KR20190004610A - Battery Comprising Cooling Member - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery including a cooling member. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery comprises: an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separation membrane interposed between the positive and negative electrodes; an electrode terminal extending from at least one surface of the electrode assembly; a battery case having a receiving part in which the electrode assembly is received, and formed with sealing parts sealed at an outer periphery of the receiving part; and one or more cooling members inserted into a space between the receiving part and each of the sealing parts adjacent to the sealing part where the electrode terminal is located among the sealing parts. According to embodiments of the present invention, the battery includes cooling members having at least one portion thereof covered with sealing parts and inserted at a position adjacent to a receiving part of a battery, thereby stably cooling heat generated from the battery, and minimizing a volume change of the battery.

Description

A battery including a cooling member {Battery Comprising Cooling Member}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery comprising a cooling member.

As technology development and demand for mobile devices increase, the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing.

The secondary battery may be used in the form of a single battery cell or in the form of a battery module in which a plurality of unit cells are electrically connected to each other depending on the type of an external device used.

For example, while a small device such as a cellular phone can operate for a predetermined time with the output and capacity of one battery cell, it is possible to use a portable computer such as a notebook computer, a portable DVD, a small personal computer (PC), an electric vehicle, BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Medium or large devices such as automobiles require the use of battery modules that include multiple battery cells due to their output and capacity issues.

Since the middle- or large-sized battery module is preferably manufactured in a small size and weight, a prismatic battery, a pouch-shaped battery, or the like, which can be charged with a high degree of integration and has a small weight to capacity, is mainly used as a battery cell have.

In particular, a pouch-shaped battery using an aluminum laminate sheet or the like as an exterior member has recently attracted a lot of attention due to its advantages such as small weight, low manufacturing cost, and easy shape deformation.

Since the battery cells constituting such a middle- or large-sized battery module are constituted by a rechargeable secondary battery, such a high-output large-capacity secondary battery generates a large amount of heat in the charging and discharging process.

If the heat of the battery module generated during the charging and discharging process can not be effectively removed, heat accumulation may occur, thereby accelerating the deterioration of the battery module and possibly causing ignition or explosion. Therefore, a cooling system for cooling the battery cells built in the high-power, large-capacity battery pack is required. The battery module mounted on the middle- or large-sized battery pack is generally manufactured by stacking a plurality of battery cells at a high density, and adjacent battery cells are stacked at a predetermined interval so as to remove heat generated during charging and discharging.

For example, the battery cells themselves may be sequentially stacked while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined space, or in the case of a battery cell having low mechanical rigidity, one or a combination of two or more batteries may be built in a cartridge or the like. The battery module can be configured.

The stacked battery cells or the battery modules are structured such that a flow path of the coolant is formed between the battery cells or the battery modules so as to effectively remove accumulated heat. However, this structure has a problem that the total size of the battery module is increased because a plurality of refrigerant flow paths must be secured corresponding to a plurality of battery cells.

In addition, as the number of battery cells is increased, a number of parts are added in relation to the cooling structure, thereby increasing the volume of the battery module, complicating the manufacturing process, and increasing manufacturing costs.

Therefore, there is a high need for a battery module that can be manufactured in a simple and compact structure while providing high power, large capacity power, and has excellent life characteristics and safety due to high cooling efficiency.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0062603 (May 26, 2014)

Embodiments of the present invention provide a battery including a cooling member for stably cooling the heat generated in the battery.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a structure capable of stably cooling the heat generated in a battery module having a structure in which two or more batteries are laminated.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electrode assembly including: an anode, a cathode, and a separator interposed between the anode and the cathode; An electrode terminal extending from at least one surface of the electrode assembly; A battery case having a storage portion for storing the electrode assembly therein and having sealing portions sealed to an outer periphery of the storage portion; And at least one cooling member inserted at least partially in the sealing parts at a position adjacent to the receiving part.

Also, the battery case may be made of an aluminum pouch.

Further, the sealing portions may be of a structure that is sealed to heat fusion.

The sealing portions may be partially in close contact with the outer surface of the receiving portion in a state where the cooling member is bent while being bent in the direction of the receiving portion.

The sealing portions may include at least one bent portion in which a part of the sealing portions is bent so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the receiving portion, and an outer peripheral end of the sealing portions may be formed in the receiving portion A bending surplus space can be formed in a contact or non-contact structure.

