Battery, battery module and electric apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a battery and a battery module. The battery module comprises a plurality of batteries and a structural adhesive, wherein each battery comprises a battery cell and an insulating layer, the insulating layer being arranged on the side surface of the battery cell, at least one opening portion being formed on the insulating layer, and the thickness of the insulating layer in the at least one opening portion being less than the thickness of the other parts of the insulating layer; and the structural adhesive is arranged on the surface of each battery cell and is located in each opening portion, and each battery is connected by means of the structural adhesive to a component adjacent thereto.

Description

Batteries, battery modules and electrical equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202422120526.5, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on August 29, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of battery technology, specifically to a battery, a battery module, and a power supply device. Background Technology

[0003] Lithium batteries have advantages such as small size, high energy density, long service life, and environmental friendliness, and are widely used in industries such as automobiles, electronic products, and energy storage systems.

[0004] In related technologies, a protective layer is wrapped around the outside of the battery cell. This not only improves the appearance of the battery, but more importantly, when multiple batteries are connected in series or parallel to form a battery module, the insulating film can prevent short circuits between adjacent batteries. Invention Overview

[0005] When covering batteries with an insulating layer, a loop-shaped wrapping method is usually used. However, this wrapping method creates a large area of ​​repeated coverage on the bottom or side of the battery. At the same time, in order to facilitate connection, batteries are connected with an adhesive layer, resulting in poor heat dissipation of the battery module.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a battery module. The battery module includes:

[0007] Multiple batteries, each battery including a cell and an insulating layer, the insulating layer being disposed on the side of the cell, and at least one opening being formed on the insulating layer, the thickness of the insulating layer inside the opening being less than the thickness of other parts of the insulating layer;

[0008] Structural adhesive is applied to the surface of the battery cell. The structural adhesive is located inside the opening, and the battery is connected to adjacent components through the structural adhesive.

[0009] Secondly, this application provides a battery. The battery includes a cell and an insulating layer, the insulating layer being disposed on the surface of the cell, and at least one opening being formed on the insulating layer for accommodating structural adhesive.

[0010] Thirdly, this application also provides an electrical appliance. The electrical appliance includes a battery module, which comprises:

[0011] Multiple batteries, each battery including a cell and an insulating layer, the insulating layer being disposed on the side of the cell, and at least one opening being formed on the insulating layer, the thickness of the insulating layer inside the opening being less than the thickness of other parts of the insulating layer;

[0012] Structural adhesive is applied to the surface of the battery cell. The structural adhesive is located inside the opening, and the battery is connected to adjacent components through the structural adhesive. Beneficial effects

[0013] In the technical solution of this application, an insulating layer is provided on the side of the battery cell. The insulating layer protects the battery cell, prevents contact between two adjacent cells, and can prevent short circuits between adjacent batteries. An opening is provided on the insulating layer, and structural adhesive is applied to the opening. The structural adhesive is used to connect two batteries or to connect batteries to adjacent components. Applying the structural adhesive to the opening effectively avoids an extra layer of structure in the middle, resulting in a simpler battery module structure, fewer control parameters, and improved bonding stability. This also prevents excessive thickness in local areas of the battery module, avoids heat concentration, improves heat dissipation efficiency, and increases the capacity of the battery module. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of some implementation methods of the battery provided in this application;

[0015] Figure 2 is a side view of Figure 1;

[0016] Figure 3 is a magnified view of part A in Figure 2;

[0017] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the insulating layer spraying process provided in this application.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0019] 100. Battery; 101. Cell; 102. Insulation layer; 103. First part; 104. Second part; 105. Opening; 106. Terminal; 107. Explosion-proof valve; 108. Marking; a. Nozzle. Embodiments of the present invention

[0020] Example 1

[0021] In related technologies, an insulating layer is wrapped around the outside of the battery cell. This not only improves the battery's appearance but, more importantly, prevents short circuits between adjacent cells when multiple cells are connected in series or parallel to form a battery module. A loop-shaped wrapping method is commonly used when wrapping the battery with the insulating layer. However, this method creates a large overlapping area on the bottom or sides of the battery. Furthermore, to facilitate connection, the batteries are connected with adhesive layers, resulting in poor heat dissipation of the battery module.

