WO2024251069A1 - High-capacity battery and outer housing - Google Patents

Abstract

A high-capacity battery and an outer housing. The high-capacity battery comprises an outer housing and a plurality of single batteries (1). The single batteries (1) are sequentially in parallel connection and are arranged in the inner cavity of the outer housing. The inner cavity of each single battery (1) comprises an electrolyte region and a gas region. The bottom of the outer housing is provided with an electrolyte sharing cavity. The electrolyte sharing cavity communicates with the electrolyte region of the inner cavity of each single battery (1).

Description

A large capacity battery and casing Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of batteries, and in particular to a large-capacity battery and a casing.

Background Art

Currently, many single cells are connected in parallel or in series on the market to form large-capacity batteries (also called battery modules or battery packs).

An existing large-capacity battery, as shown in FIG1 , includes a battery pack body formed by a plurality of single cells connected in parallel and a shared pipe assembly located at the bottom of the battery pack body; the shared pipe assembly is used to connect the inner cavities of the plurality of single cells so that all the single cells in the battery pack are in one electrolyte system. The battery pack can enhance the uniformity of the electrolyte of each single cell in the battery pack through the shared pipe assembly, improve the cycle life, and can also replenish the electrolyte for the battery pack through the shared pipe assembly, thereby extending the service life of the battery pack and improving the safety of the battery pack.

However, this type of shared pipeline assembly is formed by directly sealing and plugging multiple sections of sub-pipes 01 and intermediate connecting pipes 02 with each other by interference fit; at this time, the multiple sections of sub-pipes 01 are arranged one by one on the lower cover plate 03 of the single battery, and the sub-pipes extend along the arrangement direction of the single battery 1, and are extruded integrally with the lower cover plate 03, and are connected to the opening of the lower cover plate 03.

During assembly, the two ends of the sub-pipeline 01 are used as connecting ends with the middle connecting tube 02 . When two single cells are connected, one end of the sub-pipeline on the two single cells is squeezed into the two ends of the middle connecting tube 02 .

The shared pipeline assembly requires that each sub-pipeline 01 and the intermediate connecting pipe 02 be coaxial during the plugging process to achieve effective connection. However, the coaxiality of each sub-pipeline and the intermediate connecting pipe 02 is difficult to ensure due to the following reasons:

1) The sub-pipeline and the lower cover are an integrated part. If the position of the sub-pipeline on the lower cover is slightly deviated, or the size of each sub-pipeline is slightly deviated, the coaxiality of each sub-pipeline will deviate when plugged in;

2) When the above-mentioned integrated part is welded to the cylinder, due to the difference in the welding process, the position of the sub-pipeline relative to the cylinder may be inconsistent, which may lead to deviation in the coaxiality of each sub-pipeline during plugging;

3) This solution requires the use of special tooling during plugging. Due to improper use of the tooling or problems with the operation of the construction personnel, the coaxiality of each sub-pipeline may deviate if it is not careful.

In addition, when plugging in, the deviation between the sub-pipelines will increase with the increase in the number of plug-ins, resulting in the coaxiality between the sub-pipelines being more difficult to ensure as the number of plug-ins increases; resulting in the assembly process, the yield rate decreases as the number of plug-ins increases.

In summary, since the sub-pipes of two adjacent single cells are difficult to be coaxial, this solution may cause the sub-pipes to be displaced relative to the lower cover plate, or the lower cover plate to be displaced relative to the cylinder during insertion, thereby causing damage to the battery.

Summary of the invention

The purpose of this application is to provide a large-capacity battery to overcome the problem that existing large-capacity batteries share pipeline components that are difficult to assemble.

The technical solution of this application is:

A large-capacity battery, which is special in that it includes a shell and a plurality of single cells, wherein the plurality of single cells are connected in parallel in sequence and arranged in the inner cavity of the shell; the inner cavity of each single cell includes an electrolyte area and a gas area;

The bottom of the housing is provided with an electrolyte sharing chamber;

The electrolyte sharing chamber is communicated with the electrolyte areas in the inner cavities of each single battery.

Furthermore, a third through hole is provided on the top of the shell to allow each single cell pole to extend out; each single cell pole extends out of the third through hole and the shell area corresponding to the third through hole is fixedly sealed with the single cell shell.

Furthermore, the housing comprises a U-shaped shell, a first cover plate, a second cover plate and a third cover plate;

The electrolyte sharing chamber is arranged at the bottom of the U-shaped housing;

The first cover plate and the third cover plate respectively cover two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell;

The second cover plate is provided with a third through hole through which each single cell pole can extend; the second cover plate covers the open end at the top of the U-shaped shell and is sealed with the open end; each single cell pole extends out of the third through hole and the outer shell area corresponding to the third through hole is fixedly sealed with the single cell shell.

Furthermore, a first through hole penetrating the inner cavity of each single battery is provided at the bottom of the shell;

The electrolyte sharing chamber is a first channel arranged at the bottom of the U-shaped housing;

The first channel is connected to the first through hole.

Furthermore, the bottom of the U-shaped shell protrudes in a direction away from the top of the U-shaped shell to form a first channel.

Furthermore, in order to improve the heat dissipation performance of the large-capacity battery, heat dissipation fins are provided on the outer surface area of the bottom of the U-shaped shell located on both sides of the first channel.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are an integral part.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process.

Furthermore, a second supporting rib is provided between the bottom of the U-shaped shell and the bottom of each single cell, and the height of the second supporting rib needs to meet the following requirements: after each single cell is supported by the second supporting rib, it is necessary to ensure that the pole of each single cell extends out of the third through hole opened on the second cover plate.

Furthermore, a weak portion is provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole.

Furthermore, at least two first support ribs extending along the arrangement direction of the single cells may be provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the U-shaped shell, and the two first support ribs and the bottom area of the U-shaped shell between the two first support ribs form a first channel.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are an integral piece.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process.

Furthermore, a weak portion is provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole.

Furthermore, a partition is provided between two adjacent single batteries.

