Patent Description:
Energy conservation and emission reduction are the key to the sustainable development of the automotive industry. Electric vehicles have become an important part of the sustainable development of the automotive industry due to their advantages of energy conservation and environmental protection. For the electric vehicles, the battery technology is an important factor for their development.

An output power of a battery is an important evaluation index of performance of the battery. In the related art, the output power of the battery is low, which cannot meet the requirements of a power-type battery. Therefore, how to improve the output power of the battery is an urgent technical problem to be solved in the battery technology.

<CIT> discloses a method of welding a bonding connector of a contact plate and a battery cell terminal. In a first embodiment, an oscillating laser is used to weld the bonding connector to a battery cell terminal over a target area over which the bonding connector makes non-flush contact. In a second embodiment, the bonding connector is flattened to reduce a gap between the bonding connector and the target area on the battery cell terminal, and then laser-welded (e.g., using an oscillating or non-oscillating laser). In a third embodiment, at least one hold-down mechanism is applied over the bonding connector to secure the bonding connector to the battery cell terminal, after which the bonding connector is laser-welded to the battery cell terminal.

<CIT> discloses a power battery, in particular to a power battery adapter structure. The adapter plate comprises an adapter plate body for connecting a top cover pole and a battery tab, wherein the switching sheet body is formed by sequentially superposing and compounding N layers of metal sheets, N is greater than or equal to <NUM>, the switching sheet body comprises a tab welding part and a pole welding part formed by outwards extending one end of the tab welding part, the pole welding part can be bent at an angle α relative to the tab welding part, and a is greater than or equal to <NUM> degree and less than or equal to <NUM> degrees.

<CIT> discloses a cell connector for the electrically conductive connection of a first cell terminal of a first electrochemical cell and a second cell terminal of a second electrochemical cell of an electrochemical device, wherein the cell connector includes a first contact area for connecting to the first cell terminal and a second contact area for connecting to the second cell terminal, which has a large relative displacement between the first contact area and the It is proposed that the cell connector comprises a base body consisting of two or more layers of material, with at least two layers of material connected to each other in a single piece along a folding line.

<CIT> discloses a power terminal connector including a multi-layered buss bar that has a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion and a flexible section between the first and second mounting portions. The flexible section has multiple layers of metal sheets in a stacked configuration. A first terminal assembly is coupled to the first mounting portion and a second terminal assembly is coupled to the second mounting portion. The first and second terminal assemblies are coupled to corresponding pins of corresponding power terminals. The multi-layered buss bar is configured to electrically interconnect the power terminals coupled to the first and second terminal assemblies.

The scope of the invention is defined by the appended set of claims.

In order to illustrate the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application more clearly, brief description will be made below to the drawings required in the embodiments of the present application. Apparently, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application only, and other drawings could be obtained based on these drawings by those ordinary skilled in this field without creative efforts.

In the drawings, the drawings are not drawn to actual scale.

Marking description: <NUM>-vehicle; <NUM>-battery; <NUM>-battery cell; <NUM>-adapting member; <NUM>-conducting strip; <NUM>-first connection portion; <NUM>-first section; <NUM>-second section; <NUM>-third section; <NUM>-first connection hole; <NUM>-second connection hole; <NUM>-second connection portion; <NUM>-main body region; <NUM>-first connection region; <NUM>-second connection region; <NUM>-through hole; <NUM>-first surface; <NUM>-second surface; <NUM>-first bending region; <NUM>-second bending region; <NUM>-first bending axis; <NUM>-second bending axis; <NUM>-electrode terminal; <NUM>-first connection member; <NUM>-first side; <NUM>-second side; <NUM>-third side; <NUM>-fourth side; <NUM>-third connection hole; <NUM>-fourth connection hole; <NUM>-second connection member; <NUM>-electrode assembly; <NUM>-housing; <NUM>-end opening; <NUM>-end cover assembly; <NUM>-end cover; <NUM>-first insulating member; <NUM>-bottom wall; <NUM>-peripheral wall; <NUM>-fifth connection hole; <NUM>-sixth connection hole; <NUM>-sealing ring; <NUM>-second insulating member; <NUM>-box body; <NUM>-first portion; <NUM>-second portion; <NUM>-motor; <NUM>-controller.

Implementations of the present application will be further described below in detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments. The detailed description of the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings are used to exemplarily illustrate principles of the present application, but cannot be used to limit the scope of the present application, that is, the present application is not limited to the described embodiments.

Unless otherwise defined, all technological and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs. The terms used in the specification herein are merely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, but are not intended to limit the present application. The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and the claims of the present application as well as the brief description of the drawings described above are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

The phrase "embodiments" referred to herein means that specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase at various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, or an independent or alternative embodiment exclusive of another embodiment. Those skilled in the art understand, in explicit and implicit manners, that an embodiment described herein may be combined with another embodiment.

