Secondary battery with improved terminal structure

Abstract

The disclosed invention relates to a secondary battery in which a positive terminal and a negative terminal are arranged at a distance from each other on the upper surface of a battery case having a hexahedral shape, and in one example, includes a W-type terminal structure comprising: a terminal body that is coupled to the upper surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces following the upper surface while enclosing the positive terminal or the negative terminal so that it is not exposed; and an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive terminal or the negative terminal and exposed on any one surface of the terminal body except the upper surface, and a binding member is provided on the extension terminal; and a T-type terminal structure comprising: a terminal body that is coupled to the upper surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces following the upper surface while enclosing the positive terminal or the negative terminal so that it is not exposed; and an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive terminal or the negative terminal and exposed on any one surface of the terminal body except the upper surface, and a connection terminal extending in the thickness direction of the secondary battery is provided on the extension terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a secondary battery, and more particularly to a prismatic secondary battery with an improved terminal structure that can easily change the arrangement structure of a positive terminal and / or a negative terminal and can easily implement various electrical connections for a plurality of secondary batteries.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0073694 filed on June 16, 2022, and all the contents disclosed in the literature of the Korean patent application are included as part of this specification.

Background Art

[0003] Unlike a primary battery, a secondary battery can be recharged and has been actively researched and developed in recent years due to its potential for miniaturization and high capacity. With the increasing development of technologies and demands for mobile devices, as well as the emergence of electric vehicles and energy storage systems in response to the contemporary requirement of environmental protection, the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source has been increasing even more rapidly.

[0004] Secondary batteries are classified into coin-type batteries, cylindrical batteries, prismatic batteries, and pouch-type batteries according to the shape of the battery case. An electrode assembly mounted inside the battery case in a secondary battery is a power generation element capable of charge and discharge, which has a laminated structure of electrodes and a separator.

[0005] The electrode assembly can be roughly classified into a jellyroll type in which a separator is interposed between sheet-like positive and negative electrodes coated with an active material and wound, a stack type in which a large number of positive and negative electrodes are sequentially laminated with a separator interposed therebetween, and a stack-and-folding type in which unit cells of the stack type are wound with a long separation film.

[0006] Among the various types of rechargeable batteries, prismatic rechargeable batteries mostly have their positive and negative terminals arranged on one side or on opposite sides. This arrangement of positive and negative terminals is determined by the design specifications of the various devices that house the prismatic rechargeable battery, and this requires the extra effort of designing the arrangement structure of the positive and negative terminals separately each time, even for the same form factor.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to configure multiple secondary batteries into modules or packs, busbars are required to electrically connect the secondary batteries. However, since the design of the busbars depends on the arrangement of the positive and negative terminals, the design of the busbars also becomes complex. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Korean Published Patent No. 10-2019-0102816 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a new prismatic secondary battery that allows for easy modification and manufacturing of the arrangement structure of the positive and negative terminals without requiring any additional design changes, and further, a new prismatic secondary battery that can easily realize a variety of electrical connection structures for multiple secondary batteries.

[0010] However, the technical problems that this invention aims to solve are not limited to those described above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by an ordinary person of the art from the description of the invention below. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention relates to a secondary battery having a hexahedral shape with positive and negative terminals spaced apart on the upper surface of the battery case, and in one example includes a W-type terminal structure comprising a terminal body that connects to the upper surface and one or more surfaces following the upper surface of the battery case while enclosing the positive or negative terminal so as not to expose it, and an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive or negative terminal and is exposed on one of the terminal bodies excluding the upper surface, with a binding member provided on the extension terminal; and a T-type terminal structure comprising a terminal body that connects to the upper surface and one or more surfaces following the upper surface of the battery case while enclosing the positive or negative terminal so as not to expose it, and an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive or negative terminal and is exposed on one of the terminal bodies excluding the upper surface, with a connecting terminal provided on the extension terminal that is oriented in the thickness direction of the secondary battery.

[0012] Here, the extension wiring that electrically connects the extension terminal to the positive or negative terminal is insulated from the outside.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the terminal body is coupled to the upper surface of the battery case and one side surface adjacent to the upper surface, and the extension terminal may be exposed on the one side surface.

[0014] Furthermore, the binding members may be female or male binding members of complementary shapes, one for each positive or negative terminal.

[0015] As a result, the female or male binding member provided on the positive or negative terminal can be bound together to form a series circuit with the male or female binding member provided on the negative or positive terminal of another adjacent secondary battery.

