KR20150115402A - Battery Module Assembly Having Fuse Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module assembly including module units mounted on a cartridge in a state of unit cells being electrically connected by a bus bar. The battery module assembly includes: at least two battery modules including two module units stacked in a height direction from the ground, having external input and output terminals, which are electrically connected to the module units on a front surface, protruding, and being spacing apart from each other, arranged in the direction of the sides; and a fuse assembly connected to external input and output terminals of the battery modules, and including a fuse capable of cutting off power in case of excessive current.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module assembly hav- ing fuse assembly including a fuse assembly,

The present invention relates to a battery module assembly including a fuse assembly.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] In recent years, a rechargeable secondary battery has been widely used as an energy source for wireless mobile devices, and has been widely used as an energy source for electric vehicles EV, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (Plug-In HEV), and the like.

In addition, technologies related to a power storage device that stores electricity and supplies it to a power system in a stable manner at a required time are being developed. Power storage devices are devices that store energy when power demand is low, and supply power in the event of an overload or an emergency, thereby providing an effect of improving power quality and energy use efficiency. In particular, residential power storage devices and industrial or commercial medium power storage devices are rapidly gaining market share in conjunction with Smart Grid technology.

On the other hand, in order for the battery pack to provide the output and capacity required by a predetermined device or device, a plurality of unit cells or battery modules equipped with unit cells are electrically connected in series or parallel manner to form a battery pack , As the capacity of the battery pack becomes larger, it is required to be able to maintain a stable structure with ease.

Particularly, when a battery pack is constructed using a plurality of battery modules, a large number of members are generally required for mechanical fastening and electrical connection thereof, such as a bus bar or a power connection cable, , If the battery pack needs to be expanded, it is not easy to change the structure, and addition of many components is required, which increases the manufacturing cost.

In addition, since the battery pack has a structure in which a plurality of battery modules are combined, when the battery module is over-voltage, over-current or overheated, the safety and operation efficiency of the battery pack become significant. Therefore, need. Accordingly, a battery management system (BMS), which is a safety system, is included to detect overvoltage, overcurrent, overheat, and the like to block the current of the battery pack or to operate the cooling device. However, the BMS, various sensors, And the like also cause manufacturing costs to increase due to the addition of parts and complicate the manufacturing process.

Therefore, although a circuit breaker is installed to block current when an overvoltage, overcurrent, or overheating occurs, as described above, the structure is used to block the current. However, as the specification increases with high voltage or high power, the bulb becomes bulky, A bulky circuit breaker is not only difficult to apply but also has a problem of reducing the capacity of the battery pack.

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.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module assembly having a structure in which safety is improved by installing a fuse in a battery module assembly to cut off power during overcurrent.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery module assembly comprising:

1. A battery module assembly comprising module units mounted on a cartridge while unit cells are electrically connected by a bus bar,

And a plurality of battery module units each including at least two module units stacked in a height direction from the ground and having external input / output terminals protruded on the front surface and electrically connected to the module units, ; And

A fuse assembly connected to external input / output terminals of the battery modules and having a fuse for shutting off power when an overcurrent flows;

As shown in FIG.

That is, the battery module assembly according to the present invention may be configured such that the battery modules having the external input / output terminals protruded from the front are arranged, and the external input / output terminals of the adjacent battery modules are connected by fuses. Accordingly, by providing a fuse in the electrical connection structure of the battery modules, the power supply is shut off during overcurrent, thereby improving the safety.

The fuse assembly includes:

A fuse including a fuse body and connection terminals extended to one side and the other side of the fuse body;

A pair of conductive brackets having a first connecting portion connected to a connection terminal of a fuse at one end and a second connecting portion connected to an input / output terminal of the battery module at the other end; And

A fuse cover mounted on a front surface of the battery modules to surround the fuse and the conductive brackets;

As shown in FIG.

In one specific example, the outer side surface of the external input / output terminal may be formed with a thread to be mechanically fastened to the fuse assembly or the external device.

In this case, the first and second connection portions of the conductive bracket may be formed with through-holes for fastening, respectively, and the external input / output terminals may be mechanically and electrically connected to the fastening through- And may be formed in such a structure as to form an electrical connection.

The connection terminal of the fuse and the first connection part may be fastened and connected by bolts and nuts. That is, the first connection portion of the conductive bracket and the connection terminal of the fuse may be mechanically fastened by bolts and nuts in a state of overlapping with each other, and at the same time, an electrical connection may be established.

