Battery Module

Abstract

The present application relates to a battery module. The battery module is provided with a plurality of stacked battery module units. The battery module unit includes: a cooling fin in which the interval between two cooling plates opposite to each other can expand and contract; a battery cell in contact with each of the two cooling plates and having a lead sheet at each end; a protruding step portion extending from both ends of the cooling plate to maximize the contact area with the lead sheet of the battery cell; and a lead sheet fastener coupled to the protruding step portion to fix the lead sheet of the battery cell to the protruding step portion. The lead sheet fastener includes a connecting groove and a connecting protrusion, which are coupled to the lead sheet fastener of the adjacent battery module unit by linear relative movement relative to each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module, and more particularly, to a structure of a battery module installed in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle. Background Art

[0002] For a battery module constructed by stacking a plurality of battery cells, the lead tabs as electrodes of each battery cell are required to be cooled together with the body of the battery cell as the main heat generating part. Therefore, the structural configuration is important for each battery cell to properly absorb the expansion phenomenon, and the assembly property of the battery module can be easily and safely constructed.

[0003] The contents described in the background art are only to help understanding the background of the present disclosure and should not be considered to correspond to the related art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery module that has simplified and safe assembly, is capable of smoothly cooling the body of a battery cell together with a lead sheet that is a main heat-generating part, ensures the structural stability of the battery module by properly absorbing the expansion phenomenon of the battery cell, and constructs the battery module by more easily and safely coupling a plurality of battery cells.

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery module includes a plurality of stacked battery module units, and the battery module unit may include: a cooling sheet in which an interval between two cooling plates facing each other can expand and contract; a battery cell in contact with each of the two cooling plates and having lead tabs at both ends; a protruding step portion extending from both ends of the cooling plate to maximize a contact area with the lead tab of the battery cell; and a lead tab fastener coupled to the protruding step portion to fix the lead tab of the battery cell to the protruding step portion. The lead tab fastener may include a connecting groove and a connecting protrusion, which are coupled to the lead tab fastener of the adjacent battery module unit by linear relative movement relative to each other.

[0006] The cooling fin may be formed into a U-shaped cross-sectional structure formed by connecting first ends of two cooling plates to each other. When the interval between the two cooling plates expands and contracts, a deformation absorbing material that elastically contracts and expands may be inserted between the two cooling plates of the cooling fin. A coupling groove and a coupling protrusion may be disposed relative to each other between the lead piece fastener and the protruding step portion to press and couple the lead piece fastener to the protruding step portion.

[0007] The coupling groove and the coupling protrusion may be formed to be pressed and coupled along the direction in which the battery module units overlap, and the connection groove and the connection protrusion may be configured to be assembled and coupled by linear relative movement along a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the battery module units overlap. The lead sheet fastener of a plurality of battery module units overlapped to form a battery module may be provided with a hole, an end plate, and a fastening element, a support rod may be inserted through the hole and pass through the battery module, the end plate may be provided at both side ends of the battery module, and the fastening element penetrates the end plate and is coupled to the support rod to integrally fix the battery module.

[0008] A sensing assembly configured to sense the voltage of each battery cell may be installed at a portion aligned with the lead tabs of the battery module. The sensing assembly may include: a plurality of cell connection plates for connecting between the lead tabs of the battery cells; a plurality of insulating blocks structurally providing electrical insulation between the plurality of cell connection plates; and a printed circuit board (PCB) connected to the cell connection plates to sense the voltage of the battery cells.

[0009] The cell connection plate may include: a lead sheet insertion hole into which the lead sheets of two adjacent battery cells are inserted; and a block coupling hole for coupling to the insulating block; the insulating block may include a connection plate fixing protrusion into which the block coupling hole may be inserted to fix the cell connection plate. A sensing protrusion formed to be inserted into the PCB may be integrally formed on the cell connection plate to electrically and mechanically connect the cell connection plate to the PCB. The insulating block may include a free protrusion that can freely set the protruding height between two adjacent cell connection plates.

