Battery Module

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module, which allows a cell block assembly to be easily inserted into a frame, and prevents breakage of welded parts such as a cooling plate during the insertion and assembly process of the cell block assembly, thereby preventing defects in the battery module and thereby realizing a product with a significantly excellent concept. The battery module according to the present invention includes a cell block assembly which is an assembly of a plurality of cells, a frame surrounding the lower and side surfaces of the cell block assembly, a top plate disposed on the upper surface of the cell block assembly, end plates disposed on the front and rear surfaces of the cell block assembly, and a cooling plate which is connected to the lower surface of the frame below the frame, the frame including a bottom portion surrounding the lower surface of the cell block assembly and a side wall portion surrounding the side surface of the cell block assembly, and a recessed groove is formed in the side wall portion.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0064916 filed on May 26, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery module that allows a cell block assembly to be easily inserted into a frame and prevents breakage of welded parts such as a cooling plate during the process of inserting and assembling the cell block assembly, thereby preventing defects in the battery module and enabling the realization of a product with an extremely excellent concept. [Background technology]

[0003] In recent years, as the price of energy sources has risen sharply due to the depletion of fossil fuels and concerns about environmental pollution have grown, the need for environmentally friendly alternative energy sources has become an essential element for future life. As a result, research into various electricity production technologies such as solar, wind, and tidal power has been ongoing, and there has also been great interest in power storage devices such as batteries to more efficiently use the electrical energy produced in this way.

[0004] Furthermore, with the increasing development and demand for battery-based electronic mobile devices and electric vehicles, the demand for batteries as an energy source is increasing rapidly, and as a result, various research projects are being conducted on batteries that can meet various needs.

[0005] In particular, in terms of materials, there is a high demand for lithium secondary batteries, such as lithium ion batteries and lithium ion polymer batteries, which have advantages such as high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability.

[0006] Depending on the shape of the battery case, secondary batteries can be divided into cylindrical batteries and prismatic batteries in which the electrode assembly is incorporated into a cylindrical or prismatic metal case, and pouch batteries in which the electrode assembly is incorporated into a pouch case made of an aluminum laminate sheet, etc. However, the operating voltage of such a unit cell, i.e., a unit battery cell, is about 2.5V to 4.2V.

[0007] Therefore, when a higher output voltage is required, a secondary battery module is formed by connecting a plurality of individual battery cells, and a battery pack is formed by assembling a plurality of battery modules.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a frame of a conventional battery module, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cell block assembly is inserted into the frame of Fig. 1.

[0009] 1 and 2, a battery module made of pouch-type secondary batteries has a cell block assembly 10, which is formed by stacking a predetermined number of battery cells manufactured as pouch-type secondary batteries, mounted in a frame 20 having a U-shaped cross section, and the frame 20 is open at the top and is provided to face the bottom and both side surfaces of the cell block assembly 10.

[0010] Although not shown in the drawings, a top plate can be attached to the open upper side of the frame by brazing, and end plates can be attached to the front and rear of the frame to form a battery module having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. Also, a cooling plate 30, through which a refrigerant circulates to cool the cell block assembly 10 and the frame 20, can be attached to the lower surface of the frame by brazing.

[0011] Referring to FIG. 2, which shows the cell block assembly being inserted into the frame of FIG. 1, conventionally, in order to insert the cell block assembly into the frame, the side walls of the frame are opened on both sides B and B', and the cell block assembly is inserted while moving in the downward direction D. During this process, the shape of the bottom of the frame can bend upward into a convex shape. In addition, during this process, there is a problem that the brazing weld W of the cooling plate attached under the bottom of the frame breaks (or is damaged). This is problematic because it can cause battery module defects, making it impossible to realize a product with an excellent concept. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module that allows a cell block assembly to be easily inserted into a frame and prevents breakage of welds of components such as a cooling plate during the process of inserting and assembling the cell block assembly, thereby preventing defects in the battery module and enabling the realization of a product with an extremely excellent concept. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The battery module of the present invention includes a cell block assembly which is a combination of multiple cells, a frame which surrounds the bottom and side surfaces of the cell block assembly, a top plate which is disposed on the top surface of the cell block assembly, end plates which are disposed on the front and rear surfaces of the cell block assembly, and a cooling plate which is attached to the bottom surface of the frame below the frame, the frame including a bottom which surrounds the bottom surface of the cell block assembly and a side wall which surrounds the side surfaces of the cell block assembly, the side wall having a recessed groove formed therein.

