Top cover support frame, top cover assembly, and battery

Abstract

The present application discloses a top cover support frame, a top cover assembly, and a battery. The top cover support frame is applied to a battery provided with a liquid injection hole. The top cover support frame comprises a support plate and a first protrusion. The support plate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and the first protrusion projects from the first surface. The top cover support frame is provided with a buffer recess and a liquid passage hole at least penetrating a side wall of the buffer recess. The buffer recess is partially arranged on the first protrusion and an opening thereof passes through the second surface. A bottom wall of the buffer recess is disposed opposite to the liquid injection hole.

Description

Top cover bracket, top cover assembly and battery

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202420288200.0, filed on February 7, 2024, the entire contents of which 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 top cover bracket, a top cover assembly and a battery. Background Art

[0003] A lithium battery typically consists of a housing, bare cells, and a top cover assembly. The bare cells are located within the housing, and the top cover assembly is located at the housing opening to achieve sealing and electrical connection to the bare cells. The top cover assembly includes a plain aluminum sheet and a plastic bracket. The plastic bracket is located on the inner surface of the plain aluminum sheet. The plain aluminum sheet has an injection hole, and the plastic bracket has a corresponding liquid passage hole. Electrolyte can be injected into the housing through this injection hole and the liquid passage hole.

[0004] However, the existing top cover assembly's injection and liquid-pass holes are simple through-hole structures, causing the electrolyte to directly impact the bare cell during injection. In particular, when injection parameters fluctuate, the electrolyte can impact the bare cell's diaphragm, leading to electrode overlap and short circuits in severe impacts. Technical issues

[0005] The main purpose of this application is to provide a top cover bracket, which aims to weaken the impact of electrolyte injection on the bare battery cell, thereby improving the production yield of the battery. Technical Solutions

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the top cover bracket proposed in this application is applied to a battery, wherein the battery is provided with a liquid injection hole, and the top cover bracket comprises:

[0007] a bracket plate having opposing first and second surfaces; and

[0008] The first convex portion is protruding from the first surface, the top cover bracket is provided with a buffer groove and a liquid hole that at least passes through the side wall of the buffer groove, the buffer groove is partially provided on the first convex portion and the groove opening passes through the second surface, and the bottom wall of the buffer groove is arranged opposite to the liquid injection hole.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first surface is the inner surface of the support plate and is arranged close to the bare cell of the battery. The side wall of the buffer tank includes a first wall segment and a second wall segment. The first wall segment is connected between the second wall segment and the support plate, and the second wall segment is connected to the bottom wall of the buffer tank.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first wall segments are arranged gradually closer to the center in a direction approaching the second wall segment.

[0011] In one embodiment, the angle between the first wall segment and the central axis of the buffer groove is 110° to 160°.

[0012] In one embodiment, the liquid-through hole penetrates both the second wall section and the bottom wall of the buffer tank.

[0013] In one embodiment, the ratio of the height of the liquid-passing hole to the depth of the buffer tank is 30% to 70%.

[0014] In one embodiment, a plurality of the liquid passage holes are provided, and the plurality of the liquid passage holes are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the buffer tank.

[0015] In one embodiment, the top cover bracket further includes a second protrusion protruding from the first surface, the inner surface of the second protrusion protrudes from the inner surface of the first protrusion and is used to abut against the bare battery cell.

[0016] In one embodiment, the notch of the buffer groove is arranged opposite to the injection hole, and the width of the notch of the buffer groove is greater than the diameter of the injection hole.

[0017] The present application also proposes a top cover assembly, comprising a top cover body and the aforementioned top cover bracket, wherein the top cover bracket is arranged on the top cover body, and the top cover body is provided with a liquid injection hole.

[0018] The present application also proposes a battery, comprising a shell, a bare cell and the aforementioned top cover assembly, wherein the shell has an installation cavity and an installation opening connected to the installation cavity, the bare cell is arranged in the installation cavity, and the top cover assembly is sealed on the installation opening.

