KR20160088581A - A Battery Module Having Joint Clips - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery module in which at least one unit cell having a structure in which at least one battery cell is embedded in a cartridge is stacked in two or more numbers, wherein at least one corner of the cartridge has a first fastening portion of a hollow structure protruding upward A second fastening portion of an upwardly recessed hollow structure formed on an upper surface of the cartridge and capable of being assembled by inserting the first fastening portion of the adjacent cartridge; Wherein a fastening clip is mounted inside the first fastening portion or inside the second fastening portion so that mutual engagement of the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion is performed.

Description

A Battery Module Having Joint Clips < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The present invention relates to a battery module including a fastening clip.

In recent years, secondary batteries have attracted attention as power sources for electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), which are proposed as solutions for air pollution in conventional gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles using fossil fuels .

Small and medium sized devices, such as automobiles, use one or three battery cells per device. However, due to the necessity of high output large capacity, a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected is used.

Since the battery module is preferably manufactured with a small size and a weight as much as possible, a prismatic battery, a pouch-shaped battery, or the like, which can be charged with a high degree of integration and has a small weight to capacity, is mainly used as a battery cell of a battery module. In particular, a pouch-shaped battery using an aluminum laminate sheet or the like as an exterior member has attracted a great deal of attention recently due to its advantages such as small weight, low manufacturing cost, and easy shape deformation.

In order for such a battery module to provide the output and capacity required by a predetermined device or device, a plurality of battery cells must be electrically connected in series and a stable structure against external force must be maintained.

Therefore, when a battery module is constructed using a plurality of battery cells, a large number of members are generally required for mechanical fastening and electrical connection thereof, and the process of assembling such members is very complicated. Furthermore, a space is required for the joining of a plurality of members for mechanical fastening and electrical connection, welding, soldering, and the like, thereby increasing the overall size of the system. This increase in size is undesirable in terms of the space limitations of the device or device in which the middle- or large-sized battery module is mounted. Furthermore, in order to be efficiently mounted in a limited internal space such as a vehicle, a middle- or large-sized battery module with a more compact structure is required.

Particularly, in order to fix and laminate a plurality of battery cells, a large number of parts are required. Since the battery cells are fixed accurately and stably using a component for fixing the battery cells, the assembling process is complicated and the difficulty . This problem also causes increase in the volume and weight of the battery and increase in manufacturing cost.

Accordingly, there is a high need for a battery module that can be manufactured in a simple and compact structure, can reduce the number of components, reduce the manufacturing cost, and increase the efficiency of the assembly 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 module having a reduced number of members required for the battery pack, simplifying the assembling process, reducing the manufacturing cost of the battery, and having excellent structural stability.

According to an aspect of the present invention,

1. A battery module in which a plurality of unit modules each having at least one battery cell built in a cartridge are stacked in two or more numbers,

Wherein at least one corner of the cartridge is provided with a first fastening portion of a hollow structure protruding upward with respect to the paper surface on an upper surface of the cartridge and a first fastening portion of an upwardly hollowed hollow structure 2 fastening portion is formed on the lower surface of the cartridge;

And a fastening clip for mutual engagement of the first fastening part and the second fastening part is mounted inside the first fastening part or inside the second fastening part.

Therefore, in the battery module according to the present invention, the first and second fastening portions are coupled to each other by the fastening clip, so that the cartridge is assembled without using a separate working tool, so that the battery module can be easily assembled. In addition, the manufacturing process can be simplified to improve the productivity, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced by reducing the raw materials and personnel.

In one specific example, the battery cell is formed of a plate-shaped battery cell so as to provide a high lamination ratio in a limited space, and a pouch 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 Type battery cell.

Specifically, the battery cell is a pouch-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed inside a battery case together with an electrolytic solution, and is formed as a plate-like battery cell having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure. Such a pouch-shaped battery cell is generally composed of a battery case of a pouch type, and the battery case is composed of an outer coating 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 thermally fused, are laminated in this order.

In one specific example, the battery cell may have a structure in which the positive and negative terminals are protruded on one side of the outer circumferential surface, or the positive terminal is protruded on one side of the outer circumferential surface and the negative terminal is protruded on the opposite side.

In addition, the battery module according to the present invention may have a structure in which one battery cell is mounted on the cartridge, or two or more battery cells stacked or arranged in a plane are mounted to satisfy a high degree of integration and capacity.

In one specific example, the cartridge may have a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion may be respectively formed at four corners of the cartridge, and the cartridge may be stably fixed If possible, there may be four or more fasteners, or a smaller number.

