KR20150138198A - Rechargeable battery - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a rechargeable battery 100 comprising at least one, preferably a plurality of, battery cells 110, 110 'disposed within a frame element 120, 120', wherein the frame elements 120, 120 ' (120, 120 ') comprises a first transverse member (121, 121'), a second transverse member (121, 121 ') opposite the first transverse member Wherein the first transverse member (121) of the first frame element (120) comprises a first transverse member (122, 122 ') and two opposing longitudinal members (123, 123' Which can be arranged substantially in a form-pit manner on a second transverse member (122 ') of the rechargeable battery (120') and a method for this purpose.

Description

Rechargeable battery {RECHARGEABLE BATTERY}

The present invention relates to a rechargeable battery comprising at least one, preferably a plurality of battery cells arranged in a frame element comprising a base body made of a foamed material, the frame elements comprising a first transverse member, a second transverse member, A second transverse member, and two opposing longitudinal members.

Rechargeable batteries, so-called accumulators, can be found in all technical fields. In the automotive industry, such rechargeable batteries are used for alternative drive systems, which places high demands on power, operational reliability and maintenance of the battery cells used. In particular, the weight and size of such a battery is also a factor of its efficiency when operating in an automobile. A rechargeable battery used in this case typically consists of a plurality of battery cells that are coupled and switched within a cell stack, a so-called module. Such a cell is particularly sensitive to mechanical stress and vibration when a so-called pouch cell is used, so that such a cell is fixed to a stiff cell frame according to the prior art, Respectively. Moreover, due to the electrochemical reaction that occurs, a thickness change occurs in the cell during the charge cycle and the refill cycle, which must be compensated in the cell stack. Similarly, compensation of manufacturing tolerances may be necessary.

The arrangement of the battery cells in the cell frame is disclosed, for example, in WO 2011/057815 A1 or DE 10 2010 051 010 A1. This solution can only be used for a limited range of so-called pouch cells since it can only insufficiently counter the mechanical stresses occurring in an automobile or its thickness variation during operation.

A battery cell disposed within the foam frame element is described in US 2007/259258 A1. A similar arrangement is also disclosed in JP 2001/273887 A. These arrangements can be used for pouch cells only, or not at all, in particular.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rechargeable battery of the kind mentioned above that eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art, shows improved mechanical loading capability, and can be manufactured in a simple, compact, and cost effective manner.

This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in which the first transverse member of the first frame element can be arranged substantially in a form-fit manner on the second transverse member of the adjacent second frame element.

In this case, the base body of each frame element is made of a foamed material and may optionally include additional components such as fastening elements, cooling channels, etc., which may be made of different materials. The frame element is particularly suitable for absorbing the mechanical load through its own material and at the same time acts in a manner electrically isolated between the individual battery cells. A further advantage is cost-effective production and low weight of its own.

According to the invention, the frame elements each comprise a first transverse member, a second transverse member on the opposite side of the first transverse member, and two opposing longitudinal members, wherein the first transverse member of the first frame element is adjacent In a substantially form-fit manner on the second transverse member of the second frame element. The cross-section of the transverse member is selected such that when the frame elements are disposed adjacent to one another, the transverse members are stacked on each other in a space-saving manner. The battery cells are inserted into these frame elements and the two electrical contacts of each battery cell are placed together on the transverse member or the contacts are mounted on the transverse member facing each other.

In a particularly preferred variant of the invention, it is preferred that the first transverse member has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section, the second transverse member has a substantially triangular cross-section, and the two longitudinal members have a rectangular or square cross-section.

In certain embodiments, the frame may also include only a triangular transverse member or only a trapezoidal transverse member. A variant is also provided in which a single transverse member has a triangular cross-section and also a substantially trapezoidal cross-section.

In this case, in a particularly preferred manner, two adjacent frame elements are arranged relative to one another such that the first transverse member of the first frame element is disposed adjacent to the second transverse member of the second frame element, and the two transverse members Are at least partially separated from each other by the flat electrical contact of the battery cells. As a result, a first transverse member having a trapezoidal cross-section is disposed on at least a first surface of the electrode contact of the battery cell, while a second transverse member having a triangular cross-section of the second frame element is disposed on the second Is disposed on the surface of the electrode contact. Particularly space-saving arrangements of the frame elements and of the battery cells arranged therein are achieved in this way, while at the same time the electrode contacts are firmly fixed between the transverse members of the adjacent frame elements. Connection of the electrode contacts of two adjacent battery cells is also facilitated in this manner.

