Cell Holder for at Least One Battery Cell and Cell Module

Abstract

A cell holder for a battery cell includes an intake in which the battery cell is receivable. The cell holder is stackable with additional cell holders in a module frame in which a battery that has a plurality of battery cells is receivable. The cell holder is guidable in the module frame relative to the module frame by a guiding device.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A cell holder (10) for a battery cell (12), comprising: an intake (22) in which the battery cell (12) is receivable; wherein the cell holder is stackable with additional cell holders (10) in a module frame in which a battery comprising a plurality of battery cells (12) is receivable; and a guiding device (26), wherein the cell holder (10) is guidable in the module frame relative to the module frame by the guiding device (26).

12. The cell holder (10) according to claim 11, further comprising a bending edge (30) on which a cell tab (32) of a received battery cell (12) in the intake (22) is bendable.

13. The cell holder (10) according to claim 12, wherein a metal insert (34) is disposed on the bending edge (30), wherein the cell tab (32) can abut on the metal insert (34), and wherein the cell tab (32) is connectable to the cell holder (10) by the metal insert (34).

14. The cell holder (10) according to claim 11, wherein the guiding device (26) is a dovetail guide.

15. The cell holder (10) according to claim 11, further comprising a metal component with a wall, wherein the wall delimits the intake (22) and wherein a received battery cell (12) in the intake (22) abuts the metal component.

16. The cell holder (10) according to claim 11, further comprising a heating element disposed on a wall that delimits the intake (22), wherein a received battery cell (12) in the intake (22) abuts the heating element.

17. A cell module, comprising: a module frame, wherein the module frame has a guide intake; and at least two cell holders (10) according to claim 11 that are held on the module frame stacked on top of one another in a stacking direction (24); wherein the at least two cell holders (10) are guidable along the stacking direction in the guide intake relative to the module frame by the respective guiding devices (26) of the at least two cell holders (10).

18. The cell module according to claim 17, further comprising a metal component (36) that abuts on a first side of a back wall (14) of a first cell holder (10) of the at least two cell holders (10), wherein a battery cell (12) received in a second cell holder (10) of the at least two cell holders (10) abuts on a second side of the back wall (14) opposite the first side.

19. The cell holder according to claim 17, further comprising a cooling device that abuts on the at least two cell holders (10), wherein heat is gatherable from the at least two cell holders (10) by the cooling device.

20. The cell module according to claim 19, further comprising a metal component (36), wherein the metal component (36) is disposed on a base wall (16) of one of the at least two cell holders (10) that faces the cooling device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a cell holder for at least one battery cell that can be stacked with further cell holders and can be connected to a cell module; and

[0017] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of several stacked cell holders, in each of which at least one battery cell is received, wherein the stacked cell holders can be received in a module frame as a cell block, the module frame and cell block forming a cell module together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In FIG. 1, a cell holder 10 by means of which at least one battery cell 12 can be received is shown. The cell holder 10 thus provides a cell envelope for at least one battery cell 12, and is equipped to fix the at least one battery cell 12. The cell holder 10 is here formed from a polymer, and can thus also be described as a polymer cell case. The cell holder 10 is here produced in an injection moulding procedure, such that the cell holder 10 is an injection moulding part. The cell holder 10 has a back wall 14, a base wall 16, a ceiling wall 18 and two side walls 20 that together delimit an intake 22. The base wall 16 and the ceiling wall 18 delimit the intake 22 on respective opposite sides. The side walls 20 further delimit the intake 22 on respective opposite sides. The intake 22 is formed open on a side opposite the back wall 14. The at least one battery cell 12 can be received in the intake 22, wherein the at least one battery cell 12 is stabilized via the walls 14, 16, 18, 20 and protected from damage.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, several cell holders 10 can be stacked on top of one another in a stacking direction 24 in order to provide a cell module. At least one battery cell 12 can be received in each cell holder 10. The respective intake 22 of a first cell holder 10 can be limited by stacking the cell holder 10 in the stacking direction 24 on the side, opposite the first back wall 14 of the first cell holder 10, of a second back wall 14 of a second cell holder 10 which is stacked on top of the first cell holder 10 in the stacking direction 24. A battery cell 12 received in a first intake 22 in the first cell holder 10 can thus be particularly advantageously enclosed by the first cell holder 10 and the second cell holder 10 in the stacked state of the cell holders 10. In addition to the several cell holders 10, the cell module comprises a module frame (not shown in the figures) on which the cell holders 10 are held, in order to be able to keep the cell holders stacked on top of one another. The module frame is in particular formed of a metal. The cell holder 10 takes over a guiding task for the battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 relative to the module frame. The several cell holders 10 can be connected to the cell module with the module frame, wherein several cell modules can be connected to a battery in turn. For this purpose, the several battery cells 12 can be interconnected with one another in the cell module, and the several cell modules can be interconnected with one another in turn.

