WO2024230792A1 - Battery cell assembly and battery - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of batteries, and specifically provides a battery cell assembly and a battery, aiming at solving the problem of a sealing assembly used by existing single-cavity batteries being unable to meet the requirement of sealing and isolating an electrolyte in different cavities when the batteries are designed to have a plurality of cavities. To achieve this objective, the battery cell assembly of the present invention comprises an electrical connection member, the electrical connection member comprises a first conductive member and a second conductive member which are connected to each other and are respectively connected to battery cells on two sides of a partition plate, and the connection surface of the first conductive member and the second conductive member is located between two end surfaces of sealing members in a first direction. According to the present invention, the connection surface where the first conductive member and the second conductive member are connected is located between the two end surfaces of the sealing members, so that an electrolyte on the two sides of the partition plate can be fully sealed, and the electrolyte on the two sides of the partition plate is prevented from flowing through a gap between the electrical connection member and the partition plate.

Description

Cell components and batteries

This application claims the priority of Chinese patent application CN202310530309.0, filed on May 10, 2023, with the invention name “Battery Cell Assembly and Battery”. The entire contents of the above Chinese patent application are incorporated into this application by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of batteries, and specifically provides a battery core assembly and a battery.

Background Art

Traditional power battery packs are usually formed by multiple single cells connected in series externally. In view of the need for external series structure, a gap of about 40 mm is usually reserved between two single cells, which occupies space inside the battery pack and reduces the space utilization rate inside the battery pack. Traditional batteries have only a single cavity inside, and the sealing component only needs to ensure that the electrolyte in the cavity does not come into contact with the external environment.

However, in order to improve the space utilization of the battery pack, the single battery is designed as multiple cavities, each cavity accommodating at least one battery cell, and electrical connectors are needed to electrically connect (electrical connection includes two methods: series connection and parallel connection. Parallel connection can reduce the voltage, and series connection can increase the voltage, which can meet different voltage requirements. Series connection is preferred to meet fast charging and high current requirements). Battery cells in different cavities need to be sealed and isolated from each other at this time. However, existing sealing components cannot ensure that the electrolytes in different cavities are sealed and isolated from each other, and if the high potential and low potential of the electrical connector are in the same electrolyte, a chemical reaction will occur, affecting the overall use of the battery.

Therefore, the present invention needs to provide a new battery cell assembly and battery to solve the above technical problems.

Summary of the invention

The present invention aims to solve the above technical problems, that is, to solve the existing single-chamber battery The sealing components used cannot meet the problem that when the battery is designed as multiple cavities, the electrolytes in different cavities are sealed and isolated from each other, and the high potential and low potential of the electrical connector will cause chemical reactions if they are in the same electrolyte, affecting the overall use of the battery.

To this end, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a battery cell assembly, comprising two battery cells arranged in a first direction, a partition arranged between the two battery cells, an electrical connector and a sealing member, wherein the partition is provided with a first through hole, the electrical connector is partially accommodated in the first through hole, the sealing member is arranged between the electrical connector and the first through hole, the electrical connector comprises a first conductive member and a second conductive member respectively connected to the battery cells on both sides of the partition, the first conductive member and the second conductive member are fixedly connected, and the connection surfaces of the first conductive member and the second conductive member are located between the two end surfaces of the sealing member.

When the above technical solution is adopted, a sealing member is arranged between the first through hole and the electrical connector to seal the gap between the first through hole and the electrical connector to prevent the electrolyte from flowing through the gap, thereby ensuring that the electrolyte on both sides of the partition are completely separated. At the same time, the connection surface between the first conductive member and the second conductive member is located between the two end surfaces of the sealing member, so that the electrolyte on both sides of the partition will not flow into between the first conductive member and the second conductive member, thereby achieving a fully effective sealing effect. At the same time, the first conductive member and the second conductive member are respectively in electrolytes in different cavities, thereby preventing the first conductive member and the second conductive member from being in the same electrolyte and causing a chemical reaction that affects the overall use of the battery.

In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned battery cell assembly, the first conductive member is provided with a first protrusion received in the sealing member, and the first protrusion is fixedly connected to the second conductive member.

When the above technical solution is adopted, the first protrusion is located inside the sealing member, which ensures that the connecting surface is located between the two end surfaces of the sealing member.

