Battery module, battery pack including the battery module, and vehicle including the battery pack

Abstract

A battery module is disclosed, comprising: a battery cell assembly including at least one battery cell; a substrate configured to support the lower side of the battery cell assembly; a pressure wheel unit elastically connected to the substrate and configured to cover the upper side of the battery cell assembly, the pressure wheel unit being able to elastically deform in a vertical direction of the battery cell assembly according to the expansion of the cells of the battery cell assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0158076 filed in Korea on November 23, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Secondary batteries are easily applied to various products and exhibit excellent electrical properties (e.g., high energy density, etc.), and are widely used not only in portable devices but also in electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) driven by electricity. Secondary batteries can greatly reduce the use of fossil fuels and do not produce by-products during energy consumption, so they have attracted attention as a new energy source that is beneficial to the environment and improves energy efficiency.

[0004] Currently widely used secondary batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, etc. The operating voltage of a single secondary battery cell (i.e., a single battery cell) is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells can be connected in series to form a battery pack. In addition, according to the required charge / discharge capacity of the battery pack, a plurality of battery cells can be connected in parallel to form a battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack can be set in various ways according to the required output voltage or the required charge / discharge capacity.

[0005] Meanwhile, when a plurality of battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to constitute a battery pack, a battery module including at least one battery cell is generally configured first, and then the battery pack is configured using the at least one battery module and adding other components.

[0006] In the case of a conventional battery module, it is important to apply a pressure within a certain range to the battery cell to improve the performance (eg, life) of the battery cell. In addition, it is also important to control the expansion of the battery cell (ie, cell expansion).

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to find a way to provide a battery module capable of improving the performance of battery cells and effectively controlling the expansion of the cells, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack. Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module capable of improving performance of a battery cell and effectively controlling expansion of the cell, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0010] Technical Solution

[0011] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, comprising: a battery cell assembly including at least one battery cell; a substrate configured to support the lower side of the battery cell assembly; a pressing pulley unit elastically connected to the substrate and configured to cover the upper side of the battery cell assembly, the pressing pulley unit being able to elastically deform in a vertical direction of the battery cell assembly according to the expansion of the cells of the battery cell assembly.

[0012] The pressure wheel unit may include: a pressure plate disposed on the upper side of the battery cell assembly and configured to be movable in a vertical direction; a pair of pulley units connected to the pressure plate and disposed on both sides of the battery cell assembly; and a pair of elastic bands connected to the pair of pulley units and fixed to the base plate.

[0013] Each of the pair of pulley units may include: a pulley body connected to the elastic belt; a pulley shaft disposed to pass through the pulley body; and a connecting member configured to connect the pulley shaft and the pressure plate.

[0014] The pair of pulley units may include at least one spring provided on the pulley shaft and provided between the pulley body and the connecting member.

[0015] The springs may be provided in pairs, and a pair of springs may be provided to face each other with the pulley body interposed therebetween.

[0016] The pair of pulley units may include: a first pulley unit disposed at one side of the battery cell assembly; and a second pulley unit spaced apart from the first pulley unit and disposed at the other side of the battery cell assembly.

[0017] The pair of elastic bands may include: a first elastic band connected to the first pulley unit; and a second elastic band spaced apart from the first elastic band and connected to the second pulley unit.

[0018] A plurality of battery cells may be provided, and the plurality of battery cells may be stacked on each other in a height direction of the battery cell assembly.

[0019] In addition, the present disclosure also provides a battery pack, including: at least one battery module according to the above-mentioned embodiment; and a battery pack case configured to enclose the at least one battery module.

[0020] In addition, the present disclosure also provides a vehicle including at least one battery pack according to the above embodiments.

[0021] Beneficial Effects

[0022] According to various embodiments as described above, a battery module capable of improving performance of a battery cell and effectively controlling expansion of the cell, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack may be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the foregoing disclosure are used to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 is a diagram for illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA'.

[0026] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged view of the main part.

[0027] Figure 4 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line BB'.

[0028] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 An enlarged view of the main part.

