KR20150034917A - Connector for Non-welded Connection and Battery Pack Employed with the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector for a non-welding connection and to a battery pack applying the same. The provided connector, which is electrically connected with a terminal of a printed circuit board (PCB) and is mounted on one side of the PCB, includes two or more terminal connection members which: include a first connection pin accommodating a plate shaped external cable and being electrically in contact with the upper part of the external cable, a second connection pin being electrically in contact with the lower part of the external cable, and a third connection pin electrically connected with the terminal of the PCB; and are installed in an housing, wherein the first connection pin, the second connection pin, and the third connection pin are formed in an integrated form. The connector also includes a flip type handle including: a connection pin pressing unit which has rotary protrusions in both ends in order to be rotatable by being mounted on the housing and presses the first connection pin and the second connection pin to be in contact with the external cable in a closing position; an external cable pressing unit which presses and fixates the external cable at the same time; and a fixing protrusion which is formed to protrude from both ends to fixate the external cable. The housing included in the connector: includes a connection member mounting unit mounting the terminal connection members, a handle mounting unit mounting the flip type handle, and an external cable accommodating unit accommodating the external cable; and is formed of an electrical insulating member.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a connector for non-welded connection,

The present invention relates to a connector for welding-free connection and a battery pack using the same, and more particularly, to a connector electrically connected to a terminal of a printed circuit board (PCB) and mounted on one side of a PCB, At least two terminal connecting members, including at least one connecting pin, a second connecting pin, and a third connecting pin, the at least one terminal connecting member being mounted inside the housing; A flip type handle including a connecting pin pressing portion, an external cable pressing portion, and a fixing protrusion; And a housing including a connection member mounting portion, a handle mounting portion, and an external cable receiving portion.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices have increased, there has been a rapid increase in demand for secondary batteries as energy sources. Among such secondary batteries, lithium secondary batteries, which exhibit high energy density and operational potential, long cycle life, Batteries have been commercialized and widely used.

The electrode assembly of the anode / separator / cathode structure constituting the secondary battery is largely classified into a jelly-roll type (winding type) and a stack type (laminate type) depending on its structure. In the jelly-roll type electrode assembly, an electrode active material or the like is coated on a metal foil used as a current collector, dried and pressed, cut into a band shape having a desired width and length, and a cathode and an anode are diaphragm- . Although the jelly-roll type electrode assembly is suitable for a cylindrical battery, when it is applied to a square or pouch type battery, it has disadvantages such as separation of electrode active material and low space utilization. On the other hand, the stacked electrode assembly has a structure in which a plurality of anode and cathode unit members are sequentially laminated, and it is easy to obtain a rectangular shape. However, when the manufacturing process is troublesome and impact is applied, .

In order to solve such a problem, an electrode assembly having an advanced structure, which is a mixture of jelly-roll type and stack type, has a full cell or a positive electrode (cathode) of a positive electrode / separator / An electrode assembly having a structure in which a bicell of a separator / cathode / anode / separator / cathode structure is folded using a long continuous membrane is developed and disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication 2001-82058, 2001-82059, 2001-82060, and the like.

The secondary battery having such a stacked or stacked / folded electrode assembly as described above may be in various forms, and a representative example thereof is a battery cell using a pouch-shaped case of an aluminum laminate sheet.

Such a battery cell has a structure in which an electrolyte solution is impregnated into an electrode assembly in which electrodes (positive electrode and negative electrode) and a separator are thermally fused, and a stack type or stack / folding type electrode assembly is sealed in a pouch type case of an aluminum laminate sheet . Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as a pouch-type battery or a pouch-type battery cell.

On the other hand, the electrode terminals of the battery cells connected to the protection circuit module (PCM), which are led out to the outside, have a very small thickness and are easily damaged from external vibration or impact.

1 is a partial perspective view showing that an electrode terminal of a general pouch-shaped battery is connected to a PCM by welding.

1, in order to prevent the electrode terminal connection portions 21 and 22 formed on the PCM 200 and the electrode terminals 12 and 13 of the battery cell 11 from being damaged by external vibration or impact And the welding 30, respectively. Typical examples of the welding include spot welding, ultrasonic welding, and laser welding.

Although the welding method ensures a stable and stable electrical connection state, it has welding defects such as solder scattering, non-welding, and welding that may occur during the welding process.

When solder scattering occurs, it can adversely affect the circuit elements on the PCM adjacent to the site where the welding operation is performed. In addition, in the event of unfused or overheated welding, a smooth electrical connection between the PCM and the battery cell electrode terminals can be achieved Or the electrical resistance of the welded portion may increase.

