Patent Description:
Typically a battery module can include multiple batteries, and the connection relationship between the batteries can mainly include series connection of batteries, or series connection of some batteries and parallel connection of some batteries. Specifically, in order to realize the above-mentioned connection relationships of the batteries, electrode connectors are required in this regard. However, the conventional arrangement of electrode connectors limits the diversity of battery module configurations, cannot satisfy heat dissipation and safety requirement, and is not conducive to improve energy density of the battery module.

<CIT> discloses a battery module and a busbar assembly thereof. The busbar assembly comprises a first busbar, a second busbar and a first insulator. The first busbar comprises a first connecting portion connected to a first battery unit, a second connecting portion connected to a second battery unit and a first main portion connecting the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion. The second busbar comprises a third connecting portion connected to a third battery unit, a fourth connecting portion connected to a fourth battery unit and a second main portion connecting the third connecting portion and the fourth connecting portion. The first main portion partially overlaps the second main portion, and the first insulator insulates the second main portion and the first main portion. The first battery unit, the third battery unit, the second battery unit and the fourth battery unit are arranged sequentially.

<CIT> discloses a battery module and a battery pack. The battery module includes a plurality of battery units connected in series, at least two electrode output connecting pieces each disposed at an output end of the plurality of battery units, and a plurality of bridging busbars. Each connecting two battery units is spaced by one or more other battery units among the plurality of battery units. An adjacent busbar connects two adjacent battery units among the plurality of battery units. An electrical connection path is formed in the battery module by the electrode output connecting pieces, the bridging busbars and the adjacent busbar.

<CIT>, forming the basis for the preamble of claim <NUM>, discloses a wiring harness board assembly and a battery module, which can solve the problems of complicated assembly steps and high defective rate of products caused by the fact that the battery module is led out from the same side of a positive electrode and a negative electrode in the prior art. The wiring harness board assembly comprises a supporting plate, a conducting plate and a printed plate. The conducting plate is divided into a bridging conducting plate and a short-circuit conducting plate.

For a better understanding of the disclosure, reference may be made to exemplary embodiments shown in the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale and related elements may be omitted, or in some instances, proportions may have been exaggerated, so as to emphasize and clearly illustrate the features described herein. In addition, related elements or components can be variously arranged, as known in the art. Further, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate same or like parts throughout the several views.

The specific implementations of the battery module provided in the embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. In fact, the appended claims define the protection scope of the disclosure.

Typically a battery module can include multiple batteries, and the connection relationship between the batteries can mainly include series connection of batteries, or series connection of some batteries and parallel connection of some batteries. Specifically, in order to realize the above-mentioned connection relationships of the batteries, electrode connectors are required in this regard.

In order to achieve diversity of battery module configurations, when conventional electrode connectors are configured to connect batteries that are arranged at intervals in series and/or in parallel, different electrode connectors often need to be stacked and staggered along the height direction of the battery module. In order to satisfy the specific series-parallel relationship of the batteries inside the battery module and avoid safety hazards such as short circuits, an insulation protection structure needs to be provided between the above-mentioned electrode connectors that are stacked and staggered, and the configuration of the insulation protection structure greatly increases the cost of material and process. Moreover, the electrode connectors arranged in a stacked and staggered manner are not conducive to heat dissipation and easily lead to heat accumulation on the electrode connectors, which ultimately affects the safety of the battery module and is not conducive to improving the energy density of the battery module.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the disclosure provides a battery module, which is configured to achieve the diversity of the battery module configuration and optimize the structure of the battery module while realizing the connection relationship of the batteries.

Specifically, a battery module provided in an embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in <FIG>, includes a jumper electrode connector <NUM>, a neighbor electrode connector <NUM>, and a number of batteries <NUM> greater than or equal to four. The neighbor electrode connector <NUM> is configured to electrically connect a plurality of batteries <NUM> arranged adjacently. The jumper electrode connector <NUM> is configured to electrically connect a plurality of batteries <NUM> arranged at intervals. The jumper electrode connector <NUM> is provided with a notch k0 along the first direction (the direction M1 shown in <FIG>) and toward the outside of the battery <NUM> module (the direction indicated by the direction M1 in <FIG> is the outside of the battery <NUM> module), and the neighbor electrode connector <NUM> is provided in the notch. Specifically, the first direction is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the batteries <NUM> (the arrangement direction of the batteries <NUM> is a direction M2 as shown in <FIG>).

