CN108735936B

CN108735936B - Battery module, battery pack, and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN108735936B
Application number: CN201810350194.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柳在旭; 姜达模; 金秀彰; 文祯晤; 尹智秀
Original assignee: LG Chem Ltd
Current assignee: Lg Energy Solution
Priority date: 2017-04-18
Filing date: 2018-04-18
Publication date: 2021-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2038-04-18
Also published as: CN108735936A; CN208078066U; WO2018194296A1

Abstract

Disclosed are a battery module that can have a low height and ensure stable cooling performance, a battery pack, and a vehicle including the battery module. The battery module having a heat dissipation member disposed at a lower portion thereof, the battery module including: a cell assembly having a plurality of can-type secondary batteries stacked in a horizontally-disposed manner; and a bus bar having a connection part configured to contact electrodes of two or more can-type secondary batteries of the cell assembly to electrically connect the two or more can-type secondary batteries, and a heat transfer part located below the connection part to contact the heat dissipation part to transfer heat of the secondary batteries to the heat dissipation part, the bus bar being at least partially made of a conductive material.

Description

Battery module, battery pack, and vehicle

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority to korean patent application No.10-2017-0049938 filed on 2017, month 4 and month 18 and korean patent application No.10-2018-0026447 filed on 2018, month 3 and month 6, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a battery module having a plurality of can-type secondary batteries, and more particularly, to a battery module capable of being designed to have a low height while securing stable cooling performance, and a battery pack and the like including the same.

Background

Recently, as the demand for portable electronic products such as cameras and portable phones has sharply increased and the use and development of energy storage batteries, vehicles, robots, satellites, and the like has expanded, battery packs used therein have become highly spotlighted and actively researched.

A battery module or battery pack typically contains at least one secondary battery, also referred to as a cell. In addition, secondary batteries currently commercialized include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries, and the like. Among them, lithium secondary batteries are more spotlighted than nickel-based secondary batteries due to advantages such as free charge and discharge due to substantially no memory effect, very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

Lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbonaceous materials as positive electrode active materials and negative electrode active materials, respectively. In addition, the lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate coated with a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode plate coated with a negative electrode active material are arranged, a separator interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, and a battery case that accommodates the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte in a sealable form.

Meanwhile, according to the type of the battery case, the lithium secondary battery may be classified into a can type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is included in a metal can and a pouch type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is included in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet. In addition, depending on the shape of the metal can, can-type secondary batteries may also be classified into cylindrical batteries and rectangular batteries. The exterior of a rectangular or cylindrical secondary battery includes a case (i.e., a battery can) having an open end and a cap assembly coupled to the open end of the battery can in a sealable manner.

The battery module may be configured to include a plurality of can-type secondary batteries. At this time, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries are often arranged to stand up in the up-down direction for cooling. In the case of a battery module, particularly, a battery module for a vehicle mounted to an electric vehicle or the like, a cooling device is often located in a lower portion of the battery module or below the battery module to cool the battery module. In this case, if the can-type secondary batteries are arranged to stand in the up-down direction, the bottoms of all the batteries may be connected to the cooling device.

However, if the battery module is configured such that the plurality of can-type secondary batteries stand up in the up-down direction for cooling, it is difficult to reduce the height of the battery module below a certain level. Some battery modules, particularly for vehicles, need to be designed to have a low height. Also, for most electric vehicles, the battery module is often located at the lower portion of the vehicle. In this case, the height of the battery module should be limited to a certain level due to size or structural limitations of the vehicle. However, since the can-type secondary battery generally has a given specification, it is difficult to arbitrarily reduce the length, i.e., the height, of the can-type secondary battery. Therefore, if the battery module is configured such that the can-type secondary battery stands, the height of the battery module cannot be lower than that of the can-type secondary battery. In order to reduce the height of the battery module to be lower than that of the can-type secondary battery, it is required to redesign and manufacture the secondary battery accordingly, which, however, increases cost and time and thus deteriorates efficiency. In addition, depending on applications, such as vehicles, the battery modules may have different heights, and it is not desirable to separately manufacture secondary batteries for different vehicles. Therefore, when applied to a vehicle, a battery module having a can-type secondary battery provided to stand up may cause various problems, such as increasing the vehicle height or lowering the vehicle underbody.

Meanwhile, in order to reduce the height of the battery module, the can-type secondary battery may be configured to be horizontally disposed. However, in this configuration, the can-type secondary batteries stacked at the upper side cannot directly contact the cooling device located under the battery module, except for the can-type secondary batteries stacked at the lowermost side. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a separate cooling member, such as a cooling pipe or a cooling fin, to one side of the battery module to transfer heat of each secondary battery to the cooling device. However, in this case, since a separate cooling structure such as a cooling pipe or a cooling fin should be provided, the battery module has a complicated structure, requires difficult assembly, and has increased weight, and the energy density is inevitably reduced as much as the space occupied by the cooling member. Also, a plurality of battery modules may be arranged in the battery pack in the horizontal direction, and in this case, if a separate cooling member such as a cooling pipe or a cooling fin is provided to each battery module, the above problem may become more serious.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present disclosure is directed to solving the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module that may have a low height, ensure stable cooling performance, and have high energy density in a non-complicated structure without changing the design of a general can-type secondary battery, and a battery pack including the same.

These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be understood from the following detailed description and will become more apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by means illustrated in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

Technical scheme

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module including a heat dissipation member disposed at a lower portion thereof, the battery module including: a cell assembly having a plurality of can-type secondary batteries stacked in a horizontally-disposed manner; and a bus bar having a connection part configured to contact electrodes of two or more can-type secondary batteries of the cell assembly to electrically connect the two or more can-type secondary batteries, and a heat transfer part located below the connection part to contact the heat dissipation part to transfer heat of the secondary batteries to the heat dissipation part, the bus bar being at least partially made of a conductive material.

Here, the bus bar may have a curved plate form in which the connection part is configured to stand up in an up-down direction along one side of the unit assembly, and the heat transfer part is configured to be horizontally disposed to be interposed between a lower part of the unit assembly and an upper part of the heat dissipation part.

In addition, the bus bar may include a positive electrode bus bar having a connection part contacting a positive electrode of the can-type secondary battery disposed in the cell assembly, and a negative electrode bus bar having a connection part contacting a negative electrode of the can-type secondary battery disposed in the cell assembly.

In addition, the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar may be located at opposite sides of the cell assembly such that the heat transfer portions of the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar are bent in opposite directions.

In addition, the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar may be in contact with a single heat dissipation member.

In addition, the battery module may further include a heat gasket interposed between at least one of the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar and the heat dissipation member to transfer heat of the bus bar to the heat dissipation member, the heat gasket being made of an electrically insulating material.

In addition, the bus bar may further include a terminal portion providing a terminal for electrical connection to an external member.

In addition, the terminal portion may be bent at an upper portion of the connection portion in a direction toward the upper portion of the cell assembly.

In addition, two or more terminal portions may be provided at a single bus bar so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

In addition, the battery module according to the present disclosure may further include a module case including a first case having an empty space formed therein to accommodate a portion of the cell assembly, and a second case having an empty space formed therein to accommodate another portion of the cell assembly, and the first and second cases may be configured to be coupled at one side and the other side of the cell assembly, respectively.

In addition, the bus bar may be attached to the outside of the module case.

