Monoblock module assembly and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a single-cell module assembly having a simple manufacturing process and capable of easily storing battery cells. The single-cell module assembly includes: a plurality of battery cells having electrode leads; a housing in which the battery cells are housed; a cover plate located on an open upper surface of the housing and coupled to the housing; and a bus bar unit located at the front and rear sides from which the electrode leads of the housed battery cells protrude, wherein the housing has a U-shape in which a base plate of a bottom surface and side plates of both sides are coupled, and the bus bar unit includes a bus bar frame having one curved side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2020-0008052, filed on January 21, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates to a cell module assembly formed by receiving a battery cell in a case having a bus bar unit integrally coupled to the case. Background Art

[0003] With the development of technology and the increase in demand for mobile devices such as mobile phones, laptops, camcorders and digital cameras, technologies related to secondary batteries that can be charged and discharged have become active. In addition, secondary batteries as energy sources to replace fossil fuels that cause air pollution have been applied to electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs) and energy storage systems (ESSs).

[0004] An energy storage system (ESS) is a system that stores a large amount of excess power in a battery to use the stored power when needed. The energy storage system is used to evenly maintain the power quality associated with new and renewable energy generation, and to improve power usage efficiency by storing power when power usage is low and using the stored power when power demand is high. ESS can be mainly classified into a grid system ESS, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), or a home ESS.

[0005] There are lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, etc. as secondary batteries that are currently widely used. The operating voltage of a unit secondary battery cell, that is, a unit battery cell, is about 2.0V to 5.0V. Therefore, in the case where an output voltage higher than the above operating voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells can be connected in series with each other to form a single module assembly. In addition, depending on the required output voltage or charge and discharge capacity, the single module assemblies can be connected in series or in parallel with each other to form a battery module. Typically, a battery pack is manufactured using at least one battery module by adding additional components.

[0006] At the same time, reference Figure 1 A conventional cell module assembly 1 is described. Battery cells 10, each of which has an electrode lead 11, and boxes 20 are alternately arranged between end caps 40 located at the outside of the cell module assembly, and bus bar units 30 configured to be electrically connected to the electrode leads 11 are coupled to the front and rear of the battery cells 10 from which the electrode leads 11 protrude, thereby forming the cell module assembly 1.

[0007] However, in such a cell module assembly, it is necessary to perform a complicated process of alternately stacking the end caps 40, the battery cells 10 and the case 20 for assembly and coupling the bus bar unit 30 to the stack. In addition, when the cell module assembly is incorrectly assembled, it takes a considerable amount of time to reassemble the cell module assembly. Summary of the invention

[0008]

Technical issues

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cell module assembly having a battery cell received in a housing, to which a bus bar unit including a bus bar frame is coupled, one side of the bus bar frame being bent to receive the battery cell.

[0010]

Technical Solution

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the single cell module assembly according to the present invention includes: a plurality of battery cells, each of which has an electrode lead; a shell configured to receive the battery cells; a cover plate located at the open upper surface of the shell to be connected to the shell; and a bus bar unit located at the front and rear of the shell, and the electrode leads of the received battery cells protrude from the front and rear of the shell, wherein the shell is configured to have a U-shape, wherein a base plate defining a bottom surface of the shell and side plates defining opposite side surfaces of the shell are connected to each other.

[0012] Furthermore, in the cell module assembly according to the present invention, before the battery cells are received in the case, the case and the bus bar unit may be integrally coupled to each other.

[0013] In addition, in the single-cell module assembly according to the present invention, the bus bar unit may include: a bus bar body having a first slit formed therein, the electrode lead being inserted through the first slit; and a bus bar frame connected to the bus bar body, the bus bar frame being coupled to the electrode lead inserted into the bus bar unit.

[0014] In addition, in the single-cell module assembly according to the present invention, the busbar frame may be provided with a second slit, the electrode lead is inserted through the second slit, the second slit is formed at a position corresponding to the first slit formed in the busbar body, and one end of the busbar frame is bent toward the outside of the shell.

[0015] Furthermore, in the cell module assembly according to the present invention, a side wall vertically extending from the base plate may be formed in the case, the side wall being configured to guide the position of the battery cell received in the case.

