KR20120009575A - Electrical Connecting Member Having Partition Structure and Battery Pack Manufactured Using The Same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An electrical connecting member is provided to prevent the short circuit of a battery cell by restraining the movement of a molten solder paste, and to remarkably improve workability, by immediately detecting defective products. CONSTITUTION: An electrical connecting member(100) comprises: a conductive plate main body(110) of which one end is connected to an electrode terminal; and an external circuit connection part(120), which is on the bottom end of the conductive plate main body, connecting in the state of being inserted into the connecting through hole of an external circuit member, by soldering. The external circuit connection part is surrounded by a wall(130) for restraining the flow of a molten solder paste.

Description

A connecting member including a partition structure and a battery pack manufactured using the same {Electrical Connecting Member Having Partition Structure and Battery Pack Manufactured Using The Same}

The present invention relates to a connecting member including a barrier rib structure and a battery pack manufactured using the same. More particularly, a conductive connecting member for electrically connecting an electrode terminal of a battery cell to an external circuit member in a through-hole manner. A conductive plate body having one end portion connected to an electrode terminal; And an external circuit connection part positioned on the other end of the plate body and connected by soldering in a state of being inserted into a connection through hole of the external circuit member. The external circuit connection portion relates to a connection member surrounded by a partition wall to suppress the flow of the molten solder paste.

The use of rechargeable batteries is rapidly increasing due to increased acceptance of mobile devices, wireless devices, and electric vehicles. The secondary battery may be used in the form of a single battery, or in the form of a battery pack in which a plurality of unit cells are electrically connected, depending on the type of external device used therein. For example, a small device such as a mobile phone can operate for a predetermined period of time with the output and capacity of one battery, while a medium or large size such as a notebook computer, a portable DVD, a small PC, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, or the like. Large devices require the use of battery packs due to power and capacity issues.

Such a battery pack is manufactured by connecting a protection circuit or the like to a core pack in which a plurality of unit cells are arranged in series and / or in parallel. In the case of using a square or pouch type battery as a unit cell, the wide surfaces thereof may be stacked to face each other, and then the electrode terminals may be easily connected by connecting members such as bus bars. Therefore, in the case of manufacturing a three-dimensional battery pack having a hexahedral structure, a square or pouch type battery is advantageous as a unit cell.

On the other hand, the cylindrical battery generally has a larger capacitance than the square and pouch cells, but due to the external characteristics of the cylindrical battery is not easy to arrange in a laminated structure. However, when the shape of the battery pack is a linear or plate-like structure as a whole, there is a structural advantage over the square or pouch type.

Therefore, in the case of a notebook computer, a portable DVD, a small PC, and the like, battery packs in which a plurality of cylindrical batteries are connected in parallel and in series are used. As the core pack structure used in such a battery pack, for example, a linear structure of 2P (parallel) -3S (serial), a plate structure of 2P-3S, a linear structure of 2P-4S, a plate structure of 2P-4S, and the like It is used.

The parallel connection structure is achieved by arranging two or more cylindrical cells adjacent in their lateral directions with the electrode terminals oriented in the same direction, and welding them to the connecting member. Such parallel cylindrical cells are also referred to as "banks".

In series connection structure, two or more cylindrical cells are arranged in a lateral direction while two or more cylindrical cells are arranged in a long manner so that electrode terminals of opposite polarities are continuous or the electrode terminals are arranged in opposite directions. Arranged adjacent to each other, the welding is performed by the connecting member.

Electrical connection of such cylindrical cells is generally accomplished by welding, soldering, or the like, using thin connecting members (eg, metal plates) such as nickel plates.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a battery pack having a plate-shaped structure of 2P-3S in a state in which electrical connection work by welding is completed. Figure 1 shows the coupling relationship of the battery pack of the plate-like structure of such 2P-3S for convenience of understanding as an exploded view.

As in FIG. 1, three cell pairs of cells 20, 21, each connected in parallel, are connected in series through a metal plate 30 to form a core pack 10.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the battery pack 50 in the assembled state, and FIG. 3 schematically shows a partially enlarged view of the metal plate 30 and the protection circuit module 90. For convenience of description, the pack case of FIG. 2 is omitted.

As shown in the figures, each of the cells 20 and 21 is connected to the protection circuit module 90 through the positive lead 60 and the negative lead 70 and the FPCB 80 connected to the metal plate 30. It is connected.

The external circuit member such as the protection circuit module secures the safety of the pack by acquiring information such as voltage at a corresponding connection portion of the secondary battery pack and performing a predetermined safety process.

The electrical connection of the metal plate 30 to this protective circuit module 90 is generally done by soldering to the protective circuit module 90.

