KR20060060814A - Secondary battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a plurality of unit cells, at least one surface of which is opened, and a partition wall is integrally formed at intervals so as to improve the fastening structure of the unit cells so as to prevent the detachment of the unit cells from the battery module. A case having a box shape into which the unit cell is inserted, a fastening member protruding at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the case, and a connection rod installed between the fastening members to support both support plates, and the case and the inside of the case. The partition wall is inclined in one direction with respect to the ground so that the unit cell is inclined with respect to the ground, and the fastening member is perpendicular to the ground, perpendicular to the connecting rod, the battery between the unit cell and the case Provided is a rechargeable battery module in which a fixing part is installed.

Case, protrusion, groove, cutout

Description

Secondary Battery Module {SECONDARY BATTERY MODULE}

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a rechargeable battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a secondary battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of some components of a rechargeable battery module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a rechargeable battery module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a secondary battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view of some components of a rechargeable battery module according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a secondary battery, and more particularly, to a battery module configured by connecting a plurality of unit cells.

In general, a secondary battery is a battery that can be charged and discharged unlike a primary battery that cannot be charged. In the case of a low capacity battery, a secondary battery is used in portable electronic devices such as a phone, a notebook computer, and a camcorder. It is widely used as a power source for driving motors of hybrid vehicles.

The secondary battery may be manufactured in various shapes, and typical shapes include cylindrical and rectangular shapes. The secondary battery may include the high output secondary battery so that the secondary battery may be used for driving a motor such as an electric vehicle. A plurality of secondary batteries are connected in series to form a large capacity secondary battery.

As described above, one high capacity secondary battery (hereinafter, referred to as a battery module for convenience of description throughout) is made of a plurality of secondary batteries (hereinafter, referred to as unit cells for convenience of description throughout the specification) connected in series. Each unit cell includes an electrode assembly having a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate interposed therebetween, a case having a space portion in which the electrode assembly is embedded, a cap assembly coupled to the case and sealing the protrusion, and protruding from the cap assembly. And positive and negative terminals electrically connected to the positive and negative current collectors provided in the electrode assembly.

In the case of the rectangular battery, each of the unit cells cross-aligns each of the unit cells such that the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal protruding from the top of the cap assembly alternate with the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of the neighboring unit cell, and the threaded negative electrode terminal The battery module is constructed by connecting and installing a conductor between the anode terminals via a nut.

In this case, the battery module is configured to connect one to many dozens of unit cells to form one battery module, so that the heat generated from each unit battery can be easily discharged, and moreover, it can be applied to a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). In the case of secondary batteries, heat dissipation is of paramount importance.

In the battery module according to the related art, in order to increase the cooling efficiency of the unit battery, a structure in which the unit cells are arranged at regular intervals inclined in one direction in the battery module, and the temperature control air is distributed between the unit cells is disclosed. .

However, when the unit cells are arranged inclined as described above, the heat dissipation efficiency of the unit cells can be increased, but the fastening structure of the unit cells is difficult compared to the structure in which the unit cells are vertically arranged.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a secondary battery module which is capable of easily fastening unit cells arranged inclinedly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a secondary battery module capable of preventing the unit battery from being separated from the battery module by improving the fastening structure of the unit battery.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of unit cells, at least one surface of which is opened, and a partition wall is formed integrally with a gap therein, such that the unit cell is inserted between the partition walls, the case In the battery module comprising a connecting rod which is installed between the fastening members protruding outwardly on both longitudinal support plates of the support plates for supporting both support plates,

The case and the inner partition wall is inclined in one direction with respect to the ground so that the unit battery is inclined with respect to the ground, the fastening member formed on the support plate of the case is perpendicular to the ground to be perpendicular to the connecting rod A battery fixing part is provided between the case and the unit battery to prevent separation of the unit battery from the case.

The battery fixing part has a structure in which protrusions are formed on one side surface of the unit cell, and grooves are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the case and the protrusions are seated at positions corresponding to the protrusions.

Accordingly, when the unit battery enters between the partition walls of the case, protrusions formed on the side surfaces of the unit battery are inserted into the grooves formed on the inner circumferential surface of the case, thereby fixing the unit battery to the case.

The fixing protrusion is preferably formed at least in the front surface in the insertion direction of the inclined surface to facilitate insertion.

Here, one side of the support plate of the case is formed with a fastening member protruding on both sides opposite to each other, the fastening member is bent in the vertical direction by the inclination angle of the end plate is a structure to form a vertical state with respect to the ground.

The forming position of the fastening member may be formed at the center portion of the support plate or may be formed at both sides at a predetermined interval with respect to the center and is not particularly limited in the forming position or number of formation.

In addition, the fastening member is formed with a hole through which the connecting rod passes through.

The connecting rod is formed in the form of a bolt and is fastened by a nut to a thread formed at the tip.

The formation position and the number of protrusions formed in the unit cell are not particularly limited.

