Battery module and battery pack comprising same

Abstract

A battery module according to the present invention may comprise: a plurality of battery cells; and a cooling bus bar unit including a conductive unit electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells to each other, and a cooling unit integrally formed with the conductive unit and disposed between the battery cells to absorb heat from the battery cells.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same, and more particularly, to a battery module including a cooling bus bar unit capable of serving as an electrical connector and a cooling device for a battery cell and a battery pack including the same.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0185076 filed on December 26, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0177036 filed on December 7, 2023 in Korea, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] The operating voltage of the lithium secondary battery widely used recently is about 2.5V to 4.5V per secondary battery. Therefore, in the case of an electric vehicle or power storage device requiring large capacity and high output, a battery module or battery pack is configured by connecting a plurality of lithium secondary batteries in series and / or in parallel and used as an energy source. In particular, in order to meet the output or capacity required for an electric vehicle, the battery module or battery pack includes a large number of lithium secondary batteries.

[0004] As an example of a battery module according to the prior art, in the case of a battery module including cylindrical battery cells, the cylindrical battery cells may be connected in series and / or in parallel to each other through a bus bar plate provided on the top thereof. The bus bar plate is provided with a welding plate, and the positive terminal (or negative terminal) of each cylindrical battery cell is connected to the welding plate by resistance (or laser) welding or brazing.

[0005] In addition, since explosions and fires caused by heat generated from battery cells have become social problems, in order to prevent heat generation from battery cells, a technology of inserting cooling plates (cooling pipes) between battery cells to dissipate heat from the battery cells has recently been applied to battery modules.

[0006] However, since the busbar plate of the electrical connection structure and the cooling pipe for cooling are manufactured and supplied separately and then assembled in the module assembly stage, the assembly work increases and the assembly process is complicated, thereby increasing the takt time. The increased takt time reduces the productivity of the battery pack and increases the manufacturing cost of the battery pack. Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the prior art, and therefore the present disclosure relates to providing a battery module and a battery pack including the battery module, wherein the battery module includes a cooling bus bar unit configured to integrate a conductive part and a cooling part, so as to reduce assembly work and cycle time due to simplified assembly, thereby improving the productivity of the battery pack and reducing its manufacturing cost.

[0009] The technical problems that the present disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the description of the present invention described below.

[0010] Technical Solution

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, which includes: a plurality of battery cells; and a cooling bus bar unit, the cooling bus bar unit including a conductive portion configured to electrically connect the plurality of battery cells to each other and a cooling portion integrally formed with the conductive portion and arranged between the battery cells to absorb heat from the battery cells.

[0012] The cooling bus bar unit may be made of a conductive material and may have an insulated region contacting the battery cell, and at least one region of the conductive portion electrically connected to an electrode lead of the battery cell may not be insulated.

[0013] Any one of an insulating film, a powder coating surface, and an epoxy coating may be applied to the insulated area in the cooling bus bar unit.

[0014] The battery cells may be cylindrical battery cells disposed upright, and the conductive portions may be disposed on top of the cylindrical battery cells, and the cooling portions may extend downward from the conductive portions to be disposed between the cylindrical battery cells.

[0015] The cylindrical battery cells may be arranged in N (N is a natural number ≥ 2) rows, and the cooling bus bar unit may be provided between the rows of the cylindrical battery cells.

[0016] First electrode leads of the cylindrical battery cells in a left row of the conductive portion and second electrode leads of the cylindrical battery cells in a right row of the conductive portion may be wire-bonded to the conductive portion, respectively.

[0017] The conductive portion may have a width that enables the conductive portion to be positioned on both the tops of the cylindrical battery cells in the left row and the tops of the cylindrical battery cells in the right row.

[0018] One surface of the cooling portion may contact outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical battery cells in a left row of the cooling portion, and the other surface may contact outer circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical battery cells in a right row of the cooling portion.

