Battery module

Abstract

The present application provides a battery module. The battery module comprises a battery assembly and a restraint assembly. The restraint assembly comprises side plates and elastic members, the side plates are attached to the battery assembly, each side plate comprises a first arc surface facing away from the battery assembly, and the first arc surface is arranged to be bent towards the battery assembly. Each elastic member comprises a connecting portion and two clamping portions, and the two clamping portions are oppositely arranged on two sides of the connecting portion; and the two clamping portions clamp two opposite sides of the battery assembly, each side plate is arranged between one of the clamping portions and the battery assembly, and at least one clamping portion is arranged to be bent from the connecting portion towards the battery assembly and abuts against the first arc surface.

Description

Battery module

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410782380.2, filed on June 17, 2024, to the Chinese Patent Office, the whole content of the above application being incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of batteries, in particular to a battery module. BACKGROUND

[0003] The thickness of a battery slightly increases when charging and slightly decreases when discharging. This regular increase and decrease in the thickness of the battery is referred to as the "breathing effect" of the battery. Due to the "deep breathing effect" of the single battery in the free state during the charging and discharging process, on the one hand, it is not conducive to the charging and discharging cycle, and a restraining force needs to be applied in the thickness direction of the single battery to ensure the cycle, on the other hand, the "deep breathing effect" of the single battery will cause the uneven expansion of the thickness of the single battery, resulting in the sliding phenomenon between the single batteries, leading to the deformation of the battery.

[0004] To cope with the "breathing effect" of the battery, in the related art, a plurality of batteries are stacked in the thickness direction and then bound using a steel plastic belt. SUMMARY

[0005] However, due to the structural design of the steel plastic belt and its own material properties, the effect of the steel plastic belt in inhibiting the deformation of the battery when coping with the "deep breathing effect" is not ideal.

[0006] The present application provides a battery module which can generate a continuous, stable and larger resisting force to inhibit the expansion deformation of the battery.

[0007] The present application provides a battery module, comprising: a battery assembly;

[0008] a restraining assembly comprising a side plate and an elastic piece,

[0009] The side plate is attached to the battery assembly, and the side plate comprises a first curved surface facing away from the battery assembly, which is curved towards the battery assembly;

[0010] The elastic piece comprises a connecting portion and two clamping portions, and the two clamping portions are oppositely arranged on the two sides of the connecting portion. The two clamping portions clamp the opposite sides of the battery assembly, the side plate is arranged between one of the clamping portions and the battery assembly, and at least one of the clamping portions is curved towards the battery assembly and abuts against the first curved surface. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

[0011] The battery module of the present application, by pasting the side plate to the battery assembly, the side plate comprises a first arc surface away from the battery assembly, the first arc surface is curvedly arranged towards the direction of the battery assembly, the two clamping parts of the elastic member are clamped to the opposite sides of the battery assembly, at least one clamping part is curvedly arranged from the connecting part to the direction of the battery assembly, and abuts against a first arc surface. Since the bending directions of the first arc surface and the clamping part are opposite to the expansion deformation direction of the battery in the thickness direction thereof, when the battery assembly expands in the thickness direction thereof, the side plate and the elastic member can abut against the side plate under the expansion deformation of the battery assembly. Compared with the method of using a steel plastic belt to restrain the expansion deformation of the battery, the restraining assembly composed of the side plate and the elastic member can generate a continuous, stable and larger resisting force, which can more effectively play a role in restraining the expansion deformation of the battery, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the battery assembly during operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the battery module provided by the present application;

[0013] Fig. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of the battery module provided by the present application;

[0014] Fig. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the side plate provided by the present application;

[0015] Fig. 4 is a top view of the side plate provided by the present application;

[0016] Fig. 5 is a top view of the restraining assembly provided by the present application;

[0017] Fig. 6 is a partial view of the restraining assembly provided by the present application;

[0018] Fig. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of the elastic member provided by the present application;

[0019] Fig. 8 is an assembly schematic diagram between the restraining assembly and the battery assembly provided by the present application;

[0020] Fig. 9 is an exploded schematic diagram of the shell assembly provided by the present application;

[0021] Fig. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of the top cover provided by the present application;

[0022] Fig. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of the base provided by the present application;

[0023] Fig. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of the connecting piece provided by the present application;

[0024] Fig. 13 is a structural schematic diagram of the battery assembly provided by the present application.

