Battery module, battery pack, and battery system assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to a battery module, a battery pack and a battery system assembly. A battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a battery cell in which positive electrodes and negative electrodes formed at one end portion of the battery cell are alternately stacked in a stacking direction; a pair of end plates coupled to both side ends of the stacked battery cells; and a module bus bar electrically connected to the lead tabs provided on the battery cells, in which among the battery cells, the battery cells provided at both side ends of the battery module are provided such that the front end and the rear end have the same electrode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module, and more particularly, to a battery system assembly including a battery pack having the battery module disposed therein. Background Art

[0002] Unlike non-rechargeable primary batteries, secondary batteries can be charged and discharged and are used not only in small and high-tech electronic devices such as portable phones, notebooks, and computers, but also as power sources for energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles.

[0003] Secondary batteries widely used in ESS, electric vehicles, etc. can be classified into lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, etc., and are repeatedly charged and discharged at an output voltage of about 25V to 42V per unit cell. Therefore, when a higher output voltage and a higher power capacity are required, a plurality of battery cells are connected in series to form a battery module, or a battery module is connected in series or in parallel with other circuits attached to form a battery pack.

[0004] However, when using conventional standardized battery modules, there is a problem that the electrical connection path of the busbar for connecting the battery pack extends along a long path. That is, since the busbar is arranged above the battery pack, there are problems in that the thickness of the battery increases, interference noise with the module is generated due to vibration, the busbar is directly exposed to flames during thermal runaway, and the busbar serves as a heat diffusion path between modules due to its increased area. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present disclosure is directed to a battery module, a battery pack, and a battery system assembly, wherein the length of a battery pack bus bar for electrically connecting the battery pack is minimized to reduce the weight of the product, reduce material costs, and minimize heating, and since the channel of the battery pack bus bar is not disposed above the battery module, explosion caused by a short circuit between the battery pack bus bar and the battery cells during thermal runaway is prevented.

[0006] The objects to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above objects, and other objects not described above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, which includes: battery cells, positive electrodes and negative electrodes formed at one end of which are stacked alternately in a stacking direction; a pair of end plates connected to two side ends of the stacked battery cells; and module bus bars electrically connected to lead tabs arranged on the battery cells, wherein, among the battery cells, the battery cells arranged at two side ends of the battery module are arranged so that the front ends and rear ends of the battery cells arranged at the two side ends of the battery module respectively have the same electrodes.

[0008] Among the battery cells, front ends of a pair of battery cells disposed at one side end of the battery module may have positive electrodes, and rear ends of the battery cells disposed on the other side end may have negative electrodes.

[0009] In the battery module, a pair of battery cells disposed at the outside of the battery module can be removed from the battery cells, front and rear ends of the battery cells disposed at both side ends of the battery module respectively have the same electrodes, and the end plates can be formed to be thick.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, which includes: battery cells, positive electrodes and negative electrodes formed at one end portion of the battery cells are stacked alternately in a stacking direction; a pair of end plates connected to two side ends of the stacked battery cells; and module bus bars electrically connected to lead tabs arranged on the battery cells, wherein, among the battery cells, the battery cells arranged at two side ends of the battery module are arranged so that front and rear ends of the battery cells arranged at two side ends of the battery module have different electrodes, and an inner plate for electrically connecting to the module bus bar is arranged between the battery cells and the end plates.

[0011] The inner plate may include insulating plates and conductors disposed between the insulating plates, upper end portions of the conductors contacting each of the module bus bars and lower end portions contacting a battery pack bus bar for electrical connection between the battery packs.

[0012] The protrusion portion for preventing a short circuit may be formed to protrude from one surface of the insulation plate facing the battery cell.