It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters indicate similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once a certain item is defined in one drawing, it is unnecessary to further define and explain it in the subsequent drawings.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center", "length", "width", "thickness", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and "circumferential direction" are orientations or positional relationships shown based on the drawings, and the terms are merely for convenience of describing the present application and for simplifying the description, but for indicating or implying that an indicated apparatus or element must have a specific orientation, and must be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, which thus may not be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and the claims of the present application as well as the above drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order, which may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the descriptions in the present application, unless otherwise provided, "a plurality of" means two or more than two.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the terms "mounting", "connecting" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, they may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection, may be a mechanical connection, or may be an electrical connection; may be a direct connection and may also be an indirect connection via an intermediate medium, or may be communication between the interiors of two elements. Those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present application to specific circumstances.

In the present application, battery cells may include lithium-ion secondary batteries, lithium-ion primary batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, sodium lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries or magnesium-ion batteries, etc., which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application. The battery cells may be cylindrical, flat, cuboid or other shapes, which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application. The battery cell is generally divided into three types according to the way of packaging: a cylindrical battery cell, a square battery cell and a soft package battery cell, which is also not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

The battery mentioned in the embodiment of the present application refers to a single physical module that includes one or more battery cells to provide a higher voltage and capacity. For example, the battery mentioned in the present application may include a battery module or a battery pack. The battery generally includes a box body for enclosing one or more battery cells. The box body may prevent liquid or other foreign matters from affecting the charging or discharging of the battery cells.

The battery cells include an electrode assembly and an electrolyte, and the electrode assembly is composed of a positive electrode sheet, a negative electrode sheet and a separator. The operation of the battery cells mainly relies on the movement of metal ions between the positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet. The positive electrode sheet includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer is coated on a surface of the positive electrode current collector, and the current collector not coated with the positive electrode active material layer protrudes from the current collector coated with the positive electrode active material layer and is used as a positive tab. In an example of a lithium-ion battery, the material of the positive electrode current collector may be aluminum, and the positive electrode active material may be lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium, lithium manganate oxide, or the like. The negative electrode sheet includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer. The negative electrode active material layer is coated on a surface of the negative electrode current collector, and the current collector not coated with the negative electrode active material layer protrudes from the current collector coated with the negative electrode active material layer and serves as a negative tab. A material of the negative electrode current collector may be copper, and a negative electrode active material may be carbon, silicon, or the like. In order to ensure that no fusing occurs when a large current passes through, there are a plurality of positive tabs which are stacked together, and there are a plurality of negative tabs which are stacked together. A material of the separator may be polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE), etc. In addition, the electrode assembly may be a winding structure or a laminated structure, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

The battery cell also includes an adapting member and an electrode terminal, the adapting member is configured to connect the electrode assembly to the electrode terminal so as to derive electric energy of the electrode assembly through the electrode terminal. Correspondingly, the electrode terminal connected to the positive electrode tab is a positive electrode terminal, and the electrode terminal connected to the negative electrode tab is a negative electrode terminal. In order to facilitate an assembly of the battery cell and save a space occupied by the adapting member, the adapting member generally bends to reduce an assembly height.

The inventor finds that the main reason for a low output power of the battery cell is a heat loss, and there are many reasons for the heat loss of the battery cell, such as a poor heat management effect, large internal resistance of the battery cell, etc. Through the research, the inventor further finds that as a component connecting the electrode assembly to the electrode terminal in the battery cell, resistance of the adapting member directly affects the internal resistance of the whole battery cell, and then affects the output power of the battery cell; in production and processing, in order to facilitate bending and process welding, a thickness of the adapting member is usually small, resulting that an overcurrent area of the adapting member is small, the resistance of the adapting member is larger and voltage drop loss occurs. As a result, the internal resistance of the battery cell is larger and the output power of the battery cell is lower.

In view of this, the present application provides a technical solution in which on the premise of convenient bending and process welding, the thickness of the adapting member is locally increased to increase the overcurrent area, so that to improve an overcurrent capacity of the adapting member, reduce the resistance of the adapting member, improve the output power of the battery cell and meet the requirements of the power battery.

The technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application are all applicable to various apparatuses using batteries, such as mobile phones, portable devices, notebook computers, electromobiles, electronic toys, electric tools, electric vehicles, ships and spacecrafts. For example, the spacecrafts include airplanes, rockets, space shuttles and spaceships, and the like.

It should be understood that the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to the devices described above, but also applicable to all devices using batteries. However, for brief description, the following embodiments are all described by an example of an electric vehicle.