The bracket may be formed to have a structure that the fuse is fixed so as to be separated from the battery modules. Specifically, the bracket may be firstly bent outwardly of the battery modules from the second connection portion connected to the external input / output terminal of the battery modules, It may be a structure that is secondarily bent in the fuse direction. When the fuse is fixed to the bracket by the bending structure, the front surface of the battery module and the fuse are separated from each other.

On the other hand, a protruding bead may be formed on the bent portion of the bracket to improve rigidity. That is, the protruding bead may be formed inside the bent portion so as to maintain the bent shape while preventing the bracket from being deformed.

The connection terminals of the fuse may be formed with coupling grooves to be coupled with the bracket, and the shape of the coupling grooves is not particularly limited. As one example, the fastening groove may be formed in a 'U' shape having one side opened to be engaged with the bracket. When the connection terminals of the bracket and the fuse are coupled by the bolts and the nuts, the connection terminal having the 'U' -shaped fastening groove structure is formed in a structure that can be mounted or separated even when the bolts and nuts are not completely tightened .

In the concrete example of the 'U' -shaped fastening groove structure, the fuse may have a structure in which the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal protrude from one side and the other side of the fuse body, respectively, May be opened in the direction of the battery modules, and the fastening groove of the second connection terminal may be opened in the bracket direction.

The fuse cover may be made of a transparent material in whole or in part so as to confirm whether the fuse is disconnected from the front direction. More specifically, a window made of a transparent material may be formed on the entire surface of the fuse cover so that the state of the fuse inside the fuse cover can be checked.

In one specific example, the unit cells in the module unit may be structured in parallel.

Specifically, the unit cells may be mounted on the cartridge so that the electrode terminals face each other, and the electrode terminals may be connected in parallel by the bus bars mounted on the cartridge.

The cartridge is an electrically insulating member having a predetermined rigidity, and protects the unit cells from external impact and ensures stable mounting of the unit cells. Further, the unit cells are arranged such that the electrode terminals face each other by the cartridge, so that the electrical parallel connection by the bus bars can be further facilitated.

Protrusions having fastening grooves are formed on both sides of the cartridge and the cartridges are coupled to each other by the cartridge fastening member passing through the fastening grooves to form the battery module. Therefore, the unit cells can be fixed by the cartridge, and at the same time, the cartridges can be fastened to each other by the fastening grooves, so that a firm and stable fixing effect can be achieved.

In the battery module, the module units may be connected in series and / or in parallel.

The unit cell may be, for example, a pouch-shaped battery cell having a structure in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a battery case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer, and then an outer circumferential surface of the electrode assembly is sealed.

The unit cell is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of providing a high voltage and a high current when the battery module assembly or the battery pack is constructed. For example, the unit cell may be a lithium secondary battery cell having a large energy storage amount per unit volume.

The present invention also provides a battery pack including the battery module assembly.

The battery pack has a structure in which the battery module is embedded,

A base plate on which the battery module assembly is mounted;

Side Cover Plates mounted on the side of the battery module assembly; And

An upper cover plate mounted on the upper surface of the battery module assembly and coupled with the battery module assembly and the side cover plate;

As shown in FIG.

The battery pack may be manufactured by assembling the battery module as a unit module according to a desired output and capacity. In consideration of mounting efficiency, structural stability, etc., the battery pack may include a household power supply unit, Power supply for emergency power supply, computer room power supply, portable power supply, medical equipment power supply, fire extinguishing equipment power supply, alarm equipment power supply, evacuation facility power supply, electric vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle But the scope of application is not limited to these.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a device including the battery pack as a power source, and the device is specifically applicable to a household power supply device, a public utility power supply device, a large shop power supply device, an emergency power supply device, A medical device power supply, a fire extinguishing equipment power supply, an alarm facility power supply, an evacuation facility power supply, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

The structure and manufacturing method of such a device are well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, the battery module assembly according to the present invention can improve the safety by disposing a fuse between battery modules to cut off the power supply in case of an overcurrent, and further, the fuse can be easily mounted and separated So that it is easy to replace the fuse.

1 is a perspective view of a battery pack in which a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the structure of Figure 1 except for the base plate and the upper cover plate;
3 is a schematic view of a structure in which a fuse assembly is mounted on a battery module assembly;
4 is a perspective view of a structure in which a fuse and a conductive bracket are coupled;
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 4;
6 is a perspective view of a laminated structure of a module unit mounted inside the battery module of FIG. 2;
7 is a perspective view of a battery cell constituting a unit cell in FIG.

