Method for electrically connecting electronic components of battery system and battery system

Abstract

A method for electrically connecting a first electronic component of a battery system with a second electronic component of the battery system and a battery system are provided. The first electronic component includes a flexible printed circuit (FPC) including a pin formed by folding a connection portion of the FPC, the pin including a folded connection portion and a conductive strip on an outer surface of the folded connection portion. The second electronic component includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having a through hole configured to receive a pin of the FPC and including a conductive plating layer adjacent to the through hole. The method includes: attaching an FPC to a first side of a PCB such that pins of the FPC are received in vias in the PCB; and welding the pins of the FPC to the conductive coating on the PCB so as to electrically interconnect the FPC and the PCB.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for electrically connecting electronic components of a battery system and a battery system. Background Art

[0002] Recently, vehicles for transporting goods and people have been developed that use electricity as a source of motion. Such electric vehicles are cars that are propelled permanently or temporarily by an electric motor using energy stored in rechargeable (or secondary) batteries. Electric vehicles can be powered solely by batteries (so-called battery electric vehicles or BEVs), or can include a combination of an electric motor and, for example, a conventional internal combustion engine (so-called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or PHEVs). BEVs and PHEVs use high-capacity rechargeable batteries designed to provide power for propulsion for a sustained period of time.

[0003] In general, a rechargeable (or secondary) battery cell comprises an electrode assembly comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the electrodes. A solid or liquid electrolyte allows ions to move during charge and discharge of the battery cell. The electrode assembly is located in (or housed in) a shell, and electrode terminals located outside the shell establish an electrically conductive connection to the electrodes of the electrode assembly. The shell may have, for example, a cylindrical or rectangular shape.

[0004] A battery module is formed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series or in parallel. For example, a battery module is formed by interconnecting the electrode terminals of a plurality of battery cells in a number and / or configuration depending on the desired power amount to realize a high-power rechargeable battery.

[0005] Battery modules can be constructed in a block design or a modular design. In a block design, each battery cell is coupled to a common current collector structure and a common battery management system, and the cells are arranged in a housing. In a modular design, multiple battery cells are connected together to form a submodule, and several submodules are connected together to form a battery module. In automotive applications, the battery system generally includes multiple battery modules connected in series to provide the desired voltage.

[0006] A battery pack is a collection of any number of (usually identical) battery modules or simply battery cells. The battery modules and the battery cells within them can be connected in series, in parallel, or a mixture of both to provide the desired voltage, capacity, and / or power density. The components of a battery pack include the battery modules and the interconnects that provide electrical conductivity between the modules.

[0007] The battery system may include a battery management system (BMS), which is any suitable electronic system configured to manage rechargeable battery cells, battery modules, and battery packs, such as by protecting the batteries from operation outside of the battery's safe operating area, monitoring their status, calculating secondary data, reporting that data, controlling their environment, authenticating them, and / or balancing them. For example, the BMS may monitor the battery cell status represented by voltage (e.g., the total voltage of the battery pack or battery module and / or the voltage of each battery cell), temperature (e.g., the average temperature of the battery pack or battery module, the coolant inlet temperature, the coolant outlet temperature, and / or the temperature of each battery cell), coolant flow (e.g., flow rate and / or cooling liquid pressure), and current. In addition, the BMS can calculate values based on the above parameters, such as minimum and maximum cell voltages, state of charge (SOC) or depth of discharge (DOD) to indicate the charge level of the battery cell, state of health (SOH; variously defined measurements of the remaining capacity of the battery cell as a % of the original capacity), state of power (SOP; the amount of power available within a defined time interval given the current power usage, temperature and other conditions), state of safety (SOS), maximum charge current as charge current limit (CCL), maximum discharge current as discharge current limit (DCL), and the internal impedance of the cell (used to determine the open circuit voltage).

[0008] A BMS can be centralized, meaning a single controller is connected to the battery cells by a large number of wires. In other examples, the BMS can be distributed, meaning a BMS board is installed at each cell and only a single communication cable runs between the battery cell and the controller. In another example, the BMS can have a modular construction including several controllers, each of which handles a certain number (e.g., a group) of cells, with communication between the controllers. A centralized BMS is the most economical, but the least scalable and suffers from a large number of wires. A distributed BMS is the most expensive, but the simplest to install and provides the cleanest and simplest assembly. A modular BMS offers a compromise between the features and disadvantages of the other two topologies.