[0019] The cylindrical battery cells may be arranged in a square or rectangular configuration, and the cooling portion may extend in a straight line between the cylindrical battery cells in the Nth row and the cylindrical battery cells in the (N+1)th row.

[0020] The cylindrical battery cells may be arranged in a triangular configuration, and the cooling portion may extend in a curved shape in which peaks and valleys are repeated between the cylindrical battery cells in the Nth row and the cylindrical battery cells in the (N+1)th row.

[0021] The cooling bus bar unit may include a cooling channel through which cooling water flows.

[0022] The cooling channel may be provided in the conductive portion and the cooling portion.

[0023] The battery module may further include a cooling medium supply / discharge unit having a cooling medium inlet and a cooling medium outlet communicating with the cooling channel and connected to one end of the cooling bus bar unit.

[0024] The battery cells may be prismatic battery cells, and the conductive portion may be disposed on top of the prismatic battery cells, and the cooling portion may be configured to extend downward from the conductive portion to be disposed between the prismatic battery cells.

[0025] The prismatic battery cells may be arranged in N (N is a natural number ≥ 2) rows, and the cooling bus bar unit may be provided between the rows of the prismatic battery cells.

[0026] One surface of the cooling portion may contact outer surfaces of the prismatic battery cells in a left row of the cooling portion, and another surface of the cooling portion may contact outer surfaces of the prismatic battery cells in a right row of the cooling portion.

[0027] In addition, according to the present disclosure, a battery pack including the above-mentioned battery module may be provided.

[0028] In addition, according to the present disclosure, a vehicle including the above-mentioned battery pack may be provided.

[0029] Beneficial Effects

[0030] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve productivity of a battery pack and reduce manufacturing costs thereof by reducing assembly work and tact time due to simplification of assembly by configuring a cooling bus bar unit having a conductive portion and a cooling portion therein.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the fire risk of the battery module can be suppressed and the spread of heat can be delayed or blocked by cooling the battery cells using cooling water before the heat of the battery cells accumulates and the cooling medium circulates through the efficient cooling structure of the cooling part and the cooling medium supply / discharge unit.

[0032] Effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description of the present invention described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating main elements of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a battery module with a case cover removed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cooling bus bar unit and a cooling medium supply / discharge unit in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a portion of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state in which a cooling bus bar unit is coupled between a pair of battery cells.

[0039] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a cooling bus bar unit and a cooling medium supply / discharge unit in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 8 is an example corresponding to Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram of a portion of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Fig. 9 is an example corresponding to Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram of a portion of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Fig.10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example in which a cooling bus bar according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a battery module of prismatic battery cells. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description is made, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general meaning and dictionary meaning, but are interpreted based on the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that allows the inventor to define the terms suitable for the best description.

[0044] Therefore, the configurations proposed in the embodiments of this specification and the drawings only represent the most preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and do not represent all technical ideas of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be made thereto when submitting this application.

[0045] The sizes of the corresponding elements or specific parts of each element shown in the drawings are exaggerated, omitted or simplified to facilitate their description and explanation. Therefore, the sizes of the corresponding elements do not fully reflect their actual sizes. The description of the related known functions or configurations that may obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure will be omitted.

[0046] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating main elements of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a battery module with a case cover removed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Reference Figures 1 to 3 , a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery cells 100 , a cooling bus bar unit 200 , and a module case 400 .

[0048] The plurality of battery cells 100 may be secondary batteries such as cylindrical secondary batteries, pouch-type secondary batteries, or prismatic secondary batteries. In the present embodiment, the plurality of battery cells 100 are cylindrical battery cells 100 .

[0049] The cylindrical battery cell 100 includes an electrode assembly, a battery can, and a cap.

[0050] The electrode assembly can be manufactured by winding a laminate formed by stacking a first electrode (negative electrode), a separator, a second electrode (positive electrode) and a separator in sequence at least once. That is, the electrode assembly applied to the present disclosure can be a wound electrode assembly. In this case, an additional separator can be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electrode assembly to insulate from the battery can. The electrode assembly can have a winding structure known in the prior art without limitation.

