Terminal protection cover and battery module including the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module including a terminal protection cover for preventing short circuits. The battery module of the present invention includes: a battery cell stack, which stacks a plurality of battery cells; a terminal, which is electrically connected to the battery cell stack; a shell, which accommodates the battery cell stack in the form of a side opening with a terminal; an insulating cover, which is formed to cover the opening portion of the shell and has a terminal through-hole formed on one side for exposing the terminal to the outside; and a terminal protection cover, which is formed to accommodate the terminal exposed to the outside, and at a temperature above a predetermined temperature, a portion of the terminal protection cover melts and covers the outer surface of the terminal for insulation, thereby insulating the terminal and preventing short circuits in the event of thermal runaway.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal protection cover and a battery module including the terminal protection cover, and more particularly to a terminal protection cover capable of preventing short circuit in the event of thermal runaway and a battery module including the terminal protection cover. Background Art

[0002] In secondary batteries, such as Figure 1 As shown, a battery pack for a battery-powered vehicle is constructed by connecting multiple battery cells in series or parallel to form at least one battery module for high output. Each battery module is electrically connected via a busbar. A pair of terminals with different polarity are provided in each battery module, and the ends of the busbar are connected to the terminals of each battery module, thereby electrically connecting each battery module. Because the terminals and the ends of the busbar are exposed to the outside world, posing a risk of electric shock, the terminal blocks of the battery modules are protected from contact by plastic terminal covers.

[0003] When the battery pack's temperature rises due to internal or external factors, a chain reaction, thermal runaway, may occur, in which the temperature rise causes an increase in current, which in turn causes the battery pack's temperature to rise again. In thermal runaway, the battery pack's temperature reaches nearly 600 degrees Celsius. At this point, the metal inside the battery pack is affected by the high temperature environment, generating metal particles that are ejected in all directions within the battery pack. Furthermore, the plastic terminal protective covers can burn and melt in high-temperature environments, exposing the contact areas between the busbar ends and the terminal. Here, when metal particles flow in, a short circuit may occur, leading to a short circuit and fire.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a terminal protection cover and a battery module that can protect the contact portion between the terminal and the bus bar even in the event of thermal runaway.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0107583 ("Cell Cover for Secondary Battery and Battery Module Including the Cell Cover") Summary of the Invention

[0008] (1) Technical issues to be solved

[0009] The present invention is proposed to solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal protection cover and a battery module that can prevent short circuits by protecting the contact areas between the terminal and the busbar in the event of thermal runaway.

[0010] In addition, a terminal protection cover and a battery module are provided, which can suppress the bus bar from being exposed to the outside in the event of thermal runaway.

[0011] In addition, a battery module having a structure that makes it easier to mount a terminal protection cover is provided.

[0012] In addition, a battery module having a structure capable of insulating a fastening portion of an end plate is provided.

[0013] On the other hand, the objects of the present invention are not limited to the above objects, and other objects not mentioned will be apparent from the following description.

[0014] (2) Technical solution

[0015] The battery module of the present invention, which includes a terminal protection cover for preventing short circuit, includes: a battery cell stack, which stacks a plurality of battery cells; a terminal, which is electrically connected to the battery cell stack; a shell, which accommodates the battery cell stack in the form of a side opening with a terminal; an insulating cover, which is formed to cover the opening portion of the shell and has a terminal through-hole formed on one side for exposing the terminal to the outside; and a terminal protection cover, which is formed to accommodate the terminal exposed to the outside and melts and covers the outer surface of the terminal for insulation at a temperature above a predetermined temperature.

[0016] In addition, the battery module is characterized in that the connection terminal protection cover includes a coupling protrusion extending in one direction, and a coupling groove is formed in the insulation cover, and the coupling protrusion is coupled by sliding on the coupling groove.

[0017] Furthermore, the battery module is characterized in that shielding plates are further formed in the insulation cover on one side and the other side of the connection terminals exposed to the outside through the connection terminal through-holes.

[0018] Furthermore, the battery module is characterized in that the terminal protection cover further includes: a melting portion, which is accommodated inside a pair of the shielding plates when combined; and a disassembly protrusion, which protrudes outward from one side of the lower end of the melting portion, and the shielding plates are further formed with a disassembly hole into which the disassembly protrusion is inserted when combined.

