Battery arrangement

Abstract

Battery arrangement (10) especially for a motor vehicle, comprising: - a plurality of battery cells (12) for storing electrical energy, wherein the battery cells (12) each have two electrical contacts (14, 16), - a printed circuit board (18) arranged parallel to the battery cells (12) with a plurality of electrical components, wherein the printed circuit board (18) is electrically connected to the electrical contacts (14, 16) of the battery cells (12) and wherein the printed circuit board (18) has two opposing surfaces (20, 22) and has at least one side surface (24) which connects the surfaces (20, 22) together and on which at least one metallic contact surface (26) is formed, which is electrically connected to at least one of the electrical contacts (14, 16) of the battery cells (16) by means of a bond wire connection (28), characterized in that the battery cells (12) are elongated and the printed circuit board (18) is aligned parallel to longitudinal axes of the battery cells (12).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery arrangement, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of battery cells for storing electrical energy, wherein the battery cells each have two electrical contacts, and a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of electrical components, wherein the printed circuit board is electrically connected to the electrical contacts of the battery cells and wherein the printed circuit board has two opposing surfaces and at least one side surface that connects the surfaces together.

[0002] In the technical field of battery cells, particularly batteries for motor vehicles, it is common practice to connect individual battery cells separately to a battery management unit in order to measure the cell voltage of each cell and, if necessary, to balance the charge between them. This is particularly advantageous for lithium-ion batteries.

[0003] In conventional battery configurations, the battery cells are typically connected to the battery management unit via foil conductors or cable assemblies to allow for individual monitoring of the battery cells and charge balancing. These cable assemblies or foil conductors are usually soldered or welded to the contacts of the battery cells.

[0004] It is also known from the prior art to connect the individual battery cells to each other by means of bond wire connections and to connect the battery cells to a printed circuit board by means of bond wire connections. A corresponding battery arrangement with a printed circuit board is known, for example, from US 2013 / 0236745 A1.

[0005] DE 10 2012 205 020 A1 and JP 2006 100 199 A each disclose the subject matter of the preamble of claim 1.

[0006] A disadvantage of the known battery arrangements is that the electrical connection using wiring harnesses and foil conductors is technically complex, and for a bond wire connection the contact surfaces of the battery cells to be connected and the circuit board must be arranged in parallel, so that a large installation space is required for the battery cells and the circuit board.

[0007] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a battery arrangement that can be manufactured in a compact design with minimal technical effort.

[0008] This problem is solved in the battery arrangement mentioned at the beginning by providing at least one metallic contact surface on the side surface and by electrically connecting the metallic contact surface to at least one of the electrical contacts of the battery cells by means of a bond wire connection.

[0009] Because the battery cells are connected to the metallic contact surfaces on the side of the circuit board by means of a bond wire connection, the circuit board can be arranged in a vertical position relative to the electrical contacts of the battery cells, which allows for a particularly compact design. Furthermore, the bond wire connection generally allows for an electrical connection between the battery cells and the circuit board to be realized with minimal technical effort.

[0010] The problem of the present invention is thus completely solved.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the circuit board is arranged parallel to the battery cells.

[0012] This allows for a particularly compact design of the battery arrangement.

[0013] It is particularly preferred if the battery cells are elongated and the circuit board is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axes of the battery cells.

[0014] This allows for a particularly flat design of the battery arrangement.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the metallic contact surface is formed as an electroplated layer.

[0016] This allows the metallic contact surface to be produced on the side surface of the circuit board with minimal technical effort.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the printed circuit board has a plurality of spaced-apart metallic contact surfaces formed next to each other on the side surface.

[0018] This allows the individual battery cells to be electrically contacted separately with the circuit board, enabling independent monitoring of the voltage of the battery cells and charge equalization between the battery cells.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the at least one metallic contact surface is arranged both on the side surface and partially on the opposite surfaces of the circuit board.

[0020] This makes it possible to connect the metallic contact surface to conductor tracks of the circuit board on at least one of the surfaces with minimal technical effort.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the majority of electrical components are arranged on at least one of the surfaces.

[0022] This allows for the implementation of a compact electrical control unit for the battery arrangement with minimal technical effort.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the circuit board together with the electrical components forms a control unit for controlling a charging process and / or a discharging process of the battery cells.

[0024] This allows a battery arrangement with a battery management system to be provided in a compact design with minimal technical effort.

[0025] It is particularly preferred if the control unit has a voltage measuring unit to detect the voltage of the battery cells.

[0026] This allows cell voltage monitoring to be implemented in a compact design.

[0027] It is understood that the features mentioned above and those to be explained below can be used not only in the combination specified, but also in other combinations or on their own, without leaving the scope of the present invention.

[0028] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the following description. They show: Fig. 1. A perspective view of a battery arrangement with a plurality of battery cells and a circuit board electrically connected to the battery cells; and Fig. 2 A perspective detail view of an electrical contact between the battery cells and the circuit board.

[0029] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a battery arrangement in a perspective view and is generally designated by 10. The battery arrangement 10 has a plurality of battery cells 12, each having a first electrical contact 14 and a second electrical contact 16. The first electrical contact 14 forms a positive pole and the second electrical contact 16 forms a negative pole of the respective battery cell 12. The battery cells 12 each have a cylindrical base body with a longitudinal axis. The battery cells 12 are arranged parallel to each other, so that their longitudinal axes are aligned parallel to each other.