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. 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack in which a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a structure excluding the base plate and the upper cover plate in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, two battery modules 110a and 110b are laterally arranged to form a battery module assembly. External input / output terminals 112a and 112b are formed on the front surfaces of the battery modules 110a and 110b, respectively. 112b are protruded.

The battery modules 110a and 110b include the module units 117 mounted on the cartridge while the unit cells are electrically connected by the bus bar and the external input and output terminals 112a, 112b protrude from the front surface.

The external input / output terminals 112a and 112b of the battery modules 110a and 110b are connected to each other by a fuse 120. [ That is, the fuse 120 is formed to connect the external input / output terminals 112a and 112b of the battery modules 110a and 110b in series.

A base plate 150 is mounted on a lower surface of the battery module assembly, and an upper cover plate 160 is mounted on an upper surface of the battery module assembly.

A fuse cover 140 for protecting the fuse 120 is mounted on the outer side of the fuse 120. A window 142 made of a transparent material is formed in the fuse cover 140 so as to confirm whether the fuse 120 is broken or not in the front direction.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a structure in which a fuse assembly is mounted on a battery module assembly, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure in which a fuse and a bracket are combined, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

Referring to these figures, the fuse assembly includes a fuse 120, conductive brackets 130a and 130b, and a fuse cover 140. As shown in FIG. The fuse 120 includes a first connection terminal 124a and a second connection terminal 124b extending to both sides of the fuse body 122 and the fuse body 122. The first connection terminal 124a, The second connection terminals 124b are connected to the external input / output terminals 112a and 112b of the adjacent battery modules 110a and 110b, respectively.

The conductive brackets 130a and 130b are connected to the first connection portions 132a and 132b connected to the connection terminals 124a and 124b of the fuse 120 and the external connection terminals 132a and 132b of the battery modules 110a and 110b, And is configured to be connected to the first connection terminal 124a and the second connection terminal 124b of the fuse 120. The first connection terminal 124a and the second connection terminal 124b of the fuse 120 are connected to each other via the second connection portions 134a and 134b.

The external input / output terminals 112a and 112b are formed with threads on the outer surface for coupling with the conductive brackets 130a and 130b or external connecting members (not shown).

The first connecting portions 132a and 132b and the second connecting portions 134a and 134b of the conductive brackets 130a and 130b are provided with through holes for fastening and the external input and output terminals 112a and 112b are connected to the second connecting portions 134a and 134b, (135a, 135b) in a state of passing through the fastening through-holes of the fasteners (134a, 134b).

The first connecting portions 132a and 132b and the connecting terminals 124a and 124b of the fuse 120 are fastened and connected by the bolts 136 and the nuts 137 and concretely the conductive brackets 130a and 130b, The first connection portions 132a and 132b of the fuse 120 and the connection terminals 124a and 124b of the fuse 120 are mechanically fastened and electrically connected by the bolts 136 and the nuts 137 have.

The connection terminals 124a and 124b of the fuse 120 are formed with U-shaped coupling grooves 125a and 125b which are open at one side to be coupled with the conductive brackets 130a and 130b. More specifically, the fastening groove 125a of the first connection terminal 124a is opened in the direction of the conductive bracket 132a, and the fastening groove 125b of the second connection terminal 124b is fastened in the direction of the battery modules 110a and 110b . The first connection terminal 124a and the second connection terminal 125a of the fuse 120 are formed in such a structure that they can be mounted or separated even when the bolts 136 and the nuts 137 are not completely tightened.

The conductive brackets 130a and 130b are continuously bent so that the fuses 120 are separated from the battery modules 110a and 110b. Specifically, the battery modules 110a and 110b are first bent in the outer direction, and then bent in the second direction in the fuse 120 direction. In addition, the projecting beads 138a and 138b are formed inside the bent portion so as to maintain the bent shape while preventing the conductive brackets 130a and 130b from being deformed.

The fuse cover 140 is configured to surround the fuse 120 and the conductive brackets 130a and 130b and is mounted on the front surfaces of the battery modules 110a and 110b.

6 is a perspective view showing a laminated structure of a module unit mounted inside the battery module of Fig. 2. Fig.

