Battery module

Abstract

A battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of battery cells; and a BMS module connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the BMS module may include a substrate; a plurality of electronic components mounted on one side of the substrate; and a cooling element disposed on another side opposite to the one side to cool the other side.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module. Background Technology

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries offer the convenience of being rechargeable, attracting significant attention as a power source for various mobile devices, electric bicycles (E-bikes), and electric vehicles.

[0003] Such a secondary battery may include a battery cell in which an electrode assembly formed by stacking a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator, or by winding them into a roll, is housed inside a case. Multiple battery cells may be stacked in a predetermined direction and housed in a battery module or battery pack.

[0004] Meanwhile, the BMS circuit board, which manages the temperature and output of battery cells, is equipped with electronic components; however, since the amount of heat generated varies by component, there were difficulties in effectively cooling them. The problem to be solved

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module including a BMS circuit board capable of effectively cooling can be provided.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, components having different heat generation amounts mounted on a circuit board can be uniformly cooled.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate can be divided into a high-heat region and a low-heat region, and the high-heat region can be cooled intensively.

[0008] The battery module of the present disclosure can be widely applied in green technology fields such as electric vehicles, battery charging stations, and other applications utilizing batteries, such as solar power generation and wind power generation. Furthermore, the battery module of the present disclosure can be used in eco-friendly electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., to prevent climate change by suppressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. means of solving the problem

[0009] A battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of battery cells; and a BMS module connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the BMS module may include a substrate; a plurality of electronic components mounted on one side of the substrate; and a cooling element disposed on another side opposite to the one side to cool the other side.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the cooling element may be a thermoelectric element (Peltier).

[0011] According to one embodiment, the substrate further includes a heat transfer member disposed between the other surface and the cooling element, and the heat transfer member may include an electrically insulating material.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the substrate may include a first region in which the cooling element is disposed and a second region in which the cooling element is not disposed.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the plurality of electrical components may include a high-heat component disposed in the first region; and a low-heat component disposed in the second region, which has a relatively smaller amount of heat generated than the high-heat component.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the high-heat generating component may include at least one of a High Voltage Connector, a Circuit Breaker, a Current Sensor, and a MOSFET.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the low heat generation component may include a Low Voltage Connector (LV connector).

[0016] According to one embodiment, the BMS module may further include a cooling element connection line that electrically connects the LV connector and the cooling element.

[0017] According to one embodiment, one side of the cooling element connecting line is disposed in the second region of the substrate and the other side is disposed in the first region of the substrate, so that it can be connected to the cooling element.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the apparatus includes a busbar assembly electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells; and a sensing module connected to the busbar assembly and sensing values ​​such as current and voltage of the at least one of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the first region of the substrate is connected to the busbar assembly and the second region of the substrate is connected to the sensing module.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the thermoelectric element may include at least one of a Peltier element, a Seebeck element, and a Thomson element.

[0020] Foregoing, the means of solution according to the present disclosure have been described, but this is illustrative and should be understood that any addition of other configurations not mentioned is also included in the present disclosure. Effects of the invention

[0021] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module including a BMS circuit board capable of effectively cooling can be provided.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module capable of uniformly cooling components having different heat generation amounts mounted on a circuit board can be provided.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module can be provided in which a substrate is divided into a high-heat region and a low-heat region, and the high-heat region can be intensively cooled. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a BMS module according to one embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0025] Prior to the detailed description of the embodiments, terms and words used in the following description and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention.

[0026] Identical reference numbers or symbols in each drawing represent parts or components that perform substantially the same function. For convenience of explanation and understanding, the same reference numbers or symbols may be used in different embodiments.

[0027] In the following description, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms such as "comprising" or "constituting" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0028] In addition, it should be noted in advance that expressions such as upper side, top, lower side, bottom, side, front, and rear in the following description are based on the direction depicted in the drawings, and may be expressed differently if the direction of the object changes.

