CN118056332A

CN118056332A - End cover assembly, battery cell, battery and power utilization device

Info

Publication number: CN118056332A
Application number: CN202280067427.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 石胜云; 郭志君
Original assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-07-06
Filing date: 2022-09-09
Publication date: 2024-05-17
Also published as: CN217544884U; WO2024007447A1

Abstract

The application provides an end cover assembly, a battery cell, a battery and an electric device, wherein the end cover assembly is used for the battery cell and comprises: an end cap; the insulation piece is arranged on one side of the end cover facing the inside of the battery cell, grooves are formed in the two ends of the insulation piece oppositely along the length direction of the end cover, and the grooves are concavely formed from the surface of the insulation piece facing the end cover to the direction away from the end cover along the thickness direction of the end cover; the wall part of the groove comprises a communication groove, and the communication groove is used for communicating the groove with the inner cavity of the shell of the battery cell. The application can improve the utilization rate of the electrolyte and the internal space of the battery monomer.

Description

End cover assembly, battery cell, battery and power utilization device

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from chinese patent application 202221717791.6 entitled "end cap assembly, battery cell, battery and electrical device" filed on month 07 and 06 of 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of batteries, in particular to an end cover assembly, a battery cell, a battery and an electric device.

Background

Energy conservation and emission reduction are key to sustainable development of the automobile industry, and electric vehicles become an important component of sustainable development of the automobile industry due to the energy conservation and environmental protection advantages of the electric vehicles. For electric vehicles, battery technology is an important factor in the development of the electric vehicles.

In the prior art, the presence of the insulating member in the end cap assembly of the battery has resulted in difficult electrolyte spillage, which reduces the electrolyte utilization.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present application provides an end cap assembly, a battery cell, a battery, and an electric device, in which the end cap assembly can improve the internal space of the battery cell and the utilization rate of the electrolyte when the end cap assembly is used for the battery cell.

In a first aspect, the present application provides an end cap assembly for a battery cell, the end cap assembly comprising: an end cap; the insulation piece is arranged on one side of the end cover facing the inside of the battery cell, grooves are formed in the two ends of the insulation piece oppositely along the length direction of the end cover, and the grooves are concavely formed from the surface of the insulation piece facing the end cover to the direction away from the end cover along the thickness direction of the end cover; the wall part of the groove comprises a communication groove, and the communication groove is used for communicating the groove with the inner cavity of the shell of the battery cell.

According to the technical scheme, the end cover assembly comprises the end cover and the insulating piece, the insulating piece is arranged on one side of the end cover facing the inside of the battery cell, and grooves are formed in the two ends of the insulating piece along the length direction of the end cover, so that electrolyte can be contained in the grooves, the capacity of the electrolyte of the battery cell applied to the end cover assembly is increased, and the space utilization rate of the inside of the battery cell is improved. Simultaneously, the setting of intercommunication groove for the recess can communicate with the inner chamber of the single casing of battery, makes the inside circulation of electrolyte at recess and casing, avoids partial electrolyte to be sealed in the recess, improves the utilization ratio of electrolyte.

In some embodiments, the number of communication slots is two or more, the two or more communication slots being spaced apart from one another.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, the number of the communication grooves is more than two, so that the grooves and the inside of the shell are communicated in a multi-channel manner, and the electrolyte is ensured to flow in the inside of the shell and the grooves.

In some embodiments, the wall portion includes a bottom wall and a side wall, and the communication groove is provided in the side wall.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, the communicating groove is formed in the side wall, so that the communicating requirement of the groove and the inside of the shell can be met, meanwhile, one side of the insulating piece, which faces the electrode assembly, is used for propping against the electrode assembly, and the communicating groove is formed in the side wall of the groove, so that the contact area between the bottom wall and the electrode assembly can be increased, and the insulating arrangement requirement between the end cover and the main body part of the electrode assembly is met.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the number of communication slots are disposed through the sidewall of the recess along the length of the end cap.

The end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application is formed by limiting at least part of the number of the communication grooves to penetrate through the side wall of the groove along the length direction. The grooves can be communicated with the inside of the shell at one side of the length direction, so that the circulation requirement of electrolyte is ensured, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte is improved.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the number of communication slots are disposed through the sidewall of the recess in the width direction of the end cap.

The end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application is formed by limiting at least part of the communication grooves to penetrate through the side wall of the groove along the width direction of the end cover. The grooves can be communicated with the inside of the shell at least on one side in the width direction, so that the circulation requirement of electrolyte can be guaranteed, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte is improved.

In some embodiments, the groove further includes a connection portion for connection with the insulating film of the battery cell.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, the groove comprises the connecting part, and the connecting part can be connected with the insulating film, so that the connecting area between the insulating film and the insulating piece is increased, and the connecting strength between the insulating film and the insulating piece is further ensured.

In some embodiments, the insulator further comprises a stiffener disposed in the recess and connected to a wall of the recess.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, the insulating piece further comprises the reinforcing ribs, and the reinforcing ribs are arranged in the grooves and connected with the wall parts of the grooves, so that the strength of the insulating piece at the position where the grooves are arranged can be increased, and the performance requirement of the insulating piece is ensured.

