Patent Description:
The present application claims priority to <CIT>.

In recent years, secondary batteries are widely used not only for small-sized devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in middle-sized or large-sized devices such as electric vehicles and power storage devices (ESS). For example, when used in an electric vehicle, a plurality of such battery modules, in which of which a large number of secondary batteries are electrically connected, are connected to configure a battery pack in order to increase energy capacity and output.

As an electrical connection means for the battery modules, a wire or bus bar <NUM> capable of coping with high voltage and high current is used. The high-voltage or high-current wire has disadvantages of greater weight and volume compared to ordinary wires. However, the bus bar <NUM> (see <FIG>) is an electrical component prepared by coating a copper or aluminum plate <NUM> having good electrical conductivity with an insulation tube <NUM> or the like and thus has sufficient energization capability even with small width and thickness. For this reason, the bus bar <NUM> is widely used as an electrical component of a battery pack. However, since a large number of bus bars are used in the battery pack, the total weight of the battery pack increases, and the material cost also becomes a considerable burden.

Accordingly, there is an increasing need for a new electrical connection means that is more economical and lighter than the bus bar while capable of coping with high voltage and high current.

<CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT> disclose a cable/connector assembly.

The present disclosure is directed to providing an electrical connection means that is more economical and lighter than a conventional bus bar while capable of coping with high voltage and high current.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be described below, and will be appreciated by embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be realized by components defined in the claims and a combination thereof.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a FFC cable assembly as defined in the appended set of claims, the FFC cable assembly comprises a multi FFC cable having a plurality of FFC films arranged in a layered form and an insulation tube for surrounding the plurality of FFC films; and high current terminals mounted to both ends of the multi FFC cable.

The insulation tube may be a thermally shrinkable tube.

Each of the plurality of FFC films includes of two or more conductor wires parallel to each other on the same plane; and a sheath member configured to surround and seal the conductor wires.

End portions of the conductor wires extend along a longitudinal direction to be exposed out of the insulation tube. The multi FFC cable further includes a conductor wire holder having a plurality of slots formed therein so that the end portions of the conductor wires are individually inserted therein, the conductor wire holder being configured to surround one of ends of the insulation tube.

The conductor wire holder may be configured to be fitted into both ends of the insulation tube.

The conductor wire holder may be made of one of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) materials.

The conductor wire holder may be compressed to both ends of the insulation tube in a thickness direction.

The high current terminal may include: a vice portion configured to be fitted into an outer side of the conductor wire holder; and a terminal portion configured to protrude in one direction with a predetermined thickness from the vice portion.

The vice portion may include: an opening formed to open at least one surface thereof to expose at least one surface of the conductor wire holder along a thickness direction of the multi FFC cable; and a compression member elastically deformed inside the opening to compress a portion of the conductor wire holder.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a battery pack, comprising the FFC cable assembly described above.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a FFC cable assembly, which may serve as an electrical connection means that is more economical and lighter than a conventional bus bar while capable of coping with high voltage and high current.

The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above, and effects not mentioned herein may be clearly understood from the present specification and the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art.

A FFC (Flat Flexible Cable) cable assembly described below may be used, for example, to connect two battery modules in series, to electrically connect a terminal of a battery module to a relay or to electrically connect devices inside a battery pack.

Of course, the FFC cable assembly according to the present disclosure is not limitedly used as an electrical component of a battery pack. That is, the FFC cable assembly may also be used as an electrical connection component for various devices or equipment through which high voltage or high current flows.

<FIG> is a schematic perspective view showing a FFC cable assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is a diagram showing one FFC film that configures a multi FFC cable of <FIG>, <FIG> is a diagram showing a stacking structure of the multi FFC cable according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a perspective view showing one end of the multi FFC cable of <FIG>.

Referring to these drawings, an FFC cable assembly <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a multi FFC cable <NUM> and high current terminals <NUM> mounted to both ends of the multi FFC cable <NUM>.

The multi FFC cable <NUM> includes a plurality of FFC films <NUM> arranged in a layered form and an insulation tube <NUM> for surrounding the plurality of FFC films <NUM>.