[0009] The BMS can protect the battery pack from operating outside the safe operating area of the battery pack. Operation outside the safe operating area can be indicated by overcurrent, overvoltage (e.g., during charging), overtemperature, undertemperature, overpressure, and ground fault or leakage current detection. The BMS can prevent the battery from operating outside the safe operating parameters of the battery by including an internal switch (e.g., a relay or solid-state device) that disconnects if the battery is operated outside the safe operating parameters of the battery, requesting the device to which the battery is connected to reduce or even terminate use of the battery, and actively controlling the environment such as via heaters, fans, air conditioning, and / or liquid cooling.

[0010] Static control of battery power output and charging may not be sufficient to meet the dynamic power demands of the various electrical consumers connected to the battery system. Therefore, a steady exchange of information occurs between the controllers of the electrical consumers and the battery system. This information includes the actual state of charge (SOC), potential electrical performance, charging capability and internal resistance of the battery system and the actual or predicted power demand or surplus of the consumers. Therefore, the battery system typically includes the above-mentioned BMS for obtaining and processing such information at the system level and may include multiple battery module managers (BMMs), which are part of the battery modules of the system and obtain and process relevant information at the module level. For example, the BMS typically measures the system voltage, the system current, the local temperature at different locations within the system housing, and the insulation resistance between the live components and the system housing, while the BMM typically measures the individual cell voltages and temperatures of the battery cells in the battery module.

[0011] Therefore, a BMS is provided to manage the battery pack, such as by protecting the batteries from operation outside of the battery's safe operating area, monitoring their status, calculating secondary data, reporting that data, controlling their environment, authenticating them, and / or balancing them.

[0012] The electronic components of a battery system are electrically interconnected to perform their respective functions. For example, a control unit that performs the functions of a battery management system (BMS) is electrically connected to a battery pack to monitor the battery cells therein and perform other functions as described above. The electronic components of a battery system can be electrically connected via electrical components such as flexible printed circuits (FPCs) and printed circuit boards (PCBs), which can be attached to each other in various ways.

[0013] For example, an FPC and a PCB can be interconnected by a plug connector attached to the end of the FPC, which plugs into a corresponding socket on the PCB. Although this type of connection between the FPC and the PCB is visually inspectable, i.e., it can be determined with the naked eye whether the connection is correctly made, such plug connectors are relatively expensive. In addition, mechanical problems may arise.

[0014] As another example, the FPC and PCB can be interconnected by hot-bar soldering, in which the conductive strips of the FPC are directly soldered to corresponding plated portions on the PCB. This process is relatively slow and prone to error because it is difficult to accurately position the FPC and PCB relative to each other and to maintain the desired position for the duration of the soldering process. Alternatively, the electrical contact elements of the FPC and PCB can be directly connected via crimping contacts, but this is a complex and error-prone process. Summary of the Invention

[0015] According to embodiments of the present invention, methods for electrically connecting a first electronic component of a battery system with a second electronic component of the battery system are provided, as well as corresponding battery systems exhibiting low-cost, fast and reliable electrical connection of the electronic components.

[0016] The present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. The following description is subject to this limitation. Any disclosure outside the scope of the claims and their equivalents is intended for illustrative and comparative purposes.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for electrically connecting a first electronic component of a battery system to a second electronic component of the battery system is provided. The first electronic component includes a flexible printed circuit (FPC), the FPC including one or more pins formed by folding a connecting portion of the FPC, the one or more pins including a folded connecting portion and one or more conductive strips on an outer surface of the folded connecting portion. The second electronic component includes a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB including one or more through-holes, each through-hole configured to receive one of the pins of the FPC and extending from a first side of the PCB through the PCB to a second side of the PCB. The PCB further includes a conductive plating adjacent to the through-hole on a second side of the PCB at each through-hole. The method includes: attaching the FPC to the first side of the PCB so that each pin of the FPC is received by a corresponding one of the through-holes in the PCB; and soldering each pin of the FPC to the corresponding conductive plating of the PCB on the second side of the PCB to electrically interconnect the FPC and the PCB.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery system includes: a plurality of battery cells; a first electronic component including a flexible printed circuit (FPC), the FPC including one or more pins formed by folding a connecting portion of the FPC; and a second electronic component electrically connected to the first electronic component and including a printed circuit board (PCB) having one or more through holes, each of the through holes being configured to receive one of the pins of the FPC. The connecting portion has a slit between adjacent ones of the pins.

