KR101658526B1 - Battery Pack Having Electrode Terminal Connecting Members with Over Voltage Protection Structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery cell array in which battery cells protruding from electrode terminals are arranged in two or more number of side surfaces of a battery cell and terminal connection portions connected to electrode terminals of the battery cells are formed, Wherein the terminal connecting portion includes a first terminal connecting member connected to a lower surface of the electrode terminal and a first terminal connecting member bent and protruded upward, And a second terminal connecting member connected to the upper surface of the electrode terminal so as to cover the bent and protruded one side so as to surround the upper portion of the electrode terminal.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack having an overvoltage preventing terminal connection member,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack including terminal connection members structured to prevent overvoltage during assembly of a battery pack.

The secondary battery may be used in a detachable structure that is free to be inserted or removed depending on the type of external equipment to which the secondary battery is to be used, or may be used as a built-in structure in which the secondary battery is embedded in an external device. For example, devices such as notebooks can insert and leave batteries according to the user's needs, while devices such as some phones, MPEG Audio Layer-3 (MP3), tablet PCs, smart pads, etc., The use of built-in battery packs is also a problem.

On the other hand, the lithium secondary battery, which has recently been rapidly used, contains various combustible materials and has a serious disadvantage in terms of safety due to the danger of overheating, explosion, etc. due to overcharging, overcurrent and other physical external impacts. Accordingly, a lithium secondary battery is provided with a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element, a protection circuit module (PCM) or the like as a safety element that can effectively control an abnormal state such as overcharging or overcurrent, It is included in the BMU (Battery Management Unit).

Since such a secondary battery is preferably manufactured with a small size and weight, a prismatic battery or a pouch-type battery having a small weight to capacity ratio is mainly used as a battery cell of a secondary battery. Particularly, a pouch-shaped battery using an aluminum laminate sheet or the like as an exterior member has recently attracted a great deal of attention due to its advantages such as low weight and low manufacturing cost.

On the other hand, when a high-output or large-capacity battery is required depending on the device, a battery pack in which a plurality of such battery cells are connected is used.

FIG. 1 shows a structure in which battery cells are mounted for constituting a battery pack, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG.

1 and 2, the battery pack 10 has a structure in which a plurality of battery cells 22, 24, 26 and 28 are electrically connected to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) 30, The electrode terminals of the battery cells 22, 24, 26 and 28 are coupled to the terminal connecting members 32, 34, 36, and 38 of the PCB 30.

Specifically, after the electrode terminals of the battery cells 22, 24, 26, and 28 are positioned on the terminal connecting members 32, 34, 36, and 38, And the electrode is covered with the upper surface of the electrode terminal so as to be welded.

The battery pack 10 is arranged such that after the process of arranging the battery cells 22, 24, 26, 28 so that the electrode terminals are located on the terminal connecting members 32, 34, 36, 38 of the PCB 30, The electrode terminals of the battery cells 22, 24, 26, and 28 are electrically connected to the terminal connecting members 32, 34, 36, and 38 through the process of covering the upper bent portions of the terminal connecting members 32, (32, 34, 36, 38).

However, in the process of arranging the battery cells 22, 24, 26, and 28 so that the electrode terminals are positioned on the terminal connecting members 32, 34, 36, and 38 during the above process, There is a problem that an impact is applied to the circuit of FIG. This overvoltage not only causes short circuit and ignition, but also causes PCB damage. Therefore, in order to prevent this, a solder eye having a structure including an insulating portion is formed on the terminal connection member, so that no electrical connection is made in the process of arranging the battery cells. In the process of assembling the electrode terminal and the terminal connection member, However, there is a disadvantage in that the manufacturing cost is increased due to the addition of materials and processes.

Also, in order to prevent the application of the overvoltage, the process of connecting the electrode terminal of the battery cell after positioning one battery cell is performed, and then the other battery cell is positioned and the electrode terminal of the battery cell is connected , It is possible to connect the battery cells sequentially, but not only the efficiency of the process is lowered, but also a disadvantage is that a screening membrane must be installed at the work site to prevent a short circuit or the like.

Therefore, there is a high need for a technique for solving the above problems to improve the safety of the connection of the battery cells for constituting the battery pack and to simplify the process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and the technical problems required from the past.

Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery pack capable of preventing an overvoltage from being applied to a BMU during mounting of battery cells constituting the battery pack, thereby improving safety and improving manufacturing processability.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack comprising: a battery cell array in which battery cells protruding from electrode terminals are arranged in two or more number of side walls of a battery cell array; And a BMU (Battery Management Unit) having connection portions formed thereon for controlling the operation of the battery pack,

The terminal connecting portion

A first terminal connecting member connected to a lower surface of the electrode terminal; And

A second terminal connecting member which is bent at one side and protrudes upwardly and which is connected to the upper surface of the electrode terminal to cover the bent and protruded one side so as to surround the upper portion of the electrode terminal located on the first terminal connecting member;

And a control unit.