[0013] An extension portion may be formed on the conductor, the extension portion extending further downward than a lower end of the insulating plate to be exposed and in contact with the battery pack bus bar, and the extension portion may be in contact with a gap filler disposed under the battery cell.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack is provided, comprising a plurality of first battery modules stacked and connected, and a battery module stacked on one side end of the first battery module and connected to one side end of the first battery module, wherein the battery module comprises a second battery module or a third battery module, in which positive and negative electrodes are formed at the front and rear ends of the second battery module or the third battery module.

[0015] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery system assembly is provided, wherein second and third battery modules are alternately disposed on both side ends of a first battery module in a front-rear direction and are electrically connected through a battery pack bus bar.

[0016] In the second battery module, the positive electrode may be formed at the left front end and the negative electrode may be formed at the right rear end. In addition, in the third battery module, the positive electrode may be formed at the right front end and the negative electrode may be formed at the left rear end. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 is a plan view showing a battery system assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 is a side view showing a battery system assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram showing a second battery module and a third battery module connected by a battery pack bus bar according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a third battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 7 is a side view showing the structure of an inner plate of a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 8is a rear view showing a structure of an inner plate of a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a module bus bar in contact with a gap filler in a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Since the present disclosure can be variously modified and has many embodiments, specific embodiments will be shown in the drawings and described in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that all changes, equivalents and substitutes falling within the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. In the description of the embodiments, some detailed descriptions of the related art will be omitted when it is considered that they may unnecessarily obscure the main points of the utility model concept.

[0028] Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component.

[0029] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. In this specification, it should be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprise" used herein specify the presence of the features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their combinations, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their combinations.

[0030] In addition, throughout the specification, when components are “connected,” this may not only mean that two or more components are directly connected, but it may also mean that two or more components are indirectly connected through other components, or are physically and electrically connected, or are one thing and even called different names depending on their positions or functions.

[0031] In addition, when a first component is described as being formed or disposed “on” or “under” a second component, such description includes a case where the two components are formed or disposed in direct contact with each other and a case where one or more other components are interposed between the two components. Furthermore, when a first component is described as being formed “on” or “under” a second component, such description may include a case where the first component is formed at the upper side or the lower side relative to the second component.

[0032] Hereinafter, when a battery module and a method of manufacturing the same are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, components that are the same or correspond to each other will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0033] Figure 1 is a plan view showing a battery system assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a side view showing a battery system assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a diagram showing a second battery module and a third battery module connected by a battery pack bus bar according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a third battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] A battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a battery cell 31, a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery cell formed at one end of which are stacked alternately in a stacking direction; a pair of end plates 36 connected to the two side ends of the battery cell 31; and a module bus bar 34, which is electrically connected to a lead terminal 32 arranged on the battery cell 31, and among the battery cells 31, the battery cells 31 arranged at the two side ends of the battery module can be arranged so that their front and rear ends have the same electrodes.

[0035] The battery system assembly may include a housing 1, and the housing 1 may have a lower portion and a side portion. In addition, a housing cover 2 may be coupled to an upper portion of the housing 1. A plurality of battery packs 100 and 110 may be disposed in the housing 1. In the present embodiment, the battery packs 100 and 110 may be two battery packs 100 and 110 having different battery module arrangements.

[0036] In the battery packs 100 and 110, three battery modules 10, 20, and 30 may be stacked and coupled. The battery modules 10, 20, and 30 may be provided as three battery modules 10, 20, and 30, and include a first battery module 10, a second battery module 20, and a third battery module 30. In addition, the battery packs 100 and 110 may include a first battery pack 100 and a second battery pack 110.

[0037] The first battery module 10 may have a general structure, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode may be disposed on the front end or the rear end thereof. Figure 1 In the figure, for convenience, the left side is called the front end and the right side is called the rear end. Therefore, in the first battery module 10 arranged on the first row, the positive electrode and the negative electrode may be arranged at the front end, and in the first battery module 10 arranged on the second row, the positive electrode and the negative electrode may be arranged at the rear end. The electrode arrangement of the first battery module 10 may be arranged so that the positive electrode and the negative electrode are formed by alternating at the front end, the rear end, the front end, and the rear end of the first battery module 10 arranged from the front end to the rear end.

