Battery case and battery module

Abstract

A battery case and a battery module. The battery case comprises a cover plate (101), a case wall (102) and a bottom plate (103). The cover plate (101), the case wall (102) and the bottom plate (103) define an accommodating cavity (104) for accommodating a functional device. Two ends of the case wall (102) are respectively provided with a connecting portion (1021), and the connecting portions (1021) extend from the case wall (102) to the accommodating cavity (104), so as to respectively form, at the two ends of the case wall (102), a first mounting space (1022) for accommodating the cover plate (101) and a second mounting space (1023) for accommodating the bottom plate (103).

Description

A battery housing and battery module

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202422748353.1, filed on November 11, 2024, entitled "A Battery Housing and Battery Module", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to a battery housing and a battery module. Background Technology

[0003] When stacking household battery modules, a concave-convex mating structure is typically used. This means that a convex or concave surface is provided on the top of the battery module housing, while a concave or convex surface is provided on the bottom of the housing. This allows the top of the housing to mate with the bottom of adjacent housings, enabling the battery modules to be stacked. However, due to the height of the convex surface, the concave-convex mating method results in low space utilization of the battery modules.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the space utilization rate of battery modules has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0005] Public content

[0006] The following is an overview of the detailed description of this disclosure. This overview is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. This disclosure provides a battery housing and a battery module, and adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A battery enclosure includes a cover, walls, and a bottom plate, wherein the cover, walls, and bottom plate form a cavity for accommodating functional devices, wherein:

[0008] Both ends of the box wall are provided with connecting parts, and the connecting parts extend from the box wall toward the receiving cavity, so as to form a first installation space for receiving the cover plate and a second installation space for receiving the bottom plate at both ends of the box wall.

[0009] Optionally, in the battery housing described above, a first sealing element and a second sealing element are respectively provided in the first mounting space and the second mounting space. The first sealing element is located between the connecting part of the first mounting space and the cover plate, and the second sealing element is located between the connecting part of the second mounting space and the bottom plate.

[0010] Optionally, in the above-mentioned battery box, there is a preset distance between the connecting part and the end face of the box wall, and the preset distance is not less than zero.

[0011] Optionally, in the battery housing described above, the thickness of the first mounting space sidewall is not less than the thickness of the second mounting space sidewall.

[0012] Optionally, in the aforementioned battery housing, the sidewalls of the first mounting space are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the housing wall near the opening of the cover plate; and / or,

[0013] The side walls of the second installation space are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the box wall near the opening of the bottom plate.

[0014] Optionally, in the battery housing described above, the end face of the housing wall is bent towards the cavity to form a connecting portion.

[0015] Optionally, in the aforementioned battery housing, the cover and the connecting part are connected by at least one of screwing and snap-fit ​​connections; and / or,

[0016] The base plate and the connecting part are connected by at least one of the following methods: welding, gluing, screwing, and snap-fitting.

[0017] A battery module comprising a battery housing as described in any of the above.

[0018] Optionally, in the above-mentioned battery module, the battery housing includes at least two, and the two battery housings are stacked to form a gap between the two battery housings.

[0019] Optionally, in the above-mentioned battery module, the cover plate of the battery box is fitted to the bottom plate of the adjacent battery box at the connection point; or,

[0020] The cover of the battery box and the bottom plate of the adjacent battery box have a preset gap at the connection point.

[0021] Optionally, in the above-described battery module, the cover plate is bent away from the receiving cavity at the connection point of the first mounting space to form a first protrusion; and / or,

[0022] The base plate is bent away from the receiving cavity at the connection point of the second mounting space to form a second protrusion.

[0023] The battery housing provided in this disclosure forms a cavity for accommodating functional components by means of a cover plate, housing walls, and a bottom plate. Connecting portions are provided at both ends of the housing walls, extending from the housing walls towards the cavity, thereby forming a first mounting space for the cover plate and a second mounting space for the bottom plate at each end of the housing walls. This reduces the internal space occupied by the battery housings when they are stacked. As can be seen from the above example, the battery housing provided in this disclosure reduces the internal space occupied by the battery housings when they are stacked, thus effectively improving the space utilization rate of the battery modules.

[0024] The technical features mentioned above, those to be mentioned below, and those shown individually in the accompanying drawings can be combined arbitrarily, provided that the combined technical features are not contradictory. All feasible combinations of features are the technical content explicitly described herein. Any one of the multiple sub-features contained in the same statement can be applied independently, without necessarily being applied together with other sub-features.

