Battery pack having mounting holes for assembly and method for assembling battery pack

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack including: a battery cell stack composed of a plurality of battery cells; a pack frame body on which the battery cell stack is mounted; a top plate coupled to the upper portion of the pack frame body; and a first end plate and a second end plate which are respectively coupled to both ends of the coupled body of the pack frame body and the top plate, wherein mounting holes for assembly are formed in the first end plate and the second end plate. When a temporarily assembled battery pack is mounted on a jig for assembly, interference may be reduced, thereby preventing assembly defects.

Description

Battery pack having mounting holes for assembly and assembly method of the battery pack

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2023-0166560, 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 mounting hole for assembly and a method for assembling the battery pack. Specifically, the present invention relates to a battery pack having a mounting hole for assembly and a method for assembling the battery pack to prevent a failure in joining the pack frame body and the end plate during assembly of the battery pack.

[0003]

[0004] As carbon emission regulations become stricter, demand for eco-friendly energy is increasing, and the number of devices using lithium secondary batteries as an energy source is increasing.

[0005] Among these, the proportion of lithium secondary batteries assembled into battery modules and battery packs is increasing in fields that require high-output and high-capacity energy sources, such as electric vehicles.

[0006] Typically, a battery pack is manufactured by housing and assembling a battery cell stack in which multiple battery cells are connected in series and / or parallel within a pack case.

[0007] The above pack case may be composed of a first case in the shape of a square box with an open upper surface of a hexahedron and a second case covering the open upper surface, and the first case is called a monoframe.

[0008] Alternatively, the pack case may be composed of a U-shaped U-frame including a lower surface and two side surfaces connected to the lower surface, a top plate added to the upper surface of the U-frame, and end plates added to both ends of the U-frame.

[0009] After the U-frame and top plate are joined, two end plates are welded to both ends of the U-frame and top plate assembly. At this time, if the joining positions of the U-frame and top plate assembly and the end plates do not match, assembly failure may occur.

[0010] In addition, due to such assembly defects, the positions of the terminals of the battery pack may be displaced from their proper positions, and when connecting multiple battery packs in series and / or in parallel, the positions of the terminals to be connected may not match, making connection difficult.

[0011] Therefore, aligning the joint positions of the U-frame and top plate assembly and the end plate becomes an important issue.

[0012] In this regard, Patent Document 1 relates to an assembly pallet for a secondary battery having an end plate arranged on both sides of a plurality of arrayed battery cells and a lower case for attaching the battery cells to a vehicle body, and a method for manufacturing the secondary battery, the assembly pallet having a positioning pin for positioning the end plate, a support sheet for supporting a stack assembly of the end plate and the secondary battery, and a base plate, wherein the positioning pin includes a main positioning pin and a sub-positioning pin, the main positioning pin is fixed to the base plate, and the sub-positioning pin is configured to be movably held by the base plate with respect to the main positioning pin.

[0013] Patent Document 1 is for supporting stack assemblies and lower cases of different sizes with one secondary battery pallet, and suggests a method for attaching the stack assembly and lower case to the pallet, but does not suggest a method for aligning the joining position of the end plate to the U-frame and top plate assembly.

[0014] Patent Document 2 discloses a battery pack including a battery pack frame body including a base plate, a first side plate, and a second side plate, a top frame coupled to the upper portion of the battery pack frame body, and a first end plate and a second end plate, wherein slits are formed in the first end plate and the second end plate so that the first end plate and the second end plate are stably coupled to the top frame.

[0015] However, Patent Document 2 assumes that the first end plate and the second end plate are well aligned with respect to the top frame, but does not present a method for stably aligning the positions.

[0016] Therefore, when joining end plates to both ends of a U-frame and top plate assembly, a technology is needed that provides a method for accurately and easily determining their joining positions.

[0017] (Prior art literature)

[0018] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Publication No. 2012-0056816 (June 4, 2012)

[0019] (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Publication No. 2020-0039340 (April 16, 2020)

[0020]

[0021] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and provides a battery pack having an assembly mounting hole for accurately and easily determining the joining position of end plates when joining the U-frame and top plate assembly at both ends, and a method for assembling the battery pack.