[0014] The cooling plate may be coupled to the underside of the frame by braze welding.

[0015] The groove may be formed in a lower end of the sidewall.

[0016] The groove may be formed with a V-shaped cross section.

[0017] The groove may be formed in the inner wall surface of the side wall portion.

[0018] The grooves may be formed along the length L of the cell block assembly.

[0019] The grooves can be formed by pressing.

[0020] The groove can be provided in a linear shape that is visible when the inner wall surface of the side wall portion is faced from the front.

[0021] The groove can be provided so that its shape as seen when facing the inner wall surface of the side wall portion from the front is curved.

[0022] The grooves may be provided in a lattice shape when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface of the side wall portion.

[0023] The cell block assembly may further include end plates disposed on front and rear surfaces of the cell block assembly, and a top plate disposed on a top surface of the cell block assembly. Effect of the Invention

[0024] The battery module according to the present invention includes a cell block assembly which is a combination of a number of cells, a frame which surrounds the underside and side surfaces of the cell block assembly, and a cooling plate which is joined to the underside of the frame below the frame. The frame includes a bottom which surrounds the underside of the cell block assembly and a side wall which surrounds the side surfaces of the cell block assembly. A recessed groove is formed in the side wall, thereby allowing the cell block assembly to be easily inserted into the frame and preventing breakage of welds of parts such as the cooling plate during the insertion and assembly process of the cell block assembly, thereby preventing defects in the battery module. As a result, a battery module with an extremely excellent concept can be realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a frame portion in a conventional battery module. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the insertion of a cell block assembly into the frame of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the insertion of a cell block assembly into the frame shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 5(a) is a partial perspective view of the battery module shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the dotted line portion indicated by H in FIG. 5(a). [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a battery module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a battery module according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments.

[0027] In order to clearly explain the present invention, detailed descriptions of parts that are not relevant to the description or related known technologies that may obscure the gist of the present invention have been omitted, and when referring to components in each drawing in this specification, the same or similar reference symbols will be used for the same or similar components throughout the specification.

[0028] Furthermore, the terms and words used in this specification and the claims should not be interpreted in a limited manner to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention, based on the principle that the inventors can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe their invention.

[0029] EMBODIMENT 1 Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a battery module according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the insertion of a cell block assembly into the frame shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5(a) is a partial perspective view of the battery module shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the dotted line portion indicated by H in Fig. 5(a).

[0030] 3 to 5, the battery module according to embodiment 1 of the present invention may include a cell block assembly 110, a frame 120, a top plate (not shown), an end plate (not shown), and a cooling plate 130.

[0031] The cell block assembly 110 may be a combination of a plurality of battery cells. Specifically, the cell block assembly 110 may be a cell assembly formed by stacking a predetermined number of battery cells manufactured as pouch-type secondary batteries.

[0032] The frame 120 may be a structure that surrounds the bottom and sides of the cell block assembly 110. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the frame 120 has a shape that extends along the length direction L of the cell block assembly 110 (the cell block assembly 110 is not shown in Fig. 5), and the cross section may be formed to have a U-shape.

[0033] Here, the frame 120 may specifically include a bottom portion 121 that surrounds the lower surface of the cell block assembly 110 and a side wall portion 122 that surrounds the side surface of the cell block assembly 110 .

[0034] Meanwhile, the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a top plate (not shown) and an end plate (not shown) to realize a battery module that is closed on all sides. The end plates may be disposed on the front and rear surfaces of the cell block assembly 110, respectively. Also, the top plate may be disposed on the upper surface of the cell block assembly 110.

