Cell assembly, battery pack including same, and automobile

Abstract

A cell assembly according to the present invention includes one or more stacked pouch-type battery cells, a cell cover that partially encloses the exterior of the pouch-type battery cell, a bus bar assembly having a terminal bus bar electrically connected to an electrode lead of the pouch battery cell, and a terminal extender that is electrically connected to the terminal bus bar, extends to a position a predetermined distance away from the terminal bus bar, and is detachably provided on the outside of the cell cover.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cell assembly and a battery pack and an automobile including the same, and more particularly to a cell assembly including a cell cover and a pouch-type battery cell, which omits the assembly of a normal battery module unit, and to a battery pack and an automobile equipped with such a cell assembly.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0089939 filed on July 20, 2022 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0066589 filed on May 23, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety in the specification and drawings. [Background technology]

[0003] The recent technological development and increasing demand for mobile devices has been remarkable, and this has led to a rapid increase in the need for secondary batteries as energy sources. Traditionally, nickel-cadmium batteries and nickel-hydrogen ion batteries have been used as secondary batteries, but recently lithium secondary batteries have been widely used because they have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, can be charged and discharged freely, have a very low self-discharge rate, and have a high energy density.

[0004] This type of lithium secondary battery mainly uses a lithium-based oxide and a carbon material as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, respectively. The lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate coated with such a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material are arranged with a separator sandwiched therebetween, and an exterior material, such as a battery case, that encloses and houses the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte.

[0005] In general, secondary batteries can be classified according to the shape of their exterior material into can-type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is housed in a metal can and pouch-type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is housed in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet.

[0006] Pouch-type secondary batteries have various advantages, such as being lightweight and having a high energy density relative to its volume due to a small dead space when stacked, but have problems in that they are relatively vulnerable to external impacts and are somewhat difficult to assemble.

[0007] For this reason, in the case of a conventional battery pack, a battery module is formed by accommodating a plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries inside a module case, and the battery module is accommodated inside one or more pack cases to form a battery pack. As disclosed in a prior art document (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0044599) as an example of the battery module, the conventional battery module includes a stacking frame made of a plastic material, also called a cartridge, a cell stack in which a plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries are held and stacked using various components such as plates at both ends in the stacking direction of the cells, and fastening members such as bolts, and a module case provided to accommodate the cell stack. In this case, the pouch-type secondary batteries can be protected from external impact, and play can be suppressed to ensure electrical reliability.

[0008] However, as described above, when the pouch-type secondary batteries are assembled into a battery module and then mounted in a battery pack, this is disadvantageous in terms of energy density. In particular, since the battery module includes not only the pouch-type secondary batteries but also various components such as a module case and a frame for stacking, the weight and volume of the battery pack may be increased. For this reason, interest has been growing recently in so-called cell-to-pack type battery packs, which omit the manufacturing process of the battery module and directly mount a plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries in a pack case.

[0009] However, a pouch-type secondary battery having a soft pouch case is not easy to fix in the process of being attached to a pack case, and there is a risk of damage. There is also a high concern that the durability against external impacts will decrease. In addition, in a pouch-type secondary battery, for example, the electrode leads are located on one side of the body of the battery, or the positive and negative electrode leads are located in opposite directions. That is, since the electrode lead directions of a pouch-type secondary battery are limited, it is not easy to electrically connect the pouch-type secondary batteries to each other after the pouch-type secondary batteries are attached to the pack case so as to have the desired capacity and output. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cell assembly in which battery cells can be stably and space-efficiently mounted in a pack case, and in which the connection position or direction of the terminals can be changed as necessary.

[0011] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery pack using the cell assembly, which can simplify the assembly process and increase the energy density.

[0012] The technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to the problems described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] A cell assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention may include one or two or more stacked pouch-type battery cells, a cell cover that partially encloses the exterior of the pouch-type battery cell, a bus bar assembly having a terminal bus bar electrically connected to an electrode lead of the pouch-type battery cell, and a terminal extender that is electrically connected to the terminal bus bar, extends to a position a predetermined distance away from the terminal bus bar, and is removably provided on the outside of the cell cover.

[0014] The terminal extender may include a current conducting member made of an electrically conductive material and having a terminal connection portion in contact with the terminal bus bar and an extension terminal portion provided at a position a predetermined distance away from the terminal connection portion, and an extension housing formed of an electrically insulating material, enveloping the current conducting member so that the current conducting member does not come into contact with the cell cover, and removably provided on the outside of the cell cover.

