Battery assembly, battery, power consumption device, and control method for battery assembly

Abstract

A battery assembly (30), a control method, a battery (100), and a power consumption device, wherein the battery assembly (30) includes M battery cells (20), the M battery cells (20) are stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the volume of each battery cell (20) is positively correlated with the energy of the remaining battery cells such that when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells (20) changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells (20) is maintained within a first preset range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross-reference to Related Applications] This application is proposed based on a Chinese patent application with an application number of 202310485971.9 and a filing date of April 28, 2023, claims the priority of the above Chinese patent application, and all the contents of the above Chinese patent application are incorporated into this application by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of battery technology, specifically to battery assemblies, batteries, power-consuming devices, and control methods for battery assemblies.

Background Art

[0003] In related technologies, a battery includes a plurality of battery cells. When charging and discharging, the volume of the battery cells changes according to the change in the remaining power. When arranging the battery cells in the battery, if sufficient expansion space is not reserved for the battery cells, the plurality of battery cells will expand and press against each other, and the battery cells will expand and press against the end plate, making it easy to cause danger, thereby reducing the use safety of the battery. Reserving a large amount of expansion space for the battery cells will reduce the energy density of the battery and affect the electrical capacity of the battery.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application aims to solve at least one of the above technical problems in the prior art to some extent. Therefore, this application proposes a battery assembly, which can improve the use safety of the battery and is beneficial to improving the energy density of the battery and increasing the electrical capacity of the battery.

[0005] According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery assembly comprising M battery cells, the M battery cells stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the volume of each battery cell exhibits a positive correlation with the remaining energy, such that when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells is kept within a first predetermined range.

[0006] In the above proposed technology, by stacking M battery cells in sequence, if the energy content of at least one of the M battery cells changes, the energy content of at least one of the remaining battery cells may or may not change accordingly. This ensures that the total volume change of the M battery cells remains within a predetermined range, reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of battery use. Furthermore, it reduces the expansion space required for the battery, which is advantageous for improving the battery's energy density and electrical capacity.

[0007] In some embodiments, M battery cells are stacked in N battery units, where N is an integer greater than 1 and M is greater than or equal to N, such that when the energy of at least one of the N battery units changes, the total volume change of the N battery units is maintained within a second predetermined range.

[0008] In the above proposed technology, by stacking M battery cells to form N battery units, if the energy content of at least one of the N battery units changes, the energy content of at least one of the remaining battery units may or may not change accordingly. This ensures that the total volume change of the N battery units remains within a second predetermined range, reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of battery use.

[0009] In some embodiments, each battery unit has multiple battery cells, and battery cells from other battery units are placed between at least two battery cells of the same battery unit.

[0010] In the above proposed technology, by configuring the battery assembly in a structural form in which battery cells from other battery units are installed between at least two battery cells of the same battery unit, the total volume of N battery units can be adjusted by controlling the charge and discharge states of the two battery cells of the same battery unit and the battery cells of other battery units between the two battery cells, thereby maintaining the total volume change of N battery units within a second preset range. This is advantageous for improving the safety of battery use and for reducing the expansion space that needs to be reserved, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery.

[0011] In some embodiments, each battery unit has multiple battery cells, and the battery cells of N battery units are stacked alternately in sequence along a first direction, so that the battery cells of each battery unit are adjacent to the battery cells of one of the other battery units.

[0012] In the above proposed technology, by stacking the battery cells of N battery units alternately in sequence along a first direction, each battery cell of one battery unit can be adjacent to a battery cell of another battery unit. By controlling the charge and discharge state of a battery cell in one battery unit and a battery cell in another battery unit adjacent to that battery cell, the total volume of the N battery units can be adjusted, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units within a second preset range, reducing the expansion space that needs to be reserved, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery.

[0013] In some embodiments, the N battery units include a first battery unit and a second battery unit, both of which have multiple battery cells, with a battery cell from the second battery unit placed between two adjacent battery cells of the first battery unit.

[0014] In the above proposed technology, when a battery cell in any of the battery units expands due to charging, the total volume of the N battery units can be adjusted by controlling the discharge of the battery cell of the other battery unit adjacent to the expanding battery cell. Furthermore, by placing a battery cell of the second battery unit between two adjacent battery cells of the first battery unit, the battery cells of the first and second battery units can be stacked alternately in sequence. Each battery cell can provide space for the expansion of adjacent battery cells due to discharge, which is advantageous in reducing the expansion space that needs to be reserved, thereby further improving the energy density of the battery and advantageous in increasing the electrical capacity of the battery.

[0015] In some embodiments, N battery units are stacked sequentially along a first direction, and each battery unit is movable along the first direction.

[0016] In the above proposed technology, by setting each battery unit in a form that allows it to move along a first direction, the probability of dangerous situations such as thermal runaway and decomposition occurring due to multiple battery cells pressing against each other can be reduced, which is advantageous in improving the safety of battery use.

[0017] In some embodiments, each battery unit has multiple battery cells, and the multiple battery cells in each battery unit are electrically connected.

[0018] In the above proposed technology, by electrically connecting multiple battery cells in each battery unit, synchronous charging and synchronous discharging can be achieved for multiple battery cells in the same battery unit. This reduces the difficulty of controlling the battery assembly, and also allows for approximation of the usage conditions of multiple battery cells in the same battery unit, thereby approximating the lifespan of multiple battery cells in the same battery unit, which is advantageous in reducing the difficulty of battery repair.

[0019] In some embodiments, the battery assembly further includes a control unit connected to each battery unit to control the charging and discharging of the battery units.

[0020] In the above proposed technology, by connecting a control unit to each battery unit, multiple battery units can be controlled by a single control unit. In other words, by controlling the charging and discharging of multiple battery units with a single control unit, the number of control units in the battery assembly can be reduced, and the degree of integration of the control units in the battery assembly can be increased.

[0021] In some embodiments, the battery assembly further includes a plurality of control units connected in one-to-one correspondence to N battery units to control the charging and discharging of the respective battery units.

[0022] In the above proposed technology, by connecting multiple control units to N battery units in a one-to-one correspondence, multiple control units can control N battery units, the structure of the control units can be made relatively simple, which is advantageous in reducing the difficulty of production and repair of control units, and in the event of a control error, the corresponding control unit can be quickly and accurately identified, which is advantageous in improving repair efficiency.

[0023] In some embodiments, if there is a battery unit that charges N battery units, at least one of the N battery units is discharged, thereby keeping the total volume of the N battery units constant.

[0024] In the above technical solution, when there is a battery unit for charging N battery units, by discharging at least one of the N battery units, the total volume of the N battery units can be kept constant, and the probability of a dangerous situation occurring due to an increase in the total volume of the N battery units can be reduced, which is beneficial to improving the safety of battery use.

[0025] In some embodiments, the charging current of the battery unit for charging is I1, the discharging current of the battery unit for discharging is I2, and they satisfy the relational expression I1 ≤ I2.

[0026] In the above technical solution, by making the charging current of the battery unit for charging not more than the discharging current of the battery unit for discharging, the total volume of the N battery units can be maintained constant or decreased, and the probability that the change amount of the total volume of the N battery units exceeds a second preset range can be reduced, which is beneficial to improving the safety of battery use.

[0027] In some embodiments, the total power of the battery assembly when fully charged is A, the sum of the real-time powers of the N battery units is B, and they satisfy the relational expression B ≤ A.

[0028] In the above technical solution, by making the sum of the real-time powers of the N battery units not more than the total power of the battery assembly when fully charged, the probability that the change amount of the total volume of the N battery units exceeds a second preset range can be reduced, which is beneficial to improving the safety of battery use.

