FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)
TITLE OF INVENTION:
CLAMPING MEMBER AND BATTERY MODULE USING THE SAME
APPLICANT:
LG CHEM, LTD.
A Company incorporated in South Korea
Having address:
128, Yeoui-daero Yeongdeungpo-gu Seoul 07336
Republic of Korea
The following specification describes the invention and the manner in which it is
to be performed.
2
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY
The present application claims priority from PCT application Number
PCT/KR2016/010290 filed on September 12, 2016 further claims priority to Korean
Patent Application No. 10-2015-0168280 filed on November 30, 2015 in the
5 Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a clamping member and a battery
module using the same, and more particularly, to a clamping member for fixing a
stacking structure of a battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries is stacked,
10 and a battery module for fixing the battery assembly by using the clamping
member.
BACKGROUND ART
Generally, a secondary battery is a rechargeable battery such as a lithium
15 ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel
hydrogen battery, a nickel zinc battery or the like, and an output voltage of about
2.5V to 4.2V for a unit battery. Recently, as the secondary battery is applied to
devices demanding a high output voltage and a large charge capacity like an
electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, a battery module of a stacking
20 structure in which unit batteries connected in series or in parallel are stacked is
widely used. Accordingly, there is an increasing demands on reducing a size of
the battery module by fixing the battery stacking structure with improved space
efficiency or improving durability of the battery module while ensuring easy
assembling.
25 However, as disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-
2014-0041337 or the like, in the existing technique, the battery stacking structure
is finally fixed using a shoulder bolt. Thus, the battery module should be
designed to have a separate margin for forming grooves at four edges of a
cartridge and upper and lower end plates of the unit battery to be coupled with the
30 shoulder bolt, and thus the battery module has a large size and deteriorated space
3
efficiency.
Also, as disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-
2004-0043432, in the existing technique, band-type bar plates are inserted into
and coupled to the grooves at the upper and lower end plates of the battery stack
5 to fix the battery stacking structure. Thus, if a plurality of batteries is stacked to
increase the weight of the battery stacking structure, the bar plate may be
separated due to the weight of the battery stack or an external impact.
DISCLOSURE
10 Technical Problem
The present disclosure is directed to providing a clamping member, which
may ensure a small size of a battery module by fixing a battery stacking structure
with excellent space efficiency, ensure easy assembling of the battery module and
also improve durability of the battery module, and is also directed to providing a
15 battery module using the clamping member.
Technical Solution
In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a clamping
member, comprising: a pair of pressing units configured to respectively press an
20 upper plate and a lower plate of a battery assembly in which a plurality of
batteries is stacked, so that a stacking structure of the battery assembly is fixed;
and a support unit configured to support the pair of pressing units so that the
upper plate and the lower plate of the battery assembly are pressed by the pair of
pressing units, wherein at least one of the pair of pressing units includes: a snap25 fitting portion coupled to the upper plate or the lower plate by means of snapfitting; and a screwing portion coupled to the upper plate or the lower plate
coupled to the snap-fitting portion, by means of screwing.
In an embodiment, the snap-fitting portion may have a hooking hole
which is coupled to a hooking protrusion provided at the upper plate or the lower
30 plate.
In an embodiment, the screwing portion may have an insert groove
4
coupled to the upper plate or the lower plate, to which the snap-fitting portion is
coupled, by means of screwing.
In an embodiment, the insert groove may have a U shape with an opening
at a coupling side so that a screw shaft provided at the upper plate or the lower
5 plate is inserted therein when the snap-fitting portion is coupled to the upper plate
or the lower plate.
In an embodiment, at least one insert groove may be provided at both
sides of the snap-fitting portion, respectively.
In an embodiment, a step may be formed between the snap-fitting portion
10 and the screwing portion.
In an embodiment, the support unit may have a band shape with
predetermined thickness and width and a length corresponding to a stacking
thickness of the battery assembly, and the support unit may have a curved portion
convexly formed at a center of the width to protrude at one side in a thickness
15 direction.
In an embodiment, the pair of pressing units and the support unit may be
integrally formed.
