Specification
Title of invention: Battery module with battery cell pressurized end plate and extended sensing housing structure
Technical field
[One]
The present invention relates to a battery module, and more particularly, to a battery module to which a sensing housing structure having expandability according to the number of battery cells and an end plate capable of pressing and packaging battery cells inside the module is applied. . This application is an application for claiming priority for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0151589 filed on November 14, 2017, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated herein by reference.
Background
[2]
Recently, secondary batteries have been widely applied not only to portable devices, but also to electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and energy storage systems (ESS) driven by an electric drive source.
[3]
Currently widely used types of secondary batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydride batteries, and nickel zinc batteries. The operating voltage of such a unit secondary battery cell, that is, a unit battery cell, is about 2.5V to 4.6V. Therefore, when a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack may be formed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. In addition, a battery pack is formed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in parallel according to the charge/discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Accordingly, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to a required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity.
[4]
When configuring a battery pack by connecting multiple secondary battery cells in series/parallel, an end plate and a secondary battery cell that fix the cell assembly and the cell assembly, which are an assembly of multiple secondary battery cells, and protect from external shocks. In general, a battery module including a sensing housing for electrical connection of the components is first configured, and other components are added using at least one battery module to form a battery pack. Here, the secondary battery cells constituting the battery module or the battery pack may generally be provided as a pouch-type secondary battery having the advantage of being able to easily stack each other.
[5]
In the case of a lithium-polymer pouch type secondary battery that is widely used recently, the internal electrolyte may be decomposed due to side reactions of repetitive charging and discharging to generate gas. At this time, a phenomenon in which the appearance of the secondary battery cell is deformed by the generated gas is referred to as a'swelling phenomenon'.
[6]
When a swelling phenomenon occurs in the secondary battery cell, the external shape of the battery module may change due to pressure caused by volume expansion. Changes in the appearance may affect the safety of the battery module itself and the stability of other adjacent devices, so it is necessary to prevent swelling from occurring. As an example, there is a conventional technique of compressing the battery module by winding a strap on an end plate, but in this case, there is a disadvantage that only the part wrapped with the strap is intensively urged and the other part is relatively not.
[7]
Meanwhile, in a conventional battery module, the sensing assembly is generally formed of a single housing structure, and is provided in a structure in which the electrode leads of the secondary battery cells protrude.
[8]
In the case of a conventional sensing assembly having such a single housing structure, when the total size of the battery module is changed, such as the number of secondary battery cells stacked on each other increases or decreases according to the capacity change of the battery module or battery pack, the changed size There is a problem of having to be redesigned with a suitable housing.
Detailed description of the invention
Technical challenge
[9]
The present invention is invented to solve the above problems, and includes an end plate that can pressurize with a uniform pressure and protects battery cells located in a battery module from the outside, and a sensing assembly having simple and easy expandability. It aims to provide a battery module.
[10]
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by examples of the present invention. In addition, it will be easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means shown in the claims and combinations thereof.
Means of solving the task
[11]
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a battery module including a cell assembly comprising a plurality of pouch-type battery cells stacked and arranged on a wide surface according to an aspect of the present invention, comprising: a pair of buffer pads disposed on both side surfaces of the cell assembly; Top and bottom plates respectively covering upper and lower portions of the cell assembly; And a pair of side plates interposed between the pair of buffer pads and the cell assembly, and press-fitted or fitted to both ends of the top and bottom plates.
[12]
The pair of side plates may include bead portions that are recessed to a predetermined depth, and the pair of buffer pads may have one surface conforming to the shape of the bead portion.
[13]
The bead portion is separated from the first bead portion and is located in the left/right side area of ​​the side plate based on the first bead portion provided in the middle area of ​​the side plate and the first bead portion, and is smaller than the first bead portion. It may include a second bead portion provided in the distribution area and depth.