The present invention may further include an elastic part in which the battery fixing part has three cutouts formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion on one side of the case, and one surface of which is elastically bent in connection with the case.

Accordingly, when the protrusion is located in the elastic part, the elastic part is pushed by the protrusion, and the protrusion is seated by the gap, and the elastic part can elastically support the protrusion.

The elastic portion may be a structure in which the center portion is cut out in a substantially H shape in addition to the above-described structure, and the center portion is opened outward, and the cut portion is not particularly limited.

On the other hand, the support plate of the case according to the present invention is preferably such that the thickness thereof is smaller than the thickness of the fastening member to minimize the weight of the battery module. More preferably, the thickness of the support plate is formed to a minimum thickness that satisfies the allowable stress in press-contacting the unit cells.

In addition, the connection portion between the end plate and the fastening member is preferably processed into a circular cross-sectional structure.

In addition, the partition wall provided inside the case is preferably formed so that the cooling medium is passed through the channel to be able to quickly dissipate heat of the unit cell through the cooling medium.

Here, the secondary battery module is an energy source for driving a motor of the device in a device that operates by using a motor such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an electric vehicle (EV), a wireless cleaner, an electric bicycle, an electric scooter, and the like. Can be used

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

1 and 2 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a secondary battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the battery module 10 according to the present embodiment is a large-capacity battery module, and includes a plurality of unit cells 11 continuously arranged at a predetermined interval.

In the following embodiment, a case where a rectangular unit cell is used as the unit cell 11 will be described.

Each of the unit cells 11 includes an electrode assembly having a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate disposed on both sides thereof with a separator interposed therebetween, and is configured as a secondary battery having a conventional structure for charging and discharging a predetermined amount of power. In the battery module according to the embodiment, a plurality of unit cells 11 having the above-described structure, at least one surface thereof is opened, and partition walls 25 are integrally formed at intervals therebetween to form the unit cells between the partition walls 25. And a case 20 in the form of a box into which 11 is inserted.

Here, the case 20 has a pair of support plates 21 positioned at both ends in the direction in which the unit cells 11 are arranged, and a partition wall 25 provided therein to connect the support plates 21 to each other at both ends thereof. It consists of a pair of side plates 22 which are integrally connected, and the support plate 21 and the partition wall 25 are inclined at an angle with respect to the ground.

Accordingly, the unit cells 11 inserted between the partition walls 25 of the case 20 may also be stacked inclined at the same angle as the support plate 21.

In addition, the case 20 has fastening members 23 protrudingly formed at upper and lower ends of the support plate 21 to fix the support plate 21, and the holes 24 formed in the fastening member 23. Through the connecting rod 30 is passed through the nut 31 has a structure that is tightened.

To this end, the connecting rod 30 is made in the form of a bolt and has a structure in which a screw thread is processed at the tip to be coupled to the nut 31.

In addition, the partition wall 25 is formed through the channel 26 at intervals so that the cooling medium flows into the partition wall 25.

On the other hand, looking at the coupling structure of the unit cell 11 and the case, as shown in Figure 2 and 3, the projections 40 are formed on both side ends of the unit cell 11 to the outside, the case ( The inner circumferential surface of the side plate 22 of 20 has a structure in which a groove 41 in which the protrusion 40 is seated is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 40.

Accordingly, when the unit cell 11 enters between the partition walls 25 of the case, the protrusions 40 formed on the unit cell 11 are inserted into the grooves 41 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the side plate 22 of the case 20. The unit cell 11 can be prevented from being separated out of the case 20.

According to another embodiment of the present battery module, as shown in FIG. 4, a groove 42 is formed in a side surface of the unit cell 11, and the unit battery is formed on an inner side surface of the side plate 22 of the case 20. The structure which protrudes the protrusion 43 in the position corresponding to the groove | channel 42 of 11 is also possible.

In this case as well, when the unit cell 11 is inserted into the case 20, the protrusions 42 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the case 20 are fitted into the grooves 43 formed in the unit cell 11 and fastened to each other. It is possible to prevent the unit cell 11 from being easily separated from the case 20.

In addition, the structure of forming the protrusions and the grooves between the unit cell and the inner surface of the case has been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the protrusions and grooves are formed between the partition walls 250 of the unit cell 11 and the case 20. The unit cell 11 can be fixed to the case 20 by forming correspondingly.

That is, although not shown in the drawings, protrusions or grooves may be formed on side surfaces of the partition walls of the unit cells, and grooves or protrusions may be formed on the partition walls of the case at positions corresponding to the protrusions or grooves to be coupled to each other.

If the battery fixing structure is provided between the unit cell 11 and the partition wall 25 as described above, the assembly of the unit cell 11 is more reliably supported.

It is also possible to provide the battery fixing structure only between the unit cell 11 and the partition wall 25 and not between the case 20 and the unit cell 11.

On the other hand, Figures 5 and 6 well illustrate another embodiment of the battery module.