[0010] A plurality of cell connection plates may be formed to connect lead pieces of two battery cells adjacent to each other; a plurality of insulating blocks may be arranged along the stacking direction of the battery module units, while allowing a plurality of cell connection plates to be interposed between the plurality of insulating blocks; the first ends of the insulating blocks may be assembled to maintain a constant interval with each other through a frame plate; the second ends of the insulating blocks may be assembled to maintain a constant interval with each other through a PCB. The cell connection plate may include a lead piece insertion hole, into which two lead pieces of the battery cells of two battery module units adjacent to each other are respectively inserted; the lead pieces of the battery cells disposed on the outermost side of the battery module may be inserted into the module connection plate, and the module connection plate may be electrically connected to other battery modules. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] These and / or other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent and readily understood through the exemplary embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 is a view showing an exemplary embodiment of a battery module according to the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 2 It describes the formation Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a view of a configuration of a battery module unit of a battery module according to the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 is a view showing in detail the structure of a cooling fin of each battery module unit according to the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 2 is a view describing a battery module constituted by linear relative movement and coupling of the battery modules according to the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 It describes Figure 1 0014] A view of a component structure of a sensing component according to the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 6 is a view showing a battery system to which the battery module according to the present disclosure is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicle-related" or other similar terms used herein include a broad range of motor vehicles, such as: passenger vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, water vehicles including various boats and ships, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel (e.g., fuels produced from resources other than petroleum) vehicles. When referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

[0019] Although the exemplary embodiments described use multiple units to perform the exemplary processes, it should be understood that the exemplary processes can also be performed by one or more modules. In addition, it should be understood that the term controller / control unit refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor and can be specifically programmed to perform the processes described herein. The memory is configured to store the modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes described below.

[0020] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. When used in this article, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly states otherwise. It should be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and / or "comprise" specify the presence of the features, integral bodies, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integral bodies, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups. When used in this article, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0021] Unless otherwise expressly stated or apparent from the context, when used herein, the term "about" should be understood to be within the general tolerance of the art, e.g., within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "About" may be understood to be within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise expressly stated in context, all numerical values ​​provided herein are modified by the term "about".

[0022] refer to Figures 1 to 5 , a battery module 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of stacked battery module units 15, which may include: a cooling fin 5 in which an interval between two cooling plates 3 facing each other may expand and contract; a battery cell 9 contacting each of the two cooling plates 3 and having lead tabs 7 at both ends; a protruding step 11 extending from both ends of the cooling plate 3 to maximize a contact area with the lead tabs 7 of the battery cell 9; and a lead tab fastener 13 coupled to the protruding step 11 to fix the lead tab 7 of the battery cell 9 to the protruding step 11. The lead tab fastener 13 may include a connecting groove 17 and a connecting protrusion 19, which are coupled with the lead tab fastener 13 of the adjacent battery module unit 15 by linear relative movement relative to each other.

[0023] In other words, the battery module 1 according to the present disclosure is constructed by stacking a plurality of battery module units 15 in one direction, such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the connection between these battery module units 15 is configured to be formed by the connection groove 17 and the connection protrusion 19 provided in the lead piece fastener 13. In addition, the coupling groove 21 and the coupling protrusion 23 may be provided relative to each other between the lead piece fastener 13 and the protruding step portion 11 to couple the lead piece fastener 13 to the protruding step portion 11, while the lead piece 7 of the battery cell 9 is adhered to the protruding step portion 11, for pressing the lead piece fastener 13 toward the protruding step portion 11.

[0024] In other words, in the present exemplary embodiment, when the coupling groove 21 is formed in the protruding step portion 11, the coupling protrusion 23 may be provided on the lead tab fastener 13, and conversely, when the coupling groove 21 is formed in the lead tab fastener 13, the coupling protrusion 23 may be provided on the protruding step portion 11. The lead tab fastener 13 may be made of an insulating material.

[0025] Each battery module unit 15 can be assembled by pressing the lead sheet fastener 13 of the insulating material to the protruding step portion 11 of the cooling fin 5 to allow the coupling groove 21 and the coupling protrusion 23 to be coupled to each other, and the coupling between the battery module units 15 can be achieved by coupling the connection groove 17 and the connection protrusion 19. Therefore, when assembling the battery module 1, the battery module 1 can be safely assembled by the coupling and connection structure provided in the lead sheet fastener 13 of the insulating material without using metal tools, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of safety accidents when assembling the battery module 1.