[0016] For example, multiple secondary batteries can be aligned along the width direction, and the female or male fastening members provided on each secondary battery can be fastened together along the width direction to the male or female fastening members of adjacent secondary batteries.

[0017] In this embodiment, the female fastening member may be formed of a groove that is open in the width direction, and the male fastening member may be formed of a protrusion that projects in the width direction.

[0018] Alternatively, a plurality of secondary batteries may be aligned along the width direction, and the female or male fastening members provided for each secondary battery may be fastened in a male-female manner along the height direction with respect to the male or female fastening member of an adjacent secondary battery.

[0019] In this embodiment, the female fastening member may be formed of a slot that is open in the height direction, and the male fastening member may be formed of an insert that extends in the height direction.

[0020] On the other hand, the connection terminal may extend in either one direction or both directions along the thickness direction.

[0021] The connection terminal may be electrically connected to an extension terminal or a connection terminal of another adjacent secondary battery.

[0022] For example, a plurality of secondary batteries may be aligned along the thickness direction, and the connection terminals provided for each secondary battery may be connected in series or in parallel to an extension terminal or a connection terminal of an adjacent secondary battery.

[0023] Also, an end portion of the connection terminal may form a slot that is open in the thickness direction, and a connection terminal of an adjacent secondary battery may be inserted into the slot of the connection terminal.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of series battery groups in which a plurality of secondary batteries aligned in the width direction are connected in series by the fastening members of the W-type terminal structure are provided, and secondary batteries located on the outermost periphery of the plurality of series battery groups may be connected in parallel by the connection terminals of the T-type terminal structure.

[0025] Alternatively, a plurality of parallel battery groups are provided, in which a plurality of secondary batteries aligned in the thickness direction are connected in parallel by the connection terminals of the T-shaped terminal structure, and the plurality of parallel battery groups can be connected in series by the connection terminals of the T-shaped terminal structure.

Advantages of the Invention

[0026] The secondary battery of the present invention having the above-described configuration can easily change the arrangement structure of the positive electrode terminal and / or the negative electrode terminal by coupling the terminal structure to the upper surface corner portion of the secondary battery. Therefore, since the position of the terminal portion can be freely controlled without affecting the existing cell internal manufacturing process, the development and production costs of the square secondary battery can be reduced.

[0027] In addition, by providing a binding member or a connection terminal to the terminal structure, when connecting a plurality of secondary batteries in a series / parallel / series-parallel circuit along the width direction and / or the thickness direction, it is possible to directly connect the terminal structures without a separate bus bar, thereby simplifying the structure during the manufacture of battery modules and packs and reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0028] However, the technical effects obtainable 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.

[0029] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention to be described later. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited only to the matters described in such drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing an example of a secondary battery according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing a coupling structure of a secondary battery according to the present invention and a W-shaped terminal structure. [Figure 3] This drawing illustrates one embodiment of a female binding member and a male binding member. [Figure 4] This drawing illustrates one embodiment of a female binding member and a male binding member. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates a structure in which two secondary batteries are electrically connected to each other via a connecting member. [Figure 6] This drawing illustrates a female binding member and a male binding member according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a structure in which multiple secondary batteries are electrically connected using the binding member shown. [Figure 8] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a structure in which multiple secondary batteries are electrically connected using the binding member shown. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view illustrating another example of a secondary battery according to the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view illustrating the coupling structure of the secondary battery and the T-type terminal structure according to the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating various embodiments of connection terminals. [Figure 12] This is a diagram illustrating a structure in which two secondary batteries are connected in parallel via connection terminals. [Figure 13] This diagram illustrates a structure in which three secondary batteries are connected in series via connection terminals. [Figure 14] This is a diagram illustrating a connection terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] This diagram illustrates a structure in which multiple secondary batteries are electrically connected using the connection terminals shown in Figure 14. [Figure 16] This diagram illustrates an example of connecting multiple secondary batteries in series and parallel using W-type and T-type terminal structures. [Figure 17] This diagram illustrates an example of a series-parallel connection using a T-shaped terminal structure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] The present invention can be modified in various ways and may have a variety of embodiments; therefore, specific embodiments are described in detail below.

[0032] However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to any particular embodiment, but rather to be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0033] In the present invention, terms such as "includes" and "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, stages, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof as described in the specification, without prejudice to the presence or possibility of adding one or more other features, numbers, stages, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0034] Furthermore, in this invention, when a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is described as being "on top" of another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on top" of the other part, but also the case where another part is located in between. Conversely, when a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is described as being "below" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly below" the other part, but also the case where another part is located in between. Also, in this application, being "on top" may include being located not only at the top but also at the bottom.

