Patent Description:
With the aggravation of environmental and energy problems in recent years, new energy electric vehicles have gradually come into people's field of vision. As the main power source for new energy vehicles, lithium-ion power battery packs have also received extensive attention. The power battery module is the most important part of a power battery pack, and is composed of a plurality of battery cells. According to the appearance and structural form, battery cells are generally categorized into cylindrical battery cells, prismatic battery cells and pouch battery cells. It is the most difficult to assemble pouch battery cells into modules owing to the structural characteristics of pouch battery cells. At present, in the pouch battery cell assembling techniques, usually several pouch battery cells are stacked vertically into a greater module, and then the modules are integrated into a pack. Such a battery cell assembling method has the following drawbacks:.

<CIT> discloses a battery module for an electrically driven vehicle and method for manufacturing the battery module, <CIT> discloses a power supply device, <CIT> discloses a batter pack and <CIT> discloses a power supply device.

In order to solve or at least partially solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a battery module and a battery pack. The invention is set forth in claim <NUM>. Dependent claims recite advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The battery module provided by the present invention comprises a battery cell assembly and carriers arranged at two ends of the battery cell assembly, wherein the battery cell assembly comprises a plurality of battery cells stacked in the vertical direction, the two ends of each of the plurality of battery cells are respectively connected to the two carriers, the carriers are provided with electric connection plates therein, and the tabs of the battery cells are connected to the electric connection plates.

Optionally, the carrier is provided with a plurality of first openings in a side of the carrier connected to the battery cells, the first openings are in one-to-one correspondence with the tabs of the battery cells, the electric connection plate is provided with second openings at positions corresponding to the first openings, the tabs pass through the first openings and the second openings and are bent at a side of the electrical connection plate away from the battery cells to form flaps, and the flaps are fitted to the electrical connection plate.

Optionally, the side of the carrier connected to the battery cells is provided with a plurality of partitions at an interval in the vertical direction, and a clamping socket into which an end of the battery cell can be inserted is formed between every two adjacent partitions, and each clamping socket corresponds to at least one of the first openings.

Optionally, each clamping socket corresponds to two first openings, and two cells connected to the same clamping socket form a battery cell group, and foam is provided between every two adjacent battery cell groups.

Optionally, the side of the electrical connection plate away from the battery cells is provided with a connecting part for connecting to a busbar, and a side of the carrier away from the battery cells is provided with a via hole at a position corresponding to the connecting part.

The carrier is provided with a slot, and the electrical connection plate is inserted into the slot.

The slot comprises a first slot body and a second slot body that are oppositely arranged in a horizontal direction, the electrical connection plate comprises a first electrical connection plate body fitted with the first slot body and a second electrical connection plate body fitted with the second slot body, an insertion end of the first electrical connection plate body is provided with an extension part, the tabs of the battery cells are connected to the first electrical connection plate body, and the connecting part is an electrode pole arranged on a side of the second electrical connection plate body away from the battery cells, and is configured in a way that the extension part of the first electrical connection plate body inserted into the first slot body is fitted to a part of the second electrical connection plate body inserted into the second slot body.

Optionally, the side of the carrier away from the battery cells is provided with a partitioned bottom plate in the horizontal direction, and there are two groups of slots arranged in the two sides of the partitioned bottom plate, and the second slot bodies of the two groups of slots are arranged in opposite directions.

Optionally, the side of the carrier away from the battery cells is provided with an opening at a position corresponding to the first slot body, and the opening is covered by a cover plate, and a side of the partitioned bottom plate away from the battery cells is provided with a clip for connecting with the cover plate.

The present invention further provides a battery pack, which comprises a box and a plurality of battery modules arranged inside the box.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme provided in the embodiments of the present invention has the following advantages:
In the battery module in the present invention, the battery cells are stacked in the vertical direction, so that the number of battery cells can be determined according to the design height of the battery pack. Thus, the space utilization ratio in the height direction is high and flexible. It is only required to connect the carriers to the two sides of the battery cells during the installation, and it is unnecessary to pack the sides of the battery cells. Therefore, the installation is convenient, the cost can be reduced, the heat dissipation effect of the battery cells can be improved, and the weight of the battery module can be reduced, thereby the overall weight of the battery pack can be reduced to meet the design requirements. In the present invention, battery modules are used to replace conventional modules. Thus, the battery pack has higher capacity, and the bottom shell and the top cover of the box have a position-limiting effect on the battery modules, thereby the adverse effect of battery cell expansion on the battery pack is greatly reduced, and the overall rigidity of the battery pack can be improved as well.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention, and are intended to be used together with the description to explain the principle of the present invention.