[0038] Among the battery modules provided in the battery packs 100 and 110, the number of the first battery modules 10 may be the largest. In the present embodiment, the battery packs 100 and 110 may include four battery modules 10, 20, and 30, wherein the first battery module 10 may be provided in the central portion, and the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 may be provided at the left and right ends thereof, respectively. In the present embodiment, the reason why the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 are provided at the two side ends is to minimize the length of the battery pack bus bar 40 by electrically connecting only at both ends through the bus bar 40. In this way, when the length of the battery pack bus bar 40 is minimized, the weight of the product can be reduced, the material cost can be reduced, and the heating can be minimized. In addition, since the channel of the battery pack bus bar 40 is not provided above the battery modules 10, 20, and 30, an explosion caused by a short circuit between the battery pack bus bar 40 and the battery cell during thermal runaway can be prevented.

[0039] The positive electrode and the negative electrode of the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 may be formed at the front end and the rear end, respectively. In this case, referring to the second battery module 20 disposed on the first row, the positive electrode may be formed at the left front end and the negative electrode may be formed at the right rear end. In addition, in the third battery module 30 disposed on the second row, the positive electrode may be formed at the right front end and the negative electrode may be formed at the left rear end. As described above, when the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 are alternately disposed in the front-to-rear direction, the positive electrode and the negative electrode may be electrically connected by the battery pack bus bar 40.

[0040] For example, refer to Figure 1 At the upper left end, the negative electrode at the right rear end of the second battery module 20 and the positive electrode at the right front end of the third battery module 30 can be connected to the battery pack bus 40, and the negative electrode at the left rear end of the third battery module 30 and the positive electrode at the left front end of the second battery module 20 can be connected to the battery pack bus 40.

[0041] The above-mentioned second battery modules 20 and third battery modules 30 are alternately disposed along both side ends of the primarily disposed first battery module 10 , and actual electrical connection between the battery packs 100 and 110 may be performed through connection between the second battery modules 20 and the third battery modules 30 .

[0042] Furthermore, in the battery system assembly, the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 disposed at the front end may be formed such that the positive electrode or the negative electrode is positioned close to the first battery module 10 at the front end. This serves to minimize the length of the module bus bar 34 when the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 are directly stacked on the first battery module 10 and electrically connected to the first battery module 10.

[0043] refer to Figure 3 , the module bus bar 34 may be connected to the front end or rear end of the second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30, and the pack bus bar 40 may be connected in contact with the upper portion of the adjacent module bus bar 34. In this case, the pack bus bar 40 and the module bus bar 34 may be fastened by the fastening holes 44 passing through the pack bus bar 40 and the module bus bar 34.

[0044] Reference Figure 4 In the present embodiment, the battery packs 100 and 110 may be formed by stacking and coupling the first battery module 10, the second battery module 20, and the third battery module 30. The first battery pack 100 is formed by stacking three first battery modules 10 in the side surface direction and coupling the second battery module 20 to one side end portion, and the second battery pack 110 is formed by stacking three first battery modules 10 in the side surface direction and coupling the third battery module 30 to one side end portion.

[0045] The second battery module 20 and the third battery module 30 can be rotated to change the positions of the front and rear ends and stacked on one side end portion of the first battery module 10. Figure 1 , when the second battery module 20 is set at the upper left end, in a state where the second battery module 20 is rotated to change the positions of the front and rear ends, the second battery module 20 may not be first set at the lower left end and may be set next to the third battery module 30.

[0046] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5 The third battery module 30 is described. Components included in the third battery module 30 may be commonly included in the first battery module 10 and the second battery module 20 .