[0026] Specifically, the coupling groove 21 and the coupling protrusion 23 may be formed to be pressed and coupled along the direction in which the battery module units 15 overlap, and the connection groove 17 and the connection protrusion 19 may be assembled and coupled by the linear relative movement of the battery module units 15 to be coupled along the direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction of the battery module units 15. Therefore, the coupling and separation of the connection groove 17 and the connection protrusion 19 may be independent of the connection and separation of the coupling groove 21 and the coupling protrusion 23.

[0027] In other words, when a force is applied for coupling or separation of the connection groove 17 and the connection protrusion 19, the coupling groove 21 and the coupling protrusion 23 can stably maintain the coupling state without being affected by such force. Thus, the assembly and separation of the battery module 1 can be simplified. Figure 3 As shown, the cooling fin 5 can be formed into a U-shaped cross-sectional structure formed by connecting the first ends of the two cooling plates 3 to each other, and when the expansion phenomenon of the battery cell 9 occurs, the interval between the two cooling plates 3 can expand and contract due to the elastic deformation of the parts where the cooling plates 3 are connected to each other.

[0028] In other words, the two cooling plates 3 of the cooling fin 5 can absorb the expansion phenomenon occurring in the battery cell 9 while expanding and contracting the interval between them. Therefore, the stability of the battery module 1 can be improved. In addition, the deformation absorbing material 25 that elastically contracts and expands when the interval between the two cooling plates 3 expands and contracts can be inserted between the two cooling plates 3 of the cooling fin 5 to allow or suppress the expansion phenomenon of the battery cell 9 to be located at an appropriate level. A plate-shaped member made of a foam material can be used as the deformation absorbing material 25.

[0029] The protruding step portion 11 of the cooling plate 3 may be formed in a shape extending from the cooling fin 5 to ensure a close contact state with a maximized contact area with the lead tab 7 of the battery cell 9, and to ensure a more reliable and effective cooling performance of the portion of the battery cell 9 where the lead tab 7 generating the most heat is located. For reference, in the present exemplary embodiment, each battery module unit 15 may include a unit cover 8 that surrounds the cooling fin 5 and the battery cell 9 on the upper side of the cooling fin and the battery cell. Specifically, the two cooling plates 3 of the cooling fin 5 may be bent on the lower side of the unit cover 8 to surround the lower side of the battery cell 9, thereby forming a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole.

[0030] Meanwhile, the lead sheet fastener 13 of the plurality of battery module units 15 overlapped to form the battery module 1 may include: a hole 29 through which the support rod 27 may be inserted and passed through the battery module 1; an end plate 31 which may be provided at both side ends of the battery module 1; and a fastening element 33 which penetrates the end plate 31 and is coupled to the support rod 27 to integrally fix the battery module 1. In other words, one battery module 1 forms a mechanically strong assembly by stacking the plurality of battery module units 15 between the two end plates 31 at both side ends of the battery module units and fastening the fastening element 33 in a state in which all the battery module units 15 are penetrated by the support rod 27.

[0031] Bolts or screws may be used for the fastening element 33. At this time, a tool for fastening the fastening element 33 (such as a bolt or a screw) is required, but in this case, since the relative positional relationship of the plurality of battery cells 9 has been determined by the coupling structure through the lead sheet fasteners 13, and the tool is used outside the end plate 31 at both ends, it can be considered that the risk of safety accidents is in a significantly reduced state.

[0032] The sensing assembly 35 is configured to sense the voltage of each battery cell 9, and the sensing assembly 35 may be installed at a portion aligned with the lead piece 7 of the battery module 1. The sensing assembly 35 according to the present exemplary embodiment may include: a plurality of cell connection plates 37 for connecting between the lead pieces 7 of the battery cells 9; a plurality of insulating blocks 39 structurally providing electrical insulation between the plurality of cell connection plates 37; and a PCB (printed circuit board) 41 connected to the cell connection plates 37 to sense the voltage of the battery cells 9.

[0033] A plurality of single-cell connecting plates 37 may be formed to connect lead pieces 7 of two battery cells 9 adjacent to each other; a plurality of insulating blocks 39 may be arranged along the stacking direction of the battery module unit 15 while allowing the plurality of single-cell connecting plates 37 to be inserted between the plurality of insulating blocks; a first end of each of the insulating blocks 39 may be assembled through a frame plate 43 to maintain a constant interval with each other; and a second end of the insulating blocks 39 may be assembled through a PCB 41 to maintain a constant interval with each other.

