Battery cell bracket, method for manufacturing battery cell bracket, and battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery cell bracket, a manufacturing method of the battery cell bracket, and a battery pack.SOLUTION: The battery cell bracket includes a base material and a covering layer covering the outside of the base material, the base material includes one of glass fiber (100) and carbon fiber (200), and the covering layer includes a resin member (300). The glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is provided with a first relief hole, the resin member (300) is provided with a second relief hole, and the first relief hole and the second relief hole overlap with each other to form a relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority from Chinese patent application No. 202421848214.X, filed with the China Patent Office on August 1, 2024, and from Chinese patent application No. 202411049117.9, filed with the China Patent Office on August 1, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of batteries, and in particular to a battery cell bracket, a manufacturing method for the battery cell bracket, and a battery pack. [Background technology]

[0003] As battery technology continues to develop, cylindrical batteries are becoming increasingly popular as a type of lithium battery. Cylindrical batteries usually include a battery cell body and a battery cell bracket, where the battery cell body is mounted on the battery cell bracket, which provides physical isolation between multiple battery cell bodies, preventing short circuits and promoting heat dissipation from the battery cell body, and improving the stability of the battery pack structure.

[0004] As the industry pursues higher energy density for battery packs, the volume of the battery packs is designed to become larger and larger, which requires larger sized battery cell brackets to support the battery cell bodies. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In related technology, multiple ordinary polypropylene (PP) plastic brackets are typically joined together to meet the demand for large battery cell brackets. This method not only increases manufacturing costs and reduces work efficiency, but also weakens the connection between two adjacent PP plastic brackets, making them more susceptible to cracks and even breakage during use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect, the present embodiment provides a battery battery cell bracket, comprising: A substrate and a coating layer that coats the exterior of the substrate, the substrate includes glass fiber or carbon fiber, and a first relief hole is provided in the glass fiber or the carbon fiber; The covering layer includes a resin member, and a second relief hole is provided in the resin member, and the first relief hole and the second relief hole overlap each other to form a relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for manufacturing the battery cell bracket described above, comprising: Laying the glass or carbon fiber flat on a work surface and setting it up; forming a first relief hole on the glass fiber or the carbon fiber; injecting a resin into the glass or carbon fibers; and forming a battery cell bracket after drying the resin.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery pack, the battery pack including a cylindrical battery cell and the battery cell bracket described above, wherein the cylindrical battery cell is mounted on the battery cell bracket. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present application provides a battery cell bracket, which includes a substrate and a coating layer covering the exterior of the substrate, where the substrate includes one of glass fiber or carbon fiber, and the coating layer includes a resin member. A first relief hole is formed in the glass fiber or carbon fiber, and a second relief hole is formed in the resin member, where the first relief hole and the second relief hole overlap each other to form a relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell. That is, the battery cell bracket of the present application may be formed by integrally molding the resin member and the glass fiber, or the resin member and the carbon fiber. In this way, an engineer only needs to design the dimensions of the glass fiber or carbon fiber according to the desired dimensions of the battery cell bracket, and then integrally mold the resin member and the glass fiber or carbon fiber. This allows for flexible design of the dimensions of the battery cell bracket, and allows engineers to design battery cell brackets with larger dimensions to meet different demands. This eliminates the need for multiple plastic brackets in the related art, further improving work efficiency and saving costs. At the same time, the present application integrates the resin member with glass fiber or carbon fiber to improve the strength of the battery cell bracket and extend its service life. That is, compared with the plastic bracket in the prior art, the battery cell bracket in the present application has higher mechanical strength.

[0010] The present application also provides a method for manufacturing a battery cell bracket, which can be manufactured by integral injection molding of resin and glass fiber or carbon fiber to form a large battery cell bracket, and does not require the joining process of the related art, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs. At the same time, the battery cell bracket of the present application has high mechanical strength and can extend its service life.