[0035] The present invention relates to a secondary battery, and more particularly to a secondary battery in which a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal are spaced apart on the upper surface of a hexahedral battery case.

[0036] In one example, the secondary battery according to the present invention has a terminal structure attached to at least one upper corner of the battery case. The terminal structure comprises a terminal body that is attached to the upper surface and one or more surfaces following the upper surface of the battery case, enclosing the positive or negative terminal so that it is not exposed, and an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive or negative terminal and is exposed on one of the terminal bodies other than the upper surface.

[0037] Here, the secondary battery of the present invention includes two forms of terminal structures.

[0038] The first embodiment is a W-shaped terminal structure, which includes a bundling member provided on an extension terminal. The bundling member is a member that directly connects extension terminals of terminal structures that are opposite to each other in the width direction, and the bundling member allows a plurality of secondary batteries to be electrically connected sequentially along the width direction.

[0039] The second embodiment is a T-shaped terminal structure, which includes a connecting terminal provided on an extension terminal and extending in the thickness direction of the secondary battery. The connecting terminal is an extended terminal that electrically connects the extension terminals of the terminal structures provided on each secondary battery aligned in the thickness direction, and multiple secondary batteries can be electrically connected along the thickness direction by the connecting terminal.

[0040] Thus, the secondary battery of the present invention, which includes a terminal structure, allows the positions of the positive and negative terminals located on the top surface of the battery case to be freely changed to suit the user's requirements simply by applying the terminal structure, without any additional design modifications. This can reduce the production cost of prismatic secondary batteries.

[0041] Furthermore, by providing two types of terminal structures, each equipped with a binding member and a connection terminal, it becomes possible to directly connect the terminal structures to each other without separate busbars when configuring multiple secondary batteries in various series / parallel / series-parallel circuits along the width and / or thickness directions. This simplifies the structure and reduces manufacturing costs during the production of battery modules and packs.

[0042] In the following, specific embodiments of the secondary battery of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the following description to specify relative positional relationships, such as front / back, left / right, up / down, etc., will refer to the attached drawings.

[0043] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the secondary battery 100 according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the coupling structure of the secondary battery 100 and the terminal structure 200 according to the present invention.

[0044] The secondary battery 100 of the present invention includes two types of terminal structures 200: a W-type terminal structure 200-W and a T-type terminal structure 200-T. However, the basic structures of the W-type terminal structure 200-W and the T-type terminal structure 200-T are very similar. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the W-type terminal structure 200-W will be described, followed by the T-type terminal structure 200-T and combinations thereof.

[0045] For reference, in the following, when describing the common configuration of the W-type terminal structure 200-W and the T-type terminal structure 200-T, the term "terminal structure 200" will be used to refer to them collectively. When describing configurations that are distinct from each other, the terms "W-type terminal structure 200-W" and "T-type terminal structure 200-T" will be used to distinguish between them.

[0046] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the present invention relates to a secondary battery 100, and more particularly to a prismatic secondary battery 100 in which positive terminals 120 and negative terminals 130 are spaced apart on the upper surface of a hexahedral battery case 110. Here, the prismatic secondary battery 100 shown in the drawings is an example, and the ratio of width, length, and height can vary. However, for the sake of explanation, the front / back and up / down / left / right directions are used as reference to the attached drawings. For example, the surface on which the positive terminals 120 and negative terminals 130 are arranged is called the top surface, and the opposite surface is called the bottom surface.

[0047] The coordinate axes shown in Figures 1 and 2 specify the width direction W, thickness direction T, and height direction H of the secondary battery 100. The width direction W specifies the direction that crosses the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130, the thickness direction T specifies the depth direction (relative to the ground) perpendicular to the width direction W, and the height direction H specifies the direction perpendicular to both the width direction W and the thickness direction T.

[0048] The secondary battery 100 of the present invention includes a terminal structure 200. The terminal structure 200 is a hinge-like structure that is coupled to at least one upper corner of the battery case 110, and includes a terminal body 210 and an extension terminal 220.

[0049] The terminal body 210 refers to the main body of the terminal structure 200 that is connected to the top surface of the battery case 110 and one or more surfaces following the top surface (such as the side, front, or rear surface), while enclosing the positive terminal 120 or negative terminal 130 so that they are not exposed to the outside.

[0050] The extension terminal 220 is electrically connected to either the positive terminal 120 or the negative terminal 130, and refers to the terminal of the terminal structure 200 that is exposed on any one surface of the terminal body 210, excluding the top surface. In other words, since the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130 are enclosed by the terminal body 210 and not exposed, the extension terminal 220 functions as a new positive terminal 120 and negative terminal 130 located on any other surface other than the top surface.