For example, <FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. The vehicle <NUM> may be a fuelpowered vehicle, a gas-powered vehicle or a new energy vehicle, and the new energy vehicle may be a battery electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an extended-range vehicle, or the like. A battery <NUM> is provided inside the vehicle <NUM>. For example, the battery <NUM> may be disposed at the bottom, head or tail of the vehicle <NUM>. The battery <NUM> may be configured to supply power to the vehicle <NUM>. For example, the battery <NUM> may be used as an operation power supply of the vehicle <NUM> and is used for a circuit system of the vehicle <NUM>, for example, for a working power demand of the vehicle <NUM> during startup, navigation and running. In another embodiment of the present application, the battery <NUM> may serve not only as an operation power source of the vehicle <NUM>, but also as a driving power source of the vehicle <NUM>, replacing or partially replacing fuel or natural gas to provide driving power for the vehicle <NUM>.

A motor <NUM> and a controller <NUM> may also be provided inside the vehicle <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is used to control the battery <NUM> to supply power to the motor <NUM>, for example, for starting, navigating, and working power requirements during driving of the vehicle <NUM>.

In order to meet different power requirements, the battery <NUM> may include a plurality of battery cells, where the plurality of battery cells may be in series connection, parallel connection or series-parallel connection. The series-parallel connection refers to a combination of series connection and parallel connection. The battery <NUM> may also be referred to as a battery pack. In some embodiments, the plurality of battery cells may first be connected in series or in parallel or in a hybrid manner to form battery modules, and then a plurality of battery modules are connected in series or in parallel or in a hybrid manner to form a battery <NUM>. That is, a plurality of battery cells may directly form a battery <NUM>, or may first form battery modules, and then the battery modules form a battery <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of a battery <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. In <FIG>, the battery <NUM> may include a plurality of battery cells <NUM> and a box body <NUM> with a hollow structure inside, and the plurality of battery cells <NUM> are accommodated in the box body <NUM>. The box body <NUM> includes a first portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM>, the first portion <NUM> includes an accommodating space with an opening, and the second portion <NUM> is configured to cover the opening of the accommodating space to connect to the first portion <NUM> to form an accommodating cavity for accommodating the plurality of battery cells <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an exploded diagram of the battery cell <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the battery cell <NUM> includes two electrode terminals <NUM>, an electrode assembly <NUM> and an adapting member <NUM>. The two electrode terminals <NUM> include a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal; the positive electrode terminal is configured to connect to the positive tab, and the negative electrode terminal is used to connect to the negative tab; and the positive electrode terminal corresponds to one adapting member <NUM>, and the negative electrode terminal corresponds to one adapting member <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic diagram of the adapting member <NUM> before bending according to an embodiment of the present application; <FIG> shows a schematic diagram of the adapting member <NUM> after bending according to embodiment of the present application; <FIG> shows a top view of the adapting member <NUM> according to an embodiment of the application; <FIG> is a cross-sectional view in the A-A direction in <FIG> is an enlarged view of the point B in <FIG>.

In <FIG>, the adapting member <NUM> includes a first connection portion <NUM> for connecting the electrode terminal <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>) and a second connection portion <NUM> for connecting the electrode assembly <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> are dividedly set and connected to each other. The first connection portion <NUM> is in a multilayer structure and includes multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> provided in a stacking manner, the second connection portion <NUM> is in a single-layer structure, and a minimum thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> is greater than a maximum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM>.

The battery cell <NUM>, the multilayer configuration of the first connection portion <NUM> facilitates the bending of the first connection portion <NUM>; and the thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> is increased while meeting the requirements of convenient bending and process welding, the adapting member <NUM> has a large overcurrent area, an overcurrent capacity of the adapting member <NUM> is strong, and resistance of the adapting member <NUM> is small, which improve the output power of the battery cell <NUM> and meet the requirements of a power-type battery. At the same time, the multilayer structure of the first connection portion <NUM> can also absorb and disperse the stress during bending, and reduce the fatigue of the adapting member <NUM> at a bending position.

It should be pointed out that, the conducting strip <NUM> may be a metal sheet (for example, a copper sheet, an aluminum sheet or other conductive metal sheets), which has good conductivity, so as to facilitate the extraction of electrical energy from the electrode assembly <NUM>. The conductive sheet <NUM> may also be a non-metal conductive sheet, such as a graphite sheet and a conductive ceramic sheet. The minimum thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> means that, when the first connection portion <NUM> is in an irregular thickness structure, for example, when the conducting sheet <NUM> is in a sheet-shaped structure of unequal-thickness, the thickness value at the minimum thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> as a whole is the minimum thickness of the first connection portion <NUM>; when the first connection portion <NUM> is in a structure of regular thickness, for example, when the conductive sheet <NUM> is in a sheet-shaped structure of equal-thickness, the total thickness value of the plurality of conductive sheets <NUM> is the minimum thickness of the first connection portion <NUM>. The maximum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> means that, when the second connection portion <NUM> is in an unequal-thickness structure, the thickness value at the maximum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> is the maximum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM>; when the second connection portion <NUM> is in an equal-thickness structure, the thickness value at any position of the second connection portion <NUM> is the maximum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM>.

