Battery pack having stopper capable of checking arbitrary disassembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack comprising: a case body having an inner space in which a plurality of battery cells are accommodated; a lower case coupled to a lower part of the case body; a through hole formed in the lower case; and a stopper added to cover the through-hole, wherein the stopper includes a fracture part at which a fracture occurs when tension is applied from the outside of the lower case, and thus whether a user has arbitrarily disassembled a battery pack can be determined by checking whether the fracture part is fractured.

Description

Battery pack with a cap to check for arbitrarily disassembled battery

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2023-0166252, filed November 27, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery pack having a cap that can detect whether the battery pack has been arbitrarily disassembled. Specifically, the present invention relates to a battery pack having a cap that can detect whether the battery pack has been arbitrarily disassembled by the user, so that the detection can be utilized in the manufacturer's warranty system.

[0003]

[0004] Carbon emissions regulations are being strengthened as an alternative to reducing greenhouse gases, and the choice of eco-friendly energy sources as a source of electricity is gradually increasing. Among these, lithium secondary batteries, unlike disposable primary batteries, can be reused through repeated charging and discharging, making them a popular energy source for a variety of electronic devices.

[0005] For example, the use of lithium secondary batteries is expanding not only as a power source for small electronic devices such as smartphones but also as a power source for electric vehicles, and the number of electronic devices used by consumers that use battery packs containing lithium secondary batteries as an energy source is increasing.

[0006] Typically, a battery pack may be manufactured by housing multiple battery cells inside a pack case, assembling them, and mounting them so that they are fixed to a device, or in a form that can be detachably attached to a device.

[0007] The above pack case may be composed of multiple parts, such as a main case, an upper case, and a lower case, and a fastening member may be used as a means for assembling the battery pack by combining the multiple parts.

[0008] In order to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the product by making the fastening member invisible from the outside, the joint where the fastening member is joined is designed to be inside the pack case component, and the joint can be covered using a stopper or the like so that the joint is not visible from the outside.

[0009] Figure 1 is a bottom perspective view and a partially enlarged view of a conventional battery pack.

[0010] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the battery pack according to Figure 1.

[0011] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery pack (100) includes a case body (110) and a lower case (120) forming the lower surface of the case body (110), and a cap (130) is attached to the four corners of the bottom of the lower case (120).

[0012] The lower case (120) has a through hole (140) formed therein for inserting a plug (130), and a fastening member (150) is inserted into a joining portion inside the through hole (140) so that the case body (110) and the lower case (120) can be joined. In this way, by adding the plug (130) to cover the through hole (140), the joining portion that joins the case body (110) and the lower case (120) can be prevented from being exposed to the outside.

[0013] The plug (130) includes a base portion (131) that is not partially inserted into the through hole (140) of the lower case (120) and an insertion portion (132) that is completely inserted into the through hole.

[0014] When the base (131) is made of rubber material, it can have the function of protecting the battery pack from floor impact when the battery pack is placed on the floor.

[0015] A protruding structure is formed on the surface of the insertion portion (132), so that the plug can be stably fixed within the through hole (140).

[0016] Meanwhile, there are cases where a battery pack malfunctions during use or users disassemble the battery pack arbitrarily to improve product performance.

[0017] A lithium secondary battery includes an electrolyte and an electrode assembly impregnated with the electrolyte. The electrode assembly is configured in a stacked form with a positive electrode and a negative electrode with a separator interposed therebetween. If a short circuit occurs due to contact between the positive electrode and the negative electrode caused by an external impact, this may be a factor in the occurrence of a risk such as a fire.

[0018] Therefore, it is necessary to prevent safety accidents by preventing users of the battery pack from disassembling the battery pack arbitrarily.

[0019] In addition, there is a problem in which it is difficult to guarantee the performance of the product if the user arbitrarily disassembles the battery pack to repair it or replaces parts to modify it due to a battery pack failure.

[0020] Accordingly, when a battery pack is delivered to the customer center, a design change is needed to easily check whether the user has disassembled the battery pack arbitrarily and determine the validity of the product warranty.

[0021]

[0022] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and aims to provide a battery pack with a cap that can be used to check whether the battery pack has been arbitrarily disassembled so that it can be used as a basis for determining product warranty when the battery pack is delivered to a customer center.