[0020] The battery cells 12 that can be received in the cell holders 10 are here lithium-ion battery cells. An electrochemically active electrode material located inside the battery cells 12 changes its thickness via its charging state and its lifespan. A typical value for a thickness growth when charging the battery cell 12 with lithium metal anodes is approximately 15% during a charging from a charging state of 0% to 100%. A typical value for a thickness growth when the battery cells 12 age via solid-state cell chemistry or conventional lithium-ion cell chemistry is approximately 5% over its entire lifespan. A thickness change of approximately 20% in total of the battery cell 12 thus needs to be compensated for, for example.

[0021] Elastic spring elements such as foam mats or coil springs are arranged in and/or between the battery cells 12 in the state of the art for a compensation of a thickness change of the battery cells 12 of this kind. An inherent increase of a pressing force in the case of battery cells 12 expanding due to a spring characteristic curve of the spring elements is here disadvantageous, such that the battery cell 12 or the entire cell module are subject to particularly high axial forces in the direction of the thickness change.

[0022] Each cell holder 10 has a guiding device 26 in order to enable a thickness change of battery cells 12 received via cell holders 10, and to be able to keep a force on the battery cells 12 and/or the entire cell module in the stacking direction 24 particularly low. The cell holders 10 are held on the module frame moveably in the stacking direction 24 relative to the module frame by means of the guiding device 26. The guiding devices 26 of the cell holders 10 additionally enable a movement of the cell holders 10 relative to each other in the stacking direction 24, whereby a thickness change of the battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 is enabled via the respective open side of the intake 22 opposite the back wall 14 of the respective cell holder 10. The respective guiding devices 26 here each comprise two guiding elements 28 arranged on every side wall 20 of the cell holder 10. The respective guiding elements 28 arranged on a side surface 20 provide a dovetail shape together that enables a dovetail guide of the guiding device 26 in a guide intake of the module frame. This dovetail guide means that the guiding device 26 does not jam in the guide intake of the module frame when a heat expansion occurs, but opens before jamming in the event of the heat expansion, and thus the guiding devices 26 are released from the guide intake.

[0023] As a result of the receipt of the battery cells 12 in the respective cell holders 10, the battery cells 12 experience a contacted movement relative only to the cell holder 10 during their volume change, for example following a charging or discharging. A pouch foil enclosing the electrochemically active electrode material can thus be protected from damage.

[0024] Each cell holder 10 has at least one bending edge 30, around which at least one cell tab 32 of the battery cell 12 arranged in the intake 22 can be bent, in order to be able to interconnect the respective battery cells 12 to each other in a cell module in a particularly advantageous manner. Via the bending of the cell tab 32 around the bending edge 30, respective tabs 32 of different battery cells 12 that are received in cell holders 10 that are different to one another can be brought into overlap with one another in order to be in electrical contact with one another. An interconnection of the battery cells 12 received in a cell module in respective cell holders 10 can thus occur. A lateral metal insert 34 is provided on the bending edge 30 in order to enable a particularly secure fixing of the respective battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 on the cell holder 10. The at least one cell tab 32 of the battery cell 12 can be welded to the metal insert 34 of the cell holder 10, whereby the cell tab 32 can be fixed on the bending edge 30. The battery cells 12 received in the stacked cell holders 10 can be particularly easily connected and interconnected to one another via the respective cell tabs 32, wherein the battery cells 12 can be interconnected in a series connection or in a parallel connection.

