KR20060103630A - Secondary battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

The secondary battery module according to the present invention includes a plurality of unit cells, a cooling tube through which a cooling medium is distributed, and a unit cell arranged radially on an outer side thereof, and a unit cell installed on an outer side of the cooling tube. And a unit battery insertion case into which the unit battery is inserted, and an outer case of a hexagon shape that forms an appearance of the battery module while supporting the unit battery insertion case.

Unit battery, cylinder, cooling tube, insertion case, exterior case, hexagonal, connecting terminal, unit battery assembly, package

Description

Secondary Battery Module {SECONDARY BATTERY MODULE}

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

2 is a plan view illustrating a rechargeable battery module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

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

4 is a plan view illustrating a rechargeable battery module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a plan view illustrating 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 secondary battery module constituting a battery module by connecting a plurality of unit cells.

A secondary battery is a battery that can be charged and discharged unlike a primary battery that cannot be charged. A secondary battery is a low-capacity battery that is used in portable electronic devices such as phones, notebook computers, and camcorders. It is widely used as a power source for driving a motor.

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 large 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 explanation throughout the specification), which are each connected in series. The unit cell of the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate with a separator interposed therebetween, a case having a space portion in which the electrode assembly is built, a cap assembly coupled to the case to seal it, protrudes into the cap assembly and the And a positive and negative electrode terminal electrically connected to the current collector of the positive and negative electrode plates provided in the electrode assembly.

In addition, each unit cell is usually arranged at a plurality of intervals are connected in series or parallel between each terminal to form a battery module.

Here, the battery module must be able to easily dissipate heat generated in each unit battery by forming one battery module by connecting several to many dozen unit cells. The heat dissipation characteristics of the secondary battery module are very important to influence the performance of the battery.

If heat is not released properly, temperature deviation occurs between each unit cell, which decreases charging / discharging efficiency. As the temperature inside the cell increases due to heat generated from the unit cell, the performance of the battery is deteriorated. It creates the risk of explosion.

In particular, when the battery module is applied as a large-capacity secondary battery for driving an electric vacuum cleaner, an electric scooter, or a motor vehicle (electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle), the battery module is charged and discharged with a large current. Heat is generated and rises to a significant temperature, which affects battery characteristics and degrades the inherent performance of the battery. Therefore, heat dissipation is most important.

On the other hand, in the conventional battery module, especially when the unit cell is made of a cylindrical, the unit cells are arranged in a predetermined package portion, for example, a space of a rectangular cross-sectional structure spaced apart at regular intervals in two or more rows, a limited number within a limited space There is a problem in that it is not possible to maximize the charge and discharge capacity of the entire battery module is accompanied by the constraint of the space to arrange the unit cells of the.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a secondary battery module capable of maximizing cooling efficiency in a battery module composed of a plurality of unit cells.

In addition, the present invention provides a secondary battery module that can minimize the temperature variation between the unit cells by allowing each unit cell constituting the battery module to be evenly cooled.

In addition, the present invention provides a secondary battery module having a structure that can optimally utilize the limited space of the package portion.

In order to achieve the above object, the secondary battery module according to the present invention includes a plurality of unit cells and a cooling medium flow path for dissipating the unit cells, wherein the unit cells are formed on the outer side of the cooling medium flow path. It is arranged radially to and consists of a structure to form a hexagonal appearance.

In the secondary battery module according to the present invention, the unit battery may have a cylindrical shape.

In addition, the secondary battery module according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a plurality of unit cells, a cooling tube in which a cooling medium is distributed therein and the unit cells are radially arranged on the outer surface, and the cooling tube It is provided on the outer surface of the unit battery insertion case is inserted into the unit battery, and the hexagonal appearance case forming the appearance of the battery module while supporting the unit battery insertion case.

In the secondary battery module according to the present invention, the cooling tube may have a cylindrical cross-sectional structure.

In addition, in the secondary battery module according to the present invention, the unit battery may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

In the secondary battery module according to the present invention, the insertion case is preferably provided to be in close contact with the unit battery in correspondence with the size of the unit battery.

