminal 311, an explosion-proof valve, and a casing 312. The electrode terminal 311 is provided at the top of the casing 312, and the explosion-proof valve is provided at the bottom of the casing 312 to achieve thermal and electrical separation. In the present embodiment, the cell stack 30 is formed by stacking a plurality of columns of cylindrical cells 31. Each column of cylindrical cells 31 includes a plurality of single cylindrical cells 31. By potting and filling the outside of each cylindrical cell 31 with a potting adhesive 301, the plurality of single cylindrical cells 31 are fixed together to form the cell stack 30. The potting adhesive 301 can ensure the overall structural strength and stability. At the same time, the number of single cylindrical cells in the present disclosure is relatively small, and the adhesive potting of small modules can be realized, thereby solving the problem that it is difficult to perform adhesive potting on the entire package in the CTP structure and reducing the difficulty of the process. It should be understood that the illustrated shape of the potting adhesive 301 is a schematic diagram and not the actual shape. In the present embodiment, the CCS assembly 40 is attached to the side close to the top plate 13 of the cell stack 30 and is electrically connected to the electrode terminal 311 of the cylindrical cell 30.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, in this embodiment, the housing 10 includes a bottom plate 11, side plates 12, a top plate 13, and end plates 14. The side plates 12 are provided on both opposite sides of the bottom plate 11, and the end plates 14 are provided on the other two sides of the bottom plate 11. The accommodation cavity is formed by being surrounded by the top plate 13 and the bottom plate 11, and the side plates 12 and the end plates 14 that are fixedly connected to the top plate 13 and the bottom plate 11 in sequence. For example, the bottom plate 11, the side plates 12, the top plate 13, and the end plates 14 may be fixedly connected by welding or snap - fitting or the like. Specifically, the side plate 12 includes a first side plate 121 and a second side plate 122, and the end plate 14 includes a first end plate 141 and a second end plate 142. The first side plate 121 and the second side plate 122 are fixedly connected to both opposite sides of the bottom plate 11, and the first end plate 141 and the second end plate 142 are provided on the other two sides of the bottom plate 11. The accommodation cavity is formed by being surrounded by the top plate 13 and each of the first side plate 121, the second side plate 122, the first end plate 141, and the second end plate 142 in sequence. In this embodiment, the first side plate 121 and the second side plate 122 have an integral structure with the bottom plate 11. That is, the first side plate 121, the second side plate 122, and the bottom plate 11 may together form an integral U - shaped frame structure.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, in this embodiment, a plurality of rows of positioning slots 21 are provided on the fixing bracket 20, and each positioning slot 21 in each row is provided corresponding to one cylindrical cell 31. When the cell stack 30 is mounted on the fixing bracket 20, the bottom of the cylindrical cell 31 provided with the explosion - proof valve is mounted in the corresponding positioning slot 21, thereby realizing the positioned mounting of the cylindrical cell 31. By providing the fixing bracket 20 in the module to position the cylindrical cell 31, the problem of difficult positioning of the cylindrical cell in the CTP structure is solved, thereby reducing the process difficulty.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 6, in the present embodiment, the fixed bracket 20 is mounted on the bottom plate 11, and an exhaust channel 22 is formed between the fixed bracket 20 and the bottom plate 11. The exhaust channel 22 communicates with the positioning slot 21. Specifically, a plurality of protrusion structures 23 are provided on the surface of the fixed bracket 20 close to the bottom plate 11, and an exhaust channel 22 is formed between two adjacent protrusion structures 23 and the bottom plate 11. Further, the positioning slot 21 is provided between two adjacent protrusion structures 23 so as not to affect the opening and exhaust of the explosion-proof valve during thermal runaway when the positioning slot 21 is blocked. When thermal runaway occurs in the cylindrical cell 31, the discharged gas enters the exhaust channel 22 and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust channel 22, thereby avoiding causing a chain reaction of thermal runaway and enhancing the safety of the battery module 100.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, in the present embodiment, the positioning slot 21 includes a through hole 211 and a groove 212. The through hole 211 communicates with the exhaust channel 22. The groove 212 is provided on the surface of the fixed bracket 20 far from the bottom plate 11, and the groove 212 is arranged to surround the through hole 211. When the cylindrical cell 31 is mounted in the positioning slot 21, the bottom of the cylindrical cell 31 provided with the explosion-proof valve is located in the groove 212, and the explosion-proof valve corresponds to the through hole 211. When thermal runaway occurs in the cylindrical cell 31, the discharged gas enters the exhaust channel 22 through the through hole 211 and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust channel 22. Thereby, the safety of the battery module 100 is enhanced by avoiding causing a chain reaction of thermal runaway.