[0023]

[0024] To achieve this purpose, a battery pack according to the present invention comprises a case body having an internal space for accommodating a plurality of battery cells, a lower case coupled to a lower portion of the case body, a through hole formed in the lower case, and a stopper added to cover the through hole, wherein the stopper may include a break portion that breaks when tension is applied from the outside of the lower case.

[0025] The above through hole is configured in a form in which the inner and outer portions have different inner diameters, and among the inner and outer portions, the inner portion may have a relatively large inner diameter, and the outer portion may have a relatively small inner diameter.

[0026] The above plug may include a base portion exposed to the outside of the lower case when coupled to the through hole of the lower case, an insert portion extending from the base portion and inserted into the through hole, and a catch portion coupled to an end of the insert portion opposite to the base portion.

[0027] The above insertion part may include a lower part configured in the shape of a circular ring, and an upper part extending upward from the lower part and connected to the hanging part, and configured in the form of a plurality of pillar structures arranged with a spaced interval therebetween.

[0028] The upper portion may be configured in a form in which the thickness becomes thinner as it approaches the part connected to the hook, or may be configured in a form in which a relatively thin part is included within the upper portion.

[0029] The above-mentioned catch portion has a circular tube shape, and the thickness of the catch portion may be configured to be thicker than the thickness of the upper portion of the insertion portion.

[0030] The above insertion portion and the above catch portion are inserted into the through hole, and the catch portion can be fixed in position by being caught on a step formed inside the through hole.

[0031] The above-mentioned break portion may be formed at a portion where the upper portion of the hook portion and the upper portion of the insert portion are connected, or may be formed at the upper portion.

[0032] The lower case and the case body can be joined by a fastening member inserted into the through hole.

[0033] When the plug covering the through hole is pulled to remove the fastening member, the break portion of the plug may break.

[0034] A plurality of ring-shaped protrusions may be formed on the outer surface of the lower portion.

[0035]

[0036] The present invention can also be provided in a form in which various means for solving the above problem are combined.

[0037]

[0038] As described above, the battery pack according to the present invention can easily check whether the user has a history of arbitrarily disassembling the battery pack.

[0039] Therefore, the validity of the product warranty can be easily and accurately determined simply by checking the plug of the battery pack received at the customer center.

[0040] Additionally, a plug can be added to the lower case of the battery pack to protect the battery pack from shocks applied to the battery pack, such as vibrations.

[0041]

[0042] Figure 1 is a bottom perspective view and a partially enlarged view of a conventional battery pack.

[0043] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the battery pack according to Figure 1.

[0044] Figure 3 is a front view of a plug added to a battery pack according to the present invention.

[0045] Figure 4 is a perspective view of Figure 3.

[0046] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a battery pack according to the present invention.

[0047] Figure 6 is a partially enlarged view of Figure 5.

[0048] Fig. 7 is a front view of a plug according to another embodiment.

[0049]

[0050] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. When describing the operating principles of the embodiments of the present invention in detail, detailed descriptions of known functions or components will be omitted if they are deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0051] Parts with similar functions and actions are designated by the same drawing reference numerals throughout the drawings. Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be connected to another part, this includes not only direct connections but also indirect connections with other elements intervening. Furthermore, inclusion of a component does not exclude other components unless otherwise specifically stated, but rather implies the inclusion of additional components.

[0052] The description that concretizes or adds to the components may be applied to all inventions unless there is a special limitation, and is not limited to the description of a specific invention.

[0053] Throughout the description and claims of the invention herein, the singular includes the plural unless otherwise stated.

[0054] Throughout the description and claims of the present invention, the term "or" includes "and" unless otherwise stated. Therefore, "comprising A or B" means all three cases of including A, including B, or including A and B.

[0055] The present invention is described in detail with examples according to the drawings.

[0056] FIG. 3 is a front view of a plug added to a battery pack according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the battery pack according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 5.

[0057] The appearance of the battery pack according to the present invention can be seen to be the same as the conventional battery pack (100) illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0058] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a battery pack, and the battery pack (200) according to the present invention includes a case body (210) having an internal space for accommodating a plurality of battery cells, a lower case (220) coupled to the lower portion of the case body (210), a through hole (240) formed in the lower case (220), and a cap (230) added to cover the through hole (240).

