Patent Description:
Battery cells are widely used in electronic devices, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, battery cars, electric vehicles, electric planes, electric ships, electric toy cars, electric toy ships, electric toy planes, and electric tools. The battery cells may include nickel-cadmium battery cells, nickel-hydrogen battery cells, lithium ion battery cells, secondary alkaline zinc-manganese battery cells, and the like.

In the development of battery technology, besides improvement of performance of battery cells, safety is also an issue that cannot be ignored. If the safety of the battery cells cannot be guaranteed, the battery cells cannot be used. Therefore, it is an urgent technical problem to be solved in battery technology to enhance the safety of the battery cells.

<CIT> relates to a secondary battery that includes: an electrode assembly having a plurality of positive electrodes and a plurality of negative electrodes; a bottomed cylindrical case body housing the electrode assembly therein; and an insulation sheet for insulating the electrode assembly and the case body. The insulation sheet includes: a bottom surface covering part interposed between an inner bottom surface of the case body and a bottom surface of the electrode assembly; and a side surface covering part covering the side surface of the electrode assembly.

<CIT> relates to a rechargeable battery that includes: an electrode assembly including a first electrode, a separator, and a second electrode; a case accommodating the electrode assembly and having an opening at a side thereof for receiving the electrode assembly; a cap assembly coupled to the case at the opening; a first insulation member surrounding the case, an extending portion of the first insulation member extending above the cap assembly; and a second insulation member on the cap assembly and contacting the portion of the first insulation member extending above the cap assembly, the second insulation member being a coated layer.

The present disclosure provides a battery cell, a battery and an electrical consuming device, which can reduce the risk of short circuit and improve the safety performance.

In the above-mentioned solution, by providing the first insulating member, the present application can isolate at least part of the main body portion from the shell, and even if particles remaining in the shell pierce the separator of the main body portion, the first insulating member can prevent the electrode plates in the main body portion from conducting with the shell, thereby reducing the risk of a short circuit. The first insulating plate may cover a portion of an end face of the main body portion facing the cap assembly, and may block particles, thereby reducing particles falling into the main body portion and reducing the risk of a short circuit. The first insulating member is connected to the main body portion through the first insulating plate attached to the main body portion, and thus, the electrode unit and the first insulating member can be pre-assembled together, and then the electrode unit is assembled with other components; as such, the first insulating member can protect the electrode unit during the assembly process, reduce the risk of external impurities adhering to the electrode unit, and improve the safety performance of the battery cell.

The first insulating plate is attached to a surface of the main body portion from which the tab portion is drawn out. There are gaps on the surface of the main body portion from which the tab portion is drawn out, and the first insulating plate of the embodiments of the present application can cover the gaps on the surface of the main body portion, thereby reducing the risk of particles entering the main body portion and improving the safety performance of the battery cells.

In some embodiments, the first insulating plate includes an insulating layer and a bonding layer, and the bonding layer is disposed on a surface of the insulating layer facing the main body portion and bonded to the main body portion. The bonding connection manner is easy to operate, which simplifies the assembly process of the first insulating member and the electrode unit.

A plurality of the first insulating plates are provided, and the plurality of the first insulating plates are arranged at intervals along a circumferential direction of the main body portion. The plurality of first insulating plates can increase the connection area between the first insulating member and the main body portion, and increase the connection strength between the first insulating member and the main body portion. Since the plurality of first insulating plates are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the main body portion, the acting force between the first insulating member and the main body portion is made more uniform and the stress concentration is reduced.

The first insulating member further includes: two second insulating plates, respectively disposed on two sides of the main body portion in a first direction; and two third insulating plates, respectively disposed on two sides of the main body portion in a second direction, wherein each third insulating plate connects the two second insulating plates. An end of the second insulating plate close to the cap assembly is connected with the first insulating plate, and/or an end of the third insulating plate close to the cap assembly is connected with the first insulating plate. The first direction and the second direction are arranged to intersect with each other, and the first direction and the second direction are respectively perpendicular to a thickness direction of the cap assembly. The two second insulating plates can isolate the main body portion from the shell in the first direction, and the two third second insulating plates can isolate the main body portion from the shell.

In some embodiments, the third insulating plate includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion is provided integrally with one of the second insulating plates, and the second portion is provided integrally with the other one of the second insulating plates. The first portion and the second portion at least partially overlap in the second direction, and are connected in an overlapping region; and/or the first portion and the second portion are both bonded to the main body portion.

In some embodiments, the first insulating member further includes a fourth insulating plate located on a side of the main body portion facing away from the first insulating plate and connecting the two second insulating plates, the first insulating plate and the fourth insulating plate are arranged along a third direction, and the first direction, the second direction and the third direction intersect with each other. The fourth insulating plate can isolate and insulate a bottom wall of the shell facing the cap from the main body portion and thus reduce the risk of short circuit.

In some embodiments, the fourth insulating plate includes a third portion and a fourth portion, the third portion is provided integrally with one of the second insulating plates, and the fourth portion is provided integrally with the other one of the second insulating plates. The third portion and the fourth portion at least partially overlap in the third direction, and are connected in an overlapping region; and/or, the third portion and the fourth portion are both bonded to the main body portion.