Furthermore, the partition is an I-shaped partition, a vertical beam of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of two adjacent single cells located in the yz plane, a cross beam of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of the two single cells located in the xz plane, and another cross beam of the I-shaped partition contacts the other side walls of the two single cells located in the xz plane.

Furthermore, a gas chamber is provided on the second cover plate;

The gas chamber covers the explosion relief part on the top of each single cell. When the explosion relief part of any single cell is broken by the smoke in the inner cavity, the gas area in the inner cavity of the single cell is connected with the inner cavity of the gas chamber.

Alternatively, a fifth through hole penetrating the inner cavity of each single cell is formed on the top of each single cell shell, the gas chamber covers the fifth through hole, and the inner cavity of the gas chamber is connected with the gas area of the inner cavity of each single cell through the fifth through hole.

Furthermore, the second cover plate protrudes in a direction away from the bottom of the U-shaped shell to form a second channel as a gas chamber.

In order to further reduce the manufacturing cost of the large-capacity battery and improve the sealing performance, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are integrated.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are integrally formed by an extrusion process.

Furthermore, support ribs are provided between the bottom of the U-shaped shell and the bottom of each single cell, and the height of the support ribs needs to satisfy the following requirement: after each single cell is supported by the support ribs, it is necessary to ensure that the pole of each single cell extends out of the third through hole provided on the second cover plate. It should be noted here that if the electrolyte sharing chamber adopts the structural form of "the bottom of the U-shaped shell protrudes away from the top of the U-shaped shell to form a first channel", the support ribs are the second support ribs, and if the electrolyte sharing chamber adopts the structural form of "at least two first support ribs extending along the arrangement direction of the single cells are provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the U-shaped shell, and the two first support ribs and the bottom area of the U-shaped shell located between the two first support ribs form a first channel", the support ribs are the first support ribs.

Furthermore, a weak portion is provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole.

Furthermore, a partition is provided between two adjacent single batteries.

Furthermore, an I-shaped partition is used, and the vertical beam of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of two adjacent single cells located in the yz plane, a cross beam of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of the above two single cells located in the xz plane, and another cross beam of the I-shaped partition contacts the other side walls of the above two single cells located in the xz plane.

Furthermore, the large-capacity battery also includes a heat transfer connector, which is a slender member used to connect to the positive or negative electrode of each single battery; and a clamping portion for installing a heat transfer tube is provided on the slender member along the axial direction.

The present application also provides a housing for accommodating a plurality of single cells, which is special in that it comprises a U-shaped housing, a first cover plate, a third cover plate, and a second cover plate;

The bottom of the U-shaped shell is provided with an electrolyte sharing chamber; the electrolyte sharing chamber is used to communicate with the electrolyte area in the inner cavity of each single cell;

The first cover plate and the third cover plate respectively cover two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell;

The second cover plate is provided with a third through hole through which each single cell pole can extend; the second cover plate covers the open end at the top of the U-shaped shell and is sealed and connected to the open end.

Furthermore, a gas chamber is provided on the second cover plate.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are an integral piece.

Furthermore, the U-shaped shell and the second cover plate are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process.

The beneficial effects of this application are:

1. The present application places a plurality of single cells inside a shell having a shared electrolyte chamber at the bottom, and utilizes the shared electrolyte chamber to communicate with the inner cavities of each single cell located in the shell, so that the electrolyte of each single cell is shared to ensure the consistency of each single cell, that is, the electrolyte chambers of each single cell are connected so that the electrolytes of all single cells are in the same system, which reduces the differences between the electrolytes of each single cell, improves the consistency between each single cell to a certain extent, and thus improves the cycle life of the large-capacity battery to a certain extent.

The electrolyte shared chamber of the present application does not need to be plugged in, and there is no need to consider the coaxial plug-in problem in the arrangement direction of the single battery cells, and the requirements for processing accuracy and assembly accuracy are relatively low. At the same time, no special tooling is required, and the assembly process is relatively simple, which greatly reduces the processing difficulty and processing cost of such large-capacity batteries with a shared system, and can realize mass production.

2. In the present application, the poles of each single battery extend out of the top of the outer shell, which has a better heat dissipation effect than the structure in which the poles are located inside the outer shell. In addition, when the poles extend out of the outer shell, if the battery temperature is too high, it is also convenient to use heat exchange equipment to timely remove the heat of the poles, thereby ensuring that such large-capacity batteries operate at the optimal temperature.

3. The shell of the present application is composed of a U-shaped shell and a cover plate covering the three open ends of the U-shaped shell. The U-shaped shell can be processed and formed as one piece, and then the open end is sealed with the cover plate. The leakage point of the entire shell is only located at the connection between the cover plate and the U-shaped shell. By selecting a reliable connection method, the entire shell can be made into a better closed system to ensure that the internal electrolyte of the large-capacity battery is not affected by the external environment.

4. The present application provides a first channel at the bottom of the U-shaped shell as an electrolyte sharing chamber, and uses the first channel to communicate with the electrolyte area of each single cell in the shell. Compared with the structure using a hollow tube section as the electrolyte sharing chamber, there is no need to open an additional through hole. The first channel directly communicates with the electrolyte area of each single cell through the first through hole, and the structure and processing are relatively simple.

5. The first channel and the U-shaped shell can be an integral part. For example, the bottom of the U-shaped shell can be bulged away from the top of the U-shaped shell by bending or aluminum extrusion to form the first channel. The first channel can also be formed by integrally molded support ribs, which facilitates processing and has a lower processing cost.

6. The present application provides heat dissipation fins at the bottom of the U-shaped housing to improve the heat dissipation performance of large-capacity batteries.

7. The present application sets a gas chamber on the second cover plate, and the gas area in the inner cavity of each single cell is connected to the gas chamber, so that the gas paths of each single cell are connected, and the gases of all single cells are in the same environment to achieve gas balance, thereby reducing the differences between each single cell and improving the consistency between each single cell, thereby further improving the cycle life of large-capacity batteries.