[0051] Therefore, the secondary battery 100 of the present invention allows for the free modification of the positions of the positive terminal 120 and negative terminal 130 located on the upper surface of the battery case 110, simply by applying the terminal structure 200, without any additional design changes. This makes it possible to easily change the positions of the positive terminal 120 and negative terminal 130 using the terminal structure 200 for a prismatic secondary battery 100 of the same form factor, thereby reducing the production cost of the prismatic secondary battery 100.

[0052] Here, the W-type terminal structure 200-W includes a bundling member 300 provided on the extension terminal 220. The bundling member 300 is a member that directly connects the extension terminals 220 of the terminal structures 200 that are opposite to each other along the width direction W, and multiple secondary batteries 100 can be electrically connected by the bundling member 300.

[0053] In this way, by providing the W-type terminal structure 200-W with a binding member 300, it becomes possible to directly connect the W-type terminal structures 200-W to each other. As a result, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be electrically connected to each other by directly connecting the binding members 300 without the need for a separate busbar. This simplifies the structure and reduces manufacturing costs during the production of battery modules and packs.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, the positive terminal 120 or the negative terminal 130 and the extension terminal 220 are electrically connected via an extension wire 230, but the extension wire 230 is not exposed to the outside of the terminal body 210. Furthermore, 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 insulating resin material by insert molding or the like. This prevents problems such as damage to the extension wire 230 or short circuits by ensuring that only the extension terminal 220 is exposed to the outside. For reference, the extension wire 230 and the extension terminal 220 may be configured as an integrated unit or as separate parts that are connected to the terminal body 210.

[0055] According to the specific embodiment shown in the illustration, the terminal body 210 is coupled to the top surface and one side adjacent to the top surface of the battery case 110, and the extension terminal 220 is exposed on one side surface. As a result, the position of the positive terminal 120 or negative terminal 130, which was located on the top surface of the battery case 110, has been moved to the side surface.

[0056] Furthermore, the terminal structure 200 can be coupled to the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130, so that the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130 are each positioned on opposite sides. In other words, the positive terminal 120 and the negative terminal 130, which were both located on the top surface of the battery case 110, are moved to adjacent sides, thereby changing the initial prismatic secondary battery 100, which was designed as a unidirectional secondary battery, into a bidirectional secondary battery.

[0057] Furthermore, the terminal structure 200 can be attached to the completed secondary battery 100, or, as shown in Figure 2, it can be manufactured in an order in which the terminal structure 200 is first attached to the cap plate 150 that constitutes the upper surface of the battery case 110 before the electrode assembly 160 is sealed in the battery case 110.

[0058] Figures 3 and 4 are detailed drawings illustrating the fastening member 300 provided in the W-type terminal structure 200-W. In one embodiment of the present invention, the fastening member 300 is provided in two types: a female fastening member 310 and a male fastening member 320. The female fastening member 310 and the male fastening member 320 have complementary configurations, in other words, they have male and female configurations that can be fitted together.

[0059] In one embodiment of the fastening member 300 shown in Figure 3, the female fastening member 310 has the form of a groove 312, and the male fastening member 320 has the form of a projection 322 that fits into the groove 312 of the female fastening member 310. In the drawing, the cross-sections of the groove 312 and the projection 322 are circular, but the shape of the groove 312 and the projection 322 is not limited to the shape shown in the drawing.

[0060] The embodiment in Figure 4 illustrates a case where the groove 312 and projection 322 have an open shape rather than a closed shape. In particular, the groove 312 of the female fastening member 310 and the projection 322 of the male fastening member 320 in Figure 4 can be made by bending a flat plate, and have the characteristic that the cross-section forms a dovetail structure, which allows for elastic fastening through a spring action and can exert a strong fastening force.

[0061] Here, the fastening member 300 shown in Figures 3 and 4 consists of a female fastening member 310 with a groove 312 open in the width direction W, and a male fastening member 320 with a projection 322 protruding in the width direction W. That is, the female fastening member 310 and the male fastening member 320 can be fastened and released along the width direction W. In this sense, the terminal structure 200 of the first embodiment is called a W-type terminal structure 200-W.

[0062] Figure 5 illustrates a configuration in which two secondary batteries 100 are interconnected via binding members 300 provided on their respective extension terminals 220. Since the binding members 300 are electrically connected to the extension terminals 220, when the binding members 300 of multiple secondary batteries 100 are connected to each other, these multiple secondary batteries 100 are electrically connected to each other. The binding members 300 can be manufactured as separate components and joined to the extension terminals 220, or, as in the embodiment shown in the drawing, the binding members 300 can be integrally formed with the extension terminals 220.

