BUS BAR ASSEMBLY
【Technical Field】
[1] This application claims the benefit of priority
to Korean Patent Application No. 2018-0087149 filed on
July 26, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
[2] The present invention relates to a bus bar
assembly mounted to a battery module having a plurality
of battery cells so as to be electrically connected to
the plurality of battery cells.
【Background Art】
[3] In recent years, with an increase in the demand
for portable electronic devices, such as laptop computers,
smartphones, and tablet computers, research has been
actively conducted on high-performance secondary
batteries that are capable of being repeatedly charged
and discharged.
[4] In addition, secondary batteries have come to be
widely used in medium- or large-sized devices, such as
vehicles, robots, and satellites, as well as small-sized
devices, such as portable electronic devices. In
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particular, as fossil fuels are being depleted and
increasing attention is being paid to environmental
pollution, research on hybrid vehicles and electric
vehicles is being actively conducted. The most essential
component of a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle is a
battery pack configured to supply electric power to a
motor.
[5] A hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle has
advantages in that fuel economy is high and no pollutant
is discharged or the amount of a pollutant is reduced,
compared to a vehicle using only an internal combustion
engine, since it is possible to obtain driving force from
the battery pack. A battery pack used in a hybrid
vehicle or an electric vehicle includes a battery module
including a plurality of battery cells, and the plurality
of battery cells is connected to each other in series
and/or in parallel, whereby the capacity and the output
of the battery module are increased.
[6] Electrode leads are connected to each other in
order to electrically connect the plurality of battery
cells in the battery module, and connections between the
electrode leads may be welded in order to maintain the
state in which the electrode leads are connected to each
other. The battery module may have a function of
detecting voltage of the plurality of battery cells. To
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this end, bus bars configured to detect voltage of the
plurality of battery cells may be connected to the
connections between the electrode leads by welding, etc.
[7] In this structure, a plurality of electrode leads
withdrawn from the plurality of battery cells is disposed
in various forms, and it is necessary to construct
circuits having various forms in order to connect the
plurality of electrode leads disposed in various forms to
each other.
[8] According to the conventional art, a plurality of
components having various forms is used in a combined
form in order to construct circuits having various forms.
However, a process of separately manufacturing a
plurality of components having various forms and
combining the components for use is complicated.
【Disclosure】
【Technical Problem】
[9] The present invention has been made in view of
the above problems, and it is an object of the present
invention to provide a bus bar assembly capable of
realizing various circuits configured to connect
electrode leads of a plurality of battery cells to each
other using simple and unified components.
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【Technical Solution】
[10] A bus bar assembly according to an embodiment of
the present invention includes a frame; a plurality of
sensing bus bars integrally provided on the frame; an
inter bus bar configured to connect any one pair of
sensing bus bars, among the plurality of sensing bus bars,
to each other; and a terminal bus bar configured to
connect any one of the plurality of sensing bus bars to
an external terminal.
[11] The frame and the plurality of sensing bus bars
may be integrally formed through an insert injection
process in which a material that constitutes the frame is
injected into a mold in the state in which the plurality
of sensing bus bars is inserted into the mold.
[12] Each of the sensing bus bars may be formed in a
straight shape and may have two contact points.
[13] The inter bus bar may be formed in a straight
shape and may have two contact points connected
respectively to contact points of any one pair of sensing
bus bars, among the plurality of sensing bus bars.
[14] The terminal bus bar may be formed in a bent
shape and may have two contact points connected
respectively to a contact point of the sensing bus bar
and the external terminal.
[15] A plurality of through-holes, through which
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electrode leads of a plurality of battery cells extend,
respectively, may be formed in the frame.
[16] The frame may be any one of a first type frame
and a second type frame, the first type frame may have a
single through-hole, through which two electrode leads
extend together, formed between any one pair of sensing
bus bars, among the plurality of sensing bus bars, and
the second type frame may have two through-holes,
through which two electrode leads extend, respectively,
formed between any one pair of sensing bus bars, among
the plurality of sensing bus bars.