In some embodiments, the cap assembly includes a cap, an electrode terminal and a second insulating member, the cap is adapted to cover and close the opening, the electrode terminal is mounted on the cap, and the second insulating member is located on a side of the cap facing the electrode unit. The battery cell further includes a current collecting member, and the current collecting member is adapted to connect the electrode terminal with the tab portion. The second insulating member is formed with a first concave portion on a side facing the main body portion, the first concave portion is configured to accommodate at least part of the tab portion and/or at least part of the current collecting member. At least part of the first insulating plate is sandwiched between the second insulating member and the main body portion.

In the above-mentioned solution, the first concave portion can accommodate at least part of the tab portion and/or at least part of the current collecting member, which can free up more space for the electrode unit. The second insulating member presses the first insulating plate from one side, so that the first insulating plate is closely attached to the main body portion, and thus the connection strength between the first insulating plate and the main body portion is improved and the risk of the first insulating plate being separated from the main body portion is reduced.

In some embodiments, the second insulating member is formed with a first convex portion on a side facing away from the main body portion at a position corresponding to the first concave portion, the cap is formed with a second concave portion on a side facing the main body portion, and the second concave portion is adapted to accommodate the first convex portion. On the one hand, the first convex portion can strength the position of the second insulating member provided with the first concave portion, and on the other hand, the arrangement of the first convex portion can make the first concave portion recess as much as possible in a direction away from the main body portion, so as to increase the recessed depth of the first concave portion. Since the first convex portion is accommodated in the second concave portion, the inner space of the shell occupied by the second insulating member can be reduced, and more space is further freed up for the electrode unit, thereby effectively increasing the capacity of the battery cell.

In some embodiments, two surfaces of the first insulating plate are bonded to the second insulating member and the main body portion, respectively; as such, the risk of the first insulating plate being disengaged from the position between the second insulating member and the main body portion can be reduced.

On a second aspect, the present application provides a battery includes a case and the battery cell according to any of the embodiments on the first aspect, wherein the battery cell is accommodated in the case.

On a third aspect, the present application provides an electrical consuming device including the battery according to the second aspect, the battery is adapted to provide electrical energy.

The features, advantages and technical effects of the exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below in combination with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application; obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by the person skilled in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present application have the same meaning as commonly understood by the person skilled in the art of the present application; the terms of the present application used in the specification are merely used for describing specific embodiments while are not intended to limit the present application; the terms "comprising" and "including" in the specification, claims and the above description of the accompanying drawings of the present application and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification, claims or the above description of the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order or primary and secondary relationship.

Reference to an "embodiment" in the present application means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in combination with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearances of this word in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor a separate or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "coupled", "connected" and "attached" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, may be a fixed connection, and also may be a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal communication between two components. For the person skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific situations.

The terms "and/or" in the present application, is only used to describe association relationship between associated objects, and indicates three kinds of relationships; for example, A and/or B, can mean that only A exists, A and B exist simultaneously, or only B exists. In addition, the character "/" in the present application generally indicates that relationship between the associated objects before and after the character is an "or" relationship.

In the embodiments of the present application, the same reference numerals denote the same components, and for brevity, in different embodiments, detailed descriptions of the same components are omitted. It should be understood that the thickness, length, width and other dimensions of various components in the embodiments of the present application shown in the accompanying drawings, as well as the dimensions, such as the overall thickness, length and width, and the like of integrated device are only exemplary descriptions, and should not constitute any limitation to the present application.

"A plurality of" as used in the present application refers to two or more (including two).

In the present application, the battery cell may include a lithium ion secondary battery cell, a lithium ion primary battery cell, a lithium sulfur battery cell, a sodium lithium ion battery cell, a sodium ion battery cell, a magnesium ion battery cell, or the like, and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The battery cell may be in the form of a cylinder, a flat body, a cuboid, or other shapes, and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The battery cell can be generally divided into three types according to the packaging manner: a cylindrical battery cell, a square battery cell, and a soft-pack battery cell, and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

The battery mentioned in the embodiments of the present application refers to a single physical module including one or more battery cells to provide higher voltage and capacity. For example, the battery mentioned in the present application may include battery modules or battery packs, and the like. The battery typically includes a case for enclosing one or more battery cells. The case can prevent liquids or other external objects from affecting charging or discharging of the battery cells.

The battery cell includes an electrode unit and electrolyte, the electrode unit includes at least one electrode assembly, and the electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate and a separator. The working of the battery cell mainly relies on the movement of metal ions between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate. The positive electrode plate includes a positive current collector and a positive active material layer, and the positive active material layer is coated on a surface of the positive current collector; the positive current collector includes a positive current collecting portion and a positive convex portion protruding from the positive current collecting portion, the positive current collecting portion is coated with the positive active material layer, at least part of the positive convex portion is not coated with the positive active material layer, and the positive convex portion is used as a positive tab. Taking a lithium ion battery as an example, the material of the positive current collector can be aluminum, the positive active material layer includes a positive active material, and the positive active material can be lithium cobalt oxide, lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium, lithium manganate, or the like. The negative electrode plate includes a negative current collector and a negative active material layer, and the negative active material layer is coated on a surface of the negative current collector; the negative current collector includes a negative current collecting portion and a negative convex portion protruding from the negative current collecting portion, the negative current collecting portion is coated with the negative active material layer, at least part of the negative convex portion is not coated with the negative active material layer, and the negative convex portion is used as the negative tab. The material of the negative current collector can be copper, the negative active material layer includes a negative active material, and the negative active material can be carbon, silicon or the like. In order to ensure that the tabs can allow a large current to flow through without fusing, multiple positive tabs are provided and stacked together, and multiple negative tabs are provided and stacked together. The material of the separator may be PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene). In addition, the electrode assembly may be a wound structure or a laminated structure, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

Some particles may remain inside the battery cell, and the particles (especially metal particles) falling on the electrode assembly may pierce the separator, causing conduction between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, thereby causing the risk of short circuit.

