Secondary battery with improved terminal structure

Abstract

The disclosed invention relates to a secondary battery including a positive terminal and a negative terminal arranged spaced apart from each other on an upper surface of a battery case, and a terminal structure including a terminal body and an extension terminal, wherein the terminal structure is coupled to the upper surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces continuing from the upper surface while enclosing at least one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal so as not to expose them, and the extension terminal is electrically connected to the positive terminal or the negative terminal while being exposed on at least one surface of the terminal body excluding the upper surface.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a secondary battery having a terminal structure that allows the arrangement of the positive electrode terminal and / or negative electrode terminal to be easily changed.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0017171, filed on February 9, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries are rechargeable and have the potential to be small and have large capacities, so they have been the subject of much research and development in recent years. Demand for secondary batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing due to the increasing technological development and demand for mobile devices, as well as the emergence of electric vehicles and energy storage systems in response to modern demands for environmental protection.

[0004] Secondary batteries are classified into coin-type batteries, cylindrical batteries, prismatic batteries, and pouch-type batteries depending on the shape of the battery case. The electrode assembly installed inside the battery case of a secondary battery is a power generating element that can be charged and discharged and is made up of a laminated structure of electrodes and a separator.

[0005] Electrode assemblies can be broadly classified into a jellyroll type in which a sheet-like positive electrode and negative electrode coated with an active material are wound up with a separator interposed between them; a stack type in which multiple positive electrodes and negative electrodes are stacked in sequence with a separator interposed between them; and a stack and folding type in which stack type unit cells are wound up with a long separator film.

[0006] Among various types of secondary batteries, most prismatic secondary batteries have positive and negative terminals arranged together on one side or one on each of the opposing sides. The arrangement of the positive and negative terminals is determined by the design specifications of various devices in which the prismatic secondary battery is installed. Even for the same form factor, the arrangement of the positive and negative terminals must be designed separately to meet the design specifications, which is time-consuming and results in additional costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0102816 (Published September 4, 2019) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a new prismatic secondary battery in which the arrangement of positive and negative electrode terminals provided in the prismatic secondary battery can be easily modified and manufactured without a separate design change. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention relates to a secondary battery including a positive terminal and a negative terminal spaced apart from each other on the upper surface of a battery case, and a terminal structure including a terminal body and an extension terminal, wherein the terminal structure is attached to the upper surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces continuing from the upper surface while enclosing at least one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal so as not to expose them, and the extension terminal is electrically connected to the positive terminal or the negative terminal and is exposed on at least one surface of the terminal body excluding the upper surface.

[0010] In one embodiment, the battery case may be a hexahedral battery case.

[0011] The secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes an extension wire electrically connecting the extension terminal to the positive terminal or the negative terminal, and the extension wire is covered by the terminal body.

[0012] For example, the terminal body is made of an insulating resin material, and the positive terminal or the negative terminal is not activated by the terminal body.

[0013] In one embodiment, the terminal body is coupled to an upper surface of the battery case and at least one side surface continuing from the upper surface, and the extension terminal is exposed on at least one side surface continuing from the upper surface.

[0014] Here, the terminal structures may be coupled to the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal, respectively.

[0015] As a result, the extension terminal of the terminal structure coupled to the positive electrode terminal is located on the first surface, and the extension terminal of the terminal structure coupled to the negative electrode terminal is located on the second surface.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first and second surfaces may be different surfaces.

[0017] For example, the first and second surfaces may be adjacent to each other, or the first and second surfaces may be opposed to each other.

[0018] In another embodiment, the first and second surfaces may lie on a common plane.

[0019] For example, the first surface may be separated from the second surface along a vertical direction on the common plane, or the first surface may be separated from the second surface along a horizontal direction on the common plane.

[0020] Meanwhile, the secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a vent provided on one surface of the battery case, and the extension terminal may be located on a surface other than the surface including the vent.

[0021] For example, the venting portion may be located on the top surface of the battery case between the positive and negative terminals.

[0022] In the secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal structure may be separable from the battery case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] In the secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the arrangement of the positive and / or negative terminals can be easily changed by attaching the terminal structure to the corners of the upper surface of the secondary battery. This allows for flexible control of the terminal position without affecting the existing internal cell manufacturing process, thereby reducing the development and production costs of prismatic secondary batteries.

[0024] Furthermore, since the terminal position can be freely controlled, it not only reduces the development and production costs of the cell, but also provides greater flexibility in the manufacture of modules / packs.

[0025] Furthermore, if the venting portion is disposed on the same surface as the positive and negative terminals, the gas and flames emitted when the venting portion bursts may damage not only the positive and negative terminals but also the surrounding secondary battery and electrical mechanisms. A secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention can separate the positive and negative terminals from the venting portion using a terminal structure, thereby ensuring high safety without the need for a separate gas exhaust guide or barrier.

