Specification
Title of Invention: Battery module with integrated battery cell cooling and fixing structure and battery pack including the same
Technical field
[One]
The present invention relates to a battery module, and more specifically, to a battery module to which a novel assembly structure for stably fixing and cooling efficiency of cylindrical battery cells in the battery module is applied, and a battery pack including the same.
[2]
This application is a priority claim application for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0141450 filed on October 27, 2017, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated herein by reference.
Background
[3]
In general, a secondary battery refers to a battery capable of charging and discharging, unlike a primary battery that cannot be charged, and is widely used in electronic devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, camcorders, or electric vehicles. In particular, lithium secondary batteries have a larger capacity than nickel-cadmium batteries or nickel-hydrogen batteries, which are widely used as power sources for electronic equipment, and have a high energy density per unit weight, so the degree of utilization thereof is in a trend of rapidly increasing.
[4]
Lithium secondary batteries may be classified into can-type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a metal can and pouch-type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch of an aluminum laminate sheet according to the shape of the exterior material. Here, the can-type secondary battery may include a cylindrical secondary battery and a prismatic secondary battery according to the shape of the metal can.
[5]
On the other hand, the pouch-type secondary battery has advantages of easy stacking and high energy density, but has a disadvantage of being vulnerable to external impacts due to low mechanical rigidity. On the other hand, the can-type secondary battery has excellent mechanical stiffness, so the durability against external impact is superior to that of the pouch-type secondary battery. Therefore, in terms of safety, can-type secondary batteries are evaluated to be better than pouch-type secondary batteries.
[6]
However, when using can-type secondary batteries to construct a medium or large-sized battery module or battery pack, a large number of can-type secondary batteries are required to satisfy the required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity. These can-type secondary batteries are effectively placed in the module case and It is not easy to fix.
[7]
In addition, since the battery module is manufactured in a form in which such can-type secondary batteries are concentrated in a narrow space, it is important to easily dissipate heat generated from each battery cell. Since the process of charging or discharging the battery cells is carried out by an electrochemical reaction, if the heat of the battery module generated during the charging and discharging process cannot be removed effectively, heat accumulation occurs and consequently the deterioration of the battery module is accelerated. Ignition or explosion may occur. Therefore, as disclosed in KR Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0118807 (2011.11.01) as an example, in particular, a large-capacity battery module requires a cooling device to cool the battery cells.
Detailed description of the invention
Technical challenge
[8]
An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module having a novel assembly structure for stably fixing a cylindrical battery cell and improving cooling efficiency, and a battery pack including the same, as invented to solve the above technical problem. .
Means of solving the task
[9]
The battery module according to the present invention is a battery module comprising a plurality of cylindrical battery cells, a first fixing frame for supporting the cylindrical battery cells so that the cylindrical battery cells are erected,
[10]
The first fixing frame may include: cell lower holder portions provided to erect and insert the cylindrical battery cells one by one at predetermined positions on the plate in a tray shape; And a thermally conductive adhesive liquid having through holes formed therethrough in the vertical direction between the lower holder portions of the cell, and flowing from the lower portion of the first fixing frame to the upper portion through the through holes.
[11]
The cell lower holder portions may include a lower insertion hole formed through the upper and lower directions corresponding to the diameter of the cylindrical battery cell; And a lower circumferential support formed to partially support the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the cylindrical battery cell in the form of a column having a curved surface discontinuously rising at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the lower insertion hole.
[12]
The through holes and the lower circumferential supports may be alternately formed along the circumferential direction around the cylindrical battery cell.
[13]
The first fixing frame may further include lower end supports extending horizontally from a lower surface of the first fixing frame to a vertical lower portion of the lower insertion hole to support a portion of the lower surface of the cylindrical battery cell.
[14]
The lower support may be formed in several branches so that one end is disposed vertically below the plurality of adjacent lower insertion holes.
[15]
A second fixing frame having a tray shape and having cell upper holder portions each covered on upper ends of the cylindrical battery cells at predetermined positions on the plate, and mutually coupled with the first fixing frame with the plurality of cylindrical battery cells interposed therebetween It may further include.
[16]
The upper cell holder portions may have upper insertion holes formed through vertically to correspond one-to-one to the lower insertion holes of the lower cell holder portions.