In view of this, the embodiment of the present application provides a technical solution, in which the battery cell includes: a shell, provided with an opening; an electrode unit, accommodated in the shell, and including a main body portion and a tab portion protruding from the main body portion; a cap assembly for connecting with the shell and covering and closing the opening; and a first insulating member, accommodated in the shell and adapted for isolating at least part of the main body portion from the shell, the first insulating member includes a first insulating plate, the first insulating plate being disposed on a side of the main body portion facing the cap assembly and attached to the main body portion. The battery cell with such configuration can reduce the risk of short circuit and improve the safety performance.

The technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to a battery and an electrical consuming device using the battery.

The electrical consuming device can be a vehicle, a mobile phone, a portable device, a notebook computer, a ship, a spacecraft, an electric toy, an electric tool, and the like. The vehicle can be a fuel vehicle, a gas vehicle or a new energy vehicle, and the new energy vehicle can be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an extended-range vehicle, or the like; the spacecraft includes an airplane, a rocket, a space shuttle, a space ship, and the like; the electric toy includes an electric toy of stationary type or movable type, for example a game console, an electric car toy, an electric ship toy and an electric airplane toy, and the like; the electric tool includes a metal cutting electric tool, a grinding electric tool, an assembling electric tool and a railway electric tool, such as, an electric drill, an electric grinder, an electric wrench, an electric screwdriver, an electric hammer, an electric impact drill, a concrete vibrator and an electric planer, and the like. The embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the above-mentioned electrical consuming device.

For the convenience of description, the following embodiments are described by taking the vehicle as an example of the electrical consuming device.

<FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle provided by some embodiments of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> is provided with a battery <NUM> in its interior, and the battery <NUM> may be disposed at the bottom, head or tail of the vehicle <NUM>. The battery <NUM> can be used for power supply of the vehicle <NUM>, and for example, the battery <NUM> can be used as an operating power source of the vehicle <NUM>.

The vehicle <NUM> may further include a controller <NUM> and a motor <NUM>, and the controller <NUM> is used to control the battery <NUM> to supply power to the motor <NUM>, for example, for satisfying the work power requirements of the vehicle <NUM> when the vehicle <NUM> starts, navigates and travels.

In some embodiments of the present application, the battery <NUM> can not only be used as the operating power source of the vehicle <NUM>, but also can be used as a driving power source of the vehicle <NUM> to provide driving power for the vehicle <NUM> instead of or partially instead of fuel or natural gas.

<FIG> is an exploded schematic diagram of a battery provided by some embodiments of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the battery <NUM> includes a case <NUM> and battery cells (not shown in <FIG>), and the battery cells are accommodated in the case <NUM>.

The case <NUM> is used to accommodate the battery cells, and the case <NUM> may be formed in various structures. In some embodiments, the case <NUM> may include a first case portion <NUM> and a second case portion <NUM>, and the first case portion <NUM> and the second case portion <NUM> cover and close each other, and define an accommodating space <NUM> for accommodating the battery cells together. The second case portion <NUM> may be formed as a hollow structure with one end open, while the first case portion <NUM> may be formed as a plate-like structure, and the first case portion <NUM> covers and closes an opening side of the second case portion <NUM> to form the case <NUM> with the accommodating space <NUM>; each of the first case portion <NUM> and the second case portion <NUM> may be formed as a hollow structure with one side open, and an opening side of the first case portion <NUM> covers and closes an opening side of the second case portion <NUM>, so as to form the case <NUM> with the accommodating space <NUM>. Certainly, the first case portion <NUM> and the second case portion <NUM> may be formed in various shapes, such as cylinders, cuboids, and the like.

In order to improve the sealing after the first case portion <NUM> and the second case portion <NUM> are connected, a sealing member, such as sealant, a sealing ring, can further be provided between the first case portion <NUM> and the second case portion <NUM>.

Assuming that the first case portion <NUM> covers and closes a top portion of the second case portion <NUM>, the first case portion <NUM> may further be referred to as an upper case cover, while the second case portion <NUM> may further be referred to as a lower case body.

In the battery <NUM>, there may be one battery cell or a plurality of battery cells. If there are a plurality of battery cells, the plurality of battery cells can be connected in series or in parallel or in a mixed manner. The mixed manner means that there are both series and parallel connections among the plurality of battery cells. The battery cells can be directly connected in series or in parallel or in the mixed manner, and then an integrity constituted by the plurality of battery cells can be accommodated in the case <NUM>; certainly, it is also available that the plurality of battery cells are connected in series or in parallel or in the mixed manner to constitute battery modules <NUM> at first, and then a plurality of battery modules <NUM> are connected in series or in parallel or in the mixed manner to form an integrity, which is accommodated in the case <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of the battery module shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, in some embodiments, there are a plurality of battery cells <NUM>, and the plurality of battery cells <NUM> are connected in series or in parallel or in a mixed manner to constitute the battery module <NUM> at first. Then, a plurality of battery modules <NUM> are connected in series or in parallel or in a mixed manner to form an integrity, which is accommodated in the case.