According to the above-described drawings, the battery module 10 includes a plurality of unit cells 11, at least one surface of which is opened, and a partition wall 25 is integrally formed at intervals therebetween so that the cell module 10 is interposed between the partition walls 25. It is connected between the case of the box-shaped case 20 into which the unit cell 11 is inserted, and the fastening members 23 protruding outwardly from the longitudinal support plates 21 of the case 20 so that both support plates 21 are connected. In the battery module including a connecting rod 30 for supporting, the case 20 and the partition wall 925 therein are inclined in one direction with respect to the ground so that the unit cell 11 is inclined with respect to the ground, The fastening member 23 formed on the support plate 21 of the case 20 is perpendicular to the ground to form a right angle with the connection rod 30 and the protrusion 40 on the outer surface of the unit cell 11. Is formed to protrude, and the protrusion 40 on the side plate 22 of the case 20 It is a structure in which the elastic portion 45 is formed to be bent in a H-shape and elastically bent at a position corresponding thereto.

The H-shaped cutout portion 45 has a three-sided cutout and a cutout 46 having a rectangular shape in which one surface is integrally connected to the side plate 22 of the case 20 and disposed up and down between the cutout pieces 46. Has a structure that can elastically open to the outside.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, when the unit cell 11 is inserted into a space formed between the partition walls 25 of the case 20, the protrusions 40 formed on the unit cell 11 are notched. ), The cutout portion 46 of the cutout portion 40 is pushed out by the protruding protrusion 40 and the cutout portion 46 is pushed outward as the cutout portion is opened to the outside. The protrusion 40 is seated at the center of the cutout 45.

At this time, the cut piece 46 is maintained in close contact with the projection with a predetermined elastic force to prevent the separation of the unit cell (11).

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the fastening member 23 is bent from the support plate 21 by the instructor angle of the support plate 21 to have a structure perpendicular to the ground.

Accordingly, the fastening member 23 and the connecting rod 30 penetrating the fastening member 21 meet each other at right angles to each other, and are connected to the connecting rod 30 even when the unit cell 11 and the support plate are inclined. The tightening force can be increased.

On the other hand, when comparing the thickness of the support plate 21 and the fastening member 23 has a structure that the thickness of the support plate 21 is relatively smaller than the thickness of the fastening member 23 as mentioned above.

Accordingly, the weight of the battery module can be minimized by minimizing the weight of the support plate 21 and the rigidity of the fastening member 23 coupled with the connection rod 30 can be secured.

The above-described battery module of the present invention can be effectively used as a battery for HEV requiring high output / large capacity, but its use is not necessarily limited to HEV.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Naturally, it belongs to

Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily install the unit cells inclined at an angle advantageous to the cooling efficiency it is possible to reduce the unit cell inclined installation work.

In addition, the effect of reducing the weight of the battery module to increase the output is obtained.

In addition, by dispersing the stress generated when the unit cell is fastened, it is possible to prevent module damage due to stress concentration and to increase the reliability of the battery module.

Claims (13)

A plurality of unit cells, at least one surface of which is opened, and a partition wall is integrally formed at intervals inside the box-shaped case in which the unit cells are inserted between the partition walls, protruding from both sides along a length direction of the case A fastening member and a connection rod installed between the fastening members to support both support plates; The case and the inner partition wall are inclined in one direction with respect to the ground so that the unit battery is inclined with respect to the ground, the fastening member is perpendicular to the ground to be perpendicular to the connecting rod, the unit battery and the Secondary battery module, the battery fixing unit is installed between the cases. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery fixing part includes a protrusion protruding from a side surface of the unit battery, and a groove formed at a position corresponding to the fixing protrusion on the case to seat the protrusion. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery fixing part comprises a groove formed in a side surface of the unit battery, and a protrusion formed in a position corresponding to the groove in the case and inserted into the groove. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery fixing part includes a protrusion formed on a side surface of the unit cell, and a cutout portion formed at a position corresponding to the fixing protrusion on the case and elastically pushed by the protrusion. The secondary battery module according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the protrusion is formed at an inclined surface at least in front of the insertion direction. According to claim 1, wherein the case is located at both ends in the direction in which the partition wall is arranged in parallel with the partition wall, the support plate is connected to each other on both sides and both edges of the partition wall is fixed integrally and partition wall Secondary battery module consisting of a pair of side plates disposed perpendicular to the. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the support plate at the tip of the support plate, and a hole through which the connection rod penetrates is formed on the front surface of the support member. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein the connection rod has a bolt shape and is fastened by a nut to a screw thread formed at a front end thereof. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the support plate is equal to or less than a thickness of the fastening member. The secondary battery module of claim 8, wherein the connection portion between the support plate and the fastening member has an arc cross section. The secondary battery module of claim 6, wherein the battery fixing part is formed between the side wall side of the unit cell and the partition wall. The secondary battery module of claim 6, wherein the battery fixing part is formed between the side plate side of the unit battery and the side plate. The secondary battery module of claim 1, wherein the battery module is for driving a motor.

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