Battery box

Abstract

To provide a battery box capable of uniformly transmitting a stress and power to a battery pack.SOLUTION: A battery box is constructed so as to house a battery pack 200, and contains: a housing 100; at least one pressing assembly 400; and a cylinder 700. The housing is constructed so as to house the battery pack. At least one pressing assembly contains a pressing plate and a pressed plate. The pressing plate is constructed so as to be overlapped on one side of the battery pack. The pressed plate is constructed so as to be overlapped on one side of the pressing plate positioned farthest away from the battery pack. The pressed plate contains: a frame part; and a plurality of rib parts. The plurality of rib parts are connected to the frame part, and are surrounded by the frame part. The cylinder is arranged into the housing, and is constructed so as to press the pressed plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electricity storage device, and more particularly to a battery box. [Background technology]

[0002] Some manufacturers are replacing lithium-ion batteries with lithium metal batteries, which are used as power sources for vehicles such as electric scooters and electric motorcycles, due to their high capacity. In order for the lithium metal battery to have good electrical properties, stress or force should be applied to the lithium metal battery when charging or discharging electricity from the lithium metal battery, so that the lithium metal layer deposited on the surface of the anode can have a fine and smooth surface.

[0003] However, conventional means for applying stress or force cannot uniformly transmit stress or force to the lithium metal battery, resulting in a portion of the lithium metal layer deposited on the surface of the anode not having a fine, smooth surface. As a result, the lithium metal battery has poor electrical properties. Furthermore, conventional means for applying stress or force occupy a considerable amount of internal space in the housing that accommodates the lithium metal battery, thereby limiting the number of lithium metal batteries that can be used. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to provide a battery box that can transmit stress and force uniformly to a battery pack, or a battery box with a larger number of battery cells. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery box configured to accommodate a battery pack, the battery box including a housing, at least one push assembly, and a cylinder. The housing is configured to accommodate the battery pack. The at least one push assembly includes a push plate and a push plate. The push plate is configured to be stacked on one side of the battery pack. The push plate is configured to be stacked on the side of the push plate located farthest from the battery pack. The push plate includes a frame portion and a plurality of rib portions. The plurality of rib portions are connected to and surrounded by the frame portion. The cylinder is disposed within the housing and configured to push the push plate.

[0006] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a battery box configured to accommodate a battery pack. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells stacked along a stacking direction. The battery box includes a housing, at least one cylinder, and at least one transmission assembly. The at least one cylinder includes a cylinder body and a movable rod. The cylinder body is disposed within the housing. The movable rod is disposed on the cylinder body so as to be movable along a movement direction. The at least one transmission assembly is configured to connect the movable rod of the at least one cylinder to the battery pack. The movable rod is configured to apply a driving force to the at least one transmission assembly to form a movable rod that pushes the battery pack through the at least one transmission assembly. The movement direction is non-parallel to the stacking direction.

[0007] In the battery box according to the above embodiment, for example, a rib portion having a square cross section is connected to and surrounded by the frame portion in the pushing assembly. This allows the cylinder to uniformly transmit stress or force to the battery pack through the pushing assembly, improving the electrical characteristics of the battery pack. Alternatively, since the moving direction of the movable rod is not parallel to the stacking direction of the battery cells, the cylinder occupies less space along the stacking direction. This allows more battery cells to be placed in the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] The present disclosure will be better understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings, which are given for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the battery module of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery module of FIG. 1 , omitting the housing and circuit board assembly. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the battery module of FIG. 1 omitting the housing and circuit board assembly. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the battery module of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the battery module of FIG. 5 omitting the housing and circuit board assembly. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the battery module of FIG. 8 omitting the housing and circuit board assembly. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a battery module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown to simplify the drawings.

[0010] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the battery module 10 of Figure 1.

[0011] In this embodiment, the battery module 10 is, for example, a lithium metal battery module. The battery module 10 includes a housing 100, a battery pack 200, a circuit board assembly 300, two pushing assemblies 400, two connection plates 500, 550, two mounting frames 600, two cylinders 700, and two transmission assemblies 800. The housing 100, the two pushing assemblies 400, the two connection plates 500, 550, the two mounting frames 600, the two cylinders 700, and the two transmission assemblies 800 can together form a battery box. The battery box is configured to accommodate the battery pack 200, and together with the battery pack 200, constitutes the battery module 10.

