KR102216862B1 - A Battery Module and Manufacturing Method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module which includes: a case; a cover part fastened to the case; and a seaming part which is an area to which the case and the cover part are fastened. In fastening the case and the cover part, by excluding a welding process such as laser welding and fastening the case and the cover part through the seaming part through a seaming process, it is possible to manufacture the battery module which can be mass-produced by a simple fastening method while maintaining airtightness.

Description

A Battery Module and Manufacturing Method of the same}

The present invention relates to a battery module and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, in a battery module comprising a case formed with open ends and a cover portion coupled to the case, a battery module capable of easily coupling the case and the cover portion, and It relates to a method of manufacturing the same.

Typically, battery cells are used as energy sources such as mobile devices, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and electricity, and are used in various forms according to the type of external devices applied.

In addition, when driving for a long time or high power driving is required, such as an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle that consumes a lot of power, a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected to increase output and capacity to form a large-capacity battery module.

The battery module can increase the output voltage or output current according to the number of built-in battery cells. In addition, a plurality of such battery modules may be electrically connected to form a battery pack, and the battery pack may be installed in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

On the other hand, the battery module may be configured to include a case having both ends open and a cover coupled to the case, and the case is generally formed by dividing an aluminum (Al) material into several parts using a die-casting method and molding each part. Are joined by welding.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery module having a general structure, and FIG. 2 is a combined perspective view showing a battery module having a general structure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery module 1 having a general structure includes a battery group 10 formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells 11; A case 20 accommodating the battery group 10; Busbar assemblies 60a and 60b located above the battery group 10 and located on both sides in the length direction of the battery group 10 (front and rear of the battery module 1) and one side (the front or rear of the battery module 1). A sensing module assembly 50 interconnecting the located sensing substrate portion 70; And it may include front and rear cover portions 30a and 30b coupled to the front and rear of the case 20.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a battery module of a general structure.

As shown in FIG. 3, a method of manufacturing a battery module comprising a case having both ends open and a cover portion coupled to the case includes: an insert frame forming step of forming an insert frame for coupling the cover portion to the case; An insert die casting molding step of inserting the insert frame into a die casting mold to form a metal cover unit integrally with the insert frame; CNC machining step of performing detailed shape processing and cutting processing of the cover part; And a welding step of inserting a battery cell into the case made of aluminum, and then welding the case and the insert frame to couple the cover portions to both ends of the case and sealing the case.

That is, in the case of a battery module having a general structure, in coupling the front and rear cover portions 30a, 30b to the case 20, the case and the cover portion are coupled by a welding method such as laser welding, but such laser welding In the case of a welding method such as the back, not only the precision of the welding is poor, but also the welding process takes a long time, making it difficult to mass-produce.

Korean Patent Registration 10-2002551

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery module comprising a case formed with open ends and a cover portion coupled to the case, and a battery module capable of easily coupling the case and the cover portion, and a manufacturing method thereof. have.

Objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to solve the above pointed problem, the present invention includes a case; And a cover part fastened to the case, and a seaming part which is an area fastened to the case and the cover part.

In addition, the present invention, the case, the case body portion; An inclined extension part extending from one end of the case body part, extending in an inner direction of the case body part, and bent at a predetermined angle to be disposed; A first direction extension part extending from the inclined extension part and extending in a height direction of the case; And a seaming first flange part extending from the first direction extension part and extending in a width direction of the case or a length direction of the case.

In addition, the present invention, the cover portion, the upper plate portion; A side plate portion continuously disposed from the upper plate portion; A lower plate portion continuously disposed from the side plate portion and extending in an outer direction of the side plate portion; And a seaming second flange portion continuously disposed from the lower plate portion.

In addition, the present invention provides a battery module, wherein the seaming part is formed by rolling the seaming first flange part and the seaming second flange part.

In addition, in the present invention, the cover part further includes a groove portion partitioned by the first side of the seaming portion, the lower plate portion and the side plate portion, and the cover portion further comprises a connection pin portion disposed in the groove portion. Modules are provided.

In addition, the present invention provides a battery module, characterized in that the seaming portion is disposed in a predetermined space secured through the inclined extension portion.