In addition, the welding methods can generate spatter during the welding process. Spatter that can be generated by welding can damage circuit elements located on the PCM. If a spatter caused by welding springs on the outer surface of the battery cell and damages the outer cover sheet, a short circuit of the battery cell, Explosion may occur, and the risk may be significant.

In order to prevent such various risk factors, attempts have been made to eliminate the welding process and to achieve an electrical connection by a mechanical fastening method.

Fig. 2 shows a conventional connector capable of electrically connecting and fixing a plate-shaped cable.

2, the plate-shaped cable 44 is inserted into the connector body 41, and the inserted plate-shaped cable 44 is inserted into the connector body 41 while the flip-type handle 42 is turned to the closed position (45) And is fixed by the connection pins 43 formed in the inside of the housing 41, thereby achieving an electrically connected state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional connector 40 achieves the electrical connection by the non-welding method, but has a problem that the tensile stress is weaker than the connection by the conventional welding method. Further, such a connector has a problem that it is very unstable from an external impact or vibration.

Furthermore, the conventional connector has a structure in which the electrically connected portions of the plate-shaped cable and the connection pins are exposed to the outside even if the plate-shaped cable is fixed with the flip-type handle bent to the closed position. Therefore, when the connector of such a structure is installed on an electric circuit, there is a risk that it may cause an electrical short circuit with another circuit or wire.

Therefore, there is a high need for a connector capable of solving these problems.

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.

Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector in which electrical connection by welding can be replaced by electrical connection by mechanical fastening, by applying terminal connection members of a specific structure, flip handle and housing to a connector, And to provide a connector that can be blocked.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a battery pack having a structure in which a connector having such a structure is applied to the electrical connection between the PCM of the battery pack and the electrode terminal to fundamentally cut off the welding defect factor in the assembling process of the battery pack, State of the battery pack.

According to an aspect of the present invention,

A connector electrically connected to a terminal of a printed circuit board (PCB) and mounted on one side of the PCB,

And includes a first connection pin electrically in contact with an upper portion of the external cable, a second connection pin in electrical contact with a lower portion of the external cable, and a third connection pin electrically connected to the terminal of the PCB Wherein the first connection pin, the second connection pin, and the third connection pin are integrally formed and include at least two terminal connection members mounted inside the housing;

A connecting pin pressing portion for pressing the first connecting pin and the second connecting pin to come in contact with the external cable in a closing position and an external cable A flip type handle including an outer cable pressing portion for fixing the outer cable at the same time as the outer cable, and a fixing protrusion protruded at both ends for fixing the outer cable; And

A housing having a connection member mounting portion for mounting the terminal connection members, a handle mounting portion for mounting the flip-type handle, and an external cable receiving portion for receiving the external cable, the housing being formed of an electrically insulating member;

As shown in FIG.

Therefore, the connector of the present invention can replace the electrical connection by welding with the electrical connection by the mechanical fastening by applying the terminal connecting members, the flip handle and the housing to the connector of a specific structure, And welding defects such as fusion welding or spatter generation can be fundamentally cut off.

In addition, by applying the above-described connector to the electrical connection between the PCM of the battery pack and the electrode terminal, it is possible to originally cut off the welding defect factor in the assembling process of the battery pack, and at the same time, .

The fixing protrusions protruded from both ends of the flip-type handle are preferably both pressed and fixed at both ends of the external cable. In addition, at both ends of the external cable, a coupling groove may be formed at a position corresponding to the fixing protrusion so as to correspond to the fixing protrusion.

Accordingly, such a flip-type handle of the structure can secure the external cable more firmly and stably.

In one specific example, the first connecting pin and the second connecting pin are integrated with the third connecting pin by a connecting pin connecting portion, and the first connecting pin and the second connecting pin and the connecting pin connecting portion form an outer cable inserting space Can be formed.

In addition, the outer cable insertion space may include a lead-in portion in which an outer cable starts to be introduced and a finished portion in which an outer cable is completely inserted. The upper and lower widths of the lead- And the upper and lower width of the finished portion may be the same as the thickness of the outer cable.

Preferably, the terminal connecting members are formed of a conductive metal material having self-elasticity. When the external cable is introduced from the outside, the terminal connecting members having such a structure receive the external cable while the first connecting pin and the second connecting pin are spread by the self-elastic force in the upward and downward directions. Further, the first connection pin and the second connection pin can be pressed and fixed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the external cable by being given a self-elastic force as much as the upper and lower widths of the external cable.

