KR20200055336A - Battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, provided is a battery pack which can reduce assembly man-hours. The battery pack comprises: a pack housing having an upper housing and a lower housing; an inner module stored in the pack housing and including a cell assembly; a sealing member interposed between the upper housing and the lower housing and disposed in an outer circumference of the inner module; and at least one fixing member fixing the upper housing and the lower housing and disposed outside the sealing member.

Description

Battery pack {BATTERY PACK}

The present invention relates to a battery pack that can be used as an energy source, such as automobiles, power storage devices.

In recent years, as the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and portable telephones has rapidly increased, and electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites have been developed in earnest, it has become possible for high-performance secondary batteries that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. Korean studies are being actively conducted.

Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries. Among these, lithium secondary batteries are free of charge and discharge because they have little memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, The self-discharge rate is very low, and it is spotlighted for its high energy density.

The lithium secondary battery mainly uses a lithium-based oxide and a carbon material as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode 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 a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, are disposed with a separator interposed therebetween, and an exterior material for sealingly storing the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte, that is, a battery case.

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

Recently, secondary batteries are widely used not only in small devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in medium and large devices such as automobiles and power storage devices. In particular, as carbon energy is gradually depleted and interest in the environment increases, attention is focused on hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles worldwide.

One of the most important parts in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle is a battery pack that provides driving force with a vehicle motor.

Since hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles can obtain the driving power of the vehicle through charging and discharging of the battery pack, they have many advantages in many aspects, such as superior fuel efficiency and no emission or reduction of pollutants compared to vehicles using only engines. It is gradually increasing.

The battery pack of a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle usually includes a plurality of secondary cells, and the plurality of secondary cells are connected in series and parallel to each other to improve capacity and output.

A general battery pack including a vehicle battery pack includes an inner module including a cell assembly in which a plurality of secondary cells are stacked, and a pack housing for storing the inner module in an inner space.

The pack housing usually includes an upper housing and a lower housing, and the upper housing and the lower housing are fixed using a plurality of bolts. At this time, the sealing performance of the pack housing is required for stability of an internal module such as a cell assembly. To this end, a sealing member is interposed between the upper housing and the lower housing.

Conventionally, a bolt hole for fastening a bolt is formed in the upper housing and the inner module, respectively, and the bolt penetrates the upper housing and is fastened to the inner module and the lower housing. Accordingly, an O-ring must be separately provided at the bottom of the bolt head to prevent foreign substances such as dust or moisture from flowing into the internal module through the bolt hole of the upper housing.

Therefore, in the past, when combining the upper housing and the lower housing, a plurality of O-rings as well as a sealing member were required, and as the number of parts increased, there was a problem in that parts management was not easy and an increase in labor was required.

Korea Patent Publication 10-2015-0140120

An embodiment of the present invention provides a battery pack capable of reducing the number of parts and the number of assembly steps when assembling the pack housing.

The object of the present invention is not limited to the above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned can be understood by the following description.

Battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pack housing having an upper housing and a lower housing; An inner module accommodated in the pack housing and including a cell assembly; A sealing member interposed between the upper housing and the lower housing and disposed around an outer circumference of the inner module; And fixing the upper housing and the lower housing, and at least one fixing member disposed outside the sealing member.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing member may be fastened between the upper and lower housings so as not to interfere with the internal module.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member may be arranged in a ring shape corresponding to the rim of the upper housing and the lower housing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member may be provided with a guide groove so that the fixing bolt is inserted close.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper housing is provided with a first bolt hole at the rim, the lower housing is provided with a second bolt hole at the rim, and the guide groove is the first bolt hole and the second bolt hole It can be positioned to correspond to.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove includes a first guide groove concavely formed in a semi-circular shape inside the sealing member, and the first guide groove may be provided at a side of the sealing member.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove includes a second guide groove concavely formed in an arc shape inside the sealing member, and the second guide groove may be provided at an edge of the sealing member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when a plurality of fixing bolts are fixedly coupled to the upper and lower housings through the bolt holes of the upper and lower housings, a sealing member is disposed inside each of the fixing bolts, so that the bolt holes There is no need for a separate O-ring. That is, even if foreign substances are introduced through the bolt holes, the sealing member located therein is sealed between the upper housing and the lower housing, so that no additional O-ring is required. Accordingly, when assembling the pack housing, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and include all effects that can be deduced from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description or claims of the present invention.

The following drawings attached to the present specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention described below. Therefore, the present invention is limited to only those described in these drawings and need not be interpreted.
1 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view showing a part of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing a fixing member of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a fixing member of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 and 7 are views showing comparative examples of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the essence of the present invention may be omitted, and the same reference numerals may be assigned to the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

Also, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, this means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. The terminology used herein is only for referring to a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the present invention, and is a concept understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains unless otherwise defined herein. Can be interpreted.