[0012] In this embodiment, the housing 100 may include a first housing portion 110 and a second housing portion 120. The first housing portion 110 is stacked on a side of the second housing portion 120, and an accommodating space 130 is formed between the first housing portion 110 and the second housing portion 120. The present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the housing 100. In other embodiments, the housing may be formed as a single piece instead of including two housing portions stacked on top of each other.

[0013] The battery pack 200 includes a plurality of battery cells 210. The battery cells 210 may be stacked along a stacking direction S and disposed in the accommodation space 130 of the housing 100. The circuit board assembly 300 is, for example, a BMS (Battery Management System). The circuit board assembly 300 is disposed in the accommodation space 130 of the housing 100 and is electrically connected to the battery cells 210.

[0014] Please refer to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the battery module 10 of Figure 1, omitting the housing 100 and the circuit board assembly 300. Figure 4 is an exploded view of the battery module 10 of Figure 1, omitting the housing 100 and the circuit board assembly 300.

[0015] The two push assemblies 400 are similar in structure. Thus, one of the two push assemblies 400 will be described in detail below. The push assembly 400 includes a push plate 410 and a push plate 420. The push plate 410 is stacked on one side of the battery pack 200. The push plate 420 is stacked on the side of the push plate 410 that is located furthest from the battery pack 200. In this embodiment, the push plate 420 has a frame portion 421 and a plurality of rib portions 422. The rib portion 422 is connected to and surrounded by the frame portion 421. Each rib portion 422 may have a square cross section. In this embodiment, for example, the push plate 420 is fixed to the push plate 410 by adhesive bonding, but this is not limiting. In other embodiments, the push plate and the push plate may be integrally formed as a single component. Additionally, in other embodiments, the cross section of each rib portion may be circular or any other shape to allow for uniform transfer of stress or force from the push plate to the push plate.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4 , the rib portion 422 has a plurality of first rib portions 423 and a plurality of second rib portions 424. The first rib portions 423 and the second rib portions 424 are connected to each other. The first rib portions 423 are perpendicular to the second rib portions 424. That is, the extension direction of each first rib portion 423 is perpendicular to the extension direction of each second rib portion 424. The first rib portion 423 and the second rib portion 424 are connected to the frame portion 421 and are surrounded by the frame portion 421. In another embodiment, the rib portion may include one first rib portion and one second rib portion such that the first rib portion and the second rib portion intersect.

[0017] 2, the two push plates 410 of the two push assemblies 400 are stacked on two opposite sides of the battery pack 200, respectively. The two connection plates 500, 550 are mounted on the sides of the two push plates 420 located furthest from the push plate 410, respectively.

[0018] The two mounting frames 600 are disposed in the accommodation space 130 of the housing 100. The two mounting frames 600 are spaced apart from each other and fixed to the housing 100. The connecting plate 550 is placed on the two mounting frames 600.

[0019] The two cylinders 700 and the two transmission assemblies 800 are disposed on the two mounting frames 600, respectively. The two cylinders 700 are also configured to pull the two connection plates 500, 550, respectively, via the two transmission assemblies 800. Thus, the two connection plates 500, 550 are configured so that the two pushing assemblies 400 push the battery packs 200, respectively. Hereinafter, the detailed structures and connection relationships of the corresponding pairs of cylinders 700 and transmission assemblies 800 will be described mainly for the sake of brevity.

[0020] The cylinder 700 is, for example, a pneumatic cylinder. The cylinder 700 includes a cylinder body 710 and a movable rod 720. The cylinder body 710 is fixed to the mounting frame 600 and disposed within the housing 100. The movable rod 720 is disposed on the cylinder body 710 so as to be movable along a movement direction M. In this embodiment, the movement direction M is non-parallel to the stacking direction S of the battery cells 210. Furthermore, the movement direction M is, for example, perpendicular to the stacking direction S of the battery cells 210. The present disclosure is not limited to the type of the cylinder 700. In other embodiments, the cylinder may be a hydraulic cylinder.

