Battery assembly

Abstract

A battery assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a pair of battery cells connected in parallel to each other; a circuit board arranged on one end portion of the pair of battery cells so as to be electrically connected to the pair of battery cells; and a wire thermistor which senses the temperature of the pair of battery cells, and which is electrically connected to the pair of battery cells and the circuit board.

Description

Battery assembly

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0185315, filed December 19, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The present invention relates to a battery assembly provided in a battery pack of an electronic device.

[0005] Due to recent environmental and consumer rights concerns, all electronic devices sold in Europe must be consumer-replaceable, with some exceptions. However, most e-cigarettes currently on the market have batteries built into the system, either as cells or packs. Therefore, new pack development is necessary to comply with EU regulations.

[0006] Therefore, a holder for heating and smoking tobacco and a charging pack for charging the holder are required, and in particular, the battery assembly employed in the charging pack must be able to be easily replaced by consumers while ensuring temperature stability.

[0007] The background technology described above is something that the inventor possessed or acquired in the process of deriving the disclosure of the present application, and cannot necessarily be said to be a publicly known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the present application.

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems,

[0009] An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a battery assembly capable of ensuring temperature stability through temperature measurement of a battery cell.

[0010] An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a battery assembly in which processability can be improved by electrically connecting a negative electrode of a battery cell and a circuit board through a thermistor.

[0011] A battery assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a pair of battery cells connected in parallel to each other, a circuit board disposed at one end of the pair of battery cells so as to be electrically connected to the pair of battery cells, and a wire thermistor configured to sense a temperature of the pair of battery cells and electrically connected to the pair of battery cells and the circuit board. A battery assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a pair of battery cells connected in parallel to each other, a circuit board disposed at one end of the pair of battery cells so as to be electrically connected to the pair of battery cells, and a wire thermistor configured to sense a temperature of the pair of battery cells and electrically connected to the pair of battery cells and the circuit board.

[0012] The above pair of battery cells has a cylindrical shape having a longitudinal direction and is arranged parallel to each other, and the wire thermistor can be positioned between the pair of battery cells.

[0013] The above battery assembly may further include a metal plate connecting the pair of battery cells in parallel to each other.

[0014] The metal plate includes an anode plate electrically connecting the anodes of the pair of battery cells to each other, and a cathode plate electrically connecting the cathodes of the pair of battery cells to each other, and the wire thermistor can electrically connect the cathode plate and the circuit board.

[0015] The above wire thermistor includes a thermistor head configured to sense temperature and a pair of thermistor legs extending from the thermistor head, and the thermistor head can be arranged to be spaced apart in the longitudinal direction from both longitudinal ends of the pair of battery cells.

[0016] The above thermistor head may be placed at the longitudinal center portion of the pair of battery cells.

[0017] The thicknesses of the above pair of thermistor legs may be different from each other.

[0018] The pair of thermistor legs may include a first leg extending between the thermistor head and the circuit board, and a second leg extending between the circuit board and the cathode plate.

[0019] The second leg may have a thickness greater than that of the first leg.

[0020] The above first leg can be connected to a microcontrol unit provided on the circuit board.

[0021] The battery assembly may further include a taping unit attached to the pair of battery cells to separate the pair of thermistor legs from the pair of battery cells.

[0022] The above battery assembly may further include an insulation unit provided to separate the pair of battery cells from the circuit board and a cover unit provided to cover the circuit board to protect the circuit board from the outside.

[0023] The above battery assembly may further include an outer material unit configured to surround the pair of battery cells.

[0024] A battery assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention can secure temperature stability by measuring the temperature of a battery cell.

[0025] A battery assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention can improve processability by electrically connecting a negative electrode of a battery cell and a circuit board through a thermistor.

[0026] In addition, the configurations according to the embodiments of the present invention may include effects that can be easily predicted by those skilled in the art.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a device equipped with a battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a front view of a battery assembly according to Example 1 of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 shows an exploded perspective view of a battery assembly according to Example 1 of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the electrical connection structure of a battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a wire thermistor of a battery assembly according to Example 1 of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a battery assembly according to Example 2 of the present invention.

[0034] Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. The following description is one of several aspects of the embodiments, and in describing one embodiment, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

[0035] In this specification, when adding reference signs to components in each drawing, the same or similar reference signs are attached to identical or similar components throughout the specification. Components included in one embodiment and components that have common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Terms or words used in this specification and the claims should not be interpreted as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to best explain his or her invention.