The plurality of battery cells <NUM> in the battery module <NUM> can be electrically connected through a bus bar, so as to realize parallel connection, series connection or mixed connection of the plurality of battery cells <NUM> in the battery module <NUM>.

<FIG> is a structural schematic diagram of a battery cell provided by some embodiments of the present application; <FIG> is an exploded schematic diagram of the battery cell shown in <FIG>; and <FIG> is a structural schematic diagram of an electrode unit and a first insulating member of a battery cell provided by some embodiments of the present application.

As shown in <FIG>, the battery cell <NUM> of the embodiments of the present application includes an electrode unit <NUM>, a shell <NUM> and a cap assembly <NUM>. The shell <NUM> includes an opening <NUM>, the electrode unit <NUM> is accommodated in the shell <NUM>, and the cap assembly <NUM> is used to connect with the shell <NUM> and cover and close the opening <NUM>.

The electrode unit <NUM> includes at least one electrode assembly <NUM>. The electrode assembly <NUM> includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator. The electrode assembly <NUM> may be a wound electrode assembly, a laminated electrode assembly, or an electrode assembly in other forms.

In some embodiments, the electrode assembly <NUM> is a wound electrode assembly. The positive electrode plate, the negative electrode plate and the separator are all formed as strip-shaped structures. In the embodiments of the present application, the positive electrode plate, the separator and the negative electrode plate can be stacked in sequence and wound for more than two turns to form the electrode assembly <NUM>.

In some other embodiments, the electrode assembly <NUM> is a laminated electrode assembly. Specifically, the electrode assembly <NUM> includes a plurality of positive electrode plates and a plurality of negative electrode plates, the positive electrode plates and the negative electrode plates are alternately stacked, and the stacking direction is parallel to a thickness direction of the positive electrode plates and a thickness direction of the negative electrode plates.

Viewing from an external appearance of the electrode assembly <NUM>, the electrode assembly <NUM> includes a current generating portion <NUM> and a current lead-out portion <NUM> connected to the current generating portion <NUM>. Exemplarily, the current lead-out portion <NUM> extends out from one end of the current generating portion <NUM> close to the cap assembly <NUM>.

In some embodiments, there are two current lead-out portions <NUM>, and the two current lead-out portions <NUM> are respectively defined as a positive lead-out portion and a negative lead-out portion. The positive lead-out portion and the negative lead-out portion may extend out from the same end of the current generating portion <NUM>, or may extend out from two opposite ends of the current generating portion <NUM>, respectively.

The current generation portion <NUM> is the core part of the electrode assembly <NUM> to realize the charging and discharging function, and the current lead-out portion <NUM> is used to lead out the current generated by the current generation portion <NUM>. The current generating portion <NUM> includes a positive current collecting portion of a positive electrode current collector, a positive active material layer, a negative current collecting portion of a negative electrode current collector, a negative active material layer, and a separator. The positive lead-out portion includes a plurality of positive tabs, and the negative lead-out portion includes a plurality of negative tabs.

The electrode unit <NUM> includes at least one electrode assembly <NUM>. That is, in the battery cell <NUM>, one or more the electrode assembly <NUM> are accommodated in the shell <NUM>.

Viewing from an external appearance of the electrode unit, the electrode unit <NUM> includes a main body portion <NUM> and a tab portion <NUM> protruding from the main body portion <NUM>. The tab portion <NUM> includes a positive tab portion and a negative tab portion.

In some embodiments, the electrode unit <NUM> includes only one electrode assembly <NUM>. In this case, the main body portion <NUM> includes the current generating portion <NUM> of the electrode assembly <NUM>, the positive tab portion includes the positive lead-out portion, and the negative tab portion includes the negative lead-out portion.

In some other embodiments, the electrode unit <NUM> includes a plurality of electrode assemblies <NUM>. In this case, the main body portion <NUM> includes the current generating portions <NUM> of the plurality of electrode assemblies <NUM>, and the plurality of current generating portions <NUM> are stacked together. The number of the positive tab portion is one or more, and the positive tab portion includes the positive lead-out portion of at least one electrode assembly <NUM>; the number of the negative tab portion is one or more, and the negative tab portion includes the negative electrode lead-out portion of at least one electrode assembly <NUM>. For example, the electrode unit <NUM> includes four electrode assemblies <NUM>, the main body portion <NUM> includes the current generating portions <NUM> of the four electrode assemblies <NUM>; there are two positive tab portions, and each positive tab portion includes two positive lead-out portions stacked together; there are two negative tab portions, and each negative tab portion includes two negative lead-out portions stacked together.

The shell <NUM> is formed as a hollow structure with one side open. The cap assembly <NUM> includes a cap <NUM>, and the cap <NUM> covers and closes an opening of the shell <NUM> and forms a sealing connection with the shell <NUM> to form an accommodating cavity for accommodating the electrode unit <NUM> and the electrolyte.

