Battery cell assemblies, battery packs, and vehicles

Abstract

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

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] (Cross-Reference to Related Application) This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application with application number 202210209506.8 filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on March 4, 2022 and entitled "A Battery Cell Assembly, a Battery Pack and a Vehicle", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to the technical field of energy storage devices, and more specifically, to a battery cell assembly, a battery pack, and a vehicle. [[Background Art]]

[0002] As the promotion of new energy vehicles in China becomes increasingly extensive, pure electric vehicles, which have environmentally friendly characteristics, have become an inevitable trend in the future development of the automobile industry, and are gradually becoming a daily means of transportation for ordinary people instead of traditional fuel vehicles. The power source of electric vehicles is a lithium-ion battery pack. As a key component of electric vehicles, the improvement of various performances of lithium-ion battery packs has attracted extensive attention in the industry. For example, how to design the structure of a lithium-ion battery pack to make the distribution of components in the battery pack more reasonable, save more space, and achieve a more compact structure is a technical problem that has been improved in the industry. [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

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

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present application, there is provided a battery cell assembly, the battery cell assembly comprising at least two cells, a cell bracket, a flexible substrate and a connection sheet, the at least two cells are arranged in an abutting manner along the length direction of the cells, the cell bracket is connected to the boundary position between two adjacent cells, The flexible circuit board is installed on the top surface of the cell. The connecting sheet is fixed to the cell bracket and connected to both the cell tab and the flexible substrate. The connecting sheet has a sampling segment, which is located on the top surface of the cell and is configured to be connected to an external sampling device to sample the cell.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0012] A battery pack is provided according to a second aspect of the present application. The battery pack includes a battery cell assembly according to the first aspect.

[0013] A vehicle is provided according to a third aspect of the present application. The vehicle comprises a battery pack as described in the second aspect.

[0014] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by describing embodiments of the invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] The drawings incorporated into the specification and constituting part of the specification are used to illustrate embodiments of the present application and to explain the principles of the present application together with their descriptions. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the cell bracket and the connecting sheet in a battery cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B] This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the cell bracket and the connecting sheet in a battery cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]It is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

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

[0017] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application or uses.

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

[0019] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific value should be construed as illustrative only and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the present embodiment may have different values.

[0020] It should be noted that in the following drawings, the same reference numerals and alphabets denote the same items, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further described in subsequent drawings.

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

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

[0023] In the battery cell assembly provided in this embodiment of the present application, at least two cells 101 are installed butt-to-butt along the longitudinal direction. In some embodiments, at least two cells 101 are installed in series. In some embodiments, multiple cells 101 may first be connected in parallel along the thickness direction in cell strings, and then the multiple cell strings may be connected in series along the length direction. When it is necessary to sample the cells 101, a sampling device is connected to a sampling segment 1041 of a connection sheet 104, and since the connection sheet 104 is connected to both the tabs 1011 and the flexible substrate 103 of the cells 101, the sampling device can form an electrical connection relationship with the tabs 1011 and the flexible substrate 103 of the cells 101, and collect parameters such as temperature and voltage of the cells 101. In the battery cell assembly according to the embodiment of this application, the sampling segment 1041 of the connecting sheet 104 and the flexible substrate 103 are both provided on the top surface 1012 of the cell 101. Since there is already space along the thickness direction of the cell in the battery pack, providing the sampling segment 1041 of the connecting sheet 104 and the flexible substrate 103 at the top surface position of the cell 101 (i.e., providing the position where sampling point A is located at the top surface position of the cell 101) does not occupy extra space within the battery pack. If the position where sampling point A is located is provided at an end face position along the length direction of the cell 101 (i.e., a side surface along the length direction of the cell 101 as shown in Figure 1), it will occupy dimensional space along the length direction of the cell, which is disadvantageous for the compact design of the battery pack. Therefore, in the battery cell assembly provided in the embodiment of this application, the sampling segment of the connecting sheet and the flexible substrate are provided at the top surface position of the cell, which helps to save space within the battery pack and is advantageous for the compact design of the battery pack.

