Battery Pack Management System

Abstract

A battery pack management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing in which a battery pack is accommodated, a hinge portion formed in the housing, and a charging connector portion connected to the hinge portion by a wire, and when the battery pack is inserted through an entrance portion of the housing, if the battery pack is larger than a certain size, the hinge portion moves the charging connector portion.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0187420, filed on December 24, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery pack management system, and more particularly to a battery pack management system capable of charging battery packs of various sizes. [Background technology]

[0003] In modern society, as the use of portable devices such as mobile phones, laptops, video cameras, and digital cameras has become commonplace, technological development in fields related to such mobile devices is becoming more active. In addition, rechargeable secondary batteries are used as the power source for electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs), etc., as a measure to solve problems such as air pollution caused by existing gasoline-powered vehicles that use fossil fuels, and so there is an increasing need for the development of secondary batteries.

[0004] Meanwhile, the need for secondary batteries for medium and large devices such as automobiles is increasing day by day, but the long charging time of large capacity batteries is preventing their widespread use. As a result, the market is showing increasing interest in the Battery Swapping System (BSS), a method in which users do not charge the battery themselves but visit a charging station to replace a pre-charged battery.

[0005] In order to provide a fully charged battery upon request from a user, the battery exchange system pre-charges the battery on the battery exchange system. However, since only one size of battery can be charged in the charging slot of a typical battery exchange system, in order to meet the demand for batteries of various sizes, several slots of different sizes must be provided in the battery exchange system. In this case, if the demand of users varies depending on the size, there is a problem that the usage amount between each slot differs and efficiency cannot be maximized.

[0006] Therefore, in order for battery exchange systems to become established, there is a need to provide a battery exchange system capable of charging batteries of different sizes. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack management system capable of charging battery packs of different sizes.

[0008] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems described above, and problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from this specification and the attached drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A battery pack management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing in which a battery pack is accommodated, a hinge portion formed in the housing, and a charging connector portion connected to the hinge portion by a wire, and when the battery pack is inserted through an entrance portion of the housing, if the battery pack is larger than a certain size, the hinge portion moves the charging connector portion.

[0010] The hinge portion is formed adjacent to a top portion of the housing.

[0011] The hinge portion is formed on an upper inner surface of the housing.

[0012] In the battery pack management system according to this embodiment, if the size of the battery pack is larger than the space between the lower part of the housing and the hinge part, the hinge part can move the charging connector.

[0013] In the battery pack management system according to this embodiment, the hinge pulls the wire, and the charging connector connected to the wire is lifted, so that the charging connector and the charging terminal of the battery pack are disposed to correspond to each other.

[0014] The hinge part may include a hinge rotation part that contacts the battery pack when the battery pack is inserted, and a hinge fixing part that is connected to the hinge rotation part and determines a maximum value of a rotation radius of the hinge rotation part.

[0015] The hinge part may further include a wire pulling plate connected to the wire and rotating together with the hinge rotating part, and a rail part along which one end of the wire pulling plate moves.

[0016] The wire drawing plate may include a sliding portion that moves along the rail portion.

[0017] The hinge portion moving the charging connector may be configured to move the wire pulling plate along the rail portion to lift the charging connector.

[0018] The rail portion is formed on the opposite side of the charging connector, and the wire pulling plate moves along the rail portion in a direction away from the charging connector, thereby moving the wire, and the position of the charging connector can be deformed by the wire.

[0019] In a battery pack management system according to another embodiment of the present invention, the rail portion is formed adjacent to an upper portion of the housing, and the rail portion is fixed onto the housing by a fixing portion.

[0020] The battery pack management system according to this embodiment can include a battery exchange system. Effect of the Invention

[0021] The battery pack management system according to an embodiment of the present invention can charge all battery packs of different sizes and provide users with fully charged battery packs of various sizes, thereby maximizing space efficiency and user convenience.

[0022] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a first battery pack is accommodated in a battery pack management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along the line AA' in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hinge portion of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a second battery pack is accommodated in a battery pack management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along line BB' in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a hinge portion of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a battery pack management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, in order to enable those skilled in the art to easily practice the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0025] In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts that are not necessary for the explanation will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout the specification to refer to the same or similar components.

