CN112103444B

CN112103444B - Battery, electric equipment and manufacturing method of battery

Info

Publication number: CN112103444B
Application number: CN202011271054.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 梁成都; 陈智明; 潘健; 杨辉
Original assignee: Jiangsu Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Jiangsu Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-13
Filing date: 2020-11-13
Publication date: 2021-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 2040-11-13
Also published as: CN112103444A

Abstract

The application relates to a battery, electric equipment and a manufacturing method of the battery, and belongs to the technical field of energy storage devices. The box body is used for a battery, the battery comprises a battery monomer, the box body comprises a plurality of box walls, a first chamber for containing the battery monomer is enclosed by the plurality of box walls, and a second chamber for containing a fire-fighting agent is formed inside at least one box wall; wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are configured to communicate when the battery cell is thermally runaway, such that the fire-fighting agent releases the fire-fighting medium into the first chamber. A battery, a power-using device, and a method for manufacturing the battery can improve the safety performance of the battery.

Description

Battery, electric equipment and manufacturing method of battery

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of energy storage devices, in particular to a battery, electric equipment and a manufacturing method of the battery.

Background

Energy conservation and emission reduction are the key points of sustainable development of the automobile industry. Under such circumstances, electric vehicles are an important component of sustainable development of the automobile industry due to their energy saving and environmental protection advantages. In the case of electric vehicles, battery technology is an important factor in the development thereof.

In addition to improving the performance of batteries, safety issues are also a considerable problem in the development of battery technology.

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the present application is to provide a battery, an electric device, and a method for manufacturing a battery, which can improve the safety performance of the battery.

The application is realized by the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a box for a battery including a battery cell is provided, the box including:

the fire fighting equipment comprises a plurality of box walls, a first box body and a second box body, wherein the box walls enclose a first chamber for containing a battery cell, and a second chamber for containing a fire fighting agent is formed in at least one box wall;

wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are configured to communicate when the battery cell is thermally runaway, such that the fire-fighting agent releases the fire-fighting medium into the first chamber.

The box body can contain a battery monomer through the first cavity and contain a fire-fighting agent through the second cavity of the box wall; when battery monomer thermal runaway, the second cavity can communicate with first cavity for fire extinguishing agent releases fire-fighting medium to first cavity in, with the concentration of the emission that produces through fire-fighting medium extinguishment or dilution battery monomer thermal runaway, and then guarantee the security of battery.

In some embodiments, the internal pressure of the second chamber is greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber when the first and second chambers are not in communication.

In above-mentioned scheme, when first cavity and second cavity intercommunication, because the internal pressure of second cavity is greater than the internal pressure of first cavity, the fire control medium can get into fast in the first cavity, and response speed is fast.

In some embodiments, the tank wall is provided with a communication port for communicating the first chamber and the second chamber.

In the above scheme, through first cavity of intercommunication mouth intercommunication and second cavity, the fire control medium of being convenient for gets into first cavity.

In some embodiments, the case further comprises: and the electronic control valve is used for closing the communication port and is configured to be opened when the battery cell is out of control due to heat so as to enable the first chamber and the second chamber to be communicated.

In the scheme, the opening or the closing of the communication port is controlled through the electric control valve, the release of the fire-fighting medium can be accurately controlled, and the flexibility of the release of the fire-fighting medium is improved.

In some embodiments, the case comprises: and the weak part is used for closing the communication port and is configured to be broken when the pressure of the second chamber reaches a third threshold value so as to enable the first chamber and the second chamber to be communicated.

In above-mentioned scheme, weak part seals the intercommunication mouth, and when battery monomer thermal runaway, the pressure in the second chamber can increase to the third threshold value in order to destroy weak part to make the fire control medium spout fast via the intercommunication mouth, in order to put out a fire fast.

In some embodiments, the case further comprises: the guide pipe is positioned in the first cavity, and one end of the guide pipe is configured to be connected with the box body, so that the interior of the guide pipe can be communicated with the second cavity through the communication port when the battery monomer is out of control due to heat; at least a portion of the conduit is configured to be capable of being damaged by emissions resulting from thermal runaway of the battery cell.

In above-mentioned scheme, the pipe can extend to wider scope, and in the position corresponding with the battery monomer, when the battery monomer thermal runaway, the pipe can be destroyed by the emission that the battery monomer thermal runaway produced to the fire control medium is released in the fixed point, is convenient for put out a fire fast.

In some embodiments, the other end of the conduit is closed.

In the scheme, the other end of the conduit is closed, so that the fire-fighting medium in the conduit can be collected to the damaged part of the conduit to be discharged after the battery monomer is out of control due to thermal runaway.

In some embodiments, the case further comprises: and the guide pipe is positioned in the first cavity, two ends of the guide pipe are respectively communicated with the second cavity, and at least part of the guide pipe is configured to be damaged by emissions generated by thermal runaway of the battery cells.

In the scheme, two ends of the conduit are respectively communicated with the second chamber, and an outlet of the second chamber is added; after the conduit is destroyed by the emissions from thermal runaway of the cells, more fire fighting medium can enter the first chamber to quickly extinguish the fire.

In some embodiments, the battery cell includes a first pressure relief mechanism for actuating to relieve pressure when an internal pressure of the battery cell reaches a first threshold or a temperature of the battery cell reaches a second threshold, at least a portion of the conduit being disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism.

In the above scheme, the first pressure relief mechanism can be actuated to relieve pressure when the internal pressure of the battery cell exceeds a first threshold value or the temperature of the battery cell exceeds a second threshold value; at least part of the conduit is arranged corresponding to the first pressure relief mechanism, and when the first pressure relief mechanism is actuated, the part of the conduit can be damaged by emissions discharged by the first pressure relief mechanism, so that the fire-fighting medium flowing through the conduit is released into the first cavity, and the battery unit out of control of heat can be subjected to fixed-point fire extinguishing.

In some embodiments, the conduit includes a frangible portion disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism, the frangible portion configured to be destructible by an emission generated by thermal runaway of the battery cell.

In the scheme, the arrangement of the weak part is easy to damage by the emissions discharged by the first pressure relief mechanism, so that the fire-fighting medium is rapidly sprayed out.

In some embodiments, the conduit includes a thermal fuse disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism, the thermal fuse configured to be thermally fused or damaged by the emissions in the event of thermal runaway of the battery cell.

In above-mentioned scheme, the setting of hot melt portion is easily by the high temperature hot melt of first cavity or by the discharged emissions hot melt of first pressure relief mechanism, and fire control medium can put out a fire to first pressure relief mechanism fixed point.

In some embodiments, the case further comprises: and the hot melting piece is used for closing the communication opening and is configured to be hot melted when the battery cell is out of control due to heat so as to enable the first cavity and the second cavity to be communicated.

In the scheme, the hot melting piece seals the communication port to block the fire-fighting agent; when battery monomer thermal runaway, hot melt spare can be by the hot melt, and second cavity and first cavity intercommunication to quick release fire control medium, response speed is fast.

In some embodiments, the tank wall is provided with a weakened area configured to be breached when the pressure within the second chamber reaches a third threshold to place the first and second chambers in communication.

In the scheme, the weak areas are arranged in different areas of the box wall, so that the thermal runaway of the battery cell can be quickly responded.

In some embodiments, the fire-fighting medium comprises a gaseous fire-fighting medium.

In the scheme, the gas fire-fighting medium has better fluidity and can dilute the concentration of the emissions discharged by thermal runaway of the battery cells so as to quickly extinguish fire.

In some embodiments, the first chamber has an exhaust port through which the fire-fighting medium and emissions from thermal runaway of the battery cells can exit the tank after mixing within the first chamber.

