KR20210044533A - Battery Module Having Module Bus-bar - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a battery module capable of reducing current loss and increasing manufacturing efficiency. A battery module according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes: a plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in rows and columns and having electrode terminals formed at upper and lower portions, respectively; A module housing having a receiving part having a plurality of hollow structures to insert and receive the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; And a main body positioned above or below the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and extending in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of connecting portions extending in a horizontal direction so as to contact electrode terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells from one side of the main body. A module including a first metal plate and a second metal plate bonded to the body of the first metal plate and having a metal having a relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate and having a thickness greater than that of the first metal plate Includes a bus bar.

Description

Battery Module Having Module Bus-bar {Battery Module Having Module Bus-bar}

The present invention relates to a battery module including a module bus bar, and more particularly, to a battery module capable of reducing current loss and increasing manufacturing efficiency.

In recent years, as the demand for portable electronic products such as notebook computers, video cameras, portable telephones, etc. is rapidly increasing, and the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, satellites, etc. is in earnest, high-performance secondary batteries capable of repetitive charging and discharging Research on is being actively conducted.

Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydride batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries, among which lithium secondary batteries have little memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, so charging and discharging are free. It has a very low self-discharge rate and is in the spotlight for its high energy density.

These lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, respectively. In addition, a lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate to which the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material are applied, respectively, are disposed with a separator therebetween, and an exterior material for sealing the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte.

In using such a secondary battery, it is very important to check the temperature, current, and voltage of the secondary battery in terms of preventing safety accidents and improving the life of the secondary battery.

That is, as the performance of electronic devices improves day by day, the performance of a secondary battery that supplies high-output power at a time is also improving. Particularly, in the case of a secondary battery used in such a high-power electronic device, the amount of heat generated is very large, and if it is not adequately coped with the temperature increase, accidents such as ignition/explosion may occur.

To this end, a battery management unit applied to an electronic device may include a negative temperature coefficient device (NTC device), a positive temperature coefficient device (PTC device), etc. as a temperature device used to measure the temperature of a plurality of secondary batteries. .

In addition, the battery module of the prior art is provided with an electrically conductive busbar plate to electrically connect a plurality of secondary batteries in series or in parallel. Moreover, such a bus bar plate is configured to be electrically connected to the battery management unit to control charging and discharging of a plurality of secondary batteries, or to transfer power of a plurality of secondary batteries to an external electronic device through an external input/output terminal. It was common.

Recently, the bus bar plate provided in such a battery module may use a material having a somewhat high electrical resistance in order to increase the weldability of resistance welding with an electrode terminal.

However, such a bus bar plate having a high electrical resistance may become an element that increases current loss in transferring the current generated from the secondary battery to an external device, and thus energy efficiency may be impaired. In addition, the higher the electrical resistance, the lower the thermal conductivity, and this may be a factor deteriorating the heat dissipation performance of the battery module to which the busbar plate is applied.

Conversely, when a busbar plate made of a material with low electrical resistance is used, it is difficult to generate sufficient resistance heat when bonding between the electrode terminal and the busbar plate by using resistance welding, resulting in poor weldability and lengthening the welding time. there was. Accordingly, problems such as an increase in manufacturing cost and a decrease in durability of the battery module have occurred.

Moreover, in the case of using a thick metal plate to lower the electrical resistance, it takes a long time to increase the welding temperature above a predetermined temperature for the thick metal plate, and a large amount of heat source must be added, so that the cylindrical battery cell and the thick metal plate are directly connected. There was great difficulty in resistance welding.

Accordingly, there is a need for a technology capable of increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing process and the performance of the battery module.

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and in detail, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module capable of reducing current loss and increasing manufacturing efficiency.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by examples of the present invention. In addition, it will be easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means shown in the claims and combinations thereof.

The battery module according to the present invention for achieving the above object,

A plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in rows and columns and having electrode terminals formed at upper and lower portions, respectively;

A module housing having a receiving part having a plurality of hollow structures to insert and receive the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; And

A first provided with a main body part positioned above or below the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and extending in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of connection parts extending in a horizontal direction so as to contact electrode terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells from one side of the main body. A module bus having a metal plate and a second metal plate bonded to the body of the first metal plate and having a metal having a relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate and having a thickness greater than that of the first metal plate Includes a bar.

In addition, the first metal plate may be divided into a plurality and have a shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

Furthermore, the second metal plate may have a structure in which the body portion of the first metal plate is inserted to a predetermined depth.

