KR20160034018A - Test Device for Battery Cell - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a test apparatus for a charge and discharge test depending on the temperature of a battery cell, wherein the test apparatus comprises: a chamber for performing a charge and discharge test while embedding the battery cell; and a temperature adjusting device disposed in one side of the chamber, and for adjusting the temperature of the internal chamber. The chamber comprises a tray dividing an interior of the chamber by two or more zones, and in the zones divided by the tray, a charge-discharge test is performed while the zones are maintained in the different temperature by a temperature control device.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a test device for a battery cell,

The present invention relates to a test apparatus for a battery cell.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices are increasing, the demand for secondary batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing. Among such secondary batteries, many studies have been made on lithium secondary batteries having high energy density and discharge voltage, Widely used.

Generally, a secondary battery includes an electrode assembly composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, which is laminated or wrapped in a battery case of a metal can or a laminate sheet and then injected or impregnated with an electrolyte solution have.

Typically, in view of the shape of the battery, there is a high demand for a prismatic secondary battery and a pouch-type secondary battery that can be applied to products such as mobile phones with a small thickness. In terms of materials, lithium ion batteries having high energy density, discharge voltage, There is a high demand for a lithium secondary battery such as a lithium ion polymer battery.

One of the major research tasks in such secondary batteries is to improve safety. For example, a secondary battery can have a high temperature and / or high temperature inside the battery that can be caused by an abnormal operating condition of the battery, such as an internal short circuit, an overcharged condition exceeding an allowable current and voltage, exposure to a high temperature, The explosion of the battery may be caused by high pressure.

Also, as the energy density of the secondary battery increases and the capacity of the secondary battery increases, the amount of heat generated during the repeated charging and discharging increases. This causes excessive temperature rise and malfunction of the resulting device, Which causes a shortening of the life span remarkably.

Therefore, in order to ensure the optimum operating condition and safety for the battery, many tests are performed on the product. During such testing, the electrochemical operating state of the test sample, such as the voltage and current, and the physical operating state, And a charging / discharging unit of the charging / discharging unit.

However, in order to carry out the charge / discharge test at a specific temperature among the safety tests, a chamber or the like is required to keep the temperature constant. In order to perform the charge / discharge test under various temperature conditions, A large number of chambers are required depending on the number of test specimens.

That is, in order to set various temperature conditions in such a charge-discharge test, it is necessary to separately include a temperature controller in order to keep a specific temperature constant in each chamber, Lt; / RTI >

Therefore, there is a high need for a battery cell capable of solving the above problems.

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.

Specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a test apparatus for a charge-discharge test according to the temperature of a battery cell, including a chamber having a structure including a tray dividing two or more zones therein, It is possible to set various temperature conditions using a minimum temperature regulating device without separately including a temperature regulating device and the like in order to keep a specific temperature constant, Thereby providing a test apparatus.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a test apparatus for a charge / discharge test according to temperature of a battery cell,

A chamber for performing a charge / discharge test in a state where the battery cell is embedded; And

A temperature regulator located at one side of the chamber and controlling the temperature inside the chamber;

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The chamber includes a tray in which two or more sections divide the interior of the chamber, and the sections divided by the tray are subjected to a charge / discharge test in a state where they are maintained at different temperatures by a temperature controller .

Therefore, the test apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber having a structure including a tray dividing two or more zones therein, so as to maintain a specific temperature constant in an apparatus such as each chamber in order to set various temperature conditions It is possible to set various temperature conditions using a minimum temperature control device without having to individually include a temperature control device and the like, and it is possible to test a plurality of test specimens at the same time.

In one specific example, the chamber may have a structure in which a battery cell is mounted on one side and then the sealed portion is sealed. In such a structure, test specimens are respectively mounted in chambers divided by trays, The test can be done in a sealed form.

In another specific example, it is preferable that the chamber is located in a vertical direction with respect to the temperature regulating device and is in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the tray is preferably positioned in a vertical direction with respect to the temperature regulating device in the chamber and in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

That is, the structure of the test apparatus is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape so that batteries of various sizes and shapes such as a cylindrical can type battery as well as a prismatic type secondary battery and a pouch type secondary cell which are used recently can be mounted, The structure may be configured such that the opening portion is located on the other side in a state where the temperature regulating device is located, thereby making it possible to easily mount and remove the test specimen.

On the other hand, the regions partitioned by the trays in the chamber are maintained in the environment of the specific temperature by the temperature controller, respectively, and a structure including the temperature indicator in the chamber for indicating such a temperature condition may be employed.

The temperature control device includes a cooler and a hot air fan to control the temperature by cold air and hot air, and includes cold air flow paths and hot air flow paths for delivering cold air and warm air to the spaces to be divided by the tray in the chamber And the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths are connected to each other in each of the sections divided by the tray in the chamber so that the temperatures of the respective sections can be adjusted.

