KR20210112650A - Battery module and battery pack including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module capable of utilizing a temperature sensor and a battery pack including the same. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the battery module comprises: a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; an upper plate covering the upper surface of the battery cell stack; a flexible circuit board part formed under the upper plate; first and second temperature sensors disposed on the flexible circuit board part; a first bus bar frame disposed on the front surface of the battery cell stack; and a second bus bar frame disposed on the rear side of the battery cell stack. The first temperature sensor is disposed closer to the center than both ends of the battery cell stack with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cell stack and the second temperature sensor is disposed closer to both end parts than the center of the battery cell stack with respect to on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack.

Description

A battery module and a battery pack including the same

The present invention relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same, and more particularly, to a battery module including a temperature sensor and a battery pack including the same.

Secondary batteries are receiving a lot of attention as an energy source in various product groups such as mobile devices and electric vehicles. Such a secondary battery is a powerful energy resource that can replace the use of conventional products using fossil fuels, and is in the spotlight as an eco-friendly energy source because no by-products are generated due to energy use.

Recently, as the need for a high-capacity secondary battery structure, including the use of secondary batteries as an energy storage source, increases, the demand for a battery pack having a multi-module structure in which a plurality of secondary batteries are assembled in series/parallel connected battery pack is increasing. .

On the other hand, when configuring a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/parallel, a battery module including at least one battery cell is configured, and other components are added using the at least one battery module to form a battery pack. The general way to configure

Such a battery module includes a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, a frame accommodating the battery cell stack, a bus bar frame covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack, and a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the battery module. may include

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional battery module.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a conventional battery module includes a battery cell stack 10 in which a plurality of battery cells 11 are stacked, a frame 120 accommodating the battery cell stack 10 , and a battery cell stack 10 . ), the bus bar frames 21 and 22 that cover the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack 10 , the upper plate 23 that covers the upper surface of the battery cell stack 10 , the battery cell stack 10 and the bus bar frames 21 and 22 ) end plates 31 and 32 that cover the front and rear surfaces of the upper plate 23, a flexible circuit board portion 23a formed below the upper plate 23, and a temperature sensor 40 formed in the flexible circuit board portion 23a. .

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1 , the temperature sensor 40 is disposed only in the middle battery cell portion having the highest temperature among the battery cells in the battery module. For this reason, it is easy to check the safety of the battery module at a high temperature through the temperature sensor, but there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to check the accurate output of the battery module at a low temperature.

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module capable of confirming the safety of the battery module at a high temperature through a temperature sensor and at the same time confirming the accurate output of the battery module at a low temperature.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A battery module and a battery pack including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object include: a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; an upper plate covering an upper surface of the battery cell stack; a flexible circuit board portion formed under the upper plate; first and second temperature sensors positioned on the flexible circuit board; a first bus bar frame positioned on the front surface of the battery cell stack; and a second bus bar frame positioned on the rear surface of the battery cell stack, wherein the first temperature sensor is located closer to the center than both ends of the battery cell stack based on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack, and the The second temperature sensor may be located closer to both ends than the center of the battery cell stack based on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack.

The first temperature sensor is formed at a position corresponding to the front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack, and the second temperature sensor is at a position corresponding to the rear end of the battery cell in the middle of the battery cell stack. can be formed.

Terminal bus bars may be formed at both ends of the first bus bar frame, and the first temperature sensor may be formed at a position corresponding to a portion where the terminal bus bar is formed.

and a first end plate covering the first bus bar frame and a second end plate covering the second bus bar frame, wherein both ends of the first end plate have terminal bus bar openings through which the terminal bus bar passes. can be formed.

Electrode leads are formed at both ends of the plurality of battery cells, the electrode leads are coupled to the first and second bus bar frames, and the first temperature sensor is located at the front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack. It is formed at a position corresponding to the formed electrode lead, and the second temperature sensor may be formed at a position corresponding to the electrode lead formed at the rear end of the battery cell located in the center of the battery cell stack.

The outermost battery cell may be formed in two on both sides, and the first temperature sensor may be formed at a position corresponding to the front end of at least one of the two outermost battery cells.

The upper plate may be coupled to the first and second bus bar frames.

A flexible circuit board part may be formed between the upper plate and the battery cell stack, and the first and second temperature sensors may be formed on the flexible circuit board part.

The first and second temperature sensors may be formed on an elastic member formed by cutting a portion of the flexible printed circuit board portion.