In an embodiment, the pair of pressing units may respectively extend
from both longitudinal ends of the support unit and be bent to face each other.
20 In an embodiment, the pair of pressing units and the support unit may be
made of a metal material.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a battery
module, comprising: the clamping member as described above; and a battery
assembly in which a plurality of batteries is stacked, wherein a stacking structure
25 of the battery assembly is fixed using the clamping member.
In an embodiment, the battery assembly may include: a battery stacking
structure; and an upper plate and a lower plate respectively disposed at upper and
lower ends of the battery stacking structure in a stacking direction, and at least
one of the upper plate and the lower plate may include: a counterpart snap-fitting
30 portion coupled to the snap-fitting portion of the clamping member; and a
counterpart screwing portion coupled to the screwing portion of the clamping
5
member.
In an embodiment, the counterpart snap-fitting portion may include a
hooking protrusion, which is coupled to a hooking hole provided at the snapfitting portion of the clamping member.
5 In an embodiment, the counterpart screwing portion may include: a screw
shaft inserted into an insert groove provided at the screwing portion of the
clamping member, when the counterpart snap-fitting portion is coupled to the
snap-fitting portion of the clamping member; and a nut member coupled to the
screw shaft to fix the clamping member.
10 In an embodiment, at least one screw shaft may be respectively provided
at both sides of the counterpart snap-fitting portion.
In an embodiment, a step may be formed between the counterpart snapfitting portion and the counterpart screwing portion, corresponding to the step
between the snap-fitting portion and the screwing portion of the clamping member.
15 In an embodiment, the battery assembly may further include a bolt
member screwed through the battery stacking structure, and the upper plate and
the lower plate may respectively have through holes formed at points
corresponding to each other so that the bolt member passes therethrough.
20 Advantageous Effects
In embodiments of the present disclosure, since a stacking structure of a
battery assembly including a plurality of batteries stacked therein is fixed using a
clamping member, it is possible to minimize the use of a shoulder bolt demanding
a separate coupling space, improve space efficiency and ensure easy assembling
25 of a battery module.
In addition, since the clamping member is coupled to the battery assembly
by means of snap-fitting and screwing simultaneously, it is possible to ensure easy
coupling of the clamping member, preventing the clamping member from being
separated due to a weight of the battery assembly or an external impact, and
30 improve durability of the entire battery module.
Moreover, since the clamping member is coupled to the battery assembly
6
by means of snap-fitting, a screw shaft provided at an end plate of the battery
assembly is automatically inserted into a U-shaped insert groove formed at the
clamping member, thereby ensuring easy screwing of the clamping member.
In addition, since a step is formed between the snap-fit portion and the
5 screwed portion of the end plate of the battery assembly and the clamping
member so that the clamping member is supported by the step, it is possible to
prevent the clamping member from being separated more effectively.
Further, it would be obviously understood from the following description
by those skilled in the art that the embodiments according to the present
10 disclosure can also solve various technical objects not mentioned above.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery module according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
15 FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a clamping member according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the clamping member of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a coupling state of the battery module and
the clamping member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
20 FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an upper plate of a battery module
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
BEST MODE
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in
25 detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to clearly explain
solutions to the technical objects of the present disclosure. However, in the
present disclosure, any explanation of the prior art may be omitted if it is regarded
to render the subject matter of the present disclosure vague. Also, the terms used
herein are defined in consideration of functions in the present disclosure and can
30 be varied depending on the intention of a designer, a manufacturer or the like or
according to custom. Therefore, the terms should be defined based on the
7
overall disclosure of the specification.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery module according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 1, a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of
5 the present disclosure includes a battery assembly 100 of a stacking structure in
which a plurality of batteries is stacked, and a clamping member 200. The
battery assembly 100 includes a battery stacking structure 102 in which a plurality
of battery cartridges, each accommodating one or more unit batteries, is stacked,
and a pair of end plates, namely an upper plate 110 and a lower plate 120
10 respectively disposed at upper and lower ends of the battery stacking structure 102
in a stacking direction. In addition, the battery assembly 100 may further
include a bolt member 130 screwed through the battery stacking structure 102.