Figure 1 shows a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a battery pack 10 according to an embodiment includes a pack housing 100 and an internal module 130.

The pack housing 100 forms the exterior of the battery pack, and accommodates the internal module 130 therein. The pack housing 100 protects the internal module 130 from external shock or vibration. For example, the pack housing 100 may be formed of a metal material for securing rigidity and shielding electromagnetic noise therein. A non-conductive material such as epoxy may be coated on the outer surface of the pack housing 100 to protect the exterior and prevent corrosion.

The pack housing 100 includes an upper housing 110 opened in a downward direction and a lower housing 120 opened in an upward direction and correspondingly coupled to a lower side of the upper housing 110.

At least one of the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 has a space therein, and may be provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A first bolt hole 111 is formed at the rim of the upper housing 110, and a second bolt hole 121 is formed at the rim of the lower housing 120. Therefore, the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 are coupled to each other by a fixing bolt 140 that is fastened to the second bolt hole 121 through the first bolt hole 111, and the receiving space therein To form. In the accommodation space, an inner module 130 including other cell components including a cell assembly assembled as a single module may be accommodated.

The fixing bolt 140 includes a threaded portion 141 formed with a thread on at least a portion of the outer periphery, and a head portion 142 provided at one end of the threaded portion 141. The thread of the threaded portion 141 may be formed only on the lower circumferential edge of the threaded portion 141 that is screwed with the second bolt hole 121, but is not limited thereto. The head portion 142 is provided on the upper end of the screw portion 141, and has a diameter larger than the diameter of the first bolt hole 111 so as not to be inserted into the first bolt hole 111.

The screw portion 141 has a length set so that the lower end penetrates the first bolt hole 111 and is screwed to the second bolt hole 121. Therefore, the fixing bolt 140 has a screw portion 141 is screwed to the second bolt hole 121, the head portion 142 is engaged with the upper housing 110, the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 Can be concluded.

A curved portion 113 may be formed on the wall 110a of the upper housing 110 to be recessed inside the upper housing 110 around the first bolt hole 111. The curved portion 113 may be formed in an approximately semi-circular shape when viewed in a plane to partially enclose the fixing bolt 140 passing through the first bolt hole 111. The curved portion 113 can provide assembly convenience by guiding the fastening position of the fixing bolt 140 when the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 are combined.

A sealing member 150 is interposed between the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120. The sealing member 150 seals the interior when the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 are engaged, thereby preventing foreign substances and the like from entering the receiving space therein. The sealing member 150 may be formed of a material having elasticity, such as rubber or silicone material, but if the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 are combined, the inside of the pack housing 100 can be sealed. It need not be limited.

The sealing member 150 is disposed between the bottom edge of the upper housing 110 and the top edge of the lower housing 120, and the bottom edge of the upper housing 110 and the top edge of the lower housing 120 have a sealing member 150 ) May be formed so that the seating groove (not shown) is seated.

When the battery pack according to an embodiment is applied to a vehicle, a connector mounting hole 112 may be further formed in the upper housing 110. One end of the cable connector (not shown) for both communication and grounding may be mounted in the connector mounting hole 112. The cable connector for both communication and grounding may be connected to a communication line and a ground line outside the battery pack 10. The battery information may be transmitted to internal and external devices of the vehicle through a communication line, and the driver may visually check information such as the temperature of the battery and the state of charge and discharge through the display device.

The internal module 130 includes a cell assembly. The cell assembly can be a collection of multiple secondary cells. For example, the cell assembly may be configured to include a plurality of battery cells. The battery cell may be a pouch type battery cell.

The pouch type battery cell includes an electrode assembly, an electrolyte solution, and a pouch exterior material. The electrode assembly is an assembly of electrodes and separators. In the electrode assembly, one or a plurality of anode plates and one or a plurality of cathode plates may be disposed with a separator interposed therebetween.

Each electrode plate of the electrode assembly is provided with an electrode tab. An electrode lead may be connected to each electrode tab. The electrode leads are interposed between the pouch exterior materials. One end of the electrode lead is exposed to the outside, and the other end may be located inside the pouch case. The portion exposed to the outside of the electrode lead may function as an electrode terminal of the battery cell.

The pouch exterior material has an interior space. The electrode assembly and the electrolyte may be accommodated in the interior space. The edge portion of the pouch exterior material is sealed. For example, the edge portion may be sealed by a heat-sealed method.

In addition, the internal module 130 may include electrical components. The electrical components may include a battery management unit (BMS) that controls the operation of the cell assembly, a battery disconnect unit (BDU) that is disposed adjacent to the cell assembly to control the electrical connection of the battery cells, and a fuse.