[0047] A plurality of battery cells 31 having positive electrodes or negative electrodes are stacked in both end portions of the third battery module 30. A plurality of battery cells 31 may be stacked in the side surface direction, and the battery cells 31 having the same electrode arrangement structure may be formed into a pair of battery cells 31 so that the electrodes of the two end portions may be alternately arranged to have relative positions when stacked. For example, the pair of battery cells 31 having a positive electrode at the front end and a negative electrode at the rear end and the pair of battery cells 31 having a negative electrode at the front end and a positive electrode at the rear end may be alternately arranged from the left side.

[0048] Lead tabs 32 may be provided on both side ends of the pair of battery cells 31, and module bus bars 34 may be connected in contact with upper portions of adjacent lead tabs 32. In addition, end plates 36 are coupled to both side ends of the third battery module 30. In addition, a cap assembly 38 is coupled to the front and rear ends of the third battery module 30 to cover the battery cells 31.

[0049] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned third battery module 30 is formed by removing one battery cell 31 disposed at the outer side from the pair of battery cells 31 that are actually stacked and connected to each other. For example, in the third battery module 30, a pair of battery cells 31 disposed at the outer side of the first battery module 10 stacked with five pairs of battery cells 31 is removed, and the end plate 36 is formed thick at the portion where the pair of battery cells 31 is removed. In this case, when an even number of pairs of battery cells 31 are disposed in the first battery module 10, the positive electrode and the negative electrode are disposed only at the front end or the rear end, and therefore, the length of the battery pack bus bar 40 for electrical connection between the first battery modules 10 increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pair of battery cells 31 disposed at the outer side is removed, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode can be formed on the front end and the rear end.

[0050] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 7 is a side view showing a structure of an inner plate of a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 is a rear view showing a structure of an inner plate of a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a module bus bar in contact with a gap filler in a third battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Reference Figure 6 , a third battery module 30 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure uses the first battery module 10 described in the above embodiment without change, and further uses an inner plate 50 to reduce the distance between electrodes of the battery packs 100 and 110 .

[0052] The inner plate 50 may include a first insulating plate 52 , a second insulating plate 54 , a conductor 56 disposed between the first insulating plate 52 and the second insulating plate 54 , and a battery pack bus bar 40 electrically connected to the conductor 56 .

[0053] In this case, the first insulating plate 52 and the second insulating plate 54 may be formed as one plate. The first insulating plate 52 and the second insulating plate 54 may be used to insulate between the end plate 36 and the conductor 56 and be formed of a plastic material. A protruding portion 55 for preventing a short circuit between the battery pack bus bar 40 and the battery cell 31 may be formed to protrude from the lower end portion of the second insulating plate 54 toward the battery cell 31. However, the protruding portion 55 does not need to be formed only on the lower end portion of the second insulating plate 54, and a plurality of protruding portions 55 may be vertically formed on one surface facing the battery cell 31.

[0054] The conductor 56 may be used as a moving channel of the electrode and is formed of a metal material such as aluminum and copper. A contact portion 58 bent toward the battery cell 31 is formed on the upper end portion of the conductor 56 and contacts the module bus bar 34. In addition, since the lower end portion of the conductor 56 contacts the battery pack bus bar 40 as shown in the figure, the lower end portion of the conductor 56 can be electrically connected from the battery cell 31 to the battery pack bus bar 40 through the module bus bar 34 and the conductor 56.

[0055] The welding portion 42 for connecting with the conductor 56 may be formed on the battery pack bus bar 40, and the battery pack bus bar 40 may be electrically connected to the downwardly exposed conductor 56 by welding. At the same time, an extension portion 57 extending further downward than the lower end of the second insulating plate 54 is formed on the conductor 56, and the extension portion 57 contacts the gap filler 62 provided under the battery cell 31.

