External battery module frame, battery module, and battery pack

Abstract

The present application discloses an external battery module frame, a battery module, and a battery pack. The external battery module frame provided by the present application comprises side plates and end plates; the side plates extend in a first direction, each side plate comprises a side plate body and a mounting ear, and the side plate body and the mounting ear are integrally roll-formed; and the end plates extend in a second direction, the end plates and the side plate bodies are connected by laser welding, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

Description

Battery module outer frame, battery module and battery pack

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202321659485.6 filed with the China Patent Office on June 28, 2023. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a battery module outer frame, a battery module and a battery pack. Background Art

[0003] With the development of power battery systems and the improvement of energy density, battery systems are being integrated into large modules and CTP methods, thereby improving vehicle range and reducing costs. The outer frame of the battery module is generally composed of two left and right side panels and two front and rear end panels. When making side panels, it is usually necessary to use a side panel body stamping die and a lug stamping die to punch out the side panel body and the lug respectively, and then weld the lug to the side panel body. This makes the side panel production process complicated and is prone to deformation between the side panel body and the lug.

[0004] With the development of technology, in order to facilitate the processing of side panels, hanging ears are usually formed by bending the side panel body. However, this processing method cannot meet the processing requirements of complex hanging ear structures and also reduces the structural strength of the side panels.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a battery module outer frame, a battery module and a battery pack to solve the above problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present application provides a battery module outer frame, a battery module and a battery pack to solve the above technical problems.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a battery module outer frame, comprising:

[0008] A side panel extending in a first direction, comprising a side panel body and a hanging ear, wherein the side panel body and the hanging ear are integrally formed by roll-forming; and

[0009] The end plate extends along the second direction, the end plate is connected to the side plate body by laser welding, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present application provides a battery module, comprising a module body and the battery module outer frame as described above, wherein the module body is fixed within the battery module outer frame.

[0011] In a third aspect, the present application provides a battery pack, comprising a box and the battery module as described above, wherein the battery module is disposed in the box. Beneficial effects

[0012] The beneficial effects of this application are:

[0013] The battery module outer frame provided in the present application includes side panels and end panels. The side panels extend along a first direction. The side panels include a side panel body and a lug. The side panel body and the lug are integrally roll-formed. The end panels extend along a second direction. The end panels are laser-welded to the side panel body, and the first and second directions are perpendicular to each other. Because the side panel body and the lug are integrally roll-formed, the processing of complex lugs is facilitated, the structural strength of the entire side panel is improved, and processing is facilitated, reducing the production cost of the side panel. Furthermore, the end panels and the side panel body can be connected by laser welding, eliminating the need for laser filler wire welding. This simplifies the welding process between the end panels and the side panel body, reducing the production cost of the entire battery module outer frame.

[0014] The battery module provided in the present application simplifies the processing process of the battery module and reduces the manufacturing cost of the battery module by applying the above-mentioned battery module outer frame.

[0015] The battery pack provided in the present application simplifies the processing process of the battery pack and reduces the production cost of the battery pack by applying the above-mentioned battery module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG1 is an exploded view of a battery pack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] FIG2 is an exploded view of a battery module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a battery pack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG4 is an enlarged view of point A in FIG3 .

[0020] Description of reference numerals:

[0021] 100. Battery module; 200. Liquid cooling plate; 300. Box; 310. Crossbeam; 10. Battery module outer frame; 1. Side panel; 11. Side panel body; 12. Mounting ears; 2. End plate; 3. Hot-pressed insulating film; 4. Middle plate; 5. Upper cover; 20. Module body; 30. Thermal conductive structural adhesive; 40. Limiting piece; 50. Connecting structural adhesive. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, this embodiment provides a battery pack that can be used in new energy vehicles, but is not limited thereto. The battery pack can also be used in other electrical devices. Specifically, the battery pack includes a housing 300 and multiple battery modules 100, which are integrated within the housing 300 using a CTP method.

[0023] In order to ensure the normal operation of the battery module 100, the battery pack disclosed in this embodiment also includes a liquid cooling plate 200. The liquid cooling plate 200 is arranged at the bottom of the box body 300, and the bottom of the battery module 100 is arranged on the liquid cooling plate 200. The liquid cooling plate 200 dissipates heat and cools the battery module 100 through liquid cooling to ensure the normal operation of the battery module 100.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the battery module 100 includes a module body 20 and a battery module outer frame 10. The module body 20 is fixed within the battery module outer frame 10. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the module body 20 includes multiple spaced-apart battery cells. Each battery module outer frame 10 is mounted with two module bodies 20 spaced-apart in the left-right direction, resulting in a double-row battery module 100. In other embodiments, more module bodies 20 may be mounted within each battery module outer frame 10.

[0025] Specifically, as shown in Figure 2 , the battery module outer frame 10 includes side panels 1 and end panels 2. The side panels 1 extend in a first direction (front-to-back in the figure), and the end panels 2 extend in a second direction (left-to-right in the figure). The end panels 2 are connected to the side panels 1. Preferably, in this embodiment, two side panels 1 are provided at intervals along the left-to-right direction, and two end panels 2 are provided at intervals along the front-to-back direction. The two side panels 1 and the two end panels 2 collectively form an installation frame, within which the multiple module bodies 20 are secured.

[0026] In the prior art, side panel production typically involves using a side panel body stamping die and a lug stamping die to punch out the side panel body and lugs, respectively. The lugs are then welded to the side panel body, complicating the manufacturing process and easily causing deformation between the side panel body and the lugs. To facilitate side panel processing, the lugs are typically formed by bending the side panel body. However, this method is inadequate for complex lug structures and reduces the structural strength of the side panel.