In the secondary battery module according to the present invention, it is preferable that the cooling tube or the insertion case is made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper. In this case, in the rechargeable battery module according to the present invention, an insulating member may be interposed between the insertion case and the unit battery.

In addition, the secondary battery module according to the present invention has a structure in which the unit cells are connected in parallel through circular connection terminals.

In addition, the secondary battery module according to the present invention for achieving the above object, having a plurality of unit cells, and a cooling medium flow path for dissipating the unit battery, the unit battery is mainly focused on the cooling medium flow path A unit cell assembly radially arranged on the outside and forming a hexagonal appearance, and a package portion for packaging the plurality of unit battery assemblies.

In the secondary battery module according to the present invention, the unit battery assembly includes a cooling tube forming the cooling medium flow path, a unit battery insertion case installed on an outer surface of the cooling tube, and the unit battery inserted therein; It may include a hexagonal appearance case that forms the appearance of the battery module while supporting the unit battery insertion case.

In this case, the package part may have a polygonal cross-sectional structure. And the package portion may be made of a cylindrical cross-sectional structure.

The battery module may be used as an energy source for driving a motor of the device in a device operated using a motor such as a HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), an electric vehicle (EV), a wireless cleaner, an electric bicycle, an electric scooter, and the like. Can be.

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.

In the following description, a case of using air that can be easily taken in a natural state and maintains a temperature lower than a temperature generated in a unit cell by using a cooling method of a battery module is described as an example. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the cooling method by air, and cooling water or other fluid may be used as the cooling medium.

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

Referring to the secondary battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, the battery module 10 is a battery module of a large capacity, made of a cylindrical structure, a plurality of consecutively spaced at a predetermined interval The unit cell 11 is included.

In the present invention, each of the unit cells 11 includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate are disposed on both sides thereof with a separator interposed therebetween, and thus, a secondary battery having a conventional structure for charging and discharging a predetermined amount of electric power. It consists of.

The battery module 10 having a plurality of unit cells 11 includes a cooling tube 12 through which cooling air for cooling each unit cell 11 flows, and radially on an outer circumferential surface of the cooling tube 12. It is installed to include an insertion case 13, each unit cell 11 is fitted.

2 and 3 are a plan view and a side cross-sectional view of a secondary battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling pipe 12 according to the present embodiment is made of a cylindrical shape for cooling air flow in one direction On the outer circumferential surface thereof, an insertion case 13 is described. At this time, the cooling tube 12 forms a cooling medium flow passage 12a through which air for cooling is flown, and is usually made of a metal material having high thermal conductivity, for example, aluminum or copper.

In the present invention, the size of the cooling tube 12 is not particularly limited, and the number of unit cells 11 arranged on the outer circumferential surface thereof may be increased or decreased according to the size of the cooling tube 12.

In addition, the insertion case 13 according to the present exemplary embodiment has a cylindrical cross-sectional structure having an inner diameter and a length corresponding to the outer diameter of the cylindrical unit cell 11.

When the insertion case 13 is open at both ends and the unit cell 11 is inserted into the insertion case 13, the positive terminal of the unit cell 11 is exposed at one end and the unit is connected to the other end. The negative electrode terminal of the battery 11 is exposed.

Specifically, the insertion case 13 is installed in the longitudinal direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cooling tube 12 with the insertion hole 13a into which the unit cell 11 can be inserted, and is spaced a predetermined distance along the outer circumferential surface of the cooling tube 12. Bars are arranged to be arranged radially outward from the cooling tube 12 around the. Here, the insertion case 13 may be formed of aluminum or copper having high thermal conductivity similarly to the cooling tube 12.

Accordingly, when the unit cell 11 is inserted into the insertion case 13, the outer circumferential surface of the unit cell 11 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the insertion case 13, and a plurality of the plurality of cells arranged along the cooling tube 12 are provided. Unit cells 11 can be easily connected in series or in parallel via the respective terminal portions 11a exposed to the outside. Preferably, in the battery module 10 according to the present embodiment, the terminal portions 11a of the unit cells 11 are connected in parallel through circular connection terminals 17 shown in phantom lines in the drawing.