[0022]

[0023] To achieve this purpose, a battery pack according to the present invention includes a battery cell stack composed of a plurality of battery cells, a pack frame body on which the battery cell stack is mounted, a top plate coupled to an upper portion of the pack frame body, and a first end plate and a second end plate coupled to opposite ends of the pack frame body and the top plate assembly, wherein a mounting hole for assembly may be formed in the first end plate and the second end plate.

[0024] A pair of mounting holes may be formed at each of the left end and right end of the first end plate and the second end plate.

[0025] The above mounting hole can be combined so that a fixing pin formed in an assembly jig can be inserted.

[0026] The position tolerance of the above fixed pin is Φ0.05, and the diameter of the above fixed pin can be formed to be less than 95% of the diameter of the above mounting hole.

[0027] The diameter of the fixed pin may be formed to be less than 90% of the diameter of the above mounting hole.

[0028] The tolerance range of the diameter of the above fixed pin may be less than ±0.2%.

[0029] The battery cell stack may further include a busbar frame coupled to the electrode leads at both ends.

[0030] Four fixing pins may be formed on the upper surface of the above assembly jig to which a pair of mounting holes formed in the first end plate and a pair of mounting holes formed in the second end plate are fastened.

[0031] The above assembly jig includes a first zone having two fixing pins into which the mounting holes of the first end plate are inserted, a second zone having two fixing pins into which the mounting holes of the second end plate are inserted, and a third zone located between the first zone and the second zone, and the first zone and the second zone can be configured in a form in which the positions thereof can be adjusted to be closer to or further away from the third zone.

[0032] The present invention provides a method for assembling the battery pack, and specifically, the method may include a first step of mounting a battery cell stack on a pack frame body and then connecting a top plate to the pack frame body, a second step of arranging a first end plate and a second end plate at opposite ends of the pack frame body and the top plate assembly connected in the first step, a third step of moving the pre-assembled battery pack of the second step to an assembly jig, a fourth step of aligning the pre-assembled battery pack to the assembly jig, and a fifth step of connecting the first end plate and the second end plate to the pack frame body and the top plate assembly.

[0033] The fourth step may be performed by inserting the fixing pin of the assembly jig into the mounting hole of the pack frame body.

[0034] Before the third step, a process of adjusting the position of the fixing pin of the assembly jig may be further included.

[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] The present invention can reduce interference between the fixing pin of the assembly jig and the mounting hole of the end plate when mounting the U-frame and top plate assembly and the end plate to the assembly jig.

[0039] Therefore, during the process of mounting the assembled battery pack on the assembly jig, the welding position of the end plate can be prevented from deviating from the correct position, thereby reducing welding defects.

[0040] Additionally, assembly defects can be prevented by preventing a gap from forming between the U-frame and top plate assembly and the end plate.

[0041] In addition, since the battery pack terminals provided on the end plate can be assembled so as to be positioned at a certain position, the assembly tolerance can be reduced when electrically connecting multiple battery packs through the battery pack terminals.

[0042]

[0043] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack according to the present invention.

[0044] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the battery pack and assembly jig of Figure 1.

[0045] Figure 3 is an end plate of the battery pack of Figure 1 and an enlarged view thereof.

[0046] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the end plate and assembly jig of Figure 3.

[0047] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack and an assembly jig according to another embodiment.

[0048] Figure 6 shows the interference rate of the first mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to the embodiment.

[0049] Figure 7 shows the interference rate of the second mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to the embodiment.

[0050] Figure 8 shows the interference rate of the third mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to the embodiment.

[0051] Figure 9 shows the interference rate of the fourth mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to the embodiment.

[0052] Figure 10 shows the interference rate of the first mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example.

[0053] Figure 11 shows the interference rate of the second mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example.

[0054] Figure 12 shows the interference rate of the third mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example.

[0055] Figure 13 shows the interference rate of the fourth mounting hole and the fixed pin pair measured among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example.

[0056]

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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.

