KR20210071381A - Battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells, a battery cell assembly stacked adjacent to each other in parallel, a module frame accommodating the battery cell assembly, and located at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly. an insulating cover covering an end of the battery cell assembly, and end plates positioned at both ends in a longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly with the insulating cover interposed therebetween, wherein the insulating cover includes a coupling protrusion protruding toward the end plate and, the end plate includes a coupling hole coupled to the coupling protrusion.

Description

Battery module {BATTERY MODULE}

The present invention relates to a battery module, and more particularly, to a battery module with a more simplified assembly structure and method between parts of the battery module.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices increase, the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing. Accordingly, a lot of research has been done on secondary batteries that can meet various needs.

Secondary batteries are attracting a lot of attention as an energy source for power devices, such as electric magnetrons, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, as well as mobile devices such as cell phones, digital cameras, and notebook computers.

A small battery pack in which a single battery cell is packed is used for small devices such as mobile phones and cameras, but a battery pack in which two or more battery cells are connected in parallel and/or in series is used in mid- to large-sized devices such as notebook computers and electric vehicles. Packed medium or large battery packs are used. Accordingly, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to a required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity.

On the other hand, when configuring a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/parallel, a battery module including at least one battery cell is first configured, and other components are added using the at least one battery module to add other components to the battery pack. The general way to configure The number of battery modules included in the battery pack or the number of battery cells included in the battery module may be variously set according to a required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity. The battery module set in this way is configured to include a plurality of battery cells stacked together and a bus bar assembly electrically connecting electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells.

The material of the parts included in the battery module may be a metal material for rigidity or an injection molding for ease of insulation and molding, and various means are employed in combining them. However, there is a demand for a structure that can be assembled more easily in combination of materials having different characteristics and can be stably combined in a module through management of tolerances, etc.

The present invention is to solve this problem, and in the coupling of the injection-molded material and the metal material among the parts included in the battery module, it promotes easy coupling, and furthermore, by removing the assembly tolerance that may occur at this time, the coupling between the parts is more An object is to provide a stable battery module.

However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above problems and may be variously expanded within the scope of the technical idea included in the present invention.

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells, a battery cell assembly stacked adjacent to each other in parallel, a module frame accommodating the battery cell assembly, and located at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly. an insulating cover covering an end of the battery cell assembly, and end plates positioned at both ends in a longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly with the insulating cover interposed therebetween, wherein the insulating cover includes a coupling protrusion protruding toward the end plate and, the end plate includes a coupling hole coupled to the coupling protrusion.

The coupling hole may be covered by a heat staking portion extending from the coupling protrusion.

The heat welding part may be in close contact with the surface of the end plate.

The size of the coupling hole may be smaller than the size of the heat welding part.

The insulating cover may be made of an injection-molded material, and the coupling protrusion may extend integrally from the insulating cover, and the heat-welded portion may have a shape deformed by applying heat to an end of the coupling protrusion.

The coupling protrusion may extend through the coupling hole.

The coupling protrusion may include a locking protrusion extending from the coupling protrusion, and the locking protrusion may be configured to be caught on an edge of the coupling hole.

The coupling protrusion may include a locking protrusion extending from the coupling protrusion, the coupling hole may include a step portion on an inner wall thereof, and the locking protrusion may be configured to be caught by the step portion.

A battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell assembly in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked adjacent to each other in parallel, a bus bar frame formed on front and rear surfaces of the battery cell assembly, and the battery cell assembly a plurality of bus bars formed outside the bus bar frame and electrically connected to an external power source, wherein the bus bar frame includes a coupling protrusion protruding toward the bus bar, and the bus bar is coupled to the coupling protrusion and a hole, wherein the engaging hole is covered by a heat staking portion extending from the engaging projection.

The heat welding part may be in close contact with the surface of the bus bar.

The size of the coupling hole may be smaller than the size of the heat welding part.

The insulating cover may be made of an injection-molded material, and the coupling protrusion may extend integrally from the insulating cover, and the heat-welded portion may have a shape deformed by applying heat to an end of the coupling protrusion.

A battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention may include the at least one battery module, and a pack case for packaging the at least one battery module.

A device according to another embodiment of the present invention may include the above-described at least one battery pack.