Meanwhile, the clamping member 200 includes a pair of pressing units
210, 220 and a support unit 230. The pair of pressing units 210, 220 respectively
15 presses the upper plate 110 and the lower plate 120 of the battery assembly 100 to
fix the stacking structure of the battery assembly 100. The support unit 230
supports the pair of pressing units 210, 220 so that the upper plate 110 and the
lower plate 120 of the battery assembly 100 are pressed by the pair of pressing
units 210, 220.
20 FIGS. 2 and 3 are a perspective view and a front view showing a
clamping member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the clamping member 200 according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure includes a pair of pressing units 210, 220
25 and a support unit 230 supporting the pair of pressing units 210, 220. At least
one of the pair of pressing units 210, 220 includes a snap-fitting portion 212 and a
screwing portion 216. In this case, the snap-fitting portion 212 is coupled to the
end plate, namely the upper plate 110 or the lower plate 120 of the battery
assembly 100, by means of snap-fitting. As explained later, if a predetermined
30 hooking protrusion is provided at the end plates 110, 120 of the battery assembly
100, the snap-fitting portion 212 may have a hooking hole 214 coupled to the
8
hooking protrusion. In another embodiment, if a predetermined hooking groove
is formed in the end plates 110, 120 of the battery assembly 100, the snap-fitting
portion 212 may also have a hooking protrusion coupled to the hooking groove.
In addition, the screwing portion 216 is coupled to the upper plate 110 or
5 the lower plate 120 of the battery assembly 100, to which the snap-fitting portion
212 is coupled, by means of screwing. For this, the screwing portion 216 may
have an insert groove 218 which is coupled to the upper plate 110 or the lower
plate 120 by means of screwing. In this case, the insert groove 218 may have a
U shape with an opening at a coupling side so that a screw shaft provided at the
10 upper plate 110 or the lower plate 120 of the battery assembly 100 is
automatically inserted therein when the snap-fitting portion 212 is coupled to the
upper plate 110 or the lower plate 120. In addition, at least one insert groove
218 may be provided at both sides of the snap-fitting portion 212, respectively.
As described above, the clamping member 200 according to the present disclosure
15 is simultaneously snap-fit and screwed to the battery assembly 100, thereby
ensuring easy coupling, and also it is possible to prevent the clamping member
200 from being separated due to a weight of the battery assembly 100 or an
external impact. In addition, a step may be formed between the snap-fitting
portion 212 and the screwing portion 216. Since the pressing unit 210, 220 of
20 the clamping member 200 are coupled to the upper plate 110 or the lower plate
120 of the battery assembly 100 with a step, when a vibration or impact occurs in
a lateral direction (in an x-axis direction), the clamping member 200 is supported
by the step, thereby preventing the clamping member from being separated more
effectively.
25 Meanwhile, support unit 230 may have a band shape with predetermined
thickness and width and a length corresponding to a stacking thickness of the
battery assembly 100, and may also have a curved portion 232 convexly formed at
a center of the width to protrude at one side in a thickness direction (in a y-axis
direction). The curved portion 232 may be formed by means of beading, and the
30 elastic strength of the support unit 230 may be further improved in comparison to
the case where the support unit 230 has a simple flat plate shape.
9
The pair of pressing units 210, 220 and the support unit 230 may be
formed to be integrated with each other and may also be made of a metal material
with great elastic strength and high thermal conductivity. In this case, the pair of
pressing units 210, 220 respectively extend from both ends of the support unit 230
5 in a length direction (in a z-axis direction) and are bent to face each other.