The end portion of the first connecting pin located at the lead-in portion may be fixed to an outer cable receiving portion of the housing. Preferably, the outer cable receiving portion may include an outer cable, And may be a tapered structure that widens in the outward direction so as to be introduced into the cable insertion space.

Accordingly, since the external cable can be received in the external cable insertion space slidably along the inclined surface formed in the external cable receiving portion, it is possible to prevent the external cable from being bent or broken during the introduction of the external cable, Deformation and breakage of the connecting members can be prevented in advance.

The third connecting pin may be connected to the PCB by welding.

In another specific example, the first connection pin may be a structure including an upwardly projecting connection pin projection so as to be urged toward the external cable by the connection pin pressing portion.

When the flip-type handle rotates to the closed position, the first connecting pin of this structure is pushed toward the top surface of the outer cable by the connecting pin pressing portion, so that the first connecting pin is connected to the outer cable It becomes possible to press and fix more firmly, thereby achieving more stable electrical coupling.

The external cable pressing portion is formed in a concave-convex structure on the flip-type handle. The concavo-convex structure is formed in a direction parallel to the terminal connecting members, and may be a tapered structure having a height increasing in one direction have.

The flip handle of this structure can press and fix the upper surface of the outer cable when rotated to the closed position and achieve more stable electrical coupling with the connecting pin protrusion formed on the first connecting pin.

In one specific example, the flip-type handle and the housing may be of a structure formed of an electrically insulating member, the flip-type handle preferably being able to be repositioned in the same direction as the direction of introduction of the external cable to a closed position have.

Thus, the flip-type handle formed of the electrically insulating member can electrically insulate the first connecting pin and the upper portion of the external cable from the outside in the closed position. Further, since the flip-type handle is tilted in the same direction as the introduction direction of the external cable and is moved to the closed position, the electrical contact portion between the external cable and the terminal connecting members can be easily cut off from the outside.

In addition, the flip-type handle and the housing can be made of a plastic injection-molded body having a predetermined strength and have a certain strength. Therefore, the external cable and the terminal connecting members, which are electrically connected and housed in the housing, It can protect against impact.

The handle mounting portion may have a fastening portion having a shape corresponding to the rotation protrusion formed on the flip-type handle.

Specifically, the rotation protrusion of the pawl-type handle may preferably be a cylindrical protruding structure, and the fastening portion formed in the handle mounting portion may be a corresponding cylindrical-shaped indentation.

Thus, the flip handle of this structure can be fastened and assembled to the handle mount of the housing without additional fastening members. Further, the flip-type handle can be freely rotated on the basis of the handle mounting portion, and can be repositioned to the open position and the closed position, since it is a fastening type by the cylindrical rotation projection and the corresponding cylindrical indentation.

In some cases, the rotation protrusion may be formed in a polygonal columnar shape, and the corresponding fastening portion of the handle mounting portion may also be formed of a polygonal column-shaped indent.

The present invention also provides a battery pack including at least two connectors, wherein the battery pack according to the present invention comprises:

A plate-shaped battery cell having an anode terminal electrically connected to the connector and a cathode terminal formed on one side; And

A protective circuit module (PCM) including a PCB terminal electrically connected to the connector, mounting the connector on one side of the PCB, and controlling operation of the battery pack;

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Therefore, the battery pack according to the present invention can electrically connect the PCM and the electrode terminals of the battery cell by mechanical fastening without welding, so that it is possible to fundamentally block the welding failure factor that may occur during the welding process , The short circuit of the battery cell or the explosion of the battery cell, which may occur due to the spatter generated during the welding process, may spatter on the outer surface of the battery cell and damage the outer cover sheet may be blocked.

Further, since the battery pack according to the present invention electrically connects the PCM and the electrode terminal by using the connector having the specific structure including the connecting pin pressing portion and the external cable pressing portion, A stable electrical connection state can be achieved.

Meanwhile, the connector may be formed to have a size corresponding to the width of the battery cell electrode terminal and the width of the PCM. In addition, the thickness of the connector may preferably be smaller than the thickness of the battery cell.

Accordingly, a battery pack of a compact structure corresponding to a conventional battery pack can be achieved, despite the fact that a conventional connection method of the welding method is omitted and a new connecting member (connector) is used.

The plate-shaped battery cell may be, for example, a prismatic secondary battery or a pouch-type secondary battery.

The prismatic secondary battery may have a structure in which an electrode assembly is sealed in a rectangular metal case, and the pouch type secondary battery may be a structure in which an electrode assembly is sealed in a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer.