And, the body portion,

A first connecting portion having a structure in which one end or the other end is connected to the connecting portion; And

A second connection part may be provided at each of both ends so as to be connected to the first connection part, and a width of the extended part in the horizontal direction is narrower than that of the first connection part.

Furthermore, the body portion,

A first extension part elongated in a row direction of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; And

A plurality of second extensions extending from the first extension part in a column direction of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance may be provided.

In addition, at least a portion of the second extension portion may have a structure having a narrower width in the horizontal direction than the remaining portion.

In addition, the module busbar includes a bonding portion stacked on an outer surface of the second metal plate and a plurality of connection extension portions extending in a horizontal direction so as to contact electrode terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells from one side of the bonding portion. 3 A metal plate may be further provided.

In addition, the connection part of the first metal plate and the connection extension part of the third metal plate may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

In addition, a coupling protrusion protruding in a direction in which the body portion of the first metal plate is located is formed on an outer surface of the second metal plate facing the body portion of the first metal plate,

The body portion of the first metal plate may be provided with a receiving groove recessed so that the coupling protrusion is inserted and fixed.

In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes at least one battery module.

Moreover, the electronic device according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a battery pack.

According to an aspect of the present invention, in the battery module of the present invention, since the second metal plate comprises a metal having relatively higher electrical conductivity than the metal provided by the first metal plate, current loss of the module busbar can be reduced. , It can reduce the power loss of the battery module. Moreover, the second metal plate having high conductivity has a relatively higher thermal conductivity and a faster cooling rate than the first metal plate. Accordingly, it is possible to greatly increase the cooling efficiency of the battery module by helping the battery module to dissipate heat.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, the second metal plate is clad-bonded to the body portion of the first metal plate, so that the electrical connection between the second metal plate and the body portion of the first metal plate is very excellent, and the second Since the bonding property (bonding property) between the metal plate and the body portion of the first metal plate is excellent, it is possible to prevent the durability of the module busbar from becoming weak.

Moreover, according to another aspect of the present invention, the first metal plate of the module busbar is divided into a plurality of pieces and has a shape that is spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, so that the first metal plate entirely covers the lower surface of the second metal plate. Compared with the case of the configuration, the amount of the first metal plate can be minimized and applied due to the relatively low electrical conductivity, a plurality of divided, and spaced apart forms. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively reduce the total electrical resistance of the module busbar. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce an increase in the temperature of the battery module due to resistance heat. Moreover, there is an advantage in that the current loss of the battery module can be greatly reduced.

And, according to another aspect of the present invention, when the connection part of the first metal plate and the connection extension part of the third metal plate are spaced apart by a predetermined distance so as to resistance-weld the electrode terminal of the cylindrical battery cell, the connection part of the first metal plate Compared with the current path between the first and third metal plates, the current path between the connection portion of the first metal plate and the connection extension portion of the third metal plate is longer and the electrical resistance is increased, so that the electrode terminal of the cylindrical battery cell from the connection portion of the first metal plate, and the third Current can be concentrated in the current path to the connection extension of the metal plate. Accordingly, resistance welding between the module busbar and the electrode terminal can be efficiently performed. In addition, it is possible to shorten the manufacturing time and manufacture a battery module having excellent weldability.

The following drawings attached to the present specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention to be described later, so the present invention is described in such drawings. It is limited to and should not be interpreted.
1 is a perspective view schematically showing configurations of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing separated configurations of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of the module busbar cut along the line CC′ of FIG. 1.
4 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cutaway state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a module bus bar cut along line DD′ of FIG. 9.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to a conventional or dictionary meaning, and the inventors appropriately explain the concept of terms in order to describe their own invention in the best way Based on the principle that it can be defined, it should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Accordingly, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, and do not represent all the technical spirit of the present invention. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing configurations of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. And, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the separated configurations of the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, a battery module 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100, a module housing 220, and a module bus bar 210. have.

Here, the cylindrical battery cell 100 may include a cylindrical battery can 120 and an electrode assembly (not shown) accommodated in the battery can 120.

In addition, the battery can 120 includes a material having high electrical conductivity, and for example, the battery can 120 may include aluminum or copper material.

Moreover, the battery can 120 may be configured to be elongated in the vertical direction. In addition, the battery can 120 may have a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. Furthermore, a positive terminal 111 and a negative terminal 112 may be formed on each of the upper and lower portions of the battery can 120, or the negative terminal 112 and the positive terminal 111 may be formed. Specifically, a positive terminal 111 may be formed on a flat circular upper surface of the upper end of the battery can 120, and a negative terminal 112 may be formed on a flat circular lower surface of the battery can 120. I can.