[14]
The top and bottom plates each include a horizontal portion forming a horizontal plane, and a vertical portion bent vertically at both ends of the horizontal portion. It can be press-fitted with the vertical portion of the bottom plate.
[15]
The pair of side plates may have press-fit protrusions protruding from edge regions of the upper and lower ends, and the top and bottom plates may have press-fit holes that are forcibly fitted with the press-fit protrusions to the vertical portion.
[16]
Upper and lower edge regions of the pair of side plates may be disposed to overlap inside the vertical portions of the top and bottom plates.
[17]
Further comprising a sensing assembly disposed on at least one of the front and rear sides of the cell assembly and electrically connecting electrode leads protruding from the pouch-type battery cells, wherein the sensing assembly is electrically connected to the electrode leads A bus bar; And a sensing housing including a plurality of sensing housing parts that are mounted on the front side of the bus bar, pass the electrode leads toward the bus bar, are detachable from each other, and are continuously assembled in one direction.
[18]
The plurality of sensing housing parts may be provided to correspond to the number of pouch-type battery cells.
[19]
The plurality of sensing housing parts may be assembled by being fitted with each other in a block-coupled form by having an embossed protrusion and an engraved groove corresponding to each other.
[20]
The sensing housing may be fitted to one end of each of the pair of side plates and supported by the pair of side plates to be spaced apart from the plurality of pouch-type battery cells by a predetermined distance.
[21]
The busbar includes a bonding portion provided in a plate shape to be bonded to the electrode leads, and an end bending portion bent in a “U” shape at one end of the bonding portion, and the sensing housing includes any one sensing It is formed by assembling the housing part and the other sensing housing part, and may include a slit passing through at least a portion of the bus bar, and a slot forming an inner space for accommodating the end bent part.
[22]
The sensing assembly may further include a voltage sensing receptacle terminal inserted into the slot to be electrically connected to an end bent portion of the bus bar.
[23]
The sensing assembly may further include a member for external power connection, wherein a nut is accommodated in one of the slots provided in the sensing housing, and is fixed with a bolt fastened to the nut.
[24]
The top and bottom plates each include a horizontal portion forming a horizontal plane, a vertical portion bent vertically at both ends of the horizontal portion, and a fitting portion bent toward the cell assembly at the ends of the vertical portion, and the pair of sides The plate may be provided with a plate hole into which the fitting portion can be inserted into the edge regions of the upper and lower ends, respectively.
[25]
The thickness of the buffer pad is in the following formula, T = A/2 + B (T: thickness of the buffer pad, A: number of battery cells × maximum displacement during swelling of battery cells, B: thickness when maximum compression of the buffer pad) Can be calculated by
[26]
The battery module according to the present invention described above can be applied to a battery pack or a power storage device including one or more thereof.
Effects of the Invention
[27]
According to an aspect of the present invention, a battery module having an end plate that is excellent in assembly convenience and can pressurize battery cells with a uniform pressure may be provided.
[28]
In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, a battery module having a sensing assembly having simple and easy expandability may be provided. The sensing assembly has an advantage that not only has the possibility of expansion, but also is easily configured to assemble and connect to components including bus bars.
[29]
The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and effects that are 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
[30]
1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[31]
2 and 3 are partially exploded perspective views of FIG. 1.
[32]
4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3.
[33]
5 is a perspective view of the battery module cut in the longitudinal direction.
[34]
6 is a partial perspective view of the battery module cut in the transverse direction.
[35]
7 is a perspective view of sensing housing parts according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[36]
8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the sensing housing of FIG. 7.
[37]
9 and 10 are a right side view and a front view of a sensing housing part, respectively.
[38]
11 is a view for explaining an assembly process of sensing housing parts and a bus bar according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[39]
12 and 13 are views showing states before and after coupling of a voltage sensing receptacle terminal to a sensing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[40]
14 and 15 are views for explaining a process of assembling sensing housing parts and an external power connection member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[41]
16 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 and is a partially exploded perspective view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[42]
17 is a longitudinal sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Mode for carrying out the invention
[43]
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 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.