The gas chamber of the present application can also directly cover the explosion venting part on the top of each single battery cell as an explosion venting tube. When the pressure in the inner cavity of any single battery cell is too high, the inner cavity gas or thermal runaway smoke breaks through the explosion venting part on each single battery cell and enters the gas chamber and is discharged from the gas chamber. Because each single battery cell has an explosion venting part, and the explosion venting part is located in the gas area of each single battery cell, the thermal runaway smoke breaks through the explosion venting part and enters the explosion venting tube. The pressure holding time is short and the safety is high.

8. The U-shaped housing and the second cover plate of the present application can be integrally formed by aluminum extrusion process; during the extrusion process, the electrolyte shared chamber can also be integrally extruded at the same time; it is easy to process and has a lower processing cost. The shaped shell and the second cover plate are separately arranged, and the leakage points are further reduced, making it easier for the entire shell to become a better closed system.

9. The present application divides the inner cavity of the cylinder into a plurality of single cell installation cavities by adding partitions. When each single cell is fixed in the corresponding single cell installation cavity, the side wall is in direct contact with the partition. On the first hand, the installation stability of each single cell in the shell can be improved; on the second hand, it can prevent each single cell from swelling, which may lead to the problem of reduced cycle performance of large-capacity batteries; on the third hand, the heat generated during the charging and discharging process of each single cell can be transmitted to the outside through the partition, reducing the risk of thermal runaway; on the fourth hand, the strength of the cylinder can also be enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a large-capacity battery structure in the background art;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large-capacity battery after the outer shell is removed in Example 1;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large-capacity battery in Example 1;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a commercially available square shell battery in Example 1;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an electrolyte sharing chamber in Example 1;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another electrolyte sharing chamber structure in Example 1;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the third electrolyte sharing chamber structure in Example 1;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third cover plate in Example 1;

FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a large-capacity battery with a heat transfer connector in Example 1;

FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a heat transfer connector in Example 1;

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large-capacity battery in Example 2;

FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third cover plate in Example 2;

FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a cylinder structure in Example 3;

FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another cylinder structure in Example 3;

FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure in which a partition is added to the inner cavity of the U-shaped shell in Example 4;

FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the I-shaped separator and the single battery in Example 4;

The accompanying drawings in the figure are marked as follows:

01. Sub-pipeline; 02. Intermediate connecting pipe; 03. Lower cover plate;

1. Single cell; 2. U-shaped shell; 3. First cover plate; 4. Third cover plate; 5. Second cover plate; 6. Bottom of U-shaped shell; 7. Pipe section; 8. First channel; 9. Fin; 10. First supporting rib; 11. Liquid injection port; 12. Third through hole; 13. Second channel; 15. Weak part; 16. Partition; 17. Vertical beam; 18. Horizontal beam; 19. Heat transfer connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings of the specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary persons in the art without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application, but the present application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

In the description of this application, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "top, bottom" etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of this application. In addition, the terms "first, second, third, fourth, etc." are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

The present application provides a large-capacity battery, including a housing and a plurality of single cells arranged in parallel in the housing; the single cells described herein may be square-shell batteries or multiple commercially available soft-pack batteries connected in parallel. The inner cavity of each single cell includes an electrolyte region and a gas region.

The shell structure and the specific arrangement of each single cell in the shell can be set according to specific needs. For example, when square shell batteries are selected as single cells, the shell can be a square shell, and the square shell batteries can be arranged in sequence along the length direction of the shell; the shell can also be a cylindrical hollow shell, and the square shell batteries can be arranged along the circumference of the shell, but compared with the square shell, the stability of the square shell battery in the cylindrical hollow shell is more difficult to ensure. In addition, the energy density of the energy storage device formed by such large-capacity batteries is general, but the large-capacity battery of this structure has better heat dissipation performance.

In view of structural stability and energy density, the present application prefers a square shell as the outer shell.

The present application provides an electrolyte sharing chamber at the bottom of the shell; the electrolyte sharing chamber is connected to the electrolyte area of the inner cavity of each single battery.

It should be noted here that the above-mentioned electrolyte sharing chamber is an electrolyte containing chamber, which, after being connected with the electrolyte area of the inner cavity of each single battery, needs to ensure that the electrolyte in the entire large-capacity battery does not contact the external environment.

The housing of this application can adopt the following structural forms, taking a rectangular housing as an example:

1. The outer shell includes a cylinder with only the top open and a cover plate; an electrolyte sharing chamber is provided at the bottom of the cylinder;

The cylinder structure can be formed by die casting:

First, a cylinder with only an open top is formed by die casting, and then an electrolyte sharing chamber is processed on the bottom of the cylinder. A groove that is recessed toward the outer surface can be directly processed on the inner surface of the bottom of the cylinder as the electrolyte sharing chamber, or a through hole that passes through the bottom of the cylinder or a through groove that extends along the battery arrangement direction can be opened at the bottom of the cylinder, and then an electrolyte sharing chamber connected to the through hole or the through groove is added on the outer surface of the bottom of the cylinder.

The cylinder structure can also be formed by stamping:

The cylinder body with only the top open is formed by stamping, and the bottom of the cylinder body can be directly stamped to form a groove, which is used as a shared chamber for the electrolyte.

It should be noted that after the single battery is placed in the cylinder, the open end of the cylinder top is sealed by the cover plate. Further, in order to improve the heat dissipation performance of such large-capacity batteries, holes can be opened in the cover plate so that each single battery pole extends out of the opening. At the same time, in order to ensure that the electrolyte does not contact the outside world, after each single battery pole extends out of the opening, it is necessary to seal the opening with the single battery pole. The battery housing is fixed and sealed.

2. The outer shell includes a U-shaped shell, a first cover plate, a second cover plate and a third cover plate; the U-shaped shell refers to a shell with a U-shaped cross section, that is, a shell with three continuous open ends.

