Patent Description:
As technology development and demand for mobile devices increase, a demand for secondary batteries as energy sources is rapidly increasing. Accordingly, a lot of researches on secondary batteries capable of meeting various demands have been carried out.

The secondary battery is attracting much attention as the energy source for power devices such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles as well as mobile devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and notebook computers.

A small-sized battery pack in which one battery cell is packed is used for a small-sized device such as a cell phone and a camera, but in a medium- or large-sized device such as a notebook computer or an electric automobile, a battery module in which two or more battery cells are connected in parallel and/or a middle or large-sized battery pack in which a battery pack is packed is used.

In such a medium- or large-sized battery pack, a stability problem of the secondary battery is more important. Here, since a large number of battery cells are used, an abnormal operation in some battery cells may cause a chain reaction to other battery cells, and the resulting ignition and explosion may cause a serious accident. Therefore, the medium or large-sized battery module or the battery pack in the related art may include a sensing device capable of measuring a voltage and a temperature of the battery cells, a connection member for connecting the sensing device and a battery management system (BMS), and a safety system including the BMS for controlling a battery based on a measured value. However, the medium- or large-sized battery module or battery pack to which such a safety system is applied needs to minimize a space occupied by the safety system in order to increase an energy density and minimize a size of the battery pack.

Further, the battery module includes an external input/output terminal in order to supply power to an external device and it is necessary that the battery module has a separate member or frame for installing external input/output terminal components and as a space occupied by such installed components in the battery module increases, there is a problem that a battery capacity per unit volume decreases. An example of a battery module can be found for instance in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> or <CIT>.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been made in an effort to provide a battery module that prevents the connection board from being separated from the battery module even in vibration and impact.

The present invention provides a battery module as defined by the independent claim <NUM>. Preferred embodiments are defined in the appended dependent claims.

The battery module includes: a housing accommodating a plurality of battery cells and including a bottom plate and a side plate. The side plate includes a first plate having a plurality of air channels, a second plate having a plurality of bus bar supporting portions protruding from one side of the second plate and a mounting area formed between the first plate and the second plate.

The battery module further includes a connection board located on one end or both ends of the housing and inserted in the mounting area. The connection board includes a bottom cover located at the mounting area and a plurality of bus bar mounting portions connected to the bottom cover The connection board is coupled to the side plate and the connection board includes a plurality of protrusions formed at the side of the bottom cover opposite to the bottom cover portion connected to the bus bar mounting portion.

The plurality of protrusions is located between neighboring air channels among the plurality of air channels and an opening is formed between neighboring protrusions among the plurality of protrusions. The opening is overlapped with an air channel of the plurality of air channels.

The side plate and the bottom cover are overlapped with each other in a direction in which an electrode lead of the battery cell protrudes.

The plurality of air channels may be formed on the first plate and the second plate may include a plurality of bus bar supporting portions which protrudes from one side of the second plate.

The protrusion may protrude from one side of the bottom cover and the bottom cover may include the protrusion or a locking member formed on the extension line in the direction in which the protrusion protrudes.

The side plate may include a locking portion and the locking member is mounted on the locking portion to prevent the connection board and the housing from being separated from each other.

The locking portion may be located between neighboring air channels among the plurality of air channels.

The battery module may further include a wire; and a connector connected to one end of the wire, in which the connector may be mounted on the bottom cover.

The side plate may be formed vertically to the bottom plate and the side plate and the bottom plate may be integrally formed.

According to exemplary embodiments, a space constraint problem can be solved by joining a protrusion of a connection board to a side plate of a battery module so as to be located between air channels.

A locking member can be formed in the connection board and formed at a mounting area of the side plate, thereby solving a problem that the connection board flows after the side plate is fastened.

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. The present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to exemplary embodiments described herein.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating a battery module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery module according to the exemplary embodiment may include a battery cell laminate <NUM> including a plurality of battery cells <NUM>, a housing <NUM> accommodating the battery cell laminate <NUM> and including a bottom plate <NUM> and a side plate <NUM>, a top cover <NUM> located at an opposite side of a part at which the housing <NUM> is located based on the battery cell laminate <NUM>, and a pair of end plates <NUM>. Connection boards 200a and 200b are coupled to a pair of side plates <NUM>, respectively.