Furthermore, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in a plurality of columns and rows in a horizontal direction. Here, the horizontal direction may be said to mean a direction parallel to the ground when the cylindrical battery cell 100 is placed on the ground, and may also be referred to as at least one direction on a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. In addition, the horizontal direction can be said to be the X and Y directions of FIG.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery module 200 includes a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 arranged in three rows in a row direction (Y direction) and five columns in a row direction (X direction) It can be provided.

In addition, the electrode assembly (not shown) may be formed in a structure wound in a jelly-roll type with a separator interposed between an anode and a cathode. Furthermore, a positive electrode tab may be attached to the positive electrode (not shown) to be connected to the positive electrode terminal 111 at the upper end of the battery can 120. A negative tab is attached to the negative electrode (not shown) to be connected to the negative terminal 112 at the lower end of the battery can 120.

Meanwhile, the module housing 220 may be provided with accommodating portions 220s1 and 220s2 capable of receiving and inserting the cylindrical battery cell 100 therein. Specifically, the receiving portions 220s1 and 220s2 may have a plurality of hollow structures formed to surround the outer surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100. In this case, the module housing 220 may be made of an electrically insulating material. For example, the electrical insulating material may be a polymer plastic. More specifically, the electrical insulating material may be polyvinyl chloride.

In addition, referring to FIG. 2, the module housing 220 may include an outer wall 220d formed to form an inner space and formed in the front, rear, left, and right directions. In addition, a through hole 220h may be formed in the upper case 220a and the lower case 220b so that the fastening bolt 228 is inserted.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the upper case 220a and the lower case 220b constituting the module housing 220 has a through hole 220h into which a bolt 228 is inserted and fixed. Can be formed. Accordingly, the upper case 220a and the lower case 220b may be fastened and coupled through a bolt 228 inserted into the through hole 220h.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of the module busbar cut along line C-C' of FIG. 1. And, Figure 4 is a bottom view schematically showing the state of the module bus bar of the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring back to FIGS. 3 and 4 along with FIGS. 1 and 2, the module bus bar 210 may be configured to electrically connect a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100. For example, the module bus bar 210 may be configured to electrically connect a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 in series. Alternatively, the module bus bar 210 may be configured to electrically connect a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 in parallel. The module bus bar 210 may include a metal having excellent electrical conductivity.

In addition, the module bus bar 210 may include a first metal plate 212 and a second metal plate 214. Specifically, the first metal plate 212 may include a body portion 212a positioned above or below the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 and extending in a horizontal direction. Moreover, the body portion 212a may be disposed between the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 arranged in two rows. The main body 212a may have a rectangular plate shape having a predetermined thickness.

In addition, the first metal plate 212 is in a horizontal direction so as to be in contact with the electrode terminals 111 of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 from one side of the body portion 212a, both sides of the body portion 212a A plurality of connection portions 212b extending from each may be provided. That is, the connection part 212b may contact the upper surface of the electrode terminals 111 of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 from the side of the body part 212a in the horizontal direction (X direction in FIG. 1). So that it can be formed to extend. The connection part 212b may have a structure bent at least once or more in a direction in which the electrode terminal 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100 is positioned.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the module bus bar 210 may include one first metal plate 212. In addition, the first metal plate 212 includes a body part 212a and the body part 212a located above or below the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 and extending in a horizontal direction (X direction in FIG. 1 ). ), a plurality of connection portions 212b extending in the horizontal direction such that the bent and extended portions are bent and extended downward from each of the left and right ends of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 and contact the electrode terminals 111 of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 ) May be provided.

Moreover, according to one aspect of the present invention, the connection part 212b of the module bus bar 210 electrically connected to the electrode terminal 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100 is formed to have a structure divided into two. As a result, during the welding process between the connection part 212b and the electrode terminal 111, it is possible to effectively increase the thermal conductivity for welding heating through the gap of the branched structure, thereby shortening the welding time and increasing the welding reliability.

In addition, the second metal plate 214 may be bonded to the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212. Further, the second metal plate 214 may have a rectangular plate shape similar to the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the second metal plate 214 may be bonded to the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212. Thus, the second metal plate 214 may have a shape of a square plate extending along an extended direction of the main body 212a.

In addition, the second metal plate 214 may have a metal having relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate 212. Specifically, the second metal plate 214 may be made of a metal having relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate 212. Moreover, the second metal plate 214 may be configured to have a relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate 212.