[0015] The extension housing may include a mounting portion configured to expose one side of the terminal connection portion facing the terminal bus bar to the outside, an extension portion having a hollow structure and extending a predetermined length from the mounting portion, and a terminal exposure portion exposing the extension terminal portion to the outside.

[0016] The mounting portion, the terminal connection portion, and the terminal bus bar may be configured to be fixedly coupled together by a fastener.

[0017] The busbar assembly may include a first busbar assembly and a second busbar assembly arranged at one end and the other end, respectively, along the longitudinal direction of the cell cover, and the terminal extender may include a first terminal extender connected to the first busbar assembly and a second terminal extender connected to the second busbar assembly.

[0018] The first terminal extender and the second terminal extender may each extend to a central portion of an upper side of the cell cover.

[0019] The cell cover may be configured to encase the pouch-type battery cell such that an upper edge portion or a lower edge portion of the encased pouch-type battery cell is exposed.

[0020] The cell cover may include an upper cover portion covering an upper edge portion of the pouch-type battery cell, a first side cover portion extending downward from one edge portion along the width direction of the upper cover portion and covering one side of the pouch-type battery cell, and a second side cover portion extending downward from the other edge portion along the width direction of the upper cover portion and covering the other side of the pouch-type battery cell.

[0021] The busbar assembly includes a first busbar assembly and a second busbar assembly arranged at one end and the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cell cover, respectively, and the terminal extenders are each detachable from the upper cover portion and include a first terminal extender connected to the first busbar assembly and a second terminal extender connected to the second busbar assembly, and the upper cover portion is located in an area where the first terminal extender and the second terminal extender are not attached and may include a vent portion configured to be opened by pressure.

[0022] The vent portion may be provided by cutting out a line in the upper cover portion, or may be provided in the shape of a cutout portion.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a battery pack may be provided that includes a cell assembly group in which the above-mentioned cell assemblies are stacked in one direction, a pack tray on which the cell assembly group is placed, and a pack case having a pack cover that covers the cell assembly group.

[0024] The cell assembly group may be adhesively secured to the pack tray.

[0025] The pack tray may include a cooling channel through which a refrigerant can flow.

[0026] The pack tray may include a fixing groove into which a lower end of the cell cover is fitted and fixed.

[0027] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a vehicle including the battery pack described above. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cell assembly that can mount battery cells in a pack case stably and space-efficiently, and that allows the connection position or direction of the terminals to be changed as needed.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, by assembling a battery pack using the cell assembly, the assembly process can be simplified and energy density can be improved.

[0030] In addition to the above, various other effects can be achieved by various embodiments of the present invention. Such various effects of the present invention will be explained in the section of each embodiment, and explanations of effects that can be easily understood by those skilled in the art will be omitted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cell assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the cell assembly of FIG. 1 with the terminal extender removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cell assembly of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the terminal bus bar of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement structure of a pouch-type battery cell and a terminal bus bar according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a current conducting member according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of an extension housing according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a terminal exposure area partially cut away; FIG. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a portion of a terminal extender according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 2 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section taken along line AA' of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the cell assembly of FIG. 11 with a vent portion opened. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cell assembly group according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 16] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle including a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Terms and words used in the present specification and claims are not to be construed as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but are to be construed as having meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical ideas of the present invention, in accordance with the principle that the inventors themselves can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe the invention.

[0033] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiment described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore there may be various equivalents and modifications that can be substituted therefor at the time of this application.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cell assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing the cell assembly of FIG. 1 with a terminal extender removed, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the cell assembly of FIG. 1.

[0035] 1 to 3, a cell assembly 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a pouch-type battery cell 110, a cell cover 120, a bus bar assembly 130, and a terminal extender 140.

[0036] The pouch-type battery cell 110 may be manufactured by accommodating an electrode assembly and an electrolyte material inside a pouch exterior material made of a laminate film containing a soft metal, and then sealing the pouch exterior material. Here, the electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator sandwiched between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate.

[0037] The pouch-type battery cell 110 includes an electrode lead 111 functioning as an electrode terminal, and the electrode lead 111 may be electrically connected to the electrode assembly and exposed to the outside of the pouch exterior material. The electrode lead 111 includes a pair of a positive electrode lead and a negative electrode lead. Here, the positive electrode lead and the negative electrode lead may be provided at both front and rear ends in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the pouch-type battery cell 110.

[0038] The pouch-type battery cell 110 includes a receiving portion R in which the electrode assembly is received, and four edge portions E1 to E4 surrounding the receiving portion R. The four edge portions E1 to E4 refer to, for example, an upper edge portion E1, a lower edge portion E2, a front edge portion E3, and a rear edge portion E4 based on the receiving portion R in the pouch-type battery cell 110 arranged upright as shown in FIG.