In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned battery cell assembly, a second protrusion received in the sealing member is provided on the second conductive member, and the second protrusion is fixedly connected to the first protrusion.

When the above technical solution is adopted, the second protrusion is located inside the sealing member, which ensures that the connecting surface is located between the two end surfaces of the sealing member.

In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned battery cell assembly, in the first direction, the sealing member is partially disposed between the first conductive member and the partition; and/or, in the first direction, The sealing member is partially disposed between the second conductive member and the partition.

When the above technical solution is adopted, the seal is clamped between the first conductive part and the partition, and the seal is clamped between the second conductive part and the partition, which not only realizes the function of fixing the seal on the partition, but also can squeeze the seal to ensure the sealing.

In a specific embodiment of the battery cell assembly, one of the first conductive member and the second conductive member is made of copper, and the other is made of aluminum.

In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned battery cell assembly, the second conductive member further includes a second conductive block disposed on the second protrusion, and in the first direction, the sealing member is partially disposed between the second conductive block and the partition.

In a specific embodiment of the above battery cell assembly, the second conductive block is fixedly connected to the second protrusion.

In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned battery cell assembly, the battery cell assembly further includes a first insulating member disposed between the first conductive member and the partition; and/or the battery cell assembly further includes a second insulating member disposed between the second conductive member and the partition.

When the above technical solution is adopted, the insulating function between the first conductive member and the second conductive member and the partition is achieved through the provision of the insulating member.

In a specific embodiment of the above battery cell assembly, the first protrusion is integrally provided with the first conductive member.

When the above technical solution is adopted, the first protrusion and the first conductive member are integrally formed, so the processing and subsequent installation are simpler and more convenient, and the work efficiency is high.

In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a battery, characterized in that the battery comprises a shell and a battery cell assembly as described in any one of the above items, the partition divides the interior of the shell into at least two cavities arranged in a first direction, each of the cavities is provided with at least one battery cell, and the battery cells between different cavities are connected by the electrical connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG1 is a front view of a battery;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of a battery;

FIG3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the AA direction in FIG1 ;

FIG4 is an enlarged structural view of the electrical connector and the sealing member assembly in FIG3 ;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the connection between the electrical connector and the partition;

FIG6 is an exploded view of the structure of the connection between the electrical connector and the partition;

FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of an insulating member;

FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a sealing member;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the connection among the connector, the partitions and the shell when there are at least two partitions.

List of reference numerals:
1. Shell; 11. Subshell; 12. First connecting portion; 2. First insulating member;
21. First side portion; 22. Second side portion; 23. Bottom portion; 231. Second through hole; 3. Sealing member; 31. First groove; 4. Electrical connector; 41. First conductive member; 411. First protrusion; 412. First conductive block; 42. Second conductive member; 421. Second protrusion; 422. Second conductive block; 5. Partition; 51. First through hole; 6. Battery cell; 7. Connector; 71. Second connecting portion; 72. Accommodating cavity; 8. Connecting surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make adjustments to them as needed to adapt to specific application scenarios.

It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", etc. indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the relevant devices or elements must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

In addition, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For technicians, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

In the prior art, in order to improve the space utilization of the battery pack, the battery is designed as a plurality of cavities, each cavity accommodating at least one battery cell, and an electrical connector is required to electrically connect (electrical connection includes two methods: series connection and parallel connection. Parallel connection can reduce the voltage, and series connection can increase the voltage, which can meet different voltage requirements. Series connection is preferred to meet fast charging and high current requirements) battery cells in different cavities. At this time, it is necessary to ensure that the electrolytes between different cavities are sealed and isolated from each other, but the existing sealing components cannot ensure that the electrolytes between different cavities are sealed and isolated from each other, and if the high potential and low potential of the electrical connector are in the same electrolyte, a chemical reaction will occur, affecting the overall use of the battery.

To solve the above technical problems, first refer to Figures 3, 4 and 6. The present invention provides a battery cell assembly, including a partition 5 for separating at least two battery cells 6 in a first direction, and a first through hole 51 is provided on the partition 5. The battery cell assembly also includes a seal 3 passing through the first through hole 51 and an electrical connector 4 passing through the seal 3 along the first direction. The seal 3 is arranged between the electrical connector 4 and the first through hole 51. The electrical connector 4 includes a first conductive member 41 and a second conductive member 42 which are fixedly connected to each other and respectively connected to the battery cells 6 on both sides of the partition 5. The connecting surface 8 between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 is located between the two end surfaces of the seal 3 in the first direction.