[0063] Referring again to Figure 5, the female fastening member 310 and the male fastening member 320 can be fastened and released along the width direction W, thereby connecting the two secondary batteries 100 to each other along the width direction W. In this way, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected continuously along the width direction W, so in order to form an electrical circuit, multiple secondary batteries 100 must be connected in series. Therefore, if the negative terminal 130 of one secondary battery 100 is equipped with a female fastening member 310, or more precisely, if the extension terminal 220 connected to the negative terminal 130 is equipped with a female fastening member 310, then the positive terminal 120 of the adjacent secondary battery 100 must be equipped with a male fastening member 320. That is, adjacent secondary batteries 100 must be equipped with fastening members 300 of different genders for terminals with different polarities.

[0064] However, such combinations of binding members 300 are not necessarily limited to the requirement that each secondary battery 100 must have one female binding member 310 and one male binding member 320. Of course, it is common to unify all secondary batteries 100 so that they have the same male and female patterns with terminals of the same polarity, but it is also possible to configure one secondary battery 100 to have only a female binding member 310, while other secondary batteries 100 have only a male binding member 320. In other words, as long as adjacent secondary batteries 100 satisfy the condition that terminals with different polarities are equipped with binding members 300 of different male and female types, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected in series continuously along the width direction W.

[0065] Figure 6 is a drawing illustrating another embodiment of the female fastening member 310 and the male fastening member 320.

[0066] The embodiment in Figure 6 is the same as the embodiment described above in that multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected in series along the width direction W via the W-shaped terminal structure 200-W, but there is a difference in the structure of interconnecting the female binding member 310 and the male binding member 320.

[0067] In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, the groove 312 of the female fastening member 310 and the projection 322 of the male fastening member 320 are oriented in the width direction W, so that the direction of male-female fastening is the width direction W of the secondary battery 100.

[0068] In contrast, in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the female fastening member 310 consists of a slot 314 that is open in the height direction H, and the male fastening member 320 consists of an insert 324 that extends in the height direction H. That is, in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, although the multiple secondary batteries 100 are connected continuously along the width direction W, the female fastening member 310 and male fastening member 320 of adjacent secondary batteries 100 are fastened and released along the height direction H.

[0069] Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating a structure in which multiple secondary batteries 100 are electrically connected using the binding member 300 shown in Figure 6.

[0070] Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a configuration in which two secondary batteries 100 are interconnected by being fastened together in the height direction H via binding members 300 provided on their respective extension terminals 220. Similar to the embodiments in Figures 1 to 5, the binding members 300 are electrically connected to the extension terminals 220, so when the binding members 300 of the multiple secondary batteries 100 are connected to each other, these multiple secondary batteries 100 are electrically connected to each other.

[0071] In particular, with the binding member 300 shown in Figure 6, the female binding member 310 and male binding member 320 of adjacent secondary batteries 100 are fastened and released along the height direction H, so that once the female binding member 310 and male binding member 320 are fastened, they are not released in the width direction W. Therefore, even if the secondary batteries 100 experience shaking or vibration, there is almost no risk of the fastened binding members 300 separating from each other. In this respect, the binding member 300 shown in Figure 6 greatly improves the stability of the electrical connection, which consists of direct connection of the binding members 300, when multiple secondary batteries 100 constitute a module or pack.

[0072] In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected continuously along the width direction W, so in order to form an electrical circuit, multiple secondary batteries 100 must be connected in series. Furthermore, if the negative terminal 130 of one secondary battery 100 is equipped with a female bundling member 310, then the positive terminal 120 of the adjacent secondary battery 100 must be equipped with a male bundling member 320. In other words, adjacent secondary batteries 100 must be equipped with bundling members 300 of different genders for terminals with different polarities.

[0073] Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, all secondary batteries 100 may be standardized to have male and female patterned binding members 300 with the same polarity terminals, or as shown in Figure 8, one secondary battery 100 may have only female binding members 310, while the other secondary batteries 100 may have only male binding members 320.

[0074] For reference, the binding member 300 in Figure 6 can also be manufactured as a separate component and joined to the extension terminal 220, or, as in the embodiment shown in the drawing, the binding member 300 can be integrally formed with the extension terminal 220.

[0075] (Second Embodiment) Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the secondary battery 100 according to the present invention, and Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating the coupling structure between the secondary battery 100 and the T-type terminal structure 200-T according to the present invention.