According to the embodiments, in the combination of the injection molded product and the metal material among the parts included in the battery module, it is not only easy to combine, but also to provide a battery module in which the coupling between parts is more stable by removing the assembly tolerance that may occur during the coupling. can

1 is a diagram illustrating a disassembled state of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of FIG. 1 in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of FIG. 1 in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an enlarged view illustrating a bus bar portion in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a cross-section taken along V-V' of FIG. 4 .

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

In addition, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily indicated for convenience of description, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrated bar. In order to clearly express various layers and regions in the drawings, the thicknesses are enlarged. And in the drawings, for convenience of description, the thickness of some layers and regions are exaggerated.

Also, when a part of a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be “on” or “on” another part, it includes not only cases where it is “directly on” another part, but also cases where another part is in between. . Conversely, when we say that a part is "just above" another part, we mean that there is no other part in the middle. In addition, to be "on" or "on" the reference part means to be located above or below the reference part, and to necessarily mean to be located "on" or "on" in the direction opposite to the gravity no.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, this means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated.

In addition, throughout the specification, when referring to "planar", it means when the target part is viewed from above, and "in cross-section" means when viewed from the side when a cross-section of the target part is vertically cut.

1 is a view illustrating an exploded state of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section of part A of FIG. 1 in the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a drawing.

1 and 2 , the battery module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell assembly 110 in which battery cells are stacked, and a top frame 400 coupled to the battery cell assembly 110 . and a bus bar frame 300 , and a module frame 200 in which the battery cell assembly 110 , the top frame 400 and the bus bar frame 300 are accommodated.

The battery cell assembly 110 is an assembly of secondary batteries including a plurality of battery cells. The battery cell assembly 110 may include a plurality of battery cells, and each battery cell includes an electrode lead. The battery cell may be a pouch-type battery cell having a plate shape, but is not limited thereto. The electrode lead included in each battery cell is a positive electrode lead or a negative electrode lead, and an end of the electrode lead of each battery cell may be bent in one direction, thereby making contact with an end of an electrode lead of another adjacent battery cell. have. The two electrode leads in contact with each other may be fixed to each other through welding or the like, and through this, electrical connection between the battery cells in the battery cell assembly 110 may be made. In addition, electrode leads aligned at both ends of the battery cell assembly 110 may be coupled to the bus bar frame 300 to be electrically connected to the bus bar 310 mounted on the bus bar frame 300 .

The plurality of battery cells are vertically stacked such that electrode leads are aligned in one direction to form the battery cell assembly 110 . The electrode leads aligned in one direction may be electrically connected to the bus bar 310 fixed to the bus bar frame 300 disposed to cover the battery cell assembly 110 . That is, the bus bar frame 300 is made of an insulator and includes a lead slot through which electrode leads drawn out from the battery cell assembly 110 can pass, and the bus bar 310 connects the electrode leads of the battery cell assembly 110 . It can be electrically connected.

Various other electrical components may be attached to the bus bar frame 300 . For example, an internal circuit board (ICB) and a battery management system (BMS) may be provided, and electronic components such as the ICB and the BMS board may be electrically connected to the plurality of battery cells.

The top frame 400 is positioned above the battery cell assembly 110 , and the bus bar frame 300 is rotatably coupled from both sides thereof. In this case, the bus bar 310 may be mounted on the bus bar frame 300 , and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) may be disposed on the top along the longitudinal direction of the top frame 400 . Since the flexible printed circuit board is electrically connected to the bus bar, it is possible to sense overvoltage and overcurrent of the battery cell through this, and a connector is connected to one end thereof to transmit signals related to voltage sensing and temperature sensing to the outside of the battery module 100. It can transmit and receive with the controller.

The top frame 400 is disposed on the upper surface of the battery cell assembly 110 , and the bus bar frame 300 is rotated to couple to the side of the battery cell assembly 110 on which the electrode leads are formed. This assembly has at least one opening opened in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly 110, and includes four plates surrounding at least four surfaces of the battery cell assembly 110. The module frame 200 has a square tube shape. ) is accommodated in At this time, the bus bar frame 300 may be exposed through the opening, and the opening may be covered by the end plate 600 including a configuration for electrically connecting the electrode leads to the outside through the bus bar frame 300 . have.