In addition, the module case may have a coupling groove formed therein such that the bus bar is at least partially inserted into the coupling groove.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a battery pack including the battery module of the present disclosure.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a vehicle including the battery module of the present disclosure.

Advantageous effects

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the plurality of can-type secondary batteries are arranged in a flat form, the battery module may be configured to have a low height by using a general secondary battery without changing the design thereof.

In addition, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, even if separate cooling members, such as a cooling pipe and a cooling fin, are not provided at one side of the battery module, efficient cooling of the battery module can be ensured.

In particular, when heat dissipation members such as heat sinks, cooling pipes, and heat dissipation fins are provided at the lower part of the battery module, the heat of all the secondary batteries is smoothly transferred to the heat dissipation members, thereby ensuring stable cooling performance of the battery module.

In addition, since a separate cooling member is not separately required, the structure of the battery module is simplified, thereby allowing easy manufacturing, reducing weight and manufacturing costs, and increasing energy density.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the disclosure, and therefore the disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an assembled state.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a can-type secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a view schematically illustrating a heat transfer configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a positive electrode bus bar being separated from a cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a negative electrode bus bar being separated from a cell assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing that some terminal portions of bus bars are provided to stand up in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a view schematically showing that a plurality of battery modules are connected according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion a2 of fig. 2.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion a3 of fig. 2.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 is a front sectional view showing a portion a4 of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a view schematically showing that a plurality of battery modules are connected according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

List of reference numerals

10: heat dissipation component

100: single component

110: secondary battery

200: bus bar

201: positive electrode bus bar

202: negative electrode bus bar

210: connecting part

220: heat transfer part

230: terminal section

300: thermal gasket

400: module housing

401: first shell

402: second shell

510: connecting component for positive electrode

520: connecting component for negative electrode

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation.

Accordingly, the description set forth herein is intended as a preferred example only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an assembled state, and fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the battery module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 2 is a perspective view of the battery module viewed from below.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a battery module according to the present disclosure may include a cell assembly 100 and a bus bar 200. In addition, the heat dissipation members 10 may be disposed at the lower part of the battery module.

As indicated by arrows in fig. 1, the heat-radiating member 10 may be configured such that a coolant flows in an inner space or a lower space thereof. Here, the coolant may be a liquid or a gas such as cooling water or air. The heat dissipation member 10 may absorb heat of the cell assembly 100 and the bus bar 200 and transfer the heat to the coolant by contacting the coolant. For example, the heat dissipation member 10 may have a heat sink form such that air flows at the lower portion thereof or a pipe shape such that cooling water or the like flows through the cavity thereof.

The heat dissipation member 10 may be an exterior member of the battery module, such as a member mounted to a vehicle as a separate member from the battery module. Alternatively, the heat dissipation member 10 may be included as a member of the battery module.

The unit assembly 100 may include a plurality of can-type secondary batteries 110. Here, the can-type secondary battery 110 may be configured such that an electrode assembly and an electrolyte are received in a battery case, i.e., a battery can, and a cap assembly may be coupled to an open end of the battery can.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a can-type secondary battery 110 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 3, the can-type secondary battery 110 may include an electrode assembly 111, a battery can 112, and a cap assembly 113.

The electrode assembly 111 may have a structure in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate are wound, and a separator is interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate. A positive electrode tab 114 may be attached to the positive electrode plate and connected to the cap assembly 113, and a negative electrode tab 115 may be attached to the negative electrode plate and connected to the lower end of the battery can 112.

The battery can 112 may have an empty space formed therein to accommodate the electrode assembly 111. In particular, the battery can 112 may have a cylindrical or rectangular shape with an open top. In addition, the battery can 112 may be made of a metal material such as steel or aluminum to ensure rigidity. Also, a negative electrode tab may be attached to a lower end of the battery can, so that a lower portion of the battery can or the entire battery can may function as a negative electrode terminal.

A cap assembly 113 may be coupled to the top opening of the battery can 112 to seal the open end of the battery can. The cap assembly 113 may have a circular or rectangular shape according to the shape of the battery can and may include members such as a top cap c1, a safety vent c2, and a gasket c 3.

Here, the top cap c1 may be located at the top of the cap assembly and protrude upward. In particular, the top cap may be used as a positive electrode terminal at the can-type secondary battery 110. Therefore, the top cap may be electrically connected to an external device such as another secondary battery, a load, and a charging device through the bus bar. The top cap may be made of, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel or aluminum.

The safety vent c2 may be configured to deform the shape of the safety vent c2 if the internal pressure of the secondary battery, i.e., the internal pressure of the battery can, increases above a certain level. In addition, the gasket c3 may be made of a material with electrical insulation so that the top cap and the rim portion of the safety vent may be insulated from the battery can.

Meanwhile, the cap assembly may further include a current interrupt member c 4. The current interrupting means is also called CID (current interrupting device). If the internal pressure of the battery increases due to gas generation such that the shape of the safety vent is reversed, the contact between the safety vent and the current interrupt member is cut or the current interrupt member is disconnected, thereby interrupting the electrical connection between the safety vent and the electrode assembly.

At the time of filing this application, the construction of the can-type secondary battery 110 is well known to those skilled in the art and therefore will not be described in detail herein. In addition, even though fig. 3 illustrates one example of a can-type secondary battery, the battery module according to the present disclosure is not limited to any particular can-type secondary battery. That is, various secondary batteries known at the time of filing this application may be employed as the battery module according to the present disclosure.

Further, even though the can-type secondary battery 110 of fig. 3 is illustrated based on a cylindrical secondary battery, a rectangular secondary battery may be applied as the battery module according to the present disclosure.

The unit assembly 100 may be configured such that a plurality of can-type secondary batteries 110 are stacked therein. For example, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries 110 may be arranged in a horizontal direction. In addition, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries 110 may be arranged in the up-down direction. In addition, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries 110 may be stacked such that their side surfaces face the curved surface of the cylindrical battery can.

In particular, in the battery module according to the present disclosure, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries 110 of the unit assembly 100 may be horizontally disposed. That is, as shown in fig. 2, each can-type secondary battery 110 may be configured to extend in the left-right direction (in the x-axis direction on the drawing). At this time, the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of each can-type secondary battery 110 may be located at the left or right side.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the battery module may have a reduced height. That is, if the can-type secondary battery 110 is laid flat, the battery module may be configured to have a height shorter than the length of the can-type secondary battery. Therefore, it is easy to design a battery module having a low height.

The bus bar 200 may electrically connect the plurality of can-type secondary batteries provided in the cell assembly 100 to each other, for example, all or some of the secondary batteries to each other. To this end, at least a portion of the bus bar 200 may be made of a conductive material. For example, the bus bar 200 may be made of a metal material such as copper, aluminum, or nickel.

In particular, in the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, the bus bar 200 may include a connection part 210 and a heat transfer part 220.

The connection part 210 may electrically connect two or more can-type secondary batteries 110 provided in the unit assembly 100. For this purpose, the connection part 210 may contact electrodes of two or more can-type secondary batteries 110 disposed in the cell assembly 100. For example, the connection parts 210 may contact the electrodes of all the secondary batteries 110 disposed in the cell assembly 100 to electrically connect all the secondary batteries 110 to each other. In addition, the connection part 210 may contact the same polarity of the two or more can-type secondary batteries 110 disposed in the cell assembly 100 to connect them in parallel. Alternatively, the connection part 210 may contact electrodes of some of all the secondary batteries provided in the cell assembly 100 to electrically connect them to each other.