[0025] After reading and understanding the accompanying diagrams and detailed descriptions, other aspects can be understood.

[0026] Brief description of the attached figures

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or related technologies of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the battery box provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the box wall provided in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the box wall provided in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the box wall provided in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the box wall provided in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 is a partial schematic diagram of the battery box stacking provided in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 is a partial schematic diagram of the battery box stacking provided in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the stacked battery boxes provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the box wall and bottom plate before welding according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the box wall and bottom plate after welding according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the adhesive application position of the connector provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0039] Wherein, 100 is the battery box body, 101 is the cover plate, 1011 is the first rib, 102 is the box wall, 1021 is the connecting part, 1022 is the first installation space, 1023 is the second installation space, 1024 is the connecting hole, 1025 is the glue application position, 103 is the bottom plate, 1031 is the second protrusion, 1032 is the second rib, 104 is the receiving cavity, 105 is the first seal, 106 is the second seal, 107 is the gap, and 108 is the weld. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The core of this disclosure is to provide a battery housing to improve the space utilization of battery modules.

[0041] Another core aspect of this disclosure is to provide a battery module having the aforementioned battery housing.

[0042] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0043] To ensure aesthetic appeal, existing residential battery modules typically employ a single-slit design, meaning there's only one stacking gap between modules. Furthermore, these modules often utilize a convex-concave mating structure, where a convex or concave surface is located on the top of the module housing, and a concave or convex surface on the bottom, allowing the top of the housing to mate with the bottom of adjacent housings for stacking. However, this convex-concave mating method results in low space utilization due to the limited height of the convex surfaces.

[0044] Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, this embodiment discloses a battery housing 100, including a cover plate 101, a housing wall 102, and a bottom plate 103. The cover plate 101, housing wall 102, and bottom plate 103 form a receiving cavity 104 for accommodating functional devices. These functional devices can be battery modules, switch boxes, etc. When the battery housings 100 are stacked, the internal space occupied by the battery housings 100 can be reduced, thereby effectively improving the space utilization rate of the battery modules.

[0045] The battery housing 100 disclosed in this embodiment will be explained and described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 8.

[0046] As shown in Figures 2 to 7, both ends of the box wall 102 are provided with connecting portions 1021, and the connecting portions 1021 extend from the box wall 102 toward the receiving cavity 104, so as to form a first mounting space 1022 for receiving the cover plate 101 and a second mounting space 1023 for receiving the bottom plate 103 at both ends of the box wall 102, thereby reducing the space occupied inside the battery box 100 when the battery boxes 100 are stacked, and effectively improving the space utilization rate of the battery module.

[0047] For ease of understanding, the two ends of the casing wall 102 are defined as the first end and the second end, respectively. The connecting part 1021 of the first end of the casing wall 102 forms a first installation space 1022 for installing the cover plate 101 of the battery box 100, and the connecting part 1021 of the second end of the casing wall 102 forms a second installation space 1023 for installing the bottom plate 103 of the battery box 100. This reduces the space occupied inside the battery box 100 when the battery boxes 100 are stacked, effectively improving the space utilization rate of the battery module.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the battery housing 100 may adopt a cuboid structure, with rectangular openings formed at both ends of the housing wall 102. The connecting portion 1021 may adopt a rectangular ring structure continuously distributed circumferentially along the opening side of the housing wall 102 to ensure a large contact area between the connecting portion 1021 and the bottom plate 103 or the cover plate 101, thereby improving the connection strength between the connecting portion 1021 and the bottom plate 103 or the cover plate 101. The four corners of the connecting portion 1021 may be reinforced, for example, by increasing the thickness or area of ​​the connecting portion 1021 at the four corners, to improve the strength of the connecting portion 1021. Meanwhile, the cover plate 101 and the bottom plate 103 may be connected to the connecting portion 1021 using fasteners such as bolts, or they may be installed and fixed using at least one of the following connection methods: snap-fit, plug-in, adhesive, and welding.

