Specification
Title of Invention: Battery Module
technical field
[One]
This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 2019-0169535 dated December 18, 2019, and all contents disclosed in the literature of the Korean patent application are incorporated as a part of this specification.
[2]
The present invention relates to a battery module comprising a plurality of cell module assemblies having individual housings and a module plate.
background
[3]
As technology development and demand for mobile devices such as cell phones, laptops, camcorders, and digital cameras increase, technologies related to rechargeable batteries that can be charged and discharged are becoming active. In addition, secondary batteries are applied to electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs), etc. as an alternative energy source for fossil fuels that cause air pollutants. The need for development is increasing day by day.
[4]
The types of secondary batteries currently widely used include a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a nickel zinc battery, and the like. The operating voltage of the unit secondary battery cell, that is, the unit battery cell, is about 2.0V to 5.0V. Therefore, when a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in series to form a cell module assembly, and the cell module assembly may be connected in series or parallel according to the required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity. A battery module may be configured, and it is common to manufacture a battery pack by adding additional components using at least one battery module.
[5]
In the case of a conventional battery module, when described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a cell module assembly 20 is formed by accommodating a plurality of battery cells in a cartridge 22 generally formed of a plastic material without a separate housing. and accommodating the at least one cell module assembly 20 formed in this way in the module housing composed of the upper module plate 11, the lower module plate 12, and the side module plates 13 and 14 to accommodate the battery module 10. produce
[6]
However, in these battery modules, multiple cell module assemblies are aligned and seated in one space within the module housing, so when an event such as a fire occurs, these events are propagated to the adjacent cell module assembly and damage to the adjacent cell module assembly may occur. there is a problem that
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
technical challenge
[7]
An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module in which a module housing is removed and each cell module assembly is accommodated in an individual housing in order to solve the above problems.
means of solving the problem
[8]
A battery module according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a plurality of cell module assemblies and a pair of module plates, and the cell module assembly includes a plurality of battery cells and an individual housing accommodating the plurality of battery cells And, the individual housing includes an upper plate and a lower plate located on the upper and lower sides except for the front and rear from which the electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells protrude, and two side plates located on both sides to connect the upper plate and the lower plate. Including, wherein the pair of module plates each have a size to cover the entire front and rear from which the electrode leads of the plurality of cell module assemblies protrude, are respectively located in the front and rear, characterized in that they are fastened to the plurality of cell module assemblies do.
[9]
In addition, the battery module according to the present invention is characterized in that the bus bar unit is positioned between the plurality of battery cells and the module plate to be electrically connected to the electrode lead.
[10]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the upper plate, the lower plate, and the side plate of the individual housing are characterized in that fastening portions for fastening with other plates are formed.
[11]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, it is characterized in that a space is formed between the side plate of the individual housing and the side plate of the neighboring individual housing.
[12]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, it is characterized in that a heat insulating material for suppressing heat transfer between the cell module assemblies is further added to the space portion.
[13]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, it is characterized in that a flame retardant for suppressing flame transmission between the cell module assemblies is further added to the space portion.
[14]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the upper plate and the lower plate of the individual housing are coupled to each other through mechanical fastening or welding with the side plates.
[15]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the upper plate and the lower plate of the individual housing are characterized in that when combined with the side plates, the distal ends overlap each other in order to increase the airtightness between the plates.
[16]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the module plate is characterized in that it includes a fastening part for coupling with the individual housing and a venting part for discharging the venting gas.
[17]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the module plate and the cell module assembly are coupled through mechanical fastening.
[18]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the individual housing is characterized in that it is formed of a metal material.
[19]
In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention is characterized in that it includes at least one or more battery modules.
Effects of the Invention
[20]
The battery module of the present invention has an advantage in that even if an event such as a fire occurs in a specific cell module assembly by accommodating each cell module assembly in an individual housing, such an event does not propagate to an adjacent cell module assembly.
[21]
In addition, the battery module of the present invention has the advantage that heat transfer is prevented by forming a space portion by fastening the individual housings at intervals, and an insulating material or a flame retardant can be additionally added to the space portion.