[0029] According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a battery, and this battery includes the above battery assembly.

[0030] According to a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a power-consuming device, and this power-consuming device includes the above battery.

[0031] According to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for controlling a battery assembly, the battery assembly comprising M battery cells, the M battery cells stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, the volume of each battery cell exhibiting a positive correlation with the remaining energy, and the control method includes acquiring energy information for each battery cell, and if it is determined based on the energy information for each battery cell that there is a battery cell among the M battery cells whose energy is changing, maintaining the total volume change of the M battery cells within a first preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

[0032] In the above proposed technology, the amount of energy changes within M battery cells. cell If it is determined that such a situation exists, the total volume change of the M battery cells can be kept within a first preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other M battery cells, thereby reducing the probability of a dangerous situation occurring and improving the safety of the battery's use. Furthermore, the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the battery housing can be reduced, which is advantageous for improving the battery's energy density and electrical capacity.

[0033] In some embodiments, M battery cells are stacked in N battery units, where N is an integer greater than 1 and M is greater than or equal to N, and the control method further includes maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units within a second preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units when the energy of at least one of the N battery units changes.

[0034] In the above proposed technology, if it is determined that there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose energy content changes, the total volume change of the N battery units can be kept within a second preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units, thereby reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of battery use.

[0035] In some embodiments, if there is a battery unit with a large amount of power among the N battery units, the discharge control is performed on at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units, or If there is a battery unit among the N battery units that has a low energy output, then the charging control is implemented for at least one of the other N battery units.

[0036] In the above proposed technology, the total volume change of N battery units can be kept within a second preset range, reducing the probability of a dangerous situation occurring due to the total volume change of N battery units exceeding the second preset range, thereby improving the safety of battery use.

[0037] In some embodiments, when discharging at least one of the N battery units, discharge control is stopped for battery units whose energy is less than or equal to a first preset energy value, and when charging at least one of the N battery units, charging control is stopped for battery units whose energy is greater than or equal to a second preset energy value, and the first preset energy value is smaller than the second preset energy value.

[0038] In the above proposed technology, the discharge of the battery unit can be stopped when the power level of the battery unit is below a first preset power level value, and the charging of the battery unit can be stopped when the power level of the battery unit is above a second preset power level value, thereby providing charging and discharging protection for the battery unit, which is advantageous for extending the service life of the battery unit.

[0039] In some embodiments, the charging current of the battery unit performing the charging is I1, the discharge current of the battery unit performing the discharging is I2, and the relationship I1 ≤ I2 is satisfied.

[0040] In the above proposed technology, by setting the charging current of the battery unit performing the charging to be less than or equal to the discharge current of the battery unit performing the discharging, the total volume of the N battery units can be kept constant or reduced, and the probability that the change in the total volume of the N battery units will exceed a second preset range can be reduced, which is advantageous in improving the safety of battery use.

[0041] In some embodiments, the total energy of a fully charged battery assembly is A, the real-time sum of the energy of N battery units is B, and the relationship B ≤ A is satisfied.

[0042] In the above proposed technology, by keeping the real-time sum of the energy values ​​of the N battery units less than or equal to the total energy value of the battery assembly when fully charged, the probability that the total volume change of the N battery units will exceed a second preset range can be reduced, which is advantageous for improving the safety of battery use.

[0043] Additional aspects and advantages of this application are given in part in the following description, and in part will become apparent from the following description or will be understood through the practice of this application. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0044] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle according to several embodiments of this application. [Figure 2]This is an exploded view of the structure of a battery according to several embodiments of this application. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a battery assembly according to some embodiments of this application (in which M battery cells are stacked). [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of a battery assembly according to several embodiments of this application (with multiple control units). [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a battery assembly according to some embodiments of this application (with one control unit). [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of a battery assembly according to some embodiments of this application (control unit not shown). [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of a battery assembly according to several embodiments of this application (with three battery units). [Figure 8] This is a flowchart of a control method according to some embodiments of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0045] To clarify the purpose, technical proposal, and advantages of the embodiments of this application, the following clearly describes the technical proposal in the embodiments of this application, linking it with the drawings of the embodiments. Clearly, the embodiments described are only some, not all, embodiments of this application. All other embodiments derived from the embodiments of this application without the creative effort of a person skilled in the art are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as that commonly understood by those skilled in the art relating to this application. In this application, terms used in the specification are solely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The terms “includes” and “have,” and any variations thereof, in the description of the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are intended to intentionally cover the non-exclusive “includes.” Terms such as “first,” “second,” etc., in the specification, claims, or drawings of this application are not intended to describe a particular order or hierarchical relationship, but to distinguish different subjects.

[0047] The “Examples” as used in this application mean that certain features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with the Examples may be included in at least one Example of this application. The occurrence of this phrase in each location in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same Example, nor does it mean that each Example is mutually exclusive or alternative to the others.

[0048] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specifically defined or limited, the terms “attachment,” “connection,” “connection,” and “installation” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, a fixed connection may be a detachable connection, an integral connection, a direct connection, an indirect connection via an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two elements. A person skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application depending on the specific circumstances.

[0049] In this application, the terms "and / or" merely describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships are possible. For example, A and / or B may represent three cases: A alone, a combination of A and B, and B alone. In this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and succeeding related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0050] In the embodiments of this application, the same reference numerals represent the same components, and for the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of the same components are omitted in different embodiments. It should be understood that the dimensions such as thickness, length, and width of various components in the embodiments of this application shown in the drawings, and the overall dimensions such as thickness, length, and width of the integrated device, are for illustrative purposes only and should not constitute any limitation to this application.

[0051] The term "multiple" as it appears in this application refers to two or more (including two).

[0052] In this application, the battery cell may include lithium-ion secondary batteries, lithium-ion primary batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, sodium-lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, or magnesium-ion batteries, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. The battery cell may have a flattened shape, a rectangular parallelepiped, or other shape, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. The battery cell is generally divided into rectangular battery cells and pouch battery cells by packaging method, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0053] The batteries referred to in the embodiments of this application refer to a single physical module containing one or more battery cells to provide higher voltage and capacity. For example, the batteries referred to in this application may include battery modules or battery packs. The batteries generally include a housing for packaging one or more battery cells or multiple battery modules. The housing can prevent liquids or other foreign matter from affecting the charging or discharging of the battery cells.

[0054] A battery cell comprises a housing, an electrode assembly, and an electrolyte. The housing is used to house the electrode assembly and the electrolyte. The electrode assembly consists of a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator. The battery cell operates primarily through the movement of metal ions between the positive and negative electrode plates. The positive electrode plate includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer is coated on the surface of the positive electrode current collector. A positive electrode current collector without the positive electrode active material layer protrudes from a positive electrode current collector with the positive electrode active material layer, and a positive electrode current collector without the positive electrode active material layer is called a positive electrode tab. Taking a lithium-ion battery as an example, the material of the positive electrode current collector may be aluminum, and the positive electrode active material may be lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium, or lithium manganese oxide. The negative electrode plate includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer. The negative electrode active material layer is coated on the surface of the negative electrode current collector. A negative electrode current collector without the negative electrode active material layer protrudes from a negative electrode current collector with the negative electrode active material layer, and a negative electrode current collector without the negative electrode active material layer is designated as a negative electrode tab. The material of the negative electrode current collector may be copper, and the negative electrode active material may be carbon or silicon, etc. To ensure that it does not melt even when a large current is passed through it, there are multiple positive electrode tabs and the negative electrode tabs are stacked.

[0055] The separator material may be PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene), etc. The electrode assembly may have a wound structure or a laminated structure, and the embodiments of this application are not limited to these.