In some embodiments, the ribs separate the grooves to form two or more groove units, each of which is capable of communicating with the interior cavity of the housing through at least one communication groove.

The embodiment of the application provides an end cover assembly, which enables a reinforcing rib to separate a groove into more than two groove units, and simultaneously enables each groove unit to be communicated with an inner cavity of a shell through at least one communicating groove, so that the reinforcing requirement of an insulating part at the position of the groove can be ensured, meanwhile, electrolyte can be prevented from being sealed in each groove unit, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte is ensured.

In some embodiments, the number of the reinforcing ribs is more than two, and at least part of the more than two reinforcing ribs are distributed at intervals along the width direction of the end cover; the length of each reinforcing rib is smaller than the width of the groove along the length direction of the end cover.

Through the arrangement, the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application can strengthen the position of the groove of the insulating part through more than two reinforcing ribs, so that the strength requirement is ensured, meanwhile, the sealing of electrolyte can be effectively avoided, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte is improved.

In some embodiments, the stiffener is rectangular plate-shaped or triangular plate-shaped.

The end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application has the advantages that the reinforcing rib adopts the above form, so that the reinforcing requirement can be met, and the processing and manufacturing of the insulating part are facilitated.

In some embodiments, the insulating member includes an insulating body and a limiting protrusion, the insulating body is stacked with the end cover and connected, the limiting protrusion protrudes from the insulating body to a side away from the end cover along a thickness direction, and the groove penetrates through the insulating body and partially extends into the limiting protrusion.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, the limiting protrusion is arranged, so that the effect of improving the strength can be achieved at the position of the insulation piece where the groove is arranged, meanwhile, the limiting protrusion can be used for abutting against the main body part of the electrode assembly to limit the main body part of the electrode assembly, and the space between the limiting protrusion and the insulation body can be used for accommodating structures such as the switching piece and the like, so that the battery unit is conveniently grouped.

In some embodiments, the grooves of the insulator on both sides of the end cap in the length direction are symmetrically distributed with each other.

Through the symmetrical distribution of the grooves on the two sides, the stress balance of the insulating piece can be ensured, and meanwhile, the processing and the manufacturing of the insulating piece are facilitated.

In some embodiments, one of the insulating member and the end cover is provided with a clamping protrusion and the other is provided with a clamping groove, and the clamping protrusion is matched with the clamping groove in shape and is in clamping connection.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, one of the insulating piece and the end cover is provided with the clamping protrusion, and the other one of the insulating piece and the end cover is provided with the clamping groove, so that the clamping fit of the insulating piece and the end cover is facilitated, and the positioning connection requirement of the insulating piece and the end cover is ensured.

In some embodiments, the end cap is provided with a pressure relief structure, the insulating member is provided with a vent hole penetrating in the thickness direction, and the orthographic projection of the pressure relief structure covers at least part of the vent hole in the thickness direction.

According to the end cover assembly provided by the embodiment of the application, the pressure relief structure is arranged on the end cover, the exhaust hole penetrating in the thickness direction is arranged on the insulating piece, and at least part of the exhaust hole is covered by the orthographic projection of the pressure relief structure in the thickness direction, so that the exhaust of gas generated in the battery cell is facilitated, and the safety performance of the battery cell is ensured.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a battery cell comprising: a housing having an opening; an electrode assembly disposed within the case; electrolyte filled in the shell; the end cover assembly is arranged in a closed opening, and the communicating groove is used for communicating the groove with the inner cavity of the shell.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a battery, including a case and the battery unit described above, where the battery unit is accommodated in the case.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides an electric device, including the above-mentioned battery cell, where the battery cell is used to provide electric energy.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the present application, and is intended to be implemented in accordance with the teachings of the present application in order that the same may be more clearly understood and to make the same and other objects, features and advantages of the present application more readily apparent.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the application. Also, like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the figures. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exploded construction of an end cap assembly according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an insulating member according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an insulator according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an insulator according to another embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of an insulating member according to still another embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals in the specific embodiments are as follows:

1000-vehicle;

100-cell; 200-a controller; 300-motor;

10-a box body; 11-a first part; 12-a second part;

20-battery cells;

21-a housing; 211-opening;

22-electrode assembly;

23-end cap assembly;

231-end cap; 231 a-a pressure relief structure;

232-electrode terminals;

233-an insulator; 2331-grooves; 2331 a-trough unit; 2332-a communication tank; 2333-wall; 2331-a bottom wall; 2332-sidewalls; 2334-reinforcing bars; 2335-snap-fit protrusions; 2336-vent holes; 2337-connection; 233 a-an insulating body; 233 b-limit bump;

24-an insulating film;

X-length direction; y-width direction; z-thickness direction.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the technical scheme of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following examples are only for more clearly illustrating the technical aspects of the present application, and thus are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

It should be noted that unless otherwise indicated, technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application should be given the ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present application belong.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are merely for convenience in describing the embodiments of the present application and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

Furthermore, the technical terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more unless explicitly defined otherwise.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured" and the like are to be construed broadly and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; or may be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communicated with the inside of two elements or the interaction relationship of the two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to specific circumstances.