Brief description of the drawing
[22]
1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional battery module.
[23]
2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional cell module assembly.
[24]
3 is a schematic diagram showing a battery module of the present invention.
[25]
4 is an exploded perspective view of the battery module of the present invention;
[26]
5 is an exploded perspective view of an individual housing of the present invention;
[27]
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling portion of the upper/lower plate and the side plate in the individual housing of the present invention.
[28]
7 is a schematic diagram showing a module plate of the present invention.
[29]
8 is an exploded perspective view of the bus bar unit of the present invention.
Modes for carrying out the invention
[30]
In the present application, terms such as "comprises", "have" or "include" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or more other It should be understood that this does not preclude the possibility of addition or presence of features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.
[31]
In addition, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts having similar functions and functions. Throughout the specification, when it is said that a part is connected to another part, it includes not only a case in which it is directly connected, but also a case in which it is indirectly connected with another element interposed therebetween. In addition, the inclusion of a certain component does not exclude other components unless otherwise stated, but means that other components may be further included.
[32]
[33]
Hereinafter, a battery module according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[34]
3 is a schematic diagram of a battery module according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of such a battery module.
[35]
When the battery module 100 is described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 , first, the battery module 100 includes at least one cell module assembly (CMA) in which a plurality of battery cells are accommodated in an individual housing 110 and a cell module assembly within the cell module assembly. It includes a module plate 120 covering the front and rear of the electrode lead protruding from the battery cell. In addition, the battery module 100 further includes a bus bar unit 130 between the cell module assembly and the module plate to electrically connect the electrode leads. Also, in the battery module 100 , a space 140 is formed between the individual housing 110 and the adjacent individual housing 110 .
[36]
A battery cell used in the battery module 100 of the present invention may be configured as a secondary battery. The secondary battery may be generally classified into a pouch type, a cylindrical type, a prismatic type, etc. according to the type and shape of the exterior material, and preferably, a pouch type secondary battery may be used in the battery cell of the present invention.
[37]
The pouch-type secondary battery may include an electrode assembly, a battery case accommodating the electrode assembly, and a pair of electrode leads protruding forward and rearward of the battery case.
[38]
Meanwhile, looking at the individual housing 110 in detail with reference to FIG. 5 , the individual housing 110 includes an upper plate 111 , a lower plate 112 , and a side plate positioned on the upper, lower, and side surfaces of the cell module assembly, respectively. (113), each of the plates (111, 112, 113) is formed with a fastening portion 114 for fastening with other plates. Fastening is made between the respective plates 111 , 112 , and 113 through the fastening part 114 , and various known methods such as mechanical fastening using bolts or welding may be used as a fastening method.
[39]
In addition, the battery module 100 of the present invention is by fastening the fastening parts 114 at positions corresponding to each other formed on the side plates 113 of the adjacent individual housings 110 through the above-described mechanical fastening or welding method. Individual housings 110 are connected to each other. As shown in FIG. 4 , a space portion 140 is formed between the side plates of the individual housings 110 connected in this way, and not only serves to suppress heat transfer between the individual housings 110 by itself, but also the space portion In addition to 140, an insulator for blocking heat transfer or a flame retardant for preventing flame from propagating when a fire occurs may be inserted.
[40]
In addition, each of the plates 111 , 112 , and 113 of the individual housing 110 may be formed of a metal material. By combining each of the plates 111, 112, and 113 formed of a metal material as described above to form an individual housing, it is possible to have higher mechanical strength than a cartridge used in a conventional battery module formed of a plastic material. .
[41]
Looking more closely at the coupling of the individual housings by the respective plates 111 , 112 , and 113 with reference to FIG. 6 , the side plates 113 are in contact with the upper plate 111 and the lower plate 112 at the time of fastening. The distal end portion 113a is bent to overlap the distal end portions of the upper plate 111 and the lower plate 112 , so that the sealing property of the individual housing 110 is improved after fastening. As described above, when venting gas is generated from a battery cell inside a specific cell module assembly due to the improved sealing of the individual housing 110 , the front and rear plates 111 , 112 , and 113 of the individual housing 110 are not located. It is possible to guide the direction in which the venting gas is discharged to the rear. As a result, even if a venting gas is generated in a specific cell module assembly, it does not affect the adjacent cell module assembly, thereby improving the reliability of the battery module.