In the above scheme, the gas vent can be convenient for the discharge of the mixture in the first chamber to the pressure of first chamber is let off, guarantees the security of battery.

In some embodiments of the present application, the tank further comprises a second pressure relief mechanism disposed at the vent, the second pressure relief mechanism configured to actuate to relieve pressure when the pressure in the first chamber reaches a fourth threshold or the temperature in the first chamber reaches a fifth threshold.

In the above scheme, the pressure in the first chamber can be managed by the second pressure relief mechanism at the air outlet; when the pressure or the temperature in the first cavity does not reach the actuating condition of the second pressure relief mechanism, the fire-fighting medium can be mixed with emissions generated by thermal runaway of the battery monomer in the first cavity so as to dilute the concentration of combustible gas and play a role in extinguishing fire; when the second pressure relief mechanism reaches the actuating condition, the second pressure relief mechanism can be actuated to relieve pressure, so that the safety of the box body is ensured.

In some embodiments of the present application, the case further comprises: and the trigger piece is arranged in the second cavity and used for triggering the fire-fighting agent to generate a fire-fighting medium when the battery is out of control thermally.

In the scheme, the fire-fighting agent is triggered by the trigger piece to generate the fire-fighting medium, the control is flexible, and the fire-fighting agent is not required to be packaged under pressure.

In some embodiments of the present application, the tank wall is provided with an injection port in communication with the second chamber for injecting a fire suppressant into the second chamber.

In the above scheme, the fire-fighting agent is injected into the second chamber through the injection port, so that the operation is convenient.

In some embodiments of the present application, the injection port is located on a side of the tank wall remote from the first chamber.

In the above solution, by providing the injection port on the side of the tank wall remote from the first chamber, the injection of the fire-fighting agent is facilitated to avoid interference with the components in the first chamber.

In some embodiments of the present application, the case further comprises: and the injection valve is arranged at the injection port.

In above-mentioned scheme, realize the one-way injection of fire extinguishing agent through the filling valve, both made things convenient for the injection of fire extinguishing agent, can also prevent that the fire extinguishing agent from revealing from the second cavity.

In a second aspect, there is provided a battery comprising: a battery cell; and the battery monomer is accommodated in the first cavity.

In a third aspect, an electric device is provided, which comprises the battery.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of manufacturing a battery, the method comprising:

providing a box body, wherein the box body comprises a plurality of box walls, the box walls enclose a first chamber, a second chamber is formed inside at least one box wall, and a fire-fighting agent is contained in the second chamber; providing a battery cell; the fire-fighting agent is contained in the second cavity, the battery unit is contained in the first cavity, and the first cavity and the second cavity are configured to be communicated when the battery unit is out of control due to heat, so that the fire-fighting agent releases a fire-fighting medium into the first cavity.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, and for those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from the drawings without inventive effort.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a box provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a housing provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a housing provided in accordance with another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a vent provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a second pressure relief mechanism provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an injection port in a wall of a tank according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the assembly of a fill valve with a tank wall according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a communication port in a tank wall provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an electrical control valve assembled with a tank wall according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of the installation of a weakpiece provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a weakening element according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view taken at A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the assembly of the conduit and the housing provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of FIG. 3 at B;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of an assembly of a conduit and a weakening element as provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the assembly of a conduit and a housing provided in accordance with another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 19 is a top view of a battery provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application (with the cover hidden);

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a frangible portion provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of a frangible portion provided in another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 23 is a schematic view of an assembly of a hot melt member and a case according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 24 is a schematic view of a weakened area in a wall of a tank provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 25 is a schematic flow chart of a method of manufacturing a battery according to an embodiment of the present application.

Icon: 1-a vehicle; 10-a motor; 20-a controller; 30-a battery; 31-a box body; 310-a tank wall; 310 a-a side wall; 310 b-a bottom wall; 310 c-beam; 310 d-top wall; 3101-a second chamber; 3102-exhaust port; 3103-injection port; 3104-a communication port; 3105-a weak part; 3107-scoring; 3108-a weak area; 311-a first chamber; 312-a second pressure relief mechanism; 313-an injection valve; 314-an electrically controlled valve; 315-a catheter; 3151-weaknesses; 3152-a third chamber; 316-hot melt; 32-battery cell; 321-a first pressure relief mechanism; 322-electrode terminals.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, 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 and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application, generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, can be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.

Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application, presented in the accompanying drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that the indication of orientation or positional relationship is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship which is usually placed when the product of the application is used, or the orientation or positional relationship which is conventionally understood by those skilled in the art, is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and operate, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used solely to distinguish one from another and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "attached" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

The term "and/or" in this application is only one kind of association relationship describing the associated object, and means that there may be three kinds of relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" in this application generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

The term "plurality" as used herein refers to more than two (including two), and similarly, the term "plurality" refers to more than two (including two).

In the present application, the battery cell may include a lithium ion secondary battery, a lithium ion primary battery, a lithium sulfur battery, a sodium lithium ion battery, a sodium ion battery, a magnesium ion battery, or the like, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The battery cell may be a cylinder, a flat body, a rectangular parallelepiped, or other shapes, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The battery cells are generally divided into three types in an encapsulation manner: the cylindrical battery monomer, the square battery monomer and the soft package battery monomer are also not limited in the embodiment of the application.

Reference to a battery in embodiments of the present application refers to a single physical module that includes one or more battery cells to provide higher voltage and capacity. For example, the battery referred to in the present application may include a battery module or a battery pack, etc. Batteries generally include a case for enclosing one or more battery cells. The box can avoid liquid or other foreign matters to influence the charging or discharging of battery monomer.

The battery monomer comprises an electrode assembly and electrolyte, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a positive plate, a negative plate and an isolating membrane. The battery cell mainly depends on metal ions moving between the positive plate and the negative plate to work. The positive plate comprises a positive current collector and a positive active substance layer, wherein the positive active substance layer is coated on the surface of the positive current collector, the current collector which is not coated with the positive active substance layer protrudes out of the current collector which is coated with the positive active substance layer, and the current collector which is not coated with the positive active substance layer is used as a positive electrode lug. Taking a lithium ion battery as an example, the material of the positive electrode current collector may be aluminum, and the positive electrode active material may be lithium cobaltate, lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium, lithium manganate, or the like. The negative pole piece includes negative current collector and negative pole active substance layer, and the negative pole active substance layer coats in the surface of negative current collector, and the mass flow body protrusion in the mass flow body of coating the negative pole active substance layer of uncoated negative pole active substance layer, the mass flow body of uncoated negative pole active substance layer is as negative pole utmost point ear. The material of the negative electrode current collector may be copper, and the negative electrode active material may be carbon, silicon, or the like. In order to ensure that the fuse is not fused when a large current is passed, the number of the positive electrode tabs is multiple and the positive electrode tabs are stacked together, and the number of the negative electrode tabs is multiple and the negative electrode tabs are stacked together. The material of the isolation film may be PP (polypropylene) or PE (polyethylene). In addition, the electrode assembly may have a winding structure or a lamination structure, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

The development of battery technology needs to consider various design factors, such as energy density, cycle life, discharge capacity, charge and discharge rate, and other performance parameters, and also needs to consider the safety of the battery.

For cells, the main safety hazard comes from the charging and discharging processes, and at the same time, with a suitable ambient temperature design, there are generally at least three protective measures for the cells in order to effectively avoid unnecessary losses. In particular, the protective measures comprise at least a switching element, selection of a suitable isolating membrane material and a pressure relief mechanism. The switching element is an element that can stop charging or discharging the battery when the temperature or resistance in the battery cell reaches a certain threshold value. The isolating membrane is used for isolating the positive plate and the negative plate, and can automatically dissolve away the micron-scale (even nano-scale) micropores attached to the isolating membrane when the temperature rises to a certain value, so that metal ions cannot pass through the isolating membrane, and the internal reaction of the battery monomer is stopped.