[0039] Here, the edge portions E1 to E4 may all be sealing portions, or the remaining three edge portions E2, E3, E4 or E1, E3, E4 excluding the upper edge portion E1 or the lower edge portion E2 may be sealing portions. In more detail, the pouch-type battery cell 110 using a method of folding one laminate film to accommodate an electrode assembly has three sealing portions, and the pouch-type battery cell 110 using a method of joining the peripheries of two laminate films has four sealing portions. Thus, in the pouch-type battery cell 110, the three edge portions E2, E3, E4 or E1, E3, E4 may be sealing portions, or the four edge portions E1 to E4 may all be sealing portions.

[0040] The cell cover 120 may be configured to encase one or two or more stacked pouch-type battery cells 110. For example, the cell cover 120 configured to encase one pouch-type battery cell 110 may be manufactured in a shape that encases both sides of the upper edge portion E1 and the receiving portion R of the pouch-type battery cell 110, or, as in the embodiment of Fig. 3, the cell cover 120 configured to encase three stacked pouch-type battery cells 110 may be manufactured in a shape that encases the upper edge portion E1 of the three pouch-type battery cells 110, one side of the receiving portion R of the first pouch-type battery cell 110 in the stacking order, and one side of the receiving portion R of the third pouch-type battery cell 110.

[0041] Furthermore, the cell cover 120 may be made of a variety of materials to ensure rigidity. In particular, the cell cover 120 may be made of a metal material. In the case of such a metal material, the stacked state of the pouch-type battery cells 110 can be more stably maintained and the pouch-type battery cells 110 can be more safely protected from external impact. In particular, the cell cover 120 may include a steel material or a stainless steel (SUS) material. For example, the cell cover 120 may be entirely made of a SUS material.

[0042] When such a cell cover 120 is used, the stacked and upright states of the pouch-type battery cells 110 can be stably maintained. In particular, since the exterior material of the pouch-type battery cell 110 is made of a soft material, it is vulnerable to external impact and has low hardness. Therefore, it is not easy to accommodate the pouch-type battery cell 110 itself inside the pack case 200. However, as will be described in detail later, in the case of the present invention, since the pouch-type battery cell 110 is accommodated in the cell cover 120, damage or breakage of the pouch-type battery cell 110 due to external impact can be prevented, and the stacked state can be stably maintained when stacked in the pack case 200. Therefore, it is not necessary to further provide a module case, a frame for stacking, a fastening member for maintaining the stacked state, etc. in the battery pack 10. As a result, it is possible to accommodate more battery cells 110 than the pack case 200, and the energy density of the battery pack 10 can be increased.

[0043] Referring mainly to FIG. 3, the cell cover 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. The cell cover 120 may include an upper cover portion 121, a first side cover portion 122, and a second side cover portion 123.

[0044] The upper cover part 121 may be configured to enclose an upper edge part E1 of the pouch-type battery cell 110 housed therein. The upper cover part 121 may be formed in a shape that is in contact with or spaced apart from the upper edge part E1 of the pouch-type battery cell 110.

[0045] The first side cover part 122 may be formed in a shape extending downward from one edge line along the width direction of the upper cover part 121. For example, the first side cover part 122 may be formed in a shape extending downward from the left end part of the upper cover part 121 further than the receiving part R of the pouch-type battery cell 110.

[0046] The first side cover portion 122 may be configured to cover one side of the at least one pouch-type battery cell 110. For example, the first side cover portion 122 may be configured to enclose one side of the receiving portion R of the first pouch-type battery cell 110 in FIG.

[0047] The second side cover part 123 may be formed in a shape extending downward from the other edge line along the width direction of the upper cover part 121. For example, the second side cover part 123 may be formed in a shape extending downward from the right end part of the upper cover part 121 further than the receiving part R of the pouch-type battery cell 110.

[0048] The second side cover portion 123 may be configured to cover one side of the at least one pouch-type battery cell 110. For example, the second side cover portion 123 may be configured to enclose one side of the containing portion R of the third pouch-type battery cell 110 in FIG.

[0049] The distance between the first side cover part 122 and the second side cover part 123 can be determined within a range in which the pouch-type battery cell 110 accommodated inside the cell cover 120 can be pressed.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 3, the cell cover 120 may be disposed in a shape in which the front side, rear side, and lower side are open. In addition, the cell cover 120 of this embodiment includes cutout portions 124 in which both ends of the upper end are disposed in a cutout shape as shown in FIG. 3. Such cutout portions 124 allow the bus bar assembly 130 to be further pulled inwardly of the cell cover 120 as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the bus bar housing 132 can be pushed into the front opening O or the rear opening of the cell cover 120, and the upper end of the terminal bus bar 131 can be exposed upward through the cutout portions 124. In this case, the cell assembly 100 can be disposed in a more compact manner.