In the description of embodiments of the application, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, a first feature "up" or "down" on a second feature may be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in contact indirectly through an intervening medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature may be a first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is level higher than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may be the first feature being directly under or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is less level than the second feature.

Currently, the application of power batteries is more widespread from the development of market situation. The power battery is not only applied to energy storage power supply systems such as hydraulic power, firepower, wind power and solar power stations, but also widely applied to electric vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric automobiles, and the like, and a plurality of fields such as military equipment, aerospace, and the like. With the continuous expansion of the application field of the power battery, the market demand of the power battery is also continuously expanding.

The battery cell generally comprises a shell, an electrode assembly, electrolyte and an end cover assembly, wherein the end cover assembly covers the shell to provide a closed space for the electrode assembly and the electrolyte, the electrode assembly is electrically connected with an electrode terminal of the end cover assembly, and electric energy of the electrode assembly can be led out of the shell through the electrode terminal of the end cover assembly.

The inventor notices that in the existing battery cell, the insulating plate of the end cover assembly is provided with a groove towards one side of the end cover, so that the weight of the end cover assembly can be reduced, meanwhile, the containing space inside the battery cell can be increased, the space utilization rate of the battery cell can be improved, the tense liquid injection residual space inside the battery can be relieved, and the electrolyte utilization rate can be improved. However, it has been found through inspection that the electrolyte utilization rate cannot be improved by providing the grooves on the end cap assembly of the battery in the prior art, and further research by the present inventors has found that a closed chamber is formed between the grooves on the insulating member and the end cap, so that the electrolyte is difficult to enter the grooves, and then the electrolyte injected into the grooves after the assembly is almost closed, so that the electrolyte is difficult to flow into the interior of the case to contact and react with the electrode assembly, thereby resulting in a low electrolyte utilization rate.

In order to alleviate the problem of low electrolyte utilization rate, the applicant research finds that through communicating the grooves with the inside of the shell, the electrolyte can circulate in the grooves and the inside of the grooves, so that the electrolyte can fully contact and react with the electrode assembly, and the electrolyte utilization rate is improved.

Based on the above consideration, in order to solve the problem of low electrolyte utilization rate, the inventor has designed an end cover assembly for a battery cell through intensive studies, the end cover assembly comprising an end cover and an insulating member, the insulating member being disposed on one side of the end cover facing the inside of the battery cell, grooves being oppositely disposed at both ends of the insulating member along the length direction of the end cover, the grooves being concavely disposed from the surface of the insulating member facing the end cover toward a direction facing away from the end cover along the thickness direction of the end cover; the wall part of the groove comprises a communication groove, and the communication groove is used for communicating the groove with the inner cavity of the shell of the battery cell.

In such battery cell, through making the insulating part be provided with the recess along the both ends of the length direction of end cover relatively, utilize the recess can hold electrolyte, increase the capacity of the single battery cell's that the end cover subassembly used electrolyte, improve the inside space utilization of battery cell. Simultaneously, the setting of intercommunication groove for the recess can communicate with the inner chamber of battery monomer's casing, makes the inside circulation of electrolyte at recess and casing, avoids partial electrolyte to be sealed in the recess, improves the utilization ratio of electrolyte.

The technical scheme described by the embodiment of the application is suitable for battery monomers, batteries and power utilization devices using the batteries.

The electric device may be a vehicle, a mobile phone, a portable device, a notebook computer, a ship, a spacecraft, an electric toy, an electric tool, or the like. The vehicle can be a fuel oil vehicle, a fuel gas vehicle or a new energy vehicle, and the new energy vehicle can be a pure electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle or a range-extended vehicle; spacecraft including airplanes, rockets, space planes, spacecraft, and the like; the electric toy includes fixed or mobile electric toys, such as a game machine, an electric car toy, an electric ship toy, and an electric airplane toy; power tools include metal cutting power tools, grinding power tools, assembly power tools, and railroad power tools, such as electric drills, electric grinders, electric wrenches, electric screwdrivers, electric hammers, impact drills, concrete shakers, and electric planers, among others. The embodiment of the application does not limit the electric device in particular.

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

Referring to fig. 1, a battery 100 is disposed in the vehicle 1000, and the battery 100 may be disposed at the bottom or at the head or at the tail of the vehicle 1000. The battery 100 may be used for power supply of the vehicle 1000, for example, the battery 100 may be used as an operating power source of the vehicle 1000.

The vehicle 1000 may also include a controller 200 and a motor 300, the controller 200 being configured to control the battery 100 to power the motor 300, for example, for operating power requirements during start-up, navigation, and travel of the vehicle 1000.

In some embodiments, battery 100 may not only serve as an operating power source for vehicle 1000, but may also serve as a driving power source for vehicle 1000, instead of or in part instead of fuel oil or natural gas, to provide driving power for vehicle 1000.