Between the end plate 600 and the bus bar frame 300 , an insulating cover 500 for blocking electrical connection between the bus bar frame 300 and the end plate 600 is disposed. The insulating cover 500 may be formed of an insulating injection-molded material, and may be positioned to be coupled to the inner surface of the end plate 600 .

The end plate 600 may be formed of a metal material having rigidity to protect the bus bar frame 300 and various electrical components connected thereto from external impact. In order to couple the insulating cover 500 to the end plate 600 , as shown in FIG. 2 , the insulating cover 500 includes a coupling protrusion 510 protruding from the insulating cover 500 , and the end plate 600 includes a coupling hole 610 coupled to the coupling protrusion 510 . The coupling protrusion 510 is integrally formed with the insulating cover 500 formed of an injection-molded material and extends from the insulating cover 500 . An end of the coupling protrusion 510 protruding through the coupling hole 610 includes a heat staking portion 511 formed to extend from the coupling protrusion 510 . The heat welding part 511 is formed to be in close contact with the surface of the end plate 600 while covering the coupling hole 610 . At this time, the size of the coupling hole 610 is formed smaller than the size of the heat welding part 511 so that the coupling hole 610 can be completely covered by the heat welding part 511 .

The heat welding part 511 may be formed by applying heat to the end of the coupling protrusion 510 protruding through the coupling hole 610 to deform the shape. The shape of the coupling protrusion 510 may be a bar shape as shown in FIG. 2 or may be spaced apart from each other to enable snap-fit coupling in a hook shape as shown in FIG. 3, and is not particularly limited. does not As such, the heat welding portion 511 is formed by heat from the end of the coupling protrusion 510 , so that it can be firmly coupled to the surface of the end plate 600 . In addition, by being firmly coupled by the heat welding part 511 as described above, tolerances generated during the manufacturing process of the coupling hole 610 and the coupling protrusion 510 are removed, thereby reducing the burden on the process required for tolerance management. In addition, since the tolerance is removed between the end plate 600 and the insulating cover 500 firmly coupled by the heat welding unit 511 as described above, it is possible to prevent damage to parts due to shaking or vibration.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3 , instead of forming the heat welding portion 511 , the engaging jaw 512 and the edge of the coupling hole 610 , in particular the coupling hole 610 . The step portion 611 formed on the inner wall may be coupled to the end plate 600 and the insulating cover 500 may be coupled thereto. In this case, the end plate 600 and the insulating cover 500 may be coupled by a simpler process. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, by placing a gap between the injection-molded products between the both locking jaws 512 so that elasticity occurs in the portion where the locking jaws 512 are formed, external shock caused by shaking or vibration can be absorbed. As a result, damage to parts can be prevented.

A thermally conductive resin layer 800 is positioned between the lower surface of the battery cell assembly 110 and the lower surface of the module frame 200 . The thermally conductive resin layer 800 is made of a thermally conductive material to dissipate heat generated from the battery cell assembly 110 to the outside, for example, thermal resin. Examples of such thermal resins include silicone, urethane, and epoxy. In addition, the thermally conductive resin layer 800 may serve to transfer the generated heat to the bottom of the front body module 100 and to fix the battery cell assembly 110 in the battery module 100 .

An expansion control pad 700 may be provided between the side surface of the battery cell assembly 110 and the module frame 200 . When the expansion control pad 700 expands the battery cell, it is compressed and acts as a buffer to control cell swelling, thus preventing damage to the battery cell and the module frame 200 due to the expansion of the battery cell. have. To this end, the expansion control pad 700 may include a material including a soft elastic material such as polyurethane (PU) or EDPM (Ethlene Propylene Diene Monomer). Since the material has excellent absorbency to vibration and repulsive force due to compression, it is possible to guide the battery module 100 having excellent dimensional stability even when cell swelling occurs in a plurality of battery cells.

Next, a structure for mounting the bus bar 310 to the bus bar frame 300 in the battery module according to another embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

4 is an enlarged view showing a bus bar portion in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a cross-section taken along V-V' of FIG. 4 .