[0059] The through hole (240) formed in the lower case (220) can be configured to be connected to the case body (210), and the case body (210) and the lower case (220) are joined by a fastening member (250) inserted into the through hole (240). The fastening member (250) can be a screw, a rivet, or the like.

[0060] The plug (230) includes a portion that can be easily broken due to its structure, and includes a breakage portion (260) that causes a break when tension is applied from the outside of the lower case (220).

[0061] The through hole (240) is configured in a cylindrical shape, but the inner diameters of the inner portion (241) and the outer portion (242) are configured in a different shape, and the inner diameter of the inner portion (241) is larger than the inner diameter of the outer portion (242) among the inner portion (241) and the outer portion (242). In other words, there is a step between the inner portion (241) and the outer portion (242).

[0062] The plug (230) includes a base portion (231) whose bottom surface protrudes outward from the lower case (220) when coupled to the through hole (240) of the lower case (210), an insertion portion (232) extending from the base portion (231) and inserted into the through hole (240), and a catch portion (233) coupled to the opposite end of the base portion (231) from the insertion portion (232).

[0063] The insertion part (232) includes a lower part (232b) configured in the shape of a circular ring, and an upper part (232a) that extends upward from the lower part (232b) and is connected to a catch part (233), and is configured in the form of a plurality of pillar structures arranged with a spaced interval therebetween.

[0064] The catch (233) is in the shape of a circular tube, and the thickness of the catch (233) is configured to be thicker than the thickness of the upper part (232a) of the insertion part (232).

[0065] The insertion portion (232) and the catch portion (233) are inserted into the through hole (240), and the catch portion (233) is fixed in position by being caught on the step created between the inner part (241) and the outer part (242) of the through hole (240). That is, since the outer diameter of the catch portion (233) in the shape of a circular tube is larger than the inner diameter of the outer part (242), when the catch portion (233) is inserted into the inner part (241) and caught on the step, it becomes difficult to remove the entire plug (230) from the through hole (240) even if the base part (231) is pulled. In addition, to prevent the entire plug (230) from being completely inserted into the through hole (240), the area of ​​the base part (231) is configured to be larger than the diameter of the through hole (240).

[0066] If the length of the insertion portion (232) and the length of the outer portion (242) of the through hole are made the same, the plug (230) inserted into the through hole (240) can be stably fixed without moving toward the inside or outside of the battery pack.

[0067] Meanwhile, in the case where the plug (230) is made of an elastic material such as rubber, even if the outer diameter of the insertion part (232) is made slightly larger than the inner diameter of the outer part (242), the insertion part (232) can be compressed and inserted into the through hole (240), and after being inserted into the through hole (240), it can expand again so that the insertion part (232) can fill the inner space of the outer part (242).

[0068] In particular, the outer diameter of the catch (233) is configured to be larger than the inner diameters of the inner part (241) and the outer part (242) of the through hole (240), so that the entire stopper (230) is configured with an elastic material, so that the catch (233) can be easily inserted into the inner part of the through hole (240).

[0069] In addition, when the base portion (231) protruding outside the lower case (220) is made of an elastic material, when the battery pack (200) is placed on the ground, external shocks such as vibrations of the ground can be buffered from being transmitted to the battery pack (200).

[0070] In one specific example, when the plug (230) covering the through hole (240) is pulled to remove the fastening member (250) that connects the case body (210) and the lower case (220), the structurally weak part, the fracture portion (260), of the plug (230) breaks.

[0071] The break portion (260) may be formed at the part where the catch portion (233) and the upper portion (232a) of the insert portion (232) are connected, or may be formed at the upper portion (232a).

[0072] Referring to the plug (230) illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, a form in which a break portion (260) is formed at the portion where the catch portion (233) and the upper portion (232a) of the insert portion (232) are connected is illustrated. Specifically, the upper portion (232a) is configured in a form in which the thickness becomes thinner as it goes toward the portion connected to the catch portion (233).

[0073] Alternatively, unlike the drawing, the center of the upper portion (232a) may be formed in a concave shape, or the lower portion of the upper portion (232a) where the upper portion (232a) and the lower portion (232b) are connected may be formed in a thin shape.