The first fastening portion may protrude up to a size of 10% or more to less than 50% based on the thickness of the cartridge.

When the first fastening portion protrudes upward to a size of less than 10% based on the thickness of the cartridge, the fastening portion is not easily engaged with the second fastening portion because the length is short, whereas when the first fastening portion exceeds 50% As the length increases, it may act as a factor to interfere with the bonding.

In one specific example, the outer circumferential surface of the first fastening portion may be provided with a stepped step portion whose width decreases downward. Accordingly, the lower end of the second fastening portion can be mounted on the stepped portion of the first fastening portion when the second fastening portion is inserted and assembled with respect to the first fastening portion.

The outer circumferential surface of the outermost periphery of the first fastening portion is formed to have the same length as the circumference of the inner circumferential surface of the lower end portion of the second fastening portion to induce a stable engagement when the outer circumferential surface of the first fastening portion and the lower end portion of the second fastening portion are inserted and assembled. can do.

The inner circumferential surface of the first fastening portion may have a first projection extending inwardly from an upper end of the first fastening portion and a second projection extending inward at a position corresponding to the stepped portion.

The first projections and the second projections may have a structure in which each projection has a shape in which an " F " character is opposite to a vertical cross section, and the fastening clip is firmly fixed.

In one specific example, the hollow portion of the second fastening portion is formed with a downward protrusion extending downward toward the ground so as to be inserted into the hollow portion of the first fastening portion when the second fastening portion is inserted into the first fastening portion, And a fastening clip formed of an elastic plate material having a bent structure that elastically contacts closely to both sides of the downward protrusion while surrounding the lower end of the downward protrusion.

Specifically, the fastening clip has a first end directed toward the first hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion, a first bent portion extending from the first end and bent to be in close contact with the first side surface of the downward projection, A second bending portion extending from the bending portion and bent toward the first hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion, a third bending portion extending from the second bending portion and surrounding the lower end of the downward protrusion, A fifth bend extending from the fourth bend and bent to be in close contact with the second side of the downward protrusion, and a fourth bend extending from the fourth bend to the fifth bend, And a second end extending from the bent portion and facing the second hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion;

The first end, the first bent portion, and the second bent portion may have a structure symmetrical to the second end, the fifth bent portion, and the fourth bent portion with respect to the third bent portion in a vertical section.

The first bent portion is bent at an angle of 30 to 80 degrees, the second bent portion is bent at an angle of 100 to 160 degrees, and the third bent portion is bent at an angle of the first bent portion and the second And may be bent at an angle to cover the lower end of the downward protrusion corresponding to the bending angle of the bent portion.

If the internal angle of the second bent portion is less than 100 degrees, it is not easily inserted into the first fastening portion and requires a large amount of force. When the internal angle is more than 160 degrees, it is not elastically engaged with the downward protrusion of the second bent portion, Can not be obtained.

In one specific example, when inserting the second fastening portion into the first fastening portion, the second bending portion of the fastening clip is positioned between the first projection and the second projection of the first fastening portion, and the second fastening portion The first projection and the second projection may be elastically brought into close contact with the outer surface of the fastening clip so that the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion are engaged with each other.

The above structure can achieve a desired bonding force with a structure in which the outer circumferential surface of the first fastening portion is first coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the second fastening portion, and the second fastening portion is coupled with the second fastening clip.

In addition, if the fastening clip is capable of elastically coupling the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion, there is no limitation on the material of the fastening clip, and more specifically, it is suitably made of a metal material.

The battery cell is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of providing high voltage and high current when the battery module and the battery pack are constructed. For example, the battery cell may be a lithium secondary battery having a large energy storage amount per volume.

The present invention also provides a battery pack including the battery module as a unit module.

The battery pack may be manufactured by assembling the secondary battery as a unit module according to a desired output and capacity. In consideration of mounting efficiency, structural stability, and the like, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, A storage device, etc., but the scope of application is not limited thereto.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a device comprising the battery pack as a power source, and the device can be specifically an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or a power storage device.

The structure and manufacturing method of such a device are well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, according to the battery module of the present invention, since the first and second fastening portions are mutually coupled by the fastening clip, the cartridge is coupled without using a separate working tool, It is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery by simplifying the assembling process and to provide the battery module with excellent structural stability.

1 is a perspective view of one exemplary battery cell mounted in a battery module of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1;
3 is a perspective view of a unit module in which battery cells are mounted on a cartridge;
4 is a perspective view of a battery module in which the unit modules of FIG. 3 are stacked;
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of part A of the cartridge of Figure 3;
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the cartridge adjacent to the second fastening portion of Fig. 5 where the first fastening portion is inserted; Fig.
7 is a perspective view of the fastening clip.