According to the present invention as described above, in fastening the case and the cover part, by excluding a welding process such as laser welding, and fastening the case and the cover part through a seaming part by a seaming process, by a simple fastening method. , It is possible to manufacture a battery module capable of mass production while maintaining airtightness.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery module having a general structure, and FIG. 2 is a combined perspective view showing a battery module having a general structure.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a battery module of a general structure.
FIG. 4 is a top view showing the cover part manufactured by the die casting molding method, FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the cover part manufactured by the die casting molding method, and FIG. 6 is a side view showing the cover part manufactured by the die casting molding method.
Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a case according to the present invention, and Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a case according to the present invention.
9 to 13 are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the fastening of the case and the cover according to the present invention.
14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a battery module according to the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a connection pin according to the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms different from each other, and only these embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to completely inform the scope of the invention to those who have it, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

With reference to the accompanying drawings below will be described in detail for the implementation of the present invention. Regardless of the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements, and "and/or" includes each and all combinations of one or more of the mentioned items.

Although the first, second, and the like are used to describe various components, it goes without saying that these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical idea of the present invention.

The terms used in the present specification are for describing exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular form also includes the plural form unless specifically stated in the phrase. As used in the specification, “comprises” and/or “comprising” do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements other than the mentioned elements.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present specification may be used as meanings that can be commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly defined specifically.

Spatially relative terms "below", "beneath", "lower", "above", "upper", etc., as shown in the figure It can be used to easily describe the correlation between a component and other components. Spatially relative terms should be understood as terms including different directions of components during use or operation in addition to the directions shown in the drawings. For example, if a component shown in a drawing is turned over, a component described as "below" or "beneath" of another component will be placed "above" the other component. I can. Accordingly, the exemplary term “below” may include both directions below and above. Components may be oriented in other directions, and thus spatially relative terms may be interpreted according to the orientation.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a cover part manufactured by a die casting molding method, FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a cover part manufactured by a die casting molding method, and FIG. 6 is a side view showing a cover part manufactured by the die casting molding method.

Hereinafter, the cover part manufactured by the die casting method will be described in more detail.

4 to 6, a cover part (hereinafter referred to as "cover part") 100 manufactured by a die-casting molding method includes an upper plate part 110; A side plate portion 120 continuously disposed from the upper plate portion 110; And a lower plate portion 130 that is continuously disposed from the side plate portion 120 and extends in an outer direction of the side plate portion 120.

"의 형상을 이루게 된다.In addition, the cover portion 100 includes a space portion 140 partitioned by an inner surface of the upper plate portion 110 and an inner surface of the side plate portion 110, and thus, the battery cover The schematic cross-sectional shape of 100 is "

"It will form the shape of.

In this case, the side plate portion 120 includes a first direction side plate portion 121 disposed in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the upper plate portion 110; And a second direction side plate portion 122 disposed in the width direction (Y direction) of the upper plate portion 110.

In addition, as described above, the lower plate portion 130 extends in an outer direction of the side plate portion 120, and the lower plate portion 130 is a lower plate portion upper surface 131 as described above. ; And a lower plate portion lower surface 132 that is a surface opposite to the lower plate portion upper surface 131.

Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the cover part 100 is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the first directional side plate part 121 and the upper surface 131 of the lower plate part 130. A connection pin part 150 is included, and the connection pin part 150 includes a pin insertion hole 151.

Assuming that there are a plurality of battery modules including the cover part, the connection pin part 150 is used for fastening each cover part of the plurality of battery modules, or a battery pack including the cover part in a vehicle In use, in fixing the battery pack to the vehicle, the connection pin unit 150 may be used.

However, the use of the connection pin part 150 is not limited in the present invention, but the connection pin part 150 corresponds to an essential configuration in the present invention.

In addition, the lower plate part 130 is located in a certain area of the lower surface 132 of the lower plate part and extends long in the width direction (Y direction) of the upper plate part 110, and the lower plate part 132 ) May include a guide protrusion 136 protruding downward.

In the case of the guide protrusion 136, in manufacturing a battery module comprising a case having both ends open and a cover part coupled to the case, it may be used for guiding when the cover part is coupled to the case.

However, the use of the guide protrusion 136 is not limited in the present invention, and the presence or absence of the guide protrusion 136 is not limited in the present invention.

As described above, in coupling the cover part to the case as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, in the conventional case, the case and the cover part are combined by a welding method such as laser welding, but a welding method such as laser welding or the like In the case of, not only the precision of welding is poor, but also the welding process takes a long time, making it difficult to mass-produce.

Therefore, in the present invention, a new type of fastening method for coupling the cover part and the case is proposed, and the shape of the cover part and the case is proposed accordingly.

7 is a schematic perspective view showing a case according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a case according to the present invention.

However, as will be described later, the case and the cover part according to the present invention are fastened by a seaming process, and the case according to the present invention in FIGS. 7 and 8 may be understood as a case prior to the seaming process described later. .

