KR20170103222A - Battery module and battery pack including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module with reduced cost and improved stability, and a battery pack including the same. The battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of battery cells; and a connection board coupled to a cell assembly composed of a plurality of battery cells and electrically connected to electrode leads of the battery cells, wherein insulating materials are filled between the battery cells.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the battery module,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a battery module, and more particularly, to a battery module having a reduced cost and improved stability and a battery pack including the same.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, demand for portable electronic products such as video cameras and portable phones has rapidly increased, and development of electric vehicles, storage batteries for energy storage, robots, satellites, Research is actively underway.

The secondary rechargeable batteries are nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries. Among them, lithium secondary batteries have almost no memory effect compared to nickel- It is very popular because of its low self-discharge rate and high energy density.

These lithium secondary batteries mainly use a lithium-based oxide and a carbonaceous material as a cathode active material and an anode active material, respectively. The lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate each coated with such a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material are disposed with a separator interposed therebetween, and an outer casing, that is, a battery case, for sealingly storing the electrode assembly together with the electrolyte solution.

Generally, a lithium secondary battery can be classified into a can type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a metal can, and a pouch type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch of an aluminum laminate sheet, depending on the shape of the casing.

In recent years, secondary batteries are widely used not only in small-sized devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in medium to large-sized devices such as automobiles and electric power storage devices. Particularly, as carbon energy is getting depleted and the interest in the environment is increasing, attention is focused on hybrid cars and electric cars worldwide, including the US, Europe, Japan, and Korea. The most important components in such hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles are battery packs that give drive power to vehicle motors. Since hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles can obtain the driving force of the vehicle through charging and discharging of the battery pack, the fuel efficiency is higher than that of the vehicle using only the engine, and the users are increasingly increasing in terms of not discharging or reducing pollutants. to be. A battery pack of such a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle includes a plurality of battery cells, which are connected in series and in parallel to each other to improve capacity and output.

[0004] On the other hand, in the prior art, an interconnection board (ICB: Interconnect board) is used to electrically connect electrode leads in contact with an electrode lead provided in a battery cell in order to connect a plurality of battery cells in series and / do.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional battery module. The conventional battery module 10 has a cell assembly 11 coupled to a connection board 12 and a connection board 12 The connection board cover 13 is coupled to one side of the connection board cover 13.

However, the method of connecting the connection board cover 13 to the connection board 12 has a problem of increasing the manufacturing cost. In addition, the connection board cover 13 is made of a plastic material and is easily damaged by an external force. That is, if an external force is applied to the connection board cover 13, the connection board cover 13 may be broken. In this case, the bus bar of the connection board 12 is exposed to the gap of the broken cover 13, There is a problem in that a short may be generated due to contact with a connection board of a conductor or another battery module.

In addition, a certain gap is maintained between the battery cells included in the cell assembly 11. [ However, when an external force is generated in the battery module 10, the gap between the battery cells may not be maintained constant. Particularly, in the case where a structure that maintains a constant interval between battery cells is broken, there is a problem that adjacent battery cells come into contact with each other and internal shots may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a battery module having improved stability and reduced manufacturing cost and a battery pack including the battery module.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery module including: a plurality of battery cells; And a connection board coupled to the cell assembly composed of the plurality of battery cells and electrically connected to the electrode leads of the battery cells, wherein insulating materials are filled between the battery cells.

The connection board has a plurality of bus bars electrically coupled to the electrode leads of the battery cells, and the insulating material may be filled between the bus bars.

The insulating material may be applied to the exposed surface of the bus bar.

The electrode lead of the battery cell and the bus bar may be welded to each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack including the battery module.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an automobile includes the battery module.

According to an aspect of the present invention, since the battery module is configured such that an empty space between battery cells is filled with an insulating material, the interval between the battery cells can be safely maintained even in an external impact, thereby improving the stability of the battery module.

According to another aspect of the present invention, since the battery module is configured such that the empty space between the bus bars provided on the connection board is filled with the insulating material, the interval between the bus bars can be safely maintained even with external impact.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery module in which a side surface of a bus bar is coated with an insulating material, thereby eliminating the need for a conventional connection board cover, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the battery module, There is an advantage that bus bar exposure which can be caused by an external shock can be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. And shall not be construed as limited to such matters.
1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional battery module.
2 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery module before an insulating material is applied, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view showing a battery module before the insulating material is applied, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cell assembly before an insulating material is filled, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
5 is a view illustrating a battery module into which an insulating material is injected, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cell assembly filled with an insulating material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: There will be. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery module before an insulating material is applied, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a front view showing a battery module before the insulating material is applied, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, a battery module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cell assembly 110 and a connection board 120.

The cell assembly 110 includes at least one battery cell C. That is, one or more battery cells C are assembled to constitute the cell assembly 110. According to one embodiment, the at least one battery cell (C) may be stacked in one direction to form a cell assembly (110).

The cell assembly 110 includes a frame formed with a space in which battery cells can be stacked, and the battery cells are stacked and disposed on the frame.

Each battery cell C can be covered by a cell case. The cell case covers a plurality of battery cells, and the electrode leads of the battery cell (C) may be exposed to the cell case.

The battery cells C are arranged at regular intervals in the cell assembly 110 and are stacked on the cell assemblies 110 with a predetermined distance therebetween.

Each of the battery cells C may be composed of a lithium ion battery cell, a lithium polymer battery cell, a nickel cadmium battery cell, a nickel hydride battery cell, a nickel zinc battery cell, or the like, which can be recharged and take charge or discharge voltage into consideration. In addition, the number of battery cells C included in the cell assembly 110 may be variously set according to the required output voltage or charge / discharge capacity. However, the present invention is not limited by the kind of the battery cell C, the output voltage, the charge / discharge capacity, and the like. Further, the present invention is not limited by the electrical connection method of the electric cell (C).

