Battery structure and battery module

Abstract

To provide a battery structure having replaceable battery cells, and provide a battery module including the battery structure.SOLUTION: A battery structure includes an upper sheet member 100, a lower sheet member 102, a plurality of battery cells 104, a plurality of fixing members 106, an upper accommodation plate 108, and a lower accommodation plate 110. The battery cell has a plurality of conductive parts 1040. Each conductive part is located between the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. Each fixing member is configured to fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The upper housing plate has an upper housing recess part. The upper housing recess part is configured to house the upper sheet member and a part of the conductive part. The lower housing plate has a lower housing recess part 1100. The lower housing recess part is configured to house the lower sheet member and another part of the conductive part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery structure and a battery module, and more specifically, to a battery structure having replaceable battery cells and a battery module including the battery structure.

Background Art

[0002] A battery pack is an important component in an electric vehicle. Generally, a battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules, and the battery cells in the battery module are fixed by screws and welding structures, so it is not easy to disassemble the battery cells. Furthermore, due to the welding structure, the battery cells may be easily damaged during disassembly. Therefore, it is not easy to repair or recycle the conventional battery module. How to improve the convenience of disassembling the battery module has become a major design problem.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The present invention solves the above problems by providing a battery structure having replaceable battery cells and a battery module including the battery structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] The battery structure of the present invention includes an upper sheet member, a lower sheet member, a plurality of battery cells, a plurality of fixing members, an upper housing plate, and a lower housing plate. The plurality of battery cells have a plurality of conductive portions. The plurality of conductive portions are located between the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The plurality of fixing members are configured to fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The upper housing plate has an upper housing recess. The upper housing recess is configured to house the upper sheet member and a part of the plurality of conductive portions. The lower housing plate has a lower housing recess. The lower housing recess is configured to house the lower sheet member and another part of the plurality of conductive portions.

[0005] The battery module of the present invention comprises a plurality of battery structures and a plurality of plate members. The plurality of battery structures are stacked on top of each other. Each of the plurality of battery structures comprises an upper sheet member, a lower sheet member, a plurality of battery cells, a plurality of fixing members, an upper housing plate, and a lower housing plate. The plurality of battery cells have a plurality of conductive parts. The plurality of conductive parts are located between the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The plurality of fixing members are configured to fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The upper housing plate has an upper housing recess. The upper housing recess is configured to accommodate the upper sheet member and a portion of the plurality of conductive parts. The lower housing plate has a lower housing recess. The lower housing recess is configured to accommodate the lower sheet member and another portion of the plurality of conductive parts. The plurality of plate members surround the plurality of battery structures. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] As described above, the present invention uses an upper sheet member and a lower sheet member to clamp the conductive portion of the battery cell, and a fixing member to fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The present invention then uses an upper housing plate and a lower housing plate to house the upper sheet member, the lower sheet member and the conductive portion, completing the assembly of the battery structure. If it is necessary to disassemble the battery cell, only the fixing member needs to be removed. Since the battery cell is not fixed by welding, the present invention can prevent damage to the battery cell during disassembly. Furthermore, since the battery cell is not fixed with screws, the present invention can avoid poor contact of the battery cell due to loosening of screws.

[0007] These and other objects of the present invention will undoubtedly become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments shown in various figures and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a partial perspective view showing the battery structure. [Figure 3] This is a partially exploded view showing the battery structure. [Figure 4] A partially exploded view showing the battery structure from a different viewing angle. [Figure 5] This is another partial perspective view showing the battery structure. [Figure 6] This is another partial perspective view showing the battery structure. [Figure 7] This is a partial perspective view showing a plate component. [Figure 8] This is a partial perspective view showing an upper sheet member and a lower sheet member according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a partial perspective view showing an upper sheet member and a lower sheet member according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Referring to Figures 1 to 7, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a battery module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a partial perspective view showing a battery structure 10, Figure 3 is a partial exploded view showing a battery structure 10, Figure 4 is a partial exploded view of a battery structure 10 from a different viewing angle, Figure 5 is another partial perspective view showing a battery structure 10, Figure 6 is another partial perspective view showing a battery structure 10, and Figure 7 is a partial perspective view showing a plate member 12.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the battery module 1 comprises a plurality of battery structures 10 and a plurality of plate members 12. The battery module 1 is formed by stacking the plurality of battery structures 10 on top of each other and having the plurality of plate members 12 surround the plurality of battery structures 10. The battery module 1 may be applied to an electric vehicle, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of battery structures 10 may be determined according to the actual application, and therefore the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the figure.

