Battery Module

Abstract

This invention relates to a battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells, wherein each battery cell has an anode connector and a cathode connector formed at both ends, and the plurality of battery cells are stacked; a first busbar assembly, including a first busbar connecting the anode connector and the cathode connector located at one end of the plurality of battery cells; a second busbar assembly, including a second busbar connecting the anode connector and the cathode connector located at the other end of the plurality of battery cells; and a sensing unit for detecting the state of the battery cells and connected to either the first busbar or the second busbar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a battery module, and more specifically, to a battery module with an improved structure. Background Technology

[0002] Secondary batteries have attracted much attention as a power source for electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and the like, which are proposed solutions to problems such as air pollution from traditional gasoline and diesel vehicles that use fossil fuels.

[0003] On the other hand, in order to install secondary batteries in vehicles, it is necessary to solve the problems of increasing energy density and eliminating space constraints. To this end, a long battery cell has been proposed, in which the edge length between the electrode terminals is much longer than the edge where the electrode terminals are located. In contrast to the typical battery cell length of less than 300mm, the long battery cell has a length of 600mm, and the ultra-long battery cell is designed to have a length of more than 600mm.

[0004] However, long or ultra-long battery cells, due to the increased distance between their electrode terminals, suffer from higher internal resistance and increased electrical losses. Furthermore, the larger temperature differences between different areas of the battery cell lead to reduced performance and shorter lifespan. Additionally, the weight of the ultra-long battery cell may cause it to bend. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the battery cell's performance is necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0006] One aspect of the present invention provides a battery module with an improved sensing structure.

[0007] In one aspect, the present invention provides a battery module with improved space efficiency.

[0008] (II) Technical Solution

[0009] The battery module according to the technical concept of the present invention includes: a plurality of battery cells, wherein each battery cell has an anode connector and a cathode connector formed at both ends, and the plurality of battery cells are stacked; a first busbar assembly, including a first busbar connecting the anode connector and the cathode connector located at one end of the plurality of battery cells; a second busbar assembly, including a second busbar connecting the anode connector and the cathode connector located at the other end of the plurality of battery cells; and a sensing unit for detecting the state of the battery cells and connected to either the first busbar or the second busbar.

[0010] The first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly can be respectively disposed at one end and the other end of the battery cell and spaced apart from each other, and connected to the battery cell.

[0011] The sensing unit can be installed on either the first busbar or the second busbar.

[0012] The sensing unit may include multiple connecting parts extending from the circuit board and connected to any one of the busbars.

[0013] The sensing unit may further include a temperature sensor that extends from the circuit board to one side of the battery cell to detect the temperature of the battery cell.

[0014] The first busbar assembly may include a first terminal board, which is electrically connected to the first busbar and forms a first terminal including a first anode terminal and a first cathode terminal. The second busbar assembly may include a second terminal board, which is electrically connected to the second busbar and forms a second terminal including a second anode terminal and a second cathode terminal.

[0015] The first terminal and the second terminal can be configured to operate independently of each other.

[0016] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0017] According to one aspect of the invention, space efficiency can be improved by installing the sensing unit only on one side of the battery module.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, energy density can be maximized by improving the battery cell structure and arrangement structure of the battery module.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, the internal resistance of the battery module can be minimized, and the cooling performance of the module can be maximized.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the structure can be simplified and the cost reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a battery cell in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a front view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0027] 10: Battery Module 12: Battery Stack

[0028] 14: Battery unit; 20, 30: Busbar assembly

[0029] 22, 32: Busbars; 24, 34: Terminal blocks

[0030] 40, 50: Terminals; 42, 44: Anode terminals

[0031] 52, 54: Cathode terminals; 60: Module housing

[0032] 62: Outer shell body 70: Outer shell cover

[0033] 80: Module busbar 82: Module battery management system

[0034] 84: Power connection section; 90: Sensing unit Detailed Implementation

[0035] The embodiments described in this specification and the structures shown in the figures are merely preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention. When applying for this application, there may be various modifications that can replace the embodiments and figures in this specification.