The heat transfer part 220 may be located below the connection part 210. In addition, the heat dissipation part 10 may be disposed under the heat transfer part 220. The heat transfer part 220 may transfer heat to this heat sink member 10. That is, heat generated from the secondary batteries of the cell assembly 100 may be transferred to the connection part 210, and the heat transfer part 220 may transfer the heat of the secondary batteries transferred to the connection part 210 to the heat dissipation member 10. In addition, the heat transfer part 220 may contact the heat dissipation member 10 to transfer heat in a conductive manner.

Fig. 4 is a view schematically illustrating a heat transfer configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, FIG. 4 may be considered to diagrammatically illustrate a cross-sectional configuration taken along line A1-A1' of FIG. 1. However, fig. 4 does not depict all of the components of fig. 1 but only shows some of the components for convenience. Meanwhile, in fig. 4, arrows indicate heat transfer paths.

Referring to fig. 4, heat generated from the secondary batteries stacked in the up-down direction on the ground may move in the horizontal direction (left-right direction on the drawing) and then be transferred to the connection part 210, the connection part 210 being located at one side of the secondary batteries and standing vertically with respect to the ground. In addition, the heat transferred to the connection part 210 may move downward and be transferred to the heat transfer part 220 therebelow. Also, the heat transfer part 220 is in direct or indirect contact with the heat sink 10 therebelow. Accordingly, the heat of the heat transfer part 220 may be transferred to the heat-radiating member 10 and then discharged through the coolant.

In such a configuration of the present disclosure, the bus bar 200 may electrically connect and cool the secondary battery at the same time. In other words, if the bus bar 200 according to the present disclosure is used, it is possible to electrically connect a plurality of secondary batteries to each other through the connection part 210, and also to cool the secondary batteries by transferring heat of the secondary batteries to the heat dissipation member 10 through the heat transfer part 220.

Further, if all the secondary batteries provided in the cell assembly 100 are connected to the connection part 210, heat of each secondary battery may be conducted to the connection part 210, and the heat conducted to the connection part 210 may be conducted to the heat transfer part 220 and the heat dissipation member 10 and then discharged through the coolant. In this case, each secondary battery can be effectively cooled because the heat of all the secondary batteries provided in the cell assembly 100 can be discharged by conduction. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is not necessary to separately provide a cooling member between the secondary batteries. Accordingly, the battery module may have a non-complicated structure, reduced weight and volume, and improved energy density.

The bus bar 200 may have a plate shape. Also, the bus bar 200 may be configured in a metal plate form to ensure rigidity and conductivity. In particular, in the present disclosure, the bus bar 200 may be configured in a curved plate form.

For example, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the bus bar 200 may have a plate form of which a lower end is bent at about 90 degrees. In this case, based on the bent portion, the upper portion of the bus bar 200 may serve as the connection portion 210, and the lower portion may serve as the heat transfer portion 220.

In particular, the connection portion 210 may be configured to stand up in the up-down direction (z-axis direction on the drawing) along one side of the unit assembly 100, for example, the left or right side of the unit assembly 100. That is, in the present disclosure, if the can-type secondary batteries of the unit assembly 100 are stacked in a horizontally long form in the left-right direction (x-axis direction on the drawing) in the front-rear direction (y-axis direction on the drawing) and/or in the up-down direction (z-axis direction on the drawing), the electrodes of several secondary batteries may be arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Therefore, the connection part 210 having a flat shape is configured to be vertically flat in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, so that the connection part 210 can be directly contacted with the electrodes of several secondary batteries.

In addition, the heat transfer part 220 may be configured to be horizontally disposed. For example, heat-transfer portion 220 may be configured such that its surface is parallel to the x-y plane. In this case, as shown in fig. 4, the heat transfer part 220 may be interposed between the lower part of the unit assembly 100 and the upper part of the heat dissipation part 10.

The connection part 210 and the heat transfer part 220 may be configured as a single plate, for example, a single metal plate that is bent. In this case, the bus bar 200 may ensure easy manufacturing and a simple structure.

Meanwhile, each secondary battery disposed in the cell assembly 100 may include a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The bus bar 200 may have at least two bus bars 200 to connect the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery, respectively. That is, the bus bar 200 may include a positive electrode bus bar 201 and a negative electrode bus bar 202.

Here, the connection portion 210 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be in contact with a positive electrode (positive electrode terminal) of a can-type secondary battery provided in the cell assembly 100. Therefore, the positive electrode bus bar 201 can electrically connect the positive electrodes of several can-type secondary batteries to each other. The connection portion 210 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be in contact with a negative electrode (negative electrode terminal) of a can-type secondary battery provided in the cell assembly 100. Therefore, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may electrically connect the negative electrodes of several can-type secondary batteries to each other.

For example, referring to the configuration of fig. 2, two bus bars may be arranged at one side of the cell assembly 100. At this time, one bus bar may be the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the other bus bar may be the negative electrode bus bar 202. In addition, the positive electrodes of all the can-type secondary batteries disposed in the cell assembly 100 may be in contact with the positive electrode bus bar 201 and connected to each other, and the negative electrodes of all the can-type secondary batteries disposed in the cell assembly 100 may be in contact with the negative electrode bus bar 202 and connected to each other.

Preferably, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be located at opposite sides based on the cell assembly 100.

Each of the can-type secondary batteries provided in the unit assembly 100 may be formed to extend in one direction. In addition, each of the can-type secondary batteries may have a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal arranged at opposite sides thereof in the longitudinal direction. In particular, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries may be arranged in a flat manner, i.e., in a manner that their longitudinal direction becomes the horizontal direction, such that the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are located at both ends of the plurality of can-type secondary batteries in the horizontal direction. Further, the plurality of can-type secondary batteries may be arranged such that positive electrode terminals thereof are located at the same side and negative electrode terminals thereof are located at the same side. Therefore, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be located at opposite sides based on the secondary battery.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, the secondary battery may be formed to be elongated in the left-right direction (in the x-axis direction) such that the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are arranged at the right side and the left side of the secondary battery, respectively. Accordingly, the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be disposed at the right side of the cell assembly 100, and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be disposed at the left side of the cell assembly 100.

In this case, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be configured such that the heat transfer portions 220 are bent in opposite directions. In other words, the lower ends of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be bent such that a connection portion 210 and a heat transfer portion 220 are defined based on the bent portion. At this time, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be bent in opposite directions.

For example, in fig. 2, the lower end of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be bent in the leftward direction (in the-x axis direction). In addition, the lower end of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be bent in the right direction (in the + x axis direction). That is, the lower ends of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be bent toward each other, i.e., in a direction in which the lower ends become close to each other. With this bent configuration, the heat transfer parts 220 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be interposed between the cell assembly 100 and the heat dissipation member 10 as shown in fig. 4. In particular, the connection portion 210 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the connection portion 210 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the secondary battery (in the x-axis direction) to be parallel to each other. In addition, the heat transfer portion 220 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the heat transfer portion 220 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be configured to be placed on a single plane in a flat state with both surfaces thereof facing up and down.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the gap between the cell assembly 100 and the heat dissipation member 10 may be narrowed, and the heat transfer portions 220 of both the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be in contact with the single heat dissipation member 10. Therefore, in this case, the battery module may have a reduced volume, a simplified cooling configuration, and further improved cooling efficiency.