An electrolyte sharing chamber is arranged at the bottom of the U-shaped shell; the electrolyte sharing chamber is communicated with the electrolyte area of the inner cavity of each single battery.

It should be noted that the electrolyte shared chamber is an electrolyte containing chamber, which is connected to the electrolyte area of each single cell inner cavity, and it is necessary to ensure that the electrolyte in the entire large-capacity battery does not contact the external environment. By sealing and covering the first cover plate and the third cover plate on the two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell, and covering the second cover plate on the top open end of the U-shaped shell, the electrolyte in the large-capacity battery can be prevented from contacting the external environment.

Similar to the first solution mentioned above, in order to improve the heat dissipation performance of such large-capacity batteries, a third through hole can be opened on the second cover plate to allow each single cell pole to extend out; the second cover plate covers the open end at the top of the U-shaped shell and is sealed to the open end; each single cell pole extends out of the third through hole and the outer shell area corresponding to the third through hole is fixedly sealed to the single cell shell.

It should be noted here that the second cover plate and the U-shaped shell can be separately provided or can be an integrated structure; the following mainly takes the second solution as an example, and provides a detailed description in combination with specific embodiments and drawings in the specification.

For the convenience of description, in the following embodiments, the length direction of the shell is defined as the x direction, the width direction of the shell is defined as the y direction, and the height direction of the shell is defined as the z direction.

Example 1

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the large-capacity battery of this embodiment includes 9 single cells 1 connected in parallel. The number in other embodiments can be adjusted according to actual needs. Combined with Figure 4, the single cell 1 is a square shell battery, which includes an upper cover plate, a lower cover plate, a cylinder and a battery cell assembly; the battery cell assembly described here can also be called an electrode assembly, which is arranged in sequence by a positive electrode, a diaphragm, and a negative electrode, and is assembled by a lamination or winding process. The upper cover plate, the cylinder, and the lower cover plate constitute the shell of the single cell 1, and the battery cell assembly is arranged in the shell of the single cell 1.

The bottom of the shell of each single battery 1 is provided with a first through hole penetrating the inner cavity thereof;

3 , the housing of this embodiment includes a U-shaped shell 2 , a first cover plate 3 , a third cover plate 4 and a second cover plate 5 ; wherein the U-shaped shell 2 and the second cover plate 5 are arranged separately.

The bottom 6 of the U-shaped housing is provided with an electrolyte sharing chamber extending along the x direction;

The electrolyte sharing chamber can adopt the following structural forms:

The first structure, as shown in FIG5 , is a tube section 7 with a square or circular cross-section fixed on the outer surface of the bottom 6 of the U-shaped shell; through holes are opened in the tube wall and the bottom 6 of the U-shaped shell; the through holes can be multiple, corresponding to and penetrating the first through holes of each single cell; or it can be a long strip through hole penetrating the first through holes of all single cells.

In the second structure, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , a first channel 8 extending along the x direction is provided on the bottom 6 of the U-shaped shell, and the first channel 8 is directly connected to the first through hole of each single battery 1; compared with the first structure that requires a separate pipe section and through holes to be opened on the bottom 6 of the U-shaped shell and the pipe section, the second structure is relatively simple to process and manufacture.

The second structure can be implemented in the following two ways:

Method 1, as shown in FIG. 6 , can adopt bending, stamping, die-casting or aluminum extrusion technology to directly form the first channel 8 on the bottom 6 of the U-shaped shell, and form a convex inner surface of the bottom 6 of the U-shaped shell away from the top of the U-shaped shell 2 .

In order to achieve effective heat dissipation, heat dissipation fins 9 extending along the x direction are arranged on the outer surface of the U-shaped shell bottom 6 and on both sides of the first channel 8. The heat generated during the operation of the large-capacity battery can be dissipated in time through the fins 9.

Method 2, as shown in FIG. 7 , at least two first support ribs 10 extending along the x direction are provided on the inner surface of the U-shaped shell bottom 6 , and the two first support ribs 10 and the U-shaped shell bottom 6 area located between the two first support ribs 10 form a first channel 8 .

The electrolyte sharing chamber structure shown in FIG7 can ensure the structural regularity of the entire large-capacity battery. As above, on the one hand, it is easy to ensure the density of the energy storage device when integrating the energy storage device based on such large-capacity batteries; on the other hand, it can be treated as a whole and coated with an insulating film (also called a blue film or a protective film) on the outside to improve the overall safety performance of such large-capacity batteries.

The two ends of the first channel 8 in Figures 6 and 7 located in the yz plane are open ends, and the openings at both ends are subsequently sealed by the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4; in other embodiments, the two ends of the first channel 8 located in the yz plane can also be directly closed, but the molding method is relatively complicated.

In this embodiment, a liquid injection port 11 (see FIG. 3 ) may be further provided in the first channel 8. When the inner cavity of each single cell 1 and the electrolyte shared chamber are connected, electrolyte may be injected again into the inner cavity of each single cell 1 and the electrolyte shared chamber through the liquid injection port 11 to ensure the continuity of the electrolyte. The liquid may be replaced later through the liquid injection port 11.

It should be noted that, when no liquid is injected, the liquid injection port 11 needs to be sealed by a plug.

The third structure uses the gap between the inner surface of the U-shaped shell bottom 6 and the outer surface of the lower cover plate of each single cell as a shared electrolyte chamber. If this structure is adopted, an auxiliary structure is required to improve the stability of each single cell in the shell.

The structure of the second cover plate 5 of this embodiment is shown in FIG8 . The second cover plate 5 is provided with a third through hole 12 through which the pole of each single battery 1 can be extended. The second cover plate 5 covers the top open end of the U-shaped shell 2 and is sealed with the open end. After the pole of each single battery 1 extends out of the third through hole 12, the outer shell area corresponding to the third through hole 12 is fixedly sealed with the single battery shell. The edge of the third through hole 12 can be welded to the single battery shell in the area surrounding the pole to achieve sealing.