[0036] Furthermore, the same reference numerals or symbols shown in the various figures of this specification indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same function.

[0037] Furthermore, the terminology used in this specification is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit or restrict the disclosed invention. Unless the context clearly states otherwise, the singular includes the plural. In this specification, terms such as "comprising" or "having" indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, without excluding the presence or additional possibilities of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0038] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and other ordinal terms used in this specification can be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited to these terms; the terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the invention, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be named a first component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple related descriptions or a single item from multiple related descriptions.

[0039] Furthermore, terms such as “~department,” “~machine,” “~block,” “~component,” and “~module” can refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation. For example, these terms can refer to at least one process, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), stored in at least one piece of hardware or memory and processed by at least one piece of software or a processor.

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] The battery module 10 may include: a battery stack 12 formed by stacking battery cells 14; busbar assemblies 20 and 30 that electrically connect the battery cells 14 forming the battery stack 12 to each other; and a module housing 60 that houses and protects the battery stack 12 and the busbars 22 and 32.

[0043] The battery stack 12, formed by stacking battery cells 14, will be described in detail later.

[0044] Busbar assemblies 20 and 30 may include busbars 22 and 32 and terminal blocks 24 and 34.

[0045] Busbars 22 and 32 can be formed at both ends of the battery stack 12 and can electrically connect to the electrode connectors 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b of multiple battery cells 14.

[0046] Busbars 22 and 32 can be attached to one end and the other end of the battery stack 12, respectively, so that a pair of electrode connectors 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b formed at both ends of the battery cell 14 can be electrically connected to each other.

[0047] Terminal plates 24 and 34 are electrically connected to busbars 22 and 32, and have terminals 40 and 50 exposed to the outside. Terminal plates 24 and 34 connected to busbars 22 and 32 may form a first anode terminal 42 and a first cathode terminal 44 at one end of the battery stack 12, and a second anode terminal 52 and a second cathode terminal 54 at the other end of the battery stack 12. The first anode terminal 42 and the first cathode terminal 44 can be defined as the first terminal 40, and the second anode terminal 52 and the second cathode terminal 54 can be defined as the second terminal 50. That is, the first anode terminal 42 and the first cathode terminal 44 located at one end of the battery module 10 can be named the first terminal 40, and the second anode terminal 52 and the second cathode terminal 54 located at the other end of the battery module 10 can be named the second terminal 50. The first anode terminal 42 and the second anode terminal 52, as well as the first cathode terminal 44 and the second cathode terminal 54, can be configured to have terminals with the same polarity along the length of the battery module 10. That is, the first anode terminal 42 and the second anode terminal 52 can be symmetrically disposed at both ends of the battery module 10, and the first cathode terminal 44 and the second cathode terminal 54 can be symmetrically disposed at both ends of the battery module 10. If the anode terminals 42 and 52 are disposed close to one side forming the length of the battery module 10, then the cathode terminals 44 and 54 can be disposed close to the other side of the battery module 10.

[0048] In the battery module 10, the width in the width direction perpendicular to the length direction can be smaller than the length in the length direction from the first terminal 40 to the second terminal 50. In this embodiment, the length of the battery module 10 is greater than its width, and an anode terminal and a cathode terminal are respectively provided at both ends.

[0049] Terminal plates 24 and 34 can be configured separately and combined with busbars 22 and 32, or they can be integrally formed with busbars 22 and 32. In this embodiment, busbar 22 is shown to be divided into an upper busbar 22a and a lower busbar 22b, with the upper busbar 22a disposed on the side of terminal plate 24 facing the battery stack 12, and the lower busbar 22b disposed on the front surface of terminal plates 24 and 34. However, this is not a limitation, as long as busbars 22 and 32 are structures that allow multiple electrode terminals 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b to be electrically connected to each other, and terminal plates 24 and 34 are structures that are electrically connected to busbars 22 and 32 to form anode terminals 42 and 52 and cathode terminals 44 and 54.