[0019] In one embodiment, the battery further includes a sealing pin, which is inserted into the liquid injection hole and has an end portion extending into the buffer groove, and a bottom wall of the buffer groove is arranged opposite to the sealing pin. Beneficial effects

[0020] In the technical solution of this application, the top cover bracket is provided with a buffer groove and a liquid hole corresponding to the injection hole. When the electrolyte is injected into the installation cavity through the injection hole, the electrolyte will be blocked by the bottom wall of the buffer groove opposite to the injection hole and cannot flow directly into the installation cavity. Instead, it flows through the liquid hole located on the side wall of the buffer groove before it can flow into the installation cavity. In this way, it can avoid the electrolyte directly impacting the bare battery cell and the problem of electrode overlap and short circuit in severe impact, thereby improving the production yield of the battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0022] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a top cover assembly of the present application;

[0023] FIG2 is a bottom view of the top cover bracket in FIG1 ;

[0024] FIG3 is a cross-sectional view of the top cover bracket shown in FIG2 ;

[0025] FIG4 is a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG3 ;

[0026] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the top cover bracket of the present application.

[0027] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0028] Reference numerals Reference numerals 10 Top cover bracket 142 Second wall section 11 Bracket plate 15 Liquid hole 12 First protrusion 20 Top cover body 13 Second protrusion 21 Liquid injection hole 14 Buffer tank 30 Pole 141 First wall section

[0029] The realization of the objectives, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present application (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0032] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "connection" and "fixation" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can mean fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0033] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing throughout the text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme in which A and B are satisfied at the same time. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement it. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0034] A lithium battery typically consists of a housing, bare cells, and a top cover assembly. The bare cells are located within the housing, and the top cover assembly is located at the housing opening to achieve sealing and electrical connection to the bare cells. The top cover assembly includes a plain aluminum sheet and a plastic bracket. The plastic bracket is located on the inner surface of the plain aluminum sheet. The plain aluminum sheet has an injection hole, and the plastic bracket has a corresponding liquid passage hole. Electrolyte can be injected into the housing through this injection hole and the liquid passage hole.

[0035] However, the existing top cover assembly's injection and liquid-pass holes are simple through-hole structures, causing the electrolyte to directly impact the bare cell during injection. In particular, when injection parameters fluctuate, the electrolyte can impact the bare cell's diaphragm, leading to electrode overlap and short circuits in severe impacts.

[0036] In view of this, the present application proposes a top cover bracket, which is applied to the top cover assembly of the battery. The battery includes a shell and a bare cell. The shell has an installation cavity and an installation opening connected to the installation cavity. The bare cell is arranged in the installation cavity, and the top cover assembly is sealed on the installation opening; please refer to Figures 1 to 3. The top cover assembly includes a top cover body 20, a pole 30 and a connecting piece (the structure of the connecting piece is not shown in the accompanying drawings, but the installation position of the connecting piece is indicated by a hatched line in Figure 2). One end of the pole 30 is exposed on the outer surface of the top cover assembly. The connecting piece is arranged on the inner surface of the top cover bracket 10 and is used to connect the pole 30 and the bare cell. The top cover body 20 is provided with a liquid injection hole 21, and the top cover bracket 10 is arranged on the inner surface of the top cover body 20.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , in one embodiment of the present application, the top cover bracket 10 includes:

[0038] a support plate 11 having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other; and

[0039] The first protrusion 12 is protruding from the first surface of the bracket plate 11. The top cover bracket 10 is provided with a buffer groove 14 and a liquid hole 15 that at least passes through the side wall of the buffer groove 14. The buffer groove 14 is partially provided on the first protrusion 12 and the groove opening passes through the second surface of the bracket plate 11. The bottom wall of the buffer groove 14 is arranged opposite to the liquid injection hole 21.

[0040] In this application, the top cover bracket 10 is provided with a buffer groove 14 and a liquid flow hole 15 corresponding to the liquid injection hole 21. When the electrolyte is injected into the installation cavity through the liquid injection hole 21, the electrolyte will be blocked by the bottom wall of the buffer groove 14 opposite the liquid injection hole 21 and cannot flow directly into the installation cavity. Instead, it flows through the liquid flow hole 15 located on the side wall of the buffer groove 14 before flowing into the installation cavity. This can prevent the electrolyte from directly impacting the bare battery cell, which could cause electrode overlap and short circuit in severe impact, thereby improving the production yield of the battery.