The secondary battery may preferably be a lithium secondary battery having high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability. Other components of such a lithium secondary battery will be described in detail below.

Generally, a lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, a non-aqueous electrolyte containing a lithium salt, and the like.

The positive electrode is prepared, for example, by applying a mixture of a positive electrode active material, a conductive material and a binder on a positive electrode current collector, followed by drying, and if necessary, a filler is further added. The negative electrode is also manufactured by applying and drying the negative electrode material on the negative electrode collector, and if necessary, may further include the above-described components.

The separation membrane is interposed between the cathode and the anode, and an insulating thin film having high ion permeability and mechanical strength is used.

The lithium salt-containing nonaqueous electrolyte solution is composed of a nonaqueous electrolyte and a lithium salt. As the nonaqueous electrolyte solution, a liquid nonaqueous electrolyte, a solid electrolyte, and an inorganic solid electrolyte are used.

The collector, the electrode active material, the conductive material, the binder, the filler, the separator, the electrolyte, and the lithium salt are well known in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Such a lithium secondary battery can be produced by a conventional method known in the art. That is, a porous separator may be inserted between the anode and the cathode, and an electrolyte may be injected into the separator.

The anode can be produced, for example, by applying a slurry containing the above-described lithium transition metal oxide active material, a conductive material and a binder on a current collector, followed by drying. Likewise, the negative electrode can be produced, for example, by applying a slurry containing the above-described carbon active material, a conductive material and a binder onto a thin current collector and then drying it.

The present invention also provides a mobile device including the battery pack as a power source.

Specific examples of the mobile device in which the battery pack according to the present invention can be used include mobile devices such as a notebook computer, a netbook, a tablet PC, a smart pad, and the like.

Such devices or devices are well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the connector according to the present invention can replace the electrical connection by welding with the electrical connection by the mechanical fastening, by applying the terminal connecting members having the specific structure, the flip handle and the housing to the connector, , Welding failure factors such as non-fusion bonding, fusion bonding, spatter generation and the like can be fundamentally blocked. By applying such a connector to the electrical connection between the PCM of the battery pack and the electrode terminal, At the same time, a stable and stable electrical connection state can be achieved.

1 is a partial perspective view showing that an electrode terminal and a PCM of a general pouch-shaped battery are connected by welding;
2 is a perspective view showing that a conventional connector is equipped with a plate-shaped cable;
3 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a partial perspective view showing a state where a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a battery pack;
5 to 8 are partial perspective views illustrating a process of mounting a battery cell electrode terminal according to an 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.

3 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The connector 400 includes a plurality of terminal connecting members 100 in electrical contact with an external cable within the housing 300. The flip-type handle 200 is assembled and attached to the fastening portion 310 formed at both ends of the housing 300 by the rotation protrusion 210.

The flip-type handle 200 is formed with a connection plate pressing portion 220 and an external cable pressing portion 230 in a shape corresponding to the position of the terminal connecting members 100 mounted inside the housing 300, . This structure serves to more firmly fix the external cable when an external cable (not shown) is inserted. A more detailed description will be given later.

A fixing protrusion 240 protrudes from both ends of the flip-type handle 200. The fixing protrusion 240 functions to stably press and fix the external cable when an external cable (not shown) is inserted.

A fastening protrusion 250 is formed at one side of the flip handle 200 and a fastening recess 350 is formed in the housing 300. These structures serve to fix the flip-type handle 200 so that it can not move after the flip-type handle 200 is changed to the closed position. This structure prevents the flip-type handle 200 from changing from the closed position to the open position by itself do.

4 is a partial perspective view showing a state where a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a battery pack.

4, the electrode terminals 611 and 612 of the battery cell 600 are inserted and fixed in the connectors 400 mounted on the PCM 500, respectively.

The third connection pins 130 of the connectors 400 are electrically connected to the electrode terminal connection portions 510 and 520 formed on the PCM 500 by soldering or welding, (Not shown). In addition, an external input / output terminal 530 is extended to the outside at one end of the PCM 500.

4, the connectors 400 are formed to have a length substantially equal to the width of the electrode terminals 611 and 612 of the battery cell 600. The width of the connectors 400 is less than the width of the PCM 500 and the thickness of the connectors 400 is also smaller than the thickness of the battery cells 600.