[42]
Meanwhile, looking at the module plate 120 in detail with reference to FIG. 7 , the module plate 120 includes an assembly part 121 for assembling with the individual housing 110 and a venting part 122 through which venting gas is discharged. and has a size to cover the entire front and rear of the cell module assembly located in the battery module. The module plate 120 and the individual housing 110 may be assembled by using a mechanical coupling such as a bolt or the like between the assembly part 121 of the module plate 120 and the fastening part 114 of the individual housing 110 . The module plate 120 additionally serves to fix the individual housings 110 . By assembling using mechanical bonding instead of welding as described above, it is possible to prevent in advance the problem of damage to the battery cells inside due to heat generated during welding, and also, even when a problem occurs in a specific cell module assembly, the module plate 120 ) can be easily separated from the combined individual housings to perform work such as repair or removal of defective cell module assemblies.
[43]
Referring to FIG. 8 , the bus bar unit 130 includes a bus bar body 131 and a bus bar frame 132 . Here, the bus bar body 131 serves to electrically connect the electrode leads of the battery cells to each other, and the bus bar frame 132 serves to fix and support the bus bar body 131 .
[44]
[45]
As the specific part of the present invention has been described in detail above, for those of ordinary skill in the art, these specific descriptions are only preferred embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby, It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention, and it is natural that such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.
[46]
(Explanation of symbols)
[47]
10: battery module
[48]
11: upper module plate
[49]
12: lower module plate
[50]
13, 14: side module plate
[51]
20: cell module assembly
[52]
21: bus bar unit
[53]
22 : cartridge
[54]
100: battery module
[55]
110: individual housing
[56]
111: upper plate
[57]
112: lower plate
[58]
113: side plate
[59]
113a: side plate distal end
[60]
114: fastening part
[61]
120: module plate
[62]
121: assembly part
[63]
122: venting part
[64]
130: bus bar unit
[65]
131: bus bar body
[66]
132: bus bar frame
[67]
140: space part
Claims
[Claim 1]
A battery module comprising a plurality of cell module assemblies and a pair of module plates, wherein the cell module assembly includes a plurality of battery cells and an individual housing accommodating the plurality of battery cells, wherein the individual housing includes the plurality of battery cells. an upper plate and a lower plate located on the upper and lower sides except for the front and the rear from which the electrode leads of the battery cell protrude, and two side plates located on both sides to connect the upper plate and the lower plate, wherein the one The pair of module plates each have a size to cover the entire front and rear from which the electrode leads of the plurality of cell module assemblies protrude, and are respectively positioned at the front and rear, and are coupled to the plurality of cell module assemblies. module.
[Claim 2]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a bus bar unit is positioned between the plurality of battery cells and the module plate and is electrically connected to the electrode lead.
[Claim 3]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the upper plate, the lower plate, and the side plate are provided with fastening parts for fastening with other plates, respectively.
[Claim 4]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a space is formed between the side plate of the individual housing and the side plate of the adjacent individual housing.
[Claim 5]
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein an insulating material for suppressing heat transfer between the cell module assemblies is further added to the space portion.
[Claim 6]
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein a flame retardant for suppressing flame transmission between the cell module assemblies is further added to the space portion.
[Claim 7]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the upper plate and the lower plate of the individual housing are coupled to the side plates through mechanical fastening or welding.
[Claim 8]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the upper plate and the lower plate of the individual housing are formed so that distal ends overlap each other in order to increase the sealing property between the respective plates when they are combined with the side plates.
[Claim 9]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the module plate includes a fastening part for coupling with the individual housing and a venting part for discharging a venting gas.
[Claim 10]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the module plate and the cell module assembly are coupled through mechanical fastening.
[Claim 11]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the individual housing is made of a metal material.
[Claim 12]
A battery pack comprising the battery module of any one of claims 1 to 11.