[0076] Since the basic structure of the terminal structure 200 is almost the same for the W-type terminal structure 200-W and the T-type terminal structure 200-T, the following description will focus on the characteristic configuration of the T-type terminal structure 200-T.

[0077] The T-type terminal structure 200-T includes a connection terminal 400 provided on an extension terminal 220, the connection terminal 400 extending in the thickness direction T of the secondary battery 100. The connection terminal 400 means an auxiliary terminal or extension terminal that is electrically connected to an extension terminal 220 or connection terminal 400 of another adjacent secondary battery 100.

[0078] The connection terminal 400 is electrically connected to the extension terminal 220 of the terminal structure 200. For example, as shown in the drawing, the connection terminal 400 may be integrally formed with the extension terminal 220, and although not shown, a separately manufactured connection terminal 400 may also be joined to the extension terminal 220.

[0079] The connection terminal 400 extends in the thickness direction T of the secondary battery 100, and multiple secondary batteries 100 aligned in the thickness direction T can be electrically connected by such connection terminal 400. In this sense, the terminal structure 200 of the second embodiment is called a T-type terminal structure 200-T.

[0080] In this way, by providing the terminal structure 200 with connection terminals 400, it becomes possible to connect the terminal structures 200 to each other in the thickness direction T. As a result, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be electrically connected to each other by directly connecting them via the connection terminals 400 without the need for a separate busbar. This simplifies the structure and reduces manufacturing costs when manufacturing battery modules and packs.

[0081] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating various embodiments of the connection terminal 400, with three embodiments presented as examples.

[0082] The connection terminal 400 provided in the T-type terminal structure 200-T of the second embodiment extends along the thickness direction T of the secondary battery 100, but may be a unidirectional connection terminal 401 that extends in only one direction (+T direction or -T direction) in the thickness direction T, as shown in Figures 11(a) and (b), or a bidirectional connection terminal 402 that extends in both directions (+T direction and -T direction), as shown in Figure 11(c).

[0083] Furthermore, while it is difficult to uniformly define the extension length of the connection terminal 400, it can be said that it generally needs to be long enough to stably connect to the extension terminal 220 or connection terminal 400 on the terminal structure 200 of another secondary battery 100 that is directly adjacent to the secondary battery 100 in the thickness direction T.

[0084] As described above, the connection terminal 400 is for electrically connecting multiple secondary batteries 100 without a separate busbar by being electrically connected to the extension terminal 220 or connection terminal 400 of other secondary batteries 100 adjacent in the thickness direction T. Various embodiments of the connection terminal 400 shown in Figure 11 can be applied in various combinations for diverse electrical connections.

[0085] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating a structure in which two secondary batteries 100 are connected in parallel via a connection terminal 400. Two secondary batteries 100 adjacent to each other in the thickness direction T are each equipped with a T-shaped terminal structure 200-T at their positive terminal 120 and negative terminal 130, and the two secondary batteries 100 are aligned such that the polarity of the terminals facing each other is the same.

[0086] In this way, multiple secondary batteries 100, arranged along the thickness direction T such that electrode terminals 120 or 130 of the same polarity face each other, form a parallel circuit when adjacent terminal structures 200 are connected via T-shaped terminal structures 200-T.

[0087] Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment in which the one-way connection terminal 401 and the extension terminal 220 are connected to each other, and two secondary batteries 100 are shown as examples, but such parallel connections can be performed continuously in the same pattern.

[0088] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating a structure in which three secondary batteries 100 are connected in series via connection terminals 400. Of the three secondary batteries 100 adjacent to each other in the thickness direction T, two of them are equipped with T-shaped terminal structures 200-T at their positive terminal 120 and negative terminal 130, respectively, and the three secondary batteries 100 are aligned such that the terminal polarities of opposing secondary batteries 100 are reversed.

[0089] Since the terminal polarities of the opposing secondary batteries 100 are opposite, a series circuit is formed when adjacent terminal structures 200 are connected by a connecting terminal 400. However, as shown in Figure 12, the connection of the connecting terminal 400 must be done on only one side of the opposing secondary batteries 100, and alternately while moving the secondary batteries 100 one by one.

[0090] In this way, by aligning multiple secondary batteries 100 in the thickness direction T, and aligning the polarity of the electrode terminals 120 and 130 to match the desired circuit connection, and connecting the connection terminals 400, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected in parallel or in series.

[0091] On the other hand, Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating another example of the connection terminal 400 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0092] As described above, the embodiment in Figure 14 also allows for the direct connection of multiple secondary batteries 100 along the thickness direction T using connection terminals 400, but there is a difference in the structure for interconnecting the connection terminals 400.