Hereinafter, respective components of the battery module will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a perspective view schematically illustrating an unclaimed configuration of a battery cell laminate.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery cell laminate <NUM> is an assembly of secondary batteries including a plurality of battery cells <NUM>. The battery cell laminate <NUM> may include a plurality of pouch-shaped battery cells and each battery cell includes an electrode lead <NUM>. The electrode lead <NUM> is a positive lead or a negative lead and the electrode lead <NUM> of each pouch-shaped battery cell may protrude in an x-axis direction and an end of the electrode lead <NUM> may be bent to a left or right side based on a y-axis direction. The electrode leads <NUM> whose ends are bent in one direction may come into contact with the end of the electrode lead <NUM> of another adjacent battery cell. Two electrode leads <NUM> which are in contact with each other may be fixed to each other through welding, etc. and the battery cells in the battery cell laminate <NUM> may be electrically connected to each other through the fixation.

Meanwhile, the battery cell laminate <NUM> may include a cartridge (not illustrated) for arranging a plurality of pouch-shaped battery cells. The cartridge as a component used to arrange the plurality of battery cells holds the battery cells to prevent movement of the battery cells and to allow a plurality of battery cell arrays to be guided. Such a cartridge may be configured in the form of a square ring with an empty central portion. In this case, four corners of the cartridge may be located at an outer peripheral portion of the battery cell.

<FIG> is is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing one perspective view of a state before the connection board is coupled to a housing of the battery module. <FIG> is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing an enlarged view illustrating one possible configuration of a side plate into which the connection board located on a right side of <FIG> may be inserted. <FIG> is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing an enlarged view illustrating one configuration of the side plate into which the connection board located on a left side of <FIG> is inserted. <FIG> is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing a perspective view illustrating one state in which the connection board of <FIG> is coupled to the housing of the battery module. <FIG> is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing one diagram illustrating the connection board. <FIG> is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing a front view of a state in which the connection board is coupled to the side plate in <FIG>. <FIG> illustrates an unclaimed example useful for understanding the invention showing a part of a side view of a state in which the connection board is coupled to the side plate.

Referring to <FIG>, the housing <NUM> for accommodating the battery cell laminate <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> includes the bottom plate <NUM> and the side plate <NUM>. The side plate <NUM> may be formed perpendicular to the bottom plate <NUM> of the housing <NUM> and located at one end or both ends of the bottom plate <NUM>. In <FIG>, it is illustrated that the side plates <NUM> are formed at both ends of the bottom plate <NUM>, respectively.

The side plate <NUM> may be integrally formed with the bottom plate <NUM>. Integrally forming may mean that the side plate <NUM> and the bottom plate <NUM> are formed as one body by one injection process.

Referring to <FIG>, the connection boards 200a and 200b may be coupled to the side plates <NUM>. Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the connection boards 200a and 200b include a plurality of protrusions <NUM> and a plurality of air channels <NUM> is formed on the side plate <NUM> and referring to <FIG>, the protrusions <NUM> of the connection boards 200a and 200b are coupled to the side plate <NUM> so as to be located between neighboring air channels among the plurality of air channels <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the side plates <NUM> and the connection boards 200a and 200b are overlapped with each other in the x-axis direction which is a direction in which the electrode lead of the battery cell <NUM> protrudes. Specifically, the side plate <NUM> overlaps a bottom cover <NUM> of the connection boards 200a and 200b, which will be described later, in <FIG>, in the x-axis direction.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the side plate <NUM> may include a first plate 152a having the plurality of air channels <NUM> and a second plate 152b having a plurality of bus bar supporting portions <NUM> protruding from one side. A mounting area <NUM> may be formed between the first plate 152a and the second plate 152b and the connection boards 200a and 200b may be inserted into the mounting area <NUM>. The plurality of bus bar supporting portions <NUM> may prevent the connection boards 200a and 200b from flowing in the y-axis direction after the connection boards 200a and 200b are coupled to the side plates <NUM>.

A locking portion <NUM> may be formed on the side plate <NUM> and the locking portion <NUM> may be disposed between the neighboring air channels <NUM> among the plurality of air channels <NUM>. The locking portion <NUM> is coupled to the locking member <NUM> of <FIG>, which is described below to prevent the housing <NUM> and the connection boards 200a and 200b from being separated from each other.

Hereinafter, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the connection boards 200a and 200b and the side plate <NUM> will be described in detail, and their coupling relationship will be described.

Referring to <FIG>, the connection board 200a according to the exemplary embodiment includes the bottom cover <NUM> and a plurality of bus bar mounting portions <NUM> connected to the bottom cover <NUM>. A concave-convex structure is formed at one side of the bottom cover <NUM>. A portion of the bottom cover <NUM> to which the bus bar mounting portion <NUM> is connected is located at the opposite side to one side of the bottom cover <NUM> having the concave-convex structure. The concave-convex structure according to the exemplary embodiment includes a plurality of protrusions <NUM> and an opening <NUM> is formed between neighboring protrusions <NUM>. The opening <NUM> may be located on a virtual extension line L1 of a center line of the bus bar mounting portion <NUM>.

