Battery cell assembly, battery pack and vehicle

Abstract

A battery cell assembly, a battery pack, and a vehicle are provided. The battery cell assembly includes at least two cells, a cell bracket, a flexible substrate, and a connection sheet. The at least two cells are butted together along the length of the cells. The cell bracket is connected to an interface between two adjacent cells. The flexible substrate is provided on a top surface of the cells. The connection sheet is fixed to the cell bracket, the connection sheet is connected to both the tabs of the cells and the flexible substrate, the connection sheet has a sampling segment located on the top surface of the cells and configured to be connected to an external sampling device to sample the cells.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on March 4, 2022, bearing application number 202210209506.8 and title "A Type of Battery Cell Assembly, Battery Pack and Vehicle," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to the technical field of energy storage devices, and more particularly to battery cell assemblies, battery packs, and vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] As China's new energy vehicles become more and more popular, pure electric vehicles with environmentally friendly characteristics will become an inevitable trend in the future development of the automobile industry, and will gradually replace traditional fuel buses as the daily means of transportation for ordinary people. The power source of electric vehicles is lithium battery packs, and as an important component of electric vehicles, the improvement of each performance of lithium battery packs has attracted attention in the industry. For example, how to design the structure of lithium battery packs to make the distribution of parts in the battery pack more reasonable, more space-saving, and more compact in structure is a technical issue that has been improved in the industry. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] A battery cell assembly, a battery pack, and a vehicle are provided.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present application, a battery cell assembly is provided, the battery cell assembly including at least two cells, a cell bracket, a flexible substrate, and a connection sheet; At least two of the cells are butted together along the length of the cells; The cell bracket is connected to the boundary between two adjacent cells. The flexible substrate is placed on the top surface of the cell. The connecting sheet is fixed to the cell bracket, the connecting sheet is connected to both the tab of the cell and the flexible substrate, and the connecting sheet has a sampling segment located on the top surface of the cell and configured to be connected to an external sampling device to sample the cell.

[0005] Preferably, the connection sheet further includes a connection segment that is bent and connected to the sampling segment at a predetermined angle, the connection segment being connected to the tab of the cell, and the sampling segment being connected to the flexible substrate.

[0006] Preferably, the length of the connection segment is greater than the length of the sampling segment.

[0007] Preferably, a snap fit is provided on the cell bracket and a locking groove is provided on the connection sheet, or a locking groove is provided on the cell bracket and a snap fit is provided on the connection sheet, and the cell bracket and the connection sheet are locked together via the snap fit and the locking groove.

[0008] Preferably, one cell bracket is provided between the two adjacent cells, and a first connection portion and a second connection portion are provided on the cell bracket, the first connection portion being connected to one of the two adjacent cells, and the second connection portion being connected to the other of the two adjacent cells.

[0009] Preferably, the connection sheet is fixed between the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

[0010] Preferably, a first cell bracket and a second cell bracket are provided between the two adjacent cells, and the first cell bracket and the second cell bracket are arranged along the length direction of the cell; The first cell bracket and the second cell bracket are each provided with a connection portion, the first cell bracket is connected to one of the two adjacent cells via the connection portion, and the second cell bracket is connected to the other of the two adjacent cells via the connection portion; The first cell bracket and the second cell bracket are connected to each other via their adjacent side surfaces.

[0011] Preferably, the connecting sheet is fixed at a position where the first cell bracket and the second cell bracket are connected to each other.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the present application, there is provided a battery pack including a battery cell assembly according to the first aspect.

[0013] According to a third aspect of the present application, there is provided a vehicle comprising the battery pack according to the second aspect.

[0014] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] The drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application. [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2A] 3 is a schematic diagram of a connection structure between a cell bracket and a connection sheet in a battery cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Figure 2B] 3 is a schematic diagram of a connection structure between a cell bracket and a connection sheet in a battery cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4]1 is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical formulas and numerical values ​​described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0017] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way limiting of the invention, its application, or uses.

[0018] Techniques, methods and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and devices should be considered part of the specification.

[0019] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be construed as merely illustrative and not limiting, and thus other examples of the present embodiments may have different values.

[0020] It should be noted that in the following drawings, the same reference symbols and letters indicate the same items, so that when an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further described in the following drawings.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, according to an embodiment of the present application, a battery cell assembly 10 is provided. The battery cell assembly 10 includes at least two cells 101, a cell bracket 102, a flexible substrate 103 and a connection sheet 104. The at least two cells 101 are butted together along the length of the cells. The cell bracket 102 is connected to a boundary between two adjacent cells 101. The flexible substrate 103 is provided on a top surface 1012 of the cells 101. The connection sheet 104 is fixed to the cell bracket 102, and the connection sheet 104 is connected to both the tab 1011 of the cells 101 and the flexible substrate 103. The connection sheet 104 has a sampling segment 1041, which is located on the top surface 1012 of the cells 101, and the sampling segment 1041 is arranged to be connected to an external sampling device to sample the cells 101.