For example, referring to <FIG>, the jumper electrode connector <NUM> is configured to connect four batteries <NUM> arranged at intervals. Or, see <FIG> (for clarity, the neighbor electrode connector is not shown in <FIG>), the jumper electrode connector <NUM> is configured to connect the two batteries <NUM> arranged at intervals. Certainly, in actual situations, the number of batteries <NUM> to be electrically connected by the jumper electrode connector <NUM> is not limited to the number shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, and may be other numbers such as six batteries <NUM> or eight batteries <NUM>, etc., which can be set according to the actual situation, as long as the batteries <NUM> arranged at intervals can be electrically connected.

Certainly, in the battery module, a part of the neighbor electrode connector <NUM> can be arranged in the notch of the jumper electrode connector <NUM>, and the remaining part of the neighbor electrode connector <NUM> may not be arranged in the notch of the jumper electrode connector <NUM>, such that the connection relationship of the batteries can be realized.

In addition, the number of batteries <NUM> to be electrically connected by the neighbor electrode connector <NUM> may be <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), <FIG> or <FIG>, etc., which can be set according to actual needs, the disclosure provides no limitation thereto, and <FIG> only serves as an example for explanation.

In this way, the battery module includes a jumper electrode connector and a neighbor electrode connector, so as to realize the electrical connection of the batteries arranged at intervals and the electrical connection of the adjacent batteries, thereby realizing the connection relationship of the batteries in the battery module.

Moreover, since the jumper electrode connector is formed with a gap along the first direction and toward the outside of the battery module, the neighbor electrode connector can be arranged in the notch. The proper combination of the two electrode connectors can significantly expedite heat dissipation of the electrode connectors, thereby realizing diversity of circuit connection inside the battery module, meeting the demand of the battery module for the variable circuit, and helping improve the energy density.

Furthermore, by properly arranging the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector, the positive and negative output poles of the battery module can be arranged on the same side to realize the same side output of the battery module and simplify the connection structure of the battery modules.

The battery module further includes a wire harness plate. The wire harness plate is arranged between the battery and the jumper electrode connector. A surface of the jumper electrode connector close to one side of the wire harness plate is a first surface, and there is a gap between at least a partial region of the first surface and the wire harness plate. Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the wire harness plate is denoted by <NUM>, and is arranged between the battery <NUM> and the connector (including the jumper electrode connector <NUM> and the neighbor electrode connector <NUM>) to facilitate fixing the connectors. Furthermore, in order to show the position of the battery <NUM>, only a part of the wire harness plate is shown when drawing the wire harness plate <NUM>.

Refer to <FIG>, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction X1-X2 in <FIG>. A surface of the jumper electrode connector <NUM> close to one side of the wire harness plate <NUM> is the first surface (denoted by B1), and there is a gap (a gap shown by d1) formed between at least a partial region of the first surface B1 and the wire harness plate <NUM>.

The battery module further includes a signal acquisition structure. The signal acquisition structure is electrically connected with the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector. The signal acquisition structure includes a transmission portion, and the transmission portion passes through the gap.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, <FIG> shows part of the jumper electrode connector, part of the neighbor electrode connector, and the signal acquisition structure, but the battery is not shown. <FIG> shows the battery, as well as the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector that are connected to the battery, but the signal acquisition structure is not shown, and <FIG> and <FIG> are perspective structural views. <FIG> shows one jumper electrode connector and one neighbor electrode connectorn, a part of the battery and a part of the flexible circuit board, as well as the signal acquisition structure, and <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a planar structure.

In addition, in order to clearly show the positional relationship of the structures, <FIG> and <FIG> show a three-dimensional space composed of directions M1, M2, and M3.

