Battery assembly and battery pack comprising same

Abstract

The disclosed invention relates to a battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries are aligned along a height direction and / or a length direction and at least the bottom surface of the plurality of aligned batteries is open, the battery assembly further comprising: a heat transfer material coupled to the bottom surface of the battery assembly; and a film coupled to the bottom surface of the heat transfer material, wherein two side surfaces of the film extending to the outside of the bottom surface of the battery assembly can be attached to two respective surfaces of the battery assembly.

Description

Battery assembly and battery pack including the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery assembly with improved performance in terms of maintenance and a battery pack including the same.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0132449 dated September 30, 2024, and all contents disclosed in the document of said Korean patent application are incorporated herein as part of this specification.

[0003] Various attempts have been made to increase the space utilization of battery packs, and a battery pack with a cell-to-pack structure has been proposed as one such solution. The cell-to-pack structure has the advantage of improving space utilization by eliminating the need for a modular structure that encloses multiple batteries within a housing, instead bundling multiple batteries together with minimal structures and assembling them directly into a battery pack, thereby reducing the number of structural components.

[0004] Furthermore, by omitting a separate module housing and directly interposing thermal resin between the bottom surface of the battery assembly—where the battery is exposed—and the base plate of the pack case, conductive heat dissipation from the battery assembly is promoted, and the battery assembly can be more firmly secured through the curing of the thermal resin. As such, recent battery packs feature a simplified design that reduces the number of components. This improves the battery pack's capacity and aims to enhance cooling performance by simplifying the cooling structure to handle heat generated during rapid charging.

[0005] A battery pack structure that secures the battery assembly more strongly through the curing of thermal resin offers many advantages in terms of cell-to-pack structure, such as improving space utilization by assembling multiple batteries directly into the battery pack without a modular structure, and enhancing heat dissipation performance through thermal conduction compared to a structure with an additional module housing. However, it comes with disadvantages in terms of battery pack maintenance. Specifically, this cell-to-pack structure makes it very difficult to disassemble a battery pack into battery assembly units once it has been assembled. For example, a structure that secures the bottom of the battery assembly through the curing of thermal resin can cause damage to the battery bonded to the thermal resin when the battery assembly is removed, potentially leading to significantly dangerous consequences such as electrolyte leakage.

[0006] There is a high need to develop a battery pack with a cell-to-pack structure that allows the battery pack to be easily disassembled into battery assembly units, thereby enabling maintenance of the battery pack by replacing the battery assembly even if a problem occurs with only one battery and / or battery assembly within the battery pack, thus allowing the battery pack to be utilized for its designed life without discarding the expensive battery pack.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery assembly and a battery pack in which, in a completed battery pack, any battery assembly can be easily removed, thereby facilitating the replacement of a battery assembly that has a problem.

[0008] However, the technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those described above, and other unmentioned problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description of the invention below.

[0009] The present invention relates to a battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries are aligned along a height direction and / or a length direction, and at least the bottom surface of the aligned plurality of batteries is open. According to one embodiment, the battery assembly further comprises a heat transfer material coupled to the bottom surface of the battery assembly and a film coupled to the bottom surface of the heat transfer material, and both sides of the film extending outward from the bottom surface of the battery assembly may be attached to each of the two sides of the battery assembly.

[0010] In one embodiment, the heat transfer material is a TIM pad, and the bottom surface of the battery assembly and the film may be attached to the TIM pad.

[0011] The above TIM pad may have non-curing properties.

[0012] Both sides of the film extending outwardly to the bottom surface of the battery assembly may be attached to both sides of the battery assembly with double-sided tape and / or adhesive.

[0013] The above TIM pad and film may be provided as a TIM pad assembly in which the film is attached to the bottom surface of the TIM pad.

[0014] The above film may have easy cuts formed along both outer boundary lines of the bottom surface of the battery assembly.

[0015] Meanwhile, the present invention may provide a battery pack having a plurality of battery assemblies having the above configuration, wherein the plurality of battery assemblies are mounted on a base plate of the battery pack, and a thermal resin is interposed between the film exposed on the bottom surface of the plurality of battery assemblies and the base plate.

[0016] The above thermal resin may have curing properties.

[0017] The above thermal resin may be interposed on a portion of the entire adhesive surface between the film and the base plate.

[0018] The adhesion force between the heat transfer material and the film may be smaller than the adhesion force between the thermal resin and the film.

