Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same, and more particularly to a battery module having an improved assembling property, and a battery pack including the same.

A secondary battery has attracted much attention as an energy source in various products such as a mobile device and an electric vehicle. The secondary battery is a potent energy resource that can replace the use of existing products using fossil fuels, and is in the spotlight as an environment-friendly energy source because it does not generate by-products due to energy use.

Recently, along with a continuous rise of the necessity for a large-capacity secondary battery structure, including the utilization of the secondary battery as an energy storage source, there is a growing demand for a battery pack of a multi-module structure which is an assembly of battery modules in which a plurality of secondary batteries are connected in series/parallel.

Meanwhile, when a plurality of battery cells are connected in series/parallel to configure a battery pack, it is common to configure a battery module composed of at least one battery cell first, and then configure a battery pack by using at least one of the battery modules and adding other components.

Such a battery module may include a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, a frame for housing the battery cell stack, and a busbar frame for covering the battery cell stack. A battery module is disclosed in <CIT> and <CIT>.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of a conventional battery module.

Referring to <FIG>, the conventional battery module includes a battery cell stack <NUM> in which a plurality of battery cells <NUM> are stacked, a frame <NUM> for housing the battery cell stack <NUM>, a busbar frame <NUM> for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, an upper plate <NUM> in which the busbar frame <NUM> formed on both sides of the battery cell stack <NUM> is connected at the upper side of the battery cell stack <NUM>, and an end plate <NUM> for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM> and the busbar frame <NUM> formed on the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, wherein a protrusion part <NUM> is formed at the lower end of the busbar frame <NUM> to be inserted into a space between the lower surface of the frame <NUM> and the lower surface of the battery cell stack <NUM>.

In order to form such a battery module, it is necessary to horizontally assembly such that the battery cell stack <NUM> is inserted into the opened front or rear surfaces of the mono frame <NUM> along the X-axis direction as shown by the arrow in <FIG>. However, in order to stably perform such a horizontal assembly, a sufficient clearance must be secured between the battery cell stack <NUM> and the frame <NUM>.

More specifically, the protrusion part <NUM> formed at the lower end of the busbar frame <NUM> should be designed so that it can be inserted through a sufficient clearance formed in the space between the lower surface of the frame <NUM> and the lower surface of the battery cell stack <NUM>. When the tolerance is small, collisions occur between the protrusion part <NUM> and the lower surface of the frame <NUM> in the horizontal assembly process of the battery cell stack <NUM>, so that a damage may occur on the busbar frame <NUM> or the protrusion part <NUM> coupled to the busbar frame <NUM>.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a battery module having an improved assembling property, and a battery pack including the same.

However, the problem to be solved by embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described problems, and can be variously expanded within the scope of the technical idea included in the present disclosure.

In order to achieve the above object, the battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; a frame for covering the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the battery cell stack; a busbar frame for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack; and a support part which is formed by protruding from the lower end of the busbar frame, wherein a guide is formed in the support part, and the support part is inserted into the inside of the frame along the guide.

The guide may be formed extendedly from a part connected to the busbar frame to an end part of the support part.

The guide may be formed in a direction in which the busbar frame is inserted into the inside of the frame.

The guide is formed so as to become convex upward.

A chamfered part is formed at the end part of the guide.

The chamfered part may be formed so as to be cut in a diagonal direction so that the upper end protrudes more than the lower end.

A chamfer counterpart, which are formed to be cut in a diagonal direction so as to correspond to the chamfered part, may be formed at the center of both ends of the lower surface of the frame.

A guide protrusion part, which is formed so as to correspond to the guide, may be formed on the lower surface of the frame, and when the support part is inserted into the inside of the frame, the guide may be inserted along the guide protrusion part in a state of being assembled with the guide protrusion part.

The support part may be formed flat, and may be inserted into a space formed between the lower surface of the battery cell stack and the lower surface of the frame at the lower end of the busbar frame.

A protrusion width of the support part may be increased as it goes to the center.

A battery module and a battery pack including the same according to one embodiment of the present disclosure provide the effect of maximally preventing damage to the support part and busbar frame due to interference between the frame and the support part, and strengthening the rigidity of the support part structure itself.

It should be appreciated that the embodiments, which will be described below, are illustratively described to help understand the present disclosure, and the present disclosure may be variously modified and carried out differently from the exemplary embodiments described herein. However, in the description of the present disclosure, the specific descriptions and illustrations of publicly known functions or constituent elements will be omitted when it is determined that the specific descriptions and illustrations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure. In addition, to help understand the present disclosure, the accompanying drawings are not illustrated based on actual scales, but parts of the constituent elements may be exaggerated in size.

The terms such as first, second, and the like may be used to describe various components and the components should not be limited by these terms. The terms are used simply to distinguish one constituent element from another component.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. A singular form may include a plural form if there is no clearly opposite meaning in the context. In this disclosure, terms such as "include" , "comprises" and "have" should be understood as designating as including such features, numbers, operations, elements, components or a combination thereof in the disclosure, and not to exclude the existence or possibility of adding one or more of other features, numbers, operations, elements, components or a combination thereof.

