DE202021106998U1 - Battery module for vehicles and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

Battery module (100) for vehicles, characterized in that it comprises:
a housing (10);
Battery cells (20) provided in a number greater than 1 and each arranged in the housing (10), an explosion-proof valve being arranged on the upper surface of each battery cell (20);
an insulating screen (30), wherein the insulating screen (30) and the housing (10) are separated from each other up and down to define an exhaust port, and wherein a side surface of the insulating screen (30) has an exhaust port (31) connected to the exhaust port having;
a protective curtain (40) arranged on a side face of the insulating screen (30) to cover the exhaust port (31) and to open the exhaust port (31) when it discharges the gas and fire flow.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present application relates to the technical field of vehicles, in particular to a battery module for vehicles and a vehicle.

STATE OF THE ART

Among the related technologies, in recent years China has developed new energy vehicles based on pure electric vehicles to achieve energy saving and emission reduction, and electric vehicles have become important modes of transportation today. The safety issues of battery packs for electric vehicles have become more and more pronounced.
From 2019 to September 2020, there were more than 100 cases of EV fire accidents caused by battery pack thermal runaway. In 2020, China issued the mandatory inspection standard GB 38031-2020 "Safety Requirements for Power Batteries for Electric Vehicles". The standard clearly requires that the battery pack should provide an alarm or protection 5 minutes before thermal diffusion caused by the thermal runaway of a single battery module or battery cell and the resulting hazard to the passenger compartment, so it is necessary to provide a battery pack or battery module which can reduce propagation speed of thermal runaway.

CONTENTS OF THIS APPLICATION

The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems of the prior art. For this reason, an object of the present application is to provide a battery module, wherein the battery module has better safety in use and can effectively reduce the propagation speed of the thermal runaway of the battery cells.

The present application further provides a vehicle using the battery module.

A battery module for vehicles in an embodiment according to a first aspect of the present application includes: a case; Battery cells provided in a number greater than 1 and each arranged in the housing, and wherein an explosion-proof valve is arranged on the top surface of each battery cell; an insulating screen, the insulating screen and the housing being separated from each other up and down to define an exhaust port, a side surface of the insulating screen having an exhaust port connected to the exhaust port; a protective curtain arranged on a side face of the insulating screen to cover the exhaust port and open the exhaust port when it discharges the gas and fire flow.

In the battery module in an embodiment of the present application, a fire screen and a protective curtain are arranged, on the one hand, the battery cell in the battery module can be separated from the outside environment by the fire screen and the protective curtain to improve the operational stability of the battery module; On the other hand, if the battery cell in the battery module has thermal runaway, it can both avoid the gas and fire current emitted from the battery cell from affecting the adjacent components (such as battery box), and also avoid the gas and fire current when a battery module has a thermal runaway, acts directly on another battery module that is located close to the battery module to reduce the propagation speed of the thermal runaway between the battery modules, so that the occupants have enough time to escape, at the same time, the gas and high-temperature, high-pressure fire current dissipated in time to avoid the battery module generating open flame or explosion, thus improving the safety of use of the battery module.

In some exemplary embodiments of the present application, the housing has an end plate, and the outlet opening is formed on a side surface of the insulating shield opposite to the end plate.

In some embodiments, the insulating screen comprises an inner insulating layer and an outer insulating layer covering the inner insulating layer, the upper edge of the protective curtain being clamped between the inner insulating layer and the outer insulating layer, and the lower edge of the protective curtain being buckled to the end plate. Preferably, the inner insulating layer is a member of flame retardant material and the outer insulating layer is a thermally conductive metal member.

Preferably, the buckle has a clamping column and a fastening projection, the fastening projection being suitable for pushing the protective curtain, and the clamping column being clamped and fastened to the end plate.

In some embodiments, an avoidance hole used to avoid a connector disposed on the end plate is further provided on a side surface of the protective screen used for fixing the protective curtain.

