CN203850370U - Battery module assembly for vehicle battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery module assembly for a vehicle battery pack, which has four battery modules, two of which are arranged side by side, and two battery modules stacked and arranged on the two battery modules arranged side by side, which respectively include The cylindrical secondary battery cells in the battery modules are electrically connected in parallel through plates respectively located at the tops of the two battery modules arranged side by side through plates located at the two battery modules arranged side by side. The lower metal plates are electrically connected in series, wherein the cylindrical secondary battery cells respectively included in the battery modules are electrically connected in parallel through the metal plates respectively positioned on two battery modules stacked on the two battery modules arranged side by side. The top and bottom of a battery module, and wherein the four battery modules are electrically connected in series. Therefore, a stable and economical battery module assembly including a plurality of secondary battery cells can be provided.

Description

Battery module assemblies for vehicle battery packs

Application background

Cross References to Related Applications

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0047475 filed on April 29, 2013 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0063090 filed on May 31, 2013 in Korea, both of which The disclosure of this application is incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

The present disclosure relates to battery module assemblies, and more particularly, to electrical connections between battery modules in a battery module assembly for a vehicle battery pack.

Background technique

Secondary batteries that have good applications for various product categories and have good electrical characteristics such as high energy density are widely used not only in portable devices but also in electric vehicles (EV) or hybrid electric vehicles ( HEV). Secondary batteries have a primary advantage of significantly reducing the use of fossil fuels, and a secondary advantage of not generating by-products in the use of energy, and thus attract attention as a new energy source due to enhanced environmental friendliness and energy-efficiency properties.

Lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and the like are currently widely used as secondary batteries. Such a unit secondary battery cell has an operating voltage of about 2.5V to 4.2V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of secondary battery cells may be connected in series to configure a battery pack. In addition, depending on the charging/discharging capacity required for the battery pack, a plurality of secondary battery cells may also be connected in parallel to configure the battery pack. Therefore, the number of secondary battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity.

Meanwhile, if a plurality of secondary battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to configure a battery pack, the secondary battery cells included in the battery pack should be firmly electrically and mechanically connected. Therefore, for battery module assemblies and battery packs, a stable and economical design is required to ensure firm connection of secondary battery cells.

Utility model content

The present disclosure aims to address the problems of the prior art, and thus the present disclosure relates to providing a battery module assembly for a vehicle battery pack.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module assembly having four battery modules, two of which are arranged side by side, and two battery modules stacked and arranged on the two battery modules arranged side by side, wherein respectively Cylindrical secondary battery cells included in the battery modules are electrically connected in parallel through plates respectively located at the tops of the two battery modules arranged side by side through the plates located at the two battery modules arranged side by side. The lower metal plates are electrically connected in series, wherein the cylindrical secondary battery cells respectively included in the battery modules are electrically connected in parallel through the metal plates respectively positioned on the two battery modules stacked side by side. The top and bottom of the two battery modules, and wherein the four battery modules are electrically connected in series.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal plate may be made of any one selected from nickel, copper, brass, and nickel-plated copper.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal plate may be connected to the cylindrical secondary battery cells included in each battery module by resistance welding, ultrasonic welding, laser welding, or conductive adhesive.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal plate may have a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm.

The battery module assembly according to the present disclosure may further include a bus bar configured to electrically connect two battery modules arranged side by side with two battery modules stacked thereon. In this case, the boards respectively located at the top of the two battery modules arranged side by side may have a larger area than each battery module, and the area of each board beyond the area of the battery modules may be erected. The battery modules are folded vertically, and the bus bars may be interposed between the vertically folded portion and the plates respectively located at the bottom of the stacked two battery modules.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, a stable and economical battery module assembly including a plurality of secondary battery cells may be provided.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the above disclosure, serve to provide further understanding of the technical spirit of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the accompanying drawings. In the picture:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery pack including a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery pack including a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module of a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a first battery module among four battery modules included in a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

5 is a perspective view illustrating a second battery module among four battery modules included in a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating that first and second battery modules among four battery modules included in a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are connected.

7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating that third and fourth battery modules among four battery modules included in a battery module assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are stacked.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in this specification and the appended claims should not be construed as being limited to the ordinary and dictionary meanings, but should be within the principle of allowing the inventor to properly define the terms for best interpretation Basically, it is understood based on meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, the description presented here is only the preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustration only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other equivalents and modifications.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a battery pack 1 including a battery module assembly 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The battery pack 1 depicted in FIG. 1 is a vehicle battery pack 1 that can be mounted to a vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an electric vehicle (EV), or the like.

