Battery cell assembly, battery module comprising same, and battery pack

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an automatic alignment battery cell assembly, which improves a structure such that magnets are printed on surfaces of battery cells to automatically align the battery cells, prevent non-uniform attachment of the battery cells during alignment, and accurately position physical locations of the battery cells, thereby improving stack processability. The automatic alignment battery cell assembly according to the present disclosure comprises: a first battery cell which is one of a plurality of battery cells; and a second battery cell facing the first battery cell, in which the first battery cell includes a first surface facing the second battery cell, and the second battery cell includes a second surface facing the first surface, in which a first magnet having a first polarity is provided on the first surface, and a second magnet having a second polarity is provided on the second surface. A second magnet having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity is disposed on the second surface, and the first magnet and the second magnet are disposed at positions corresponding to each other.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0121206, filed on September 23, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to an automatic alignment battery cell assembly, which improves the structure to automatically align battery cells, prevents the battery cells from being unevenly attached during the alignment process, and accurately locates the physical position of the battery cells, thereby improving stacking processability. Background Art

[0004] In recent years, due to the depletion of fossil fuels leading to rising energy prices, concerns about environmental pollution have been amplified, and the demand for environmentally friendly alternative energy is becoming an indispensable factor in future life. Therefore, research on various power generation technologies such as solar energy, wind energy, and tidal energy is continuously being conducted, and energy storage devices such as batteries that use the generated electrical energy more efficiently are also receiving attention.

[0005] In addition, as the technology development and demand for electronic mobile devices and electric vehicles using batteries increase, the demand for batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing. Therefore, many studies have been conducted on batteries that can meet various needs.

[0006] Secondary batteries have attracted much attention as energy sources in various products such as mobile devices and electric vehicles. These secondary batteries are an excellent energy source that can replace the use of existing products that use fossil fuels, and because secondary batteries do not produce byproducts caused by energy use, they have attracted attention as environmentally friendly energy sources.

[0007] In order to manufacture such a secondary battery, a battery cell formed by stacking electrodes and separators may be first manufactured, and the battery cell may be manufactured into a secondary battery through various steps in the manufacturing process. During the manufacturing process, the battery cell may be stacked to form a battery cell assembly, a battery module, and a battery pack, and therefore, a process of aligning the battery cell may be required.

[0008] According to the related art, in the process of overlapping battery cells to manufacture a battery module, a double-sided tape may be used to fix the battery cells to prevent the soft pack battery cells from moving. However, in this process, when the machine misidentifies the length of the battery cells, the battery cells may not be aligned consistently, and the misalignment may not be corrected. Summary of the invention

[0009] Technical issues

[0010] The present disclosure aims to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an automatic alignment battery cell assembly, which improves the structure to automatically align the battery cells, prevent the battery cells from being unevenly attached during the alignment process, and accurately locate the physical position of the battery cells, thereby improving the stacking processability.

[0011] Technical Solution

[0012] The battery cell assembly according to the present disclosure may be manufactured by stacking a plurality of battery cells. The battery cell assembly may include: a first battery cell that is one of the plurality of battery cells; and a second battery cell that faces the first battery cell.

[0013] The first battery cell may include a first surface facing the second battery cell. The second battery cell may include a second surface facing the first surface.

[0014] A first magnet having a first polarity may be disposed on the first surface, and a second magnet having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity may be disposed on the second surface. The first magnet and the second magnet may be disposed at positions corresponding to each other, respectively.

[0015] A plurality of first magnets may be disposed on the first surface, and a plurality of second magnets may be disposed on the second surface, and the plurality of first magnets and the plurality of second magnets may be disposed at corresponding positions, respectively.

[0016] A first magnet having a second polarity may also be disposed on the first surface, and a second magnet having a first polarity may also be disposed on the second surface. The first magnet and the second magnet may be disposed at positions corresponding to each other.

[0017] Each of the first surface and the second surface may be made of a soft package material, the first magnet may be printed on a surface of the first surface, and the second magnet may be printed on a surface of the second surface.

[0018] The second battery cell may further include a second 'surface formed at an opposite side of the second surface, and at least one second '' magnet may be disposed on the second 'surface.

[0019] The battery cell assembly may further include: a third battery cell, the third battery cell being one of the plurality of battery cells.

[0020] The third battery cell may include a third surface facing the second 'surface; and a third magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the second 'magnet may be disposed at a position of the third surface corresponding to the second 'magnet.

[0021] A second "' magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the second "' magnet may also be arranged on the second surface, and a third "' magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the second "' magnet may also be arranged on the third surface. The second "' magnet and the third "' magnet may be arranged at positions corresponding to each other respectively.