[0029] Additionally, in the following description and claims, terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to distinguish between components. These ordinal numbers are used to distinguish identical or similar components from one another, and the meaning of the terms should not be restricted by the use of such ordinal numbers. For example, the order of use or placement of components combined with such ordinal numbers should not be restricted by the number. If necessary, each ordinal number may be used interchangeably.

[0030] The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, this is merely illustrative and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described illustratively.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cell assembly (100) comprising a plurality of battery cells (110), a housing (200) that accommodates the cell assembly (100), a connection unit (300) that is electrically connected to the cell assembly (100), a BMS module (500) that includes a control unit connected to the connection unit (300) and controlling the cell assembly (100), and a connection terminal (350) that can be connected to an external power source.

[0034] The housing (200) can accommodate a cell assembly (100) inside. The housing (200) may include a metal material such as aluminum or stainless steel to ensure mechanical rigidity. The housing (200) may include a case (210) that encloses the cell assembly (100) and has an opening formed therein, a first case cover (220) disposed on one side of the case (210), and a second case cover (230) disposed on the other side of the case (210). According to one embodiment, the housing (200) of the present disclosure may be used in an E-Bike, such as an electric bicycle. In this case, a handle (225) may be provided on the first case cover (220), and a connection terminal (350) may be disposed on the second case cover (230). Through this structure, the battery module (10) may be provided so that it can be easily attached to and detached from the E-Bike by a user.

[0035] A cell assembly (100) may include a plurality of battery cells (110). The plurality of battery cells may be stacked or arranged in a predetermined direction. The battery cell (110, Battery cell) of the present disclosure may be a secondary battery including an electrode assembly (not shown). In addition, the battery cell (110) of the present disclosure may be a lithium-ion battery, but is not limited thereto. For example, the battery cell (110) may be a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a nickel-hydrogen battery capable of charging and discharging. In addition, the battery cell (110) of the present disclosure may be provided in various types depending on the shape of the cell case that accommodates the electrode assembly. For example, the battery cell (110) of the present disclosure may include any one of a pouch type, a prismatic type, or a cylindrical type. In the drawings, the cell case is depicted as a pouch cell formed in the shape of a pouch, but this is merely an example, and the present disclosure is not limited to the type, shape, material, etc. of the cell case.

[0036] The connection unit (300) may be electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells (110). The connection unit (300) may include a busbar assembly (310) and a sensing module (330). The busbar assembly (310) may be positioned on at least one side of the cell assembly (100) and electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells (110). The busbar assembly (310) may be electrically connected to a connection terminal (350) and electrically connected to an external power source of the battery module (10). The sensing module (330) may be connected to the busbar assembly (310) to sense values ​​such as current / voltage of the busbar assembly (310). The sensing module (330) may be connected to the BMS module (500) to transmit and receive various information to and from the control unit.

[0037] The BMS module (500) of the present disclosure may include a control unit (not shown). The control unit is connected to a connection unit (300) to receive values ​​such as voltage of the cell assembly (100) and environmental values ​​such as pressure and temperature inside the housing (200), and can control the cell assembly (100) based on these values. Here, the control unit may include a BMS. Furthermore, the control unit refers to a processor or the like that performs the above-described function and is not limited to specific components.

[0038] Meanwhile, the BMS module (500) may be equipped with various electrical components (530, 540; see FIG. 3). The electrical components (530, 540) may have different amounts of heat generated depending on their respective functions, capacities, etc. In this case, it is important to effectively cool and control the heat generated by the various components. According to the present disclosure, heat generated in the BMS module (500) can be effectively cooled. Hereinafter, the BMS module (500) of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a BMS module according to one embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 3.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together, the battery module (10) of the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery cells (110) and a BMS module (500) connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells (110). Here, the BMS module (500) may include a substrate (510), a plurality of electrical components (530, 540) mounted on one side (511) of the substrate (510), and a cooling element (550) disposed on another side (512) opposite to the one side (511) of the substrate (510) to cool the other side (512).