That is, the terminal connection portion according to the present invention is structured so that when the electrode terminals of the battery cell are located at the first terminal connection portion, the BMU is not energized, and when the second terminal connection member is covered, the BMU is energized.

Accordingly, the process of arranging the plurality of battery cells so that the electrode terminals of the battery cells are positioned on the first terminal connection portion, the process of covering the second terminal connection member, and the process of joining the terminal connection members and the electrode terminals by welding or the like Can be performed sequentially, and thus the efficiency of the process can be improved.

Accordingly, it is possible to solve the problem that occurred in the conventional assembling process, that is, the problem that an impact is applied to the PCB circuit due to the overvoltage, and the safety can be improved.

The battery cell may be, for example, a pouch-shaped battery cell having a structure in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a battery case of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer.

Specifically, the pouch-shaped battery cell is a battery cell in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed in a battery case together with an electrolyte, and may be a plate-shaped battery cell having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure with a small width. The pouch-shaped battery cell generally includes a pouch-shaped battery case, and the pouch-shaped battery case includes an outer covering layer made of a polymer resin having excellent durability; A barrier layer made of a metal material exhibiting barrier properties against moisture, air, and the like; And an inner sealant layer composed of a polymer resin that can be heat-sealed.

The case of the pouch-type battery cell may have a variety of structures. For example, the case may be a two-unit member, which houses the electrode assembly in the housing portion formed on the upper and / or lower inner surface, And a structure for sealing by heat fusion. A pouch-shaped battery cell having such a structure is disclosed in PCT International Application No. PCT / KR2004 / 003312 of the present applicant, which application is incorporated herein by reference. However, it is needless to say that the battery case may be a structure in which the electrode assembly is housed in the housing portion formed as one member of the upper and / or lower inner surface and then the upper and lower contact portions of the outer circumferential surface of the case are thermally fused and sealed.

When the plurality of battery cells are arranged, the battery cells may have the same structure for optimum utilization of the space. When the plurality of battery cells are arranged, the battery cells may be formed in a plate-like rectangular shape so as to maximize the volume of the battery cells in a limited space to provide a high capacity. So that one side faces are adjacent to each other.

The electrode terminals may be formed in a plate-like plate structure. Therefore, when the electrode terminals are connected to the terminal connection portion, they are connected in a surface contact state, so that they can be formed in a structure capable of stable electrical connection.

The BMU is a module for controlling the operation of the battery pack, and may be a structure including a printed circuit board (PCB). The terminal connection portions may be formed on one side of the PCB, so that the electrode terminals of the battery cells are electrically connected to the PCB by being connected to the terminal connection portion.

The first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member may be formed in a conductive plate structure. Therefore, when the electrode terminal is positioned on the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member is covered and joined, the upper surface and the lower surface of the electrode terminal are electrically connected to the second terminal connecting member and the first terminal connecting member, respectively ≪ / RTI >

In one specific example, the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member may be electrically separated structures. Specifically, the terminal connection portion is a unit of two units, and may include a first terminal connection member and a second terminal connection member, and may be formed in a structure in which they are energized when they are connected to the electrode terminal of the battery cell in an electrically disconnected state .

The terminal connection portion may be connected to one of the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells, and both the positive and negative terminals may be connected to the terminal connection portion.

The combination of the electrode terminal and the terminal connection portion is not limited and may be formed by various methods. For example, in a state where the first terminal connection member and the second terminal connection member are positioned on the lower surface and the upper surface of the electrode terminal, And may be physically and electrically coupled to each other.

On the other hand, a TCO (thermal cut-out) may be connected to the second terminal connecting member for improving safety. The TCO is a component whose current is cut off when the temperature rises and reaches a predetermined value.

The type of the battery cell is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a lithium secondary battery having a large energy storage amount per volume.

The present invention also provides a device comprising the battery pack as a power source, wherein the device is selected from a cell phone, a portable computer, a smart phone, a smart pad, a tablet PC, and a netbook, Do not.

The structure of these devices and their fabrication methods are well known in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the battery pack according to the present invention has a structure in which when the electrode terminals of the battery cell are located at the first terminal connection portion, electricity is not supplied to the BMU, and when the second terminal connection member is covered, the battery pack is energized with the BMU Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem generated in the conventional assembling process, that is, the problem that the PCB circuit is impacted by the overvoltage, and the safety can be improved.

Also, a process of arranging a plurality of battery cells so that electrode terminals of the battery cells are positioned on the first terminal connection portion, a process of covering the second terminal connection member, welding the terminal connection members and the electrode terminals So that the efficiency of the process can be improved.

1 is a schematic view of a structure in which battery cells are mounted to constitute a conventional battery pack;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in Fig. 1; Fig.
3 is a schematic view of a battery cell connection structure of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion B in Fig. 3; Fig.
5 is an enlarged view of the battery cell of Fig.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the scope of the present invention.