To ensure reliable electrical isolation of two adjacent battery cells, it is provided in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention that the frame element comprises an insulating layer. It can be arranged as a thermal insulating layer and / or as an electrically insulating layer, and optionally one side or both sides can be self-adhesive. The insulating layer is also formed as a foam-sealed insulating foil during the manufacture of the frame element in a particularly preferred manner, which comprises a recess in the edge as a fixing structure, so that the insulating layer is foam- Respectively. Suitable materials in this case are, for example, ceramic composite materials, polyamides, polyimides, polyethylene or fiber-reinforced plastic materials.

In order to improve the operational reliability of the battery according to the invention, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one degassing opening is provided between two adjacent frame elements. The deaerating opening is formed, for example, as a recess between the individual frame elements, for example, to allow excess pressure to leak from the battery cell when the shell of the battery cell is torn. This prevents damage to adjacent, undamaged battery cells or frame elements, and the leaking gas can be discharged in a preferably guided manner.

Such frame elements made of elastic or also inelastic foam materials have proven to be particularly suitable for use in batteries according to the present invention wherein the foam material is selected from the group consisting of a polyurethane foam material, a silicone foam material, an integrally formed material, an epoxy A foam material and a reaction injection molding (RIM) foam material.

In order to further improve the operational reliability of the battery according to the present invention, a foaming material is provided with self-extinguishing and / or fire-resistant additives in a further embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is particularly provided by a method of manufacturing a frame element for a rechargeable battery, in particular in such a manner that the frame element is formed into a foam in accordance with the invention. For this purpose, a reactive starting material, typically a liquid, is injected into the foam mold and reacts selectively under pressure and / or temperature. Discontinuous methods such as reaction foam pouring (RFP) and reaction injection molding (RIM) methods are also used.

In a particularly preferred method of the method according to the invention, additional functional elements, in particular metallic parts such as cable ducts, cooling lines, insulating elements or clamping clamps, can be inserted into the mold during the production of the frame elements, Is provided.

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the non-limiting embodiments shown in the drawings.

1 shows a schematic perspective view of a battery according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a front view of a battery cell in a frame element;
Figure 3 shows a front view of a battery cell in a frame element;
Figure 4 shows the battery of Figure 3 in cross-section;
Figure 5 shows the battery of Figures 1 and 2 according to the present invention in a schematic side view;
Figure 6 shows a schematic side view of a frame comprising only a triangular or trapezoidal cross member,
Figure 7 shows a schematic side view of a frame comprising both a triangular cross-section and a trapezoidal cross-section on the same transverse member.

Figure 1 illustrates a battery 100 in accordance with the present invention in the form of a cell stack wherein each battery cell 110 has its own electrode contact 111 in the frame element 120. [ The cell stack of the battery 100 according to the present invention is disposed between two end plates 130 and the end plates are connected to each other by a respective battery cell 110 having an associated frame element 120 in a known manner As shown in Fig. The frame element 120 is made of a foamed material that is manufactured in a cost-effective manner in a mold, and the mold can simplify the manufacture of the transverse members 121, 122 and the longitudinal members 123 of different cross-sections.

In this case, the frame element 120 can be made integrally with a base body made of a foamed material, or the individual transverse members 121, 122 and the longitudinal members 123 can be manufactured separately, (120).

Figure 2 shows a front view of a battery cell 110 in which two electrode contacts 111 of a battery cell are disposed on a first transverse member 121 of a frame element 120. [

Moreover, the fastening element 124 is foam-sealed within the base body of the longitudinal member 123, which is used to arrange the individual battery cells 110 in a cell stack of the battery 100, For example, it is made of metal or plastic. An end region of the transverse member 122 includes an insert 125 having threads to be used to arrange the individual battery cells 110 relative to one another.