[0019] In addition, the battery module is characterized in that the battery module further includes a protective cover body, which is coupled to the outer side of the insulating cover and is formed with a cutout hole so that the terminal is exposed to the outside through the cutout hole when coupled, and the protective cover body is formed with a bolt hole for inserting a bolt coupled to the insulating cover into the bolt hole, and the terminal protection cover includes: a terminal protection portion formed to accommodate the terminal; and a bolt hole cover portion extending from the terminal protection portion and formed to cover the upper end of the bolt hole.

[0020] Furthermore, the battery module is characterized in that a bolt insulating member is inserted into the protection cover. The bolt insulating member is made of an insulating material, is inserted into the bolt hole, and is formed to cover an outer circumference of the bolt inserted into the bolt hole.

[0021] In addition, the battery module is characterized in that the terminal protection cover includes: an appearance portion formed to accommodate the terminal; and a melting portion protrudingly formed on the surface of the appearance portion facing the upper surface of the terminal, the melting portion melts at a first temperature, and the appearance portion melts at a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

[0022] Wherein, the appearance portion and the melting portion are made of different materials.

[0023] Furthermore, the thickness of the fusion portion is thinner than the thickness of the design portion.

[0024] On the other hand, a battery pack including a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of battery modules; and a bus bar having both ends connected to the terminal blocks of different battery modules to electrically connect the battery modules connected to both ends of the bus bar.

[0025] (3) Beneficial effects

[0026] The battery module of the present invention having such a configuration including the terminal protection cover for preventing short circuit insulates the terminal in the event of thermal runaway due to the configuration of the terminal protection cover.

[0027] In particular, under high temperature conditions, the exterior portion will limit the accommodation position of the molten portion that melts earlier than the exterior portion and is in a liquid state to the upper surface of the connection terminal, thereby effectively insulating the connection terminal.

[0028] Furthermore, the structure of the coupling protrusion and the coupling groove makes it easier to assemble the terminal protection cover.

[0029] In addition, the shielding plate can reduce the problem of metal particles flowing into the terminal side in the event of thermal runaway.

[0030] In addition, the structure of the detachment protrusion and the detachment hole prevents the terminal protection cover from being easily removed from the original position.

[0031] In addition, the bolt holes can be insulated by the bolt hole covers and the bolt insulating members. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which conventional battery modules are connected to each other via bus bars.

[0033] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 is a perspective view of an insulation cover according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 5 is an assembly diagram of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6 4 is a perspective view of a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 7 1 is a rear bottom perspective view of a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 8 4 is a bottom view of a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 9 It is along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA'.

[0041] Figure 10 It is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the fusion zone is melted.

[0042] Description of Reference Numerals

[0043] 10: Battery module 20: Bus bar

[0044] 100: Busbar frame 200: Terminal block

[0045] 300: Housing 400: Insulation cover

[0046] 410: Shielding plate 411: Disassembly hole

[0047] 412: Combination groove 420: Support member

[0048] 500: Protective cover 510: Cutout hole

[0049] 520: Bolt hole 521: Bolt insulation part

[0050] 600: Terminal protection cover 610: Terminal protection part

[0051] 611: Appearance 612: Guide plate

[0052] 613: Melting zone 614: First melting zone

[0053] 615: Second melting part 616: Disassembly protrusion

[0054] 617: Joint protrusion 630: Bolt hole cover

[0055] 631: Extension 633: Bolt slot DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] Before using the drawings to describe the technical idea of ​​the present invention in more detail, it should be noted that the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general meaning or dictionary meaning, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his own invention in the best way.

[0057] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the constructions shown in the accompanying drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Various modified examples that can replace them may exist at the time of submitting this application.

[0058] The technical concept of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Since the accompanying drawings are merely examples for describing the technical concept of the present invention in more detail, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the form of the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Figure 2 1 is a perspective view of a battery module including a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The plurality of battery modules 10 shown are housed within a battery pack housing, and the battery modules 10 arranged adjacent to each other include a structure in which one end of a bus bar 20 is connected to a terminal block provided in each battery module 10 for electrical connection thereto. The battery module 10 including a terminal block protective cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a battery cell stack, a bus bar frame 100, terminal blocks 200, a housing 300, an insulating cover 400, a protective cover body 500, and a terminal block protective cover 600.

[0060] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module including a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 3 , a detailed construction of a battery module 10 including a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0061] The battery cell stack has a structure in which multiple battery cells are stacked on top of each other in one direction so as to be electrically connected to each other. In this case, the battery cell may be formed from a pouch-type secondary battery. The battery cell may include an electrode assembly, a battery housing, and an electrode lead 110. The electrode assembly may be composed of an anode plate, a cathode plate, and a separator. A pair of electrode leads 110 may be provided in a battery cell and may be electrically connected to the electrode assembly.