It should be noted that after the battery cells, separators, electrical connectors and other components are assembled to form a battery, the first direction may be the thickness direction of the battery, that is, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the shell 1 with the largest area.

It should be noted that the number of the first through hole 51 on the partition 5 is at least one, and the number of the sealing members 3 corresponds to the number of the first through holes 51 one by one. The present invention does not specifically limit the number of the first through holes 51 and is flexibly designed according to actual usage.

In the above embodiment, the first conductive member 41 is used to be fixedly connected to the tab on the battery cell 6 on one side of the partition 5, and the second conductive member 42 is fixedly connected to the tab on the battery cell 6 on the other side of the partition 5. The positive and negative poles of the tabs connected by the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 are different. For example, the tab connected by the first conductive member 41 is the positive tab, and the tab connected by the second conductive member 42 is the negative tab. The series connection of the battery cells 6 in the two cavities is achieved through the connection between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42.

In one embodiment, one of the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 is a copper block, and the other is an aluminum block. That is, if the first conductive member 41 is a copper block, the second conductive member 42 is an aluminum block. 42 is an aluminum block. If the first conductive member 41 is an aluminum block, the second conductive member 42 is a copper block. Since the price of an aluminum block is lower than that of a copper block, it is beneficial to reduce the overall cost of the electrical connector.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 3 , the first conductive member 41 is provided with a first protrusion 411 received in the sealing member 3 , the connecting surface 8 is the surface where the first protrusion 411 and the second conductive member 42 are in contact, and the first protrusion 411 and the second conductive member 42 are fixedly connected.

In one embodiment, the first protrusion 411 is integrally formed with the first conductive member 41 .

In one embodiment, referring to Figures 3 and 4, the first conductive member 41 further includes a first conductive block 412 disposed on the first protrusion 411 at an end away from the second conductive member 42. The first protrusion 411 and the first conductive block 412 are integrally disposed. In the first direction, part of the sealing member 3 is clamped between the first conductive block 412 and the partition 5. The use of an integrated molding process reduces the subsequent installation steps, making the installation simpler and more convenient, and the work efficiency is high.

3 and 4, the second conductive member 42 is provided with a second protrusion 421 received in the sealing member 3, and the connecting surface 8 is the surface where the second protrusion 421 and the first conductive member 41 are in contact. The second protrusion 421 is fixedly connected to the first protrusion 411, preferably by friction welding.

In the above embodiment, if the first conductive member 41 includes the first protruding portion 411 and the second conductive member 42 includes the second protruding portion 421 , the connecting surface 8 is the surface where the first protruding portion 411 and the second protruding portion 421 are in contact with each other.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , the second conductive member 42 further includes a second conductive block 422 disposed on an end of the second protruding portion 421 away from the first conductive member 41 .

In the above embodiment, the number of the first protrusions 411 and the second protrusions 421 is the same as the number of the first through holes 51 and corresponds one to one.

In one embodiment, the second conductive block 422 is fixedly connected to the second protruding portion 421 by riveting. In the above embodiment, the second conductive block 422 is fixedly connected to the second protruding portion 421 by riveting, but this does not limit the protection scope of the present invention, and the second conductive block 422 can also be fixed by welding or a combination of riveting and welding.

In addition, it should be noted that, although the first conductive member 41 adopts an integrally formed structure and the second conductive member 42 adopts a spliced structure in the above description, this is not restrictive, and the first conductive member 41 may also adopt a spliced structure and the second conductive member 42 may also adopt a single structure. This is also within the protection scope of the present invention. When the first conductive member 41 adopts a spliced structure, it is fixed by riveting, welding, or a combination of riveting and welding.

However, it should be noted that for the convenience of molding and installation, at most only one of the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 can be an integrally molded structure, that is, both can be spliced structures, or one can be a spliced structure and the other can be an integral structure.