[0051] The battery can is a generally cylindrical container with an opening formed on one side and is made of a conductive metal material. The battery can is configured so that the top (or bottom) in the height direction is open and the rest is closed. The battery can can accommodate an electrode assembly and an electrolyte through an opening formed on one side in the height direction. In addition, the opening of the battery can is sealed with a cap.

[0052] In addition, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the entire surface of the battery can can be used as a negative terminal. For example, in a cylindrical battery cell 100, a negative electrode current collector connected to the negative electrode of the electrode assembly is accommodated inside the battery can, and the negative electrode current collector contacts the inner side of the battery can, so that the entire surface of the battery can can be used as a negative terminal.

[0053] The positive terminal may be disposed on the opposite side of the opening of the battery can to penetrate the battery can and be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the electrode assembly. The positive terminal may be configured as, for example, a riveted structure. The positive terminal is insulated from the battery can by an insulating gasket to have a positive polarity. In addition, unlike this embodiment, a cap for sealing the opening and the positive electrode of the electrode assembly may be electrically connected to use the cap as a positive terminal.

[0054] Therefore, the battery module 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may connect both the positive electrode and the negative electrode in one direction when electrically connecting the plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 , thereby simplifying the electrical connection structure.

[0055] These cylindrical battery cells 100 can be placed in Figure 2 The cylindrical battery cells 100 are arranged while standing upright as shown in the figure, and can be arranged in a horizontal direction or on a horizontal plane (XY plane). The cylindrical battery cells 100 can be arranged in a square or rectangular configuration. The cylindrical battery cells 100 can be arranged in a checkerboard pattern when arranged in a square or rectangular configuration, and a predetermined gap can be formed between the cylindrical battery cells 100.

[0056] Specifically, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in N (N is a natural number ≥ 2) rows, and a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in each row. That is, N rows are sequentially arranged in the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in the X-axis direction in each row. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in 6 rows, that is, N=6, and 7 cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in one row. In addition, the number of rows and the number of cylindrical battery cells 100 arranged in each row may be changed in various ways.

[0057] The cooling bus bar unit 200 is a component that simultaneously performs electrical connection and cooling on the cylindrical battery cell 100, and may include a conductive portion 210 electrically connected to the electrode lead of the cylindrical battery cell 100 and a cooling portion 220 integrally formed with the conductive portion 210 and in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical battery cell to absorb heat.

[0058] The conductive portion 210 may electrically connect the plurality of battery cells 100 to each other. The conductive portion 210 may provide a bonding area (e.g., an upper surface of the conductive portion 210) for wire bonding with electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells 100. The conductive portion 210 may be disposed on top of the cylindrical battery cell 100 and electrically connected to the electrode leads of the battery cell 100. At least one area of ​​the conductive portion 210 electrically connected to the electrode leads of the battery cell 100 may not be insulated.

[0059] The cooling portion 220 may be provided between the battery cells 100 to absorb heat from the battery cells 100. To this end, the cooling portion 220 may extend downward from the conductive portion 210 to be interposed between the cylindrical battery cells 100. The cooling portion 220 may be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the battery can to absorb heat. The surface of the cooling portion 220 may be insulated.

[0060] The conductive part 210 and the cooling part 220 may be integrally formed and made of a metal material having excellent electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. The cooling busbar unit 200 may be manufactured by an extrusion process or injection molding, and may preferably be manufactured by an extrusion process. For example, the metal material may be copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), an alloy thereof, or a clad metal made by joining different types of metals.

[0061] The cooling bus bar unit 200 may be arranged between the Nth row (N is a natural number ≥ 2) and the (N+1)th row of the cylindrical battery cells 100. The cooling bus bar unit 200 may be disposed between a pair of rows arranged in the Y-axis direction. Figure 3As shown in , a plurality of cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in 6 rows, and a cooling bus bar unit may be provided in a space between adjacent rows.

