Battery module including a bending sensing unit and electronic device including the same

Abstract

A battery module includes a battery cell stack in which pouch-type battery cells are stacked, bus bars coupled to electrode leads of the pouch-type battery cells, a case for fixing the bus bars, and a sensing unit disposed in the case, wherein the sensing unit is added to a first surface of the case facing the battery cell stack and a second surface which is an outer surface opposite to the first surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2021-0074882, filed on June 9, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This invention relates to a battery module including a bending sensing unit and an electronic device including the battery module. More specifically, this invention relates to a battery module and an electronic device including the battery module, the battery module including a sensing unit that is bent to attach to the front and rear surfaces of a housing. Background Technology

[0003] Lithium-ion batteries, which can be used as high-energy-density, high-output energy sources, have been applied to medium or large products (such as electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, or energy storage systems) as well as small products (such as portable devices).

[0004] Lithium-ion batteries have also attracted attention as an environmentally friendly energy source because they can significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels as conventional energy sources and do not produce byproducts when used.

[0005] To enable the application of lithium-ion batteries in medium- or large-sized products, the demand for high-capacity, high-output structures has increased. Therefore, multiple lithium-ion batteries can be connected in parallel and / or series to form battery modules, and other structural components can be added to one or more battery modules to form battery packs.

[0006] The number of battery cells included in a battery module and the number of battery modules included in a battery pack can be set according to the output voltage and capacity required by the device in which the battery modules or battery packs are installed.

[0007] When using energy sources including lithium-ion batteries, reducing charging time and increasing battery module capacity have become major issues for improving user convenience.

[0008] However, when fast charging is performed, heat is generated in the battery module, which directly affects safety. As a solution, an increased width of the electrode leads can be presented as an alternative.

[0009] However, in conventional battery modules, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) configured to measure the voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cells is added to one surface of the housing, which limits the ability to increase the width of the electrode leads.

[0010] Related to this, Figure 1 This is a partial 3D view of a traditional battery module.

[0011] Reference Figure 1Electrode leads 110 protrude from one surface of a battery cell stack in which multiple pouch cells 100 are arranged in close contact with each other, and the electrode leads 110 are electrically connected to a busbar 200. The busbar 200 is attached and secured to a housing 300, and sensing units 400 (FPCBs) bent along the y-axis and z-axis directions are added to the outer surface of the housing 300.

[0012] In a structure where the space of the sensing unit 400 needs to be arranged to extend in the y-axis direction, as described above, the y-axis length of the electrode lead 110 (i.e., the width of the electrode lead (W)) L The directional dimension is less than 50% of the housing height H, and it is difficult to increase the width of the electrode leads. When the width of the electrode leads decreases, the rate of temperature rise may increase, making it difficult to solve the problem of heat generation in the battery module during fast charging.

[0013] As a method for solving heat generation in a battery module, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery module having a structure in which a thermally conductive adhesive is uniformly coated on the entire upper side of a battery cell assembly, wherein cooling is performed on the upper side and the lower side of the battery cell assembly.

[0014] Patent document 1 discloses a structure for coating a thermally conductive adhesive to improve the cooling performance of a battery module, but does not disclose a structure that can increase the width of the electrode leads as an alternative to reduce the heat generated during fast charging.

[0015] Therefore, a battery module with a structure that can increase the width of the electrode leads is needed to reduce the heat generated during the rapid charging of the battery module.

[0016] (Existing technical literature)

[0017] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2150679 (September 1, 2020) Summary of the Invention

[0018] Technical issues

[0019] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a battery module and an electronic device including the battery module, the battery module including a bending sensing unit configured to use electrode leads with a large width to reduce heat generated in the battery cell.

[0020] Technical solution

[0021] A battery module according to the present invention, which achieves the above objectives, comprises: a battery cell stack, the battery cell stack being composed of stacked pouch-type battery cells; a busbar connected to an electrode lead of each of the pouch-type battery cells; a housing configured to fix the busbar; and a sensing unit disposed at the housing, wherein the sensing unit is added to a first surface and a second surface of the housing, the first surface facing the battery cell stack, and the second surface being an outer surface opposite to the first surface.

[0022] The sensing unit can be configured to surround the outer periphery of one side of the housing.

[0023] The sensing unit can be electrically connected to the busbar at the second surface of the housing.

[0024] The width of the electrode leads can be 50% to 80% of the height of the housing.

[0025] The width of the electrode leads can be 60% to 80% of the total width of the pouch cell.

[0026] The sensing unit can be an FPCB.

[0027] The terminal connector can be attached to a portion of the housing that is added as part of the sensing unit on the second surface.

[0028] The terminal connector can be added such that the width direction of the terminal connector is the same as the width direction of the housing.

[0029] Furthermore, the present invention provides an electronic device that includes a battery module as an energy source.

[0030] In addition, the present invention can provide possible combinations of the above-mentioned solutions.

[0031] Beneficial effects

[0032] As can be clearly seen from the above description, in this invention, electrode leads with a large size compared to the size of the electrodes are used, thereby significantly reducing the heat generation encountered during fast charging.

