TWM569089U - Universal unit and battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a universal unit and a battery module, wherein the universal unit includes: a frame having opposite main surfaces and having a battery for accommodating a plurality of battery cells between the opposite two main surfaces a plurality of battery cells housed in a battery cavity of the frame; a bus bar electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells; wherein at least one major surface of the frame further has a coupling member Coupling with corresponding couplings on adjacent universal units. The universal unit and the battery module according to the embodiment of the present invention are simple in structure, convenient to install, expandable and dimensionally flexible, and provide better safety.

Description

Universal unit and battery module

The present invention relates to the field of power battery technology, and more particularly, to an expandable battery module and a universal unit therein.

At present, the structure of the power battery module, especially the flexible packaging power battery module, is relatively complicated. For different designs, the battery module needs to be redesigned, and the battery module lacks versatility and expansion.

For battery safety, traditional insurance is provided between battery packs or between modules, and is costly.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a more expandable battery module; the purpose of the present invention is to enable the size of a single battery module to be adjusted according to actual needs; the purpose of the present invention is to simplify the assembly of the battery module; Providing insurance between battery cells; other objects of the present invention are also to address or at least alleviate the problems in the prior art.

In order to achieve one or more of the above objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, a universal unit for a battery module is provided, the universal unit comprising: a frame having opposite main surfaces and a battery chamber having a plurality of battery cells between the opposite two main surfaces; a plurality of battery cells housed in a battery cavity of the frame; electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells a bus bar; wherein the frame further has a coupling on at least one major surface to couple with a corresponding coupling on an adjacent universal unit.

Optionally, in the universal unit described above, the coupling member includes a protrusion and/or a notch extending along the major surface.

Optionally, in the universal unit described above, the protrusions and/or slots are trapezoidal in cross section.

Optionally, in the above general purpose unit, the battery compartment includes a plurality of chambers, such that the plurality of battery cells are spaced apart from each other.

Optionally, in the above universal unit, the battery cavity extends through the frame, and a busbar bracket is disposed at two ends of the battery cavity, the busbar includes a plurality of busbar units, and the busbar unit is disposed at the The busbar bracket is electrically connected to the corresponding battery cell.

Optionally, in the above general purpose unit, the universal unit further includes an insulating bracket at least partially covering the busbar unit.

Optionally, in the universal unit described above, the frame of the universal unit further includes a protrusion that supports the busbar unit of the edge for electrical output of the universal unit.

Optionally, in the above universal unit, the bus bar bracket further has a partition plate separating the bus bar units.

Optionally, in the above universal unit, the bus bar bracket further has a notch to arrange the sampling line.

Optionally, in the above universal unit, the busbar unit includes a battery coupling portion and a bridge hole, the bridge hole is a fixed terminal of a sampling harness or a temperature sensor, and the battery coupling portion has a plurality of safety feet and a plane portion supported by the plurality of safety feet.

According to another aspect, a battery module is also provided, wherein the battery module includes a universal unit in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention coupled to each other.

Optionally, in the above battery module, a battery module mounting portion for fixing the battery module is further disposed on an outer main surface of the outermost common unit of the battery module.

The universal unit and the battery module according to the embodiment of the present invention are simple in structure, convenient to install, expandable and dimensionally flexible, and provide better safety.

It is to be understood that, in accordance with the technical solutions of the present invention, those skilled in the art can propose various structural forms and implementations that are interchangeable without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting or limiting.