As shown in <FIG>, the signal acquisition structure <NUM> includes a transmission portion <NUM> that passes through the gap between at least a partial region of the first surface of the jumper electrode connector <NUM> and the wire harness plate (as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>).

To make one thing clear, in <FIG>, the position of the jumper electrode connector marked <NUM> is not the actual setting position. Here, the jumper electrode connector marked <NUM> is moved away from the actual setting position to clearly show the structure of the transmission portion overlapping with the jumper electrode connector, and the actual setting position of each connector can be seen in <FIG>.

In this way, because there is a gap between at least a partial region of the first surface of the jumper electrode connector and the wire harness plate, the transmission portion in the signal acquisition structure can pass through the gap, which is beneficial to avoid increasing the thickness of the battery module, so as to facilitate realization of the slim design of the battery module. In the meantime, the structure of the battery module can be optimized, and the space can be fully utilized, thereby helping to reduce the volume of the battery module.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the disclosure, an insulation enhancement structure is provided between the transmission portion and the jumper electrode connector. Or, there is a gap between the transmission portion and the jumper electrode connector. The arrangement of the transmission portion and the jumper electrode connector may include as follows. An insulation enhancement structure (such as but not limited to an insulating coating) is provided in the region where the jumper electrode connector faces the signal acquisition structure and overlaps the signal acquisition structure. Alternatively, an insulating structure is separately provided between the signal acquisition structure and the jumper electrode connector. Or, there is a gap between the transmission portion and the jumper electrode connector.

Certainly, in addition to the abovementioned methods, other methods that can achieve insulation between the signal acquisition structure and the jumper electrode connector can also be adopted, as long as the signal acquisition structure can be insulated from the jumper electrode connector. The disclosure provides no limitation to which method is adopted.

Moreover, by keeping the signal acquisition structure insulated from the jumper electrode connector, not only can the short circuit between the signal acquisition structure and the jumper electrode connector be avoided, thereby avoiding adverse effects on signal transmission, but also it is possible to prevent the signal acquisition structure from causing damage to the jumper electrode connector, thereby improving the reliability of the battery module.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, the jumper electrode connector includes two first divisions and a second division. The first divisions extend in a first direction, and each of the first divisions is electrically connected to the batteries arranged at intervals. The second division is electrically connected to the two first divisions, the second division extends along the arrangement direction of the batteries, and the second division is disposed between the two first divisions. The gap is formed of two first divisions and a second division. For example, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the two first divisions are represented by 11a and 11b respectively, and the two first divisions (such as 11a and 11b) extend along the direction M1. The second division is represented by <NUM>, and the second division <NUM> extends along the direction M2. In this way, by arranging the structure of the jumper electrode connector, a gap can be formed, so that the neighbor electrode connector can be arranged in the notch.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in <FIG>, there is a gap between at least a partial region corresponding to the second division <NUM> in the first surface B1 and the wire harness plate <NUM>. In this way, a signal acquisition structure is provided in the battery module, and when the signal acquisition structure passes through the gap, the gap is set in the region where the second division is located, such that it is possible to prevent the signal acquisition structure from causing adverse effects on the electrical connection between the first division and the battery. In this manner, when signal collection is realized, the reliability of the battery module can be improved as well.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the disclosure, the first surface includes a first sub-surface, a gap is formed between the first sub-surface and the wire harness plate, and the first sub-surface is located in a region where the second division is located. For example, referring to <FIG>, the two first divisions are represented by 11a and 11b, the second division is represented by <NUM>, the first sub-surface is represented by B1z, and the first sub-surface B1z is located in the region where the second division <NUM> is located.

The battery module further includes a signal acquisition structure. The signal acquisition structure is electrically connected with the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector. The signal acquisition structure includes a transmission portion. The jumper electrode connector is provided with a first buffer portion in a bent shape, and the first buffer portion is stretchingly deformed or contractingly deformed along the arrangement direction of the batteries under the action of external force. The transmission portion is arranged in the first buffer portion.

Referring to <FIG> is another cross-sectional view taken along the direction X1-X2 in <FIG>, and <FIG> is a perspective structural diagram of a jumper electrode connector. The jumper electrode connector has a first buffer portion <NUM>, and the first buffer portion <NUM> can be stretchingly deformed or compressive deformed along the direction M2 under the action of external force.