[0056] In recent years, new energy vehicles have developed dramatically, and in the field of electric vehicles, power batteries play an irreplaceable and crucial role as the power source for electric vehicles. A battery consists of a housing and multiple battery cells housed within it. Here, as a core component of new energy vehicles, batteries are subject to relatively high demands in terms of both safety and cycle life.

[0057] A battery contains multiple battery cells, and during charging and discharging, the volume of the battery cells changes with the change in remaining energy. When arranging battery cells within a battery, if sufficient expansion space is not reserved for each cell, multiple battery cells will expand and press against each other, and the expansion of the battery cells will press against the end plates, making it easier to create a hazard and reducing the safety of the battery's use. If a large amount of expansion space is reserved for each battery cell, the energy density of the battery will decrease, affecting the battery's electrical capacity.

[0058] From the above, in order to solve the technical problems that the safety of use of a battery is low if a large amount of expansion space is not reserved in the battery cell, and that the electrical capacity of the battery is affected if a large amount of expansion space is reserved in the battery cell, this application proposes a battery assembly comprising M battery cells, the M battery cells stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the volume of each battery cell exhibits a positive correlation with the remaining energy, such that when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells is kept within a first predetermined range.

[0059] In a battery assembly with such a structure, by stacking M battery cells in sequence, if the energy content of at least one of the M battery cells changes, the energy content of at least one of the remaining battery cells may or may not change accordingly. This ensures that the total volume change of the M battery cells remains within a predetermined range, reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of the battery. It also reduces the expansion space required for the battery, which is advantageous for improving the battery's energy density and electrical capacity.

[0060] The batteries disclosed in the embodiments of this application may, but are not limited to, use in power-consuming devices such as vehicles, ships, or aircraft. The batteries disclosed in this application can be used to constitute a power supply system for such power-consuming devices.

[0061] Embodiments of this application provide a power consumption device that uses a battery as a power source, which may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, tablet, laptop computer, electric toy, power tool, battery car, electric vehicle, steamship, or aerospace aircraft. Here, electric toys may include stationary or mobile electric toys, such as game consoles, electric vehicle toys, electric steamship toys and electric airplane toys, and aerospace aircraft may include airplanes, rockets, space shuttles and spacecraft.

[0062] In the following embodiments, for the sake of explanation, the power consumption device of one embodiment of this application will be described as a vehicle 1000.

[0063] Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle 1000 according to some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle 1000 may be a fuel oil vehicle, a gas vehicle, or a new energy vehicle, and the new energy vehicle may be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a range extender vehicle. A battery 100 is installed inside the vehicle 1000, and the battery 100 may be installed at the bottom, head, or tail of the vehicle 1000. The battery 100 may be used to power the vehicle 1000, for example, the battery 100 can be the operating power source for the vehicle 1000. The vehicle 1000 may further include a controller 200 and a motor 300, the controller 200 is used to control the battery 100 to power the motor 300, for example, to meet the operating power consumption requirements for starting the vehicle 1000, navigation, and driving.

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, the battery 100 can provide driving power to the vehicle 1000 not only as an operating power source for the vehicle 1000, but also as a driving power source for the vehicle 1000, in place of or in place of fuel oil or natural gas.

[0065] Referring to Figure 2, which is an exploded view of the structure of a battery 100 according to some embodiments of the present application, the battery 100 comprises a housing 10 and a plurality of battery cells 20, the battery cells 20 being used to house within the housing 10. Here, the housing 10 is used to provide assembly space for the battery cells 20, and the housing 10 can employ various structures. In some embodiments, the housing 10 may include a first box body 11 and a second box body 12, the first box body 11 and the second box body 12 overlapping each other, and the first box body 11 and the second box body 12 together define assembly space for housing the battery cells 20. The second box body 12 may be a hollow structure with one end open, and the first box body 11 may be a plate-like structure. The first box body 11 is placed over the open side of the second box body 12, thereby limiting the assembly space for both the first box body 11 and the second box body 12. Both the first box body 11 and the second box body 12 may be hollow structures with one side open, and the open side of the first box body 11 is placed over the open side of the second box body 12. Of course, the housing 10 formed by the first box body 11 and the second box body 12 may be of various shapes, such as a square or rectangular prism.

[0066] In the battery 100, the multiple battery cells 20 may be connected in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel configuration. Series-parallel connection refers to the presence of both series and parallel connections among the multiple battery cells 20. The multiple battery cells 20 may be directly connected in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel configuration, and the entire assembly of the multiple battery cells 20 may be housed in the housing 10. Of course, the battery 100 may first consist of multiple battery cells 20 connected in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel configuration to form a battery module, and the multiple battery modules may be connected in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel configuration to form a single unit, which may then be housed in the housing 10. The battery 100 may further include other structures; for example, the battery 100 may further include busbar members for realizing electrical connections between the multiple battery cells 20.

[0067] Here, each battery cell 20 may be a secondary battery or a primary battery, and may be a lithium-sulfur battery, a sodium-ion battery, or a magnesium-ion battery, but is not limited to these. The battery cell 20 may have a flattened shape, a rectangular parallelepiped, or other shapes.

[0068] Hereinafter, a battery assembly 30 according to an embodiment of this application will be described with reference to Figure 3.

[0069] As shown in Figure 3, the battery assembly 30 according to an embodiment of the present application comprises M battery cells 20, which are stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, and the volume of each battery cell 20 is positively correlated with the energy of the remaining battery cells such that when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells 20 changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 is kept within a first preset range.

[0070] Here, the number of battery cells 20 is M, where M is a positive number and M is greater than 1. M may be 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, but is not limited to these. The M battery cells 20 are stacked in order along the X direction (i.e., the first direction) shown in Figure 4.

[0071] The volume of each battery cell 20 exhibits a positive correlation with the energy of the remaining battery cells 20 such that when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells 20 changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 is maintained within a first preset range. Specifically, during charging, the volume of a battery cell 20 increases, and during discharge, the volume of a battery cell 20 decreases. When the energy of at least one of the M battery cells 20 changes, the energy of at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 changes accordingly, thereby keeping the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 within a first preset range. Alternatively, when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells 20 changes, the energy of the remaining battery cells 20 may remain unchanged as long as the total volume change does not exceed a first preset range.

[0072] Specifically, when at least one battery cell 20 is charged, at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 is discharged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 within a first preset range. Alternatively, when at least one battery cell 20 is charged, if the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 does not exceed a first preset range even when this at least one battery cell 20 is charged, at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 does not need to be charged or discharged. Alternatively, when at least one battery cell 20 is charged, if the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 does not exceed a first preset range even when at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 is charged, at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 can be charged.

[0073] When one of the battery cells 20 is discharged, at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 is charged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 within a first preset range; or, when one of the battery cells 20 is discharged, at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 does not need to be charged or discharged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 within a first preset range; or, when one of the battery cells 20 is discharged, at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 is discharged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 within a first preset range.

[0074] It should be explained that when a battery cell 20 is charged, it expands, meaning its volume increases. If the increase in volume of the battery cell 20 is not sufficient to cause the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 to exceed a first preset range, the charge and discharge state of the remaining battery cells 20 may be considered for a while. If the increase in volume of the battery cell 20 is sufficient to cause the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 to exceed a first preset range, then at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 must be discharged. By reducing the volume of the discharged battery cell 20, the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 can be kept within the first preset range.

[0075] It should be explained that the battery cell 20 in this application is a battery cell 20 in which volume and remaining energy are positively correlated. For example, the battery cell 20 in this application may be a lithium-ion battery, a sodium-ion battery, a lithium manganese oxide battery, etc., but is not limited to these. Furthermore, the form of the battery cell 20 in this application may be a rectangular battery cell, a pouch battery cell, etc., but is not limited to these.