In some embodiments of the present application, the battery module further includes a partition plate disposed above the housing, and a portion of the partition plate directly opposite to the explosion-proof valve is formed as a weakened portion suitable for gas discharged through the explosion-proof valve - and fire current to be opened urgently in order to discharge the gas and fire current from the battery cells.

The outlet channel is preferably defined between the partition plate and the insulating screen. In some embodiments, the housing includes a side panel, an end panel, and a top panel, wherein the top panel is located between the separator panel and the battery cell, and the separator panel is disposed abutting the top panel.

A vehicle in an embodiment according to a second aspect of the present application includes the battery module in the above embodiments. The additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be set forth in part in the following description, and some will be apparent from the following description or will be understood through practice of the present application.

character list

• 1 zeigt ein schematisches Diagramm eines Batteriemoduls in einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Anmeldung.
• 2 zeigt ein anderes schematisches Diagramm eines Batteriemoduls in einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Anmeldung.
• 3 zeigt eine schematische Querschnittsansicht entlang der Linie A-A gemäß 2.
• 4 zeigt ein vergrößertes schematisches Diagramm des Bereichs B gemäß 3.
• 5 zeigt ein schematisches Diagramm eines Batteriemoduls in einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Anmeldung (Isolierschirm nicht dargestellt).
• 6 zeigt ein schematisches Diagramm einer Schnalle des Batteriemoduls in einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Anmeldung.
• 7 zeigt ein schematisches Diagramm des Zusammenwirkens zwischen einem Isolierschirm, einem Schutzvorhang und einer Schnalle des Batteriemoduls in einem Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Anmeldung.

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings.

• 1 12 shows a schematic diagram of a battery module in an embodiment of the present application.
• 2 FIG. 12 shows another schematic diagram of a battery module in an embodiment of the present application.
• 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the line AA according to FIG 2 .
• 4 FIG. 12 shows an enlarged schematic diagram of area B according to FIG 3 .
• 5 FIG. 12 shows a schematic diagram of a battery module in an embodiment of the present application (insulating shield not shown).
• 6 12 shows a schematic diagram of a buckle of the battery module in an embodiment of the present application.
• 7 12 shows a schematic diagram of the interaction between an insulating screen, a protective curtain and a buckle of the battery module in an embodiment of the present application.

Reference List

100

battery module

10

housing

11

endplate

12

connector element

20

battery cell

30

insulating screen

31

exhaust port

32

avoidance hole

40

protective curtain

50

buckle

51

clamping column

52

mounting boss

60

partition plate

61

weakened area

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiment of the present application is explained in more detail below. All examples of the embodiment are illustrated in figures, in which the same or similar reference numbers from start to finish stand for the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar function. The embodiments explained in connection with the figures are exemplary, serve to explain the present application and cannot be understood as a limitation for the present application.

In connection with 1 until 7 a battery module 100 and a vehicle in an exemplary embodiment of the present application are explained in more detail below. As in 1 and 2 Illustrated, a battery module 100 for vehicles in an embodiment according to a first aspect of the present application includes: a case 10; a battery cell 20 and an insulating screen 30 and a protective curtain 40.

The battery cells 20 are provided in a number of more than 1 and each arranged in the housing 10, wherein at the top surface of each battery cell 20 is arranged an explosion-proof valve; and wherein the insulating screen 30 and the housing 10 are partitioned from each other up and down to define an exhaust port, and a side surface of the insulating screen 30 has an exhaust port 31 connected to the exhaust port; and the protective curtain 40 is arranged on a side face of the insulating screen 30 to cover the exhaust port 31 and open the exhaust port 31 when exhausting the gas and fire flow (see 7 ).

In particular, the housing 10 defines an accommodation space, wherein the battery cells 20 are arranged in an array one after the other in the housing 10 (see FIG 3 ), and the insulating screen 30 is placed covering outside of the case 10, the insulating screen 30 and the case 10 being partitioned from each other up and down to define an exhaust passage when a specific battery cell 20 in the battery module 100 has a thermal runaway , the gas and fire flow generated by the battery cell 20 urgingly opens the top plate of the case 10, then the gas and fire flow is discharged out of the battery module 100 through the discharge port 31 under the guidance of the exhaust duct to discharge the gas and fire flow at high pressure and dissipate high temperature from the battery module 100, thus avoiding the expansion of the battery module 100 and major damage.