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

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

[0026] In some embodiments, the connecting sheet 104 is bent at a predetermined angle to form two sub-connecting sheets, which are the sampling segment 1041 and the connecting segment 1042, respectively. In other words, the sampling segment 1041 is bent and connected to the connecting segment 1042. The predetermined angle may be designed according to the actual structural requirements, for example, the predetermined angle is 90°, but is not limited to this application. After the connecting sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102 are fixed together, the sampling segment 1041 is located at the top surface of the cell 101, and the connecting segment 1042 is located at the side surface of the cell 101. Here, "top surface of cell 101" and "side surface of cell 101" refer to the viewing angles of the battery cell assembly 10 shown in Figure 1, i.e., the cell top surface 1012 and the cell side surface (1013). In this application, the connecting sheet 104 is bent at a predetermined angle to form two sub-connecting sheets, thereby connecting the connecting sheet 104 to the tab 1011 of the cell 101 and the flexible substrate 103, respectively.

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

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

[0029] Furthermore, the connecting sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102 are connected by a locking mechanism. This locking mechanism is very convenient to operate during the assembly process. The connecting sheet 104 can be locked to the cell bracket 102 by pressing, which not only provides a strong connection between the connecting sheet 104 and the cell bracket 102, but also eliminates the need to apply adhesive and screw in bolts, simplifying the assembly process and improving production efficiency.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 and 2A, in some embodiments, a cell bracket 102 is provided between two adjacent cells 101. The cell bracket 102 is provided with a first connector 1021 and a second connector 1022, the first connector 1021 being connected to one of the two adjacent cells 101 and the second connector 1022 being connected to the other of the two adjacent cells 101. Furthermore, a connecting sheet 104 is fixed in place between the first connector 1021 and the second connector 1022.

[0031] In this specific example, one cell bracket 102 is simultaneously connected to two adjacent cells 101 along the longitudinal direction; that is, one cell bracket 102 is simultaneously connected to two cells 101 abutted together along the longitudinal direction of the cell 101. More specifically, for example, if two adjacent cells 101 are a first cell 101a and a second cell 101b, one cell bracket 102 is connected to the first cell 101a and the second cell 101b, respectively. Referring to Figure 2A, the left side L and the right side R of the connection sheet 104 are the same cell bracket 102. More specifically, the first connection part 1021 and the second connection part 1022 may be, for example, a comb-tooth structure (having U-shaped notches), and therefore the first connection part 1021 and the second connection part 1022 may be inserted into the cell 101 (how they are inserted into). More specifically, in order to achieve a stronger connection between the cell bracket 102 and the cell 101, the cell bracket 102 can be provided with two first connection parts 1021 and two second connection parts 1022, that is, a total of four connection parts. For example, the two first connection parts 1021 are connected to the first cell 101a, and the two second connection parts 1022 are connected to the second cell 101b. After the cell bracket 102 is connected to the cell, the connection sheet 104 can be attached to the middle position of the cell bracket 102 along the length direction of the cell. As can be seen from this, the assembly process of one cell bracket 102 is simple and easy to operate.

[0032] Furthermore, the first connecting portion 1021 and the second connecting portion 1022 may be provided on two sides of the cell bracket 102 that are separated from each other along the longitudinal direction (e.g., the Z direction) of the cell 101, that is, refer to the left side and right side of the cell bracket 102 shown in Figure 2A.

[0033] To facilitate the installation of the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022, as shown in Figure 2A, one pair of the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022 can be installed on the front side of the cell bracket 102, and the other pair of the first connection portion 1021 and the second connection portion 1022 can be installed on the rear side of the cell bracket 102. That is, the two first connection portions 1021 are provided on two sides of the cell bracket 102 that are separated from each other along the thickness direction of the cell 101, and similarly, the two second connection portions 1022 are provided on two sides of the cell bracket 102 that are separated from each other along the thickness direction of the cell 101. This not only makes the arrangement of the two first connecting parts 1021 and the two second connecting parts 1022 more convenient, but also allows the connecting sheet 104 to be sandwiched between one pair of the first connecting parts 1021 and the second connecting parts 1022, so that the width of the connecting sheet 104 matches the spacing between the first connecting parts 1021 and the second connecting parts 1022, which is advantageous for positioning the attachment of the connecting sheet 104.