2 and 3 show a sealing member installation structure of the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 and 3, the upper portion of the upper housing 110 is opened, and the upper portion of the lower housing 120 is opened. An accommodation space is provided inside the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120. The interior module 130 including the cell assembly is accommodated in the accommodation space.

The outer wall of the upper housing 110 is provided with a first wall (110a) forming the appearance of the upper housing 110. A plurality of first bolt holes 111 (see FIG. 1) are formed on the bottom edge of the first wall 110a.

A second wall 120a is formed outside the accommodation space of the lower housing 120 to form the exterior of the lower housing 120. A plurality of second bolt holes 121 are formed at positions corresponding to the first bolt holes 111 on the upper edge of the second wall 120a. That is, the first bolt hole 111 and the second bolt hole 121 are formed in a space that does not interfere with the receiving space, particularly, the inner module 130.

A sealing member 150 is provided between the bottom edge of the upper housing 110 and the top edge of the lower housing 120. The sealing member 150 has a shape corresponding to the rim of the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120. That is, the sealing member 150 may have a substantially rectangular ring structure through which the center passes. At this time, the sealing member 150 is disposed inside the first bolt hole 111 and the second bolt hole 121.

Therefore, the fixing bolt 140 penetrates the first bolt hole 111 of the upper housing 110 and the second bolt hole 121 of the lower housing 120 so that the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 are penetrated. When fixedly coupled, since the sealing member 150 is disposed inside the fixing bolt 140, a separate O-ring is not required for the first bolt hole 111 or the second bolt hole 121.

That is, even if foreign matter flows in through the first bolt hole 111 or the second bolt hole 121, the sealing between the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 is performed by the sealing member 150 located inside. It is not necessary to be provided with additional O-rings. Accordingly, when assembling the pack housing 100, the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.

On the other hand, the pack housing 100 is required to have a structure capable of exerting maximum efficiency compared to a limited installation space when used in automobiles and the like. That is, the pack housing 100 is required a structure that can optimize the space utilization. For example, when the distance between the sealing member 150 and the bolt hole increases, the width of the rim of the pack housing 100 becomes wide, which may be a factor that increases the volume of the pack housing 100. To prevent this, the sealing member 150 should be arranged to be as close as possible to the bolt hole. To this end, the sealing member 150 may be provided with a plurality of first guide grooves (151, see FIG. 1) and a second guide groove (152, see FIG. 1).

The first guide groove 151 is a semi-circular groove formed concavely inside the sealing member 150 and may be formed on a side of the sealing member 150 formed of a rectangular ring structure. In addition, the second guide groove 152 is an arc-shaped groove concavely formed inside the sealing member 150 and may be formed at an edge of the sealing member 150 formed of a rectangular ring structure.

In the first guide groove 151 and the second guide groove 152, a second bolt hole 121 of the lower housing 120 is positioned. Therefore, the fixing bolt 140 that penetrates the first bolt hole 111 and the second bolt hole 121 to join the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 is at a position as close as possible to the sealing member 150. The upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 may be combined. Accordingly, the volume of the pack housing 100 can be minimized, and space utilization can be increased.

On the other hand, in one embodiment of the present invention, as the fixing member for fixing the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120, the fixing bolt 140 of the screw coupling method is applied, but need not be limited thereto.

For example, as another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, a press-fit type fixing member 160 may be applied to fasten the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120.

That is, a plurality of first fixing holes 112 are formed at the edge of the upper housing 110, and a plurality of second fixing holes at a position corresponding to the first fixing holes 112 are formed at the edge of the lower housing 120. 122) is formed, the fixing member 160 is formed to have a diameter corresponding to the first fixing hole 112 and the second fixing hole (122). Therefore, the fixing member 160 may penetrate the first fixing hole 112 and be press-fitted into the second fixing hole 122 in an interference fit form.

Accordingly, since it is not necessary to perform a tapping process on the upper housing or the lower housing so that the fixing bolt is fastened, it is possible to reduce manpower.

If the press-fit type fixing member 160 can provide a sufficient fastening force, the material need not be limited. For example, the press-fit type fixing member 160 may be formed of a metal material or a synthetic resin material.

In addition, as another embodiment of the present invention, a hook-type fixing member 170 may be applied to fasten the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120 as shown in FIG. 5.

That is, an elastic hook 171 having an elastic force is provided at one end of the fixing member 170, a plurality of first fixing holes 112 are formed at the rim of the upper housing 110, and the rim of the lower housing 120 A plurality of second fixing holes 122 are formed at positions corresponding to the first fixing holes 112. Therefore, the elastic hook 171 of the fixing member 170 passes through the first fixing hole 112 and the second fixing hole 122 and then expands in the outer diameter direction by its own restoring force, thereby lowering the bottom of the rim of the lower housing 120. It can be coupled to a jam.