[0021] Because the movement direction M is non-parallel to the stacking direction S of the battery cells 210, the space occupied by the cylinder 700 along the stacking direction S is small. In this way, more battery cells 210 can be arranged in the accommodating space 130 of the housing 100, thereby increasing the total capacity of the battery module 10 or reducing the volume of the battery box without reducing the number of battery cells 210, thereby improving the flexibility of use of the battery box.

[0022] In this embodiment, the two cylinders 700 are offset from each other, for example, which improves the space utilization of the accommodation space 130 of the housing 100.

[0023] In this embodiment, the transmission assembly 800 includes a first roller 810 , a first power transmission belt 820 , a second power transmission belt 830 , and a second roller 840 .

[0024] The first roller 810 is rotatably disposed on the mounting frame 600. The first transmission belt 820 connects the movable rod 720 and the first roller 810. Specifically, the first transmission belt 820 has a fixed portion 821, a pressed portion 822, and a sleeve portion 823. The pressed portion 822 connects the fixed portion 821 and the sleeve portion 823. The fixed portion 821 is fixed to the housing 100. The sleeve portion 823 is sleeve-shaped or wound around the first roller 810. The pressed portion 822 is connected to the movable rod 720 and configured to be pressed by the movable rod 720. The axial direction A of the first roller 810 is non-parallel to the moving direction M and the stacking direction S. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the axial direction A, the stacking direction S, and the moving direction M are parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, respectively. That is, the axial direction A is, for example, perpendicular to the movement direction M and the stacking direction S. In this way, the first roller 810 is configured to change the direction of the stress or force transmitted from the movable rod 720.

[0025] The second power transmission belt 830 is spaced apart from the first power transmission belt 820 along the axial direction A of the first roller 810. The second power transmission belt 830 has a first fixed portion 831, a second fixed portion 832, and a winding portion 833. The winding portion 833 connects the first fixed portion 831 and the second fixed portion 832. The first fixed portion 831 is fixed to the first roller 810. As shown in FIG. 3, the second fixed portion 832 is fixed to the connecting plate 500. In FIG. 3, a portion of the mounting frame 600 is omitted to clearly show the relationship between the second fixed portion 832 and the connecting plate 500.

[0026] In this embodiment, second power transmission belt 830 further includes a pre-wound portion 834. Pre-wound portion 834 is connected to the end of first fixed portion 831 that is farthest from winding portion 833, and is wound around first roller 810.

[0027] The second roller 840 is rotatably disposed on the mounting frame 600 and spaced apart from the first roller 810. The winding portion 833 is sleeved or wound around the second roller 840, and the winding portion 833 and the second roller 840 form a power-saving structure similar to a movable pulley.

[0028] 3 and 4, the two movable rods 720 of the two cylinders 700 are respectively connected to two first transmission belts 820 of two transmission assemblies 800. Two second fixed portions 832 of two second transmission belts 830 are respectively fixed to two opposing sides of the connecting plate 500. This allows the connecting plate 500 to be pressed evenly against the plate 420.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the cylinder body 710 is configured to drive the movable rod 720 to extend out of the cylinder body 710, whereby the movable rod 720 applies a driving force F to the pressed portion 822 of the first transmission belt 820. The pressed portion 822 rotates the first roller 810 via the sleeve portion 823. As the first roller 810 rotates, the first fixed portion 831 of the second transmission belt 830 moves, and therefore the first fixed portion 831 pulls the connection plate 500 in the pressing direction P to the second fixed portion 832 via the winding portion 833. As a result, the connection plate 500 pushes the battery pack 200 in the pressing direction P via the pushing assembly 400, applying stress or force to the battery pack 200. When the battery pack 200 expands and contracts along the stacking direction S during charging and discharging, a constant stress or force can be applied to the battery pack 200 by adjusting the force or stress applied from the cylinder body 710 to the movable rod 720 and adjusting the driving force F applied from the movable rod 720 to the pressed portion 822.

[0030] In the pushing assembly 400, the rib portion 422, which has, for example, a square cross section, is connected to and surrounded by the frame portion 421. This allows the cylinder 700 to uniformly transmit stress or force to the battery pack 200 via the pushing assembly 400, thereby improving the electrical characteristics of the battery pack 200.

