Battery cell support, preparation method for battery cell support, and battery pack

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a battery cell support, a preparation method for a battery cell support, and a battery pack. The battery cell support comprises a substrate and a coating layer coating the substrate, wherein the substrate comprises one of a glass fiber (100) or a carbon fiber (200), and the coating layer comprises a resin member (300). The glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is provided with first pressure relief holes (110), and the resin member (300) is provided with second pressure relief holes (310), the first pressure relief holes (110) and the second pressure relief holes (310) overlapping with each other and forming pressure relief holes configured to support cylindrical battery cells.

Description

Battery cell support, preparation method of battery cell support, and battery pack

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on August 1, 2024 with application number 202421848214.X and the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on August 1, 2024 with application number 202411049117.9. The entire contents of the above applications are incorporated by reference into this application.

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a battery cell bracket, a method for preparing the battery cell bracket, and a battery pack.

[0004] Background Art

[0005] With the continuous development of battery technology, cylindrical batteries, as a type of lithium battery, are gaining popularity. Cylindrical batteries typically consist of a cell body and a cell holder. The cell body is mounted on the cell holder, which physically isolates the multiple cells to prevent short circuits. It also facilitates heat dissipation from the cells and improves the stability of the battery pack structure.

[0006] As the industry pursues higher energy density for battery packs, the volume of battery packs is designed to be larger and larger, which requires larger cell holders to support the cell body.

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] Conventional technology typically meets the demand for large-sized battery cell holders by splicing multiple conventional polypropylene (PP) plastic holders. This approach not only increases manufacturing costs and reduces efficiency, but also reduces the strength of the joints between adjacent PP plastic holders, making them prone to cracking or even breakage during use.

[0009] Technical Solutions

[0010] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery cell bracket, comprising:

[0011] A substrate and a coating layer coated on the outside of the substrate;

[0012] The substrate includes glass fiber or carbon fiber; a first pressure relief hole is provided on the glass fiber or the carbon fiber;

[0013] The coating layer includes a resin part; a second pressure relief hole is provided on the resin part, and the first pressure relief hole and the second pressure relief hole overlap with each other to form a pressure relief hole configured to support the cylindrical battery core.

[0014] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for preparing a cell support, which is used to prepare the cell support described above. The method for preparing the cell support comprises:

[0015] Lay the fiberglass or carbon fiber flat and set it up on the work surface;

[0016] preparing a first pressure relief hole on the glass fiber or the carbon fiber;

[0017] injecting resin into the glass fiber or the carbon fiber;

[0018] The resin is dried to form a battery cell support.

[0019] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery pack, comprising a cylindrical battery cell and the battery cell holder described above, wherein the cylindrical battery cell is arranged on the battery cell holder.

[0020] Beneficial effects

[0021] The present application provides a battery cell holder, which includes a base material and a coating layer coated on the outside of the base material, the base material includes one of glass fiber or carbon fiber, and the coating layer includes a resin part. A first pressure relief hole is provided on the glass fiber or carbon fiber, and a second pressure relief hole is provided on the resin part. The first pressure relief hole and the second pressure relief hole overlap with each other and form a pressure relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell. In other words, the battery cell holder in the present application can be integrally formed by a resin part and a glass fiber, or integrally formed by a resin part and a carbon fiber. In this way, the operator only needs to design the size of the glass fiber or carbon fiber according to the required size of the battery cell holder, and then integrally form the resin part with the glass fiber or carbon fiber. In this way, the size of the battery cell holder can be flexibly designed, that is, the operator can design a larger battery cell holder to meet different needs. This eliminates the step of splicing multiple plastic holders in the related art, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs. At the same time, the present application integrates resin parts with glass fiber or carbon fiber, which can improve the strength of the battery cell bracket and extend its service life. That is to say, compared with the plastic bracket in traditional technology, the battery cell bracket in the present application has higher mechanical strength.

[0022] This application also provides a method for preparing a battery cell holder, which is formed by integrally injecting resin and glass fiber or carbon fiber. This method can be used to form large-sized battery cell holders, eliminating the need for the related splicing process, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs. Furthermore, the battery cell holder in this application has high mechanical strength, which can extend its service life.

[0023] The present application also provides a battery pack having the characteristics of high processing efficiency, high strength and low cost.