[0034] The cell connection plate 37 may include: a lead piece insertion hole 45 into which the lead pieces 7 of two adjacent battery cells 9 are respectively inserted; and a block coupling hole 47 for coupling to the insulating block 39; the insulating block 39 may include a connection plate fixing protrusion 49 into which the block coupling hole 47 may be inserted to fix the cell connection plate 37. Therefore, when the block coupling hole 47 of the cell connection plate 37 is inserted into the connection plate fixing protrusion 49 of the insulating block 39, the cell connection plate 37 may be fixed to the insulating block 39. Thus, the cell connection plate 37 may also be fixed to the insulating block 39 without using a separate tool.

[0035] The lead piece 7 of each battery cell 9 inserted into the lead piece insertion hole 45 of the cell connection plate 37 can be coupled to the cell connection plate 37 by a method such as welding, so that eventually, all the battery cells 9 forming one battery module 1 can be electrically connected to each other. The electrical connection of the battery cells 9 forming the battery module 1 can be connected in series or in parallel. For example, Figure 1 As shown, when the lead pieces 7 of two adjacent battery cells 9 are electrically connected through the cell connecting plate 37, the battery cells 9 are arranged so that the electrical polarities of the corresponding lead pieces 7 arranged on the first side of the battery module 1 are alternately changed, and the lead pieces 7 of the two adjacent battery cells 9 are similarly connected on the second side (for example, the opposite side) of the battery module 1. In this state, all the battery cells 9 forming the battery module 1 can be constructed to be connected in series.

[0036] For reference, two lead pieces 7 of the battery cells 9 of two battery module units 15 adjacent to each other may be respectively inserted into two lead piece insertion holes 45 provided in the cell connection plate 37, so that it may be configured to connect the battery cells 9 forming the battery module 1 in series. Meanwhile, in a state where the battery cells 9 are arranged so as to have lead pieces of the same polarity on the first side and the second side of the battery module 1, when the cell connection plate 37 and the PCB 41 are used, it may be configured to connect all the battery cells 9 in parallel.

[0037] A sensing protrusion 51 formed to be inserted into the PCB 41 may be integrally formed on the cell connection plate 37 to electrically and mechanically connect the cell connection plate 37 to the PCB 41. In other words, in a state where the sensing protrusion 51 of the cell connection plate 37 is inserted into a hole or a groove formed in the PCB 41, when the cell connection plate 37 is fixed to the PCB 41 by soldering or the like, the cell connection plate 37 may be electrically connected to the PCB 41 while being mechanically fixed to the PCB.

[0038] An electronic circuit configured to sense the voltage of each battery cell 9 through the sensing protrusion 51 of the cell connecting plate 37 connected as described above may be provided on the PCB 41, and the PCB 41 may include a fuse 53 capable of being prepared to electrically block each battery cell 9 for various short circuits that may be caused by a collision or external load of the vehicle or the like, and may include a connector 55 configured to communicate with a controller such as a battery management system (BMS).

[0039] Meanwhile, the insulating block 39 has a structure including a free protruding end 57 capable of freely setting the protruding height between two adjacent single-cell connecting plates 37. In other words, the insulating block 39 may be formed in a shape in which the free protruding end 57 protrudes from a portion of the connecting plate fixing protrusion 49 for fixing the single-cell connecting plate 37 in a direction in which the lead piece 7 of the corresponding battery single cell 9 protrudes. When the protruding height of the free protruding end 57 changes, the insulation distance between two adjacent single-cell connecting plates 37 may be structurally changed. Therefore, when the voltage of a battery system using a battery module according to the present disclosure increases, the protruding height of the free protruding end 57 of the insulating block 39 may be increased, thereby being able to more easily respond to an increase in the required insulation distance.

[0040] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the lead piece 7 of the battery cell 9 disposed on the outermost side of the battery module 1 can be inserted into the module connection plate 59, which can be electrically connected to other battery modules, and the module connection plate 59 has a structure as follows: wherein a block coupling hole 47 inserted into a connection plate fixing protrusion 49 formed on the insulating block 39 is formed. In addition, a sensing cover 61 for improving safety by wrapping and protecting the sensing assembly 35 constructed as described above can be provided.