[0019] In contrast to conventional battery assemblies where the battery assembly is directly attached to a base plate with thermal resin, the battery assembly according to the present invention has a film and a heat transfer material, such as a film and a TIM pad, interposed between the adhesive surface with the thermal resin. Accordingly, even when the battery assembly is removed from a finished battery pack, it is protected by the film and the heat transfer material, thereby eliminating the risk of damage to the battery assembly caused by the cured thermal resin.

[0020] However, the technical effects obtainable through the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description of the invention below.

[0021] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and serve to further enhance understanding of the technical concept of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention provided below; therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited only to the matters described in such drawings.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a battery assembly cut along the "AA" line of FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment of attaching a TIM pad and a film, which are heat transfer materials, to a battery assembly.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the unfolded state of the film before both sides of the film are attached to the battery assembly.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment in which the battery assembly of FIG. 1 is mounted in a pack case.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating, by way of example, the case where the battery assembly is removed from the battery pack.

[0028] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are to be described in detail below.

[0029] However, this is not intended to limit the invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0030] In the present invention, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not excluding in advance the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0031] Furthermore, in the present invention, when a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is described as being "on" another part, this includes not only cases where it is "immediately above" the other part, but also cases where there is another part in between. Conversely, when a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is described as being "under" another part, this includes not only cases where it is "immediately below" the other part, but also cases where there is another part in between. Additionally, in the present application, being "placed on" may include cases where it is placed on the lower part as well as on the upper part.

[0032] The present invention relates to a battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries are aligned along a height direction and / or a length direction, and at least the bottom surface of the aligned plurality of batteries is open. According to one embodiment, the battery assembly further comprises a heat transfer material coupled to the bottom surface of the battery assembly and a film coupled to the bottom surface of the heat transfer material, and both sides of the film extending outward from the bottom surface of the battery assembly may be attached to each of the two sides of the battery assembly.

[0033] In contrast to conventional battery assemblies that are directly attached to a base plate with thermal resin, the battery assembly of the present invention having the above-described configuration has a film and a heat transfer material, such as a film and a TIM pad, interposed between the adhesive surface with the thermal resin. Accordingly, even when the battery assembly is removed from a finished battery pack, it is protected by the film and the heat transfer material, thereby eliminating the risk of damage to the battery assembly caused by the cured thermal resin.

[0034] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a battery assembly (100) and a battery pack (500) including the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. For reference, the directions of front, back, up, down, left, and right used to specify relative positions in the following description are intended to aid in understanding the invention, and unless otherwise specifically defined, the directions shown in the drawings are used as the reference.

[0035]

[0036] [First embodiment]

[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery assembly (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery assembly (100) cut along the "AA" line of FIG. 1.

[0038] The present invention relates to a battery assembly (100) in which a plurality of batteries (110) are aligned along the height direction and / or length direction, and at least the bottom surface of the aligned plurality of batteries (110) is open. In other words, the invention may relate to a battery assembly (100) suitable for configuring a battery pack (500) of a cell-to-pack structure in which at least a portion of the plurality of batteries (110) is exposed through the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100), that is, the surface on which the battery assembly (100) is mounted in a pack case (510).

[0039] Referring to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the battery assembly (100) includes a heat transfer material (120) coupled to the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100) and a film (130) coupled to the bottom surface of the heat transfer material (120). That is, the battery assembly (100) of the present invention has a structure in which a heat transfer material (120) is placed on the bottom surface of a plurality of batteries (110), and a film (130) is placed under the heat transfer material (120).

[0040] And, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, both sides of the film (130) extending outward from the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100) are attached to each of the two sides of the battery assembly (100). In this way, the battery assembly (100) of the present invention is wrapped by the film (130) on three surfaces: the bottom surface and the two sides connected to the bottom surface. By wrapping the two sides of the battery assembly (100) with the film (130), the effect of the film (130) supporting the internal battery (110) can be expected when handling the battery assembly (100). In addition, when removing the battery assembly (100) from the battery pack (500), the film (130) supports the battery assembly (100) with sufficient tensile force, thereby enabling a smooth removal operation.

[0041] In one embodiment, the heat transfer material (120) may be a TIM pad (122). The TIM pad (122) refers to a heat transfer material (120) in which a thermal interface material (TIM) is filled inside a pad (e.g., a silicone pad) having appropriate elasticity. Due to the elasticity and variability of the TIM pad (122), even if there are gaps or steps between the aligned multiple batteries (110), the TIM pad (122) adheres well to the multiple batteries (110), thereby achieving sufficient heat dissipation contact.