To make the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention or in the prior art understood better, hereunder the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be introduced briefly. Apparently, those having ordinary skills in the art can obtain drawings of other embodiments on the basis of these drawings without expending any creative labor.

<NUM> - battery cell assembly; <NUM> - carrier; <NUM> - first opening; <NUM> - partition; <NUM> - clamping socket; <NUM> - partitioned bottom plate; <NUM> - battery cell; <NUM> - tab; <NUM> - flap; <NUM> - second opening; <NUM> - foam; <NUM> - thermally conductive adhesive; <NUM> - first slot body; <NUM> - second slot body; <NUM> - first electrical connection plate body; <NUM> - second electrical connection plate body; <NUM> - extension part; <NUM> - electrode pole; <NUM> - cover plate; <NUM> - clip; <NUM> - catch groove; <NUM> - limiting groove; <NUM> - box; <NUM> - bottom shell; <NUM> - top cover; <NUM> - mounting socket; <NUM> - mounting pole.

To make the above-mentioned object, features and advantages of the present invention understood more clearly, hereunder the technical scheme of the present invention will be further detailed. It should be noted that the embodiments of the invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined freely, provided that there is no confliction between them. Although many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate fully understanding the present invention, but the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from that described herein; apparently, the embodiments in the description are only part of the possible embodiments of the present invention, but are not all possible embodiments.

As shown in <FIG>, the battery module provided in an embodiment of the present invention comprises a battery cell assembly <NUM> and two carriers <NUM> arranged at two ends of the battery cell assembly <NUM>, which is to say, two carriers <NUM> are provided, and are arranged at the two ends of the battery cell assembly <NUM> respectively, and the carriers <NUM> are made of an insulating material. The battery cell assembly <NUM> comprises a plurality of battery cells <NUM> stacked in the vertical direction, and the battery cells <NUM> can be connected with each other by bonding. Foam <NUM> may be provided between every two adjacent battery cells <NUM>; alternatively, a plurality of adjacent cells <NUM> may be grouped into a battery cell group according to the actual requirement, and foam <NUM> may be provided between two adjacent battery cell groups. The two ends of each of the plurality of battery cells <NUM> are respectively connected to two carriers <NUM>, each carrier <NUM> is provided with electric connection plates therein, and the tabs <NUM> of the battery cells <NUM> are connected to the electric connection plates. The electrical connection plate may be arranged on the side of the carrier <NUM> facing the battery cells <NUM>, and, in that case, the tabs <NUM> may be directly connected to the electrical connection plate. Moreover, the electrical connection plate may be arranged inside the carrier <NUM>. In that case, the tabs <NUM> should pass through the side of the carrier <NUM> close to the battery cells <NUM> and then should be connected to the electrical connection plate. Preferably, the positive and negative tabs <NUM> of the battery cell <NUM> are led out through the two sides of the long side of the battery cell <NUM>.

In the battery module in the present invention, the battery cells <NUM> are stacked in the vertical direction, so that the number of the battery cells <NUM> can be determined according to the design height of the battery pack, and the space utilization in the height direction is high and flexible. It is only required to connect the carriers to the two sides of the battery cells <NUM> during the installation. Therefore, the installation process is convenient and doesn't require the participation of several workers, thereby the labor cost is reduced. In addition, it is unnecessary to pack the sides of the battery cells <NUM>. Therefore, the cost can be reduced, the heat dissipation effect of the battery cells <NUM> can be improved, the weight of the battery module can be reduced, thereby the overall weight of the battery pack be reduced to meet the design requirements.