In addition, in Figures 7 and 8, for convenience of explanation, one side of the case, for example, the upper end of the case is shown in the present invention, and in this case, the other side of the case according to the present invention, for example, the lower end of the case May be formed to be mutually symmetric with the upper end of the case.

7 and 8, a case 1000 according to the present invention includes a case body portion 1100; An inclined extension 1200 extending from one end of the case body 1100 and extending in the inner direction of the case body 1100 and bent at a predetermined angle to be disposed; A first extension part 1300 extending from the inclined extension part 1200 and extending in the height direction of the case (Z direction in FIG. 7 ); And a second extension part 1400 extending from the first direction extension part 1300 and extending in a width direction of the case (Y direction in FIG. 7) or a length direction of the case (X direction in FIG. 7). Includes.

In this case, the first direction extension part 1300 may be defined as a vertical extension part, and the second direction extension part 1400 may be defined as a horizontal extension part. However, in the present invention, the vertical and horizontal Does not limit the meaning of.

On the other hand, in the case of the second extension part 1400, a seaming part is configured by a seaming process described later, and thus the second direction extension part 1400 may be defined as a seaming first flange part. .

In this case, the case 1000 according to the present invention includes a case body portion 1100; An inclined extension 1200 extending from one end of the case body 1100 and extending in the inner direction of the case body 1100 and bent at a predetermined angle to be disposed; A first extension part 1300 extending from the inclined extension part 1200 and extending in the height direction of the case (Z direction in FIG. 7 ); And a seaming first flange part 1400 extending from the first extension part 1300 and extending in the width direction of the case (Y direction in FIG. 7) or in the length direction of the case (X direction in FIG. 7). It can be defined as including.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the end of the seaming first flange part 1400 is a seaming in which a certain area of the end of the seaming first flange part 1400 is bent for ease of the seaming process described above. A first curl portion (not shown) may be further included, but the present invention does not limit the presence or absence of the seaming first curl portion.

Meanwhile, the case body portion 1100 corresponds to a case in a battery module having a general structure, that is, the case 1000 according to the present invention includes an oblique extension portion, a first direction extension portion, and a seaming first flange portion. In that it further includes, it can be distinguished from a case in a battery module having a general structure.

In addition, the inclined extension part 1200 is an area for securing a space in which a seaming part to be described later can be disposed, that is, the seaming part of the case 1000 according to the present invention has a certain width, and the seaming part In order not to increase the overall width or length of the case 1000 due to the width, it is necessary to secure a space in which a seaming unit to be described later can be disposed through the inclined extension part 1200. This will be described later.

Hereinafter, the case and the cover portion according to the present invention will be described as fastening by the seaming process.

9 to 13 are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the fastening of the case and the cover according to the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 9, the cover member 200 is disposed on one side, for example, the upper end of the case 1000 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 as described above.

The cover member 200 is preferably an aluminum plate so that the seaming process described later can be performed, but the material of the cover member is not limited in the present invention.

In addition, the cover member 200 may be processed enough to produce the cover part according to the present invention by cutting the raw material plate into a predetermined size, and if necessary, punching or pressing the required configuration for the cover part. Various holes may be formed.

In this case, the cover member 200 constitutes the cover part according to the present invention according to the progress of the process to be described later, and the cover member 200 is in the form of a plate, in FIGS. 4 to 6 described above. It includes an upper plate portion 210 such as.

That is, the cover member 200 is deformed into a certain shape as a process to be described later proceeds. In this case, the upper plate part 210 corresponds to a region in which no deformation has occurred, and the cover member ( Even in the state of 200), the upper plate part 210 is included.

In this case, the cover member 200 includes seaming second flange portions 230 at both end regions of the cover member 200, and the seaming flange portions at both end regions of the cover member 200 The seaming first flange part 230 and the seaming first flange part 1400 are disposed in contact with each other, and thus, the area of the cover member 200 corresponding to the seaming first flange part 1400 is defined as a seaming second flange part ( 230).

That is, in a state in which the seaming first flange part 1400 of the case 1000 and the seaming second flange part 230 of the cover part are disposed in contact with each other, as the seaming process described later proceeds, the seaming The first flange portion 1400 and the seaming second flange portion 230 constitute a seaming portion (300 in FIG. 12 ).

In addition, as shown in Fig. 9, the end of the seaming second flange unit 230 is a seaming in which a certain area of the end of the seaming second flange unit 230 is bent for ease of the seaming process described above. A second curl portion (not shown) may be further included, but the present invention does not limit the presence or absence of the seaming second curl portion.