[0042] The film (130) may be a film (130) made of a synthetic resin material that has appropriate strength even at a thin thickness. For example, it may be a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Alternatively, films made of other materials with appropriate heat resistance and strength, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film, polyurethane (PU) film, or polycarbonate (PC) film, may also be used. In the battery pack (500) to be described later, since the film (130) is interposed between the heat transfer material (120) of the battery assembly (100) and the thermal resin (600) of the base plate (520), it is considered that the film (130) should have a smaller negative effect on heat conduction between the battery assembly (100) and the base plate (520). Therefore, it may be necessary to determine the material and thickness of the film (130) in consideration of this point.

[0043] In one embodiment, the TIM pad (122) may have a non-hardening property. It can be understood that the TIM pad (122) has a non-hardening property so that the TIM pad (122) can be separated from the battery assembly (100) without damaging the battery (110) during the usage period of the battery pack (500). For example, the TIM pad (122) may maintain a non-hardening property for at least a period corresponding to the warranty period of the battery pack (500).

[0044] The bottom surface of the battery assembly (100) in which the heat transfer material (120) is interposed and the corresponding film (130) area are bonded together by the adhesive force possessed by the heat transfer material (120) itself. On the other hand, since the heat transfer material (120) is not interposed on both sides of the film (130) that extend outward from the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100), both sides of the film (130) can be attached to both sides of the battery assembly (100) with double-sided tape and / or adhesive (150).

[0045] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment in which a TIM pad (122) and a film (130), which are heat transfer materials (120), are attached to a battery assembly (100). When the heat transfer material (120) is a TIM pad (122), since the TIM pad (122) is solid, the TIM pad (122) and the film (130) can be provided collectively in the form of a TIM pad assembly (140) in which a film (130) is attached to the bottom surface of the TIM pad (122). By using the TIM pad assembly (140), the process of attaching the TIM pad (122) and the film (130) to the battery assembly (100) can be simplified. Before using the TIM pad assembly (140), a protective tape is attached to the exposed surface of the TIM pad (122) to maintain the adhesive strength of the TIM pad (122) and prevent problems such as sticking to the film (130).

[0046] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the film (130) in an unfolded state before both sides of the film (130) are attached to the battery assembly (100). In the embodiment of FIG. 4, easy cuts (132) may be formed on the film (130) along both outer boundary lines on the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100). The easy cuts (132) correspond to perforations made to easily cut the film (130), and the easy cuts (132) eliminate the concern that the film (130) will interfere when removing the battery assembly (100) from the battery pack (500). As will be described later, the thermal resin (600) applied to the base plate (520) of the battery pack (500) has the property of hardening instead of exhibiting strong adhesive force, and as a result, the film (130) that is strongly attached to the thermal resin (600) may interfere with the removal of the battery assembly (100). In preparation for such a case, an easy cut (132) is formed in advance on the film (130), so that when a strong force is applied to the film (130), the film (130) is naturally cut along the easy cut (132), thereby allowing the battery assembly (100) to be easily removed. Of course, this configuration of the easy cut (132) can be applied to the TIM pad assembly (140).

[0047]

[0048] [Second embodiment]

[0049] FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating an embodiment in which the battery assembly (100) of FIG. 1 is mounted in a pack case (510). The battery pack (500) comprises, broadly speaking, a plurality of battery assemblies (100) and a pack case (510).

[0050] The pack case (510) includes a base plate (520) which is a bottom plate. It also includes a plurality of side plates (530) that are joined along the perimeter of the base plate (520). The base plate (520) supports the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100), that is, the bottom surface of the plurality of batteries (110), and serves to absorb heat from the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100) in the form of heat conduction and dissipate it to the outside. In order to discharge the absorbed heat to the outside through a refrigerant, the base plate (520) itself may form a heat sink, or a separate heat sink may be attached to its bottom surface. Since the configuration of the heat sink itself is not important in this specification, a description and illustration regarding it will be omitted.

[0051] As one of the fixing structures supporting a plurality of battery assemblies (100) mounted on a base plate (520), a thermal resin (600) with excellent thermal conductivity can be applied to the base plate (520). The thermal resin (600) has the properties of a viscous gel at the beginning of application, but hardens into a hard solid form after a certain period of time has elapsed when exposed to air. As a result of the hardening of this thermal resin (600), the bottom surface of the battery assembly (100) is firmly fixed on the base plate (520).

[0052] However, while the curing of this thermal resin (600) can firmly secure the battery assembly, it becomes a factor that hinders the separation of the battery assembly from the battery pack if a malfunction occurs in the battery assembly. In the past, it was almost impossible to separate a battery assembly fixed with thermal resin (600), or even if it was removed, it could cause damage not only to itself but also to other surrounding battery assemblies or pack cases (510). For this reason, conventionally, battery packs with a cell-to-pack structure that were impossible to repair had to be discarded entirely.