Meanwhile, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be in contact with a single heat dissipation member 10 for a simplified and efficient cooling configuration. In this case, the battery module according to the present disclosure may further include a thermal gasket 300.

The heat gasket 300 may be interposed between at least one of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 and the heat dissipation member 10. For example, as shown in fig. 1 and 4, the lower surfaces of the heat transfer portions 220 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be in contact with the upper surface of the same heat dissipation member 10.

In addition, the thermal pad 300 may transfer heat of the bus bar to the heat sink 10. Accordingly, thermal pad 300 may be made of a thermally conductive material.

However, the thermal gasket 300 may be made of an electrically insulating material through which current does not substantially flow, thereby preventing a short circuit between the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202. Further, the heat dissipation member 10 may be made of metal or the like, and even in this case, the thermal pad 300 may prevent the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 from being connected by the heat dissipation member 10 and thus causing a short circuit.

As described above, the thermal pad 300 may be made of a material with thermal conductivity and electrical insulation. For example, the thermal pad 300 may be made of silicon, acryl, or the like.

Also preferably, the heat transfer part 220 may have a protrusion formed at a lower portion thereof. This will be described in more detail below with reference to fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 5 can be regarded as a modified example of fig. 4.

Referring to fig. 5, as illustrated by P1, a plurality of protrusions may be formed at the heat transfer part 220. The protrusion P1 may protrude downward at the lower portion of the heat transfer part 220. In particular, the plurality of protrusions P1 may be provided at a single bus bar. For example, a plurality of protrusions P1 may be provided at the bottom surface of the heat transfer part 220 of the positive electrode bus bar 201, and a plurality of protrusions P1 may be provided at the bottom surface of the heat transfer part 220 of the negative electrode bus bar 202.

In addition, the plurality of protrusions P1 may be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance at each bus bar. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the plurality of protrusions P1 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the left-right direction (in the x-axis direction) at the bottom surface of the heat transfer portion 220 of each bus bar. Alternatively, the plurality of protrusions P1 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction (in the y-axis direction of fig. 1) at the bottom surface of the heat transfer portion 220 of each bus bar.

According to this configuration of the present disclosure, the lower surface area of the heat transfer part 220 of each bus bar is increased to improve the cooling efficiency achieved by the heat transfer part 220. In particular, thermal pad 300 may be made of a flexible material. Accordingly, in this case, even if non-uniformity is formed at the surface of the heat transfer part 220 due to the protrusions P1, the shape of the upper surface of the hot pad 300 may be changed according to the non-uniform shape as shown in fig. 5. Accordingly, the contact area between the bus bar and the thermal pad 300 is increased using the protrusion P1 of the heat transfer part 220, so that the amount of heat transferred from the bus bar to the heat dissipation part 10 through the thermal pad 300 can be increased. In addition, since the friction and the contact area between the heat transfer part 220 and the thermal pad 300 are increased due to the protrusion P1, the coupling between the bus bar and the thermal pad 300 may be improved.

Further, in a configuration in which a protrusion is formed at a lower portion of the heat transfer part 220, an insertion groove (not shown) positioned and sized corresponding to the protrusion of the heat transfer part 220 may be formed at an upper portion of the heat dissipation part 10. According to this configuration, when the protrusion P1 of the bus bar is inserted into the insertion groove of the heat dissipation member 10, the coupling between the bus bar and the heat dissipation member 10 can be enhanced. In addition, in this case, the upper surface area of the heat dissipation member 10 is increased to transfer more heat from the bus bar to the heat dissipation member 10 per unit time, thereby further improving the cooling efficiency.

Also preferably, in the positive electrode bus bar 201, the connection portion 210 may have a concave portion conforming to the shape of the positive electrode of the can-type secondary battery. This will be described in more detail below with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing that the positive electrode bus bar 201 is separated from the cell assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 6, the positive electrode terminal provided at the right end of each secondary battery provided in the cell assembly 100 may be configured to protrude in the right direction as indicated by B1. The protruding portion may be used as the overcap c1 in the configuration depicted in fig. 3. In this configuration, the positive electrode bus bar 201, which is disposed at the right side of the cell assembly 100 and is in contact with the positive electrodes of the plurality of secondary batteries, may have a concave portion that is recessed in the right direction as indicated by G1 at its inner surface, i.e., at its left surface. In addition, when the battery module is constructed, the positive electrode terminal B1 of each secondary battery may be inserted into the concave portion. For this reason, the position, number, and shape of the concave portion G1 may be selected corresponding to the positive electrode terminal of the secondary battery provided in the cell assembly 100. For example, as shown in fig. 6, when four secondary batteries are stacked in the up-down direction such that four positive electrode terminals are disposed to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the up-down direction, four concave portions may also be formed at the positive electrode bus bar 201 to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the up-down direction.

According to this configuration of the present disclosure, the coupling between the cell assembly 100 and the positive electrode bus bar 201 can be improved. That is, when the positive electrode terminal of each secondary battery provided in the cell assembly 100 is inserted into the concave portion G1 of the positive electrode bus bar 201, the coupling between the secondary battery and the positive electrode bus bar 201 is improved, and vertical or lateral movement thereof can be prevented. In addition, since the coupling position of the secondary battery and the positive electrode bus bar 201 is guided by the concave portion G1, the cell assembly 100 and the positive electrode bus bar 201 can be more easily assembled.

Further, according to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the contact area between the positive electrode terminal of the secondary battery and the positive electrode bus bar 201 can be increased. For example, in the sectional configuration of fig. 6, the concave portion of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may have substantially three inner sides (upper side, lower side, and right side), and the positive electrode terminal of the secondary battery may be in contact with all of the three inner sides. If the contact area between the positive electrode terminal of the secondary battery and the positive electrode bus bar 201 is increased as described above, the area where heat is transferred from the positive electrode of the secondary battery to the positive electrode bus bar 201 is increased, thereby further improving the cooling performance of the secondary battery by the bus bar. In addition, when the contact area between the positive electrode of the secondary battery and the positive electrode bus bar 201 is increased, the electrical path may be enlarged to reduce the resistance.

In this configuration, the depth of the concave portion G1 is preferably smaller than the protruding length of the positive electrode terminal B1. For example, in fig. 6, the length of the positive electrode terminal B1 in the left-right direction may be longer than the length of the concave portion G1 in the left-right direction. In the can-type secondary battery, the battery can itself may function as a negative electrode functionally, and therefore it is desirable that the positive electrode bus bar 201 is not in contact with the battery can when the positive electrode terminal is inserted into the concave portion.

Also preferably, in the negative electrode bus bar 202, the connection portion 210 may have a convex portion corresponding to the external appearance of the can-type secondary battery.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the negative electrode bus bar 202 being separated from the cell assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 7, the negative electrode terminal provided at the left end of each secondary battery provided in the cell assembly 100 may have a substantially flat shape as indicated by B2. In addition, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may have a convex portion formed at an inner surface thereof to protrude inward, i.e., toward the secondary battery (in the rightward direction on the drawing) as indicated by P2.