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.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary battery cell mounted on a battery module of the present invention, and FIG. 2 schematically shows an exploded perspective view of FIG.

Referring to these figures, the pouch-shaped battery cell 100 includes an electrode assembly 120 including an anode, a cathode, and a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode, And two electrode terminals 132 and 134 electrically connected to the electrodes 122 and 124 are sealed to be exposed to the outside.

The battery case 110 includes an upper case 114 and a lower case 116 including a concave shaped storage portion 112 into which the electrode assembly 120 can be seated.

The electrode assembly 120 having the folding, stacking or stacking / folding type structure has a structure in which a plurality of anode tabs 122 and a plurality of anode tabs 124 are welded together and joined together to the electrode terminals 132 and 134 have. When the outer circumferential surfaces of the upper case 114 and the lower case 116 are thermally fused with each other, a short circuit is prevented from occurring between the heat fusers and the electrode terminals 132 and 134, The insulating film 140 is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode terminals 132 and 134 in order to ensure the sealing property between the battery case 110 and the battery case 110.

The upper case 114 and the lower case 116 are composed of an outer resin layer 117, a barrier metal layer 118 and an inner resin layer 119. The inner resin layer 119 is composed of a heat fusion machine So that it can be tightly fixed.

When the electrode assembly 110 impregnated with the electrolytic solution is mounted on the housing part 112 and the outer circumferential surface contact portions of the upper case 114 and the lower case 116 are thermally fused, a sealing part is formed.

3 is a perspective view of a unit module in which battery cells are mounted on a cartridge, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery module in which unit modules of FIG. 3 are stacked.

3 to 4, one or more battery cells 210 are embedded in a cartridge 220 having a rectangular shape in a plan view. A battery module 240 is formed in which two or more unit modules 200 constituted of the structure of the cartridge 220 in which the battery cells 210 are embedded are stacked. On the upper surfaces of the four corners of the cartridge, And a second fastening portion (not shown) is formed on the lower surface thereof.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view schematically showing a portion A of the cartridge of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where the first fastening portion of the cartridge adjacent to the second fastening portion of Fig. .

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 6, a first fastening part 310 of a hollow structure protruding upward from the paper surface is formed on an upper surface of the cartridge 300, and a first fastening part The second fastening part 320 of the upwardly hollowed hollow structure can be inserted and assembled into the first fastening part 310 or the second fastening part 320 of the second fastening part 320, A fastening clip 340 for fastening the first fastening part 310 and the second fastening part 320 to each other is mounted.

The first fastening part 310 protrudes upward to a size of 10% or more to less than 50% based on the thickness H of the cartridge.

A stepped portion 350 having a stepped structure whose width decreases downward is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the first fastening portion 330 and a stepped portion 350 having a stepped structure is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the second fastening portion 330 320, the lower end of the second fastening portion 320 is mounted on the stepped portion 350 of the first fastening portion 330.

A first projection 361 extending inward from the upper end of the first fastening portion and a second projection 362 extending inward from the position corresponding to the stepped portion are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the first fastening portion 330 .

The hollow portion of the second fastening portion 320 is provided with a downwardly projecting downwardly protruding portion that is inserted into the hollow portion of the first fastening portion 330 when the second fastening portion 320 is inserted into the first fastening portion 330, And a fastening clip 340 is attached to the downward protrusion 370. [

The fastening clip 340 is made of an elastic plate and has a bending structure that is wrapped around the lower ends of the downward protrusions 370 and is elastically brought into close contact with both sides of the downward protrusions.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a perspective view of the fastening clip.

Referring to Figure 7 with reference to Figure 6, the fastening clip 400 includes a first end 410 facing the first hollow interior surface 381 of the first fastening 330, a second end 410 extending from the first end 410, A first bending portion 420 extending from the first bending portion 420 and bent to be in close contact with a first side surface 371 of the downward protrusion 370, A second bent portion 430 bent toward the hollow inner surface 381, a third bent portion 440 extending from the second bent portion 430 and surrounding the lower end of the downward protrusion 370, A fourth bent portion 450 extending from the bent portion 440 and bent toward the second hollow inner surface 382 of the first fastening portion 330 and a fourth bent portion 450 extending from the fourth bent portion 450, A fifth bent portion 460 bent in close contact with the second side surface 372 of the projection and a second hollow inner surface 382 extending from the fifth bent portion 460 and extending from the second hollow inner surface 382 of the first coupling portion 330 The second end portion 47 0);

The first end portion 410, the first bent portion 420 and the second bent portion 430 of the third bent portion 440 are connected to the second end portion 470, the fifth bent portion 460, And has a symmetrical structure with respect to a vertical cross section with the four bent portions 450.

