BATTERY MODULE

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a battery module including two battery cells, each of which has electrode terminals formed at upper and lower ends thereof. The battery module further includes a frame member, to which upper-end sealing parts, lower-end sealing parts, and one-side sealing parts of the battery cells are mounted, a metal sheathing member for covering the outer surfaces of the battery cells while the battery cells are mounted to the frame member, and caps (an upper-end cap and a lower-end cap) mounted to the upper and lower ends of the battery cells, respectively, which are covered by the metal sheathing member. According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize the weight and the size of the battery module while increasing the strength of the battery cells. Also, it is possible to easily mount the detecting means that detects the operation of the battery cells, and it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of short circuits during the assembly or the operation of the battery module. Furthermore, it is possible to easily perform the electric connection between the battery modules when manufacturing the medium- or large-sized battery module using the respective battery modules as unit bodies.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional representative pouch-shaped battery;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the battery module shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a lower-end cap and the lower ends of battery cells of the battery module shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the coupling between the lower-end cap and the lower ends of the battery cells of the battery module shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a medium- or large-sized battery module manufactured using the battery module of FIG. 3 as a unit body.

Claims

1. A battery module comprising two battery cells, each of which has electrode terminals formed at upper and lower ends thereof, wherein the battery module further comprises: a frame member, to which upper-end sealing parts, lower-end sealing parts, and one-side sealing parts of the battery cells are mounted;a metal sheathing member for covering the outer surfaces of the battery cells while the battery cells are mounted to the frame member; andcaps (an upper-end cap and a lower-end cap) mounted to the upper and lower ends of the battery cells, respectively, which are covered by the metal sheathing member.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the frame member includes a lower-end frame having a groove, into which the lower electrode terminals of the battery cells are inserted while the lower electrode terminals of the battery cells are coupled with each other, the lower-end frame being constructed such that the lower-end sealing parts of the battery cells are mounted to the lower-end frame,an upper-end frame constructed such that the upper-end sealing parts of the battery cells are mounted to the upper-end frame, anda side frame connected between the lower-end frame and the upper-end frame, the side frame being constructed such that the one-side sealing parts of the battery cells are mounted to the side frame.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the upper-end frame or the lower-end frame is provided with a terminal (detection terminal) for detecting the voltage and/or the temperature of the battery cells, andthe upper-end frame is provided with connection terminals for connecting the detection terminal to an external circuit.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the detection terminal is mounted at the lower-end frame, and the detection terminal is connected to the connection terminals of the upper-end frame via a wire mounted in the side frame.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the lower-end frame has a through-hole, to which the detection terminal is connected.

6. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the side frame is provided with grooves, into which the one-side sealing parts of the battery cells are inserted.

7. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the upper-end frame is provided with grooves (insertion grooves), into which the upper electrode terminals of the battery cells are inserted while the upper electrode terminals of the battery cells are bent.

8. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the upper-end frame has external input and output terminals, the external input and output terminals being integrally formed with the upper-end frame when molding the frame member or coupled to the upper-end frame as a separate member.

9. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the metal sheathing member is a metal plate having a thickness of 0.2 to 1.0 mm.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, wherein the metal plate is bent such that one-side surfaces of the battery cells are covered by the metal plate, and opposite ends of the metal plate are welded to each other at the other-side surfaces of the battery cells.

11. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the lower-end cap is provided with protrusions which cover the outer surfaces of the lower-end sealing parts of the battery cells.

12. A medium- or large-sized battery module manufactured using the battery module according to claim 1 as a unit body.