[0062] Specifically, the conductive portion 210 may be disposed on the top of the cylindrical battery cells 100 , and the cooling portion 220 may extend downward from the conductive portion 210 to be disposed between the cylindrical battery cells 100 in adjacent rows.

[0063] In addition, it can also be arranged so that one surface of the cooling portion 220 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the left row of the cooling portion 220, and so that the other surface of the cooling portion 220 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the right row of the cooling portion 220.

[0064] In addition, a cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may be further connected to one side of the cooling bus bar unit 200. In addition, the cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may be an element that supplies the cooling medium to the cooling portion 220 and discharges the cooling medium from the cooling portion. The cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may be configured to communicate with the cooling portion 220, and the cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may include a cooling medium inlet 310 and a cooling medium outlet 320.

[0065] The module case 400 may accommodate the cylindrical battery cell 100. The module case 400 may include a case body 410 having an open top and a case cover 420 covering the opening.

[0066] The shell body 410 may be provided with a partition 430 that separates the cylindrical battery cell 100 and the cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 from each other. The partition 430 may be provided between the plurality of cooling bus bar units 200 and the plurality of cooling medium supply / discharge units 300 to separate them from each other and separate them. The plurality of cooling medium supply / discharge units 300 connected to the plurality of cooling bus bar units 200 may be configured to be connected by a connecting pipe. The connecting pipe may include an inlet pipe 311 and an outlet pipe 321. The shell inlet 411 and the shell outlet 412, which are respectively connected to the inlet pipe 311 and the outlet pipe 321, may be provided on one side of the shell body 410.

[0067] Hereinafter, the cooling bus bar unit 200 will be described in more detail.

[0068] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cooling bus bar unit and a cooling medium supply / discharge unit in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a portion of a top portion of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 6is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state in which a cooling bus bar unit is coupled between a pair of battery cells.

[0069] Reference Figures 4 to 6 The cooling bus bar unit 200 may include a conductive portion 210 electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells 100 to each other and a cooling portion 220 integrally formed with the conductive portion 210 and disposed between the battery cells 100 to absorb heat from the battery cells 100 .

[0070] The conductive portion 210 may be disposed on the top of the cylindrical battery cell 100. The conductive portion 210 may be disposed in a direction (X-axis direction) parallel to each row of the cylindrical battery cells 100, and may have a predetermined width in the horizontal direction (the arrangement direction of each row, i.e., the Y-axis direction). The conductive portion 210 may have a width that enables the conductive portion 210 to be placed on both the top of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the left row and the top of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the right row.

[0071] In addition, first electrode leads of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the left row of the conductive portion 210 and second electrode leads of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the right row of the conductive portion 210 may be connected to the conductive portion 210 through wires W, respectively.

[0072] For example, in Figure 3 In the implemented configuration shown in , the positive terminals of the cylindrical battery cells 100 arranged in the first row may be electrically connected to the conductive portion 210 through the wire W, and the negative terminals of the battery cells 100 arranged in the second row adjacent to the first row may be electrically connected to the conductive portion 210 through the wire W. The cylindrical battery cells 100 in the second and third rows may be electrically connected to the conductive portion 210 located therebetween, and the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the third and fourth rows may be electrically connected to the conductive portion 210 located therebetween in the same manner. In this case, the battery cells 100 arranged in the same row are connected in parallel to each other, and the battery cells 100 arranged in adjacent rows are connected in series to each other.

[0073] The conductive portion 210 can be formed integrally with the cooling portion inserted between the cylindrical battery cells 100 so as to be restricted from moving in the left-right direction (±Y-axis direction). Therefore, the conductive portion 210 can be set on the top of the cylindrical battery cell 100 without a separate supporting member, and after being set, it is stably maintained without moving in the left-right direction. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the distance between the cylindrical battery cells 100 in each row and the conductive portion 210 of each cooling bus bar unit 200 is constant, thereby facilitating the wire bonding work and stably maintaining the wire bonding state after the work.