The pressure relief mechanism refers to an element or a component that is actuated to relieve the internal pressure or temperature of the battery cell when the internal pressure or temperature reaches a predetermined threshold. The threshold design varies according to design requirements. The threshold may depend on the material of one or more of the positive electrode sheet, the negative electrode sheet, the electrolyte and the separator in the battery cell. The pressure relief mechanism may take the form of, for example, an explosion-proof valve, a gas valve, a pressure relief valve, or a safety valve, and may specifically employ a pressure-sensitive or temperature-sensitive element or configuration, that is, when the internal pressure or temperature of the battery cell reaches a predetermined threshold value, the pressure relief mechanism performs an action or a weak structure provided in the pressure relief mechanism is broken, thereby forming an opening or a passage through which the internal pressure or temperature can be relieved.

As used herein, "activate" means that the pressure relief mechanism is activated or activated to a certain state, such that the internal pressure and temperature of the battery cell are relieved. The actions generated by the pressure relief mechanism may include, but are not limited to: at least a portion of the pressure relief mechanism ruptures, fractures, is torn or opened, or the like. When the pressure relief mechanism is actuated, high-temperature and high-pressure substances in the battery cells are discharged outwards from the actuated part as emissions. In this way, the battery cells can be decompressed and warmed under the condition of controllable pressure or temperature, so that the potential more serious accidents are avoided.

Reference herein to emissions from the battery cell includes, but is not limited to: electrolyte, dissolved or split positive and negative electrode plates, fragments of isolating membrane, and high-temperature and high-pressure gas (such as CH) generated by reaction₄Combustible gases such as CO), flames, and the like.

The pressure relief mechanism on the battery cell has an important influence on the safety of the battery. For example, when overheating, short-circuiting, overcharge, collision, or the like occurs, a large amount of gas may be generated inside the battery cell for a short time, the temperature inside the battery cell may rapidly rise, and finally, explosion, ignition, or the like may occur in the battery cell, which is referred to as thermal runaway of the battery cell. In this case, the internal pressure and temperature can be released outwards by the actuation of the pressure relief mechanism, so as to prevent the explosion and the fire of the battery cells.

The inventor finds that after the pressure relief mechanism on the battery cell is actuated, the discharged emissions are accumulated in the box body, which easily causes the battery to burn and even explode. Even if the emissions are discharged into the air, the temperature and concentration of the emissions generated by thermal runaway of the battery cells are high, and once the emissions are in contact with oxygen-enriched air, the emissions are easy to ignite, so that explosion is caused, and a great safety hazard exists.

In view of this, this application provides a technical scheme, utilizes the inner space of tank wall to store the fire control agent, and when battery monomer thermal runaway, the fire control agent can release the fire control medium to the inner space of box, dilutes the concentration of emission through the fire control medium, reduces the concentration of combustible gas, and then puts out a fire or prevents the combustible gas burning to further strengthen the security of battery. It should be noted that the internal space of the tank wall can be understood as a hollow structure of the tank wall, and the hollow part of the tank wall is the internal space of the tank wall; the internal space of the box body is a space which is enclosed by a plurality of box walls and used for accommodating the battery monomer.

The technical scheme described in the embodiment of the application is applicable to various devices using batteries, such as mobile phones, portable devices, notebook computers, battery cars, electric toys, electric tools, electric vehicles, ships, spacecrafts and the like, for example, the spacecrafts comprise airplanes, rockets, space shuttles, spacecrafts and the like.

It should be understood that the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application are not limited to be applied to the above-described devices, but may also be applied to all devices using batteries, and for brevity of description, the following embodiments are all described by taking an electric vehicle as an example.

For example, fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the vehicle 1 may be a fuel-oil vehicle, a gas vehicle, or a new energy vehicle, and the new energy vehicle may be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, or an extended range vehicle, etc. A battery 30 is provided inside the vehicle 1. For example, the battery 30 may be provided at the bottom or the head or tail of the vehicle 1. The battery 30 may be used for power supply of the vehicle 1, for example, the battery 30 may be used as an operation power supply of the vehicle 1 for a circuit system of the vehicle 1, for example, for power demand for operation in starting, navigation, and running of the vehicle 1. In another embodiment of the present application, the battery 30 may be used not only as an operation power source of the vehicle 1 but also as a driving power source of the vehicle 1, instead of or in part of fuel or natural gas, to provide driving force for the vehicle 1.

The motor 10 and the controller 20 may also be disposed inside the vehicle 1, and the controller 20 is used for controlling the battery 30 to supply power to the motor 10, for example, for starting, navigation and operation power demand of the vehicle 1 during running.

In order to meet different power requirements, the battery 30 may include a plurality of battery cells 32, wherein the plurality of battery cells 32 may be connected in series or in parallel or in series-parallel, and the series-parallel refers to a mixture of series connection and parallel connection. The battery 30 may also be referred to as a battery pack. In some embodiments, a plurality of battery cells 32 may be connected in series or in parallel or in series-parallel to form a battery module, and a plurality of battery modules may be connected in series or in parallel or in series-parallel to form a battery 30. That is, the plurality of battery cells 32 may directly constitute the battery 30, or may be first constituted as a battery module and then constituted as the battery 30.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a battery 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In fig. 2, the battery 30 may include a plurality of battery cells 32 and a box 31, the box 31 has a hollow structure, the box 31 includes a plurality of box walls 310, the plurality of box walls 310 enclose a first cavity 311, and the plurality of battery cells 32 are accommodated in the first cavity 311.

The number of cells 32 may be set to any number according to different power requirements. Multiple cells 32 may be connected in series, parallel, or series-parallel to achieve greater capacity or power. Since the number of the battery cells 32 included in the battery 30 may be large, the battery cells 32 may be arranged in groups for convenience of installation, and each group of the battery cells 32 constitutes a battery module. The number of the battery cells 32 included in the battery module is not limited and may be set as required. The battery 30 may include a plurality of battery modules, which may be connected in series, parallel, or series-parallel.

The battery cell 32 includes one or more electrode assemblies (not shown), a case, and a cap plate. The housing and cover form a housing or battery compartment. The walls of the housing and the walls of the cover are referred to as the walls of the battery cells 32. The case is determined according to the shape of the one or more electrode assemblies after being combined, and may be, for example, a hollow rectangular parallelepiped, a square or a cylinder, and at least one surface of the case has an opening so that the one or more electrode assemblies can be placed in the case. For example, when the housing is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped or cube, one of the planes of the housing is an open plane, i.e., the plane has no solid body so that the inside and the outside of the housing communicate with each other. When the casing can be a hollow cylinder, the end face of the casing is an open face, that is, the end face does not have a wall body so that the inside and the outside of the casing are communicated. The cover covers the opening and is connected with the case to form a closed cavity in which the electrode assembly is placed. The housing is filled with an electrolyte, such as an electrolyte.

The battery cell 32 may further include two electrode terminals 322, and the two electrode terminals 322 may be disposed on the cover plate. The cap plate is generally in the shape of a flat plate, and two electrode terminals 322 are fixed on the flat plate surface of the cap plate, the two electrode terminals 322 being a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal, respectively. Each of the electrode terminals 322 is provided with a connecting member (not shown), which may also be referred to as a current collecting member, for electrically connecting the electrode assembly and the electrode terminal 322, respectively.