[0062] The bus bar frame 100 is used to electrically connect electrode leads 110 provided in a plurality of battery cells. A pair of bus bar frames 100 are provided, and each bus bar frame 100 is coupled in a form of covering one side and the other side of a battery cell stack.

[0063] The connection terminal 200 is provided on one side of the busbar frame 100. The connection terminal 200 is electrically connected to the battery cell stack through at least one of the electrode leads 110. The connection terminal 200 is formed of copper or aluminum.

[0064] The case 300 has a predetermined degree of rigidity or more and is formed to cover the outer surface of the battery cell stack to which the bus bar frame 100 is coupled except for both sides to which the bus bar frame 100 is coupled, thereby accommodating the battery cell stack.

[0065] The insulation cover 400 is formed to cover the outside of the busbar frame 100. The insulation cover 400 is made of an insulating material, such as a plastic material, to insulate the outside of the busbar frame 100. At this time, a terminal through hole 401 is formed on one side of the insulation cover 400 to expose the terminal 200 to the outside.

[0066] pass Figure 4, a perspective view of the insulating cover is shown in more detail. In the insulating cover 400, shielding plates 410 are further formed on both sides with the terminal through-hole 401 as the center. That is, the terminal 200 exposed to the outside through the terminal through-hole 401 is accommodated inside a pair of shielding plates 410 to prevent metal particles that may be generated in the event of thermal runaway from flowing into the terminal 200. At this time, preferably, the shielding plates 410 are formed to be longer than the exposed range of the terminal 200 in the up and down directions. A disassembly hole 411 can be further formed in the shielding plate 410, and the disassembly hole 411 is connected to the terminal through-hole 401 and connected to each other. The disassembly hole 411 is a structure for inserting the disassembly protrusion 616 of the terminal protection cover 600 to be described later. This will be described in more detail when describing the shape of the terminal protection cover later.

[0067] In addition, a coupling slot 412 extending in the up-down direction along the front end surface of the shielding plate 410 and a coupling slot 412 formed along the upper surface of the shielding plate 410 may be further formed in the shielding plate 410. The coupling slot 412 is a structure for enabling the terminal protection cover 600 to be described later to be slidably coupled. The coupling slot 412 is a structure for more firmly covering the terminal when the terminal protection cover 600 is coupled. The coupling slot 412 may also be formed in the interval between a pair of shielding plates 410 in the upper surface of the insulating cover 400. The coupling slots 412 formed on the upper surfaces of each shielding plate 410 and the insulating cover 400 may be formed to be connected and connected to each other.

[0068] In the space between the shielding plates 410, support members 420 are further formed on the lower side of the connection terminals 200, parallel to the connection terminals, to connect the pair of shielding plates 410. Support members 420 maintain a constant distance between the two shielding plates 410 and supplement the mechanical rigidity of the shielding plates 410. To ensure effective insulation, support members 420 can be formed to contact the lower surface of the connection terminals 200.

[0069] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is an assembly diagram of a battery module including a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the protective cover 500 is coupled to the outer side of the insulating cover 400 to provide a predetermined degree of rigidity to the outer side of the insulating cover 400. The protective cover 500 is made of aluminum to provide a predetermined degree of rigidity. A cutout hole 510 is formed on one side of the protective cover 500. The pair of shielding plates 410 formed on the insulating cover 400 and the terminal block 200 are exposed to the outside of the protective cover 500 through the cutout hole 510.

[0071] At the same time, at least one pair of bolt holes 520 is provided in the protective cover 500. A separately provided bolt passes through the bolt hole 520 and is fastened to a fastening portion (not shown) provided on one side of the housing to fix the protective cover. At this time, the bolt hole 520 may be further provided with a bolt insulating component 521, which is made of an insulating material and is inserted into the bolt hole 520 to cover the outer periphery of the bolt and a predetermined interval above the bolt hole 520. This is to prevent current from flowing to the protective cover 500 by insulating the bolt and the protective cover 500 from each other when the metal bolt contacts and electrically connects with the busbar frame, the terminal, the electrode lead, etc. during the tightening process.