In the above embodiment, the first protrusion 411 and the second protrusion 421 are fixedly connected, which not only realizes the conductive function between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42, and realizes the series connection between the battery cells 6 on both sides of the partition 5, but also cooperates with the first conductive block 412 and the second conductive block 422 to realize the fixation of the electrical connector 4 and the partition 5.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG3 , in the first direction, a portion of the sealing member 3 is sandwiched between the first conductive member 41 and the partition 5. Specifically, a portion of the sealing member 3 is sandwiched between the first conductive block 412 and the partition 5.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG3 , in the first direction, a portion of the sealing member 3 is sandwiched between the second conductive member 42 and the partition 5. Specifically, a portion of the sealing member 3 is sandwiched between the second conductive block 422 and the partition 5.

In addition, the seal 3 is an annular structure, and the connection surface 8 for connecting the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 is located between the two end surfaces of the seal, that is, located on the inner side of the seal 3 .

Specifically, the first protrusion 411 in the first conductive member 41 extends into the inner side of the seal 3, and the second protrusion 421 in the second conductive member 42 extends into the inner side of the seal 3, so that the seal 3 seals the portion where the first protrusion 411 and the second protrusion 421 are fixedly connected, so that they do not contact with the electrolyte, thereby avoiding chemical reactions in the electrolyte in the same cavity that affect use.

In the above embodiment, the sealing member 3 is clamped between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 , and the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42 jointly exert pressure on the sealing member 3 to seal the gap around the sealing member 3 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 , the seal 3 is clamped between the first conductive block 412 and the second conductive block 422 to connect the first protrusion 411 and the second protrusion 421 with the first conductive block 412. The gap between the through holes 51 is sealed and the seal 3 is fixed on the partition 5. The seal 3 is clamped between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42, which not only realizes the function of fixing the seal 3 on the partition 5, but also can squeeze the seal 3 to ensure the sealing performance.

In one embodiment, referring to Fig. 3 and Fig. 8, a first groove 31 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the sealing member 3, and the partition plate 5 around the first through hole 51 is clamped in the first groove 31 to seal the first through hole 51. The first groove 31 is an annular structure, and the partition plate 5 is inserted into the first groove 31, which not only enables the sealing member 3 to be clamped on the partition plate 5, plays a preliminary positioning role during installation, but also ensures the sealing between the partition plate 5 and the sealing member 3.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 , the battery cell assembly further includes a first insulating member 2 disposed between the first conductive member 41 and the partition 5 .

On the other hand, referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the present invention also provides a battery, which includes a shell 1 and a battery cell assembly as described in any of the above technical solutions, wherein a partition 5 separates the interior of the shell 1 into at least two mutually arranged cavities in a first direction, and at least one battery cell 6 is respectively disposed in each cavity, and the battery cells 6 between different cavities are connected by electrical connectors.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the first insulating member 2 includes a bottom edge portion 23 and a first side edge portion 21 fixedly connected to the bottom edge portion 23. The first side edge portion 21 separates the housing 1 from the electrical connector 4. A second through hole 231 is provided on the bottom edge portion 23. The sealing member is inserted into the second through hole. The electrical connector 4 passes through the second through hole 231. The bottom edge portion 23 separates the electrical connector 4 from the partition 5. The bottom edge portion 23 is clamped between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42. The height of the first side edge portion 21 is greater than the height of the electrical connector 4 on both sides of the partition 5, so that the electrical connector 4 is more fully separated from the housing 1.

In the above embodiment, the bottom edge portion 23 not only separates the partition 5 from the electrical connector 4 to achieve an insulation effect, but the bottom edge portion 23 is also clamped between the first conductive member 41 and the second conductive member 42, thereby achieving the fixing function of the insulating member 2 as a whole to the partition 5 through the electrical connector 4.

In one embodiment, the first insulating member 2 also includes a second side portion 22, which is fixedly connected to the bottom portion 23. The first side portion 21, the second side portion 22 and the bottom portion 23 together form a cavity for placing the electrical connector 4, and the second side portion 22 separates the electrical connector 4 from the battery cell 6.

The second side portion 22 is located between the electrical connector 4 and the battery cell 6, and the second side portion 22 is located between the electrical connector 4 and the battery cell 6. The height of the second side portion 22 is less than the height of the electrical connector 4 on both sides of the partition 5, so as to prevent the second side portion 22 from affecting the connection between the tab on the battery cell 6 and the first conductive member 41. The second side portion 22 is fixedly connected to a side wall of the bottom portion 23 adjacent to the battery cell 6, and the other side walls of the bottom portion 23 are fixedly connected to the first side portion 21, and the first side portion 21 and the second side portion 22 are both tightly fitted with the side walls of the electrical connector 4.

