Patent Application
20240322379
The present application claims priority and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0039404, filed on Mar. 26, 2023, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0089090, filed on Jul. 10, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments relate to a battery pack.
Generally, a secondary battery refers to a chargeable and dischargeable battery, unlike a primary battery that is not chargeable. Secondary batteries are used as energy sources for mobile devices, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, electric bicycles, uninterruptible power supplies, etc. According to a type of an external device they are applied to, secondary batteries may be used in the form of a single battery or in the form of a pack in which multiple battery cells are connected and grouped into one unit.
Embodiments are directed to a battery pack, including a plurality of battery cells in a row in a first direction and in a plurality of rows in a second direction intersecting the first direction, a cell holder in which the plurality of battery cells are assembled at a first side thereof, and a first conductive line of the cell holder plated and patterned at a second side opposite to the first side electrically connecting different battery cells to each other and extending in the second direction.
In embodiments the battery pack may further include a second conductive line plated and patterned at the second side of the cell holder to collect state information about different battery cells.
In embodiments the first conductive line and the second conductive line may be formed on the cell holder through laser direct structuring.
In embodiments the first conductive line may have a greater width than a width of the second conductive line.
In embodiments the second conductive line may include a voltage sensing line that may be connected to each first conductive line to sense a voltage and a temperature sensing line to sense a temperature at a certain position.
In embodiments the plurality of battery cells may be arranged such that battery cells in adjacent rows in the second direction may be alternately staggered with each other at front and rear positions in the first direction.
In embodiments the first conductive line may include a plurality of first conductive lines electrically connecting the battery cells to each other, and each of the plurality of first conductive lines may extend between a first group of battery cells and a second group of battery cells, the first group of battery cells and the second group of battery cells may be adjacent to each other in the first direction and may be arranged in the second direction.
In embodiments the first group of battery cells and the second group of battery cells may be arranged in the second direction and may be connected to each other in parallel, and the first group of battery cells and the second group of battery cells may be connected to each other in series in the first direction.
In embodiments each of the plurality of first conductive lines may extend in a zigzag pattern and have a curved portion surrounding an outer circumferential surface of an electrode at a center position of the first and second groups of battery cells.
In embodiments an end of the second conductive line may be connected to a battery management system, extend in the second direction, and include a plurality of branch lines.
In embodiments first and second electrodes at an end of a battery cell may be exposed to outside of the cell holder through first and second electrode holes in the cell holder and may be connected to the first conductive line through a connection member, and a second electrode selectively from the first and second electrodes may be at the other end of the battery cell.
Features will become apparent to those of skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, they may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey exemplary implementations to those skilled in the art.
As used herein, the terms “and/or” and “or” are not exclusive terms, and include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terms including “first”, “second”, etc., may be used to explain various components, but the components are not limited by the terms, e.g., the terms are not intended to imply sequential inclusion. These terms may be used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component.
The term used herein is used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit and/or restrict the present disclosure. Singular forms include plural forms unless apparently indicated otherwise contextually. Moreover, it should be understood that the term “include”. “have”, or the like used herein is to indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or a combination thereof described in the specifications, and does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or a combination thereof. The same reference numeral presented in each drawing represents a member that substantially performs the same function.
Referring to
Each of the plurality of battery cells 10 according to embodiments may include first electrodes E1 and second electrodes E2 which have different polarities. The battery cell 10 may include the electrodes E1 and E2 at opposite end positions in a height direction Z3. In an implementation, the battery cell 10 may include a cylindrical battery cell 10 including circumferential side surfaces connecting the electrodes E1 and E2 at the opposite end positions.
In some embodiments, the first electrode E1 and the second electrode E2 may be formed in an upper end of the battery cell 10 in the height direction Z3 of the battery cell 10. In this case, the first electrode E1 may be formed at a center position of the upper end of the battery cell 10, and the second electrode E2 may be formed at an edge position surrounding the first electrode E1 in the upper end of the battery cell 10. The second electrode E2 may extend from the edge position of the upper end of the battery cell 10 to a lower end in the height direction Z3 of the battery cell 10. In an implementation, the second electrode E2 may be formed over the entire lower end of the battery cell 10 while forming the side surface between the upper end and the lower end of the battery cell 10.
