Battery module, battery pack comprising battery module, and vehicle comprising battery pack
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-15
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-30
Smart Images
Figure KR2026000919_30072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
A battery module, a battery pack including such battery module, and a vehicle including such battery pack
[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module, and more specifically, to a battery module in which a structure for preventing physical damage to a fuse provided in the battery module is employed, a battery pack including the same, and an automobile.
[0002] This application is a priority claim application for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0009659 filed on January 22, 2025, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of said application are incorporated into this application by reference.
[0003] While small mobile devices use one or two or three secondary battery cells per device, medium-to-large devices such as electric vehicles use medium-to-large battery modules in which a large number of secondary battery cells are electrically connected due to the need for high output and large capacity, and battery packs implemented by connecting multiple such battery modules are also used.
[0004] In the case of electric vehicles, battery modules are typically mounted in the vehicle body or trunk space. Therefore, battery modules / packs for electric vehicles must be as compact as possible while possessing very high energy density, and maintain structural stability even in environments subject to continuous vibration and shock. To this end, pouch-type rechargeable battery cells, which are easy to stack and offer high energy density relative to volume, are widely used to construct battery modules for electric vehicles.
[0005] Since pouch-type secondary battery cells are provided with electrode leads functioning as electrode terminals in the form of thin metal sheets, a battery module composed of pouch-type secondary battery cells includes metal plate-shaped busbars as a means to easily and stably connect the electrode leads. The busbars can generally be mounted in a specific pattern on a board-shaped busbar frame.
[0006] A battery module composed of pouch-type secondary battery cells may include voltage sensing components, such as flexible printed circuit boards and connectors, to sense and control overvoltage, overcurrent, or overheating of some secondary battery cells.
[0007] A battery module may be equipped with a fuse that cuts off the flow of current to cut off the current of the battery module when a current exceeding the allowable current occurs, in order to prevent accidents such as explosions of battery cells when an overcurrent flows. Such a conventional fuse may be mounted, for example, on a flexible printed circuit board electrically connected to the battery cells.
[0008] However, in the case of conventional battery modules, when external shocks or vibrations are applied, there are instances where the fuse is damaged or detached from the flexible printed circuit board due to continuous interference between the fuse and a component such as a busbar frame.
[0009] Accordingly, a fuse application structure or a measure to prevent mechanical damage to the fuse is required so that interference between the mechanical components within the battery module and the fuse can be minimized even under external shocks or vibrations.
[0010] The present invention was devised in consideration of the aforementioned problems, and has the primary objective of providing a battery module that employs a fuse application and a structure to prevent mechanical damage, which can minimize interference between the mechanical components within the battery module and the fuse even under external shock or vibration.
[0011] 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 those skilled in the art from the description of the invention below.
[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery module may be provided comprising: a cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells; a bus bar frame that supports bus bars electrically connecting the battery cells and is disposed on one side of the cell stack; an FPCB member that has a fuse and is connected to the bus bars to sense the voltage of the battery cells; and a connector connected to one side of the FPCB member, wherein the bus bar frame has a support plate portion protruding forward from the lower part of the connector, and the FPCB member has a connector mounting portion disposed on the upper surface of the support plate portion and a fuse mounting portion disposed on the lower surface of the support plate portion, and the fuse is mounted on the fuse mounting portion such that the long side portion of the fuse faces a direction intersecting the direction in which the support plate portion protrudes.
[0013] The above fuse is a plurality of chip-type fuses, and the plurality of chip-type fuses can be mounted in a row in the fuse mounting section.
[0014] The above FPCB member includes an extension portion extending from the fuse mounting portion in the stacking direction of the battery cells and a plurality of sensing portions branching from the extension portion and attached to corresponding bus bars, and the bus bar frame may include a support plate portion located at the bottom of the support plate portion and protruding forward to support the extension portion.
[0015] The above fuse may be configured to have a horizontal separation distance of 2 mm or more from the above support plate.
[0016] It may include a shield plate disposed on the upper surface of the fuse mounting portion opposite to the lower surface of the fuse mounting portion on which the fuse is mounted, and provided to prevent connector pins protruding downward from the connector from directly contacting the fuse mounting portion.
[0017] The connector mounting portion has pin connection holes and through holes that coincide with the pin connection holes, and is disposed on the upper surface of the connector mounting portion and includes a stiffener, and the connector may have connector pins that are inserted into the through holes and the pin connection holes.