[0011] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the battery structure 10 comprises an upper sheet member 100, a lower sheet member 102, a plurality of battery cells 104, a plurality of fixing members 106, an upper housing plate 108, and a lower housing plate 110. The plurality of battery cells 104 have a plurality of conductive portions 1040, which are located between the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102. In other words, the conductive portions 1040 of the battery cells 104 are sandwiched between the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 to form an electrical connection. In another embodiment, foam or a similar structure may be placed between the battery cells 104 to provide a buffering effect. In this embodiment, the battery structure 10 may comprise two battery cells 104, each battery cell 104 having two conductive portions 1040 on both sides, and the conductive portions 1040 may be positive conductive portions or negative conductive portions. Please note that for illustrative purposes, only the conductive portion 1040, upper sheet member 100, lower sheet member 102, fixing member 106, upper housing plate 108, and lower housing plate 110 located on one side of the battery cell 104 are shown.

[0012] Multiple fixing members 106 are configured to fix the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102. In this embodiment, each of the multiple conductive portions 1040 has multiple through holes 1042, and the multiple fixing members 106 can fix the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 by passing through the multiple through holes 1042. In this embodiment, the multiple fixing members 106 may be, but are not limited to, multiple riveting members. If the fixing members 106 are riveting members, at least one of the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 may have multiple riveting holes. Furthermore, the multiple fixing members 106 may be integrally formed on one of the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102. In this embodiment, the multiple fixing members 106 may be integrally formed on the lower sheet member 102. In this case, the upper sheet member 100 may have a plurality of rivet holes 1000, and each of the plurality of rivet holes 1000 tapers from the side away from the conductive portion 1040 to the side closer to the conductive portion 1040.

[0013] During assembly, the riveting member (i.e., the fixing member 106) can sequentially pass through the through-hole 1042 of the conductive portion 1040 and the rivet hole 1000 of the upper sheet member 100, thereby riveting the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102. As shown in Figure 5, after the riveting member has riveted the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102, the first surface 1060 of the riveting member may be coplanar with the upper sheet member 100 to avoid interference with other components.

[0014] In another embodiment, the fixing member 106 may be integrally formed with the upper sheet member 100 or it may be an independent component. In this case, the lower sheet member 102 may also be provided with a plurality of rivet holes. After the rivet fastening member passes through the rivet holes of the lower sheet member 102 and rivets the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102, the second surface of the rivet fastening member is coplanar with the lower sheet member 102.

[0015] When the fixing member 106 is a riveting member, the fixing member 106 can be a solid rivet, a hollow rivet, a hollow rivet with a groove, or a general rivet according to practical applications.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 6, the width of the through hole 1042 of the conductive portion 1040 may be larger than the width of the fixing member 106 so that the fixing member 106 does not contact the conductive portion 1040. Therefore, the present invention can prevent the battery cell 104 from being damaged when disassembling the fixing member 106.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper accommodation plate 108 has an upper accommodation recess 1080, and the lower accommodation plate 110 has a lower accommodation recess 1100. After the fixing member 106 fixes the conductive portion 1040 of the battery cell 104 between the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102, the upper accommodation recess 1080 is configured to accommodate the upper sheet member 100 and a part of the conductive portion 1040, and the lower accommodation recess 1100 is configured to accommodate the lower sheet member 102 and another part of the conductive portion 1040. Therefore, the upper accommodation plate 108 and the lower accommodation plate 110 not only support the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102, but also provide insulation protection to prevent the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 of two adjacent battery structures 10 from being short-circuited by contact.

[0018] In this embodiment, the upper accommodation plate 108 may include a first intermediate portion 1082, the upper accommodation recess 1080 may be disposed in the first intermediate portion 1082, and the short side of the upper accommodation recess 1080 may be shorter than the short side of the first intermediate portion 1082. Further, the lower accommodation plate 110 may include a second intermediate portion 1102, the lower accommodation recess 1100 may be disposed in the second intermediate portion 1102, and the short side of the lower accommodation recess 1100 may be shorter than the short side of the second intermediate portion 1102.

[0019] In this embodiment, each of the two sides of the first intermediate portion 1082 has a side portion 112, and each of the two sides of the second intermediate portion 1102 also has a side portion 112. The side portion 112 may have an assembly hole 1120, a positioning projection 1122, and a positioning hole 1124, the positioning projection 1122 and the positioning hole 1124 located on both sides of the upper housing plate 108 or the lower housing plate 110. Furthermore, the assembly hole 1120 is adjacent to both the positioning projection 1122 and the positioning hole 1124. When assembling the upper housing plate 108 and the lower housing plate 110, the positioning projection 1122 of either the upper housing plate 108 or the lower housing plate 110 may be inserted into the other assembly hole 1120 and positioning hole 1124 of the upper housing plate 108 or the lower housing plate 110. This allows the upper housing plate 108 and the lower housing plate 110 of the two adjacent battery structures 10 to be aligned.