Referring to fig. 2, the battery 100 includes a case 10 and a battery cell 20, and the battery cell 20 is accommodated in the case 10. The case 10 is used to provide a closed space for the battery cells 20, and the case 10 may have various shapes, such as a cylinder, a rectangular parallelepiped, etc. In fig. 2, the case 10 is illustratively a rectangular parallelepiped.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the case 10 may include a first portion 11 and a second portion 12, the first portion 11 and the second portion 12 being overlapped with each other to define a sealed space 13 for accommodating the battery cell 20. The first portion 11 may be a hollow structure with one side open, and the second portion 12 may be a hollow structure with one side open, and the opening side of the second portion 12 is covered on the opening side of the first portion 11, so that the case 10 having the sealed space 13 is formed.

In fig. 2, the second part 12 is located at the upper side of the first part 11, which second part 12 may also be called an upper tank, and which first part 11 may also be called a lower tank.

In the battery 100, the number of the battery cells 20 may be one or a plurality. If there are multiple battery cells 20, the multiple battery cells 20 may be connected in series or parallel or a series-parallel connection, where a series-parallel connection refers to that there are both series connection and parallel connection among the multiple battery cells 20. The plurality of battery cells 20 can be directly connected in series, in parallel or in series-parallel, and then the whole body formed by the plurality of battery cells 20 is accommodated in the box 10. Of course, a plurality of battery cells 20 may be connected in series or parallel or series-parallel to form a battery module, and then connected in series or parallel or series-parallel to form a whole and be accommodated in the case 10. The battery cell 20 may be in the shape of a cylinder, a flat body, a rectangular parallelepiped, or other shapes, etc.

In some embodiments, the plurality of battery cells 20 are first connected in series or parallel or series-parallel to form a battery module, and then the plurality of battery modules are connected in series or parallel or series-parallel to form a whole and are accommodated in the case 10.

In some embodiments, the battery 100 may further include a bus member through which electrical connection between the plurality of battery cells 20 may be achieved to enable serial or parallel connection or series-parallel connection of the plurality of battery cells 20. Taking two battery cells 20 connected in series as an example, the positive electrode terminal of one battery cell 20 and the negative electrode terminal of the other battery cell 20 are connected by a bus member to achieve the series connection of the two battery cells 20.

Referring to fig. 3, the battery cell 20 may include a case 21, an electrode assembly 22, an end cap assembly 23, and an insulating film 24, the case 21 having an opening 211, the electrode assembly 22 being received in the case 21, the end cap assembly 23 including a cap plate 231 and an electrode terminal 232, the cap plate 231 being disposed to cover the opening 211, the electrode terminal 232 being disposed to be electrically connected to the electrode assembly 22.

The material of the housing 21 may be various, such as copper, iron, aluminum, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc., which is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

The housing 21 may be of various shapes, such as a cylinder, a rectangular parallelepiped, or the like. The shape of the case 21 may be determined according to the specific shape of the electrode assembly 22. For example, if the electrode assembly 22 has a cylindrical structure, the case 21 may alternatively have a cylindrical structure; if the electrode assembly 22 has a rectangular parallelepiped structure, the case 21 may alternatively have a rectangular parallelepiped structure.

In fig. 3, the case 21 and the electrode assembly 22 are each of a rectangular parallelepiped structure, as an example.

The electrode assembly 22 may include a positive electrode sheet, a negative electrode sheet, and a separator. In some embodiments, the electrode assembly 22 may be a rolled structure formed by rolling a positive electrode sheet, a separator, and a negative electrode sheet. In still other embodiments, the electrode assembly 22 may also be a stacked structure formed by a stacked arrangement of a positive electrode sheet, a separator, and a negative electrode sheet.

In some embodiments, the electrode assembly 22 may further include a positive electrode tab (not shown) and a negative electrode tab (not shown), which may be a positive electrode collector without a positive electrode active material layer in the positive electrode sheet as the positive electrode tab, and may be a negative electrode collector without a negative electrode active material layer in the negative electrode sheet as the negative electrode tab.

In the embodiment of the present application, the cover plate 231 of the end cap assembly 23 is used to cover the opening 211 of the case 21 to form a closed space (not shown) for accommodating the battery cell 20. The enclosed space is also used to contain an electrolyte, such as an electrolyte solution. The electrode terminal 232 of the end cap assembly 23 is used as a component for outputting the electric power of the electrode assembly 22, and the electrode terminal 232 is electrically connected with the electrode assembly 22, i.e., the electrode terminal 232 is electrically connected with the tab of the electrode assembly 22, for example, the electrode terminal 232 is connected with the tab through a tab, so as to realize the electrical connection of the electrode terminal 232 and the tab.

The number of the openings 211 of the housing 21 may be one or two.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the opening 211 of the housing 21 is one, the end cover assembly 23 may also be one, and two electrode terminals 232 may be disposed in the end cover assembly 23, where the two electrode terminals 232 are respectively a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal, and the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are respectively used for electrically connecting with the positive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab of the electrode assembly 22. The battery cell 20 having such a structure may be a square battery cell 20.