[0018] The support plate may include a pair of side wing portions located at both edges along the width direction; a central plate portion located between the pair of side wing portions; and a guide plate portion that extends in the width direction between the central plate portion and the side wing portions and is formed with a shorter forward protrusion length than the central plate portion.
[0019] The busbar frame comprises a front busbar frame positioned at the front of the cell stack and a rear busbar frame positioned at the rear of the cell stack, and the battery module may include a cover plate positioned at the top of the cell stack and hinge-coupled to at least one of the front busbar frame and the rear busbar frame.
[0020] The above cover plate may be provided with a plurality of gas venting holes perforated in the thickness direction.
[0021] The module case includes a tubular case body that accommodates the cell stack and has openings at the front and rear; and an end cover that covers the openings of the case body, wherein the connector may be configured such that a portion thereof is exposed to the outside of the end cover.
[0022] The above case body may be provided with gas discharge holes or notches on the upper surface that break due to internal pressure.
[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a battery pack comprising the battery module described above may be provided.
[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle comprising the battery pack may be provided.
[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery module may be provided that employs a fuse application and a structure to prevent mechanical damage, which can minimize interference between the mechanical components and the fuse within the battery module even with external shock or vibration.
[0026] The effects obtainable through the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other unmentioned technical effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description of the invention below.
[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery module with the module case separated from Figure 1.
[0029] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 2.
[0030] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the main components of the FPCB member shown in Figure 3 exploded.
[0031] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of area A of Figure 3.
[0032] FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an example of assembly of an FPCB member and a busbar frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of a battery module in which a fuse application structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is employed.
[0034] FIG. 8 is a cutaway perspective view of a part of the battery module of FIG. 7, taken from a different angle.
[0035] Fig. 9 is a side view of Fig. 8.
[0036] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a modified arrangement of fuses as a comparative example of the embodiment of FIG. 9.
[0037] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the main configuration of a battery pack including a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an automobile according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0039] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention.
[0040] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely some of the most preferred embodiments of the invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the invention; therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application. Additionally, to aid in understanding the invention, the attached drawings are not drawn to actual scale, and the dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.
[0041] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a battery module with the module case separated from FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the main components of the FPCB member shown in FIG. 3 exploded.
[0042] Referring to these drawings, a battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a cell stack (100), a busbar frame (200), an FPCB member (300) on which a fuse (301) is mounted, and a connector (400).
[0043] The cell stack (100) may be an assembly of battery cells (110) formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells (110). For example, the cell stack (100) may be provided in a form including pouch-type battery cells (110) that are stacked facing each other in a horizontal direction (X-direction) with their wide sides arranged upright.
[0044] The above pouch-type battery cell (110) may be a bidirectional type pouch-type battery cell (110) in which the positive lead and the negative lead are located in opposite directions along the longitudinal direction. The above pouch-type battery cell (110) may be composed of an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, and a pouch outer material. The above pouch outer material may be composed of, for example, two pouches, and at least one of them may have a concave internal space formed therein. The electrode assembly and the electrolyte may be housed in the internal space of the pouch outer material. Sealing portions are provided on the outer surface of the two pouches, and the internal space in which the electrode assembly is housed may be sealed by fusing the sealing portions together.
[0045] An electrode lead (111) is connected to each of the positive plate and the negative plate forming the electrode assembly, and the electrode lead (111) can extend to the outside of the pouch outer material to function as an electrode terminal. Here, the electrode lead (111) includes a positive lead connected to the positive plate of the electrode assembly and a negative lead connected to the negative plate of the electrode assembly.
[0046] In the battery cell (110) according to the present embodiment, the electrode lead (111) is positioned biased to one side from the center in the width direction (Z direction) of the battery cell (110). As shown in FIG. 3, when a cell stack (100) is formed with the battery cells (110), the electrode leads (111) of the battery cells (110) may be positioned biased to a lower side than the center in the height direction (Z-axis direction) of the cell stack (100).
[0047] In this way, if the electrode leads (111) are positioned so as to be biased downward from the center along the height direction of the cell stack (100), a surplus space can be secured vertically above the electrode leads (111). By installing a connector (400) and an FPCB member (300) in this surplus space, the space efficiency of the battery module (10) is increased, and accordingly, the energy density of the battery module (10) can be improved.