The display device may further include a first end plate covering the first bus bar frame and a second end plate covering the second bus bar frame, wherein a connector opening into which a connector is inserted may be formed at an upper end of the first end plate. have.

A battery module and a battery pack including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention check stability at high temperature and output at low temperature by arranging temperature sensors at two positions that can represent high temperature and low temperature in the battery module and provide complementary effects.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional battery module.
2 is a view showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery module having a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view showing a position of a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a top view of the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.
6 is an enlarged view of the temperature sensor formed in part A of FIG. 5 .
7 is a view showing an end plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that the embodiments described below are illustratively shown to help understanding of the invention, and that the present invention may be implemented with various modifications different from the embodiments described herein. However, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or component may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description and detailed illustration thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale in order to help understanding of the invention, but dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.

The first and second terms used in the present application may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of rights. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprises", "consists of" or "consisting It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of addition or existence of further other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 .

2 is a view showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery module having a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a view showing a position of a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a top view of the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

2 to 5 , the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell stack 100 in which a plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked, and an upper surface of the battery cell stack 100 . The upper plate 230 covering the upper plate 230, the flexible circuit board part 231 formed on the lower side of the upper plate 230, the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 positioned on the flexible circuit board part 231, and the battery cells are stacked It includes a first bus bar frame 210 positioned at the front of the sieve 100 and a second bus bar frame 220 positioned at the rear of the battery cell stack 100 , and the first temperature sensor 400 is Based on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack 100 , it is located closer to the center than both ends of the battery cell stack 100 , and the second temperature sensor 500 is a battery based on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack 100 . It is located closer to both ends than the center of the cell stack 100 .

The battery cell 110 is a secondary battery and may be configured as a pouch-type secondary battery. The battery cells 110 may be configured in plurality, and the plurality of battery cells 110 may be stacked to each other so as to be electrically connected to each other to form the battery cell stack 100 . Each of the plurality of battery cells may include an electrode assembly, a battery case, and an electrode lead 111 protruding from the electrode assembly.

The frame 120 may be formed of upper, lower, left, and right surfaces, or may be formed of a U-shaped frame and an upper plate to cover the upper, lower, left, and right surfaces of the battery cell stack 100 . It is possible to physically protect the battery cell stack 100 accommodated therein through the frame 120 .

The first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 may be formed on the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack to be electrically connected to electrode leads formed on the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack. The upper plate 230 may be coupled to the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 to connect upper ends of the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 to each other. The flexible circuit board part 231 is formed under the upper plate 230 and electrically connects the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 by connecting the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 . can do it

The terminal bus bar 211 may be formed on both upper ends of the first bus bar frame 210 . The terminal bus bar 211 may protrude to the outside through an opening formed in the end plate 300 to be described later, and may electrically connect the battery pack and other devices to the battery module.

The first and second end plates 310 and 320 include a first end plate 310 covering the first bus bar frame 210 and a second end plate 320 covering the second bus bar frame 220 . may include The first and second end plates 310 and 320 are respectively formed on the outside of the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 based on the battery cell stack 100 , and the battery cell stack 100 and the first , 2 may be formed to cover the bus bar frames 210 and 220 .

The first and second end plates 310 and 320 protect the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220, the battery cell stack 100 and various electrical components connected thereto from external impact, and at the same time, the battery cell stack (100) may guide the electrical connection between the external power source. An insulating member is inserted between the first and second end plates 310 and 320 and the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220, respectively, so that the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 are electrically connected to the outside. You can block the connection.

The first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 are formed on the flexible circuit board part 231 formed under the upper plate 230 . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first temperature sensor 400 may be formed at a position corresponding to the front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack 100 . The front end of the outermost battery cell may be adjacent to the first bus bar frame 210 . The second temperature sensor 500 may be formed at a position corresponding to the rear end of the battery cell in the middle of the battery cell stack 100 . The rear end of the middle battery cell may be adjacent to the second bus bar frame 220 .

Among the plurality of battery cells constituting the battery cell stack 100 , the temperature of the battery cells located at the outermost sides of both sides may be lower than that of other battery cells. This is because the outermost battery cells are positioned to face the outside air directly, so that the temperature may drop due to contact with the outside air.

Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal bus bar 211 is formed only on the first bus bar frame 210 covering the front surface of the battery cell stack 100 , and the terminal bus bar 211 is the first It may come into contact with outside air through an opening formed in the first end plate 310 covering the bus bar frame 210 . Accordingly, the temperature of the front end portion of the outermost battery cell in which the first bus bar frame 210 is formed may be lower than that of the rear end portion of the outermost battery cell in which the second bus bar frame 220 is formed.