[0029] Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is used to show Figure 1 Diagram of the operation of the puck unit of the battery module.

[0030] Figure 8 is a diagram for illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Fig. 9 is a diagram for illustrating a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] By describing the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure will become clearer. It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are only for the purpose of better understanding the present disclosure, and various modifications may be made to the present disclosure. In addition, in order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to actual scale, and the sizes of some parts may be exaggerated.

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram for illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA'. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged view of the main part. Figure 4 is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line BB'. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 An enlarged view of the main part.

[0034] Reference Figures 1 to 5 , the battery module 10 may include a battery cell assembly 100 , a substrate 200 , and a pressing wheel unit 300 .

[0035] The battery cell assembly 100 may include at least one battery cell 105 or a plurality of battery cells 105. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a case where a plurality of battery cells 105 are provided will be described.

[0036] A plurality of battery cells 105 may be stacked on top of each other in the height direction of the battery cell assembly 100. The plurality of battery cells 105 are secondary batteries and may be provided as soft pack secondary batteries, prismatic secondary batteries, or cylindrical secondary batteries. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, a case where the battery cell 105 is a soft pack secondary battery will be described.

[0037] The substrate 200 may support the lower side of the battery cell assembly 100. The substrate 200 may have a shape and a size capable of supporting the lower side of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0038] The pressing wheel unit 300 may be elastically connected to the base plate 200 , cover the upper side of the battery cell assembly 100 , and elastically deform in a vertical direction of the battery cell assembly 100 according to cell expansion of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0039] The pressing wheel unit 300 may include a pressing plate 310, a pair of pulley units (330, 340), and a pair of elastic bands (350, 360).

[0040] The pressing plate 310 may be disposed on the upper side of the battery cell assembly 100. The pressing plate 310 may have a shape and size capable of covering the upper side of the battery cell assembly 100. The pressing plate 310 may be disposed to be elastically movable in a vertical direction of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0041] A pair of pulley units ( 330 , 340 ) may be connected to the pressing plate 310 and disposed at both sides of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0042] The pair of pulley units ( 330 , 340 ) may include a first pulley unit 330 and a second pulley unit 340 .

[0043] The first pulley unit 330 may be disposed at one side of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0044] The first pulley unit 330 may include a pulley body 331 , a pulley shaft 333 , a connecting member 335 , and a spring 337 .

[0045] The pulley body 331 may be connected to the elastic belt 350 (described later). Specifically, the pulley body 331 may be connected to the elastic belt 350 to engage with the belt guide 355 of the first elastic belt 350 (described later).

[0046] More specifically, the pulley body 331 has a shape corresponding to that of the belt guide 355 of the first elastic belt 350 (described later), and may be provided in a shape inclined downward toward the center of the pulley shaft 333 (described later).

[0047] The pulley shaft 333 is formed to a predetermined length and may be disposed to pass through the pulley body 331 .

[0048] The connection member 335 may connect the pulley shaft 333 and the pressing plate 310. The connection member 335 may be connected to both ends of the pulley shaft 333 and fixed to the pressing plate 310.

[0049] The spring 337 is provided on the pulley shaft 333 and may be provided between the pulley body 331 and the connecting member 335. The spring 337 may be provided in pairs. A pair of springs 337 may be provided to face each other with the pulley body 331 interposed therebetween.

[0050] The second pulley unit 340 is spaced apart from the first pulley unit 330 and may be disposed at the other side of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0051] The second pulley unit 340 may include a pulley body 341 , a pulley shaft 343 , a connecting member 345 , and a spring 347 .

[0052] The pulley body 341 may be connected to the elastic belt 360 (described later). Specifically, the pulley body 341 may be connected to the elastic belt 360 to engage with the belt guide 365 of the second elastic belt 360 (described later).

[0053] More specifically, the pulley body 341 has a shape corresponding to that of the belt guide 365 of the second elastic belt 360 (described later), and may be provided in a shape inclined downward toward the center of the pulley shaft 343 (described later).

[0054] The pulley shaft 343 is formed to a predetermined length and may be disposed to pass through the pulley body 341 .