[0050] The module housing 60 can form the appearance of the battery module 10. The module housing 60 may include a housing body 62 forming a placement space 62b and a housing cover 70 coupled to the housing body 62. The housing body 62 includes an opening 62a communicating with the placement space 62b, and the housing cover 70 may be configured to cover the opening 62a. The housing cover 70 may include a front cover 72 and a rear cover 74 coupled to the front and rear of the housing body 62, and an upper cover 76 coupled to the upper part of the housing body 62.

[0051] The front cover 72 and the rear cover 74 may be configured to be attached to the outside of the terminal plates 24 and 34, respectively, and cover the terminal plates 24 and 34. The housing cover 70 may further include an insulating cover 78 disposed between the front cover 72 and the terminal plate 24, and an insulating cover between the rear cover 74 and the terminal plate 34. The insulating cover may be formed of an insulating material. The front cover 72 may include an open opening 72a that exposes the terminals to the outside, and the rear cover 74 may include an open opening that exposes the terminals to the outside. The anode terminals 42 and 52 and the cathode terminals 44 and 54 formed on the terminal plates 24 and 34 may be exposed to the outside of the front cover 72 and the rear cover 74 through the openings.

[0052] The outer casing 62 may include a lower outer casing 64 forming a bottom surface and a side outer casing 66 extending from the lower outer casing 64 and forming side surfaces. In this embodiment, the outer casing 62 has a "U"-shaped cross-section and is configured to be open at its front, rear, and top. However, it is not limited to this; the outer casing 62 may also have a "U"-shaped cross-section and be configured to be open at its front and rear. As long as the structure of the outer casing 62 can form a placement space 62b for accommodating multiple battery cells 14. The battery stack 12 may include a cushioning material 18 disposed on the outermost surface of the battery stack 12 and between the inner surface of the side outer casing 66 and the outermost battery cell 14, thereby providing a cushioning function.

[0053] The housing body 62 and the housing cover 70 can protect the electrical components in the battery module 10, such as the battery stack 12, busbars 22 and 32, and terminals.

[0054] The battery module 10 may include a sensing unit 90. The sensing unit 90 will be described in detail later.

[0055] The battery module 10 may include a cooling component (not shown). Although not shown in the figures, the cooling component may be configured to cover the housing body 62 and the housing cover 70. Therefore, cooling of the battery cell 14 can be achieved in multiple directions. In this embodiment, the first terminal 40 and the second terminal 50 of the battery module operate independently, thus omitting the additional structure for electrically connecting the first terminal 40 and the second terminal 50. This structure allows for flexible configuration of the cooling component of the battery module. For example, the cooling component may be provided on at least one of the components of the battery module 10 located between the first terminal 40 and the second terminal 50, namely the lower housing, the side housing, and the upper cover; alternatively, the cooling component may be provided on all three components. The cooling component may be in surface contact with at least one of the components of the lower housing, the side housing, and the upper cover.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a battery cell in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] The battery cell 14 can be formed as a long battery cell or an extra-long battery cell with an edge length between electrode connectors that is much longer than the edge length of the electrode connectors 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b.

[0058] The battery cell 14 may include an electrode assembly (not shown) with lead electrode connectors 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b and an outer casing material 14a that houses the electrode assembly. The electrode assembly may be formed as a wound type, in which one or more anode plates, cathode plates and separators are wound up simultaneously, or as a stacked type, in which multiple anode plates and multiple cathode plates are alternately stacked with separators between the anode plates and cathode plates. The outer casing material 14a consists of an outer insulating layer, a metal layer and an inner adhesive layer, and can accommodate internal components such as the electrode assembly and electrolyte.