The minimum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> is greater than the maximum thickness of any of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM>. It can be understood that, the thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> is greater than the thickness of any of the conductive sheet <NUM>, that is, the thickness of the conductive sheet <NUM> can be thinner, which reduces bending difficulty of the first connection portion <NUM> and facilitates the implementation of the bending of the first connection portion <NUM>, thereby ensuring that the height of the adapting member <NUM> is lower after bending, reducing space occupation, and ensuring the energy density of the battery cell <NUM>. For example, in <FIG>, the thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> is greater than the thickness of any of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM>.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG>, the second connection portion <NUM> is in a shape of a disc, and a size of the second connection portion <NUM> is substantially the same as the size of an end face of the electrode assembly <NUM>, and the second connection portion <NUM> has a larger contact area with the electrode assembly <NUM>, which has a better overcurrent capacity. Therefore, the thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> can be smaller than the minimum thickness of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM>, and the second connection portion <NUM> does not need to be thickened or configured in the multilayer structure.

The second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM> are connected and fixed by penetration welding. If the adapting member <NUM> adopts the multilayer structure entirely, that is, the second connection portion <NUM> also adopts the multilayer structure, the adapting member <NUM> cannot be thinned from the multiple layers to the thickness of process welding, and the multilayer structure is easy to crack when the multilayer structure is thinned; in addition, the adapting member <NUM> configured to connect to the negative tab needs to be electroplated in an area where it is welded to the negative tab, and the electrolytic solution will remain in the gaps of the multilayer structure during electroplating, causing corrosion and affecting use. In order to facilitate the welding between the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>, the thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> should not be too thick. For example, the thickness of the second connection portion <NUM> may be <NUM>-<NUM>. In order to facilitate the bending of the first connection portion <NUM>, the thickness of any of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> is smaller than the minimum thickness of the second connection portion, for example, the thickness of each layer of the conductive sheet of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> may be <NUM>-<NUM>, and the first connection portion <NUM> may include <NUM>-<NUM> layers of conductive sheets <NUM>.

In some embodiments of the present application, the thickness of each layer of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> is equal. The multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> adopts the same thickness, which is convenient for processing and modularized production, and reduces the processing cost.

In other embodiments of the present application, the thickness of each layer of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> may also be unequal. According to different usage requirements, the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> is designed as the conductive sheet <NUM> with different thickness specifications.

In some embodiments of the present application, two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> are welded or connected by conductive adhesive. Adopting the connection mode of welding or the conductive adhesive can ensure conductivity between the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM>, so that to ensure the passage of a current and the connection strength at the same time. For example, two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> are laser welded, so that the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> have better connection stability and can also ensure the passage of the current. In other embodiments of the present application, the connection mode of the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> may also be other modes that can implement metal connection, such as riveting, bolting, and the like.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG>, the first connection portion <NUM> includes a first section <NUM>, a second section <NUM> and a third section <NUM>, the first section <NUM> is configured to connect to the second connection section <NUM>, the third section <NUM> is configured to connect to the electrode terminal <NUM>, and the second section <NUM> connects the first section <NUM> and the third section <NUM>; before the adapting member <NUM> bends, as shown in <FIG>, the first section <NUM> and the third section <NUM> are located at both ends of the second section <NUM> in a length direction of the adapting member <NUM>; after the adapter <NUM> bends, as shown in <FIG>, the first section <NUM> and the third section <NUM> are respectively located on two sides of the second section <NUM> in a thickness direction.