[0035] Specifically, a top plate may be connected to the open upper side of the frame 120 by brazing. Also, end plates may be connected to the front and rear of the frame 120 by welding, respectively, to form a rectangular parallelepiped battery module. In this case, power discharged from the cell block assembly may be output to the outside of the end plate.

[0036] The cooling plate 130 may be coupled to the lower surface of the frame 120 below the frame 120. Specifically, the cooling plate 130 may be coupled to the lower surface of the bottom 121 of the frame 120. The manner in which the cooling plate 130 is coupled to the lower surface of the bottom 121 of the frame 120 may be by welding, and in particular, by brazing. A cooling flow path is formed in the cooling plate 130, and a refrigerant can circulate to cool the cell block assembly 110 and the frame 120.

[0037] 3 and 5, in the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a recessed groove 140 may be formed in the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120. As shown in FIG.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, the cell block assembly 110 can be inserted from above in a downward direction D' into the frame 120 shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, in order to insert the cell block assembly 110 into the frame 120, the side walls 122 of the frame 120 are opened on both sides B, B', and the cell block assembly 110 can be inserted while moving in the downward direction D.

[0039] In the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the groove 140 is formed in the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120, the shape of the bottom portion 121 can be prevented from bending or deforming in the process of opening the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 to both sides B, B'. In the portion of the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 where the groove 140 is located, plastic deformation may occur in the process of opening the side wall portion 122 to both sides B, B'. In this case, the process of inserting the cell block assembly 110 into the frame 120 may be significantly facilitated.

[0040] Furthermore, because plastic deformation occurs in the portion of the side wall portion 122 where the groove 140 is located, no force that deforms the bottom portion 121 is generated in the process of opening the side wall portion 122 to both sides B, B'. In the battery module according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, the cell block assembly 110 can be inserted into the frame 120 without bending or deforming the bottom portion 121, so that breakage of the welded portion W' of the cooling plate 130 can be prevented during the insertion and assembly process of the cell block assembly 110. Furthermore, if breakage of the welded portions of parts such as the cooling plate 130 can be prevented in this manner, defects in the battery module can be prevented, thereby realizing a product with a significantly superior concept.

[0041] In the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the groove 140 formed in the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 may be formed on the inner wall surface 123 of the side wall portion 122. When the groove 140 is formed on the inner wall surface 123 of the side wall portion 122, it may be advantageous to increase the angle opened to both sides B, B' if the groove 140 has the same size and depth. Also, if the groove 140 is formed on the outer wall surface, there is a possibility that the side wall portion 122 itself may break, so it may be advantageous to form the groove 140 on the inner wall surface in order to induce safer plastic deformation.

[0042] Also, the groove 140 may be formed by pressing, for example, and may be formed in an imprinted shape by pressing. In this case, the groove 140 may be formed on the inner wall surface 123 of the side wall 122, and may have a V-shaped cross section. The thickness of the side wall 122 of the frame 120 may be adjusted as necessary in the portion where the groove 140 is formed through the V-shape. The thickness of the side wall 122 may be gradually reduced toward the center of the groove 140, and the thickness of the thinnest portion may be set to an appropriate value that prevents breakage of the side wall 122 of the frame 120 during plastic deformation.

[0043] Also, in the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the groove 140 formed in the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 may be formed at the lower end of the side wall portion 122. When the groove 140 is formed at the lower end of the side wall portion 122, the size of the opening of the frame 120 may be further increased on both sides in the process of opening the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 to both sides B, B'. That is, referring to FIG. 4, the opening of the frame 120 is opened while the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 is bent outward from the portion where the groove 140 is formed, and the maximum width of the opening of the frame 120 opened with respect to the bending angle may be further increased as the groove 140 is formed closer to the lower end of the side wall portion 122.