[0019] Further aspects and features of the present disclosure can be obtained from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Aspects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art by describing in detail embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a battery system according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 According to the implementation method Figure 1 Schematic top view of the FPC of the battery system shown.

[0023] Figure 3 According to the implementation method Figure 1 A schematic perspective view of a PCB of a battery system is shown.

[0024] Figure 4A yes Figure 1 A schematic top view of the connecting portion of an FPC shown folded into a U shape.

[0025] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A A schematic perspective view of an FPC is shown.

[0026] Figure 5 is in an interconnected state according to an embodiment Figure 4A and Figure 4B The FPC shown is Figure 3 A schematic perspective view of a PCB is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Aspects and features of the embodiments and methods for implementing the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments illustrated herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the aspects and features of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0028] Therefore, processes, elements, and techniques considered necessary for one of ordinary skill in the art to fully understand the aspects and features of the present disclosure may not be described or may be briefly described.

[0029] It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, directly connected to, or directly coupled to the other element or layer, or one or more intervening elements or layers may be present. When an element or layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers. For example, when a first element is described as being “coupled to” or “coupled to” a second element, the first element can be directly coupled or connected to the second element, or the first element can be indirectly coupled or connected to the second element via one or more intervening elements.

[0030] In the accompanying drawings, for clarity of illustration, the sizes of various elements, layers, etc. may be exaggerated. The same figure marks represent the same elements. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items. In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, the use of "can" relates to "one or more embodiments of the present disclosure". When expressions such as "at least one of" and "any one of" follow a list of elements, they modify the entire list of elements without modifying the individual elements of the list. For example, the expression "at least one of a, b or c" indicates only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, all of a, b and c, or variations thereof. As used herein, the terms "use", "use of" and "being used" may be considered to be synonymous with the terms "utilize", "utilize of" and "being utilized", respectively.

[0031] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another element, component, region, layer, or part. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or part discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or part without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0032] For ease of description, spatial relational terms such as "under," "beneath," "below," "above," "on," etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of an element or feature to other elements or features as shown in the figures. It will be understood that in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, the spatial relational terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figure is turned over, the element described as "under" or "beneath" other elements or features will be oriented as "above" or "on" the other elements or features. Thus, the term "under" can cover both above and below orientations. The device can be oriented otherwise (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relational descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0033] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular form "a" and "an" are also intended to include the plural form, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "comprise", "including...", "comprising" and / or "comprising..." indicate the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups thereof.

[0034] As used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," and similar terms are used as terms of approximation, not as terms of degree, and are intended to take into account the inherent variations in measured or calculated values that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize. Additionally, if the term "substantially" is used in conjunction with a feature that can be expressed in a numerical value, the term "substantially" means a range of + / - 5% of that value centered around that value.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will also be understood that terms (such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and / or in the context of this specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly defined as such herein.

[0036] Any suitable hardware, firmware (e.g., application specific integrated circuit), software and / or a suitable combination of software, firmware and hardware can be utilized to implement the control unit, controller and / or any other related devices or components according to the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein. For example, the various components of the control unit can be formed on an integrated circuit (IC) chip or on a separate IC chip. In addition, the various components of the control unit can be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film, a tape carrier package (TCP), a printed circuit board (PCB), or formed on the same substrate as the control unit. In addition, the various components of the control unit can be processes or threads running on one or more processors, and the one or more processors are in one or more computing devices, run computer program instructions and interact with other system components for performing the various functions described herein. The computer program instructions are stored in a memory, which can be implemented in a computing device using a standard memory device (such as, for example, a random access memory (RAM)). The computer program instructions can also be stored in other non-temporary computer-readable media (such as, for example, a CD-ROM, a flash drive, etc.). Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the functionality of various computing devices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device, or that the functionality of a particular computing device may be distributed across one or more other computing devices without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for electrically connecting a first electronic component of a battery system to a second electronic component of the battery system is provided. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery system comprising a first electronic component and a second electronic component electrically interconnected via the method is provided. Thus, the method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used to manufacture a battery system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., is part of a manufacturing process for a battery system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure). Hereinafter, the method and the battery system will be described together, as the details / embodiments described with respect to the method also apply to the battery system, and vice versa.