[0041] In one embodiment, referring to Figures 3 and 4, the first surface is the inner surface of the bracket plate 11 and is disposed near the bare cells of the battery. That is, the first protrusion 12 is disposed on the inner surface of the bracket plate 11, and the notch of the buffer groove 14 passes through the outer surface of the bracket plate 11 and is disposed facing the injection hole 21. In this way, the first protrusion 12 can utilize the space of the mounting cavity without occupying the external space of the top cover bracket 10, which is beneficial for reducing the outer contour size and volume of the battery. At this time, when the electrolyte is injected into the mounting cavity through the injection hole 21, the electrolyte will first flow into the buffer groove 14 through the notch of the buffer groove 14, and will be blocked by the bottom wall of the buffer groove 14, and will turn to flow through the liquid hole 15, and finally flow into the mounting cavity through the liquid hole 15.

[0042] Of course, referring to Figure 5 , in another embodiment, the second surface may be the inner surface of the support plate 11 and disposed proximate to the bare battery cells. That is, the first protrusion 12 may be disposed on the outer surface of the support plate 11, and the notch of the buffer tank 14 may extend through the inner surface of the support plate 11 and be disposed away from the injection hole 21. In this case, when the electrolyte is injected into the mounting cavity through the injection hole 21, the electrolyte will first strike the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14, bypass the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14, flow through the liquid hole 15, and then flow into the buffer tank 14 through the liquid hole 15, and finally flow into the mounting cavity through the notch of the buffer tank 14.

[0043] It should be noted that the inner surface of the above-mentioned part or structure refers to the surface of the part or structure facing the installation cavity of the shell when the battery assembly production is completed. For example, the inner surface of the top cover bracket 10 is located in the installation cavity.

[0044] Specifically, the connecting piece is provided with a clearance opening corresponding to the first protrusion 12 so that the connecting piece can be installed from the inside outward on the inner surface of the bracket plate 11. In one embodiment, the sidewalls of the buffer groove 14 include a first wall section 141 and a second wall section 142. The first wall section 141 is connected between the second wall section 142 and the bracket plate 11, and the second wall section 142 is connected to the bottom wall of the buffer groove 14.

[0045] In one embodiment, the first wall section 141 is arranged to gradually approach the center in the direction close to the second wall section 142. That is, in the direction in which the top cover assembly is installed into the installation opening, the cross-sectional width of the buffer groove 14 area defined by the first wall section 141 is gradually reduced. In this way, since the cross-sectional width of the second wall section 142 is smaller than the cross-sectional width of the first wall section 141, the second wall section 142 can avoid the connecting piece well during the installation process of the connecting piece, making it easier for the connecting piece to be installed on the inner surface of the bracket plate 11 from the inside to the outside, thereby improving the installation convenience of the connecting piece. Of course, in other embodiments, the cross-sections of the first wall section 141 and the second wall section 142 can be arranged to be the same, or the first wall section 141 can be arranged to gradually move away from the center in the direction close to the second wall section 142.

[0046] In one embodiment, the angle between the first wall segment 141 and the central axis of the buffer tank 14 is β, and the value of β is 110° to 160°. The angle β within this value range can enable the first wall segment 141 to play a better guiding role when the electrolyte is injected, thereby improving the smoothness of the flow of the electrolyte in the buffer tank 14. It can be understood that if the angle β is too small, the first wall segment 141 will play a great obstructive role when the electrolyte is injected, thereby significantly affecting the fluidity of the electrolyte. If the angle β is too large, the cross-sectional width of the first wall segment 141 changes slowly, which is not conducive to reducing the cross-sectional width of the second wall segment 142. Preferably, β is 130° to 150°.