When the electrode assembly includes a positive electrode tab and a negative electrode tab, one current collecting member connects the positive electrode tab and a positive electrode terminal, and the other current collecting member connects the negative electrode tab and a negative electrode terminal.

The battery cell 32 may further include a first pressure relief mechanism 321. The first pressure relief mechanism 321 is used for actuating to relieve pressure when the internal pressure of the battery cell 32 reaches a first threshold value or the temperature of the battery cell 32 reaches a second threshold value, the internal pressure of the battery cell 32 is increased due to the increase of the internal temperature of the battery cell 32, and when the first pressure relief mechanism 321 is actuated, the internal pressure of the battery cell 32 is released, or the internal temperature of the battery cell 32 is reduced along with the discharge of high-pressure and high-temperature emissions.

The first pressure relief mechanism 321 may be any pressure relief structure, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the first pressure relief mechanism 321 may be a pressure-sensitive pressure relief mechanism configured to be rupturable when the internal pressure of the battery cell 32 provided with the first pressure relief mechanism 321 reaches a first threshold value; and/or, the first pressure relief mechanism 321 may be a temperature-sensitive pressure relief mechanism configured to be capable of melting when the internal temperature of the battery cell 32 provided with the first pressure relief mechanism 321 reaches a second threshold.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of the box 31 according to an embodiment of the present application. In fig. 2 and 3, the box 31 includes a plurality of box walls 310, the plurality of box walls 310 enclose a first chamber 311, and the plurality of battery cells 32 are accommodated in the first chamber 311; the interior of at least one of the tank walls 310 defines a second chamber 3101, and a fire suppressant is contained within the second chamber 3101. The first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101 are configured to communicate when the battery cell 32 is thermally runaway, such that the fire-fighting agent releases the fire-fighting medium into the first chamber 311. It should be noted that, before the thermal runaway of the battery cell 32, the first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101 may or may not be communicated, and are set according to actual conditions.

The box body 31 of the embodiment of the application can contain the battery cells 32 through the first cavity 311 and also contain the fire-fighting agent through the second cavity 3101, and the fire-fighting agent is integrated inside the box wall 310, so that the space is saved; when the battery cell 32 is in thermal runaway, the second chamber 3101 can be communicated with the first chamber 311, so that the fire-fighting agent releases a fire-fighting medium into the first chamber 311, so as to extinguish a fire through the fire-fighting medium or dilute the concentration of combustible gas in emissions generated by the thermal runaway of the battery cell 32, and further ensure the safety of the battery 30.

The fire-fighting medium in the embodiments of the present application may be a fluid, which may be a liquid or a gas.

The fire fighting agent in the embodiments of the present application may be a gas or a liquid or solid capable of producing a gaseous fire fighting medium. When the agent is a gaseous agent, the agent itself is the agent, e.g., the agent may be gaseous CO₂(Carbon dioxide ), SF₆(Sulfur hexafluoride) or N₂(Nitrogen ). When the fire-fighting agent is a liquid fire-fighting agent, the fire-fighting medium is a gaseous fire-fighting medium after phase change or chemical reaction of the liquid fire-fighting agent, and the liquid fire-fighting agent is a low-melting-point liquid, for example, the fire-fighting agent can be liquid perfluorohexanone, hexafluoropropane or heptafluoropropane. When the fire-fighting agent is a solid fire-fighting agent, the fire-fighting medium can be gas after the phase change of the fire-fighting agent, for example, the fire-fighting agent can be dry ice and vaporized dry ice, and the effects of cooling and fire extinguishing are achieved; the fire-fighting medium may also be a gas generated by a chemical reaction of the fire-fighting agent, for example, the fire-fighting agent may be an aerosol-type solid (such as potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, etc.), and the aerosol-type solid generates a large amount of inert gas by the chemical reaction to consume free oxygen and dilute the concentration of the combustible gas discharged from the battery cell 32.

The Battery 30 may further include a Battery Management System (BMS), which is an important component of the electric vehicle power Battery 30 System and is capable of detecting, collecting and preliminarily calculating real-time state parameters of the Battery 30, and controlling the on/off of the power supply circuit according to a comparison relationship between the detected values and the allowable values.

The battery 30 may further include a thermal runaway sensing element, which may include one or more of a smoke sensor, a temperature sensor, an optical sensor, and a pressure sensor, and collects a thermal runaway signal of the battery cell 32 and transmits the signal to the battery management system, and the battery management system issues an instruction signal after analyzing the signal to control the corresponding control element to operate.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the plurality of tank walls 310 may include a top wall 310d, a side wall 310a, and a bottom wall 310b, the top wall 310d and the bottom wall 310b being oppositely disposed, the side wall 310a being disposed about the bottom wall 310b, the top wall 310d, the side wall 310a, and the bottom wall 310b collectively defining a first chamber 311, and at least one of the top wall 310d, the side wall 310a, and the bottom wall 310b having a second chamber 3101 formed therein.

It should be noted that each tank wall 310 may be provided with one second chamber 3101 or a plurality of second chambers 3101 to facilitate release of fire-fighting medium at different locations.

To facilitate assembly of the battery cells 32, the top wall 310d may be understood as a cover, and the structure formed by the side wall 310a and the bottom wall 310b may be understood as a case body; the box body is provided with an opening so as to be convenient for placing the battery cell 32; the cover covers the opening to enclose a first cavity 311 for packaging the battery cell 32 with the case body.

The side walls 310a may be provided with one or more, and when the side walls 310a are provided with one, for example, the case 31 may have a cylindrical structure, and the side walls 310a may have a cylindrical shape; when a plurality of side walls 310a are provided, for example, the box 31 may have a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the side walls 310a may be integrally formed or welded together to ensure the connection firmness of the side walls 310 a. The connection mode of the side wall 310a and the bottom wall 310b may be integrally formed, or the side wall 310a and the bottom wall 310b may be welded, or the side wall 310a and the bottom wall 310b may be connected by a connecting member, which may be a bolt.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the plurality of walls 310 may further include a beam 310c, the beam 310c being located between the two opposing sidewalls 310a, the beam 310c may divide the first chamber 311 into a plurality of regions, and the plurality of battery cells 32 are distributed in the plurality of regions. The height of the beam 310c may be flush with the height of the sidewall 310a, or the height of the beam 310c may be lower than the height of the sidewall 310 a. The beam 310c may be coupled to the side wall 310a and/or the bottom wall 310b to secure the overall strength of the tank 31. The beam 310c may be integrally formed with the side wall 310a and/or the bottom wall 310b, may be welded, or may be connected by fasteners (e.g., bolts). The beam 310c may be provided with a second chamber 3101 to facilitate storage of fire extinguishing agent, increase fire extinguishing agent storage points, facilitate multi-point release of fire extinguishing medium, and improve fire extinguishing efficiency.

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of the case 31 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 5 shows a sectional view of the case 31 provided in another embodiment of the present application. When the box 31 is provided with a plurality of second chambers 3101, the plurality of second chambers 3101 may be independent from each other (as shown in fig. 4) or may be communicated with each other (as shown in fig. 5), and different arrangement modes are selected according to actual situations.

Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic view of an exhaust port 3102 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, in fig. 6, the first chamber 311 has an exhaust port 3102, and the fire-fighting medium and the emissions from the thermal runaway of the battery cells 32 are mixed in the first chamber 311 to form a mixture, which can be exhausted out of the tank 31 through the exhaust port 3102. For example, the exhaust port 3102 may be provided in the side wall 310a (as shown in fig. 6) or in the ceiling wall 310 d. The vent 3102 can facilitate the venting of the mixture within the first chamber 311 to vent the pressure of the first chamber 311 for safety of the battery 30.