As shown in <FIG>, a first bending region <NUM> is provided between the first section <NUM> and the second section <NUM>, a second bending region <NUM> is provided between the second section <NUM> and the third section <NUM>, and the first connection portion <NUM> bends into an S shape; it can be understood that, the second section <NUM> bends around a first bending axis <NUM> relative to the first section <NUM> to form the first bending region <NUM>, and the third section <NUM> bends around a second bending axis <NUM> relative to the second section <NUM> to form the second bending region <NUM>. The first connection portion <NUM> has an opposite first face (not shown in the figure) and a second face (not shown in the figure), the bending form of the first connection portion <NUM>, is at the first bending region <NUM>, the first face is located at an inner ring of the first bending region <NUM>, the second face is located at an outer ring of the first bending region <NUM>, and a bending radius of the conductive sheet <NUM> close to the first face is smaller, the bending radius of the conductive sheet <NUM> close to the second face is larger; at the second bending region <NUM>, the first face is located at the outer ring of the second bending region <NUM>, and the second face is located at the inner ring of the second bending region <NUM>, the bending radius of the conductive sheet <NUM> close to the first face is larger, and the bending radius of the conductive sheet <NUM> close to the second face is smaller; <FIG> shows a schematic diagram of the first connection portion <NUM> after bending according to an embodiment of the present application, in <FIG>, after the first connection portion <NUM> bends twice as mentioned above, the bending extension of each layer of the conductive sheet <NUM> is the same, that is, edges of the two ends of the connection portion of each layer of the conductive sheet <NUM> are flush; and then, on the one hand, so that the force on each layer of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the first connection portion <NUM> is uniform and is not prone to breakage, on the other hand, a height of the first connection portion <NUM> after bending is controlled, so that to ensure the energy density of the battery cell <NUM>, and avoid the problems such as the phenomenon of delamination occurs in the multilayer structure, the inner layer easily wrinkles, the height increases after bending lead by this, an installation space is occupied, and assembly of the battery cell <NUM> is not convenient.

In some embodiments of the present application, the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> are welded or connected by the conductive adhesive at the third section <NUM>, so that the hardness of the third section <NUM> is greater than the hardness of the second section <NUM>. It can be understood that, when the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> are welded or connected by the conductive adhesive at the third section <NUM>, the hardness of the third section <NUM> is increased. When the third section <NUM> bends relative to the second section <NUM>, it is easy to guide the first connection portion <NUM> to deform at the connection between the third section <NUM> and the second section <NUM>, which reduces the bending difficulty.

In some embodiments of the present application, the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> are welded or connected by the conductive adhesive at the first section <NUM>, so that the hardness of the first section <NUM> is greater than the hardness of the second section <NUM>. It can be understood that, when the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> are welded or connected by the conductive adhesive at the first section <NUM>, the hardness of the first section <NUM> is increased. When the first section <NUM> bends relative to the second section <NUM>, it is easy to guide the first connection portion <NUM> to deform at the connection between the first section <NUM> and the second section <NUM>, which reduces the bending difficulty.

It should be pointed out that, an area division of the first section <NUM>, the second section <NUM>, and the third section <NUM> of the first connection portion <NUM> is shown in <FIG>. In the figure, the slash at the first section <NUM> indicates the connection region of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> at the first section <NUM>. The slash at the third section <NUM> indicates the connection region of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> at the third section <NUM>, not the morphology of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> after connection.

In some embodiments of the present application, the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> are welded or connected by the conductive adhesive. Adopting the connection mode of welding or conductive adhesive can ensure the connection strength, and at the same time ensure the passage of the current. For example, the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> are laser welded, so that the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> have the better connection stability, and can also ensure the passage of the current. In other embodiments of the present application, the connection mode of the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> may also be other modes that can implement metal connection, such as riveting, bolting, and the like.

It should be pointed out that, the welding of the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> may be the welding of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> at the same time; alternatively, it can be that, after the two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> are welded, the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> can be entirely welded to the second connection portion <NUM>; it can also be that, after one layer of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> is welded to the second connection portion <NUM>, two adjacent layers of the conductive sheet <NUM> of the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> are welded.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the second connection portion <NUM> includes a first surface <NUM> facing an electrode assembly <NUM> and a second surface <NUM> facing away from the electrode assembly <NUM>, and the first connection portion <NUM> is connected to the second surface <NUM>. Since the first surface <NUM> is welded to the electrode assembly <NUM>, the connection between the first connection portion <NUM> and the second surface <NUM> can avoid interference in the welding of the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>, and ensure a connection area between the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>, and then ensure the stability of both.

<FIG> shows a schematic diagram of the second connection portion <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the second connection portion <NUM> includes a first connection region <NUM> for connecting with the first connection portion <NUM> and two second connection regions <NUM> for connecting with the electrode assembly <NUM>, and the first connection region <NUM> is located between the two connection regions <NUM>. The first connection region <NUM> is located between the two second connection regions <NUM>, and the assembly space is reasonably allocated to ensure that the connection force between the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM> is balanced, and the connection between the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> is stable.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the second connection portion <NUM> includes a main body region <NUM>, the first connection region <NUM> for connecting with the first connection portion <NUM>, and the two second connection regions <NUM> for connecting with the electrode assembly <NUM>, and the first connection region <NUM> is located between the two second connection regions <NUM>, the maximum thickness of the first connection region <NUM> is smaller than the minimum thickness of the main body region <NUM>, and the maximum thickness of the first connection region <NUM> is smaller than the minimum thickness of one of the two second connection regions <NUM> that has the smaller thickness.