[0011] The present application further provides a battery pack, which has the characteristics of high processing efficiency, high strength, and low cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded view of a battery cell bracket according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing method of a battery cell bracket according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] 2 is an exploded view 2 of the battery cell bracket according to the embodiment of the present application. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for manufacturing a battery cell bracket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing a partial structure of a battery cell bracket according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] This embodiment provides a battery battery cell bracket, which can meet the demand for a large battery battery cell bracket, does not require bonding, has high strength, improves work efficiency, and saves costs.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 , the battery cell bracket mainly includes a substrate and a coating layer that coats the exterior of the substrate, the substrate including one of glass fiber 100 and carbon fiber 200, and the coating layer including a resin member 300. The glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 is provided with a first relief hole 110, and the resin member 300 is provided with a second relief hole 310, the first relief hole 110 and the second relief hole 310 overlapping each other to form a relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell (not shown). That is, the battery cell bracket in this embodiment may be integrally molded from the resin member 300 and the glass fiber 100, or from the resin member 300 and the carbon fiber 200. In this way, the engineer simply designs the dimensions of the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 according to the desired dimensions of the battery cell bracket, and then integrally molds the resin member 300 and the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200. This allows for flexible design of the battery cell bracket, allowing the engineer to design larger-sized battery cell brackets to meet different needs. This eliminates the need for multiple plastic brackets in the related art, further improving work efficiency and saving costs. At the same time, the integral molding of the resin member 300 and the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 in this embodiment improves the strength of the battery cell bracket and extends its service life. That is, the battery cell bracket in this embodiment has higher mechanical strength than plastic brackets in the prior art.

[0015] In this embodiment, the resin member 300 may completely cover the glass fibers 100 or the carbon fibers 200, or may partially cover the glass fibers 100 or the carbon fibers 200. That is, the resin member 300 covers some of the glass fibers 100 or some of the carbon fibers 200, and exposes other parts of the glass fibers 100 or other parts of the carbon fibers 200 to the outside of the resin member 300. For example, by exposing the top surfaces of other parts of the glass fibers 100 or other parts of the carbon fibers 200 to the outside of the resin member 300, the flexibility of manufacturing the battery cell bracket can be improved.

[0016] In this embodiment, a plurality of relief holes are provided, and the relief holes are arranged in an array, and the relief holes penetrate opposite sides of the battery cell bracket. Each relief hole supports one cylindrical battery cell. By arranging the relief holes in an array, the intervals between two adjacent cylindrical battery cells are equalized, which further improves the heat dissipation effect between the cylindrical battery cells and prevents or reduces the occurrence of heat concentration.

[0017] 2 and 5, in this embodiment, there is a connection part 320 between two adjacent relief holes, and the inside of the connection part 320 is filled with glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. The provision of the connection part 320 can connect two adjacent relief holes, further improving the mechanical strength and integrity of the battery battery cell bracket and extending the service life.

[0018] 7, in this embodiment, a boss 330 is protruded from the inner wall of the relief hole. The boss 330 is configured to support a cylindrical battery cell, and the inside of the boss 330 is filled with glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. The boss 330 is integrally molded with the resin member 300. The boss 330 supports the cylindrical battery cell and prevents the cylindrical battery cell from falling out of the relief hole. The projected area of ​​the boss 330 in each relief hole is smaller than the projected area of ​​the relief hole, preventing the relief hole from being completely blocked by the boss. As a result, when the cylindrical battery cell experiences thermal runaway, high-temperature and high-pressure gas inside the cylindrical battery cell can be discharged through the relief hole, which is advantageous in preventing dangers such as explosion.

[0019] In this embodiment, the ratio of the length of the connecting portion 320 to the diameter of the relief hole is set to a value between 0.8 and 1.5. Exemplarily, the ratio of the length of the connecting portion 320 to the diameter of the relief hole may be set to a value such as 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, or 1.5.

[0020] The relief hole in this embodiment is circular or square, for example, a circular relief hole, which can accommodate cylindrical battery cells and allow more cylindrical battery cells to be mounted on the limited battery cell bracket. Of course, the operator can also set the relief hole to other shapes, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0021] The resin member 300 in this embodiment is formed by injection molding with one of glass fiber 100 and carbon fiber 200, and the injection molding temperature may be set to 225°C to 250°C.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the relief holes in this embodiment are arranged in multiple rows, and two adjacent rows of relief holes are arranged in a staggered pattern, so that more relief holes can be arranged on a battery cell bracket of a certain size, which can further improve the energy density of the battery pack and save costs.