[0056] Reference Fig. 9 , the cooling plate 60 is disposed below the battery cell 31. The cooling plate 60 is used to dissipate the heat emitted from the battery cell 31. In addition, a gap filler 62 is applied between the battery cell 31 and the cooling plate 60 so that the heat generated by the battery cell 31 is transferred to the cooling plate 60. The gap filler 62 may be formed of polyurethane or silicon, to which boron nitride (BN), aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon carbide (SiC), magnesium oxide (MgO), aluminum, etc. may be added.

[0057] Generally, although only a portion between the battery cell 31 and the cooling plate 60 may be coated with the gap filler 62, in the present embodiment, the gap filler 62 may extend to protrude toward each of the battery pack bus bars 40 disposed at the front and rear sides so as to transfer the heat emitted from the battery pack bus bars 40. The gap filler 62 formed as described above may be in direct contact with the extended portion 57 of the conductor 56, so that the heat emitted from the module bus bar 34 and the battery pack bus bar 40 may be smoothly transferred to the cooling plate 60 through the gap filler 62.

[0058] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as the length of a battery pack bus bar for electrically connecting a battery pack is minimized, the weight of the product can be reduced, material costs can be reduced, heating can be minimized, and since the channel of the battery pack bus bar is not positioned above the battery module, an explosion caused by a short circuit between the battery pack bus bar and the battery cells during thermal runaway can be prevented.

[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0060] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0061] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0073266, filed on June 8, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that: The battery module comprises: a battery cell, a positive electrode and a negative electrode formed at one end portion of the battery cell being alternately stacked in a stacking direction; a pair of end plates coupled to both side ends of the stacked battery cells; and a module bus bar electrically connected to a lead tab disposed on the battery cell, Among the battery cells, front ends and rear ends of the battery cells disposed at two side ends of the battery module respectively have the same electrodes.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the battery cell, A pair of battery cells disposed on one side end of the battery module have positive electrodes at their front ends; and The rear end of the battery cell disposed on the other side end has a negative electrode.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pair of battery cells disposed at an outer side of the battery module are removed from the battery cells; The front ends and rear ends of the battery cells disposed at both side ends of the battery module respectively have the same electrodes; and The end plate is formed to be thicker at a portion where the pair of battery cells are removed than at other portions.

4. A battery module, characterized in that: The battery module comprises: a battery cell, a positive electrode and a negative electrode formed at one end of the battery cell being alternately stacked in a stacking direction; a pair of end plates coupled to both ends of the stacked battery cells; and a module bus bar electrically connected to a lead tab disposed on the battery cell, Among the battery cells, the front and rear ends of the battery cells disposed at the two side ends of the battery module have different electrodes, and An inner plate for electrical connection with the module bus bar is provided between the battery cell and the end plate.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner panel comprises: Insulation panels; and A conductor is provided between the insulating plates, an upper end portion of the conductor being in contact with the module bus bar, and a lower end portion of the conductor being in contact with a battery pack bus bar for electrical connection between battery packs.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that: A protrusion portion for preventing a short circuit is formed to protrude from one surface of the insulating plate facing the battery cell.

7. The battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that: An extension portion is formed on the conductor, the extension portion extending further downward than a lower end of the insulating plate to be exposed and in contact with the battery pack bus bar; and The extending portion contacts a gap filler disposed under the battery cell.

8. A battery pack, characterized in that: The battery pack comprises: a plurality of first battery modules that are stacked and connected; and The battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the battery module is stacked on and coupled to one side end of the first battery module, The battery module includes a second battery module or a third battery module, in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are formed at a front end and a rear end of the second battery module or the third battery module.

9. A battery system component, characterized in that: The battery system assembly comprises a battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the second battery module and the third battery module are alternately arranged on both side ends of the first battery module in the front-to-rear direction, and The second battery module and the third battery module are electrically connected through a battery pack bus bar.

10. The battery system assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that: In the second battery module, a positive electrode is formed at a left front end, and a negative electrode is formed at a right rear end; and In the third battery module, a positive electrode is formed at the right front end, and a negative electrode is formed at the left rear end.

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