Hereinafter, a busbar frame and a support part according to a comparative example of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing a battery module according to a comparative example of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view showing the part A-A' in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the battery module according to a comparative example of the present disclosure includes a battery cell stack <NUM> in which a plurality of battery cells <NUM> are stacked, a frame <NUM> formed in the upper, lower, left and right surfaces to house the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, a busbar frame <NUM> for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, and a support part <NUM> which is formed by protruding from the lower end of the busbar frame <NUM>.

In this case, the support part <NUM> is formed flat, and as shown in <FIG>, the support part <NUM> may be inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> in the direction of the arrow shown in <FIG> in a state of being assembled in the lower surface of the battery cell stack <NUM> together with the busbar frame <NUM>.

However, as shown in <FIG>, when the support part <NUM> is inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM>, interference occurs between the lower surface of the frame <NUM> and the support part <NUM>, and thus, the support part <NUM> or the busbar frame <NUM> may be damaged during this insertion process. Specifically, the support part <NUM> is formed in a flat shape and may be bent during the insertion process, and some fragments are formed so as to be placed inside the battery module, thereby causing deterioration of performance of the battery module. In addition, there is a concern that the busbar frame <NUM> coupled to the support part <NUM> is damaged, resulting in a deterioration of the function of the battery module.

Hereinafter, a battery module in which a guide is formed in a support part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram showing a state in which the battery cell stack and the busbar frame shown in <FIG> are assembled to the frame. <FIG> is a diagram showing the part B-B' in <FIG>. <FIG> is a perspective view showing a busbar frame and a support part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a front view of a busbar frame and a support part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a side view of a busbar frame and a support part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a bottom view of a busbar frame and a support part according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a battery cell stack <NUM> in which a plurality of battery cells <NUM> are stacked, a frame <NUM> for covering the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, a busbar frame <NUM> for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, and a support part <NUM> which is formed by protruding from the lower end of the busbar frame <NUM>, wherein a guide <NUM> is formed in the support part <NUM>, and the support part <NUM> is inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> along the guide <NUM>.

The battery cell <NUM> is a secondary battery and may be configured as a pouch-type secondary battery. These battery cells <NUM> may be composed of a plurality of cells, and the plurality of battery cells <NUM> may be stacked with each other so as to be electrically connected to each other, thereby forming a battery cell stack <NUM>. Each of the plurality of battery cells may include an electrode assembly, a battery case, and an electrode lead protruding from the electrode assembly.

The frame <NUM> can be formed at the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces, and may be formed so as to cover the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>. The battery cell stack <NUM> may be physically protected through the frame <NUM>.

The busbar frame <NUM> is formed on the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM> to cover the battery cell stack <NUM> and also guide the connection between the battery cell stack <NUM> and an external power source.

The upper plate <NUM> may be configured such that busbar frames <NUM>, which are respectively formed on the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>, can be connected to the upper side of the battery cell stack <NUM>. A flexible circuit board can be formed on the upper plate <NUM> to electrically connect the front and rear surfaces of the busbar frames <NUM>.

The end plate <NUM> may be formed on the front and rear sides of the battery cell stack <NUM> so as to cover the battery cell stack <NUM> and the busbar frame <NUM> formed on the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack <NUM>. The end plate <NUM> can be joined to the frame <NUM> via welding, thereby maximally blocking the connection between the battery cell stack <NUM> and the outside, and at the same time, protecting the busbar frame <NUM> and several electrical components connected thereto from external physical forces, and can include a battery module mounting structure to be mounted on the battery pack.

The support part <NUM> is formed integrally with the busbar frame <NUM> and can be protruded and formed on the lower end of the busbar frame <NUM> so as to be perpendicular to the frame surface of the busbar frame <NUM>. The support part <NUM> may be formed flat, and thereby, it may be inserted into a horizontal space formed between the lower surface of the battery cell stack <NUM> and the lower surface of the frame <NUM> at the lower end of the busbar frame <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a protrusion width (W) of the support part <NUM> is increased as it goes to the center. Therefore, the protrusion width (W) of the support part <NUM> may be formed to be the longest in the center of the support part <NUM>, and due to the V-shape having the longest protrusion width W in the central part in this way, the assembling property can be improved when the busbar frame <NUM> and the support part <NUM> are inserted into the frame <NUM>. More specifically, since it is inserted into the frame <NUM> from the V-shaped pointed part, damage to the busbar frame <NUM> and the support part <NUM> may be minimized during the insertion process. In contrast, assuming a structure in which the support parts all have the same protrusion width, when the support part is inserted into the frame, it is more likely that both ends of the support part get caught on both sides of the frame, and as a result, the assembling property can be reduced as compared with the V-shape according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The guide <NUM> is formed in the center of the support part <NUM>, and the support part <NUM> is inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> along the guide <NUM>. Compared with the comparative examples shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a guide can be formed on the support part <NUM>, thereby strengthening the rigidity of the support part <NUM> itself. The busbar frame <NUM> and the support part <NUM> are inserted into the inside of the frame in the direction in which the guide <NUM> is formed, so that interference between the support part and the lower surface of the frame can be minimized.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure. the guide <NUM> may be formed extendedly from the part connected to the busbar frame <NUM> to the end part of the support part <NUM>. In addition, the guide <NUM> may be formed such that a direction in which the busbar frame <NUM> is inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> is a longitudinal direction. The guide <NUM> is formed to become convex upward. The lower side of the guide <NUM> may be provided with a guide space formed to be concave.