[0024] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG1 is an exploded view of a cell support provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG2 is a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG1 ;

[0027] FIG3 is a schematic diagram 1 of a method for preparing a cell support provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG4 is a second exploded view of the battery cell support provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG5 is a partial enlarged view of point B in FIG4 ;

[0030] FIG6 is a second schematic diagram of a method for preparing a cell support provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a cell support provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Reference numerals

[0033] 100 , glass fiber; 110 , first pressure relief hole; 200 , carbon fiber; 300 , resin part; 310 , second pressure relief hole; 320 , connecting portion; 330 , boss.

[0034] Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0035] This embodiment provides a battery cell bracket that can meet the demand for large-sized battery cell brackets, does not require splicing, has high strength, can improve work efficiency, and save costs.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1-7, the battery cell holder primarily comprises a base material and a coating layer covering the base material. The base material comprises either glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200, and the coating layer comprises a resin member 300. The glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 is provided with a first pressure relief hole 110, and the resin member 300 is provided with a second pressure relief hole 310. The first pressure relief hole 110 and the second pressure relief hole 310 overlap to form a pressure relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell (not shown). In other words, the battery cell holder in this embodiment can be integrally formed from the resin member 300 and the glass fiber 100, or from the resin member 300 and the carbon fiber 200. This allows operators to design the dimensions of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 based on the desired battery cell holder size, and then integrally mold the resin member 300 with the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. This allows for flexible design of the battery cell holder size, allowing operators to design larger battery cell holders to meet different needs. This eliminates the need for the splicing steps required in the related art, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the resin member 300 and the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 are integrally formed, thereby increasing the strength of the cell holder and extending its service life. In other words, compared to conventional plastic holders, the cell holder in this embodiment has greater mechanical strength.

[0037] The resin member 300 in this embodiment can completely wrap around the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200, or can partially wrap around the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200. That is, the resin member 300 wraps a portion of the glass fiber 100 or a portion of the carbon fiber 200, while exposing another portion of the glass fiber 100 or another portion of the carbon fiber 200 outside the resin member 300. For example, the upper surface of another portion of the glass fiber 100 or another portion of the carbon fiber 200 can be exposed outside the resin member 300, thereby increasing the flexibility of the battery cell bracket preparation.

[0038] In this embodiment, multiple pressure relief holes are provided, arranged in an array, and extending through opposite sides of the cell holder. Each pressure relief hole supports a cylindrical cell. By arranging the multiple pressure relief holes in an array, the spacing between adjacent cylindrical cells is equalized, thereby improving the heat dissipation between the cylindrical cells and avoiding or reducing heat concentration.

[0039] As shown in Figures 2 and 5, in this embodiment, a connecting portion 320 is provided between two adjacent pressure relief holes, and the interior of the connecting portion 320 contains glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. The provision of the connecting portion 320 can connect the two adjacent pressure relief holes, thereby improving the mechanical strength and integrity of the battery cell holder and extending its service life.

[0040] As shown in FIG7 , the inner wall of the pressure relief hole in this embodiment is provided with a boss 330, which is configured to support the cylindrical battery cell; the interior of the boss 330 contains glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. The boss 330 is integrally formed with the resin part 300. The arrangement of the boss 330 can support the cylindrical battery cell and prevent the cylindrical battery cell from falling from the inside of the pressure relief hole. The projected area of ​​the boss 330 in each pressure relief hole is smaller than the projected area of ​​the pressure relief hole, thereby preventing the pressure relief hole from being completely blocked by the boss. When the cylindrical battery cell experiences thermal runaway, it is beneficial for the high-temperature and high-pressure gas in the cylindrical battery cell to be discharged from the pressure relief hole, thereby avoiding dangers such as explosion.

[0041] In this embodiment, the ratio of the length of the connecting portion 320 to the diameter of the pressure relief hole is set to between 0.8 and 1.5. For example, the ratio of the length of the connecting portion 320 to the diameter of the pressure relief hole can be set to values ​​such as 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.5.

[0042] The pressure relief holes in this embodiment are circular or square, for example, circular pressure relief holes, which can be adapted to cylindrical cells and can accommodate more cylindrical cells on a limited cell support. Of course, the operator can also set the pressure relief holes to other shapes, which will not be detailed here.

[0043] In this embodiment, the resin member 300 and one of the glass fiber 100 and the carbon fiber 200 are formed by injection molding, and the injection molding temperature can be set to 225° C. to 250° C.