For example, the first metal plate 212 may be made of a nickel material, and the second metal plate 214 may be made of a copper material. However, it is not necessarily limited to these materials, and if the second metal plate 214 can be configured to have a relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate 212, the first metal plate 212 ) And the second metal plate 214 can be applied to any metal alloy composed of nickel, aluminum, gold, silver, or the like as main materials.

In other words, the first metal plate 212 may include a metal having a relatively higher resistivity than the second metal plate 214. For example, the metal of high specific resistance may be nickel.

Therefore, according to this configuration of the present invention, the second metal plate 214 is provided with a metal having a higher electrical conductivity than the metal provided by the first metal plate 212, Current loss can be reduced, and power loss of the battery module 200 can be reduced. Moreover, the second metal plate 214 having high conductivity has a higher thermal conductivity and a faster cooling rate than the first metal plate 212. Accordingly, it is possible to greatly increase the cooling efficiency of the battery module 200 by helping the battery module 200 to dissipate heat.

Conversely, the first metal plate 212 includes a metal having a higher specific resistance than the metal provided by the second metal plate 214, so that the connection part 212b of the first metal plate 212 is connected to the cylindrical battery. When resistance welding with the electrode terminal 111 of the cell 100, high resistance heat can be generated at the welding site by a metal having high specific resistance, thereby improving welding processability.

In addition, the connection part 212b may include a structure divided into two. That is, the connection part 212b may have a shape in which a gap of a predetermined distance is formed between the two branched plate shapes. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the connection part 212b protrudes in the horizontal direction in the form of a structure divided into two (separated structure) from the body part 212a of the first metal plate 212 It can be formed to be extended.

Meanwhile, referring again to FIG. 3, the second metal plate 214 may be clad-bonded to the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212. Here, a portion of the second metal plate 214 and the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 is clad-bonded with the metal of the second metal plate 214 and the first metal plate 212 The metals of the body portion 212a of) may be metal-coupled to each other.

That is, in the process of rolling-bonding the second metal plate 214 and the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 to each other at a predetermined temperature, some metals of the second metal plate 214 and the first metal plate 212 1 Some metals of the body portion 212a of the metal plate 212 may be metal-bonded to each other to be mixed.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the second metal plate 214 is clad-bonded to the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212, so that the second metal plate 214 and the first The electrical connection between the body portion 212a of the metal plate 212 is excellent, and the bonding property (bonding property) between the second metal plate 214 and the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 is excellent Thus, it is possible to prevent the durability of the module bus bar 210 from becoming weak.

Meanwhile, referring again to FIG. 3 along with FIG. 2, the first metal plate 212 may have a relatively thinner thickness T1 in the vertical direction than the second metal plate 214. Conversely, the second metal plate 214 may have a thicker plate than the first metal plate 212. Here, the thickness T1 of the metal plates 212 and 214 means the thickness T1 in a direction (up-down direction) facing the electrode terminal 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100.

Specifically, it is appropriate that the connection part 212b of the first metal plate 212 is melted rapidly during welding in order to be efficiently bonded to the electrode terminal 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100. On the other hand, the second metal plate 214 is not configured to be welded to the electrode terminal 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100, and the current transmitted from the cylindrical battery cell 100 is transferred to an external electronic device. It can serve as a transmitting current path.

To this end, the second metal plate 214 needs to reduce electrical resistance in order to further minimize current loss during current transmission. Accordingly, it is appropriate to set the second metal plate 214 to have a large cross-sectional area in the direction in which the current flows. That is, the thicker the thickness T2 of the second metal plate 214 having higher electrical conductivity, the more effective it is to reduce power loss.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the module bus bar 210 of the present invention, the connection portion 212b of the first metal plate 212 is a second metal having a thickness T1 in the vertical direction. It may be thinner than the thickness T2 of the plate 214.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the present invention provides the second metal plate 214 having a thickness larger than that of the first metal plate 212, so that the resistance welding is relatively easy. 1 The metal plate 212 can perform welding between the electrode terminals 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100 at a fast and low process temperature. That is, during resistance welding, compared to the case of a thick plate, there is an advantage that a metal plate having a relatively thin thickness can be quickly melted at a low temperature. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process and minimize the occurrence of defects in the cylindrical battery cell 100 according to the welding temperature.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the module bus bar 210 of FIG. 4 is divided into a plurality of the first metal plates 212 on the lower surface of the second metal plate 214 and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. It can be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the module bus bar 210 may include a first metal plate 212 divided into three on a lower surface of the second metal plate 214. The first metal plate 212 divided into three may be bonded to the lower surface of the second metal plate 214 in a form spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the first metal plate 212 of the module bus bar 210 is divided into a plurality and has a shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, so that the second metal plate 214 is Compared to the case where the first metal plate 212 is configured to cover the entire lower surface, the amount of the first metal plate 212 is minimized and applied due to the relatively low electrical conductivity and a plurality of divided and spaced forms. I can make it. Accordingly, the total electrical resistance of the module busbar 210 can be effectively reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce an increase in the temperature of the battery module 200 due to resistance heat. Moreover, there is an advantage in that the current loss of the battery module 200 can be greatly reduced.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the second metal plate 214 may have a structure in which the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 is inserted to a predetermined depth. For example, when the second metal plate 214 is clad-bonded with the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212, the clad-bonded portion of the second metal plate 214 is 1 The body portion 212a of the metal plate 212 may be inserted into a predetermined depth.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the module bus bar 210 of the present invention may include three first metal plates 212 and one second metal plate 214. Each of the three first metal plates 212 may be clad-bonded by high-temperature compression bonding to the lower surface of the second metal plate 214. In this case, a body portion 212a of each of the three first metal plates 212 may be inserted into a joint portion of the second metal plate 214 to a predetermined depth.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the second metal plate 214 has a structure in which the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 is inserted to a predetermined depth, and the second metal plate 214 The metal plate 214 may be seated and fixed. Moreover, since the contact area between the first metal plate 212 and the second metal plate 214 can be increased, high bonding force and electrical resistance that may occur at the bonding site can be reduced.