In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the pack case included in the battery pack and other components such as external input / output terminals are omitted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a battery cell connection structure of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG.

3 and 4, a plurality of battery cells 110, 120, 130, and 140 are arranged in the lateral direction to form a battery cell array, and the battery cells 110, 120, 130, The electrode terminals 112, 122, 132, and 142 of the PCB 150 are connected to the PCB 150, respectively.

The first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154 are formed on the PCB 150 which is one of the components of the BMU and the electrode terminals of the battery cells 110, The first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154 are electrically and physically connected to each other by welding in a state where they are located between the first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154. [

The first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154 are made of a conductive plate structure and the first terminal connecting member 152 is in close contact with one surface of the PCB 150, The member 154 is bent so that one side is in close contact with one surface of the PCB 150 and the other side is protruded in the upward direction.

The first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154 are separated from each other and connected to the electrode terminal 112 of the battery cell 110 to be electrically connected.

Specifically, when the electrode terminal 112 is positioned on the first terminal connecting member 152 and then the bent and protruded portion of the second terminal connecting member 154 is covered and joined to the upper surface of the electrode terminal 112, And the lower surface are electrically connected to the second terminal connecting member 154 and the first terminal connecting member 152, respectively.

That is, in order to electrically connect the PCB 150 and the battery cells 110, 120, 130, and 140, the battery cells 110, 120, 130, 142 are positioned on the first terminal connecting member 152, they are not energized. However, when the second terminal connecting member 154 is covered and joined by welding or the like, the second terminal connecting member 154 and the second terminal connecting member 154 are electrically connected.

The electrode terminal 112 that is energized by the coupling with the first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154 is the positive terminal 112a of the positive terminal 112a and the negative terminal 112b.

A TCO (thermal cut-out) 158 is connected to the second terminal connecting member 154 connected to the positive terminal 112a of the battery cell 110. The TCO 158 is a part in which the current is cut off when the temperature rises and reaches a predetermined value. The temperature of the TCO 158 rises due to a malfunction such as a short circuit in one or more of the battery cells 110, 120, 130, The electrical connection between the battery cell and the PCB 150 is released to improve the safety of the battery pack 100.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the battery cell of Fig.

Referring to FIG. 5 together with FIG. 3, the battery cell 110 is a plate-shaped battery cell 110 having electrode terminals (a positive electrode terminal 112a and a negative electrode terminal 112b) formed at one end. Specifically, the plate-shaped battery cell 110 has an electrode assembly (not shown) built in a pouch case 115 of a laminate sheet including a metal layer (not shown) and a resin layer (not shown) And a sealing portion 116 is formed on the sealing portion 116. The sealing portion 116 is also commonly referred to as a 'pouch-shaped battery cell'.

The battery cell 110 is formed in a plate-like plate structure so that the electrode terminal 112a is in surface-contact contact with the first terminal connecting member 152 and the second terminal connecting member 154.

Also, when the plurality of battery cells 110, 120, 130, and 140 are arranged, the sealing portions 116a and 116b on both sides are bent so as to closely contact the battery cell main body in order to improve space efficiency. When a plurality of battery cells 110 are arranged, the battery cells 110 are formed in a rectangular plate-like shape having the same structure for optimum utilization of space. The battery cells 110 are bent in such a manner that the both side- As shown in Fig.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims (16)

A battery cell array in which battery cells protruding from electrode terminals are arranged in two or more number of side-by-side directions, and terminal connection portions connected to electrode terminals of the battery cells are formed, and a BMU Battery Management Unit)
The terminal connecting portion
A first terminal connecting member connected to a lower surface of the electrode terminal; And
A second terminal connecting member which is bent at one side and protrudes upwardly and which is connected to the upper surface of the electrode terminal to cover the bent and protruded one side so as to surround the upper portion of the electrode terminal located on the first terminal connecting member;
, ≪ / RTI >
Wherein the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member are electrically separated from each other. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery cells have a structure in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer, and then an outer circumferential surface is sealed. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery cells have the same structure. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery cells have a rectangular plate-like rectangular shape. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the battery cells are arranged such that one side faces are adjacent to each other with respect to a direction in which electrode terminals are formed. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the electrode terminals are formed in a plate-like plate structure. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the BMU includes a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), and the terminal connection portions are formed on one side of the PCB. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member are made of a conductive plate. delete The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member are formed so as to be electrically connected to each other when connected to the electrode terminal. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the terminal connection portion is connected to at least one of the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member are physically and electrically connected to each other by welding in a state where the first terminal connecting member and the second terminal connecting member are positioned on the lower surface and the upper surface of the electrode terminal, . The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a thermal cut-out (TCO) is connected to the second terminal connecting member. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a lithium secondary battery. A device comprising the battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and 10 to 14 as a power source. 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the device is selected from a cell phone, a portable computer, a smart phone, a smart pad, a tablet PC, and a netbook.

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