[0051] The busbar assembly 130 includes a first busbar assembly 130A and a second busbar assembly 130B. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first busbar assembly 130A is disposed at one end (+X direction) along the longitudinal direction of the cell cover 120, and the second busbar assembly 130B is disposed at the other end (-X direction) of the cell cover 120.

[0052] In this embodiment, the positive electrode leads of the three stacked pouch-type battery cells 110 may be integrally welded to the terminal bus bar 131 of the first bus bar assembly 130A, and the negative electrode leads may be integrally welded to the terminal bus bar 131 of the second bus bar assembly 130B. In this case, the three pouch-type battery cells 110 may be connected in parallel in a 3P1S configuration. The first bus bar assembly 130A and the second bus bar assembly 130B have substantially the same configuration.

[0053] The bus bar assembly 130 may include, as main components, a terminal bus bar 131, a bus bar housing 132, a housing cover 133, and an insulating sheet.

[0054] The terminal bus bars 131 may be made from a metal such as, for example, copper, nickel, aluminum, etc., and the bus bar housings 132 may be made from an electrically insulating material such as, for example, plastic.

[0055] 3 and 4, the bus bar housing 132 supports the terminal bus bar 131 and may be coupled to the cell cover 120. That is, the bus bar housing 132 may be coupled to a front opening and a rear opening of the cell cover 120. At this time, the bus bar housing 132 may be coupled to be fixed to the cell cover 120 using a variety of fastening methods such as adhesion, welding, fitting, latching, bolting, and riveting.

[0056] The bus bar housing 132 may be formed in a box shape having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure. A slit into which the electrode lead 111 can be fitted may be provided on one surface of the bus bar housing 132 facing the storage portion R of the battery cell 110, and the surface opposite to the one surface may be formed in an open shape. The electrode lead 111 is drawn through the slit, and the drawn portion of the electrode lead 111 is fixed to the terminal bus bar 131. At this time, laser welding may be performed on a contact portion between the electrode lead 111 and the bus bar through the open portion. The open portion of the bus bar housing 132 may be covered with a housing cover 133. An insulating sheet may be further attached to an outer surface of the housing cover. The insulating sheet may be made of a flame-retardant material such as mica.

[0057] In particular, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal bus bar 131 includes, for example, a lead mounting portion 131a that extends vertically when placed upright on the ground, a bent portion 131b that extends inclined at a predetermined angle from the lead mounting portion 131a, and a bus bar terminal portion 131c that extends horizontally from the upper end of the bent portion 131b in the opposite direction to the bent portion 131b.

[0058] In such a terminal bus bar 131, the bus bar terminal portion 131c can be brought as close as possible to the accommodation portion R of the pouch-type battery cell 110. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, in the terminal bus bar 131 of this embodiment, the upper side of the lead attachment portion 131a is inclined toward the accommodation portion R, and as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 6, compared to when there is no bent portion 131b, the bus bar terminal portion 131c can be brought even closer to the accommodation portion R of the pouch-type battery cell 110 by an amount corresponding to "D" in Fig. 6.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal bus bar 131 is assembled to a bus bar housing 132, and when a housing cover 133 and an insulating sheet 134 are assembled to the bus bar housing 132, only the bus bar terminal portion 131c of the terminal bus bar 131 can be configured to be exposed to the outside, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0060] Returning to FIG. 3, as described above, the cell cover 120 includes cutout portions 124 arranged in a cutout shape at both ends of the upper end. For this reason, the bus bar housing 132 and the bus bar terminal portion 131c can be pushed in so as to be positioned as deep as possible within the front opening O or the rear opening of the cell cover 120. The bus bar terminal portion 131c can be exposed above the cutout portion 124 of the cell cover 120 with its surface facing upward. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, one of the bus bar terminal portions 131c located at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cell cover 120 can function as a positive terminal, and the other can function as a negative terminal. That is, when the terminal extender 140 described later is not attached, the two bus bar terminal portions 131c can be used as the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the cell assembly 100.

[0061] On the other hand, as described above, it may be advantageous for the positive and negative terminals of the cell assembly 100 to be located far apart, but it may not be advantageous depending on the situation. In other words, if the positive and negative terminals of the cell assembly 100 are always provided at specific positions and cannot be changed, it may become very difficult to connect to other devices or the electrical wiring may become very complicated.

