Patent Description:
From <CIT> there is known a cell cartridge, comprising a first pouch cell, a second pouch cell and a cartridge configured to accommodate a cell stack formed by stacking the first pouch cell and the second pouch cell.

In a conventional battery module, in order to fix a stack formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells, both surfaces of the stack are pressed using end plates that cover both broad surfaces of the stack, thereby just preventing the battery cells from moving along a direction parallel to the stacking direction of the battery cells.

However, the structure of the conventional battery module is inevitably vulnerable to movement in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of battery cells. This is because the battery cells may also move due to the minute space present between the battery cell and an inner wall of the module case accommodating the battery cells.

If the battery cell moves in the module case as above, the battery cell may be damaged while the battery module is in use, thereby deteriorating the safety and reliability of the product.

Thus, it is required to apply a binding structure capable of preventing the battery cells from moving in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery cells in the battery module.

The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a binding structure, which may prevent battery cells from moving in a direction perpendicular to a stacking direction of the battery cells in the battery module.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cell cartridge, comprising: a first pouch cell having a first fixing portion extending out of a sealing portion of the first pouch cell;.

The first fixing portion and the second fixing portion may be respectively provided in plural.

The plurality of first fixing portions may be provided to be spaced apart from each other along a periphery of the first pouch cell, and the plurality of second fixing portions may be provided to be spaced apart from each other along a periphery of the second pouch cell.

The first fixing portions may be formed in a region except for an area where an electrode lead of the first pouch cell is drawn, and the second fixing portions may be formed in a region except for an area where an electrode lead of the second pouch cell is drawn.

The first fixing portions and the second fixing portions may be arranged alternately along a periphery of the cell stack.

The first fixing portion may extend to an accommodation portion of the second pouch cell and is attached to the second pouch cell, and the second fixing portion may extend to an accommodation portion of the first pouch cell and is attached to the first pouch cell.

The first fixing portion and the second fixing portion may be respectively integrally formed with the sealing portion of the first pouch cell and the sealing portion of the second pouch cell.

Meanwhile, in another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a battery module, which comprises a cell cartridge stack formed by stacking a plurality of cell cartridges according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and a pair of end plates configured to cover both surfaces of the cell cartridge stack.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent battery cells from moving in a direction perpendicular to a stacking direction of the battery cells inside a cartridge, thereby reducing damage caused to the pouch cells due to movement of the pair of pouch cells in the cartridge and also reducing the occurrence of a failed battery module and the danger in use of the battery module.

Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure, as defined by the claims.

First, an overall configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an assembled state, <FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing the battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing a cell cartridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cell cartridge stack formed by stacking a plurality of cell cartridges <NUM> and a pair of end plates <NUM>, <NUM> covering both surfaces of the cell cartridge stack.

The cell cartridge <NUM> includes a cell stack formed by stacking a pair of pouch cells <NUM>, <NUM> and a cartridge <NUM> for accommodating the cell stack. The cartridge <NUM> includes a first cartridge <NUM> coupled to one side surface of the cell stack and a second cartridge <NUM> coupled to the other side surface of the cell stack.

Meanwhile, the pair of first cartridge <NUM> and second cartridge <NUM> of the cell cartridge <NUM> and the end plates <NUM>, <NUM> have fastening holes H formed in corner regions at both sides of a top portion thereof. A fastening bolt B is inserted into the fastening holes H so that the first cartridge <NUM> and the second cartridge <NUM> are fastened together and the plurality of cell cartridges <NUM> are fastened together. Meanwhile, a fastening clip C is mounted at a bottom center of the pair of end plates <NUM>, <NUM>, respectively, so that the binding force between the end plates <NUM>, <NUM> may be more firmly maintained.

In addition, by the fastening using the bolt B and the clip C, the cell cartridge stack and the end plates <NUM>, <NUM> are also fastened to each other, and by doing so, the end plates <NUM>, <NUM> press the cell cartridge stack so that the plurality of cell cartridges <NUM> are prevented from moving relative to each other.

