Battery pack and manufacturing method therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack and a manufacturing method therefor. In an embodiment, the battery pack comprises: a battery cell including an electrode assembly and an exterior material which surrounds the electrode assembly; a tape attached to the exterior material; and a reinforcing material positioned between the tape and the exterior material.

Description

Battery pack and method of manufacturing the same

[0001] [Cross-reference with related applications]

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean patent application 10-2025-0011623 filed January 24, 2025, and all contents disclosed in the literature of said Korean patent applications are incorporated herein as part of this specification.

[0003] [Technology Field]

[0004] The present invention relates to a battery pack and a method for manufacturing the same, and more specifically, to a battery pack with improved durability and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0005] Recently, as the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones has increased rapidly, and the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites has accelerated, much research is being conducted on battery packs used as their power sources.

[0006] Among these battery packs, pouch-type battery packs can feature a lightweight structure and high energy density. Currently, due to this lightweight structure, there is an increasing need to reinforce durability, and more specifically, to strengthen resistance against external impacts such as drops. Therefore, there is a demand for battery packs with enhanced durability and methods for manufacturing them.

[0007] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a battery pack with improved durability and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0008] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below.

[0009] In one example, the battery pack comprises a battery cell including an electrode assembly and an outer casing surrounding the electrode assembly; a tape attached to the outer casing; and a reinforcing material positioned between the tape and the outer casing.

[0010] In another example, the reinforcing material may cover at least one corner of the exterior material.

[0011] In another example, the reinforcing material may include a thermosetting resin.

[0012] In another example, the thermosetting resin may include silicone or polyurethane.

[0013] In another example, the exterior material includes a front and rear section; and a side section connecting the front and rear sections, and the reinforcing material may be applied to the side section.

[0014] In another example, the side portion includes a rounded curved portion, and the reinforcing material may be applied to the curved portion.

[0015] In another example, the above tape may be a pull tap tape.

[0016] In one example, a method for manufacturing a battery pack includes the steps of: wrapping an electrode assembly with an outer material; providing a reinforcing material on the surface of the outer material; and attaching a tape to the outer material and the reinforcing material.

[0017] In another example, the battery pack manufacturing method may apply the reinforcing material to the outer material during the step of providing the reinforcing material.

[0018] In another example, the battery pack manufacturing method may apply the reinforcing material to the rounded curved surface of the exterior material.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the durability of the battery pack can be improved.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, the space utilization of a battery pack can be improved.

[0021] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from this specification and the attached drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 is a front view of an example of a battery pack without reinforcement.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a front view of a battery cell according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a front view and a partial enlarged view of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery cell according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIGS. 6 and 7 are drawings illustrating battery packs corresponding to each process of a battery pack manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail so that those skilled in the knowledge can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited or restricted by the following embodiments.

[0029] In order to clearly explain the present invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art that are irrelevant to the explanation or that may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention have been omitted. Furthermore, when assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing in this specification, identical or similar reference numerals are assigned to identical or similar components throughout the entire specification.

[0030] Furthermore, terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention.

[0031] Battery pack (1)

[0032] FIG. 1 is a front view of an example of a battery pack without reinforcement. As shown in FIG. 1, in a battery pack without reinforcement, a void space occurs between the battery cell and the tape, and if this void space is filled with a separate component, durability can be improved while maintaining the volume. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the battery pack (1) may include a battery cell (100), a reinforcement (200), and a tape (300). The battery cell (100) may include an electrode assembly (not shown) and an outer casing (110) that surrounds the electrode assembly (not shown). The tape (300) may be attached to the outer casing (110). The reinforcement (200) may be located between the tape (300) and the outer casing (110). The reinforcement (200) may be applied between the tape (300) and the outer casing (110). The reinforcement (200) may be combined with the outer casing (110). The reinforcing material (200) can partially absorb external shocks entering the battery cell (100). The tape (300) can strengthen the electrical insulation of the battery cell (100) and protect the battery cell (100) from the external environment. The tape (300) may include polypropylene (PP). In this embodiment, the tape (300) may be a pull tab tape (310). The pull tab tape (310) may be a tape that includes a handle portion. The pull tab tape (310) can help to easily pull the battery cell (100) to facilitate the assembly process. The tape (300) is not limited to polypropylene and may include other materials capable of performing the function of the tape (300). The tape (300) may be attached to the side of the outer material (110).

[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the reinforcing material (200) may cover at least one corner (111) of the exterior material (110). The reinforcing material (200) may cover the outside of the corner (111). Accordingly, the corner (111) may not be exposed to the outside. For example, if the exterior material (110) has a shape including a rounded rectangle with curved corners and a perimeter connecting the rounded corners, the corner (111) may be an area of ​​the perimeter connecting the curved corners of the rounded corners. Accordingly, the reinforcing material (200) may cover the corner (111) of the exterior material (110). Additionally, if the exterior material (110) has a shape including a rectangular upper and lower surface with curved corners and a perimeter surface connecting the upper and lower surfaces, the ratio of the surface area of ​​the exterior material (110) covered by the reinforcing material (200) on the corner (111) to the area of ​​one of the upper and lower surfaces of the exterior material (110) may be 0.01% to 0.05%. Durability is improved, while space utilization can be improved with no increase in the volume of the battery pack (1) or a very small increase. The weight of the reinforcing material (200) may be 1% to 2% of the weight of the battery cell (100). Accordingly, while increasing the durability of the battery pack (1), only a negligible increase in weight can be involved compared to the case where a damper or case is additionally attached.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the reinforcing material (200) may include a thermosetting resin. The thermosetting resin may include silicone or polyurethane. When the reinforcing material (200) includes a thermosetting resin, the reinforcing material (200) may not easily deform in various environments due to its excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance.