[17] The present invention provides a battery module
having the bus bar assembly and a battery pack including
the battery module.
【Description of Drawings】
[18] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically
showing a battery module, to which a bus bar assembly
according to an embodiment of the present invention is
applied.
[19] FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a first
type frame and a sensing bus bar provided in the bus bar
assembly according to the embodiment of the present
invention.
[20] FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a second
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type frame and a sensing bus bar provided in the bus bar
assembly according to the embodiment of the present
invention.
[21] FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing an inter
bus bar provided in the bus bar assembly according to the
embodiment of the present invention.
[22] FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing a terminal
bus bar provided in the bus bar assembly according to the
embodiment of the present invention.
[23] FIGS. 6 and 7 are views schematically showing
examples in which a two-parallel circuit is constructed
using the first type frame, the inter bus bar, and the
terminal bus bar.
[24] FIGS. 8 and 9 are views schematically showing
examples in which a four-parallel circuit is constructed
using the first type frame, the inter bus bar, and the
terminal bus bar.
[25] FIGS. 10 and 11 are views schematically showing
examples in which a six-parallel circuit is constructed
using the first type frame, the inter bus bar, and the
terminal bus bar.
[26] FIGS. 12 and 13 are views schematically showing
examples in which a series circuit is constructed using
the first and second type frames, the inter bus bar, and
the terminal bus bar.
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[27] FIGS. 14 and 15 are views schematically showing
examples in which a three-parallel circuit is constructed
using the first and second type frames, the inter bus bar,
and the terminal bus bar.
【Best Mode】
[28] Hereinafter, a bus bar assembly according to an
embodiment of the present invention will be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[29] As shown in FIG. 1, a battery module, to which
the bus bar assembly 100 according to the embodiment of
the present invention is applied, includes a battery
cell assembly 200.
[30] The battery cell assembly 200 includes a
plurality of battery cells 210. For example, each of
the battery cells 210 may be a pouch-shaped battery cell.
In this case, each battery cell 210 may have an
electrode assembly and a pouch configured to accommodate
the electrode assembly. The electrode assembly may be
constructed by assembling a plurality of electrode
plates (positive electrode plates and negative electrode
plates) and a plurality of separators. Each of the
electrode plates of the electrode assembly is provided
with an electrode tab, and a plurality of electrode tabs
may be connected to an electrode lead 211. The
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electrode lead 211 is exposed outwards from the pouch,
and an exposed portion of the electrode lead 211 may
function as an electrode terminal of each battery cell
210.
[31] The electrode lead 211 may include a positive
electrode lead and a negative electrode lead. The
electrode leads 211 of the plurality of battery cells
210 may be connected to each other in parallel or in
series by welding. As a result, the plurality of
battery cells 210 may be electrically connected to each
other.
[32] For example, the plurality of positive electrode
leads may protrude from the front of the battery cell
assembly 200, and the plurality of negative electrode
leads may protrude from the rear of the battery cell
assembly 200. In this case, there is no interference
between the positive electrode leads and the negative
electrode leads. In another example, the positive
electrode leads and the negative electrode leads may
protrude from the front or the rear of the battery cell
assembly 200.
[33] The bus bar assembly 100 may be mounted to the
front or the rear of the battery cell assembly 200. As
shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the bus bar assembly 100 may
include a frame 110; a plurality of sensing bus bars 120
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integrally provided at the frame 110; an inter bus bar
130 configured to electrically connect any one pair of
sensing bus bars 120, among the plurality of sensing bus
bars 120, to each other; and a terminal bus bar 140
configured to electrically connect any one of the
plurality of sensing bus bars 120 to an external terminal.