Though the figures of the present disclosure depict only a case where three cell cartridges <NUM> are included in one battery module, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of cell cartridges <NUM> may be increased or decreased depending on the required battery voltage and/or capacity.

Next, the cell cartridge <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to <FIG> along with <FIG>.

<FIG> is a plane view showing a first pouch cell employed in the present disclosure, <FIG> is a plane view showing a second pouch cell employed in the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a perspective view showing a state where the first pouch cell and the second pouch cell employed in the present disclosure are bound.

Referring to <FIG>, the first pouch cell <NUM> of the cell cartridge <NUM> includes an electrode assembly (not shown), a pair of electrode leads <NUM>, a pouch case <NUM>, and a plurality of first fixing portions <NUM>.

Though not shown in the figures, the electrode assembly is configured so that separators are interposed between positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates, which are alternately stacked on one another, and the separators are preferably located at both outermost sides of the electrode assembly for insulation.

The positive electrode plate includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer coated on at least one surface of the positive electrode current collector. A positive electrode uncoated region not coated with a positive electrode active material is formed on one side end of the positive electrode current collector, and the positive electrode uncoated region functions as a positive electrode tab connected to the electrode lead <NUM>.

Likewise, the negative electrode plate includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer coated on at least one surface of the negative electrode current collector. An uncoated region not coated with a negative electrode active material is formed on one side end of the negative electrode current collector, and the uncoated region functions as a negative electrode tab connected to the electrode lead <NUM>.

In addition, the separator is interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate to prevent the electrode plates having different polarities from directly contacting each other. The separator may be made of a porous material in order to allow ions to move between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate by using the electrolyte as a medium.

The electrode lead <NUM> is classified into a positive electrode lead connected to the positive electrode tab and a negative electrode lead connected to the negative electrode tab, and the positive and negative electrode leads are drawn and extended in parallel in one direction of the pouch case <NUM>.

The pouch case <NUM> may include an upper case covering an upper portion of the electrode assembly and a lower case covering a lower portion thereof, and the upper case and the lower case may respectively be a multilayered pouch film including a first resin layer, a metal layer and a second resin layer.

In this case, the first resin layer forming an innermost side of the pouch film may be made of a resin with a heat-fusing property so that the upper and lower cases may be easily fused to each other when heat is applied thereto in a state where the upper and lower cases are in contact with each other.

The pouch case <NUM> includes two portions, namely an accommodation portion <NUM> for accommodating the electrode assembly (not shown) and a sealing portion <NUM> extending along the circumferential direction the accommodation portion. Here, the sealing portion <NUM> is thermally fused in a state in which the electrode lead <NUM> is drawn out to the outside of the pouch case <NUM> to seal the pouch case <NUM>.

The first fixing portion <NUM> is provided to extend outward from the sealing portion <NUM> of the first pouch cell <NUM> and is bent toward the second pouch cell <NUM> stacked to face the first pouch cell <NUM>, thereby restricting movement of the second pouch cell <NUM>.

The first fixing portion <NUM> is provided in plural, and the plurality of first fixing portions <NUM> are spaced apart from each other along a periphery of the first pouch cell <NUM> and are formed except for a region where the electrode leads <NUM> are drawn out.

The second pouch cell <NUM> includes an electrode assembly (not shown), a pair of electrode leads <NUM>, a pouch case <NUM>, and a plurality of second fixing portions <NUM>.

The first pouch cell <NUM> and the second pouch cell <NUM> are substantially identical to each other except the locations where the fixing portions <NUM>, <NUM> are formed. Thus, the components other than the second fixing portion <NUM> will not be described in detail here.

The second fixing portion <NUM> is provided to extend outward from a sealing portion <NUM> of the second pouch cell <NUM> and is bent toward the first pouch cell <NUM> stacked to face the second pouch cell <NUM> to restrict movement of the first pouch cell <NUM>.