[0060] Throughout the description and claims of the invention herein, the singular includes the plural unless otherwise stated.

[0061] 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.

[0062] The present invention is described in detail with examples according to the drawings.

[0063] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the battery pack and assembly jig of Fig. 1.

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery pack (1000) according to the present invention includes a battery cell stack (100) composed of a plurality of battery cells, a pack frame body (220) on which the battery cell stack (100) is mounted, a top plate (210) coupled to the upper portion of the pack frame body (220), and a first end plate (310) and a second end plate (320) coupled to opposite ends of the assembly of the pack frame body (220) and the top plate (210), and a mounting hole (311) for assembly is formed in the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320).

[0065] The first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) have a pair of mounting holes (311) formed at the left end and the right end, respectively.

[0066] That is, in one battery pack (1000), four mounting holes (311) are positioned at each of the four corners on the plane.

[0067] On the upper surface of the assembly jig (400), four fixing pins are formed to which a pair of mounting holes (311) formed in the first end plate (310) and a pair of mounting holes (311) formed in the second end plate (320) are fastened.

[0068] A method for assembling a battery pack according to the present invention comprises a first step of mounting a battery cell stack (100) on a pack frame body (220) and then joining a top plate (210) to the pack frame body (220), a second step of arranging a first end plate (310) and a second end plate (320) at opposite ends of the pack frame body (220) and top plate (210) assembly joined in the first step, a third step of moving the pre-assembled battery pack of the second step to an assembly jig (400), a fourth step of aligning the pre-assembled battery pack to the assembly jig (400), and a fifth step of joining the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) to the pack frame body (220) and top plate (210) assembly.

[0069] After preparing a pre-assembled battery pack by fixing the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) to both ends of the pack frame body (220) and the top plate (210) assembly, the position of the pre-assembled battery pack is fixed on the assembly jig (400) by inserting the fixing pin (410) of the assembly jig (400) into the mounting hole (311) of the pre-assembled battery pack.

[0070] When the pre-assembled battery pack is placed on the fixing pin (410) in the assembly jig (400), the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) must be in a position to be combined with the pack frame body (220) and the top plate (210) assembly.

[0071] That is, the fixing pin (410) in the assembly jig (400) not only functions to ensure that the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) are in close contact with the pack frame body (220) and the top plate (210) assembly, but also serves to guide the welding portion of the pack frame body (220) and the welding portion of the top plate (210), and the welding portion of the first end plate (310) and the welding portion of the second end plate (320) to be aligned.

[0072] Therefore, the position of the fixing pin (410) in the fixing jig (400) needs to be set to the correct position to prevent welding defects when assembling the battery pack.

[0073] In one specific example, the battery cell stack (100) may further include a bus bar frame (110) that is coupled to the electrode leads at both ends, and the bus bar frame (110) may be further arranged between the battery cell stack (100) and the first end plate (310) and between the battery cell stack (100) and the second end plate (320), respectively, so that an electrical connection between a plurality of battery cells may be formed.

[0074] FIG. 3 is an end plate of the battery pack of FIG. 1 and an enlarged view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the end plate and assembly jig of FIG. 3.

[0075] When inserting the assembled battery pack into the fixing pin (410) of the fixing jig (400), if the diameter (D2) of the fixing pin is too small with respect to the diameter (D1) of the mounting hole, a gap may be created between the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) and the pack frame body (220), which may cause a problem of poor sealing during welding. In addition, the positions of the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) may be misaligned with the welded portion of the pack frame body (220) and the welded portion of the top plate (210), and as a result, the positions of the battery pack terminals located on the end plates may be deviated from the proper positions. If the positions of the battery pack terminals are deviated from the proper positions in this way, when connecting a plurality of battery packs in series and / or in parallel, the positions may be misaligned, preventing an accurate connection from being formed, which may result in a defective battery pack.

[0076] Alternatively, if the diameter (D2) of the fixing pin is too large based on the diameter (D1) of the mounting hole, when the fixing pin (410) is inserted into the mounting hole (311), the gap between the inner surface of the mounting hole (311) and the fixing pin (410) may be too small, resulting in a stiff insertion and misalignment of the pack frame body (220) and the top plate (210).