The terms of the top, bottom, left, right, front, back, front, back, top, bottom, etc. mentioned or may be mentioned in this specification are defined with respect to the configurations shown in the respective drawings, which are Relative concepts, so it is possible to change accordingly according to their different locations and different usage states. Therefore, these or other orientation terms should not be interpreted as restrictive terms.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 3, a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of general-purpose units 1, 2, and a plurality of general-purpose units 1, 2 are coupled to each other to form a battery module. In some embodiments, the battery module includes an intermediate general purpose unit 1 and an outer general purpose unit 2, wherein the outer unitary unit 2 has a fixed battery module mounting portion 21 for the battery module. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, six, four or three general purpose units or any other number of general purpose units may be selected to form the battery module, which allows the battery modules to have different lengths. Therefore, the number of the universal units 1, 2 included in each of the battery modules can be selected according to the actual space structure of the battery compartment accommodating the power battery, thereby more effectively utilizing the space of the battery compartment and arranging in various irregular spaces. Cloth battery module.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown an exploded view of a general purpose unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with the intermediate general purpose unit 1 as an example. The intermediate general unit 1 includes a frame 11, a battery unit 12, a bus bar holder 15, bus bars 131, 132, an insulating bracket 14, and the like. The frame 11 has a battery compartment for accommodating the battery cells 12, and after the battery cells are disposed in the battery compartment of the frame 11, the top busbar brackets 15 on which the bus bars 131 are disposed are mounted on the top of the battery cells 12 to Body 12 is closed. Subsequently, each busbar unit is coupled to the battery cells by means of laser welding or the like. The bottom busbar bracket to which the busbar 132 is mounted may be integrated with the frame 11, or may be coupled to the frame 11 as the top busbar bracket 15, and the insulating bracket 14 may be provided to the bottom and top of the frame 11 (the top insulating bracket is not shown), Thereby the entire universal unit 1 is formed.

Various features of the frame 11 are described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The frame 11 can be substantially cuboid, in particular in the form of a plate, and the frame 11 can be made of plastic or other suitable material. The frame 11 has opposing major surfaces 1101, 1102 and an upper side 1103, a lower side 1104, a left side 1105 and a right side 1106 between the opposing two major surfaces 1101, 1102. A battery compartment for receiving a plurality of battery cells is also defined between the two opposing major surfaces 1101, 1102. In some embodiments, the battery compartments are arranged in a row of individual chambers 116, each chamber for arranging a battery cell, thereby accommodating a row of battery cells and spacing them apart from one another. In alternative embodiments, the battery compartment may also be provided in two or more separate chambers 116. In addition, the battery compartment extends substantially from the upper side 1103 to the lower side 1104. In the present embodiment, the respective chambers 116 of the battery compartment are circular in cross section for receiving cylindrical battery cells. In alternative embodiments, the shape of each chamber 116 of the battery compartment may vary depending on the shape of the battery cells. In this embodiment, the battery compartment is comprised of a plurality of separate chambers. In alternative embodiments, the battery compartment may also be provided as a single chamber housing a plurality of battery cells. Moreover, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the major surfaces 1103, 1104 of the universal unit 1 have a grid 115 in communication with the chamber 116 of the battery compartment to promote heat dissipation from the battery cells.

Further, at least one of the opposing major surfaces 1101, 1102 of the frame 11 also has a coupling for coupling with a corresponding coupling of an adjacent universal unit. For the intermediate general-purpose unit 1, as shown in FIG. 6, both main surfaces have couplings, and for the outer common unit 2, since there are no other general-purpose units on the outer side, only the inward main surface With couplings. The coupling on the major surface allows the various universal units to be coupled together face to face to form a battery module. The number of common units of the battery module can be arbitrarily expanded in the form of a coupling on the main surface. In some embodiments, the coupling takes the form of a projection 114 and a notch 113 extending along the major surface such that adjacent universal units are slidable in a direction along the plane of the major surface to cause corresponding notches and The protrusions are mated together to join the universal units together. In the illustrated embodiment, the main surface 1101 of the frame 11 is provided with a notch and a protrusion. In an alternative embodiment, the main surface 1101 may have only one notch or one protrusion, or two notches or Two protrusions, or any combination of any number of notches and/or protrusions. Further, although in the illustrated embodiment, the projections 114 and the notches 113 substantially extend the entire height of the frame 11 in the up and down direction in Fig. 6(a). In an alternative embodiment, the protrusions 113 and the notches 114 may extend along the major surface in the left and right direction or any other direction in Figure 6(a) and may extend any length. Further, in the present embodiment, the projections and the notches have a trapezoidal shape in cross section, and in alternative embodiments, the projections and notches may have other suitable cross-sectional shapes, such as "convex" or the like. Preferably, the width of the protrusions in the cross section increases with distance from the major surface, and the notches are opposite. The couplings in the form of protrusions and slots enable convenient assembly between the universal units. In an alternative embodiment, the coupling is not limited to the projections and the notches, and the coupling may be other couplings that are slidably fitted in the planar direction of the major surface to prevent the universal unit from being separated in a direction perpendicular to the major surface, or alternatively The coupling member can also be a snap, a magnet or a glue or the like.