[0072] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 1 is a perspective view of the rear bottom surface of a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 4 is a bottom view of a terminal protection cover according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] like Figures 5 to 8 As shown, the terminal protection cover 600 is coupled to the insulating cover 400 exposed to the outside through the cutout hole 510 to accommodate the terminal 200. The terminal protection cover 600 is made of an insulating material with high temperature resistance, such as ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), mica (MICA), glass tape (Glass Tape), glass wool (Glass Wool), aerogel (Aerogel), polyurethane, or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Most preferably, the terminal protection cover 600 is made of TPE material. The terminal protection cover 600 melts above a predetermined temperature and covers the outer surface of the terminal to provide insulation.

[0074] The shape of the terminal protection cover 600 is described in more detail. The terminal protection cover 600 mainly includes: a terminal protection portion 610, which is formed to accommodate the terminal 200; and a bolt hole cover portion 630, which extends from the terminal protection portion 610 and is formed to cover the upper end of the bolt hole 520 located on the side closest to the terminal 200.

[0075] First, the terminal protection portion 610 will be described. The terminal protection portion 610 includes an exterior portion 611 , a coupling protrusion 617 , and a melting portion 613 formed of a rib and melted at a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature.

[0076] The exterior portion 611 secondarily prevents metal particles that may occur in the event of thermal runaway from flowing into the terminal block 200, and at the same time forms the outermost side of the terminal block protection portion 610. The exterior portion 611 is formed to accommodate the terminal block and is formed in a bucket shape with an opening facing downward. The exterior portion 611 is formed so that when combined with the insulation cover 400, the lower end of the exterior portion 611 is accommodated in the coupling groove 412 formed on the upper surface of the two shielding plates 410 of the insulation cover 400. At this time, preferably, the lower end of the exterior portion 611 is formed to correspond to the coupling groove 412, so that the lower end of the exterior portion 611 is assembled into the coupling groove 412. Of course, the rear side surface of the lower end of the exterior portion 611, that is, the surface on the side facing the outer side of the insulation cover 400, is accommodated in the coupling groove 412 formed in the area between the pair of shielding plates 410 on the upper surface of the insulation cover 400.

[0077] On the other hand, the surface of the front side of the exterior portion is formed to extend downward by a predetermined length without a separate bonding member to enclose at least a portion of the space between the shielding plates 410. Here, the lower end of the front side surface of the exterior portion is located above the connection terminal 200, and a predetermined gap is formed between the lower end of the front side surface of the exterior portion and the support member 420. This gap allows the other end of the busbar connected to the connection terminal 200 to be exposed outside the connection terminal protective cover 600. However, metal particles generated in the event of thermal runaway may flow into the connection terminal 200 through this gap.

[0078] In order to prevent this, a further portion is formed at the front end of the exterior portion. Figure 6 The guide plate 612 shown here extends obliquely downward from the front end of the exterior portion. It guides the busbars exposed through the gap downward and covers the gap. The angle of the guide plate 612 is 10 to 50 degrees, preferably 10 to 45 degrees, and most preferably 10 to 30 degrees, relative to the front surface of the exterior portion.

[0079] Figure 9 It is along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA'.

[0080] Reference Figure 5 、 Figure 7 and Figure 9 A pair of coupling protrusions 617 are formed to extend downward from the front side of the exterior portion. Each coupling protrusion 617 is formed so as to be inserted into a coupling groove 412 formed on the front side of the shielding plate 410 when coupled with the insulation cover 400. In other words, the connection terminal protection cover 600 can be coupled simply by sliding due to the configuration of the coupling groove 412 and coupling protrusions 617.

[0081] The melting portion 613 includes: a first melting portion 614, which is protruded from the upper surface of the inner side of the appearance portion 611 facing the terminal; and a second melting portion 615, which is protruded from the inner upper surface of the appearance portion 611 and is formed to be connected to the inner surface of the shielding plate 410.

[0082] In addition to the shielding plate and the exterior portion 611, the second melting portion 615 prevents metal particles that may be generated in the event of thermal runaway from flowing into the terminal block 200. Furthermore, a detachment protrusion 616, which is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, is formed on one side of the lower end of the second melting portion 615. This detachment protrusion 616 is inserted into the detachment hole 411 of the shielding plate 410 to prevent the terminal block protective cover 600 from being easily detached from the insulating cover 400.

[0083] Figure 10 The melting part is shown in the state of melting. Figure 9 For example, the melting portion 613 melts at a first temperature, and the appearance portion 611 melts at a second temperature higher than the first temperature. To this end, the appearance portion 611 and the melting portion 613 may be made of different materials, or may even be made of the same material, but the melting portion 613 is formed to be thinner than the appearance portion 611 and melts first. As described above, when the melting portion 613 is formed so that the melting portion 613 melts first than the appearance portion 611, as Figure 10 As shown, at the first temperature, the molten molten portion 613 of the exterior portion 611 first insulates the upper surface of the terminal 200 inside the exterior portion 611. This is because even if the molten exterior portion 611 flows outside the shielding plate 410 and disappears during the melting process, the molten molten portion 613 can protect the terminal 200 from contact with metal particles. Preferably, the molten portion 613 is set to have a melting point of approximately 160 degrees.