In some embodiments, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the electrical connection plate is inserted inside the carrier <NUM>, and, in that case, a plurality of first openings <NUM> are formed in the side of the carrier <NUM> connected to the battery cells <NUM>, and the first openings <NUM> are arranged at an interval in the vertical direction and extend in the horizontal direction. The first openings <NUM> are in one-to-one correspondence with the tabs <NUM> of the battery cells <NUM>, which is to say, the number of the first openings <NUM> of each carrier <NUM> is the equal to that of the battery cells <NUM>, and the first openings <NUM> are at positions opposite to the battery cells <NUM> in the horizontal direction. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the electrical connection plate is provided with second openings at positions corresponding to the first openings <NUM>, and the tabs <NUM> pass through the first openings <NUM> and the second openings <NUM>, and are bent at the side of the electrical connection plate away from the battery cells <NUM> to form flaps <NUM>, which are fitted to the electrical connection plate. The electrical connection plate may be welded to the flaps <NUM> to ensure the fixing effect. Such a design improves the convenience of connection of the tabs <NUM> to the electrical connection plate, while ensuring a firm connection.

As shown in <FIG>, the side of the carrier <NUM> connected to the battery cells <NUM> is provided with a plurality of partitions <NUM> at an interval in the vertical direction, and a clamping socket <NUM> into which an end of the battery cell <NUM> can be inserted is formed between every two adjacent partitions <NUM>, and each clamping socket <NUM> corresponds to at least one of the first openings <NUM>. In such a design, the ends of the battery cells <NUM> can be clamped in the clamping sockets <NUM>, and the tabs <NUM> of the battery cells <NUM> inserted into the clamping sockets <NUM> can be inserted into the corresponding first openings <NUM>, and then connected to the electrical connection plates. The battery cells <NUM> can be separated from each other by means of the partitions <NUM>, which is beneficial to uniform stress distribution on each battery cell <NUM> and high life consistency of the battery cells <NUM>. Specifically, in the case that the clamping socket <NUM> corresponds to one first opening <NUM>, a battery cell <NUM> is inserted into each clamping socket <NUM>, and the tabs <NUM> of the battery cell <NUM> are inserted into the first opening <NUM> corresponding to the clamping socket <NUM>, and then connected to the electrical connection plates. In the case that the clamping socket <NUM> corresponds to a plurality of first openings <NUM>, a plurality of battery cells <NUM> are inserted into the clamping socket <NUM>, and the tabs <NUM> of the battery cells <NUM> are respectively inserted into the corresponding first openings <NUM>, and then connected to the electrical connection plates. Optimally, each clamping socket <NUM> corresponds to two first openings <NUM>, which is to say, two battery cells <NUM> may be clamped in each clamping socket <NUM>. The two cells <NUM> connected to the same clamping slot <NUM> forms a battery cell group, and foam <NUM> is provided between every two adjacent battery cell groups. A backing may be provided on each of the two sides of the foam <NUM>, so that the thickness of the foam <NUM> is consistent with the thickness of the partitions <NUM>. To ensure the installation effect, the length of the foam <NUM> should be smaller than that of the battery cell <NUM>, so that the foam <NUM> will not interfere with the battery cell <NUM> during the installation.

The side of the electrical connection plate away from the battery cells <NUM> is provided with a connecting part for connecting to a busbar, and a side of the carrier <NUM> away from the battery cells <NUM> is provided with a via hole at a position corresponding to the connecting part. Such a connecting part may be formed by the electrical connection plate itself, or it may be an electrode pole <NUM> arranged on the electrical connection plate. In the case that the connecting part is an electrode pole <NUM>, a part of the electrode pole <NUM> can pass through the via hole and then be connected to the busbar, so as to improve the convenience of connection.

The carrier <NUM> is provided with a slot, and the electrical connection plate is inserted into the slot, so as to improve the convenience of connection.

Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the slot comprises a first slot body <NUM> and a second slot body <NUM> that are oppositely arranged in the horizontal direction, and the electrical connection plate comprises a first electrical connection plate body <NUM> fitted to the first slot body <NUM> and a second electrical connection plate body <NUM> fitted to the second slot body <NUM>. The insertion openings of the first slot body <NUM> and the second slot body <NUM> extend to the sides of the carrier <NUM>, so as to facilitate the installation of the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> and the second electrical connection plate body <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the insertion end of the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> is provided with an extension part <NUM>, where the insertion end is the end of the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> inserted into the first slot body <NUM>, and the tabs <NUM> of the battery cells <NUM> are connected to the first electrical connection plate body <NUM>. Specifically, the second openings <NUM> are formed in the first connection plate body. As shown in <FIG>, in this design, the connecting part is an electrode pole <NUM> arranged on the side of the second electrical connection plate body <NUM> away from the battery cells <NUM>. During the installation, the extension part <NUM> of the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> inserted into the first slot body <NUM> is fitted to a part of the second electrical connection plate body <NUM> inserted into the second slot body <NUM>. Specifically, the first slot body <NUM> is in communication with the second slot body <NUM>, and they are step-staggered from each other; thus, after the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> is inserted into the first slot body <NUM>, the extension part <NUM> extends into the second slot body <NUM>, and is fitted to a part of the second electrical connection plate body <NUM>, so that the current can be transferred to the electrode pole <NUM>. In order to ensure the fixing effect, the extension part <NUM> is welded to the second electrical connection plate body <NUM>. It should be noted that the tail ends of the first electrical connection plate <NUM> and the second electrical connection plate <NUM> inserted into the first slot body <NUM> and the second slot body <NUM> should be at certain safe distance from the edge of the carrier <NUM> to prevent a short circuit.

Furthermore, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the side of the carrier <NUM> away from the battery cells <NUM> is provided with a partitioned bottom plate <NUM> in the horizontal direction; two groups of slots are arranged in the two sides of the partitioned bottom plate <NUM>, which is to say, there are two first slot bodies <NUM> and two second slot bodies <NUM>, one group of first slot body <NUM> and second slot body <NUM> is arranged above the partitioned bottom plate <NUM>, the other group of first slot body <NUM> and second slot body <NUM> is arranged below the partitioned bottom plate <NUM>, and the second slot body <NUM> in the two groups of slots are arranged opposite to each other, to facilitate the connection in series or in shunt to the busbar. Such a design facilitates the installation of the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> and the second electrical connection plate body <NUM>, so that the electrical connection plates formed after the installation meets the design requirements.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the side of the carrier <NUM> away from the battery cells <NUM> is provided with an opening at a position corresponding to the first slot body <NUM>, and the opening is covered by a cover plate <NUM>; and the side of the partitioned bottom plate <NUM> away from the battery cells <NUM> is provided with a clip <NUM> for connecting with the cover plate <NUM>. During the installation, the tabs <NUM> of the battery cells <NUM> are inserted into the first opening <NUM> and the second opening <NUM> sequentially, and extend out of the side of the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> away from the battery cell <NUM>. Then, as shown in <FIG>, the extended end of the tab <NUM> is bent to form a flap <NUM>, and then the flap <NUM> is welded to the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> to complete the connection. Finally, the cover plates <NUM> are clipped to the openings to conceal the first electrical connection plate body <NUM>. Such a design facilitates the connection between the first electrical connection plate body <NUM> and the tabs <NUM> of the battery cell <NUM>, and improves the convenience of operation. Moreover, the assembling process consisting of stacking, insertion, welding and capping is simple and clear. The finished product has an aesthetic appearance, is light in weight, and is convenient to handle in the assembling process. In addition, the cover plate <NUM> should be provided with a catch groove <NUM> fitted with the clip <NUM>. The clip <NUM> is snap-fitted with the catch groove <NUM>, so as to improve the convenience of mounting and removal of the cover plate <NUM>. In the case that there are two first slot bodies <NUM> and the carrier <NUM> is provided with a partitioned bottom plate <NUM>, the cover plate <NUM> should cover the two first slot bodies <NUM>; in addition, the cover plate <NUM> should have a limiting groove <NUM> at a position corresponding to the partitioned bottom plate <NUM>. After the installation, the partitioned bottom plate <NUM> is received in the limiting groove <NUM>, so that the cover plate <NUM> can be mounted and positioned conveniently.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the present invention further provides a battery pack, which comprises a box <NUM> and a plurality of the above-mentioned battery modules arranged inside the box <NUM>. The battery modules here include all the technical features of the above-mentioned battery modules; therefore, they are not further detailed here. Specifically, the box <NUM> should be made of a material that has certain structural hardness to ensure the service life. Preferably, the box <NUM> is made of aluminum profiles. The box <NUM> comprises a bottom shell <NUM> and a top cover <NUM>, which are connected together by snap-fitting, which is beneficial for improving the overall rigidity and vibration performance of the battery pack.