Referring to <FIG>, the transmission portion <NUM> is disposed in the first buffer portion <NUM> so that the transmission portion <NUM> can pass through the first buffer portion <NUM>. In addition, at least one first buffer portion <NUM> may be provided, such as two as shown in <FIG>, but not limited to two, and the number of first buffer portion <NUM> may be set according to actual needs and the estimated swelling condition of batteries. The disclosure provides no limitation thereto.

When a plurality of first buffer portions <NUM> are provided, such as two shown in <FIG>, a gap is formed in the region between the two first buffer portions <NUM> and between the jumper electrode connector and the wire harness plate. Therefore, when the gap is arranged, there is no need to set a specific gap as in <FIG>, and the gap (e.g., the gap shown by d1) can be formed by using the first buffer portion <NUM>.

Certainly, in the actual situation, the partial region of the first surface B1 where the gap exists is not limited to the position shown in <FIG>, and may also be other positions, which can be set according to the actual situation, the disclosure provides no limitation thereto.

To make one thing clear, when the first buffer portion is configured, the specific implementation form of the bending shape can include V-shape, Z-shape, wave shape, convex shape or groove shape, etc., as long as the first buffer portion can be deformed under the action of external force. That is, there is no specific limitation to the specific implementation of the bending shape. In addition, through the arrangement of the first buffer portion, when the batteries arranged at intervals swell, the first buffer portion can serve a certain buffering function, so it is possible to prevent the jumper electrode connector from being pulled and cracked when the batteries swell, thereby improving the reliability of the jumper electrode connector.

In addition, the slot in the first buffer portion can be used to accommodate the transmission portion, the temperature collector for collecting temperature, and the end portion of the signal acquisition structure for collecting voltage signals. Since the temperature collector has a certain thickness, when being accommodated in the slot, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the battery module from being increasing, so that the structure of the battery module can be optimized, thereby facilitating realization of the slim design of the battery module.

A signal acquisition structure is electrically connected to a jumper electrode connector and a neighbor electrode connector.

The signal acquisition structure further includes a collection portion electrically connected to the transmission portion. The collection portion includes a first collection terminal and a second collection terminal. The first collection terminal is electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector. The second collection terminal is electrically connected to the neighbor electrode connector. Specifically, referring to <FIG>, <NUM> denotes a collection portion, 52a denotes a first collection terminal, and 52b denotes a second collection terminal. Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, the first collection terminal is electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector <NUM> (as shown in V1), the second collection terminal is electrically connected to the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection (as shown in V2). In this way, it is possible to realize the electrical connection between the collection portion and the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector respectively.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the collection portion further includes a buffer structure respectively connected to the first collection terminal and the second collection terminal. The buffer structure is stretchingly deformed or contractingly deformed along the arrangement direction of the batteries under the action of external force. Referring to <FIG> are cross-sectional views taken along directions X5 and X6 in <FIG>, the buffer structure 52c can be, but not limited to, a Z-shape (shown as 52c in <FIG>) or a U-shape (shown as 52c in <FIG>), etc., the disclosure provides no limitation to the specific form of the buffer structure. In this way, when the first collection terminal and the second collection terminal are displaced, the part shown in 52c can be flattened (or interpreted as straightened) along the direction M2 to achieve a certain buffering effect, thereby preventing the first collection terminal and the second collection terminal from falling off, and avoid damaging the collection portion.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the disclosure, a first slot is provided on one side of the neighbor electrode connector away from the wire harness plate. The first collection terminal is electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector at the first buffer portion. The second collection terminal is electrically connected to the neighbor electrode connector at the first slot. As shown in <FIG>, the first collection terminal is electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector <NUM> at the first buffer portion <NUM> (as shown in V1), and the second collection terminal is electrically connected to the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection at the first slot O1 (as shown in V2). In this way, not only can the collection portion be electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector, but also it is possible to prevent the thickness of the battery module from increasing, and the structure of the battery module can be optimized simultaneously.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the disclosure, both the first collection terminal and the second collection terminal can be made of conductive materials, such as but not limited to metal sheets (such as nickel sheets, aluminum sheets, or copper sheets, etc.) to achieve the collection of battery voltage, so as to control the charge and discharge of the battery.