5 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 along with FIG. 3, when compared with the module bus bar 210 of FIG. 4, the module bus bar 210A of FIG. 5 has at least a portion of the second connection part 212j2. ), but the difference is that a structure with a narrower width in the horizontal direction is formed, and the rest of the configuration is the same.

Specifically, the body part 212j of the first metal plate 212 may include a first connection part 212j1 and a second connection part 212j2. More specifically, the first connection part 212j1 of the body part 212j may have a structure in which one end is connected to the connection part 212b. For example, the first connection part 212j1 may be configured to be connected to an end bent in an upward direction of the connection part 212b. In this case, the first connection part 212j1 may have the same width in the horizontal direction as the end bent in the upper direction of the connection part 212b. For example, the width in the horizontal direction may be a width in the front-rear direction (Y-direction in FIG. 2).

In addition, the second connection part 212j2 may have a portion extending so that the first connection part 212j1 is connected to each of both ends in the left-right direction. The second connection part 212j2 may have a shape in which the width of the extended portion in the horizontal direction is narrower than that of the first connection part 212j1.

For example, referring to FIG. 5, a first metal plate 212 bonded to a lower surface of the second metal plate 214 may be provided on the module bus bar 210A. The main body portion 212j of the first metal plate 212 includes two first connection portions 212j1 having one end or the other end connected to the connection portion 212b, and both ends of each of the left and right directions (x-axis direction) The second connection part 212j2 extends in the left and right direction so that the first connection part 212j1 is connected and the width of the extended part in the horizontal direction (forward and backward direction, Y-axis direction) is narrower than the first connection part 212j1. It can be provided.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the main body part 212j has a first connection part 212j1 having a structure connected to the connection part 212b at one end or the other end, and the first connection part 212j1 at each of both ends. ) Is extended to be connected, and the width of the extended portion in the horizontal direction is narrower than the first connection part 212j1, so that the lower surface of the second metal plate 214 is entirely covered. When the first metal plate 212 is configured, or when compared with the first metal plate 212 of FIG. 4, a plurality of the second connection portions 212j2 are divided and have a width smaller than that of the first connection portion 212j1. As a result, the amount of the first metal plate 212 having high specific resistance may be further reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively reduce the total electrical resistance of the module bus bar 210A. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of higher temperature in the battery module 200. Moreover, there is an advantage in that the current loss of the battery module 200 can be greatly reduced.

6 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the module bus bar 210B of FIG. 6, the body portion 212u may include a first extension portion 212u1 and a plurality of second extension portions 212u2. Specifically, the first extension part 212u1 may have a shape elongated in the row direction (y-axis direction) of the arrangement of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100. For example, the first extension part 212u1 may have a shape extending from a front end to a rear end of the second metal plate 214. In addition, the first extension part 212u1 may be located in the center of the lower surface of the second metal plate 214 in the left-right direction (x-axis direction).

