Beam structure, battery box, and battery pack

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a beam structure, a battery box, and a battery pack. The beam structure comprises an anti-expansion beam and a frame beam, a first side of the anti-expansion beam being used for abutting against a cell of a battery pack, the frame beam being connected to a second side of the anti-expansion beam, and the frame beam being located on the outermost side of a box of the battery pack to be used as a side frame of the box, wherein the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam are integrally arranged.

Description

Beam structure, battery box and battery pack

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411292081.7 filed on September 13, 2024, to the Chinese Patent Office, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of batteries, in particular to a beam structure, a battery box and a battery pack. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the related art, an anti-expansion beam and a frame beam are respectively welded on the battery box to achieve that the anti-expansion beam deforms to offset the expansion force of the battery cell when the battery cell expands, while the effect of the frame beam for sealing the battery box is not affected. SUMMARY

[0004] The above structure often has the following problems: the volume occupied by the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam is large, resulting in a small available space of the battery box.

[0005] Therefore, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a beam structure for a battery pack, comprising: an anti-expansion beam, a first side of the anti-expansion beam being used for abutting against a battery cell of the battery pack; and a frame beam, connected to a second side of the anti-expansion beam, the frame beam being located at the outermost side of a box of the battery pack to serve as a side frame of the box; wherein the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam are integrally arranged.

[0007] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery box, comprising a top cover, a first side plate, a second side plate and the beam structure of the first aspect, wherein the two first side plates are oppositely arranged, the second side plate is oppositely arranged with the beam structure and connected between the two first side plates, the beam structure, the two first side plates and the second side plate enclose a containing cavity, and the top cover closes the containing cavity.

[0008] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery pack, comprising the battery box of the second aspect and a plurality of battery cells located in the containing cavity, wherein the side with the largest area of the battery cell faces the anti-expansion beam. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

[0009] The beam structure provided in the application comprises an anti-expansion beam and a frame beam, the first side of the anti-expansion beam is used for abutting against the battery cell of the battery pack, the frame beam is connected to the second side of the anti-expansion beam, and the frame beam is located at the outermost side of the box body of the battery pack to serve as the side frame of the box body, wherein the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam are integrally arranged. In the beam structure provided in the application, the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam are integrally arranged, which not only can disperse the expansion force generated by the battery cell, enclose a sealed space as the side frame of the battery box, but also can make the volume of the beam structure after the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam are integrally arranged smaller, the available space of the battery box larger, and the frame beam can also assist the anti-expansion beam in resisting expansion.

[0010] The battery pack provided in the application has all the advantages of the bracket.

[0011] The power consumption equipment provided in the application has all the advantages of the battery pack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery pack provided in an embodiment of the application;

[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a side view of a lower box body in FIG. 2;

[0015] FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in FIG. 3;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a beam structure in FIG. 4;

[0017] FIG. 6 is a side view of the beam structure in FIG. 5;

[0018] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] 100, battery box; 200, battery module; 300, beam structure; 310, anti-expansion beam; 311, bottom plate; 312, abutting side plate; 313, inclined side plate; 314, first connecting plate; 315, second connecting plate; 316, top plate; 320, frame beam; 321, frame plate; 322, sealing plate; 330, connecting rib; 341, first notch part; 342, second notch part. EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Please refer to FIGS. 1-6, FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a battery pack provided in an embodiment of the application, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view of a lower box body in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a beam structure 300 in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the beam structure 300 in FIG. 5.

[0021] To solve the problem that the volume occupied by the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam in the battery box is large, resulting in a small available space in the battery box, embodiments of the present application provide a beam structure 300 for a battery pack. Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the battery box 100 is provided with a battery module 200, and the beam structure 300 provided by the embodiments of the present application is located on one side of the battery module 200, and one side of the beam structure 300 abuts against the battery module 200, for offsetting the expansion force generated by the battery cell when the battery cell in the battery module 200 expands.

[0022] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the beam structure 300 provided by the embodiments of the present application includes an anti-expansion beam 310 and a frame beam 320. The first side of the anti-expansion beam 310 abuts against the battery cell in the battery box 100, so that when the battery cell expands, the anti-expansion beam 310 can deform to offset the expansion force generated by the battery cell. The frame beam 320 is connected to the second side of the anti-expansion beam 310 and is located at the outermost side of the battery box 100 to serve as the side frame of the battery box 100, to accommodate the battery module 200 and other elements in the accommodating cavities of the first side plate and the second side plate of the battery box 100. The anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 are integrally arranged.