[0026] In addition, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings. In the drawings, thicknesses are enlarged to clearly express various layers and regions. In the drawings, thicknesses of some layers and regions are exaggerated for convenience of explanation.

[0027] In addition, when a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is said to be "on" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Conversely, when a part is said to be "directly on" another part, it means that there is no other part in between. Furthermore, being "on" a reference part means being located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily mean being located "on" the opposite direction of gravity.

[0028] In addition, throughout the specification, when a part "comprises" a certain element, this means that it can further include other elements, not excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0029] Furthermore, throughout the specification, a reference to "in a plane" means that the part is viewed from above, and a reference to "in cross section" means that the part is viewed from the side through a vertical cut.

[0030] The terms "first" and "second" used in this application are used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

[0031] A battery pack management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0032] The battery pack management system according to the embodiment is configured to charge a plurality of battery cells (e.g., lithium ion secondary battery cells) included in a battery pack and supply it to a consumer. If a user of an electric vehicle needs to replace the battery pack, the battery pack management system is configured as a so-called battery swapping system (Battery Swapping System or Battery Swapping Station, BSS) that can separate a worn-out battery pack from the electric vehicle and provide a battery pack including pre-charged battery cells. Of course, the battery pack management system of the present invention is not limited to a battery swapping system.

[0033] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a first battery pack is accommodated in a battery pack management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along the line A-A' in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a hinge portion in Fig. 1.

[0034] 1 to 3, a battery pack management system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 20 in which a battery pack 10 is accommodated, a hinge portion 30 formed in the housing 20, and a charging connection portion 50 connected to the hinge portion 30 by a wire 40.

[0035] The battery pack 10 is formed to include a plurality of battery cells. The battery pack 10 may include a charging terminal unit 15 connected to a charging connector 50 of the battery pack management system 1.

[0036] 1 to 3 are views showing a first operating state in which a first battery pack 11 is accommodated in the battery pack management system 1. Referring to Fig. 1, it can be seen that the hinge unit 30 of the battery pack management system 1 does not rotate when viewed from the direction in which the entrance unit 21 of the housing 20 is formed. In the first operating state, the size of the first battery pack 11 is smaller than the size of the space between the lower part of the housing 20 and the hinge unit 30, so that the charging terminal unit 15 of the first battery pack 11 can be aligned with the charging connector 50 even without the movement of the charging connector 50 due to the hinge unit 30.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a second battery pack is accommodated in a battery pack management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along line B-B' in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a hinge portion in Fig. 5.

[0038] 4 to 6 are diagrams showing a second operating state in which the second battery pack 12 is accommodated in the battery pack management system 1. Referring to Fig. 4, it can be seen that the hinge unit 30 of the battery pack management system 1 viewed from the direction in which the entrance portion 21 of the housing 20 is formed is rotated to reduce the size of the hinge unit 30. In particular, referring to Figs. 4 to 6, in the second operating state, the size of the second battery pack 12 is larger than the size of the space between the lower portion of the housing 20 and the hinge unit 30, and therefore the movement of the charging connector 50 by the hinge unit 30 allows the charging terminal unit 15 of the second battery pack 110 to coincide with the charging connector 50.

[0039] Therefore, in the battery pack management system 1 according to this embodiment, when the battery pack 10 is inserted through the entrance 21 of the housing 20, if the battery pack 10 is equal to or larger than a certain size, the hinge unit 30 may move the charging connector 50. In addition, the certain size may refer to the size of the space between the lower part of the housing 20 and the hinge unit 30, or when a battery pack 10 larger than the certain size, for example, the second battery pack 12, is inserted into the battery pack management system 1, the hinge unit 30 may move the charging connector 50.

[0040] Meanwhile, the hinge unit 30 included in the battery pack management system 1 according to this embodiment is formed adjacent to the upper part of the housing 20. As an example, the hinge unit 30 is formed on the inner side of the upper part of the housing 20 so as to be adjacent to the inlet part 21 of the housing 20 into which the battery pack 10 is inserted. Therefore, the battery pack 10 and the hinge unit 30 can come into contact with each other inside the housing 20 when the battery pack 10 is inserted, and the hinge unit 30 can move due to the contact.