A signal acquisition structure, not part of the present invention will now be described, which is electrically connected to only one jumper electrode connector or one neighbor electrode connector.

In this embodiment not part of the claimed invention, as shown in <FIG>, for the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection located in the notch, the transmission portion <NUM> passes through the gap between the partial region of the first surface of the jumper electrode connector <NUM> and the wire harness plate (not shown) (as shown in <FIG>, the region Q6 has increased transparency to facilitate describing the positional relationship between the transmission portion <NUM> and the jumper electrode connector <NUM>), the collection portion <NUM> corresponding to the transmission portion <NUM> is only electrically connected to the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection. For the jumper electrode connector <NUM>, because the jumper electrode connector <NUM> is located close to the flexible circuit board <NUM>, the signal acquisition structure <NUM>' can be directly electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector <NUM>.

Specifically, the signal acquisition structure <NUM>' may also include a transmission portion <NUM>' and a collection portion <NUM>. Also, for the signal acquisition structure <NUM>', when the collection portion <NUM>' needs to be electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector <NUM>, the collection terminal <NUM>' is only electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector <NUM> at the bend of the first buffer portion <NUM>. For the signal acquisition structure <NUM>, if the collection portion <NUM> needs to be electrically connected to the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection, the collection terminal <NUM> is only electrically connected to the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection at the first slot O1. In this way, the structure of the signal acquisition structure can be simplified. Even if the signal acquisition structure electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector is abnormal, the abnormality will not affect the signal acquisition of the neighbor electrode connector. Likewise, when the signal acquisition structure electrically connected to the neighbor electrode connector is abnormal, the abnormality will not affect the signal acquisition of the jumper electrode connector, so that the reliability of the battery module can be significantly improved.

Coming back to yet an embodiment of the disclosure, the signal acquisition structure may be made of an electrically conductive and thermally conductive metal sheet, and keeps the signal acquisition structure insulated from the jumper electrode connector. Specifically, the electrically and thermally conductive metal sheets include, such as but not limited to nickel sheets, aluminum sheets or copper sheets. In this way, the signal acquisition structure can collect the voltage signal on the jumper electrode connector or the neighbor electrode connector. Due to the electrical conductivity, the voltage signal can be transmitted to the flexible circuit board. In the meantime, due to the thermal conductivity, the temperature can be transmitted to one end connected to the flexible circuit board. By providing the temperature collector to collect the temperature on the signal acquisition structure and transmit the temperature to the flexible circuit board, it is possible to realize the control of the bus element and even the signal and temperature of the battery.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the jumper electrode connector <NUM> further includes a through hole <NUM> and a counterbore <NUM>. The through hole <NUM> is located in the region where the first division (such as 11a and 11b) is located, and the through hole <NUM> is configured to realize the electrical connection between the jumper electrode connector <NUM> and the battery <NUM> as well as the positioning of the battery module during assembly. The counterbore <NUM> is located in the region where the first division (such as 11a and 11b) is located, and the counterbore <NUM> is configured to adjust the power of the welding equipment. The thickness of the region where the counterbore <NUM> is located is less than the thickness of the region in the first division other than the region where the counterbore <NUM> is located (e.g., the region shown in V3). In this way, through the arrangement of the through holes, not only the electrical connection between the jumper electrode connector and the battery can be realized, but also the positioning of the battery module during assembly can be realized to avoid the misalignment between the jumper electrode connector and the battery, thereby avoiding the misconnection of the batteries. Meanwhile, through the arrangement of the counterbore, the thickness of the region where the counterbore is located can be reduced, so that when assembling by the laser welding equipment, the power requirement of the laser welding equipment is reduced, thereby helping to save energy.