[44]
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.
[45]
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.
[46]
1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are partially exploded perspective views of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 Is a perspective view of the battery module cut in the longitudinal direction.
[47]
Referring to these drawings, the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cell assembly 100, a pair of buffer pads 200, a top and bottom plate 300 and 400, and a pair of side plates ( 500).
[48]
First, briefly describing the cell assembly 100 constituting the battery module 10, the cell assembly 100 may be an assembly of a plurality of pouch-type battery cells 110. The pouch-type battery cells 110 may be stacked and arranged in a horizontal direction with a wide surface vertically erected with respect to the ground. For example, in this embodiment, the cell assembly 100 is configured using 7 pouch-type battery cells 110, but this is variable according to the output/capacity required for the unit battery module 10, and the cell assembly 100 May be configured using less than 7 or more than 8 pouch-type battery cells 110.
[49]
Here, the pouch-type battery cell 110 may be composed of a pouch case, an electrode assembly provided to be accommodated in the pouch case, and an electrolyte.
[50]
The pouch-type exterior material may be composed of two pouches, and at least one of them may have a concave inner space. In addition, the electrode assembly may be accommodated in the inner space of the pouch. The circumferences of the two pouches are fused together, so that the inner space in which the electrode assembly is accommodated may be sealed. The electrode lead 111 may be attached to the electrode assembly, and the electrode lead 111 may function as an electrode terminal of the battery cell 110 by being interposed between the fused portions of the pouch case and exposed to the outside of the pouch case. have.
[51]
A pair of buffer pads 200 may be disposed on both side surfaces of the cell assembly 100. The buffer pad 200 may be a structure formed of an elastic and insulating material that absorbs an expansion pressure and an external shock during swelling of the pouch-type battery cells 110 according to charging/discharging. For example, the buffer pad 200 may be made of expanded polypropylene (EPP) or ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) in a form of a foam having a size that faces the wide surface of the pouch-type battery cell 110.
[52]
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the buffer pad 200 faces the pouch-type battery cell 110 disposed at the outermost side of the cell assembly 100 on one side, and the other side faces the side plate 500 It is interposed between the cell assembly 100 and the side plate 500 facing each other. As described above, in the battery module 10 of the present invention, since the buffer pad 200 is disposed only on the outermost side of the cell assembly 100, when the buffer pads 200 are interposed one by one between the battery cells 110 In comparison, the energy density per unit area of ​​the battery module 10 may be higher. Preferably, the cell assembly 100 of the present invention may have a structure in which there is no gap between the battery cell 110 and the battery cell 110, or the battery cells 110 are space-intensively disposed through only a double-sided tape. .
[53]
Since the cell assembly 100 is pressed by the side plate 500 to be described later, the level of compressive stress acts on the pouch-type battery cell 110 located at the outermost side. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, by interposing the buffer pad 200 on the interface where the expansion force of the pouch type battery cells 110 and the pressing force of the side plate 500 face each other, the pressing force of the side plate 500 and the pouch type battery cell 110 ) By uniformly distributing the expansion force of the side plate 500 and the battery cells 110 may be prevented from being damaged.
[54]
On the other hand, as the thickness of the buffer pad 200 increases, the compressive force of the side plate 500 or the expansion force of the battery cells 110 are effectively dispersed, so that the level of stress acting on the battery cell 110 or the side plate 500 is increased. Although it may decrease, the excessively thick buffer pad 200 is not preferable in terms of the energy density of the battery module 10. Therefore, the thickness of the buffer pad 200 according to the present invention may be calculated by the following equation.
