KR101792819B1 - Relay Assembly for Battery Pack - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a relay assembly connected to two or more battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells or unit modules are connected in series to switch the power of a battery pack in a battery pack, A module connecting member connected to the terminals of the battery module and a terminal for connecting the power connector of the battery pack to the terminals of the battery module, And the end portions of the module connecting members connected to the terminals of the battery module protrude to the outside of the housing.

Description

Relay Assembly for Battery Pack [0001]

The present invention relates to a relay assembly included in a battery pack in which two or more battery modules are mounted.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] In recent years, rechargeable secondary batteries have been widely used as energy sources for wireless mobile devices. The secondary battery is also attracting attention as a power source for an electric vehicle (EV) and a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), which are proposed as solutions for the air pollution of existing gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles using fossil fuels .

In the case of small mobile devices, one or two or more battery cells are used per device, whereas a middle or large-sized device such as an automobile is required to have a large capacity for a large battery, a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected, A battery pack connected to each other is used.

Since the battery pack is preferably made as small in size and weight as possible, a prismatic battery, a pouch-shaped battery, or the like, which can be charged with a high degree of integration and has a small weight to capacity, is mainly used as a battery cell of a battery module.

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

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

A conventional battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules, a service plug, and a bus bar or a separate component in the form of a cable connecting the relay assembly. These parts are electrically connected between the battery modules, between the battery module and the service plug, between the battery module and the relay assembly, depending on the number of battery modules and the distance of connection, The type and length are different.

Generally, when configuring a single battery pack, various types and types of bus bars or cables must be designed, and various types of bus bars or cables complicate the assembly of the battery pack. Space loss due to the securing of the assembly space, cost of individual parts, and management cost.

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

It is an object of the present invention to provide a relay assembly for a battery pack which can simplify the assembling process and reduce the manufacturing cost by forming a bus bar or a cable connecting the battery modules and other parts in the battery pack in as short a structure as possible .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a relay assembly comprising:

A relay assembly connected to two or more battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells or unit modules are connected in series to switch the power of a battery pack in a battery pack,

(&Quot; control elements ") for controlling voltage and current at the time of charging and discharging are mounted inside an electrically insulative housing with being mounted on a circuit board;

A module connecting member connected to the terminals of the battery module, and connector connecting members connected to the terminals of the power connector of the battery pack,

And the end portions of the module connecting members connected to the terminals of the battery module protrude to the outside of the housing.

That is, in the present invention, a structure for integrating the connecting members such as various bus bars or cables into one relay assembly and simplifying these connecting members to reduce the space for electrical connection, thereby improving space efficiency and assembly processability Lt; / RTI >

The type of the control device constituting the relay assembly is not particularly limited and may be various. For example, a main relay for automatically reversing an overcurrent and a high voltage may be used. In the initial discharge process, A free charge relay for dropping the supplied voltage and current to prevent sudden supply of high voltage electricity to the motor and the electric field of the vehicle, a resistor connected to or connected to the auxiliary relay to reduce current and voltage a service plug located on the path of the positive or negative electrode circuit and checking the operation state of the battery pack and manually shutting off the electricity when it is necessary to repair the battery pack, And a current sensor for detecting the detected current value and sending it to the BMS.

The module connecting member is configured to be electrically connected with the terminals of the battery module, and may be formed, for example, in a plate bus bar structure. The module connecting member may have an end protruding to the outside of the housing and a fastener for engaging with the terminal of the battery module may be formed at the protruding end.

Further, the connector connecting member connected to the power connector of the battery pack may have a plate-like structure, and a fastener for engaging with the terminal of the power connector may be formed at an end thereof.

In one specific example, the module connecting members may include at least one first connecting member for electrically connecting the battery modules to each other, and at least two second connecting members for electrically connecting the battery module to the main relay .

The first connecting member may be more than two, and the two or more connecting members may be structured such that their ends are fixed to the housing in a shape projecting to both sides of the housing with respect to the center of the housing.

Further, the second connecting members may have a structure in which ends of the second connecting members protrude to both sides of the housing with respect to an axis passing through the center of the housing.

The outer surface of the housing may be formed with indentations indented inwardly, and the ends of the module connecting members and the ends of the connector connecting members may be located on the indentations. Therefore, when the battery modules are connected to the relay assembly, the terminal of the battery module is connected to the ends of the module connecting members and the ends of the connector connecting members located in the indentations, to provide.