Furthermore, a protective curtain 40 is arranged at the exhaust port 31, and the protective curtain 40 constantly closes the exhaust port 31 to prevent the foreign matter from entering the inside of the battery module 100, thereby improving the operation stability, further it can be avoided that a other adjacent battery module 100 with thermal runaway affects the battery module 100 on which the protective curtain 40 is located, at the same time, the protective curtain 40 is opened under the action of the pressure of the gas and fire flow when battery module 100 has a thermal runaway, so that the gas and fire current can be discharged from the battery module 100 in a timely manner.

In the battery module 100 in an embodiment of the present application, a fire screen and a protective curtain 40 are arranged, on the one hand, the battery cell 20 in the battery module 100 can be separated from the outside environment by the fire screen and the protective curtain 40 to improve the operational stability of the battery module; On the other hand, if the battery cell 20 in the battery module 100 has a thermal runaway, it can both avoid the gas and fire flow discharged from the battery cell 20 from affecting the adjacent components (such as battery box) and avoid the gas and fire flow, when a battery module 100 has a thermal runaway, acts immediately on another battery module 100, which is arranged close to the battery module 100, to reduce the propagation speed of the thermal runaway between the battery modules 100, so that the occupants have enough time to escape, at the same time, the gas and fire flow with high temperature and high pressure is discharged in time to avoid the battery module 100 generating open flame or explosion, in this way the safety of use of the battery module 100 is improved.

As in 3 and 4 shown, in some exemplary embodiments of the present application, the housing 10 has an end plate 11, the outlet opening 31 being formed on a side surface of the insulating screen 30 opposite to the end plate 11, namely the protective curtain 40 is on a side surface of the insulating screen 30 opposite to the end plate 11 30 formed.

In other words, the outlet port 31 is formed on a side surface of the insulating shield 30 opposite to the end plate 11, and the protective curtain 40 is arranged outside the outlet port 31 to effectively block the outlet port 31 to prevent the foreign matter from entering the battery module 100 or another battery module 100 in the environment has a thermal runaway and the gas and fire flow generated thereby affects the battery module 100, at the same time, the exhaust port 31 and the protective curtain 40 are arranged on the side of the battery module 100 to prevent the gas and fire flow after the thermal runaway of the battery module 100 quickly and nearby, moreover, the gas and fire flow is prevented from entering other battery modules 100 in the battery pack. Under the external force, the protective curtain 40 of an adjacent battery module 100 covers the exhaust port 31 more tightly to prevent the flow of gas and fire from entering the inside of the battery module 100, thus preventing the spread of the thermal runaway.

As in 7 shown, in some exemplary embodiments the insulating screen 30 comprises an inner insulating layer and an outer insulating layer arranged covering outside of the inner insulating layer, with the upper edge of the protective curtain 40 being clamped between the inner insulating layer and the outer insulating layer, and with the lower edge of the protective curtain 40 is fastened to the end plate 11 via a buckle 50 .

Here, the upper edge of the protective curtain 40 is fixed (namely clamped) between the inner insulation layer and the outer insulation layer by gluing and other fastening methods, and the lower edge is clamped and fixed to the end plate 11 via a buckle 50 to ensure that when the inside of the battery module 100 has a certain pressure, the protective curtain 40 can ricochet under the action of the pressure in order to realize timely depressurization and discharge of the gas and fire flow.

Specifically, the protective curtain 40 is made of heat-insulating flame-retardant materials, and the protective curtain 40 can be constructed as a plate-shaped member having a certain rigidity, with one side of the protective curtain being rotatably mated with the fire protection screen, so that the other side of the protective curtain 40 can be fitted to the outlet opening 31 or away from it, and the protective curtain 40 can also be constructed as a flexible element, with one side of the protective curtain being attached to the fire screen and the other side being attached to the end plate 11 via a buckle 50 .