The second extension part 212u2 may have a shape extending from the first extension part 212u1 in a column direction (x-axis direction) of the arrangement of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100. That is, the second extension part 212u2 may have a shape extending from each of the left and right ends of the first extension part 212u1 so as to be connected to the connection part 212b. In addition, the plurality of second extension parts 212u2 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

For example, referring to FIG. 6, the body portion 212u of the first metal plate 212 is a first extension extending long in the row direction (Y direction) of the arrangement of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 A portion 212u1 may be provided. The main body part 212u extends from the first extension part 212u1 in the column direction (x-axis direction) of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 and is separated from each other by a predetermined distance. A portion 212u2 may be provided.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the main body portion 212u includes a first extension portion 212u1 elongated in the row direction of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100, and the first extension portion. By providing a plurality of second extensions 212u2 elongated in the column direction of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 from 212u1 and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, the integral first metal plate 212 When is applied, it is possible to increase the ease of manufacturing the module bus bar 210B compared to the first metal plate 212 in a divided form.

7 is a bottom view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, in the module bus bar 210C of FIG. 7, when compared with the module bus bar 210B of FIG. 6, at least a portion of the second extension part 212u1 has a narrower width in the horizontal direction (front-to-back direction) than the rest of the module bus bar 210C. It only differs in that the structure is formed, and the rest of the structure is the same.

Referring to FIG. 7, the body portion 212w of the first metal plate 212 is a first extension portion 212u1 extending long in the row direction (front-to-back direction) of the arrangement of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 , And a plurality of second extensions 212u2 elongated in the column direction (left and right direction) of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 from the first extension 212u1 and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. can do.

In addition, at least a portion of the second extension part 212u2 may have a structure having a narrower width in the horizontal direction (front-to-back direction, y-axis direction) than the rest of the second extension part 212u2. For example, the second extension part 212u3 may be formed in a structure in which a portion connected to the first extension part 212u1 has a narrow width in the front-rear direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the body portion 212w of the first metal plate 212 may include a first extension portion 212u1 and three second extension portions 212u3. In this case, each of the three second extension portions 212u3 may have a structure in which a portion adjacent to the first extension portion 212u1 has a narrower width in the front-rear direction than the rest portion.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the second extension part 212u3 has a structure in which at least a portion is narrower in width in the horizontal direction than the rest of the second extension part 212u3, thereby When the first metal plate 212 is configured to cover the entire area, or when compared with the first metal plate 212 of FIG. 6, due to the second extension part 212u3 having a structure that is narrower than the rest, The amount of the first metal plate 212 may be further reduced and applied. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively reduce the total electrical resistance of the module bus bar 210C. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of higher temperature in the battery module 200. Moreover, there is an advantage in that the current loss of the battery module 200 can be greatly reduced.

8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cutaway state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 along with FIG. 2, the module bus bar 210D according to another embodiment includes the second metal plate 214D facing the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D. A coupling protrusion 212p protruding in a direction in which the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D is positioned may be formed on an outer surface of the first metal plate 212D. In addition, the shape of the coupling protrusion 212p may have an uneven structure.

However, the shape of the coupling protrusion 212p is not limited to the concave-convex structure, and the coupling protrusion 212p is inserted and fixed to the body part 212a of the first metal plate 212D to increase the coupling force of the two members. It can be applied as long as it is an appropriate shape.

Further, a coupling groove 212h recessed so that the coupling protrusion 212p is inserted and fixed may be formed in the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D. Specifically, the coupling groove 212h may have a shape that is internalized in a structure corresponding to the outer shape of the coupling protrusion 212p.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, on the outer surface of the second metal plate 214D facing the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D, 9 protruding and extending in the lower direction. Four coupling protrusions 212p may be formed. In addition, nine coupling grooves 212h recessed in a shape corresponding to the nine coupling protrusions 212p may be formed in the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D.

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, a coupling protrusion 212p is formed on the outer surface of the second metal plate 212D, and a coupling groove 212h is formed in the main body 212a of the first metal plate 212D. ) Is formed, so that the second metal plate 214D can be bonded to the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D with a strong bonding force. In particular, when rolling the second metal plate 214D on the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212D, the coupling protrusion 212p is compared with the module bus bar 210 of FIG. 3. In this case, since the contact area (coupling area) with the second metal plate 214D can be increased, a high bonding force can be exhibited, and metal mixing can be achieved relatively well at the bonding site.

9 is a perspective view schematically showing a state of a module bus bar of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention. And, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of the module busbar cut along the line D-D' of FIG. 9.

Along with FIG. 2, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the module bus bar 210E according to another exemplary embodiment may further include a third metal plate 216. Specifically, the third metal plate 216 may include a bonding portion 216a bonded to an outer surface of the second metal plate 214. In addition, the junction part 216a may be located on the second metal plate 214. Moreover, the junction part 216a may be disposed between the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 arranged in two rows.