[0033] Furthermore, with the width direction of the terminal connector aligned with the width direction of the housing, the terminal connector is connected to the sensing unit, thereby ensuring a wide electrode lead.

[0034] Furthermore, the sensing unit is bent, thus adding it to the opposite surface of the housing, which ensures a large size for the sensing unit. Therefore, the state of a large number of battery cells can be sensed.

[0035] As described above, the present invention proposes a structure that can increase the width of the electrode leads while sensing a large number of battery cells, thereby preventing a reduction in the lifespan and output of the battery module due to heat generation encountered during fast charging. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a partial 3D view of a traditional battery module.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a partial perspective view of the battery module according to the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0039] Figure 4 When viewed inwards Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of the battery module.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a plan view of an electrode assembly having electrode leads connected to its electrode connectors.

[0041] Figure 6 This is a plan view of a pouch battery cell. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, enabling those skilled in the art to readily implement these preferred embodiments. However, in describing the operational principles of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted where such descriptions might obscure the subject matter of the invention.

[0043] Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used throughout the accompanying drawings to denote components that perform similar functions or operations. Where a component is referred to as being connected to another component throughout the specification, this means not only that the component can be directly connected to the other component, but also that the component can be indirectly connected to the other component via yet another component. Moreover, including one element does not imply the exclusion of other elements, but rather means that these elements can be further included, unless otherwise specified.

[0044] Furthermore, descriptions of elements by limiting or adding to them can be applied to all inventions unless otherwise specified, and do not limit any particular invention.

[0045] Furthermore, in the specification of this invention and the claims of this application, unless otherwise stated, the singular form is intended to include the plural form.

[0046] Furthermore, in the specification of this invention and the claims of this application, "or" includes "and" unless otherwise stated. Therefore, "including A or B" refers to three cases: including A, including B, and including both A and B.

[0047] In addition, all numerical ranges include the minimum value, the maximum value, and all intermediate values ​​in between, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0048] In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 2 This is a partial perspective view of the battery module according to the present invention. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of the image. Figure 4 When looking inward Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of the battery module.

[0050] Reference Figures 2 to 4 The battery module according to the present invention includes: a battery cell stack consisting of a plurality of pouch-type battery cells 100 stacked along the x-axis; a busbar 200 electrically connected to electrode leads 110 protruding from the pouch-type battery cells 100; a housing 300 configured to fix the busbar 200; and a sensing unit 400 disposed in the housing.

[0051] The housing 300 includes a first surface and a second surface, the first surface facing the battery cell stack, the second surface being an outer surface opposite to the first surface, and the sensing unit 400 being bent to be added to the first surface and the second surface.

[0052] Specifically, the sensing unit 400 can be configured to surround the outer periphery of one side of the housing 300. For example, in Figures 2 to 4 In the middle, a sensing unit is added to surround the outer periphery of the y-axis end of the housing 300.

[0053] When with Figure 1 Compared to the conventional battery module shown, where the sensing unit is arranged only along the y-axis on the second surface, the y-axis length of the sensing unit can be reduced by approximately 50%. Therefore, the y-axis length of the electrode leads (i.e., the width W of the electrode leads) is... L It can be increased proportionally to the decrease in the length of the sensing unit in the y-axis direction.

[0054] When considering the fact that a pouch cell has a structure in which the width of the electrode leads is maximized, the pouch cell can be a bidirectional cell, which is configured such that the positive and negative leads protrude in opposite directions. The electrode leads are bent so as to connect to the busbar in a state that extends to the outside through slits formed in the busbar.

[0055] Figure 1 The diagram shows the positive and negative leads connected to the busbar in a manner that does not overlap. Figure 2 The diagram shows the positive and negative leads connected to the busbar in an overlapping arrangement.

[0056] That is, the electrode leads can be connected to the busbar in various ways.

[0057] The sensing unit 400 may be an FPCB, which is configured such that the circuitry is printed on an electrically insulating board, and the FPCB as the sensing unit 400 may be electrically connected to the busbar 200 at the second surface of the housing so as to connect to each of the plurality of pouch cell 100 constituting the battery module, thereby sensing their temperature, voltage and current.

[0058] The y-axis length (i.e., the width W of the electrode lead 110 according to the present invention) L The width of the electrode leads is greater than that of the leads in a conventional battery module. For example, the width W of the electrode leads is... L The width of the electrode leads can be 50% to 80% of the housing height H. Specifically, when the housing height H is 110 mm, electrode leads with a width of 60 mm to 80 mm can be used. Compared to the conventional structure that uses electrode leads with a width of 40 mm to 50 mm when the housing height is 110 mm, the width of the electrode leads can be increased by approximately 20% to 100%.