In still other embodiments, the number of the openings 211 of the housing 21 is two, for example, two openings 211 are disposed on two opposite sides of the housing 21, and two end cap assemblies 23 may also be provided, where two end cap assemblies 23 respectively cover the two openings 211 of the housing 21. In this case, the electrode terminal 232 in one of the end cap assemblies 23 may be a positive electrode terminal for electrical connection with the positive tab of the electrode assembly 22; the electrode terminal 232 in the other end cap assembly 23 is a negative electrode terminal for electrical connection with the negative tab 222 of the electrode assembly 22. The battery cell 20 having such a structure may be a cylindrical battery cell 20.

An insulating film 24 is provided around the electrode assembly 22, the shape of the insulating film 24 can be matched with the shape of the case 21 and is located in the inner cavity of the case 21, and the insulating film 24 is used to insulate the electrode assembly 22 from the case 21.

As shown in fig. 4 and fig. 5, the end cover assembly 23 provided by the application is used for a battery cell 20, the end cover assembly 23 comprises an end cover 231 and an insulating member 233, the insulating member 233 is arranged on one side of the end cover 231 facing the interior of the battery cell 20, grooves 2331 are oppositely arranged at two ends of the insulating member 233 along the length direction X of the end cover 231, and the grooves 2331 are concavely arranged from the surface of the insulating member 233 facing the end cover 231 towards the direction away from the end cover 231 along the thickness direction Z of the end cover 231; wherein, the wall portion 2333 of the groove 2331 includes a communication groove 2332, and the communication groove 2332 is used for communicating the groove 2331 with the inner cavity of the housing 21 of the battery cell 20.

Alternatively, the end cap 231 is a member that is covered on the opening of the case 21 to isolate the internal environment of the battery cell 20 from the external environment. The cap 231 defines a sealed space together with the case 21 for accommodating the electrode assembly 22, the electrolyte, and other components.

Alternatively, the shape of the end cap 231 may be adapted to the shape of the housing 21, for example, the housing 21 is a rectangular parallelepiped structure, the end cap 231 is a rectangular plate structure adapted to the housing 21, for example, the housing 21 is a cylindrical structure, and the end cap 231 is a circular plate structure adapted to the housing 21. The material of the end cap 231 may be various, for example, copper, iron, aluminum, steel, aluminum alloy, etc., and the material of the end cap 231 may be the same as or different from the material of the housing 21.

Alternatively, the end cap 231 may have a plate-like structure having a predetermined length, width, and thickness.

Optionally, an electrode terminal 232 may be provided on the end cap 231, and the electrode terminal 232 is used to be electrically connected with the electrode assembly 22 to output the electric power of the battery cell 20. The electrode terminal 232 may include a positive electrode terminal for electrically connecting with the positive electrode tab and a negative electrode terminal for electrically connecting with the negative electrode tab. The positive electrode terminal and the positive electrode tab may be directly connected or indirectly connected, and the negative electrode terminal and the negative electrode tab may be directly connected or indirectly connected.

Optionally, an insulator 233 is used to insulate the end cap 231 from the electrode assembly 22. The shape of the insulator 233 may match the shape of the end cap 231.

Alternatively, the shape of the grooves 2331 provided at both ends of the insulating member 233 in the length direction X of the cap 231 may be the same or different, and the orthographic projection of the grooves 2331 in the thickness direction Z of the cap 231 may be circular, elliptical or polygonal.

Alternatively, in the thickness direction Z of the end cap 231, the depth of the groove 2331 is smaller than the thickness of the insulating member 233.

Alternatively, the groove 2331 forms an opening toward one side of the end cap 231 in the thickness direction Z.

Alternatively, the groove 2331 may include a bottom wall 2331 and a side wall 2332, and the communicating groove 2332 may be provided on the bottom wall 2331, or may be provided on the side wall 2332, or may be provided on both the bottom wall 2331 and the side wall 2332.

Alternatively, the number of the communication grooves 2332 provided in the wall portion 2333 of the groove 2331 may be one, but of course, two or more communication grooves 2332 may be provided at intervals from each other when two or more communication grooves are provided.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the grooves 2331 are oppositely arranged at the two ends of the insulating piece 233 along the length direction X of the end cover 231, electrolyte can be contained by the grooves 2331, the capacity of the electrolyte of the battery cell 20 applied by the end cover assembly 23 is increased, and the space utilization rate inside the battery cell 20 is improved. Meanwhile, the communicating groove 2332 is arranged, so that the groove 2331 can be communicated with the inner cavity of the shell 21 of the battery cell 20, electrolyte can circulate in the groove 2331 and the shell 21, partial electrolyte is prevented from being sealed in the groove 2331, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte is improved.

In some embodiments, the number of communication grooves 2332 is two or more, and the two or more communication grooves 2332 are disposed at intervals from each other.

Alternatively, the number of the communication grooves 2332 provided on the side wall 2332 of each groove 2331 may be made two or more, or the number of the communication grooves 2332 provided on the bottom wall 2331 of each groove 2331 may be made two or more.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the number of the communicating grooves 2332 is more than two, so that the grooves 2331 are beneficial to multi-channel communication with the inside of the shell 21, and the electrolyte is ensured to flow in the inside of the shell 21 and the grooves 2331.