[0048] The busbar frame (200) is a component that supports busbars (201) that electrically connect battery cells (110) and is positioned on one side of the cell stack (100). The busbar frame (200) is made of an electrically insulating material and can be provided in the form of a plate that can cover the front or rear portion of the cell stack (100) where the electrode leads (111) are located.
[0049] The busbar (201) may be provided in a roughly rod shape using a metal material such as copper (Cu) or nickel (Ni), for example. Multiple busbars (201) may be mounted to the busbar frame (200) by a snap-fit or bolt fastening method along the stacking direction of the battery cells (110).
[0050] The busbar frame (200) has slits that allow at least one electrode lead (111) to pass through in the forward and backward directions. The slits may be located on the left and / or right side of the busbar (201). Battery cells (110) may be connected in series and / or parallel to each other by means such as welding, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, by the electrode leads (111) passing through the slits of the busbar frame (200).
[0051] The busbar frame (200) may include a front busbar frame (200A) positioned at the front of the cell stack (100) and a rear busbar frame (200B) positioned at the rear of the cell stack (100), as shown in FIG. 3.
[0052] At least one of the front busbar frame (200A) and the rear busbar frame (200B) may be configured to be hinge-coupled to a cover plate (230) that is positioned on the upper part of the cell stack (100) and covers the upper part of the cell stack (100). Here, the cover plate (230) may be provided in the form of a plate having electrical insulation to provide electrical insulation between the upper part of the cell stack (100) and the module case to be described later, and to protect the upper surface of the cell stack (100).
[0053] The front busbar frame (200A) and the rear busbar frame (200B) can be easily assembled at the front and rear of the cell stack (100) by being rotatably coupled to one end and the other end of the cover plate (230).
[0054] For example, at least one hinge shaft (203) may be provided at the top of the front busbar frame (200A) and the rear busbar frame (200), and a roughly 'C'-shaped hook (232) that can be inserted into and wrapped around the hinge shaft (203) may be provided at both ends of the cover plate (230). With this configuration, the cover plate (230) can be placed on the top of the cell stack (100), and the front busbar frame (200) and the rear busbar frame (200) can be rotated inward while spread outward to easily adhere to the front and rear of the cell stack (100). That is, by configuring the busbar frame (200) to rotate relative to the cover plate (230), the electrode lead (111) of the battery cell (110) can be inserted into the slit of the busbar frame (200) and easily pulled out toward the front of the busbar frame (200), thereby bringing the busbar frame (200) into close contact with the cell stack (100).
[0055] The above cover plate (230) may be provided with a plurality of gas venting holes (231) perforated in the thickness direction. Additionally, the upper surface of the module case facing the cover plate (230) may be provided with notches (511) that break when the internal pressure of the battery module (10) rises above a certain level. By this configuration, the battery module (10) according to the present embodiment can induce the discharge of gas or flames, etc., generated when a thermal event occurs in the battery cells (110) to the upper direction of the battery module (10). Meanwhile, although the battery module (10) according to the present embodiment employs a module case provided with notches (511), unlike the present embodiment, a module case provided with gas discharge holes formed through it instead of notches (511) may be employed.
[0056] Referring primarily to FIGS. 3 and 4, an FPCB member (300) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a first FPCB part (300A), a second FPCB part (300B), and a third FPCB part (300C) as means for sensing the voltage of battery cells (110) connected to busbars (201). The first FPCB part (300A), the second FPCB part (300B), and the third FPCB part (300C) may be formed integrally. Here, the FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) may refer to a flexible printed circuit board. The FPCB includes a plurality of conductor lines covered with an insulating film, thereby enabling the transmission of a plurality of data. Furthermore, the FPCB is lightweight and highly flexible, allowing for three-dimensional wiring within the battery module (10).
[0057] The first FPCB part (300A) may have a length corresponding to the length of the cell stack (100) and may be placed on the upper part of the cell stack (100). The first FPCB part (300A) may include a temperature sensor (350) that contacts the battery cell (110) and senses the temperature of the battery cell (110).
[0058] The second FPCB part (300B) may include an extension part (330) connected to one end of the first FPCB part (300A) and extended in the width direction (X direction) of the cell stack (100) in front of the cell stack (100), and sensing parts (340) connected in a one-to-one correspondence with bus bars (201) located in front of the cell stack (100).