[0077] Accordingly, in the present invention, the position tolerance of the fixing pin (410) in the fixing jig (400) is limited to Φ0.05 or less based on the correct position of the fixing pin, and the diameter (D2) of the fixing pin is formed to be less than 95% based on the diameter (D1) of the mounting hole. More specifically, the diameter (D2) of the fixing pin is formed to be less than 90% based on the diameter (D1) of the mounting hole.

[0078] At this time, the tolerance range of the diameter (D2) of the fixed pin is formed to be less than ±0.2% based on the diameter of the fixed pin.

[0079] However, if the diameter (D2) of the fixing pin is smaller than 85% of the diameter (D1) of the mounting hole, the clearance between the first end plate (310) and the second end plate (320) and the pack frame body (220) increases, which may result in assembly failure, and is therefore not desirable.

[0080] More specifically, the diameter of the fixed pin (D2) can be configured to be greater than 89% of the diameter of the mounting hole (D1).

[0081] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a battery pack and an assembly jig according to another embodiment.

[0082] In one specific example, the assembly jig may be configured in a form in which the position of the fixing pins can be adjusted according to the overall length of the assembled battery pack.

[0083] Specifically, it includes a first zone (401) having two fixing pins (410) into which mounting holes (311) of a first end plate (310) are inserted, a second zone (402) having two fixing pins (410) into which mounting holes (311) of a second end plate (320) are inserted, and a third zone (403) located between the first zone (401) and the second zone (402), and the first zone (401) and the second zone (402) can be configured in a form in which their positions can be adjusted to be closer or farther apart from the third zone (403).

[0084] When using an assembly jig of this type, before the third step of moving the pre-assembled battery pack to the assembly jig, a process of adjusting the position of the fixing pin (410) of the assembly jig (400) to correspond to the position of the mounting hole (311) of the pre-assembled battery pack may be further included.

[0085]

[0086] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments, but this is for easier understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0087]

[0088] <Example>

[0089] The diameter of the fixing pin of the assembly jig was 7.3 mm, the diameter deviation was set to ±0.01, and the position tolerance was set to Φ0.05. A simulation was performed 500 times to check whether interference occurred when the fixing pin was inserted into the mounting hole during the process of mounting the pre-assembled battery pack on the assembly jig.

[0090] At this time, the diameter of the mounting hole in the end plate was set to Φ8.2 mm±0.1.

[0091] Two mounting holes are formed on each of the two end plates, and four fixing pins are formed on the assembly jig to be inserted into the four mounting holes. The results of a 3DCS simulation to determine whether interference occurs during the process of combining the four pairs of mounting holes and fixing pins are shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0092] Fig. 6 shows the interference rate measured between the first mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to an embodiment, and Fig. 7 shows the interference rate measured between the second mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to an embodiment. Fig. 8 shows the interference rate measured between the third mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to an embodiment, and Fig. 9 shows the interference rate measured between the fourth mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to an embodiment.

[0093] In Figs. 6, 7, and 9, the interference rate was 0%, and in Fig. 8, the interference rate was 0.2%.

[0094]

[0095] <Comparative Example>

[0096] The diameter of the fixing pin of the assembly jig was 7.8 mm, the diameter deviation was set to ±0.01, and the position tolerance was set to Φ0.05. A simulation was performed 500 times to check whether interference occurred when the fixing pin was inserted into the mounting hole during the process of mounting the pre-assembled battery pack on the assembly jig.

[0097] At this time, the diameter of the mounting hole in the end plate was set to Φ8.2 mm±0.1.

[0098] Two mounting holes are formed on each of the two end plates, and four fixing pins are formed on the assembly jig to be inserted into the four mounting holes. The results of a 3DCS simulation to determine whether interference occurs during the process of combining the four pairs of mounting holes and fixing pins are shown in FIGS. 10 to 13.