It should be noted that the number of the exhaust ports 3102 may be one or more, and different numbers of the exhaust ports 3102 are selected according to actual situations.

In some embodiments, the number of the exhaust ports 3102 is one, the exhaust ports 3102 are independent from the second chamber 3101, the exhaust ports 3102 may be disposed on any of the tank walls 310, for example, the exhaust ports 3102 may be opened on the top wall 310d to facilitate the discharge of the mixture in the first chamber 311.

Fig. 7 illustrates a schematic view of a second pressure relief mechanism 312 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7, the tank 31 further includes a second pressure relief mechanism 312, the second pressure relief mechanism 312 is disposed at the vent 3102, and the second pressure relief mechanism 312 is configured to actuate to relieve pressure when the pressure in the first chamber 311 reaches a fourth threshold or the temperature in the first chamber 311 reaches a fifth threshold. The pressure or temperature within the first chamber 311 can be managed by the second pressure relief mechanism 312 at the exhaust port 3102. When the pressure or temperature in the first chamber 311 does not reach the activation condition of the second pressure relief mechanism 312, the second pressure relief mechanism 312 closes the exhaust port 3102, and the fire-fighting medium can be mixed with the emissions generated by the thermal runaway of the battery cell 32 in the first chamber 311 to dilute the concentration of the combustible gas and perform the function of extinguishing the fire. When the pressure or temperature in the first chamber 311 reaches the actuation condition of the second pressure relief mechanism 312, the second pressure relief mechanism 312 can be actuated to relieve the pressure, so as to ensure the safety of the tank 31.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic view of an injection port 3103 of a tank wall 310 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the tank wall 310 is provided with an injection port 3103 in communication with the second chamber 3101, the injection port 3103 being used to inject a fire suppressant into the second chamber 3101. The second chamber 3101 is filled with a fire-fighting agent through an injection port 3103 for ease of handling.

To facilitate the injection operation, as shown in fig. 8, the injection port 3103 may be located on the side wall 310a, and when injecting the fire-fighting agent, the second chamber 3101 is injected with the fire-fighting agent from the injection port 3103 on the side wall 310a with the tank body 31 laid on a table.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, the injection port 3103 may be located on a side of the tank wall 310 remote from the first chamber 311. By providing the injection port 3103 in the side of the wall 310 remote from the first chamber 311, it is facilitated to fill the fire-fighting agent outside the first chamber 311 so as not to interfere with components within the first chamber 311, such as to perform a fire-fighting agent filling operation after the assembly of the battery cell 32 with the tank body 31 is completed. In other embodiments, the injection port 3103 may be located on a side of the tank wall 310 facing the first chamber 311.

The injection port 3103 may be plugged with a plug, valve, etc. depending on the fire suppressant.

In other embodiments, a beam 310c is disposed within the housing 31, the beam 310c is provided with a second chamber 3101, and an injection port 3103 on the beam 310c is located within the first chamber 311.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic view of the assembly of the filling valve 313 and the tank wall 310 according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9, tank 31 further includes fill valve 313, and fill valve 313 is disposed at fill port 3103. The injection valve 313 may be a check valve to prevent backflow of the fire extinguishing agent. The unidirectional injection of the fire suppressant through the injection valve 313 facilitates both the injection of the fire suppressant and also prevents the fire suppressant from leaking from the second chamber 3101. For example, when the injection port 3103 is opened on the side of the side wall 310a facing away from the first chamber 311, as shown in fig. 3, the injection valve 313 is disposed outside the first chamber 311.

In some embodiments, the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber 311 when the first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101 are not in communication. When the first and

second chambers

311 and 3101 are communicated, since the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is greater than that of the first chamber 311, the fire-fighting medium can rapidly enter the first chamber 311 with a high response speed to rapidly extinguish a fire.

In some embodiments, the fire-fighting agent may be pressure-packaged in the second chamber 3101, before the first chamber 311 is not communicated with the second chamber 3101, the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is always greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber 311, for example, a gas fire-fighting agent, a liquid fire-fighting agent, is pressure-packaged in the second chamber 3101, and after being compressed, the fire-fighting agent may be in a gas state, a liquid state, or a solid state, for example, carbon dioxide may be in a gas state, a liquid state, or a solid state (dry ice); when the first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101 are in communication, the fire-fighting agent may release the gaseous fire-fighting medium into the first chamber 311. The gas fire-fighting medium has good fluidity and can dilute the concentration of combustible gas in the discharge from the thermal runaway of the battery cell 32 so as to quickly extinguish the fire.

In order to detect/verify that the pressure in the second chamber 3101 is greater than the pressure in the first chamber 311, a pressure sensor may be provided in the second chamber 3101 to monitor the pressure in the second chamber 3101, or a pressure gauge may be provided outside the fill valve 313 or the second chamber 3101 to detect the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101. For example, a pressure sensor may be disposed in the second chamber 3101, connected to a battery management system for pressure monitoring and early warning; a pressure gauge may be connected to the injection port 3103, for example, the pressure gauge may be mounted to the injection valve 313; a pressure gauge may be re-ported outside of second chamber 3101.

In some embodiments, the fire-fighting agent may be one that is capable of undergoing a phase change upon pressurization, such as CO₂、SF₆、N₂And the like, the phase can be changed into liquid after pressurization, when the first chamber 311 is communicated with the second chamber 3101, the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is reduced, the fire-fighting agent is changed into gaseous, a low-temperature gas fire-fighting medium is released to the first chamber 311, meanwhile, the heat in the first chamber 311 is absorbed through the tank wall 310 in the phase change process, and the low-temperature gas fire-fighting medium is mixed with high-temperature gas in the first chamber 311 after entering the first chamber 311, so that the temperature of the first chamber 311 can be reduced.

In other embodiments, the fire-fighting agent may be encapsulated within the second chamber 3101 at atmospheric pressure, such as an aerosol-type solid fire-fighting agent, and after the thermal runaway of the battery cells 32 and before the first chamber 311 is not in communication with the second chamber 3101, the fire-fighting agent is activated by the trigger to generate a gaseous fire-fighting medium, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 such that the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber 311 when the first chamber 311 is not in communication with the second chamber 3101.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic view of a communication port 3104 in the tank wall 310 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, the tank wall 310 is provided with a communication port 3104 for communicating the first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101. The first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101 are communicated through a communication port 3104 to facilitate the fire-fighting medium entering the first chamber 311.

It is understood that the communication port 3104 may be located on the side of the tank wall 310 (side wall 310a, bottom wall 310b, top wall 310 d) facing the first chamber 311, or the communication port 3104 may be located on the surface of the beam 310c within the first chamber 311.

When the communication port 3104 of the tank wall 310 is not closed, the second chamber 3101 is always communicated with the first chamber 311, and in order to ensure the fire extinguishing effect, the fire extinguishing agent in the second chamber 3101 may be aerosol type solid fire extinguishing agent. When the fire-fighting agent is aerosol solid, the aerosol solid needs to be matched with a trigger piece, a thermal runaway induction element and a battery management system for use, and the trigger piece is used for activating the solid fire-fighting agent to generate chemical reaction to generate inert gas; the thermal runaway sensing element is used for sensing the temperature or pressure in the first chamber 311 and generating a corresponding signal; the battery management system is used for being electrically connected with the thermal runaway sensing element and the trigger piece, the battery management system can respond to a signal sent by the thermal runaway sensing element, and when the signal exceeds a corresponding threshold value, namely the thermal runaway of the battery cell 32, the battery management system can control the trigger piece to trigger and activate the solid fire-fighting agent so as to generate a chemical reaction to generate inert gas. The signal exceeding the corresponding threshold may include the temperature within the first chamber 311 exceeding the threshold, and may also include the internal pressure of the first chamber 311 exceeding the threshold.