[0062] For this reason, the cell assembly 100 according to the present invention further includes a terminal extender 140 that allows the position or orientation of the positive and negative terminals to be changed.

[0063] 1 and 2, the terminal extender 140 includes a first terminal extender 140A and a second terminal extender 140B, is electrically connected to the terminal bus bar 131 of the bus bar assembly 130, and may be configured to be detachable on the outside of the cell cover 120. In particular, the terminal extender 140 may be detachably provided on the upper cover portion 121 of the cell cover 120. The first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender 140B have substantially the same configuration. That is, the first terminal extender 140A is connected to the first bus bar assembly 130A, and the second terminal extender 140B is connected to the second bus bar assembly 130B, and there is no substantial difference in configuration.

[0064] The first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender 140B are individually attachable to and detachable from the cell cover 120. Therefore, according to the present invention, depending on how the positive and negative terminals of the cell assembly 100 are positioned, the first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender may not be used, or both the first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender 140B may be used, or either one of the first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender 140B may not be used.

[0065] Hereinafter, a terminal extender 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 in conjunction with FIGS.

[0066] The terminal extender 140 may include a current conducting member 142 that forms a current path, and an extension housing 141 that functions as an insulator that covers the current conducting member 142 and is provided to the cell cover 120 so as to be easily attached and detached.

[0067] The current conducting member 142 and the extension housing 141 may be integrally manufactured by an insert injection method, or the current conducting member 142 and the extension housing 141 may be manufactured separately and then assembled.

[0068] The current conducting member 142 may be made of a material having electrical conductivity. For example, the current conducting member 142 may be made of a metal such as copper, nickel, or aluminum. In this embodiment, the current conducting member 142 is realized in the form of a metal rod, but unlike this embodiment, the current conducting member 142 may be provided in the form of a metal wire.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 7, the current conducting member 142 includes a terminal connection portion 142a provided at one end and an extension terminal portion 142b provided at the other end, and may be realized in the shape of a metal bar.

[0070] The terminal connection portion 142a may be provided to face and contact the busbar terminal portion 131c of the busbar assembly 130. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, the terminal connection portion 142a may be relatively thicker than other portions and may include a fastening hole formed therein in order to compensate for a step between the upper cover portion 121 of the cell cover 120 and the busbar terminal portion 131c and to easily fasten a fastening member B such as a bolt.

[0071] The extension terminal portion 142b is a portion that functions as a new terminal of the cell assembly 100 to which the terminal extender 140 is attached, and may be provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the terminal connection portion 142a. For example, the current conducting member 142 of the present embodiment may be configured such that the extension terminal portion 142b is located in the central region of the cell cover 120. In addition, the extension terminal portion 142b may be exposed to the outside of the extension housing 141 so as to be connectable to another device, and may be provided so as to be fastened by a fastening member B such as a bolt.

[0072] The extension housing 141 may be formed from an electrically insulating material and may be detachably provided on the outside of the cell cover 120. The extension housing 141 may be provided in a shape that wraps around the current conducting member 142, except for a terminal connection portion 142a and an extension terminal portion 142b, so that the cell cover 120 and the current conducting member 142 do not come into contact with each other. Therefore, the current conducting member 142 may be insulated from the cell cover 120 by the extension housing 141.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 8, the extension housing 141 includes a mounting portion 141a configured to expose one side of the terminal connection portion 142a facing the bus bar terminal portion 131c to the outside, an extension portion 141b extending a predetermined length from the mounting portion 141a and formed into a hollow structure, and a terminal exposure portion 141c exposing the extension terminal portion 142b to the outside.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 9, the mounting portion 141a may be configured to cover the terminal connection portion 142a, but expose the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 142a. In particular, the mounting portion 141a may be configured to have a shape in which a lower end thereof extends further downward than the lower surface of the terminal connection portion 142a. For example, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the mounting portion 141a may be configured to cover the bus bar terminal portion 131c when the terminal connection portion 142a is disposed to contact the upper surface of the bus bar terminal portion 131c. With this configuration, when the terminal extender 140 is disposed on the cell cover 120, the bus bar terminal portion 131c of the bus bar assembly 130 can be completely shielded.

[0075] 8, the mounting portion 141a has a hole H on an upper surface thereof. The hole H may coincide with a fastening hole provided in the terminal connection portion 142a and a fastening hole provided in the bus bar terminal portion 131c.