If the sizes of the single cells 1 along the z direction are not completely equal, the shells of some single cells 1 with smaller sizes in the z direction may have problems with poor welding or even be unable to be welded to the large-capacity battery shell, making it difficult to ensure the sealing of the third through hole 12 and the single cell shell.

In order to overcome such problems, a weak portion 15 may be provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole 12. During the welding process, the deformation of the weak portion 15 can compensate for the size difference of each single battery in the z direction, so that the poles of all single batteries 1 extend out of the third through hole 12. The weak portion 15 in this embodiment may be an annular groove with the center of the third through hole 12 as the center point and opened along the peripheral area of the third through hole 12. In other embodiments, the weak portion 15 may also be a long strip groove opened in the peripheral area of the third through hole 12. In other embodiments, if there is a similar problem, that is, the poles of all single batteries 1 cannot fully extend out of the third through hole 12 at the same time, the solution may be to add a weak portion 15 in the peripheral area of the third through hole 12. Decision.

A sealing connector may also be provided between the third through hole 12 and the pole, the sealing connector comprising a hollow member; the bottom of the hollow member is used to be sealed and connected to the first area of the single cell, and the top of the hollow member is sealed and connected to the second area of the shell; the first area is the area around any pole in the upper cover of any single cell; the second area is the area corresponding to any third through hole on the shell. The area corresponding to the third through hole is the surrounding area on the outer surface of the shell corresponding to any third through hole; or the area corresponding to the third through hole is the wall of the third through hole. The area around the pole is the area around the insulating seal on the pole. The insulating seal is a part on the single cell used to insulate the pole from the upper cover.

The shape of the second cover plate 5 is adapted to the shape of the top open end of the U-shaped shell 2. In this embodiment, it is a square shell, so the flat plate is a square flat plate, and its area can be slightly larger than the area of the top open end of the U-shaped shell 2, and it is fixed to the top open end of the U-shaped shell 2 by fusion welding; the area can also be slightly smaller than the area of the top open end of the U-shaped shell 2, and it is fixed to the top open end of the U-shaped shell 2 by embedding welding.

The large-capacity battery of this embodiment can be prepared by the following process:

Step 1: Processing the U-shaped shell 2, the first cover plate 3, the third cover plate 4 and the second cover plate 5.

Step 2: sorting by capacity, screening multiple single cells that meet the requirements; opening a first through hole at the bottom of the single cell housing and sealing it with a sealing assembly; arranging the single cells with the sealing assembly at the first through hole in the U-shaped housing 2 of step 1, the sealing assembly of each single cell corresponding to the first channel 8, to ensure that after the sealing assembly is opened by external force or the electrolyte itself, the electrolyte area of the inner cavity of each single cell is connected with the first channel 8; the sealing assembly can adopt the sealing assembly disclosed in Chinese patents CN218525645U and CN218525614U.

Step 3: seal and weld the second cover plate 5 to the open end at the top of the U-shaped shell 2, weld the third through hole 12 to the peripheral part of the single cell shell pole, and weld the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4 to the other two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell 2 to achieve sealing. It should be noted here that the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4 need to seal the two open ends of the first channel 8 located in the yz plane at the same time. The first cover plate, the second cover plate and the third cover plate can also be fixed to the open end of the U-shaped shell 2 by screw fastening or gluing, but compared with the welding method, the sealing or connection reliability is relatively weak.

Step 4: Use external force or the electrolyte itself to open the sealing component, so that the inner cavity of the first channel 8 and the electrolyte area of each single battery cavity are connected.

After the inner cavity of each single battery 1 and the first channel 8 are connected, the electrolyte in the inner cavity of each single battery 1 is connected through the first channel 8. In order to prevent the interruption of the electrolyte, the electrolyte can be injected into the first channel 8 to ensure the continuity of the electrolyte after the inner cavity of each single battery 1 and the first channel 8 are connected.

Then all the single cells 1 are connected in parallel. Specifically, the heat transfer connector shown in FIG9 and FIG10 can be used to connect all the single cells 1 in parallel. The heat transfer connector is a slender member, which is used to connect to the positive or negative electrode of each single cell; and a clamping portion for installing a heat transfer tube is provided on the slender member along the axial direction. The positive or negative electrodes of multiple single cells are connected by the heat transfer connector, and the heat transfer tube is clamped on the heat transfer connector, so that each single cell 1 can be connected in parallel. The control of the local temperature of the pole on the battery greatly reduces the occurrence of thermal runaway caused by excessive pole temperature.

In order to form a more complete SEI film and make the large-capacity battery have a more stable cycle capacity, the electrolyte can be injected into the inner cavity of each single battery 1 through the first channel 8, and then the entire large-capacity battery is formed.

Example 2

Different from the large-capacity battery in Example 1, this embodiment adds a gas chamber on the second cover plate 5 as a gas sharing chamber or explosion relief channel. Its structure is shown in FIG11 , and the first channel 8 in FIG11 adopts the structure shown in FIG7 , and of course, the first channel 8 can also adopt the structure shown in FIG6 .

The gas chamber can adopt the following structural forms:

1. A pipe section with a square or circular cross section is fixed on the outer surface of the top of the second cover plate 5; through holes are opened in the pipe wall and the second cover plate 5;

Second, the gap between the inner surface of the second cover plate 5 and the outer surface of the upper cover plate of each single battery cell is used as a gas chamber.

3. As shown in FIG. 12 , a second channel 13 extending along the x direction is provided on the second cover plate 5 ; this structure is simpler than the first structure, and each single cell has a higher stability in the housing than the second structure.

The second channel 13 may be formed directly on the second cover plate 5 by using a bending or aluminum extrusion process, wherein the second channel 13 protrudes in a direction away from the U-shaped housing bottom 6 .