[0041] In this case, the hinge unit 30 may include a hinge rotation unit 31 that contacts the battery pack 10 when the battery pack 10 is inserted, and a hinge fixing unit 33 that is connected to the hinge rotation unit 31 and determines the maximum value of the rotation radius of the hinge rotation unit 31.

[0042] In addition, the hinge unit 30 may further include a wire pulling plate 35 connected to the wire 40 and rotating together with the hinge rotating unit 31, and a rail unit 37 along which one end of the wire pulling plate 35 moves.

[0043] At this time, a sliding portion 35s is formed at the one end of the wire drawing plate 35, and the wire drawing plate 35 can be moved by the sliding portion 35s moving along the rail portion 37. Therefore, the sliding portion 35s is formed to include a wheel member, but is not limited thereto.

[0044] The second operating state of the battery pack management system 1, in which the second battery pack 12 is inserted into the housing 20, will now be described in more detail.

[0045] 5, when the second battery pack 12 is inserted into the housing 20, the hinge unit 30 pulls the wire 40, and the charging connector 50 connected to the wire 40 is lifted. Therefore, the charging connector 50 is lifted to correspond to the position of the charging terminal 15 of the second battery pack 12, whose charging terminal 15 is located above the first battery pack 11. As a result, the charging connector 50 and the charging terminal 15 of the second battery pack 12 are disposed to correspond to each other.

[0046] 6, in the second operating state, the hinge rotation part 31 of the hinge unit 30 can rotate toward the upper side of the housing 20 due to the insertion of the second battery pack 12. At this time, the maximum rotation radius of the hinge rotation part 31 can be determined by the hinge fixing part 33. Thus, the hinge rotation part 31 can rotate up to a radius where one surface of the hinge rotation part 31 contacts the hinge fixing part 33. Thus, the rotation radius of the hinge rotation part 31 is adjusted by the hinge fixing part 33, and the hinge rotation part 31 can be prevented from rotating more than necessary.

[0047] At this time, the hinge rotating part 31 can be connected to the wire pulling plate 35. Also, one end of the wire pulling plate 35 can move along the rail part 37. That is, the wire pulling plate 35 rotates together with the hinge rotating part 31, and one end of the wire pulling plate 35 can move along the rail part 37. Furthermore, one end of the wire pulling plate 35 can move along the rail part 37 to pull the wire 40. At this time, since a sliding part 35s can be formed at one end of the wire pulling plate 35, the sliding part 35s of the wire pulling plate 35 can move along the rail part 37 to pull the wire 40.

[0048] The wire 40 is formed along the outer surface of the housing 20. At this time, the wire 40 is formed on the upper and side portions of the housing 20. A pulley 45 is formed on the outer surface of the housing 20, and the wire 40 extends to the upper and side portions of the housing 20 via the pulley 45 and is connected to the charging connector 50.

[0049] Therefore, when wire 40 is pulled by wire pulling plate 35, wire 40 moves smoothly via pulley 45, and charging connector 50 connected to wire 40 moves smoothly upward.

[0050] The rail portion 37 is formed on the opposite side of the charging connector 50. Therefore, the wire pulling plate 35 moves along the rail portion 37 in a direction away from the charging connector 50 to pull the wire 40, and the wire 40 can move so that the charging connector 50 is lifted upward. In this case, the direction away from the charging connector 50 means that the movement direction of the wire pulling plate 35 moving along the rail portion 37 is opposite to the direction toward the charging connector 50, and the rail portion 37 is formed on the opposite side of the charging connector 50. Therefore, since the charging connector 50 is connected to the wire 40, the position of the charging connector 50 is changed by the wire 40.

[0051] 7 is a diagram showing a battery pack management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG 7, the battery pack management system 3 according to this embodiment may further include a fixing part 39. The rail part 37 is formed adjacent to the upper part of the housing 20, but if it is formed spaced apart from the upper part of the housing 20, it is fixed on the housing 20 by the fixing part 39.