[0025] Explanation of reference signs:

[0026] 1、battery module; 10、battery assembly; 11、battery; 111、battery body; 112、electrode; 12、carrier;

[0027] 20、binding assembly; 21、side plate; 210、hollow space; 2101、first hollow space; 2102、second hollow space; d1、first distance; d2、second distance; d3、third distance; d4、fourth distance; 211、first arc surface; 2111、arc surface middle part; 2112、arc surface side edge; 212、first plane; 2121、plane side edge; 213、first side surface; 214、second side surface; 215、first end surface; 216、second end surface; 217、reinforcing rib; 22、elastic member; 220、clamping space; 221、connecting part; 2210、through hole; 222、clamping part; 2221、base body; 2222、sub-clamping body;

[0028] 30、housing assembly; 31、top cover; 3101、first connecting hole; 3102、first notch; 311、cover body; 312、first limiting edge; 3121、first arc segment; 3122、first connecting lug; 3120、first accommodating space; 32、base; 320、second limiting space; 3201、second connecting hole; 3202、second notch; 321、seat body; 322、second limiting edge; 3221、second arc segment; 3222、second connecting lug; 3220、second accommodating space; 33、connecting member; 331、protrusion; 332、second arc surface; 333、sub-connecting body; 334、positioning groove;

[0029] 41、first insulating member; 42、second insulating member; 43、third insulating member; 44、fourth insulating member; 45、fifth insulating member; 46、sixth insulating member. Embodiments of the present application

[0030] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", "fixed" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present application, unless specifically defined and limited otherwise, the first feature is "on" or "under" the second feature can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, the first feature "on", "above" and "over" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, and the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "under", "below" and "under" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, and the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0032] In the description of the present embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back" and the like orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish in description and have no special meaning.

[0033] The present application provides a battery module. Specifically, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the battery module 1 provided by the present application, and FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of the battery module 1 provided by the present application. The battery module 1 provided by the present application includes a battery assembly 10 and a binding assembly 20. The battery assembly 10 can be used to store electrical energy and output electrical energy to a power consumption device. The binding assembly 20 can include a side plate 21 and an elastic piece 22. The side plate 21 is attached to the battery assembly 10, and the side plate 21 includes a first arc surface 211 facing away from the battery assembly 10, which is curved in the direction of the battery assembly 10. The elastic piece 22 includes a connecting portion 221 and two clamping portions 222. The two clamping portions 222 are oppositely arranged on both sides of the connecting portion 221, and the two clamping portions 222 clamp the opposite sides of the battery assembly 10. At least one clamping portion 222 is curved in the direction of the battery assembly 10 and abuts against a first arc surface 211.

[0034] In the battery module 1 of the present application, considering that the part of the single battery 11 that is most severely deformed is generally the stacking direction (or thickness direction) of the battery 11, the side plate 21 is attached to the battery assembly 10, the side plate 21 includes a first arc surface 211 facing away from the battery assembly 10, the first arc surface 211 is curved towards the battery assembly 10, the two clamping portions 222 of the elastic member 22 are clamped on the opposite sides of the battery assembly 10, at least one clamping portion 222 is curved from the connecting portion 221 towards the battery assembly 10, and abuts against a first arc surface 211. Since the bending directions of the first arc surface 211 and the clamping portion 222 are opposite to the expansion deformation direction of the battery 11 in the thickness direction, when the battery assembly 10 expands and deforms in the thickness direction, the side plate 21 and the elastic member 22 can abut against the side plate 21 under the expansion deformation of the battery assembly 10. Compared with the method of using a steel plastic belt to suppress the expansion deformation of the battery 11, the restraint assembly 20 composed of the side plate 21 and the elastic member 22 can generate a continuous, stable and larger resisting force, which can more effectively suppress the expansion deformation of the battery 11, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the battery assembly 10 during operation.

[0035] Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the side plate 21 provided by the present application, and FIG. 4 is a top view of the side plate 21 provided by the present application. In some possible implementation manners of the present application, the side plate 21 can be provided with one or two. When the side plate 21 is provided with two, the two side plates 21 can be oppositely arranged on the two sides of the battery assembly 10, and each clamping portion 222 is curved from the connecting portion 221 towards the battery assembly 10, and the two clamping portions 222 are clamped on the first arc surfaces 211 of the two side plates 21.