[0026] However, the technical effects that can be obtained by the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention described below, serve to further understand the technical concept of the present invention, so the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited only to the matters depicted in such drawings. [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a connection structure between a secondary battery and a terminal structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a secondary battery according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a view illustrating another embodiment of a secondary battery according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Because the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be described in detail below.

[0029] However, this is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described in the specification, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0030] In the present invention, the terms "comprise" and "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the presence or possibility of addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0031] Furthermore, in the present invention, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other portion is described as being "on" another portion, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on" the other portion, but also the case where there is another portion therebetween. Conversely, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other portion is described as being "under" the other portion, this includes not only the case where it is "directly under" the other portion, but also the case where there is another portion therebetween. Furthermore, in this application, being "located on" can include not only the case where it is located at the top, but also the case where it is located at the bottom.

[0032] In a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention, the positions of a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal spaced apart from each other on an upper surface of a battery case can be freely changed according to user requirements by simply applying a terminal structure without any additional design changes, thereby reducing the production cost of prismatic secondary batteries.

[0033] A secondary battery according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a positive terminal and a negative terminal spaced apart from each other on an upper surface of a battery case, and a terminal structure including a terminal body and an extension terminal. The terminal structure is attached to the upper surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces adjacent to the upper surface while enclosing at least one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal so as not to expose them, and the extension terminal is electrically connected to the positive terminal or the negative terminal and is exposed on at least one surface of the terminal body excluding the upper surface.

[0034] Hereinafter, a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a secondary battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling structure between the secondary battery 100 and a terminal structure 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] 1 and 2, the present invention relates to a secondary battery 100, particularly a prismatic secondary battery 100 in which a positive terminal 120 and a negative terminal 130 are spaced apart from each other on the top surface of a hexahedral battery case 110. The prismatic secondary battery 100 shown in the drawings is merely an example, and the ratio of width, length, and height may vary. However, for ease of explanation, the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right directions are referred to based on the accompanying drawings. For example, the surface on which the positive terminal 120 and negative terminal 130 are arranged is referred to as the top surface, and the opposite surface is referred to as the bottom surface.

[0037] The secondary battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a terminal structure 200. The terminal structure 200 is a hinge-shaped structure coupled to at least one upper corner of the battery case 110, and includes a terminal body 210 and an extension terminal 220.

[0038] The terminal body 210 refers to the main body of the terminal structure 200 that is coupled to the top surface of the battery case 110 and one or more surfaces (such as the side, front, or rear surface) adjacent to the top surface while enclosing the positive terminal 120 or the negative terminal 130 so that they are not exposed. Although the drawings show an example in which the terminal structure 200 is coupled to both sides of the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130, depending on the embodiment, the terminal structure 200 may be coupled to only one of the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130.

[0039] The extension terminal 220 is electrically connected to the positive terminal 120 or the negative terminal 130, and is a connection terminal exposed on one side of the terminal body 210 except for the top side. That is, since the positive terminal 120 or the negative terminal 130 is enclosed by the terminal body 210 and not exposed, the extension terminal 220 functions as a new positive terminal 120 or negative terminal 130 located on the other side other than the top side.

[0040] As described above, the secondary battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention including the terminal structure 200 can freely change the positions of the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130 arranged on the upper surface of the battery case 110 according to user requirements without any additional design changes, simply by applying the terminal structure 200. As a result, the present invention can easily change the positions of the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130 for a prismatic secondary battery 100 of the same form factor by using the terminal structure 200, thereby reducing the production cost of the secondary battery 100.

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, the positive electrode terminal 120 or the negative electrode terminal 130 and the extension terminal 220 are electrically connected via the extension wire 230, which is not exposed to the outside of the terminal body 210. The extension wire 230 is insulated from the outside. For example, the extension wire 230 and the extension terminal 220 may be embedded in the terminal body 210 made of an insulating resin material by insert molding, etc. This prevents problems such as damage to the extension wire 230 or short circuits caused by only the extension terminal 220 being exposed to the outside. For reference, the extension wire 230 and the extension terminal 220 may be configured as an integrated unit or may be configured as separate components and coupled to the terminal body 210.

[0042] According to the illustrated embodiment, the terminal body 210 is coupled to the top surface of the battery case 110 and one side surface thereof, and the extension terminal 220 is exposed on the one side surface. As a result, the position of the positive terminal 120 or the negative terminal 130, which was located on the top surface of the battery case 110, has been moved to the side surface.

[0043] Furthermore, the terminal structures 200 can be coupled to the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130, respectively, so that the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130 are disposed on opposing sides. That is, the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130, which were disposed together on the upper surface of the battery case 110, are moved to adjacent sides, thereby converting the initial prismatic secondary battery 100, which was designed as a unidirectional secondary battery 100, into a bidirectional secondary battery 100.