Meanwhile, between the upper plate part 210 and the seaming second flange part 230, the lower plate part 220 as in FIGS. 4 to 6 is included, and the lower plate part 220 ) And the upper plate portion 210 includes a first directional side plate portion 221 as in FIGS. 4 to 6 described above.

In this case, in the state of FIG. 9, the cover member 200 is in the form of a plate, and the cover member 200 is deformed into a predetermined shape as a process to be described later proceeds. ), the lower plate part 220 and the first direction side plate part 221 are formed.

This will be described later.

Next, referring to FIG. 10, a pressing jig 60 is disposed on the upper part of the cover member 200, and side surfaces of the seaming first flange part 1400 and the seaming second flange part 230. After the pressing roller 70 is disposed, as shown in FIG. 11, the cover member 200 is pressed through the pressing jig 60.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the shape of the cover member 200 is deformed by the pressing of the pressing jig 60, and the lower plate is formed by the shape deformation of the cover member 200. The portion 220 and the first direction side plate portion 221 are formed.

On the other hand, as described above, when the shape of the cover member 200 is deformed by the pressing of the pressing jig 60, the upper plate portion 210 corresponds to a region in which no deformation has occurred, Even in the state of the cover member 200 of FIG. 9 described above, the upper plate part 210 is included.

Next, referring to FIG. 12, the pressing jig 20 presses the cover member 200 to support the cover member 200 while the pressing jig 20 supports the pressing. By rolling the seaming first flange part 1400 and the seaming second flange part 230 by rotational pressure of the roller 70, the seaming part 300, which is an area where the case and the cover part are fastened, is formed. Is done.

Meanwhile, in the drawings, for convenience of explanation, it has been described that the pressing of the cover member by the pressing jig and the rotational pressing of the seaming flange through the pressing roller are performed by each process, but unlike this, the pressing It is natural that pressurization by a jig and rotational pressurization through the pressurizing roller can proceed simultaneously.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, a groove portion 240 is formed in the region where the pressing jig 20 is located, and by pressing by the pressing jig 20 and rotational pressing through the pressing roller, the In addition to the formation of the seaming portion 300, which is an area where the case and the cover portion are fastened, the lower plate portion 220 and the first direction side plate portion 221 constituting the cover portion are formed as described above. It will be.

At this time, the groove part 240 is divided by the first side of the seaming part 300, the lower plate part 220 and the first direction side plate part 221, which is the structure of the cover part according to the present invention. It can be said to be a characteristic feature.

That is, the cover portion according to the present invention, the upper plate portion 210; A side plate portion 221 continuously disposed from the upper plate portion; A lower plate part 220 disposed continuously from the side plate part and extending in an outer direction of the side plate part; And a seaming second flange portion 230 continuously disposed from the lower plate portion 220.

In this case, the side plate portion includes: a first direction side plate portion disposed in a longitudinal direction of the upper plate portion; And a side plate portion in the second direction disposed in the width direction of the upper plate portion, and this is a configuration of a general cover portion, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, as described above, as the seaming process proceeds, the seaming first flange unit 1400 and the seaming second flange unit 230 constitute the seaming unit 300, and the cover unit according to the present invention , It may be defined as including a first side surface of the seaming part 300, a groove part 240 partitioned by the lower plate part 220 and the first side plate part 221.

By the above method, it is possible to fasten the case and the cover according to the present invention.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 13, the seaming part 300 may be formed to have a certain width d1 and a certain thickness d2. As described above, in the present invention, in the case, the inclined extension part ( 1200) to secure a certain space through the inclined extension (1200).

In addition, since the seaming part 300 is disposed in a predetermined space secured through the inclined extension part 1200, the overall width or length of the case 1000 may not be increased by the width of the seaming part. .

Meanwhile, the predetermined thickness d2 of the seaming part 300 is formed within the overall thickness range of the cover part, so that the overall thickness of the cover part may not be increased by the thickness of the seaming part.

As described above, in the case of a battery module having a general structure, in coupling the front and rear cover portions to the case, the case and the cover are coupled by a welding method such as laser welding, but in the case of a welding method such as laser welding, Not only the precision of welding is poor, but also the welding process takes a long time, making it difficult to mass-produce.

However, in the present invention, in fastening the case and the cover part, by excluding a welding process such as laser welding, and fastening the case and the cover part through a seaming part by a seaming process, airtightness is maintained by a simple fastening method. While doing so, it is possible to manufacture a battery module capable of mass production.

14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a battery module according to the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a connection pin according to the present invention.

9 to 13 as described above, it is possible to fasten the case and the cover according to the present invention.