[0053] The battery pack (500) of the present invention is intended to solve this problem, and a plurality of battery assemblies (100) described above in the first embodiment are mounted on a base plate (520). Since a film (130) is exposed over the entire bottom surface of each battery assembly (100), the film (130) is bonded to the thermal resin (600). Consequently, a plurality of batteries (110) included in each battery assembly (100) are fixed to the thermal resin (600) via a heat transfer material (120), for example, a TIM pad (122), and the film (130).

[0054] The thermal resin (600) may have curing properties, and in order to properly control the fixing force of the thermal resin (600), the thermal resin (600) may be interposed on a portion of the entire adhesive surface between the film (130) and the base plate (520). That is, after applying the thermal resin (600) to the base plate (520) in a spot dispensing manner, the battery assembly (100) can be mounted thereon.

[0055] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary case in which a battery assembly (100) is removed from a battery pack (500). Referring to FIG. 6 (a), when the battery assembly (100) is removed, the film (130) remains on the base plate (520), and the heat transfer material (120), such as a TIM pad (122), may remain on the battery assembly (100) or the film (130). In many cases, the adhesion between the heat transfer material (120) and the film (130) may be smaller than the adhesion between the thermal resin (600) and the film (130), and in such cases, the film (130) remains on the base plate (520).

[0056] Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 6 (b), if the thermal resin (600) is applied in small amounts in a dot application manner to significantly reduce the fixing power of the thermal resin (600), the film (130) may be removed together with the battery assembly (100) when the battery assembly (100) is removed.

[0057] Alternatively, as in Fig. 6 (c), if an easy cut (132) is formed in the film (130), the film (130) corresponding to the bottom surface area of ​​the base plate (520) remains on the base plate (520), and the remaining parts of the film (130), both sides, may be removed together with the battery assembly (100).

[0058] As such, although the manner in which the heat transfer material (120) and the film (130) are removed may vary, if the battery assembly (100) proposed by the present invention is applied, in any case, the battery assembly (100) is not hindered from being removed without damage due to the thermal resin (600). Therefore, the battery assembly (100) according to the present invention and the battery pack (500) including it have significantly improved performance in terms of maintenance compared to the conventional method.

[0059]

[0060] The present invention has been described in more detail above through drawings and embodiments. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments described in this specification are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all technical concepts of the present invention; therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0061]

[0062] [Explanation of the symbol]

[0063] 100: Battery assembly

[0064] 110: Battery

[0065] 120: Heat transfer material

[0066] 122: TIM Pad

[0067] 130: Film

[0068] 132: Easy Cut

[0069] 140: TIM pad assembly

[0070] 150: Double-sided tape and / or adhesive

[0071] 500: Battery pack

[0072] 510: Pack case

[0073] 520: Base Plate

[0074] 530: Side plate

[0075] 600: Thermal resin

Claims

1. A battery assembly in which a plurality of batteries are aligned along the height direction and / or length direction, and at least the bottom surface of the aligned plurality of batteries is open, A heat transfer material coupled to the bottom surface of the battery assembly, and It further includes a film bonded to the bottom surface of the above-mentioned heat transfer material, and A battery assembly in which both sides of the film extending outwardly to the bottom surface of the battery assembly are respectively attached to both sides of the battery assembly.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above heat transfer material is a TIM pad, and A battery assembly in which the bottom surface of the battery assembly and the film are attached to the TIM pad.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above TIM pad is a battery assembly having non-curing properties.

4. In Paragraph 1, Both sides of the film extending outwardly to the bottom surface of the battery assembly are, A battery assembly attached to both sides of the battery assembly with double-sided tape and / or adhesive.

5. In Paragraph 2, The above TIM pad and film are, A battery assembly provided as a TIM pad assembly having the film attached to the bottom surface of the TIM pad.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above film is, A battery assembly having easy cuts formed along both outer boundary lines on the bottom surface of the battery assembly.

7. A battery pack equipped with a plurality of battery assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The above plurality of battery assemblies are mounted on the base plate of the battery pack, and A battery pack interposed in a thermal resin between the film exposed to the bottom surface of the plurality of battery assemblies and the base plate.

8. In Paragraph 7, The above thermal resin is, A battery pack having hardening properties.

9. In Paragraph 7, The above thermal resin is, A battery pack interposed on a portion of the entire adhesive surface between the above film and the above base plate.

10. In Paragraph 7, The adhesion force between the heat transfer material and the film is, A battery pack having a smaller adhesion force than that between the thermal resin and the film.

Images