This application is based upon and claims the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211510768.4 and No. 202223185459.2, both of which are filed on Nov. 29, 2022 and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The present application relates to the field of battery technology, in particular to a battery module.
With the development of electronic technology, lithium-ion batteries have been widely used due to their advantages of high specific power, long cycle life, good safety performance, and free of pollution, etc. Thermal runaway is an important concern in the design of lithium-ion batteries. When the battery experiences thermal runaway, it can cause high temperature, smoke, fire, and even explosion in a short period of time, which is extremely dangerous.
Chinese patent publication No. CN112201884A discloses an automatic fire extinguishing battery module and battery pack, which includes multiple battery units, a heat dissipation device connected to the battery unit, and a pipe connected to the heat dissipation device, wherein the pipe is prone to combustion and damage, and a cooling liquid for fire extinguishing is circulated in the pipe. The drawback of this method is that the pipe used for fire extinguishing is suspended outside the battery housing used to accommodate the multiple battery units. The pipe lacks protection and is prone to compression and damage. Additionally, the pipe requires additional space, increasing the external size of the battery module and making the structure of the battery module not compact enough.
Chinese patent publication No. CN110797476A discloses an automatic fire extinguishing battery module, which includes frames and battery cells installed within the frames. Each frame is provided with a storage space for storing fire extinguishing agent. The advantage of this method is that a random number of frames can flexibly form a battery module, and the fire extinguishing agent is set inside the frame, which has a compact structure and can protect the fire extinguishing agent. However, the disadvantage of this method is that each storage space is independent of each other, requiring fire extinguishing agents to be stored separately in each storage space, which is cumbersome to operate.
In view of above, it is necessary to design a battery module that is compact in structure, easy to assemble, and can extinguish fire automatically.
In view of above, the object of the present application is to provide a battery module, which is not only compact in structure and easy to assemble, but also can extinguish fire automatically and has high fire extinguishing efficiency.
The present application provides a battery module, including a battery cell assembly and a fire extinguishing member, wherein the battery cell assembly includes a plurality of battery cell frames and a plurality of battery cells, the plurality of the battery cell frames are arranged sequentially along a length direction of the battery module, at least one battery cell is provided in at least some of the battery cell frames; each battery cell frame is provided with a fire extinguishing slot, and the fire extinguishing slots on the plurality of the battery cell frames are communicated to each other to form a fire extinguishing channel, the fire extinguishing member is arranged in the fire extinguishing channel; the fire extinguishing slot extends along the length direction of the battery module, and the fire extinguishing slot extends through the battery cell frame, the fire extinguishing channel extends along the length direction of the battery module, and the fire extinguishing member extends along the length direction of the battery module in the fire extinguishing channel.
In an achievable embodiment, the fire extinguishing slot is arranged on an outer wall of the battery cell frame.
In an achievable embodiment, a first fire extinguishing material is provided inside the fire extinguishing member, when a temperature of the fire extinguishing member reaches its melting point, the fire extinguishing member bursts so as to release the first fire extinguishing material inside the fire extinguishing member.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell is provided with a tab, and the fire extinguishing slot is arranged on one side of the battery cell frame where the tab of the battery cell is located.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell frame includes a cover plate, the cover plate is arranged on the side of the battery cell frame where the tab of the battery cell is located, and the fire extinguishing slot is provided on the cover plate.
In an achievable embodiment, the cover plate is provided with a through hole for the tab of the battery cell to pass out.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell is provided with two tabs located on the same side, and the two tabs are spaced apart from each other; the cover plate is arranged on the side of the battery cell frame where the tabs of the battery cell are located, and there are two through holes on the cover plate, the two through holes correspond to the two tabs, respectively, and the fire extinguishing slot is arranged between the two through holes, and/or the fire extinguishing slot is arranged on an outer side of the two through holes (that is, the fire extinguishing slot is not arranged between the two through holes, in other words, in the length direction of the cover plate, the fire extinguishing slot is arranged on one or both sides of the two through holes).
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell frame further includes a thermal conductive frame connected to the cover plate, the thermal conductive frame is located at one side of the cover plate and is provided with an installation groove, and the battery cell is installed in the installation groove.
In an achievable embodiment, the thermal conductive frame is provided with a first strap installation slot for installing a strap.