More specifically, the battery module according to the present invention includes a case; And a cover part fastened to the case, and a seaming part 300 that is an area fastened to the case and the cover part.

On the other hand, the cover portion, one side of the case, for example, a first cover portion fastened to the front of the case; And a second cover part fastened to the other side of the case, for example, to the rear of the case, and the first cover part and the second cover part may be fastened to the case by the same method.

At this time, the case according to the present invention, the case body portion 1100; An inclined extension 1200 extending from one end of the case body 1100 and extending in the inner direction of the case body 1100 and bent at a predetermined angle to be disposed; A first extension part 1300 extending from the inclined extension part 1200 and extending in the height direction of the case (Z direction in FIG. 7 ); And a seaming first flange part 1400 extending from the first extension part 1300 and extending in the width direction of the case (Y direction in FIG. 7) or in the length direction of the case (X direction in FIG. 7). It can be defined as including.

In addition, the cover portion according to the present invention, the upper plate portion 210; A side plate portion 221 continuously disposed from the upper plate portion; A lower plate part 220 disposed continuously from the side plate part and extending in an outer direction of the side plate part; And a seaming second flange portion 230 continuously disposed from the lower plate portion 220.

Meanwhile, the battery module according to the present invention includes a seaming part 300 formed by rolling the seaming first flange part 1400 and the seaming second flange part 230, and the cover part according to the present invention , It may be defined as including a first side surface of the seaming part 300, a groove part 240 partitioned by the lower plate part 220 and the first side plate part 221.

In this case, the cover part according to the present invention further includes a connection pin part 400 disposed in the groove part 240.

The connection pin part 400 may be fastened to the groove part 240 by a welding method such as laser welding, but the fastening method of the connection pin part 400 is not limited in the present invention.

Referring to Figure 15, the connection pin portion 400 according to the present invention, the connection pin portion body portion 410; And a pin insertion hole 420 disposed on the connection pin body portion 410.

Assuming that there are a plurality of battery modules including the cover part, the connection pin part 400 is used for fastening each cover part of the plurality of battery modules, or a battery pack including the cover part in a vehicle In use, in fixing the battery pack to the vehicle, the connection pin part 400 may be used.

However, the use of the connection pin part 400 is not limited in the present invention, and the shape of the connection pin part 400 is not limited thereto.

As described above, in the present invention, in fastening the case and the cover part, by excluding a welding process such as laser welding, and fastening the case and the cover part through a seaming part by a seaming process, airtightness is achieved by a simple fastening method. While maintaining, it is possible to manufacture a battery module capable of mass production.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the above and the accompanying drawings, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. You can understand that there is. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

Claims (6)

case; And
Including a cover portion fastened to the case,
And a seaming portion that is an area to which the case and the cover portion are fastened,
The case includes a seaming first flange portion extending in a width direction of the case or a length direction of the case,
The cover part, the upper plate part; A side plate portion continuously disposed from the upper plate portion; A lower plate portion continuously disposed from the side plate portion and extending in an outer direction of the side plate portion; And a seaming second flange portion continuously disposed from the lower plate portion,
Forming the seaming portion,
After placing a cover member on the upper end of the case, placing a pressing jig on the top of the cover member, placing a pressing roller on the side surfaces of the seaming first flange and the seaming second flange, the pressing Pressing the cover member through a jig, forming the seaming portion by rotational pressure of the pressing roller,
The cover member corresponds to a plate shape,
The cover member may include an upper plate region; Seaming second flange portion regions positioned at both ends of the cover member; A lower plate region positioned between the upper plate region and the seaming second flange region; And a first direction side plate portion region positioned between the lower plate portion region and the upper plate portion region,
The cover portion is a battery module, characterized in that the shape of the cover member is deformed by pressing the cover member through the pressing jig to form the lower plate portion and the first side plate portion. The method of claim 1,
The case, the case body portion; An inclined extension part extending from one end of the case body part, extending in an inner direction of the case body part, and bent at a predetermined angle to be disposed; A first direction extension part extending from the inclined extension part and extending in a height direction of the case; And the seaming first flange part extending from the first direction extension part. delete The method of claim 1,
And the seaming part is formed by rolling the seaming first flange part and the seaming second flange part. The method of claim 1,
The cover portion further includes a groove portion partitioned by a first side of the seaming portion, the lower plate portion, and the side plate portion,
The battery module further comprises a connection pin portion disposed in the groove portion of the cover portion. The method of claim 2,
The battery module, characterized in that the seaming part is disposed in a predetermined space secured through the inclined extension part.

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