Accordingly, the first temperature sensor 400 is located in the lowest temperature portion of the battery cell stack 100 to detect the temperature of the battery cell stack 100 , thereby confirming the output of the battery module at a low temperature. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, two outermost battery cells are formed on both sides, and the first temperature sensor 400 is positioned corresponding to the front end of at least one of the two outermost battery cells. can be formed in

The second temperature sensor 500 is formed at a position corresponding to the rear end of the battery cell located in the middle of the battery cell stack 100 formed in the portion where the second bus bar frame 220 is located.

Among the plurality of battery cells constituting the battery cell stack 100 , the battery cell located in the center may have a higher temperature than other battery cells. This is because the battery cell located in the center is located in the most difficult position to dissipate heat due to the thermal insulation effect in the battery module.

In addition, since electrode leads 111 are disposed at both ends of the plurality of battery cells 110 , and the most heat is generated in the electrode lead 111 portion of the battery cells, the battery cell 110 in which the electrode lead 111 is located Both ends may be a portion having the highest temperature in the battery cell. At this time, the terminal bus bar 211 according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed only on the first bus bar frame 210 covering the front surface of the battery cell stack 100 , and the terminal bus bar 211 is the first It may come into contact with outside air through an opening formed in the first end plate 310 covering the bus bar frame 210 . Since the temperature of the portion in contact with the outside air may decrease, the first end plate 310 having an opening among both ends at which the electrode lead 111 of the battery cell located in the center of the plurality of battery cells 110 has the highest temperature. The temperature of the rear end portion of the middle battery cell positioned adjacent to the second end plate 320 in which the opening is not formed may be higher than that of the front end portion of the central battery cell adjacent to the .

Therefore, the second temperature sensor 500 is located at the highest temperature in the battery cell stack 100 and detects the temperature of the battery cell stack 100 , thereby determining the stability of the battery module at high temperature. have.

As described above, the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the high temperature portion of the first temperature sensor 400 and the battery cell stack 100 disposed in the low temperature portion of the battery cell stack 100 . Through the second temperature sensor 500, both low and high temperatures of the battery cell stack 100 can be checked, thereby simultaneously checking the stability and output of the battery module, and through this, the performance of the battery module can be checked and supplemented. provides an effect.

The first temperature sensor 400 may be formed at a position corresponding to a portion where the terminal bus bar 211 is formed. Since the terminal bus bar 211 is connected to the outside air and the temperature in the vicinity of the terminal bus bar 211 is lowered, the first temperature sensor 400 is disposed at a position corresponding to the terminal bus bar 211 to provide a relatively low temperature. The temperature of the formed portion can be sensed.

The electrode leads 111 may be formed at both ends of the plurality of battery cells 110 to be respectively coupled to the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 . In this case, the first temperature sensor 400 is formed at a position corresponding to the electrode lead 111 formed on the front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack 100 , and the second temperature sensor 500 is the battery cell It may be formed at a position corresponding to the electrode lead 111 formed at the rear end of the battery cell located in the center of the stack 100 .

Hereinafter, mounting of the first and second temperature sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 .

5 is a top view of the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. 6 is an enlarged view of the temperature sensor formed in part A of FIG. 5 .

5 and 6 , the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed in the flexible circuit board unit 231 . The flexible circuit board part 231 may be formed between the upper plate 230 and the battery cell stack 100 . The flexible circuit board unit 231 is formed to connect the first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220 formed at both ends of the battery module, and at the same time, according to the arrangement of the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 , the first , 2 may be formed in a shape that can accommodate the temperature sensors (400, 500).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible circuit board unit 231 is a stack of two first temperature sensors 400 and battery cells respectively formed at the front ends of the outermost battery cells at both ends of the battery cell stack 100 . The first and second bus bar frames 210 and 220, two first temperature sensors 400, and one It may be formed in a shape in which all of the second temperature sensors 500 are connected. According to FIG. 5 , the flexible printed circuit board unit 231 may be formed in a plate-shaped structure extending in three directions.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 may be formed on the elastic members 410 and 510 formed by cutting a portion of the flexible circuit board part 231 . Covers 420 and 520 formed to surround the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 may be formed on the elastic members 410 and 510 . As the cover parts 420 and 520 have a constant thickness, when the upper plate 230 is mounted, the cover parts 420 and 520 move in the direction in which the battery cell stack is located through the upper plate 230, and the cover part The first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 and the elastic members 410 and 510 connected to 420 and 520 also move downward, so that the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 are formed in the battery cell stack ( 100) can be closer. Through this, the first and second temperature sensors 400 and 500 may be in close contact with the battery cell stack 100 to accurately measure the temperature.