The battery module 10 according to the present disclosure fixes the
stacking structure of the battery assembly 100 using the clamping member 200 as
described above.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a coupling state of the battery module and
10 the clamping member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an upper plate of a battery module according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clamping member 200 is coupled to the
end plates 110, 120 of the battery assembly 100 by means of the pressing units
15 210, 220 to fix the stacking structure of the battery assembly 100. For this, at
least one of the upper plate 110 and the lower plate 120 serving as end plates of
the battery assembly 100 includes a counterpart snap-fitting portion 112 coupled
to the snap-fitting portion 212 of the clamping member 200, and a counterpart
screwing portion 116 coupled to the screwing portion 216 of the clamping
20 member 200. At this time, the counterpart snap-fitting portion 112 may include
a hooking protrusion 114 coupled to the hooking hole 214 provided at the snapfitting portion 212 of the clamping member 200. In another embodiment, if the
snap-fitting portion 212 of the clamping member 200 has a hooking protrusion,
the counterpart snap-fitting portion 112 of the end plate 110 may have a coupling
25 groove coupled to the corresponding hooking protrusion.
In addition, when the counterpart snap-fitting portion 112 is coupled to
the snap-fitting portion 212 of the clamping member 200, the counterpart
screwing portion 116 may include a screw shaft 118 inserted into the insert
groove 218 provided at the screwing portion 216 of the clamping member 200,
30 and a nut member 119 coupled to the screw shaft 118 to fix the clamping member
200. In this case, at least one screw shaft 118 may be provided at both sides of
10
the counterpart snap-fitting portion 112, respectively, corresponding to the insert
groove 218 of the clamping member 200. In addition, the counterpart snapfitting portion 112 and the counterpart screwing portion 116 may have a step
between them, corresponding to the step between the snap-fitting portion 212 and
5 the screwing portion 216 of the clamping member 200.
In more detail, if the clamping member 200 is coupled to the battery
assembly 100 by means of snap-fitting, for example, the hooking protrusion 114
provided at the upper plate 110 of the battery assembly 100 is located in the
hooking hole 214 provided at the upper pressing unit 210 of the clamping member
10 200, and simultaneously, the screw shaft 118 of the upper plate 110 is
automatically located in the insert groove 218 through the U-shaped insert groove
218 of the clamping member 200. After that, if the nut member 119 is coupled
to the screw shaft 118, the clamping member 200 is completely coupled. If the
upper and lower pressing units 210, 220 of the clamping member 200 are shaped
15 corresponding to each other and also the upper and lower plates 110, 120 of the
battery assembly 100 are shaped corresponding to each other, the lower pressing
unit 220 of the clamping member 200 and the lower plate 120 of the battery
assembly 100 may also be coupled in the above way.
Meanwhile, the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the
20 present disclosure may fix the stacking structure of the battery assembly 100 by
using the clamping member 200 and the bolt member 130 such as a shoulder bolt
simultaneously. For example, one side of the battery assembly 100 may be fixed
by coupling the clamping member 200 thereto, and the other side of the battery
assembly 100 may be fixed by coupling the bolt member 130 thereto. In this
25 case, the upper plate 110 and the lower plate 120 of the battery assembly 100 may
have through holes 111 at locations corresponding to each other so that the bolt
member 130 may pass therethrough.
As described above, in embodiments of the present disclosure, since a
stacking structure of a battery assembly including a plurality of batteries stacked
30 therein is fixed using a clamping member, it is possible to minimize the use of a
shoulder bolt demanding a separate coupling space, improve space efficiency and
11
ensure easy assembling of a battery module. In addition, since the clamping
member is coupled to the battery assembly by means of snap-fitting and screwing
simultaneously, it is possible to ensure easy coupling of the clamping member,
preventing the clamping member from being separated due to a weight of the
5 battery assembly or an external impact, and improve durability of the entire
battery module. Moreover, since the clamping member is coupled to the battery
assembly by means of snap-fitting, a screw shaft provided at an end plate of the
battery assembly is automatically inserted into a U-shaped insert groove formed at
the clamping member, thereby ensuring easy screwing of the clamping member.
10 In addition, since a step is formed between the snap-fit portion and the screwed
portion of the end plate of the battery assembly and the clamping member so that
the clamping member is supported by the step, it is possible to prevent the
clamping member from being separated more effectively. Further, it would be
obviously understood from the following description by those skilled in the art
15 that the embodiments according to the present disclosure can also solve various
technical objects not mentioned above.