[0036] The present specification describes the side plate 21 with two as an example, each side plate 21 provided by the present application can include a first arc surface 211 and a first plane 212, the first arc surface 211 is arranged away from the battery assembly 10, and the first arc surface 211 can include an arc surface middle portion 2111 and two arc surface side edges 2112, the two arc surface side edges 2112 are oppositely arranged, the arc surface middle portion 2111 is located between the two arc surface side edges 2112, the first plane 212 is arranged towards the battery assembly 10, and the first plane 212 is attached to the battery assembly 10, the arc surface middle portion 2111 and the first plane 212 have a first distance d1, and the arc surface side edge 2112 and the first plane 212 have a second distance d2, the first distance d1 is less than the second distance d2.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, FIG. 5 is a top view of the binding assembly 20 provided by the present application, and FIG. 6 is a partial view of the binding assembly 20 provided by the present application. Specifically, the first arc surface 211 can have a first arc surface curvature of any suitable radial dimension, and the clamping portion 222 can have a second arc surface curvature of any suitable radial dimension that can match the first arc surface 211, the first arc surface curvature being greater than the second arc surface curvature, and as viewed from one end of the side plate, the projection of the first arc surface 211 is an arc edge, the projection of the first flat surface 212 is a straight edge, and the portion between the two ends of the arc edge is curved towards the straight edge, thereby making the thickness of the first arc surface 211 and the first flat surface 212 uneven, in other words, the thickness of the side plate 21 gradually decreases from the arc surface side edge 2112 to the arc surface middle portion 2111, so that the thickness of the side plate 21 is the greatest at the arc surface side edge 2112 and the smallest at the arc surface middle portion 2111. The battery assembly 10 includes a plurality of single batteries stacked, and two side plates 21 are oppositely arranged at the two ends of the battery assembly 10 along the stacking direction, and when the battery assembly 10 has a "deep breathing" effect, the two side plates 21 can move away from each other under the bulging deformation of the battery assembly 10, and at the same time, the two clamping portions 222 are elastically deformed to generate elastic force, and as the battery assembly 10 continues to bulge, the two side plates 21 and the two clamping portions 222 also continue to move away from each other, and in this process, the two clamping portions 222 continuously accumulate elastic potential energy and convert it into gradually increasing elastic force, and the two side plates 21 are tightly attached to the two sides of the battery assembly 10 under the elastic force of the two clamping portions 222, thereby effectively suppressing the bulging deformation of the battery assembly 10. The possible implementation of the present application designs the surface of the side plate 21 away from the battery assembly 10 as an arc surface with a preset radial dimension, compared with the side plate 21 with both sides being flat, the side plate 21 of the present application with one side being arc and the other side being flat will have stronger pressure bearing capacity, and the clamping portion 222 is designed to match the arc shape of the side plate 21, compared with the steel belt in the related art, the elastic member 22 provided by the present application can accumulate more elastic potential energy and thus generate greater elastic force acting on the side plate 21, thereby when the battery assembly 10 has a bulging deformation, the side plate 21 can be stressed, and at the same time, the elastic member 22 can generate greater elastic force acting on the side plate 21, thereby better suppressing the bulging of the battery assembly 10.

[0038] Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a structural schematic diagram of the elastic member 22 provided by the present application. In some possible implementation manners, the third distance d3 between the arc side 2112 and the connecting portion 221, and the fourth distance d4 between the planar side 2121 close to the connecting portion 221 and the connecting portion 221, the third distance d3 is greater than the fourth distance d4. In other words, from the direction perpendicular to the first arc surface 211, the first arc surface 211 is located within the projection range of the first planar surface 212, and the two arc sides 2112 of the first arc surface 211 are located between the two planar sides 2121 of the first planar surface 212. Compared with the design that the two arc sides 2112 are aligned with the two planar sides 2121 and are close to the connecting portion 221, the possible implementation manner of the present application sets the two arc sides 2112 of the first arc surface 211 to be farther away from the connecting portion 221 than the two planar sides 2121 of the first planar surface 212, which can reduce the amount of material required for forming the side plate 21, thereby achieving lightweight design of the side plate 21 and ultimately reducing the overall weight of the battery module 1.

[0039] Please continue to refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the side plate 21 can further include a first side surface 213 facing the connecting portion 221 and a second side surface 214 opposite to the first side surface 213, the first side surface 213 can be bent towards the direction of the second side surface 214, the second side surface 214 can be bent towards the direction of the first side surface 213, the first side surface 213 connects one side of the first arc surface 211 and the first planar surface 212, and the second side surface 214 connects the other side of the first arc surface 211 and the first planar surface 212. The first side surface 213 and the second side surface 214 can be arc surfaces with a preset radial dimension, and the present application does not make specific limitation on the radial dimension of the first side surface 213 and the second side surface 214. By designing the first side surface 213 and the second side surface 214 to be concave in the direction of approaching each other, one of the advantages is to facilitate the lightweight design of the side plate 21, thereby reducing the overall weight of the battery module 1, and another advantage is that when the side plate 21 is pressed, the first side surface 213 and the second side surface 214 can be effectively prevented from protruding towards the connecting portion 221 due to the deformation of the side plate 21, thereby preventing the interference between the side plate 21 and the connecting portion 221. In order to reduce stress concentration, the first side surface 213 can be bently connected with the first arc surface 211 and the first planar surface 212, and / or the second side surface 214 can be bently connected with the first arc surface 211 and the first planar surface 212, and / or the clamping portion 222 can be bently connected with the connecting portion 221. One of the advantages of this design is that it can reduce the damage of some sides of the side plate 21 and the elastic member 22 caused by stress concentration, thereby improving the structural strength of the side plate 21 and the elastic member 22.

[0040] The side plate 21 can further include oppositely arranged first and second end faces 215 and 216, the first end face 215 connecting the first and second side faces 213 and 214, and the second end face 216 connecting the first and second side faces 213 and 214. The side plate 21 is provided with a hollow space 210 extending from the first end face 215 to the second end face 216 to pass through the side plate 21. Thus, the side plate 21 can be further designed to be lightweight, thereby reducing the overall weight of the battery module 1.

