Battery module and battery pack including same

Abstract

The present invention includes a battery module and a battery pack including the same. A battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a bottom plate, a cell frame located on the bottom plate, a plurality of battery cells mounted on the cell frame, and an adhesive layer located between the bottom plate and the plurality of battery cells, and the cell frame is optically transparent.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same, and more particularly to a battery module with reduced processing time and a battery pack including the same. [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0156325 dated November 15, 2021 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0145759 dated November 4, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] With technological development and increasing demand for mobile devices, the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing. As a result, much research is being conducted on secondary batteries that can meet various requirements.

[0003] Secondary batteries have attracted much attention as energy sources for power plants such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, as well as for mobile devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and laptop computers.

[0004] Lithium secondary batteries, which are widely used among secondary batteries, are classified according to the shape of their exterior packaging into can-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a metal can, and pouch-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet.

[0005] Among these, can-type secondary batteries may have a cylindrical metal can that houses an electrode assembly. Such can-type secondary batteries may be provided with a housing that houses a plurality of secondary batteries, thereby realizing a battery module. However, when a plurality of secondary batteries are housed in the interior space of the housing of a battery module without a fixing mechanism, the secondary batteries may easily move within the housing due to frequent impacts caused by shaking or dropping that occurs when a vehicle equipped with the battery module moves. This may result in problems such as damage to the secondary batteries or disconnection of the connections between the electrode terminals and the bus bars. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module and a battery pack including the same, which can be manufactured in a shorter time.

[0007] However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above problems, and can be variously expanded within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A battery module according to one aspect of the present invention includes a bottom plate, a cell frame positioned on the bottom plate, a plurality of battery cells mounted on the cell frame, and an adhesive layer positioned between the bottom plate and the plurality of battery cells, wherein the cell frame is optically transparent.

[0009] The adhesive layer is made of a photocurable resin.

[0010] The cell frame has a plurality of holes formed therein for receiving the battery cells.

[0011] The adhesive layer may be formed in the plurality of holes and in contact with at least one of the bottom plate and the bottom of the battery cell.

[0012] The cell frame is made of an injection-molded resin that generates total reflection inside the cell frame.

[0013] The resin may have a light transmittance of 90% or more.

[0014] The battery module may further include a diffuse reflection member formed on a portion of a surface of the cell frame.

[0015] The diffuse reflection member is formed on the boundary surface between the cell frame and the adhesive layer.

[0016] The light entering the cell frame passes through the diffuse reflection member and is emitted to the adhesive layer, thereby photo-curing the adhesive layer.

[0017] The adhesive layer may include a photo-curing initiator.

[0018] The bottom plate may be a cooling plate.

[0019] The battery cells may be cylindrical.

[0020] The bottom plate and the cell frame are integrally formed.

[0021] A plurality of optical paths are formed within the cell frame.

[0022] A battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the above-described battery module. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to one aspect of the present invention, the process time can be reduced by using a light-transmitting cell frame having a total reflection function and a photocurable resin as an adhesive.

[0024] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a battery module according to a comparative example. [Figure 2] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating a method for forming a battery module according to the comparative example of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cell frame shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 4A-4C illustrate a method of forming a battery module according to the embodiment of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing how the adhesive layer in FIG. 5 hardens. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a region P in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0027] 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.

[0028] In addition, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for the convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings. In the drawings, thicknesses are exaggerated to clearly show various layers and regions. In the drawings, thicknesses of some layers and regions are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation.

[0029] Furthermore, when a layer, film, region, plate, or other part 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" in the opposite direction of gravity.

[0030] Also, throughout the specification, when a part "comprises" a certain element, this means that it can further include other elements, not excluding other elements, unless otherwise specified.

[0031] Furthermore, throughout the specification, "in a plane" means a view of the subject matter as viewed from above, and "in cross section" means a view of the subject matter as viewed from the side across a vertical cross section.

[0032] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a battery module according to a comparative example, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a method of forming the battery module according to the comparative example of Fig. 1.

[0033] 1, a battery module 50 according to the comparative example includes a bottom plate 20, a cell frame 30 positioned on the bottom plate 20, and battery cells 10 mounted in a plurality of holes 30h formed in the cell frame 30. In this case, a fixing adhesive layer 40 may be formed inside the plurality of holes 30h to fix the battery cells 10 to the bottom plate 20.