Heretofore, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been
described in detail. However, it will be clearly understood by those skilled in the
art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the present
20 disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments should not be interpreted restrictively
but illustrative. In other words, the true scope of the present disclosure is
defined in the appended claims, and its equivalents and modifications should be
entirely considered as falling within the scope of the present disclosure.
12
WE CLAIM:
1. A clamping member, comprising:
a pair of pressing units configured to respectively press an upper plate and
5 a lower plate of a battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries is stacked,
so that a stacking structure of the battery assembly is fixed; and
a support unit configured to support the pair of pressing units so that the
upper plate and the lower plate of the battery assembly are pressed by the pair
of pressing units,
10 wherein at least one of the pair of pressing units includes:
a snap-fitting portion coupled to the upper plate or the lower plate by
means of snap-fitting; and
a screwing portion coupled to the upper plate or the lower plate coupled to
the snap-fitting portion, by means of screwing.
15
2. The clamping member according to claim 1,
wherein the snap-fitting portion has a hooking hole which is coupled to a
hooking protrusion provided at the upper plate or the lower plate.
20 3. The clamping member according to claim 1,
wherein the screwing portion has an insert groove coupled to the upper plate
or the lower plate, to which the snap-fitting portion is coupled, by means of
screwing.
25 4. The clamping member according to claim 3,
wherein the insert groove has a U shape with an opening at a coupling side
so that a screw shaft provided at the upper plate or the lower plate is inserted
therein when the snap-fitting portion is coupled to the upper plate or the lower
plate.
30
5. The clamping member according to claim 4,
13
wherein at least one insert groove is provided at both sides of the snap-fitting
portion, respectively.
6. The clamping member according to claim 5,
5 wherein a step is formed between the snap-fitting portion and the screwing
portion.
7. The clamping member according to claim 1,
wherein the support unit has a band shape with predetermined thickness and
10 width and a length corresponding to a stacking thickness of the battery
assembly, and the support unit has a curved portion convexly formed at a
center of the width to protrude at one side in a thickness direction.
8. The clamping member according to claim 7,
15 wherein the pair of pressing units and the support unit are integrally formed.
9. The clamping member according to claim 8,
wherein the pair of pressing units respectively extend from both
longitudinal ends of the support unit and are bent to face each other.
20
10. The clamping member according to claim 8,
wherein the pair of pressing units and the support unit are made of a metal
material.
25 11. A battery module, comprising;
a clamping member defined in any one of claims 1 to 10; and
a battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries is stacked,
wherein a stacking structure of the battery assembly is fixed using the
clamping member.
30
12. The battery module according to claim 11,
14
wherein the battery assembly includes:
a battery stacking structure; and
an upper plate and a lower plate respectively disposed at upper and lower
ends of the battery stacking structure in a stacking direction,
5 wherein at least one of the upper plate and the lower plate includes:
a counterpart snap-fitting portion coupled to the snap-fitting portion of the
clamping member; and
a counterpart screwing portion coupled to the screwing portion of the
clamping member.
10
13. The battery module according to claim 12,
wherein the counterpart snap-fitting portion includes a hooking protrusion,
which is coupled to a hooking hole provided at the snap-fitting portion of the
clamping member.
15
14. The battery module according to claim 12,
wherein the counterpart screwing portion includes:
a screw shaft inserted into an insert groove provided at the screwing portion
of the clamping member, when the counterpart snap-fitting portion is
20 coupled to the snap-fitting portion of the clamping member; and
a nut member coupled to the screw shaft to fix the clamping member.
15. The battery module according to claim 14,
wherein at least one screw shaft is respectively provided at both sides
25 of the counterpart snap-fitting portion.
16. The battery module according to claim 15,
wherein a step is formed between the counterpart snap-fitting portion
and the counterpart screwing portion, corresponding to a step between the
30 snap-fitting portion and the screwing portion of the clamping member.
15
17. The battery module according to claim 12,
wherein the battery assembly further includes a bolt member screwed
through the battery stacking structure, and
wherein the upper plate and the lower plate respectively have through
5 holes formed at points corresponding to each other so that the bolt member
passes therethrough.