To make one thing clear, optionally, if the thickness of the region (the region shown in V3) in the first division (such as 11a and 11b) other than the region where the counterbore is located is small, the counterbore may not be provided so as to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the jumper electrode connector, and improve the manufacturing efficiency.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, when the jumper electrode connector <NUM> is electrically connected to N number of batteries <NUM>, and N is an even number greater than <NUM>, the jumper electrode connector <NUM> further includes a crack stop <NUM> located in the region where the first division (such as 11a and 11b) is located. In this way, by arranging the crack stopper, when swelling occurs between adjacent batteries, the crack stopper can achieve a certain buffering effect to prevent the jumper electrode connector from being pulled apart, thereby improving the reliability of the jumper electrode connector.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, a surface on one side of the jumper electrode connector away from the wire harness plate is a second surface, which includes a second sub-surface corresponding to the region where the first sub-surface is located, and a third sub-surface corresponding to the region where the first division is located, and the second sub-surface and the third sub-surface are in the same plane. For example, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the second sub-surface is denoted by B2z1, and the second sub-surface B2z1 and the first sub-surface B1z are disposed opposite to each other and located in the same region. The third sub-surface is denoted by B2z2, and the third sub-surface B2z2 is located in the region where the first division 11b is located, and the second sub-surface B2z1 and the third sub-surface B2z2 are in the same plane. In this way, on the basis of improving the reliability of the jumper electrode connector, it helps to avoid increasing the thickness of the jumper electrode connector, thereby helping to reduce the thickness of the battery module and realizing the slim design of battery module.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, wire harness plate includes a frame and at least one first buckle. The first buckle is located on one side of the jumper electrode connector away from the battery. The frame is located on one side of the jumper electrode connector close to the battery, and the frame is configured to support the jumper electrode connector. Specifically, in the embodiment of the disclosure, a first buffer portion in a bent shape is provided on the jumper electrode connector, and the first buckle is provided corresponding to the first buffer portion. And/or, the jumper electrode connector has a second slot on one side away from the battery, and the first buckle is arranged corresponding to the second slot.

For example, referring to <FIG>, in order to see the specific structure of the wire harness plate between the connector (including the jumper electrode connector <NUM> and the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection) and the battery <NUM>, the jumper electrode connector <NUM> and electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection are configured to have a certain degree of transparency.

Specifically, referring to the structure of the individual wire harness plate <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the frame is indicated by <NUM>, the structure in the dashed circle <NUM> is the first buckle, and the first buckle and the frame <NUM> are respectively located at different sides of the jumper electrode connector. Through the configuration of the frame <NUM> and the first buckle, the jumper electrode connector can be stably fixed, so as to prevent the position of the jumper electrode connector from shifting.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a first buckle, but in actual situations, the number of first buckles is not limited to that shown in the above figures, and can be set according to actual needs and stability requirements. The disclosure provides no limitation thereto. Moreover, if the region indicated by Q2 in <FIG> represents the first buffer portion, the first buckle can be correspondingly arranged on the first buffer portion; or, if the portion indicated by Q2 in <FIG> represents the second slot, the first buckle can be correspondingly arranged in the second slot. In this way, the first buckle can be provided through the bent part of the first buffer portion or the second slot, and in combination with the frame, the jumper electrode connector can be well fixed, thereby avoiding the position of the jumper electrode connector from being shifted, thus avoiding problems with the connection relationship between the jumper electrode connector and the battery, and ensuring the normal operation of the battery module.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, the first slot on one side of the neighbor electrode connector away from the battery can also be used to accommodate a temperature collector that collects the temperature of the battery.

For example, referring to <FIG>, <FIG> is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction X3-X4 in <FIG>, <FIG> is another cross-sectional view taken along the direction X3-X4 in <FIG>. The first slot is denoted by O1, by providing the first slot O1, the temperature collector <NUM> can be placed in the first slot O1. Since the temperature collector <NUM> has a certain thickness, after being placed in the first slot O1, it is possible to avoid the thickness of the battery module from increasing, and also simplify and optimize the structure of the battery module while making good use of the space.