[17]
The second fixing frame is disposed horizontally with one end extending from the upper surface of the second fixing frame to the vertical upper portion of the upper insertion hole to support a portion of the upper surface of the cylindrical battery cell, and the upper and lower portions of the cylindrical battery cell together with the lower support body. It may further include a top support to limit the flow.
[18]
It may further include a cooling tray accommodating the thermally conductive adhesive solution and the first fixing frame therein in a container shape.
[19]
According to another aspect of the present invention, a battery pack including the above-described battery module may be provided.
Effects of the Invention
[20]
According to an aspect of the present invention, a battery module having a novel assembly structure for stably fixing a cylindrical battery cell and improving cooling efficiency may be provided.
[21]
More specifically, the thermally conductive adhesive solution flows into the first fixing frame from the outside through the through holes of the first fixing frame and contacts the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical battery cell, thereby remarkably improving cooling efficiency and battery cell fixability.
[22]
In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, a structurally stable battery module may be provided by completely blocking the vertical and horizontal flow of cylindrical battery cells by the first and second fixing frames.
[23]
The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.
Brief description of the drawing
[24]
1 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[25]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating cylindrical battery cells assembled to the first fixing frame of FIG. 1.
[26]
3 is a perspective view of the first fixing frame of FIG. 1.
[27]
4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3.
[28]
5 and 6 are reference diagrams for explaining a process in which a thermally conductive adhesive solution is injected into a first fixing frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[29]
7 is a perspective view of a second fixing frame of FIG. 1.
[30]
8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7.
Mode for carrying out the invention
[31]
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventors appropriately explain the concept of terms in order to describe their own invention in the best way. Based on the principle that it can be defined, it should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention.
[32]
Accordingly, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.
[33]
Since the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely describe the present invention to a person skilled in the art, the shape and size of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for a more clear description. Therefore, the size or ratio of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size or ratio.
[34]
1 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing cylindrical battery cells assembled to a first fixing frame of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a first diagram of FIG. A perspective view of the fixing frame, FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3.
[35]
1, a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100, a first fixing frame 200, a thermally conductive adhesive solution 300, and a second fixing frame. It may include 400 and a cooling tray 500 and a tray cover 600.
[36]
The cylindrical battery cell 100 constituting the battery module 10 according to the present invention is a kind of can-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a metal can. Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the cylindrical battery cell 100 may include a cylindrical battery can, a jelly-roll type electrode assembly accommodated in the battery can, and a cap assembly coupled to an upper portion of the battery can. Here, the cylindrical battery can may be formed of a lightweight conductive metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or an alloy thereof.
[37]
The cylindrical battery cells 100 may be connected in series and/or in parallel according to the output and capacity required for the battery module 10. For example, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be electrically connected in series and/or parallel to each other by a bus bar made of a copper plate.
[38]
On the other hand, the scope of the present invention is not necessarily construed as being limited to the cylindrical battery cell 100, and as an alternative embodiment, the battery module 10 may be composed of other types of can-type secondary batteries, for example, prismatic battery cells. will be.
[39]
The first fixing frame 200 is a structure that supports and fixes the lower ends of the cylindrical battery cells 100. Cylindrical battery cells 100, as shown in Figure 2, may be arranged to stand up and densely on the first fixing frame 200.
[40]
Specifically, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the first fixing frame 200 will be described in detail. The first fixing frame 200 is formed by erecting cylindrical battery cells 100 at predetermined positions on a plate in a tray shape. Cell bottom holder portions 210 provided to be inserted one by one, through holes 220 formed through the vertical direction between the cell bottom holder portions 210, and a bottom support provided on the lower surface of the plate body It may include 230.
[41]
First, the lower cell holder portions 210 may be composed of a lower insertion hole 211 and a lower circumferential support 213, respectively. The lower insertion hole 211 is formed by penetrating the plate top surface of the first fixing frame 200 in the vertical direction to correspond to the diameter of the cylindrical battery cell 100, and the lower circumferential support 213 is a lower insertion hole ( It may be provided in the form of a column having a curved surface rising along the circumferential direction of 211). Here, the curved surface of the lower circumferential support 213 has a curvature corresponding to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100.