When the second channel 13 is used as a gas sharing chamber, a fifth through hole penetrating the inner cavity of each single cell 1 needs to be opened on the top of the shell of each single cell 1, and the second channel 13 is connected with the fifth through hole, and the second channel 13 is connected with the gas area of the inner cavity of each single cell 1 through the fifth through hole. In other embodiments, the second cover plate 5 and the open end at the top of the U-shaped shell 2 can also be fixed by bonding or screw connection, but the sealing or connection reliability is relatively weak compared to the welding method. It should be noted that during operation, the openings at both ends of the second channel 13 (the open ends parallel to the yz plane) need to be blocked to prevent the external environment from affecting the electrolyte in the inner cavity of each single cell.

In this embodiment, an exhaust valve and an explosion-proof membrane are arranged on the second channel 13, or only an exhaust valve is arranged; the exhaust valve can be opened manually or automatically, and the exhaust valve is opened regularly, and the gas in the gas area of each single battery 1 can be discharged through the second channel 13 and the exhaust valve; when the explosion-proof membrane is arranged, the exhaust valve and the explosion-proof membrane are located at both ends of the second channel 13, and the explosion-proof membrane is used for when any single battery 1 has thermal runaway, the thermal runaway smoke breaks through the explosion-proof membrane and is discharged from the second channel 13, so that this type of large-capacity battery has higher safety performance.

It can be prepared by the following process:

It is necessary to open a fifth through hole on the top of each single cell and seal it with a sealing component on the basis of the preparation process of Example 1; arrange multiple single cells with sealing components at the fifth through holes in the U-shaped shell 2; seal and weld the second cover plate 5 to the open end of the top of the U-shaped shell 2, so that the fifth through hole with the sealing component corresponds to the second channel 13, and ensure that after the sealing component is opened by external force or the electrolyte itself, the fifth through hole and the second channel 13 are connected; the sealing component can adopt the sealing component disclosed in Chinese patents CN218525645U and CN218525614U, weld the third through hole 12 and the peripheral part of the single cell shell pole to achieve sealing. Finally, the sealing component is opened by external force or the electrolyte itself, and the inner cavity of the second channel 13 is connected with the gas area of the inner cavity of each single cell.

When the second channel 13 is used as an explosion relief channel, the second channel 13 covers the explosion relief portion on the top of each single battery 1. When the explosion relief portion of any single battery 1 is broken by the internal smoke, the gas area in the internal cavity of the single battery 1 is connected with the internal cavity of the second channel 13.

It can be prepared by the following process:

On the basis of the preparation process of Example 1, it is necessary to seal and weld the second cover plate 5 to the open end at the top of the U-shaped shell 2, so that the explosion venting part of each single cell corresponds to the second channel 13, ensuring that after the explosion venting part is broken by the inner cavity flue gas, the explosion venting part and the second channel 13 are connected; weld the third through hole 12 to the surrounding part of the single cell shell pole to achieve sealing.

It should be noted that the explosion venting part described in this embodiment includes an explosion venting opening or explosion-proof opening with an explosion venting membrane disposed on the top of the single battery 1 .

Example 3

Different from the above-mentioned embodiment, the U-shaped housing 2 and the second cover plate 5 are integrated into one piece, and the structure of the integrated piece is shown in Figures 13 and 14. The second cover plate 5 may or may not be provided with a gas chamber, and the following description is made taking the case of providing a gas chamber as an example:

It can be understood that the shell of this embodiment includes the cylinder shown in Figure 13 or 14 and the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4 for covering the two opposite open ends of the cylinder; the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4 are located in the yz plane. Similarly, it should be noted here that the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4 need to cover the two opposite open ends of the sealed cylinder while covering the two opposite open ends of the sealed first channel 8 and the second channel 13.

The cylinder of this embodiment can be integrally formed by aluminum extrusion process; because the cylinder extends along the x direction, its open end is located in the yz plane, and the extrusion direction is along the x direction, therefore, the cylinder that meets the target length can be extruded in one time.

It should be noted that: when extruding the cylinder shown in FIG. 13 , it is not necessary to form the first channel 8 at the same time, that is, the first support rib 10 and the cylinder need to be set separately; when extruding the cylinder shown in FIG. 14 , the first channel 8 needs to be formed at the same time.

The large-capacity battery of this embodiment can be prepared by the following process, taking the structure shown in FIG. 14 as an example:

Step 1: Processing the cylinder, the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4.

Step 2, sorting by capacity, screening multiple single cells that meet the requirements; opening a first through hole at the bottom of the single cell housing and sealing it with a sealing assembly; opening a fifth through hole at the top of the single cell housing and sealing it with a sealing assembly; arranging multiple single cells with sealing assemblies in the cylinder of step 1; making the first through hole with the sealing assembly correspond to the first channel 8, and the fifth through hole with the sealing assembly correspond to the second channel 13, ensuring that after the sealing assembly is opened by external force or the electrolyte itself, the first through hole is connected to the first channel 8, and the fifth through hole is connected to the second channel 13; the sealing assembly can adopt the sealing assembly disclosed in Chinese patents CN218525645U and CN218525614U. The pole of each single cell 1 extends out of the corresponding third through hole 12 on the second cover plate 5, and the third through hole 12 is welded to the peripheral part of the pole of the single cell shell to achieve sealing; it should be noted here that in order for each single cell 1 to be smoothly arranged in the cylinder shown in FIG. 14, the minimum dimension of the cylinder along the z direction needs to be greater than the dimension of the single cell 1 along the z direction, and in order to ensure that the pole of each single cell 1 can extend out of the third through hole 12 at the top of the cylinder, it is necessary to add a second supporting rib at the bottom of each single cell 1;

The plurality of single cells with sealing components can be arranged in the cylinder of step 1 in the following three ways:

1) Use long strip-shaped equal-height second support ribs;

Fix multiple single cells 1 as a whole, and push them into the inner cavity of the cylinder from any open end of the cylinder; at this time, the bottom of each single cell 1 contacts the bottom of the cylinder, and the pole of each single cell 1 corresponds to the corresponding third through hole 12, but does not extend out of the third through hole 12; then use a lifting tool to support the multiple single cells 1 from the bottom, so that the bottom of each single cell 1 is separated from the bottom of the cylinder, and the pole of each single cell 1 extends out of the corresponding third through hole 12; then, insert a long strip of equal-height second supporting ribs along the x direction, and take out the lifting tool.