In addition, the third metal plate 216 may include a plurality of connection extension portions 216b extending in a horizontal direction w from one side of the bonding portion 216a. Further, the bonding portion 216a may be in contact with the electrode terminals 111 of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100.

In addition, the third metal plate 216 may have a metal having relatively lower electrical conductivity than the second metal plate 214. For example, the third metal plate 216 may be made of a nickel material. Moreover, the third metal plate 216 can be applied to any metal alloy composed of nickel, aluminum, gold, silver, or the like as a main material.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the module bus bar 210E of the present invention includes a first metal plate 212, a second metal plate 214, and a third metal plate 216. I can. In this case, the first metal plate 212 and the third metal plate 216 may mainly include nickel. In addition, the second metal plate 214 may mainly include copper. That is, the second metal plate 214 may have relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate 212 and the second metal plate 214. Moreover, the third metal plate 216 includes a bonding portion 216a bonded to an outer surface of the second metal plate 214 and a plurality of connection extension portions extending in a horizontal direction from one side of the bonding portion 216a ( 216b).

Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present invention, the module bus bar 210E according to another embodiment is provided with the third metal plate 216 additionally, so that the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 , The second metal plate 214 and the bonding portion 216a of the third metal plate 216 may be roll-bonded. Accordingly, the bonding force between the metal plates of the module bus bar 210E is further improved, and the first metal plate 212 and the third metal plate 216 electrically connected to the cylindrical battery cell 100 and the second Since the bonding area between the metal plates 214 is increased, electrical resistance due to bonding can be minimized, and current loss of the module busbar 210E can be reduced.

Again, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the module bus bar 210E according to another exemplary embodiment includes the first metal plate having a different shape from the connection part 212b of the module bus bar 210 of FIG. 3. 212) may have a connection portion 212b1. That is, in the module bus bar 210E, the connection extension portion 216b of the third metal plate 216 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the connection portion 212b1 by a predetermined distance. That is, the connection portion 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the connection extension portion 216b of the third metal plate 216 may be disposed parallel to each other in a horizontal direction.

Furthermore, the connection portion 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the connection extension portion 216b of the third metal plate 216 may be disposed to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance. In addition, the spaced distance between the connection part 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the connection extension part 216b of the third metal plate 216 is to the electrode terminal 111 of the cylindrical battery cell 100 When resistance welding, it is appropriate to be separated by a distance that can generate appropriate resistance heat.

Further, the connection portion 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the connection extension portion 216b of the third metal plate 216 may be formed of the same material. For example, the connection part 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the connection extension part 216b of the third metal plate 216 may be mainly made of a nickel material.

Therefore, according to this configuration of the present invention, the connection part 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the connection extension part 216b of the third metal plate 216 are provided as electrode terminals of the cylindrical battery cell 100. In the case of being spaced apart by a predetermined distance so as to be resistance-welded to (111), compared with the current path between the connection portions 212b1 of the first metal plate 212, the connection portion 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 and the The current path between the connection extension portions 216b of the third metal plate 216 is longer and the electrical resistance is increased, so that the electrode terminal of the cylindrical battery cell 100 from the connection portion 212b1 of the first metal plate 212 ( 111) and the current path to the connection extension 216b of the third metal plate 216 may be concentrated. Accordingly, resistance welding between the module busbar 210E and the electrode terminal can be efficiently performed. In addition, it is possible to shorten the manufacturing time and manufacture the battery module 200 having excellent weldability.

In addition, a battery pack (not shown) according to the present invention may include at least one battery module 200. Specifically, two or more battery modules 200 may have a structure arranged in one direction. In some cases, the battery pack may further include a heat sink (not shown) for heat dissipation purposes.

In addition, an electronic device (not shown) according to the present invention may include the battery pack. For example, the battery pack may be accommodated in an external case of the electronic device. In addition, the electronic device may be a moving means such as an electric bicycle, or may be a power tool.

Meanwhile, referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3, the second metal plate 214 of the module bus bar 210A of another type of the present invention is more than the main body 212a of the first metal plate 212. A protrusion 214a configured to protrude and extend in an outward direction may be provided. Specifically, the protrusion 214a may have a coupling structure so that an external input/output terminal is coupled. For example, a perforated fixing hole 214b into which an external input/output terminal (not shown) is inserted and coupled may be formed in the protrusion 214a. In addition, the external input/output terminal may have a bolt shape capable of being inserted and fastened into the fixing hole 214b.