[0016] Furthermore, in the cell module assembly according to the present invention, the side wall may be a heat dissipation fin configured to dissipate heat generated from the battery cell.

[0017] Furthermore, in the cell module assembly according to the present invention, the housing and the cover plate may be coupled to each other by mechanical fastening.

[0018] In addition, the method for manufacturing a cell module assembly according to the present invention includes: connecting a base plate defining a bottom surface and side plates defining opposite side surfaces to each other to form a U-shaped shell, which is configured to receive a plurality of battery cells, each of which has an electrode lead; connecting a bus bar unit to the front and rear of the shell, and the electrode leads protrude from the front and rear of the shell; receiving the battery cells in the shell connected to the bus bar unit; and positioning a cover plate at an upper portion of the shell in which the battery cells are received, and connecting the cover plate to the side plates of the shell.

[0019] In addition, in the method for manufacturing a single-cell module assembly according to the present invention, the bus bar unit may include: a bus bar body having a first slit formed therein, the electrode lead being inserted through the first slit; and a bus bar frame connected to the bus bar body, the bus bar frame being coupled to the electrode lead inserted into the bus bar unit.

[0020] In addition, in the method for manufacturing a single-cell module assembly according to the present invention, the busbar frame may be provided with a second slit, through which the electrode lead is inserted, the second slit being formed at a position corresponding to the first slit formed in the busbar body, and one end of the busbar frame being bent toward the outside of the shell.

[0021] Furthermore, in the method of manufacturing a cell module assembly according to the present invention, the housing and the cover plate may be coupled to each other by mechanical fastening.

[0022] Furthermore, the method of manufacturing a cell module assembly according to the present invention may further include forming a side wall vertically extending from the base plate before the step of receiving the battery cell, the side wall being configured to guide a position of the battery cell received in the housing.

[0023] Furthermore, the battery module according to the present invention comprises at least one cell module assembly according to the present invention.

[0024] Furthermore, the device according to the invention comprises at least one battery module according to the invention.

[0025]

Beneficial effects

[0026] The cell module assembly according to the present invention is advantageous in that the battery cells are received in the case having the bus bar unit integrally coupled thereto, thereby being able to reduce time required for an assembly process compared to a conventional structure in which battery cells and cartridges are sequentially stacked.

[0027] Furthermore, the cell module assembly according to the present invention is advantageous in that one side of the bus bar unit coupled to the case is bent toward the outside of the case, thereby being able to easily receive and remove the battery cell.

[0028] Furthermore, the cell module assembly according to the present invention is advantageous in that only the cover plate at the upper portion of the case is separated from the cell module assembly, whereby appearance inspection of the battery cells and insulation voltage measurement of the battery cells can be easily performed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is an exploded perspective view of a conventional single module assembly.

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a single module assembly according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a housing according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a cover plate according to the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the front shape of a bus bar unit according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 is a detailed view of a busbar unit according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a method of manufacturing a single module assembly according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In this application, it should be understood that the terms "including", "having", "comprising", etc. specify the existence of the described features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts or their combinations, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts or their combinations.

[0037] In addition, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to parts that perform similar functions or operations. Where a part is referred to as being connected to another part in the specification, not only can the part be directly connected to another part, but the part can also be indirectly connected to another part via other parts. In addition, including a certain element does not mean excluding other elements, but means that such elements may be further included, unless otherwise specified.

[0038] Hereinafter, a cell module assembly according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a single module assembly according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Reference Figure 2 A cell module assembly 1000 is described. The cell module assembly 1000 according to the present invention includes: a plurality of battery cells 10, each of which has an electrode lead 11; a housing 100 configured to receive the battery cells; a cover plate 200 located at an upper portion of the housing 100 to be coupled to the housing; and a bus bar unit 300 located at the front and rear of the housing to be electrically connected to the electrode lead 11, which protrudes from the front and rear of the housing. In addition, a side wall 130 may be formed in the housing 100, the side wall 130 vertically extending from the lower portion of the housing 100 to guide the position of the battery cell 10 received in the housing. The size of each side wall 130 may cover only a portion of each of the opposite ends of a corresponding one of the battery cells 10 received in the housing. Depending on circumstances, each side wall may be sized to cover the entirety of a corresponding one of the battery cells 10 received in the case. In addition, a heat sink may be used to discharge heat generated from the battery cells 10 to the side wall 130 .