[0074] The part where the thickness is reduced in this way is easily broken when the base part is pulled from the outside of the lower case, so the catch (233) remains inside the through hole (240), and only the insertion part (232) is discharged outside the through hole (240).

[0075] Therefore, the customer of the battery pack can easily check whether the user has arbitrarily removed the plug by removing the plug of the battery pack received at the customer center and checking it.

[0076] Specifically, when removing the plug of the battery pack, a tool such as a push-pull gauge is attached to the plug and the torque or force is measured while pulling, thereby allowing confirmation of whether the user has arbitrarily removed the plug.

[0077] The breaking limit of the above plug can be set as a standard by DOE (Design of Experiment), and if a force less than the breaking limit is required to remove the plug, it can be considered that the user has arbitrarily removed the plug.

[0078] Fig. 7 is a front view of a plug according to another embodiment.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 7, the plug (230) is different from the plug (230) illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6 in that a plurality of ring-shaped protrusions (234) are formed on the outer surface of the lower portion (232b).

[0080] Since the protrusion (234) is further added, it can function as a gasket when inserted into the outer part (242) of the through hole (240), thereby preventing external substances from entering the battery pack.

[0081] In addition, the description of the plug (230) illustrated in FIG. 7 can be applied in the same manner as the description of the plug illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6.

[0082]

[0083] Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the field to which the present invention pertains will be able to perform various applications and modifications within the scope of the present invention based on the above contents.

[0084] (Explanation of symbols)

[0085] 100, 200: Battery pack

[0086] 110, 210: Case body

[0087] 120, 220: Lower case

[0088] 130, 230: Plug

[0089] 131, 231: Bass section

[0090] 132, 232: Insert

[0091] 140, 240: Through hole

[0092] 150, 250: Fastening member

[0093] 232a: Top

[0094] 232b: Lower part

[0095] 233: Hook

[0096] 234: Protrusion

[0097] 241: Medial

[0098] 242: Outer part

[0099] 260: Break

Claims

1. A case body having an internal space that accommodates multiple battery cells; A lower case coupled to the lower part of the above case body; a through hole formed in the lower case; and A plug added to cover the above through hole; Including, The above plug is a battery pack including a rupture portion that breaks when tension is applied from the outside of the lower case.

2. In paragraph 1, The above through hole The inner and outer diameters are configured in different shapes, A battery pack having an inner diameter of the inner portion and an outer portion, wherein the inner portion has a relatively large inner diameter and the outer portion has a relatively small inner diameter.

3. In paragraph 1, The above plug, A base portion that is exposed to the outside of the lower case when combined with the through hole of the lower case; An insertion portion extending from the above base portion and inserted into the through hole; and A catch portion connected to the opposite end of the base portion in the above insert portion; A battery pack containing:

4. In paragraph 3, The above insertion part, A battery pack comprising a lower part configured in a circular ring shape, and an upper part extending upward from the lower part and connected to the hanging part, the upper part configured in a form in which a plurality of pillar structures are arranged with a spaced interval therebetween.

5. In paragraph 4, A battery pack in which the upper portion is configured in a form in which the thickness thereof becomes thinner as it approaches the portion connected to the engaging portion, or in which a relatively thin portion is included within the upper portion.

6. In paragraph 4, The above-mentioned hanging part is in the shape of a circular tube, A battery pack configured such that the thickness of the above-mentioned hanging portion is thicker than the thickness of the upper portion of the above-mentioned insertion portion.

7. In paragraph 3, The above insertion portion and the above catch portion are inserted into the through hole, A battery pack in which the above-mentioned catch is fixed in position by being caught on a step formed inside the above-mentioned through hole.

8. In paragraph 4, A battery pack in which the above-mentioned break portion is formed at a portion where the upper part of the above-mentioned hook portion and the above-mentioned insert portion are connected, or is formed at the upper part.

9. In paragraph 1, A battery pack in which the lower case and the case body are joined by a fastening member inserted into the through hole.

10. In paragraph 9, A battery pack in which the break portion of the stopper is broken when the stopper covering the through hole is pulled to remove the above fastening member.

11. In paragraph 4, A battery pack having a plurality of ring-shaped protrusions formed on the outer surface of the lower portion.

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