[0038] The first electronic component and / or the second electronic component may be an electronic component of a battery system configured to monitor battery cells of the battery system. For example, the first electronic component may be a control unit (e.g., a controller) configured to perform the functions of a battery management system (BMS) as explained in the above section (e.g., configured to act as a battery management system (BMS) as explained in the above section), and the second electronic component may be a battery pack including battery cells. Of course, the reverse is also possible.

[0039] The first electronic component and the second electronic component are electrically interconnected via this method. In other words, an electrical connection is established between the first electronic component and the second electronic component. When this electrical connection is established, the first electronic component and / or the second electronic component can perform their intended functions. For example, the BMS can then monitor the battery cells, for example, monitoring the state (state of charge) and / or temperature of the battery cells as described above.

[0040] A first electronic component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The FPC may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The FPC includes at least one connecting portion and at least one conductive strip disposed on a surface of the connecting portion. Multiple conductive strips may be disposed on the surface of the connecting portion. The connecting portion is an integral (or integral) part of the FPC, rather than a separate component. The connecting portion may be part of a substrate forming the FPC, or in other words, part of a board forming the FPCB. The conductive strips may be free ends of conductive paths / tracks of the FPC. In a first state, the connecting portion is flat, and thus the conductive strips are flat, in other words, they extend along a flat surface. In a second state, the connecting portion is folded (or bent) into a U-shape, and thus the conductive strips are folded (or bent) into a U-shape, so that they no longer extend along a flat surface. In the second state, i.e., when folded, the connecting portion and the conductive strips form one or more pins, at which the conductive strips are disposed on the outer surface of the U-shaped connecting portion. The FPC may include multiple such pins separated by slits in the FPC, and each pin may include a conductive strip, as described in more detail below.

[0041] According to a second electronic component of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the printed circuit board (PCB) is provided. The PCB may be a rigid (e.g., non-flexible) PCB. The PCB has at least one through-hole configured to receive at least one pin of an FPC. The PCB may have a plurality of through-holes, and each through-hole may be configured to receive a corresponding one of the pins of the FPC. The through-holes may be arranged in one or more rows. One or more through-holes in the PCB extend from a first side of the PCB through the PCB to a second side of the PCB, so that each through-hole forms a channel through the PCB. A conductive coating is provided adjacent to each through-hole on the second side of the PCB. The conductive coating may be a metal coating.

[0042] In order to establish electrical interconnection between the first electronic component and the second electronic component, the FPC of the first electronic component is electrically connected to the PCB of the second electronic component. This can be achieved through the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] In the first step of the method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the FPC and the PCB are attached to each other so that each pin of the FPC is received by one of the through-holes in the PCB (e.g., is accommodated in one of the through-holes in the PCB or extends through one of the through-holes in the PCB). In other words, the pins of the FPC are inserted into corresponding through-holes in the PCB. When the FPC is attached to the PCB, the pins extend from a first side through the corresponding through-holes to a second side, so that the tip of each pin protrudes beyond the second side of the PCB. As explained, the conductive strips of the pins are not separate components, but rather an integral part of the FPC, such as the free ends of the conductive paths / tracks of the FPC. Therefore, in the first step, the FPC is directly inserted into the PCB using its pins, without the need for a separate connector, such as a plug connector. Instead, the connecting portion and the conductive strips are folded or pre-folded during the manufacture of the FPC to form the pins, thereby forming an integral or integrated connector for connection to the PCB. In other words, the pins are formed by bending a portion of the FPC.