[0022] The tab 1011 of the cell 101 is a metal conductor that draws out a positive electrode or a negative electrode from the cell 101. In the present application, the tab 1011 is drawn out from the side surface of the cell 101 shown in FIG. 1. The flexible substrate 103 and the cell 101 may have a one-to-one relationship or a one-to-many relationship. In other words, one flexible substrate 103 is provided on the top surface of one cell 101, or one flexible substrate 103 is provided on the top surfaces of multiple cells 101, but this is not limited to this in the present application.

[0023] In the battery cell assembly provided in this embodiment of the present application, at least two cells 101 are butted together along the length direction. In some embodiments, at least two cells 101 are arranged in series. In some embodiments, multiple cells 101 may be first connected in parallel to a cell string along the thickness direction, and then multiple cell strings may be connected in series along the length direction. When a cell 101 needs to be sampled, a sampling device is connected to the sampling segment 1041 of the connection sheet 104, and the connection sheet 104 is connected to both the tab 1011 of the cell 101 and the flexible substrate 103, so that the sampling device can form an electrical connection with the tab 1011 of the cell 101 and the flexible substrate 103, and collect parameters such as temperature, voltage, etc. of the cell 101. In the battery cell assembly according to the embodiment of the present application, the sampling segment 1041 of the connection sheet 104 and the flexible substrate 103 are both provided on the top surface 1012 of the cell 101, and since there is originally space along the thickness direction of the cell in the battery pack, providing the sampling segment 1041 of the connection sheet 104 and the flexible substrate 103 at the top surface position of the cell 101 (i.e., providing the position where the sampling point A is located at the top surface position of the cell 101) does not occupy extra space in the battery pack. If the position where the sampling point A is located is provided at an end surface position along the length of the cell 101 (i.e., a side surface along the length of the cell 101 shown in FIG. 1), it will occupy dimensional space in the length direction of the cell, which is disadvantageous for the compact design of the battery pack. Therefore, in the battery cell assembly provided in the embodiment of the present application, the sampling segment of the connection sheet and the flexible substrate are provided at the top surface position of the cell, which helps to save space in the battery pack and is also advantageous for the compact design of the battery pack.

[0024] In some embodiments, the material of the cell bracket 102 may be plastic. In some embodiments, the material of the connection sheet 104 may be metal.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1, 2A and 2B, in some embodiments, the connecting sheet 104 further includes a connecting segment 1042, and the connecting segment 1042 and the sampling segment 1041 are connected by bending at a predetermined included angle, the connecting segment 1042 is connected to the tab 1011 of the cell 101, and the sampling segment 1041 is connected to the flexible substrate 103.

[0026] In some embodiments, the connection sheet 104 is folded at a predetermined angle to form two sub-connection sheets, which are the sampling segment 1041 and the connection segment 1042. In other words, the sampling segment 1041 is folded and connected to the connection segment 1042. The predetermined angle may be designed according to the actual structural requirements, for example, the predetermined angle is 90°, and is not limited in the present application. After the fixing of the connection sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102 is completed, the sampling segment 1041 is located at the top surface position of the cell 101, and the connection segment 1042 is located at the side surface position of the cell 101. Note that the "top surface of the cell 101" and the "side surface of the cell 101" here are taken as an example of the viewing angle of the battery cell assembly 10 shown in FIG. 1, that is, the cell top surface 1012 and the cell side surface (1013). In this application, the connecting sheet 104 is folded at a certain included angle to form two sub-connecting sheets, so that the connecting sheet 104 is connected to the tabs 1011 of the cells 101 and the flexible substrate 103 respectively.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, in some embodiments, the length of the connecting segment 1042 is greater than the length of the sampling segment 1041.

[0028] In some embodiments, the sampling segment 1041 extends along the thickness direction of the cell bracket 102, and the connecting segment 1042 extends along the length direction of the cell bracket 102. Since the length of the connecting segment 1042 is long, the connecting segment 1042 can be provided with a connecting structure 105 connecting between the connecting sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, in some embodiments, one of the cell bracket 102 and the connecting sheet 104 is provided with a snap fit 106, and the other is provided with a locking groove 107, that is, the cell bracket 102 is provided with the snap fit 106 and the connecting sheet 104 is provided with the locking groove 107, or the cell bracket 102 is provided with the locking groove 107 and the connecting sheet 104 is provided with the snap fit 106. The cell bracket 102 and the connecting sheet 104 are locked together by the snap fit and the locking groove. When the connecting sheet 104 is provided with a locking groove and the cell bracket 102 is provided with a snap fit, the locking groove may be provided in the connecting segment 1042 of the connecting sheet 104 .

