KR20180061795A - PCM Assembly Comprising External Input-Output Terminal with Assembly-Type Fastening Structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protection circuit assembly for a battery cell having at least one safety element for preventing overvoltage and overcurrent. Provided is the protection circuit assembly comprising a protection circuit module (PCM) including a protection circuit board (PCB) on which a protection unit is formed; and an external input/output terminal having one end electrically connected to the PCM and the other end electrically connected to an external device. Each of the external input/output terminal and the PCM includes an assembly-type fastening part for establishing electrical connection between the external input/output terminal and the PCM.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a PCM assembly including an external input / output terminal having a prefabricated fastening structure,

The present invention relates to a PCM assembly including an external input / output terminal having a prefabricated fastening structure.

In recent years, the demand for environmentally friendly alternative energy sources has become an indispensable factor for the future, as the increase in the price of energy sources due to depletion of fossil fuels and the interest in environmental pollution are amplified. Various researches on power generation technologies such as nuclear power, solar power, wind power, and tidal power have been continuing, and electric power storage devices for more efficient use of such generated energy have also been attracting much attention.

Particularly, as technology development and demand for mobile devices increase, the demand for batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing. Recently, the use of secondary batteries as a power source for electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) In addition, the use area has been expanded for use as a power auxiliary power source through a grid, and accordingly, a lot of researches on a battery that can meet various demands have been conducted.

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

In particular, pouch-type batteries are attracting much attention due to their advantages such as small weight, low manufacturing cost and easy shape deformation because aluminum laminate sheets are used as exterior members.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an exploded perspective view showing a general structure of a typical conventional pouch type secondary battery.

1, a pouch type secondary battery 10 includes a stacked electrode assembly 20 having a plurality of electrode tabs 21 and 22 protruding therefrom, two stacked electrode assemblies 20 and 22 connected to the electrode tabs 21 and 22, And a battery case 40 having a structure in which the stacked electrode assembly 20 is received and sealed such that a part of the electrode leads 30 and 31 and a part of the electrode leads 30 and 31 are exposed to the outside.

The battery case 40 includes a lower case 42 including a concave shaped storage portion 41 on which the stacked electrode assembly 20 can be placed and a stacked electrode assembly 20 And an upper case 43 for sealing the upper case 43. The upper case 43 and the lower case 42 are thermally fused with the stacked electrode assembly 20 built therein to form a sealing part (not shown) along the outer surface of the battery case.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a battery cell including an external input / output terminal and a PCM according to the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional pouch type secondary battery 10 includes a protection circuit module 15 for a battery cell having at least one safety element (not shown) for preventing overvoltage and overcurrent, And an external input / output terminal (17) for supply.

At this time, the welding method between the connectors for electrically connecting and securing the protection circuit module mounted on the pouch type secondary battery and the external input / output terminal was mainly used. As a result, the processing cost for welding and the number of professional welding workers were required, but the welding work was cumbersome and time-consuming.

In order to solve such a problem, the prior art has developed an integral part in which the external input / output terminal and the protection circuit module are combined. However, it has been frequently required to change the position and shape of the external input / output terminal of the battery pack in accordance with the external shape of the electronic device to which the battery pack is applied, and problems such as time and manufacturing cost increase due to such design changes Respectively.

Accordingly, there is a high need for technology development that can effectively solve the problems of the prior art described above.

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. As described later, each of the external input / output terminal and the PCM of the present invention has a mutual assembly type fastening part for establishing electrical connection between the external input / output terminal and the PCM It is possible to shorten the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost effectively by omitting the cumbersome welding operation and to achieve the fastening between the external input / output terminal and the PCM by only a simple operation, thereby completing the present invention .

In order to achieve the above object, a PCM assembly according to the present invention includes:

A protection circuit module assembly for a battery cell having at least one safety element for preventing overvoltage and overcurrent,

A protection circuit module (PCM) including a protection circuit board (PCB) on which a protection circuit is formed; And

An external input / output terminal having one end electrically connected to the PCM and the other end electrically connected to the external device;

And,

The external input / output terminal and the PCM each include an interlocking coupling unit for establishing an electrical connection between the external input / output terminal and the PCM.

Therefore, the PCM assembly according to the present invention includes the external input / output terminals and the PCMs of the present invention each include a joint assembly-type fastening unit for establishing electrical connection between the external input / output terminal and the PCM, The external input / output terminal and the PCM can be assembled in a prefabricated manner, thereby effectively shortening the manufacturing time and manufacturing cost.

In one specific example, the battery cell has a structure in which an electrode assembly having a cathode, a cathode, and a separator interposed between the anode and the cathode is sealed in a pouch-shaped battery case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer .

Specifically, the pouch-shaped battery case has a laminate sheet including an outer resin layer made of a polymer resin having weather resistance, a metal layer having gas and liquid barrier properties, and an inner resin layer made of a polymer resin having heat- And the battery cells may have a plate-like shape having a generally rectangular parallelepiped structure having a small thickness as a whole.

In one specific example, the PCM may be mounted on a sealing portion for sealing a battery cell in a state of being electrically connected to a negative terminal and a positive terminal of the battery cell. The negative terminal and the negative terminal of the battery cell may be located in the sealing portion.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal may be a plate-like structure, and more specifically, it may be a plate-like structure in the form of a strip extending in a long direction on either side.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal may have a flexible printed circuit board structure having a connecting portion formed at the other end for electrically connecting to an external device.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal and the PCM include a first fastening portion and a second fastening portion for fastening each other.

Specifically, at least one first fastening portion is formed on one side of the PCM;

A second fastening portion having a structure for a prefabricated engagement with the first fastening portion may be formed on an outer surface of one end of the external input / output terminal so as to exert a coupling force when the first fastening portion is mutually engaged.

The first fastening part and the second fastening part may be formed of a male and female fastening structure that can be assembled and assembled with each other. Such a male and female fastening structure is advantageous in that it is excellent in fixing ability in a prefabricated manner.

In one specific example, the first fastening portion may be formed at a position deflected toward one end or the other end with respect to a central portion of one surface of the PCM.

In another specific example, the first fastening portion may be formed at a central portion of one surface of the PCM.

In other words, the above-described structure of the PCM may be, for example, a position deflected to the left or right on the basis of the center of one side of the PCM, Embodiments are possible.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal may include a plate-shaped body and a connection end protruding outwardly from the body, and may be L-shaped in plan view.

In another specific example, the external input / output terminal may be a structure including a plate-like main body and a curved connecting end extending outwardly from the main body.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal may have a structure in which one end is folded over at least once. In order to secure a separation distance from the PCM, the folded-over structure can form external input / output terminals at various positions.

Specifically, the second fastening portion may be formed on an outer surface of one end portion of the external input / output terminal having the overlapping bending structure.

In other words, the external input / output terminal according to the present invention includes, for example, an embodiment formed only of a play type body, an embodiment of a structure having a 'L' shape in a plane, and a curved connection end protruding outwardly from the body Or the like. Also, the external input / output terminals according to the present invention can be assembled together with any one of the PCMs described above. Thus, a total of nine embodiments are possible.

Therefore, the PCM assembly according to the present invention is capable of fastening and coupling the external input / output terminal and the PCM in a prefabricated fastening manner. According to the external shape of the electronic device to which the battery pack is applied, the position and shape of the external input / It is possible to implement various types of PCM assemblies without needing to perform such a design change. Therefore, it is possible to solve problems such as time increase and manufacturing cost increase due to such design changes.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal may be coupled to the PCM in an interdependent manner so that the other end of the external input / output terminal is located opposite the PCM.

In one specific example, the external input / output terminal may be coupled to the PCM in an interlocking manner such that the other end portion formed with the connecting portion protrudes outward in a direction perpendicular to the opposite direction of the PCM.

In one specific example, the module case may further include an electrically insulative module case surrounding the PCM in a state of being connected to the external input / output terminal.

In one specific example, the electrode assembly may be a separator structure sandwiched between a cathode, a cathode, and the anode and the cathode.

The anode may be prepared, for example, by coating a mixture of a cathode active material, a conductive material and a binder on a cathode current collector, followed by drying. If necessary, a filler may be further added to the mixture.

The cathode active material is a material capable of causing an electrochemical reaction. Examples of the lithium transition metal oxide include lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO ₂ ) containing two or more transition metals and substituted with one or more transition metals, lithium Layered compounds such as nickel oxide (LiNiO ₂ ); Lithium manganese oxide substituted with one or more transition metals; Formula _{LiNi 1-y M y O 2} ( where, M = Co, Mn, Al , Cu, Fe, Mg, B, Cr, Zn or Ga and Lim, 0.01≤y≤0.7 include one or more elements of the element) A lithium nickel-based oxide represented by the following formula: _{Li 1 + z Ni 1/3 Co 1/3} Mn 1/3 O 2, Li 1 + z Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 , such as _{Li 1 + z Ni b Mn c} Co 1- (b + c + d _{) M d O (2-e} ) A e ( where, -0.5≤z≤0.5, 0.1≤b≤0.8, 0.1≤c≤0.8, 0≤d≤0.2 , 0≤e≤0.2, b + c + d <1, M = Al, Mg, Cr, Ti, Si or Y, and A = F, P or Cl; lithium nickel cobalt manganese composite oxide; And the formula _{Li 1 + x M 1-y} M 'y PO 4-z X z ( wherein, M = a transition metal, preferably Fe, Mn, Co or Ni, M' = Al, Mg or Ti, X = F, S or N, and -0.5? X? +0.5, 0? Y? 0.5, and 0? Z? 0.1), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The conductive material is usually added in an amount of 1 to 20 wt% 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 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.