Specifically, in the soldering process, the solder paste is placed on the metal plate 30 inserted into the connection through hole 95 of the protection circuit module and heated to connect the connection portions of the protection circuit module 90 in the state where the solder paste is melted. You will go through the process.

However, since the metal plate 30 does not completely match the size of the through hole 95 of the protection circuit module 90, as shown in FIG. 4, the molten solder paste may penetrate the protection circuit module during the soldering process. If the molten solder paste reaches the surface of the battery, it may cause a short circuit of the battery, thereby greatly deteriorating the stability of the battery.

Furthermore, since the exact amount of molten solder paste that flows down during the manufacturing process cannot be determined, it not only increases the defective rate of the product, but when some of the batteries fail, all battery cells constituting the battery pack must be discarded. There is also a problem.

Therefore, there is a high need for a connection member capable of immediately determining good quality and defects in the process while preventing the flow of molten solder paste during the soldering process.

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

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a metal plate having a partition formed at a connecting portion so as to prevent short circuit of the battery cell by suppressing the flow of the molten solder paste, and to immediately determine good quality and defects in the process.

Another object of the present invention to provide a battery pack manufactured using the metal plate.

The connecting member according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a conductive connecting member for electrically connecting the electrode terminal of the battery cell to the external circuit member in a through hole type, one end of which is connected to the electrode terminal. A conductive plate body to be connected; And an external circuit connection part positioned on the other end of the plate body and connected by soldering in a state of being inserted into a connection through hole of the external circuit member. It includes, The external circuit connection portion is made of a structure surrounded by a partition wall to suppress the flow of the molten solder paste.

Therefore, the molten solder paste does not flow in the connection member according to the present invention by the partition wall of the structure surrounding the external circuit connection portion, so that the soldering process becomes much easier, and thus the possibility of causing a short circuit of the battery by the molten solder paste. Can be prevented.

In addition, due to the partition wall, the amount of molten solder paste flowing out during the soldering process can be visually confirmed, and thus, immediately determining the quality and defects in the process can result in greatly improving the safety and manufacturing processability of the battery pack. .

The method of connecting the plate body and the electrode terminals of the battery cell may be achieved by various methods such as welding, mechanical fastening, and soldering. For example, the plate body may be coupled to the electrode terminals of the battery cell by resistance welding. It is preferable because the bonding force can be further solidified.

Preferred examples of the connecting member include, but are not limited to, a nickel plate, and the nickel plate may be a thin plate-like body in which nickel is plated with pure nickel or copper.

Preferably, the external circuit may be a protection circuit for controlling the operation of the battery cell, and the like. For example, the external circuit may be variously configured as a protection circuit for protecting the battery cell from over discharge, over charge, over current, fuse, bimetal, or the like. Can be.

Therefore, the external circuit member, for example, may be made of a battery management unit (BMU) including a protection circuit for controlling the operation of the battery cell, the battery management module BMU is a battery cell over-discharge, overcharge By detecting overcurrent, temperature, and the like, the battery cell controls the operation of the battery cell, thereby preventing the battery cell from igniting or exploding in advance.

The end inserted into the connection through hole of the external circuit member in the external circuit connecting portion is preferably provided with a predetermined gap with the plate body so that the coupling with the external circuit member can be easily achieved, and the width of the end is the plate body. It is preferred to have a width of 50 to 95% relative to the width of. If the width of the end portion is too narrow, the bonding force with the external circuit member may be reduced, on the contrary, if the end portion is too large, it may be difficult to exert the advantages of forming the gap, which is not preferable.

The partition wall is not particularly limited in shape as long as the structure surrounds the external circuit connection part so that molten solder paste does not flow. Preferably, the partition wall surrounds the external circuit connection part in a 'c' shape in a planar view. It may be shaped.

In addition, the height of the partition wall preferably has a size of 2 to 20 times the height of the external circuit connection portion. If the height of the barrier rib is too low, the possibility of flowing the molten solder paste increases, and if too high, it may be limited to the compact structure of the battery pack, which is not preferable.

The method of forming the partition wall may vary, and in one preferred embodiment, the plate-shaped first partition wall extending portion from the side of the plate body, from the side surface of the plate body on the opposite side of the first partition wall projection. The plate-shaped second partition wall planar portion extending and the plate-shaped third partition wall planar portion extending from the second partition wall planar portion in a shape parallel to the plate main body are bent in a shape surrounding the external circuit connecting portion to form a partition wall. Can be formed.

Specifically, the first partition wall planar portion and the second partition wall planar portion may be vertically bent with respect to the plate body, and the third partition wall planar portion may be vertically bent with respect to the second partition wall planar portion to form a partition wall.