[0076] According to this configuration, after the terminal extender 140 is placed on the cell cover 120, a fastening member B such as a bolt is passed through the hole of the mounting portion 141a and inserted into the fastening holes of the terminal connection portion 142a and the bus bar terminal portion 131c and fastened, so that the mounting portion 141a, the terminal connection portion 142a, and the terminal bus bar 131 can be fixed together as shown in Fig. 10. In addition, the head of the bolt can be prevented from being exposed to the outside by using a hole cover 141d.

[0077] The extension portion 141b serves to cover the remaining portions except the terminal connection portion 142a and the extension terminal portion 142b, and has a length corresponding to the distance from the terminal connection portion 142a to the extension terminal portion 142b.

[0078] The terminal exposing portion 141c may be configured to expose the extension terminal portion 142b in one direction. For example, referring to FIG. 7, the terminal exposing portion 141c may be formed in an open shape by cutting out one surface portion of the extension housing 141 by an amount corresponding to the area of ​​the extension terminal portion 142b. The extension terminal portion 142b may be configured to protrude to the outside of the extension housing 141 through the terminal exposing portion 141c. In this manner, the extension terminal portion 142b exposed to the outside of the extension housing 141 may function as a positive terminal or a negative terminal of the cell assembly 100.

[0079] The terminal extender 140 having the above-mentioned configuration may be provided with an overall width equal to or smaller than the width of the upper cover part 121 of the cell cover 120. In this case, when a plurality of cell assemblies 100 are stacked in one direction, the terminal extenders 140 do not interfere with each other, so that the plurality of cell assemblies 100 can be closely attached to each other. Also, the length of the terminal extender 140 is within a range shorter than the length of the upper cover part 121, and does not need to be limited to a specific length. For example, in the present embodiment, the first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender 140B are each provided in a shape that extends to the center of the upper side of the cell cover 120. For this reason, in the cell assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the positive terminal and the negative terminal are located at the center of the upper end of the cell cover 120. However, unlike this embodiment, for example, it is conceivable to fabricate the first terminal extender 140A shown in FIG. 1 so that it is longer and the second terminal extender 140B so that it is shorter, thereby configuring the positions of the positive terminal and the negative terminal differently from this embodiment.

[0080] As described above, with a configuration such as the terminal extender 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the positions of the positive terminal and / or the negative terminal of the cell assembly 100 can be easily changed depending on the situation.

[0081] Next, a cell assembly 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0082] FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a cell assembly 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a view showing an example in which a vent portion 125 in the cell assembly 100 of FIG. 11 is opened.

[0083] The same component numbers as those in the previously described embodiment refer to the same components, and redundant explanations of the same components will be omitted, with the focus being on the differences from the previously described embodiment.

[0084] The cell assembly 100 according to the other embodiment of the present invention is different from the cell assembly 100 described above in the configuration of the cell cover 120, but the other configurations are substantially the same.

[0085] 11, a cell assembly 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a vent portion 125 provided in an upper cover portion 121 of the cell cover 120. The vent portion 125 is located in an area where the first terminal extender 140A and the second terminal extender 140B are not installed, and may be configured to be opened by pressure. In particular, when gas is ejected from the pouch-type battery cell 110 and the internal pressure of the cell cover 120 increases rapidly, the vent portion 125 may be configured to be opened by the internal pressure.

[0086] As a specific example, the vent portion 125 may be provided in a shape in which a portion of the upper cover portion 121 of the cell cover 120 is cut out linearly by a sharp object such as a blade. Alternatively, the vent portion 125 may be provided in the upper cover portion 121 in the shape of a notch.

[0087] The vent portion 125 is formed in a generally straight line along the longitudinal direction of the cell cover 120, but may have a branched end in the extending direction.

[0088] For example, referring to FIG. 11, the vent portion 125 may have a center cut line extending long along the front-rear direction (X direction) which is the longitudinal direction of the cell cover 120, and four branch cut lines branching off from both ends of the center cut line. More specifically, two front end cut lines may be formed at the front end of the center cut line so as to branch off at a predetermined angle with the center cut line. Also, two rear end cut lines may be formed at the rear end of the center cut line so as to branch off at a predetermined angle with the center cut line. In particular, the front end cut line and the rear end cut line may be formed at a right angle or an obtuse angle with the center cut line.

[0089] According to the configuration of the vent portion 125, when gas or flame is emitted from the pouch-type battery cell 110 housed inside the cell cover 120, the vent portion 125 of the cell cover 120 can be opened as shown by "K1" in Fig. 12. Therefore, the gas or flame can be exhausted upward from inside the cell cover 120, thereby preventing the explosion of the cell assembly 100.