At this time, one indent may be formed in one indentation.

Meanwhile, end portions of the plug connecting members connected to the terminals of the service plug capable of manually disconnecting the electrical connections between the battery modules may be further protruded to the outside of the housing. Therefore, the service plug may be electrically connected to the end of the plug connecting members.

The present invention also provides a battery pack having a structure including at least two battery modules, and a relay assembly according to claim 1 connected to the battery modules.

In the battery pack, for example, the battery modules and the relay assembly are mounted on the base plate, and the power connector is located at one end of the base plate.

In addition, the battery modules may have a structure in which terminals are formed on one side, and one side where terminals are formed is mounted on the base plate so as to face the relay assembly.

The battery modules constitute a second module group including a first module group including one or more battery modules and one or more battery modules, and the first module group and the second module group include a relay assembly And may be positioned symmetrically with respect to the center.

Accordingly, the ends of the module connecting member of the relay assembly may be formed on both sides so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center of the relay assembly.

Specifically, the first module group and the second module group include two or more battery modules, and the ends of the module connecting member for electrically interconnecting the battery modules belonging to the same module group face each other The relay assembly may be a structure that is located on the outer surface of the relay assembly.

Meanwhile, a service plug connected to the first module group and the second module group may be additionally mounted on the relay assembly. The service plug may be a structure in which the service plug is additionally mounted and electrically connected to the relay assembly at a vertical position in each of the first module group and the second module group.

At this time, the ends of the plug connecting members connected to the terminals of the service plug may be located on the relay assembly at the opposite positions of the ends of the connector connecting members with respect to the center of the relay assembly.

The battery module may be a rectangular parallelepiped battery module in which two or more battery cells are stacked on a cartridge. The rectangular parallelepiped battery module has a structure in which the overall volume increase is minimized when two or more battery modules are arranged adjacent to each other.

The present invention also provides a device comprising the battery pack, wherein the device is one of an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, an electric motorcycle, and an electric bicycle But is not limited thereto.

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

As described above, the relay assembly according to the present invention integrates connecting members such as various bus bars or cables into one relay assembly and simplifies these connecting members, thereby reducing the space for electrical connection, Efficiency and assembly fairness.

1 is a schematic diagram of a relay assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of Figure 1;
4 is a perspective view of a battery pack on which the relay assembly of FIG. 1 is mounted;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the structure in which the relay assembly is separated in Fig. 4; Fig.

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a relay assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively a plan view and a perspective view of FIG. 1.

Referring to these figures, the relay assembly 100 is a structure in which control elements are mounted inside the housing 110 with the control elements mounted on the circuit board, and the module connecting members ( 120 and the connector connecting members 130 connected to the terminals of the power connector of the battery pack are mounted and the end portions of the module connecting member 120 protrude to the outside of the housing 110 Respectively.

In detail, the main relay 142 automatically reverses the overcurrent and the high voltage. The main relay 142 is connected to the main relay in the initial discharge process, (Not shown) connected to or connected to the auxiliary relay 143 to reduce the current and the voltage, and an auxiliary relay 143 that is connected to or connected to the auxiliary relay 143, And a current sensor 144 for detecting a current on the anode or cathode connection circuit and sending it to the BMS.

The module connecting members 120 are classified into first connecting members 122 for electrically connecting the battery modules to each other and second connecting members 124 for electrically connecting the battery modules to the main relay 142 .

The first connecting members 122 are formed in a plate-shaped bus bar structure. Both ends of the first connecting members 122 are exposed to the outside of the housing 110, and fasteners 123 are formed at exposed ends of the connecting members 122 . The first connecting members 122 are coupled to the housing 110 so as to be symmetrical to both sides of the housing 110 with respect to the center.

The other end of the second connecting members 124 is connected to the main relay 142 and the other end of the second connecting members 124 protrudes to the outside of the housing 110 and is connected to the battery module. A fastener 125 is provided for coupling with the terminal of the motor.

On the outer surface of the housing 110, a depressed portion formed in a plane on the inner side of the housing 110 is formed, and an end portion exposed to the outside of the module connecting members 120 is located in the recessed portion.