[0044] As shown in FIG1 , the pressure relief holes in this embodiment are arranged in multiple rows, and the pressure relief holes in two adjacent rows are staggered. This allows more pressure relief holes to be arranged on a cell holder of a certain size, thereby increasing the energy density of the battery pack and saving costs.

[0045] As shown in Figures 3 and 6, this embodiment provides a method for preparing a cell support, which is used to prepare the above-mentioned cell support. The method for preparing the cell support includes:

[0046] Lay out the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 and set it up on the work surface;

[0047] The operator can use existing automated equipment to lay out the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 and set it on the work surface to ensure that there is a gap between the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 and the work surface.

[0048] A first pressure relief hole 110 is prepared on the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200;

[0049] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the operator can use the concave-convex mold to squeeze part of the glass fiber 100 or part of the carbon fiber 200 to form the first pressure relief hole 110. The single hole squeezing pressure applied by the concave-convex mold to the glass fiber 100 and carbon fiber 200 can be set between 10N and 100N.

[0050] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, workers can also use a cutting die to cut off part of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 to form the first pressure relief hole 110. Whether using a concave-convex mold or a cutting die to process the first pressure relief hole 110, the first pressure relief hole 110 can be formed on the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. Therefore, there is no need to use additional machining equipment to process the first pressure relief hole 110 in the later stage when the battery cell bracket is completed as a component, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs.

[0051] It is understandable that the above-mentioned concave and convex molds and knife molds are all conventional parts, and their structures and working principles will not be described in detail here.

[0052] In this embodiment, the glass fiber 100 is formed by arranging a plurality of glass fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of glass fiber strips are the same; or, the carbon fiber 200 is formed by arranging a plurality of carbon fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of carbon fiber strips are the same.

[0053] In this embodiment, two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are spaced apart, and the spacing is set to be between 0mm and 2cm. For example, the spacing can be set to 0mm, 5mm, 1cm, 2cm, and so on. In other words, there can be a spacing between two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips, or zero spacing can be set, which can improve the flexibility of the layout of the glass fiber strips or carbon fiber strips, and the operators can flexibly arrange the glass fiber strips and carbon fiber strips according to actual needs. When there is a spacing between two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips, this can reduce the number of glass fiber strips or carbon fiber strips, thereby saving costs and making the battery holder lightweight; when there is zero spacing between two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips, this can improve the mechanical strength of the battery holder and extend its service life.

[0054] In this embodiment, two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are arranged at equal intervals, which can improve the stress condition of the battery cell holder, make the battery cell holder stress-bearing uniform, and avoid stress concentration.

[0055] The resin is injected into the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200; since there is a gap between the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 and the work surface, this ensures that the resin can flow to the bottom of the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200, thereby allowing the resin to fully cover the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the battery cell holder, and also avoiding the low strength of the battery cell holder caused by the exposure of the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200.

[0056] The resin is injected into the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200, and the resin is heated to a molten state, and a boss 330 is processed on the inner wall of the pressure relief hole through a boss mold, as shown in Figure 7. At this time, the molten resin and the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 are mixed into one and form a second pressure relief hole 310 at the position of the first pressure relief hole 110. At this time, the first pressure relief hole 110 and the second pressure relief hole 310 are jointly arranged to form a pressure relief hole set to support the cylindrical battery cell. The hollowed-out position in the pressure relief hole is the pressure relief position of the cylindrical battery cell when thermal runaway occurs. There is no glass fiber 100 and carbon fiber 200 here; the boss 330 of the pressure relief hole and the connecting portion 320 on the resin part 300 both have glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. It can be understood that the boss mold in this embodiment is a conventional component, and its structure and working principle will not be described in detail here.

[0057] In this embodiment, the ratio of the injected volume of the resin to the volume of the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 is 5:1 to 20:1, thereby improving the mechanical strength of the battery cell bracket while ensuring good fusion of the resin and the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200 and avoiding exposure of the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200.

[0058] For example, the ratio of the injected resin volume to the volume of the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 can be set to 5:1, 10:1, 15:1, 20:1, etc. When the ratio is less than 5:1, the glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200 may be exposed, reducing the mechanical strength of the battery cell holder. When the ratio is greater than 20:1, the thickness of the prepared battery cell holder is too thick, which not only wastes the cost of the resin, but also takes up additional volume inside the battery pack, which is not conducive to improving the energy density of the battery pack.