[0023] Specifically, when the battery cell is in a charged state, the side surface of the battery cell will deform due to the pressure generated by the release of internal gas or chemical reaction, resulting in an increase in the volume of the battery cell. This increase in volume will cause the battery cell to generate a certain expansion force on the element abutting against it. To cope with this expansion force, the battery box 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application introduces the anti-expansion beam 310 in the design, which can effectively disperse and buffer the expansion force applied by the battery cell through its structural characteristics. This design can effectively prevent the battery box 100 from weakening the sealing performance or damaging the structure due to the expansion of the battery cell, to ensure the normal operation of the battery system. The design of the anti-expansion beam 310 not only enhances the structural strength and stability of the battery box 100, but also reduces the risk that may be caused by excessive deformation of the battery cell, thereby significantly improving the overall reliability and safety of the battery box 100 and ensuring the stability of the battery box 100 during long-term use.

[0024] In the embodiment, the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 are designed to be integrated, and the integrated design not only effectively offsets the expansion force generated by the battery cell, but also the frame beam 320 can be used as the side frame of the battery box 100 to enclose a sealed space. Since the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 are integrated, the volume of the beam structure 300 is relatively small, so the available internal space of the battery box 100 can be increased. In addition, the integrated design eliminates the steps of welding the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 to the battery box 100, thereby reducing the processing difficulty and manufacturing cost. The reduction in the number of welds also means that the number of welds generated by welding is relatively small, which reduces the risk of insufficient airtightness caused by the welds, further improving the overall sealing and reliability of the battery box 100.

[0025] In some embodiments, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the anti-expansion beam 310 provided by the embodiments of the application includes a bottom plate 311, an abutting side plate 312, and an inclined side plate 313. The abutting side plate 312 and the inclined side plate 313 are oppositely arranged and connected to the two ends of the bottom plate 311, respectively. The abutting side plate 312 is connected to one end of the bottom plate 311 close to the battery cell and abuts against the battery cell, and the inclined side plate 313 is connected to the other end of the bottom plate 311 away from the battery cell, and the included angle between the inclined side plate 313 and the bottom plate 311 is less than 90°.

[0026] Specifically, the design of the anti-expansion beam 310 includes the abutting side plate 312, the inclined side plate 313, and the bottom plate 311. The abutting side plate 312 directly abuts against the battery cell, which enables the anti-expansion beam 310 to effectively offset the expansion force generated by the battery cell when the battery cell expands. To further enhance the stability and performance of the anti-expansion beam 310, the included angle between the inclined side plate 313 and the bottom plate 311 is designed to be less than 90°, that is, the side of the anti-expansion beam 310 away from the battery cell is inclined relative to the bottom plate 311. This design can effectively reduce the deformation of the anti-expansion beam 310 during the expansion of the battery cell. The inclination angle of the inclined side plate 313 helps to disperse the force generated by the expansion of the battery cell, thereby reducing the direct pressure exerted by the battery cell on the anti-expansion beam 310. Since the included angle is less than 90°, the anti-expansion beam 310 can better disperse and absorb the expansion force, reducing local stress concentration. Therefore, this structural design makes the anti-expansion beam 310 more stable in structure, effectively maintains the structural stability of the battery box 100, and ensures that the battery cell will not cause excessive pressure and potential damage to the battery box 100 when it expands.

[0027] In some embodiments, the bottom of the frame beam 320 is connected to the bottom plate 311 to ensure the structural strength of the beam structure 300, and at least part of the projection of the frame beam 320 on the bottom of the box is located in the bottom plate 311. The projection of the frame plate 321 of the embodiment is located in the bottom plate 311, which reduces the occupied area of the beam structure and makes the structure more compact.

[0028] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 6, the anti-expansion beam 310 provided by the embodiments of the present application further comprises a first connecting plate 314, a first side of the first connecting plate 314 being connected to the abutting side plate 312, and a second side of the first connecting plate 314 being connected to the frame beam 320. The bottom of the inclined side plate 313 is connected to the first connecting plate 314, and the inclined side plate 313 is connected to the first connecting plate 314 at the connecting position between the inclined side plate 313 and the first connecting plate 314, i.e., the bottom of the inclined side plate 313 is connected to the first connecting plate 314, and the second side of the first connecting plate 314 away from the abutting side plate 312 is bent and connected to the bottom plate 311 of the anti-expansion beam 310. The connecting position between the inclined side plate 313 and the first connecting plate 314 is located between the first side of the first connecting plate 314 and the second side of the first connecting plate 314, and is close to the second side of the first connecting plate 314.