[0090] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a cell assembly group 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 13, FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a battery pack 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a battery pack 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] The battery pack 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cell assembly group 11 in which the above-described cell assemblies 100 are stacked in one direction, and a pack case 200 that houses at least one cell assembly group 11.

[0092] As shown in Fig. 13, the cell assemblies 100 may be stacked in one direction (Y direction) so that their sides face each other. Then, as shown in Fig. 14, the cell assemblies 100 may be electrically connected to each other by the interbus bar 101. For example, one side of the interbus bar 101 is coupled to the positive electrode terminal of any one of the cell assemblies 100, and the other side of the interbus bar 101 is coupled to the negative electrode terminal of another one of the cell assemblies 100. That is, as shown in Fig. 14, the extension terminal portion 142b of any one of the cell assemblies 100 and the extension terminal portion 142b of the other one of the cell assemblies 100 are electrically connected to each other by the interbus bar 101. At this time, one side of the inter-busbar 101 can be fixedly connected to the extension terminal portion 142b functioning as a positive terminal, and the other side of the inter-busbar 101 can be fixedly connected to the extension terminal portion 142b functioning as a negative terminal, using the bolt B2 and the washer W.

[0093] In this manner, the cell assemblies 100 constituting the cell assembly group 11 can be electrically connected to each other.

[0094] As shown in Fig. 15, the pack case 200 includes a pack tray 210 and a pack cover 220. More specifically, the pack tray 210 may be formed in a box shape with an open upper end and may accommodate a plurality of cell assembly groups 11 in an internal space. The pack cover 220 may be formed in a lid shape that covers an open upper end of the pack tray 210. In this case, the pack cover 220 may be formed in a box shape with an open lower end. The pack case 200 may be made of a plastic or metal material. Needless to say, various materials of exterior materials of the battery pack 10 known at the time of filing the present invention may be adopted as the material of the pack case 200.

[0095] 15, a thermally conductive adhesive 300 may be provided on a bottom plate of a pack tray 210 on which the cell assembly group 11 is placed. Thus, the cell assembly group 11 can be adhered and fixed to the pack tray 210.

[0096] 16, the pack tray 210 may include a cooling channel 211 through which a refrigerant can flow. That is, the pack tray 210 has the cooling channel 211 inside the bottom plate, and may function as a heat sink that dissipates heat. Here, a heat sink refers to an object that absorbs and dissipates heat from another object by being in direct or indirect thermal contact with the other object.

[0097] In particular, according to the present invention, as described above, the cell cover 120 is configured to expose the lower edge portion E2 of the pouch-type battery cell 110. Therefore, when the cell assembly group 11 is placed on the bottom plate of the pack tray 210, the lower edge portion E2 of the pouch-type battery cell 110 directly faces the bottom plate of the pack tray 210. At this time, since the thermally conductive adhesive 300 is applied in advance on the bottom plate of the pack tray 210, it is possible to prevent an empty space from being generated between the lower edge portion E2 of the pouch-type battery cell 110 and the bottom plate of the pack tray 210. Therefore, the cooling performance of the battery pack 10 can be more effectively ensured. That is, the heat released from each pouch-type battery cell 110 can be more effectively transferred by the pack case 200, and the cooling performance can be improved. In this case, since it is not necessary to provide a separate cooling structure between the pouch-type battery cell 110 and the pack case 200, it is possible to realize an efficient cooling performance.

[0098] In addition, the pack tray 210 may have a fixing groove into which the lower end of the cell cover 120 can be fitted and fixed. That is, the lower ends of the first side cover portion 122 and the second side cover portion 123 of the cell cover 120 may be fitted into the bottom plate of the pack tray 210. For example, as shown in "Q1" in Fig. 16, the lower end of each cell cover 120 may be fixed by being partially fitted into the bottom plate of the pack tray 210. Therefore, the upright state of the cell cover 120 in the pack tray 210 becomes even more stable.

[0099] Meanwhile, the battery pack 10 according to the present invention can be used as a power energy source for an automobile. That is, an automobile V according to the present invention may include the above-described battery pack 10 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 17. Here, the automobile according to the present invention may include a specific automobile that uses electricity as a driving source, such as an electric automobile or a hybrid automobile. Furthermore, the automobile according to the present invention may further include a wide variety of other components included in the automobile, such as a body and a motor, in addition to the battery pack 10 according to the present invention.

[0100] In this specification, directional terms such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are used, however, these terms are used merely for ease of explanation, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art of the present invention that they may vary depending on the position of the object in question, the position of the observer, etc.