[0041] To avoid weakening the structural strength of the side plate 21 due to the design of the hollow space 210, the side plate 21 can further include a reinforcing rib 217 connected between the arc middle portion 2111 and the middle portion of the first plane 212. In this case, the hollow space 210 can be divided into two subspaces by the reinforcing rib 217, that is, the hollow space 210 includes first and second hollow spaces 2101 and 2102 located on both sides of the reinforcing rib 217 and isolated from each other. Specifically, the side plate 21 has a plurality of wall bodies surrounding the hollow space 210, and the reinforcing rib 217 connects two opposite wall bodies in the hollow space 210. To make the structural strength of the side plate 21 consistent, the wall thickness of each wall body can be uniform or tend to be uniform.

[0042] Please refer to FIG. 8, which is an assembly diagram between the binding assembly 20 and the battery assembly 10 provided by the present application. The elastic member 22 provided by the present application can be made of steel or other suitable materials. The elastic member 22 can include a connecting portion 221 and two clamping portions 222, which are oppositely arranged on both sides of the connecting portion 221. The two clamping portions 222 form a clamping space 220 capable of accommodating the battery assembly 10. During the assembly of the elastic member 22 and the battery assembly 10, the battery assembly 10 provided with the side plate 21 on both sides can be accommodated in the clamping space 220 so as to be clamped between the two clamping portions 222. When the battery assembly 10 expands in the thickness direction of the battery 11 due to the breathing effect, the two clamping portions 222 will be gradually separated in the direction away from each other as the battery assembly 10 expands. In this process, the elastic potential energy is continuously accumulated between the two clamping portions 222, and at the same time, the two clamping portions 222 generate a continuous springback force acting on the side plate 21. In some possible implementation manners, the connecting portion 221 can be provided with a through hole 2210 penetrating the connecting portion 221 in the thickness direction of the connecting portion 221. The through hole 2210 can be designed to be of any suitable size and any suitable shape according to specific conditions. Each clamping portion 222 can include a base body 2221 and a plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222. One side of the base body 2221 is connected to the connecting portion 221, and the other side of the base body 2221 away from the connecting portion 221 is connected to the plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222. The plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222 are arranged at intervals. The other end of the sub-clamping body 2222 away from the base body 2221 elastically abuts against the arc-shaped middle portion 2111. In other words, one side of the clamping portion 222 away from the connecting portion 221 can be provided with a toothed structure. The interval between the adjacent two sub-clamping bodies 2222 can be designed to be of any suitable size according to specific conditions, which is not limited in the present application. By providing the through hole 2210 in the connecting portion 221 and the plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222 arranged at intervals on one side of the clamping portion 222, the lightweight design of the elastic member 22 is facilitated, and the overall weight of the battery module 1 is reduced.

[0043] In some possible implementation manners of the present application, the battery assembly 10, the side plate 21 and the elastic member 22 can have mutually matched heights from one end of the arc-shaped side 2112 to the other end thereof. For example, the battery assembly 10 can have a first height, the side plate 21 can have a second height, and the elastic member 22 can have a third height. The second height can be 90% to 100% of the first height, and the third height can be 80% to 100% of the second height. For example, the first height, the second height and the third height can be equal, i.e., the battery assembly 10, the side plate 21 and the elastic member 22 are arranged at the same height. Compared with the design of using a steel-plastic belt to cooperate with the side plate to suppress the battery, the design can increase the effective contact between the elastic member 22 and the side plate 21, thereby better suppressing the swelling of the battery. To further improve the effect of suppressing the deformation of the battery, the side plate 21 and the battery assembly 10 can have mutually matched widths. For example, the side plate 21 and the battery assembly 10 can have equal widths. The width of the side plate 21 refers to the direction from the first side 213 of the side plate 21 to the second side 214. In this way, the side plate 21 can effectively limit the swelling of the battery assembly 10 in the height and width directions under the resistance of the elastic member 22, thereby facilitating the uniform deformation of the battery assembly 10.