In the present invention, an insulating member 19 is substantially interposed between the insertion case 13 and the unit cell 11 to substantially insulate the insertion case 13 and the unit cell 11. In this case, the insulating member 19 may include a conventional synthetic polymer compound such as phenol resin, polyurethane, polyester resin, polyamide, acrylic, urea / meramine resin, silicone resin, and varnish-based varnish such as insulation varnish. It may also include an insulator.

On the other hand, the battery module 10 according to the present invention includes a hexagonal exterior case 15 forming the exterior of the battery module while supporting the insertion case 13 described above.

The exterior case 15 serves to serve as a housing of the battery module, thereby fixing the plurality of insertion cases 13 in an array and reinforcing rigidity of the entire battery module. In addition, the outer case 15 functions to distribute the cooling air that flows out of the cooling medium flow passage 12a of the cooling tube 12 to the space between the insertion cases 13.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention, in the battery module 10, each unit cell 11 is disposed along the outer circumferential surface of the cooling tube 12 around the cooling tube 12 in the center. At this time, the unit cells 11 are inserted into the insertion case 13 installed in the cooling tube 12 and are radially installed around the cooling tube 12 so that the unit cells 11 are fixed at regular intervals. It can be located. Each of the unit cells 11 is firmly fixed to the insertion case 13 as the insertion case 13 is fixed by the exterior case 15 and the rigidity of the entire battery module is reinforced.

Therefore, the battery module 10 according to the present invention can form the unit battery assembly 10A according to the present embodiment, the overall appearance of which has a hexagonal shape by the outer case 15.

In this state, the cooling air is circulated through the cooling tube 12 to evenly dissipate heat generated in the unit cell 11.

This is because the unit cells 11 are in contact with the cooling tube 12 evenly, it is possible to perform heat exchange under the same conditions from the cooling air passing through the cooling tube 12. That is, each unit cell 11 has the same area in contact with the cooling tube 12. In addition, the cooling tube 12 is located in the center of the unit cells 11, so that the cooling air passing through the cooling tube 12 does not bias either side of the entire unit cell 11 installed in the cooling tube 12 You will be able to apply cold air evenly. Therefore, the heat dissipation conditions of the unit cells 11 are the same, so that uniform cooling can be achieved.

If the cooling air is blown out from the outside of the battery module 10 toward the cooling medium flow path 12a of the cooling tube 12, a part of the cooling air is flowed to the cooling medium flow path 12a and the remaining air flows. Air flows into the space between the exterior case 15 and the insertion case 13. Therefore, as the cooling air flows into the cooling medium flow path 12a of the cooling tube 12 and the space between the outer case 15 and the insertion case 13, the heat dissipation effect of the unit cell 11 may be further improved. It becomes possible.

4 is a plan view illustrating a rechargeable battery module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the battery module 20 according to the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of unit battery assemblies 20A having the same structure as in the previous embodiment, and a package portion 21 for embedding the unit battery assemblies 20A. It is configured to include).

In the present embodiment, the unit battery assemblies 20A are arranged in at least two rows or more in the package portion 21, and each of the unit battery assemblies 20A is formed on the outer wall surface (surface) of the exterior case 25 of each unit battery assembly 20A having a hexagonal shape. Closely placed.

The package unit 21 described above is a housing for packaging the plurality of unit battery assemblies 20A, and has a rectangular cross-sectional structure.

 Therefore, the outer wall of each unit battery assembly 20A is formed in a hexagonal surface by the outer case 25, and each unit cell assembly 20A is closely arranged on the wall surface of the outer case 25, the package portion 21 No space or gap is formed between these unit battery assemblies 20A in the space of the cross-section. This makes it possible to achieve sufficient cooling and optimum space utilization of the unit cell within the limited space of the package portion 21.