[0031] Additionally, the first fixed portion 831 moves the second fixed portion 832 via a winding portion 833 that is sleeved or wound on a second roller 840. As a result, the winding portion 833 pulls the connection plate 500 along the pressing direction P using a force-saving mechanism similar to a movable pulley. In this way, the number of cylinders 700 can be reduced while providing a desired amount of stress or force to be applied to the battery pack 200, thereby reducing the space inside the housing 100 occupied by the cylinders 700 and reducing the overall weight of the battery module 10 or battery box.

[0032] When the battery pack 200 expands along the stacking direction S, the pre-wound portion 834 unwinds from the first roller 810, and the second power transmission belt 830 moves in accordance with the expansion of the battery pack 200.

[0033] The battery module 10 according to the present invention is not limited to a lithium metal battery module. In other embodiments, the battery module may be any type of battery module whose battery pack needs to be pressurized or pushed. In addition, in other embodiments, the battery module may include one pushing assembly, one cylinder, and one transmission assembly.

[0034] Other embodiments are described below for illustrative purposes. In the following embodiments, elements that are the same as or similar to those in the above embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the same technical content will be omitted. For descriptions of the omitted parts, reference can be made to the above embodiments, and detailed descriptions will be omitted in the following embodiments.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the relationship between the moving direction of the movable rod and the stacking direction of the battery cells. Please refer to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module 10a according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the battery module 10a of FIG. 5. The main difference between the battery module 10a of this embodiment and the battery module 10 of the first embodiment is the moving direction Ma of the movable rod 720a of the cylinder 700a. In this embodiment, the battery module 10a includes a housing 100, a battery pack 200, a circuit board assembly 300, two pushing assemblies 400, two mounting frames 600, and four cylinders 700a. The housing 100, the two pushing assemblies 400, the two mounting frames 600, and the four cylinders 700a can together form a battery box. The battery box is configured to accommodate the battery pack 200, and together with the battery pack 200, the battery module 10a is formed.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the battery module 10a of Figure 5, with the housing 100 and the circuit board assembly 300 omitted. In this embodiment, the movement direction Ma of the movable rod 720a of each cylinder 700a is parallel to the stacking direction S of the battery cells 210. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movable rod 720a of each cylinder 700a is designed to directly contact the pushing plate 420 of the pushing assembly 400. Therefore, compared to the first embodiment, the battery module 10a does not need to include the connection plates 500, 550 and the transmission assembly 800, which simplifies the structure of the battery module 10a and reduces the manufacturing cost of the battery module 10a.

[0037] The present disclosure relates to a press AndThe present invention is not limited to the structure of the pressing plate. Please refer to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module 10b according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the battery module 10b of FIG. 8, with the housing 100 and the circuit board assembly 300 omitted. The main difference between the battery module 10b of this embodiment and the battery module 10 of the first embodiment is the structure of the pressing plate 420b of each pressing assembly 400b. In this embodiment, the pressing plate 420b has a frame portion 421b, a plurality of rib portions 422b, and a plurality of peripheral rib portions 425b. The rib portions 422b and the peripheral rib portion 425b may have square cross sections. The rib portion 422b connects the peripheral rib portion 425b to the frame portion 421b. The frame portion 421b surrounds the rib portion 422b and the peripheral rib portion 425b. The peripheral rib portions 425b are spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the pushing plate 420b has two fixing protrusions 426b on each side thereof. The two second fixing portions 832 of the two second transmission belts 830 are fixed to the two fixing protrusions 426b, respectively. That is, in this embodiment, the connection plate 500 used in the first embodiment as a structure for fixing the second fixed portions 832 is replaced with the fixing protrusions 426b. The housing 100, the two pushing assemblies 400b, the two mounting frames 600, the two cylinders 700, and the two transmission assemblies 800 can together form a battery box. The battery box is configured to house the battery pack 200 and, together with the battery pack 200, forms a battery module 10b.

[0038] The present disclosure is not limited to the method by which the cylinder generates force or stress. Please refer to FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a battery module 10c according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The main difference between the battery module 10c of this embodiment and the battery module 10 of the first embodiment is that the cylinder body 710c of the cylinder 700c of this embodiment is fluidly connected to the external container 20c via a tube 900c. In this way, the configuration of the external container 20c (e.g., the volume of the external container 20c) is not limited by the housing 100, so the external container 20c can provide working fluid to the cylinder body 710c in a more flexible and stable manner. This allows the cylinder 700c to generate more flexible and stable force or stress. In addition, the battery module 10c includes a housing 100, a battery pack 200, a circuit board assembly 300, two pushing assemblies 400, two connecting plates 500, 550, two mounting frames 600, two cylinders 700c, and two transmission assemblies 800. The housing 100, the two pushing assemblies 400, the two connecting plates 500 and 550, the two mounting frames 600, the two cylinders 700c, and the two transmission assemblies 800 can together form a battery box, which is configured to house the battery pack 200 and, together with the battery pack 200, constitutes a battery module 10c.