[55]
T = A/2 + B
[56]
(T: thickness of the buffer pad 200, A: number of battery cells 110 × maximum displacement amount during swelling of the battery cells 110, B: thickness when maximum compression of the buffer pad 200)
[57]
In other words, the buffer pads 200 of the present invention are two as a pair, and are disposed on both side surfaces of the cell assembly 100, respectively, so that the amount of deformation during swelling of the entire battery cells 110 can be divided and absorbed. have. Therefore, by setting the variable A/2 as the maximum amount of deformation that can be compressed by one buffer pad 200 in the equation for calculating the thickness of the buffer pad 200, the two buffer pads 200 are the maximum when swelling the entire battery cells 110. It is designed to be able to absorb each half of the amount of deformation.
[58]
In the present invention, by calculating the thickness of the buffer pad 200 as described above, the energy density can be increased by configuring the buffer pad 200 to have a minimum thickness within a range in which effective effects are exhibited.
[59]
The top and bottom plates 300 and 400 and the pair of side plates 500 may be configured in a plate shape having a predetermined area, and are located at the top/bottom and both side portions of the cell assembly 100 so that the cell assembly 100 The upper, lower, left and right sides of the can be covered respectively. These top and bottom plates 300 and 400, and a pair of side plates 500 may be collectively referred to as covering the outer periphery of the cell assembly 100 and may be understood as an end plate.
[60]
The top and bottom plates 300 and 400 and a pair of side plates 500 may provide mechanical support for the cell assembly 100 and may serve to protect the cell assembly 100 from external impacts. Therefore, it may be preferable that the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 and the pair of side plates 500 are made of a metal material such as steel to ensure rigidity.
[61]
The pair of side plates 500 according to the present invention is configured to be assembled with the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 with the cell assembly 100 and the buffer pad 200 in the center. For example, the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 and a pair of side plates 500 may be mutually assembled to form each tube shape.
[62]
In particular, the pair of side plates 500 may be provided to be press-fitted to both ends of the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 with the pair of buffer pads and the cell assembly interposed therebetween.
[63]
Looking in detail at the assembly configuration of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 are, respectively, horizontal portions 310 and 410 forming a horizontal plane, and vertically at both ends of the horizontal portions 310 and 410. It may have vertical portions 320 and 420 that are bent. In addition, the pair of side plates 500 may have upper and lower edge regions 520 and 530 coupled with vertical portions 320 and 420 of the top and bottom plates 300 and 400, respectively, in a press-fitting or clinching method. I can.
[64]
More specifically, the upper and lower edge regions 520 and 530 of the side plate 500 are provided with press-fit protrusions 521 and 531 protruding outward, and the press-fit protrusions in the vertical portions 320 and 420 of the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 are provided. Press-fit holes 321 and 421 that are forcibly fitted with 521 and 531 are provided.
[65]
When the upper and lower edge regions 520 and 530 of the side plate 500 are overlapped inside the vertical portions 320 and 420 of the top and bottom plates 300 and 400, the press-fit holes 321 and 421 are pressed into the press-fit protrusions 521 and 531. The side plate 500 may be fixed to the top and bottom plates 300 and 400.
[66]
Referring to FIG. 3, two lower edge regions 530 of the left/right side plate 500 are integrally press-fitted between the vertical portions 320 and 420 to the bottom plate, and the upper end of the left/right side plate 500 The two edge regions 520 are integrally press-fitted between the vertical portions 320 and 420 of the top plate 300.
[67]
In this case, the distance between the vertical portions 320 and 420 of the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 is a distance corresponding to the left and right widths of the cell assembly 100. Therefore, when the top and bottom plates 300 and 400 and the left/right side plates 500 are press-fit together as described above, the left/right side plates 500 are inside the vertical portions 320 and 420 of the top and bottom plates 300 and 400. The buffer pad 200 and the battery cells 110 may be pressed by the left/right side plates 500 by being constrained by the. In this case, the pressing force applied by the side plate 500 may be uniformly transmitted to the cell assembly 100 through the buffer pad 200.
[68]
In addition, the pair of side plates 500 may have a bead portion recessed from the plate surface to a predetermined depth, and the pair of buffer pads 200 may have a face fitted in shape to the bead portion.