The first connection region <NUM> can be formed by reducing the thickness of the second connection portion <NUM>. Under the condition that the connection between the first connection portion <NUM> and the first connection region <NUM> is ensured, the thickness of the first connection region <NUM> is reduced as much as possible. It can be understood that, the first connection region <NUM> is the thinnest part of the second connection portion <NUM>. An assembly thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> connected to the first connection region <NUM> is thinner than the assembly thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> with the main body region <NUM> and the second connection region <NUM>. The space occupied by the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> is smaller, which improves the energy density of the battery cell <NUM>. For example, <FIG> shows a partial enlarged view of the connection position of the first connection portion <NUM> and the first connection region <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the thickness of the first connection region <NUM> is smaller than the thickness of the main body region <NUM> and the second connection region <NUM>. The second surface <NUM> of the second connection portion <NUM> forms a stepped surface between the first connection region <NUM> and the main body region <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in order to ensure the contact between the second connection region <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>, and to ensure the welding quality of the second connection region <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>, the second connection region <NUM> protrudes towards the electrode assembly <NUM> relative to the main body region <NUM>. It can be understood that the two opposite faces in the thickness direction of the main body region <NUM> are the first surface <NUM> and the second surface <NUM>, respectively, and the second connection region <NUM> protrudes from the first surface <NUM> in the direction of the second surface <NUM> pointing to the first surface <NUM>.

In the above embodiment, in order to ensure that the second connection region <NUM> is connected to the inner and outer circle electrode plate of the winding structure of the electrode assembly <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the second connection region <NUM> is in a V-shaped structure, and the V-shaped structure points to a center of the second connection portion <NUM>, and the two second connection regions <NUM> are provided oppositely to ensure that the connection force between the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM> is balanced. The first connection region <NUM> is located between the two second connection regions <NUM>, and the contour of the first connection region <NUM> matches the contours of the two second connection regions <NUM> to ensure that the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> have a larger contact area, which facilitates to ensure the stable connection between the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM>. For example, the portion of the first connection portion <NUM> connected to the second connection portion <NUM> (that is, the first section <NUM>) is in a trapezoidal structure.

In order to facilitate realization of the connection and positioning of the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the second connection portion <NUM> is provided with a through hole <NUM>. For example, the through hole <NUM> may be located in the middle of the second connection portion <NUM>, when the second connection portion <NUM> is assembled with the electrode assembly <NUM>, the through hole <NUM> is aligned with the winding center hole of the electrode assembly <NUM> to implement the assembly and positioning of the second connection portion <NUM> and the electrode assembly <NUM>; at the same time, when the electrolyte is injected, it is convenient for the electrolyte to contact with the electrode assembly <NUM> after passing through the through hole <NUM> to infiltrate the electrode assembly <NUM>, and the air or the gas after the chemical reaction of the electrolyte in the electrode assembly <NUM> can be discharged through the through hole <NUM>. In other embodiments of the present application, multiple through holes <NUM> may also be provided, and in addition to be provided in the middle of the second connection portion <NUM>, they may also be distributed in other areas of the main body region <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of part of the components of the battery cell <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the electrode terminal <NUM> includes a first connection member <NUM> and two second connection members <NUM>; the battery cell <NUM> also includes a housing <NUM>, an end cover <NUM>, and a first insulating member <NUM>. The housing <NUM> has an end opening <NUM>, and the electrode assembly <NUM> and the adapting member <NUM> are provided inside the housing <NUM>; the end cover <NUM> is configured to cover the end opening <NUM>, the two second connection members <NUM> are installed on the end cover <NUM> and arranged at intervals along a first direction X; the two second connection members <NUM> are both connected to the first connection portion <NUM>, and the first connection member <NUM> is located on a side away from the inside of the housing <NUM> of the end cover <NUM> and connected to two second connection members <NUM>, so that to extract the electrical energy of electrode assembly <NUM> from the inside of the housing <NUM>; the first connection member <NUM> is also used for electrical connection with other battery cells <NUM> or other current collecting members; the first insulating member <NUM> is provided between the first connection member <NUM> and the end cover <NUM>, which is used to isolate the first connection member <NUM> and the end cover <NUM>, and implement the isolation between the first connection member <NUM> and the end cover <NUM>. It should be pointed out that, the first direction refers to the direction indicated by X shown in <FIG> and can be understood as the width direction of the adapting member <NUM>.