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

[0035] In this specific example, the first cell bracket 102a and the second cell bracket 102b are connected to two cells 101 that are installed adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction. More specifically, for example, the two adjacent cells 101 include a first cell 101a and a second cell 101b, with one of the two cell brackets (e.g., the first cell bracket 102a) connected to the first cell 101a and the other of the two cell brackets (e.g., the second cell bracket 102b) connected to the second cell 101b. These two cell brackets may be connected to each other by means of adhesive, for example, and the connecting sheet 104 is fixed at the position where the two cell brackets are connected; that is, referring to Figure 2B, the left side L and the right side R of the connecting sheet 104 are the two cell brackets. The assembly process for installing the two cell brackets is somewhat complex, but it is possible to save some raw materials for manufacturing the cell brackets 102. Specifically, compared to installing one cell bracket, when installing two cell brackets 102, the volume of a single cell bracket 102 is smaller and less material is used. For example, if the connection part of one cell bracket 102 is damaged, that cell bracket 102 will have to be discarded and become unusable. However, discarding one cell bracket with a small volume can save some raw materials compared to discarding one cell bracket with a large volume.

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

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

[0038] The above examples have focused on explaining the differences between each example. As long as the different optimization features between each example are not contradictory, they can all be combined to form a more preferable example. For the sake of brevity, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

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

[0040] 10 Battery cell assemblies 101 cells 101a First cell 101b Second cell 1011 tabs 1012 Cell top surface 1013 Cell side 102 Cell Bracket 102a First cell bracket 102b Second cell bracket 1021 First connection part 1022 Second connection section 103 Flexible circuit board 104 Connection Sheet 1041 sampling segments 1042 Connection Segment 105 Connection Structure 106 Snap-Fit 107 Locking groove 20 battery packs 30 vehicles

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly (10) comprising at least two cells (101), a cell bracket (102), a flexible substrate (103), and a connecting sheet (104), At least two of the cells (101) are installed abutting against each other along the length of the cells (101), and each cell (101) has a tab (1011) for drawing out a positive or negative electrode from the side of the cell (101), The cell bracket (102) connects two adjacent cells (101) at the boundary position between them. The flexible substrate (103) is placed on the top surface (1012) of the cell (101), The connecting sheet (104) is fixed to the cell bracket (102), and the connecting sheet (104) includes a sampling segment (1041) and a connecting segment (1042), wherein the sampling segment (1041) is located on the top surface (1012) of the cell (101) and is connected to an external sampling device to sample the cell (101), the sampling segment (1041) is connected to the flexible substrate (103), the connecting segment (1042) is located below the sampling segment (1041) and is connected to the sampling segment (1041), and the connecting segment (1042) is connected to the tab (1011) of the cell (101), A battery cell assembly characterized in that a snap fit (106) is provided on the cell bracket (102) and a locking groove (107) is provided on the connecting sheet (104), or a locking groove (107) is provided on the cell bracket (102) and a snap fit (106) is provided on the connecting sheet (104), and the cell bracket (102) and the connecting sheet (104) are locked together via the snap fit (106) and the locking groove (107).

2. The battery cell assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the connecting segment (1042) and the sampling segment (1041) are connected by being bent at a predetermined angle.

3. The battery cell assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the length of the connection segment (1042) is longer than the length of the sampling segment (1041).

4. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that a cell bracket (102) is provided between two adjacent cells (101), the cell bracket (102) is provided with a first connection portion (1021) and a second connection portion (1022), the first connection portion (1021) is connected to one of the two adjacent cells (101), and the second connection portion (1022) is connected to the other of the two adjacent cells (101).

5. The battery cell assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the connecting sheet (104) is fixed between the first connecting portion (1021) and the second connecting portion (1022).

6. A first cell bracket (102a) and a second cell bracket (102b) are provided between two adjacent cells (101), and the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are arranged along the length direction of the cell (101). The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are both provided with a connecting portion, the first cell bracket (102a) is connected to one of the two adjacent cells (101) via its connecting portion, the second cell bracket (102b) is connected to the other of the two adjacent cells (101) via its connecting portion, and the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are connected via adjacent sides.

7. The battery cell assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the connecting sheet (104) is fixed in a position where the first cell bracket (102a) and the second cell bracket (102b) are connected to each other.

8. A battery pack (20) comprising a battery cell assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A vehicle (30) characterized by comprising the battery pack (20) described in claim 8.

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