In some embodiments, the frame 11 further includes extensions 1161, 1162 on the left and right sides shown in Figure 6, which are used to carry the busbar elements of the edges. The busbar cells of the edge form the output of the universal unit for electrical connection between the plurality of universal units. For example, the wires can be coupled between the protrusions of the plurality of universal units to electrically connect the battery cells of the plurality of universal units.

In some embodiments, the frame 11 further includes an opening 111 distributed along the upper and lower edges for coupling with an insulating bracket and/or a busbar bracket, such as a snap-fit coupling. Alternatively, other coupling means may be employed in place of the snap coupling. As described above, in the illustrated embodiment, the bottom busbar bracket 1115 is integrated with the frame 11. As seen more clearly in Figure 6(c), spacers 1116 are present to define the mounting areas of the various busbar units such that the individual busbar units are separated by an insulating spacer 1116. Each busbar unit electrically connects adjacent two battery cells, and the busbar unit can be electrically connected to the battery cells by any suitable means, such as by soldering. In addition, the spacers of the bottom busbar support have voids 1181, thereby collectively defining the channels 118. The channel 118 is used to collect the passage of the wire for collecting the operating state of the battery cell, such as voltage or temperature. As shown in Figure 6 (d). The channels 118 lead to both sides of the universal unit 11, whereby the collection line harnesses of the respective common units can be led out from both sides. Ears 112 may also be provided on both sides of the universal unit 11 for collecting the collection lines of the various universal units together by the straps and constraining them near the ears 112. Moreover, in an alternative embodiment, the bottom busbar bracket may also be provided with separate components and coupled to the frame by, for example, a snap-fit coupling. In the illustrated embodiment, the top busbar bracket 15 is formed as a separate component, while the upper edge of the frame 11 has a U-shaped notch defined by the side walls 1171 and 1172 for receiving the top busbar bracket 15.

Figures 7(a) and 7(b) show a specific embodiment of a single busbar unit for a universal unit. FIG. 7 shows a busbar unit 1311 that includes two battery coupling portions 1315, 1316 and a bridge hole 1314. The battery coupling portion is formed by stamping, which includes a flat portion 1313 and three insurance legs 1312. In alternative embodiments, the number and size of the safety feet 1312 can vary depending on the designed overcurrent capability. The two battery coupling portions 1315, 1316 are respectively in contact with the adjacent two battery cells to make them electrically connected. The bridge hole 1314 serves as a terminal for the sample harness or the temperature sensor. In alternative embodiments, other forms of busbar units may be employed. As shown in FIG. 4, the rows of busbar units are used to electrically connect the battery cells in the universal unit to each other, such as in parallel or in series, and then the busbar unit disposed on the extension of the universal unit is further used for electrical output, and Can be electrically connected to other general purpose units. The busbar unit provides overcurrent protection between battery cells.

Figure 8 shows the top busbar bracket 15, which is similar to the bottom busbar bracket, but in this embodiment it is formed as a separate component. The top bus bar bracket 15 includes holes 151 for exposing the battery cells, insulating spacers 152 separating the respective bus bar units, and snaps 154, 155 for coupling with the frame 11. The top busbar bracket to which the busbar unit is pre-installed is mounted to the frame 11 after the battery cells are in place, and the respective battery cells 12 are closed.

Figure 9 shows an insulating bracket 14 that can be provided at the upper or lower end of the frame to enclose the conductive portion of the universal unit, particularly the busbar unit. The insulating bracket 14 can also be coupled to the frame 11 by a snap 141 or other means.

The battery module of the present invention adopts a universal unit to achieve scalability. Except for the common unit, no additional structural frame is required, the assembly is convenient, the combination is flexible, and it is suitable for irregular shape envelopes, and the space utilization rate is high. The battery cells arranged in series and in parallel are sequentially inserted into the frame of the universal unit according to design requirements. The frame has a cavity that can accommodate the battery cells and a coupling that can be coupled to each other. The busbar bracket pre-installed with the busbar unit is connected to the frame by means of a snap, and the electrical connection between the battery cell and the busbar unit is achieved by means of laser welding or electric resistance welding. The busbar unit includes a current limiting fuse function and a sample harness terminal fixing function to reduce parts. The sampling line bundles along the frame are taken out from the outlets on both sides of the frame, and then the upper and lower insulating covers are fastened to complete the assembly of the basic universal unit. The entire assembly process is simple, and preferably, it can be boltless. The general purpose unit can then be assembled arbitrarily to form a battery module. The battery module can adapt to irregular spaces and improve space utilization.