3 shows an alternative embodiment of a battery cell wherein the first contact 111a is disposed within the area of the first transverse member 121 while the second electrode contact 111b is disposed within the region of the frame member 120 Is disposed on the second transverse member (122). A cooling channel 126 for passage of the cooling medium is disposed in the base body of the frame element 120.

The insulating layer 140 is preferably disposed on the surface of the battery cell 110 and is preferably formed as a foil or a thin plate and the two adjacent battery cells 5 are thermally insulated and / Or for electrical insulation. The insulating layer 140 is shown in dashed lines (Figs. 2 and 3) and shows recesses 141 at the edges to create a foamed foam and form-fit connection.

The first transverse member 121, 121 'of the frame element 120, 120' has a trapezoidal cross-section, while the second transverse member 122, 122 ' Section. Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows the cooling channels 126 in the transverse members 121, 121 ', 122, 122'. The two longitudinal members 123, 123 'each have a substantially rectangular cross section in this embodiment of the invention.

5, the first battery cell 110 is configured such that, between two adjacent frame elements 120, 120 ', its electrode contacts 111a, 111b are connected to the first frame element 120, Between the first trapezoidal transverse member 121 'of the frame element 120' and the second transverse member 122 'of the adjacent frame element 120'. The electrode contacts 111a, 111a ', 111b, 111b' of the two adjacent battery cells 110, 110 ', due to the specific formation of the transverse members 121, 121', 122, 122 ' Are bent toward each other, the contact is considerably facilitated. The longitudinal members 123 and 123 'of the individual frame elements 120 and 120' have a smaller width than that of the associated transverse members 121, 121 ', 122 and 122' 123 ') is formed in the shape of a gap in the form of a gap acting as the deaerating opening (150).

6 and 7, wherein each first transverse member 121 has a triangular or trapezoidal cross-section (FIG. 6), or each of the first transverse members 121 Has a trapezoidal cross section and a triangular cross section (Fig. 7). In both cases, the cross section of the second transverse member 122 is square or rectangular and does not protrude beyond the longitudinal members 123.

It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. In particular, additional functional elements such as cooling lines, cable ducts and a wide variety of openings may be provided, especially in the frame elements.

Claims (9)

A rechargeable battery (100) comprising at least one, preferably a plurality of, battery cells (110, 110 ') disposed in frame elements (120, 120') comprising a base body of foam material, Each of the elements 120 and 120 'includes a first transverse member 121 and 121', a second transverse member 122 and 122 'on the opposite side of the first transverse member 121 and 121' The first transverse member 121 of the first frame element 120 includes the longitudinal member 122 and the second transverse member 122 'of the adjacent second frame member 120' Wherein the rechargeable battery can be disposed substantially in a form-fit manner on the rechargeable battery. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first transverse member (121, 121 ') has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section and the second transverse member (122, 122') has a substantially triangular cross- Has a preferably rectangular or square cross section. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The two adjacent frame elements 120 and 120'are arranged such that the first transverse member 121 of the first frame member 120 is connected to the second transverse member 122'of the second frame member 120 ' And the two transverse members 121 and 122'are arranged at least at a distance from each other by the flat electrical contacts 111, 111a, 111a ', 111b and 111b' of the battery cells 110 and 110 ' Rechargeable batteries partially separated from each other. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The frame element (120, 120 ') comprises an insulating layer (140) for electrical and / or thermal isolation of two adjacent battery cells (110, 110'). 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the insulating layer (140) comprises a securing structure (141) for improved embedding in the foam material of the frame element (120). 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
At least one degassing opening (150) is provided between two adjacent frame elements (120, 120 '). 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The frame elements (120, 120 ') is selected from polyurethane foam material, silicon (silicone) foam materials, material integrally formed, epoxy foam material and the RIM (R eaction I njection M oulding) a group comprising a foam material, Preferably a self-extinguishing additive and / or an anti-fouling additive. A method of manufacturing a frame element (120, 120 ') for a battery (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the base body of the frame element (120, 120' A method of manufacturing a frame element for a battery. 9. The method of claim 8,
Additional functional elements, particularly metal parts such as cable ducts, cooling lines 126, insulating elements 140, or fastening clamps 124, may be inserted into the mold during manufacture of the frame elements 120, 120 ' A method of manufacturing a frame element for a battery, the method comprising the steps of:

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