[0030] The battery arrangement 10 further comprises a printed circuit board 18, which is arranged parallel to the longitudinal axes of the battery cells 12. The printed circuit board 18 is designed as a circuit board or printed circuit board (PCB) and has a flat base body with two opposing surfaces 20, 22 and at least one side surface 24 that connects the opposing surfaces 20, 22. The side surface 24 forms an end face or a side edge of the printed circuit board 18. The printed circuit board 18 preferably has a rectangular base, as shown in Fig. 1 is shown, so that four side surfaces 24 are formed on the end faces accordingly.

[0031] The side surface 24, which is adjacent to the electrical contacts 14, 16, has a plurality of metallic contact surfaces 26. The metallic contact surfaces 26 are formed on the side surface 24 and partially on the opposing surfaces 20, 22.

[0032] The circuit board 18 has conductor tracks and electrical components on at least one of the surfaces 20, 22 (not shown in detail here) which serve to control a charging process of the battery cells 12 and / or to monitor the voltage of the battery cells 12.

[0033] The metallic contact surfaces 26 are electrically connected to one of the electrical contacts 14, 16 of the battery cells 12 by means of bond wires 28 in order to detect a voltage of the battery cells 12 and / or to carry out charge equalization between the battery cells 12. The electrical contacts 14, 16 of the battery cells 12 are electrically connected to each other by means of bond wires 30, with each positive pole 14 being electrically connected to a negative pole 16 to create a series connection of the battery cells 12. It is understood that a parallel connection is also possible by connecting the positive poles 14 and the negative poles 16.

[0034] The positive terminal 14 of the first battery cell 12 and the negative terminal 16 of the last battery cell 12 within the battery assembly 10 are connected to an electrical contact surface 26 of the circuit board 18 to charge and / or discharge all of the battery cells 12 and to provide the total electrical power. The electrical contact surfaces 26, which are formed at the ends of the circuit board 18 and are connected to the first and last battery cells 12 of the battery assembly 10, thus constitute a positive and a negative terminal of the battery assembly 10.

[0035] By forming the metallic contact surfaces 26 on the side surface 24 or on the end surface 24 of the circuit board 18, the bond wire connections 28 between the battery cells 12 and the circuit board 18 can be produced with correspondingly low technical effort, whereby the arrangement of the metallic contact surfaces 26 on the side surface 24 allows the circuit board 18 to be arranged parallel to the battery cells 12 and thus enables a compact design.

[0036] The battery cells 12 are preferably designed as lithium-ion battery cells and the circuit board 18 with the electrical components forms a battery management system of the battery arrangement 10.

[0037] In Fig. Figure 2 shows a detailed perspective partial view of the battery arrangement 10. Identical elements are labelled with the same reference symbols, with only the special features explained.

[0038] The metallic contact surfaces 26 are formed on the side surface 24 and extend partially onto the opposite surfaces 20, 22 of the circuit board 18. The electrical contact surfaces are electrically connected to conductor tracks 32, which are formed on at least one of the surfaces 20, 22, in order to electrically connect the battery cells 12 accordingly to the electrical components of the circuit board 18 which are not shown here.

[0039] The metallic contact surfaces 26 and the electrical connection with the electrical contacts 14, 16 of the battery cells 12 by the bond wires 28 serve to monitor the voltage of the battery cells 12 and, if necessary, to carry out charge equalization of the battery cells 12.

[0040] The electrical contact surfaces 26 are preferably electroplated and designed accordingly as electroplated metal layers.

[0041] Overall, the special arrangement of the metallic contact surfaces 26 on the side surface 24 of the circuit board 18 and the bond wire connection 28 between the electrical contacts 14, 16 of the battery cells 12 and the circuit board 18 enable a particularly compact design of the battery arrangement 10 to be realized with minimal technical effort.

Claims

[1] Battery arrangement (10) especially for a motor vehicle, comprising: - a plurality of battery cells (12) for storing electrical energy, wherein the battery cells (12) each have two electrical contacts (14, 16), - a printed circuit board (18) arranged parallel to the battery cells (12) with a plurality of electrical components, wherein the printed circuit board (18) is electrically connected to the electrical contacts (14, 16) of the battery cells (12) and wherein the printed circuit board (18) has two opposing surfaces (20, 22) and has at least one side surface (24) which connects the surfaces (20, 22) together and on which at least one metallic contact surface (26) is formed which is electrically connected to at least one of the electrical contacts (14, 16) of the battery cells (16) by means of a bond wire connection (28), characterized by, that the battery cells (12) are elongated and the circuit board (18) is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axes of the battery cells (12). [2] Battery arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by , that the metallic contact surface (26) is formed as an electroplated layer. [3] Battery arrangement according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by , that the circuit board (18) has a plurality of spaced metallic contact surfaces (26) formed next to each other on the side surface (24). [4] Battery arrangement according to one of claims 1-3, characterized by , that at least one metallic contact surface (26) is arranged both on the side surface and partially on the opposite surfaces. [5] Battery arrangement according to one of claims 1-4, characterized by , that the majority of electrical components are arranged on at least one of the surfaces (20, 22). [6] Battery arrangement according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized by , that the circuit board (18) together with the electrical components forms a control unit for controlling a charging process and / or a discharging process of the battery cells (12). [7] Battery arrangement according to claim 6, characterized by , that the control unit has a voltage measuring unit to detect a voltage of the battery cells (12).

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