[69]
The bead portion may take an intaglio shape when looking at the side plate 500 from the outside. The bead portion imparts mechanical stiffness against expansion force to the side plate 500 when swelling the battery cells 110, thereby preventing bending or twisting of the side plate 500.
[70]
In the present embodiment, the bead portion is a first bead portion 511 provided in the middle region of the side plate 500 and a second bead portion separated to be separated on the left and right sides based on the first bead portion 511 (512) may be included.
[71]
For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the first bead portion 511 may be widely distributed in the center area of ​​the side plate 500. That is, when the side plate 500 is divided into 5 equal parts along the length direction of the battery module 10, the first bead part 511 may be formed in a middle region corresponding to 3 equal parts in the middle. The first bead portion 511 corresponds to a center portion where the deformation amount is greatest during swelling of the battery cell 110.
[72]
In addition, the second bead part 512 may be separately formed symmetrically on the left and right sides of the first bead part 511. The second bead part 512 may have a smaller distribution area and depth than the first bead part 511. In other words, when the battery cell 110 is swelled, the first bead portion 511 that faces the central portion that expands the most may have a larger and deeper distribution area than the second bead portion 512.
[73]
According to the configuration of the bead portion of the present invention, the side plate 500 may more effectively prevent the expansion of the battery cells 110 by acting more strongly on the center of the side plate 500 when swelling the battery cells 110.
[74]
Meanwhile, the battery module 10 according to the present invention may further include a sensing assembly 600 disposed on at least one of the front and rear sides of the cell assembly 100 to electrically connect the pouch-type battery cells 110. I can.
[75]
For reference, the pouch-type battery cell 110 may be divided into a unidirectional cell and a bidirectional cell according to the protruding direction of the electrode lead 111. In the case of the present embodiment (see FIG. 1 ), since the bi-directional pouch type battery cell 110 is used, the sensing assembly 600 is configured to be mounted on the front and rear portions of the cell assembly 100. That is, unlike the present embodiment, when the battery module 10 is configured with the one-way pouch-type battery cell 110, the sensing assembly 600 may be mounted on only one of the front and rear portions of the cell assembly 100. .
[76]
6 is a partial perspective view of the battery module cut in the transverse direction, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of sensing housing parts according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the sensing housing of FIG. 7, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are A right side view and a front view of each sensing housing part, and FIG. 11 are views for explaining an assembly process of sensing housing parts and a bus bar according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[77]
Referring to these drawings, the sensing assembly 600 may include a plurality of bus bars 610 and a sensing housing 620 as a configuration for electrical connection and voltage sensing of a plurality of battery cells 110.
[78]
The bus bar 610 may be coupled to the electrode leads 111 by welding, or the like, so as to be electrically connected to the electrode leads 111 of the plurality of battery cells 110.
[79]
The sensing housing 620 provides a place where various components including the bus bar 610 can be installed, and serves to cover the front and rear portions of the cell assembly 100. The bus bar 610 is mounted on the front surface of the sensing housing 620, and the electrode leads 111 of the battery cells 110 pass through the body of the sensing housing 620 to be welded to the bus bar 610. have.
[80]
As shown in Figure 6, the sensing housing 620 is fitted to one end 540 of each of the pair of side plates 500 to be spaced apart from the plurality of pouch-type battery cells 110 by a predetermined distance. To be supported by the pair of side plates 500. Accordingly, a predetermined empty space G may be formed between the sensing housing 620 and the plurality of pouch-type battery cells 110.
[81]
In this way, the sensing housing 620 is supported by the side plate 500 even in the event of an external impact, so that the distance to the battery cells is kept constant, so that the electrical connection between the bus bars 620 and the electrode leads 111 can be secured. I can. In addition, the empty space G may be used as a gas collection space that may occur when the pouch-type battery cells 110 swell. In case of emergency, when gas is filled in a closed space, the pressure may increase significantly, thereby increasing the risk of explosion. Thus, when a gas collection space is provided as in the present embodiment, a sudden pressure increase of the battery module 10 can be prevented.