The convex portion P2 may be located between the secondary batteries and interposed between the secondary batteries when the negative electrode bus bar 202 and the cell assembly 100 are coupled. For example, in fig. 7, the convex portion may be interposed in a space between secondary batteries stacked in the up-down direction. In this case, it can be considered that the end of the battery can of the secondary battery near the negative electrode is inserted in the space between the convex portions P2.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the coupling between the secondary battery and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be enhanced, and the assembly position of the secondary battery and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be easily guided. Also, the contact area between the negative electrode terminal of the secondary battery and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be enlarged to increase the amount and speed of heat transfer from the secondary battery to the negative electrode bus bar 202. In particular, as shown in fig. 3, in the can-type secondary battery, the battery can 112 may function as a negative electrode terminal not only in the lower portion thereof but also in the side portion thereof. Therefore, if a part of the battery can is inserted in the space between the convex portions of the negative electrode bus bar 202, heat may be transferred to the negative electrode bus bar 202 not only at the lower surface of the battery can (the flat lower surface of the cylindrical battery can) but also at a part of the side surface of the battery can (the curved side surface of the cylindrical battery can). Therefore, in this case, the heat transfer area can be increased. In addition, as the contact area between the negative electrode terminal of the secondary battery and the negative electrode bus bar 202 increases, the electrical path may be enlarged to reduce the resistance.

Meanwhile, the electrode terminals of the secondary battery may be in direct contact with the bus bars. In this case, in order to stably maintain a contact state between the electrode terminals of the secondary battery and the bus bars, the electrodes of the secondary battery and the bus bars may be fixed in contact with each other using welding or the like. In particular, as in the configurations of fig. 6 and 7, if the concave portion G1 or the convex portion P2 is formed at the connection portion 210 of the bus bar, the secondary battery and the bus bar are preliminarily fixed before welding, thereby improving the welding process between the secondary battery and the bus bar. Further, in the portion where the concave portion G is formed at the positive electrode bus bar 201, the length (width) of the positive electrode bus bar 201 in the left-right direction is reduced, so that the fixing force by welding can be further improved.

In addition, the heat transfer part 220 of the bus bar may contact the lower part of the can-type secondary battery stacked at the lowermost side in the cell assembly 100. In this case, the heat of the secondary batteries stacked at the lowermost side may be directly transferred to the heat transfer part 220 without passing through the connection part 210, thereby further improving the cooling performance of the cell assembly 100.

Also preferably, as shown in fig. 2, the bus bar may further include a terminal part 230.

The terminal portion 230 may provide a terminal for electrical connection with an external member. The terminal part 230 may be disposed at an upper portion of the connection part 210 and protrude from the connection part 210.

In particular, the terminal part 230 may be integrated with the connection part 210 of the secondary battery. For example, the terminal portion 230, the connection portion 210, and the heat transfer portion 220 may be formed using a single metal plate.

More preferably, the terminal portion 230 may be formed by bending an upper portion of the connection portion 210. For example, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the terminal portion 230 may be configured to be bent at an angle of about 90 degrees from an upper portion of the connection portion 210 toward an upper portion of the unit assembly 100. In particular, the bus bar 200 may be configured using a single metal plate of which upper and lower portions are bent such that it is divided into the connection part 210, the heat transfer part 220, and the terminal part 230 based on the bent portion (folding line).

The terminal part 230 may be disposed at both the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202. In addition, the terminal portion 230 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the terminal portion 230 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be bent in opposite directions toward each other.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, a terminal part 230 bent in the left direction may be formed at an upper part of the positive electrode bus bar 201 disposed at the right side of the unit assembly 100. In addition, a terminal portion 230 bent in the right direction may be formed at an upper portion of the negative electrode bus bar 202 disposed at the left side of the unit assembly 100.

Also preferably, two or more terminal portions 230 may be disposed at a single bus bar so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

For example, as shown in fig. 1, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be disposed at the right and left sides of the battery module, respectively. Here, the two terminal portions 230 may be disposed at the upper portion of the positive electrode bus bar 201, and the two terminal portions 230 may also be disposed at the upper portion of the negative electrode bus bar 202. In addition, the terminal portions 230 may be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance at each bus bar. For example, the two terminal portions 230 provided at the upper portion of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction (in the y-axis direction on the drawing).

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, since the plurality of terminal portions 230 are formed at the same bus bar, the bus bar may be connected to an external device in various ways. That is, even if the connection terminals of the device to which the battery module is applied are approached in any direction, the appropriate terminal portions 230 may be selectively used depending on the situation. Therefore, when the battery module is used for assembly, assembly can be improved and the structure can be simplified.

In particular, if a plurality of terminal portions 230 are formed at a single bus bar, some of the terminal portions 230 may be configured to stand up. This will be described in more detail below with reference to fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing that some terminal portions 230 of bus bars are provided to stand up in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 8, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may respectively have two terminal portions 230 separated by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction (in the y-axis direction). At this time, the two terminal portions 230 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 are indicated by M1 and M2, respectively, and the two terminal portions 230 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 are indicated by N1 and N2, respectively.

In this configuration, the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be configured such that the terminal portion M1 at the front side is laid flat and the terminal portion M2 at the rear side is erected. That is, the terminal portion M1 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be configured to be bent at about 90 degrees from the connection portion 210 toward the upper portion of the cell assembly 100, and the terminal portion M2 may be configured to stand up in the up-down direction (in the z-axis direction) substantially parallel to the connection portion 210.

In addition, in this configuration, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be configured such that the terminal portion N1 at the front side stands up and the terminal portion N2 at the rear side lies flat. That is, the terminal portion N1 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be configured to stand up in the up-down direction substantially parallel to the connection portion 210, and the terminal portion N2 may be configured to be bent at about 90 degrees from the connection portion 210 toward the upper portion of the unit assembly 100.

According to this configuration of the present disclosure, the battery module may be connected to an external device through the raised terminal portions among the plurality of terminal portions of the bus bar. As described above, the connection terminal of the external device can be more easily accessed and coupled to the rising terminal portion.

Also, in this case, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 can be more easily separated. Specifically, when the plurality of terminal portions 230 of each bus bar are arranged to be spaced apart at the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 by a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the battery module, for example, in the front-rear direction of the battery module, the raised terminal portions may be located at different positions in the front-rear direction of the battery module.

For example, in fig. 8, the terminal portions of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction (in the y-axis direction) of the battery module. Here, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be configured such that the terminal portion N1 located at the front side is erected, and the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be configured such that the terminal portion M2 located at the rear side is erected. In addition, terminal portion N2 at the rear side of negative electrode bus bar 202 and terminal portion M1 at the front side of positive electrode bus bar 201 may be configured to be flat.

In this case, the terminal part N1 at the front side of the negative electrode bus bar 202 and the terminal part M2 at the rear side of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be regarded as serving as the terminal parts of the negative electrode bus bar 202 and the positive electrode bus bar 201, respectively. Therefore, when a battery pack is constructed using the battery modules, the terminal of the negative electrode bus bar 202 and the terminal of the positive electrode bus bar 201 for connecting the battery modules to each other or to an external device may be regarded as serving as the terminal portions N1 and M2, respectively.

In the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202, the plurality of terminal portions may be configured to be bendable. That is, a user may selectively fold or unfold some of the plurality of terminal portions of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 in the battery module according to the present disclosure. Therefore, the terminal portions can be sufficiently erected or laid flat depending on the case where the battery module is applied.

If the terminal portions of the bus bars are configured to be bendable as described above, the terminal portions may be more easily connected, and the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be more easily separated.