The connector connecting member connected to the power connector of the battery pack has a plate-like structure, one side of which is connected to the main relay, and the other end of which is provided with a fastener for engaging with the terminal of the power connector.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery pack in which the relay assembly of FIG. 1 is mounted, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a structure in which the relay assembly is separated in FIG.

4 and 5, a battery pack 200 includes a plurality of battery modules 210 and a relay assembly 100 mounted on a base plate 220, and a plurality of battery modules 210 and a relay assembly 100 are mounted on one end of the base plate 220 And the power connector 230 is located. \

The battery modules 210 have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure in which terminals 212 are formed on one side and one side where the terminals 212 are formed faces the relay assembly 100 on the base plate 220 Respectively.

Each of the battery modules 210 is connected to both sides of the relay assembly 100 and is mounted on the base plate 220 so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center of the relay assembly 100.

A service plug 240 is mounted on the rear surface of the relay assembly 100 and the service plug 240 is electrically connected to the battery modules 210.

The power connector 230 is connected to the connector connecting member 130 of the relay assembly 100 by a connection cable 232.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (23)

A relay assembly connected to two or more battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells or unit modules are connected in series to switch the power of a battery pack in a battery pack,
(&Quot; control elements ") for controlling voltage and current at the time of charging and discharging are mounted inside an electrically insulative housing with being mounted on a circuit board;
A module connecting member connected to the terminals of the battery module, and connector connecting members connected to the terminals of the power connector of the battery pack,
End portions of module connecting members connected to the terminals of the battery module protrude to the outside of the housing,
The control elements include a main relay for automatically reversing the overcurrent and the high voltage, a free charge relay connected in priority to the main relay for dropping the voltage and the current in the initial discharge process, And a current sensor connected to the anode or cathode connection circuit for detecting current on the anode or cathode connection circuit,
Wherein the module connecting members include at least one first connecting member for electrically connecting the battery modules to each other and at least two second connecting members for electrically connecting the battery module to the main relay,
Wherein the first connecting member is at least two and the two or more connecting members protrude on both sides of the housing with respect to the center of the housing, the second connecting members are arranged such that their ends pass through the center of the housing Protruding on both sides of the housing as a reference,
Wherein the ends of the module connecting members and the ends of the connector connecting members are located on the indentations and one end is located on one indentation portion Relay assembly. delete The relay assembly according to claim 1, wherein the module connecting member is a plate-shaped bus bar. The relay assembly according to claim 1, wherein an end of the module connecting member protruding outside the housing is provided with a fastener for engaging with the terminal of the battery module. The relay assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connector connecting member is formed in a plate shape. The relay assembly according to claim 1, wherein a fastener for engaging with a terminal of the connector is formed at an end of the connector connecting member. delete delete delete delete delete The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that end portions of plug connecting members connected to terminals of a service plug capable of manually disconnecting electrical connections between battery modules are additionally protruded to the outside of the housing Relay assembly. And a relay assembly according to claim 1 connected to at least two battery modules and to the battery modules. 14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the battery modules and the relay assembly are mounted on a base plate, and a power connector is located at one end of the base plate. 14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the battery modules have terminals formed on one side thereof. The battery module according to claim 13, wherein the battery modules constitute a second module group including a first module group including one or more battery modules and one or more battery modules, And are positioned so as to be symmetrical with respect to each other with respect to the relay assembly in plan view. 17. The battery module according to claim 16, wherein the first module group and the second module group each include two or more battery modules, and the ends of the module connecting member for electrically interconnecting the battery modules belonging to the same module group, Wherein the relay assembly is located on an outer surface of the relay assembly facing the group. 17. The battery pack according to claim 16, wherein a service plug connected to the first module group and the second module group is further mounted on the relay assembly. 19. The battery pack according to claim 18, wherein the service plug is further attached to the relay assembly at a vertical position in each of the first module group and the second module group. The battery pack according to claim 19, wherein the ends of the plug connecting members connected to the terminals of the service plug are located on the relay assembly at opposite positions of the ends of the connector connecting members with respect to the center of the relay assembly. pack. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the battery module is a rectangular parallelepiped battery module in which two or more battery cells are stacked in a state in which the battery cells are mounted on the cartridge. A device comprising a battery pack according to claim 13. 23. The device of claim 22, wherein the device is an electric vehicle, or a hybrid electric vehicle, or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or an electric motorcycle, or an electric bicycle.

Images