[0041] For reference, Figure 6 A battery system applying a battery module 1 according to the present disclosure is shown, and a power relay assembly 65 and a mounting rail 67 are shown. The power relay assembly can be set together in a battery tray 63 loading multiple battery modules according to the present disclosure, and the mounting rail for facilitating the installation of the battery tray 63 on the vehicle can be set on the outside of the battery tray 63.

[0042] According to the present disclosure, a battery module can be provided that has simplified assemblability, is capable of cooling the body of a battery cell together with a lead sheet that is a main heat-generating portion, ensures structural stability of the battery module by properly absorbing the expansion phenomenon of the battery cell, and constructs the battery module by more easily and safely coupling a plurality of battery cells.

[0043] While the present disclosure has been shown and described with respect to the particular embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: A plurality of stacked battery module units, the battery module units comprising: A cooling fin having a shape in which one ends of two spaced-apart cooling plates facing each other are connected to each other; a battery cell in contact with each of the two cooling plates and having a lead tab at each end of the battery cell; a protruding step portion extending from each end of the cooling plate to maximize a contact area with a lead tab of the battery cell; and a lead tab fastener coupled to the protruding step portion to fix the lead tab of the battery cell to the protruding step portion; The lead piece fastener includes a connection groove and a connection protrusion, and the connection groove and the connection protrusion are coupled with the lead piece fastener of the adjacent battery module unit through linear relative movement relative to each other.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The cooling fin is formed into a U-shaped cross-sectional structure formed by connecting first ends of the two cooling plates to each other.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein: The deformation absorbing material elastically contracts and expands when the interval between the two cooling plates expands and contracts, and the deformation absorbing material is inserted between the two cooling plates of the cooling fin.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: A coupling groove and a coupling protrusion are disposed relative to each other between the lead tab fastener and the protrusion step portion to press and couple the lead tab fastener to the protrusion step portion.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein: The coupling groove and the coupling protrusion are formed to be pressed and coupled along a direction in which the battery module units overlap, and the connection groove and the connection protrusion are configured to be assembled and coupled by linear relative movement along a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the battery module units overlap.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The lead sheet fasteners of the plurality of battery module units overlapped to form the battery module include a hole, an end plate and a fastening element, a support rod is inserted through the hole and passes through the battery module, the end plate is arranged at two side ends of the battery module, and the fastening element passes through the end plate and is coupled to the support rod to fix the battery module as a whole.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: A sensing assembly is configured to sense a voltage of each battery cell, the sensing assembly being mounted at a portion aligned with the lead tab of the battery module.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein: The sensing component comprises: A plurality of cell connection plates, used for connecting between lead sheets of the battery cells; a plurality of insulating blocks, structurally providing electrical insulation between the plurality of cell connection plates; and A printed circuit board is connected to the cell connection board to sense the voltage of the battery cell.

9. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein: The cell connection plate includes: a lead sheet insertion hole, into which the lead sheets of two adjacent battery cells are inserted; and a block coupling hole for coupling to the insulating block; the insulating block includes a connection plate fixing protrusion, into which the block coupling hole is inserted to fix the cell connection plate.

10. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein: A sensing protrusion formed to be inserted into the printed circuit board is integrally formed on the cell connection plate to electrically and mechanically connect the cell connection plate to the printed circuit board.

11. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein: The insulating block includes a free protruding end so that a protruding height between two adjacent cell connection plates can be freely set.

12. The battery module according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of cell connection plates are formed to connect lead pieces of two battery cells adjacent to each other; The plurality of insulating blocks are arranged along a stacking direction of the battery module units, while the plurality of cell connection plates are interposed between the plurality of insulating blocks; The first ends of the insulating blocks are assembled by the frame plate to maintain a constant interval with each other; and The second ends of the insulating blocks are assembled by the printed circuit board to maintain a constant interval with each other.

13. The battery module according to claim 12, wherein: The cell connection plate includes a lead piece insertion hole, into which two lead pieces of the battery cells of two adjacent battery module units are respectively inserted, and the lead pieces of the battery cells arranged on the outermost sides of the battery module are inserted into the module connection plate, which is electrically connected to other battery modules.

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