In the battery module 20 according to the present invention, the terminal portions 11a of the unit cells 11 are connected to each unit battery assembly 20A in parallel through circular connection terminals 17, as in the embodiment. Since the voltage can be managed in units of the respective unit battery assemblies 20A, the circuit configuration of the entire battery module may be simplified.

Since the rest of the configuration and operation of the battery module 20 according to the present embodiment is the same as the above embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5 is a plan view illustrating a rechargeable battery module according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

In the battery module 30 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of unit battery assemblies 30A having the same structure as in the foregoing embodiments are provided, and the package portion 31 incorporating these unit battery assemblies 30A has a cylindrical shape. It has a structure made up of.

Therefore, the outer case 35 of the unit battery assemblies 30A is formed in a hexagonal shape, and the package part 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape. Thus, any one unit cell assembly 30A is disposed at an inner center of the package part 31. The remaining unit battery assemblies 30A can be placed in close contact with each wall surface (hexadecimal surface) of the unit battery assemblies 30A. As a result, no space or gap is formed between these unit battery assemblies 30A in the space of the package portion 31.

Since the rest of the configuration and operation of the battery module 30 according to the present embodiment is the same as the above embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

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

As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, an arrangement structure of the cooling medium flow path and the unit cells of the battery module may be improved to obtain a more efficient unit cell cooling effect.

In addition, since the cooling medium is evenly distributed between the unit cells, it is possible to eliminate local thermal imbalance in the entire battery module.

In addition, since the outer shape of the unit battery assembly is made into a hexagonal shape, it is possible to optimally utilize the limited space of the housing or the package portion. Therefore, it is possible to maximize the charge and discharge capacity of the entire battery module.

In addition, since the voltages can be managed for each unit battery assembly by connecting unit cells of the unit battery assembly in parallel, the circuit configuration of the entire battery module can be simplified.

Claims (14)

A battery module having a plurality of unit cells and a cooling medium flow path for dissipating the unit cells, The secondary battery module has a unit cell is radially arranged on the outer side of the cooling medium flow path to form a hexagonal appearance. The method of claim 1, The secondary battery module of the unit cell is cylindrical. With a plurality of unit cells, A cooling tube in which a cooling medium is distributed and the unit cells are radially arranged on an outer surface thereof; A unit battery insertion case installed at an outer side surface of the cooling tube and fitted with the unit battery; Hexagonal appearance case forming the exterior of the battery module while supporting the unit battery insertion case Secondary battery module comprising a. The method of claim 3, wherein The secondary battery module of the cooling tube is a cylindrical cross-sectional structure. The method of claim 3, wherein The secondary battery module of the unit cell is cylindrical. The method of claim 5, The insertion case is a secondary battery module that is in close contact with the unit cell corresponding to the size of the unit battery. The method of claim 3, wherein The cooling tube or the insertion case is a secondary battery module made of a material having high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or copper. The method of claim 7, wherein A secondary battery module having an insulating member interposed between the insertion case and the unit battery. The method of claim 3, wherein A secondary battery module having a structure in which the unit cells are connected in parallel through a circular connection terminal. A battery module having a plurality of unit cells and a cooling medium flow path for dissipating the unit cells, A unit cell assembly in which the unit cells are arranged radially outward with respect to a cooling medium flow passage, forming a hexagonal appearance; A package unit for packaging the plurality of unit cell aggregates Secondary battery module comprising a. The method of claim 10, The unit cell assembly, A cooling tube forming the cooling medium flow path; A unit battery insertion case installed at an outer side surface of the cooling tube and fitted with the unit battery; A secondary battery module comprising a hexagonal exterior case forming the exterior of the battery module while supporting the unit battery insertion case. The method of claim 10, The secondary battery module of the package portion polygonal cross-sectional structure. The method of claim 10, Secondary battery module having the package portion cylindrical cross-sectional structure. The method according to claim 1 or 3 or 10, The battery module is a secondary battery module for driving a motor.

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