[0036] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made based on this disclosure. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described above, and all variations equivalent to or equivalent to the claims, as well as the scope of the claims, are deemed to fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a device in which a battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is mounted. It should be noted that each component illustrated in Fig. 1 is conceptually illustrated for convenience of explanation, and that the shapes of the components are not limited to those illustrated.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, a battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention can be mounted on a battery pack (3). The battery pack (3) can be configured to charge a battery device (2), and the battery pack (3) can be coupled with the battery device (2) to supply power to the battery device (2), for example. The battery device (2), for example, a stick-type electronic cigarette, can be charged by receiving power from the battery pack (3) in a manner that is accommodated in the battery pack (3) or connected to the battery pack (3).

[0040] The battery pack (3) and the battery device (2) can be electrically connected in a coupled state, for example, through a coupling structure that is provided so as to be mutually coupled.

[0041] The battery assembly (1) accommodated in the battery pack (3) may be configured as a 1S2P (One Series, Two Parallel) type in which two battery cells are connected in parallel to maximize capacity. The battery cell used in the battery assembly (1) may be, for example, a cylindrical battery cell, and an 18650 lithium-ion secondary battery may be employed. More detailed information regarding the battery assembly (1) will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0042] FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings showing a battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a front view of the battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, a battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention may include a battery cell (10), a circuit board (20), and a wire thermistor (30). The battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention may further include a metal plate (40).

[0044] The battery cells (10) may be provided as a pair. Each of the pair of battery cells (10) may be provided in a cylindrical shape having a longitudinal direction. One end of the longitudinal direction of each battery cell (10) may be provided as a positive electrode, and the other end may be provided as a negative electrode. The pair of battery cells may be arranged side by side so that the pair of positive electrodes and the pair of negative electrodes are adjacent to each other. The pair of battery cells (10) may be electrically connected to each other. The pair of battery cells (10) may have the same size, shape, and capacity and may be electrically connected in parallel. The battery cells (10) may be electrically connected via a metal plate (40). The pair of battery cells (10) may be arranged side by side in parallel with each other, but may be placed in a state where they are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

[0045] The metal plate (40) may be arranged to electrically connect a pair of battery cells to each other. The metal plate (40) may electrically connect a pair of battery cells in parallel.

[0046] The metal plate (40) may include a positive electrode plate (41) and a negative electrode plate (42). The positive electrode plate (41) may be provided to electrically connect the positive electrodes of a pair of battery cells (10) that are arranged adjacent to each other. The negative electrode plate (42) may be provided to electrically connect the negative electrodes of a pair of battery cells (10) that are arranged adjacent to each other. The positive electrode plate (41) and the negative electrode plate (42) may extend between two adjacent positive electrodes and negative electrodes, respectively. The positive electrode plate (41) may extend between two positive electrodes of the adjacent battery cells (10) and may be provided in the form of a flat plate having a longitudinal direction. The negative electrode plate (42) may extend between two negative electrodes of the adjacent battery cells (10) and physically / electrically connect the two negative electrodes, and may have a protrusion provided on one portion thereof so as to be easily connected to a second leg (33) of a wire thermistor (30) to be described later.

[0047] A pair of battery cells (10) can be connected in parallel in 1S2P via a positive electrode plate (41) and a negative electrode plate (42). The positive electrode plate (41) can be directly connected to a circuit board (20) that overlaps the pair of battery cells. The circuit board (20) can be physically / electrically connected to the positive electrode plate (41) by overlapping the positive electrode plate (41) in the length direction of the battery cell (10). The negative electrode plate (42) can be electrically connected to the circuit board (20) via a wire thermistor (30). Specifically, the negative electrode plate (42) can be connected to the circuit board (20) via a second leg (33) of the wire thermistor (30).

[0048] A circuit board (20) may be provided to be electrically connected to a pair of battery cells (10). The circuit board (20) may be electrically connected to the battery cells (10) via a metal plate (40) and a wire thermistor (30). The circuit board (20) may be a printed circuit board (PCB) provided to electrically control the state of the battery cells (10). The circuit board (20) may form at least a part of a battery management system (BMS) of the battery pack (3). The circuit board (20) may be provided to include a micro control unit (MCU) as will be described later. The circuit board (20) may be arranged at one end in the length direction of the pair of battery cells (10). The circuit board (20) is provided in the form of a plate having a predetermined thickness and can overlap one end in the length direction of a pair of battery cells (10).

[0049] The wire thermistor (30) may be provided to sense the temperature of the battery cell (10). The wire thermistor (30) of the battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention may be an NTC thermistor (negative temperature coefficient thermistor, NTC thermistor) whose resistance value decreases as the temperature rises.

[0050] A wire thermistor (30) may be positioned between a pair of battery cells (10) that are spaced apart from each other. The wire thermistor (30) may be arranged to sense the temperature of the longitudinal center portion of a pair of battery cells (10).

[0051] A wire thermistor (30) may include a thermistor head (31) and a pair of thermistor legs (32, 33).