It is noted that one second chamber 3101 may be provided with one or more communication ports 3104.

In some embodiments, when the fire-fighting agent contained in the second chamber 3101 is a liquid fire-fighting agent when the second chamber 3101 is closed, the communication port 3104 may be opened at a height that is lower than the liquid level of the liquid fire-fighting agent in the second chamber 3101, so that the liquid fire-fighting agent can rapidly flow out through the communication port 3104 after the second chamber 3101 is communicated with the first chamber 311.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic view of the assembly of the electrically controlled valve 314 provided in an embodiment of the present application with the tank wall 310. In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 11, the tank 31 further includes an electronic control valve 314, the electronic control valve 314 is mounted to the tank wall 310 and is used for closing the communication port 3104, and the electronic control valve 314 is configured to be opened when the battery cell 32 is out of thermal control so as to communicate the first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101.

When the electrically controlled valve 314 closes the communication port 3104, the fire suppressant may be encapsulated in the second chamber 3101 under pressure or encapsulated in the second chamber 3101 under atmospheric pressure, and the electrically controlled valve 314 prevents the fire suppressant from leaking out of the second chamber 3101. When the electrically controlled valve 314 closes the communication port 3104, the fire-fighting agent may be a gaseous fire-fighting agent, a liquid fire-fighting agent, or a solid fire-fighting agent. Fire suppressant pressurized packaging may be understood as being above atmospheric (or atmospheric) packaging.

Considering the control manner of the electronic control valve 314, the electronic control valve 314 needs to be used in cooperation with the battery management system, and when the battery cell 32 is out of control due to heat, the battery management system controls the electronic control valve 314 to open, so that the first chamber 311 is communicated with the second chamber 3101, and the fire-fighting medium is released into the first chamber 311. By controlling the opening or closing of the communication port 3104 by the electrically controlled valve 314, the release of the fire-fighting medium can be precisely controlled.

In some embodiments, the electronic control valve 314 may be a two-way electronic control valve, and the electronic control valve 314 may also be used as an injection valve, which may be used to open the electronic control valve 314 to release a fire-fighting agent when the battery cell 32 is out of control due to heat, or inject the fire-fighting agent into the second chamber 3101 through the electronic control valve 314, thereby reducing the cost.

Figure 12 illustrates a schematic view of the attachment of a weakening member 3105 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 12, the housing 31 further includes a weak member 3105, the weak member 3105 being configured to close the communication port 3104, the weak member 3105 being configured to be broken when the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 reaches a third threshold. The weak member 3105 closes the communication port 3104, and when the battery cell 32 thermally runaway, the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 can be increased to a third threshold to break the weak member 3105, thereby causing the fire-fighting medium to be rapidly ejected through the communication port 3104 for rapid fire extinguishing.

The weak portion 3105 and the communication port 3104 may be positioned such that the whole weak portion 3105 is located inside the communication port 3104 and the weak portion 3105 is connected to the inner wall of the communication port 3104; alternatively, the weakened element 3105 may be located entirely outside the communication port 3104, and the weakened element 3105 may be attached to the outer surface of the tank wall 310 or to the inner wall of the communication port 3104 by a connector.

In some embodiments, the weakening elements 3105 may be thin sheets, which are simple to construct and easily breakable.

Figure 13 illustrates a schematic diagram of a weakening 3105 provided by an embodiment of the present application. When the weak portion 3105 is a thin sheet, the weak portion 3105 may be designed to be thinner in order to facilitate breaking of the weak portion 3105; as shown in fig. 13, the weak member 3105 may be provided with a score 3107, the weak member 3105 may close the communication port 3104 in an initial state or when the pressure applied thereto does not reach the score 3107 breakage condition, i.e., when the pressure applied thereto reaches the score 3107 breakage condition, i.e., when the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 increases to a third threshold value, the score 3107 is broken, and the weak member 3105 tears along the extending direction of the score 3107 with the increase of the pressure, thereby forming an unclosed opening in the weak member 3105.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged view at a of fig. 2, showing a schematic view of a catheter 315 provided in an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 14, the case 31 further includes a conduit 315, the conduit 315 is located within the first chamber 311, and one end of the conduit 315 is configured to be connected to the case 31, so that the interior of the conduit 315 can communicate with the second chamber 3101 through a communication port 3104 when the battery cell 32 is thermally runaway; at least a portion of the conduit 315 is configured to be capable of being damaged by emissions generated by thermal runaway of the battery cell 32. The conduit 315 is formed with a third chamber 3152 therein for guiding the fire-fighting medium released from the second chamber 3101, and when the conduit 315 is broken, the fire-fighting medium in the third chamber 3152 can enter the first chamber 311 through the broken portion of the conduit 315. The conduit 315 can extend in any direction in the first cavity 311, the extending path of the conduit 315 can cover a wide range and can correspond to a plurality of battery cells 32, and when a thermal runaway of the battery cell 32 occurs, that is, when the first pressure relief mechanism 321 is actuated, the exhaust discharged by the first pressure relief mechanism 321 can damage a part of the conduit 315 corresponding to the first pressure relief mechanism 321, so that the fire-fighting medium flowing through the third cavity 3152 is released into the first cavity 311, and a fire is extinguished at a fixed point on the thermal runaway battery cell 32.

In some embodiments of the present application, the other end of the conduit 315 is closed, i.e., closed, so that when the conduit 315 is broken, the fire-fighting medium in the third chamber 3152 can collect at the broken portion and exit the conduit 315.

In other embodiments of the present application, the other end of the conduit 315 may also be open, i.e. the end is open, and the third chamber 3152 communicates with the first chamber 311 to facilitate the diffusion of the fire-fighting medium in the first chamber 311.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the assembly of the conduit 315 with the housing 31 according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of FIG. 3 at B, showing a schematic view of the conduit 315 and the electrically controlled valve 314 as provided by an embodiment of the present application; figure 17 illustrates a schematic assembly of conduit 315 and weakening 3105 provided by an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that one end of the conduit 315 may be directly connected, for example welded, riveted or screwed, to the wall 310 of the tank 31, as shown in fig. 15, that is, one end of the conduit 315 is connected to the wall 310 with the communication port 3104, and the third chamber 3152 is communicated with the communication port 3104; as shown in fig. 16, one end of the conduit 315 and the tank 31 may also be connected to the tank 31 through an electronic control valve 314, the electronic control valve 314 is mounted to the tank 31 and is used for closing the communication port 3104, and when the battery cell 32 is out of control thermally, the electronic control valve 314 is opened so that the third chamber 3152 is communicated with the second chamber 3101 through the communication port 3104. As shown in fig. 17, one end of the conduit 315 is connected to the case wall 310 having the communication port 3104, the weak member 3105 closes the communication port, and the conduit 315 covers the communication port 3104 and the weak member 3105, so that the third chamber 3152 communicates with the second chamber 3101 when the weak member 3105 is broken when the battery cell 32 is thermally runaway.

In some embodiments, the other end (i.e., the closed end) of the conduit 315 is attached to the sidewall 310a or the beam 310c, e.g., the closed end of the conduit 315 can overlap or abut the sidewall 310a or the beam 310c, and the closed end of the conduit 315 can be attached to the sidewall 310a or the beam 310c via a bracket; a hole (not shown) corresponding to the conduit 315 may be formed in the side wall 310a or the beam 310c, and the closed end of the conduit 315 may be inserted into the hole, which is not limited in the present embodiment.