[0022] The second magnet and the second "" magnet may be respectively disposed at positions corresponding to each other, and the second ' magnet and the second "' magnet may be respectively disposed at positions corresponding to each other.

[0023] The second magnet and the second "" magnet can be respectively arranged at different positions. And the second' magnet and the second "" magnet can be respectively arranged at different positions.

[0024] Each of the second' surface and the third surface may be made of a soft pack material, the second' magnet may be printed on the surface of the second' surface, and the third magnet may be printed on the surface of the third surface.

[0025] A battery module according to the present disclosure may include a battery cell assembly in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, and a frame configured to accommodate the battery cell assembly.

[0026] The battery pack according to the present disclosure may be a battery module including a battery cell assembly and a frame and a case.

[0027] Beneficial Effects

[0028] According to the present disclosure, the structure can be improved so that magnets are printed on various surfaces of battery cells to automatically align the battery cells, prevent the battery cells from being unevenly attached during alignment, and accurately locate the physical positions of the battery cells, thereby improving stacking processability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a battery cell assembly in which battery cells are stacked according to the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first battery cell and a second battery cell in a battery cell assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a first battery cell and a second battery cell in a battery cell assembly according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first battery cell and a second battery cell in a battery cell assembly according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in several different forms and is not limited or constrained by the following examples.

[0034] In order to clearly describe the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of parts that are not related to the description or related known technologies that may unnecessarily obscure the main points of the present disclosure have been omitted, and in this specification, reference numerals are added to the components in the various drawings. In this case, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0035] Furthermore, the terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be restrictively interpreted as ordinary meanings or dictionary-based meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the scope of the present disclosure based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms to best describe and interpret his or her invention.

[0036] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a battery cell assembly in which battery cells are stacked according to the present disclosure.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 As can be seen, the battery cells are stacked to form a battery cell assembly 1. Hereinafter, a battery cell assembly 1 and a method of forming the battery cell assembly 1 of the present disclosure will be described through Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2, and Embodiment 3.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a first battery cell and a second battery cell in a battery cell assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0040] Reference Figure 2 , the battery cell assembly 1 according to the embodiment 1 of the present disclosure may include a first battery cell 10 and a second battery cell 20. The battery cell assembly 1 may be formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells. Figure 2 , the first surface 11 of the first battery cell 10 is shown at the lower left end, and the second surface 21 as a surface facing the first surface 11 is shown at the upper right. The second surface 22 is shown at the lower right end.

[0041] The first battery cell 10 may include a first surface 11. A first magnet 111 may be disposed on the first surface 11. The first surface 11 is shown as a rectangle, but the first surface 11 is not limited thereto and may have various shapes.

[0042] The first magnet 111 may have a first polarity. A plurality of first magnets 111 may be disposed on the first surface 11 .

[0043] The second battery cell 20 may include a second surface 21. The second surface 21 may be arranged to face the first surface 11. The second surface 21 may have the same size as the first surface 11. A second magnet 211 may be arranged on the second surface 21. The second magnet 211 may have a second polarity. The second polarity may be opposite to the first polarity. A plurality of second magnets 211 may be arranged on the second surface 21. The first polarity and the second polarity may be arbitrarily specified. The first polarity may be an N pole or an S pole, and correspondingly, the second polarity may also be an S pole or an N pole.

[0044] The second battery cell 20 may further include a second 'surface 22. The second 'surface 22 may be disposed on the opposite side of the second surface 21. A second 'magnet 221 may be disposed on the second 'surface 22. At least one second 'magnet 221 may be disposed on the second 'surface 22. The second 'surface 22 may be disposed in a shape corresponding to the second surface 21.

[0045] The first magnet 111 and the second magnet 211 may be disposed at corresponding positions, respectively. The first battery cell 10 and the second battery cell 20 may be disposed at corresponding positions so that the first battery cell 10 and the second battery cell 20 are well attached to each other. When forming the battery cell assembly 1, each of the first magnet 111 and the second magnet 211 is shown as a rectangle, but is not limited thereto.