[0049] The connection methods of the cover plate 101 and the bottom plate 103 with the connecting part 1021 can be the same or different. Specifically, the cover plate 101 and the connecting part 1021 can be fixed by detachable connection methods such as screw connection and snap connection to facilitate the maintenance of functional devices in the cavity 104. The bottom plate 103 and the connecting part 1021 can be fixed by detachable or non-detachable connection methods such as snap connection, plug connection, adhesive connection and welding. Taking the connection method of the bottom plate 103 and the connecting part 1021 as an example, when the bottom plate 103 and the connecting part 1021 are fixed by welding, referring to Figures 9 and 10, the bottom plate 103 is first positioned and assembled with the connecting part 1021 and then fixed by welding. Figure 10 shows the weld 108 formed after the box wall 102 and the bottom plate 103 are friction welded. Referring to Figure 11, when the base plate 103 and the connecting part 1021 are fixed by adhesive bonding, adhesive is applied to at least one of the connecting part 1021 and the base plate 103. Figure 11 shows the technical solution for applying adhesive to the connecting part 1021, and the adhesive application position 1025 is arranged around the entire circle of the connection between the connecting part 1021 and the base plate 103 to ensure a reliable connection between the connecting part 1021 and the base plate 103. When the connecting part 1021 and the base plate 103 are connected by a combination of adhesive bonding and screwing, corresponding connecting holes 1024 for fasteners such as bolts to pass through are also provided on the connecting part 1021 and the base plate 103. Referring to Figure 11, the adhesive application position 1025 is arranged to avoid the location of the connecting hole 1024 to avoid affecting the passage of the fastener. The connecting hole 1024 can be set in the inner or outer circle of the adhesive application position 1025, which is not limited here. Furthermore, the connecting holes 1024 can be arranged asymmetrically on the connecting part 1021 and the base plate 103 to achieve foolproof design.

[0050] To achieve a sealing effect on the battery box 100, in some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, a first sealing element 105 and a second sealing element 106 are respectively provided in the first mounting space 1022 and the second mounting space 1023. The first sealing element 105 is located between the connecting portion 1021 at the first end of the box wall 102 and the cover plate 101, and the second sealing element 106 is located between the connecting portion 1021 at the second end of the box wall 102 and the bottom plate 103, thereby achieving a sealing effect on the top and bottom of the battery box 100. The first sealing element 105 can be an annular rubber sealing gasket adapted to the connecting portion 1021 at the first end of the box wall 102, or it can be sealed by filling with sealant. Similarly, the second sealing element 106 can be an annular rubber sealing gasket adapted to the connecting portion 1021 at the second end of the box wall 102, or it can be sealed by filling with sealant. This is not limited to these methods.

[0051] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in some embodiments, in order to improve the stability of the battery housing 100 when stacked, the thickness of the sidewall of the first mounting space 1022 is not less than the thickness of the sidewall of the second mounting space 1023, so that the top of the battery housing 100 has greater support strength, which can ensure the stability of the battery housing 100 when stacked and avoid out-of-plane instability. Meanwhile, as shown in Figure 4, the sidewall of the first installation space 1022 can be continuously and uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the box wall 102 near the opening side of the cover plate 101, that is, continuously distributed with equal thickness along the circumferential direction of the first end of the box wall 102. Of course, the sidewall of the first installation space 1022 can also be distributed intermittently along the circumferential direction of the box wall 102 near the opening side of the cover plate 101, as shown in Figure 2. That is, one or more notches can be provided on the sidewall of the first installation space 1022, or the sidewall of the first installation space 1022 can be continuously and non-uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the box wall 102 near the opening side of the cover plate 101, that is, continuously and unequally distributed along the circumferential direction of the first end of the box wall 102. Similarly, the sidewalls of the second installation space 1023 can be continuously and uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the box wall 102 near the opening side of the bottom plate 103, that is, continuously distributed with equal thickness along the circumferential direction of the second end of the box wall 102. Of course, the sidewalls of the second installation space 1023 can also be distributed intermittently along the circumferential direction of the box wall 102 near the opening side of the bottom plate 103, that is, one or more notches can be provided on the sidewalls of the second installation space 1023. Alternatively, the sidewalls of the second installation space 1023 can be continuously and non-uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the box wall 102 near the opening side of the bottom plate 103, that is, continuously and unequally distributed along the circumferential direction of the second end of the box wall 102. In the above embodiments, the sidewalls of the enclosure 102 can also be arranged in a combination of continuous and intermittent distribution at both ends. That is, the sidewalls of the first installation space 1022 can be continuously distributed with equal thickness along the circumferential direction of the first end of the enclosure 102, while the sidewalls of the second installation space 1023 can be intermittently distributed along the circumferential direction of the enclosure 102 near the opening of the bottom plate 103. Alternatively, the sidewalls of the second installation space 1023 can be continuously distributed with equal thickness along the circumferential direction of the second end of the enclosure 102, while the sidewalls of the first installation space 1022 can be intermittently distributed along the circumferential direction of the enclosure 102 near the opening of the cover plate 101.

