KR20150103415A - Protection Circuit Module Including Temperature Sensing Member and Battery Pack Comprising the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protection circuit module (PCM) which has a protection circuit for controlling the voltage or current of an electronic device. The PCM includes a printed circuit board (PCB) which includes a first surface and a second surface (an opposite surface) facing the first surface; terminal parts which are formed on the second surface to be electrically connected to the protection circuit of the PCB; and a temperature sensing member which has one end electrically connected to the terminal part to measure the temperature of the electronic device in real time and to transmit sensing information to the protection circuit. The PCM includes at least one penetration hole for connecting the first surface and the second surface. At least part of the temperature sensing member is inserted into the penetration hole.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a protection circuit module including a temperature sensing member and a battery pack including the protection circuit module.

The present invention relates to a protection circuit module including a temperature sensing member and a battery pack including the protection circuit module.

Demand for small electronic devices that can be carried by modern people has been rapidly increasing. Particularly, the use of electronic devices (for example, mobile devices, digital cameras) that require a large amount of electric power is increasing, and the kinds and number of devices carried by consumers are increasing due to diversification of portable electronic devices, The protection circuit for controlling the voltage or current of the electronic devices has become more important.

Particularly, a lithium secondary battery is widely used to supply electric power to such a small electronic apparatus. Such a lithium secondary battery is repeatedly charged and discharged repeatedly during operation, and a large amount of heat is generated in such a charging / discharging process, The output voltage state of the battery can be rapidly changed. The temperature rise due to such heat generation and the change in the output voltage cause a malfunction of the electronic equipment, lowering the operating efficiency, and shortening the lifetime of the device.

In a battery pack mainly used as a power source for such electronic equipment, since a plurality of battery cells are built in a pack case, safety and operation efficiency of the battery pack may be a serious problem when some battery cells are over-voltage, over-current or overheated have. Accordingly, in order to detect overvoltage, overcurrent, or overheating of the battery cells, a protection circuit module including various devices is connected to the battery cells to check the operation state at real time or at regular intervals to control the voltage or current of the electronic device Respectively.

In order to prevent the electronic device from overheating, the existing protection circuit module uses a temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the electronic device in real time and transmit the sensing information to the protection circuit. In order to mount or adhere to the substrate, a separate adhesive, a fixing member, or the like was used.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a plan view and a left side view of a protection circuit module to which a conventional temperature sensor is attached.

1, the protection circuit module 10 includes a temperature sensor 30 for detecting the temperature of the battery on the protection circuit board 5. One end of the temperature sensor 30 is connected to a protection circuit The adhesive glue 8 is applied on the terminals 6 and 7 in order to make an electrical connection by soldering with the terminals 6 and 7 formed on the substrate 5 and to increase the bonding force with the terminals, Followed by curing.

Such a conventional protection circuit module requires a process of applying an adhesive to a portion to which a temperature sensor is to be attached or fixing a tape on the attached temperature sensor. Therefore, it takes a long time to cure the adhesive, The manufacturing process of the electronic apparatus becomes troublesome and the productivity is lowered.

Therefore, there is a high need for a technique that can solve the above problem, shorten the manufacturing process time, and improve the productivity.

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

The inventors of the present application have conducted intensive research and various experiments and have succeeded in carrying out the present invention by inserting a temperature sensing member into one or more through holes communicating the first and second surfaces of the printed circuit board, It is confirmed that not only the bonding strength is significantly increased as compared with the case of fixing using a glue but also the process cost and time can be effectively reduced as a process of fixing using a separate adhesive or fixing member is not required, .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protection circuit module,

A protection circuit module (PCM) in which a protection circuit for controlling voltage or current of an electronic device is formed,

A printed circuit board (PCB) including a first side and a second side opposite to the first side (opposite side);

Terminal portions formed on the second surface to make an electrical connection with a protection circuit of the PCB; And

A temperature sensing member having one end portion electrically connected to the terminal portion to measure sensed temperature of the electronic device in real time and transmit sensing information to the protection circuit;

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And at least one through-hole through which the first surface and the second surface communicate with each other, and at least a part of the temperature sensing member is inserted and fixed in the through-hole.

Therefore, the protection circuit module according to the present invention is characterized in that, by inserting and fixing a temperature sensing member into at least one through hole communicating between the first surface and the second surface of the PCB, temperature sensing is performed by the frictional force generated between the through- It is possible to prevent the member from being detached due to an external impact and to improve the durability of the electronic apparatus effectively by increasing the bonding strength by about four times or more as compared with the case where the member is fixed by using the adhesive glue, As a process for fixing by use becomes unnecessary, the process cost and time can be effectively reduced.