[0044] Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 8. Specifically, in some possible implementation manners of the present application, the elastic member 22 can be provided with two elastic members 22. The plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222 of one elastic member 22 and the plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222 of the other elastic member 22 are arranged alternately. Specifically, the connecting portion 221 of one elastic member 22 can be arranged towards the first side 213 of the side plate 21, and the two clamping portions 222 of one elastic member 22 can be elastically abutted on the arc-shaped middle portion 2111 of the side plate 21. Correspondingly, the connecting portion 221 of the other elastic member 22 can be arranged towards the second side 214 of the side plate 21, and the two clamping portions 222 of the other elastic member 22 can be elastically abutted on the arc-shaped middle portion 2111 of the side plate 21. In the clamping portion 222 provided with the plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222, the plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222 of one elastic member 22 and the plurality of sub-clamping bodies 2222 of the other elastic member 22 are arranged alternately on the arc-shaped middle portion 2111 of each side plate 21. In this way, the interference between the two elastic members 22 can be avoided, thereby better suppressing the swelling deformation of the battery assembly 10 or the battery.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 9-12, FIG. 9 is an exploded schematic view of the housing assembly 30 provided by the present application, FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the top cover 31 provided by the present application, FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the base 32 provided by the present application, and FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the connecting piece 33 provided by the present application. The battery module 1 provided by the present application further includes a housing assembly 30, which includes a top cover 31, a base 32, and a connecting piece 33. The top cover 31 is assembled to the top end of the battery assembly 10, the base 32 is assembled to the bottom end of the battery assembly 10, and the connecting piece 33 connects the top cover 31 and the base 32. The top cover 31 and the base 32 abut the two ends of the battery assembly 10, respectively. Specifically, in some possible implementation manners, to enable the top cover 31 and the base 32 to abut the top end and the bottom end of the battery assembly 10, respectively, after the connecting piece 33 is used to connect the top cover 31 and the base 32, the top cover 31 can include two opposite ends, each of which can be provided with a first connecting hole 3101. The base 32 can also include two opposite ends, each of which can be provided with a second connecting hole 3201. The connecting piece 33 has two opposite ends, each of which is provided with a protrusion 331. When the connecting piece 33 is used to connect the top cover 31 and the base 32, the protrusion 331 at one end of the connecting piece 33 can be inserted into the first connecting hole 3101, and the protrusion 331 at the other end of the connecting piece 33 can be inserted into the second connecting hole 3201. To further strengthen the connection, glue can be applied to the fitting parts between the protrusions 331 at the two ends of the connecting piece 33 and the top cover and the base, respectively, to form a glued joint, thereby improving the firmness of the connection. It can be understood that the connection between the top cover 31, the base 32, and the connecting piece 33 is not limited to the insertion mode, but a buckle can also be provided at each end of the connecting piece 33. The top cover 31 and the base 32 are provided with buckling openings that are adapted to the buckles, respectively. The buckles can be buckled into the buckling openings, thereby achieving effective connection between the top cover 31 and the base 32.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the top cover 31 can include a cover body 311 and a first limiting edge 312 extending along the edge of the cover body 311 in the direction of the base 32 to form a first limiting space with the cover body 311, and the top end of the battery assembly 10 is arranged in the first limiting space; the base 32 can include a base body 321 and a second limiting edge 322 extending along the edge of the base body 321 in the direction of the top cover 31 to form a second limiting space 320 with the base body 321, and the bottom end of the battery assembly 10 is arranged in the second limiting space 320. For example, the first limiting space can be a first cavity capable of fitting the top end of the battery assembly 10, and the second limiting space 320 can be a second cavity capable of fitting the bottom end of the battery assembly 10. When the top end of the battery assembly 10 is arranged in the first cavity, the top cover 31 is attached to the top end of the battery assembly 10, and at least part of the first limiting edge 312 is attached to the top end of the elastic member 22. When the bottom end of the battery assembly 10 and the end of the elastic member 22 are arranged in the second cavity, the base body 321 is attached to the bottom end of the battery assembly 10, and at least part of the second limiting edge 322 is attached to the bottom end of the elastic member 22. Thus, the expansion deformation of the battery assembly 10 in the height direction can be inhibited due to the resistance of the top cover 31 and the base 32 to the battery assembly 10, and the expansion deformation of the battery assembly 10 in other directions can be inhibited due to the action of the elastic member 22. In other words, by arranging the battery assembly 10 in the space formed by the shell assembly 30 and the restraint assembly 20, the expansion deformation of the battery assembly 10 in all directions can be effectively inhibited, thereby ensuring the safety and reliability of the battery assembly 10 during the charging and discharging cycle.