[0041] Each battery cell used in the cell module assembly 1000 according to the present invention may be composed of a secondary battery. Based on the type and shape of the sheath member of the secondary battery, the secondary battery can generally be classified as a pouch-shaped secondary battery, a cylindrical secondary battery, or a prismatic secondary battery. Preferably, a pouch-shaped secondary battery is used as the battery cell according to the present invention.

[0042] At the same time, reference Figure 3 and Figure 4The housing 100 and the cover plate 200 are described in detail. The housing 100 includes a substrate 110 located at the lower part thereof and a side plate 120 located on the opposite side surfaces thereof. The substrate 110 and the side plate 120 are provided with fastening portions 111 and 121 for connecting between adjacent plates. In addition, the cover plate 200 is also provided with a fastening portion 211 for connecting with the housing 100. The connection between the substrate 110 and the side plate 120 and the connection between the side plate 120 and the cover plate 200 are performed by the fastening portions 111, 121 and 211. Any of various known methods (such as mechanical fastening using bolts or welding) can be used as such a fastening method. In particular, more preferably, the fastening between the side plate 120 and the cover plate 200 is performed by mechanical fastening, so that even after the battery cell 10 is received in the housing 100, it is easy to perform the disassembly and fastening between the side plate 120 and the cover plate 200.

[0043] In addition, reference will be made to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The busbar unit 300 is described. The busbar unit 300 includes: a busbar body 310 including a first slit 330 in which the electrode lead 11 is located; and a busbar frame 320 coupled to the busbar body 310, the busbar frame 320 being provided with a second slit in which the electrode lead 11 can be received, the second slit being formed at a position corresponding to the first slit 330 of the busbar body. The busbar frame 320 is provided with a fastening portion 321 for assembling with the busbar body, and a fastening portion (not shown) corresponding to the fastening portion 321 may also be formed at the busbar body 310.

[0044] In addition, the busbar frame 320 includes a bent portion 322 that is bent from one side of the busbar frame 320 toward the outside of the housing so as not to interfere with the electrode lead 11 of the battery cell 10 received in the housing. In the figure, a busbar frame 320 is shown in which the bent portion is bent from the busbar frame to have a bending angle perpendicular to the busbar frame 320; however, this is only one of possible examples. When the battery cell 10 is inserted into the housing 100, the bending angle can be changed within a range in which there is no interference between the electrode lead 11 and the busbar frame 320.

[0045] As described above, the bent portion 322 is formed at the portion of the busbar frame 320 that begins to receive the electrode lead 11. Therefore, in the present invention, even after the busbar unit 300 is first connected to the shell, the battery cell 10 can be easily received in the shell 100, which is different from a conventional single-cell module assembly in which the busbar unit is connected after the battery cell 10 and the box are stacked. As described above, since the busbar unit 300 is pre-assembled to the shell 100, in addition to shortening the process time, the process of manufacturing the single-cell module assembly can be simplified. Any of various known methods (such as mechanical fastening using bolts or welding) can be used as a method of assembling the busbar unit 300 to the shell 100.

[0046] At the same time, reference Figure 7 A method for manufacturing a cell module assembly according to the present invention is described. First, as shown in the left figure, the battery cell 10 is received in the housing 100, which has a bus bar unit 300 connected thereto, and the electrode lead 11 of the battery cell 10 received in the housing is coupled to the bus bar frame 320 so that the electrode lead 11 is electrically connected to the bus bar unit 300. A known electrode lead coupling method (such as welding) can be used as a coupling method. Subsequently, as shown in the middle figure, the cover plate 200 is positioned at the upper portion of the battery cell 10 received in the housing, and as shown in the right figure, the cover plate 200 is fastened to the side plate 120 to manufacture a cell module assembly 1000.

[0047] According to circumstances, the following process may be included: before receiving the battery cell 10 in the case, a side wall 130 vertically extending from the base plate 110 is formed, the side wall being configured to guide the position of the battery cell 10 received in the case 100. Each side wall 130 may be formed to have any one of various sizes within the size range of the inner space of the case 100 receiving the battery cell 10.