[0029] Specifically, the anti-expansion beam 310 further comprises a top plate 316 arranged opposite to the bottom plate 311. One end of the top plate 316 is connected to the abutting side plate 312, and the other end is connected to the inclined side plate 313. In order to improve the anti-expansion capability of the anti-expansion beam 310, the size of the top plate 316 needs to be designed to be smaller than the size of the bottom plate 311. This design makes the inclined side plate 313 present a certain inclination angle relative to the abutting side plate 312, which helps to effectively disperse the force generated by the swelling of the battery cell. In addition, the connecting position between the inclined side plate 313 and the first connecting plate 314 is designed to be close to the second side of the first connecting plate 314, which can further enhance the structural stability of the anti-expansion beam 310. This design layout optimizes the force distribution, so that the anti-expansion beam 310 can more evenly bear and disperse the acting force when the battery cell swells, reducing the deformation of the beam structure 300 caused by excessive local pressure. Overall, this structural design ensures the stability and reliability of the structure of the battery box 100 in the working state of the battery cell.

[0030] In addition, the anti-expansion beam 310 provided by the embodiment of the present application further comprises a plurality of second connecting plates 315 located above the first connecting plate 314, and the plurality of second connecting plates 315 are connected between the abutting side plate 312 and the inclined side plate 313. By designing the plurality of second connecting plates 315 between the abutting side plate 312 and the inclined side plate 313, a plurality of cavity structures are formed. The cavity structures are arranged to effectively distribute the expansion force uniformly in the overall structure of the anti-expansion beam 310. Specifically, the plurality of second connecting plates 315 can be arranged regularly or staggered, so as to ensure that the size and shape of the cavity structures formed can reasonably distribute the expansion force. When the battery cell expands, the expansion force is dispersed to each part of the anti-expansion beam 310 through the cavity structures. Therefore, the expansion force is no longer concentrated in a certain area, thereby reducing the local pressure concentration. The structural design effectively improves the pressure resistance of the anti-expansion beam 310, and avoids the problem that the beam structure 300 is damaged due to excessive concentration of expansion force. Through reasonable cavity distribution and design, the anti-expansion beam 310 can more uniformly bear the force generated by the expansion of the battery cell, thereby ensuring the overall structural stability and reliability of the battery box 100.

[0031] In some embodiments, the thickness of the connecting rib 330 is less than the thickness of the second connecting plate 315. Specifically, as the working time of the battery cell increases, the expansion force generated by the battery cell gradually increases. In the embodiment, the thickness of the connecting rib 330 is designed to be less than the thickness of the second connecting plate 315. Therefore, when the battery cell exerts a large extrusion force on the beam structure, the structural strength of the connecting rib 330 is insufficient to bear the extrusion force, so that the connecting rib 330 is crushed first. Therefore, the distance between the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 can be reduced to a certain extent, so as to prevent the connecting rib 330 from exerting excessive extrusion force on the sealing plate 322 of the frame beam 320 and the anti-expansion beam 310, which damages the frame beam 320 and the anti-expansion beam 310.

[0032] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 6, the first connecting plate 314 is inclined relative to the bottom plate 311, and the distance between the first connecting plate 314 connected to the first side of the abutting side plate 312 and the bottom plate 311 is greater than the distance between the second side of the first connecting plate 314 connected to the frame beam 320 and the bottom plate 311.

[0033] By designing the first connecting plate 314 to be inclined relative to the bottom plate 311, the stability of the anti-expansion beam 310 can be significantly improved. The inclined design can effectively disperse the expansion force generated by the battery cell. Specifically, the inclination angle of the first connecting plate 314 can be designed to form a certain angle with the expansion direction of the battery cell, so that when the battery cell expands, the expansion force can be uniformly transmitted to the abutting side plate 312 and other structures along the inclined first connecting plate 314.

[0034] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 6, the beam structure 300 provided by the embodiments of the present application further comprises a connecting rib 330, the first side of the connecting rib 330 is connected to the inclined side plate 313 of the anti-expansion beam 310, and the second side of the connecting rib 330 is connected to the frame beam 320.