[82]
In particular, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sensing housing 620 of the present invention may be composed of unit sensing housing parts 620a that are detachable from each other and are continuously assembled in one direction. The unit sensing housing parts 620a are provided in a number corresponding to the number of pouch-type battery cells 110, and are fitted in the form of a mutual block by having an embossed protrusion 621 and an engraved groove 622 corresponding to each other. Can be assembled.
[83]
For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the unit sensing housing part 620a may have positive protrusions 621 on a left side thereof, and an intaglio groove 622 on the right side opposite to the unit sensing housing part 620a. . With this configuration, when the left side of one unit sensing housing part 620a is in close contact with the right side of the other unit sensing housing parts 620a, the embossed protrusion 621 fits into the intaglio groove 622 , The left side of the one unit sensing housing 620 and the right side of the other sensing housing part 620a may be assembled in a contact state. In this pattern, another unit sensing housing part 620a may be additionally assembled to the already assembled sensing housing parts 620a to form one sensing housing 620.
[84]
According to the sensing housing parts 620a of the present invention, even if the number of battery cells 110 of the battery module 10 varies depending on the required capacity or overall size, the battery cells ( A suitable sensing housing 620 can be implemented simply by adjusting the number of sensing housing parts 620a to correspond to the number of 110). That is, the sensing housing 620 according to the present invention may have simple and easy expandability through assembly of the unit sensing housing parts 620a.
[85]
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 11, the bus bar 610 according to the present invention has a plate-shaped junction 611 to which the electrode leads 111 are bonded, and a “U” shape at at least one end of the bonding portion 611. It may include an end bent portion 612 that is bent into a shape.
[86]
These busbars 610 may be assembled and fixed to the sensing housing parts 620a without using a separate fastening part. To this end, the sensing housing 620 is formed by assembling one sensing housing part 620a and the other sensing housing part 620a, and includes slits 623 passing through a portion of the bus bar 610 and the Slots 624 forming an inner space for accommodating the end bent portion 612 of the bus bar 610 may be further included.
[87]
9 to 11, the unit sensing housing part 620a includes a first cut-out part 623a and the first cut-out part partially cut by the thickness of the bus bar 610 on the left and right sides of the unit sensing housing part 620a. In a position adjacent to 623a, a second cutout portion 624a partially cut by a size corresponding to the width of the distal bending portion 612 is provided. The slit 623 and the slot 624 of the sensing housing 620 have two first cutouts 623a and the second cutouts 624a facing each other when the unit sensing housing parts 620a are assembled. It was formed by coming into contact.
[88]
The assembly structure of the sensing housing 620 and the bus bar 610 will be described. First, the bus bar 610 is mounted on the right side of any one sensing housing part 620a in the lateral direction. In this case, a part of the bus bar 610 that is bent and extended from the junction part 611 may be inserted into the first cut-out part 623a in the lateral direction, and part of the end bent part 612 is also part of the second cut-out part ( 624a) can be fitted in the lateral direction. In this state, the left side of the other sensing housing part 620a is assembled to the right side of the one sensing housing part 620a. At this time, the portion extending from the junction 611 and the remaining portion of the end bent portion 612 are respectively in the first cutout 623a and the second cutout 624a of the other sensing housing part 620a. Each can be embedded. Accordingly, the bus bar 610 is constrained between the sensing housing parts 620a, the junction 611 of the bus bar 610 is exposed to the front portion of the sensing housing 620, and the end bent portion 612 is a slot (624) is accommodated in the interior space.
[89]
The end bent portion 612 accommodated in the inner space of the slot 624 may be electrically connected to the voltage sensing receptacle terminal 630 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The voltage sensing receptacle terminal 630 can be inserted into and removed from the slot 624, and is connected on the BMS board to serve as a connector for transmitting voltage information of the battery cells 110 to the BMS.