[0101] Although the present invention has been described above using limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains within the equivalent scope of the technical concept of the present invention and the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 10 Battery Pack 11 Cell Assembly Group 100 Cell Assembly 101 Interbusbar 110 Pouch type battery cell 110 Battery Cell 111 Electrode lead 120 Cell Cover 121 Upper cover part 122 first side cover part 123 Second side cover part 124 Cutout 125 Vent 130 Busbar assembly 130A First Bus Bar Assembly 130B Second bus bar assembly 131 Terminal busbar 131a Lead attachment part 131b Bend 131c Busbar terminal section 132 Busbar housing 133 Housing cover 134 Insulation sheet 140 Terminal Extender 140A First Terminal Extender 140B Second Terminal Extender 141 Extension Housing 141a Mounting part 141b Extension 141c Exposed terminal part 141d Operculum 142 Electric current conducting materials 142a Terminal connection 142b Extension terminal section 200 pack case 210 Pack Tray 211 Cooling Channel 220 Pack Cover 300 Thermally conductive adhesive B Fastening member B2 Bolt E1 Upper edge E2 Lower edge E3 Front edge E4 Rear edge H hole O open part R Storage section

Claims

1. one or more stacked pouch-type battery cells; A cell cover that partially encloses an exterior of the pouch-type battery cell; a bus bar assembly including a terminal bus bar electrically connected to the electrode lead of the pouch-type battery cell; a terminal extender electrically connected to the terminal bus bar, extending to a position spaced a predetermined distance from the terminal bus bar, and detachably provided on an outer side of the cell cover; 4. A cell assembly comprising:

2. The terminal extender includes: a current conducting member made of an electrically conductive material, the current conducting member including a terminal connection portion in contact with the terminal bus bar and an extension terminal portion provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the terminal connection portion; an extension housing made of an electrically insulating material, enclosing the current conducting member so that the current conducting member does not come into contact with the cell cover, and removably provided on the outside of the cell cover; The cell assembly of claim 1 , comprising:

3. The extension housing includes: a mounting portion configured to expose one surface of the terminal connection portion facing the terminal bus bar to the outside; an extension portion having a hollow structure and extending from the mounting portion by a predetermined length; a terminal exposure portion for exposing the extension terminal portion to the outside; The cell assembly of claim 2 .

4. The cell assembly of claim 3 , wherein the mounting portion, the terminal connection portion, and the terminal bus bar are configured to be fixedly coupled together by a fastener.

5. the bus bar assembly includes a first bus bar assembly and a second bus bar assembly disposed at one end and the other end, respectively, along a longitudinal direction of the cell cover; The cell assembly of claim 1 , wherein the terminal extenders include a first terminal extender connected with the first bus bar assembly and a second terminal extender connected with the second bus bar assembly.

6. The cell assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first terminal extender and the second terminal extender each extend to a central portion of an upper side of the cell cover.

7. The cell assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the cell cover is configured to encase the pouch-type battery cell such that an upper edge portion or a lower edge portion of the encased pouch-type battery cell is exposed.

8. The cell cover is an upper cover portion covering an upper edge portion of the pouch-type battery cell; a first side cover portion extending downward from one edge portion along a width direction of the upper cover portion and covering one side surface of the pouch-type battery cell; a second side cover portion extending downward from the other edge portion along the width direction of the upper cover portion and covering the other side surface of the pouch-type battery cell; The cell assembly of claim 1 , comprising:

9. the bus bar assembly includes a first bus bar assembly and a second bus bar assembly disposed at one end and the other end, respectively, along a longitudinal direction of the cell cover; the terminal extenders are each detachably attached to the upper cover portion and include a first terminal extender connected to the first bus bar assembly and a second terminal extender connected to the second bus bar assembly; The cell assembly of claim 8 , wherein the upper cover portion is located in an area where the first terminal extender and the second terminal extender are not attached and includes a vent portion configured to be opened by pressure.

10. The cell assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the vent portion is provided by cutting out a line in the upper cover portion or is provided in the shape of a cutout portion.

11. A cell assembly group in which the cell assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is stacked in one direction; a pack case including a pack tray on which the cell assembly group is placed and a pack cover that covers the cell assembly group; Including battery pack.

12. The battery pack of claim 11 , wherein the cell assembly group is adhesively secured to the pack tray.

13. The battery pack according to claim 11 , wherein the pack tray includes a cooling channel through which a refrigerant can flow.

14. The battery pack according to claim 11 , wherein the pack tray includes a fixing groove into which a lower end of the cell cover is fitted and fixed.

15. A motor vehicle comprising the battery pack of claim 11.

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