In an achievable embodiment, the thermal conductive frame is provided with a first step portion, the first step portion is formed by recessing the outer wall of the thermal conductive frame. The first strap installation slot is provided on the outer wall of the thermal conductive frame, and the position of the first strap installation slot corresponds to the position of the first step portion.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell is provided with two tabs located on opposite sides, the battery cell frame includes two cover plates, the two cover plates are respectively arranged on the opposite sides of the battery cell, and the two cover plates correspond to the two tabs of the battery cell, respectively, wherein each cover plate is provided with one through hole, and the fire extinguishing slot is arranged on one side or opposite two sides of the through hole.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery module further includes a busbar, the busbar is arranged on one side of the cover plate away from the battery cell, and the busbar is provided with a slit for the tab of the battery cell to pass out, the tab of the battery cell passes through the through hole and the slit in sequence and is electrically connected to the busbar.
In an achievable embodiment, a second strap installation slot for installing the strap is provided on a bottom wall of the fire extinguishing slot.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell frame is provided with a guiding hole at a position corresponding to the fire extinguishing slot, and heat generated by the battery cell after thermal runaway enters into the fire extinguishing slot via the guiding hole.
In an achievable embodiment, the second strap installation slot is formed by recessing the bottom wall of the fire extinguishing slot, the non-recessed part of the bottom wall of the fire extinguishing slot forms a second step portion, and the guiding hole is provided on the second step portion.
In an achievable embodiment, the fire extinguishing member is arranged along the second strap installation slot, and the fire extinguishing member does not fully cover the guiding hole.
In an achievable embodiment, multiple battery cells are installed in at least some of the battery cell frames, and the multiple battery cells are arranged sequentially within the battery cell frame. A heat insulation pad and a tab edge sealing isolation strip are provided between adjacent two battery cells in the battery cell frame, and the tab edge sealing isolation strip is arranged corresponding to the position of the tab of the battery cell.
In an achievable embodiment, a second fire extinguishing material is provided inside the tab edge sealing isolation strip. When the temperature of the tab edge sealing isolation strip reaches its melting point, the tab edge sealing isolation strip bursts so as to release the second fire extinguishing material inside the tab edge sealing isolation strip.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery cell frame is provided with positioning pins and positioning holes on opposite sides along the length direction of the battery module. As for adjacent two battery cell frames, the positioning pins on one battery cell frame can be inserted into the positioning holes on the other battery cell frame to achieve connection between the adjacent two battery cell frames.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery module further includes a protective plate, the protective plate is arranged on one side of the battery cell assembly where the fire extinguishing member is located; the protective plate is provided with an opening at a position corresponding to the fire extinguishing member.
In an achievable embodiment, the fire extinguishing member is an elongated strip structure, and the fire extinguishing member extends from one end of the fire extinguishing channel to the opposite end of the fire extinguishing channel.
In an achievable embodiment, the battery module further includes end plates and a strap. The end plates are arranged at opposite ends of the battery cell assembly along the length direction L of the battery module. The strap is arranged around the battery cell assembly and the end plates, and the strap binds the battery cell assembly and the end plates together.
The battery module in the embodiments of the present application is provided with a fire extinguishing slot on the battery cell frame, and the fire extinguishing slots on multiple battery cell frames are communicated to each other to form a fire extinguishing channel. A fire extinguishing member is arranged in the fire extinguishing channel, thereby reducing the impact of the installation of the fire extinguishing member on the external size of the battery module and improving the structural compactness of the battery module. Also, the installation of the fire extinguishing member in the fire extinguishing channel can protect the fire extinguishing member from being compressed and damaged. Further, since the fire extinguishing channel is composed of a plurality of fire extinguishing slots communicated to each other on the battery cell frames, when a battery cell in one position of the battery cell assembly catches fire, the fire extinguishing member can respond in a timely manner to extinguish the fire That is, the fire extinguishing range of the fire extinguishing member can cover the entire battery cell assembly, so the utilization rate of the fire extinguishing member is high and the fire extinguishing efficiency is high. Moreover, during assembly, only the fire extinguishing member needs to be arranged in the fire extinguishing channel at one time, without the need to provide the fire extinguishing member for each battery cell frame separately and individually, and further, since the fire extinguishing member extends along the length direction of the battery module in the fire extinguishing channel, the number of the fire extinguishing member is reduced, thereby greatly improving the assembly efficiency of the battery module. Thus, the battery module is not only compact in structure and easy to assemble, but also can extinguish fire automatically and has high fire extinguishing efficiency.
The following will provide a further detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present application, but are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.
The terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “fourth”, etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, without necessarily describing a specific sequence or order.
The terms “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom” (if any) mentioned in the specification and claims of the present application are defined based on the position of the structure in the figures and the position between the structures in the figures, only for the clarity and convenience of expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of the directional words should not limit the protection scope of the present application.