It should be noted that the first side portion 21 , the second side portion 22 and the bottom portion 23 are an integrated structure.

In one embodiment, the battery cell assembly further includes a second insulating member disposed between the second conductive member and the partition. The structure of the second insulating member is the same as that of the first insulating member.

In addition, referring to FIG9 , when the number of the partitions 5 is at least two, the battery further includes a connector 7, a connector 7 is provided between two adjacent partitions 5, adjacent partitions 5 are fixedly connected by the connector 7, a receiving cavity 72 is provided on the connector 7, the partitions 5 and the connector 7 cooperate to divide the interior of the housing 1 into a plurality of mutually isolated cavities, and the housing 1, the partitions 5 and the connector 7 are fixed to each other. The receiving cavity 72 is used to place the battery cell 6.

Specifically, the shell 1 includes two sub-shells 11, and the edge portions of the two sub-shells 11 respectively extend outward with first connecting portions 12, and the top and bottom edge portions of the connecting member 7 both extend outward with second connecting portions 71, and the second connecting portions 71 are fixed to the edges of the adjacent partitions 5, so that the cavities separated by the partitions 5 are independent of each other, and the two sub-shells 11 are respectively buckled on the two outermost partitions 5, and are fixedly connected to the edges of the partitions 5 and the second connecting portions 71 through the first connecting portions 12, thereby realizing the fixed connection between the shell 1 and at least two partitions 5. The shape of the connecting member 7 is the same as that of the shell 1 and the partition 5, and is used for fixed connection with the partition 5. In the present application, the partition 5 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the shape of the connecting member 7 is also a rectangular parallelepiped.

In the case of adopting the above-mentioned embodiments and various expanded implementation modes, the present invention arranges a seal between the first through hole and the electrical connector to seal the gap between the first through hole and the electrical connector to prevent the electrolyte from flowing through the gap, thereby ensuring that the electrolyte on both sides of the partition are completely separated. At the same time, the connection surface between the first conductive member and the second conductive member is located between the two end surfaces of the seal, so that the first conductive member and the second conductive member are respectively in the electrolyte of different cavities, thereby avoiding the problem of chemical reaction between the first conductive member and the second conductive member in the same electrolyte and affecting the overall use of the battery.

So far, the technical aspects of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific implementations. Without departing from the principle of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A battery cell assembly, characterized in that the battery cell assembly includes two battery cells arranged in a first direction, a partition arranged between the two battery cells, an electrical connector and a sealing member, the partition is provided with a first through hole, the electrical connector is partially accommodated in the first through hole, the sealing member is arranged between the electrical connector and the first through hole, the electrical connector includes a first conductive member and a second conductive member respectively connected to the battery cells on both sides of the partition, the first conductive member and the second conductive member are fixedly connected, and the connection surface between the first conductive member and the second conductive member is between the two end surfaces of the sealing member. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first conductive member is provided with a first protrusion accommodated in the sealing member, and the first protrusion is fixedly connected to the second conductive member. The battery cell assembly according to claim 2 is characterized in that the second conductive member is provided with a second protrusion accommodated in the sealing member, and the second protrusion is fixedly connected to the first protrusion. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1 is characterized in that, in a first direction, the sealing member is partially arranged between the first conductive member and the partition; and/or, in the first direction, the sealing member is partially arranged between the second conductive member and the partition. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the first conductive member and the second conductive member is made of copper, and the other is made of aluminum. The battery cell assembly according to claim 3 is characterized in that the second conductive member further includes a second conductive block disposed on the second protrusion, and in the first direction, the sealing member is partially disposed between the second conductive block and the partition. The battery cell assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the second conductive block Fixedly connected to the second protrusion. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1 is characterized in that the battery cell assembly also includes a first insulating member arranged between the first conductive member and the partition; and/or the battery cell assembly also includes a second insulating member arranged between the second conductive member and the partition. The battery cell assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the first protrusion is integrally provided with the first conductive member. A battery, characterized in that the battery comprises a shell and a battery cell assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the partition divides the interior of the shell into at least two cavities arranged in a first direction, each of the cavities is provided with a battery cell, and the battery cells between different cavities are connected by the electrical connector.