[0047] In some possible implementations, the first limiting edge 312 includes a first arc segment 3121 opposite to the first arc surface 211, the first arc segment 3121 is curved from a side away from the first arc surface 211 towards the first arc surface 211 to form a first accommodating space 3120 on a side of the first arc segment 3121 away from the side plate 21, the second limiting edge 322 includes a second arc segment 3221 opposite to the first arc surface 211, the second arc segment 3221 is curved from a side away from the first arc surface 211 towards the first arc surface 211 to form a second accommodating space 3220 on a side of the second arc segment 3221 away from the side plate 21, one end of the connecting member 33 is accommodated in the first accommodating space 3120, and the other end of the connecting member 33 is accommodated in the second accommodating space 3220. In some possible implementations, the curvatures of the first arc segment 3121 and the second arc segment 3221 can be the same. As shown in FIG. 12, the connecting member 33 can include a second arc surface 332 facing the first arc surface 211, the curvature of the second arc surface 332 can be set to be equal to the curvature of the first arc segment 3121 and / or the second arc segment 3221, when the top cover 31 and the base 32 are connected by the connecting member 33, one end of the connecting member 33 is in the first accommodating space 3120 and at least part of the second arc surface 332 is attached to the surface of the first arc segment 3121, and the other end of the connecting member 33 is in the second accommodating space 3220 and at least part of the second arc surface 332 is attached to the surface of the second arc segment 3221, to strengthen the connection between the connecting member 33 and the top cover 31 and the base 32, in some possible implementations, glue can also be applied between the second arc surface 332 and the first arc segment 3121 and / or the second arc segment 3221. In the process of assembling the top cover and the base to the battery assembly, to facilitate the first arc segment 3121 and the second arc segment 3221 to be easily placed in the concave side space formed by the first arc surface 211, the curvatures of the first arc segment 3121 and the second arc segment 3221 can be set to be smaller than the curvature of the first arc surface 211, and such a setting can prevent the assembly difficulty from being increased due to interference between the first limiting edge and the second limiting edge and the side plate. As can be seen, on the one hand, possible implementations of the present application can avoid occupying additional space after the connecting member 33 is installed by bending the top cover 31 by the first arc segment 3121 to form the first accommodating space 3120, bending the base 32 by the second arc segment 3221 to form the second accommodating space 3220, and placing both ends of the connecting member 33 in the first accommodating space 3120 and the second accommodating space 3220, thereby improving the compactness of the battery module 1; on the other hand, by setting the curvature of the second arc surface 332 of the connecting member 33 to be adapted to the curvature of the first arc segment 3121 and / or the second arc segment 3221, the effective contact area between the connecting member 33 and the top cover 31 and the base 32 is improved, and glue is applied at the overlapping contact parts, thereby greatly improving the connection strength between the connecting member 33 and the top cover 31 and the base 32, so that the shell assembly 30 can effectively suppress the swelling deformation of the battery assembly 10.

[0048] Please continue to refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, in some possible implementation manners, the top cover 31 can further include two first connecting ears 3122 located in the first accommodating space 3120, the two first connecting ears 3122 are protruded from the first arc segment 3121 at one end close to the cover body 311 and are spaced apart to form a first slot 3102 between the two first connecting ears, each first connecting ear 3122 is provided with a first connecting hole 3101, the base 32 further includes two second connecting ears 3222 located in the second accommodating space 3220, the two second connecting ears 3222 are protruded from the second arc segment 3221 at one end close to the base body 321 and are spaced apart to form a second slot 3202 between the two second connecting ears 3222, each second connecting ear 3222 is provided with a second connecting hole 3201, the connecting piece 33 can include two sub-connecting bodies 333 connected in series, each end of each sub-connecting body 333 can be provided with a protrusion 331, the connecting piece 33 is provided with a positioning groove 334 on the side away from the battery assembly 10, the positioning groove 334 is located between the two sub-connecting bodies 333, one end of the positioning groove 334 can be in communication with the first slot 3102, and the other end of the positioning groove 334 can be in communication with the second slot 3202, in the process of assembling the connecting piece 33 to connect the top cover 31 and the base 32 by using the positioning jig, the positioning jig can enter or exit the positioning groove 334 from the first slot 3102 or the second slot 3202, so as to adapt to the positioning needs of the positioning jig in the process of assembling the battery module 1, and ensure that the assembly size between the connecting piece 33 and the top cover and the base reaches the set precision.

[0049] Please refer to FIG. 13, which is a structural schematic diagram of the battery assembly 10 provided in the present application. In some possible implementation manners, the battery assembly 10 can include a plurality of batteries 11 and a plurality of bearing pieces 12, the batteries can be lithium metal batteries or any other suitable batteries, and the type of the batteries is not limited in the present application, each battery can include a battery body 111 and an electrode 112, the electrode 112 is connected to the end of the battery body 111, and along the stacking direction of the battery body, an assembly gap is formed between each adjacent two electrodes 112, each bearing piece 12 is arranged in the assembly gap and one end of the bearing piece 12 can abut against the battery body 111, and the other end of the bearing piece 12 away from the battery body 111 can abut against the top cover 31.