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cell assembly before an insulating material is filled, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the battery cells C stacked in the cell assembly are spaced apart by a predetermined distance d, and a space corresponding to the gap is formed between the battery cells C before the insulating material is filled.

When the spacing space is formed between the battery cells C, the intervals of the battery cells C are changed due to an external impact, so that the battery cells C can be adjacent to each other. There is a risk that a short circuit may occur due to the contact of the battery cells C. As described later, the insulating material 130 is filled in the spacing space between the battery cells C, and the space in which the battery cell C can flow from the external impact is filled with the insulating material 130.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, the connection board 120 is coupled to one surface of a cell assembly 110 having a plurality of battery cells C stacked thereon. The connection board 120 is coupled to one surface of the cell assembly 110 where the electrode leads 111 are exposed. At this time, the connection board 20 may be coupled to one side of the cell assembly 110 in various manners.

The connection board 120 may be electrically connected to the electrode leads 111 of the battery cells C constituting the cell assembly 110. The connection board 120 is provided with a bus bar 121 of a conductive metal material and the bus bar 121 and the electrode leads 111 of the battery cell C are electrically connected to each other. That is, one surface of the bus bar 121 of the connection board 120 is electrically connected to one surface of the electrode lead 111. The electrode lead 111 is bent at 90 degrees and the bent surface is electrically coupled to one surface of the bus bar 121 in order to facilitate coupling with the one surface of the bus bar 121 . The electrode leads 111 and the bus bars 121 are brought into contact with each other through welding. The electrode lead 111 and the bus bar 121 can be coupled through various welding techniques such as ultrasonic welding, laser welding, and the like.

The electrical connection relationship of the battery cells C can be determined by the number of the bus bars 121, the form of contact with the electrode leads 111, and the like. For example, the bus bar 111 contacts the electrode leads having the same polarity to form a parallel connection of the battery cells C, or contacts the electrode leads having different polarities to connect the battery cells C in series Can be formed.

Alternatively, the connection board 120 may further include a sensor such as a voltage sensor, a temperature sensor, or the like. The voltage sensor may sense a voltage of each battery cell C constituting the cell assembly 110. In addition, the temperature sensor may be provided on the connection board 120 to sense the temperature of the cell assembly 110. Further, the connection pod 120 may further include a port through which a cable can be connected. According to one embodiment, information sensed by a voltage sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like may be transmitted to an external BMS (Battery Management System) through a cable connected to the port.

As described later, an insulating material 130 is filled between the bus bars 121 of the connection board 120. In addition, the exposed surface of the connection board 120 (that is, the surface on which the bus bar is exposed) is coated with the insulating material 130 to a predetermined thickness. The insulating material 130 may be formed of one or more mixed materials such as urethane, Teflon, silicon glass, epoxy, and the like.

The insulative material 130 is injected into the other surface of the connecting board 120 by using an injection apparatus to prepare an insulative material 130 between the battery cells C The bus bar 121 is filled with the insulating material 130 and the other surface of the bus bar 121 is coated with the insulating material 130 having a predetermined thickness.

5 is a view illustrating a battery module into which an insulating material is injected, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cell assembly filled with an insulating material according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 6, the insulating material 130 is filled between the battery cells C of the cell assembly 110 to fill the spaces between the battery cells C. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the spacing space formed between the battery cells C is eliminated, and the gap of the battery cells C is maintained constant even when an external impact is generated.

The insulating material 130 is filled between the bus bars 121 in the connection board 120 to keep the spacing of the bus bars 121 constant from external impacts.

The bus bar 121 of the connection board 120 is electrically connected to the insulating material 130 by applying the insulating material 130 to the other surface of the bus bar 121 of the connection board 120 . As the insulating material 130 is applied to the connection board 120, the battery module 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention does not require a separate connection board cover, and the cost of the connection board cover can be reduced do.

The battery module 100 according to the present invention may further include an inlet duct and an outlet duct in addition to the battery cell C and the connection board 120. The inlet duct The outlet duct may include a fan to facilitate the flow of the cooling fluid.

The battery pack according to the present invention may include at least one battery module 100 according to the present invention. In addition to the battery module 100, the battery pack according to the present invention may include a case for accommodating the battery module 100, various devices for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module 100, System), a current sensor, a fuse, and the like.

The battery module 100 according to the present invention can be applied to an automobile such as an electric car or a hybrid car. That is, the automobile according to the present invention may include the battery module 100 according to the present invention. The battery module 100 may supply electric power to the electric components of the automobile or provide driving force to the automobile.

While the specification contains many features, such features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or the scope of the claims. In addition, the features described in the individual embodiments herein may be combined and implemented in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the singular < Desc / Clms Page number 5 > embodiments herein may be implemented in various embodiments individually or in combination as appropriate.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the drawings.

100: Battery module
110: cell assembly
111: electrode lead
120: connection board
121: Bus bar
130: Insulation material
C: Battery cell

Claims (6)

A plurality of battery cells; And
And a connection board coupled to the cell assembly composed of the plurality of battery cells and electrically connected to the electrode leads of the battery cells,
And an insulating material is filled between the battery cells. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the connection board is formed with a plurality of bus bars electrically coupled to the electrode leads of the battery cells, and the insulating material is filled between the bus bars. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the insulating material is applied to an exposed surface of the bus bar. 3. The method of claim 2,
And the electrode lead of the battery cell and the bus bar are welded to each other. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A vehicle comprising a battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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