[90]
The voltage sensing receptacle terminal 630 is inserted into the slot 624 of the sensing housing 620 and is electrically connected to the end bent portion 612 of the bus bar 610 to sense the voltage of the battery cells 110. Send the information to the BMS. The configuration of the slot 624 of the sensing housing 620 according to the present embodiment, the end bent portion 612 of the bus bar 610 accommodated therein, and the voltage sensing receptacle terminal 630 provided to be inserted and released therein According to, electrical stability and convenience of connection can be met at the same time.
[91]
Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, in the sensing assembly 600, a nut 641 is accommodated in any one of the slots 624 provided in the sensing housing 620 and is fastened to the nut 641. It may further include a member 640 for connecting external power fixed to. The external power connection member 640 may be provided in the form of a metal plate, such as the bus bar 610, and electrically connect the battery module 10 of the present invention to another battery module 10, or It can be used for connection to electrode terminals.
[92]
Preferably, the external power connection member 640 may be mounted on the sensing housing 620 by fastening a bolt/nut 641 to the sensing housing part 620a located at the end of the sensing housing 620.
[93]
If the assembly structure of the external power connection member 640 is augmented, as in the assembly method of the bus bar 610 described above, a nut 641 is inserted into the second cutout 624a of any one sensing housing part 620a. ), and then assembling the other sensing housing 620 to insert the remaining part of the nut 641 into the second cutout 624a of the other sensing housing 620. The nut 641 is constrained to the two sensing housing parts 620a. Then, the external power connection member 640 may be fixed to the sensing housing 620 by inserting the bolt into the external power connection member 640 and fastening it to the nut 641.
[94]
16 is a partial exploded perspective view of a battery module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of a battery module according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[95]
Next, an assembly structure of an end plate for pressing a battery cell of a battery module according to other embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings. Descriptions of the configurations overlapping with the above-described embodiments will be omitted, and differences from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described.
[96]
In the case of this embodiment, there is a difference in the assembly structure of the top and bottom plates 300 ′ and 400 ′ and a pair of side plates 500 ′ as compared with the above-described embodiment. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, a pair of side plates 500 ′ is configured to be fitted and coupled to both ends of the top and bottom plates 300 ′ and 400 ′.
[97]
The top and bottom plates 300 ′ and 400 ′ according to the present exemplary embodiment have horizontal portions 310 ′ forming a horizontal plane, respectively, and vertical portions 320 ′ that are vertically bent at both ends of the horizontal portion 310 ′. ) And a fitting portion 321' bent toward the battery cells 110 at an end of the vertical portion 320'. In addition, the pair of side plates 500 ′ has plate holes 521 ′ and 531 ′ into which the fitting portions 321 ′ can be inserted into edge regions 520 ′ and 530 ′ at the top and bottom, respectively. It may include.
[98]
17 The left/right fitting part 320 ′ may be fitted and coupled to the plate holes 521 ′ of the left/right side plate 500 ′. In the same manner, the bottom plate 400 ′ may also be coupled to the lower edge regions 530 ′ of the pair of side plates 400 ′.
[99]
Accordingly, in the battery module according to the present embodiment, a pair of side plates 500 ′ are bound between both ends of the top and bottom plates 300 ′ 400 ′, so that the battery cells 110 400'), swelling may be prevented. In particular, in the case of this embodiment, the assembly is easy as in the above-described embodiment to which the clinking coupling structure is applied, and the fastening force is stronger than that of the above-described embodiment. For example, when the expansion force of the battery cells 110 is force majeure during swelling, the above-described embodiment may release the press-fitting, but in the case of this embodiment, there is little possibility that the fitting structure may be released unless the coupling portion is damaged.
[100]
Meanwhile, the battery pack according to the present invention may include one or more 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.
[101]
It goes without saying that the battery module 10 according to the present invention can be applied to a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, or a power storage device (ESS).
[102]
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.