[0050] For example, the battery 11 can have a plate-like cuboid shape. After the plurality of batteries 11 are stacked to form the battery assembly 10, the battery assembly 10 has a cuboid shape with a greater thickness. In the battery assembly 10, a nickel strip can be used to connect any two electrodes 112 in an ultrasonic welding manner to achieve series and parallel connection among the plurality of batteries 11. Since the connection by the nickel strip is flexible, the connection can effectively prevent the electrodes 112 from being pulled off due to displacement between the batteries 11 caused by expansion of the batteries 11 during charging and discharging. At one end of the battery body 111 close to the electrode 112, a bearing member 12 made of an insulating material can be assembled in the assembly gap to avoid bending of the electrode 112 caused by the restriction of the top cover 31 when the battery assembly 10 deforms in the height direction. One end of the bearing member 12 abuts against the battery body 111, and the other end of the bearing member 12 can abut against the top cover. The surface of each bearing member 12 away from the battery body 111 can be flush to form a large force receiving surface that can contact the top cover. When the battery assembly 10 expands in the height direction, the top cover 31 abuts against one end of the plurality of bearing members 12, and the base 32 abuts against the bottom end of the plurality of battery bodies 111, thereby effectively inhibiting expansion of the battery 11 in the height direction under the restriction of the top cover 31 and the base 32. It should be noted that the battery assembly 10 provided by the present application is not limited to the shape of the battery assembly 10 shown in the drawings. In other possible implementations, the battery assembly 10 can also have other suitable shapes. By combining the plurality of batteries 11 and the plurality of bearing members 12 into a relatively regular shape, each surface of the battery assembly can fully conform to the binding assembly and / or the housing assembly, thereby increasing the effective force receiving surface of the battery assembly 10, and effectively inhibiting expansion of the battery, thereby greatly improving the stability, reliability, and safety during charging and discharging.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 2, the battery module 1 provided by some embodiments of the present application can further include an insulation assembly, which can include a first insulation piece 41, a second insulation piece 42, a third insulation piece 43, a fourth insulation piece 44, a fifth insulation piece 45, and a sixth insulation piece 46. The first insulation piece 41 can be arranged between the battery assembly 10 and one side plate 21, the second insulation piece 42 can be arranged between the battery assembly 10 and the other side plate 21, the third insulation piece 43 can be arranged between the battery assembly 10 and the connecting portion 221 of one elastic piece 22, the fourth insulation piece 44 can be arranged between the battery assembly 10 and the connecting portion 221 of the other elastic piece 22, the fifth insulation piece 45 can be arranged between the battery assembly 10 and the top cover 31, and the sixth insulation piece 46 can be arranged between the battery assembly 10 and the base 32. In some possible implementation manners, the first insulation piece 41, the second insulation piece 42, the third insulation piece 43, the fourth insulation piece 44, the fifth insulation piece 45, and the sixth insulation piece 46 can be made of a flexible vibration-absorbing material (for example, rubber). One of the advantages of this design is that the battery assembly 10 can be insulated from the binding assembly 20 and the shell assembly 30, thereby improving the safety and reliability during use. Another advantage is that the insulation pieces can absorb the vibration of the battery module 1 in some working conditions, thereby playing a buffering role. In some possible implementation manners of the present application, the fifth insulation piece 45 can be provided with a suitable outer shape structure according to the installation environment. For example, in some embodiments, some components such as busbars and cables need to be arranged at the top end of the battery assembly 10, so that the battery module 1 can realize the preset electrical function. In this installation environment, the fifth insulation piece 45 can be provided with an outer shape structure capable of mounting these components, for example, some wire holes and avoidance openings are formed in the fifth insulation piece 45. The advantage of this design is that some components can be fixed and integrated, and the height space of the battery module does not need to be additionally increased for avoiding the components.

Claims

1. A battery module (1), comprising: Battery assembly (10); The restraint assembly (20) includes a side plate (21) and an elastic element (22). The side plate (21) is attached to the battery assembly (10), and the side plate (21) includes a first arc surface (211) facing away from the battery assembly (10), and the first arc surface (211) is bent toward the battery assembly (10); The elastic member (22) includes a connecting portion (221) and two clamping portions (222), which are disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the connecting portion (221); the two clamping portions (222) clamp the opposite sides of the battery assembly (10), the side plate (21) is disposed between one of the clamping portions (222) and the battery assembly (10), and at least one of the clamping portions (222) is bent from the connecting portion (221) toward the battery assembly (10) and abuts against the first arc surface (211).

2. The battery module (1) according to claim 1, wherein, Two side plates (21) are provided, and the two side plates (21) are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the battery assembly (10). Each of the clamping portions (222) is bent from the connecting portion (221) toward the battery assembly (10), and the two clamping portions (222) are clamped on the first arc surface (211) of the two side plates (21).

3. The battery module (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first arc surface (211) includes a central part (2111) and two side edges (2112), which are disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the central part (2111); each side plate (21) further includes a first plane (212) facing the battery assembly (10), which is attached to the battery assembly (10); there is a first distance (d1) between the central part (2111) and the first plane (212), and there is a second distance (d2) between the side edge (2112) and the first plane (212), where the first distance (d1) is smaller than the second distance (d2).

4. The battery module (1) according to claim 3, wherein, The side plate (21) further includes a first side surface (213) facing the connecting portion (221) and a second side surface (214) disposed opposite to the first side surface (213). The first side (213) bends toward the second side (214), the second side (214) bends toward the first side (213), the first side (213) connects one side of the first arc surface (211) and the first plane (212), and the second side (214) connects the other side of the first arc surface (211) and the first plane (212).