[0027] To address the above-mentioned issues, as shown in FIG2 , the side panel 1 provided in this embodiment includes a side panel body 11 and a lug 12. The side panel body 11 and the lug 12 are integrally roll-formed, and the end panel 2 is laser-welded to the side panel body 11. Since the side panel body 11 and the lug 12 are integrally roll-formed, the processing of the complex lug 12 is facilitated, the structural strength of the entire side panel 1 is improved, and processing is facilitated, reducing the manufacturing cost of the side panel 1. Furthermore, the end panel 2 and the side panel body 11 can be connected by laser welding, eliminating the need for laser filler wire welding. This simplifies the welding process between the end panel 2 and the side panel body 11, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the entire battery module outer frame 10.

[0028] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the side panels 1 are made of 5-series aluminum alloy, and the end panels 2 are made of 6-series aluminum alloy, thereby ensuring that the side panel body 11 and the end panels 2 can be connected only by laser welding. In addition, 5-series aluminum alloy has the advantage of being lightweight.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the battery module outer frame 10 also includes a center plate 4 extending in the front-to-back direction. The center plate 4 is sandwiched between two adjacent module bodies 20 and is laser-welded to the end plates 2. Laser welding of the center plate 4 to the end plates 2 unifies the welding method for the entire battery module outer frame 10, further facilitating its fabrication.

[0030] In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the battery module outer frame 10 also includes a hot-pressed insulating film 3, which is hot-pressed on the side plate body 11, thereby ensuring the firmness of the hot-pressed insulating film 3 and the side plate body 11, and ensuring the reliability of the insulation of the hot-pressed insulating film 3.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the battery module outer frame 10 further includes an upper cover 5 , which is buckled onto the mounting frame and located on the top of the module body 20 , thereby better protecting the module body 20 .

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the battery module 100 provided in this embodiment also includes a thermally conductive structural adhesive 30. The bottom of the module body 20 is bonded to the liquid cooling plate 200 through the thermally conductive structural adhesive 30, which not only ensures the effect of the liquid cooling plate 200 on dissipating heat and cooling the module body 20, but also ensures the stability and reliability of the connection between the module body 20 and the liquid cooling plate 200.

[0033] Preferably, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the battery module 100 also includes a connecting structural adhesive 50, and the side of the hanging ear 12 is bonded to the crossbeam 310 of the box body 300 through the connecting structural adhesive 50, thereby improving the connection stiffness between the hanging ear 12 and the crossbeam 310 and reducing mechanical connections, thereby improving the specific energy of the entire battery pack and reducing costs.

[0034] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the battery module 100 also includes a limiter 40, which is arranged at the bottom of the side panel 1. The limiter 40 is used to limit the thickness of the thermal conductive structural adhesive 30 to ensure that the thickness of the thermal conductive structural adhesive 30 is within the required range, thereby ensuring the thermal conductivity of the thermal conductive structural adhesive 30.

[0035] Specifically, the limiter 40 is a foam, which is bonded to the bottom of the side panel 1 and abuts against the liquid cooling plate 200, thereby limiting the thickness of the thermal conductive structural adhesive 30. In addition, the foam also provides a buffering and protective effect on the side panel 1.

Claims

1. A battery module outer frame, comprising: A side plate (1), the side plate (1) extending along a first direction, the side plate (1) comprising a side plate body (11) and a hanging ear (12), the side plate body (11) and the hanging ear (12) being integrally formed by roll forming; and An end plate (2), the end plate (2) extending along a second direction, the end plate (2) being connected to the side plate body (11) by laser welding, and the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular to each other.

2. The battery module outer frame according to claim 1, further comprising: A hot pressed insulating film (3), wherein the hot pressed insulating film (3) is hot pressed on the side plate body (11).

3. The battery module outer frame according to claim 1, wherein: Two side plates (1) are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and two end plates (2) are arranged at intervals along the first direction. The two side plates (1) and the two end plates (2) are jointly arranged to form a mounting frame, and a plurality of module bodies (20) are fixed in the mounting frame.

4. The battery module outer frame according to claim 3, further comprising: A middle plate (4), the middle plate (4) extending along the first direction, the middle plate (4) being sandwiched between two adjacent module bodies (20), the middle plate (4) being connected to the end plates (2) by laser welding.

5. The battery module outer frame according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The side plate (1) is made of a 5-series aluminum alloy material, and the end plate (2) is made of a 6-series aluminum alloy material.

6. A battery module, comprising a module body (20) and the battery module outer frame according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the module body (20) is fixed inside the battery module outer frame.

7. The battery module according to claim 6, further comprising: A heat-conducting structural adhesive (30), wherein the bottom of the module body (20) is bonded to the liquid cooling plate (200) via the heat-conducting structural adhesive (30).

8. The battery module according to claim 7, further comprising: A limiting member (40), the limiting member (40) being arranged at the bottom of the side plate (1), the limiting member (40) being configured to limit the thickness of the thermal conductive structural adhesive (30).

9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein: The limiting member (40) is foam, the foam is bonded to the bottom of the side plate (1), and the bottom of the foam abuts against the liquid cooling plate (200).

10. The battery module according to claim 6, further comprising: A connecting structural adhesive (50), wherein the side of the hanging ear (12) is bonded to the crossbeam (310) of the box body (300) via the connecting structural adhesive (50).

11. A battery pack, comprising a box (300) and the battery module according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the battery module is arranged in the box (300).

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