[0059] The third FPCB part (300C) may include sensing parts (340) that are connected to the other end of the first FPCB part (300A), extend in the width direction (X direction) of the cell stack (100) at the rear of the cell stack (100), and are connected in a one-to-one correspondence with bus bars (201) located at the rear of the cell stack (100).
[0060] Voltage and temperature information of battery cells (110) sensed by such FPCB member (300) can be transmitted to a control device capable of controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module (10), such as a BMS (Battery Management System). The battery module (10) according to the present invention may include a connector (400) coupled to one side of the FPCB member (300) to transmit voltage or temperature data sensed by the FPCB member (300) to a BMS provided outside the battery module (10). The connector (400) may be configured so that a portion of it is exposed to the outside of the module case so that a cable connector (not shown), etc., can be plugged in from the outside of the module case. For example, the connector (400) may be electrically connected to the FPCB member (300) so as to be exposed to the outside of the module case (see FIG. 1) and installed to be fixed to the busbar frame (200). The above connector (400) may include a connector housing (410) with an opening facing upward, connector pins (420) provided inside the connector housing (410), and a connector mounting part (430) provided on at least one side of the connector housing (410) and a mounting hole (430a) that is fitted and coupled to a fixing pin (204) provided on the busbar frame (200).
[0061] Specifically, referring to FIG. 4, the FPCB member (300) may include a connector mounting portion (310) and a fuse mounting portion (320).
[0062] The connector mounting portion (310) can be implemented as a horizontal plane having an area capable of seating the connector (400). The connector mounting portion (310) is provided with a plurality of pin connection holes (311). The inner surface of each pin connection hole (311) can be connected to each conductor wire of the FPCB member (300). Connector pins (420) can be forced into the pin connection holes (311) of the connector mounting portion (310) in a one-to-one manner so that the connector (400) and the FPCB member (300) can be electrically connected. The connector pins (420) can be fixed by soldering or the like after being inserted into the corresponding pin connection holes (311).
[0063] A stiffener (700) may be placed between the connector mounting portion (310) and the connector (400). This is to suppress bending due to the characteristics of the FPCB member (300), which has relatively large flexibility, and to prevent the connector pin (420) from coming out of the pin connection hole (311) or the soldering from being damaged and the electrical connection being broken due to vibration, etc.
[0064] The above stiffener (700) is provided with a plurality of through holes (701) formed with a size and shape corresponding to a position corresponding to the pin connection hole (311), and the connector pin (420) can be fixed by soldering on the lower surface of the connector mounting part (310) after passing through the through holes (701) and the pin connection hole (311) in sequence.
[0065] The above stiffener (700) may be made of a material such as reinforced resin, with the purpose of ensuring insulation between a plurality of connector pins (420) and preventing damage to parts due to vibration.
[0066] The above fuse mounting portion (320) is a portion in which at least one fuse (301) is mounted, and may be provided at a position overlapping the connector mounting portion (310) above and below the connector mounting portion (310) with a predetermined spacing below the connector mounting portion (310).
[0067] The connector mounting portion (310) and the fuse mounting portion (320) can be formed by bending one side of the FPCB member (300) approximately 180 degrees. Accordingly, in FIG. 4, one end of the connector mounting portion (310) in the (-Y direction) and one end of the fuse mounting portion (320) in the (-Y direction) are connected vertically, and the other end of the connector mounting portion (310) in the (+Y direction) and the other end of the fuse mounting portion (320) in the (+Y direction) have a structure separated from each other. And the FPCB member (300) may be provided to have an extension part (330) that is bent 180 degrees again at the other end of the fuse mounting part (320) and extends in the width direction (stacking direction of battery cells (110)) of the cell stack (100), and a plurality of sensing parts (340) that branch off from the extension part (330) and are attached to corresponding bus bars (201).
[0068] At least one fuse (301) may be mounted on the lower surface of the fuse mounting portion (320). For example, the fuse (301) may be implemented as a chip-type fuse (301). There may be a plurality of fuses (301), and the plurality of chip-type fuses (301) may be mounted in a row on the fuse mounting portion (320).