Hereinafter, an opening formed in the end plate according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7 .

7 is a view showing the openings of the end plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 7 , a terminal bus bar opening 311 through which the terminal bus bar 211 passes may be formed at both ends of the first end plate 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack 100 may be in contact with the outside air through the terminal bus bar opening 311 , and the temperature decreases so that the first temperature sensor 400 measures the low temperature battery cell temperature can do.

In addition, a connector opening 312 into which the connector 600 shown in FIG. 5 is inserted may be formed at an upper end of the first end plate 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The connector 600 is also formed only on the first end plate 310 portion and not on the second end plate 320 portion, and the connector opening 312 is only formed on the first end plate 310 portion due to the connector 600 . can be formed. Accordingly, the temperature of the front end portion of the battery cell stack 100 through the openings formed in the first end plate 310 may be lower than the temperature of the rear end portion formed in the second end plate 320, so The first temperature sensors 400 located at the front end portion having a low temperature detect the temperature of the battery module that has been lowered, and it is possible to check whether the battery module is output at a low temperature.

The battery module described above may be included in the battery pack. The battery pack may have a structure in which one or more battery modules according to the present embodiment are collected and a battery management system (BMS) that manages the temperature or voltage of the battery and a cooling device are added and packed.

The battery pack may be applied to various devices. Such a device may be applied to transportation means such as an electric bicycle, an electric vehicle, and a hybrid vehicle, but the present invention is not limited thereto and is applicable to various devices that can use a battery module, which also falls within the scope of the present invention .

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it is common in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications may be made by those having the knowledge of, of course, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

100: battery cell stack
110: battery cell
111: electrode lead
120: frame
210: first bus bar frame
211: terminal bus bar
220: second bus bar frame
230: upper plate
231: flexible circuit board unit
310: first end plate
311; Terminal busbar opening
312: connector opening
320: second end plate
400: first temperature sensor
410: elastic member
420, 520: cover part
500: second temperature sensor
510: elastic member
600: connector

Claims (11)

a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked;
an upper plate covering an upper surface of the battery cell stack;
a flexible circuit board portion formed under the upper plate;
first and second temperature sensors positioned on the flexible circuit board;
a first bus bar frame positioned on the front surface of the battery cell stack;
It includes a second bus bar frame located on the rear surface of the battery cell stack,
The first temperature sensor is located closer to the center than both ends of the battery cell stack based on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack,
The second temperature sensor is a battery module located closer to both ends than the center of the battery cell stack based on the stacking direction of the battery cell stack. In claim 1,
The first temperature sensor is formed at a position corresponding to the front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack,
The second temperature sensor is a battery module formed in a position corresponding to the rear end of the battery cell in the middle of the battery cell stack. In claim 1,
Terminal bus bars are formed at both ends of the first bus bar frame,
The first temperature sensor is a battery module formed at a position corresponding to the portion where the terminal bus bar is formed. In claim 3,
a first end plate covering the first bus bar frame and a second end plate covering the second bus bar frame;
A battery module in which terminal bus bar openings through which the terminal bus bars pass are formed at both ends of the first end plate. In claim 1,
Electrode leads are formed at both ends of the plurality of battery cells,
The electrode leads are coupled to the first and second bus bar frames,
The first temperature sensor is formed at a position corresponding to the electrode lead formed on the front end of the outermost battery cell of the battery cell stack,
The second temperature sensor is a battery module formed in a position corresponding to the electrode lead formed at the rear end of the battery cell located in the center of the battery cell stack. In claim 2,
The outermost battery cell is formed in two on both sides, and the first temperature sensor is formed at a position corresponding to the front end of at least one of the two outermost battery cells. In claim 1,
The upper plate is a battery module coupled to the first and second bus bar frames. In claim 1,
A flexible circuit board part is formed between the upper plate and the battery cell stack, and the first and second temperature sensors are formed on the flexible circuit board part. In claim 8,
The first and second temperature sensors are formed on an elastic member formed by cutting a part of the flexible circuit board part. In claim 1,
a first end plate covering the first bus bar frame and a second end plate covering the second bus bar frame;
A battery module in which a connector opening into which a connector is inserted is formed at an upper end of the first end plate. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1 .

Images