5 to 8 are partial perspective views illustrating a process of mounting a battery cell electrode terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to these figures, the battery cell electrode terminals 611 and 612, which are plate-shaped structures, are inserted (620) into the lead-in portion 320 of the connector 400. At both ends of the battery cell electrode terminals 611 and 612, a fastening groove 640 is formed in a shape corresponding to the fastening protrusion 240 protruding from both ends of the flip-type handle 200.

When the flip-type handle 200 is in the closed position, one side 261 facing upward is a plate-like shape having no openings so as to block the outside and the inside. On the other hand, the other side surface 260 of the flip-type handle 200 has a concavo-convex structure corresponding to the shape of the terminal connecting members 100.

The flip-type handle 200 receives the battery cell electrode terminals 611 and 612 with the lead-in portion 320 of the connector 400 and then is bent in the same direction as the inserting direction 620 of the battery cell electrode terminals 611 and 612 (260) to the closed position.

Thus, the flip-type handle 200 in the closed position can electrically isolate the electrical contact portions of the terminal connecting members 100 and the battery cell electrode terminals 611, 612 from the outside.

7, the end portion 112 of the first connection pin 110 located at the introduction portion 320 of the housing 300 is assembled to the external cable receiving portion 321 of the housing 300 Is fixed. As shown in the enlarged view (A), the outer cable receiving portion 321 has a tapered structure (see FIG. 5A) that widens in the outward direction so that the battery cell electrode terminals 611 and 612 are slidably introduced along the inclined surface 322, respectively.

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 (18)

A connector electrically connected to a terminal of a printed circuit board (PCB) and mounted on one side of the PCB,
And includes a first connection pin electrically in contact with an upper portion of the outer cable, a second connection pin electrically in contact with a lower portion of the outer cable, and a third connection pin electrically connected to a terminal of the PCB Wherein the first connection pin, the second connection pin, and the third connection pin are integrally formed and include at least two terminal connection members mounted inside the housing;
A connecting pin pressing portion for pressing the first connecting pin and the second connecting pin to come in contact with the external cable in a closing position and an external cable A flip type handle including an outer cable pressing portion for fixing the outer cable at the same time as the outer cable, and a fixing protrusion protruded at both ends for fixing the outer cable; And
A housing having a connection member mounting portion for mounting the terminal connection members, a handle mounting portion for mounting the flip-type handle, and an external cable receiving portion for receiving the external cable, the housing being formed of an electrically insulating member;
And wherein said connector comprises: The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting pin and the second connecting pin are integrated with the third connecting pin by a connecting pin connecting portion, and the first connecting pin, the second connecting pin, Is formed on the surface of the connector. The connector according to claim 2, wherein the outer cable insertion space includes an introduction portion in which the introduction of the outer cable starts, and a completion portion in which the outer cable is introduced. 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the width of the lead-in portion is narrower than the thickness of the external cable or less than 50%, and the width of the finished portion is equal to the thickness of the external cable. The connector according to claim 3, wherein an end portion of the first connection pin located at the introduction portion is fixed to an outer cable receiving portion of the housing. 6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the outer cable receiving portion is formed in a tapered structure that is wider in the outward direction so that the outer cable is slidably inserted into the outer cable insertion space. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the third connecting pin is welded to a terminal of the PCB. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first connecting pin includes an upwardly protruding connection pin protrusion so as to be pressed toward the outer cable by the connecting pin pressing portion. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the external cable pressing portion is formed in a concave-convex structure on a flip-type handle, the concave-convex structure is formed in a direction parallel to the terminal connecting members, Tapered structure. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the flip-type handle and the housing are formed of an electrically insulating member. 11. The connector according to claim 10, wherein the flip-type handle electrically insulates the first connecting pin and the upper portion of the outer cable from the outside in the closed position. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the handle mounting portion is formed with a fastening portion having a shape corresponding to a rotation protrusion formed on the flip-type handle. A battery pack comprising at least two connectors according to claim 1,
A plate-shaped battery cell having an anode terminal electrically connected to the connector and a cathode terminal formed on one side; And
A protective circuit module (PCM) including a PCB terminal electrically connected to the connector, mounting the connector on one side of the PCB, and controlling operation of the battery pack;
The battery pack comprising: 14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the plate-shaped battery cell is a prismatic secondary battery or a pouch-type secondary battery. 15. The battery pack according to claim 14, wherein the pouch type secondary battery has a structure in which an electrode assembly is sealed to a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer. 14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein the battery cell is a lithium secondary battery. A device as claimed in claim 13 comprising a battery pack as a power source. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is a notebook computer, a netbook, a tablet PC, a smart pad, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or a power storage device.

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