Referring to fig. 9, a plurality of battery modules according to the present disclosure may be arranged in a lateral horizontal direction (in an x-axis direction), i.e., in a left-right direction. At this time, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 of each battery module may be configured such that the connection portions 210 thereof face each other. In addition, in each battery module, as shown in fig. 8, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be configured such that the terminal portion at the front side is erected, and the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be configured such that the terminal portion at the rear side is erected. Also, the terminal part erected at the front side of the negative electrode may be connected to the connection member for negative electrode 520, and the terminal part erected at the rear side of the positive electrode may be connected to the connection member for positive electrode 510.

According to this configuration, the plurality of battery modules can be easily connected in parallel. That is, as shown in fig. 9, the terminal portions of the negative electrodes connected to each other in each battery module may be arranged in a row at the front side of the battery module, and the terminal portions of the positive electrodes connected to each other may be arranged in a row at the rear side of the battery module. Therefore, the connection member for negative electrode 520 and the connection member for positive electrode 510, which connect the terminal portions of the negative electrode, may all be formed in a substantially straight line form. In addition, the distance between the connection member for negative electrode 520 and the connection member for positive electrode 510 may be fastened at a certain level or more. In addition, when the connection member 510 for a negative electrode is installed, the connection member 510 may not structurally interfere with the positive electrode terminal, and when the connection member 520 for a positive electrode is installed, the connection member 520 may not structurally interfere with the negative electrode terminal.

Meanwhile, even though the embodiment of fig. 9 has been explained based on the plurality of battery modules being connected in parallel, the plurality of battery modules may also be arranged in series.

The battery module according to the present disclosure may further include a module case 400. In particular, as shown in fig. 2, the module case 400 may include a first case 401 and a second case 402.

Here, the first housing 401 may be configured to have an empty space formed therein such that a portion of the unit assembly 100 is received in the empty space. In addition, the second housing 402 may be configured to have an empty space formed therein such that different portions of the unitary assembly 100 are received in the empty space. Further, the first case 401 and the second case 402 may have separate spaces for accommodating the can-type secondary batteries, respectively. For example, as illustrated by R1 in fig. 2, the first case 401 may be configured such that a space therein is divided by a partition wall into spaces for accommodating each secondary battery. In addition, as illustrated by R2 in fig. 2, the second case 402 may also be configured such that the space therein is divided by a partition wall into spaces for accommodating each secondary battery.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the entire cell assembly 100, each secondary battery, and the bus bar can be fixed at once by the module case 400. In addition, the module case 400 may be made of an insulating material such as polymer, and in this case, the unit assembly 100 and the bus bar may be easily insulated.

Further, when the can-type secondary battery is a cylindrical secondary battery, the spaces in the first case 401 and the second case 402 for accommodating the secondary battery as illustrated by R1 and R2 may have a cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the can-type secondary battery.

Meanwhile, the spaces R1, R2 in the first case 401 and the second case 402 for accommodating the secondary batteries may be configured to penetrate the module case 400 in the longitudinal direction of the secondary batteries (in the x-axis direction on the drawing). For example, cavities R1, R2 for accommodating secondary batteries are formed to penetrate the module case 400 in the left-right direction, so that the electrodes of the secondary batteries located inside the module case 400 are exposed outward from the module case 400. Therefore, in this case, the bus bar located at the outer side may be in direct contact with the electrode of the secondary battery exposed to the outer side.

The first and

second housings

401 and 402 may be configured to be coupled to one side and the other side of the unit assembly 100, respectively. For example, in fig. 2, a first housing 401 may be disposed at the right side of the cell assembly 100 to accommodate the right portion of the cell assembly 100. In addition, the second housing 402 may be located at the left side of the cell assembly 100 to accommodate the left portion of the cell assembly 100.

In particular, the first case 401 and the second case 402 may be configured to cover one side and the other side of the cell assembly 100, respectively, and also cover the entire side surfaces of the can-type secondary battery. For example, if the can-type secondary battery is a cylindrical secondary battery, the first case 401 and the second case 402 may be configured to completely cover the side surfaces (curved surfaces) of the cylindrical battery such that the side surfaces of the secondary battery are not exposed outward from the battery module. According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the module case 400 prevents the side surfaces of the secondary battery from being exposed, thereby improving the insulation of the secondary battery and protecting the secondary battery from external physical or chemical elements.

In addition, the first and

second housings

401 and 402 may be coupled and fixed to each other. That is, the left end of the first housing 401 and the right end of the second housing 402 may be coupled to each other. By this coupling configuration, the upper surface, the lower surface, the front surface, and the rear surface of the single assembly 100 can be entirely covered. In other words, when the first case 401 and the second case 402 are coupled as above, all the side surfaces (curved surfaces of the columns) of the secondary battery in fig. 3 can be covered. Here, as shown in the drawing, the first and

second housings

401 and 402 may have coupling protrusions and coupling grooves formed to correspond to each other, and may be coupled and fixed to each other by fitting the coupling protrusions into the coupling grooves.

In the configuration in which the battery module includes the module case 400 as described above, the bus bar may be attached to the outside of the module case 400.

For example, referring to fig. 2, in order to construct a battery module, first, a first case 401 and a second case 402 may be coupled to the right and left sides based on the cell assembly 100. After that, the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be coupled to the outside of the first case 401 and the second case 402, respectively.

In such a configuration of the present disclosure, the bus bar and the unit assembly 100 may be coupled in a stable manner. In particular, since the bus bars may be fixed to the outside of the module case 400, the contact state between the bus bars and the secondary batteries and the contact state between the bus bars and the heat dissipation member 10 may be stably maintained.

In addition, in this case, insulation between the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 can be ensured. In particular, since the positive electrode bus bar 201 may contact only the positive electrode terminal of the can-type secondary battery without contacting the battery can, it is possible to prevent the positive electrode bus bar 201 from being connected to the negative electrode of the secondary battery and thus causing a short circuit. Further, in this case, the module case 400 may be made of an electrically insulating material, such as plastic, thereby preventing the bus bar from being undesirably electrically connected to another bus bar or another portion of the secondary battery.

In addition, the bus bars may be bent to surround the upper, side and lower portions of the module case 400.

For example, in fig. 2, positive electrode bus bar 201 may be disposed at the outside of first case 401, i.e., at the right side of first case 401, such that the upper and lower ends of positive electrode bus bar 201 are bent toward the inside of first case 401, i.e., in the left direction. In addition, due to this bent configuration, the positive electrode bus bar 201 can surround at least a portion of each of the upper portion, the side portion, and the lower portion of the first case 401 from the outside. At this time, the central portion of the bus bar erected in a flat form may serve as the connecting portion 210, a portion bent in the left direction at the upper end of the bus bar may serve as the terminal portion 230, and a portion bent in the left direction at the left end of the bus bar may serve as the heat transfer portion 220.

In addition, in fig. 2, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be disposed at the outer side of the second case 402, i.e., at the left side of the second case 402, such that the upper and lower ends are bent toward the inner side of the second case 402, i.e., in the right direction. In addition, due to this bent configuration, the negative electrode bus bar 202 can surround at least a portion of each of the upper portion, the side portion, and the lower portion of the second case 402 from the outside. In addition, in the negative electrode bus bar 202, the central flat portion may serve as the connection portion 210, the bent portion at the upper end may serve as the terminal portion 230, and the bent portion at the lower end may serve as the heat transfer portion 220.

Also preferably, the module case 400 may have coupling grooves formed such that at least a portion of the bus bar may be inserted into the coupling grooves.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion a2 of fig. 2, and fig. 11 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion A3 of fig. 2.