[0074] The cooling portion 220 extends downward (in the vertical direction) from the middle of the conductive portion 210 to be disposed in a space between two battery cells 100 facing each other. The cooling portion 220 may be interposed between rows of cylindrical battery cells 100. One surface of the cooling portion 220 may be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the left row of the cooling portion 220, and the other surface may be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the right row of the cooling portion 220. Since the cooling portion 220 is in partial contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical battery cells 100, the cooling portion 220 may efficiently cool the cylindrical battery cells 100.

[0075] The cooling portion 220 may extend in a straight line between the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the Nth row and the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the (N+1)th row. That is, the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be arranged in a square or rectangular configuration, and the cooling portion 220 disposed between the rows of the cylindrical battery cells 100 may be disposed in a straight shape.

[0076] The cooling bus bar unit 200 may have a cooling channel 230 through which a cooling medium may flow. The cooling medium may be cooling water.

[0077] According to the above configuration, if cooling water is supplied to the cooling channel 230, the cooling busbar unit 200 can be kept at a low temperature. In this case, the thermal gradient between the battery cell 100 and the cooling busbar unit 200 can be maximized, so that the heat of the battery cell can be transferred to the cooling busbar unit 200 faster and more effectively.

[0078] The cooling channel 230 according to this embodiment may be disposed inside the cooling portion 220, such as Figure 4 The cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may be connected to one side of the cooling busbar unit 200. The cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may include a cooling medium inlet 310 communicating with the inlet of the cooling channel 230 and a cooling medium outlet 320 communicating with the outlet of the cooling channel 230. Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the cooling medium supply / discharge units 300 connected one-to-one with the cooling bus bar units 200 may be connected to communicate with each other through connecting pipes 311 and 321. The connecting pipes include an inlet pipe 311 connected to the cooling medium inlet 310 of each cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 and an outlet pipe 321 connected to the cooling medium outlet 320 of each cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300. The inlet pipe 311 and the outlet pipe 321 may be connected to the housing inlet 411 and the housing outlet 412 provided on one side of the housing body 410. According to the configuration implemented, the cooling medium may be supplied from an external water source into the battery module 10 through the housing inlet 411, and then distributed to the cooling medium supply / discharge units 300 connected one-to-one with the cooling bus bar units through the inlet pipe 311.

[0079] In addition, the cooling medium may flow in through the cooling medium inlet 310 located in the upper portion of each cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300, circulate in the longitudinal direction of the cooling portion 220 through the cooling channel 230 of the cooling portion 220, and be discharged through the cooling medium outlet 320 located in the lower portion of the cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300. The cooling medium absorbing heat in the cooling channel 230 may move along the outlet pipe 321 connected to the cooling medium outlet 320 of each cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300, and be discharged to the outside of the battery module 10 through the case outlet 412. In this process, heat exchange may be performed between the cooling portion 220 and the cylindrical battery cell 100, thereby cooling the cylindrical battery cell 100.

[0080] The cooling channel 230 may be provided in at least one of the conductive portion 210 and the cooling portion 220. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 2 , the cooling passage 230 may be provided in the conductive portion 210 as well as in the cooling portion 220. In this case, although not shown, an insulating device may be provided on the inner side of the conductive portion 210 where the cooling passage 230 is formed.

[0081] The cooling bus bar unit 200 needs to be insulated from the cylindrical battery cell 100 because the cooling bus bar unit 200 is made of a conductive material. Therefore, in this embodiment, the area of ​​the cooling bus bar unit 200 that contacts the battery cell 100 may be insulated, and at least one area of ​​the conductive portion 210 that is electrically connected to the electrode lead of the battery cell 100 may not be insulated.