Preferably, the battery pack 1 may have dimensions according to standards for vehicle batteries. Therefore, the battery pack 1 may have a hexahedral shape as a whole.

Also preferably, the battery module assembly 50 may also have dimensions according to standards for vehicle batteries. However, the battery pack 1 and the battery module assembly 50 are not limited to the above-mentioned dimensions, and their length, width, and height may be set in various ways.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery pack 1 including a battery module assembly 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The battery module assembly 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to the inner case 30 and included between the upper group case 10 and the lower group case 70 to configure the battery pack 1 .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module 60 of the battery module assembly 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the battery module 60 is configured such that a plurality of cylindrical secondary battery cells 62 (hereinafter also referred to as “cells”) are interposed between an upper frame 61 and a lower frame 63 . For convenience, it will be assumed that the electrodes of the cells 62 exposed to the upward frame 61 are high potential electrodes (+), and the electrodes of the cells 62 exposed to the downward frame 63 are low potential electrodes (−). Furthermore, in order to better recognize the upper frame 61 and the lower frame 63 with the naked eye, the upper frame 61 is drawn in a dark color and the lower frame 63 is drawn in a lighter color.

The battery pack 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may have an operating voltage of 12V when used for a vehicle. In addition, the secondary battery unit 62 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may have an operating voltage of 3V. Accordingly, four battery modules 60 may be connected in series to configure the battery module assembly 50 .

Hereinafter, the battery module assembly 50 composed of the battery module 60 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. For reference, the terms 'upper', 'lower', 'top' and 'bottom' used in this specification represent positions based on the drawings.

The battery module assembly 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is composed of four battery modules 60 . Hereinafter, the four battery modules 60 will be distinguished by numbers.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a first battery module 60 - 1 among four battery modules included in the battery module assembly 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4 , it can be seen that a plate 51 is added to the upper frame 61 - 1 of the battery module 60 depicted in FIG. 3 . The plate 51 is made of metal and is electrically connected to the high potential terminal of the battery module 60-1. Accordingly, high potential terminals of the cells 62 - 1 included in the battery module 60 - 1 may be electrically connected in parallel through the board 51 .

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the plate 51 may be made of any one selected from nickel, copper, brass, and nickel-plated copper. These materials are only examples, and the plate 51 may be made of any kind of metal that can be easily substituted by a person skilled in the art.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the plate 51 has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm. The thickness may be set in various ways depending on the properties of the metal in consideration of rigidity, electrical conductivity, and the like.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, plate 51 and unit 62-1 are connected by resistance welding, ultrasonic welding, laser welding or conductive adhesive.

The total area of the board 51 is larger than the area of the upper frame 61-1 of the first battery module 60-1. In addition, a part of the plate 51, that is, a region 51-a beyond the area beyond the upper frame 61-1 of the first battery module 60-1, is vertically folded. When the battery module assembly 50 is subsequently configured, the folded region 51-a is used for mechanical and electrical connection with the battery module 60-3 (refer to FIG. 7) stacked thereon.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a second battery module 60 - 2 among four battery modules included in the battery module assembly 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5 , it can be found that the second battery module 60 - 2 has a shape reversed from that of the battery module 60 depicted in FIG. 3 . Furthermore, it can also be found that a plate 52 is added to the lower frame 63-2 of the second battery module 60-2. The plate 52 is made of metal and is electrically connected to the low potential terminal of the battery module 60-2. Accordingly, the low potential ends of the cells 62 - 2 included in the second battery module 60 - 2 may be electrically connected in parallel through the board 52 .

The material, thickness and welding method of the plate 52 are basically the same as those of the plate 51 of FIG. 4 .

The total area of the board 52 is larger than the area of the lower frame 63-2 of the second battery module 60-2. In addition, a part of the plate 52, that is, a region 52-a beyond the area beyond the lower frame 63-2 of the second battery module 60-2 is vertically folded. When the battery module assembly 50 is subsequently configured, the folded region 52-a is used for mechanical and electrical connection with the battery module 60-4 (refer to FIG. 7) stacked thereon.