In some embodiments, the wall 2333 includes a bottom wall 2331 and a side wall 2332, with the communication channel 2332 being provided in the side wall 2332.

Alternatively, a portion of the wall portion 2333 facing the end cap 231 in the thickness direction Z is a bottom wall 2331, a portion of the wall portion 2333 disposed around the bottom wall 2331 is a side wall 2332, and the communication groove 2332 is provided to the side wall 2332.

Alternatively, the communication groove 2332 may be recessed in the thickness direction Z from the side wall 2332 toward one end of the cap 231 in the thickness direction Z.

Alternatively, the communication groove 2332 may penetrate the side wall 2332 in the longitudinal direction X of the cap 231, or may penetrate the side wall 2332 in the width direction Y of the cap 231.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the communicating groove 2332 is arranged on the side wall 2332, so that the communicating requirements of the groove 2331 and the inside of the shell 21 can be ensured, meanwhile, one side of the insulating piece 233, which faces the electrode assembly 22, is used for abutting against the main body part of the electrode assembly 22, and the communicating groove 2332 is arranged on the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331, so that the contact area between the bottom wall 2331 and the electrode assembly 22 can be increased, and the insulating arrangement requirements between the end cover 231 and the main body part of the electrode assembly 22 are ensured.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the number of communication slots 2332 are disposed through the side walls 2332 of the recess 2331 along the length direction X of the end cap 231.

Alternatively, the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331 includes a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall, the first wall and the second wall being disposed opposite to each other in the width direction Y of the end cap 231, the third wall extending in the width direction Y of the end cap 231 and being connected between the first wall and the second wall. At least a portion of the number of communication slots 2332 may extend through the third wall of side wall 2332 along length direction X of end cap 231.

The end cap assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided by defining at least a partial number of communication grooves 2332 through the side walls 2332 of the groove 2331 along the length direction X of the end cap 231. So that the groove 2331 can be communicated with the inside of the shell 21 at one side of the length direction X of the end cover 231, thereby ensuring the circulation requirement of the electrolyte and improving the utilization rate of the electrolyte.

As shown in fig. 6, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the number of communication slots 2332 are disposed through the side walls 2332 of the recess 2331 in the width direction Y of the end cap 231.

Alternatively, at least a partial number of the communication grooves 2332 may penetrate one of the first wall and the second wall in the width direction Y of the end cap 231, and of course, a partial number of the communication grooves 2332 may be caused to penetrate the first wall and a partial number of the communication grooves 2332 may be caused to penetrate the second wall.

The end cap assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided by defining at least a part of the number of communication grooves 2332 penetrating the side walls 2332 of the groove 2331 in the width direction Y of the end cap 231. So that the groove 2331 can communicate with the inside of the housing 21 on at least one side in the width direction Y, the circulation requirement of the electrolyte can be ensured as well, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte can be improved.

It can be appreciated that, in the end cap assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the present application, the communication grooves 2332 may be only arranged to penetrate through the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331 along the length direction X of the end cap 231, or the communication grooves 2332 may be only arranged to penetrate through the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331 along the width direction Y of the end cap 231, and of course, a part of the communication grooves 2332 may be also arranged to penetrate through the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331 along the length direction X of the end cap 231, and a part of the communication grooves 2332 may be arranged to penetrate through the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331 along the width direction Y of the end cap 231.

In some embodiments, the groove 2331 further includes a connection portion 2337, the connection portion 2337 being for connection with the insulating film 24 of the battery cell 20.

Alternatively, after the sidewall 2332 of the groove 2331 is removed to form the communication groove 2332, the remaining portion of the sidewall 2332 may be understood as the connection portion 2337.

Alternatively, when the number of the communication grooves 2332 is plural, a portion of the side wall 2332 between adjacent two of the communication grooves 2332 may be understood as a connection portion 2337.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the groove 2331 comprises the connecting part 2337, and the connecting part 2337 can be connected with the insulating film 24, so that the connecting area between the insulating film 24 and the insulating piece 233 is increased, and the connecting strength between the insulating film and the insulating piece 233 is further ensured.

As an alternative implementation, the end cap assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the present application, the insulating member 233 further includes a reinforcing rib 2334, where the reinforcing rib 2334 is disposed in the groove 2331 and is connected with the wall 2333 of the groove 2331.

Alternatively, the rib 2334 may be connected to the bottom wall 2331 of the groove 2331, and the rib 2334 may be connected to both the bottom wall 2331 and the side wall 2332 of the groove 2331.

Alternatively, the reinforcing rib 2334 may be a plate-shaped structure.

Alternatively, the number of the reinforcing ribs 2334 may be one, or of course, two or more, and when two or more, the two or more reinforcing ribs 2334 may be disposed at intervals from each other.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the insulating piece 233 further comprises the reinforcing ribs 2334, and the reinforcing ribs 2334 are arranged in the grooves 2331 and connected with the wall parts 2333 of the grooves 2331, so that the strength of the insulating piece 233 at the positions where the grooves 2331 are arranged can be increased, and the performance requirements of the insulating piece 233 are ensured.