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 2, 5, 8 to 10, in the present embodiment, a low-voltage signal collection terminal 144 is provided on one of the two end plates 14 on the opposite sides of the housing 10, and a high-voltage output terminal 145 is provided on the other. The low-voltage signal collection terminal 144 and the high-voltage output terminal 145 are each electrically connected to the CCS assembly 40. For example, the low-voltage signal collection terminal 144 may be provided on the first end plate 141, and the high-voltage output terminal 145 may be provided on the second end plate 142. Thereby, the high-voltage output and the low-voltage signal collection are separated, enhancing the safety of the battery output. In the present embodiment, an exhaust slot 143 is provided at the bottom of one of the two end plates 14 provided on the opposite sides of the housing 10. That is, the exhaust slot 143 is provided on at least one of the first end plate 141 and the second end plate 142. The exhaust slot 143 communicates with the exhaust channel 22 to discharge the gas generated during thermal runaway to the outside of the battery module 100. The exhaust slot 143 is preferably provided on the end plate 14 where the low-voltage signal collection terminal 144 is provided. For example, the exhaust slot 143 is provided at the bottom of the first end plate 141 and communicates with the exhaust channel 22 to separate the high-voltage connection and the thermal runaway exhaust, enhancing the safety of the battery module 100.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the serpentine cold plate 50 is provided between two rows of cylindrical cells 31. The serpentine cold plate 50 is attached to a part of the surface of the casing 312 to realize heat dissipation of the cylindrical cells. In this embodiment, the serpentine cold plate 50 includes a wing plate 51 and a plurality of sub-plates 52. The wing plate 51 is provided between one of the cell stack 30 and the end plate 14. The plurality of sub-plates 52 are provided on the same side of the wing plate 51 and connected to the wing plate 51, and each sub-plate 52 is provided between two rows of cylindrical cells 31. For example, one sub-plate 52 may be provided every other row, every two rows, or every other number of rows. That is, the number of sub-plates 52 may be adjusted according to the number of cylindrical cells 31, thereby expanding its application range. In this embodiment, a first cooling channel is provided in the wing plate 51, a second cooling channel is provided in each sub-plate 52, and the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel communicate with each other. In this embodiment, the battery module 100 further includes a liquid-inlet water-cooling connector 501 and a liquid-outlet water-cooling connector 502. The liquid-inlet water-cooling connector 501 and the liquid-outlet water-cooling connector 502 are provided on the wing plate 51. One end of the liquid-inlet water-cooling connector 501 and the liquid-outlet water-cooling connector 502 penetrates the end plate 14 and is led to the outside of the housing 10, and the other end communicates with the first cooling channel in the wing plate 51 respectively. By integrating the cold plate and the water-cooling connector in the battery module 100, the integration of the battery module 100 is enhanced.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1-10, the present invention further provides a battery pack. The battery pack includes at least one battery module 100, which is the same as or similar to the structure of the battery module 100 described in the above-mentioned embodiments, and will not be described again here to avoid duplication. By constructing the battery pack with the battery module 100, when a quality problem appears or thermal runaway occurs in one cell within the battery module 100, only the problematic battery module 100 needs to be repaired or replaced, enhancing the overall maintenance convenience.

[0032] The present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. The battery module and the battery pack composed of the battery module have simpler processes compared to the conventional CTP structure, thereby facilitating mass production. At the same time, the size of the battery module can be designed as needed, further expanding its application range. Also, by stacking a small number of cylindrical cells to form a cell stack and installing it in the accommodation cavity within the housing, the number of single cylindrical cells is reduced, realizing the adhesive potting of small modules, thereby solving the problem that it is difficult to perform adhesive potting on the entire package in the CTP structure.

[0033] The present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. By providing a fixing bracket in the module to position the cylindrical cells, the problem of difficult positioning of the cylindrical cells in the CTP structure is solved, thereby reducing the difficulty of the process. At the same time, an exhaust channel is formed between the fixing bracket and the bottom plate, providing an exhaust channel when cell thermal runaway occurs in the module, enhancing safety and avoiding affecting other cells within the module. Also, by constructing the battery pack with the battery module, when a quality problem appears or thermal runaway occurs in one cell within the battery module, only the problematic battery module needs to be repaired or replaced, enhancing the overall maintenance convenience.