[0076] In the above proposed technology, by stacking M battery cells 20 in sequence, if the energy content of at least one of the M battery cells 20 changes, the energy content of at least one of the remaining battery cells 20 may or may not change accordingly. This ensures that the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 remains within a first predetermined range, reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of use of the battery 100. Furthermore, it reduces the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the housing 10 of the battery 100, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery 100.

[0077] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 4 to 7, M battery cells 20 are stacked in N battery units 31, where N is an integer greater than 1 and M is greater than or equal to N, and when the energy of at least one of the N battery units 31 changes, the total volume change of the N battery units 31 is maintained within a second preset range.

[0078] Here, M battery cells 20 can be stacked sequentially along the X direction (i.e., the first direction) shown in Figure 4, and M battery cells 20 can form N battery units 31, where N is a positive number and N is greater than 1, and N may be 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, but is not limited to these, and M is greater than N, or M is equal to N. For example, six battery cells 20 may be stacked sequentially along the X direction shown in Figure 4 to form two battery units 31, or two battery cells 20 may be stacked along the X direction shown in Figure 4 to form two battery units 31.

[0079] If the energy content of at least one of the N battery units 31 changes, the energy content of at least one of the remaining battery units 31 will change accordingly so that the total volume change of the N battery units 31 remains within a second preset range. Alternatively, if the energy content of at least one of the N battery units 31 changes, the energy content of the remaining battery units 31 does not need to change if the total volume change does not exceed a second preset range even if the energy content of at least one battery unit 31 changes.

[0080] Specifically, when at least one battery unit 31 is charged, at least one of the remaining battery units 31 is discharged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. Alternatively, when at least one battery unit 31 is charged, if the charging of this at least one battery unit 31 does not cause the total volume change of the N battery units 31 to exceed a second preset range, at least one of the remaining battery units 31 does not need to be charged or discharged. Or, when at least one battery unit 31 is charged, if the charging of at least one of the remaining battery units 31 does not cause the total volume change of the N battery units 31 to exceed a second preset range, at least one of the remaining battery units 31 can be charged.

[0081] When one of the battery units 31 is discharged, at least one of the remaining battery units 31 is charged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range; or when one of the battery units 31 is discharged, at least one of the remaining battery units 31 does not need to be charged or discharged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range; or when one of the battery units 31 is discharged, at least one of the remaining battery units 31 is discharged, thereby keeping the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range.

[0082] It should be explained that when a battery unit 31 is charged, the battery cells 20 of this battery unit 31 expand, that is, the volume of the battery cells 20 of this battery unit 31 increases, and if the increase in the volume of the battery cells 20 is not sufficient to cause the total volume change of the N battery units 31 to exceed a second preset range, the charge and discharge state of the remaining battery units 31 may be considered for a while, and if the increase in the volume of the battery cells 20 is sufficient to cause the total volume change of the N battery units 31 to exceed a second preset range, then at least one of the remaining battery units 31 must be discharged, and the volume of the battery cells 20 of the discharged battery unit 31 decreases, thereby keeping the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. In some selective embodiments of this application, the battery assembly 30 includes two battery cells 20, and the two battery cells 20 are stacked along the X direction as shown in Figure 4 to form two battery units 31, that is, the two battery units 31 each include one battery cell 20.

[0083] In some selective embodiments of this application, the battery assembly 30 includes six battery cells 20, which are stacked in order along the X direction shown in Figure 4 to form two battery units 31, which are designated as the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312, respectively, with the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 being Q and the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 being W.

[0084] As one selective embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 6, the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312 may each contain three battery cells 20, and the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312 may be arranged along the X direction shown in Figure 6, that is, the entire first battery unit 311 is located on one side of the second battery unit 312, in which case the arrangement of the six battery cells 20 may be, but is not limited to, "Q, Q, Q, W, W, W" or "W, W, W, Q, Q, Q".

[0085] In one selective embodiment of this application, the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312 may each contain three battery cells 20, and at least two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31 may be spaced between battery cells 20 of another battery unit 31. For example, at least two battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 may be spaced between battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312. In this case, the arrangement of the six battery cells 20 may be, but is not limited to, "Q, W, W, Q, W, Q" or "Q, W, Q, W, W, Q". Alternatively, at least two battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 may be spaced between battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311. In this case, the arrangement of the six battery cells 20 may be, but is not limited to, "W, Q, Q, W, Q, W" or "W, Q, W, Q, Q, W". Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4, a battery cell 20 of the second battery unit 312 is placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311, and a battery cell 20 of the first battery unit 311 is placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312. In this case, the arrangement of the six battery cells 20 may be "W, Q, W, Q, W, Q" or "Q, W, Q, W, Q, W", but is not limited to these.

[0086] In one selective embodiment of this application, the number of battery cells 20 in the first battery unit 311 and the number of battery cells 20 in the second battery unit 312 may be different. For example, the first battery unit 311 may contain four battery cells 20, and the second battery unit 312 may contain two battery cells 20. In this case, the arrangement of the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312 may be the same as the arrangement described above. For example, the arrangement of six battery cells 20 may be "Q, Q, Q, Q, W, W" or "W, W, Q, Q, Q, Q", but is not limited to these.

[0087] In some selective embodiments of this application, the battery assembly 30 includes nine battery cells 20, which are stacked sequentially along the X direction shown in Figure 7 to form three battery units 31. The three battery units 31 are designated as the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313, respectively, with the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 being Q, the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 being W, and the battery cells 20 of the third battery unit 313 being E.

[0088] As one optional embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 7, the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313 may each contain three battery cells 20, and the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313 may be arranged along the X direction shown in Figure 7, that is, the entire first battery unit 311 is located on one side of the second battery unit 312, and the entire third battery unit 313 is located on the other side of the second battery unit 312, in which case the arrangement of the nine battery cells 20 may be "Q, Q, Q, W, W, W, E, E, E" or "E, E, E, Q, Q, Q, W, W, W".

[0089] In one selective embodiment of this application, the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313 may each contain three battery cells 20, and battery cells 20 from another battery unit 31 may be placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31. For example, battery cells 20 from the second battery unit 312 and / or battery cells 20 from the third battery unit 313 may be placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311. In this case, the arrangement of the nine battery cells 20 may be, but is not limited to, "Q, W, W, E, Q, E, W, Q" or "Q, E, W, W, Q, W, E, Q". Alternatively, battery cells 20 from the first battery unit 311 and / or the third battery unit 313 may be placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312. In this case, the arrangement of the nine battery cells 20 may be "W, Q, E, W, Q, Q, E, E, W" or "W, E, Q, W, E, E, Q, Q, W", but is not limited to these. Alternatively, the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 and / or the second battery unit 312 are placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the third battery unit 313. In this case, the arrangement of the nine battery cells 20 may be "E, Q, Q, W, W, E, Q, W" or "E, W, W, Q, Q, E, W, Q", but is not limited to these.

[0090] Alternatively, at least two battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 are placed between the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 and / or the third battery unit 313, and at least two battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are placed between the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 and / or the third battery unit 313, and at least two battery cells 20 of the third battery unit 313 are placed between the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 and / or the second battery unit 312. In this case, the arrangement of the nine battery cells 20 may be "W, Q, E, Q, W, E, Q, W, E" or "E, W, Q, E, W, Q, E, W, Q", but is not limited to these.

[0091] In one selective embodiment of this application, the number of battery cells 20 in the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313 may be different. For example, the first battery unit 311 may contain four battery cells 20, the second battery unit 312 may contain three battery cells 20, and the third battery unit 313 may contain two battery cells 20. In this case, the arrangement of the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313 may be the same as the arrangement described above, and will not be explained further here.