[0052] The thermistor head (31) may be provided to sense temperature. The thermistor head (31) may be provided to include an electrical resistor whose resistance is provided to decrease as temperature increases. The thermistor head (31) may be, for example, an electrical resistor whose resistance is provided to decrease as temperature increases.

[0053] The thermistor head (31) is positioned between a pair of battery cells (10) that are spaced apart from each other, and may be positioned at the longitudinal center portion of the battery cell (10). In this case, the thermistor head (31) may be supported by a pair of thermistor legs (32, 33). By adopting this configuration, the thermistor head (31) can effectively sense the temperature of the longitudinal center portion of the battery cell (10), which is at the highest temperature during battery operation.

[0054] A pair of thermistor legs (32, 33) may be provided in a form extending from a thermistor head (31). The pair of thermistor legs (32, 33) may include a first leg (32) and a second leg (33). As described below, the first leg (32) and the second leg (33) may be formed to have different lengths and thicknesses.

[0055] The first leg (32) may extend between the thermistor head (31) positioned at the longitudinal center of the battery cell (10) and the circuit board (20). The second leg (33) may extend between the negative plate (42) coupled to the end of a pair of battery cells (10) and the circuit board (20).

[0056] The first leg (32) and the second leg (33) can each function as wiring through which current flows. The thermistor head (31) electrically connects the first leg (32) and the second leg (33), and as the resistance value changes due to the temperature of the battery cell (10), the amount of current flowing between the first leg (32) and the second leg (33) can change.

[0057] By adopting this configuration, the wire thermistor (30) can connect the negative electrode of the battery cell (10) and the circuit board (20) without a separate wiring structure for electrically connecting the negative electrode of the battery cell (10) and the circuit board (20), and the complexity of the battery assembly can be reduced and the processability can be improved.

[0058] The battery assembly (1) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention may further include an insulation unit (50), a cover unit (60), a taping unit (70), and an exterior material unit (80).

[0059] An insulating unit (50) may be provided to space the battery cell (10) and the circuit board (20), and may overlap between the positive electrode plate (41) and the battery cell (10). The insulating unit (50) may prevent the positive electrode of the circuit board (20) and the battery cell (10) from making direct contact. The insulating unit (50) may be provided in the form of, for example, an insulating tape.

[0060] A cover unit (60) may be provided to protect the positive electrode of the battery cell (10) and the circuit board (20). The cover unit (60) may be coupled to the positive electrode portion of the battery cell (10) to cover the circuit board (20). The cover unit (60) may be provided in the form of a cap having both ends in the shape of an arc to correspond to the shape of the battery cell (10) having a cylindrical shape. The cover unit (60) may be formed as a rigid body having a predetermined rigidity, and may protect the positive electrode portion of the battery cell (10), including the circuit board (20), the positive electrode plate (41), and the insulation unit (50), from external impact and foreign substances.

[0061] The taping unit (70) may be provided to separate the wire thermistor (30) placed between a pair of battery cells (10) that are spaced apart from each other so that it does not come into contact with the battery cells (10). The taping unit (70) may separate the thermistor legs (32, 33) of the wire thermistor (30) from the battery cells (10). The taping unit (70) may be provided with a flexible material that can change shape, and may be provided to be adhered to both of the pair of battery cells (10) that are spaced apart from each other. The thermistor legs (32, 33) of the wire thermistor (30) may be supported in an overlapping state by the taping unit (70) attached to the battery cells (10).

[0062] An outer material unit (80) may be arranged to surround a pair of combined battery cells (10), a circuit board (20), and a wire thermistor (30). The outer material unit may be formed in the form of a shrink film.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the electrical connection structure of a battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 5, the battery cell (10) of the battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention can be electrically connected to the circuit board (20) through the positive electrode plate (41) and the negative electrode plate (42). The positive electrode plate (41), which electrically connects the positive electrodes of a pair of battery cells (10), is connected by being in direct contact with the circuit board (20), and the negative electrode plate (42) can be connected to the circuit board (20) via the second leg (33) of the wire thermistor (30).

[0065] As described above, the circuit board (20) may be equipped with a microcontrol unit (MCU) (25). The microcontrol unit (25) may include a microprocessor, a memory, a programmable input / output module, etc. The first leg (32) may electrically connect the thermistor head (31) and the microcontrol unit (25) of the circuit board (20). The positive electrode plate (41) connecting the positive electrode of the battery cell and the negative electrode plate (42) connecting the negative electrode may be electrically connected to the pack positive electrode (101) and the pack negative electrode (102) of the battery pack, respectively.

[0066] FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a wire thermistor of a battery assembly according to Example 1 of the present invention.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 6, the wire thermistor (30) of the battery assembly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention may include a thermistor head (31) and a pair of thermistor legs (32, 33) having different lengths and thicknesses.