Furthermore, optionally, the depth of the first slot can be set according to the thickness of the temperature collector, as long as the depth does not increase the thickness of the battery module; the disclosure provides no limitation to the depth of the first slot. In addition, the number of the first slot can be one or more. When the number of the first slot is multiple, the first slot for accommodating the temperature collector may be a different slot as opposed to the first slot provided with the second collection terminal mentioned above.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, a second buffer portion in a bent shape is provided on the neighbor electrode connector, and the second buffer portion is stretchingly deformed or contractingly deformed along the arrangement direction of the batteries under the action of external force. The wire harness plate is also arranged between the battery and the neighbor electrode connector. The wire harness plate further includes at least one second buckle and at least one third buckle. The second buckle is located on one side of the neighbor electrode connector away from the batteries, and the second buckle is provided corresponding to the second buffer portion. The third buckle is located on one side of the neighbor electrode connector close to the batteries, and the third buckle is provided corresponding to the second buffer portion.

As shown in <FIG>, a second buffer portion <NUM> in a bent shape is provided on the neighbor electrode connector, and the second buffer portion <NUM> is stretchingly deformed or contractingly deformed along the arrangement direction of the batteries under the action of external force (the direction M2 as shown in the figure). Specifically, the specific realization form of the bending shape can include V-shape, Z-shape, wave shape, convex shape or groove shape, etc., as long as the deformation can take place under the action of external force; the disclosure provides no limitation to the specific realization of the bending shape.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the structure represented by the dashed circle <NUM> is the second buckle, the structure represented by the dashed circle <NUM> is the third buckle, and the second buckle and the third buckle are respectively located at different sides of the neighbor electrode connector. Specifically, there are two second buckles and one third buckle shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, but in actual situations, the number of second buckles and third buckles is not limited to those shown in the above figures, and can also be set according to actual needs and stability requirements; the disclosure provides no limitation thereto. In this way, through the arrangement of the second buffer portion, when the batteries arranged at intervals swell, the second buffer portion can achieve a certain buffering effect, avoiding the neighbor electrode connector from being pulled and cracked by external force when the battery swells, so as to improve the reliability of the neighbor electrode connector.

Moreover, through the arrangement of the second buckle and the third buckle, the neighbor electrode connector can be stably fixed on the wire harness plate, avoiding the deviation of the neighbor electrode connector during the use of the battery module, thereby improving the reliability of the battery module.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection further includes a through hole <NUM> and a counterbore <NUM>. The through hole <NUM> is configured to realize the electrical connection between the electrode connector <NUM> for adjacent connection and the battery, as well as the positioning of the battery module during assembly. The counterbore <NUM> is configured to adjust the power of the welding equipment. The thickness of the region where the counterbore <NUM> is located is less than the thickness of the region (as shown in V4) other than the region where the counterbore <NUM> is located. In this way, through the arrangement of the through holes, not only the electrical connection between the neighbor electrode connector and the battery can be realized, but also the positioning of the battery module during assembly can be realized to avoid the misalignment between the neighbor electrode connector and the battery, thereby avoiding the misconnection of the batteries. Meanwhile, through the arrangement of the counterbore, the thickness of the region where the counterbore is located can be reduced, so that when assembling by the laser welding equipment, the power requirement of the laser welding equipment is reduced, thereby helping to save energy.