The bending excess space may have a shape corresponding to one outer surface of the cooling member and may have at least one shape selected from a square, a triangle, a circle, and an ellipse based on a vertical cross section.

The cooling member may be a radiating fin structure having a structure in which the sealing portions surround the outer surface of the cooling member with respect to a vertical cross section, and inserted into the sealing portions where the electrode terminal is not positioned.

In addition, the cooling member may include coupling protrusions for coupling with the cooling module at one or both ends thereof.

In addition, the cooling member may include a coupling bar for coupling with the cooling module at one or both ends thereof.

The cooling member may have a pipe structure in which a flow path is formed from one end to the other end.

In addition, the cooling member may be a structure in which the metal plate is bent and the end portions of the metal plate are joined to form a flow path.

The flow path may have one or more shapes selected from a square, a triangle, a circle, and an ellipse based on a vertical cross section.

The cooling member may be bent to be positioned adjacent to at least two sides of the storage unit when the shape of the storage unit is a rectangular shape in a plan view.

Further, the cooling member may be a structure that is bent to be positioned adjacent to three sides of the receiving portion.

In addition, the cooling member may include a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port for supplying and discharging the coolant to the flow passage, and the coolant inlet port and the coolant outlet port may be formed in parallel on one side of the battery.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a battery module in which at least two batteries according to any one of claims 1 to 12 are stacked, wherein the cooling members are connected to a cooling module located at one or both ends of the battery Can be provided.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to stably cool the heat generated in the battery by including the cooling member at least partly enclosed in the sealing portions at a position adjacent to the storage portion of the battery, Can be minimized.

In addition, according to the embodiments of the present invention, in the battery module in which two or more batteries are laminated, at least a part of the cooling member is inserted into the sealing portions at a position adjacent to the storage portion of each battery. It is possible to reduce the number of parts and reduce the overall thickness increase of the battery module.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure in which a sealing portion is folded in a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure in which a cooling member is inserted into a sealing portion in the battery of FIG. 1
3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure in which a sealing portion is folded in a battery according to another embodiment of the present invention
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure in which a cooling member is inserted into a sealing portion in the battery of FIG. 3
5 is a schematic view schematically showing various shapes of a cooling member according to an embodiment of the present invention
6 is a schematic view showing a structure in which a cooling member is inserted into a sealing portion in a battery according to another embodiment of the present invention
7 is a schematic view showing a structure in which a cooling member and a cooling module are mounted in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description is provided to provide a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein. However, this is merely an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to the intention or custom of the user, the operator, and the like. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification. The terms used in the detailed description are intended only to describe embodiments of the invention and should in no way be limiting. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms of the expressions include plural forms of meanings. In this description, the expressions "comprising" or "comprising" are intended to indicate certain features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or combinations thereof, Should not be construed to preclude the presence or possibility of other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, portions or combinations thereof.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in which a sealing portion is folded in a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure in which a cooling member is inserted into a sealing portion in the battery of FIG. Are schematically shown.

Referring to these drawings, a battery 110 according to the present invention includes an electrode assembly (not shown) including a cathode, a cathode, and a separator interposed between the anode and the cathode, And the sealing parts 141 and 142 may be formed on the outer periphery of the housing part 130 by heat fusion.

At this time, the sealing parts 141 and 142 are formed on both sides of the battery 110 adjacent to the positions where the electrode terminals 151 and 152 are positioned, and the sealing parts 141 and 142 are formed on the side of the battery case 120 (130) in a state in which it is partially brought into close contact with the outer surface of the storage part (130).

Specifically, the sealing portions 141 and 142 may include at least one bent portion 143 and 144 bent at right angles with a portion of the sealing portions 141 and 142 so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the receiving portion 130, Bending surplus spaces 145 and 146 may be formed in a structure in which the cooling members 161 and 162 are inserted into the outer circumferential end of the housing 130 in contact or noncontact with the housing 130.

That is, the cooling members 161 and 162 may be inserted into the bending surplus spaces 145 and 146, respectively, corresponding to the spaces between the sealing portions 141 and 142 and the receiving portion 130.

The bending surplus spaces 145 and 146 may have a shape corresponding to one outer surface of the cooling members 161 and 162 and may have one or more shapes selected from a rectangular shape, a triangle shape, a circular shape, and an ellipse shape, , A partly enclosing structure, or a completely enclosing structure, and may be formed in various shapes depending on the manufacturing process or a specific shape.