[0034] 2, at least one battery module 50 is placed inside a chamber 60, and heat can be applied to the inside of the chamber 60 using a heater 70 or the like. An adhesive made of a thermosetting resin is applied to the holes 30h formed in the cell frame 30 shown in FIG. 1, and the adhesive is thermally cured to form the adhesive layer 40 shown in FIG. 1, and the battery cells 10 are fixed to the bottom plate 20 by the adhesive layer 40. However, it takes a long process time to proceed with the thermal curing in the chamber 60 and form the adhesive layer 40.

[0035] 3 is a diagram showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the cell frame shown in FIG.

[0036] 3, the battery module 100 according to this embodiment includes a bottom plate 120, a cell frame 130 positioned on the bottom plate 120, a plurality of battery cells 110 mounted on the cell frame 130, and an adhesive layer 140 positioned between the bottom plate 120 and the plurality of battery cells 110. In this case, the adhesive layer 140 may be in contact with at least one of the bottom plate 120 and the bottom of the battery cells 110.

[0037] The bottom plate 120 according to this embodiment may be a cooling plate for cooling the battery cells 110. However, the bottom plate 120 itself is not a cooling plate, but is used to support the cell frame 130 that houses the battery cells 110, and a separate heat sink may be formed below the bottom plate 120.

[0038] The cell frame 130 according to this embodiment may have optical transparency. The optical transparency of the cell frame 130 allows light generated from a light source to pass through the cell frame 130 in a manufacturing method of the battery module 100, which will be described later. The cell frame 130 may have a transparent property. Specifically, the cell frame 130 is preferably formed of a resin that generates total reflection inside the cell frame 130. In this case, the resin may have an optical transmittance of 90% or more. The resin may be an injection molding resin.

[0039] 3 and 4, the cell frame 130 has a plurality of holes 130h formed therein for mounting the battery cells 110. An adhesive layer 140 is formed in the plurality of holes 130h so as to be in contact with the bottom plate 120 and the cell frame 130, and the battery cells 110 are disposed on the adhesive layer 140.

[0040] The hole 130h formed in the cell frame 130 according to this embodiment may be cylindrical, and the battery cell 110 is preferably a cylindrical cell suitable for being mounted in the cylindrical hole 130h.

[0041] According to this embodiment, the adhesive layer 140 is made of a photo-curable resin. The photo-curable resin may be made of acrylic, silicone, epoxy, or the like, and preferably includes a photo-curable initiator. When the photo-curable resin constituting the adhesive layer is exposed to light, it is cured by the photo-curable initiator to form the adhesive layer 140. The adhesive layer 140 fixes the battery cell 110 to the cell frame 130 on the bottom plate 120.

[0042] 4, the cell frame 130 may include a portion having holes 130h into which the plurality of battery cells 110 are mounted, and a side frame 130s. However, without being limited thereto, the cell frame 130 may have a structure in which the portion having the holes 130h into which the plurality of battery cells 110 are mounted and the side frame 130s are integrally formed. The battery module 100 shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' in FIG.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method for forming a battery module according to the embodiment of Fig. 3. For ease of explanation and illustration, the battery module 100 disposed inside the chamber 160 in Fig. 5 only partially illustrates the state in which a plurality of battery cells 110 are mounted in a cell frame 130.

[0044] 3 and 5, at least one battery module 100 may be disposed inside a chamber 160. A light source unit 170 may be formed inside the chamber 160 to irradiate light onto the at least one battery module 100. The light source unit 170 is located below the upper end of the chamber 160 and irradiates light downward, allowing the light to reach the cell frame 130 of the battery module 100 disposed inside the chamber 160.

[0045] The light source unit 170 according to this embodiment can use an ultraviolet lamp or a halogen lamp.

[0046] An adhesive made of a photocurable resin is applied to the holes 130h formed in the cell frame 130, and the adhesive is photocured to form the adhesive layer 140 shown in Fig. 3, which fixes the battery cell 110 to the bottom plate 120. The process of forming the adhesive layer 140 by photocuring will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

[0047] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the state in which the adhesive layer in Fig. 5 is cured. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of region P in Fig. 6.

[0048] 5 to 7, when light generated from the light source unit 170 disposed inside the chamber 160 is irradiated toward the battery module 100, the light enters the light-transmitting cell frame 130. The light that enters the cell frame 130 may take various paths.