[0069] Referring again to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, a busbar frame (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a fixing pin that is press-fitted into a mounting hole (430a) of a connector mounting portion (430) of a connector (400), a support plate portion (210) located at the bottom of the connector (400) and protruding forward (-Y direction), and a support plate portion (220) located at the bottom of the support plate portion (210) and protruding forward to support an extension portion (330) of the FPCB.
[0070] Two fixing pins (204) are provided on the upper part of the support plate (210). The two fixing pins (204) may be provided at mutually spaced positions to correspond to two connector mounting parts (430) provided one on each side of the connector (400).
[0071] The support plate (210) can serve to guide and support the wiring in the connector mounting portion (310) and fuse mounting portion (320) areas of the FPCB member (300). The FPCB member (300) can be bent to wrap around the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate (210), so that the connector mounting portion (310) is placed on the upper surface of the support plate (210) and the fuse mounting portion (320) is placed on the lower surface of the support plate (210).
[0072] According to the above configuration, with the connector (400) assembled in the connector mounting portion (310), as shown in FIG. 6, the mounting hole (430a) of the connector mounting portion (430) of the connector (400) is fixed by forcibly fitting it into the fixing pin of the busbar frame (200), and the support plate portion (210) of the busbar frame (200) can be inserted into the space between the connector mounting portion (310) and the fuse mounting portion (320) of the FPCB member (300). Then, the extension portion (330) of the FPCB member (300) can be placed on the support plate portion (220) and stably mounted on the busbar frame (200) along the width direction of the busbar frame (200).
[0073] Additionally, the support plate portion (210) of the busbar frame (200) according to the present embodiment may include, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of side wing portions (211, 212) located at both edges along the width direction, a central plate portion (213) located between the pair of side wing portions (211, 212), and a guide plate portion (214) that extends in the width direction between the central plate portion (213) and the side wing portions (211, 212) and is formed with a shorter forward protrusion length than the central plate portion (213).
[0074] The stiffener (700) and the connector (400) may have both edges supported by the pair of side wing portions (211, 212). The pair of side wing portions (211, 212) have upwardly protruding anti-detachment ribs (211a, 212a) formed thereon to prevent the stiffener (700) and the FPCB member (300) from moving left or right during external impact or vibration.
[0075] The central plate (213) can serve to maintain and support the bending shape of the FPCB member (300). To elaborate, the end of the central plate (213) supports the bending area of the FPCB member (300) extending from one end of the connector mounting portion (310) to one end of the fuse mounting portion (320) in the space between the connector mounting portion (310) and the fuse mounting portion (320) of the FPCB member (300), thereby preventing the bending shape of the FPCB member (300) from being deformed by external force.
[0076] The guide plate (214) serves to guide the bending portion of the FPCB member (300) extending from the fuse mounting portion (320) to the extension portion (330) so that it can be easily interposed in the space between the support plate (210) and the base plate (220). In addition, the guide plate (214) supports the fuse mounting portion (320) from top to bottom together with the central plate (213). Accordingly, the bending shape of the FPCB member (300) interposed in the space between the support plate (210) and the base plate (220) is maintained stably.
[0077] In this embodiment, the fuse (301) of the FPCB member (300) is mounted on the lower surface of the fuse mounting portion (320) such that its long side faces a direction that intersects with the direction in which the support plate portion (210) protrudes. In other words, the fuse (301) is provided in the form of a chip with a roughly rectangular shape, and the long side of this chip-type fuse (301) is mounted on the fuse mounting portion (320) such that it faces a direction that intersects with the direction in which the FPCB member (300) is bent to form the connector mounting portion (310) and the fuse mounting portion (320). That is, it can be said that the fuse (301) is mounted on the fuse mounting portion (320) such that its long side faces the width direction (X direction) of the cell stack (100).
[0078] According to the above method of mounting the fuse (301), it is easy to secure space between the fuse (301) and the busbar frame (200). For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fuse (301) according to the present embodiment is placed in the fuse mounting portion (320) so as to be spaced apart from the support plate portion (220) of the busbar frame (200) at a predetermined distance so that the fuse (301) does not collide with the support plate portion (220) of the busbar frame (200) when the FPCB member (300) moves due to external shock or vibration. At this time, if the fuse (301) is mounted in the fuse mounting portion (320) such that the long side portion of the fuse (301) faces the width direction (X direction) of the cell stack (100) as described above, it is easier to secure a distance from the support plate portion (220) than when the fuse (301) is mounted in the fuse mounting portion (320) such that the long side portion of the fuse (301) faces the length direction of the cell stack (100).