[0055] The connection member 345 may connect the pulley shaft 343 and the pressing plate 310. The connection member 345 may be connected to both ends of the pulley shaft 343 and fixed to the pressing plate 310.

[0056] The spring 347 is provided on the pulley shaft 343 and may be provided between the pulley body 341 and the connecting member 345. The spring 347 may be provided in pairs. A pair of springs 347 may be provided to face each other with the pulley body 341 interposed therebetween.

[0057] A pair of elastic bands (350, 360) are connected to a pair of pulley units (330, 340) and may be fixed to the base plate 200.

[0058] The pair of elastic bands ( 350 , 360 ) may include a first elastic band 350 and a second elastic band 360 .

[0059] The first elastic belt 350 may be elastically connected to the first pulley unit 330 .

[0060] The first elastic band 350 may include a strap band 351 and a band guide 355 .

[0061] The belt 351 is made of an elastic material having a predetermined length and can be fixedly mounted to the substrate 200. For example, the belt 351 can be made of a metal material having a predetermined elasticity. The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the belt 351 can also be made of a material having a predetermined elasticity other than a metal material (e.g., a rubber material).

[0062] The belt guide 355 is provided on the belt 351, and there may be provided one belt guide 355 or a plurality of belt guides 355. The belt guide 355 may be made of a metal material.

[0063] The belt guide 355 may be connected to the pair of pulley units (330, 340). Specifically, the belt guide 355 may be connected to the pair of pulley units (330, 340) to engage with the pulley body 331 of the first pulley unit 330.

[0064] Here, the belt guide 355 may be formed to have a downwardly inclined cross section. Due to the inclined shape of the belt guide 355, when the pinch wheel unit 300 controls the monomer expansion, the pulley body 331 of the first pulley unit 330 may more conveniently slide elastically in the horizontal direction.

[0065] The second elastic belt 360 is spaced apart from the first elastic belt 350 and may be elastically connected to the second pulley unit 340 .

[0066] The second elastic band 360 may include a band 361 and a band guide 365 .

[0067] The belt 361 is made of an elastic material having a predetermined length and can be fixedly mounted to the substrate 200. For example, the belt 361 can be made of a metal material having a predetermined elasticity. The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the belt 361 can also be made of a material having a predetermined elasticity other than a metal material (e.g., a rubber material).

[0068] The belt guide 365 is provided on the belt 361, and there may be provided one belt guide 365 or a plurality of belt guides 365. The belt guide 365 may be made of a metal material.

[0069] The belt guide 365 may be connected to the pair of pulley units (330, 340). Specifically, the belt guide 365 may be connected to the pair of pulley units (330, 340) to engage with the pulley body 341 of the second pulley unit 340.

[0070] Here, the belt guide 365 may be formed to have a downwardly inclined cross section. Due to the inclined shape of the belt guide 365, when the pinch wheel unit 300 controls the monomer expansion, the pulley body 341 of the second pulley unit 340 may more conveniently slide elastically in the horizontal direction.

[0071] Hereinafter, the operation of the pinch roller unit 300 when cell expansion occurs in the battery module 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0072] Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is used to show Figure 1 Diagram of the operation of the puck unit of the battery module.

[0073] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 , due to the expansion of the battery cells 105 of the battery cell assembly 100 , etc., cell expansion may occur in the battery module 10 .

[0074] When cell expansion occurs, the pressing wheel unit 300 may effectively prevent the pressure applied to the battery cell 105 from excessively increasing by raising the pressing plate 310 .

[0075] For example, Figure 7 As shown, when the pressing plate 300 is elevated according to the cell expansion, the pulley body 331 of the first pulley unit 330 of the pressing wheel unit 300 may slide in a horizontal direction toward the facing connection member 335 .

[0076] At this time, the pulley body 331 slides along the engaging inclined cross section of the belt guide 335 connected to the belt 351 of the first elastic belt 350. Therefore, problems such as mutual interference that may occur when the pulley body 331 slides can be minimized.