Meanwhile, referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3, the method of manufacturing the module busbar 210 according to the present invention may include a shape processing step, a bonding step, and a punching step. Specifically, in the shape processing step, the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 of the first metal plate 212 are electrically extended between the body portion 212a extending in the direction in which the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 are arranged and the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100. It may be a step of forming a shape by rolling the connection part 212b configured to be connected by using a rolling roller (not shown).

In addition, in the bonding step, a second metal plate 214 having an electrical conductivity higher than that of the first metal plate 212 is rolled on the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 at a predetermined temperature. It may be a step of cladding bonding. At this time, the rolling used may be performed by a conventional heat treatment method. For example, the heat treatment temperature may be from room temperature to a temperature lower than the melting points of nickel and copper. More specifically, the predetermined temperature may be 100 ℃ to 500 ℃. In addition, the punching step may be a step of punching and molding using a die (not shown) so that a connection portion 212b extending in a horizontal direction from the body portion 212a of the first metal plate 212 is formed. have. In this case, the die may be formed such that the connection part 212b has a branched structure having a predetermined gap.

Therefore, according to this configuration of the present invention, the module bus bar 210 is configured such that the first metal plate 212 and the second metal plate 214 are cladding-joined to each other, compared to a bus bar made of a single metal plate. , It can have two advantages. That is, the first metal plate 212 configured to be bonded to the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 has a metal having a relatively lower electrical conductivity than the second metal plate 214, and has a low heat dissipation characteristic, so that welding is difficult. It has the advantage of being easy. In addition, the second metal plate 214 is provided with a metal having a higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate 212, so that the current supplied from the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 is reduced by power loss. There is an advantage of minimizing transmission.

In addition, since the module bus bar 210 is configured such that the first metal plate 212 and the second metal plate 214 are cladding-joined (metal blended) with each other, electricity generated at the joint portion of the two members There is an advantage of minimizing resistance.

On the other hand, in this specification, terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, before, and after are used, but these terms are for convenience only and vary depending on the location of the object or the observer. It is obvious to those skilled in the art of the present invention.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical idea of the present invention and the following by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. It goes without saying that various modifications and variations are possible within the equivalent range of the claims to be described.

200: battery module 210: module busbar
100: cylindrical battery cell 220: module housing
220s1, 220s2: receiving part
111, 112: electrode terminal 212: first metal plate
214: second metal plate 216: third metal plate
220a, 220b: upper case, lower case
212a, 212b: body portion, connection portion
212p, 212h: coupling protrusion, coupling groove 212i: insertion part
212j1, 212j2: first connection, second connection
212u1: first extension 212u2, 212u3: second extension
216a, 216b: junction, connection extension

Claims (11)

A plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in rows and columns and having electrode terminals formed at upper and lower portions, respectively;
A module housing having a receiving part having a plurality of hollow structures to insert and receive the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; And
A first provided with a main body part positioned above or below the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and extending in a horizontal direction, and a plurality of connection parts extending in a horizontal direction so as to contact electrode terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells from one side of the main body. A module bus having a metal plate and a second metal plate bonded to the body of the first metal plate and having a metal having a relatively higher electrical conductivity than the first metal plate and having a thickness greater than that of the first metal plate bar
Battery module comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The battery module, characterized in that the first metal plate is divided into a plurality of pieces and has a shape spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The method of claim 2,
The battery module, wherein the second metal plate has a structure in which the body portion of the first metal plate is inserted to a predetermined depth. The method of claim 3,
The body part,
A first connecting portion having one end or the other end connected to the connecting portion; And
A second connection part extending so that the first connection part is connected to each of both ends and a width of the extended part in the horizontal direction is narrower than that of the first connection part
A battery module comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The body part,
A first extension part elongated in a row direction of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; And
A plurality of second extensions extending from the first extension in a column direction of the array of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance
A battery module comprising a. The method of claim 5,
A battery module, wherein at least a portion of the second extension portion has a structure having a width in a horizontal direction narrower than that of the remaining portion. The method of claim 1,
The module busbar includes a bonding portion stacked on an outer surface of the second metal plate and a third metal having a plurality of connection extension portions extending in a horizontal direction so as to contact electrode terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells from one side of the bonding portion. Battery module, characterized in that further comprising a plate. The method of claim 7,
The battery module, wherein the connection portion of the first metal plate and the connection extension portion of the third metal plate are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The method of claim 1,
A coupling protrusion protruding in a direction in which the body portion of the first metal plate is located is formed on an outer surface of the second metal plate facing the body portion of the first metal plate,
The battery module, characterized in that the receiving groove is formed in the body portion of the first metal plate to insert and fix the coupling protrusion. A battery pack comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 9. An electronic device comprising the battery pack according to claim 10.

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