[0093] In the embodiments shown in Figures 9 to 13, the connection terminal 400 provided on the T-shaped terminal structure 200-T is extended to a length that allows it to be joined to an extension terminal 220 or connection terminal 400 on the terminal structure 200 of another secondary battery 100 that is directly adjacent in the thickness direction T, and does not include a special structure for joining the connection terminal 400.

[0094] In contrast, in the embodiment shown in Figure 14, the end of one connection terminal 400 forms a slot 410 that is open in the thickness direction T, and correspondingly, the connection terminals 400 of other secondary batteries 100 adjacent in the thickness direction T can be inserted into the slots 410.

[0095] Figure 15 is an illustrative diagram showing a structure in which multiple secondary batteries 100 are electrically connected using the connection terminal 400 of Figure 14. Three secondary batteries 100 are shown in Figure 15. The T-shaped terminal structure 200-T of the secondary battery 100 located in the center is equipped with a bidirectional connection terminal 402 corresponding to (c) in Figure 11, and slots 410 are formed at both ends of the bidirectional connection terminal 402. In correspondence with this, the secondary batteries 100 on both sides are equipped with simple unidirectional connection terminals 401 without slots 410, and the two unidirectional connection terminals 401 are each inserted into the slots 410 of the bidirectional connection terminal 402 and interconnected.

[0096] Thus, according to the embodiment shown in Figure 14, the connection terminals 400 of the T-shaped terminal structure 200-T form a slot structure, making it easy to electrically connect multiple secondary batteries 100 by mutually coupling the connection terminals 400. In other words, in the embodiments shown in Figures 9 to 13, the electrical connection between multiple secondary batteries 100 is only completed when the connection terminals 400 are joined together, but according to the embodiment shown in Figure 14, the connection terminals 400 can be firmly brought into contact with each other via the slot structure, so the electrical connection is made even in the assembled state.

[0097] Of course, in the slot structure of the embodiment shown in Figure 14, it is also possible to connect the connection terminals 400 together using the slot 410 as a kind of temporary assembly, and then to complete a stronger connection by performing a joining process such as welding in parallel.

[0098] (Third embodiment) In the first embodiment, the W-type terminal structure 200-W was described, and in the second embodiment, the T-type terminal structure 200-T was described. As described above, using the W-type terminal structure 200-W, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected in series, and using the T-type terminal structure 200-T, multiple secondary batteries 100 can be connected in series or in parallel.

[0099] In the third embodiment, a configuration in which multiple secondary batteries 100 are connected in series and parallel will be described. Here, since the W-type terminal structure 200-W is only capable of series connection, the series-parallel connection can be realized by using the W-type terminal structure 200-W and the T-type terminal structure 200-T, or by using only the T-type terminal structure 200-T.

[0100] Figure 16 shows an example of connecting multiple secondary batteries 100 in series and parallel using W-type terminal structures 200-W and T-type terminal structures 200-T.

[0101] Multiple series battery groups 500 are provided, each consisting of several secondary batteries 100 aligned in the width direction W, connected in series by a binding member 300 of a W-shaped terminal structure 200-W. The secondary battery 100 located at the outermost edge of the series battery group 500 will have either positive or negative polarity. In other words, each series battery group 500 is equivalent to one large secondary battery 100 whose capacity increases in proportion to the number of directly connected secondary batteries 100.

[0102] These multiple series battery groups 500 are aligned along the thickness direction T, and, similar to the parallel connection in Figure 12, the secondary batteries 100 located at the outermost edges of the series battery group 500 are connected in parallel by the connection terminals 400 of the T-type terminal structure 200-T, thereby creating a series-parallel connection combining the W-type terminal structure 200-W and the T-type terminal structure 200-T.

[0103] Figure 17 illustrates an example of a series-parallel connection using only the T-type terminal structure 200-T.

[0104] Specifically, multiple secondary batteries 100 aligned in the thickness direction T are connected in parallel by connection terminals 400 of T-shaped terminal structures 200-T, forming multiple parallel battery groups 600. The parallel connection by the T-shaped terminal structures 200-T follows the embodiment shown in Figure 12.

[0105] Then, as shown in the embodiment of Figure 13, the multiple parallel battery groups 600 are connected to each other by the T-shaped terminal structure 200-T connection terminal 400, thereby linking the parallel battery groups 600 with different polarities, and the multiple secondary batteries 100 form a single series-parallel connection.