[34] The frame 110 may be coupled to the battery cell
assembly 200 using various methods, such as welding,
bolting, or riveting. In the case in which the number
of battery cells 210 constituting the battery cell
assembly 200 is uniform (i.e. in the case in which the
overall sizes of the front and the rear of the battery
cell assembly 200 are identical to each other), the same
type of frame 110 may be applied to various other types
of battery cell assemblies 200 that are different from
each other in the form in which the plurality of battery
cells 210 is disposed.
[35] In the embodiment of the present invention, the
construction in which the battery cell assembly 200
includes a total of 12 battery cells 210 is described.
Consequently, the frame 110 described in the embodiment
of the present invention may be applied to a battery
cell assembly 200 including a total of 12 battery cells
210, even though the construction in which the plurality
of battery cells 210 is disposed is changed.
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[36] However, the present invention is not limited as
to the number of battery cells 210, and the frame 110
may be constructed so as to correspond to the number of
battery cells 210 (i.e. the sizes of the front and the
rear of the battery cell assembly 200), in the same
principle as in the embodiment of the present invention,
such that the frame 110 can be applied to various
battery cell assemblies 200.
[37] The frame 110 may be any one type of frame
selected from between two types of frames 111 and 112.
The two types of frames 110 may be classified depending
on the form in which the plurality of battery cells 210
is disposed. For example, the two types of frames 110
may be classified depending on whether the battery
module has a structure in which electrode leads 211
having different polarities protrude separately from the
front and the rear of the battery cell assembly 200 or a
structure in which electrode leads 211 having different
polarities protrude together from the front and the rear
of the battery cell assembly 200.
[38] The two types of frames 110 include a first type
frame 111, shown in FIG. 2, and a second type frame 112,
shown in FIG. 3.
[39] The first type frame 111 and the plurality of
sensing bus bars 120 may be integrally formed. For
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example, the first type frame 111 and the plurality of
sensing bus bars 120 may be integrally formed through an
insert injection process in which a material that
constitutes the first type frame 111 is injected into a
mold in the state in which the plurality of sensing bus
bars 120 is inserted into the mold. A plurality of
through-holes 113 may be formed in the first type frame
111. The electrode leads 211 of the battery cells 210
may be exposed outwards through the plurality of throughholes 113. The plurality of through-holes 113 may be
simultaneously formed with the other portion of the first
type frame 111 in the insert injection process. For
example, the first type frame 111 may be applied to a
construction in which two electrode leads 211 are exposed
together through each through-hole 113.
[40] In the same manner as in the first type frame 111,
the second type frame 112 and the plurality of sensing
bus bars 120 may be integrally formed. For example, the
second type frame 112 and the plurality of sensing bus
bars 120 may be integrally formed through an insert
injection process in which a material that constitutes
the second type frame 112 is injected into a mold in the
state in which the plurality of sensing bus bars 120 is
inserted into the mold. A plurality of through-holes 115
and 116 may be formed in the second type frame 112. A
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pair of through-holes 115 and 116 is formed between a
pair of sensing bus bars 120, among the plurality of
sensing bus bars 120. The pair of through-holes 115 and
116 may be formed so as to be spaced apart from each
other by a separation portion 114. Two electrode leads
211 are exposed outwards through the pair of throughholes 115 and 116, respectively. The plurality of
through-holes 115 and 116 and the separation portions 114
may be simultaneously formed with the other portion of
the second type frame 112 in the insert injection process.
In the case of the second type frame 112, the two
electrode leads 211 are exposed through the pair of
through-holes 115 and 116, respectively, and are
separated from each other by the separation portion 114,
whereby the two electrode leads 211 may not contact each
other. Consequently, the second type frame 112 may be
applied when two electrode leads 211, among a plurality
of electrode leads 211, must not contact each other.
[41] Each of the sensing bus bars 120 may be formed in
a straight shape. Each sensing bus bar 120 may have two
contact points 121. An inter bus bar 130 may be
connected to contact points 121 of a pair of sensing bus
bars 120, among the plurality of sensing bus bars 120, by
welding, etc., whereby the pair of sensing bus bars 120
may be electrically connected to each other via the inter
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bus bar 130. In addition, a terminal bus bar 140 may be
connected to a contact point 121 of an outermost sensing
bus bar 120, among the plurality of sensing bus bars 120,
whereby the sensing bus bar 120 may be electrically
connected to an external terminal.