[0029] Furthermore, the connecting sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102 are connected in the form of an engagement, which is very convenient to operate during the assembly process; the connecting sheet 104 can be attached to the cell bracket 102 by pressing. In this way, not only can the connecting sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102 be firmly connected, but the time required for applying adhesive and screwing in bolts can be saved, simplifying the assembly process and improving production efficiency.

[0030] 1 and 2A, in some embodiments, one cell bracket 102 is provided between two adjacent cells 101. The cell bracket 102 is provided with a first connection portion 1021 and a second connection portion 1022, where the first connection portion 1021 is connected to one of the two adjacent cells 101, and the second connection portion 1022 is connected to the other of the two adjacent cells 101. Furthermore, the connection sheet 104 is fixed at a position between the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022.

[0031] In this specific example, one cell bracket 102 is simultaneously connected to two cells 101 that are adjacently provided along the length direction, that is, one cell bracket 102 is simultaneously connected to two cells 101 that are butted against each other along the length direction of the cells 101. More specifically, for example, when the two adjacently provided cells 101 are the first cell 101a and the second cell 101b, one cell bracket 102 is connected to the first cell 101a and the second cell 101b, respectively. Referring to FIG. 2A, the left side L and the right side R of the connection sheet 104 are the same cell bracket 102. More specifically, the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022 may be, for example, a comb-tooth structure (having a U-shaped notch), and therefore the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022 may be inserted and connected to the cell 101 (how to insert and connect). More specifically, in order to achieve a stronger connection between the cell bracket 102 and the cell 101, the cell bracket 102 may be provided with two first connecting parts 1021 and two second connecting parts 1022, i.e., a total of four connecting parts. For example, the two first connecting parts 1021 are connected to the first cell 101a, and the two second connecting parts 1022 are connected to the second cell 101b. After the cell bracket 102 is connected to the cell, the connecting sheet 104 may be attached to the center position of the cell bracket 102 along the length direction of the cell. As can be seen, the assembly process of one cell bracket 102 is simple and easy to operate.

[0032] Furthermore, the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022 may be provided on two side surfaces of the cell bracket 102 that are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction (e.g., the Z direction) of the cell 101, i.e., see the left and right sides of the cell bracket 102 shown in FIG. 2A.

[0033] In order to facilitate the installation of the first connecting portion 1021 and the second connecting portion 1022, as shown in Fig. 2A, one set of the first connecting portion 1021 and the second connecting portion 1022 can be installed on the front side surface of the cell bracket 102, and another set of the first connecting portion 1021 and the second connecting portion 1022 can be installed on the rear side surface of the cell bracket 102. That is, the two first connecting portions 1021 are provided on two side surfaces of the cell bracket 102 that are spaced apart from each other along the thickness direction of the cell 101, and similarly, the two second connecting portions 1022 are provided on two side surfaces of the cell bracket 102 that are spaced apart from each other along the thickness direction of the cell 101. This not only makes it convenient to arrange the two first connection portions 1021 and the two second connection portions 1022, but also allows the connection sheet 104 to be sandwiched between one pair of the first connection portions 1021 and the second connection portions 1022, and the width of the connection sheet 104 matches the spacing between the first connection portions 1021 and the second connection portions 1022, which is advantageous for positioning the installation of the connection sheet 104.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B, in some embodiments, a first cell bracket 102a and a second cell bracket 102b are provided between two adjacent cells 101. The first cell bracket 102a and the second cell bracket 102b are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cell 101. A first connecting portion 1021 is provided on one of the two cell brackets, and a second connecting portion 1022 is provided on the other. That is, the first cell bracket 102a is provided with the first connecting portion 1021 and the second cell bracket 102b is provided with the second connecting portion 1022, or the first cell bracket 102a is provided with the second connecting portion 1022 and the second cell bracket 102b is provided with the first connecting portion 1021. The first connecting portion 1021 is connected to one of the two adjacent cells 101, and the second connecting portion 1022 is connected to the other of the two adjacent cells 101. The first cell bracket 102a and the second cell bracket 102b are connected to each other by their adjacent side surfaces. Furthermore, the connecting sheet 104 is fixed at the position where the first cell bracket 102a and the second cell bracket 102b are connected to each other.