[42]
The cylindrical battery cell 100 may be fitted into the lower insertion hole 211, and the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the cylindrical battery cell 100 may be supported by the lower circumferential support 213. In particular, the lower circumferential support 213 according to the present embodiment is provided to partially surround the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the cylindrical battery cell 100 by rising discontinuously at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the lower insertion hole 211 do. Accordingly, when the cylindrical battery cells 100 are assembled to the first fixing frame 200, an empty space may be secured between the discontinuous lower circumferential supports 213. The thermally conductive adhesive solution 300, which will be described later, can be easily diffused into the empty space, and a contact area between the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical battery cells 100 can be widened.
[43]
These cell lower holders 210 are provided on the plate-shaped surface of the first fixing frame 200 so that as many cylindrical battery cells 100 as possible per unit area of ​​the first fixing frame 200 of a certain size can be arranged. It is desirable to be.
[44]
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the center points of the three lower insertion holes 211 arranged adjacent to each other are connected in a virtual straight line, the lower insertion holes 211 may be densely arranged in a composition that becomes an equilateral triangle. And the lower circumferential support 213 is provided in a column shape having three curved surfaces between the three lower insertion holes 211 so that the three lower insertion holes 211 share one lower circumferential support 213 Can be formed. By repeatedly forming the lower insertion hole 211 and the lower circumferential support 213 on the plate of the first fixing frame 200 in such a pattern, the density of the lower cell holders 210 may be increased.
[45]
In particular, the first fixing frame 200 according to the present invention may further include a plurality of through holes 220 in addition to the lower insertion hole 211. The through holes 220 serve as a passage through which the thermally conductive adhesive liquid 300 is introduced from the outside, and may be provided between the holder portions 210 at the bottom of the cell.
[46]
Specifically, the through holes 220 may be provided to be alternately disposed with the lower circumferential supports 213 along the circumferential direction around the cylindrical battery cell 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, three through holes 220 and three lower circumferential supports 213 may be alternately provided around one lower insertion hole 211.
[47]
5 and 6, when the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 flows from the bottom of the first fixing frame 200 to the top through the through holes 220, the first fixing frame 200 It is filled with the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 from the empty space between the lower circumferential supports 213, and depending on the amount of the thermally conductive adhesive 300, thermally conductive adhesion to a position higher than the three lower circumferential supports 213 It can be squeezed with liquid. In this case, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be fixed by the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300, and heat generated during charging and discharging may be rapidly discharged to the outside through the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300.
[48]
The lower support 230 is configured to support a portion of the lower surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100 under the cylindrical battery cell 100, and a plurality of lower insertion holes disposed adjacent to each other on the lower surface of the first fixing frame 200 It can be extended horizontally in several branches so that one end is disposed in the vertical lower part of the (211).
[49]
In the case of this embodiment, referring to FIG. 4 again, the end of one lower support 230 extends in three prongs between the three lower insertion holes 211 to be vertically lowered to each of the lower insertion holes 211. Is configured to be located. A plurality of lower support bodies 230 may be repeatedly provided on the lower surface of the first fixing frame 200 in such a pattern.
[50]
According to this configuration, when the cylindrical battery cells 100 are inserted into the lower insertion holes 211 of the first fixing frame 200, the lower insertion holes 211 are open, so that the cylindrical battery cells 100 It may be supported by the lower support 230 while being exposed to the outside.
[51]
Cylindrical battery cells 100 are assembled to the first fixing frame 200 and placed on the upper surface of the cooling tray 500 (see FIG. 1), and because of the lower support 230, the cylindrical battery cells 100 500) is placed in a state spaced apart by the height of the lower support body 230. That is, between the lower surface of the cylindrical battery cells 100 and the upper surface of the cooling tray 500, as shown in FIG. 6, a slight gap (G) may be formed, and in this gap (G), a thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 ), the contact resistance between the lower surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100 and the upper surface of the cooling tray 500 may be significantly reduced, thereby increasing the thermal conductivity.
[52]
In addition, since the gap G is formed as above, the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 more smoothly flows from the bottom of the first fixing frame 200 to the top through the through holes 220 of the first fixing frame 200. Cooling efficiency and fixability for the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be further improved.