[103]
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 having a cell assembly composed of a plurality of pouch-type battery cells stacked and arranged on a wide surface in one direction, comprising: a pair of buffer pads disposed on both side surfaces of the cell assembly; Top and bottom plates respectively covering upper and lower portions of the cell assembly; And a pair of side plates interposed between the pair of buffer pads and the cell assembly, and press-fitted or fitted to both ends of the top and bottom plates.
[Claim 2]
The battery module of claim 1, wherein the pair of side plates includes a bead portion recessed to a predetermined depth, and the pair of buffer pads have one surface conforming to the shape of the bead portion.
[Claim 3]
The method of claim 2, wherein the bead part is located separately from the first bead part in left/right side regions of the side plate based on a first bead part provided in a middle region of the side plate and the first bead part. A battery module comprising a second bead portion provided with a distribution area and a depth smaller than that of the first bead portion.
[Claim 4]
The method of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom plates each include a horizontal portion forming a horizontal plane, and a vertical portion bent vertically at both ends of the horizontal portion, and the pair of side plates, respectively, The battery module, characterized in that the edge region is press-fit to the vertical portion of the top and bottom plate.
[Claim 5]
The method of claim 4, wherein the pair of side plates has press-fit protrusions protruding from edge regions of the upper and lower ends, and the top and bottom plates have press-fit holes that are forcibly fitted with the press-fit protrusions on the vertical portion. Battery module, characterized in that.
[Claim 6]
The battery module of claim 4, wherein upper and lower edge regions of the pair of side plates are disposed to overlap inside the vertical portions of the top and bottom plates.
[Claim 7]
The method of claim 1, further comprising a sensing assembly disposed on at least one of a front part and a rear part of the cell assembly and electrically connecting electrode leads protruding from the pouch-type battery cells, wherein the sensing assembly comprises: the electrode A bus bar electrically connected to the leads; And a sensing housing including a plurality of sensing housing parts having the busbar mounted on the front side, passing the electrode leads toward the busbar, mutually detachable, and continuously assembled in one direction. .
[Claim 8]
The battery module of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensing housing parts are provided to correspond to the number of pouch-type battery cells.
[Claim 9]
The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensing housing parts are assembled by being fitted in a block-coupled form, each having an embossed protrusion and an engraved groove corresponding to each other.
[Claim 10]
The method of claim 7, wherein the sensing housing is fitted to one end of each of the pair of side plates and supported by the pair of side plates at a predetermined distance apart from the plurality of pouch-type battery cells. Battery module.
[Claim 11]
The sensing housing of claim 7, wherein the bus bar includes a junction portion provided in the form of a plate bonded to the electrode leads, and an end bending portion bent in a “U” shape at one end of the junction portion, and the sensing housing Is formed by assembling one sensing housing part and another sensing housing part, and includes a slit passing through at least a portion of the bus bar, and a slot forming an inner space for accommodating the end bent part. Battery module characterized by.
[Claim 12]
The battery module of claim 11, wherein the sensing assembly further comprises a voltage sensing receptacle terminal inserted into the slot to be electrically connected to an end bent portion of the bus bar.
[Claim 13]
The method of claim 11, wherein the sensing assembly further comprises a member for external power connection, wherein a nut is accommodated in one of the slots provided in the sensing housing and is fixed with a bolt fastened to the nut. Battery module.
[Claim 14]
The method of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom plates each include a horizontal portion forming a horizontal plane, a vertical portion bent vertically at both ends of the horizontal portion, and a fitting portion bent toward the cell assembly at the ends of the vertical portion, , Wherein the pair of side plates are provided with plate holes through which the fitting portions can be inserted into edge regions of the upper and lower ends, respectively.
[Claim 15]
The method of claim 1, wherein the buffer pad has a thickness of the following formula, T = A/2 + B (T: thickness of the buffer pad, A: number of battery cells × maximum displacement amount during swelling of the battery cells, B: Battery module, characterized in that calculated by the maximum compression thickness).