Fig. 18 shows a schematic view of the assembly of the conduit 315 with the box 31 according to another embodiment of the present application. In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 18, the tank 31 further includes a conduit 315, the conduit 315 is located in the first chamber 311, and both ends of the conduit 315 may be respectively communicated with the second chamber 3101, for example, both ends of the conduit 315 may be communicated with the second chamber 3101 through two communication ports 3104, for example, both ends of the conduit 315 may be communicated with the communication ports 3104 on two opposite tank walls 310, that is, the conduit 315 is shared by two tank walls 310, and for example, both ends of the conduit 315 may be communicated with the two communication ports 3104 on the same tank wall 310; for example, after one end of the conduit 315 communicates with the communication port 3104, the middle portion of the conduit 315 is bent in the first chamber 311, and the other end of the conduit 315 extends to communicate with the communication port 3104, such as the two ends of the conduit 315 form a 8-shape. At least a portion of the conduit 315 is configured to be capable of being damaged by emissions generated by thermal runaway of the battery cell 32. The two ends of the conduit 315 are respectively communicated with the second chamber 3101, and the outlet of the second chamber 3101 is increased, so that more fire-fighting medium can enter the first chamber 311 after the conduit 315 is damaged by the emissions generated by the thermal runaway of the battery cells 32, so as to quickly extinguish the fire. Meanwhile, since both ends of the conduit 315 are respectively communicated with the second chamber 3101, the fire extinguishing agent is filled in the conduit 315, and after the conduit 315 is damaged, rapid fire extinguishing can be realized.

Fig. 19 shows a top view of a battery 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application (with the cover hidden). To facilitate accurate fire suppression, as shown in fig. 19, at least a portion of the conduit 315 is disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism 321 of the battery cell 32, i.e., the conduit 315 is routed through the first pressure relief mechanism 321 in the first chamber 311. The first pressure relief mechanism 321 is activated when the battery cell 32 is in thermal runaway, the exhaust discharged from the battery cell 32 is discharged toward the conduit 315, the power and destructive power of the exhaust cause a part of the conduit 315 corresponding to the first pressure relief mechanism 321 to be destroyed, so that the inside of the conduit 315 is communicated with the first chamber 311, the fire-fighting medium flowing out of the second chamber 3101 can enter the first chamber 311 through the damaged part of the conduit 315, and the fire-fighting medium can extinguish the first pressure relief mechanism 321 at a fixed point.

Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the direction C-C in fig. 19, which shows a layout of the duct 315 and the battery cell 32 according to an embodiment of the present application. The layout positions of the conduit 315 and the battery cell 32 can be determined according to the position of the first pressure relief mechanism 321 of the battery cell 32, for example, as shown in fig. 19 and 20, the battery cell 32 is placed on the bottom wall 310b, the first pressure relief mechanism 321 is located at the top of the battery cell 32, the conduit 315 is located above the battery cell 32, and a certain height difference is formed between the conduit 315 and the battery cell 32, so as to ensure that the fire-fighting medium can be rapidly sprayed to the first pressure relief mechanism 321 after the conduit 315 is damaged, and avoid affecting the diffusion of the fire-fighting medium due to the close distance between the conduit 315 and the first pressure relief mechanism 321, and further affecting the fire extinguishing effect.

Fig. 21 shows a schematic view of a weak portion 3151 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 22 shows a schematic view of a weak portion 3151 provided in another embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 21 and 22, the conduit 315 includes a weakened portion 3151, the weakened portion 3151 being disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism 321, the weakened portion 3151 being configured to be destructible by an emission generated by thermal runaway of the battery cell 32.

Since the weak portion 3151 is easily broken, when the battery cell 32 is thermally out of control, the exhaust discharged from the first relief mechanism 321 can quickly break the conduit 315, thereby enabling the fire-fighting medium to be quickly ejected toward the first relief mechanism 321.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 21, the weakpoint 3151 may be a region of relatively thin wall thickness, i.e., the weakpoint 3151 may be relatively thin relative to the wall thickness of other regions of the conduit 315; the weak part 3151 can be broken by fire-fighting medium when the pressure in the conduit 315 reaches a threshold value at which the weak part 3151 is broken, when the battery cell 32 is out of control thermally and the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber 311, the weak part 3151 can be broken by the high-pressure fire-fighting medium when the high-pressure fire-fighting medium passes through the weak part 3151 of the conduit 315, so that the first chamber 311 is communicated with the second chamber 3101, and at the moment, the high-pressure fire-fighting medium is rapidly sprayed towards the first pressure relief mechanism 321, so that fixed-point fire extinguishing is realized.

In addition, as shown in fig. 22, the weak portion 3151 may be a through hole so that the duct 315 is easily broken when the exhaust from the battery cell 32 acts on the weak portion 3151.

In some embodiments, the conduit 315 includes a heat stake disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism 321, the heat stake configured to be capable of being heat staked or damaged by an effluent when the battery cell 32 is thermally out of control. Since the thermal fuse has a low melting point, when the battery cell 32 is thermally out of control, the emissions discharged from the first pressure relief mechanism 321 are discharged to the thermal fuse to destroy the thermal fuse, where the discharging to destroy the thermal fuse may include: the heat-melting portion is melted by the emissions and the heat-melting portion is broken by the emissions. The hot melting part can be a low-melting-point metal film, such as aluminum foil, tin foil and the like; plastics such as PP, PE, PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) and the like are also possible. The setting of hot melt portion is destroyed the back at hot melt portion for fire control medium can be put out a fire to first pressure relief mechanism 321 fixed point, has improved fire extinguishing efficiency.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the conduit 315 is a heat-melting portion, a portion of the conduit 315 corresponding to the first pressure relief mechanism 321 is a heat-melting portion, or the entire conduit 315 is a heat-melting portion, and the conduits 315 with different structures are selected according to actual situations.

Fig. 23 is a schematic view illustrating an assembly of the hot melt 316 and the case 31 according to an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 23, the tank 31 further includes a thermal fuse 316, the thermal fuse 316 is used to close the communication port 3104, a melting point of the thermal fuse 316 may be lower than that of the tank wall 310, the thermal fuse 316 is fixed to the tank wall 310, for example, the thermal fuse 316 may be welded to the tank wall 310, and the thermal fuse 316 may be fixed to the tank wall 310 by other connecting members; the thermal fuse 316 is configured to be thermally fused to communicate the first and

second chambers

311 and 3101 when the battery cell 32 is thermally runaway. The hot melt 316 closes the communication port 3104, can block the fire extinguishing agent, prevents the fire extinguishing agent from leaking from the second chamber 3101, and at the same time, the hot melt 316 can ensure that the internal pressure of the second chamber 3101 is greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber 311 when the second chamber 3101 is not communicated with the first chamber 311. When the battery cell 32 is out of control due to heat, the thermal melting piece 316 is easily melted due to the low melting point of the thermal melting piece 316, so that the first chamber 311 is communicated with the second chamber 3101 to quickly release the fire-fighting medium, and the response speed is high.

The position relationship between the hot melt 316 and the communication port 3104 may be such that the whole hot melt 316 is located in the communication port 3104 and the hot melt 316 is connected to the inner wall of the communication port 3104; it is also possible that the hot melt 316 is located entirely outside the communication port 3104, and the hot melt 316 is connected to the outer surface of the tank wall 310 or to the inner wall of the communication port 3104 by a connecting member.

In some embodiments, the hot melt 316 may be a fusible film that melts to release the fire-fighting medium when the temperature is above 300 ℃.