[0022] In view of this, this application proposes a battery module. Figures 1 to 4 are schematic diagrams of some embodiments of the battery module provided in this application. The battery module will be described in detail below with reference to the main figures.

[0023] Please refer to Figures 1, 2 and 3. The battery module includes multiple batteries 100 and structural adhesive. Each battery 100 includes a cell 101 and an insulating layer 102. The insulating layer 102 is disposed on the surface of the cell 101. At least one opening 105 is formed on the insulating layer 102. The thickness of the insulating layer 102 inside the opening 105 is less than the thickness of other parts of the insulating layer 102. The structural adhesive is disposed on the surface of the cell 101 and is located inside the opening 105. Any two adjacent batteries 100 are connected by the structural adhesive.

[0024] In this application's technical solution, the surface of the battery cell 101 is provided with an insulating layer 102. The insulating layer 102 is used to protect the battery cell 101 and prevent two adjacent battery cells 101 from contacting each other, thus preventing short circuits between adjacent batteries 100. The insulating layer 102 has an opening 105, and structural adhesive is provided at the opening 105. The structural adhesive is used to connect two batteries 100. The structural adhesive being provided at the opening 105 can effectively avoid an extra layer of structure in the middle, resulting in a simpler structure, fewer control parameters, and improved bonding stability. The structural adhesive and the insulating layer 102 do not overlap, reducing one layer of structure, which can prevent excessive thickness in local areas of the battery module, avoid heat concentration, improve heat dissipation efficiency, and increase the capacity of the battery module.

[0025] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the battery cell 101 includes a core package, a housing, and an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly is connected to the core package, and the electrode assembly and the core package are disposed inside the housing. An insulating layer is wrapped around the outer surface of the housing.

[0026] In this embodiment, "side" refers to the side of the battery cell 101 (excluding the upper and lower ends).

[0027] It should be noted that the specific type of component is not limited. The component can be a battery 100, a side panel of the housing, a cooling plate, or a heat spreader. For example, in some embodiments, the component adjacent to the battery 100 is the battery 100 itself, and two adjacent batteries 100 are connected by structural adhesive. In other embodiments, the component adjacent to the battery 100 is a side panel of the housing, and the battery 100 and the side panel of the housing are connected by structural adhesive. In still other embodiments, the component adjacent to the battery 100 is a heat spreader, and the battery 100 and the heat spreader are connected by structural adhesive.

[0028] It should be noted that the specific model of the battery 100 provided in this application is not limited; it can be a cylindrical battery, a square battery, or a long blade battery. The appropriate type can be selected based on the actual situation. For ease of description, the following embodiments use a square battery as an example. A square battery has two small side faces arranged opposite each other along its length, two large side faces arranged opposite each other along its width, and two end faces arranged opposite each other along its height. The specific location of the opening 105 is not limited; it can be set according to the specific layout of the battery module. The opening 105 can be located on the small side faces, the large side faces, or the end faces.

[0029] In some implementations, the insulating layer 102 includes a first part 103 and a second part 104. The second part 104 is disposed around the opening 105, and the first part 103 is disposed around the second part 104. The thickness of the second part 104 is less than the thickness of the first part 103. It should be noted that the thickness of the second part 104 is less than the thickness of the first part 103 to facilitate the application of structural adhesive.

[0030] It should be noted that, to ensure space utilization and heat dissipation efficiency, the structural adhesive and the insulation layer 102 are not overlapped. In actual production, due to issues such as processing precision, the structural adhesive may partially overlap with the second part 104. In other embodiments, the structural adhesive may completely overlap with the second part 104, or even partially overlap with the first part 103.

[0031] Specifically, the insulating layer 102 is formed on the surface of the battery cell 101 by coating. During the coating process, the coating material is applied layer by layer to the surface of the battery cell 101, thereby accumulating to form the insulating layer 102. A transition zone (i.e., the second part 104) is provided at the connection between the insulating layer 102 and the opening 105. Since the coating material is liquid and has fluidity during the coating process, the function of the transition zone is to prevent unsolidified coating material from flowing into the opening 105 and encroaching on the opening 105, thus preventing the structural adhesive from being installed. During the coating process, the coating material solidifies from a liquid state to a solid state, with the coating material applied first solidifying first. As the coating material solidifies, less and less coating material remains in the transition zone. Therefore, the thickness of the insulating layer 102 in the transition zone will be smaller, and thus the thickness of the second part 104 is less than the thickness of the first part 103. In this embodiment, the thickness of the second part 104 gradually decreases along the direction from the first part 103 to the opening 105. On the one hand, it facilitates the solidification and molding of the insulation layer 102; on the other hand, it prevents the coating of the insulation layer 102 from encroaching on the opening 105.