Referring to FIG. 6, the battery module 110 includes unit cells 112 and 112 ', unit cells 112 and 112' having electrode terminals 112, 113, 112 'and 113' And a bus bar 118 and 119 connected to the electrode terminals 113, 114, 113 'and 114' to electrically connect the unit cells 112 and 112 ' As shown in FIG.

The unit cells 110 and 110 'are mounted on the cartridge 120 such that the electrode terminals 113, 114, 113' and 114 'face each other. The bus bars 118 and 118' The electrode terminals 113, 114, 113 ', and 114' are connected in parallel to each other to form a module unit in the cartridge 126.

The module units are formed in a structure in which the cartridges 126 are stacked up and down so as to be arranged in a height direction from the ground.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the battery cell constituting the unit cell in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 7, the battery cell 112 is a plate-shaped battery cell 112 having electrode terminals (a positive electrode terminal 113 and a negative electrode terminal 114) formed at one end. Specifically, the plate-shaped battery cell 112 has an electrode assembly (not shown) built in a pouch case 115 of a laminate sheet including a metal layer (not shown) and a resin layer (not shown) , And a sealing part 116 is formed by heat fusion, and this is commonly referred to as a 'pouch-shaped battery cell'.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (21)

1. A battery module assembly comprising module units mounted on a cartridge while unit cells are electrically connected by a bus bar,
And a plurality of battery module units each including at least two module units stacked in a height direction from the ground and having external input / output terminals protruded on the front surface and electrically connected to the module units, ; And
A fuse assembly connected to external input / output terminals of the battery modules and having a fuse for shutting off power when an overcurrent flows;
The battery module assembly comprising: The fuse assembly of claim 1,
A fuse including a fuse body and connection terminals extended to one side and the other side of the fuse body;
A pair of conductive brackets having a first connecting portion connected to a connection terminal of a fuse at one end and a second connecting portion connected to an input / output terminal of the battery module at the other end; And
A fuse cover mounted on a front surface of the battery modules to surround the fuse and the conductive brackets;
The battery module assembly comprising: The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein a thread is formed on an outer surface of the external input / output terminal. The battery module assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the conductive bracket are formed with through-holes for fastening, respectively. The battery module assembly according to claim 4, wherein the external input / output terminal is fastened and connected by a nut in a state of passing through the fastening through-hole of the second connecting portion. The battery module assembly according to claim 2, wherein the connecting terminal of the fuse and the first connecting portion are fastened and connected by bolts and nuts. [3] The battery module assembly of claim 2, wherein the bracket is continuously bent in an outward direction and a fuse direction of the battery modules so that the fuse is spaced apart from the battery modules. [8] The battery module assembly of claim 7, wherein a protruding bead is formed inside the bent portion of the bracket. [2] The battery module assembly of claim 1, wherein the connection terminals of the fuse are formed with a U-shaped fastening groove, one side of which is open to be engaged with the bracket. 10. The battery module according to claim 9, wherein the fuse includes a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal, the coupling groove of the first connection terminal is opened in the direction of the battery modules, And the battery module assembly is opened in a bracket direction. The battery module assembly of claim 1, wherein the fuse cover is made of a transparent material so as to confirm whether the fuse is broken or not in the front direction. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein unit cells in the module unit are connected in parallel on a cartridge. 13. The battery module assembly of claim 12, wherein the unit cells are mounted on the cartridge so that the electrode terminals face each other, and electrode terminals are connected in parallel by bus bars mounted on the cartridge. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein protrusions having a fastening groove are formed on both sides of the cartridge, and the cartridges are coupled to each other by a fastening member passing through the fastening groove, assembly. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the module units are connected to each other in series in the battery module. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the unit cell is a pouch-shaped battery cell having a structure in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer, and then an outer circumferential surface is sealed. The battery module assembly according to claim 1, wherein the unit cell is a lithium secondary battery cell. A battery pack comprising the battery module assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 17. 19. The battery pack according to claim 18, wherein the battery pack comprises:
A base plate on which the battery module assembly is mounted;
Side Cover Plates mounted on the side of the battery module assembly; And
An upper cover plate mounted on the upper surface of the battery module assembly and coupled with the battery module assembly and the side cover plate;
And the battery pack (10). A device, comprising a battery pack according to claim 19. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the device is an industrial power supply, a utility power supply, a large store power supply, an emergency power supply, an ICH power supply, a portable power supply, a medical power supply, , An evacuation facility power supply, an electric car, a hybrid electric car, or a plug-in hybrid electric car.

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