The second fixing portion <NUM> is provided in plural, and the plurality of second fixing portions <NUM> are spaced apart from each other along a periphery of the second pouch cell <NUM> and are formed except for a region where the electrode leads <NUM> are drawn out.

In addition, the second fixing portion <NUM> is provided at a position where the first fixing portion <NUM> is not formed when the first pouch cell <NUM> and the second pouch cell <NUM> are stacked. Accordingly, the first fixing portions <NUM> and the second fixing portions <NUM> are alternately arranged along the periphery of the cell stack formed by stacking the first pouch cell <NUM> and the second pouch cell <NUM>.

The binding force between the pair of pouch cells <NUM>, <NUM> is increased due to the fixing portions <NUM>, <NUM>, which are bent toward the pouch cells <NUM>, <NUM> located at the opposite sides, so that the first pouch cell <NUM> and the second pouch cell <NUM> do not move relative to each other.

The fixing portions <NUM>, <NUM> are integrally formed with the pouch cases <NUM>, <NUM> and are substantially formed by elongating the sealing portions <NUM>, <NUM> longer toward the outside.

Next, another example of the binding pattern between the pair of pouch cells <NUM>, <NUM> employed in the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing a state where the first pouch cell and the second pouch cell employed in the present disclosure are bound by applying a binding pattern different from <FIG>.

The cell stack shown in <FIG> is substantially identical to the cell stack shown in <FIG>, except that the fixing portions <NUM>, <NUM> are formed longer and attached to the outer surface of the cell stack.

Thus, the cell stack shown in <FIG> will be explained based on the fixing portions <NUM>, <NUM> having different features, and the other components substantially identical will not described in detail here.

In this embodiment, the fixing portions <NUM>, <NUM> may extend to the accommodation portions <NUM>, <NUM> of the pouch cells <NUM>, <NUM> at opposite sides and be attached onto the accommodation portions <NUM>, <NUM> by an adhesive or the like. By doing so, the binding force between the first pouch cell <NUM> and the second pouch cell <NUM> is increased further so that the first pouch cell <NUM> and the second pouch cell <NUM> do not move relative to each other inside the cartridge <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> again, the cell stack having the above structure with an enhanced binding force is accommodated in the cartridge <NUM>.

The cartridge <NUM> includes a first cartridge <NUM> coupled to one side surface of the cell stack and a second cartridge <NUM> coupled to the other side surface of the cell stack. Each of the cartridges <NUM>, <NUM> has a cell accommodation portion <NUM> for giving a space in which the pouch cells <NUM>, <NUM> may be accommodated, and a lead drawing portion <NUM> giving a space through which the electrode leads <NUM>, <NUM> may be drawn out of the cartridge <NUM>.

When the plurality of cell cartridges <NUM> are connected, the electrode leads drawn through the lead drawing portion <NUM> are connected to each other, thereby implementing a battery module in which the plurality of pouch cells are connected in series, in parallel, or a combination thereof.

Claim 1:
A cell cartridge (<NUM>), comprising:
a first pouch cell (<NUM>) having a first fixing portion (<NUM>) extending out of a sealing portion (<NUM>) of the first pouch cell (<NUM>);
a second pouch cell (<NUM>) having a second fixing portion (<NUM>) extending out of a sealing portion (<NUM>) of the second pouch cell (<NUM>); and
a cartridge (<NUM>) configured to accommodate a cell stack formed by stacking the first pouch cell (<NUM>) and the second pouch cell (<NUM>),
wherein the first fixing portion (<NUM>) is bent toward the second pouch cell (<NUM>) to restrict movement of the second pouch cell (<NUM>), and
wherein the second fixing portion (<NUM>) is bent toward the first pouch cell (<NUM>) to restrict movement of the first pouch cell (<NUM>).