[0059] In this embodiment, the resin heating temperature is set to between 225° C. and 250° C. Since the melting temperature of the glass fiber 100 is between 700° C. and 900° C., and the melting temperature of the carbon fiber 200 is generally above 2500° C., setting the resin heating temperature to between 225° C. and 250° C. not only ensures that the resin can be melted and integrally formed with the glass fiber 100 or the carbon fiber 200, but also ensures that the glass fiber 100 and the carbon fiber 200 are not damaged, thereby saving energy and improving work efficiency.

[0060] The above-described cell holder preparation method is simple and is formed by integrally injection-molding a resin with glass fiber 100 or carbon fiber 200. This method can be used to form large-sized cell holders, eliminating the need for conventional splicing processes, thereby improving work efficiency and saving costs. Furthermore, the cell holder in this embodiment has high mechanical strength, which can extend its service life.

[0061] This embodiment also provides a battery pack, which includes a cylindrical battery cell and the aforementioned battery cell holder, wherein the cylindrical battery cell is disposed on the battery cell holder, wherein the battery cell holder is provided with a plurality of pressure relief holes, wherein the cylindrical battery cells are provided in a plurality, and each cylindrical battery cell is disposed in a corresponding pressure relief hole.

[0062] Since the battery pack has the battery cell bracket, the battery pack has the characteristics of high processing efficiency, high strength and low cost.

[0063] This embodiment further provides an electrical device, which includes the battery pack described above and has the characteristics of high processing efficiency, high strength, and low cost.

Claims

1. A battery cell support, comprising: A substrate and a coating layer coated on the outside of the substrate; The substrate comprises glass fiber (100) or carbon fiber (200); a first pressure relief hole (110) is provided on the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200); The coating layer comprises a resin part (300); a second pressure relief hole (310) is provided on the resin part (300); the first pressure relief hole (110) and the second pressure relief hole (310) overlap with each other to form a pressure relief hole configured to support a cylindrical battery cell.

2. The battery cell support according to claim 1, wherein: The pressure relief holes are provided in plurality, the plurality of pressure relief holes are arranged in an array, and the pressure relief holes penetrate through two opposite sides of the battery cell support.

3. The battery cell support according to claim 2, wherein a connecting portion (320) is provided between two adjacent pressure relief holes, and the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is provided inside the connecting portion (320).

4. The battery cell support according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: A boss (330) is protruding from the inner wall of the pressure relief hole, and the boss (330) is configured to support the cylindrical battery core; the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is contained inside the boss (330).

5. The battery cell support according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The glass fiber (100) is formed by arranging a plurality of glass fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of glass fiber strips are all the same; or, the carbon fiber (200) is formed by arranging a plurality of carbon fiber strips, and the extension directions of the plurality of carbon fiber strips are all the same.

6. The battery cell support according to claim 5, wherein: Two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are arranged at an interval, and the interval is set between 0 mm and 2 cm.

7. The battery cell support according to claim 6, wherein: Two adjacent glass fiber strips or two adjacent carbon fiber strips are arranged at equal intervals.

8. A method for preparing a battery cell support, for preparing the battery cell support according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the method for preparing the battery cell support comprising: Lay the glass fiber (100) or carbon fiber (200) flat and set it on a work surface; Preparing a first pressure relief hole (110) on the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200); injecting resin into the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200); The resin is dried to form a battery cell support.

9. The method for preparing a battery cell support according to claim 8, wherein: The step of preparing the first pressure relief hole (110) on the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) comprises: Using a concave-convex mold to squeeze apart a portion of the glass fibers (100) or a portion of the carbon fibers (200) to form a first pressure relief hole (110); Alternatively, a portion of the glass fiber (100) or a portion of the carbon fiber (200) is cut by a knife die to form a first pressure relief hole (110).

10. The method for preparing a battery cell support according to claim 8, wherein: The step of injecting resin into the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) comprises: Resin is injected onto the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200), and the resin is heated to a molten state, and a boss (330) is machined on the inner wall of the pressure relief hole using a boss mold.

11. The method for preparing a battery cell support according to claim 10, wherein: The step of injecting resin into the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) further comprises: The ratio of the injected volume of the resin to the volume of the glass fiber (100) or the carbon fiber (200) is 5:1 to 20:

1.

12. The method for preparing a battery cell support according to claim 10, wherein: The heating temperature range of the resin is set to 225°C~250°C.

13. A battery pack, comprising a cylindrical battery cell and a battery cell holder according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cylindrical battery cell is arranged on the battery cell holder.

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