[0044] In the second step of the method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, following the first step, each pin of the FPC is soldered to a corresponding conductive plating layer of the PCB on the second side of the PCB. Thus, for each pin, an electrical connection is established between the conductive strip extending along the outer surface of the U-shaped pin and the adjacent conductive plating layer. In other words, the tip of the corresponding pin extending beyond the second side of the PCB is soldered to the PCB due to the solder electrically connecting the conductive strip of the FPC pin to the conductive plating layer of the PCB. As a result, the FPC and PCB are electrically connected to each other, and thus the first electronic component and the second electronic component are electrically connected to each other.

[0045] The electrical connection between the first electronic component and the second electronic component is quickly achieved because the FPC is simply inserted into the corresponding through-holes in the PCB with its pins and the pins are soldered. No additional parts, such as plug connectors, are required. Instead, the connecting part forms an inherent (or one-piece) connector with the FPC with its pins. In addition, the pins and their electrical connection to the PCB can be easily visually inspected to ensure that the connection is correctly / sufficiently achieved. The soldering step is simplified because the pins are not simply placed on the plating, but are precisely arranged relative to the plating due to the through-holes. Therefore, soldering can be performed faster and with fewer errors or no errors. Therefore, the electrical connection achieved via the method and battery system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is low-cost, fast and reliable.

[0046] According to an embodiment, the method further includes: before attaching the FPC to the PCB, folding the connecting portion and one or more conductive strips extending along its surface into a U-shape, so that the one or more conductive strips extend along the outer surface of the resulting U-shaped connecting portion. Therefore, the U-shaped connecting portion and the one or more conductive strips form one or more pins. In other words, the FPC may include one or more conductive strips on the surface of the connecting portion, and the method may include folding the connecting portion of the FPC into a U-shape, so that the conductive strips extend along the outer surface of the resulting U-shaped connecting portion. Therefore, the U-shaped connecting portion and the one or more conductive strips form one or more pins. Therefore, the above-mentioned folding of the connecting portion can be part of the method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This folding of the connecting portion allows the pins to be formed as inherent / conjoined elements of the FPC, thereby providing a simple and effective way to configure / form the pins and the connection to the PCB. No separate connector (such as a plug connector) is required to electrically connect the FPC and the PCB.

[0047] According to an embodiment, soldering includes selective wave soldering. Selective wave soldering can provide a simple and reliable connection between the conductive strip of the pin and the conductive plating of the PCB. For example, compared with hot bar soldering, this type of soldering is one of the lowest cost, fastest and most reliable soldering methods.

[0048] According to an embodiment, the connecting portion includes a plurality of connecting arms, with one of the conductive strips disposed on the surface of each connecting arm. The connecting arms are separated from each other by slits in the FPC, and each connecting arm and its conductive strip form one of the pins. In other words, the connecting portion may include a plurality of connecting arms, with adjacent connecting arms spaced apart from each other by slits in the FPC (e.g., in the substrate / board of the FPC). One of the conductive strips of the FPC extends along each connecting arm. During folding of the connecting portion, each connecting arm also folds into a U-shape, such that the conductive strip of the corresponding connecting arm extends along the outer surface of the resulting U-shaped connecting arm. In the folded position (i.e., when folded into a U-shape), each connecting arm forms one of the pins, with its conductive strip extending along the outer surface of the U-shaped connecting arm, and therefore along the outer surface of the pin. According to an embodiment, the PCB has a plurality of through-holes, the number of through-holes corresponding to the number of pins. The through-holes in the PCB can be spaced apart by the same distance as the distance between the connecting arms, and therefore can be spaced apart by the same distance as the distance between the pins. When the FPC is attached to the PCB, each pin of the FPC can then be received by one of the through-holes in the PCB. This allows for simple connection between the FPC and the PCB. The separation of the pins ensures that when the pins are soldered to the corresponding conductive plating, an electrical connection is formed only between the pins and the conductive plating, without mistakenly forming an electrical connection between adjacent pins / platings.