To make one thing clear, optionally, if the thickness of the region (the region shown in V4) other than the region where the counterbore is located is small, the counterbore may not be provided so as to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the neighbor electrode connector, and improve the manufacturing efficiency.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, the maximum thickness of the jumper electrode connector and the neighbor electrode connector can be set to be the same, such as but not limited to <NUM>. Certainly, the maximum thickness of the two can also be set to be different, depending on the over-current requirements in the actual situation, so as to satisfy the needs of different application scenarios and improve design flexibility.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, the length of the first buffer portion along the arrangement direction of the batteries is the first length, and the length of the second buffer portion along the arrangement direction of the batteries is the second length, and the first length is greater than the second length. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the arrangement direction of the batteries is the direction M2, the first length of the first buffer portion is represented by h1, the second length of the second buffer portion is represented by h2, and h1 is greater than h2. In this way, because the jumper electrode connector partly surrounds the neighbor electrode connector, the number of batteries that the jumper electrode connector crosses in the direction M2 is relatively large. In order to make sure that the jumper electrode connector can still operate stably and effectively when the batteries being crossed swell, there needs to be a little more structure that can be used for stretching in the direction M2, that is, the first length of the first buffer portion should be larger, so as to ensure the effective operation of the jumper electrode connector and improve the reliability of the battery module.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in <FIG>, the battery module further includes a flexible circuit board <NUM> electrically connected to the signal acquisition structure <NUM>. The battery module includes two component regions (such as Q3 and Q4), and an intermediate region Q5 located between the two component regions (such as Q3 and Q4). The battery <NUM> includes a first electrode terminal P1 and a second electrode terminal P2 (as shown in <FIG>). The first electrode terminal P1 and the second electrode terminal P2 are respectively located in the two component regions (such as Q3 and Q4), the jumper electrode connector <NUM> is located in the component region (such as Q3 or Q4), and the flexible circuit board <NUM> is located in the intermediate region Q5, as shown in combination of <FIG>. In this way, by arranging the flexible circuit board in the intermediate region, even if some parts of the bus element in the component region are abnormal and cause damage to the signal acquisition structure, the damage to the flexible circuit board can be reduced as much as possible. Furthermore, it can be ensured that other signal acquisition structures can effectively transmit the collected signals to the flexible circuit board, thereby minimizing damage and improving the reliability of the battery module.

Optionally, taking a total of <NUM> batteries as an example, combined with the arrangement position of the bus element shown in <FIG>, the connection relationship between the <NUM> batteries can be as shown in <FIG>, wherein the direction M2 represents the arrangement direction of the batteries, the direction M1 represents the placement direction of the batteries, S1 and S2 represent the total output terminal (or called the input terminal) after the <NUM> batteries are connected, and the solid line <NUM> in <FIG> indicates the electrical connection relationship between different batteries. In this way, the two output terminals of the battery module can be both on the same side of the battery module, that is, both are in the direction shown by M2 in <FIG>, which can facilitate wiring, reduce wiring complexity, and decrease wiring length, thereby optimizing the structure of the battery module.

Claim 1:
A battery module, comprising:
a number of batteries (<NUM>) greater than or equal to four; the batteries being arranged in an arrangement direction (M2) and the batteries being provided with electrodes arranged in a plan (M1, M2) defined by said arrangement direction (M2) and a first direction (M1) perpendicular thereto;
a neighbor electrode connector (<NUM>) configured to electrically connect a plurality of the batteries (<NUM>) arranged adjacent to each other;
a jumper electrode connector (<NUM>) configured to electrically connect a plurality of the batteries (<NUM>) arranged at intervals;
the side of the jumper electrode connector (<NUM>) facing an outside of the battery module in the first direction (M1) is provided with a notch, and the neighbor electrode connector (<NUM>) is arranged in the notch (k0);
the battery module further comprises a wire harness plate (<NUM>) located between the batteries (<NUM>) and the jumper electrode connector (<NUM>), a surface, of the jumper electrode connector (<NUM>), close to the wire harness plate (<NUM>) being a first surface (B1);
the battery module further comprises a signal acquisition structure (<NUM>), wherein the signal acquisition structure (<NUM>) is electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector (<NUM>) and to the neighbor electrode connector (<NUM>), the signal acquisition structure (<NUM>) comprising a transmission portion (<NUM>); and
the signal acquisition structure (<NUM>) further comprises a collection portion (<NUM>) electrically connected to the transmission portion (<NUM>),
characterised in that:
a gap (d1) is formed between at least one partial region of the first surface (B1) of the jumper electrode connector (<NUM>) and the wire harness plate (<NUM>);
the transmission portion (<NUM>) of the signal acquisition structure (<NUM>) passes through said gap (d1); and
the collection portion (<NUM>) comprises a first collection terminal (52a) and a second collection terminal (52b), the first collection terminal (52a) being electrically connected to the jumper electrode connector (<NUM>), and the second collection terminal (52b) being electrically connected to the neighbor electrode connector (<NUM>).