[0082] The cooling portion 220 has an electrical insulation region 240. In this case, any one of an insulation film, a powder coating surface, and an epoxy coating may be applied to the insulation region.

[0083] The conductive portion 210 may also have an insulating region 241. In particular, the region of the conductive portion 210 that needs to be insulated may be a lower surface of the conductive portion 210 that intersects the cooling portion 220 and is disposed on the top of the battery cell.

[0084] The conductive portion 210 and the cylindrical battery cell 100 may be electrically insulated by an insulating region 241 provided on the lower surface of the conductive portion 210. Like the cooling portion 220 described above, any one of an insulating film, a powder coating surface, and an epoxy coating may be applied to the insulating region 241. Alternatively, an insulating gasket or a rubber O-ring may be applied between the lower surface of the conductive portion 210 and the top of the battery cell.

[0085] Hereinafter, an assembling process of the battery module 10 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described.

[0086] First, the cooling bus bar unit 200 may be provided. The cooling bus bar unit 200 may be manufactured by extrusion molding, and an additional process may be required to form the internal cooling channel 230.

[0087] Next, the cylindrical battery cell 100 is housed in the housing body 410 in a rectangular configuration, and then the cooling bus bar unit 200 is disposed. In this process, the cooling bus bar unit 200 can be disposed in the space between the corresponding rows of the cylindrical battery cells 100. Since the cooling bus bar unit 200 is provided as an integrated unit, the problem that the existing bus bar plate and the cooling tube are separately provided and assembled, thereby increasing the assembly work, can be solved. Since the cooling portion 220 is vertically inserted and disposed between the rows of the cylindrical battery cells 100, the arrangement of the conductive portion 210 and the alignment of the cylindrical battery cells 100 can be completed, thereby reducing the assembly work.

[0088] Next, a plurality of cooling medium supply / discharge units 300 are connected to the cooling bus bar unit 200, respectively. Then, a separator 430 is assembled between the plurality of battery cells arranged in a plurality of rows and columns and the cooling medium supply / discharge unit. The separator 430 may be configured to have a slit into which a connection portion of the cooling bus bar unit 200 and the cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 may be inserted. Figure 3 When the partition 430 is assembled as shown in FIG. 4 , the cooling bus bar units 200 may be maintained at regular intervals by the partition 430 , and the battery cells may be densely accommodated in a space surrounded by the partition 430 and the outer wall of the case body 410 .

[0089] Next, wire bonding is performed between the plurality of cooling bus bar units 200 and the cylindrical battery cells, and the cooling medium supply / discharge unit 300 and the case inlet 411 and the case outlet 412 may be connected through the connection pipes 311 and 321. In addition, the case cover 420 may be assembled to the case body 410.

[0090] The configuration of the battery module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure described above can reduce the assembly work of the battery module. In particular, in the battery module 10, electrical connection and cooling of the battery cells 100 can be performed by cooling the bus bar unit 200, thereby simplifying the assembly structure and assembly process.

[0091] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a cooling bus bar unit and a cooling medium supply / discharge unit in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a portion of a top portion of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] Then, reference will be made to Figures 7 and 8 Another embodiment of the present disclosure is briefly described.

[0093] The same reference numerals as those in the previous drawings denote the same components, and repeated description of the same components will be omitted and will be described based on the differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0094] In a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the cooling portion 220 a of the cooling bus bar unit 200 a may have various shapes depending on the arrangement of the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the battery module 10 .

[0095] That is, the cylindrical battery cells 100 according to the present embodiment may be arranged in a triangular or staggered array in the module case 400. In the triangular array, energy density may be maximized in the same volume.

[0096] The cooling bus bar unit 200a also varies corresponding to the arrangement of the above cylindrical battery cells 100. Specifically, the shape of the cooling portion 220a may vary. That is, the cooling portion 220a may extend in a curved shape in which the peaks 221 and the valleys 222 are repeated between the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the Nth row and the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the (N+1)th row. That is, the outer surface of the cooling portion 220a may have a wave shape.