[0092] It should be noted that the arrangements of the M battery cells 20 listed above are merely illustrative and not exhaustive.

[0093] In some selective embodiments of this application, the first preset range and the second preset range may be the same. In some selective embodiments of this application, the first preset range and the second preset range may be different. Here, the first preset range can be understood as a numerical range having a maximum value, and the fact that the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 is kept within the first preset range can be understood as the total volume change of the M battery cells 20 not exceeding the maximum value of this numerical range.

[0094] This can be understood as a numerical range having a maximum value relative to a second preset range, and the fact that the total volume change of the N battery units 31 is maintained within the second preset range can be understood as the total volume change of the N battery units 31 not exceeding the maximum value of this numerical range.

[0095] In the above proposed technology, by stacking M battery cells 20 to form N battery units 31, if the energy content of at least one of the N battery units 31 changes, the energy content of at least one of the remaining battery units 31 may or may not change accordingly. This ensures that the total volume change of the N battery units 31 remains within a second preset range, reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of the battery 100.

[0096] It should be explained that the different battery cells 20 shown in Figures 4 to 7 are only for distinguishing the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311, the second battery unit 312, and the third battery unit 313, and do not mean that the battery cells 20 of the different battery units 31 have different structures.

[0097] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, each battery unit 31 has a plurality of battery cells 20, and battery cells 20 from other battery units 31 are placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31.

[0098] There are at least two battery units 31, and each battery unit 31 has at least two battery cells 20, where, along the first direction (i.e., the X direction shown in Figure 4), battery cells 20 from other battery units 31 may be installed between at least two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31, or, along the first direction (i.e., the X direction shown in Figure 4), battery cells 20 from other battery units 31 may be installed between every two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31.

[0099] If a battery cell 20 of another battery unit 31 located between two battery cells 20 of a certain battery unit 31 expands due to charging, the two battery cells 20 of that battery unit 31 will be discharged and reduced in size, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. If a battery cell 20 of a certain battery unit 31 expands due to charging, the battery cell 20 of another battery unit 31 located next to that battery cell 20 will be discharged and reduced in size, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range.

[0100] In the above proposed technology, the battery assembly 30 is configured such that a battery cell 20 of another battery unit 31 is placed between at least two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31. By controlling the charge and discharge states of the two battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31 and the battery cell 20 of the other battery unit 31 between the two battery cells 20, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be adjusted, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. This is advantageous for improving the safety of use of the battery 100 and for reducing the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the housing 10 of the battery 100, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery 100.

[0101] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, each battery unit 31 has a plurality of battery cells 20, and the battery cells 20 of N battery units 31 are stacked alternately in order along a first direction, so that the battery cells 20 of each battery unit 31 are adjacent to the battery cells 20 of one of the other battery units 31.

[0102] The number of battery units 31 is at least two (i.e., N units), and each battery unit 31 has at least two battery cells 20, where, along the first direction (i.e., the X direction shown in Figure 4), the battery cells 20 of the N battery units 31 are stacked alternately in sequence, and each battery cell 20 of each battery unit 31 is adjacent to a battery cell 20 of one of the other battery units 31. In other words, each is adjacent to one of the battery cells 20 of a given battery unit 31, and each is a battery cell 20 of one of the other battery units 31.

[0103] If any one battery cell 20 of a certain battery unit 31 expands due to charging, a battery cell 20 of one of the other battery units 31 adjacent to that battery cell 20 will be discharged and reduced in size, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. If any one battery cell 20 of a certain battery unit 31 is adjacent to a battery cell 20 of another battery unit 31 and expands due to charging, a battery cell 20 of that certain battery unit 31 will be discharged and reduced in size, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range.

[0104] In the above proposed technology, the battery cells 20 of N battery units 31 are stacked alternately in sequence along a first direction, so that each battery cell 20 of one of the other battery units 31 can be adjacent to a battery cell 20 of another battery unit 31. By controlling the charge and discharge state of a battery cell 20 of one of the other battery units 31 adjacent to that battery cell 20, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be adjusted, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range, and reducing the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the housing 10 of the battery 100, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery 100.

[0105] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the N battery units 31 include a first battery unit 311 and a second battery unit 312, both of which have a plurality of battery cells 20, and the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are placed between two adjacent battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311.

[0106] Here, the first battery unit 311 may have multiple battery cells 20, and the second battery unit 312 may have multiple battery cells 20. The number of battery cells 20 in the first battery unit 311 and the number of battery cells 20 in the second battery unit 312 may be the same, or the number of battery cells 20 in the first battery unit 311 and the number of battery cells 20 in the second battery unit 312 may be different. For example, the first battery unit 311 may have 5 battery cells 20, and the second battery unit 312 may have 5 battery cells 20, or the first battery unit 311 may have 5 battery cells 20, and the second battery unit 312 may have 4 battery cells 20.

[0107] Then, between every two adjacent battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311, a battery cell 20 of the second battery unit 312 is installed, that is, along the first direction (i.e., the X direction shown in Figure 4), the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 and the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are stacked alternately in sequence. When the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 expand due to charging, the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are discharged and reduced, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. When the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 expand due to charging, the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 are discharged and reduced, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range.

[0108] In the above proposed technology, when a battery cell 20 of any of the battery units 31 expands due to charging, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be adjusted by controlling the discharge of the battery cells 20 of other battery units 31 adjacent to the expanding battery cell 20. Furthermore, by placing the battery cell 20 of the second battery unit 312 between two adjacent battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311, the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 and the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 can be stacked alternately in sequence. Each battery cell 20 can provide space for the expansion of adjacent battery cells 20 due to discharge, which is advantageous in further reducing the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the housing 10 of the battery 100, thereby further improving the energy density of the battery 100 and advantageous in increasing the electrical capacity of the battery 100.

[0109] According to some embodiments of this application, N battery units 31 are stacked sequentially along a first direction, and each battery unit 31 is movable along the first direction.

[0110] Here, N battery units 31 can be stacked sequentially along the X direction (i.e., the first direction) shown in Figure 4. In one selective embodiment of this application, one of the N battery units 31 may be located on one side of one of the other battery units 31. In one selective embodiment of this application, the battery cells 20 of one of the N battery units 31 and the battery cells 20 of one of the other battery units 31 may be stacked alternately in sequence, for example, battery cells 20 of one of the N battery units 31 may be placed between at least two battery cells 20 of one of the N battery units 31. Each battery unit 31 is movable along the X direction (i.e., the first direction) shown in Figure 4.

[0111] It should be explained that when a battery cell 20 in one of the N battery units 31 expands during charging, the expanded battery cell 20 may come into contact with another battery cell 20 in the same battery unit 31, or the expanded battery cell 20 may come into contact with a battery cell 20 in another battery unit 31. If contact occurs, and the expanded battery cell 20 continues to expand during charging, a pressing force will be generated between the contacting battery cell 20 and the other battery cell 20. This pressing force can cause the contacting battery cells 20 to move away from each other, that is, it can move the two contacting battery cells 20 in a direction away from each other.

[0112] In the above proposed technology, by setting each battery unit 31 in a form that can move along the first direction, the probability of dangerous situations such as thermal runaway and decomposition occurring due to multiple battery cells 20 pressing against each other can be reduced, which is advantageous in improving the safety of use of the battery 100.

[0113] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, each battery unit 31 has a plurality of battery cells 20, and the plurality of battery cells 20 of each battery unit 31 are electrically connected.