[0059] When an electrode connector is formed at each end of the battery cell 14, the increased length of the battery cell 14 leads to a longer distance between the electrode connectors, which in turn increases the internal resistance of the electrode connector 14. Furthermore, when the anode and cathode connectors are only located and activated at one end of the battery cell 14, the current density in a specific region at the activated end increases. Therefore, compared to other regions, this specific region of the battery cell 14 overheats, and with increasing current density and surface pressure, dendrite formation may occur.

[0060] Therefore, in this invention, the battery cell 14 may include a first anode connector 15a and a first cathode connector 15b formed at one end of the battery cell, and a second anode connector 16a and a second cathode connector 16b formed at the other end of the battery cell. That is, in this embodiment, anode connectors 15a and 16a and cathode connectors 15b and 16b may be respectively provided at both ends of the battery cell 14. The first anode connector 15a and the first cathode connector 15b, as well as the second anode connector 16a and the second cathode connector 16b, may be arranged in a left-right reversible manner. With this structure, the anode connectors 15a and 16a and the cathode connectors 15b and 16b can allow current to flow through the connectors with the shorter distance between them, thereby minimizing the internal resistance of the battery cell 14.

[0061] The battery stack 12 can be formed by stacking multiple battery cells 14. The battery stack 12 can achieve a higher voltage than a single battery cell 14 by connecting electrode connectors 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b in series via busbar assemblies 20 and 30. Figure 4 As shown, the anode terminals 15a and 16a and the cathode terminals 15b and 16b of the battery cell 14 can be alternately arranged in the stacking direction. Additionally, the battery cells 14 can be stacked in the left-right direction, i.e., in the width direction of the battery module 10, to form a battery stack 12. However, the arrangement and stacking direction of the battery cells 14 are not limited.

[0062] Reference Figure 2 The busbar assemblies 20 and 30 may include a first busbar assembly 20 disposed at one end of the battery module 10 and a second busbar assembly 30 disposed at the other end of the battery module 10. The first busbar assembly 20 and the second busbar assembly 30 are respectively disposed at one end and the other end of the battery module 10 and are spaced apart from each other, thus forming independent anode terminals 42 and 52 and cathode terminals 44 and 54.

[0063] The first busbar assembly 20 may include a first busbar 22 and a first terminal plate 24. The first anode connector 15a and the first cathode connector 15b located at one end of the battery stack 12 may be connected in series with each other through the first busbar 22.

[0064] The first terminal block 24 can be connected to the first busbar 22 that connects the first anode connector 15a and the first cathode connector 15b, and form the first anode terminal 42 and the first cathode terminal 44.

[0065] The second busbar assembly 30 may include a second busbar 32 and a second terminal block 34. The second anode connector 16a and the second cathode connector 16b located at the other end of the battery stack 12 may be connected in series with each other via the second busbar 32.

[0066] The second terminal block 34 can be connected to the second busbar 32 that connects the second anode connector 16a and the second cathode connector 16b, forming the second anode terminal 52 and the second cathode terminal 54. The first anode terminal 42, the second anode terminal 52, the first cathode terminal 44 and the second cathode terminal 54 of the battery module 10 can be electrically connected to the terminals of other adjacent battery modules.

[0067] Since the first anode terminal 42, the second anode terminal 52, the first cathode terminal 44, and the second cathode terminal 54 are all activated, the battery module 10 can minimize the temperature imbalance caused by current density when only the electrode connectors at one end are activated, and can prevent the formation of dendrites.

[0068] Furthermore, in the battery module 10, the first anode terminal 42 and the first cathode terminal 44, as the first terminal 40, and the second anode terminal 52 and the second cathode terminal 54, as the second terminal 50, can operate independently. This structure eliminates the need for additional structures for electrically connecting the first and second terminals. That is, the structure directly connecting the first and second terminals can be omitted, thus allowing cooling components to be provided on at least one of the four sides of the battery stack 12 formed between the first and second terminals, or cooling components to be provided on all four sides.

[0069] Figure 5 This is a front view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] The battery module 10 may include a sensing unit 90.