[0044] Meanwhile, although not shown, the extension terminals 220 of the terminal structure 200 coupled to the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130, respectively, may be positioned vertically differently. In other words, the extension terminals 220 on the left and right sides may be designed asymmetrically. As such, by applying the terminal structure 200 to the secondary battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement structure of the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130 can be changed in a wide variety of ways.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the terminal structure 200 can be additionally attached to the completed secondary battery 100, or it can be manufactured in various ways, such as by first attaching the terminal structure 200 to the electrode assembly 160 after bonding it to the cap plate 150 that forms the upper surface of the battery case 110 and then sealing it in the battery case 110.

[0046] In addition, although the illustrated embodiment is directed to a stack-type electrode assembly 160, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to a prismatic secondary battery 100 housing various types of electrode assemblies 160, such as a jelly-roll type electrode assembly.

[0047] (Second embodiment) 4 is a diagram illustrating a secondary battery 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment of FIG. 4 includes the same configuration as the first embodiment described above, and also includes a venting portion 140.

[0048] The venting portion 140 is configured to break to release gas when the internal pressure of the secondary battery 100 increases above a certain level, and corresponds to a safety device to prevent explosion of the secondary battery 100. For example, the venting portion 140 may be configured by forming a notch on the surface of the battery case 110 that is thinner than the surrounding thickness.

[0049] 4, a vent 140 is located on the upper surface of a battery case 110 where a positive electrode terminal 120 and a negative electrode terminal 130 are located, particularly between the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130. In this case, if the vent 140 is broken and the internal gas is released, the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130 are susceptible to damage such as corrosion and fire.

[0050] The terminal structure 200 provided in one embodiment of the present invention also contributes to preventing damage to the electrode terminals due to gas ejection and flame propagation by separating the positive electrode terminal 120 and the negative electrode terminal 130 from the venting portion 140, i.e., by arranging them on different sides.

[0051] According to the illustrated embodiment, the vent 140 is provided on one surface, for example, the top surface, of the battery case 110, and the extension terminal 220 on the terminal structure 200 is provided on another surface, for example, a side surface, other than the surface on which the vent 140 is provided. In other words, the terminal structure 200 physically separates the vent 140 and the electrode terminal, thereby improving the safety of the secondary battery 100 and enabling the battery to quickly and actively respond to various user demands.

[0052] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, etc. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments in this specification are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The present invention is suitable for rechargeable secondary batteries. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 100: Secondary battery 110: Battery case 120: Positive terminal 130: Negative terminal 140: Venting section 150: Cap plate 160: Electrode assembly 200: Terminal structure 210: Terminal body 220: Extension terminal 230: Extension wiring

Claims

1. a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal spaced apart from each other and disposed on the top surface of the battery case; a terminal structure including a terminal body and an extension terminal; Including, The terminal structure includes: At least one of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal is wrapped so as not to be exposed and is coupled to an upper surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces following the upper surface, and the extension terminal is exposed from at least one surface of the terminal body excluding the upper surface while being electrically connected to the positive electrode terminal or the negative electrode terminal; The terminal body is coupled to an upper surface of the battery case and at least one side surface continuing from the upper surface.

2. The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the battery case is a hexahedral battery case.

3. The battery further includes an extension wire electrically connecting the extension terminal to the positive terminal or the negative terminal, The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the extension wire is covered by the terminal body.

4. The terminal body is made of an insulating resin material, The secondary battery according to claim 3 , wherein the positive terminal or the negative terminal is not actuated by the terminal body.

5. A secondary battery as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the extension terminal is exposed on at least one side surface continuing from the top surface of the battery case.

6. The secondary battery according to claim 5 , wherein the terminal structures are coupled to the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal, respectively.

7. The extension terminal of the terminal structure coupled to the positive electrode terminal is located on the first surface, The secondary battery according to claim 6 , wherein the extension terminal of the terminal structure coupled to the negative electrode terminal is located on the second surface.

8. The secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are different surfaces.

9. The secondary battery according to claim 8 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are adjacent to each other.

10. The secondary battery according to claim 8 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are surfaces facing each other.

11. The secondary battery according to claim 7 , wherein the first surface and the second surface are located on a common plane.

12. The secondary battery according to claim 11 , wherein the first surface is separated from the second surface along a vertical direction on the common plane.

13. The secondary battery according to claim 11 , wherein the first surface is separated from the second surface along a horizontal direction on the common plane.

14. The battery case further includes a vent provided on one surface thereof, The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the extension terminal is located on a surface other than the surface including the venting portion.

15. The secondary battery according to claim 14 , wherein the venting portion is located on the upper surface of the battery case between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal.

16. The secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal structure is separable from the battery case.

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