It should be noted that in the z direction, the size of the long strip-shaped second support ribs of equal height must meet the following requirements: after the second support ribs are added between the bottom of each single battery 1 and the bottom of the cylinder, the pole of each single battery 1 extends out of the corresponding third through hole 12.

2) Select multiple pads corresponding to the single cells 1 to form the second supporting ribs;

Push multiple single cells 1 into the inner cavity of the cylinder from any open end of the cylinder in turn. After each single cell 1 is pushed into place, it is necessary to insert each pad between its bottom and the bottom of the cylinder to ensure that the pole of the single cell 1 is fully extended out of the corresponding third through hole 12. In most cases, the pads corresponding to each single cell in this way have different sizes in the z direction.

3) Each single battery 1 is pushed upside down into the inner cavity of the cylinder;

The cylinder is turned over so that the top of the cylinder faces downward, multiple single cells 1 are fixed as a whole, and pushed into the inner cavity of the cylinder from any open end of the cylinder; or multiple single cells 1 are pushed into the inner cavity of the cylinder from any open end of the cylinder in sequence; under the action of gravity, the pole of each single cell 1 extends out of the corresponding third through hole 12, and the second supporting rib is inserted between the bottom of each single cell 1 and the bottom of the cylinder; the cylinder is turned over so that the top of the cylinder faces upward.

Step 3: Weld the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4 to the other two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell 2.

Step 4: Use external force or the electrolyte itself to open the sealing assembly, so that the inner cavity of the first channel 8 and the electrolyte area of each single battery are connected, and the inner cavity of the second channel 13 and the gas area of each single battery are connected.

After the inner cavity of each single battery 1 and the first channel 8 are connected, the electrolyte in the inner cavity of each single battery 1 is connected through the first channel 8. In order to prevent the interruption of the electrolyte, the electrolyte can be injected into the first channel 8 to ensure the continuity of the electrolyte after the inner cavity of each single battery 1 and the first channel 8 are connected.

Then all the single cells 1 are connected in parallel.

In order to form a more complete SEI film and make the large-capacity battery have a more stable cycle capacity, after the electrolyte is injected into the inner cavity of each single battery 1 through the first channel 8, the entire large-capacity battery is formed.

If the gas chamber is used as the explosion relief channel, the following steps are different from the above steps:

In step 2, there is no need to open a fifth through hole on the top of the single cell shell; multiple single cells with sealing components at the first through holes are arranged in the cylinder of step 1; the first through hole with the sealing component corresponds to the first channel 8, ensuring that after the sealing component is opened by external force or the electrolyte itself, the first through hole is connected to the first channel 8, and the explosion venting part on the top of each single cell corresponds to the second channel 13, ensuring that after the explosion venting part is broken by the inner cavity smoke, the explosion venting part is connected to the second channel 13.

In step 4, the sealing component is opened by using external force or the electrolyte itself, so that the inner cavity of the first channel 8 and the electrolyte area of the inner cavity of each single battery are connected.

If the barrel shown in FIG13 is used, after arranging multiple single cells with sealing components in the barrel shown in FIG13, the first support rib 10 is inserted between the bottom of each single cell and the bottom of the barrel to form the first channel 8, and at the same time, each single cell can be supported so that the pole of each single cell 1 can extend out of the third through hole 12 at the top of the barrel. The same three methods as above can also be used to arrange multiple single cells with sealing components in the barrel shown in FIG13, and it is only necessary to replace the second support rib with the first support rib 10.

Example 4

In this embodiment, on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments, a plurality of partitions 16 are added to the inner cavity of the U-shaped shell 2 or the inner cavity of the cylinder, so as to divide the inner cavity of the U-shaped shell 2 or the inner cavity of the cylinder into a plurality of single-cell battery 1 installation cavities, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16; the partition 16 can be a flat plate, or an I-shaped partition as shown in FIG. 16, the vertical beam 17 of the I-shaped partition is parallel to the first cover plate 3 and the third cover plate 4, and contacts the side walls of the two single-cell batteries 1 adjacent to each other in the yz plane, a cross beam 18 of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of the two single-cell batteries 1 in the xz plane, and another cross beam 18 of the I-shaped partition contacts the other side walls of the two single-cell batteries 1 in the xz plane. By adding an I-shaped partition, the stability of each single-cell battery 1 in the single-cell battery 1 installation cavity can be improved.

In this embodiment, a single cell 1 is fixed in each single cell 1 installation cavity. Each single cell 1 near the middle part has side walls on both sides in contact with the partition 16. One side wall of the two single cells 1 near the outermost part is in contact with the partition 16, and the other side wall is in contact with the first cover plate 3 or the third cover plate 4. On the first hand, the installation stability of each single cell 1 in the shell can be improved; on the second hand, it can prevent each single cell 1 from swelling, which may cause the problem of reduced cycle performance of large-capacity batteries; on the third hand, the heat generated during the charging and discharging process of each single cell 1 can be transmitted to the outside through the partition 16, reducing the risk of thermal runaway; on the fourth hand, the overall strength of the shell can be enhanced. In other embodiments, two or more single cells 1 can be fixed in each single cell 1 installation cavity. However, compared with the present embodiment, the stability of the single cell 1 is poor.