[0035] The design of the connecting rib 330 between the inclined side plate 313 and the frame beam 320 is mainly to improve the stability of the anti-expansion beam 310 when it faces the expansion force of the battery cell. When the anti-expansion beam 310 bears a larger expansion force of the battery cell, the connecting rib 330 can effectively offset part of the expansion force and reduce the deformation caused by the expansion of the battery cell. Secondly, the connecting rib 330 can also disperse the expansion force inside the beam structure 300. Since the expansion force is transmitted to the entire beam structure 300 through the connecting rib 330, the uniform distribution of force can significantly enhance the overall stability and structural strength of the beam structure 300. By increasing the connecting rib 330, the local stress concentration phenomenon can be converted into a more uniform stress distribution, avoiding the concentration of expansion force in certain positions, so that this structural design can ensure the reliability of the anti-expansion beam 310 when it faces the expansion of the battery cell, reduce the risk of damage to the beam structure 300, and thus improve the safety and durability of the overall structure.

[0036] In some embodiments, the angle between the connecting rib 330 and the inclined side plate 313 is less than 90°.

[0037] Specifically, when the anti-expansion beam 310 is subjected to the expansion force generated by the battery cell, the angle between the connecting rib 330 and the inclined side plate 313 is designed to be less than 90°. This structural design has the following advantages: the angle between the connecting rib 330 inclined relative to the inclined side plate 313 of the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 forms an additional oblique support force, which can effectively offset part of the expansion force, making the stress of the beam structure 300 more uniform, thereby enhancing the overall structural stability. In particular, the oblique support helps to disperse the expansion force to multiple parts of the beam structure 300, reducing the stress concentration in local areas and reducing the risk of local deformation of the structure.

[0038] In some embodiments, the angle between the connecting rib 330 and the inclined side plate 313 is 15° to 45°. Specifically, experiments have shown that when the angle between the connecting rib 330 and the inclined side plate 313 is 15° to 45°, the structural stability of the beam structure 300 is higher.

[0039] In some embodiments, the design of the frame beam 320 includes a frame plate 321 and a sealing plate 322. The frame plate 321 is installed on the second side of the first connecting plate 314 away from the abutting side plate 312 and serves to support the side frame of the battery pack box. Its main function is to provide structural support to ensure the stability of the entire battery pack and protect the internal components from the external environment.

[0040] The sealing plate 322 is installed on the top of the frame plate 321, and is designed to be bent away from the anti-expansion beam 310 relative to the frame plate 321. This bending design enables the sealing plate 322 to be well connected with the top cover of the battery pack box, forming a sealed connection area. The main function of the sealing plate 322 is to ensure that the internal environment of the battery pack is effectively sealed, thereby improving the safety and durability of the battery pack. In order to realize this sealed connection, the sealing plate 322 is usually fixed on the battery box 100 by bolts or other fixing members.

[0041] In addition, the second side of the connecting rib 330 is connected to the connection between the frame plate 321 and the sealing plate 322. This design enables the connecting rib 330 to provide support to the frame plate 321 and the sealing plate 322 at the same time, thereby forming a relatively stable structure. The arrangement of the connecting rib 330 helps to disperse the force generated by the expansion of the battery cell and uniformly transmit this force to various parts of the frame beam 320, further improving the stability and durability of the entire battery pack structure.

[0042] The present application provides a beam structure 300, which comprises an anti-expansion beam 310 and a frame beam 320, the first side of the anti-expansion beam 310 is used to abut the battery cell of the battery pack, the frame beam 320 is connected to the second side of the anti-expansion beam 310 and used as the side frame of the box of the battery pack, wherein the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 are integrally arranged. In the beam structure 300 provided by the present application, the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 are integrally arranged, which not only can disperse the expansion force generated by the battery cell, enclose a sealed space as the side frame of the battery box 100, but also can occupy a smaller volume after the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 are integrally arranged, so that the available space of the battery box 100 is larger, and the anti-expansion beam 310 and the frame beam 320 do not need to be welded to the battery box 100 respectively, which not only can reduce the processing difficulty of the battery box 100, but also can reduce the risk of insufficient airtightness of the weld due to the reduction of the number of welds.

[0043] The present application also provides a battery box 100, which comprises the above-mentioned beam structure 300, a first side plate, a second side plate and a top cover, wherein the two first side plates are oppositely arranged, the second side plate is oppositely arranged with the beam structure 300 and connected between the two first side plates, the beam structure 300, the first side plate and the second side plate enclose a containing cavity, and the top cover is used to close the containing cavity.

[0044] In some embodiments, the anti-expansion beam 310 is provided with a first notch portion 341 near a side of the first side plate and the top cover, and a bottom surface of the first notch portion 341 is not higher than a top surface of the first side plate. The first notch portion 341 of the present embodiment is used for clamping the first side plate, and can prevent the anti-expansion beam 310 from interfering with the top cover.