[0023] 3 and 6, this embodiment provides a manufacturing method for the battery cell bracket for manufacturing the battery cell bracket, which includes the following steps:

[0024] The glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 is laid flat on the workbench surface and installed.

[0025] By using existing automated equipment to lay the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 flat on the work surface and install it, workers can ensure that there is a gap between the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 and the work surface.

[0026] A first relief hole 110 is formed on the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 .

[0027] 2 and 3, an operator can use a concave-convex mold to push open some of the glass fibers 100 or some of the carbon fibers 200 to form first relief holes 110. The pressure at which the concave-convex mold pushes open a single hole in the glass fibers 100 and the carbon fibers 200 may be set between 10 N and 100 N.

[0028] 5 and 6, an operator can also use a blade die to cut some of the glass fibers 100 or some of the carbon fibers 200 to form the first relief holes 110. Regardless of whether the first relief holes 110 are processed using a concave-convex mold or a blade die, the first relief holes 110 can be molded on the glass fibers 100 or the carbon fibers 200, thereby eliminating the need to use an additional machining device to process the first relief holes 110 after the battery cell bracket is assembled into components, further improving work efficiency and saving costs.

[0029] As can be understood, the above-mentioned concave-convex mold and blade mold are both ordinary parts, and detailed description of their structure and operation principle will be omitted here.

[0030] In this embodiment, the glass fiber 100 is formed by arranging a plurality of glass fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of glass fiber strips are all the same, or the carbon fiber 200 is formed by arranging a plurality of carbon fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of carbon fiber strips are all the same.

[0031] In this embodiment, two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are spaced apart, with the space being between 0 mm and 2 cm. For example, the space may be 0 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, or 2 cm. That is, there may be a space between two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips, or there may be no space between them. This improves the flexibility of the layout of the glass fiber strips or carbon fiber strips, allowing operators to flexibly arrange the glass fiber strips and carbon fiber strips according to actual needs. When there is a space between two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips, the number of glass fiber strips or carbon fiber strips can be reduced, further saving costs and reducing the weight of the battery cell bracket. When there is no space between two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips, the mechanical strength of the battery cell bracket can be improved and the service life of the battery cell bracket can be extended.

[0032] In this embodiment, two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are arranged at equal intervals, which improves the force-bearing condition of the battery cell bracket, makes the force-bearing condition of the battery cell bracket uniform, and prevents stress concentration.

[0033] Resin is injected into the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. Because there is a gap between the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 and the work surface, it is possible to ensure that the resin flows to the underside of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200, and further, the resin is coated on the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 in all directions, which improves the stability and reliability of the battery cell bracket and also prevents the strength of the battery cell bracket from being reduced due to the exposure of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 7 , resin is injected into the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200, and the resin is heated to a molten state. A boss mold is then used to process a boss 330 on the inner wall of the relief hole. The molten resin is then mixed with the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 to form a second relief hole 310 at the position of the first relief hole 110. The first relief hole 110 and the second relief hole 310 are then surrounded by a relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell. The hollow position of the relief hole is the relief position when the cylindrical battery cell experiences thermal runaway. There is no glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 at this position. The boss 330 of the relief hole and the connection portion 320 of the resin member 300 both contain glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. It should be understood that the boss mold in this embodiment is a conventional component, and a detailed description of its structure and operating principle will be omitted here.

[0035] In this embodiment, the ratio of the injected volume of the resin to the volume of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 is 5:1 to 20:1, which ensures good fusion between the resin and the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200, avoids exposure of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200, and improves the mechanical strength of the battery cell bracket.

[0036] Illustratively, the ratio of the injected volume of resin to the volume of glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 may be set to 5:1, 10:1, 15:1, 20:1, etc. When the ratio is less than 5:1, the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 may be exposed, reducing the mechanical strength of the battery cell bracket. When the ratio is greater than 20:1, the manufactured battery cell bracket may be too thick, wasting the cost of resin and occupying extra internal volume of the battery pack, which is detrimental to improving the energy density of the battery pack.