The shell <NUM> may be formed in various shapes, such as a cylinder, a cuboid and the like. The shape of the shell <NUM> may be determined according to the specific shape of the main body portion <NUM> of the electrode unit <NUM>. For example, if the main body portion <NUM> is formed in a cylindrical shape, a cylindrical shell can be selected; if the main body portion <NUM> is formed in a shape of a cuboid, a cuboid shell can be selected. Certainly, the cap <NUM> also may be formed in various structures, for example, the cap <NUM> is formed as a plate-like structure or a hollow structure with one end open. Exemplarily, in <FIG>, the shell <NUM> is formed as a cuboid structure, the cap <NUM> is formed as a plate-like structure, and the cap <NUM> covers and closes the opening at the top of the shell <NUM>.

The cap assembly <NUM> further includes an electrode terminal <NUM> mounted on the cap <NUM>. In some embodiments, two electrode terminals <NUM> are provided, and the two electrode terminals <NUM> are respectively defined as a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal. The positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are used to electrically connect with the positive tab portion and the negative tab portion, respectively, to output the current generated by the current generating portion <NUM>.

The cap assembly <NUM> further includes a pressure relief mechanism <NUM> mounted on the cap <NUM>, and the pressure relief mechanism <NUM> is used to release an internal pressure or lower a temperature of the battery cell <NUM> when the internal pressure or temperature of the battery cell <NUM> reaches a predetermined value. Exemplarily, the pressure relief mechanism <NUM> is located between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal, and may be a component such as an explosion-proof valve, a rupture disk, a gas valve, a pressure relief valve or a safety valve.

In some embodiments, the shell <NUM> further may be a hollow structure with two opposite sides open. The cap assembly <NUM> includes two caps <NUM>, and the two caps <NUM> respectively cover and close two openings of the shell <NUM> and form sealing connections with the shell <NUM>, so as to form an accommodating cavity for accommodating the electrode unit <NUM> and the electrolyte. In some examples, the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal may be mounted on the same cap <NUM>, and the positive tab portion and the negative tab portion extend from an end of the main body portion <NUM> toward this cap <NUM>. In some other examples, the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are respectively mounted on the two caps <NUM>, and the positive tab portion and the negative tab portion respectively extend from two ends of the main body portion <NUM> respectively facing the two caps <NUM>.

The tab portion <NUM> may be directly connected to the electrode terminal <NUM>, or may be indirectly connected to the electrode terminal <NUM> through other members. In some embodiments, the battery cell <NUM> further includes a current collecting member <NUM> for connecting the electrode terminal <NUM> with the tab portion <NUM>. Exemplarily, two current collecting members <NUM> are provided, one current collecting member <NUM> is used to electrically connect the positive electrode terminal with the positive tab portion, and the other current collecting member <NUM> is used to electrically connect the negative electrode terminal with the negative tab portion.

The current collecting member <NUM> is accommodated in the shell <NUM> and located between the main body portion <NUM> and the cap <NUM>. The current collecting member <NUM> may be connected to the electrode terminal <NUM> and the tab portion <NUM> by welding, riveting, bonding or other manners. Optionally, the current collecting member <NUM> is welded to the electrode terminal <NUM> and the tab portion <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the battery cell <NUM> further includes a first insulating member <NUM>, which is accommodated in the shell <NUM> and adapted for separating at least part of the main body portion <NUM> from the shell <NUM>, the first insulating member <NUM> includes a first insulating plate <NUM>, and the first insulating plate <NUM> is disposed on a side of the main body portion <NUM> facing the cap assembly <NUM> and is attached to the main body portion <NUM>.

The first insulating member <NUM> wraps at least part of the main body portion <NUM> from an outer side to isolate the at least part of the main body portion <NUM> from the shell <NUM>.

The first insulating plate <NUM> is fitted and connected to the main body portion <NUM>. "Attached to" refers to connection by means of adhesion or the like.

The number of the first insulating plate <NUM> may be one or more.

The first insulating member <NUM> may be an integral member, or may include a plurality of separable members, and the plurality of separable members may be connected together or may be independent of each other.

Particles (for example, metal particles generated during welding) may be generated during assembly process of the battery cell <NUM>, and the particles may remain in the shell <NUM>. The particles may adhere to a surface of the main body portion <NUM>, and may pierce the separator of the main body portion <NUM> and cause the risk of conduction between the shell <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM>; the particles may further fall into an interior of the main body portion <NUM> and conduct the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, resulting in a short circuit and a safety risk.

In the present application, by providing the first insulating member <NUM>, at least part of the main body portion <NUM> can be insulated and isolated from the shell <NUM>, even if the particles remaining in the shell <NUM> pierce the separator of the main body portion <NUM>, the first insulating member <NUM> can prevent the electrode plates in the main body portion <NUM> from being conducted with the shell <NUM>, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit. The first insulating plate <NUM> can cover a part of the end face of the main body portion <NUM> facing the cap assembly <NUM>, and thus the first insulating member <NUM> can block particles, and reduce the particles falling into the main body portion <NUM> and thus reduce the risk of short circuit. The first insulating member <NUM> is connected to the main body portion <NUM> through the first insulating plate <NUM> which is attached to the main body portion <NUM>, and thus the electrode unit <NUM> can be pre-assembled with the first insulating member <NUM> in advance, and then is assembled with other members; as such, the first insulating member <NUM> can protect the electrode unit <NUM> during the assembly process, reduce the risk of external impurities (for example, the particles) adhering to the electrode unit <NUM>, and improve the safety performance of the battery cell <NUM>.