[0114] Here, the number of battery units 31 may be multiple, and each battery unit 31 may have multiple battery cells 20, and each of the multiple battery cells 20 in each battery unit 31 can be electrically connected, that is, multiple battery cells 20 in the same battery unit 31 can achieve synchronous charging and synchronous discharging. In some selective embodiments of this application, multiple battery cells 20 in the same battery unit 31 can be connected in series.

[0115] In the above proposed technology, by electrically connecting multiple battery cells 20 of each battery unit 31, synchronous charging and synchronous discharging can be achieved for multiple battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31. This reduces the difficulty of controlling the battery assembly 30, and also allows for approximation of the usage conditions of multiple battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31, thereby approximating the lifespan of multiple battery cells 20 of the same battery unit 31. This is advantageous in reducing the difficulty of repairing the battery 100.

[0116] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figure 5, a control unit 40 is further included, which is connected to each battery unit 31 and controls the charging and discharging of the battery units 31.

[0117] Here, the number of battery units 31 may be multiple, and each battery unit 31 may have multiple battery cells 20, and the control unit 40 can be connected to the multiple battery units 31. In some selective embodiments of this application, the control unit 40 and the multiple battery units 31 can be electrically connected, and in some selective embodiments of this application, the control unit 40 and the multiple battery units 31 can be communicated together. The control unit 40 can control the charging and discharging of any one of the multiple battery units 31 connected to it. For example, the number of battery units 31 may be two, and the two battery units 31 may be a first battery unit 311 and a second battery unit 312, and the control unit 40 can be connected to both the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312, and the control unit 40 can control the charging or discharging of the first battery unit 311, and the control unit 40 can also control the charging or discharging of the second battery unit 312.

[0118] In the above proposed technology, by connecting a control unit 40 to each battery unit 31, multiple battery units 31 can be controlled by a single control unit 40. In other words, by controlling the charging and discharging of multiple battery units 31 with a single control unit 40, the number of control units 40 in the battery assembly 30 can be reduced, and the degree of integration of the control units 40 in the battery assembly 30 can be increased.

[0119] According to some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figure 4, the invention further includes a plurality of control units 40 connected in a one-to-one correspondence to N battery units 31, which control the charging and discharging of the respective battery units 31.

[0120] Here, the number of control units 40 may be multiple, and in some selective embodiments of this application, the number of control units 40 may be the same as the number of battery units 31, and the multiple control units 40 may be connected to the multiple battery units 31 in a one-to-one correspondence, and each control unit 40 can control the charging and discharging of the battery unit 31 to which it is connected. For example, the number of battery units 31 may be two, and the two battery units 31 may be a first battery unit 311 and a second battery unit 312, and the number of control units 40 may be two, one of which control unit 40 can be connected to the first battery unit 311 to control the charging and discharging of the first battery unit 311, and the other control unit 40 can be connected to the second battery unit 312 to control the charging and discharging of the second battery unit 312.

[0121] In some selective embodiments of this application, the control unit 40 and the battery unit 31 can be electrically connected, and in some selective embodiments of this application, the control unit 40 and the battery unit 31 can be communicated together.

[0122] In the above proposed technology, by connecting multiple control units 40 to N battery units 31 in a one-to-one correspondence, the N battery units 31 can be controlled by multiple control units 40. This allows for a relatively simple structure for the control units 40, which is advantageous in reducing the difficulty of production and repair of the control units 40. Furthermore, in the event of a control error, the corresponding control unit 40 can be quickly and accurately identified, which is advantageous in improving repair efficiency.

[0123] According to some embodiments of this application, if there is a battery unit 31 that charges N battery units 31, at least one of the N battery units 31 is discharged, thereby maintaining a constant total volume of the N battery units 31.

[0124] Here, when the battery unit 31 is charged, its volume expands, and when the battery unit 31 is discharged, its volume decreases. If there are N battery units 31 that charge N battery units 31, by discharging at least one of the N battery units 31, the expansion rate of the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be matched with the decrease rate, thereby keeping the total volume of the N battery units 31 constant.

[0125] In some selective embodiments of this application, if there is a battery unit 31 that charges N battery units 31, one of the N battery units 31 may be discharged, or multiple battery units 31 may be discharged, and the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be kept constant by calculating and controlling the charge rate and discharge rate.

[0126] In the above proposed technology, if there is a battery unit 31 that charges N battery units 31, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be kept constant by discharging at least one of the N battery units 31. This reduces the probability of dangerous situations arising due to an increase in the total volume of the N battery units 31, which is advantageous in improving the safety of using the battery 100.

[0127] According to some embodiments of this application, the charging current of the battery unit 31 that performs charging is I1, the discharging current of the battery unit 31 that performs discharging is I2, and the relationship I1 ≤ I2 is satisfied.

[0128] Here, if there are N battery units 31 that charge and N battery units 31 that discharge, the charging current I1 of the charging battery unit 31 may be equal to the discharge current I2 of the discharging battery unit 31, or the charging current I1 of the charging battery unit 31 may be less than the discharge current I2 of the discharging battery unit 31.

[0129] It should be explained that I1 is the charging current of all battery units 31 that are being charged at the same time. For example, if one battery unit 31 is being charged at this time, the charging current of this battery unit 31 is I1, and if multiple battery units 31 are being charged at this time, the total charging current of the multiple battery units 31 is I1. And I2 is the discharge current of all battery units 31 that are being discharged at the same time. For example, if one battery unit 31 is being discharged at this time, the discharge current of this battery unit 31 is I2, and if multiple battery units 31 are being discharged at this time, the total discharge current of the multiple battery units 31 is I2.

[0130] The volume of each battery cell 20 exhibits a positive correlation with the remaining energy. If I1 ≤ I2, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be kept constant or decreased. Specifically, if I1 is equal to I2, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be kept constant, and if I1 is less than I2, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be decreased.

[0131] In the above proposed technology, by setting the charging current of the battery unit 31 that performs charging to be less than or equal to the discharge current of the battery unit 31 that performs discharging, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can be kept constant or reduced, the probability that the change in the total volume of the N battery units 31 will exceed a second preset range can be reduced, and this is advantageous in improving the safety of use of the battery 100.

[0132] According to some embodiments of this application, the total energy of the battery assembly 30 when fully charged is A, the real-time sum of the energy of the N battery units 31 is B, and the relationship B ≤ A is satisfied.

[0133] Here, the real-time sum of the energy of the N battery units 31 may be equal to the total energy of the battery assembly 30 when fully charged, or the real-time sum of the energy of the N battery units 31 may be less than the total energy of the battery assembly 30 when fully charged. It should be explained that the volume of each battery cell 20 has a positive correlation with the remaining energy, and by satisfying the relationship B ≤ A between A and B, the total volume of the N battery units 31 can always be less than or equal to the total volume of the battery assembly 30 when fully charged.

[0134] In the above proposed technology, by keeping the real-time sum of the energy values ​​of the N battery units 31 below the total energy value of the battery assembly 30 when fully charged, the probability that the total volume change of the N battery units 31 will exceed a second preset range can be reduced, which is advantageous for improving the safety of use of the battery 100.

[0135] According to some embodiments of this application, the present application further provides a battery 100 including the battery assembly 30 described above.

[0136] According to some embodiments of this application, the present application further provides a power consumption device which includes the above-mentioned battery 100 for supplying electrical energy to the power consumption device.

[0137] The power consumption device may be any one of the aforementioned devices or systems that utilize the battery 100.

[0138] According to some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 4, the present application provides a battery assembly 30 comprising M battery cells 20 stacked sequentially along a first direction to form N battery units 31, where M and N are both integers greater than 1, and M is greater than or equal to N, and the volume of each battery cell 20 exhibits a positive correlation with the remaining energy to facilitate the fact that when the energy of at least one of the N battery units 31 changes, the total volume change of the N battery units 31 is kept within a second preset range.