[0049] According to an embodiment, a connecting portion of an FPC includes a first connecting portion extending from a first end of the FPC and a second connecting portion extending from a second end of the FPC, opposite the first end. One or more first pins of the one or more pins are formed by folding the first connecting portion into a U-shape, with one or more first conductive strips of the one or more conductive strips disposed on the surface of the first connecting portion along the outer surface of the U-shaped first connecting portion. One or more second pins of the one or more pins are formed by folding the second connecting portion into a U-shape, with one or more second conductive strips of the one or more conductive strips disposed on the surface of the second connecting portion along the outer surface of the U-shaped second connecting portion. In other words, the FPC may include more than one connecting portion, and in such embodiments, each connecting portion may form at least one pin. As described above, the connecting portion may include multiple connecting arms, such that each connecting portion may form multiple pins. For example, a first number of the one or more pins may be formed by folding the first connecting portion having connecting arms into a U-shape, with one conductive strip extending along the outer surface of each U-shaped connecting arm / pin. The FPC may include a third connecting portion extending from a third end of the FPC, the third end being disposed between the first and second ends. Accordingly, the PCB may include one or more first through-holes at a first end of the PCB and one or more second through-holes at a second end of the PCB among the one or more through-holes. The first through-hole may be configured to receive a first pin, and the second through-hole may be configured to receive a second pin. According to this embodiment, the FPC and the PCB are interconnected via pins of multiple connection portions at different positions / different ends of the FPC and the PCB. When the FPC is attached to the PCB, the first pin and the first through-hole and the second pin and the second through-hole are aligned and connected as explained above. Therefore, the FPC and the PCB can be aligned with each other, for example, in a poka-yoke manner. This ensures a correct connection between the FPC and the PCB. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pins and through-holes allow low-cost, fast and reliable connections between electronic components, and allow a battery system including the electronic components.

[0050] According to an embodiment, the attachment of the FPC and the PCB includes adhering the FPC and the PCB together before soldering. In such an embodiment, the FPC may include an adhesive on its surface (e.g., on the side of the FPC facing the PCB). Alternatively or additionally, the PCB may include an adhesive on its first side (e.g., on the side of the PCB facing the FPC). Such an adhesive may include double-sided tape and / or glue. The FPC and the PCB can be firmly attached to each other by the adhesive before soldering, which makes soldering easier.

[0051] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electric vehicle including the battery system described above (ie, the battery system provided by the method described above).

[0052] Figure 1 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a battery system 100 according to an embodiment. The battery system 100 includes a battery pack 10 having a plurality of battery cells 12. The battery cells 12 are monitored by a control unit (e.g., a controller) 14 that acts as a battery management system (BMS) (e.g., provides the functionality of a battery management system (BMS)). The control unit 14 and the battery pack 10 are electrically interconnected via an electrical connection 16.

[0053] By connecting the flexible printed circuit (FPC) 20 (see e.g. Figure 2 ) is connected to a rigid printed circuit board (PCB) 30 of the battery pack 10 (see e.g. Figure 3 ) to establish the electrical connection 16. In some embodiments, the electrical connection 16 can be established by connecting the FPC of the battery pack 10 to the PCB of the control unit 14.

[0054] Reference Figure 2 The FPC 20 has a central portion 22 and three connecting portions 24: a first connecting portion 24a, a second connecting portion 24b, and a third connecting portion 24c. The connecting portions 24 extend from different sides and / or ends of the central portion 22. The first connecting portion 24a extends from a first end of the FPC 20, the second connecting portion 24b extends from a second end of the FPC 20 opposite the first end, and the third connecting portion 24c extends from a third end of the FPC 20, which is positioned between the first and second ends. The third end of the FPC 20 faces a direction that is approximately 90° relative to the directions facing the first and second ends of the FPC 20.

[0055] Each connecting portion 24 includes a plurality of connecting arms 25 having conductive strips 26 thereon. Adjacent connecting arms 25 are separated from each other by slits (e.g., openings or elongated openings) 27 formed between the connecting arms 25. When the slits 27 are formed, the end face portions 41 of each connecting portion 24 remain (e.g., the slits 27 do not extend to the edges of the corresponding connecting portion 24). The end face portions 41 can provide stability to the connecting portions 24 because they maintain (or form) bridges between the connecting arms 25 at the free ends of the connecting portions 24. The conductive strips 26 are the ends of the conductive paths / tracks 28 of the FPC 20 (see, e.g., FIG. 1 ). Figure 2 ).