[0079] For example, when comparing the fuse (301) mounting example according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9 with the fuse (301) mounting example shown in FIG. 10, it can be seen that the former makes it easier to secure space between the fuse (301) and the support plate (220) than the latter.
[0080] That is, when one end of the fuse (301) is positioned at the point (C1) indicated in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, respectively, the horizontal separation distance (D1) between the fuse (301) and the support plate (220) according to the embodiment of FIG. 9 is longer than the horizontal separation distance (D2) between the fuse (301) and the support plate (220) in FIG. 10. Therefore, as in one embodiment of the present invention, when the fuse (301) is mounted on the FPCB member (300), it is easy to secure space between the fuse (301) and the busbar frame (200). Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the horizontal separation distance between the fuse (301) and the support plate (220) may be 2 mm or more.
[0081] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a shield plate (600) is placed on the upper surface of the fuse mounting section (320), opposite to the lower surface of the fuse mounting section (320) on which the fuse (301) is mounted. The shield plate (600) serves to prevent the fuse (301) from being damaged or broken by the connector pin (420) coming into contact with the fuse (301). If an external shock is applied to the battery module (10), strong vibration occurs, or excessive force is applied when connecting an external cable to the connector (400), the connector pin (420) may be pushed out. At this time, the connector pin (420) may come into direct contact with the fuse (301), and the fuse (301) may be damaged by the impact. The battery module (10) of the present invention may further include a shield plate (600) to prevent damage to the fuses (301) from the connector pins (420) as described above, as well as to prevent the connector pins (420) from coming into contact with the fuse mounting portion (320) and causing the fuse mounting portion (320) to be perforated. Accordingly, the shield plate (600) preferably has an area capable of covering at least the lower part of the portion where the connector pins (420) are present on the upper surface of the fuse mounting portion (320) and may be provided as an electrically insulating material that is not easily perforated by the connector pins (420). For example, an engineering plastic such as polyimide (PI) may be used as the material of the shield plate (600).
[0082] Meanwhile, a battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a module case capable of accommodating a cell stack (100), a busbar frame (200), an FPCB member (300), etc., inside. The module case is a component for protecting the cell stack (100) from external impacts, and is preferably made of a metal material with excellent mechanical strength. The module case according to this embodiment may include a case body (510) and an end cover (520) (see FIG. 1).
[0083] The above case body (510) may be configured to surround the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the cell stack (100), excluding the front and rear sides where the electrode leads (111) of the battery cells (110) are located. For example, the case body (510) may have a hollow structure with an empty interior and may have an opening with both ends open along the length direction. That is, the case body (510) may be provided in the shape of a square tube. The aforementioned cell stack (100), busbar frame (200), FPCB member (300), connector (400), cover plate (230), etc., may be inserted into the interior of the case body (510) while assembled together. In this case, the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the cell stack (100) may be wrapped by the case body (510).
[0084] The case body (510) may be configured to have one or more resin injection holes on its bottom surface. Although not shown, after inserting the cell stack (100) into the case body (510), a thermal resin (not shown) may be injected into the case body (510) through the resin injection holes, and then the thermal resin may be filled between the bottom surface of the case body (510) and the bottom of the cell stack (100). This thermal resin may be advantageous for strengthening the fixation of the cell stack (100) to the case body (510) and improving heat dissipation. The case body (510) according to the present embodiment is formed as a single unit in the shape of a square tube. However, unlike the present embodiment, the case body (510) as described above may be configured by combining two or more plates.
[0085] The end cover (520) may be configured to cover the front or rear of the cell stack (100) and to be coupled to the case body (510). For example, the end cover (520) may be provided in a size corresponding to the opening of the case body (510) and configured to be fixedly coupled to the case body (510) by means such as snap-fit, bolting, or welding. In this way, by coupling the end cover (520) to the case body (510), the electrode leads (111) and the busbar (201) may not be exposed to the outside. Additionally, to ensure electrical insulation, the end cover (520) may be entirely made of plastic material, or at least one side facing the busbar (201) may be made of an electrically insulating material. Furthermore, the end cover (520) may have a partially cut part or a perforated part. Through the above-mentioned cut part, the positive terminal and negative terminal of the battery module (10) can be exposed to the outside of the end cover (520), and through the above-mentioned perforated part, the opening of the connector (400) can be exposed to the outside of the end cover (520).