The shape of the housing <NUM> is determined according to the combined shape of one or more electrode assemblies <NUM>. For example, the housing <NUM> may be a hollow cuboid or cube or cylinder, and at least one face of the housing <NUM> has an end opening <NUM> such that one or more electrode assemblies <NUM> and the adapting member <NUM> may be placed in the housing <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the housing <NUM> is a cylinder, and the end face of the housing <NUM> is provided with an end opening <NUM>. The end cover <NUM> covers the end opening <NUM> and is connected to the housing <NUM> to form a closed chamber in which the electrode assembly <NUM> is placed. The housing <NUM> is filled with the electrolyte, such as the electrolytic solution.

It should be pointed out that, as shown in <FIG>, the housing <NUM> has two opposite end openings <NUM>, and the two end openings <NUM> respectively correspond to the positive tab and the negative tab of the electrode assembly <NUM>, and each end opening <NUM> corresponding to an end cover assembly <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the end cover assembly <NUM> includes the end cover <NUM>, the first insulating member <NUM>, the first connection member <NUM>, and the second connection member <NUM>.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG>, the first connection portion <NUM> is provided with a first connection hole <NUM> and a second connection hole <NUM> corresponding to the two second connection members <NUM>. One second connection member <NUM> passes through the first connection member <NUM>, the end cover <NUM> and the first insulating member <NUM> and then is connected to the first connection member <NUM>, and the other second connection member <NUM> passes through the second connection hole <NUM>, the end cover <NUM> and the first insulating member <NUM> and then is connected to the first connection member <NUM> to ensure the stable connection between the first connection portion <NUM> and the first connection member <NUM>. For example, the first connection member <NUM> is provided with a third connection hole <NUM> and a fourth connection hole <NUM> corresponding to the two second connection members <NUM>, and one second connection member <NUM> passes through the first connection hole <NUM>, the end cover <NUM> and the first insulating member <NUM>, then is inserted into the third connection hole <NUM> and riveted to the first connection member <NUM>, and the other second connection member <NUM> passes through the second connection hole <NUM>, the end cover <NUM> and the first insulating member <NUM> and then is inserted into the fourth connection hole <NUM>, and is riveted with the first connection member <NUM>.

It should be pointed out that, a sealing ring <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>) is provided at the connection between each second connection member <NUM> and the end cover <NUM> to implement insulation and isolation between the electrode terminal <NUM> and the end cover <NUM>. The number of the second connection members <NUM> can be selected according to actual conditions. For example, the number of the second connection members <NUM> can be one, or three or more.

In some embodiments of the present application, the first connection portion <NUM> is welded to the electrode terminal <NUM> to ensure connection strength of the first connection portion <NUM> and electrode terminal <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of the first connection member <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application; <FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of the first insulating member <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application; and <FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of the end cover assembly <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application.

In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the first connection member <NUM> includes a first side <NUM>, a second side <NUM>, a third side <NUM>, and a fourth side <NUM>. The second side <NUM> and the third side <NUM> are provided oppositely along the first direction X, and the first side <NUM> and the fourth side <NUM> are provided oppositely along the second direction Y; the second direction Y, the first direction X and the thickness direction Z of the end cover <NUM> are perpendicular to each other; the first side <NUM>, the second side <NUM> and the third side <NUM> are all planes, and the fourth side <NUM> is an arc surface centered on the center of the end cover <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the two ends of the second side <NUM> along the second direction Y are respectively connected to the first side <NUM> and the fourth side <NUM>, and the two ends of the third side <NUM> along the second direction Y are respectively connected to the first side <NUM> and the fourth side <NUM>. It can be understood that, the first side <NUM>, the second side <NUM>, the third side <NUM>, and the fourth side <NUM> constitute the side of the first connection member <NUM>, and the first connection member <NUM> also has two end faces facing the end cover <NUM> and facing away from the end cover <NUM> (not shown in the figure), the end face of the first connection member <NUM> facing the end cover <NUM> is in contact with the first insulating member <NUM>. In <FIG>, the first insulating member <NUM> includes a bottom wall <NUM> and a peripheral wall <NUM> formed around the bottom wall <NUM>, the bottom wall <NUM> is located between the first connection member <NUM> and the end cover <NUM>, the bottom wall <NUM> is provided with a fifth connection hole <NUM> and a sixth connection hole <NUM>, the fifth connection hole <NUM> corresponds to the third connection hole <NUM>, and the sixth connection hole <NUM> corresponds to the fourth connection hole <NUM> for the two second connection members <NUM> to pass through; the contour of the peripheral wall <NUM> corresponds to the side of the first connection member <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the peripheral wall <NUM> wraps the above side of the first connection member <NUM> to further ensure the insulation and isolation between the end cover <NUM> and the first connection member <NUM>.