Further, the negative electrode is prepared, for example, by coating a negative electrode current collector with a mixture of a negative electrode active material, a conductive material and a binder, and drying the mixture. Optionally, a filler may be further added to the mixture. The negative electrode active material may be at least one selected from the group consisting of graphite carbon, coke carbon, and hard carbon.

The present invention can also provide a battery pack including at least one or more PCM assemblies and battery cells, respectively.

Since the configurations of the battery cells described above are well known in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, in the PCM assembly according to the present invention, when the external input / output terminal and the PCM of the present invention each include a joint assembly-type fastening unit for establishing electrical connection between the external input / output terminal and the PCM, And the external input / output terminal and the PCM can be assembled by a simple operation, thereby effectively shortening the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a general structure of a typical pouch type secondary battery of the related art;
2 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a battery cell including an external input / output terminal and a PCM according to the related art;
3 is a schematic perspective view showing a PCM assembly and a battery cell according to one embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a schematic exploded perspective view and a partial enlarged view of a PCM assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a schematic perspective view showing a PCM according to one embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a schematic perspective view showing a PCM according to another embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a schematic perspective view showing a PCM according to another embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external input / output terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external input / output terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;
10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external input / output terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;
11 is a schematic perspective view showing a structure in which a PCM and an external input / output terminal are fastened according to an embodiment of the present invention;
12 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a structure in which a PCM and an external input / output terminal are fastened according to another embodiment of the present invention;
13 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

3 is a schematic perspective view showing a PCM assembly and a battery cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a PCM assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, Respectively.

3 and 4, a PCM assembly 100 for a battery cell having at least one safety element for preventing overvoltage and overcurrent according to the present invention includes a protection circuit board (PCB) 121 on which a protection circuit is formed, And an external input / output terminal 110, one end of which is electrically connected to the PCM 120 and the other end of which is electrically connected to the external device.

Each of the external input / output terminal 110 and the PCM 120 includes coupling parts 122 and 114 for establishing electrical connection between the external input / output terminal 110 and the PCM 120.

The battery cell 200 includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrode assembly (not shown) having a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The electrode assembly includes a pouch-shaped battery case 210 ).

In addition, the battery cell 200 is a plate-like type having a rectangular parallelepiped structure as a whole, which is thinner in width and thickness.

At this time, the PCM 120 is mounted on the sealing portion for sealing the battery cell 200 in a state of being electrically connected to the negative terminal and the positive terminal of the battery cell 200.

Further, the external input / output terminal 110 is a strip-like plate-like structure that is elongated in one plane and has a flat shape.

Also, the external input / output terminal 110 has a flexible printed circuit board structure in which a connecting portion 120 is formed at the other end for electrically connecting to an external device.

The external input / output terminal 110 and the PCM 120 include a first fastening part 122 and a second fastening part 114 for fastening each other.

Specifically, at least one first fastening part 122 is formed on one side surface of the PCM 120, and a first fastening part 122 is formed on an outer surface of one end of the external input / A second fastening portion 114 having a structure for a prefabricated engagement with the first fastening portion 122 is formed so as to exhibit a fastening force. The first fastening part 122 and the second fastening part 114 are formed of a male and female fastening structures 123 that can be assembled with each other.

5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a PCM according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the PCM 120A has a structure in which the first fastening part 122 is formed at a position deflected toward one end of the PCM 120A with respect to a central part of one side of the PCM 120A.

6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a PCM according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the PCM 120B has a first fastening portion 122 formed at a central portion of one side of the PCM 120B.

7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a PCM according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the PCM 120C has a structure in which the first fastening part 122 is formed at a position deflected toward the other end with reference to the central part of one surface of the PCM 120C.

8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external input / output terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8, the external input / output terminal 110A includes a plate-shaped main body and a connection end portion 113 protruding outward from the main body, and is L-shaped in plan view.

9 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external input / output terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the external input / output terminal 110B includes a plate-like body.

10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external input / output terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10, the external input / output terminal 110C of another embodiment includes a plate-like main body and a curved connecting end portion 113 protruding outward from the main body.