[0046] A first 'magnet 112 may also be disposed on the first surface 11. The first 'magnet 112 may have a second polarity. Since the first magnet 111 and the first 'magnet 112 have different polarities, the first magnet 111 and the first 'magnet 112 may be disposed at regular intervals. A second 'magnet 212 may also be disposed on the second surface 21. The second 'magnet 212 may have a first polarity. Since the second magnet 211 and the second 'magnet 212 have different polarities, the second magnet 211 and the second 'magnet 212 may be disposed at regular intervals. The first 'magnet 112 and the second 'magnet 212 may be disposed at positions corresponding to each other, respectively. Although each of the first 'magnet 112 and the second 'magnet 212 is shown as a rectangle, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0047] Each of the first surface 11 and the second surface 21 may be made of a soft pack material. The second 'surface 22 may also be made of a soft pack material. The first magnet 111 may be printed on the surface of the first surface 11. The second magnet 211 may be printed on the surface of the second surface 21. The first 'magnet 112 and the second 'magnet 212 may be printed on the surfaces of the first surface 11 and the second surface 21, respectively. Before configuring and manufacturing the negative electrode material, the positive electrode material, the separator and the electrolyte in the soft pack battery cell, the first magnet 111, the first 'magnet 112, the second magnet 211 and the second 'magnet 212 may be printed on the surface of the soft pack of the battery cell.

[0048] The present disclosure may include a battery module (not shown) including the battery cell assembly 1 according to Embodiment 1 and a frame (not shown) accommodating the battery cell assembly 1 .

[0049] The present disclosure may include a battery pack (not shown) including a battery module (not shown) including the battery cell assembly 1 according to Embodiment 1 and a case (not shown) accommodating the battery module.

[0050] According to the related art, in the process of overlapping battery cells with each other to manufacture battery cell assemblies and battery modules, double-sided tape can be used to fix the battery cells to prevent the soft-pack battery cells from moving. However, in this process, when the machine misidentifies the length of the battery cells, the battery cells may not be aligned consistently, and the misalignment may not be corrected. Referring to Example 1, in the present disclosure, when the battery cells are stacked and aligned, the battery cells can be aligned by magnets printed on each battery cell. For example, when the first magnet 111 printed on the first surface 11 is an N pole, a second magnet 211 as an S pole can be printed on the second surface 21, so that the first battery cell 10 and the second battery cell 20 are attached and aligned by the magnet. In addition, a first 'magnet 112 may be additionally printed on the first surface 11, and a second 'magnet 212 may be additionally printed on the second surface 21. If the first 'magnet 112 is an S pole, the second 'magnet 212 can be printed as an N pole, and therefore, the first 'magnet 112 and the second 'magnet 212 can be combined with each other to further increase the bonding force between the first battery cell 10 and the second battery cell 20. Since the magnets are not completely attached, they have the characteristic of being able to readjust the alignment of the battery cells when the battery cells are misaligned.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a first battery cell and a second battery cell in a battery cell assembly according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

[0053] Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure may differ from Embodiment 1 in that, in addition to the first battery cell 10 and the second battery cell 20, a third battery cell 30 is further provided. The contents repeated with Embodiment 1 will be omitted as much as possible, and the differences of Embodiment 2 will be described emphatically.

[0054] Reference Figure 3 The battery cell assembly 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a third battery cell 30 .

[0055] The third battery cell 30 may include a third surface 31. The third surface 31 may face the second surface 22. A third magnet 311 may be disposed on the third surface 31. A plurality of third magnets 311 may be disposed on the third surface 31. The third surface 31 is shown as a rectangle, but is not limited thereto.

[0056] A second ″ magnet 221 may be disposed on the second ″ surface 22. The third magnet 311 may have a polarity opposite to that of the second ″ magnet 221. The third magnet 311 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the second ″ magnet 221.

[0057] A second "' magnet 222 may be further disposed on the second' surface 22 . The second "' magnet 222 may have a polarity opposite to that of the second "' magnet 221 . A plurality of second "' magnets 222 may be disposed on the second' surface 22 .

[0058] A third 'magnet 312 may be further disposed on the third surface 31. The third 'magnet 312 may have a polarity opposite to that of the second 'magnet 222. A plurality of third 'magnets 312 may be disposed on the third surface 31.

[0059] The second magnet 211 and the second "" magnet 221 can be respectively disposed at positions corresponding to each other. The second "" magnet 212 and the second ""' magnet 222 can be respectively disposed at positions corresponding to each other. The third magnet 311, the third "" magnet 312, the second "" magnet 221 and the second ""' magnet 222 are shown as rectangles, but are not limited thereto.

[0060] When compared with Embodiment 1, in Embodiment 2, a second 'surface 22 and a third battery cell 30 are additionally provided. The third surface 31 and the second 'surface 22 of the third battery cell 30 are attached by a magnet. Therefore, the first battery cell 10, the second battery cell 20, and the third battery cell 30 can be attached to each other by a magnet to form a battery cell assembly 1, and a plurality of battery cells can be sequentially combined with each other to form a battery cell assembly 1 including more battery cells.

[0061] Example 3

[0062] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first battery cell and a second battery cell in a battery cell assembly according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

[0063] Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure may differ from Embodiment 2 in that the magnets of the second battery cell 20 and the third battery cell 30 are differently arranged. The contents repeated with Embodiment 2 will be omitted as much as possible, and the differences of Embodiment 3 will be described emphatically. That is, obviously, if necessary, the contents not described in Embodiment 2 may be regarded as the contents of Embodiment 1.