In one specific example, as a way of regulating the temperature, the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths have different vertical cross-sectional diameters, and may be a structure in which the temperatures of the sections divided by the tray are set according to the vertical cross- And the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths have the same vertical cross sectional diameter and the temperature of the sections divided by the tray may be set by the speed of the fluid passing through the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths, But is not limited to structures.

The test apparatus having such a structure is characterized in that in a state where battery cells for testing are respectively mounted in the interior of the chamber to be divided by the tray in the chamber, And a structure in which each battery cell performs a test under a specific temperature condition by warm air.

The battery cell according to the present invention may be a battery cell having a structure in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed in a battery case together with an electrolyte solution.

Such a battery cell can be preferably applied to a pouch-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer, for example, a pouch-shaped case of an aluminum laminate sheet.

Such a battery cell may be a lithium secondary battery or a lithium polymer secondary battery in one example, but is not limited thereto.

For reference, a lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt.

The positive electrode is prepared, for example, by coating a mixture of a positive electrode active material, a conductive material and a binder on a positive electrode current collector, and then drying the mixture. Optionally, a filler may be further added to the mixture.

The cathode active material may be a layered compound such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO ₂ ), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO ₂ ), or a compound substituted with one or more transition metals; Lithium manganese oxides such as Li _{1 + x} Mn _{2 -x} O ₄ (where x is 0 to 0.33), LiMnO ₃ , LiMn ₂ O ₃ , LiMnO ₂ and the like; Lithium copper oxide (Li ₂ CuO ₂ ); Vanadium oxides such as LiV ₃ O ₈ , LiFe ₃ O ₄ , V ₂ O ₅ and Cu ₂ V ₂ O ₇ ; A Ni-site type lithium nickel oxide expressed by the formula LiNi _1-x M _x O ₂ (where M = Co, Mn, Al, Cu, Fe, Mg, B or Ga and x = 0.01 to 0.3); Formula _{LiMn 2-x M x O 2} ( where, M = Co, Ni, Fe , Cr, and Zn, or Ta, x = 0.01 ~ 0.1 Im) or Li ₂ Mn ₃ MO ₈ (where, M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn); LiMn ₂ O _{4 in} which a part of Li in the formula is substituted with an alkaline earth metal ion; Disulfide compounds; Fe ₂ (MoO ₄ ) ₃ , and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

The conductive material is usually added in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture including the cathode active material. Such a conductive material is not particularly limited as long as it has electrical conductivity without causing chemical changes in the battery, for example, graphite such as natural graphite or artificial graphite; Carbon black such as carbon black, acetylene black, ketjen black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black, and summer black; Conductive fibers such as carbon fiber and metal fiber; Metal powders such as carbon fluoride, aluminum, and nickel powder; Conductive whiskey such as zinc oxide and potassium titanate; Conductive metal oxides such as titanium oxide; Conductive materials such as polyphenylene derivatives and the like can be used.

The binder is a component which assists in bonding of the active material and the conductive material and bonding to the current collector, and is usually added in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight based on the total weight of the mixture containing the cathode active material. Examples of such binders include polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), starch, hydroxypropylcellulose, regenerated cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, tetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene , Polypropylene, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM), sulfonated EPDM, styrene butylene rubber, fluorine rubber, various copolymers and the like.

The filler is optionally used as a component for suppressing the expansion of the anode, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a fibrous material without causing a chemical change in the battery. Examples of the filler include olefin polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene; Fibrous materials such as glass fibers and carbon fibers are used.

The negative electrode is manufactured by applying and drying a negative electrode active material on a negative electrode collector, and if necessary, the above-described components may be selectively included.

Examples of the negative electrode active material include carbon such as non-graphitized carbon and graphite carbon; _{Li x Fe 2 O 3 (0≤x≤1} ), Li x WO 2 (0≤x≤1), Sn x Me 1-x Me 'y O z (Me: Mn, Fe, Pb, Ge; Me' : Metal complex oxides such as Al, B, P, Si, Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 elements of the periodic table, Halogen, 0 < x < Lithium metal; Lithium alloy; Silicon-based alloys; Tin alloy; _{SnO, SnO 2, PbO, PbO} 2, Pb 2 O 3, Pb 3 O 4, Sb 2 O 3, Sb 2 O 4, Sb 2 O 5, GeO, GeO 2, Bi 2 O 3, Bi 2 O 4, and Bi ₂ O ₅ ; Conductive polymers such as polyacetylene; Li-Co-Ni-based materials and the like can be used.