[0097] For example, Figure 8 As shown in FIG, the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the first row and the cylindrical battery cells 100 in the second row may be arranged to be staggered in the horizontal direction. Figure 7The cooling portion 220 a manufactured in the form shown in FIG. 1 may be inserted between the rows of the cylindrical battery cells 100 , thereby improving contact between the cooling portion 220 a and the cylindrical battery cells 100 and reducing a dead space inside the battery module 10 .

[0098] Therefore, the cooling portion 220a according to this embodiment may have higher cooling efficiency than the previous embodiment. The contact area between the cylindrical battery cell 100 and the outer surface of the cooling portion 220 may be increased so that heat exchange may be performed more efficiently, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0099] Next, we will refer to Figures 9 and 10 Another embodiment of the present disclosure is briefly described.

[0100] Fig. 9 is an example corresponding to Figure 5 A diagram of a portion of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig.10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example in which a cooling bus bar according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is applied to a battery module of prismatic battery cells.

[0101] The same reference numerals as those in the previous drawings denote the same components, and repeated description of the same components will be omitted and will be described based on the differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0102] A battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure and Figure 1 The battery module of the embodiment in FIG. 1 is different in that the cylindrical battery cell 100 is replaced by a prismatic battery cell 100A.

[0103] Here, the prismatic battery cell 100A refers to a battery cell that is generally in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The prismatic battery cell 100A may be obtained by storing an electrode assembly in a battery can made of aluminum and having a top opening and coupling a cap plate to the top opening of the battery can. The prismatic battery cell 100A may include a positive terminal 111 and a negative terminal 112, wherein the positive terminal is connected to a positive plate constituting the electrode assembly and protrudes to the outside of the cap plate while passing through the cap plate, and the negative terminal is connected to a negative plate constituting the electrode assembly and protrudes to the outside of the cap plate while passing through the cap plate.

[0104] Reference Fig. 9 and Fig.10 , the prismatic battery cells 100A may be arranged in N (N is a natural number ≥ 2) rows, and the cooling bus bar unit 200 may be disposed between the rows of the prismatic battery cells 100A.

[0105] The conductive portion 210 of the cooling bus bar unit 200 may be disposed on the top of the prismatic battery cells 100A, and the cooling portion 220 of the cooling bus bar unit 200 may extend downward from the conductive portion 210 to be disposed between the prismatic battery cells 100A.

[0106] The conductive portion 210 may be configured to be electrically connected to the positive terminal 111 of the prismatic battery cells 100A in the left row of the conductive portion 210 and to be electrically connected to the negative terminal 112 of the prismatic battery cells 100A in the right row of the conductive portion 210 .

[0107] If N rows of prismatic battery cells 100A are electrically connected to the conductive portions 210 of the corresponding cooling bus bar units 200 in such a pattern, the prismatic battery cells 100A disposed in the same row may be connected in parallel to each other, and the prismatic battery cells 100A disposed in adjacent rows may be connected in series to each other. The electrical connection between the electrode leads of the prismatic battery cells 100A and the conductive portions 210 may be performed by, for example, one of wire bonding, welding, bolting, etc.

[0108] In addition, the left side of the cooling portion 220 may contact the right side of the prismatic battery cells 100A in the left row of the cooling portion 220 , and the right side of the cooling portion 220 may contact the left side of the prismatic battery cells 100A in the right row of the cooling portion 220 .

[0109] Likewise, the cooling bus bar unit 200 according to the present disclosure may also be applied to the electrical connection and cooling of the prismatic battery cells 100A.

[0110] In addition, a battery pack (not shown) according to the present disclosure may include one or more of the above-mentioned battery modules 10. The battery pack according to the present disclosure may also include a main BMS (battery management system) for integrated control of charging and discharging of one or more battery modules 10, a current sensor, a fuse, etc., and a battery pack housing for accommodating the above-mentioned components.