A unit FFC film <NUM> includes two or more conductor wires 21a parallel to each other on the same plane and a sheath member 21b configured to surround and seal the conductor wires 21a, as shown in <FIG>. The unit FFC film <NUM> may be manufactured thin to have a thickness of about <NUM> to <NUM>. The unit FFC film <NUM> has advantages of light weight and good flexibility.

In addition, the level of conduction current that may be handled per each conductor wire 21a may vary depending on the configuration of the conductor wire 21a, but in general cases, each of the conductor wires 21a of the unit FFC film <NUM> may cope with a current of approximately 3A. Therefore, if being simply calculated excluding heat generation, <NUM> conductor wires 21a may cope with a current of about 30A, and if <NUM> unit FFC films <NUM> are stacked in <NUM> layers, it is possible to cope with a current of about 300A.

In the present disclosure, based on the above, as shown in <FIG>, unit FFC films <NUM> are stacked in multiple layers to form the multi FFC cable <NUM> so as to cope with high voltage and high current. The multi FFC cable <NUM> depicted in the drawings is a stack of four unit FFC films <NUM> for convenience of drawing, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, if it is intended to further increase the level of current that may be coped with compared to this embodiment, the number of unit FFC films <NUM> may be increased as much.

The insulation tube <NUM> is made of a material with a heat shrinkable property and functions to surround and bind the plurality of stacked FFC films <NUM> so that the FFC films <NUM> are not shaken. By using the insulation tube <NUM>, the plurality of FFC films <NUM> may be integrally bundled to be twisted or bent as one body.

Meanwhile, the high current terminals <NUM> are provided at both ends of the multi FFC cable <NUM> as a means for facilitating connection or fastening between the multi FFC cable <NUM> and an opponent object (for example, a terminal of a battery module).

The high current terminal <NUM> may adopt a vice method in which both ends of the multi FFC cable <NUM> are fitted and fixed therein. At this time, it is important to secure electrical contact and fixability between each conductor wire 21a of the plurality of FFC films <NUM> and the high current terminal <NUM>. This embodiment has the following configuration to solve this issue.

In the multi FFC cable <NUM> according to the invention, as shown in <FIG>, the end portions of the conductor wires 21a of each unit FFC film <NUM> may be further extended out of the sheath member 21b along a longitudinal direction so as to be exposed out of the insulation tube <NUM>.

In addition, the multi FFC cable <NUM> further includes a conductor wire holder <NUM> to align and fix the end portions of the conductor wires 21a.

The conductor wire holder <NUM> may be made of one of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) materials, has a plurality of slots formed therein so that the end portions of the conductor wires 21a individually pass therethrough, and is configured to surround both ends of the insulation tube <NUM>.

More specifically, as shown in <FIG>, a rear end 23a of the conductor wire holder <NUM> may have a tubular shape and be fitted into an outer side of the insulation tube <NUM>, and a front end 23b of the conductor wire holder <NUM> may have a plurality of slots prepared therein by partition walls formed in horizontal and vertical directions. Also, the conductor wires 21a may be individually inserted into and fixed to the slots, respectively.

In the drawings, the conductor wires 21a are configured to pass through the slots and protrude out of the conductor wire holder <NUM>, but the conductor wires 21a may not protrude but be located inside the slots.

According to the conductor wire holder <NUM> as above, both ends of the plurality of FFC films <NUM> may be held, so it is possible to prevent some of the plurality of FFC films <NUM> from sticking out or moving out in a longitudinal direction, and the interval between the conductor wires 21a may be kept constant in upper, lower, front, rear, left and right directions.

After the conductor wire holder <NUM> is mounted to both ends of the insulation tube <NUM>, the conductor wire holder <NUM> may be compressed once more in a thickness direction so that the conductor wire holder <NUM> is not easily separated. The high current terminal <NUM> may be mounted on the outer side of the conductor wire holder <NUM>.

The high current terminal <NUM> is a means for connecting an opponent object (for example, a terminal of a battery module) to the multi FFC cable <NUM>, and includes a vice portion <NUM> and a terminal portion <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the vice portion <NUM> is provided in a socket shape that is fitted into the outer side of the conductor wire holder <NUM>, and the terminal portion <NUM> protrudes with a predetermined thickness from the vice portion <NUM> along a longitudinal direction. The vice portion <NUM> and the terminal portion <NUM> are conceptually divided and may be formed integrally.