[0032] Optionally, in this embodiment, one end of the second part 104 connected to the first part 103 is the first end, and one end of the second part 104 adjacent to the opening 105 is the second end. The vertical distance between the first end and the second end is L1, where 0mm < L1 ≤ 2mm. When L1 is 0, the second part 104 does not exist. During the coating and molding process of the insulating layer 102, due to its own characteristics, it will flow towards the opening 105 and encroach on the opening 105. Since the thickness of the second part 104 is set to decrease, the insulating property and voltage resistance of the second part 104 are poor. When L1 is greater than 2mm, the size of the second part 104 is too large, which will cause the voltage resistance and insulation of the entire insulating layer 102 to decrease, and there are relatively large safety hazards. Specifically, in this embodiment, L1 can be 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.32mm, 0.36mm, 0.4mm, 0.44mm, 0.45mm, 0.5mm, 0.52mm, 0.8mm, 0.9mm, 1.1mm, 1.2mm, 1.32mm, 1.46mm, 1.55mm, 1.6mm, 1.78mm, 1.9mm, 2mm or other unlisted data.

[0033] It should be noted that the formation method of the opening 105 is not limited and can be selected according to the actual situation. In some embodiments, the battery cell 101 is placed on a mold, and the nozzle a scans the surface of the battery cell 101 to spray the coating on the surface of the battery cell 101 to form an insulating layer. During the spraying process, through the system calculation of controlling the switching area and switching time of the nozzle a, the linear velocity and the required spraying area of the coating spraying are calculated. As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle a is located on the left side of the battery cell 101. The nozzle a is moved from left to right. When the nozzle a moves to the right and sprays to the opening area, the nozzle a located on the opening 105 is closed, and the nozzles a in other areas normally spray the ink, so that an unsprayed part (this area is the opening 105) can be formed on the surface of the battery cell 101. With such a setting, the insulating layer 102 is formed in one step, saving materials, and at the same time, it can also avoid post-processing and save processing steps.

[0034] In another embodiment, the battery cell 101 is placed on a mold, and the nozzle a scans the surface of the battery cell 101 to spray the coating on the surface of the battery cell 101 to form an insulating layer. After the spraying is completed, the opening 105 is etched by laser. This method has high processing accuracy and the position of the opening 105 is stable.

[0035] To ensure connection stability, two openings 105 are provided on the insulating layer 102, respectively located on opposite sides of the battery cell 101. Specifically, in this embodiment, each battery 100 has two openings 105, located on two small sides of the battery 100. When the batteries 100 are arranged in the battery module, the small sides of adjacent batteries 100 correspond, with a portion of the structural adhesive located in the opening 105 of one battery 100 and another portion located within the opening 105 of the other battery 100. This allows the two batteries 100 to fit tightly together, reducing the thickness between them and preventing excessive local thickness of the battery module, while also increasing the capacity of the battery module. In other embodiments, the two openings 105 are located on adjacent sides of the battery cell 101, specifically on a large side and a small side of the battery 100.

[0036] Optionally, in some embodiments, the surface area of ​​the opening 105 is S1, and the area of ​​one side of the cell 101 is S2, where 0.4 ≤ S1 / S2 ≤ 0.8. It should be noted that when S1 / S2 is less than 0.4, the area of ​​the opening 105 is small, resulting in a reduction in the size of the structural adhesive and decreased stability of the connection between the two batteries 100. When S1 / S2 is greater than 0.8, the area of ​​the opening 105 increases, leading to a decrease in the area of ​​the insulating layer 102 and reduced insulation and withstand voltage.

[0037] Specifically, the shape of the opening 105 is not limited; it can be circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, or irregular, depending on the actual situation. In this embodiment, the opening 105 is rectangular or square to facilitate structural adhesive fastening.