[0071] Multiple battery cells 14 are electrically connected to each other, and the state of the interconnected battery cells 14 should be monitorable. A sensing unit 90 can sense the state of the battery cells 14. The state of the battery cells 14 sensed by the sensing unit 90 may include various information such as voltage state and temperature information. The sensing unit 90 is connected to a temperature sensor 98 disposed inside the battery module 10 to monitor the temperature information of the battery cells 14.

[0072] The sensing unit 90 may not be directly connected to the battery unit 14, but may be connected via busbars 22 and 32. However, it is not limited to this; the sensing unit 90 may also be configured to be directly connected to the battery unit 14.

[0073] like Figure 2As shown, the sensing unit 90 can be disposed on one outer surface of the battery stack 12. The sensing unit 90 can be mounted on either the first busbar 22 or the second busbar 32. Since the first anode connector 15a and the first cathode connector 15b at one end of the battery cell 14 and the second anode connector 16a and the second cathode connector 16b at the other end of the battery cell 14 operate independently of each other, the state of the battery cell 14 can be detected even if the sensing unit 90 is disposed in only one of the first busbar 22 and the second busbar 32. By installing the sensing unit 90 in only one of the first busbar 22 and the second busbar 32, additional structures such as the flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) that electrically connects one end of the battery cell 14 to the other end can be omitted.

[0074] The sensing unit 90 may include a circuit board 92 mounted on the busbar assemblies 20 and 30. The circuit board 92 may include circuitry for sensing the state of the battery cell 14.

[0075] The circuit board 92 may include a connector 94 and multiple connection portions 96. The connector 94 is configured to transmit status information of multiple battery cells 14 to the outside. The transmission connector is coupled to the connector 94 of the circuit board 92 and transmits the status information to the outside via wires connected to the transmission connector.

[0076] Multiple connectors 96 are connected to the circuit board 92 and can be formed in a multi-legged shape. The multiple connectors 96 can be electrically connected to either the first busbar 22 or the second busbar 32. The multiple connectors 96 are connected to the busbars 22 and 23 to collect status information of the battery cell 14 and transmit it to the circuit board 92.

[0077] The above description and illustrations have provided specific embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and those skilled in the art should be able to make various modifications within the scope of the technical concept of the invention as described in the claims.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: Multiple battery cells, wherein each battery cell has multiple electrode terminals formed at both ends, and the multiple battery cells are stacked together; The first busbar assembly includes a first busbar connected to an electrode connector located at one end of the stacked plurality of battery cells and a first terminal plate electrically connected to the first busbar; The second busbar assembly includes a second busbar connected to an electrode connector located at the other end of the stacked plurality of battery cells and a second terminal plate electrically connected to the second busbar; as well as A sensing unit is used to detect the state of the stacked battery cells. The first busbar includes: an upper busbar located between the first terminal board and the stacked plurality of battery cells; And the lower busbar is separated from the upper busbar.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, The upper busbar is disposed on one side of the first terminal plate. The lower busbar is located on the other side of the first terminal block.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, The first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly are respectively disposed at one end and the other end of the battery cell and are spaced apart from each other, and are connected to the battery cell.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein, The first busbar assembly and the second busbar assembly are configured to operate independently.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein, The sensing unit is connected to either the first busbar or the second busbar.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, The sensing unit includes: The circuit board is mounted on either the first busbar or the second busbar; and Multiple connectors extend from the circuit board and are connected to any one of the busbars.

7. The battery module according to claim 6, wherein, The sensing unit further includes: A temperature sensor extends from the circuit board and to one side of the battery cell to detect the temperature of the battery cell.

8. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, The multiple battery cells have an anode connector and a cathode connector formed at both ends, respectively.

9. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, The first terminal block forms a first terminal including a first anode terminal and a first cathode terminal. The second terminal block forms a second terminal including a second anode terminal and a second cathode terminal.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, wherein, The first terminal and the second terminal are configured to operate independently of each other.

11. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein, The first terminal and the second terminal are electrically disconnected from each other.

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