That is, the partition wall can be easily formed only by a simple manufacturing process by bending of the partition scheduled portions extending from the plate body, which is very preferable.

In addition, the first and third partition walls that are vertically bent may be coupled to the plate body, preferably by welding them.

Meanwhile, a bending guide groove may be formed at a portion to be vertically bent between the plate body and the partition walls. In the present specification, the bending guide groove refers to a groove whose width is indented by a predetermined size in order to facilitate bending of the plate body or partition wall. The bending guide groove may have a structure symmetrically formed on one side or both sides of the bending portion between the plate body and the partition walls.

The present invention also provides a connecting member capable of forming the partition wall in an easy manner.

Specifically, the connecting member according to the present invention, the conductive plate body; A first partition wall plan portion having a plate shape extending from a side surface of the plate body; A plate-shaped second partition wall extending portion extending from a side surface of the plate main body at an opposite side of the first partition wall planning portion; And a third partition wall predetermined part having a plate shape extending from the second partition wall predetermined part in a shape parallel to the plate main body.

Accordingly, the partition wall predetermined portions may be bent vertically with respect to the plate body to easily form the partition wall, and the structure of the connection member is a novel structure in the art as such.

The present invention also provides a battery pack having a structure in which a secondary battery is electrically and mechanically connected to an external circuit member by using the connection member.

The secondary battery is not particularly limited in structure and shape thereof, and for example, a battery having various structures such as a square shape and a cylindrical shape may be used. In particular, in the battery pack having a structure in which the cylindrical batteries are connected in parallel and / or in series, the electrode terminals of the cylindrical batteries and the external circuit member can be easily electrically connected using the connection member according to the present invention.

On the other hand, in the external circuit member at a position corresponding to the connection member, a connection through hole through which the external circuit connection portion of the connection member can be inserted and coupled and the protection circuit is connected is formed. In such a structure, the connection through hole may be formed in various shapes, for example, may be formed in a slit shape having a long length to width.

The battery pack according to the present invention may be used throughout small and medium mobile devices, power tools, and the like, and particularly, may be preferably used in battery packs for notebook computers using a cylindrical secondary battery as a unit battery.

Accordingly, the present invention also provides a notebook computer including the battery pack as a power source.

Since the general structure of the battery pack and the notebook computer using the same as a power source and a manufacturing method thereof are well known in the art, further description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the connection member according to the present invention can suppress the flow of the molten solder paste during soldering, thereby preventing a short circuit that may occur when the molten solder paste flows out of the plate and contacts the surface of the battery cell. In addition, productivity can be greatly improved by immediately judging good quality and defects during the soldering operation.

1 is an exploded view showing a coupling manner of batteries electrically connected by a metal plate as a connecting member;
2 is a schematic view of a battery pack with a metal plate and a protection circuit connected;
3 is a partially enlarged view of a metal plate and a protection circuit;
FIG. 4 is a photograph showing a state in which molten solder paste is flowed to the protective circuit connection part of FIG. 3; FIG.
5 is a schematic view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a schematic diagram of an external circuit member in a state in which a connection member is connected;
7 is a partially enlarged view of an external circuit member and a connecting member according to an embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a partially enlarged view of an external circuit member and a connection member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

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.

5 is a perspective view schematically showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the battery pack 400, a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 420, 430, 440, and 450 are electrically connected to the pack case 410 by predetermined connection members 100 and 102. Consists of a structure that makes up.

The battery pack 410 of the pack case 410 in a state in which the pair of cylindrical battery cells 420, 430, 440, 450 are electrically connected by the connecting members 100, 102 of the physical contact method in the longitudinal direction Mounted therein, the cylindrical battery cells 420, 430, 440, and 450 have a structure connected to an external input / output terminal (not shown) via the BMU 300.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an electrical connection state of the connection member 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention with respect to the BMU 300 of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is connected to the BMU 300 of FIG. 5. A partially enlarged view of the member 100 is schematically illustrated.

Referring to these drawings, the connection member 100 is composed of a conductive plate body 110 for resistance welding with an electrode terminal (not shown) of the cylindrical battery, and a BMU connection portion 120 connected to the BMU 300. .

The BMU connection part 120 is located on the other end of the plate main body 110 and is connected by soldering in a state inserted into the through hole 310 of the slit BMU 300.

The width w of the end of the plate body 110 inserted into the through hole 310 of the BMU 300 has a size (w <W) smaller than the width W of the plate body 110, and is about 80%. It consists of the size of.

In addition, the BMU connection portion 120 is surrounded by a 'c' shaped partition wall 130 so as to suppress the flow of the molten solder paste, and the height h of the partition wall 130 is the height H of the BMU 300. It is much larger than).