For example, when welding the tab portion <NUM> with the current collecting member <NUM>, the generated metal particles will splatter around; the embodiments of the present application can pre-assemble the first insulating member <NUM> on the electrode unit <NUM>, and the first insulating member <NUM> can protect the electrode unit <NUM> from the outer side, reduce the metal particles adhering to the electrode unit <NUM>, and thus reduce safety hazards.

The first insulating plate <NUM> is attached to a surface of the main body portion <NUM> from which the tab portion <NUM> is drawn out. In other words, the tab portion <NUM> is drawn out from a surface of the main body portion <NUM> facing the cap assembly <NUM>. There are gaps on the surface of the main body portion <NUM> from which the tab portion <NUM> is drawn out, and particles may enter the interior of the main body portion <NUM> through the gaps, thereby causing a risk of short circuit. The first insulating plate <NUM> in the embodiments of the present application can cover the gaps on the surface of the main body portion <NUM>, reduce the risk of particles entering the main body portion <NUM> and improve the safety performance of the battery cell <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first insulating plate <NUM> includes an insulating layer and a bonding layer, and the bonding layer is disposed on a surface of the insulating layer facing the main body portion <NUM> and is bonded to the main body portion <NUM>.

The insulating layer is made of PP (polypropylene) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The bonding layer may be a back glue. The insulating layer may have a thickness in a range of <NUM> to <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the bonding layer is bonded to the main body portion <NUM> so as to connect the first insulating member <NUM> to the main body portion <NUM>. The bonding connection manner is easy to operate, which facilitates to simplify the assembly of the first insulating member <NUM> and the electrode unit <NUM>.

In some embodiments, a plurality of first insulating plates <NUM> are provided, and the plurality of first insulating plates <NUM> are arranged at intervals along a circumferential direction of the main body portion <NUM>. The plurality of first insulating plates <NUM> can increase connection area between the first insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM> and can increase connection strength between the first insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM>. Since the plurality of first insulating plates <NUM> are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the main body portion <NUM>, an acting force between the first insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM> can be made more uniform and stress concentration can be reduced. The first insulating plate <NUM> is disposed to avoid the tab portion <NUM>, and thus can be prevented from interfering with the drawing-out of the tab portion <NUM>.

<FIG> is an exploded schematic diagram of the first insulating member shown in <FIG>; <FIG> is a structural schematic diagram of a kind of an insulating sheet for preparing a first insulating member of a battery cell according to some embodiments of the present application; and <FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of another kind of insulating sheet for preparing a first insulating member of a battery cell according to some embodiments of the present application.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG> in combination, in some embodiments, the first insulating member <NUM> further includes two second insulating plates <NUM> and two third insulating plates <NUM>. The two second insulating plates <NUM> are respectively disposed on two sides of the main body portion <NUM> in a first direction X; the two third insulating plates <NUM> are respectively disposed on two sides of the main body portion <NUM> in a second direction Y, and each third insulating plate <NUM> connects the two second insulating plates <NUM>.

The first direction X and the second direction Y are arranged to intersect with each other, and the first direction X and the second direction Y are respectively perpendicular to a thickness direction of the cap assembly <NUM>. The thickness direction of the cap assembly <NUM> is a thickness direction of the cap <NUM>. Optionally, the first direction X is perpendicular to the second direction Y.

The two second insulating plates <NUM> may isolate the main body portion <NUM> from the shell <NUM> in the first direction X, and the two third insulating plates <NUM> may isolate the main body portion <NUM> from the shell <NUM> in the second direction Y.

Optionally, the second insulating plate <NUM> is formed as generally a flat plate perpendicular to the first direction X, and the third insulating plate <NUM> is formed as generally a flat plate perpendicular to the second direction Y. The two second insulating plates <NUM> and the two third insulating plates <NUM> are connected together to form an approximately rectangular frame.

Optionally, the second insulating plate <NUM> has an area larger than that of the third insulating plate <NUM>.

An end of the second insulating plate <NUM> close to the cap assembly <NUM> is connected with the first insulating plate <NUM>, and/or an end of the third insulating plate <NUM> close to the cap assembly <NUM> is connected with the first insulating plate <NUM>.

When the second insulating plate <NUM> is connected with the first insulating plate <NUM>, the first insulating plate <NUM> may be provided integrally with the second insulating plate <NUM>, or may be connected with the second insulating plate <NUM> by butt fusion, bonding or the like. When the third insulating plate <NUM> is connected with the first insulating plate <NUM>, the first insulating plate <NUM> may be provided integrally with the third insulating plate <NUM>, or may be connected to the third insulating plate <NUM> by butt fusion, bonding or the like.

The second insulating plate <NUM> and the third insulating plate <NUM> may be fixed to the main body portion <NUM> through the first insulating plate <NUM>, or may be directly attached to the main body portion <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the third insulating plate <NUM> includes a first portion <NUM> and a second portion <NUM>, the first portion <NUM> is provided integrally with one second insulating plate <NUM>, and the second portion <NUM> is provided integrally with the other second insulating plate <NUM>. The first portion <NUM> is bent relative to the corresponding second insulating plate <NUM>, and the second portion <NUM> is bent relative to the corresponding second insulating plate <NUM>.

The first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> at least partially overlap in the second direction Y, and the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> are connected in an overlapping region; and/or, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> are both bonded to the main body portion <NUM>.

The first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> may be formed by bending. After bending, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> may flare outward under the action of their own elasticity.