On the other hand, the cooling members 161 and 162 are inserted into a position adjacent to the storage part 130 where the electrode terminals 151 and 152 of the battery 110 are located, that is, the side surface of the storage part 130 The sealing portions 141 and 142 may be formed in a structure that surrounds the outer surfaces of the cooling members 161 and 162 so that the heat generated from the battery 110 can be stably Lt; / RTI >

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a structure in which a sealing part is bent in a battery according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows a structure in which a cooling member is inserted into a sealing part of the battery of FIG. A cross-sectional view is schematically shown.

Referring to these drawings, the battery 210 according to another embodiment of the present invention is formed such that the sealing portions 241 and 242 are formed on both sides of a portion of the battery 210 adjacent to the electrode terminals 251 and 252 And the sealing portions 241 and 242 are partially in close contact with the outer surface of the storage portion 230 while being bent toward the storage portion 230 of the battery case 220. [

At this time, the cooling members 261 and 262 may have a pipe structure in which a flow path is formed from one end to the other end, and the shape of the flow path may be a rectangle, a triangle, a circle and an ellipse And the outer shape of the cooling members 261 and 262 may be the same as the flow path with respect to the vertical cross section, but the shape is not limited thereto.

The cooling members 261 and 262 can be inserted into the space between the sealing portions 241 and 242 and the receiving portion 230 and can be inserted into the space between the sealing portions 241 and 242 The outer circumferential ends of the sealing portions 241 and 242 may include at least one bent portion 243 and 244 bent into a curved surface and the outer circumferential ends of the sealing portions 241 and 242 may be formed in the receiving portion 230 in a state where the cooling members 261 and 262 are inserted. Or in a non-contact manner.

For example, when the outer shape of the cooling members 261 and 262 is elliptical, the sealing portions 241 and 242 may be bent according to the shapes of the cooling members 261 and 262. For example, 241, and 242 may be formed along the outer surfaces of the cooling members 261 and 262 to be elliptical with respect to the vertical cross section.

The above structure may be a structure in which the flow paths of the cooling members 261 and 262 are opened and the refrigerant is introduced into one side and the refrigerant is discharged to the other side. For example, the metal plate may be bent according to a desired shape, and the end portions of the metal plate may be joined by welding or the like so that a pipe structure having a flow path formed therein can be manufactured.

The structure illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is formed in a structure in which the cooling members 261 and 262 are enclosed by the sealing portions 241 and 242, as in the structures of FIGS. 1 and 2. Therefore, And can be stably cooled.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view schematically showing various shapes of a cooling member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 (a), the cooling member 260 may have a cooling fin structure having a circular shape with respect to a vertical cross section. 5 (b), the cooling member 260 may have a cooling fin structure having a rectangular shape with respect to the vertical cross section. As illustrated in FIG. 5 (c), the cooling member 260 And may include coupling protrusions 271 and 272 at both ends of the cooling member 260 as illustrated in Figure 5 (d) .

5 (e), the cooling member 260 may have a cooling fin structure having a rectangular shape with respect to the vertical cross section, and may have a relatively large size And may include a coupling bar 281 of FIG. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5 (f), the cooling members 260 may include coupling bars 281 and 282 at both ends of the cooling member 260, which are relatively larger in size than the cross section of the cooling member 260.

6 is a schematic view showing a structure in which a cooling member is inserted into a sealing portion in a battery according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The cooling member 360 may have a structure in which the cooling member 360 is bent so as to be positioned adjacent to at least two sides of the storage portion 330 when the shape of the storage portion 330 is a rectangular shape in a plan view, The battery 310 may be positioned adjacent to three sides including the portion of the storage portion 330 where the electrode terminals 351 and 352 of the battery 310 are located.

The above structure is a structure in which the cooling member 360 is inserted between the housing part 330 and the sealing parts 341 and 342. The cooling member 360 is provided on the housing part 330 where the electrode terminals 351 and 352 are located, And the cooling member 360 may include a coolant inlet port 363 and a coolant outlet port 364 for supplying and discharging the coolant to and from the flow path.

At this time, the coolant inlet port 363 and the coolant outlet port 364 may be formed side by side on one side of the battery 310 according to the shape of the cooling member 360, They can be formed side by side in the opposite direction.