[0042] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling element (550) may be a thermoelectric device. Specifically, when current is applied to the cooling element (550), one side of the substrate (510) facing the other side (512) of the substrate (510) is cooled, and heat may be generated on the other side opposite to said one side. As an example, the thermoelectric device may include at least one of a Peltier element, a Seebeck element, and a Thomson element. However, the thermoelectric device of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any material that cools at least one side when current is applied is included in the present disclosure.

[0043] It may be arranged to overlap with a part of the substrate (510). Specifically, the substrate (510) may include a first area (510a) where the cooling element (550) is placed and a second area (510b) where the cooling element (550) is not placed. The first area (510a) may be referred to as a "high heat generation area" or a "cooling area." The second area (510b) may be referred to as a "low heat generation area." A plurality of electrical components (530, 540) may be mounted on the first surface (511) of the substrate (510) across the first area (510a) and the second area (510b). Meanwhile, the first area (510a) and the second area (510b) are not physically separated, but may be determined by whether or not the cooling element (550) is placed therein. Specifically, the first region (510a) is a region where the thermoelectric element (550) is placed, and may refer to a region that includes a region overlapping with the thermoelectric element (550) in the thickness direction and a periphery thereof. The second region (510b) may refer to a region of the substrate (510) that is not the first region (510a).

[0044] A plurality of electronic components (530, 540) may include a high-heat component (530) disposed in the first region (510a; high-heat region) and a low-heat component (540) disposed in the second region (510b; low-heat region) and having a relatively lower heat generation amount than the high-heat component (530). That is, among the plurality of electronic components (530, 540), the high-heat component (530) may be disposed in the first region (510a) so that it can be actively cooled by a cooling element (550), and the low-heat component (540) may be disposed in the second region (510b) so that it can dissipate heat through the other side (512) of the substrate (510). Through this arrangement structure, the BMS module (500) of the present disclosure can effectively cool the heat generated between electronic components. In addition, the heat generated between electronic components can be cooled uniformly. Meanwhile, in the drawing, the area of ​​the cooling element (550) is formed to be smaller than the area of ​​the first region (510a), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and is not particularly limited as long as the cooling element (550) is arranged to overlap approximately with the first region (510a).

[0045] According to one embodiment, the high heat generation component (530) may include at least one of an HV Connector (High Voltage Connector), a Circuit Breaker, a Current Sensor, and a MOSFET. The HV Connector may be electrically connected to a busbar assembly (310) or a connection terminal (350). Additionally, according to one embodiment, the low heat generation component (540) may include an LV Connector (Low Voltage Connector). The LV Connector may be connected to a sensing module (330) or a connection terminal (350). However, the components described above are merely examples and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0046] Additionally, according to one embodiment, a heat transfer member (560) disposed between the other side (512) of the substrate (510) and the cooling element (550) may be further included. The heat transfer member (560) may be a material with high thermal conductivity and may include a material having electrical insulation properties. Through this, the other side (512) of the substrate (510) can be effectively cooled by the cooling element (550). Additionally, in an embodiment not illustrated, the heat transfer member (560) may be disposed across a first region (510a) and a second region (510b) of the substrate (510). In this case, the portion of the heat transfer member (560) disposed in the first region (510a) can effectively perform heat exchange between the substrate (510) and the cooling element (550). The portion disposed in the second region (510b) of the heat transfer member (560) can effectively dissipate heat to the other side (512) of the substrate (510).

[0047] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the BMS module (500) may further include a cooling element connection line (555) that supplies power to a cooling element (550). One side of the cooling element connection line (555) may be positioned in a second region (510b) of the substrate (510), and the other side may be positioned in a first region (510a) of the substrate (510), so that the other side is connected to the cooling element (550). However, the method of supplying current to the cooling element (550) in the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, one side of the cooling element connection line (555) may be positioned in the first region (510a) of the substrate, and the other side may be connected to the cooling element (550). As another example, one side of the cooling element connection line (555) may be connected to a connection terminal (350), and the other side may be connected to the cooling element (550).