[42] As shown in FIG. 4, the inter bus bar 130 may be
formed in a straight shape. The inter bus bar 130 may
have a length capable of connecting two sensing bus bars
120 to each other. The inter bus bar 130 may have two
contact points 131, and the two contact points 131 may be
connected to contact points 121 of two sensing bus bars
120, respectively, by welding, etc.
[43] As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal bus bar 140 may
be formed in a shape that is bent so as to have an
approximately L shape. The terminal bus bar 140 may have
a length capable of connecting a sensing bus bar 120 to
an external terminal. The terminal bus bar 140 may have
two contact points 141, wherein one of the two contact
points 141 may be connected to a contact point 121 of a
sensing bus bar 120 by welding, etc., and the other may
be connected to an external terminal by welding, etc.
Consequently, the sensing bus bar 120 may be electrically
connected to the external terminal via the terminal bus
bar 140.
[44] According to the embodiment of the present
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invention, the bus bar assembly 100 may include two types
of frames 111 and 112, one type of inter bus bars 130,
and one type of terminal bus bars 140, and circuits
having various forms may be simply constructed using
these components.
[45] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a first type
frame 111 may be disposed at the front side of the
battery cell assembly 200, as shown in FIG. 7, a first
type frame 111 may be disposed at the rear side of the
battery cell assembly 200, inter bus bars 130 and
terminal bus bars 140 may be connected to sensing bus
bars 120, and electrode leads 211 may be connected to the
sensing bus bars 120, whereby a two-parallel circuit may
be constructed. Here, the two-parallel circuit is a
circuit in which two groups of battery cells 210, which
are constructed by connecting each six battery cells 210,
among 12 battery cells 210, to each other in series, are
connected to each other in parallel.
[46] In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, a first type
frame 111 may be disposed at the front side of the
battery cell assembly 200, as shown in FIG. 9, a first
type frame 111 may be disposed at the rear side of the
battery cell assembly 200, inter bus bars 130 and
terminal bus bars 140 may be connected to sensing bus
bars 120, and electrode leads 211 may be connected to the
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sensing bus bars 120, whereby a four-parallel circuit may
be constructed. Here, the four-parallel circuit is a
circuit in which four groups of battery cells 210, which
are constructed by connecting each three battery cells
210, among 12 battery cells 210, to each other in series,
are connected to each other in parallel.
[47] In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, a first type
frame 111 may be disposed at the front side of the
battery cell assembly 200, as shown in FIG. 11, a first
type frame 111 may be disposed at the rear side of the
battery cell assembly 200, inter bus bars 130 and
terminal bus bars 140 may be connected to sensing bus
bars 120, and electrode leads 211 may be connected to the
sensing bus bars 120, whereby a six-parallel circuit may
be constructed. Here, the six-parallel circuit is a
circuit in which six groups of battery cells 210, which
are constructed by connecting each two battery cells 210,
among 12 battery cells 210, to each other in series, are
connected to each other in parallel.
[48] In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, a second type
frame 112 may be disposed at the front side of the
battery cell assembly 200, as shown in FIG. 13, a first
type frame 111 may be disposed at the rear side of the
battery cell assembly 200, inter bus bars 130 and
terminal bus bars 140 may be connected to sensing bus
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bars 120, and electrode leads 211 may be connected to the
sensing bus bars 120, whereby a series circuit may be
constructed. Here, the series circuit is a circuit in
which 12 battery cells 210 are connected to each other in
series.