[0106] Although not shown here, multiple secondary batteries 100 connected in a single circuit are connected in series to a busbar, and the connection to the busbar can be made using a W-type terminal structure 200-W or a T-type terminal structure 200-T according to a predetermined coupling strategy.

[0107] Furthermore, Figures 16 and 17 illustrate an example of series-parallel connection using the W-type terminal structure 200-W and the T-type terminal structure 200-T, and it is of course possible to connect more secondary batteries 100 to form more complex series-parallel circuits.

[0108] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments described herein are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical concept of the present invention. It should be understood that there are various equivalents and modifications that can substitute for them at the time of filing this application. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0109] 100: Secondary battery 110: Battery case 120: Positive terminal 130: Negative terminal 140: Venting section 150: Cap plate 160: Electrode structure 200:Terminal structure 200-W: W type terminal structure 200-T: T-type terminal structure 210: Terminal body 220: Extension terminal 230: Extension wiring 300: Binding material 310: Female binding member 312: Groove 314: Slot 320: Male binding member 322: Protrusion 324: Insert 400: Connection terminal 401: One-way connection terminal 402: Bidirectional connection terminal 410: Slot 500: Series battery group 600: Parallel battery group W: width direction T: thickness direction H: Height direction

Claims

1. A secondary battery having a hexahedral battery case with positive and negative terminals spaced apart on the upper surface, A W-shaped terminal structure comprising: a terminal body that encloses the positive or negative terminal so as not to expose it and is coupled to the top surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces following the top surface; and an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive or negative terminal and exposed on one of the terminal bodies excluding the top surface, with a binding member provided on the extension terminal; A T-shaped terminal structure comprising: a terminal body that encloses the positive or negative terminal so as not to expose it and is coupled to the top surface of the battery case and one or more surfaces following the top surface; an extension terminal that is electrically connected to the positive or negative terminal and exposed on one of the terminal bodies excluding the top surface, and a connecting terminal provided on the extension terminal that is oriented in the thickness direction of the secondary battery; Includes, A secondary battery in which the extension wiring electrically connecting the extension terminal to the positive or negative terminal is not exposed to the outside and is insulated from the outside by the insulating terminal body.

2. The terminal body is coupled to the top surface of the battery case and one side surface following the top surface. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the extension terminal is exposed on one of the sides.

3. The aforementioned binding member is The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein one female binding member or one male binding member of complementary shapes is provided at each of the positive terminal or negative terminal.

4. The female or male fastening member provided on the positive or negative terminal is: The secondary battery according to claim 3, which is bundled to form a series circuit with a male or female bundling member provided on the negative or positive terminal of another adjacent secondary battery.

5. Multiple secondary batteries are aligned along the width direction. The secondary battery according to claim 4, wherein the female or male fastening member provided on each secondary battery is fastened to the male or female fastening member of an adjacent secondary battery along the width direction.

6. The aforementioned female fastening member consists of a groove that is open in the width direction, The secondary battery according to claim 5, wherein the male fastening member comprises a projection that protrudes in the width direction.

7. Multiple secondary batteries are aligned along the width direction. The secondary battery according to claim 4, wherein the female or male fastening member provided on each secondary battery is fastened to the male or female fastening member of an adjacent secondary battery along the height direction.

8. The aforementioned female fastening member consists of a slot that is open in the height direction, The secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein the male fastening member comprises an insert extended in the height direction.

9. The secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein the connection terminal extends in either one or both directions along the thickness direction.

10. The aforementioned connection terminal is The secondary battery according to claim 9, which is electrically connected to the extension terminal or connection terminal of another adjacent secondary battery.

11. Multiple rechargeable batteries are aligned along the thickness direction. The secondary battery according to claim 10, wherein the connection terminals provided on each secondary battery are connected in series or in parallel to the extension terminals or connection terminals of adjacent secondary batteries.

12. The secondary battery according to claim 9, wherein the end of the connection terminal forms a slot that is open in the thickness direction.

13. The secondary battery according to claim 12, wherein the connection terminals of an adjacent secondary battery are inserted into the slots of the connection terminals.

14. Multiple series battery groups are provided, in which multiple secondary batteries aligned in the width direction are connected in series by the binding member of the W-shaped terminal structure. The secondary battery according to claim 10, wherein the secondary batteries located at the outermost edge of the plurality of series battery groups are connected in parallel by the connection terminals of the T-shaped terminal structure.

15. Multiple parallel battery groups are provided, in which multiple secondary batteries aligned in the thickness direction are connected in parallel by the connection terminals of the T-shaped terminal structure. The secondary battery according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of parallel battery groups are connected in series by the connection terminals of the T-shaped terminal structure.

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