[0048] In addition, the BMS module (500) of the present disclosure may divide the substrate (510) into two regions to effectively cool the heat generated by the substrate (510). Meanwhile, the amount of heat generated in the substrate (510) may be proportional to the magnitude of the current and voltage passing through the substrate (510). Specifically, an HV Connector connected to a busbar assembly (310) may be disposed in the first region (510a) of the substrate (510) to allow a relatively high current to flow, and an LV Connector connected to a sensing module (330) may be disposed in the second region (510b) to allow a relatively low current to flow. In other words, the first region (510a) of the substrate (510) may be connected to the busbar assembly (310), and the second region (510b) of the substrate (510) may be connected to the sensing module (330).

[0049] In this way, the present disclosure allows for cooling an electrical component (530) placed in a first region (510a) by arranging a cooling element (550) on one of the surfaces (512) of the first region (510a) of the substrate (510). Through this, a separate heat sink may not be required in the limited space inside the battery module.

[0050] However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is permissible for a heat sink to be disposed on the other side of the cooling element (550) or for a heat sink to be disposed on the other side (512) of the second region (510b). That is, as long as the cooling element (550) is disposed on the second side (512) of the first region (510a), it should be considered to fall under the present disclosure. Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it will be obvious to those with average knowledge in the relevant technical field that various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention as described in the claims. Some components of the above-described embodiments may be deleted and each embodiment may be combined with one another.

[0051] The above description is merely an example of applying the principles of the present disclosure, and other configurations may be included without departing from the scope of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0052] 10: Battery module 100: Cell assembly 110: Battery cell 200: Housing 210: Case 220: First case cover 230: Second case cover 300: Connection Unit 310: Busbar Assembly 330: Sensing Module 350: Connection terminal 500: BMS Module 510: Board 510a: First region of the substrate 510b: Second region of the substrate 511: One side of the substrate (1st side) 512: Other side of the substrate (second side) 530,540: Multiple battlefield components 550: Cooling element 555: Cooling element connection wire 560: Heat transfer member

Claims

Claim 1 A battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells; and a BMS module connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the BMS module comprises: a substrate; a plurality of electronic components mounted on one side of the substrate; and a cooling element disposed on the other side opposite to the one side to cool the other side. Claim 2 In claim 1, the cooling element is a battery module that is a thermoelectric element. Claim 3 A battery module according to claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a heat transfer member disposed between the other surface and the cooling element, and the heat transfer member comprises an electrically insulating material. Claim 4 A battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substrate comprises a first region in which the cooling element is disposed and a second region in which the cooling element is not disposed. Claim 5 A battery module according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of electrical components comprises: a high-heat component disposed in the first region; and a low-heat component disposed in the second region, having a relatively smaller amount of heat generated than the high-heat component. Claim 6 In claim 5, the above-mentioned high-heat component comprises at least one of a High Voltage Connector (HV Connector), a Circuit Breaker, a Current Sensor, and a MOSFET, in a battery module. Claim 7 In paragraph 5, the above-mentioned low-heat component is a battery module including an LV connector (Low Voltage Connector). Claim 8 In paragraph 4, the battery module further comprises a cooling element connection line that electrically connects the LV connector and the cooling element to the BMS module. Claim 9 In claim 8, the battery module, wherein one side of the cooling element connecting line is disposed in the second region of the substrate and the other side is disposed in the first region of the substrate and connected to the cooling element. Claim 10 A battery module according to claim 4, comprising: a busbar assembly electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells; and a sensing module connected to the busbar assembly and sensing values ​​such as current and voltage of at least one of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the first region of the substrate is connected to the busbar assembly and the second region of the substrate is connected to the sensing module. Claim 11 In paragraph 2, the battery module comprises at least one of a Peltier element, a Seebeck element, and a Thomson element.

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