[0052] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the box wall 102 and the connecting portion 1021 can adopt a separate structure, and there is a preset distance between the end face of the connecting portion 1021 and the box wall 102, which is not less than zero, to form a first installation space 1022 and a second installation space 1023, so that the cover plate 101 and the bottom plate 103 can be installed respectively. Of course, as shown in FIG5, the box wall 102 and the connecting portion 1021 can also adopt an integral structure, that is, the two ends of the box wall 102 can be bent towards the inside of the receiving cavity 104 respectively to form the connecting portion 1021 for installing the cover plate 101 and the bottom plate 103 respectively. Furthermore, an overlapping area can be formed at the side wall positions of the first installation space 1022 and the second installation space 1023 to improve the strength of the side walls of the first installation space 1022 and the second installation space 1023, thereby reducing the risk of deformation of the side walls of the first installation space 1022 and the second installation space 1023 under pressure.

[0053] For ease of understanding, the distance between the connecting part 1021 at the first end of the box wall 102 and the end face of the first end of the box wall 102 is defined as Δ0, the distance between the connecting part 1021 at the second end of the box wall 102 and the end face of the second end of the box wall 102 is defined as Δ1, and the distance between the side of the connecting part 1021 at the first end of the box wall 102 away from the second end of the box wall 102 and the side of the connecting part 1021 at the second end of the box wall 102 away from the first end of the box wall 102 is defined as H1, and the height of the box wall 102 is defined as H0.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6, in some embodiments, when the battery cases 100 are stacked, the cover plate 101 of the battery case 100 can be fitted with the bottom plate 103 of the adjacent battery case 100 at the connection part 1021, that is, the contact height h is the sum of the thickness δ1 of the cover plate 101 and the thickness δ2 of the bottom plate 103. Optionally, the sum of the distance Δ0 between the connection part 1021 at the first end of the case wall 102 and the end face of the first end of the case wall 102, the distance Δ1 between the connection part 1021 at the second end of the case wall 102 and the end face of the second end of the case wall 102, and the height δ5 of the gap 107 between two adjacent battery cases 100 is equal to the sum of the thickness δ1 of the cover plate 101, the thickness δ2 of the bottom plate 103, the thickness δ3 of the first seal 105, and the thickness δ4 of the second seal 106, that is, Δ0 + Δ1 + δ5 = δ1 + δ2 + δ3 + δ4.

[0055] As shown in Figure 7, in some embodiments, when the battery cases 100 are stacked, the cover plate 101 of the battery case 100 and the bottom plate 103 of the adjacent battery case 100 may also have a preset gap at the connection part 1021, that is, the contact height h is greater than the sum of the thickness δ1 of the cover plate 101 and the thickness δ2 of the bottom plate 103. Optionally, the sum of the distance Δ0 between the connection part 1021 at the first end of the case wall 102 and the end face of the first end of the case wall 102, the distance Δ1 between the connection part 1021 at the second end of the case wall 102 and the end face of the second end of the case wall 102, and the height δ5 of the gap 107 between two adjacent battery cases 100 is equal to the sum of the contact height h, the thickness δ3 of the first seal 105, and the thickness δ4 of the second seal 106, that is, Δ0 + Δ1 + δ5 = h + δ3 + δ4.

[0056] In the above embodiments, in order to achieve a preset gap between the cover plate 101 of the battery box 100 and the bottom plate 103 of the adjacent battery box 100 at the connection portion 1021, the cover plate 101 can be bent away from the receiving cavity 104 at the connection portion 1021 of the first mounting space 1022 to form a first protrusion, thereby achieving a preset gap between the cover plate 101 of the battery box 100 and the bottom plate 103 of the adjacent battery box 100 at the connection portion 1021. Alternatively, the bottom plate 103 can be bent away from the receiving cavity 104 at the connection portion 1021 of the second mounting space 1023 to form a second protrusion 1031, as shown in FIG7, thereby achieving a preset gap between the cover plate 101 of the battery box 100 and the bottom plate 103 of the adjacent battery box 100 at the connection portion 1021. Alternatively, the cover plate 101 can be bent away from the receiving cavity 104 at the connection portion 1021 of the first mounting space 1022 to form a first protrusion, and the bottom plate 103 can be bent away from the receiving cavity 104 at the connection portion 1021 of the second mounting space 1023 to form a second protrusion 1031, thereby achieving a preset gap between the cover plate 101 of the battery box 100 and the bottom plate 103 of the adjacent battery box 100 at the connection portion 1021.