In some examples, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> at least partially overlap in the second direction Y, and the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> are connected by butt fusion or the like in the overlapping region. The first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> are restricted by each other, and thus are prevented from flaring outward. In this case, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> may be bonded to the main body portion <NUM> or may be independent of the main body portion <NUM>.

In some other examples, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> are both bonded to the main body portion <NUM>, so that the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> are both fixed to the main body portion <NUM>, and will not flare outward. In this case, the first portion <NUM> and the second portion <NUM> may be connected to each other, or may be independent of each other.

In some embodiments, the first insulating member <NUM> further includes a fourth insulating plate <NUM>, the fourth insulating plate <NUM> is located on a side of the main body portion <NUM> away from the first insulating plate <NUM> and connects the two second insulating plates <NUM>, the first insulating plate <NUM> and the fourth insulating plate <NUM> are arranged along a third direction Z, and the first direction X, the second direction Y and the third direction Z intersect with each other.

The fourth insulating plate <NUM> can insulate and isolate a bottom wall of the shell <NUM> facing the cap <NUM> from the main body portion <NUM>, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit.

Optionally, the third direction Z is parallel to the thickness direction of the cap assembly <NUM>, that is, the third direction Z is perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y.

The fourth insulating plate <NUM> is formed as generally a flat plate perpendicular to the third direction Z. The fourth insulating plate <NUM> is bent relative to the second insulating plate <NUM>. The fourth insulating plate <NUM> may be provided integrally with the second insulating plate <NUM>, or may be connected with the second insulating plate <NUM> by butt fusion or the like.

In some embodiments, the fourth insulating plate <NUM> includes a third portion <NUM> and a fourth portion <NUM>, the third portion <NUM> is provided integrally with one second insulating plate <NUM>, and the fourth portion <NUM> is provided integrally with the other second insulating plate <NUM>. The third portion <NUM> is bent relative to the corresponding second insulating plate <NUM>, and the fourth portion <NUM> is bent relative to the corresponding second insulating plate <NUM>.

The third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> at least partially overlap in the third direction Z, and the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> are connected in an overlapping region; and/or, the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> are both bonded to the main body portion <NUM>.

The third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> may be formed by bending. After bending, the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> may flare outward under the action of their own elasticity.

In some examples, the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> at least partially overlap in the third direction Z, and the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> are connected by butt fusion or the like in the overlapping region. The third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> are restricted by each other, and are prevented from flaring outward. In this case, the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> may be both bonded to the main body portion <NUM>, or may be independent of the main body portion <NUM>.

In some other examples, the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> are both bonded to the main body portion <NUM>, so that the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> are both fixed to the main body portion <NUM> and will not flare outward. In this case, the third portion <NUM> and the fourth portion <NUM> may be connected to each other, or may be independent of each other.

The first insulating member <NUM> of the present application may be formed from an insulating sheet <NUM> by bending, butt fusion and other processes.

In some embodiments, the first insulating member <NUM> of the present application can be prepared from the insulating sheet <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Specifically, two insulating sheets <NUM> are respectively attached to two sides of the electrode unit <NUM> at first, and then are bent along the dotted lines in <FIG> to form two insulating frames (generally as shown in <FIG>), so that the two insulating frames wrap the electrode unit <NUM>, and finally the overlapping portions of the two insulating frames are connected together by butt fusion to form the first insulating member <NUM> assembled on the electrode unit <NUM>.

In some other embodiments, the first insulating member <NUM> of the present application can be prepared from the insulating sheet <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Specifically, the electrode unit <NUM> is placed on the insulating sheet <NUM> (for example, on the fourth insulating plate <NUM>) at first, then the insulating sheet <NUM> is bent along the dotted lines in <FIG> to form an insulating frame, and finally the overlapping portions of the insulating frame (for example, the first and second portions <NUM> and <NUM>, the third and fourth portions <NUM> and <NUM>) are connected together by butt fusion.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of a battery cell according to a specific embodiment of the present application; and <FIG> is an enlarged schematic diagram of the battery cell shown in <FIG> at block A.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the cap assembly <NUM> further includes a second insulating member <NUM>, and the second insulating member <NUM> is located on a side of the cap <NUM> facing the electrode unit <NUM>. The second insulating member <NUM> is used to insulate and isolate the cap <NUM> from the electrode unit <NUM> so as to reduce the risk of short circuit.

The second insulating member <NUM> is formed with a first concave portion <NUM> on a side facing the main body portion <NUM>, and the first concave portion <NUM> is configured to accommodate at least part of the tab portion <NUM> and/or at least part of the current collecting member <NUM>. Since the first concave portion <NUM> can accommodate at least part of the tab portion <NUM> and/or at least part of the current collecting member <NUM>, more space can be freed up for the electrode unit <NUM>.

It should be noted that, the first concave portion <NUM> being configured to accommodate at least part of the tab portion <NUM> and/or at least part of the current collecting member <NUM>, means that at least part of the tab portion <NUM> is accommodated in the first concave portion <NUM>, at least part of the current collecting member <NUM> is accommodated in the first concave portion <NUM>, or at least part of the tab portion <NUM> and at least part of the current collecting member <NUM> are both accommodated in the first concave portion <NUM>.

At least part of the first insulating plate <NUM> is sandwiched between the second insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM>. The second insulating member <NUM> presses the first insulating plate <NUM> from one side, so that the first insulating plate <NUM> is closely attached to the main body portion <NUM>, thereby improving the connection strength between the first insulating plate <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM>, and reducing the risk of the first insulating plate <NUM> separating from the main body portion <NUM>.