First, referring to fig. 10, a coupling groove having a concave shape in an upward direction may be formed at a lower surface of the first housing 401 as schematically illustrated by G2. In addition, when first case 401 and positive electrode bus bar 201 are coupled, heat transfer part 220 of positive electrode bus bar 201 may be inserted into coupling groove G2 and placed in coupling groove G2.

In such a configuration, first case 401 may have a blocking portion formed at the outside of the end of heat transfer portion 220 of positive electrode bus bar 201. That is, in fig. 10, the coupling groove G2 may be formed at the lower surface of the first housing 401, and a blocking portion protruding downward as indicated by W2 may be provided at the inner side (at the left side on the drawing) of the coupling groove G2. In this case, the outside of the end of the heat transfer part 220 inserted into the coupling groove G2 may be blocked by the blocking portion W2 to more reliably prevent the heat transfer part 220 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 from moving toward the heat transfer part 220 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 or the heat transfer part 220 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 from moving toward the heat transfer part 220 of the positive electrode bus bar 201. Therefore, in this case, the insulation of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 can be ensured more stably.

In addition, referring to fig. 11, the second housing 402 may have a coupling groove formed in a lower surface of the second housing 402 and having a concave shape in an upward direction as illustrated by G3. When the second case 402 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 are coupled, the heat transfer part 220 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be inserted into the coupling groove G3 and placed in the coupling groove G3.

In such a configuration, the second case 402 may have a blocking portion formed at the outside of the end of the heat transfer portion 220 of the negative electrode bus bar 202. That is, in fig. 11, the coupling groove G3 may be formed at the lower surface of the second housing 402, and the blocking portion may be provided at the inner side (in the right side on the drawing) of the coupling groove G3 as indicated by W3. In this case, the outside of the end of the heat transfer part 220 inserted into the coupling groove G3 may be blocked by the blocking portion W3, thereby more stably ensuring insulation between the negative electrode bus bar 202 and the positive electrode bus bar 201.

Meanwhile, even though it has been described in the embodiments of fig. 10 and 11 that the heat transfer part 220 of the bus bar is inserted into the module case 400, it is still possible that the connection part 210 and/or the terminal part 230 of the bus bar is inserted into the module case 400.

For example, as illustrated by G4 in fig. 8, coupling grooves may be formed at the rear of the upper surface of the first case 401 in positions, numbers, and shapes corresponding to the terminal portions of the positive electrode bus bar 201. In addition, the terminal part M2 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 may be inserted into the coupling groove G4.

In addition, as illustrated by G5 in fig. 8, coupling grooves may be formed at the front portion of the upper surface of the second case 402 in positions, numbers, and shapes corresponding to the terminal portions of the negative electrode bus bars 202. In addition, the terminal portion N1 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 may be inserted into the coupling groove G5.

In addition, coupling grooves may also be formed at the front of the upper surface of the first case 401 and the rear of the upper surface of the second case 402, respectively, so that the terminal part M1 of the positive electrode bus bar 201 and the terminal part N2 of the negative electrode bus bar 202 are inserted into the coupling grooves.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, coupling between the bus bar, particularly, the terminal portion 230 of the bus bar and the module case 400 may be enhanced. In addition, when the terminal portion 230 is inserted into the coupling groove, the external exposure of the terminal portion 230 can be reduced, thereby reducing the accidental contact of other members with the terminal portion 230. Accordingly, electrical insulation of the terminal portion 230 of the bus bar may be improved. Further, in this case, the terminal parts 230, which are not used for the electrical connection of the battery module to the external device, can also be inserted into the coupling grooves.

In particular, the coupling grooves G4, G5 of the module case 400 may be configured such that blocking portions are formed at the outer sides of the ends of the terminal portions 230.

For example, in fig. 8, as illustrated by W4 and W5, blocking portions may be formed at the outer sides of the coupling grooves of the module case 400 to prevent the terminal portions 230 inserted in the coupling grooves from moving outward or to prevent another conductor from approaching the terminal portions 230 inserted in the coupling grooves. Therefore, in this case, the contact between the terminal portions 230 of the module bus bars can be blocked more reliably.

In addition, the module case 400 and the bus bar may have a configuration for being coupled to each other.

For example, the second housing 402 may have a protruding portion formed to be outwardly convex at an outer surface (at a left surface on the drawing) as illustrated by P3 in fig. 2 and 11. In addition, the negative electrode bus bar 202 may have a coupling hole formed in a position and shape corresponding to the protruding portion P3 of the second case 402 as illustrated by H3 in fig. 2. In this case, when the second case 402 and the negative electrode bus bar 202 are coupled, the protruding portion P3 may be inserted into the coupling hole H3.

In addition, similar to the protruding portion of the second case 402 and the coupling hole of the negative electrode bus bar 202, the first case 401 and the positive electrode bus bar 201 may also be coupled to each other by having the protruding portion and the coupling hole.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the module case 400 and the bus bar may be more reliably coupled and more easily assembled. In addition, in this case, the process of welding the bus bar to the electrode terminal of the secondary battery may be more smoothly performed.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, fig. 13 is an enlarged front sectional view showing a portion a4 of fig. 12, and fig. 14 is a view schematically showing that a plurality of battery modules according to another embodiment of the present disclosure are connected. In this embodiment, features different from the previous embodiment will be mainly described, and features that can be applied in a similar or same manner as in the previous embodiment will not be explained in detail.

Referring to fig. 12 to 14, the terminal portions 230 may be configured to protrude toward an upper portion of the module case 400 and then be at least partially bent to extend in a horizontal direction. In particular, referring to fig. 13, the terminal portions 230 may be configured to extend upward from the connection portions 210 attached to the outside of the module case 400, and then be bent at substantially right angles at a portion indicated by a5 to extend in a horizontal direction. In this case, as illustrated by J in fig. 13, the terminal portions 230 may be portions that are formed flatly in a horizontal direction parallel to the ground in a state of protruding upward and being spaced apart from the upper surface of the module case 400 by a predetermined distance.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the connection member and the terminal portion 230 can be more easily and stably connected with the portion formed flatly in the horizontal direction parallel to the ground in a state of protruding toward the upper portion of the terminal portion 230, i.e., the protruding horizontal portion J. In other words, referring to fig. 12, when the connection member 510 for a positive electrode and the connection member 520 for a negative electrode are configured to contact and connect the terminal part 230, the protruding horizontal portion J of the terminal part 230 may be surface-contacted with the

connection members

510, 520, respectively. Therefore, the electrical contact between the terminal portion 230 and the

connection members

510, 520 may be more stabilized and the contact resistance may be further reduced. Also, in this case, when the terminal portion 230 and the

connection member

510, 520 are coupled by welding or the like, the coupling process can be more smoothly performed.

In addition, in a configuration in which a protruding horizontal portion J is provided at the terminal portion 230, both the connection portion 210 and the terminal portion 230 may be made of a single integrated metal sheet. That is, the terminal portion 230 including the protruding horizontal portion J may be formed as a single metal plate integrated with the connection portion 210. In this case, the upper end of the connection portion 210 may be bent to form the terminal portion 230, particularly, the terminal portion 230 including the protruding horizontal portion J. According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the bus bar 200 having the terminal portion 230 may be more easily manufactured.