FIG. 24 illustrates a schematic view of a weakened area 3108 of the tank wall 310 provided by an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 24, the tank wall 310 is provided with a zone of weakness 3108, the zone of weakness 3108 configured to be breached when the pressure within the second chamber 3101 reaches a third threshold to place the first and

second chambers

311, 3101 in communication. The weakened area 3108 may be understood as a portion of the tank wall 310 notched such that it is weakened relative to other areas, the weakened area 3108 being susceptible to rupture when the pressure within the second chamber 3101 increases to a third threshold, thereby allowing fire-fighting medium to enter the first chamber 311 via the location of the weakened area 3108. By providing the weakened region 3108 in different areas of the tank wall 310, a quick response to thermal runaway of the cells 32 in different locations is provided.

It is to be understood that the area and length of the weak region 3108 may be set according to actual conditions, and the weak region 3108 may correspond to a plurality of cells 32 for fast response. The area of weakness 3108 is located on the face of the tank wall 310 facing the first chamber 311, for example, the area of weakness 3108 may be the area of the face opposite the first pressure relief mechanism 321, or the area of weakness 3108 may cover the entire face.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a power-consuming device, which may include the battery 30 in the foregoing embodiments. In some embodiments, the powered device may be a vehicle 1, a ship, or a spacecraft.

The case 31, the battery 30, and the electric device according to the embodiment of the present application are described above, and the method for manufacturing the battery 30 according to the embodiment of the present application will be described below, wherein portions not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing embodiments.

Fig. 25 shows a schematic flowchart of a method of manufacturing the battery 30 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 25, the method may include:

410, providing a tank body 31, wherein the tank body 31 comprises a plurality of tank walls 310, the plurality of tank walls 310 enclose a first chamber 311, a second chamber 3101 is formed inside at least one tank wall 310, and a fire-fighting agent is contained in the second chamber 3101;

420, providing a battery cell 32;

430, housing the battery cell 32 within the first chamber 311, wherein the first chamber 311 and the second chamber 3101 are configured to communicate when the battery cell 32 is thermally runaway, such that the fire fighting agent releases the fire fighting medium into the first chamber 311.

In some embodiments, including the step "in the step" 410 "providing the tank 31, the tank 31 including a plurality of tank walls 310, the plurality of tank walls 310 defining a first chamber 311, at least one tank wall 310 having a second chamber 3101 formed therein, the second chamber 3101 containing a fire suppressant," it being understood that two situations may occur, one situation being where the fire suppressant is contained within the second chamber 3101 when the tank 31 is manufactured; alternatively, the tank 31 is manufactured and the fire suppressant is contained in the second chamber 3101 of the tank wall 310 when the battery 30 is manufactured.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be equivalently replaced, but the modifications or the replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A battery, the battery includes a plurality of battery monomer, battery monomer includes electrode subassembly and casing, electrode subassembly place in the casing, its characterized in that, the battery still includes the box, the box includes:

a plurality of tank walls enclosing a first chamber for containing a plurality of battery cells, the plurality of battery cells being contained within the first chamber, at least one of the tank walls having a hollow interior and forming a second chamber for containing a fire suppressant;

wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are configured to be communicable upon thermal runaway of the battery cell such that the fire-fighting agent releases a fire-fighting medium into the first chamber;

the box wall is provided with a communication port for communicating the first chamber with the second chamber;

the box still includes:

a conduit located within the first chamber, one end of the conduit configured to connect to the case such that an interior of the conduit is capable of communicating with the second chamber via the communication port when the battery cell is thermally runaway;

at least a portion of the conduit is configured to be destructible by emissions generated by thermal runaway of the battery cell;

the battery monomer comprises a first pressure relief mechanism, the first pressure relief mechanism is used for actuating to relieve pressure when the internal pressure of the battery monomer reaches a first threshold value or the temperature of the battery monomer reaches a second threshold value, and at least part of the conduit is arranged opposite to the first pressure relief mechanism.

2. The battery of claim 1, wherein the internal pressure of the second chamber is greater than the internal pressure of the first chamber when the first and second chambers are not in communication.

3. The battery of claim 1, wherein the case further comprises:

an electronic control valve for closing the communication port, the electronic control valve being configured to open to communicate the first chamber and the second chamber when the battery cell is thermally runaway.

4. The battery of claim 1, wherein the case comprises:

a frangible member for closing the communication port, the frangible member being configured to be broken to communicate the first and second chambers when the pressure of the second chamber reaches a third threshold.

5. The battery of claim 1, wherein the other end of the conduit is closed.

6. The battery of claim 1, wherein the conduits communicate at each end with the second chamber, at least some of the conduits being configured to be destroyed by emissions from thermal runaway of the battery cells.

7. The battery of claim 1, wherein the conduit comprises a weakened portion disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism, the weakened portion configured to be destructible by an emission from the battery cell thermal runaway.

8. The battery of claim 1, wherein the conduit comprises a thermal fuse disposed opposite the first pressure relief mechanism, the thermal fuse configured to be thermally fused or damaged by the emissions in the event of thermal runaway of the battery cell.

9. The battery of claim 1, wherein the case further comprises:

the thermal melting piece is used for closing the communication opening and is configured to be thermally melted when the battery cell is thermally out of control so as to enable the first cavity and the second cavity to be communicated.

10. The battery of claim 1, wherein the case wall is provided with a weakened area configured to be breached when the pressure within the second chamber reaches a third threshold to place the first and second chambers in communication.

11. The battery of claim 1, wherein the fire-fighting medium comprises a gaseous fire-fighting medium.

12. The battery of claim 1, wherein the first chamber has an exhaust port through which the fire-fighting medium can exit the tank after mixing with emissions from thermal runaway of the battery cells within the first chamber.

13. The battery of claim 12, wherein the case further comprises a second pressure relief mechanism disposed at the vent, the second pressure relief mechanism configured to actuate to relieve pressure when a pressure within the first chamber reaches a fourth threshold or a temperature within the first chamber reaches a fifth threshold.

14. The battery of claim 1, wherein the case further comprises:

the trigger piece is arranged in the second cavity and used for triggering the fire-fighting agent to generate the fire-fighting medium when the battery is out of control due to heat.

15. The battery of claim 1, wherein the tank wall is provided with an injection port in communication with the second chamber for injecting the fire suppressant into the second chamber.

16. The battery of claim 15, wherein the injection port is located on a side of the case wall remote from the first chamber.

17. The battery of claim 16, wherein the case further comprises:

and the injection valve is arranged at the injection port.

18. An electrical device comprising a battery according to any of claims 1-17.

19. A method of manufacturing a battery, the method comprising:

providing a box body, wherein the box body comprises a plurality of box walls, the box walls enclose a first chamber, a second chamber is formed inside at least one box wall, a fire-fighting agent is contained in the second chamber, and the box walls are provided with communication ports for communicating the first chamber with the second chamber;

providing a single battery, wherein the single battery comprises an electrode assembly, a shell and a first pressure relief mechanism, the electrode assembly is placed in the shell, and the first pressure relief mechanism is used for actuating to relieve pressure when the internal pressure of the single battery reaches a first threshold value or the temperature of the single battery reaches a second threshold value;

providing a catheter;

receiving the battery cell in the first chamber, wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are configured to communicate when the battery cell is thermally runaway, such that the fire-fighting agent releases a fire-fighting medium into the first chamber;

the guide pipe is accommodated in the first cavity, one end of the guide pipe is configured to be connected with the box body, so that the interior of the guide pipe can be communicated with the second cavity through the communication port when the battery unit is in thermal runaway, at least part of the guide pipe is arranged opposite to the first pressure relief mechanism, and at least part of the guide pipe is configured to be damaged by emissions generated by the thermal runaway of the battery unit.