Further, the bottom cover <NUM> included in the connection board 200a may include the protrusion <NUM> or the locking member <NUM> formed on the extension line in a direction in which the protrusion <NUM> protrudes.

Referring to the side view of <FIG>, the locking member <NUM> may be a structure protruding from a lateral surface of the bottom cover <NUM>. The locking member <NUM> may be formed integrally with the bottom cover <NUM> and may be formed as one body when the bottom cover <NUM> is injection molded.

A plurality of locking members <NUM> may be formed and two locking members <NUM> may be formed on each of the left and right sides of the bottom cover <NUM>, but the present invention is not limited thereto and one or two or more may be formed on each of the left and right sides of the bottom cover <NUM>. However, it is preferable that the numbers of locking members <NUM> formed on the left side and the right side of the bottom cover <NUM>, respectively are the same as each other.

Referring to <FIG>, the connection board 200a of <FIG> is coupled to the side plate <NUM>. Since the protrusions <NUM> of the connection board 200a are coupled to be disposed between the air channels <NUM> of the side plates <NUM>, the connection boards 200a may be coupled to the housing including the side plats <NUM> without invading the cooling path structure for air cooling. The opening <NUM> located between the protrusions <NUM> may be overlapped with the air channel <NUM> in the x-axis direction.

The protrusion <NUM> may protrude from one side of the bottom cover <NUM> and the locking member <NUM> formed on the bottom cover <NUM> may be disposed on the protrusion <NUM> or the extension line in the direction in which the protrusion <NUM> protrudes. In other words, the locking member <NUM> may be formed on the bottom cover <NUM> so as not to overlap with the air channel <NUM> in the x-axis direction.

<FIG> is an unclaimed illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing a partial perspective view illustrating a state where a connector and a wire may be connected to the connection board.

Referring to <FIG>, positions of the connection board 200a illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> are illustrated to be changed with each other.

Although not illustrated, a bus bar is fastened to the bus bar mounting portion <NUM> and a printed circuit board connected to one end of a bus bar may be mounted on the bottom cover <NUM>.

The bottom cover <NUM> may be equipped with a connector <NUM> and the connector <NUM> may be connected to another connector through a wire <NUM> and connected to a battery management system (not illustrated) through the connector. Since the connector <NUM> is mounted on the bottom cover <NUM> and inserted into the mounting area <NUM> described with reference to <FIG> together with the bottom cover <NUM>, even a mounting space of the connector <NUM> may be secured.

<FIG> is an illustrative example useful for understanding the invention showing a perspective view illustrating a battery module.

Referring to <FIG>, in a battery module <NUM>, the battery cell laminate <NUM> may be covered with the housing <NUM> including a top cover <NUM> and the side plates <NUM> at the upper and lower portions and a pair of end plates <NUM> covers the battery cell laminate <NUM> while being located on one side and the other side which face each other, respectively.

The battery module described above may form a battery pack or a plurality of battery modules may be electrically connected to form a battery pack.

Claim 1:
A battery module comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) accommodating a plurality of battery cells (<NUM>) and including a bottom plate (<NUM>) and a side plate (<NUM>), wherein the side plate includes a first plate (152a) having a plurality of air channels (<NUM>) and a second plate (152b) having a plurality of bus bar supporting portions (<NUM>) protruding from one side of the second plate and a mounting area (<NUM>) formed between the first plate and the second plate; and
a connection board (200a, 200b) located on one end or both ends of the housing and inserted in the mounting area, wherein the connection board includes a bottom cover (<NUM>) located at the mounting area and a plurality of bus bar mounting portions (<NUM>) connected to the bottom cover,
wherein the connection board is coupled to the side plate and the connection board includes a plurality of protrusions (<NUM>) formed at the side of the bottom cover opposite to the bottom cover portion connected to the bus bar mounting portion, wherein the plurality of protrusions is located between neighboring air channels among the plurality of air channels, wherein an opening (<NUM>) is formed between neighboring protrusions among the plurality of protrusions, wherein the opening is overlapped with an air channel of the plurality of air channels (<NUM>), wherein the side plate and the bottom cover are overlapped with each other in a direction in which an electrode lead of the battery cell protrudes.