[0047] In one embodiment, the liquid passage hole 15 extends through both the second wall section 142 and the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14. This facilitates the processing and forming of the liquid passage hole 15, and the liquid passage hole 15 is closer to the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14, which facilitates smoother flow of electrolyte from the buffer tank 14 into the liquid passage hole 15 during injection. Of course, in other embodiments, the liquid passage hole 15 may be provided on the first wall section 141, or a portion of the liquid passage hole 15 may be provided on the first wall section 141 and the other portion may be provided on the second wall section 142.

[0048] In one embodiment, multiple liquid passage holes 15 are provided, spaced apart along the circumference of the second wall segment 142. This, through the multiple small-diameter liquid passage holes 15, can further disperse and weaken the impact force when the electrolyte is injected into the mounting cavity, thereby improving the electrolyte infiltration efficiency. The embodiment shown in FIG2 has four liquid passage holes 15, which are evenly spaced apart, and the central angle corresponding to each liquid passage hole 15 is approximately 90°. Of course, in other embodiments, only one or two liquid passage holes 15 may be provided.

[0049] Specifically, the cross-sectional shape of the buffer tank 14 can be circular, elliptical, triangular, square, or other polygonal, and this application does not impose any specific limitation thereto. For example, in an embodiment where the cross-sectional shape of the buffer tank 14 is triangular, three liquid-passing holes 15 are provided, and are respectively arranged corresponding to the three sides of the triangle.

[0050] To ensure a large flow cross-sectional area for the liquid-passing hole 15, the ratio of the height of the liquid-passing hole 15 to the depth of the buffer tank 14 is 30% to 70%. That is, the ratio of H1 to H2 shown in Figure 4 is 30% to 70%. Preferably, the ratio of the height of the liquid-passing hole 15 to the depth of the buffer tank 14 is 45% to 65%.

[0051] In one embodiment, the top cover bracket 10 further includes a second protrusion 13 projecting from the first surface (i.e., inner surface) of the bracket plate 11. The inner surface of the second protrusion 13 protrudes beyond the inner surface of the first protrusion 12 and is configured to abut against the bare cell. That is, in the direction in which the top cover assembly is inserted into the mounting opening, the inner surface of the second protrusion 13 is higher than the inner surface of the first protrusion 12. In this manner, the abutment of the second protrusion 13 against the bare cell enables positioning and restraining of the bare cell, allowing the bare cell to maintain its relative position within the mounting cavity. Furthermore, the inner surface of the first protrusion 12 is spaced apart from the bare cell, preventing the impact force acting on the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14 during electrolyte injection from being directly transmitted to the bare cell, thereby facilitating the positional stability of the bare cell. Of course, in other embodiments, the inner surface of the first protrusion 12 and the inner surface of the second protrusion 13 may be flush, or the inner surface of the first protrusion 12 may protrude beyond the inner surface of the second protrusion 13.

[0052] In one embodiment, the opening of the buffer tank 14 is positioned opposite the injection hole 21, and the width of the opening of the buffer tank 14 is greater than the diameter of the injection hole 21. This allows the electrolyte to flow more smoothly from the injection hole 21 into the buffer tank 14, thereby improving the smoothness and stability of the electrolyte flow. Of course, in other embodiments, the opening of the buffer tank 14 and the injection hole 21 may be spaced apart in the length direction of the top cover bracket 10 (i.e., the Y direction as shown in Figure 1), or the width of the opening of the buffer tank 14 may be less than or equal to the diameter of the injection hole 21.

[0053] In one embodiment, the battery further includes a sealing pin (not shown in the drawings), which is sealingly inserted into the injection hole 21, and the end of the sealing pin extends into the buffer tank 14, and the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14 is arranged opposite to the sealing pin. In this way, after the electrolyte injection is completed, the injection hole 21 is sealed with a sealing pin, and the volume of the buffer tank 14 is used to accommodate the end of the sealing pin. The structure is simple and easy to implement. Secondly, since the bottom wall of the buffer tank 14 is aligned with the sealing pin, the problem of the sealing pin falling into the interior of the shell can be avoided. Furthermore, the width dimension D of the buffer tank 14 corresponding to the second wall section 142 is ≥1.5mm, for example, D is 3mm or 4mm.