The separation membrane is interposed between the anode and the cathode, and an insulating thin film having high ion permeability and mechanical strength is used. The pore diameter of the separator is generally 0.01 to 10 mu m, and the thickness is generally 5 to 300 mu m. Such separation membranes include, for example, olefinic polymers such as polypropylene, which are chemically resistant and hydrophobic; A sheet or nonwoven fabric made of glass fiber, polyethylene or the like is used. When a solid electrolyte such as a polymer is used as an electrolyte, the solid electrolyte may also serve as a separation membrane.

The non-aqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt is composed of a polar organic electrolyte and a lithium salt. As the electrolytic solution, a non-aqueous liquid electrolytic solution, an organic solid electrolyte, an inorganic solid electrolyte and the like are used.

Examples of the nonaqueous liquid electrolytic solution include N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, gamma -Butyrolactone, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, tetrahydroxyfuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, dimethylsulfoxide, 1,3-dioxolane, formamide, dimethylformamide, dioxolane , Acetonitrile, nitromethane, methyl formate, methyl acetate, triester phosphate, trimethoxymethane, dioxolane derivatives, sulfolane, methylsulfolane, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, propylene carbonate Nonionic organic solvents such as tetrahydrofuran derivatives, ethers, methyl pyrophosphate, ethyl propionate and the like can be used.

Examples of the organic solid electrolyte include a polymer electrolyte such as a polyethylene derivative, a polyethylene oxide derivative, a polypropylene oxide derivative, a phosphate ester polymer, an agitation lysine, a polyester sulfide, a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyvinylidene fluoride, Polymers containing ionic dissociation groups, and the like can be used.

Examples of the inorganic solid electrolyte include Li ₃ N, LiI, Li ₅ NI ₂ , Li ₃ N-LiI-LiOH, LiSiO ₄ , LiSiO ₄ -LiI-LiOH, Li ₂ SiS ₃ , Li ₄ SiO ₄ , Nitrides, halides and sulfates of Li such as Li ₄ SiO ₄ -LiI-LiOH and Li ₃ PO ₄ -Li ₂ S-SiS ₂ can be used.

The lithium salt is a material that is readily soluble in the non-aqueous electrolyte, for example, LiCl, LiBr, LiI, LiClO 4, LiBF 4, LiB 10 Cl 10, LiPF 6, LiCF 3 SO 3, LiCF 3 CO 2, LiAsF _{6, LiSbF 6, LiAlCl 4,} CH 3 SO 3 Li, CF 3 SO 3 Li, (CF 3 SO 2) 2 NLi, chloroborane lithium, lower aliphatic carboxylic acid lithium, lithium tetraphenyl borate and imide have.

For the purpose of improving the charge-discharge characteristics and the flame retardancy, the non-aqueous liquid electrolyte may contain, for example, pyridine, triethylphosphite, triethanolamine, cyclic ether, ethylenediamine, glyme, N, N-substituted imidazolidine, ethylene glycol dialkyl ether, ammonium salt, pyrrole, 2-methoxyethanol, aluminum trichloride and the like are added It is possible. In some cases, a halogen-containing solvent such as carbon tetrachloride or ethylene trifluoride may be further added to impart nonflammability, or a carbon dioxide gas may be further added to improve high-temperature storage characteristics.

The present invention can also provide a method of performing charge / discharge for activating a battery cell or testing the performance of the battery cell in the process of manufacturing the battery cell, which is a unit cell for the battery module, using the test apparatus .

In this case, the test may be a destructive test, and the destructive test is a sampling test. It is a very necessary test that must be performed for the safety of the battery as much as possible even if the battery cell is deformed in a high temperature or low temperature environment.

The battery module can be used for a device power source such as a mobile phone, a portable computer, a smart phone, a smart pad, a netbook, a wearable electronic device, a LEV (Light Electronic Vehicle), an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, 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 test apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber having a structure including a tray for dividing two or more zones therein in a test apparatus for a charge / discharge test according to the temperature of a battery cell, It is possible to set various temperature conditions using a minimum temperature regulating device without having to individually include a temperature regulating device and the like in order to keep a specific temperature constant in the apparatuses such as chambers, It is effective to test specimen at the same time.

1 is a schematic diagram of a test apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side exploded perspective view of the test apparatus of Figure 1;
3 is a side exploded perspective view of a test apparatus 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.

1 is a schematic diagram of a test apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a test apparatus 100 includes a chamber 110 for performing a charge / discharge test in which a battery cell (not shown) is embedded, And a temperature control device 130 for controlling the temperature of the chamber 110. The chamber 110 includes trays 121, 122, 123 and 124 in which four zones are divided into chambers 110 , And the regions divided by the trays 121, 122, 123, and 124 are subjected to a charge / discharge test in a state where they are maintained at different temperatures by the temperature controller 130.