[0025] A first metal component 36 is arranged on the back wall 14 on a side facing the intake 22 in order to enable a particularly advantageous tempering of a battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 of the cell holder 10. The first metal component 36 here covers the entire back wall 14 to the intake 22. The first metal component 36 consequently delimits the intake 22. Heat can be gathered from or delivered to a battery cell 12 arranged in the intake 22 and abutting on the first metal component 36 by means of the first metal component 36. The heat gathered from the battery cell 12 arranged in the first intake 22 of the first cell holder 10 by means of the first metal component 36 is delivered to a further battery cell 12 abutting on the first back wall 14 via the first back wall 14 of the first cell holder 10, wherein the further battery cell is arranged in a second intake 22 of the second cell holder 10 that is stacked on the first cell holder 10 in the stacking direction 24. A heat exchange between the battery cells 12 received by the first cell holder 10 and the second cell holder 10 can thus occur via the first metal component 36. A foil having at least one, in particular a plurality of heating elements, here Peltier elements, can be arranged on the back wall 14 facing the intake 22 alternatively or additionally to the first metal component 36. The foil can here cover the back wall 14 completely up to the intake 22. The intake 22, and consequently a battery cell 12 received in the intake 22, can be heated by means of the heating elements. The Peltier elements thus enable a heating function that allows the battery cells 12 received in the intake 22 to be heated, whereby the battery cell 12 arranged in the intake 22 can be brought into a region of a particularly advantageous conductivity.

[0026] The cell holder 10 here comprises a second metal component 38 that is arranged on the base wall 16 facing the intake 22. The second metal component 38 here covers the base wall 16 completely up to the intake 22. By means of the second metal component 38, heat can particularly advantageously be received from the battery cell 12 arranged in the intake 22, and can be delivered via the base wall 16 due to a particularly high conductivity of a respective metal component. The cell module can in particular comprise a cooling device that is abutted on the cell holder 10 on a side of the base wall 16 facing away from the intake 22. The cooling device is in particular abutted on all of the stacked cell holders 10 on their respective base walls 16. The second metal component 38 enables a particularly advantageous heat dissipation from the battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 to the cooling device via the base wall 16. The cell module can be particularly evenly cooled by means of the cooling device. A particularly advantageous thermal connection between the battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 and the base wall 16 can occur by means of the second metal component 38. The second metal component 38 thus enables a particularly advantageous thermal contact between the battery cell 12 received in the intake 22 and the cooling device, which is in particular a base cooling.

[0027] The cell holders 10 enable a capture of a relative movement of the battery cells 12 that is caused by a volume change of the battery cells 12, whereby a pouch foil of the respective battery cells 12 can be protected. An abrasion of the pouch foils of the battery cells 12, which can lead to holes in the pouch foils, can thus be at least substantially avoided. The respective pouch foils of the battery cells 12 received in the intakes 22 are thus protected from friction and material abrasion by means of the cell holders 10. A thermal connection of the battery cells 12 to the cooling device can be ensured via the metal components 36, 38. A cell heating can be integrated in the cell holders 10 via the foil comprising the heating elements, which is particularly advantageous in the case of cell chemistries of battery cells 12 that require a minimum operating temperature. The bending edge 30 of the respective cell holder 10 enables the cell tabs 32 to be bent directly on the cell holder 10, whereby particularly few mounting steps are required for bending. The cell tabs 32 of the respective battery cells 12 received in the intakes 22 can be directly welded to the metal insert 34 embedded in the side wall 20, which is here a metal platelet. The cell tab 32 can thus be directly connected to the cell holder 10 and fixed to the latter. Cell clips can thus be spared. The cell holder 10 enables several battery cells 12 of a cell module to be connected to one another in a particularly simple and cost-effective manner, and additionally to be fixed to the respective assigned cell holders 10 in a particularly simple and cost-effective manner.

[0028] Overall, the invention shows how a cell case having guide, tab fixing, thermal application and heating can be provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0029] 10 cell holder [0030] 12 battery cell [0031] 14 back wall [0032] 16 base wall [0033] 18 ceiling wall [0034] 20 side wall [0035] 22 intake [0036] 24 stacking direction [0037] 26 guiding device [0038] 28 guiding element [0039] 30 bending edge [0040] 32 cell tab [0041] 34 metal insert [0042] 36 first metal component [0043] 38 second metal component