In some embodiments, the ribs 2334 divide the groove 2331 into two or more groove units 2331a, each groove unit 2331a being capable of communicating with the interior cavity of the housing 21 through at least one communication groove 2332.

Alternatively, the reinforcing ribs 2334 may be connected to both the side walls 2332 and the bottom wall 2331 of the groove 2331 to partition the groove 2331 into a plurality of groove units 2331a.

Alternatively, the number of the groove units 2331a may be two, three or more.

Alternatively, two or more groove units 2331a may be distributed in the width direction Y of the cap 231.

Alternatively, each of the groove units 2331a may communicate with the inner cavity of the housing 21 through one of the communication grooves 2332, and of course, each of the groove units 2331a may also communicate with the inner cavity of the housing 21 through two or more of the communication grooves 2332.

The end cover assembly 23 is provided in the embodiment of the application, the reinforcing ribs 2334 divide the grooves 2331 into more than two groove units 2331a, and each groove unit 2331a can be communicated with the inner cavity of the shell 21 through at least one communicating groove 2332, so that the reinforcing requirement of the insulating piece 233 at the position of the groove 2331 can be ensured, and meanwhile, the electrolyte can be prevented from being sealed in each groove unit 2331a, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte can be ensured.

In some embodiments, the number of the reinforcing ribs 2334 is two or more, and at least part of the two or more reinforcing ribs 2334 are spaced apart along the width direction Y of the end cap 231; wherein, along the length direction X of the end cap 231, the length of each of the reinforcing ribs 2334 is smaller than the groove width of the groove 2331.

Alternatively, two or more reinforcing ribs 2334 may be all distributed at intervals along the width direction Y of the end cap 231, which is an alternative embodiment, and in some embodiments, two or more reinforcing ribs 2334 may be partially distributed at intervals along the width direction Y and partially distributed at intervals along the length direction X of the end cap 231, as long as the reinforcing requirement can be ensured.

Alternatively, the length of each of the reinforcing ribs 2334 is smaller than the groove width of the groove 2331 along the length direction X of the end cap 231, so that the spaces between the adjacent two reinforcing ribs 2334 communicate.

Through the arrangement, the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application can strengthen the position of the insulating piece 233 where the groove 2331 is arranged through more than two reinforcing ribs 2334, so that the strength requirement is ensured, and meanwhile, the sealing of electrolyte can be effectively avoided, and the utilization rate of the electrolyte is improved.

In some embodiments, the stiffener 2334 is rectangular plate-shaped or delta-plate-shaped.

Alternatively, the reinforcing ribs 2334 may have a rectangular plate-like structure, however, in some embodiments, the reinforcing ribs 2334 may have a triangular plate-like structure, and when the number of the reinforcing ribs 2334 is more than two, the two or more reinforcing ribs 2334 may all have a rectangular plate-like structure, or may all have a triangular plate-like structure. In some examples, some of the reinforcing ribs 2334 may also be made rectangular plate-like in structure and some of the reinforcing ribs 2334 triangular plate-like in structure.

The end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application adopts the above-mentioned form, the reinforcing rib 2334 can meet the reinforcing requirement, and the processing and manufacturing of the insulating piece 233 are facilitated.

In some embodiments, the insulating member 233 includes an insulating body 233a and a limiting protrusion 233b, where the insulating body 233a is stacked on and connected to the end cap 231, and the limiting protrusion 233b protrudes from the insulating body 233a toward a side facing away from the end cap 231 along the thickness direction Z, and the groove 2331 penetrates the insulating body 233a and partially protrudes into the limiting protrusion 233b.

Alternatively, the orthographic projection area of the insulating protrusion may be larger than the orthographic projection area of the groove 2331 in the thickness direction Z.

Alternatively, the extension dimension of the limit projection 233b may be equal to the extension dimension of the end cap 231 in the width direction Y of the end cap 231.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the limiting protrusion 233b is arranged, so that the effect of improving the strength can be achieved at the position of the insulating piece 233 where the groove 2331 is arranged, meanwhile, the limiting protrusion 233b can be used for abutting against the main body part of the electrode assembly 22 to limit the main body part of the electrode assembly 22, and the space between the limiting protrusion 233b and the insulating body 233a can be used for accommodating structures such as a rotating sheet, so that the battery cells 20 are grouped.

In some embodiments, the grooves 2331 of the insulating member 233 on both sides in the length direction X of the end cap 231 are symmetrically distributed to each other.

Alternatively, the grooves 2331 on both sides may be symmetrically distributed in the length direction X of the end cap 231.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the grooves 2331 on two sides are symmetrically distributed, so that the stress balance of the insulating piece 233 can be ensured, and meanwhile, the processing and manufacturing of the insulating piece 233 are facilitated.

In some embodiments, one of the insulator 233 and the cap 231 is provided with a snap protrusion 2335 and the other is provided with a snap groove, the snap protrusion 2335 being matched to the shape of the snap groove and snap-connected.