[0039] In the battery box according to the above embodiment, for example, the rib portion having a square cross section in the pushing assembly is connected to and surrounded by the frame portion. This allows the cylinder to uniformly transmit stress or force to the battery pack through the pushing assembly, improving the electrical characteristics of the battery pack. Alternatively, since the moving direction of the movable rod is not parallel to the stacking direction of the battery cells, the cylinder occupies less space along the stacking direction. This allows more battery cells to be placed in the housing.

[0040] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A battery box configured to house a battery pack, a housing configured to receive the battery pack; At least one pusher assembly including a push plate and a push plate, the push plate being configured to be stacked on one side of the battery pack, the push plate being stacked on one side of the push plate and configured to be positioned between the push plate and the battery pack, the push plate having a frame portion and a plurality of rib portions, the plurality of rib portions being connected to the frame portion and surrounded by the frame portion; a cylinder disposed within the housing and configured to push the pushing plate.

2. the plurality of rib portions of the pushing plate include a plurality of first rib portions and a plurality of second rib portions; the plurality of first rib portions are connected to the plurality of second rib portions perpendicularly; 2. The battery box according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first rib portions and the plurality of second rib portions are connected to the frame portion and surrounded by the frame portion.

3. The push plate further comprises a plurality of peripheral ribs; The plurality of peripheral ribs are spaced apart from one another, the plurality of rib portions connect the plurality of peripheral rib portions and the frame portion; The battery box according to claim 1 , wherein the frame portion surrounds the plurality of peripheral rib portions and the plurality of rib portions.

4. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells stacked along a stacking direction, The cylinder includes a cylinder body and a movable rod, the cylinder body is disposed within the housing; the movable rod is disposed in the cylinder body so as to be movable along a movement direction, the battery box further includes at least one transmission assembly configured to connect the movable rod of the cylinder and the battery pack; the movable rod is configured to apply a driving force to the at least one transmission assembly to cause the movable rod to push the battery pack through the at least one transmission assembly; The battery box according to claim 1 , wherein the moving direction is non-parallel to the stacking direction.

5. The at least one transmission assembly comprises a first roller, a first transmission belt, and a second transmission belt; the first roller is rotatably disposed on the housing; the first transmission belt connects the movable rod and the first roller; an axial direction of the first roller is non-parallel to the moving direction and the stacking direction; 5. The battery box according to claim 4, wherein the second transmission belt connects the first roller and the pushing assembly and is spaced apart from the first transmission belt along the axial direction of the first roller.

6. the at least one transmission assembly further comprising a second roller; the second roller is rotatably disposed on the housing and spaced apart from the first roller; the second power transmission belt includes a first fixed portion, a second fixed portion, and a winding portion, the winding portion connects the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion, the first stationary portion and the second stationary portion are connected to the first roller and the pushing assembly, respectively; 6. The battery box according to claim 5, wherein the winding portion is wound on a second roller.

7. the second power transmission belt further includes a pre-wound portion, 7. The battery box according to claim 6, wherein the pre-wound portion is connected to an end of the first fixed portion and wound around the first roller.

8. Further comprising a connecting plate, The connecting plate is mounted on one side of the pushing assembly; The battery box according to claim 6, wherein the second fixing portion is fixed to the connecting plate.

9. The cylinder comprises two cylinders, the at least one transmission assembly comprises two transmission assemblies; the movable rods of the two cylinders are connected to the two transmission assemblies, respectively; the second fixed portions of the second power transmission belts of the two transmission assemblies are fixed to two opposing sides of the connecting plate, respectively; 9. The battery box according to claim 8, wherein the two cylinders are offset from each other.

10. The pressing plate has a fixing protrusion, The battery box according to claim 6, wherein the second fixing portion is fixed to the fixing protrusion.

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