Hereinafter, a battery module in which a chambered part is formed according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is an enlarged view of a part D of <FIG> as a battery module in which a chamfered part is formed according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view showing the part C-C' in <FIG> as a battery module in which a chamfered part is formed according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view showing a state in which a shape of the chamfered part shown in <FIG> is deformed.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery module according to the present invention is configured such that the chamfered part <NUM> is formed at the end of the guide <NUM>. At this time, the chamfered part <NUM> may be formed to be cut in a diagonal direction so that the upper end of the chamfered part <NUM> protrudes more than the lower end. In addition, a chamfer counterpart <NUM>, which is formed to be cut in a diagonal direction so as to correspond to the chamfered part <NUM>, may be formed at the center of both ends of the lower surface of the frame <NUM>.

By forming the chamfered part <NUM> having a cutting structure at the end of the guide <NUM>, when assembling the busbar frame <NUM> and the support part <NUM>, the support part <NUM> may be more naturally inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> due to the inclination of the chamfered part <NUM>. Further, through the chamfer counterpart <NUM> which is formed to correspond to the chamfered part <NUM> at the center of both ends of the lower surface of the frame <NUM>, the guide <NUM> and the support part <NUM> on which the chamfered part <NUM> is formed may be inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> more smoothly by using the inclined surface of the chamfer counterpart <NUM>.

Further, since the upper end 411a of the chamfered part formed at the end part of the guide, which is formed so that the most protruding part of the support part is formed to become convex upward, when the support part <NUM> is inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM>, a sufficient gap G is secured between the upper end 411a of the chamfer part and the lower end of the frame <NUM> that can be seen by clearance. When the support part <NUM> and the frame <NUM> are used, collisions between corners can be maximally prevented.

In contrast, in the comparative examples shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the distance (g) between the support part <NUM> on which the guide is not formed and the lower surface of the frame <NUM> may be formed to be smaller than the support part insertion interval G according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. According to the comparative example, the distance (g) between the support part <NUM> and the lower surface of the frame <NUM> is formed to be about <NUM> at the maximum, whereas the support part insertion interval (G) according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be formed to a maximum of about <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shape of the chamfered part <NUM>' may be bluntly formed. Further, the shape of the chamfer counterpart <NUM>' corresponding to the chamfered part <NUM>' may also be formed bluntly. This minimizes the contact area between the chamfered part <NUM>' and the chamfer counterpart <NUM>', thereby minimizing a friction force according to the contact surface. The support part <NUM> including the chamfered part <NUM>' may be more easily inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a battery module having a guide protrusion part according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a view showing a state in which a battery module having a guide protrusion part formed thereon is assembled according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery module according to a modified embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that a guide protrusion part <NUM> formed to correspond to the guide <NUM> is formed on the lower surface of the frame <NUM>, and when the support part <NUM> is inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM>, the guide <NUM> may be inserted along the guide protrusion part <NUM> in a state of being assembled with the guide protrusion part <NUM>.

The guide <NUM> according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be formed to be convex on the upper side and relatively a concave-shaped guide space may be formed on the lower side. The guide protrusion part <NUM> is formed in a shape corresponding to the guide space, and the guide <NUM> is assembled to the guide protrusion part <NUM> and is formed so as to be slidably inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> along the guide protrusion part <NUM>.

The guide <NUM> can be inserted into the inside of the frame <NUM> in the correct direction via the guide protrusion part <NUM>, and thereby, the support part <NUM> and the busbar frame <NUM> are mounted in the correct position without being damaged, so that secondary damage due to component damage that may occur during assembly of the battery module can be prevented in advance.

Meanwhile, one or more battery modules according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be packaged in a pack case to form a battery pack. The battery pack may have a structure in which one or more of the battery modules according to the present embodiment are gathered, and packed together with a battery management system (BMS) and a cooling device that control and manage battery's temperature, voltage, etc..

Claim 1:
A battery module comprising:
a battery cell stack (<NUM>) in which a plurality of battery cells (<NUM>) are stacked;
a frame (<NUM>) for covering the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the battery cell stack (<NUM>);
a busbar frame (<NUM>) for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack (<NUM>); and
a support part (<NUM>) which is formed by protruding from the lower end of the busbar frame (<NUM>),
wherein a guide (<NUM>) is formed in the support part (<NUM>), and the support part (<NUM>) is inserted into the inside of the frame (<NUM>) along the guide (<NUM>),
wherein the guide (<NUM>) is formed so as to become convex upward,
wherein a chamfered part (<NUM>) is formed at an end part of the guide (<NUM>).