Specifically, the vice portion <NUM> may include an opening 31a provided in an open shape to expose at least one surface of the conductor wire holder <NUM> along the thickness direction of the multi FFC cable <NUM>, and a compression member 31b elastically deformed inside the opening 31a to compresses a portion of the conductor wire holder <NUM>.

In other words, the vice portion <NUM> includes the opening 31a in one side surface thereof located at a top layer along the stacking direction of the FFC film <NUM> and the other side surface thereof located at a bottom layer, and this may be, for example, a window frame structure.

In addition, one end and the other end of the compression member 31b are connected to one side and the other side of the edge of the vice portion <NUM>, respectively, and has a convex shape protruding out of the opening 31a. Thus, if a force is applied to the convex portion, the compression member 31b may be deformed into a concave shape depressed into the opening 31a to compress a portion of the conductor wire holder <NUM>. Here, a groove may be formed in a portion of the conductor wire holder <NUM> so that the compression member 31b may be partially inserted therein.

That is, if the multi FFC cable <NUM> is fitted into the vice portion <NUM> and then the compression member 31b is pressed, as shown in <FIG>, the conductor wire holder <NUM> may be compressed in the thickness direction. Accordingly, the high current terminal <NUM> and the multi FFC cable <NUM> may be sufficiently fixed.

Of course, since the conductor wires 21a of the FFC films <NUM> are confined within the conductor wire holder <NUM> made of metal material and the conductor wire holder <NUM> is confined in the vice portion <NUM>, the electrical contact stability between the high current terminal <NUM> and the multi FFC cable <NUM> may also be sufficiently secured.

The terminal portion <NUM> may be provided in the form of a plate protruding from the center of a front end of the vice portion <NUM>. The terminal portion <NUM> may further have a hole for fastening a bolt or screw to the terminal of the opponent object. The terminal portion <NUM> may be similar to the shape of an end portion of a conventional bus bar.

As described above, the FFC cable assembly <NUM> is a stack of the plurality of FFC films <NUM> and is capable of coping with high voltage and high current while being much lighter than the conventional bus bar with the same current level. Thus, even if a large number of FFC cable assemblies <NUM> are used in a battery pack, the total weight of the battery pack is not significantly increased.

In addition, since the FFC cable assembly <NUM> may be twisted or bent, the FFC cable assembly <NUM> may be used not only for straight paths but also for complex paths. Also, the FFC cable assembly <NUM> may be advantageously manufactured at an economical cost compared to the existing wire or bus bar.

Meanwhile, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include the FFC cable assembly <NUM> described above. The FFC cable assembly <NUM> may be applied to connect two battery modules in series with each other, to electrically connect a terminal of a battery module to a relay or to electrically connect devices inside the battery pack.

In addition to the FFC cable assembly <NUM>, the battery pack may further include at least one battery module having a cell stack, which is an assembly of a plurality of battery cells, and a control device for controlling charging/discharging and current flow of the battery cells based on voltage and temperature of the battery cells, such as a fuse, a relay and a BMS.

Claim 1:
A FFC cable assembly, comprising:
a multi FFC cable (<NUM>) having a plurality of FFC films (<NUM>) arranged in a layered form and an insulation tube (<NUM>) for surrounding the plurality of FFC films (<NUM>); and
high current terminals (<NUM>) mounted to both ends of the multi FFC cable,
characterized in that each of the plurality of FFC films (<NUM>) includes:
two or more conductor wires (21a) parallel to each other on the same plane; and
a sheath member (21b) configured to surround and seal the conductor wires, and
wherein end portions of the conductor wires (21a) extend along a longitudinal direction to be exposed out of the insulation tube (<NUM>), and
the multi FFC cable (<NUM>) further includes a conductor wire holder (<NUM>) having a plurality of slots formed therein so that the end portions of the conductor wires (21a) are inserted therein, the conductor wire holder (<NUM>) being configured to surround one of ends of the insulation tube (<NUM>).