[0038] In some embodiments, to ensure tightness of the connection, the maximum thickness of the structural adhesive is greater than the maximum thickness of the insulating layer 102. Of course, a small side of the outermost battery 100 does not need to be connected to other batteries 100. In this case, to ensure space utilization, the thickness of the structural adhesive is equal to the thickness of the insulating layer 102.

[0039] In some embodiments, the presence of the opening 105 reduces the insulation at the location of the opening 105. In order to prevent two adjacent batteries 100 from short-circuiting due to the opening 105, in this embodiment, the structural adhesive is an insulating adhesive with a dielectric strength greater than or equal to that of the insulating layer 102, so as to prevent the structural adhesive from being broken down.

[0040] It should be noted that the method of setting the insulating layer 102 is not limited. In some embodiments, the insulating layer 102 is formed on the surface of the cell 101 by coating. In order to ensure the insulation of the cell 101, the insulating layer 102 is often also coated at the opening 105. The thickness of the insulating layer 102 inside the opening 105 is greater than 0. The thickness of the insulating layer 102 here is relatively thin, only to improve the insulation of the battery 100. The specific thickness can be set according to the actual situation.

[0041] In other embodiments, to ensure the uniformity of the insulating layer 102, a uniform insulating layer 102 is coated onto the surface of the cell 101 by coating or spraying (i.e., the insulating layer 102 covers the entire surface of the cell). Subsequently, an opening 105 is processed into the insulating layer 102 using laser processing. It should be noted that when using laser processing, the characteristics of paint flow do not need to be considered, that is, the insulating layer 102 only has a first part 103 and does not have a second part 104. This configuration can ensure the stability of the forming of the insulating layer 102, making the thickness of the insulating layer 102 approximately the same at each location, thereby ensuring the insulation properties. In this embodiment, the thickness of the insulating layer 102 within the opening 105 is 0.

[0042] In some embodiments, the battery cell 101 is provided with a terminal post 106, an explosion-proof valve 107, and a label 108. The insulating layer 102 and structural adhesive cover the surface of the battery cell 101 except for the terminal post 106, the explosion-proof valve 107, and the label 108. When the insulating layer 102 is wrapped around the battery cell 101, the insulating layer 102 has two first clearance holes, a second clearance hole, and a third clearance hole. The two first clearance holes are used for the terminal post 106 to pass through, the second clearance hole is used for the explosion-proof valve 107 to pass through, and the third clearance hole is used to expose the label 108. The insulating layer 102 avoids the terminal post 106, the explosion-proof valve 107, and the label 108 respectively, so that the end face of the insulating layer 102 of the battery 100 is in contact with the battery cell 100.

[0043] In some embodiments, the specific material of the insulating layer 102 is not limited and can be selected according to the actual situation. It can be PP (polypropylene) or PE (polycarbonate).

[0044] Furthermore, this application also proposes an electrical device that includes a battery module. The specific structure of the battery module is described in the above embodiments. Since this electrical device employs all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0045] It is understood that electrical equipment includes, but is not limited to, electric toys, power tools, electric vehicles, automobiles, ships, spacecraft, etc. Electric toys can include stationary or mobile electric toys, such as game consoles, electric car toys, electric ship toys, and electric airplane toys, etc. Spacecraft can include airplanes, rockets, space shuttles, and spacecraft, etc. Automobiles can include gasoline-powered cars, natural gas-powered cars, and new energy vehicles.

[0046] Example 2

[0047] This application proposes a battery 100, which includes a cell 101 and an insulating layer 102. The insulating layer 102 is disposed on the surface of the cell 101, and at least one opening 105 is formed on the insulating layer 102 for accommodating structural adhesive.

[0048] In this application's technical solution, the surface of the battery cell 101 is provided with an insulating layer 102. The insulating layer 102 is used to protect the battery cell 101 and prevent two adjacent battery cells 101 from contacting each other, thus preventing short circuits between adjacent batteries 100. The insulating layer 102 has an opening 105, and structural adhesive is provided at the opening 105. The structural adhesive is used to connect two batteries 100. The structural adhesive being provided at the opening 105 can effectively avoid an extra layer of structure in the middle, resulting in a simpler structure, fewer control parameters, and improved bonding stability. The structural adhesive and the insulating layer 102 do not overlap, reducing one layer of structure, which can prevent excessive thickness in local areas of the battery module, avoid heat concentration, improve heat dissipation efficiency, and increase the capacity of the battery module.