[0056] exist Figure 2, the connecting portion 24 is shown in a first state in which the conductive strip 26 extends along a plane or flat surface, i.e., along a plane on which the central portion 22 extends. According to an embodiment, in a second state, the connecting portion 24 is folded to bulge into, for example, a U-shape (see, for example, FIG. Figure 4A and Figure 4B ), so that the connecting arm 25 of the connecting portion 24 is folded with the conductive strip 26 to bulge into, for example, a U shape (see, for example Figure 4A and Figure 4B ). In the second state, i.e. when folded, each U-shaped connecting arm 25 forms together with its conductive strip 26 a pin 29 at which the conductive strip 26 is arranged on the outer surface of the U-shaped connecting arm 25. Figure 4B , the pins 29 extend beyond the upper surface of the FPC 20. The connecting portion 24 can be folded during the manufacture of the FPC 20 or during assembly of the FPC 20 and the PCB 30 before the FPC 20 is attached to the PCB 30. When the connecting arms 25 are folded into a U-shape together with their conductive strips 26, the connecting arms 25 can be easily folded through the slits 27 provided between the connecting arms 25, i.e., between the pins 29.

[0057] Figure 3 PCB 30 is shown. PCB 30 includes a plurality of rows 33 of through holes (e.g., openings) 32. A first row 33a includes a number (e.g., a first group) of through holes 32 corresponding to the number of pins 29 on (or formed by) the first connection portion 24a, a second row 33b includes a number (e.g., a second group) of through holes 32 corresponding to the number of pins 29 on the second connection portion 24b, and a third row 33c includes a number (e.g., a third group) of through holes 32 corresponding to the number of pins 29 on the third connection portion 24c. Each of the through holes 32 is configured to receive one of the pins 29 of the FPC 20. The through holes 32 extend from the first side 30a (which is the Figure 3 The bottom side of the PCB 30 extends through the PCB 30 to the second side 30b of the PCB 30 (which is Figure 3 Each through hole 32 is surrounded by the conductive plating 34 on the second side 30b (e.g., surrounded by the conductive plating 34 on the second side 30b along its periphery). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first side of the PCB 30 may be Figure 3 The top side of the PCB 30 can be Figure 3 The bottom side of the PCB 30 is shown as follows, as long as the first side of the PCB 30 is opposite to its second side.

[0058] When connecting the FPC 20 to the PCB 30, the FPC 20 is attached to the first side 30a of the PCB 30 so that each pin 29 of the FPC 20 is received by (e.g., is housed in or received by) one of the through-holes 32 in the PCB 30, such as, for example. Figure 5 As shown. In this attached state, each pin 29 extends through its respective through-hole 32 so that the tip of the pin 29 extends beyond the second side 30b of the PCB 30. In order to firmly attach the FPC 20 to the first side 30a of the PCB 30, the upper surface of the FPC 20 and / or the first side 30a of the PCB 30 has an adhesive area 23. Thus, the FPC 20 can be attached to (e.g., can be adhered to) the PCB 30. In some embodiments, a conductive plating 34 can be provided at each through-hole 32 of the PCB 30 (e.g., can be provided around each through-hole 32 of the PCB 30), such as, for example Figure 3 shown.

[0059] After attachment, each pin 29 of the FPC 20 is soldered to a corresponding conductive plating 34 of the PCB 30 on the second side 30b of the PCB 30. For example, the soldering may be selective wave soldering. Thus, the FPC 20 and the PCB 30 are electrically interconnected, and as a result, the control unit 14 and the battery pack 10 are electrically interconnected.

[0060] Thus, an electrical connection between the control unit 14 and the battery pack 10 is achieved in a simple, reliable, and quick manner. After the connecting portion 24 has been folded, the FPC 20 is simply inserted with its pins 29 into corresponding through-holes 32 in the PCB 30, and the pins 29 are soldered to the PCB 30. No additional parts, such as plug connectors, are required. Instead, the connecting portion 24 forms an intrinsic (or integral) connector with the FPC 20 using its pins 29. The pins 29 and their electrical connection to the PCB 30 (e.g., the soldering between the conductive strips 26 and the conductive plating 34) can be easily visually inspected by a person or machine to ensure that the connection is correctly / adequately achieved. Because the connecting portion 24 is arranged at different ends of the FPC 20 and the rows 33 of through-holes 32 are arranged at corresponding ends of the PCB 30, the FPC 20 and PCB 30 can only be attached to each other in one possible alignment, making assembly error-proof. Subsequent soldering is simplified because the pins 29 are precisely placed in their corresponding through-holes 32 (eg, aligned by their corresponding through-holes 32). Thus, soldering can be performed faster and with fewer or no errors.