[53]
The thermally conductive adhesive liquid 300 is a material having both thermal conductivity and adhesiveness, and serves to transfer heat of the cylindrical battery cell 100 to a cooling medium such as a cooling tray 500 and a first fixing frame 200 And it is a configuration that also serves to fix the cylindrical battery cells (100).
[54]
For example, the thermally conductive adhesive 300 may be an epoxy resin or a silicone resin. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any adhesive solution 300 or an adhesive having both thermal conductivity and adhesiveness in addition to the epoxy resin or silicone resin may be used as the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 of the present invention. .
[55]
As described above, the battery module 10 of the present invention (see FIG. 1) includes the cylindrical battery cells 100 and the first fixing frame 200 on the cooling tray 500 filled with the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300. Can be assembled in a storage way. At this time, the first fixing frame 200 may be adhesively fixed to the cooling tray 500 by the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 without a separate mounting part, and the outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be provided with a first fixing frame ( It may be in contact with the thermally conductive adhesive liquid 300 introduced through the through holes 220 of 200).
[56]
According to the configuration of the thermally conductive adhesive solution 300 and the first fixing frame 200 as described above, the first fixing frame 200 is a plastic injection molded product, which has low thermal conductivity and has a large contact resistance with the cooling tray 500. Even in a structure having a structure having the thermally conductive adhesive 300 permeates into the first fixing frame 200, the heat of the cylindrical battery cells 100 can be quickly transferred to the cooling tray 500, so that the cylindrical battery cells 100 are stable. Fixing and cooling efficiency can be significantly improved.
[57]
Next, the second fixing frame 400 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. Since the first fixing frame 200 has a similar structure to the second fixing frame 400, a description that is duplicated with the first fixing frame 200 will be omitted.
[58]
7 is a perspective view of the second fixing frame 400 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7.
[59]
The second fixing frame 400 is placed between the first fixing frame 200 and the cylindrical battery cells 100 (see FIG. 1), and the rim portion is vertically attached by a snap-fit ​​or bolt fastening method. Can be combined with
[60]
The second fixing frame 400 is a tray-shaped structure that supports and holds the upper ends of the cylindrical battery cells 100, and will be provided in a shape corresponding to the first fixing frame 200 except for the through hole 220. I can.
[61]
Specifically, referring to the drawings, the second fixing frame 400 includes upper cell holder portions 410 and upper support bodies 430 respectively covered on upper ends of the cylindrical battery cells 100 at predetermined positions. can do.
[62]
The upper cell holder portions 410 are, respectively, the upper insertion hole 411 formed through the vertical direction so as to correspond to the lower insertion hole 211 of the lower cell holder portion 210 one-to-one, and one-to-one in the lower circumferential support 213 A corresponding upper circumferential support 413 may be included.
[63]
According to this configuration of the upper cell holder 410, the upper end of the cylindrical battery cell 100 may be fitted into the upper insertion hole 411, and its outer circumferential surface may be supported by the upper peripheral support 413.
[64]
The upper support 430 is horizontally extended from the upper surface of the second fixing frame 400 to the vertical upper portion of the upper insertion hole 411 to support a portion of the upper surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100 to support the lower support 230 Together with it can limit the vertical flow of the cylindrical battery cell 100.
[65]
The upper support 430 may be formed to extend in several prongs so that one end is disposed vertically above the plurality of upper insertion holes 411 disposed adjacent to the lower support 230 in the same pattern as the lower support 230. That is, one upper support body 430 may be positioned at the center of the three upper insertion holes 411 and may be provided to extend in three prongs.
[66]
In addition, the upper support 430 is provided to support only a portion of the upper surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100, so that most of the upper surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100 may be exposed to the outside of the upper insertion hole 411. In this case, electrical connection components such as a bus bar can be easily mounted on the upper surface of the cylindrical battery cell 100 exposed to the outside of the upper insertion hole 411.
[67]
When the second fixing frame 400 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration is used together with the first fixing frame 200, the vertical/horizontal flow of the cylindrical battery cells 100 can be completely prevented. That is, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be prevented from flowing in the horizontal direction by the upper and lower cell holders 210 between the first and second fixing frames 400, and the upper and lower supports 230 Vertical flow can be prevented by this. According to the present invention, since the integral cylindrical battery cells 100 are stably fixed to the first and second fixing frames 400, the battery module 10 which is structurally/electrically stable even with an external impact can be provided.