In one example, the temperature sensing member is a structure capable of being flexibly bent or deformed according to the surface shape of the PCB. In order to more firmly fix the temperature sensing member to the PCB, at least a part of the temperature sensing member is fixedly inserted into the through- And the portion is located on the second side of the PCB.

In a specific example, the PCB includes a first bent portion bent to come into contact with a first surface of the PCB, an insertion fixing portion positioned in the through hole so as to extend from the first bent portion, And a second bent portion bent so as to abut on the second surface of the substrate.

Therefore, since the temperature sensing member according to the present invention is formed in a structure including the first bent portion, the insertion fixing portion, and the second bent portion, a strong frictional force is generated on the surface contacting the through hole of the PCB, .

In the above structure, the temperature sensing member may be formed in a planar shape of a " U " -shaped wire structure, but it is not limited thereto and may be manufactured in various shapes depending on the type of the temperature sensing member or the position of a portion to be measured have.

One end portion of the temperature sensing member may be soldered to the terminal portion, a sensing portion may be formed at the other end portion opposite to the one end portion, and the sensing portion may be in contact with an electronic device requiring measurement of temperature.

The temperature sensing member may be coated with a nonconductive material for electrical insulation from the outside, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polystyrene or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) Lt; / RTI >

Meanwhile, the temperature sensing member is an element for measuring the temperature of the electronic device, and in a specific example, it may be a thermocouple or a thermistor, but is not limited thereto.

For example, when a thermistor is provided on the outer surface of a battery cell, the temperature of the battery cell is measured in real time through an electric signal transmitted from the thermistor, .

In one specific example, the PCB may have a planar rectangular structure, and the through-hole may be formed at a portion adjacent to the terminal portion of the PCB to minimize the influence of an external impact concentrated on the temperature sensing member.

The through-hole may be circular, elliptical, semicircular, polygonal, or slit when the PCB is viewed in a plan view, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In a specific example, the through-hole may have a structure in which the inner diameter in contact with the first surface and the inner diameter in contact with the second surface are the same or different from each other. Specifically, the through-hole may have a structure in which the inner diameter in contact with the first surface is larger than the inner diameter in contact with the second surface, or the inner diameter in contact with the first surface is smaller than the inner diameter in contact with the second surface, and the inner surface has a tapered structure.

Therefore, the through-hole of the present invention can fix the temperature sensing member so that the inner diameter of the tapered structure is not moved in the direction of widening by such a tapered structure.

The present invention provides a battery pack including the protection circuit module.

Specifically, in the battery pack,

At least one battery cell in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed inside the cell case together with an electrolytic solution, and an electrically insulating upper cap coupled to an upper portion of the battery cell to surround the PCB, ,

The PCB may be mounted on the battery cell in a state where the PCB is connected to the electrode terminals of the battery cell.

In one example, the cell case of the battery cell constituting the battery pack may be a rectangular metal can. The prismatic battery includes an electrode assembly formed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separating film inside a prismatic battery case, After the plate is mounted by welding or the like, an electrolyte is injected into the battery case through an electrolyte injection port formed in the base plate, the battery is sealed with a metal ball, and a safety element and a protection circuit member are mounted thereon And then sealed with a housing (outer case).

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

The battery pack according to the present invention can be used as a power source for devices requiring high temperature safety, long cycle characteristics and high rate characteristics. Examples of such devices include mobile electronic devices, power tools driven by a battery- a power tool; An electric vehicle including an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and the like; An electric motorcycle including an electric bike (E-bike) and an electric scooter (E-scooter); An electric golf cart; Power storage devices, and the like, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The structure of these devices and their fabrication methods are well known in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the protection circuit module according to the present invention is a protection circuit module (PCM) in which a protection circuit for controlling the voltage or current of an electronic device is formed, wherein a first surface and a second surface of a printed circuit board By inserting and fixing the temperature sensing member into at least one through-hole communicating therewith, not only the bonding strength is significantly increased as compared with the case of fixing using the adhesive glue, but a step of fixing using a separate adhesive or fixing member is unnecessary The process cost and time can be effectively reduced.

1 is a schematic plan view and a left side view of a protection circuit module to which a conventional temperature sensor is attached;
2 is a schematic plan view of a protection circuit module including a temperature sensor according to one embodiment;
3 is a schematic A-A 'cross-sectional view of the protection circuit module of FIG. 2;
Figures 4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of a protection circuit module in accordance with various embodiments 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.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a protection circuit module including a temperature sensor according to one embodiment, and FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A 'of the protection circuit module of FIG.

Referring to these drawings, a protection circuit module 100 according to the present invention includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 150 having a first side 151 and a second side 152, A protection circuit 120 for controlling the voltage or current of an electronic device (not shown) is formed.