[0020] In this embodiment, it should be noted that two adjacent battery structures 10 may share either an upper housing plate 108 or a lower housing plate 110. For further explanation, the lower housing plate 110 of the upper battery structure 10 may be the upper housing plate 108 of the lower battery structure 10, and conversely, the upper housing plate 108 of the lower battery structure 10 may be the lower housing plate 110 of the upper battery structure 10.

[0021] In this embodiment, at least one of the plate members 12 may have at least one assembly protrusion 120 as shown in FIG. 7. After stacking the battery structures 10 on top of each other, the assembly protrusion 120 is inserted into one of the assembly holes 1120 or positioning holes 1124 of the upper housing plate 108 or the lower housing plate 110, completing the assembly of the battery module 1. In this embodiment, the plate member 12 may include two cover plates and two side plates. The two cover plates may be assembled to one of the assembly holes 1120 and positioning holes 1124 of the upper housing plate 108 or the lower housing plate 110 by the assembly protrusion 120. Further, the two cover plates may be assembled to the two side plates by other fixing members (for example, screws).

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing an upper sheet member 100 and a lower sheet member 102 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view showing the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the opposing surfaces of the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 may be non-planar (for example, curved, jagged, etc.) so that the contact between the conductive portions 1040 of the battery cells 104 is better and the impedance is lower. Needless to say, the opposing surfaces of the upper sheet member 100 and the lower sheet member 102 may be planar (see FIG. 2) according to the actual application.

[0024] As described above, the present invention uses an upper sheet member and a lower sheet member to clamp the conductive portion of the battery cell, and a fixing member to fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member. The present invention then uses an upper housing plate and a lower housing plate to house the upper sheet member, the lower sheet member and the conductive portion, completing the assembly of the battery structure. If it is necessary to disassemble the battery cell, only the fixing member needs to be removed. Since the battery cell is not fixed by welding, the present invention can prevent damage to the battery cell during disassembly. Furthermore, since the battery cell is not fixed with screws, the present invention can avoid poor contact of the battery cell due to loosening of screws.

[0025] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that numerous modifications and changes can be made to the apparatus and method while retaining the teachings of the present invention. Therefore, the above disclosure should be construed as being limited only by the boundaries of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery structure, Upper sheet member and Lower sheet member and A plurality of battery cells having a plurality of conductive portions located between the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member, A plurality of fixing members configured to fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member, An upper housing plate having an upper housing recess, wherein the upper housing recess is configured to house the upper sheet member and a portion of the plurality of conductive parts, A lower housing plate having a lower housing recess, wherein the lower housing recess is configured to house the lower sheet member and another part of the plurality of conductive parts, and Equipped with, A battery structure in which each of the plurality of conductive parts has a plurality of through holes, and the plurality of fixing members penetrate the plurality of through holes and fix the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member.

2. The battery structure according to claim 1, wherein the width of each of the plurality of through holes is greater than the width of each of the plurality of fixing members, and the plurality of fixing members do not come into contact with the plurality of conductive parts.

3. The battery structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fixing members are a plurality of riveted members, at least one of the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member has a plurality of rivet holes, each of the plurality of rivet holes tapers from the side away from the conductive portion to the side closer to the conductive portion, and the plurality of riveted members rivet the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member through the plurality of rivet holes.

4. The battery structure according to claim 3, wherein the first surface of each of the plurality of rivet fastening members is coplanar with the upper sheet member, and the second surface of each of the plurality of rivet fastening members is coplanar with the lower sheet member.

5. The battery structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fixing members are integrally formed on one of the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member.

6. The battery structure according to claim 1, wherein the opposing surfaces of the upper sheet member and the lower sheet member are non-planar.

7. A plurality of battery structures according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which are stacked on top of each other, Multiple plate members surrounding the aforementioned multiple battery structures A battery module equipped with the following features.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the upper housing plate comprises a first intermediate portion, the upper housing recess is located within the first intermediate portion, and each of the two sides of the first intermediate portion has a side portion; the lower housing plate comprises a second intermediate portion, the lower housing recess is located within the second intermediate portion, and each of the two sides of the second intermediate portion also has a side portion, the side portion having an assembly hole, a positioning projection, and a positioning hole, the positioning projection and the positioning hole are located on both sides of the upper housing plate or the lower housing plate, the assembly hole is adjacent to the positioning projection and the positioning hole, and the positioning projection of one of the upper housing plate and the lower housing plate is inserted into one of the assembly hole and the positioning hole of the other of the upper housing plate and the lower housing plate.

9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein the short side of the upper housing recess is shorter than the short side of the first intermediate portion, and the short side of the lower housing recess is shorter than the short side of the second intermediate portion.

10. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of plate members has at least one assembly projection, and the at least one assembly projection is inserted into either the assembly hole or the positioning hole.

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