4 and 5, the bus bar frame 300 according to the present embodiment includes a coupling protrusion 302 protruding toward the bus bar 310, and the bus bar 310 includes the coupling protrusion ( It includes a coupling hole 311 for coupling with the 302). That is, the bus bar frame 300 is made of an insulating injection molding material, and the coupling protrusion 302 is integrally formed with the bus bar frame 300 and extends from the bus bar frame 300 . An end of the coupling protrusion 302 protruding through the coupling hole 311 includes a heat staking portion 301 formed to extend from the coupling protrusion 302 . The heat welding part 301 is formed to be in close contact with the surface of the bus bar 310 while covering the coupling hole 311 . At this time, the size of the coupling hole 311 is formed smaller than the size of the heat welding part 301 so that the coupling hole 311 can be completely covered by the heat welding part 301 .

The heat-welded portion 301 has the same configuration as the heat-welded portion 511 of the insulating cover 500 described above, and may be formed by the same method. In this way, the bus bar 310 and the bus bar frame 300 are firmly coupled by the heat welding unit 301 , thereby being coupled to the tolerance generated in the manufacturing process of the coupling hole 311 and the coupling protrusion 302 . It is possible to reduce the burden on the process required for tolerance management. In addition, since the tolerance is removed between the bus bar 310 and the bus bar frame 300 firmly coupled by the heat welding part 301 as described above, damage to parts due to shaking or vibration can be prevented.

On the other hand, in the present specification, only the end plate, the insulating cover, the bus bar and the bus bar frame have been exemplified and described with respect to the parts to be joined by forming the thermal welding part, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the injection-molded material such as a plastic material in the battery module, and the metal By properly applying the material when combining parts, tolerance absorption and thus part prevention effect can be obtained.

Meanwhile, one or more battery modules according to an embodiment of the present invention may be packaged in a pack case to form a battery pack.

The above-described battery module and battery pack including the same may be applied to various devices. These devices can be applied to transportation means such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be applied to various devices that can use a battery module and a battery pack including the same. It belongs to the scope of the invention.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention as defined in the following claims are also provided. is within the scope of the

100: battery module
110: battery cell assembly
300: bus bar frame
500: insulation cover
600: end plate
510, 302: bonding protrusions
601, 311: mating hole
511, 301: heat welding part

Claims (14)

a battery cell assembly in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked adjacent to each other in parallel;
a module frame accommodating the battery cell assembly;
an insulating cover positioned at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly to cover an end of the battery cell assembly; and
End plates positioned at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell assembly with the insulating cover interposed therebetween
including,
The insulating cover includes a coupling protrusion protruding toward the end plate,
The end plate includes a coupling hole coupled to the coupling protrusion, the battery module. In claim 1,
The coupling hole is covered by a heat staking portion extending from the coupling protrusion, the battery module. In claim 2,
The heat welding part is in close contact with the surface of the end plate battery module. In claim 2,
The size of the coupling hole is smaller than the size of the heat welding part battery module. In claim 2,
The insulating cover is made of an injection-molded material, and the coupling protrusion extends integrally from the insulating cover,
The heat welding part is a battery module having a deformed shape by applying heat to the end of the coupling protrusion. In claim 1,
The coupling protrusion is a battery module extending through the coupling hole. In claim 5,
The coupling protrusion includes a locking protrusion extending from the coupling protrusion, and the locking protrusion is configured to be caught on an edge of the coupling hole. In claim 5,
The coupling protrusion includes a locking protrusion extending from the coupling protrusion, the coupling hole includes a step portion on an inner wall thereof, and the locking protrusion is configured to be caught by the step portion. a battery cell assembly in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked adjacent to each other in parallel;
a bus bar frame formed on front and rear surfaces of the battery cell assembly; and
a plurality of bus bars formed outside the bus bar frame with respect to the battery cell assembly and electrically connected to an external power source;
The bus bar frame includes a coupling protrusion protruding toward the bus bar, and the bus bar includes a coupling hole coupled to the coupling protrusion,
The coupling hole is covered by a heat staking portion extending from the coupling protrusion, the battery module. In claim 8,
The heat welding part is in close contact with the surface of the bus bar battery module. In claim 8,
The size of the coupling hole is smaller than the size of the heat welding part battery module. In claim 8,
The insulating cover is made of an injection-molded material, and the coupling protrusion extends integrally from the insulating cover,
The heat welding part is a battery module having a deformed shape by applying heat to the end of the coupling protrusion. At least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and
A pack case for packaging the at least one battery module
A battery pack comprising a. A device comprising at least one battery pack according to claim 11 .

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