5. The battery module (1) according to claim 3, wherein, There is a third distance (d3) between the arc-shaped side (2112) and the connecting part (221), and there is a fourth distance (d4) between the side of the first plane (212) near the connecting part (221) and the connecting part (221); The third distance (d3) is greater than the fourth distance (d4).

6. The battery module (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The side plate (21) further includes a first end face (215) and a second end face (216) disposed opposite to each other. The first end face (215) connects the first side face (213) and the second side face (214), and the second end face (216) connects the first side face (213) and the second side face (214). The side plate (21) is provided with a hollow space (210), which extends from the first end face (215) toward the second end face (216) to penetrate the side plate (21).

7. The battery module (1) according to claim 3, wherein, The side plate (21) also includes a reinforcing rib (217), which is connected between the middle part of the arc surface (2111) and the middle part of the first plane (212).

8. The battery module (1) according to claim 3, wherein, Each clamping part (222) includes a base (2221) and a plurality of sub-clamping bodies (2222). One side of the base (2221) is connected to the connecting part (221), and the other side of the base (2221) away from the connecting part (221) is connected to the plurality of sub-clamping bodies (2222). The plurality of sub-clamping bodies (2222) are spaced apart. The other end of the sub-clamping body (2222) away from the base (2221) elastically abuts against the middle part (2111) of the arc surface.

9. The battery module (1) according to claim 8, wherein, Two elastic elements (22) are provided, and the multiple sub-clamping bodies (2222) of one elastic element (22) are alternately arranged with the multiple sub-clamping bodies (2222) of the other elastic element (22).

10. The battery module (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The connecting part (221) has a through hole (2210) which extends through the connecting part (221) along the thickness direction of the connecting part (221).

11. The battery module (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The first side surface (213) is bent and connected to the first arc surface (211) and the first plane (212), and / or The second side surface (214) is bent and connected to the first arc surface (211) and the first plane (212), and / or The clamping part (222) and the connecting part (221) are connected by a bend.

12. The battery module (1) according to claim 3, wherein, From one end of the arcuate side (2112) to the other end, the battery assembly (10) has a first height, the side plate (21) has a second height, and the elastic member (22) has a third height, wherein the second height is 90% to 100% of the first height, and the third height is 80% to 100% of the second height.

13. The battery module (1) according to claim 1 or 2, the battery module (1) further includes a top cover (31), a base (32) and a connector (33), the top cover (31) is mounted on the top end of the battery assembly (10), the base (32) is mounted on the bottom end of the battery assembly (10), the connector (33) connects the top cover (31) and the base (32), and the top cover (31) and the base (32) respectively abut against the top end and the bottom end of the battery assembly (10).

14. The battery module (1) according to claim 13, wherein, The top cover (31) includes a cover body (311) and a first limiting edge (312). The first limiting edge (312) extends along the edge of the cover body (311) toward the base (32) and forms a first limiting space with the cover body (311). The top of the battery assembly (10) is installed in the first limiting space. The base (32) includes a seat body (321) and a second limiting edge (322). The second limiting edge (322) extends along the edge of the seat body (321) toward the top cover (31) and forms a second limiting space (320) with the seat body (321). The bottom of the battery assembly (10) is installed in the second limiting space (320). The first limiting edge (312) includes a first arc segment (3121) disposed opposite to the first arc surface (211), the first arc segment (3121) is bent toward the first arc surface (211), and the side of the first arc segment (3121) away from the first arc surface (211) forms a first accommodating space (3120). The second limiting edge (322) includes a second arc segment (3221) disposed opposite to the first arc surface (211), the second arc segment (3221) is bent toward the first arc surface (211), and the side of the second arc segment (3221) away from the first arc surface (211) forms a second accommodating space (3220). One end of the connector (33) is accommodated in the first accommodating space (3120), and the other end of the connector (33) is accommodated in the second accommodating space (3220).

15. The battery module (1) according to claim 13, wherein, The top cover (31) includes two opposite ends, each end of which is provided with a first connecting hole (3101). The base (32) includes two opposite ends, each end of which is provided with a second connecting hole (3201). Each end of the connector (33) is provided with a protrusion (331). The protrusion (331) at one end of the connector (33) is inserted into the first connecting hole (3101), and the protrusion (331) at the other end of the connector (33) is inserted into the second connecting hole (3201). The protrusions (331) at both ends of the connector (33) are respectively glued to the top cover (31) and the base (32).

16. The battery module (1) according to claim 13, wherein, The battery assembly (10) includes a plurality of batteries (11) and a carrier (12). The plurality of batteries (11) are stacked. Each battery (11) includes a battery body (111) and an electrode (112). The electrode (112) is connected to the end of the battery body (111). Along the stacking direction of the battery body (111), an assembly gap is formed between each two adjacent electrodes (112). Each carrier (12) is installed in one of the assembly gaps. One end of the carrier (12) can abut against the battery body (111), and the other end of the carrier (12) away from the battery body (111) can abut against the top cover (31).

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