Alternatively, a snap protrusion 2335 may be provided on the insulator 233 and a snap groove may be provided on the end cap 231. Of course, a slot may be provided in the insulator 233, and a locking protrusion 2335 may be provided in the cap 231.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, one of the insulating piece 233 and the end cover 231 is provided with the clamping protrusion 2335, and the other is provided with the clamping groove, so that the clamping matching of the insulating piece 233 and the end cover 231 is facilitated, and the positioning connection requirement of the insulating piece 233 and the end cover 231 is ensured.

In some embodiments, the end cap assembly 23 provided in the embodiments of the present application has a pressure relief structure 231a disposed on the end cap 231, and an exhaust hole 2336 penetrating along the thickness direction Z disposed on the insulating member 233, and an orthographic projection of the pressure relief structure 231a covers at least a portion of the exhaust hole 2336 along the thickness direction Z.

Alternatively, the relief structure 231a may be a relief valve, and may be a weakened area such as a score provided on the end cap 231.

According to the end cover assembly 23 provided by the embodiment of the application, the pressure release structure 231a is arranged on the end cover 231, the exhaust hole 2336 penetrating along the thickness direction Z is arranged on the insulating piece 233, and at least part of the exhaust hole 2336 is covered by the orthographic projection of the pressure release structure 231a along the thickness direction Z, so that the exhaust of gas generated in the battery unit 20 is facilitated, and the safety performance of the battery unit 20 is ensured.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the present application also provides a battery cell 20, including a case 21, an electrode assembly 22, an electrolyte, and the end cap assembly 23 described above. The case 21 has an opening, and the electrode assembly 22 is disposed in the case 21. The electrolyte is filled in the case 21. The end cap assembly 23 is provided with a closed opening, and a communication groove 2332 is used for communicating the groove 2331 with the inner cavity of the shell 21.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the present application also provides a battery, including the battery cell 20 according to any one of the above aspects.

According to some embodiments of the application, there is also provided an electrical device comprising a battery as described in any of the above aspects, and the battery is used to provide electrical energy to the electrical device.

The powered device may be any of the aforementioned devices or systems employing batteries.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and not for limiting the same; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the application, and are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims and description. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the respective embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but encompasses all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

An end cap assembly for a battery cell, the end cap assembly comprising:

An end cap;

The insulation piece is arranged on one side of the end cover facing the inside of the battery cell, grooves are formed in the two ends of the insulation piece oppositely along the length direction of the end cover, and the grooves are concavely formed from the surface of the insulation piece facing the end cover to the direction deviating from the end cover along the thickness direction of the end cover;

The wall part of the groove comprises a communication groove, and the communication groove is used for communicating the groove with the inner cavity of the shell of the battery cell.
The end cap assembly of claim 1, wherein the number of communication slots is two or more, the two or more communication slots being spaced apart from one another.
The end cap assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall portion includes a bottom wall and a side wall, the communication slot being provided in the side wall.
The end cap assembly of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of communication slots are disposed through the side walls of the recess along the length of the end cap.
The end cap assembly of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of communication slots are disposed through the side walls of the recess in a width direction of the end cap.
The end cap assembly of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the recess further comprises a connection portion for connection with an insulating film of the battery cell.
The end cap assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the insulator further comprises a stiffener disposed in the recess and connected to a wall of the recess.
The end cap assembly of claim 7, wherein the ribs divide the groove into two or more groove units, each of the groove units being communicable with the inner cavity of the housing through at least one of the communication grooves.
The end cap assembly of claim 7, wherein the number of ribs is two or more, at least some of the ribs being spaced apart along the width of the end cap;

and the length of each reinforcing rib is smaller than the groove width of the groove along the length direction of the end cover.
The end cap assembly of claim 7, wherein the stiffener is rectangular plate-like or delta-plate-like.
The end cap assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the insulating member includes an insulating body and a limiting projection, the insulating body and the end cap are stacked and connected, the limiting projection projects from the insulating body toward a side facing away from the end cap in the thickness direction, and the recess extends through the insulating body and partially into the limiting projection.
The end cap assembly of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the grooves of the insulating member on both sides of the end cap in the length direction are symmetrically distributed with each other.
The end cap assembly of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein one of the insulator and the end cap is provided with a snap projection and the other is provided with a snap groove, the snap projection being shaped to mate with and snap-connect with the snap groove.
The end cap assembly of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a pressure relief structure is provided on the end cap, and the insulator is provided with vent holes extending therethrough in the thickness direction, and wherein an orthographic projection of the pressure relief structure covers at least a portion of the vent holes in the thickness direction.
A battery cell, comprising:

A housing having an opening;

an electrode assembly disposed within the housing;

Electrolyte filled in the shell;

The end cap assembly of any one of claims 1 to 14, said end cap assembly closing said opening, said communication slot for communicating said recess with an interior cavity of said housing.
A battery comprising a case and a plurality of the battery cells of claim 15, the battery cells being housed within the case.
An electrical device, comprising: the battery cell of claim 15, wherein the battery cell is configured to provide electrical energy.