[0068] In other words, the thermistor legs (32, 33) may extend from the thermistor head (31) but may have different lengths and thicknesses. Specifically, the second leg (33) may be configured to electrically connect the negative electrodes of a pair of battery cells (10) and the circuit board (20) so that a greater amount of current flows through it compared to the first leg (32), and thus may have a thickness greater than that of the first leg (32). In addition, the second leg (33) may extend between the negative electrode plate (42) connecting the negative electrodes of the battery cells (10) and the circuit board (20), and thus may have a longer length than the first leg (32) extending between the thermistor head (31) and the circuit board (20). The shapes and structures of the thermistor head (31), the first leg (32), and the second leg (33) are not limited to those illustrated.

[0069] Example 2

[0070] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a battery assembly according to Example 2 of the present invention.

[0071] Embodiment 2 of the present invention may differ from Embodiment 1 in that it additionally includes the configuration of a support sheet (55). Except for the differences, it should be noted that the contents of the secondary battery according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention described above can be commonly applied to Embodiment 2 as well. Therefore, contents common to Embodiment 1 will be omitted as much as possible, and Embodiment 2 will be described focusing on the differences from Embodiment 1.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 7, the battery assembly according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention may further include a support sheet (55). The support sheet (55) is disposed between the outer body unit (80) and the negative electrode plate (42) to support the battery cell (10) and the negative electrode plate (42) and to ensure insulation of the negative electrode plate (42). The support plate (42) may be made of a polycarbonate (PC) material that has rigidity to support the battery structure while ensuring electrical insulation.

[0073] In the above description, although the present invention has been described by limited embodiments and drawings, the above description is merely an example of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

[0074] Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate, rather than limit, the technical concept of the present invention, and the scope of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical concepts within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

[0075] [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1: Battery assembly

[0077] 2: Battery device

[0078] 3: Battery pack

[0079] 10: Battery cell

[0080] 20: Circuit board

[0081] 30: Wire thermistor

[0082] 31: Thermistor head

[0083] 32: First leg

[0084] 33: Second leg

[0085] 40: Metal Plate

[0086] 41: Bipolar plate

[0087] 42: Cathode plate

[0088] 50: Insulation unit

[0089] 60: Cover unit

[0090] 70: Taping Unit

[0091] 80: Exterior Unit

[0092] 101: Pack Anode

[0093] 102: Pack negative

Claims

1. A pair of battery cells connected in parallel; A circuit board disposed at one end of the pair of battery cells so as to be electrically connected to the pair of battery cells; and A battery assembly comprising a wire thermistor configured to sense the temperature of the pair of battery cells and electrically connected to the pair of battery cells and the circuit board.

2. In paragraph 1, The above pair of battery cells have a cylindrical shape with a longitudinal direction and are arranged parallel to each other, A battery assembly, wherein the wire thermistor is positioned between the pair of battery cells.

3. In paragraph 1, A battery assembly further comprising a metal plate connecting the pair of battery cells in parallel to each other.

4. In paragraph 3, The above metal plate, A positive plate electrically connecting the positive electrodes of the above pair of battery cells to each other; and A negative plate electrically connecting the negative poles of the pair of battery cells to each other; A battery assembly, wherein the wire thermistor electrically connects the negative plate and the circuit board.

5. In paragraph 4, The above wire thermistor comprises a thermistor head configured to sense temperature and a pair of thermistor legs extending from the thermistor head, A battery assembly, wherein the thermistor head is arranged spaced apart in the longitudinal direction from both longitudinal ends of the pair of battery cells.

6. In paragraph 5, A battery assembly, wherein the above thermistor head is positioned at the longitudinal central portion of the pair of battery cells.

7. In paragraph 5, A battery assembly wherein the thicknesses of the above pair of thermistor legs are different.

8. In paragraph 5, The above pair of thermistor legs are, a first leg extending between the thermistor head and the circuit board; and A battery assembly comprising a second leg extending between the circuit board and the negative plate.

9. In paragraph 8, A battery assembly, wherein the second leg has a thickness greater than that of the first leg.

10. In paragraph 8, A battery assembly, wherein the first leg is connected to a microcontrol unit provided on the circuit board.

11. In paragraph 5, A battery assembly further comprising a taping unit attached to the pair of battery cells to separate the pair of thermistor legs from the pair of battery cells.

12. In paragraph 4, An insulating unit provided to separate the pair of battery cells from the circuit board; and A battery assembly further comprising a cover unit configured to cover the circuit board to protect the circuit board from the outside.

13. In paragraph 1, A battery assembly further comprising an outer material unit configured to surround the pair of battery cells.

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