[0059] Terminal connector 500 can be attached to sensing unit 400, and terminal connector 500 is a connection portion configured to transmit data measured by the sensing unit of the battery module. Figures 2 to 4 The diagram illustrates a structure in which a terminal connector 500 is coupled to a sensing unit 400 disposed on a second surface of a housing. The terminal connector 500 is configured to have a large length extending in one direction. In this configuration, the length of the terminal connector is greater than the width (W) of the terminal connector. 500 When the direction is set parallel to the y-axis, the width W of the electrode lead is... L Reduced. Therefore, terminal connector 500 is added to make the width of terminal connector (W) smaller. 500 The direction is the same as the x-axis direction, which is the width direction of the shell.

[0060] Figure 5This is a plan view of the electrode assembly, which has electrode leads connected to its electrode connectors.

[0061] refer to Figure 5 The diagram shows a plate-shaped electrode plate 121 with an electrode connector 120 protruding to the right. Two or more electrode plates 121 can be stacked, and the number of electrode connectors 120 can be equal to the number of stacked electrode plates 121.

[0062] The electrode assembly can be a stacked and folded electrode assembly or a laminated and stacked electrode assembly. In the stacked and folded electrode assembly, each unit cell consisting of a dual cell or a single cell is wound up while being disposed on a separator sheet. In the laminated and stacked electrode assembly, the unit cells are stacked with separators inserted between them.

[0063] The dual-cell battery is configured to have a structure in which three electrode plates are arranged such that adjacent electrodes with different polarities are stacked with a diaphragm inserted between them, and the single-cell battery is configured to have a structure in which two electrode plates with different polarities are stacked with a diaphragm inserted between them.

[0064] The width W of the electrode connector 120 protruding from the electrode plate 121 T Width W greater than electrode lead 110 L Typically, when considering the fact that the electrode connector 120 extends 5 mm further from the electrode lead 110 in the width direction, the width of the electrode connector can be increased to correspond to the structure of increased electrode lead width.

[0065] For example, when the width W of electrode lead 110 L When the diameter is 60mm to 80mm, the width W of electrode connector 120 T It can be 70mm to 90mm.

[0066] That is, in the pouch-type battery cell used in this invention, electrode connectors with dimensions larger than those of conventional electrode assemblies are used. These electrode connectors connect to electrode leads with increased width, thereby reducing heat generation encountered during fast charging.

[0067] Figure 6 This is a plan view of a pouch battery cell.

[0068] refer to Figure 6 The figure shows a pouch-type battery cell 100, which is configured to have an electrode assembly housed in a pouch-type battery housing and an electrode lead 110 protruding to the right in the figure.

[0069] In the pouch cell 100, the width W of the electrode leadsL The total width W of a pouch-type battery cell can be 100. C 60% to 80%. Specifically, when the total width W of the battery cell... C When the total width W of the battery cell is 100mm, electrode leads with a width of 60mm to 80mm can be used. That is, when the total width W of the battery cell... C Compared to a conventional structure using electrode leads with a width of 40mm to 50mm when the lead is 100mm, the width of the electrode leads can be increased by approximately 20% to 100%.

[0070] In this invention, as described above, a bending sensing unit can be added, and the terminal connector can be arranged in the same direction as the width of the housing, thereby increasing the width of the electrode leads. Therefore, the heat generation of the battery cell during fast charging can be minimized, thereby improving the performance of the battery cell.

[0071] This invention provides an electronic device that includes a battery module as its power source.

[0072] Electronic devices can be electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, electric bicycles, electric trolleys, or energy storage systems. Since electronic devices can be configured to have known structures, their detailed structures will be omitted.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will understand that, based on the above description, various applications and modifications are possible within the scope of this invention.

[0074] (Description of reference symbols)

[0075] 100: Pocket-type battery cell

[0076] 110: Electrode leads

[0077] 120: Electrode connector

[0078] 121: Electrode plate

[0079] 200: Busbar

[0080] 300: Housing

[0081] 400: Sensing Unit

[0082] 500: Terminal Connector

[0083] H: Height of the casing

[0084] W C Total width of pouch cell

[0085] W L : Width of electrode leads

[0086] WT : Width of electrode connector

[0087] W 500 Width of the terminal connector

Claims

1. A battery module comprising: a battery cell stack composed of stacked pouch-type battery cells; bus bars coupled to electrode leads of each of the pouch-type battery cells; a case configured to fix the bus bars; and a sensing unit disposed at the case, wherein the sensing unit is added to a first surface of the case facing the battery cell stack and a second surface which is an outer surface opposite to the first surface, and wherein the sensing unit is configured to surround a circumference of one side of the case. The sensing unit is electrically connected to the bus bars at the second surface of the case.

2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein, A width of the electrode leads is 50% to 80% of a height of the case.

3. The battery module of claim 1, wherein, A width of the electrode leads is 60% to 80% of a total width of the pouch-type battery cells.

4. The battery module of claim 1, wherein, The sensing unit is a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

5. The battery module of claim 1, wherein, A terminal connector is coupled to a portion of the sensing unit disposed at the second surface of the case.

6. The battery module of claim 1, wherein, The terminal connector is added such that a width direction of the terminal connector is the same as a stacking direction of the battery cells.

7. The battery module of claim 6, wherein, 8.An electronic device including the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 7 as an energy source. ​

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