[0045] In some embodiments, the frame beam 320 includes a frame plate 321 connected to the anti-expansion beam 310 and a sealing plate 322 connected to a side of the frame plate 321 away from the anti-expansion beam 310. The sealing plate 322 is provided with a second notch portion 342 near an end of the first side plate, and the second notch portion 342 is clamped with the first side plate. The second notch portion 342 of the present embodiment is used for positioning the first side plate, and facilitates installation and fixation on the first side plate.

[0046] The present application also provides a battery pack including the battery box 100 described above and a plurality of battery cells located in the accommodating cavity, wherein a side with the largest area of the battery cell faces the anti-expansion beam 310. The battery pack also has all the advantages of the beam structure 300 described above, and will not be repeated here.

Claims

1. A beam structure for a battery pack, comprising: an anti-expansion beam, a first side of the anti-expansion beam configured to abut against a cell of the battery pack; and a frame beam connected to a second side of the anti-expansion beam, the frame beam located at an outermost side of a case of the battery pack to serve as a side frame of the case; wherein the anti-expansion beam and the frame beam are integrally arranged.

2. The beam structure of claim 1, wherein, The anti-expansion beam comprises a bottom plate, an abutting side plate and an inclined side plate, the abutting side plate and the inclined side plate being connected to the bottom plate and oppositely arranged; wherein the abutting side plate is configured to abut against the cell, and an included angle between the inclined side plate and the bottom plate is less than 90°.

3. The beam structure of claim 2, wherein, A bottom of the frame beam is connected to the bottom plate, and a projection of at least part of the frame beam on a bottom of the case is located within the bottom plate.

4. The beam structure of claim 2, wherein, The anti-expansion beam further comprises a first connecting plate, a first side of the first connecting plate being connected to the abutting side plate, and a second side of the first connecting plate being connected to the frame beam; wherein a bottom of the inclined side plate is connected to the first connecting plate, and a connection position between the inclined side plate and the first connecting plate is located between the first side of the first connecting plate and the second side of the first connecting plate and close to the second side of the first connecting plate.

5. The beam structure of claim 4, wherein, The first connecting plate is inclined relative to the bottom plate, and a distance between the first side of the first connecting plate and the bottom plate is greater than a distance between the second side of the first connecting plate and the bottom plate. 6.The beam structure of claim 1, further comprising a connecting rib, a first side of the connecting rib being connected to the anti-expansion beam, and a second side of the connecting rib being connected to the frame beam.

7. The beam structure of claim 6, wherein, An included angle between the connecting rib and the anti-expansion beam is less than 90°.

8. The beam structure of claim 7, wherein, The included angle between the connecting rib and the anti-expansion beam is 15° to 45°.

9. The beam structure of claim 6, wherein, The frame beam comprises a frame plate and a sealing plate, the frame plate being connected to the anti-expansion beam and located at an outermost side of a case of the battery pack, and the sealing plate being connected to the frame plate and bent relative to the frame plate in a direction away from the anti-expansion beam, the sealing plate being configured to be connected to a top cover of the case of the battery pack; wherein the second side of the connecting rib is connected to a connection between the frame plate and the sealing plate.

10. The beam structure of claim 6, wherein, The anti-expansion beam further comprises a plurality of second connecting plates located above the first connecting plate, the plurality of second connecting plates being connected between the abutting side plate of the anti-expansion beam and the inclined side plate of the anti-expansion beam to enclose a plurality of cavities, and a thickness of the connecting rib is less than a thickness of the second connecting plate.

11. A battery box comprising a top cover, a first side panel, a second side panel and the beam structure according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The two first side plates are oppositely arranged, the second side plate is oppositely arranged relative to the beam structure and connected between the two first side plates, and the beam structure, the two first side plates and the second side plate enclose a receiving cavity, and the top cover closes the receiving cavity.

12. The battery pack of claim 11, wherein, The anti-expansion beam is provided with a first notch portion close to a side of the first side plate and the top cover, and a bottom surface of the first notch portion is not higher than a top surface of the first side plate.

13. The battery pack of claim 11, wherein, The frame beam comprises a frame plate connected to the anti-expansion beam and a sealing plate connected to the frame plate away from the anti-expansion beam, and the sealing plate is provided with a second notch portion near the end of the first side plate, which is engaged with the first side plate.

14. A battery pack comprising the battery case of claim 11 and a plurality of battery cells positioned within the receiving cavity, wherein, The side with the largest area of the electric core faces the anti-expansion beam.

Images