[0077] In addition, the pair of springs 337 of the first pulley unit 330 may be compressed along with the sliding of the pulley body 331 to at least partially buffer the monomer expansion force while guiding the sliding of the pulley body 331 .

[0078] Meanwhile, although not shown, when the monomer expansion occurs, the second pulley unit 340 may also be operated using the same mechanism as the first pulley unit 330 .

[0079] In this way, the pressure wheel unit 300 according to the present embodiment can use the force generated by the battery cell 105 of the battery cell assembly 100 itself as a driving force, and maintain the pressure level at a certain level by elastically changing the height of the battery cell 105 .

[0080] The feature of maintaining a constant pressure level by the pressure roller unit 300 can be used not only to control the cell expansion of the battery cell 105 of the battery cell assembly 100, but also to provide a predetermined pressure to improve the life performance of the battery cell 105. That is, the pressure roller unit 300 can prevent the performance of the battery cell 105 from being deteriorated while maintaining the performance of the battery cell 105 by providing a constant pressure to the battery cell 105 before the cell expansion occurs.

[0081] Figure 8 is a diagram for illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a diagram for illustrating a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Reference Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , the battery pack 1 may include at least one battery module 10 and a battery pack case 50 for encapsulating at least one battery module 10 according to the aforementioned embodiments.

[0083] The battery pack 1 may be configured in a vehicle V as a power source of the vehicle. As an example, the battery pack 1 may be used in an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, and various other types of vehicles V that can use the battery pack 1 as a power source.

[0084] Furthermore, in addition to the vehicle V, the battery pack 1 may also be provided in other devices, instruments, or equipment, such as an energy storage system using a secondary battery.

[0085] As described above, the battery pack 1 of this embodiment and the device, instrument or equipment such as a vehicle having the battery pack 1 include the battery module 10 as described above, so that a battery pack 1 having all the advantages of the battery module 10 as described above, or a device, instrument or equipment such as a vehicle V having the battery pack 1 can be realized.

[0086] According to various embodiments as described above, a battery module 10 capable of improving performance of a battery cell 105 and effectively controlling cell swelling, a battery pack 1 including the battery module 10 , and a vehicle V including the battery pack 1 may be provided.

[0087] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described, and that persons skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure, and that these changes and modifications should not be understood as being independent of the technical ideas and viewpoints of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: A battery cell assembly, comprising at least one battery cell; a base plate configured to support a lower side of the battery cell assembly; as well as a pressure wheel unit, elastically connected to the substrate and configured to cover the upper side of the battery cell assembly, the pressure wheel unit being elastically deformable in a vertical direction of the battery cell assembly according to the expansion of the cells of the battery cell assembly, Wherein, the pressing wheel unit comprises: a pressing plate disposed on an upper side of the battery cell assembly and configured to be movable in the vertical direction; a pair of pulley units connected to the pressure plate and disposed on both sides of the battery cell assembly; and A pair of elastic bands are connected to the pair of pulley units and fixed to the base plate.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, in, Each of the pair of pulley units comprises: A pulley body connected to the elastic belt; a pulley shaft, arranged to pass through the pulley body; and A connecting member is configured to connect the pulley shaft and the pressure plate.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein: The pair of pulley units includes at least one spring provided on the pulley shaft and provided between the pulley body and the connecting member.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein: The springs are provided in pair, and the pair of springs are provided to face each other with the pulley body interposed therebetween.

5. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The pair of pulley units comprises: A first pulley unit is disposed on one side of the battery cell assembly; and The second pulley unit is spaced apart from the first pulley unit and is disposed at the other side of the battery cell assembly.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein: The pair of elastic bands comprises: a first elastic belt connected to the first pulley unit; and A second elastic belt is spaced apart from the first elastic belt and connected to the second pulley unit.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The battery cells are provided in plurality, and A plurality of the battery cells are stacked on each other in a height direction of the battery cell assembly.

8. A battery pack comprising: At least one battery module according to claim 1; as well as The battery pack housing is configured to enclose the at least one battery module.

9. A vehicle comprising: At least one battery pack according to claim 8.

Images