If the hook-type fixing member 170 is able to provide sufficient elasticity so that the elastic hook 171 opens outward after passing through the upper housing 110 and the lower housing 120, the material needs to be limited. There is no. For example, the hook-type fixing member may be formed of a metal material or a synthetic resin material.

6 and 7 show a comparative example compared to the embodiment of the present invention.

6 and 7, the upper housing 110 ′ and the lower housing 120 ′ are mutually screwed through a fixing bolt 140 ′ at a plurality of points. To this end, a plurality of bolt holes are formed in each of the upper housing 110 ′ and the lower housing 120 ′ to correspond to each other.

A sealing member 150 ′ having a rectangular ring structure is disposed between the upper housing 110 ′ and the lower housing 120 ′. The sealing member 150 'is disposed outside the plurality of bolt holes.

6 and 7, when a plurality of bolt holes formed in the upper housing 110 ′ and the lower housing 120 ′ are located inside the sealing member 150 ′, the bolt hole is different from the embodiment of the present invention. The O-rings 160 'should be coupled to the fixing bolts 140' that are fastened to the fields.

For example, when the O-ring 160 'is not provided in the fixing bolt 140' that is fastened to each bolt hole, external foreign matter is lower housing 120 through the gap between the fixing bolt 140 'and the bolt hole. ') It can be introduced inside. At this time, since the sealing member 150 'is located on the outside of each bolt hole, it does not prevent foreign substances from entering the pack housing 100'.

Thus, in the comparative example, the number of O-rings 160 'corresponding to the number of fixing bolts 140' as well as the sealing member 150 'for sealing between the upper housing 110' and the lower housing 120 'is provided. Since it is necessary more, the number of man-hours is increased, thereby increasing the assembly time.

Meanwhile, the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a device including a battery pack as a power source.

For example, the device may be a computer, a mobile phone, a wearable electronic device, a power tool, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, an electric motorcycle, an electric golf cart, or electric power. It can be a storage device. The power storage device can be applied to various fields and places, such as a smart grid system for controlling power supply and demand or a charging station for an electric vehicle.

Since those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention, the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and should be understood as non-limiting. Only.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts should be interpreted to be included in the scope of the present invention. .

100; Pack housing 110; Upper housing
111; First bolt hole 120; Lower housing
121; A second bolt hole 130; Internal module
140; Fixing bolt 150; Sealing member
151; First guide groove 152; 2nd guide groove

Claims (13)

A pack housing having an upper housing and a lower housing;
An inner module accommodated in the pack housing and including a cell assembly;
A sealing member interposed between the upper housing and the lower housing, and disposed on an outer circumference of the inner module;
At least one fixing member that fixes the upper housing and the lower housing and is disposed outside the sealing member;
Battery pack comprising a.
According to claim 1,
The fixing member is a battery pack for fastening between the upper housing and the lower housing so as not to interfere with the inner module.
According to claim 1,
The sealing member is a battery pack disposed in a ring shape corresponding to the rim of the upper housing and the lower housing.
According to claim 1,
The upper housing has a first bolt hole at the rim, the lower housing has a second bolt hole at the rim, and the fixing member is a fixing bolt that is screwed to the first bolt hole and the second bolt hole. Battery pack.
The method of claim 4,
The sealing member is provided with a guide groove to be inserted close to the fixing member, the guide groove is a battery pack positioned to correspond to the first bolt hole and the second bolt hole.
The method of claim 5,
The guide groove is a battery pack including a first guide groove formed concavely in a semi-circular shape inside the sealing member.
The method of claim 6,
The first guide groove is a battery pack provided on the side of the sealing member.
The method of claim 4,
The guide groove is a battery pack including a second guide groove that is concavely formed in an arc shape inside the sealing member.
The method of claim 8,
The second guide groove is a battery pack provided at the edge of the sealing member.
According to claim 1,
A battery pack in which a first fixing hole is formed in the upper housing, a second fixing hole is formed in the lower housing, and the fixing member is press-fitted into the first fixing hole and the second fixing hole.
According to claim 1,
A first fixing hole is formed in the upper housing, a second fixing hole is formed in the lower housing, and the fixing member penetrates the first fixing hole and the second fixing hole and is engaged to the bottom surface of the lower housing. Battery pack having an elastic hook.
A device comprising the battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 11 as a power source.
The method of claim 12,
The device is a computer, a mobile phone, a wearable electronic device, a power tool, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, an electric motorcycle, an electric golf cart, or a power storage device. device.

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