The first bent portion 420 is bent at an angle of 70 degrees and the second bent portion 430 is bent at an angle of 120 degrees and the third bent portion 440 Corresponds to the bending angle of the first bending portion 420 and the second bending portion 430 and is bent at an angle z surrounding the lower end of the downward protrusion.

When the second fastening part 320 is inserted into the first fastening part 330, a fastening clip (not shown) is inserted between the first and second projections 361 and 362 of the first fastening part 330 The first protrusion 361 and the second protrusion 362 of the first fastening part 330 are elastically pressed against the outer surface of the fastening clip 340 by pressurization, So that the first fastening part 330 and the second fastening part 320 are engaged with each other.

Therefore, as described above, the battery module according to the present invention can couple the first and second fastening portions with each other with the fastening clip, so that the cartridge is coupled without using a separate working tool, And the assembly process can be simplified, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the battery and achieving structural stability.

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 (20)

1. A battery module in which a plurality of unit modules each having at least one battery cell built in a cartridge are stacked in two or more numbers,
Wherein at least one corner of the cartridge is provided with a first fastening portion of a hollow structure protruding upwards with respect to the paper surface on an upper surface of the cartridge and having an upwardly recessed hollow structure 2 fastening portion is formed on the lower surface of the cartridge;
Wherein a fastening clip for mutual engagement of the first fastening part and the second fastening part is mounted inside the first fastening part or inside the second fastening part. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a plate-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly including an anode, a cathode, and a separator interposed between the anode and the cathode is embedded in the battery case with the electrolyte impregnated therein Battery module. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the battery case is a pouch-shaped case of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell has a positive electrode and a negative electrode terminal protruded on one side of an outer circumferential surface, or a positive electrode terminal protruded on one side of an outer circumferential surface, and a negative electrode terminal protruded on an opposite side. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein at least one battery cell is mounted on the cartridge, or at least two battery cells are stacked or arranged in a plane. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the first fastening part and the second fastening part are respectively formed at four corners of the cartridge. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the first fastening part protrudes upward to a size of not less than 10% and less than 50% based on the thickness of the cartridge. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a stepped step portion having a step-downward width decreasing in an upward direction is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the first fastening portion, and a lower end portion of the second fastening portion at the time of inserting the second fastening portion into the first fastening portion, Wherein the battery module is mounted on the step portion of the battery module. The connector according to claim 8, wherein a first projection extending inwardly from an upper end of the first coupling portion and a second projection extending inward from a position corresponding to the step portion are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first coupling portion Battery module. [2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hollow portion of the second fastening portion is formed with a downward protrusion extending downward to be inserted into the hollow portion of the first fastening portion when the second fastening portion is inserted into the first fastening portion, And a fastening clip is mounted on the battery module. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein the fastening clip is made of an elastic plate and has a bending structure that is wrapped around the lower ends of the downward protrusions and is elastically brought into close contact with both sides of the downward protrusions. 12. The connector according to claim 11, wherein the fastening clip has a first end directed toward the first hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion, a first bent portion extending from the first end and bent to be in close contact with the first side surface of the downward projection, A second bending portion extending from the first bending portion and bent toward the first hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion, a third bending portion extending from the second bending portion and surrounding the lower end of the downward protrusion, A fourth bent portion extending from the bent portion and bent toward the second hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion, a fifth bent portion extending from the fourth bent portion and bent to be in close contact with the second side surface of the downward protrusion, And a second end extending from the fifth bent portion and facing the second hollow inner surface of the first fastening portion;
Wherein the first end, the first bent portion, and the second bent portion are symmetrical with the second end, the fifth bent portion, and the fourth bent portion around the third bent portion. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first bent portion is bent at an angle of 30 to 80 degrees, and the second bent portion is bent at an angle of 100 to 160 degrees, And the bent portion is bent at an angle to wrap the lower end of the downward protrusion corresponding to the bent angle of the second bent portion. The battery module according to claim 12, wherein a second bending portion of the fastening clip is located between the first boss and the second boss of the first fastening portion when the second fastening portion is inserted into the first fastening portion. . 15. The battery module according to claim 14, wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion of the first fastening portion are resiliently brought into close contact with the outer surface of the fastening clip, thereby coupling the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the fastening clip is made of a metal material. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a lithium secondary battery. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 17 as a unit module. A device according to claim 18, comprising a battery pack. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein the device is an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device.

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