[0086] Meanwhile, the battery pack (1) according to the present invention may include one or more of the aforementioned battery modules (10), as illustrated in FIG. 11. The battery pack (1) according to the present invention may include a pack case for accommodating other electrical components, such as a master BMS and a current sensor, for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery modules (10). The pack case may include a pack tray (2) having an internal space partitioned by cross beams and a pack cover (3) covering the upper part of the pack tray (2).
[0087] The battery pack (1) according to the present invention may be applied to a vehicle (V), such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the vehicle (V) according to the present invention may include a battery pack (1) that employs battery modules (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention described above.
[0088] As described above, although the present invention has been explained by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that various modifications and variations 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.
[0089] Meanwhile, although terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, and right have been used in this specification, these terms are used merely for convenience of explanation, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that they may vary depending on the location of the object or the position of the observer.
Claims
1. A cell stack formed by stacking multiple battery cells; A busbar frame that supports busbars electrically connecting the battery cells and is disposed on one side of the cell stack; An FPCB member equipped with a fuse and connected to the busbars to sense the voltage of the battery cells; and It includes a connector connected to one side of the above FPCB member, and The above busbar frame is provided with a support plate portion protruding forward from the lower part of the connector, and A battery module characterized in that the above FPCB member is bent to wrap around the upper and lower surfaces of the support plate portion and comprises a connector mounting portion disposed on the upper surface of the support plate portion and a fuse mounting portion disposed on the lower surface of the support plate portion, wherein the fuse is mounted in the fuse mounting portion such that its long side faces a direction intersecting the direction in which the support plate portion protrudes.
2. In Paragraph 1, A battery module characterized in that the above fuses are a plurality of chip-type fuses, and the plurality of chip-type fuses are mounted side by side in a single row on the fuse mounting portion.
3. In Paragraph 1, The above FPCB member includes an extension portion extending from the fuse mounting portion in the stacking direction of the battery cells, and a plurality of sensing portions branching from the extension portion and attached to corresponding busbars. A battery module characterized in that the busbar frame includes a support plate portion located at the lower part of the support plate portion and protruding forward to support the extension portion.
4. In Paragraph 3, A battery module characterized by the above-mentioned fuse being configured to have a horizontal separation distance of 2 mm or more from the above-mentioned base plate.
5. In Paragraph 1, A battery module characterized by including a shield plate disposed on the upper surface of the fuse mounting portion opposite to the lower surface of the fuse mounting portion on which the fuse is mounted, and configured to prevent connector pins protruding downward from the connector from directly contacting the fuse mounting portion.
6. In Paragraph 1, The above connector mounting portion is provided with pin connection holes, and It has through holes that coincide with the pin connection holes, is disposed on the upper surface of the connector mounting portion, and includes a stiffener, A battery module characterized in that the connector has connector pins inserted into the through holes and the pin connection holes.
7. In Paragraph 1, The above support plate part A pair of side wing sections located at both edges along the width direction; A central plate section located between a pair of side wing sections and A battery module characterized by including a guide plate portion that extends in the width direction between the central plate portion and the side wing portion and is formed with a shorter forward protrusion length than the central plate portion.
8. In Paragraph 1, The busbar frame comprises a front busbar frame disposed in front of the cell stack and a rear busbar frame disposed in rear of the cell stack, and A battery module characterized by further including a cover plate disposed on the upper part of the cell stack and hinged to at least one of the front busbar frame and the rear busbar frame.
9. In Paragraph 8, A battery module characterized in that the above-mentioned cover plate has a plurality of gas venting holes perforated in the thickness direction.
10. In Paragraph 1, A module case comprising: a tubular case body accommodating the cell stack and having openings at the front and rear; and an end cover covering the openings of the case body. A battery module characterized in that the connector is configured such that a portion thereof is exposed to the outside of the end cover.
11. In Paragraph 10, A battery module characterized in that the above-mentioned case body has gas discharge holes or notches on the upper surface that break due to internal pressure.
12. A battery pack characterized by including a battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
13. An automobile characterized by including a battery pack according to Clause 12.