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Specifically, the battery module in this embodiment is provided with a fire extinguishing slot 111 on the battery cell frame 1, and the fire extinguishing slots 111 located at the same position on the battery cell frames 1 are communicated to each other to form a fire extinguishing channel 110. The fire extinguishing member 3 is arranged in the fire extinguishing channel 110, thereby reducing the impact of the installation of the fire extinguishing member 3 on the external size of the battery module and improving the structural compactness of the battery module. Also, the installation of the fire extinguishing member 3 in the fire extinguishing channel 110 can protect the fire extinguishing member 3 from being compressed and damaged. Further, since the fire extinguishing channel 110 is composed of a plurality of fire extinguishing slots 111 communicated to each other on the battery cell frames 1, when a battery cell 2 in one position of the battery cell assembly 100 catches fire, the fire extinguishing member 3 in the fire extinguishing channel 110 can respond in a timely manner to extinguish the fire. That is, the fire extinguishing range of the fire extinguishing member 3 in the fire extinguishing channel 110 can cover the entire battery cell assembly 100, so the utilization rate of the fire extinguishing member 3 is high and the fire extinguishing efficiency is high. Moreover, during assembly, the fire extinguishing member 3 only needs to be arranged in the fire extinguishing channel 110 at one time, without the need to provide the fire extinguishing member 3 for each battery cell frame 1 separately and individually, which is conducive to improving the assembly efficiency of the battery module. Thus, the battery module is not only compact in structure and easy to assemble, but also has high fire extinguishing efficiency.
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In one embodiment, a first fire extinguishing material is provided inside the fire extinguishing member 3. When the temperature of the fire extinguishing member 3 reaches its melting point, the fire extinguishing member 3 can burst so as to release the first fire extinguishing material inside the fire extinguishing member 3. Specifically, the fire extinguishing member 3 includes a low melting point tube and a first fire extinguishing material provided inside the tube. The material of the tube is selected to have a corresponding melting point based on the thermal runaway temperature of the battery cell 2. The first fire extinguishing material can be a phase change material with fire extinguishing function, such as halogenated alkanes, specifically, for example, perfluorohexanone, etc. When the thermal runaway reaches the triggering temperature of the fire extinguishing member 3, the fire extinguishing member 3 bursts so as to release the first fire extinguishing material inside the fire extinguishing member 3, thereby timely cooling and extinguishing the battery cell 2 under thermal runaway.
However, in other embodiments, the fire extinguishing member 3 can also be a cooling pipe, and a coolant flows in the cooling pipe. When the temperature of the cooling pipe reaches its melting point, the cooling pipe can burst so as to release the coolant inside the cooling pipe, thereby cooling and extinguishing the battery cell 2 under thermal runaway.
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Specifically, the thermal conductive frame 12 is made of a thermal conductive material, such as metal materials. The thermal conductive frame 12 can not only support and accommodate the battery cell 2, but also transfer heat, so as to quickly export the heat generated by the battery cell 2 during normal operation. Meanwhile, the thermal conductive frame 12 can also block the flow of flames or high-temperature gases between adjacent thermal conductive frames 12 after thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell 2, thereby reducing the impact of the battery cell 2 under thermal runaway on normal battery cells 2 accommodated in other thermal conductive frames 12.
In one embodiment, the cover plate 11 is made of plastic material, and the thermal conductive frame 12 is connected to the cover plate 11 using a hot melt process.
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Specifically, by setting the second strap installation slot 113 in the fire extinguishing slot 111, it is beneficial to avoid the second strap installation slot 113 occupying additional space in the width direction of the battery module (i.e., the length direction of the cover plate 11), thereby reducing the size of the battery module. Meanwhile, by setting the guiding hole 1141 on the second step portion 114, it can avoid blocking heat from entering the fire extinguishing slot 111 due to the covering of the strap 6 or fire extinguishing member 3 on the guiding hole 1141, which is beneficial for the heat to be discharged from the guiding hole 1141 to the fire extinguishing slot 111 as soon as possible in the early stage of thermal runaway, thereby delaying the development of thermal runaway.
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Specifically, the heat insulation pad 13 is mainly used to block the transfer of heat between adjacent battery cells 2, and to slow down the thermal diffusion when the battery cell 2 experiences thermal runaway. Meanwhile, the heat insulation pad 13 plays a buffering role between adjacent battery cells 2 for absorbing a certain amount of cell expansion, adjusting the pressure inside the module, and thereby improving the service life of the battery cells 2. The heat insulation pad 13 can be made of single or composite materials according to needs, for example, it may be made of mica plate, foam or aerogel, and mica plate of a sandwich structure.
The tab edge sealing isolation strip 14 can isolate the sealing edge of the tabs 21 of adjacent battery cells 2. In one embodiment, a second fire extinguishing material is provided inside the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14. When the temperature of the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14 reaches its melting point, the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14 can burst so as to release the second fire extinguishing material inside the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14.