Conversely, the cooling member 360 has a structure in which the cooling member 360 is inserted between the housing part 330 and the sealing parts 341 and 342, and is in contact with the part of the housing part 330 opposed to the area where the electrode terminals 351 and 352 are located A coolant inlet port 363 and a coolant outlet port 364 may be formed in a direction in which the electrode terminals 351 and 352 protrude.

Such a structure is formed in a structure in which the cooling member 360 is positioned adjacent to the three sides of the storage part 330, so that the heat generated in the battery 310 can be effectively cooled.

6, the electrode terminals 351 and 352 are illustrated as being formed side by side on one side. However, the electrode terminals 351 and 352 may be formed in various structures depending on the shape and shape of the applied battery, 352 may be formed, so that the structure is not limited to the structure described above. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention can be applied to a structure in which the housing part 330 is formed on both sides with respect to the electrode terminals 351 and 352.

7 is a schematic view showing a structure in which a cooling member and a cooling module are mounted in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the battery module 400 includes a plurality of cells 411, 412, and 413 stacked thereon, and sealing portions 441 and 442 of the cells 411, 412, and 413, A plurality of cooling members 461, 462, and 463 are inserted between the first and second cooling members 430 and 430, respectively.

At this time, the ends of the cooling members 461, 462, and 463 may be connected to one end of the cooling module 470 located at one end of the cells 411, 412, and 413, The cooling module 470 may be configured in the form of, for example, a cooling plate, and a fan for cooling may be mounted on the other side. The cooling members 461, 462, and 463 may include a pipe The structure may be formed in a tank structure for allowing refrigerant to flow through the flow path, but the structure is not limited to this structure.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, . Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but should be determined by equivalents to the appended claims, as well as the appended claims.

110, 210, 310, 411, 412, 413:
120, 220: Battery case
130, 230, 330, 430:
141, 142, 241, 242, 341, 342, 441, 442:
143, 144, 243, 244:
145, 146: Bending surplus space
151, 152, 251, 252, 351, 352:
161, 162, 261, 262, 360, 461, 462, 463:
271. 272:
281, 282: coupling bar
400: Battery module
470: Cooling module

Claims (16)

An electrode assembly including an anode, a cathode, and a separator interposed between the anode and the cathode;
An electrode terminal extending from at least one surface of the electrode assembly;
A battery case having a storage portion for storing the electrode assembly therein and having sealing portions sealed to an outer periphery of the storage portion; And
At least one cooling member inserted at least partially in the sealing portions at a position adjacent to the receiving portion;
≪ / RTI >
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the battery case is made of an aluminum pouch.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sealing portions are sealed by heat fusion.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sealing portions are partially in close contact with the outer surface of the receiving portion in a state where the cooling member is bent in a state bent toward the receiving portion.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the sealing portions include at least one bent portion in which a part of the sealing portions is bent so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the receiving portion, and the outer peripheral end of the sealing portions is in contact with the receiving portion Wherein a bending surplus space is formed in a noncontact structure.
The method of claim 5,
Wherein the bending surplus space has a shape corresponding to one outer surface of the cooling member and has at least one shape selected from a quadrangle, a triangle, a circle, and an ellipse based on a vertical cross section.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cooling member has a structure in which the sealing portions surround the outer surface of the cooling member with respect to a vertical cross section, and is inserted into the sealing portions where the electrode terminal is not positioned.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein the cooling member includes an engaging projection for engaging with the cooling module at one or both ends thereof.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein the cooling member comprises a bar for engagement with the cooling module at one or both ends.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein the cooling member has a pipe structure in which a flow path is formed from one end to the other end.
The method of claim 10,
Wherein the cooling member is a structure in which a channel is formed by bending a metal plate member and joining ends of the metal plate member.
The method of claim 11,
Wherein said flow path has at least one shape selected from a rectangular, triangular, circular, and elliptical shape with respect to a vertical cross section.
The method of claim 11,
Wherein the cooling member is bent so as to be positioned adjacent to at least two sides of the receiving portion when the shape of the receiving portion is a rectangular shape in plan view.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the cooling member is bent to be positioned adjacent to three sides of the receiving portion.
15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the cooling member includes a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port for supplying and discharging a coolant to and from the flow passage, wherein the coolant inlet port and the coolant outlet port are formed side by side on one side of the battery.
The battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein at least two or more of the cells are stacked, wherein the cooling members are combined with a cooling module located at one or both ends of the cell.

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