6 is an exploded perspective view showing that first and second battery modules 60-1, 60-2 among four battery modules included in the battery module assembly 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are connected.

Referring to FIG. 6, it can be found that the plate 53 is placed on the bottom of the first and second battery modules 60-1, 60-2.

The plate 53 is made of metal and is electrically connected to the low-potential end of the first battery module 60-1. Accordingly, the low potential ends of the cells 62 - 1 included in the first battery module 60 - 1 may be electrically connected in parallel through the board 53 . Meanwhile, the plate 53 is made of metal and is electrically connected to the high potential terminal of the second battery module 60-2. Accordingly, high potential terminals of the cells 62 - 2 included in the second battery module 60 - 2 may be electrically connected in parallel through the board 53 . Meanwhile, the board 53 has an area including both the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2. Therefore, the low potential end of the first battery module 60-1 and the high potential end of the second battery module 60-2 may be electrically connected in series.

The material, thickness and welding method of the plate 53 are substantially the same as those of the plate 51 of FIG. 4 .

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the total area of the plate 53 is greater than the sum of the areas of the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2. In addition, a part of the plate 53, that is, a region 53-a beyond the total area of the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2, is vertically folded. In addition, threads 68 are formed on one side of the first battery module 60-1 and one side of the second battery module 60-2. Accordingly, a screw hole may be formed in the vertical folding region 53-a, and the plate 53 may be mechanically connected to the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2 through the screw 68 and the screw.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the battery module 60 , connection members 67 , 67 - 1 are formed at one side of the upper frame 61 or the lower frame 63 for connection to another battery module.

Referring again to FIG. 3 , connection members 67 , 67 - 1 formed on the sides of the upper frame 61 and the lower frame 63 of the battery module 60 are depicted. As described above, in the battery pack 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, four battery modules 60 configure the battery module assembly 50 (see FIG. 2 ). At this time, the battery module may be mechanically coupled to another battery module 60 adjacent to its side by the connection part 67 , 67 - 1 .

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection part 67, 67-1 has a "┐" or "└" shape. The connection part 67 having a "┐" shape and the connection part 67-1 having a "└" shape may be connected to each other to prevent the battery module 60 from deviating in a horizontal direction. For this, when the battery module assembly 50 is configured, the battery modules 60 adjacent to each other may be arranged such that the connection part 67 having a "┐" shape and the connection part 67-1 having a "└" shape are connected to each other.

If the connecting parts 67, 67-1 are formed on the sides of the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2, the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2 can pass through the connecting parts 67, 67-1 Mechanical connection. The connecting parts 67 , 67 - 1 enhance the mechanical coupling capability between the battery modules 60 of the battery module assembly 50 .

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing that third and fourth battery modules 60 - 3 , 60 - 4 among four battery modules included in the battery module assembly 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are stacked.

Referring to FIG. 7, the plate 54 is coupled to a high potential terminal of the third battery module 60-3. In addition, the board 55 is coupled to the low potential end of the third battery module 60-3. The cells 62 - 3 included in the third battery module 60 - 3 may be electrically connected in parallel through the plates 54 , 55 .

The plate 56 is coupled to the high potential terminal of the fourth battery module 60-4. In addition, the plate 57 is coupled to the low potential end of the fourth battery module 60-3. The cells 62 - 4 included in the fourth battery module 60 - 4 may be electrically connected in parallel through the plates 56 , 57 .

7, it can be found that a third battery module 60-3 and a fourth battery module 60-4 are stacked on the first battery module 60-1 and the second battery module 60-2 arranged side by side, respectively.

The third battery module 60-3 is electrically connected in series to the first battery module 60-1. Therefore, the low potential end of the third battery module 60-3 is stacked adjacent to the high potential end of the first battery module 60-1.

In addition, the fourth battery module 60-4 is electrically connected in series to the second battery module 60-2. Therefore, the high potential end of the fourth battery module 60-4 is stacked adjacent to the low potential end of the second battery module 60-2.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a protrusion 66 is formed on the top of the upper frame 61 of the battery module 60 , and a concave portion 66 - 1 having a shape and position corresponding to the protrusion 66 is formed in the bottom of the lower frame 63 .

3 to 5 again, it can be found that a protrusion 66 is formed on the top of the upper frame 61 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and a recessed portion 66 having a shape and position corresponding to the protrusion 66 is formed on the bottom of the lower frame 63 -1.