[0044] Referring to Fig. 5(a), the groove 140 may be formed along the length direction L of the cell block assembly 110. Referring to the portion indicated by the dotted line H in Fig. 5(a), the groove 140 may be formed along the length direction L of the cell block assembly 110 and connected from the front end to the rear end of the frame 120. When the groove 140 is formed to connect from the front end to the rear end of the frame 120 in this manner, when the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 deforms outwardly from the portion where the groove 140 is located, it is possible to plastically deform outwardly without any part being omitted along the length direction L. In this manner, smooth deformation is possible without any portion being forcibly deformed.

[0045] 5(a), the groove 140 may be provided in the form of a straight line when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface 123 of the side wall portion 122. When formed in this manner, the side wall portion 122 of the frame 120 can be deformed uniformly from the front side to the rear side of the frame 120 at the same time, allowing a uniform product to be manufactured.

[0046] EMBODIMENT 2 FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a battery module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the grooves are formed in a curved shape.

[0048] The second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences and omitting as much of the content common to the first embodiment as possible. In other words, when content not explained in the second embodiment is necessary, it is self-evident that it can be supplemented by the content of the first embodiment.

[0049] 6, in the battery module according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the groove 240 may be provided in a curved shape when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface of the side wall portion 222 of the frame 220. That is, the shape of the groove 240 when viewed in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 6 may be a curved shape. For example, the curve may have a partial or complete U-shape.

[0050] The groove 240 can be formed to have a curved shape because the process of forming the groove 240 is by pressing. If the method of forming the groove 240 were an extrusion method, it may be impossible to form the groove 240 in such a curved shape. Forming the groove 240 in a curved shape may be advantageous when realizing different degrees of opening along the longitudinal direction J of the frame 220.

[0051] EMBODIMENT 3 FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a battery module according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] The third embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the grooves are formed in the form of a lattice.

[0053] The third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences and omitting as much as possible the contents common to the first and second embodiments. In other words, when contents not explained in the third embodiment are necessary, it is obvious that they can be supplemented by the contents of the first and second embodiments.

[0054] 7, in the battery module according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the groove 340 may be provided in a lattice shape when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface of the side wall portion 322 of the frame 320. That is, the shape of the groove 340 when viewed in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 7 may be in the form of a lattice. For example, the lattice may have a shape like a part of a checkerboard. The lattice-shaped groove 340 may be formed in the lower part of the side wall portion 322.

[0055] Forming the groove 340 in a lattice shape is possible because the process of forming the groove 340 is by pressing. If the method of forming the groove 340 is an extrusion method, it may be impossible to form the groove 340 in such a lattice shape. Forming the groove 340 in a lattice shape may be an advantageous form when the degree of deformation of the side wall portion 322 of the frame 320 is to be different depending on the height direction of the side wall portion 322 of the frame 320.

[0056] The present invention has been described above using limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various implementations are possible within the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims described below by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 110 Cell Block Assembly 120, 220, 320 frames 121, 221, 321 bottom 122, 222, 322 Side wall 123 Inner surface of side wall 130 Cooling Plate 140, 240, 340 groove W, W' welded section

Claims

1. a cell block assembly which is a combination of a plurality of cells; a frame surrounding a bottom surface and a side surface of the cell block assembly; a top plate disposed on an upper surface of the cell block assembly; end plates disposed on the front and rear surfaces of the cell block assembly; a cooling plate coupled to a lower surface of the frame below the frame, The frame is a bottom portion surrounding a lower surface of the cell block assembly and a side wall portion surrounding a side surface of the cell block assembly; The battery module, wherein the side wall portion has a recessed groove formed therein.

2. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling plate is joined to the lower surface of the frame by brazing.

3. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the groove is formed at a lower end of the side wall portion.

4. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the groove has a V-shaped cross section.

5. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the groove is formed on an inner wall surface of the side wall portion.

6. The battery module according to claim 5 , wherein the groove is formed along a length direction L of the cell block assembly.

7. The battery module according to claim 5 , wherein the groove is formed by pressing.

8. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the groove is provided in a linear shape when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface of the side wall portion.

9. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the groove has a curved shape when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface of the side wall portion.

10. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the grooves are provided in a lattice shape when viewed from the front of the inner wall surface of the side wall portion.

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