[0034] The above is only an explanation of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope included in the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions consisting of specific combinations of the above-described technical features. At the same time, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, other technical solutions obtained by arbitrarily combining the above-described technical features or features equivalent thereto, for example, technical solutions formed by replacing the above-described features with technical features having similar functions (but not limited thereto) of the present disclosure should also be covered.

[0035] Except for the technical features in the specification, the remaining technical features are known technologies to those skilled in the art. However, for the purpose of emphasizing the innovative features of the present invention, the remaining technical features will not be described again here.

Industrial Applicability

[0036] The battery module and battery pack of the present invention can be applied to the technical field of cylindrical cell battery modules.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 100: Battery module, 10: Housing, 11: Bottom plate, 12: Side plate, 121: First side plate, 122: Second side plate, 13: Top plate, 14: End plate, 141: First end plate, 142: Second end plate, 143: Exhaust slot, 144: Low-voltage signal collection terminal, 145: High-voltage output terminal, 20: Fixed bracket, 21: Positioning slot, 211: Through hole, 212: Groove, 22: Exhaust channel, 23: Protrusion structure, 30: Cell stack, 31: Cylindrical cell, 311: Electrode terminal, 312: Casing, 301: Potting adhesive, 40: CCS assembly, 50: Serpentine cold plate, 51: Wing plate, 52: Sub-plate, 501: Liquid inlet water-cooling connector, 502: Liquid outlet water-cooling connector.

Claims

1. A housing including a bottom plate, side plates, a top plate, and end plates, wherein the side plates are provided on both opposite sides of the bottom plate, the end plates are provided on the other two sides of the bottom plate, and a receiving cavity is formed by the top plate and the bottom plate, the side plates fixedly connected to the top plate and the bottom plate in sequence, and the end plates; A fixing bracket located in the receiving cavity and attached to the bottom plate, with a plurality of rows of positioning slots provided on the fixing bracket; A cell stack including a plurality of rows of cylindrical cells, with electrode terminals provided at the top of each cylindrical cell, explosion-proof valves provided at the bottom of each cylindrical cell, and the bottom of the cylindrical cell being attached within the positioning slots; A CCS assembly attached to the side of the cell stack close to the top plate and electrically connected to the electrode terminals of the cylindrical cells; A serpentine cold plate provided between two rows of the cylindrical cells; Including Characterized by A battery module.

2. The side plate and the bottom plate are of an integral U-shaped frame structure Characterized by The battery module according to Claim 1.

3. An exhaust channel is formed between the fixing bracket and the bottom plate, and the exhaust channel communicates with the positioning slots Characterized by The battery module according to Claim 1.

4. At least one of the two end plates on both sides of the bottom plate is provided with an exhaust slot, and the exhaust slot communicates with the exhaust channel Characterized by The battery module according to Claim 3.

5. One of the two end plates on both sides of the bottom plate is provided with a low-voltage signal collection terminal, and the other is provided with a high-voltage output terminal. The low-voltage signal collection terminal and the high-voltage output terminal are each electrically connected to the CCS assembly Characterized by The battery module according to Claim 4.

6. The exhaust slot is provided on the end plate where the low-voltage signal collection terminal is provided Characterized by The battery module according to Claim 5.

7. A plurality of protrusion structures are provided on the surface of the fixing bracket close to the bottom plate. An exhaust channel is formed between two adjacent protrusion structures and the bottom plate, and the positioning slots are located between two adjacent protrusion structures Characterized by The battery module according to claim 3.

8. The positioning slot includes a through hole and a groove, the groove is located on a surface far from the bottom plate of the fixing bracket, and the groove is arranged to surround the through hole, the bottom of the cylindrical cell is mounted in the groove, and the explosion-proof valve corresponds to the through hole characterized in that The battery module according to claim 1.

9. The serpentine cold plate is provided between the cell stack and the end plate, a wing plate provided with a first cooling channel, and a plurality of sub-plates provided on the same side of the wing plate and connected to the wing plate including each sub-plate is located between two rows of the cylindrical cells, a second cooling channel is provided in the sub-plate, and the second cooling channel communicates with the first cooling channel characterized in that The battery module according to claim 1.

10. a liquid-inlet water-cooling connector, and a liquid-outlet water-cooling connector further including the liquid-inlet water-cooling connector and the liquid-outlet water-cooling connector are provided on the wing plate, and one end of the liquid-inlet water-cooling connector and the liquid-outlet water-cooling connector penetrates the end plate and is located outside the housing, and the other ends communicate with the first cooling channel respectively characterized in that The battery module according to claim 9.

11. including the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10 characterized in that a battery pack.

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