The structural form of the first connection member <NUM> in the embodiment of the present application has a larger overcurrent area, which improves the overcurrent capacity and the output power of the battery cell <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the fourth side <NUM> is the arc surface, the fourth side <NUM> is close to the edge of the end cover <NUM> relative to other sides. The distance between each point on the fourth side <NUM> along the radial direction of the end cover <NUM> and the edge of the end cover <NUM> is equal, which can prevent the first insulating member <NUM> from being deformed and damaged during welding and assembling, so that to affect the appearance. The welding assembly here may include, but is not limited to, the welding assembly of the end cover <NUM> and the housing <NUM>.

In order to ensure the insulation effect, as shown in <FIG>, the end cover assembly <NUM> further includes a second insulating member <NUM>, the second insulating member <NUM> is configured between the end cover <NUM> and the first connection portion <NUM>, and the second insulating member <NUM> isolates the end cover <NUM> from the first connection portion <NUM>.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a power consumption device, which may include the battery <NUM> in the above embodiments. In some embodiments, the power consumption device may be a vehicle <NUM>, a ship or a spacecraft.

The battery cell <NUM>, the battery <NUM> and the power consumption device of the embodiment of the present application are described above, and a battery cell <NUM> manufacturing method and device of the embodiments of the present application will be described below. For the parts that are not described in detail, reference is made to the foregoing embodiments.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a battery cell manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the method may include:.

It should be pointed out that, the above steps show the battery cell <NUM> manufacturing method provided by the implementation of this application, where the sequence of the steps "<NUM>, providing an electrode terminal <NUM>", "<NUM>, providing an electrode assembly <NUM>" and "<NUM>, providing an adapting member <NUM>" is not unique and can be adjusted. For example, the steps "<NUM>, provide an electrode assembly <NUM>", "<NUM>, provide an electrode terminal <NUM>" and "<NUM>, provide an adapting member <NUM>" are performed sequentially; alternatively, the steps "<NUM>, providing an adapting member <NUM>", "<NUM>, providing an electrode terminal <NUM>" and "<NUM>, providing an electrode assembly <NUM>" are performed sequentially; alternatively, the steps "<NUM>, providing an adapting member <NUM>", "<NUM>, providing an electrode assembly <NUM>" and "<NUM>, providing an electrode terminal <NUM>" are performed sequentially.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram of a battery cell manufacturing device <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the battery cell manufacturing device <NUM> may include: a provision module <NUM> and an installation module <NUM>.

The provision module <NUM>, configured to provide the electrode terminal <NUM>; provide the electrode assembly <NUM>; and provide the adapting member <NUM>, the adapting member <NUM> includes the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM>, the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> are dividedly set and connected to each other, and the first connection portion <NUM> is in the multilayer structure and includes the multiple layers of conductive sheets <NUM> provided in the stacking manner, the second connection portion <NUM> is in the single-layer structure, and the minimum thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> is greater than the maximum thickness of the second connection portion <NUM>;
the installation module <NUM>, configured to connect the first connection portion <NUM> to the electrode terminal <NUM>, and configured to connect the second connection portion <NUM> to the electrode assembly <NUM>.

It should be noted that, the features in the embodiments may be mutually combined provided that no conflict is caused.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely used for illustrating rather than limiting the technical solutions of the present application. Although the present application is illustrated in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions to some of the technical features therein, but these modifications or substitutions can be made to the respective technical solutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application. thickness of the first connection region <NUM> is reduced as much as possible. It can be understood that, the first connection region <NUM> is the thinnest part of the second connection portion <NUM>. An assembly thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> connected to the first connection region <NUM> is thinner than the assembly thickness of the first connection portion <NUM> with the main body region <NUM> and the second connection region <NUM>. The space occupied by the first connection portion <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> is smaller, which improves the energy density of the battery cell <NUM>. For example, <FIG> shows a partial enlarged view of the connection position of the first connection portion <NUM> and the first connection region <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the thickness of the first connection region <NUM> is smaller than the thickness of the main body region <NUM> and the second connection region <NUM>. The second surface <NUM> of the second connection portion <NUM> forms a stepped surface between the first connection region <NUM> and the main body region <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A battery cell, comprising:
an adapting member (<NUM>), comprising a first connection portion (<NUM>) for connecting an electrode terminal (<NUM>) and a second connection portion (<NUM>) for connecting an electrode assembly (<NUM>), wherein the first connection portion (<NUM>) and the second connection portion (<NUM>) are dividedly set and connected to each other, and the first connection portion (<NUM>) is in a multilayer structure and comprises multiple layers of conductive sheets (<NUM>) provided in a stacking manner, the second connection portion (<NUM>) is in a single-layer structure, and a minimum thickness of the first connection portion (<NUM>) is greater than a maximum thickness of the second connection portion (<NUM>);
wherein a minimum thickness of the second connection portion (<NUM>) is greater than a maximum thickness of any of the multiple layers of conductive sheets (<NUM>).