[0049] The specific structure of battery 100 can be referred to in Example 1, and will not be described in detail here.

[0050] This application also proposes a battery module, which includes the battery 100 described above. The specific structure of the battery 100 is as described in the above embodiments. Since this battery module adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0051] Furthermore, this application also proposes an electrical device that includes a battery module. The specific structure of the battery module is described in the above embodiments. Since this electrical device employs all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0052] It is understood that electrical equipment includes, but is not limited to, electric toys, power tools, electric vehicles, automobiles, ships, spacecraft, etc. Electric toys can include stationary or mobile electric toys, such as game consoles, electric car toys, electric ship toys, and electric airplane toys, etc. Spacecraft can include airplanes, rockets, space shuttles, and spacecraft, etc. Automobiles can include gasoline-powered cars, natural gas-powered cars, and new energy vehicles.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: A plurality of batteries (100), each of the batteries (100) includes a cell (101) and an insulating layer (102), the insulating layer (102) being disposed on the side of the cell (101), and at least one opening (105) being formed on the insulating layer (102), wherein the thickness of the insulating layer (102) within at least one opening (105) is less than the thickness of other portions of the insulating layer (102); Structural adhesive is disposed on the surface of the cell (101), the structural adhesive is located within at least one of the openings (105), and the battery (100) and adjacent components of the battery (100) are connected by the structural adhesive.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, The insulating layer (102) includes a first part (103) and a second part (104), the second part (104) being disposed around the opening (105), the first part (103) being disposed around the second part (104), and the thickness of the second part (104) being less than the thickness of the first part (103).

3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein, The structural adhesive is disposed without overlapping the insulating layer (102); or, The structural adhesive overlaps with a portion of the second part (104); or, The structural adhesive overlaps with the second part (104) and also overlaps with a portion of the first part (103).

4. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein, The thickness of the second part (104) gradually decreases along the direction from the first part (103) to the opening (105).

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein, The end of the second part (104) connected to the first part (103) is the first end, and the end of the second part (104) adjacent to the opening (105) is the second end. The vertical distance between the first end and the second end is L1, 0 mm. <L1≤2mm。 6. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The component includes any one of the following: housing, cooling plate, heat spreader, or battery.

7. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, Two openings (105) are provided on the insulating layer (102), and the two openings (105) are respectively provided on the two opposite sides and / or the two adjacent sides of the battery cell (101).

8. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The surface area of ​​the opening (105) is S1, and the area of ​​the side where the opening (105) is located is S2, 0.4≤S1 / S2≤0.

8.

9. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The maximum thickness of the structural adhesive is greater than or equal to the maximum thickness of the insulating layer (102); and / or, The dielectric strength of the structural adhesive is greater than or equal to the dielectric strength of the insulating layer (102).

10. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The structural adhesive includes insulating adhesive.

11. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The insulating layer (102) is formed on the surface of the battery cell (101) by a spraying process.

12. The battery module according to claim 11, wherein, The thickness of the insulating layer (102) within the opening (105) is greater than 0.

13. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The opening (105) is formed on the insulating layer (102) by laser processing.

14. The battery module according to claim 13, wherein, The thickness of the insulating layer (102) inside the opening (105) is 0.

15. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The battery cell (101) is provided with a terminal post (106), an explosion-proof valve (107) and a label (108). The insulating layer (102) and the structural adhesive cover the surface of the battery cell (101) except for the terminal post (106), the explosion-proof valve (107) and the label (108).

16. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The shape of the opening (105) includes at least one of the following: circular, elliptical, square, and rectangular.

17. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The insulating layer (102) is made of either PP or PE.

18. A battery (100) includes a cell (101) and an insulating layer (102), the insulating layer (102) being disposed on the surface of the cell (101), and at least one opening (105) being formed on the insulating layer (102) for accommodating structural adhesive.

19. The battery (100) according to claim 18, wherein, The battery cell (101) includes a core package, a housing, and an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly is connected to the core package. The core package and the electrode assembly are disposed inside the housing. The insulating layer (102) is wrapped around the outer surface of the housing.

20. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, Includes the battery module as described in any one of claims 1-17 or includes the battery (100) as described in claim 18 or 19.

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