With the above two structural forms, insulation protection of the protective curtain 40 for the battery module 100 can be realized, and the exhaust port 31 can be opened when the pressure relief is needed to ensure that when a thermal runaway occurs in the battery module 100, the gas and fire flow with High temperature and high pressure can be discharged in time, in this way the safety of use of the battery module 100 is improved.

It should be noted that the inner insulation layer is a flame retardant material element (such as aramid material), and the outer insulation layer is a thermally conductive metal element (such as aluminum structural part and copper structural part with good thermal conductivity). In this way, the inner insulating layer prevents the insulating shield 30 from burning or fusing to improve the insulating effect of the insulating shield 30, the outer insulating layer strengthens the structure of the insulating shield 30 to improve the supporting effect of the insulating shield 30, at the same time the Heat dissipation of the battery module 100 can be improved.

In a specific embodiment according to 6 the buckle 50 has a clamping column 51 and a fastening projection 52, the fastening projection 52 being suitable for sliding the protective curtain 40, and the clamping column 51 being clamped and fixed with the end plate 11.

Specifically, a mounting hole is provided on the end plate 11, one end of the clamp post 51 protrudes into the mounting hole and forms an interference fit with the mounting hole, and a mounting boss 52 is disposed at the other end of the clamp post 51, and the diameter of the mounting boss 52 is greater than that of the mounting post, and the surface of a side of the mounting projection 52 facing the clamp post 51 pushes the protective curtain 40 so that the protective curtain 40 can stably cover the exhaust port 31 to improve the covering effect.

As in 2 1, in some embodiments, on a side surface of the protective screen used for fixing the protective curtain 40, an avoiding hole 32 used to avoid a connector 12 arranged on the end plate 11 is further provided. In this way, interference between a component electrically connected to the battery module 100 and the insulating shield 30 is avoided, so that electrical connection between the battery module 100 and the surrounding component becomes easier and more convenient.

In some exemplary embodiments of the present application, the battery module 100 further comprises a partition plate 60 which is arranged above the housing 10, with a region of the partition plate 60 lying directly opposite to the explosion-proof valve being formed as a weakened region 61 which is suitable for the through the gas and fire flow ejected from the explosion-proof valve to be opened urgently to discharge the gas and fire flow from the battery cells 20 . In particular, a partition plate 60 is arranged above the housing 10, with an exhaust passage being defined between the partition plate 60 and the insulating shield 30, when one or more battery cells 20 in the battery module 100 have a thermal runaway, the explosion-proof valve on the battery cell 20 is opened, and the gas and fire flow generated in the battery cell 20 is expelled and first urgingly opens the case 10, then acts on the weakened area 61 and urgingly opens the weakened area 61, so that the gas and fire flow enters the exhaust passage and through the Outlet opening 31 is discharged from the battery module 100.

In this way, a partition plate 60 is arranged, on which a weakened area 61 corresponding to the explosion-proof valve is arranged, on the one hand, the thermal runaway battery cell 20 can discharge the gas and fire flow in time to prevent the further expansion of the thermal runaway battery cell 20 and the avoid damage to the battery module 100 caused thereby; on the other hand, it can avoid the return of the gas and fire flow discharged from the battery module 100 from affecting the other battery cells 20 (affected by the thermal diffusion), to reduce the propagation speed of the thermal runaway between multiple battery cells 20, a rapid pressure increase in the To avoid battery module 100 and to avoid ignition or explosion of the battery module 100, thereby the safety of the battery module 100 is improved.

In some embodiments, the housing 10 includes a side panel, an end panel 11, and a top panel, with the top panel being between the separator panel 60 and the battery cell 20, and with the separator panel 60 being positioned abutting the top panel.