Specifically, the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14 includes a hot-melt outer shell and a second fire extinguishing material provided inside the outer shell. The material of the outer shell is selected to have a corresponding melting point based on the thermal runaway temperature of the battery cell 2. When the thermal runaway reaches the triggering temperature of the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14, the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14 bursts so as to release the second fire extinguishing material inside the tab edge sealing isolation strip 14, thereby timely cooling and extinguishing the battery cell 2 under thermal runaway. The second fire extinguishing material can be selected to be same as the first fire extinguishing material.
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Specifically, the protective plate 4 can be made of mica plate, which mainly plays a role in flame impact resistance and thermal insulation. The opening 41 is provided on the protective plate 4. The heat generated by the battery cell 2 can be discharged through this opening 41 in the early stage of thermal runaway, so as to delay the spread of thermal runaway within the battery module and prevent explosion.
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In one embodiment, in the length direction of the cover plate 11, the fire extinguishing slot 111 can also be arranged on the outer side of the two through holes 112, namely the two ends of the cover plate 11. In the length direction of the cover plate 11, there may be no third strap installation slot 117 provided between the two through holes 112 or on the outer side of the two through holes 112 at the location where the fire extinguishing slot 111 is provided.
In another embodiment, the battery cell 2 is provided with two tabs 21 located on opposite sides (that is, the two tabs 21 on the battery cell 2 are respectively arranged at opposite sides of the battery cell 2). The battery cell frame 1 includes two cover plates 11, the two cover plates 11 are respectively arranged on the opposite sides of the battery cell 2, and the two cover plates 11 correspond to the two tabs 21 of the battery cell 2, respectively. In this case, the two cover plates 11 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the main body 121 of the thermal conductive frame 12, and the other two sides of the main body 121 are provided with the folded edges 122. Furthermore, each cover plate 11 is provided with a through hole 112, the through hole 112 is located in the middle of the cover plate 11, and the fire extinguishing slot 111 is arranged on one side or opposite two sides of the through hole 112 along the length direction of the cover plate 11. Meanwhile, if there is no fire extinguishing slot 111 on any one side of the through hole 112 along the length direction of the cover plate 11, a third strap installation slot 117 is provided on that side.
In one embodiment, the battery module further includes an insulation shield (not shown) provided between the battery cell assembly 100 and the protective plate 4, and a signal acquisition board (not shown) provided between the insulation shield and the protective plate 4. The signal acquisition board extends along the length direction L of the battery module, and there is a notch (not shown) provided on an extension end of the signal acquisition board. The end plate 5 is provided with an insulation seat 7, and the insulation seat 7 is provided with a protrusion 71 matching with the notch on the signal acquisition board, so that the notch of the signal acquisition board is engaged with the protrusion 71, thereby fixing the extended end of the signal acquisition board on the insulation seat 7.
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In one embodiment, the inner wall of one side of the slit 81 near the cover plate 11 is an externally expanded inclined structure (that is, the slit 81 is a trapezoidal structure on the side near the cover plate 11) to facilitate the insertion of the tab 21 into the slit 81.
The battery module in the embodiments of the present application is provided with a fire extinguishing slot 111 on the outer wall of the battery cell frame 1, and the fire extinguishing slots 111 on multiple battery cell frames 1 are communicated to each other to form a fire extinguishing channel 110. A fire extinguishing member 3 is arranged in the fire extinguishing channel 110, thereby reducing the impact of the installation of the fire extinguishing member 3 on the external size of the battery module and improving the structural compactness of the battery module. Also, the installation of the fire extinguishing member 3 in the fire extinguishing channel 110 can protect the fire extinguishing member 3 from being compressed and damaged. Further, since the fire extinguishing channel 110 is composed of a plurality of fire extinguishing slots 111 communicated to each other on the battery cell frames 1, when a battery cell 2 in one position of the battery cell assembly 100 catches fire, the fire extinguishing member 3 can respond in a timely manner to extinguish the fire. That is, the fire extinguishing range of the fire extinguishing member 3 can cover the entire battery cell assembly 100, so the utilization rate of the fire extinguishing member 3 is high and the fire extinguishing efficiency is high. Moreover, during assembly, the fire extinguishing member 3 only needs to be arranged in the fire extinguishing channel 110 at one time, without the need to provide the fire extinguishing member 3 for each battery cell frame 1 separately and individually, which is conducive to improving the assembly efficiency of the battery module. Thus, the battery module is not only compact in structure and easy to assemble, and has high fire extinguishing efficiency.
The above are merely specific embodiments of the present application, but are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any variations or replacements which will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present application pertains, shall also fall within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202211510768.4 | Nov 2022 | CN | national |
202223185459.2 | Nov 2022 | CN | national |