As described above, in the battery pack 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, four battery modules 60 configure the battery module assembly 50 (see FIG. 2 ). At this time, when the battery modules 60 - 1 to 60 - 4 are vertically stacked, the protrusion 66 and the concave portion 66 - 1 can fix the position of the battery module located below and the battery module located above. In addition, when the battery modules 60-1 to 60-4 are stacked by the protrusion 66 and the concave portion 66-1, the battery modules 60 can be easily stacked, and the upper battery module 60 and the lower battery module 60 can also be prevented from being deviated from the correct position. .

When the protrusion 66 and the concave portion 66-1 are formed at the first and third battery modules 60-1, 60-3, the first battery module 60-1 and the third battery module 60-3 can pass through the protrusion 66 and the third battery module 60-3. The recessed portion 66-1 is mechanically connected. In addition, when the protrusion 66 and the recessed portion 66-1 are formed at the second and fourth battery modules 60-2, 60-4, the second battery module 60-2 and the fourth battery module 60-4 can pass through the protrusions. 66 is mechanically connected to the recessed portion 66-1.

Meanwhile, the first battery module 60 - 1 and the third battery module 60 - 3 may be mechanically and electrically connected through the vertical folding region 51 - a of the board 51 . In addition, the second battery module 60 - 2 and the fourth battery module 60 - 4 may be mechanically and electrically connected through the vertical folding region 52 - a of the board 52 . At this time, mechanical connection may be performed using threads 68 formed at the lower frame of the third battery module 60-3, the vertical folding region 51-a of the plate 51, and screws. Similarly, mechanical connection may also be performed using threads 68 formed at the upper frame of the fourth battery module 60-4, the vertical folding region 51-a of the plate 51, and screws.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a battery module assembly 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8 , it can be found that the battery modules 60 - 1 to 60 - 4 depicted in FIGS. 4 to 7 are mechanically and electrically connected.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery modules 60 are stacked vertically, that is, the first battery module 60-1 and the third battery module 60-3 are electrically connected in series through the bus bar 58, and the second battery module 60-2 and the The fourth battery module 60 - 4 is also electrically connected in series through the bus bar 58 . The bus bar 58 may also be connected between the first battery module 60-1 and the third battery module 60-3, and between the second battery module 60-2 and the fourth battery module 60-4 by screws.

According to the present disclosure, a stable and economical battery module assembly including a plurality of secondary battery cells can be provided.

The present disclosure has been described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since those skilled in the art will understand the spirit of the disclosure from the detailed description. and various changes and modifications within the range.

Claims (6)

1. a battery module assembly, it has four battery modules, it is characterized in that, and wherein two battery modules are arranged side by side, and two battery modules are stacking and be arranged on two battery modules that are arranged side by side,

The plate that is wherein included in respectively the top place by laying respectively at two battery modules that are arranged side by side, cylindrical secondary battery unit in battery module is electrically connected by parallel connection,

Two battery modules that are wherein arranged side by side are electrically connected in series by the lower metallic plate that is positioned at two battery module places that are arranged side by side,

The cylindrical secondary battery unit being wherein included in respectively in battery module is electrically connected by parallel connection by following metallic plate, and described metallic plate lays respectively at the top and the bottom that are stacked on two battery modules on two battery modules that are arranged side by side, and

Wherein said four battery modules are electrically connected in series.

2. battery module assembly according to claim 1, is characterized in that,

Wherein said metallic plate is by any the making being selected from nickel, copper, brass and nickel-clad copper.

3. battery module assembly according to claim 1, is characterized in that,

Wherein said metallic plate is connected to the cylindrical secondary battery unit being included in each battery module by resistance welded, ultra-sonic welded, laser welding or electroconductive binder.

4. battery module assembly according to claim 1, is characterized in that,

Wherein said metallic plate has the thickness of 0.1mm to 0.4mm.

5. battery module assembly according to claim 1, is characterized in that, further comprises busbar, and this busbar is configured to two battery modules that are arranged side by side to be electrically connected with stacking two battery modules thereon.

6. battery module assembly according to claim 5, is characterized in that,

The plate that wherein lays respectively at the top place of two battery modules that are arranged side by side has area larger compared with each battery module,

Wherein the region outside the area that exceeds battery module of each plate is vertically folded, and

Wherein said busbar is between vertical fold domain and lay respectively between the plate at bottom place of two stacking battery modules.