In addition, the external input / output terminals 110B and 110C of FIGS. 9 and 10 have structures 116 and 117 that are overlaid on one end at least once. The superimposed folded structures 116 and 117 may form the external input / output terminals 110B and 110C at various positions in order to secure a distance from the PCM 120. [

At this time, the second fastening part 114 is formed on the outer surfaces 114 and 115 at one side end of the external input / output terminals 110B and 110C having the superimposed bending structures 116 and 117.

Any one of the PCMs 120A, 120B, and 120C disclosed in FIGS. 5 to 7 and any of the external input / output terminals 110A, 110B, and 110C disclosed in FIGS. 8 to 10 may be combined and assembled . Thus, a total of nine embodiments are possible.

11 is a schematic perspective view showing a structure in which a PCM and an external input / output terminal are fastened according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11, the PCM 120B shown in FIG. 6 has a configuration in which the other end of the external input / output terminal 110B shown in FIG. 9 where the connecting portion 112 is formed is connected to the PCM 120B so as to be opposed to the external input / output terminal 110B.

12 is a schematic perspective view showing a structure in which a PCM and an external input / output terminal are fastened according to another embodiment of the present invention.

12, the PCM 120A shown in FIG. 5 has a structure in which the external input / output terminal 110A of FIG. 8 has the other end where the connecting portion 112 is formed is connected to the PCM 120A in the direction N Outwardly protruding from the PCM 120A.

13 is a schematic perspective view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 13, the present invention also discloses a battery pack 500 including a PCM assembly 100 and a battery cell 200, respectively.

As described above, in the PCM assembly according to the present invention, when the external input / output terminal and the PCM of the present invention each include a coupling assembly type coupling unit for establishing electrical connection between the external input / output terminal and the PCM, the troublesome welding operation is omitted And the external input / output terminal and the PCM can be assembled by a simple operation, thereby effectively shortening the manufacturing time and the manufacturing cost.

Claims (17)

A protection circuit module assembly for a battery cell having at least one safety element for preventing overvoltage and overcurrent,
A protection circuit module (PCM) including a protection circuit board (PCB) on which a protection circuit is formed; And
An external input / output terminal having one end electrically connected to the PCM and the other end electrically connected to the external device;
And,
Wherein each of the external input / output terminal and the PCM includes an interlocking type fastening portion for establishing an electrical connection between the external input / output terminal and the PCM. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell has a structure in which an electrode assembly having an anode, a cathode, and a separator interposed between the anode and the cathode is sealed in a battery case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer PCM assembly. The PCM assembly according to claim 2, wherein the PCM is mounted on a sealing portion for sealing the battery cell while being electrically connected to a negative terminal and a positive terminal of the battery cell. The PCM assembly according to claim 1, wherein the external input / output terminal is a plate-like structure. The PCM assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external input / output terminal has a flexible printed circuit board structure having a connecting portion formed at the other end for electrically connecting to an external device. The method according to claim 1,
At least one first fastening portion is formed on one side of the PCM;
And a second fastening portion having a structure for a prefabricated engagement with the first fastening portion is formed on an outer surface of one end of the external input / output terminal so as to exert a coupling force when the first fastening portion is mutually engaged. . The PCM assembly of claim 6, wherein the first and second fastening portions are formed in a male and female fastening structure that can be assembled with each other. The PCM assembly according to claim 6, wherein the first fastening portion is formed at a position deflected toward one end or the other end with respect to a central portion of one surface of the PCM. 7. The PCM assembly of claim 6, wherein the first fastening portion is formed at a central portion of one side of the PCM. The PCM assembly according to claim 1, wherein the external input / output terminal includes a plate-like body and a connection end protruding outwardly from the body, and is L-shaped in plan view. 11. The PCM assembly of claim 10, wherein the external input / output terminal comprises a plate-like body and a curved connecting end extending outwardly from the body. The PCM assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the external input / output terminal has a structure that is folded over at least once at one end. 13. The PCM assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second fastening portion is formed on an outer surface of one end of the external input / output terminal having the overlap bending structure. The PCM assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the external input / output terminal is coupled to the PCM in an assembled manner so that the other end of the external input / output terminal is located opposite the PCM. The PCM assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the external input / output terminals are coupled to the PCM in an interlocking manner such that the other end of the external input / output terminal is protruded outward in a direction perpendicular to the opposite direction of the PCM. The PCM assembly according to claim 1, further comprising an electrically insulative module case surrounding the PCM in a state of being connected to the external input / output terminal. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the battery pack includes at least one or more battery cells.

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