[0111] The battery pack according to the present disclosure may be applied to an energy storage device or a vehicle such as an electric scooter, an electric vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle. That is, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may include the battery pack according to the present disclosure. The battery pack may be installed in a vehicle body frame under a vehicle seat or in a trunk space, and when installed in a vehicle, the arrangement of the battery pack may be reversed if necessary.

[0112] Although terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front and rear directions are used in this specification, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these terms are merely for convenience of description and may vary depending on the position of the target object or the position of the observer.

[0113] As described above, although the present disclosure has been described with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it is possible for technicians in the field to which the present disclosure belongs to make various modifications and variations within the scope of equivalents of the claims to be described and the technical ideas of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: Multiple battery cells; as well as A cooling bus bar unit includes a conductive portion configured to electrically connect the plurality of battery cells to each other and a cooling portion integrally formed with the conductive portion and disposed between the battery cells to absorb heat from the battery cells.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The cooling busbar unit is made of a conductive material and has an insulating region in contact with the battery cell, and Wherein, at least one region of the conductive portion electrically connected to the electrode lead of the battery cell is not insulated.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, in, Any one of an insulating film, a powder coating surface, and an epoxy coating is applied to the insulated region in the cooling bus bar unit.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The battery cell is a cylindrical battery cell arranged upright, wherein the conductive portion is disposed on the top of the cylindrical battery cell, and Wherein, the cooling portion extends downward from the conductive portion to be disposed between the cylindrical battery cells.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, in, The cylindrical battery cells are arranged in N rows, N being a natural number ≥ 2, and Wherein, the cooling busbar unit is arranged between the rows of the cylindrical battery cells.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, in, First electrode leads of the cylindrical battery cells in a left row of the conductive portion and second electrode leads of the cylindrical battery cells in a right row of the conductive portion are respectively wire-bonded to the conductive portion.

7. The battery module according to claim 6, in, The conductive portion has a width that enables the conductive portion to be placed on both the tops of the cylindrical battery cells in the left row and the tops of the cylindrical battery cells in the right row.

8. The battery module according to claim 5, in, One surface of the cooling portion contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical battery cells in the left row of the cooling portion, and the other surface contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical battery cells in the right row of the cooling portion.

9. The battery module according to claim 5, in, The cylindrical battery cells are arranged in a square or rectangular configuration, and Wherein, the cooling portion extends in a straight line between the cylindrical battery cells in the Nth row and the cylindrical battery cells in the N+1th row.

10. The battery module according to claim 5, in, The cylindrical battery cells are arranged in a triangular configuration, and Wherein the cooling portion extends in a curved shape in which peaks and valleys are repeated between the cylindrical battery cells in the Nth row and the cylindrical battery cells in the N+1th row.

11. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The cooling bus bar unit includes a cooling channel through which cooling water flows.

12. The battery module according to claim 11, in, The cooling channel is provided in the conductive portion and the cooling portion.

13. The battery module according to claim 11, The battery module further includes a cooling medium supply / discharge unit having a cooling medium inlet and a cooling medium outlet communicating with the cooling channel and connected to one end of the cooling bus bar unit.

14. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The battery cell is a prismatic battery cell, wherein the conductive portion is disposed on top of the prismatic battery cell, and Wherein, the cooling portion is configured to extend downward from the conductive portion to be disposed between the prismatic battery cells.

15. The battery module according to claim 14, in, The prismatic battery cells are arranged in N rows, N being a natural number ≥ 2, and The cooling bus bar units are disposed between the rows of the prismatic battery cells.

16. The battery module according to claim 15, in, One surface of the cooling portion contacts outer surfaces of the prismatic battery cells in a left row of the cooling portion, and the other surface of the cooling portion contacts outer surfaces of the prismatic battery cells in a right row of the cooling portion. 17 . A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1 .

18. A vehicle comprising the battery pack according to claim 17.

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