When a plurality of first insulating plates <NUM> are provided, all the first insulating plates <NUM> may be pressed by the second insulating member <NUM>, or some of the first insulating plates <NUM> may be pressed by the second insulating member <NUM> while there are gaps between other first insulating plates <NUM> and the second insulating member <NUM>.

The second insulating member <NUM> is formed with a first convex portion <NUM> on a side facing away from the main body portion <NUM> at a position corresponding to the first concave portion <NUM>, the cap <NUM> is formed with a second concave portion <NUM> on a side facing the main body portion <NUM>, and the second concave portion <NUM> is adapted to accommodate the first convex portion <NUM>. On the one hand, the first convex portion <NUM> can strengthen the position of the second insulating member <NUM> where the first concave portion <NUM> is provided, and on the other hand, the arrangement of the first convex portion <NUM> can make the first concave portion <NUM> recesses in a direction away from the main body portion <NUM> as much as possible, so as to increase the recessing depth of the first concave portion <NUM>. The first convex portion <NUM> is accommodated in the second concave portion <NUM>, which can reduce the internal space of the shell <NUM> occupied by the second insulating member <NUM>, and further free up more space for the electrode unit <NUM>, thereby effectively improving the capacity of the battery cell <NUM>.

Exemplarily, the cap <NUM> is formed with a second convex portion <NUM> on a side away from the main body portion <NUM> at a position corresponding to the second concave portion <NUM>. The second convex portion <NUM> strengthens the position of the cap <NUM> where the second concave portion <NUM> is provided.

The second insulating member <NUM> includes an insulating body portion <NUM>, the insulating body portion <NUM> includes an inner surface 343a facing the main body portion <NUM> and an outer surface 343b facing away from the main body portion <NUM>, the first concave portion <NUM> is recessed from the inner surface 343a in a direction away from the main body portion <NUM>, and the first convex portion <NUM> protrudes from the outer surface 343b.

In the present application, by arranging the first concave portion <NUM>, an accommodating space can be provided for the tab portion <NUM> and/or the current collecting member <NUM>, so that the distance between the main body portion <NUM> and the cap <NUM> can be reduced accordingly, and correspondingly, the thickness of the insulating body portion <NUM> can also be reduced accordingly to increase the capacity of the battery cell <NUM>.

The inventors further tried to connect the first insulating member to a peripheral surface of the insulating body portion by the manner of butt fusion, to realize the fixing of the first insulating member; however, the thickness of the insulating body portion is reduced to increase the capacity in the embodiments of the present application, which may result in a relatively small connection area between the insulating body portion and the first insulating member, thereby causing a high risk of falling off of the first insulating member. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, the first insulating member <NUM> is attached to the main body portion <NUM>, which can ensure the connection area between the first insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM> and reduce the risk of falling off of the first insulating member <NUM>.

The second insulating member <NUM> further includes a third convex portion <NUM>. The third convex portion <NUM> protrudes out from the inner surface 343a and is pressed against the first insulating plate <NUM> and/or the main body portion <NUM>. The third convex portion <NUM> can limit the shaking of the main body portion <NUM>.

The insulating layer <NUM> of the first insulating plate <NUM> is bonded to the second insulating member <NUM> and/or the main body portion <NUM> through the bonding layer <NUM>.

In some embodiments, two surfaces of the first insulating plate <NUM> are respectively bonded to the second insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM>, so as to reduce the risk of falling off of the first insulating plate <NUM> from the position between the second insulating member <NUM> and the main body portion <NUM>. Optionally, the first insulating plate <NUM> is bonded to the third convex portion <NUM> through the bonding layer <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A battery cell (<NUM>), comprising:
a shell (<NUM>), comprising an opening (<NUM>);
an electrode unit (<NUM>), accommodated in the shell (<NUM>), the electrode unit comprising a main body portion (<NUM>) and a tab portion (<NUM>) protruding from the main body portion (<NUM>);
a cap assembly (<NUM>), for connecting with the shell (<NUM>), and covering and closing the opening (<NUM>); and
a first insulating member (<NUM>), accommodated in the shell (<NUM>) and adapted to isolate at least part of the main body portion (<NUM>) from the shell (<NUM>), the first insulating member (<NUM>) comprising a first insulating plate (<NUM>), and the first insulating plate (<NUM>) being disposed on a side of the main body portion (<NUM>) facing the cap assembly (<NUM>) and being attached to a surface of the main body portion (<NUM>) from which the tab portion (<NUM>) is drawn out, wherein the first insulating member (<NUM>) further comprises:
two second insulating plates (<NUM>), respectively disposed on two sides of the main body portion in a first direction; and
two third insulating plates (<NUM>), respectively disposed on two sides of the main body portion (<NUM>) in a second direction, wherein each third insulating plate (<NUM>) connects the two second insulating plates (<NUM>);
an end of the second insulating plate (<NUM>) close to the cap assembly (<NUM>) is connected with the first insulating plate (<NUM>), and/or an end of the third insulating plate (<NUM>) close to the cap assembly (<NUM>) is connected with the first insulating plate (<NUM>);
the first direction and the second direction are arranged to intersect with each other, and the first direction and the second direction are respectively perpendicular to a thickness direction of the cap assembly (<NUM>).