[0099] Fig. 10 shows the interference rate measured between the first mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example, and Fig. 11 shows the interference rate measured between the second mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example. Fig. 12 shows the interference rate measured between the third mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example, and Fig. 13 shows the interference rate measured between the fourth mounting hole and the fixed pin pair among the 3DCS simulation results according to a comparative example. Fig. 10 shows an interference rate of 72%, Fig. 11 shows an interference rate of 70.4%, Fig. 12 shows an interference rate of 70.2%, and Fig. 13 shows an interference rate of 70.8%.

[0100] Comparing the results of the above examples and comparative examples, it can be seen that when the position tolerance of the fixed pin is Φ0.05 as in the present invention and the diameter of the fixed pin is formed to be less than 95% of the diameter of the mounting hole, the interference rate when the fixed pin is inserted into the mounting hole is significantly reduced.

[0101]

[0102] 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.

[0103] (Explanation of symbols)

[0104] 100: Battery cell stack

[0105] 110: Busbar frame

[0106] 210: Top plate

[0107] 220: Pack frame body

[0108] 310: First end plate

[0109] 311: Mounting hole

[0110] 320: Second End Plate

[0111] 400: Assembly jig

[0112] 401: Zone 1

[0113] 402: Zone 2

[0114] 403: Zone 3

[0115] 410: Fixed pin

[0116] 1000: Battery pack

[0117] D1: Diameter of the mounting hole

[0118] D2: Diameter of the fixed pin

Claims

1. A battery cell stack composed of a plurality of battery cells; A pack frame body on which the above battery cell stack is mounted; A top plate coupled to the upper part of the pack frame body; and A first end plate and a second end plate coupled to both ends of the pack frame body and the top plate assembly; Including, A battery pack having mounting holes for assembly formed in the first end plate and the second end plate.

2. In paragraph 1, A battery pack having a pair of mounting holes formed at each of the left end and right end of the first end plate and the second end plate, respectively.

3. In paragraph 1, The above mounting hole is a battery pack that is coupled so that a fixing pin formed on an assembly jig is inserted.

4. In paragraph 3, A battery pack formed so that the position tolerance of the above-mentioned fixed pin is Φ0.05 and the diameter of the above-mentioned fixed pin is less than 95% of the diameter of the above-mentioned mounting hole.

5. In paragraph 4, A battery pack formed so that the diameter of the fixing pin is less than 90% of the diameter of the mounting hole.

6. A battery pack in accordance with paragraph 4, wherein the tolerance range of the diameter of the fixed pin is less than ±0.2%.

7. In paragraph 1, A battery pack further comprising a busbar frame coupled to electrode leads at both ends of the battery cell stack.

8. In paragraph 3, A battery pack having four fixing pins formed on the upper surface of the above assembly jig to which a pair of mounting holes formed in the first end plate and a pair of mounting holes formed in the second end plate are fastened.

9. In paragraph 8, The above assembly jig is, A first section having two fixing pins into which the mounting holes of the first end plate are inserted; A second section having two fixing pins into which the mounting holes of the second end plate are inserted; and Zone 3 located between Zones 1 and 2; Including, A battery pack in which the first and second zones are configured in a form in which their positions can be adjusted to be closer or further away from the third zone.

10. In a method for assembling a battery pack according to any one of clauses 1 to 9, A first step of mounting the battery cell stack on the pack frame body and then joining the top plate to the pack frame body; A second step of placing a first end plate and a second end plate at both ends of the pack frame body and the top plate assembly combined in the first step; A third step of moving the assembled battery pack of the second step to an assembly jig; A fourth step of aligning the above-mentioned pre-assembled battery pack to the above-mentioned assembly jig; and A fifth step of joining the first end plate and the second end plate to the pack frame body and the top plate assembly; A method for assembling a battery pack including:

11. In paragraph 10, The fourth step is a method for assembling a battery pack, which is performed by inserting a fixing pin of the assembly jig into a mounting hole of the pack frame body.

12. In paragraph 10, A method for assembling a battery pack, further comprising a process of adjusting the position of a fixing pin of the assembling jig prior to the third step.

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