The chamber 110 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape in a state where the chamber 110 is vertically positioned with respect to the temperature regulating device 130. The chamber 110 is formed in a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, And a temperature indicator 150 for indicating the temperature of each of the sections divided by the trays 121, 122, 123,

The temperature regulator 130 includes a cooler 160 and a fan 170 so that the temperature can be controlled by the cold air and the hot air. And the temperature is adjusted to a different set temperature.

Therefore, TES of these structures? The device can set various temperature conditions using the minimum temperature control device, without having to individually include a temperature controller or the like in order to set a variety of temperature conditions, in order to keep the specific temperature constant in the apparatuses such as chambers And can test multiple test specimens at the same time.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a side exploded perspective view of the test apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 schematically shows a side exploded perspective view of a test apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the chamber 110 includes trays 121, 122, 123 and 124 in which four zones are divided into chambers 110, 123 and 124 are vertically arranged with respect to the temperature regulating device 130 in the interior of the chamber 110 and are configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape so that two sections are positioned on the upper and lower sides with respect to the side surface, And the upper side and the lower side are similarly located on the side surface.

The temperature regulator 130 is provided with the cooling air flow paths 161 and 162 for transferring the cold air and the warm air into the chambers divided by the trays 121, 122, 123 and 124 in the chamber 110, The cooling air flow paths 161 and 162 and the air flow paths 171 and 172 are divided by the trays 121, 122, 123 and 124 in the chamber 110, Each of which is connected to each other.

The cold air flow paths 161 and 162 and the hot air flow paths 171 and 172 have different vertical sectional diameters and are divided by the trays 121, 122, 123 and 124 according to the vertical sectional diameter The temperature in each of the divided zones can be adjusted in such a manner that the temperatures of the zones are set.

Due to such a structure, a charge / discharge test is performed at a high temperature of 100 DEG C in a region inside the tray 121 located at the upper side on the basis of the side, and a region inside the other tray 122 is heated at a low temperature of -10 DEG C Charging and discharging tests can be performed according to the various settings in one chamber 110 by performing the charge and inversion test.

3, the cold air flow paths 261 and 262 and the hot air flow paths 271 and 272 have the same vertical cross-sectional diameter, and the cold air flow paths 261 and 262 and the hot air flow paths It is also possible to regulate the temperature in each of the divided zones in such a manner that the temperatures of the zones divided by the trays 221, 222, 223, 224 are set by the velocity of the fluid passing through the zones 271, 272.

It will be understood by those skilled 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 (17)

A test apparatus for a charge / discharge test according to a temperature of a battery cell,
A chamber for performing a charge / discharge test in a state where the battery cell is embedded; And
A temperature regulator located at one side of the chamber and controlling the temperature inside the chamber;
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The chamber includes a tray in which two or more zones divide the interior of the chamber and the zones divided by the tray are subjected to a charge and discharge test while being maintained at different temperatures by a temperature controller A testing device characterized by. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber includes an unsealed portion after the battery cell is mounted on one side and then sealed. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber is positioned in a vertical direction with respect to the temperature regulating device and is in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chamber includes a temperature display for indicating the temperature of each of the zones divided by the tray. 2. The test apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tray is positioned in a vertical direction with respect to the temperature regulating device in the interior of the chamber and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. 2. The test apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature regulating device includes a cooler and a hot air fan so that the temperature can be controlled by cold air or hot air. 7. The test apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the temperature regulating device includes cold air flow paths and hot air flow paths for conveying the cold air and the warm air into the chambers divided by the tray in the chamber. The test apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths are connected to each other in the chambers divided by the tray in the chamber. The test apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths have different vertical sectional diameters, and the temperatures of the sections divided by the tray are set according to the vertical sectional diameter. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths have the same vertical cross sectional diameter, and the temperature of the zones divided by the tray is set by the speed of the fluid passing through the cold air flow paths and the hot air flow paths . The test apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cells are mounted inside the chamber at least one in each of the divided areas by the trays. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell has a structure in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed in a battery case together with an electrolyte solution. 13. The test apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the battery case is made of a laminate sheet including a resin layer, a metal layer, and a sealant layer. The test device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is used to perform the charging and discharging for activating the battery cell or the performance of the battery cell in the process of manufacturing the battery cell, How to test. 15. The test method according to claim 14, wherein the test is a destructive inspection. 15. The test method according to claim 14, wherein the battery cell is a lithium secondary battery. The battery module according to claim 14, wherein the battery module is at least one of a cell phone, a portable computer, a smart phone, a smart pad, a netbook, a wearable electronic device, a LEV (Light Electronic Vehicle), an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, Is used as the power source of the storage device.

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