The PCB 150 is provided with a through hole 155 through which the first surface 151 and the second surface 152 communicate with each other. The PCB 150 has a through-hole 155 formed in a plane with a U- The sensing member 130 is inserted and fixed.

Terminal portions 106 and 107 for establishing electrical connection with the protection circuit 120 are formed on the second surface 152 and the sensing information is transmitted to the protection circuit 120 by measuring the temperature of the electronic device in real time One end of the temperature sensing member 130 is soldered to the terminal portions 106 and 107 to form an electrical connection.

In this structure, since the sensing unit 135 is formed at the other end of the temperature sensing member 130, the sensing unit 135 contacts the electronic device requiring temperature measurement and measures the temperature, and according to the sensed temperature, To the protection circuit (120).

The temperature sensing member 130 includes a first bent portion 131 bent to contact with the first surface 151 of the PCB 150 and a through hole 155 extending from the first bent portion 131, And the second bent portion 132 is bent so as to be in contact with the second surface 152 of the PCB 150 while extending from the insertion fixing portion 133 .

Therefore, the protection circuit module 100 of the present invention has a structure in which the first bent portion 131, the second bent portion 132, and the insertion fixing portion 133 are in contact with the through-hole 155 of the PCB 150 A strong frictional force can be generated, and the temperature sensing member 130 can be firmly fixed so as not to be detached from the PCB 150.

4 and 5 schematically show a cross-sectional view of a protective circuit module according to various embodiments of the present invention.

4, the protection circuit module 200 is formed with a through-hole 255 having a structure in which an inner diameter 253 contacting the first surface 251 is larger than an inner diameter 152 contacting the second surface 252 And the inner surface of the through hole 255 is formed in a tapered structure.

5, the protection circuit module 300 is formed with a through-hole 355 having an inner diameter 353 in contact with the first surface 351 smaller than an inner diameter 354 in contact with the second surface 352 Since the inner surface of the through hole 355 is formed in a tapered structure, the protection circuit modules 200 and 300 are fixed by the tapered structure so that the temperature sensing member is not moved in the direction in which the inner diameter of the tapered structure is widened .

Therefore, the protection circuit module has an effect of significantly increasing the bonding strength by fixing the temperature sensing member in the through hole, as compared with the case of fixing using the adhesive glue.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims (19)

A protection circuit module (PCM) in which a protection circuit for controlling voltage or current of an electronic device is formed,
A printed circuit board (PCB) including a first side and a second side opposite to the first side (opposite side);
Terminal portions formed on the second surface to make an electrical connection with a protection circuit of the PCB; And
A temperature sensing member having one end portion electrically connected to the terminal portion to measure sensed temperature of the electronic device in real time and transmit sensing information to the protection circuit;
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Wherein at least a part of the temperature sensing member is inserted and fixed in the through-hole, wherein the at least one through-hole communicates with the first surface and the second surface. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing member is positioned on a second surface of the PCB in a state where at least a part of the temperature sensing member is inserted and fixed in the through hole. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing member comprises: a first bent portion bent to contact a first surface of the PCB; an insertion fixing portion extending from the first bent portion in the through hole; And a second bent portion bent to contact the second surface of the PCB in an extended state from the first and second PCBs. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing member is a plane U-shaped wire structure. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein one end of the temperature sensing member is soldered to the terminal portion. The protection circuit module according to claim 5, wherein a sensing part is formed at the other end opposite to the one end, and the sensing part is in contact with an electronic device that needs to measure the temperature. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing member is coated with a non-conductive material for electrical insulation from the outside. The protective circuit module according to claim 7, wherein the nonconductive material is polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polystyrene or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing member is a thermocouple or a thermistor. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the PCB has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the through-hole is formed at a position adjacent to a terminal portion of the PCB. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole is in the form of a circle, an ellipse, a half-circle, a polygon, or a slit in plan view. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole has an inner diameter in contact with the first surface and an inner diameter in contact with the second surface. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole has an inner diameter in contact with the first surface larger than an inner diameter in contact with the second surface, and a tapered inner surface. The protection circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the through-hole has an inner diameter in contact with the first surface smaller than an inner diameter in contact with the second surface, and the inner surface has a tapered structure. A battery pack comprising a protection circuit module according to any one of claims 1 to 14. 16. The battery pack according to claim 15,
At least one battery cell in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed inside the cell case together with an electrolyte, and an electrically insulating upper cap coupled to an upper portion of the battery cell to surround the PCB,
Wherein the PCB is mounted on the battery cell while being connected to the electrode terminals of the battery cell. The battery pack according to claim 16, wherein the cell case of the battery cell is a rectangular metal can. A device comprising the battery pack according to claim 16 as a power source. 19. The device of claim 18, wherein the device is a mobile electronic device, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device.

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