[0061] Some reference numerals

[0062] 10 battery pack

[0063] 12 battery cells

[0064] 14 Control Unit

[0065] 16 Electrical Connection

[0066] 20 FPC

[0067] 22 Central part of FPC

[0068] 23 Adhesive Area

[0069] 24 Connection part

[0070] 24a First connecting portion

[0071] 24b Second connecting portion

[0072] 24c Third connecting part

[0073] 25 Connecting Arm

[0074] 26 Conductive strips

[0075] 27 Slit

[0076] 28 conductive paths / tracks

[0077] 30 PCB

[0078] 32 through holes

[0079] 33 rows of through holes

[0080] 34 Conductive coating

[0081] 41 end face

[0082] 100 battery system

Claims

1. A method for electrically connecting a first electronic component of a battery system with a second electronic component of the battery system, wherein the first electronic component comprises a flexible printed circuit (FPC), the FPC comprising a pin formed by folding a connection portion of the FPC, the pin comprising the folded connection portion and a conductive strip on an outer surface of the folded connection portion; and the second electronic component comprises a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB having a through hole extending from a first side of the PCB to a second side of the PCB and configured to receive the pin of the FPC, the PCB comprising a conductive plating layer on the second side of the PCB adjacent to the through hole. The method comprises: attaching the FPC to the first side of the PCB such that the pins of the FPC are received in the through-holes in the PCB; as well as The pins of the FPC are soldered to the conductive plating on the PCB to electrically interconnect the FPC and the PCB.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Before attaching the FPC to the PCB, folding the connection portion and the conductive strip extending along the surface of the connection portion into a U shape so that the conductive strip extends along the outer surface of the folded U-shaped connection portion, The U-shaped connecting portion and the conductive strip form the pin.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The soldering includes selective wave soldering.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The connecting portion includes a plurality of connecting arms, wherein one of the conductive strips is on a surface of each of the connecting arms, the connecting arms being separated from each other by slits in the FPC, and Each of the connecting arms and one of the conductive strips corresponding to each connecting arm form one of the pins.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The connecting portion of the FPC has a first connecting portion extending from a first end of the FPC and a second connecting portion extending from a second end of the FPC opposite to the first end. wherein the first pin is formed by folding the first connecting portion into a U shape, the first conductive strip is on the surface of the first connecting portion along the outer surface of the U-shaped first connecting portion, and The second pin is formed by folding the second connecting portion into a U shape, and the second conductive strip is on the surface of the second connecting portion along the outer surface of the U-shaped second connecting portion.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The attaching of the FPC and the PCB includes adhering the FPC and the PCB together before the soldering.

7. A battery system comprising: Multiple battery cells; a first electronic component including a flexible printed circuit (FPC), the FPC including a plurality of pins formed by folding a connection portion of the FPC; as well as a second electronic component electrically connected to the first electronic component, the second electronic component comprising a printed circuit board (PCB), the PCB having a plurality of through holes respectively configured to receive the pins of the FPC, The connecting portion has slits between adjacent ones of the pins.

8. The battery system according to claim 7, wherein: The connecting portion includes a plurality of connecting arms separated from each other via the slit.

9. The battery system according to claim 8, wherein: The connecting portion has an end surface portion extending between the connecting arms at a free end of the connecting portion.

10. The battery system according to claim 7, wherein: The FPC further includes a plurality of conductive strips on an outer surface of the connection portion.

11. The battery system according to claim 7, wherein: The PCB includes a plurality of conductive plating layers, and the plurality of conductive plating layers are respectively adjacent to the through holes on one side of the PCB.

12. The battery system according to claim 11, wherein: Each of the pins of the FPC is soldered to a corresponding one of the conductive plating layers of the PCB on the one side of the PCB.

13. An electric vehicle comprising the battery system according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

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