Claims (29)

A large-capacity battery, characterized in that it comprises a housing and a plurality of single cells (1), wherein the plurality of single cells (1) are sequentially connected in parallel and arranged in the inner cavity of the housing; the inner cavity of each single cell (1) comprises an electrolyte region and a gas region; The bottom of the housing is provided with an electrolyte sharing chamber; The electrolyte sharing chamber is in communication with the electrolyte area in the inner cavity of each single cell (1). The large-capacity battery according to claim 1 is characterized in that: a third through hole (12) is provided on the top of the shell so that the pole of each single cell (1) can extend out; the pole of each single cell (1) extends out of the third through hole (12) and the shell area corresponding to the third through hole (12) is fixedly sealed with the shell of the single cell. The large-capacity battery according to claim 2, characterized in that: the outer shell comprises a U-shaped shell (2), a first cover plate (3), a third cover plate (4) and a second cover plate (5); The electrolyte sharing chamber is arranged at the bottom of the U-shaped housing (2); The first cover plate (3) and the third cover plate (4) respectively cover two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell (2); The third through hole (12) is formed on the second cover plate (5); the second cover plate (5) covers the top open end of the U-shaped shell (2) and is sealedly connected to the open end. The large-capacity battery according to claim 3 is characterized in that: a first through hole penetrating the inner cavity of each single battery (1) is provided at the bottom of the shell; The electrolyte sharing chamber is a first channel (8) arranged at the bottom of the U-shaped housing (2); The first channel (8) is communicated with the first through hole. The large-capacity battery according to claim 4 is characterized in that the bottom of the U-shaped shell (2) protrudes in a direction away from the top of the U-shaped shell (2) to form a first channel (8). The large-capacity battery according to claim 5 is characterized in that heat dissipation fins (9) are provided on the outer surface area of the bottom (6) of the U-shaped shell located on both sides of the first channel (8). The large-capacity battery according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are an integral part. The large-capacity battery according to claim 7 is characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process. The large-capacity battery according to claim 7 is characterized in that: a second support rib is provided between the bottom of the U-shaped shell (2) and the bottom of each single battery (1), and the height of the second support rib needs to meet the following requirements: after each single battery (1) is supported by the second support rib, it is necessary to ensure that the pole of each single battery (1) extends out of the third through hole (12) provided on the second cover plate (5). The large-capacity battery according to claim 9, characterized in that a weak portion (15) is provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole (12). The large-capacity battery according to claim 4 is characterized in that: the bottom inner surface of the U-shaped shell (2) is provided with at least two first support ribs (10) extending along the arrangement direction of the single battery cells, and the two first support ribs (10) and the bottom area of the U-shaped shell (2) located between the two first support ribs (10) form a first channel (8). The large-capacity battery according to claim 11, characterized in that: the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) As one piece. The large-capacity battery according to claim 12 is characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process. The large-capacity battery according to claim 12, characterized in that a weak portion (15) is provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole (12). The large-capacity battery according to claim 3 is characterized in that a partition (16) is provided between two adjacent single batteries (1). The large-capacity battery according to claim 15 is characterized in that: the partition (16) is an I-shaped partition, the vertical beam (17) of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of two single cells (1) adjacent to each other in the yz plane, a cross beam (18) of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of the two single cells (1) in the xz plane, and another cross beam (18) of the I-shaped partition contacts the other side walls of the two single cells (1) in the xz plane. The large-capacity battery according to claim 3, characterized in that: a gas chamber is provided on the second cover plate (5); The gas chamber covers the explosion relief portion at the top of each single battery (1); when the explosion relief portion of any single battery (1) is broken by the smoke in the inner cavity, the gas area in the inner cavity of the single battery (1) is connected to the inner cavity of the gas chamber; Alternatively, a fifth through hole penetrating the inner cavity of each single cell (1) is provided on the top of the shell of each single cell (1), the gas chamber covers the fifth through hole, and the inner cavity of the gas chamber is connected to the gas area of the inner cavity of each single cell (1) through the fifth through hole. The large-capacity battery according to claim 17 is characterized in that the second cover plate (5) protrudes in a direction away from the bottom of the U-shaped shell (2) to form a second channel (13) serving as a gas chamber. The large-capacity battery according to claim 17 is characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are integrated into one piece. The large-capacity battery according to claim 19 is characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process. The large-capacity battery according to claim 19 is characterized in that: support ribs are provided between the bottom of the U-shaped shell (2) and the bottom of each single battery (1), and the height of the support ribs needs to meet the following requirements: after each single battery (1) is supported by the support ribs, it is necessary to ensure that the pole of each single battery (1) extends out of the third through hole (12) opened on the second cover plate (5). The large-capacity battery according to claim 21 is characterized in that a weak portion (15) is provided in the peripheral area of the third through hole (12). The large-capacity battery according to claim 17 is characterized in that a partition (16) is provided between two adjacent single batteries (1). The large-capacity battery according to claim 23 is characterized in that: the partition (16) is an I-shaped partition, the vertical beam (17) of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of two adjacent single cells (1) located in the yz plane, a cross beam (18) of the I-shaped partition contacts the side walls of the two single cells (1) located in the xz plane, and the other cross beam (18) of the I-shaped partition contacts the other side walls of the two single cells (1) located in the xz plane. The large-capacity battery according to claim 2 or 3 is characterized in that it also includes a heat transfer connector, the heat transfer connector The thermal connector is a slender member, which is used to connect with the positive electrode or the negative electrode of each single battery; and a clamping part for installing the heat transfer pipe is arranged on the slender member along the axial direction. A housing for accommodating a plurality of single cells, characterized by comprising a U-shaped housing (2), a first cover plate (3), a third cover plate (4) and a second cover plate (5); The bottom of the U-shaped housing (2) is provided with an electrolyte sharing chamber; the electrolyte sharing chamber is used to communicate with the electrolyte area in the inner cavity of each single battery (1); The first cover plate (3) and the third cover plate (4) respectively cover two opposite open ends of the U-shaped shell (2); The second cover plate (5) is provided with a third through hole (12) through which the pole of each single battery (1) can extend; the second cover plate (5) covers the top open end of the U-shaped shell (2) and is sealedly connected to the open end. The housing according to claim 26, characterized in that a gas chamber is provided on the second cover plate (5). The housing according to claim 26 or 27 is characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are integrally formed. The housing according to claim 28 is characterized in that the U-shaped shell (2) and the second cover plate (5) are integrally formed by an aluminum extrusion process.