[0037] In this embodiment, the heating temperature of the resin is set between 225° C. and 250° C. Since the melting temperature of the glass fiber 100 is 700° C. to 900° C. and the melting temperature of the carbon fiber 200 is usually 2500° C. or higher, by setting the heating temperature of the resin to 225° C. to 250° C., it is possible to ensure that the resin melts and can be integrally molded with the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200, and it is also possible to ensure that the glass fiber 100 and the carbon fiber 200 are not damaged, thereby saving energy consumption and improving work efficiency.

[0038] The manufacturing method of the battery cell bracket described above has simple steps, and can process and mold large battery cell brackets by integral injection molding of resin and glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200, and does not require the joining process of related technologies, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs. At the same time, the battery cell bracket in this embodiment has high mechanical strength and can extend its service life.

[0039] This embodiment further provides a battery pack, which includes a cylindrical battery cell and the above-mentioned battery cell bracket, where the cylindrical battery cell is installed in the battery cell bracket, the battery cell bracket is provided with a plurality of relief holes, and a plurality of cylindrical battery cells are installed, and each cylindrical battery cell is installed in a corresponding relief hole.

[0040] The battery pack has the battery cell bracket, so that the battery pack has the characteristics of high processing efficiency, high strength, and low cost.

[0041] This embodiment further provides a power consuming device including the battery pack, which has the characteristics of high processing efficiency, high strength, and low cost. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 100—glass fiber, 110—first relief hole, 200—carbon fiber, 300—resin member, 310—second relief hole, 320—connection portion, 330—boss

Claims

1. A battery battery cell bracket, A substrate and a coating layer that coats the exterior of the substrate, The substrate includes glass fiber (100) or carbon fiber (200), and the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is provided with a first relief hole (110); The battery cell bracket, wherein the covering layer includes a resin member (300), the resin member (300) is provided with a second relief hole (310), and the first relief hole (110) and the second relief hole (310) overlap each other to form a relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell.

2. 2. The battery cell bracket according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the relief holes are provided, the plurality of relief holes are arranged in an array, and the relief holes penetrate opposite sides of the battery cell bracket.

3. 3. The battery battery cell bracket according to claim 2, wherein there is a connection portion (320) between two adjacent relief holes, and the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is present inside the connection portion (320).

4. The battery cell bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a boss (330) configured to support the cylindrical battery cell is protruded from the inner wall of the relief hole, and the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is located inside the boss (330).

5. The battery cell bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the glass fiber (100) is formed by arranging a plurality of glass fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of glass fiber strips are all the same, or the carbon fiber (200) is formed by arranging a plurality of carbon fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of carbon fiber strips are all the same.

6. 6. The battery cell bracket according to claim 5, wherein two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are spaced apart, and the space is set between 0 mm and 2 cm.

7. The battery cell bracket according to claim 6 , wherein two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are provided at equal intervals.

8. A method for manufacturing a battery cell bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: A step of laying glass fiber (100) or carbon fiber (200) flat on a work surface and installing it; forming a first relief hole (110) on the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200); Injecting a resin into the glass fibers (100) or the carbon fibers (200); and forming a battery cell bracket after drying the resin.

9. The step of forming a first relief hole (110) on the glass fiber (100) or carbon fiber (200) comprises: a step of forming a first relief hole (110) by pushing open a part of the glass fiber (100) or a part of the carbon fiber (200) using a concave-convex mold; Alternatively, the method for manufacturing a battery cell bracket according to claim 8 includes a step of cutting a part of the glass fibers (100) or a part of the carbon fibers (200) with a blade die to form a first relief hole (110).

10. The step of injecting resin into the glass fibers (100) or the carbon fibers (200) comprises:

9. The method for manufacturing a battery battery cell bracket according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of injecting a resin into the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200), heating the resin to a molten state, and processing a boss (330) on the inner wall of the relief hole by a boss mold.

11. The step of injecting resin into the glass fibers (100) or the carbon fibers (200) comprises: The method for manufacturing a battery battery cell bracket according to claim 10, further comprising a step in which the ratio of the volume of the resin injected to the volume of the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is 5:1 to 20:

1.

12. The method for manufacturing a battery battery cell bracket according to claim 10, wherein the heating temperature range of the resin is set to 225°C to 250°C.

13. A battery pack comprising: a cylindrical battery cell; and the battery cell bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cylindrical battery cell is mounted on the battery cell bracket.

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