[0064] Reference Figure 4 The battery cell assembly 1 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a third battery cell 30. The third battery cell 30 may include a third magnet 311 and a third ' magnet 312. The second battery cell 20 may include a second '' magnet 221 and a second '' magnet 222.

[0065] The second magnet 211 and the second "' magnet 221 can be respectively arranged at different positions. The second "' magnet 212 and the second "'' magnet 222 can be respectively arranged at different positions. The third magnet 311 and the third "' magnet 312 can be arranged on the third surface 31 and correspond to the positions of the second "' magnet 221 and the second "'' magnet 222.

[0066] When compared with Example 2, in Example 3, the second "' magnet 221, the second "' magnet 222, the third magnet 311 and the third "' magnet 312 are set differently. This is because the positions of the second "' magnet 221 and the second "' magnet 222 are different from the positions of the second magnet 211 and the second "' magnet 212 set on the second surface 21 to further increase the attraction between the magnets. The second magnet 211 and the third magnet 311 have the same polarity, and the second "' magnet 212 and the third "' magnet 312 may also have the same polarity. Here, when the second magnet 211 and the third magnet 311 are set at the same position based on the direction perpendicular to the surface of the battery cell, the binding force may be slightly weakened due to the repulsive force between the magnets. In order to prevent this phenomenon, the position at which the magnets are set can be changed, and the influence between the magnets can be reduced to enhance the binding force.

[0067] The magnets described above are not limited to a specific magnet type, and may be polarized magnetic materials.

[0068] While embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

[0069] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0070] 1: Battery cell assembly

[0071] 10: First battery cell

[0072] 11: First surface

[0073] 111: First magnet

[0074] 112: First' Magnet

[0075] 20: Second battery cell

[0076] 21: Second Surface

[0077] 211: Second magnet

[0078] 212: Second 'Magnet

[0079] 30: The third battery cell

[0080] 33: The third surface

[0081] 311: The third magnet

[0082] 312: The Third Magnet

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly, the battery cell assembly being formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells, the battery cell assembly comprising: a first battery cell, wherein the first battery cell is one of the plurality of battery cells; as well as a second battery cell, the second battery cell facing the first battery cell, wherein the first battery cell comprises a first surface facing the second battery cell, and the second battery cell includes a second surface facing the first surface, Wherein, a first magnet with a first polarity is arranged on the first surface, A second magnet having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity is disposed on the second surface, and The first magnet and the second magnet are disposed at positions corresponding to each other.

2. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of first magnets are disposed on the first surface, and a plurality of second magnets are disposed on the second surface, Wherein, the plurality of first magnets and the plurality of second magnets are respectively arranged at corresponding positions.

3. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A first magnet having a second polarity is also disposed on the first surface, and A second magnet having a first polarity is also disposed on the second surface. Wherein, the first magnet and the second magnet are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to each other.

4. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the first surface and the second surface is made of a soft pack material, The first magnet is printed on the surface of the first surface, and The second magnet is printed on a surface of the second surface.

5. The battery cell assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second battery cell further includes a second surface formed on an opposite side of the second surface, and At least one second "magnet" is disposed on the second "surface.

6. The battery cell assembly according to claim 5, wherein: The battery cell assembly further includes: a third battery cell, the third battery cell being one of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the third battery cell comprises a third surface facing the second surface; and A third magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the second “magnet” is arranged at a position of the third surface corresponding to the second “magnet”.

7. The battery cell assembly according to claim 6, wherein: The second ' surface is also provided with a second '' magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the second '' magnet, and The third surface is also provided with a third "' magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the second "' magnet, Wherein, the second "' magnet and the third "' magnet are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to each other.

8. The battery cell assembly according to claim 7, wherein: The second magnet and the second "magnet" are arranged at positions corresponding to each other, and The second 'magnet and the second '" magnet are disposed at positions corresponding to each other.

9. The battery cell assembly according to claim 7, wherein: The second magnet and the second "magnet" are arranged at different positions, and The second' magnet and the second"' magnet are arranged at different positions.

10. The battery cell assembly according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: Each of the second surface and the third surface is made of a soft pack material, The second "magnet is printed on the surface of the second 'surface, and The third magnet is printed on the surface of the third surface.

11. A battery module, comprising: The battery cell assembly according to claim 1; as well as A frame configured to house the battery cell assembly.

12. A battery pack comprising: The battery module according to claim 9; as well as A housing is configured to accommodate the battery module.

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