[68]
On the other hand, the cooling tray 500, as described above, the thermally conductive adhesive 300, the first fixing frame 200 and the cylindrical battery cell 100, and the first fixing frame 200 and the cylindrical battery cell ( It may be a container-shaped structure having an accommodation space capable of accommodating the second fixed frame 400 coupled vertically with 100) therebetween.
[69]
When the cooling tray 500 has a substantially wide and flat closed bottom surface, it may be provided to fill the thermally conductive adhesive liquid 300 to a predetermined height. In addition, the cooling tray 500 may be formed of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity so as to absorb heat of the cylindrical battery cells 100. The cooling tray 500 is coupled to the tray cover 600 to shield the accommodation space so that the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be protected from the outside. Although not shown below the cooling tray 500, a heat sink may be disposed.
[70]
The heat sink is a component that indirectly cools the cylindrical battery cells 100 by passing the refrigerant through the internal flow path and absorbing heat from the cooling tray 500 by thermal contact, and is placed in contact with the lower surface of the cooling tray 500 Can be. The refrigerant flowing through the flow path is not particularly limited as long as it flows easily in the flow path and has excellent cooling properties. For example, it may be water that can maximize cooling efficiency due to its high latent heat. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and antifreeze, gas refrigerant, air, etc. can be applied as long as the flow occurs.
[71]
The battery pack according to the present invention may include one or more of the above-described battery modules 10 according to the present invention. In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention includes, in addition to the battery module 10, a pack case for accommodating the battery module 10, various devices for controlling charge/discharge of the battery module 10, such as BMS, current A sensor, a fuse, etc. may be further included.
[72]
The battery module 10 according to the present invention may be applied to a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, or a power storage device (ESS).
[73]
As described above, although the present invention has been described by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention and the following by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. It goes without saying that various modifications and variations are possible within the equivalent range of the claims to be described.
[74]
On the other hand, when terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, before, and after are used in this specification, these terms are for convenience of description only, and depending on the location of the object or the observer It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that may vary.
Claims
[Claim 1]
A battery module comprising a plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a first fixing frame for supporting the cylindrical battery cells so that the cylindrical battery cells are erected, wherein the first fixing frame is a tray shape at each predetermined position on the plate. Cell bottom holder portions provided to be inserted one by one by standing up the battery cells; And a thermally conductive adhesive solution having through holes formed therethrough in an up-down direction between the lower holder portions of the cell, and flowing from a lower portion of the first fixing frame to an upper portion through the through holes.
[Claim 2]
According to claim 1, wherein the cell lower holder portion, the lower insertion hole formed through the vertical direction corresponding to the diameter of the cylindrical battery cell; And lower circumferential supports formed to partially support the periphery of the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the cylindrical battery cell in a column shape having a curved surface discontinuously rising at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the lower insertion hole.
[Claim 3]
The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the through holes and the lower circumferential supports are formed alternately along a circumferential direction around the cylindrical battery cell.
[Claim 4]
The method of claim 2, wherein the first fixing frame further includes lower end supports extending horizontally from a lower surface of the first fixing frame to a vertical lower portion of the lower insertion hole to support a portion of the lower surface of the cylindrical battery cell. Battery module, characterized in that.
[Claim 5]
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the lower support is formed in several prongs such that one end is disposed vertically below the plurality of adjacent lower insertion holes.
[Claim 6]
5. Battery module further comprising a second fixing frame to be coupled.
[Claim 7]
The battery module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the upper cell holder portions have upper insertion holes formed through vertically so as to correspond one-to-one to the lower insertion holes of the lower cell holder portions.
[Claim 8]
The method of claim 7, wherein the second fixing frame, one end horizontally extending from the upper surface of the second fixing frame to the vertical upper portion of the upper insertion hole to support a portion of the upper surface of the cylindrical battery cell together with the lower support body. Battery module, characterized in that it further comprises an upper support for limiting the vertical flow of the cylindrical battery cell.
[Claim 9]
The battery module according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling tray in a container shape to accommodate the thermally conductive adhesive solution and the first fixing frame.
[Claim 10]
A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.