[0052] At this time, the fixing portion 39 is formed at the lower part of the rail portion 37 to fix the rail portion 37 on the housing 20. Also, a single or multiple fixing portions 39 are formed to fix the rail portion 37, and referring to Fig. 7, multiple fixing portions 39 are formed at the lower end of the rail portion 37. The multiple fixing portions 39 fix the rail portion 37 on the housing 20, thereby enabling the sliding portion 35s of the wire drawing plate 35 to stably move along the rail portion 37.

[0053] In the battery pack management systems 1 and 3 according to the present embodiment, the hinge unit 30 moves and the wire 40 moves to raise the charging connector 50 according to the size of the battery pack 10 inserted into the housing 20, thereby enabling smooth charging of battery packs 10 of different sizes having charging terminal units 15 formed at different positions. Therefore, battery packs of different sizes can all be charged, and fully charged battery packs of various sizes can be provided to users, thereby maximizing space efficiency and user convenience.

[0054] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. However, such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical ideas and perspectives of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1: Battery pack management system 10: Battery pack 11: First battery pack 12: Second battery pack 20: Housing 21: Entrance 30: Hinge part 31: Hinge rotation part 33: Hinge fixing part 35: Wire-drawn plate 37: Rail section 39: Fixed part 40: Wire 50: Charging connection part

Claims

1. 1. A battery pack management system comprising: a housing in which a battery pack is accommodated; a hinge portion formed in the housing; and a charging connector portion connected to the hinge portion by a wire, wherein when the battery pack is inserted into the housing through an entrance portion of the housing, if a size of the battery pack is larger than a size of a space between a lower portion of the housing and the hinge portion, the insertion of the battery pack moves the charging connector portion through movement of the wire due to rotation of the hinge portion toward an upper portion of the housing.

2. 2. The battery pack management system of claim 1, wherein the hinge portion is formed on an upper portion of the housing adjacent to the entrance portion of the housing such that when the battery pack is inserted into the interior of the housing, the battery pack can contact the hinge portion inside the housing.

3. The battery pack management system according to claim 2 , wherein the hinge portion is formed on an upper inner surface of the housing.

4. A battery pack management system as described in claim 1, wherein when the battery pack is inserted into the interior of the housing, the rotation of the hinge portion pulls the wire, lifting a charging connection portion connected to the wire, and positioning the charging connection portion and a charging terminal portion of the battery pack so that they correspond to each other.

5. 5. The battery pack management system according to claim 1, wherein the hinge portion includes: a hinge fixing portion provided on an upper inner surface of the housing; and a hinge rotation portion rotatably provided relative to the hinge fixing portion and contacting the battery pack when the battery pack is inserted, and the hinge fixing portion determines a maximum value of a rotation radius of the hinge rotation portion.

6. 6. The battery pack management system of claim 5, further comprising: a wire pulling plate having one end connected to the wire and another end connectable to the hinge rotating portion so as to rotate together with the hinge rotating portion; and a rail portion along which the one end of the wire pulling plate moves when the wire pulling plate rotates together with the hinge rotating portion.

7. The battery pack management system according to claim 6 , wherein the one end of the wire drawing plate includes a sliding portion that moves along the rail portion.

8. 7. The battery pack management system of claim 6, wherein the hinge portion moves the one end of the wire-pulling plate along the rail portion in a direction away from the charging connector, and the movement of the one end of the wire-pulling plate in the direction away from the charging connector lifts the charging connector via the wire connected to the one end of the wire-pulling plate.

9. 7. The battery pack management system of claim 6, wherein the rail portion is formed on an upper outer surface or an upper portion of the housing on an opposite side to the charging connection portion, and movement of the one end of the wire-pulling plate along the rail portion in a direction away from the charging connection portion moves the wire coupled to the one end of the wire-pulling plate, and the movement of the wire changes a position of the charging connection portion relative to a charging terminal portion of the battery pack.

10. 7. The battery pack management system of claim 6, wherein the rail portion is formed on an outer surface or an upper portion of the housing adjacent to an upper portion of the housing on an opposite side to the charging connection portion, and the rail portion is fixed on the housing by a fixing portion.

11. The battery pack management system according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is capable of accommodating battery packs of different sizes.

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