As shown in <FIG>, a plurality of mounting sockets <NUM> for receiving the battery modules are formed at the top of the bottom shell <NUM>, and the battery modules are embedded into the corresponding mounting sockets <NUM>. Thus, the convenience of installation is improved, and the problems of complex process and poor consistency of the traditional assembling process are effectively solved. Preferably, the mounting sockets <NUM> are evenly arranged as required, thereby the space occupation is reduced. Further preferably, mounting poles <NUM> are provided on the longitudinal beams of the mounting sockets <NUM>, and the mounting poles <NUM> are bolted to the top cover <NUM>, so that the rigidity of the battery pack is effectively improved. In addition, points of connections to the vehicle body may also be arranged on the longitudinal beams. The top and bottom of the battery module are provided with thermally conductive adhesive <NUM> respectively for bonding to the bottom shell <NUM> and the top cover <NUM>. Such an arrangement ensures the connection effect and is beneficial to the heat dissipation from the battery module through heat conduction. Further preferably, the two sides of the thermally conductive adhesive <NUM> are provided with a backing respectively, which can be used to adjust the overall thickness of the battery module to make the overall structure more compact. In addition, the battery modules are electrically connected after they are mounted in the box <NUM>. The electrical connections are of a conventional design, and are not further detailed here. Moreover, permanent components of the battery pack, such as electrical components and liquid cooling plates, etc., should be provided in the box <NUM>. Those components are not detailed individually here. In a battery pack in such a design, the battery cells <NUM> of the battery modules are laid horizontally and stacked, and the number of battery cells <NUM> in each battery module is limited. Besides, the material of the box <NUM> has high rigidity, and provides a position-limiting effect on the battery modules, which is very beneficial for controlling the expansion of the battery cells <NUM>.

In the present invention, battery modules are used to replace conventional modules. Thus, the battery pack has higher capacity, and the bottom shell <NUM> and the top cover <NUM> of the box <NUM> have a position-limiting effect on the battery modules, thereby the adverse effect of the expansion of the battery cells <NUM> on the battery pack is greatly reduced, and the overall rigidity of the battery pack can be improved as well.

Claim 1:
A battery module, comprising a battery cell assembly (<NUM>) and carriers (<NUM>) arranged at two ends of the battery cell assembly (<NUM>), wherein the battery cell assembly (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of battery cells (<NUM>) stacked in a vertical direction, two ends of each of the plurality of battery cells (<NUM>) are respectively connected to the two carriers (<NUM>), the carriers (<NUM>) are provided with electric connection plates therein, and tabs (<NUM>) of the battery cells (<NUM>) are connected to the electric connection plates, and wherein the carrier (<NUM>) is provided with a slot, and the electrical connection plate is inserted into the slot, characterized in that
the slot comprises a first slot body (<NUM>) and a second slot body (<NUM>) that are oppositely arranged in a horizontal direction,
the electrical connection plate comprises a first electrical connection plate body (<NUM>) fitted with the first slot body (<NUM>) and a second electrical connection plate body (<NUM>) fitted with the second slot body (<NUM>), an insertion end of the first electrical connection plate body (<NUM>) is provided with an extension part (<NUM>), the tabs (<NUM>) of the battery cells (<NUM>) are connected to the first electrical connection plate body (<NUM>), and the side of the second electrical connection plate body (<NUM>) away from the battery cells (<NUM>) is provided with an electrode pole (<NUM>) for connecting to a busbar, and is configured in a way that the extension part (<NUM>) of the first electrical connection plate body (<NUM>) inserted into the first slot body (<NUM>) is fitted to a part of the second electrical connection plate body (<NUM>) inserted into the second slot body (<NUM>).