[0048] The cap plate 200 at the upper portion of the case may be separated from the cell module assembly 1000 according to the present invention manufactured as described above, whereby an appearance inspection of the battery cell 10 and insulation voltage measurement of the battery cell may be easily performed.

[0049] In addition, a battery module may be manufactured using the cell module assembly 1000 according to the present invention, and may include an external connection terminal configured to connect at least one cell module assembly 1000 to an external electrical device, and a heat sink configured to dissipate heat generated from a battery cell.

[0050] In addition, one or more battery modules may be connected to each other using an electrical connection method to form a battery pack. The battery pack may be applied to an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (P-HEV), or an energy storage system (ESS).

[0051] Although the specific details of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the detailed description thereof only discloses the preferred embodiments of the present invention and therefore does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and technical ideas of the present invention, and it is apparent that these changes and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0052] (Explanation of Reference Numerals)

[0053] 1,1000: Monoblock Components

[0054] 10: Battery Cell

[0055] 20: Box

[0056] 30,300: Busbar unit

[0057] 40: End cap

[0058] 100: Shell

[0059] 110: Substrate

[0060] 111, 121, 211, 321: Fastening part

[0061] 120: Side panels

[0062] 130: Sidewall

[0063] 200: Cover

[0064] 310: Busbar body

[0065] 320: Busbar frame

[0066] 322: Bend

[0067] 330: The First Slit

Claims

1. A single module assembly, comprising: a plurality of battery cells, each of the battery cells having an electrode lead; a housing (100), the housing (100) being configured to receive the battery cell; a cover plate (200) located at the opened upper surface of the housing (100) to be coupled to the housing (100); and A bus bar unit (300) is located at the front and rear of the housing, and the electrode leads of the received battery cells (10) protrude from the front and rear of the housing, wherein: The housing (100) is configured to have a U-shape, wherein a base plate (110) defining a bottom surface of the housing and side plates (120) defining opposite side surfaces of the housing are coupled to each other. The busbar unit (300) includes a busbar body (310) and a busbar frame (320), the busbar frame (320) is coupled to the busbar body (310), and the busbar frame is coupled to the electrode lead inserted into the busbar unit (300). One end of the busbar frame is bent toward the outside of the housing (100). wherein, before the battery cell is received in the housing, the housing (100) and the bus bar unit (300) are integrally coupled to each other, A first slit (330) is formed in the busbar body, and the electrode lead is inserted through the first slit (330); the busbar frame (320) is provided with a second slit, and the electrode lead is inserted through the second slit, and the second slit is formed at a position corresponding to the first slit (330) formed in the busbar body (310).

2. The single module assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A side wall (130) is formed in the housing (100) and extends vertically from the base plate (110), and is configured to guide the position of the battery cell received in the housing.

3. The single module assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The side wall (130) is a heat sink configured to dissipate heat generated from the battery cell.

4. The single module assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The housing (100) and the cover plate (200) are coupled to each other by mechanical fastening.

5. A method for manufacturing a single module assembly, the method comprising: coupling a base plate defining a bottom surface and side plates defining opposite side surfaces to each other to form a U-shaped housing configured to receive a plurality of battery cells, each of the battery cells having an electrode lead; coupling a bus bar unit to the front and rear of the housing from which the electrode leads protrude; receiving the battery cell in the housing coupled to the bus bar unit; as well as positioning a cover plate at an upper portion of the housing in which the battery cell is received, and coupling the cover plate to the side plate of the housing, wherein the bus bar unit includes a bus bar body and a bus bar frame coupled to the bus bar body, the bus bar frame being bonded to the electrode lead inserted into the bus bar unit, One end of the busbar frame is bent toward the outside of the housing. The busbar body has a first slit formed therein, the electrode lead is inserted through the first slit, the busbar frame has a second slit, the electrode lead is inserted through the second slit, and the second slit is formed at a position corresponding to the first slit formed in the busbar body.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The housing and the cover plate are coupled to each other by mechanical fastening. 7 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising forming a side wall extending vertically from the base plate before the step of receiving the battery cell, the side wall being configured to guide a position of the battery cell received in the housing. 8 . A battery module comprising the cell module assembly according to claim 1 .

9. A device comprising the battery module according to claim 8.

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