[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the exterior material (110) may include a front and rear portion (112) and a side portion (113) connecting the front and rear portion (112). A reinforcing material (200) may be applied to the side portion (113). For example, if the exterior material (110) has a shape that includes a rectangular top and bottom surface with curved corners and a perimeter surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces, the top and bottom surfaces may each be the front and rear portion (112), and the perimeter surface connecting the other front and rear portion (112) may be the side portion (113). When the reinforcing material (200) is applied to the side portion (113), the reinforcing material (200) is applied to the side portion (113), which has a smaller area than the front and rear portion (112), so that the durability of the battery pack (1) is improved with a small amount of reinforcing material (200), thereby improving space utilization. For example, if the exterior material (110) has a shape that includes a rectangular top and bottom surface with curved corners and a perimeter surface connecting the top and bottom surfaces, the side portion (113) may collide with the ground more frequently than the front and back portion (112) when the battery pack (1) falls. In this case, the side portion (113) has a smaller surface area compared to the front and back portion (112), so its durability may be weaker than that of the front and back portion (112), and in this case, the reinforcing material (200) can absorb the impact instead.

[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the side portion (113) may include a rounded curved portion (1131). The side portion (113) may include a flat portion (1132) that is not rounded. Rounding may involve processing the corners to be rounded. Rounding may involve having a rectangular shape with curved corners from the beginning. For example, as shown in the corner (111) of FIG. 2, the shape formed by the outline of the exterior material (110) when viewed from the front may be a rectangle with curved corners. A reinforcing material (200) may be applied to the curved portion (1131). When the reinforcing material (200) is applied to the curved portion (1131), the reinforcing material (200) may fill the empty space that occurs between the tape (300) and the exterior material (110). Accordingly, the durability of the battery pack (1) against external shocks can be improved.

[0037] Battery pack manufacturing method

[0038] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a battery pack is described in detail based on the content regarding the battery pack (1) described above. Specific descriptions of overlapping content regarding the battery pack (1) described above are omitted. FIGS. 2, FIGS. 6, and FIGS. 7 are drawings illustrating a battery cell and a battery pack corresponding to each process of the method for manufacturing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, in this embodiment, the battery pack manufacturing method may include the step of wrapping an electrode assembly with an outer material (S10), the step of providing a reinforcing material on the surface of the outer material (S20), and the step of attaching tape to the outer material and the reinforcing material (S30).

[0040] In this embodiment, during the step (S20) of providing a reinforcing material, the reinforcing material (200) may be applied to the exterior material (110). The reinforcing material (200) may include a thermosetting resin. The thermosetting resin may include silicone or polyurethane. When the reinforcing material (200) includes a thermosetting resin, the reinforcing material (200) may not easily deform in various environments due to its excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance.

[0041] In this embodiment, during the step (S20) of providing a reinforcing material, the reinforcing material (200) may be applied to the rounded curved portion (1131) of the outer material (110). When the reinforcing material (200) is applied to the curved portion (1131), the reinforcing material (200) may fill the empty space that occurs between the tape (300) and the outer material (110). Accordingly, the durability of the battery pack (1) against external impact may be improved.

[0042] Although the present invention has been described above by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various implementations are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims described below by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0043] [Explanation of the symbol]

[0044] 1: Battery pack

[0045] 100: Battery cell

[0046] 110: Exterior materials

[0047] 111: Corner

[0048] 112: Front and rear

[0049] 113: Side

[0050] 1131: Curved part

[0051] 1132: Planar section

[0052] 200: Reinforcement material

[0053] 300: Tape

[0054] 310: Pull tab tape

[0055] S10: Step of wrapping the electrode assembly with an outer material

[0056] S20: Step of providing reinforcing material

[0057] S30: Step of attaching the tape

Claims

1. A battery cell comprising an electrode assembly and an outer casing surrounding the electrode assembly; Tape attached to the above exterior material; and A battery pack comprising a reinforcing material positioned between the above tape and the above outer material.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above reinforcing material is, A battery pack covering at least one corner of the above-mentioned exterior material.

3. In Paragraph 1, The above reinforcing material is, A battery pack containing a thermosetting resin.

4. In Paragraph 3, The above thermosetting resin is, A battery pack comprising silicone or polyurethane.

5. In Paragraph 1, The above exterior material is, Front and rear sections; and It includes a side portion connecting the front and rear portions, and The above reinforcing material is, A battery pack applied to the above-mentioned side portion.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above side portion is, It includes a rounded curved surface, The above reinforcing material is, A battery pack applied to the above-mentioned curved surface.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above tape is, A battery pack that is a pull tap tape.

8. Step of wrapping the electrode assembly with an outer material; A step of providing a reinforcing material on the surface of the above exterior material; and A method for manufacturing a battery pack, comprising the step of attaching tape to the outer material and the reinforcing material.

9. In Paragraph 8, When providing the above reinforcing material, A method for manufacturing a battery pack by applying the reinforcing material to the exterior material.

10. In Paragraph 9, When providing the above reinforcing material, A method for manufacturing a battery pack, wherein the reinforcing material is applied to the rounded curved surface of the exterior material.

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