That is, the BMU connection portion 120 is coupled to the BMU 300 by soldering and is electrically connected to each other, so that the molten solder paste does not flow out by the partition wall 130 surrounding the BMU connection portion 120. Therefore, the soldering process is much easier and the short circuit can be prevented, so that the safety of the battery can be improved. In addition, since the solder paste melted by the partition wall 130 can be visually checked during the soldering process, good quality and defects can be immediately confirmed.

The partition wall has a 'c' shape, but if it is possible to prevent the flow of the solder paste, without being particularly limited, various forms are possible.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a partially enlarged view of the BMU 300 and the connection member 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the connecting member 200 may include a plate main body (eg, a plate main body) on a side opposite to the plate-shaped first partition wall predetermined part 220 and the first partition wall predetermined part 220 extending from the side surface of the plate main body 210. Example of the plate-shaped second partition wall 230 extending from the side of 210 and the plate-shaped third partition wall extending from the second partition wall 230 in a shape parallel to the plate body 210. It consists of a government (240).

In addition, bending guide grooves 221, 231, and 241 are recessed at both ends of the plate body 210 and the first, second, and third partition wall predetermined portions 220, 230, and 240 to facilitate bending.

Accordingly, the first partition wall planning unit 220 and the second partition wall planning unit 230 are vertically bent with respect to the plate body 210, and the third partition wall planning unit 240 is connected to the second partition wall planning unit 230. Vertically bent to form a partition wall 130 as shown in FIG. Since the third partition wall portion 240 has a length at which its end reaches the second partition wall portion 230 in the bent state as described above, the partition wall to be made is closed to prevent the sludge paste from leaking to the outside. To form a space.

In addition, the vertically curved first partition wall 220 and the third partition wall 240 may be coupled to the plate body by welding, and other details are the same as the same structure as the connection member 100 of FIG. Do not.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

Claims (17)

A conductive connecting member for electrically connecting the electrode terminal of the battery cell to the external circuit member in a through hole type,
A conductive plate body whose one end is connected to the electrode terminal; And
An external circuit connection portion located on the other end of the plate body and connected by soldering in a state of being inserted into a connection through hole of the external circuit member;
It contains,
And the external circuit connection part is surrounded by a partition wall to suppress the flow of the molten solder paste. The connecting member according to claim 1, wherein the plate body is connected to the electrode terminal of the battery cell by resistance welding. The connecting member according to claim 1, wherein the external circuit member includes a protection circuit for controlling the operation of the battery cell. 4. The connection member according to claim 3, wherein the external circuit member is a battery management unit (BMU) including a protection circuit for controlling the operation of the battery cell. The connecting member according to claim 1, wherein the width of the end portion inserted into the connection through hole of the external circuit member in the external circuit connecting portion is 50 to 95% of the width of the plate body. The connecting member according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall has a shape in which a planar view surrounds the external circuit connecting portion in a '-' shape. The connecting member according to claim 6, wherein the height of the barrier rib is two to twenty times larger than the height of the external circuit connecting portion. The said partition is a plate-shaped 1st partition predetermined part extended from the side surface of a plate main body, The plate-shaped 2nd extending from the side surface of the said plate main body in the opposing side of the said 1st partition predetermined part. A partition member and a plate-shaped third partition wall portion extending from the second partition wall portion in a shape parallel to the plate body are formed by bending in a shape surrounding the external circuit connection portion. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first partition and the second partition is bent vertically with respect to the plate body, and the third partition is bent vertically with respect to the second partition, the partition is formed to form a partition. Connecting member. 10. The connecting member according to claim 9, wherein the vertically bent first and third partition walls are coupled to the plate body by welding. The connecting member according to claim 9, wherein a bending guide groove is formed at a portion to be vertically bent between the plate body and the partition walls. Conductive plate body; A first partition wall plan portion having a plate shape extending from a side surface of the plate body; A plate-shaped second partition wall extending portion extending from a side surface of the plate main body at an opposite side of the first partition wall planning portion; And a plate-shaped third partition wall portion extending from the second partition wall portion in a shape parallel to the plate body. The battery pack, characterized in that the secondary battery is electrically and mechanically connected to the external circuit member using the connection member according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The method of claim 13, wherein the secondary battery is a battery pack, characterized in that the battery of a cylindrical structure. 14. The battery according to claim 13, wherein the external circuit member at a position corresponding to the connection member is provided with a connection through hole through which an external circuit connection portion of the connection member can be inserted and coupled and a protection circuit is connected. pack. The battery pack as claimed in claim 15, wherein the connection through hole has a slit shape. A notebook computer comprising the battery pack according to claim 13 as a power source.

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