The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention, and the various features are clearly illustrated or described in the context of the invention. Various modifications or changes can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. It should be understood that these modifications or variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

1, 2‧‧‧ general unit

11‧‧‧Frame

12‧‧‧ battery cells

14‧‧‧Insulated bracket

15‧‧‧ Busbar bracket

21‧‧‧Battery Module Installation Department

111‧‧‧ openings

112‧‧ Ears

113‧‧‧ notch

114‧‧‧Protrusion

115‧‧‧ Grid

Room 116‧‧

118‧‧‧Channel

131, 132‧‧‧ Busbar

141, 154, 155‧‧‧ buckles

151‧‧‧ hole

152‧‧‧Insulation board

1101, 1102‧‧‧ main surface

1103‧‧‧Upper side

1104‧‧‧ lower side

1105‧‧‧left side

1106‧‧‧ right side

1115‧‧‧Bottom busbar bracket

1116‧‧‧Isolation board

1161, 1162‧‧ ‧ extension

1171, 1172‧‧‧ side wall

1181‧‧‧ gap

1311‧‧‧ Busbar unit

1312‧‧‧ insurance feet

1313‧‧‧Flat Department

1314‧‧‧Bridge hole

1315, 1316‧‧‧Battery connection

The disclosure of the present invention will become more readily apparent with reference to the drawings. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In addition, like numerals are used to indicate similar components, in which: FIGS. 1(a), 1(b), and 1(c) respectively show perspective views of battery modules having different numbers of common units; 2 shows a perspective view of a general-purpose unit having a battery module mounting portion; FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the intermediate general-purpose unit; FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the intermediate general-purpose unit and the battery cells therein; Figure 6(a)-6(d) shows a projection view of each side of the frame; Figures 7(a) and 7(b) show front and back perspective views of the busbar unit; 8 shows a perspective view of a separate busbar bracket; and Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the insulated bracket.

Claims (12)

A universal unit for a battery module, the universal unit comprising: a frame having opposite main surfaces and having a battery capacity for accommodating a plurality of battery cells between the opposite two main surfaces a plurality of battery cells housed in a battery cavity of the frame; a bus bar electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells; wherein at least one major surface of the frame further has a coupling member to Corresponding couplings on adjacent common units are coupled. The universal unit of claim 1, wherein the coupling comprises a protrusion and/or a notch extending along the major surface. The universal unit of claim 2, wherein the protrusions and/or notches are trapezoidal in cross section. The universal unit of claim 1, wherein the battery compartment comprises a plurality of chambers such that the plurality of battery cells are spaced apart from one another. The universal unit of claim 1, wherein the battery cavity extends through the frame, and a busbar bracket is disposed at two ends of the battery cavity, the busbar includes a plurality of busbar units, a busbar The unit is disposed on the busbar bracket and electrically connected to a corresponding battery cell. The universal unit of claim 5, wherein the universal unit further comprises an insulating bracket at least partially covering the busbar unit. The universal unit of claim 5, wherein the frame of the universal unit further comprises a protrusion that supports the busbar unit of the edge for electrical output of the universal unit. The universal unit of claim 5, wherein the bus bar bracket further has a partition plate separating the bus bar units. The universal unit of claim 5, wherein the busbar bracket further has a notch to arrange the sampling line. The universal unit of claim 5, wherein the busbar unit comprises a battery coupling portion and a bridge hole, the bridge hole being a fixed terminal of a sampling harness or a temperature sensor, the battery coupling portion having a plurality of a safety foot and a flat portion supported by the plurality of safety feet. A battery module comprising a plurality of universal units as described in any one of claims 1-10. The battery module according to claim 11, wherein a battery module mounting portion for fixing the battery module is further disposed on an outer main surface of the outermost common unit of the battery module.