[0054] This application also proposes a top cover assembly, which includes a top cover body and a top cover bracket. The specific structure of the top cover bracket refers to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since this top cover assembly adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described in detail here. The top cover bracket is provided on the top cover body, and the top cover body is provided with a liquid injection hole.

[0055] This application also proposes a battery, including a housing, a bare cell, and a top cover assembly. The top cover assembly includes a top cover body and a top cover bracket. The specific structure of the top cover bracket refers to the above embodiment. Since this top cover assembly adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here. Among them, the battery includes a housing and a bare cell, the housing has a mounting cavity and a mounting opening connected to the mounting cavity, the bare cell is arranged in the mounting cavity, and the top cover assembly is sealed on the mounting opening.

[0056] The above description is merely an optional embodiment of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. All equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present application, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A top cover bracket, applied to a battery, wherein the battery is provided with a liquid injection hole, wherein: The top cover bracket comprises: a bracket plate having opposing first and second surfaces; and The first convex portion is protruding from the first surface, the top cover bracket is provided with a buffer groove and a liquid hole that at least passes through the side wall of the buffer groove, the buffer groove is partially provided on the first convex portion and the groove opening passes through the second surface, and the bottom wall of the buffer groove is arranged opposite to the liquid injection hole.

2. The top cover bracket according to claim 1, wherein: The first surface is the inner surface of the bracket plate and is arranged close to the bare cell of the battery. The side wall of the buffer groove includes a first wall segment and a second wall segment. The first wall segment is connected between the second wall segment and the bracket plate, and the second wall segment is connected to the bottom wall of the buffer groove. 3 . The top cover bracket according to claim 2 , wherein the first protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the bracket plate, and the notch of the buffer groove passes through the outer surface of the bracket plate and is provided facing the liquid injection hole.

4. The top cover bracket according to claim 2, wherein: The first wall segments are arranged gradually closer to the center in a direction approaching the second wall segment.

5. The top cover bracket according to claim 4, wherein: An included angle between the first wall segment and the central axis of the buffer groove is 110° to 160°.

6. The top cover bracket according to claim 2, wherein: The liquid-through hole simultaneously penetrates the second wall section and the bottom wall of the buffer tank.

7. The top cover bracket according to claim 2, wherein: The notch of the buffer groove is arranged opposite to the liquid injection hole, and the width of the notch of the buffer groove is greater than the aperture of the liquid injection hole.

8. The top cover bracket according to claim 2, wherein: The top cover bracket further includes a second protrusion protruding from the first surface, wherein the inner surface of the second protrusion protrudes from the inner surface of the first protrusion and is used to abut against the bare battery cell.

9. The roof support according to claim 1, wherein: The ratio of the height of the liquid-passing hole to the depth of the buffer tank is 30% to 70%.

10. The roof support according to claim 1, wherein: There are a plurality of liquid passage holes, and the plurality of liquid passage holes are distributed at intervals along the circumference of the buffer tank.

11. The roof support according to claim 1, wherein: The second surface is the inner surface of the bracket plate and is arranged close to the bare cell of the battery. The side wall of the buffer groove includes a first wall segment and a second wall segment. The first wall segment is connected between the second wall segment and the bracket plate, and the second wall segment is connected to the bottom wall of the buffer groove.

12. The roof support according to claim 11, wherein: The first protrusion is arranged on the outer surface of the bracket plate, and the notch of the buffer groove passes through the inner surface of the bracket plate and is arranged away from the liquid injection hole.

13. A top cover assembly, comprising a top cover body and a top cover bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the top cover bracket is arranged on the top cover body, and the top cover body is provided with a liquid injection hole.

14. A battery comprising a shell, a bare cell and a top cover assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the shell has a mounting cavity and a mounting opening connected to the mounting cavity, the bare cell is arranged in the mounting cavity, and the top cover assembly is sealed on the mounting opening.

15. The battery according to claim 14, wherein The battery further comprises a sealing pin, which is inserted into the liquid injection hole and has an end portion extending into the buffer groove, and a groove bottom wall of the buffer groove is arranged opposite to the sealing pin.

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