[0139] The N battery units 31 include a first battery unit 311 and a second battery unit 312, where the first battery unit 311 may have multiple battery cells 20, and the second battery unit 312 may have multiple battery cells 20, and the number of battery cells 20 in the first battery unit 311 is the same as the number of battery cells 20 in the second battery unit 312.

[0140] Multiple battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 are electrically connected, and multiple battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are electrically connected. Both the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312 are movable along the first direction. A battery cell 20 of the second battery unit 312 is placed between every two adjacent battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311, that is, the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 and the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are stacked alternately in sequence along the first direction (i.e., the X direction shown in Figure 4). When the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 expand due to charging, the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 are discharged and contracted, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range. When the battery cells 20 of the second battery unit 312 expand due to charging, the battery cells 20 of the first battery unit 311 contract due to discharge, thereby maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units 31 within a second preset range.

[0141] The battery assembly 30 further includes two control units 40, one of which is connected to the first battery unit 311 and can control the charging and discharging of the first battery unit 311, and the other control unit 40 is connected to the second battery unit 312 and can control the charging and discharging of the second battery unit 312. The real-time sum of the energy values ​​of the first battery unit 311 and the second battery unit 312 is less than or equal to the total energy value of the battery assembly 30 when fully charged.

[0142] By stacking M battery cells 20 to form N battery units 31, if the energy capacity of at least one of the N battery units 31 changes, the energy capacity of at least one of the remaining battery units 31 may or may not change accordingly. This ensures that the total volume change of the N battery units 31 remains within a second preset range, reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of the battery 100. Furthermore, it reduces the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the battery housing 10, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery 100.

[0143] The control method for a battery assembly according to an embodiment of this application will be described below with reference to Figure 8.

[0144] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a control method according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the battery assembly includes M battery cells, the M battery cells are stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, the volume of each battery cell is positively correlated with the remaining energy, and the control method includes acquiring energy information for each battery cell, and if it is determined based on the energy information for each battery cell that there is a battery cell among the M battery cells whose energy is changing, maintaining the total volume change of the M battery cells within a first preset range by charging or discharging at least one of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

[0145] Here, the number of battery cells is M, where M is a positive number and is greater than 1. M may be 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, but is not limited to these. The M battery cells are stacked sequentially along the X direction (i.e., the first direction) as shown in Figure 4. The volume of each battery cell has a positive correlation with the remaining energy. Specifically, the volume of a battery cell increases during charging and decreases during discharging.

[0146] This control method includes the following steps:

[0147] S1, acquires power information for each battery cell.

[0148] S2. If it is determined that there is a battery cell among the M battery cells whose energy content is changing based on the energy content information of each battery cell, the total volume change of the M battery cells is maintained within a first preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

[0149] Here, if it is determined that there is a battery cell among the M battery cells whose energy content changes based on the energy content information of each battery cell (i.e., there is a battery cell among the M battery cells that is being charged or discharged), the total volume change of the M battery cells can be maintained within a first preset range by performing the corresponding charge / discharge control on at least one of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

[0150] Specifically, if it is determined that there is a battery cell with a higher energy output among the M battery cells based on the energy information of each battery cell, the total volume change of the M battery cells can be maintained within a first preset range by controlling the discharge of one or more of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

[0151] In some selective embodiments of this application, if it is determined that there is a battery cell with a lower energy output among the M battery cells based on the energy information of each battery cell, the total volume change of the M battery cells can be maintained within a first preset range by controlling the charging of one or more of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

[0152] In the above proposed technology, if it is determined that there is a battery cell among the M battery cells whose energy content changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells can be kept within a first preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery cells among the M battery cells, thereby reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of battery use. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the expansion space that needs to be reserved within the battery housing, which is advantageous for improving the energy density and electrical capacity of the battery.

[0153] According to some embodiments of this application, M battery cells are stacked in N battery units, where N is an integer greater than 1 and M is greater than or equal to N, and the control method further includes maintaining the total volume change of the N battery units within a second preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units when the energy of at least one of the N battery units changes.

[0154] Here, M battery cells can be stacked sequentially along the X direction (i.e., the first direction) shown in Figure 4, and M battery cells can be formed into N battery units, where N is a positive number and is greater than 1, and N may be 2, 3, or 4, but is not limited to these, and M is greater than or equal to N. For example, six battery cells can be stacked sequentially along the X direction shown in Figure 4 to form two battery units, or two battery cells can be stacked along the X direction shown in Figure 4 to form two battery units.

[0155] Here, the control unit can acquire power information for each battery unit. If it is determined that there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose power is changing based on the power information for each battery unit (i.e., there is a battery unit among the N battery units that is being charged or discharged), the total volume change of the N battery units can be maintained within a second preset range by performing the corresponding charge / discharge control on at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units.

[0156] Specifically, if it is determined that there is a battery unit among the N battery units that has a larger energy output based on the energy output information of each battery unit, the total volume change of the N battery units can be maintained within a second preset range by controlling the discharge of one or more of the other battery units among the N battery units.

[0157] In some selective embodiments of this application, if it is determined that there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose energy content is low based on the energy content information of each battery unit, the total volume change of the N battery units can be maintained within a second preset range by controlling the charging of one or more of the other battery units among the N battery units.

[0158] In some selective embodiments of this application, the first preset range and the second preset range may be the same. In some selective embodiments of this application, the first preset range and the second preset range may be different. Here, the first preset range can be understood as a numerical range having a maximum value, and the fact that the total volume change of M battery cells is kept within the first preset range can be understood as the total volume change of M battery cells not exceeding the maximum value of this numerical range.

[0159] This can be understood as a numerical range having a maximum value relative to a second preset range, and the fact that the total volume change of N battery units is kept within the second preset range can be understood as the total volume change of N battery units not exceeding the maximum value of this numerical range.

[0160] In the above proposed technology, if it is determined that there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose energy content changes, the total volume change of the N battery units can be kept within a second preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units, thereby reducing the probability of dangerous situations occurring and improving the safety of battery use.

[0161] According to some embodiments of this application, if there is a battery unit among the N battery units that has a large amount of power, at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units is controlled to discharge, or if there is a battery unit among the N battery units that has a small amount of power, at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units is controlled to charge.

[0162] Here, when a battery unit is charged, its volume expands, and when it is discharged, its volume decreases. If there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose energy changes, the total volume change of the N battery units can be kept within a second preset range by changing the energy of at least one of the N battery units accordingly.

[0163] Specifically, if there is a battery unit with a large amount of power among the N battery units, the discharge of one of the other battery units among the N battery units can be controlled, or multiple battery units among the other battery units among the N battery units can be controlled to maintain the total volume change of the N battery units within a second preset range.

[0164] If there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose energy output is low, the charging control can be applied to one of the other battery units among the N battery units, or multiple battery units among the other battery units among the N battery units can be applied to maintain the total volume change of the N battery units within a second preset range.

[0165] In the above proposed technology, the total volume change of N battery units can be kept within a second preset range, reducing the probability of a dangerous situation occurring due to the total volume change of N battery units exceeding the second preset range, thereby improving the safety of battery use.

[0166] According to some embodiments of this application, when discharging at least one of the N battery units, the discharge control is stopped for battery units whose energy is less than or equal to a first preset energy value, and when charging at least one of the N battery units, the charging control is stopped for battery units whose energy is greater than or equal to a second preset energy value, and the first preset energy value is smaller than the second preset energy value.