In particular, the side plate 11, the end plate 11 and the top plate define a receiving space, the battery cell 20 is placed in the receiving space, and the top plate is placed abutting the partition plate 60 to ensure that in the event of a thermal runaway occurrence in the battery cell 20 the gas and fire flow generated can act on the weakened area 61 immediately after forcibly opening the casing 10, and a gap between the partition plate 60 and the casing 10 is avoided, which avoids the gas and fire flow during the discharge process via the Gap acts on the other battery cells 20 to improve the structural rationality of the battery module 100, effectively reduce the propagation speed of the thermal runaway of the battery cell 20, and improve the safety of the battery module 100 in use.

It is understood that the lower the propagation speed, the more sufficient the escape time for the occupants and the rescue time for the rescuers after the thermal runaway of the battery cell 20 is.

In some embodiments, the contour shape of the weakened area 61 matches the contour shape of the explosion-proof valve. In this way, during the gas and fire flow discharge process, it can be ensured that the area of the open hole formed after the forcible opening of the weakened portion 61 matches the cross-sectional area of the explosion-proof valve to improve the gas and fire flow discharge efficiency. at the same time, it can be avoided that a gap is generated between the weakened portion 61 and the top plate of the case 10 after the weakened portion 61 is forcibly opened, to further enhance the insulation protection effect of the partition plate 60 for the battery cells 20 .

A vehicle in an embodiment according to a second aspect of the present application includes the battery module 100 in the above embodiments.

The vehicle in an embodiment of the present application uses the battery module 100 in the above embodiments to reduce the propagation speed of thermal runaway and prevent the thermal runaway of the battery module 100 from being depressurized in time, so the Vehicle safety improved.

Claims (10)

Battery module (100) for vehicles, characterized in that it comprises: a housing (10); Battery cells (20) provided in a number greater than 1 and each arranged in the housing (10), an explosion-proof valve being arranged on the upper surface of each battery cell (20); an insulating screen (30), wherein the insulating screen (30) and the housing (10) are separated from each other up and down to define an exhaust port, and wherein a side surface of the insulating screen (30) has an exhaust port (31) connected to the exhaust port having; a protective curtain (40) arranged on a side face of the insulating screen (30) to cover the exhaust port (31) and to open the exhaust port (31) when it discharges the gas and fire flow. Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 1 , characterized in that the housing (10) has an end plate (11), wherein the outlet opening (31) is formed on a side surface of the insulating screen (30) opposite to the end plate (11). Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 2 , characterized in that the insulating screen (30) has an inner insulating layer and outside of the inner insulating layer covering arranged outer insulating layer, wherein the The upper edge of the protective curtain (40) is clamped between the inner insulating layer and the outer insulating layer, and the lower edge of the protective curtain (40) is fastened to the end plate (11) by a buckle (50). Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 3 , characterized in that the buckle (50) has a clamping column (51) and a fastening projection (52), the fastening projection (52) being suitable for sliding the protective curtain (40), and the clamping column (51) having the End plate (11) is clamped and fixed. Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 3 , characterized in that the inner insulating layer is a member of flame retardant material and the outer insulating layer is a thermally conductive metal member. Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 2 , characterized in that on a side surface of the protective screen used for fixing the protective curtain (40) is further provided an avoiding hole (32) used to avoid a connector (12) arranged on the end plate (11). . Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 1 , characterized in that it further comprises a partition plate (60) arranged above the housing (10), wherein a portion of the partition plate (60) directly opposite to the explosion-proof valve is formed as a weakened portion (61) extending thereto suitable to be urgently opened by the gas and fire flow ejected through the explosion-proof valve to discharge the gas and fire flow from the battery cells (20). Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 7 , characterized in that the outlet channel is defined between the partition plate (60) and the insulating screen (30). Battery module (100) for vehicles after claim 7 , characterized in that the housing (10) comprises a side plate, an end plate (11) and a top plate, wherein the top plate is between the partition plate (60) and the battery cell (20), and wherein the partition plate (60) positioned adjacent to the top plate. Vehicle, characterized in that there is a battery module (100) according to one of Claims 1 until 9 includes.

Images