[0057] As shown in Figure 1, to improve the strength of the cover plate 101 and the base plate 103, multiple first ribs 1011 can be spaced out on the cover plate 101. This increases the strength of the cover plate 101 and the heat dissipation area at the top of the battery box 100, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the functional components inside the battery box 100. The first ribs 1011 can be strip-shaped, rectangular, circular, etc., and are not limited here. Similarly, multiple second ribs 1032 can be spaced out on the base plate 103. This increases the strength of the base plate 103 and the heat dissipation area at the bottom of the battery box 100, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the functional components inside the battery box 100. The second ribs 1032 can be strip-shaped, rectangular, circular, etc., and are not limited here.

[0058] This disclosure also discloses a battery module, including a battery housing, which is the battery housing 100 disclosed in the above embodiments. Therefore, the battery housing 100 has all the technical effects of the battery housing 100 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0059] As shown in Figure 8, the battery housing 100 may include at least two, and the two battery housings 100 are stacked to form a single gap 107 between the two battery housings 100. Of course, the battery housing 100 may be, but is not limited to, two, three, four, five or more, which is not limited here.

[0060] The terms "first" and "second," etc., in this disclosure, claims, and the foregoing drawings are used to distinguish different objects and not to describe a particular order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units may not be defined in the listed steps or units, but may include steps or units not listed.

[0061] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A battery casing, comprising a cover plate (101), a casing wall (102), and a bottom plate (103), wherein the cover plate (101), the casing wall (102), and the bottom plate (103) enclose a receiving cavity (104) for accommodating functional devices, wherein: Both ends of the box wall (102) are provided with connecting portions (1021), and the connecting portions (1021) extend from the box wall (102) toward the receiving cavity (104) to form a first installation space (1022) for accommodating the cover plate (101) and a second installation space (1023) for accommodating the bottom plate (103) at both ends of the box wall (102).

2. The battery housing according to claim 1, wherein, The first installation space (1022) and the second installation space (1023) are respectively provided with a first sealing element (105) and a second sealing element (106). The first sealing element (105) is located between the connecting part (1021) of the first installation space (1022) and the cover plate (101), and the second sealing element (106) is located between the connecting part (1021) of the second installation space (1023) and the base plate (103).

3. The battery housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, There is a preset distance between the connecting part (1021) and the end face of the box wall (102), and the preset distance is not less than zero.

4. The battery housing according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The thickness of the sidewall of the first installation space (1022) is not less than the thickness of the sidewall of the second installation space (1023).

5. The battery housing according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The sidewalls of the first mounting space (1022) are spaced apart circumferentially along the side of the box wall (102) near the opening of the cover plate (101); and / or, The sidewalls of the second installation space (1023) are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the box wall (102) near the opening of the bottom plate (103).

6. The battery housing according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The end of the box wall (102) is bent toward the receiving cavity (104) to form the connecting part (1021).

7. The battery housing according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The cover plate (101) and the connecting part (1021) are connected by at least one of screw connection and snap connection; and / or, The base plate (103) and the connecting part (1021) are connected by at least one of the following connection methods: welding, gluing, screwing, and snap-fitting.

8. A battery module comprising a battery housing (100) as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein, The battery housing (100) includes at least two, and the two battery housings (100) are stacked to form a gap (107) between the two battery housings (100).

10. The battery module according to claim 9, wherein, The cover plate (101) of the battery box (100) and the bottom plate (103) of the adjacent battery box (100) are fitted together at the connection part (1021); or, The cover plate (101) of the battery box (100) and the bottom plate (103) of the adjacent battery box (100) have a preset gap at the connection part (1021).

11. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein, The cover plate (101) is bent away from the receiving cavity (104) at the connection portion (1021) of the first mounting space (1022) to form a first protrusion; and / or, The base plate (103) is bent away from the receiving cavity (104) at the connection (1021) of the second mounting space (1023) to form a second protrusion (1031).

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