[0084] As described above, the bolt hole cover 630 is formed to extend from the terminal protection portion 610 to cover the upper end of the bolt hole 520 located closest to the terminal 200. A bolt groove 633 is formed on the lower surface of the bolt hole cover 630, facing the bolt hole 520, to accommodate the head of a bolt inserted into the bolt hole 520. To achieve stronger insulation, a plate-shaped extension 631 may be further formed around the lower end of the bolt hole cover 630, extending downward along the lower end of the bolt hole cover 630.

[0085] The present invention should not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention to explain its technical ideas. Of course, the scope of application is diverse and may be applied to any of the following embodiments without departing from the main purpose of the present invention as claimed in the claims.

[0086] In this case, various modifications can be made at the level of those skilled in the art.

[0087] Improvements and modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the present invention.

[0088] Protection scope.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that: include: A battery cell stack, stacking multiple battery cells; a connection terminal electrically connected to the battery cell stack; a housing for accommodating the battery cell stack; an insulating cover formed to cover the opening portion of the housing and having a terminal through-hole formed on one side for exposing the terminal to the outside; and The terminal protection cover is formed to accommodate the terminal exposed to the outside and melts and covers the outer surface of the terminal to insulate when the temperature is above a predetermined temperature. The terminal protection cover comprises: an exterior portion formed to accommodate the connection terminal; as well as The fusion portion is formed protrudingly on the surface of the appearance portion facing the upper surface of the connection terminal. The fusion portion melts at a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature and covers an outer surface of the connection terminal to provide insulation.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The terminal protection cover includes a coupling protrusion extending in one direction, A coupling groove is formed in the insulating cover, The coupling protrusion is coupled by sliding on the coupling groove.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: Shielding plates are further formed in the insulation cover on one side and the other side of the connection terminal exposed to the outside through the connection terminal through-hole.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, characterized in that The terminal protection cover further comprises: a fusion portion housed inside the pair of shielding plates when combined; and The disassembly protrusion is formed to protrude outward from one side of the lower end of the fusion portion. The shielding plate is further formed with a detachment hole into which the detachment protrusion is inserted when the shielding plate is combined.

5. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The molten portion melts at a first temperature, The exterior portion melts at a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that The appearance portion and the melting portion are made of different materials.

7. The battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that The thickness of the fusion portion is thinner than the thickness of the appearance portion.

8. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The battery module further includes a protective cover body, the protective cover body being coupled to the outer side of the insulating cover and having a cutout hole formed therein so that the connection terminal is exposed to the outside through the cutout hole when coupled, and the protective cover body being formed with a bolt hole for inserting a bolt coupled to the insulating cover into the bolt hole. The terminal protection cover comprises: a terminal protection portion formed to accommodate the terminal; and The bolt hole cover portion is extended from the terminal protection portion and is formed to cover the upper end of the bolt hole.

9. The battery module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The protection cover is inserted with a bolt insulating member made of an insulating material, inserted into the bolt hole, and formed to cover an outer circumference of a bolt inserted into the bolt hole.

10. A terminal protection cover, characterized in that: The terminal protection cover covers the outer surface of the terminal of the battery module for insulation. The battery module includes: a housing accommodating a battery cell stack in a form of a side opening with a terminal; and an insulating cover formed to cover the opening of the housing and having a terminal through-hole formed on one side for exposing the terminal to the outside. The terminal protection cover comprises: an exterior portion formed to accommodate the connection terminal; and The fusion portion is formed protrudingly on the surface of the appearance portion facing the upper surface of the connection terminal. The fusion portion melts at a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature and covers an outer surface of the connection terminal to provide insulation.

11. The terminal protection cover according to claim 10, wherein: A coupling groove is formed in the insulating cover, A coupling protrusion extending in one direction is formed in the terminal protection cover. The coupling protrusion is coupled by sliding on the coupling groove.

12. A battery pack comprising: A plurality of battery modules according to claims 1 to 9; as well as A bus bar has both ends connected to the connection terminals of different battery modules to electrically connect the battery modules connected to the both ends of the bus bar.

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