[0167] In this case, when controlling the discharge of at least one of the N battery units, the real-time power level of the battery unit being controlled can be monitored, and if the power level of the battery unit being controlled is discharged to or below a first preset power level value, the discharge control for this battery unit can be stopped.

[0168] When controlling the charging of at least one of the N battery units, the real-time power level of the battery unit being controlled can be monitored, and if the power level of the battery unit being controlled exceeds a second preset power level value, the charging control for this battery unit can be stopped. Here, the first preset power level value is smaller than the second preset power level value.

[0169] In some selective embodiments of this application, the first preset energy value may be 4%, 5%, 6%, etc., of the rated energy of the battery unit, but is not limited thereto, and the second preset energy value may be 94%, 95%, 96%, etc., of the rated energy of the battery unit, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the rated energy of multiple battery units may be the same, or they may be different.

[0170] In the above proposed technology, the discharge of the battery unit can be stopped when the power level of the battery unit is below a first preset power level value, and the charging of the battery unit can be stopped when the power level of the battery unit is above a second preset power level value, thereby providing charging and discharging protection for the battery unit, which is advantageous for extending the service life of the battery unit.

[0171] According to some embodiments of this application, the charging current of a battery unit that performs charging is I1, the discharge current of a battery unit that performs discharging is I2, and the relationship I1 ≤ I2 is satisfied.

[0172] Here, if there are N battery units, one that charges and one that discharges, the charging current I1 of the charging battery unit may be equal to the discharge current I2 of the discharging battery unit, or the charging current I1 of the charging battery unit may be less than the discharge current I2 of the discharging battery unit.

[0173] To explain, I1 is the charging current of all battery units being charged at the same time. For example, if one battery unit is being charged at this time, its charging current is I1. If multiple battery units are being charged at this time, the total charging current of the multiple battery units is I1. I2 is the discharge current of all battery units being discharged at the same time. For example, if one battery unit is being discharged at this time, its discharge current is I2. If multiple battery units are being discharged at this time, the total discharge current of the multiple battery units is I2.

[0174] The volume of each battery cell exhibits a positive correlation with the remaining energy. If I1 ≤ I2, the total volume of N battery units can be kept constant or decreased. Specifically, if I1 is equal to I2, the total volume of N battery units can be kept constant, and if I1 is less than I2, the total volume of N battery units can be decreased.

[0175] In the above proposed technology, by setting the charging current of the battery unit performing the charging to be less than or equal to the discharge current of the battery unit performing the discharging, the total volume of the N battery units can be kept constant or reduced, and the probability that the change in the total volume of the N battery units will exceed a second preset range can be reduced, which is advantageous in improving the safety of battery use.

[0176] According to some embodiments of this application, the total energy of a battery assembly when fully charged is A, the real-time sum of the energy of N battery units is B, and the relationship B ≤ A is satisfied.

[0177] Here, the real-time sum of the energy of the N battery units may be equal to the total energy of the battery assembly when fully charged, or it may be less than the total energy of the battery assembly when fully charged. It should be explained that the volume of each battery cell is positively correlated with the remaining energy, and by satisfying the relationship B ≤ A between A and B, the total volume of the N battery units can always be less than or equal to the total volume of the battery assembly when fully charged.

[0178] In the above proposed technology, by keeping the real-time sum of the energy values ​​of the N battery units less than or equal to the total energy value of the battery assembly when fully charged, the probability that the total volume change of the N battery units will exceed a second preset range can be reduced, which is advantageous for improving the safety of battery use.

[0179] It should be noted that, as long as they do not conflict, the embodiments and features in this application can be combined with each other.

[0180] The foregoing are merely selective embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit it. To those skilled in the art, this application is subject to various modifications and changes. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection.

Claims

1. A battery assembly, It includes M battery cells, the M battery cells are stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1. A battery assembly in which the volume of each of the battery cells exhibits a positive correlation with the remaining energy, such that when the energy of at least one of the M battery cells changes, the total volume change of the M battery cells is maintained within a first predetermined range.

2. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the M battery cells are stacked in N battery units, where N is an integer greater than 1 and M is greater than or equal to N, and when the energy of at least one of the N battery units changes, the total volume change of the N battery units is maintained within a second preset range.

3. The battery assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of the battery units has a plurality of battery cells, and battery cells from other battery units are installed between at least two of the battery cells of the same battery unit.

4. The battery assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of the battery units has a plurality of battery cells, and the battery cells of the N battery units are stacked alternately in order along the first direction, so that the battery cells of each battery unit are adjacent to the battery cells of one of the other battery units.

5. The battery assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the N battery units include a first battery unit and a second battery unit, each of the first and second battery units having a plurality of battery cells, and the battery cells of the second battery unit are installed between two adjacent battery cells of the first battery unit.

6. The battery assembly according to claim 2, wherein the N battery units are stacked sequentially along the first direction, and each battery unit is movable along the first direction.

7. The battery assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein each of the battery units has a plurality of the battery cells, and the plurality of battery cells in each of the battery units are electrically connected.

8. The battery assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 7, further comprising a control unit connected to each of the aforementioned battery units for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery units.

9. The battery assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 7, further comprising a plurality of control units connected in one-to-one correspondence to N battery units, for controlling the charging and discharging of the corresponding battery units.

10. The battery assembly according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein, if there is a battery unit that charges N battery units, at least one of the N battery units is discharged, thereby maintaining a constant total volume of the N battery units.

11. The battery assembly according to claim 10, wherein the charging current of the battery unit that performs charging is I1, the discharge current of the battery unit that performs discharging is I2, and the relationship I1 ≤ I2 is satisfied.

12. The battery assembly according to claim 10, wherein the total energy of the battery assembly when fully charged is A, the real-time sum of the energy of the N battery units is B, and the relationship B ≤ A is satisfied.

13. A battery comprising the battery assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A power consumption device including the battery described in claim 13.

15. A method for controlling a battery assembly, wherein the battery assembly includes M battery cells, the M battery cells are stacked sequentially along a first direction, where M is an integer greater than 1, the volume of each battery cell is positively correlated with the remaining energy, and the control method is: To acquire power information for each of the aforementioned battery cells, A battery assembly control method, which includes, when it is determined that there is a battery cell among the M battery cells whose energy content is changing based on the energy content information of each of the M battery cells, maintaining the total volume change of the M battery cells within a first preset range by controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other battery cells among the M battery cells.

16. The M battery cells are stacked in N battery units, where N is an integer greater than 1 and M is greater than or equal to N, and the control method is A method for controlling a battery assembly according to claim 15, further comprising, when the amount of energy in at least one of the N battery units changes, controlling the charging or discharging of at least one of the other N battery units to maintain the total volume change of the N battery units within a second preset range.

17. If there is a battery unit among the N battery units that has a large amount of power, then at least one of the other N battery units will be discharged, or A method for controlling a battery assembly according to claim 16, wherein if there is a battery unit among the N battery units whose energy output is low, the charging control is performed on at least one of the other battery units among the N battery units.

18. When discharging at least one of the N battery units, the discharge control is stopped for the battery unit whose energy is less than or equal to a first preset energy value. When controlling the charging of at least one of the N battery units, the charging control is stopped for any battery unit whose energy level is equal to or greater than a second preset energy value. The battery assembly control method according to claim 17, wherein the first preset energy value is smaller than the second preset energy value.

19. A method for controlling a battery assembly according to claim 17, wherein the charging current of the battery unit that performs charging is I1, the discharge current of the battery unit that performs discharging is I2, and the relationship I1 ≤ I2 is satisfied.

20. A method for controlling a battery assembly according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the total energy of the battery assembly when fully charged is A, the real-time sum of the energy of the N battery units is B, and the relationship B ≤ A is satisfied.

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