Further, the protruding horizontal portions J may be provided at terminal portions serving as module terminals of the battery module. For example, in fig. 12, two terminal portions N1, N2 may be provided as the terminal portion 230 of the negative electrode bus bar 202, and the protruding horizontal portion J may be formed only at the terminal portion N1 located at the front side. In addition, in fig. 12, two terminal portions M1, M2 may be provided as the terminal portions 230 of the positive electrode bus bar 201, and the protruding horizontal portion J may be formed only at the terminal portion M2 located at the rear side.

More preferably, the terminal portion 230 may be configured to form a protruding horizontal portion J and then extend downward again. More specifically, referring to fig. 13, the terminal portions 230 may be configured to protrude upward from the upper portion of the module case 400, be bent in a horizontal direction at a portion a5 to form a protruding horizontal portion J, and then be bent downward at a substantially right angle at a portion a 6. In this case, it can be considered that at least two bent portions a5, a6 are formed at the terminal portion 230.

Meanwhile, in the above configuration, the lower end of the downwardly bent portion of the terminal portion 230 may be regarded as the end of the terminal portion 230 and the upper end portion of the bus bar 200. Here, the end portions of the terminal portions 230 may be configured to contact the surface of the module case 400. That is, as illustrated by a7 in fig. 13, the end portions of the terminal portions 230 may be configured to be placed on the upper surface of the module case 400.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the end portions of the terminal portions 230 may be supported in the upward direction by the module case 400. Therefore, when or after the

connection members

510, 520 are brought into contact with the protruding horizontal portion J of the terminal portion 230, the end portion of the terminal portion 230 does not move downward, so that the protruding horizontal portion J can be stably maintained in a horizontal state. Accordingly, in this case, the terminal portion 230 and the

connection member

510, 520 can be more smoothly connected, and the connection state of the terminal portion 230 and the

connection member

510, 520 can be more stably maintained against vibration, external impact, or the like.

Further, in this configuration, the module case 400 may have a placing groove formed such that the end of the terminal portion 230 is inserted and placed therein. More specifically, referring to fig. 12 and 13, as indicated by E1, a placing groove formed to be concave in a downward direction may be formed at an upper surface of the module case 400, particularly, at upper coupling grooves G4, G5 of the module case 400. In addition, the end portions of the terminal portions 230 may be inserted downward into the placing groove E1 of the module case 400. In particular, the placement groove E1 of the module case 400 may have a slit shape extending in the front-rear direction of the battery module.

According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, since the end portions of the terminal portions 230 are inserted into the placing groove E1 of the module case 400, the shape of the terminal portions 230 can be stably maintained. In particular, the end of the terminal portion 230 may not easily move in the left-right direction (in the X-axis direction on the drawing). Therefore, the protruding horizontal portions J of the terminal portions 230 may be easily maintained in parallel to the upper surface of the module case 400, in parallel to the ground, or in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the

connection members

510, 520. Therefore, the contact and connection state of the terminal portions 230 and the connection parts can be more reliably maintained.

In addition, the battery module according to the present disclosure may further include an insulating panel at an outer side of the bus bar. The insulating panel may be made of an electrically insulating material such as a polymer, silicone or rubber. Further, an insulating panel may be provided at an outer side of the connection portion 210 of the bus bar in a state of standing up in the up-down direction.

According to this configuration of the present disclosure, since the insulating panel prevents or reduces exposure of the connection portion 210, electrical insulation from the bus bar may be stably ensured.

In addition, in an embodiment in which the module case 400 is provided at the battery module, an insulating panel may be coupled to the outside of the module case 400. For example, a groove may be formed near an outer edge of the module case 400 so that an edge of the insulating panel may be inserted into the groove. Alternatively, the protrusion may be formed at an outer edge of the module case 400 such that the protrusion may be inserted into an edge of the insulation panel.

A battery pack according to the present disclosure may include at least one battery module of the present disclosure. For example, as shown in fig. 9, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery modules, and in this case, may further include a connection member for connecting the battery modules. In addition, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may further include a pack case for receiving the battery modules and various devices for controlling the charge/discharge of the battery modules, such as a Battery Management System (BMS), a current sensor, and a fuse, in addition to the battery modules.

The battery module according to the present disclosure may be applied to vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. That is, a vehicle according to the present disclosure may include the battery module of the present disclosure. In particular, in the case of an electric vehicle, the battery module may be disposed at a lower portion of the vehicle. At this time, it is necessary that the battery module does not have a large height. Also, for the battery module of the vehicle, cooling performance is also very important. Therefore, if the battery module according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle, the battery module may ensure a low height and stable cooling performance.

Meanwhile, even though terms indicating the up, down, left, right, front, and rear directions are used in the specification, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the terms merely represent relative positions for convenience of explanation and may be changed based on the position of an observer or the shape of an object placed therein.

The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Claims

1. A battery module including a single heat dissipation member disposed at a lower part of the battery module, the battery module comprising:

a cell assembly having a plurality of can-type secondary batteries stacked in a horizontally-disposed manner; and

a bus bar having a connection part configured to contact electrodes of two or more can-type secondary batteries of the cell assembly to electrically connect the two or more can-type secondary batteries, and a heat transfer part located below the connection part to contact the heat dissipation part to transfer heat of the secondary batteries to the heat dissipation part, the bus bar being made at least partially of a conductive material,

wherein the bus bar has a plate form bent at 90 degrees, wherein the connection part is configured to stand up in an up-down direction along one side of the cell assembly, and the heat transfer part is configured to be horizontally disposed to be interposed between a lower part of the cell assembly and an upper part of the heat dissipation part,

wherein the battery module further includes a module case including a first case having an empty space formed therein to accommodate a part of the cell assembly and a second case having an empty space formed therein to accommodate another part of the cell assembly,

wherein the first case and the second case are configured to be coupled at one side and the other side of the cell assembly, respectively, the first case and the second case have separate spaces accommodating the can-type secondary batteries, respectively, and the space for accommodating the can-type secondary batteries is configured to penetrate the module case in a longitudinal direction of the can-type secondary batteries, and

wherein the bus bar is attached to an outer side of the module case to be in direct contact with an electrode of the can-type secondary battery exposed to the outside.

2. The battery module as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the bus bar includes a positive electrode bus bar having a connection part contacting a positive electrode of the can-type secondary battery disposed in the cell assembly, and a negative electrode bus bar having a connection part contacting a negative electrode of the can-type secondary battery disposed in the cell assembly.

3. The battery module as set forth in claim 2,

wherein the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar are located at opposite sides of the cell assembly such that the heat transfer portion of the positive electrode bus bar and the heat transfer portion of the negative electrode bus bar are bent in opposite directions.

4. The battery module as set forth in claim 2,

wherein the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar are in contact with the heat dissipation member, and

wherein the battery module further includes a thermal gasket interposed between the heat dissipation member and at least one of the positive electrode bus bar and the negative electrode bus bar to transfer heat of the bus bar to the heat dissipation member, the thermal gasket being made of an electrically insulating material.

5. The battery module as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the bus bar further includes a terminal portion providing a terminal for electrical connection to an external member.

6. The battery module as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the terminal portion is bent at an upper portion of the connection portion in a direction toward the upper portion of the cell assembly.

7. The battery module as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the two or more terminal portions are provided at the single bus bar so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

8. The battery module as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the module case has a coupling groove formed therein such that the bus bar is at least partially inserted into the coupling groove.

9. A battery pack comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 8.