[0035] In this specific example, the first cell bracket 102a and the second cell bracket 102b are respectively connected to two cells 101 that are adjacently installed along the length direction. More specifically, for example, the two adjacent cells 101 include a first cell 101a and a second cell 101b, and one of the two cell brackets (for example, the first cell bracket 102a) is connected to the first cell 101a, and the other of the two cell brackets (for example, the second cell bracket 102b) is connected to the second cell 101b. These two cell brackets may be connected to each other, for example, by adhesion, and the connecting sheet 104 is fixed at the position where the two cell brackets are connected, that is, referring to FIG. 2B, the left side L and the right side R of the connecting sheet 104 are the two cell brackets. Although the assembly process of installing the two cell brackets is somewhat complicated, the raw materials for manufacturing the cell bracket 102 can be saved to a certain extent. Specifically, compared with installing one cell bracket, when installing two cell brackets 102, the volume of a single cell bracket 102 is smaller and less material is used. For example, if the connection part of one cell bracket 102 is damaged, the cell bracket 102 will be discarded and will become unusable. A single discarded cell bracket with a small volume can save a certain amount of raw materials compared with a single discarded cell bracket with a large volume.

[0036] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a battery pack 20 is provided. As shown in Figure 3, the battery pack includes the battery cell assembly 10 described above.

[0037] According to some embodiments of the present application, a vehicle 30 is provided. Referring to Fig. 4, the vehicle includes the battery pack 20. The vehicle further includes a load (e.g., a motor) connected to the battery pack. The battery pack is configured to supply power to the load.

[0038] The above embodiments have been focused on describing the differences between each embodiment, and the different optimization features between each embodiment, provided they are not inconsistent, can be combined to form a more preferred embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, will not be described here.

[0039] Although some specific embodiments of the present application have been described in detail by using examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are merely for illustration purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above examples without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10 Battery Cell Assembly 101 Cell 101a First cell 101b Second Cell 1011 Tab 1012 Cell top surface 1013 Cell side 102 Cell bracket 102a First cell bracket 102b Second cell bracket 1021 First connection part 1022 Second connection 103 Flexible PCB 104 Connection Sheet 1041 Sampling Segments 1042 connection segments 105 Connection structure 106 Snap Fit 107 Locking groove 20 Battery Pack 30 Vehicles

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly (10), comprising at least two cells (101), a cell bracket (102), a flexible substrate (103) and a connection sheet (104); At least two of the cells (101) are arranged abuttingly along the length of the cells (101); The cell bracket (102) connects two adjacent cells (101) at a boundary between the two adjacent cells (101); The flexible substrate (103) is attached to the top surface (1012) of the cell (101); the connection sheet (104) is fixed to the cell bracket (102), the connection sheet (104) is connected to both the tab (1011) of the cell (101) and the flexible substrate (103), and the connection sheet (104) includes a sampling segment (1041) located on the top surface (1012) of the cell (101) and configured to be connected to an external sampling device to sample the cell (101).

2. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the connection sheet (104) further includes a connection segment (1042), the connection segment (1042) and the sampling segment (1041) are connected by bending at a predetermined included angle, the connection segment (1042) is connected to the tab (1011) of the cell (101), and the sampling segment (1041) is connected to the flexible substrate (103).

3. 3. The battery cell assembly of claim 2, wherein a length of the connection segment (1042) is greater than a length of the sampling segment (1041).

4. The cell bracket (102) is provided with a snap fit (106) and the connecting sheet (104) is provided with a locking groove (107); or The battery cell assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the cell bracket (102) is provided with an engagement groove (107) and the connection sheet (104) is provided with a snap fit (106), and the cell bracket (102) and the connection sheet (104) are engaged via the snap fit (106) and the engagement groove (107).

5. 2. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein one cell bracket (102) is provided between the two adjacent cells (101), and the cell bracket (102) is provided with a first connection portion (1021) and a second connection portion (1022), the first connection portion (1021) being connected to one of the two adjacent cells (101), and the second connection portion (1022) being connected to the other of the two adjacent cells (101).

6. 6. The battery cell assembly of claim 5, wherein the connection sheet (104) is fixed between the first connection portion (1021) and the second connection portion (1022).

7. a first cell bracket (102a) and a second cell bracket (102b) are provided between the two adjacent cells (101), and the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cell (101); 2. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are both provided with a connection portion, the first cell bracket (102a) is connected to one of the two adjacent cells (101) via the connection portion, the second cell bracket (102b) is connected to the other of the two adjacent cells (101) via the connection portion, and the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are connected to each other via their adjacent sides.

8. 8. The battery cell assembly of claim 7, wherein the connection sheet (104) is fixed at a position where the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are connected to each other.

9. A battery pack (20) comprising a battery cell assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle (30) comprising the battery pack (20) according to claim 9.

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