[0049] The battery cell 110 may be a can-type secondary battery, and the electrode assembly included in the battery cell 110 may be enclosed in a case made of a metal material. Light entering the inside of the cell frame 130 is totally reflected and is emitted to the outside of the cell frame 130 when it encounters the diffuse reflection member 190 (described later). Therefore, according to this embodiment, light entering the inside of the cell frame 130 can be emitted from a targeted portion.

[0050] According to this embodiment, the cell frame 130 is formed of a resin that generates total reflection inside the cell frame 130, thereby preventing light that has entered the cell frame 130 from escaping to the outside of the cell frame 130. In other words, after light enters the light-transmitting cell frame 130, it can be totally reflected inside the cell frame 130 so that it does not exit to the outside of the cell frame 130. Therefore, light that has entered the cell frame 130 is confined inside the cell frame 130, thereby improving light efficiency. The resin forming the cell frame 130 may have a higher refractive index than the medium outside the cell frame 130. For example, the resin forming the cell frame 130 may be PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) or PC (polycarbonate).

[0051] As described above, multiple light paths are formed inside the cell frame 130. In order for this light to form the adhesive layer 140, the light must be able to reach the adhesive, which is made of a thermosetting resin and is applied between the battery cell 110 and the bottom plate. To achieve this, according to this embodiment, a diffuse reflection member 190 is formed on a portion of the surface of the cell frame 130, as shown in FIG. 7. As an example of the diffuse reflection member 190, the diffuse reflection pattern 190 may be formed in various patterns that cause diffuse reflection, such as debossing or embossing. The diffuse reflection member 190 is formed at the interface between the cell frame 130 and the adhesive layer 140. Light that enters the cell frame 130 passes through the diffuse reflection pattern 190 and is emitted to the adhesive layer 140, allowing the adhesive layer 140 to be photo-cured.

[0052] In this embodiment, the diffuse reflection member 190 has been described as a diffuse reflection pattern, but is not limited to this, and the diffuse reflection member 190 may also include a case where particles are placed inside to cause diffuse reflection.

[0053] The plurality of optical paths formed inside the cell frame 130 may be generated by the light entering from the outside of the cell frame 130 being bent several times inside the cell frame 130 .

[0054] The cell frame 130 according to this embodiment can be formed by injection molding, and the diffuse reflection pattern 190 described above is simultaneously formed on the surface of the cell frame 130 during injection molding.

[0055] According to this embodiment, the diffuse reflection pattern 190 formed on the surface of the cell frame 130 can significantly reduce the curing time of the photo-curable resin for fixing the battery cell 110 to the bottom plate 120 .

[0056] Meanwhile, one or more battery modules according to an embodiment of the present invention may be packaged in a pack case to form a battery pack. The above-described battery module and a battery pack including the same may be applied to various devices. Such devices may be applied to transportation means such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may be applied to various devices that can use battery modules and battery packs including the same, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0057] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10: Battery cell 100: Battery module 120: Bottom plate 130: Cell Frame 130h: Hall 140: Adhesive layer 160: Chamber 170: Light source section 190: Diffuse reflection pattern

Claims

1. A bottom plate and a cell frame positioned on the bottom plate; a plurality of battery cells mounted in the cell frame; an adhesive layer positioned between the bottom plate and the plurality of battery cells; a diffused reflection member formed on a part of the surface of the cell frame; Including, the cell frame is optically transparent; The battery module is configured such that light entering the cell frame passes through the diffuse reflection member and is emitted to the adhesive layer, causing the adhesive layer to photo-cure.

2. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer is made of a photocurable resin.

3. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the cell frame has a plurality of holes formed therein for mounting the battery cells.

4. The battery module according to claim 3 , wherein the adhesive layer is formed in the plurality of holes and in contact with at least one of the bottom plate and the bottom of the battery cell.

5. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the cell frame is formed of a resin that generates total reflection inside the cell frame.

6. The battery module according to claim 5 , wherein the resin has a light transmittance of 90% or more.

7. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the diffuse reflection member is formed on an interface between the cell frame and the adhesive layer.

8. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer includes a photo-curing initiator.

9. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom plate is a cooling plate.

10. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the battery cells are cylindrical.

11. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom plate and the cell frame are integrally formed.

12. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of light paths are formed inside the cell frame.

13. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1.

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