[49] In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, a second type
frame 112 may be disposed at the front side of the
battery cell assembly 200, as shown in FIG. 15, a first
type frame 111 may be disposed at the rear side of the
battery cell assembly 200, inter bus bars 130 and
terminal bus bars 140 may be connected to sensing bus
bars 120, and electrode leads 211 may be connected to the
sensing bus bars 120, whereby a three-parallel circuit
may be constructed. Here, the three-parallel circuit is
a circuit in which three groups of battery cells 210,
which are constructed by connecting each four battery
cells 210, among 12 battery cells 210, to each other in
series, are connected to each other in parallel.
[50] According to the embodiment of the present
invention, as described above, the bus bar assembly 100
may be constituted by any one type of frames selected
from between two types of frames 111 and 112, one type
of inter bus bars 130, and one type of terminal bus bars
140, and circuits having various forms may be constructed
using these components. Consequently, the construction
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of the bus bar assembly may be simplified, compared to
the case in which a plurality of components having
various forms is combined and used in order to construct
circuits having various forms, and costs may be reduced
as a result of simplification of the components. In
addition, resources and costs required to develop
respective components may be reduced through unification
of the components.
[51] Although the preferred embodiments of the present
invention have been described by way of illustration, the
scope of the present invention is not limited to the
specific embodiments described herein, and the present
invention can be appropriately modified within the
category described in the claims.
[52] (Description of Reference Numerals)
[53] 100: bus bar assembly
[54] 200: battery cell assembly
[55] 110: frames
[56] 120: sensing bus bars
[57] 130: inter bus bars
[58] 140: terminal bus bars
【Industrial Applicability】
[59] According to an embodiment of the present
invention, a bus bar assembly may be constituted by any
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one type of frames selected from between two types of
frames, one type of inter bus bars, and one type of
terminal bus bars, and circuits having various forms may
be constructed using these components. Consequently, the
construction of the bus bar assembly may be simplified,
compared to the case in which a plurality of components
having various forms is combined and used in order to
construct circuits having various forms, and costs may be
reduced as the result of simplification of the components.
In addition, resources and costs required to develop
respective components may be reduced through unification
of the components.

A bus bar assembly comprising:
a frame;
a plurality of sensing bus bars integrally provided
on the frame;
an inter bus bar configured to connect any one pair
of sensing bus bars, among the plurality of sensing bus
bars, to each other; and
a terminal bus bar configured to connect any one of
the plurality of sensing bus bars to an external terminal.
【Claim 2】 The bus bar assembly according to claim 1,
wherein the frame and the plurality of sensing bus bars
are integrally formed through an insert injection process
in which a material that constitutes the frame is
injected into a mold in a state in which the plurality of
sensing bus bars is inserted into the mold.
【Claim 3】 The bus bar assembly according to claim 1,
wherein each of the sensing bus bars is formed in a
straight shape and has two contact points.
【Claim 4】 The bus bar assembly according to claim 3,
wherein the inter bus bar is formed in a straight shape
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and has two contact points connected respectively to
contact points of any one pair of sensing bus bars, among
the plurality of sensing bus bars.
【Claim 5】 The bus bar assembly according to claim 3,
wherein the terminal bus bar is formed in a bent shape
and has two contact points connected respectively to a
contact point of the sensing bus bar and the external
terminal.
【Claim 6】 The bus bar assembly according to claim 1,
wherein a plurality of through-holes, through which
electrode leads of a plurality of battery cells extend,
respectively, is formed in the frame.
【Claim 7】 The bus bar assembly according to claim 6,
wherein
the frame is any one of a first type frame and a
second type frame,
the first type frame has a single through-hole,
through which two electrode leads extend together,
formed between any one pair of sensing bus bars, among
the plurality of sensing bus bars, and
the second type frame has two through-holes,
through which two electrode leads extend, respectively,
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formed between any one pair of sensing bus bars, among
the plurality of sensing bus bars.
【Claim 8】 A battery module having the bus bar
assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
【Claim 9】 A battery pack comprising a battery module
having the bus bar assembly according to any one of
claims 1 to 7.