The cell holder H according to embodiments may provide a receiving space for the plurality of battery cells 10, and may be modularized into a single pack by physically binding the plurality of battery cells 10 to each other. Modularization of the plurality of battery cells 10 into a single pack may mean structurally binding the plurality of battery cells 10 to each other, like the cell holder H. In addition, modularization of the plurality of battery cells 10 into a single pack may mean electrically binding the plurality of battery cells 10 into the single pack by electrically connecting the plurality of different battery cells 10 as will be described below.
The cell holder H may modularize the plurality of battery cells 10 into a single pack by structurally binding the plurality of battery cells 10, and regulate assembly positions of the plurality of battery cells 10. In some embodiments, the cell holder H may include at least one cell holder H where an end position and/or the other end position of the battery cell 10 is assembled. In an implementation, the cell holder H may include a first holder and a second holder assembled to face each other with the plurality of battery cells 10 therebetween, and may include the plurality of battery cells 10 assembled at specified positions of the first and second holders.
In some embodiments, the cell holder H may correspond to an insulating structure. Herein, the insulating structure may form at least a part of the cell holder H and may form the entire cell holder H or a part thereof. In some embodiments, the insulating structure and the cell holder H may mean substantially the same structure, and hereinbelow, the insulating structure may be referred to as the cell holder H for convenience of understanding, but may also form the entire cell holder H or a part thereof.
Referring to
In some embodiments, in the plurality of battery cells 10 assembled on the cell holder 1, a row of the battery cells 10 arranged in the first direction Z1 may be arranged as a plurality of rows R1, R2, R3, and R4 in the second direction Z2 intersecting the first direction Z1. The battery cells 10 of rows that are adjacent to each other in the second direction Z2 may be arranged to be alternately staggered with each other toward the front position or the rear position in the first direction Z1. According to such arrangement of the battery cells 10, among the battery cells 10 of rows adjacent in the second direction Z2, the battery cells 10 of any one row may be arranged to be inserted into a valley between the battery cells 10 of the other row. In an implementation, the battery cells 10 of any one row may be arranged to be biased relatively toward the front position (or the rear position) in the first direction Z1, and the battery cells 10 of the other row may be arranged to be biased relatively toward the rear position (or the front position) in the first direction Z1. As such, the battery cells 10 of rows adjacent in the second direction Z2 may be arranged to be staggered with each other relatively toward the front position and the rear position, such that the battery cells 10 of the adjacent rows may be arranged at a high density in a relatively small area and a battery pack favorable to compactness may be provided through the relatively dense arrangement of the battery cells 10.
In some embodiments, the battery cells 10 of a group arranged in the second direction Z2 may include the battery cells 10 of rows alternately arranged in the second direction Z2 rather than the battery cells 10 of all rows arranged in the second direction Z2. In an implementation, a first group of battery cells G1 arranged in the second direction Z2 may include the battery cells 10 of odd-numbered rows like the battery cells 10 of the first row R1 and the battery cells 10 of the third row R3, and a second group of battery cells G2 arranged in the second direction Z2 may include the battery cells 10 of even-numbered rows like the battery cells 10 of the second row R2 and the battery cells 10 of the fourth row R4.
In some embodiments, the battery cell 10 may be arranged such that an end having the first electrode E1 and the second electrode E2 formed therein is oriented toward a top surface side of the cell holder H and the other end having the second electrode E2 formed therein is oriented toward the opposite side. In an implementation, the battery cell 10 may be assembled to the cell holder H such that an end position of the battery cell 10 having both the first electrode E1 and the second electrode E2 formed therein is oriented toward a side of the cell holder H where a first conductive line B described below is arranged.
Referring to
The first conductive line B may be formed by being plated and patterned on the cell holder H. In an implementation, the first conductive line B may be formed on the cell holder H through laser direct structuring (LDS). LDS may be a method of selectively processing a pattern by using a laser on a thermoplastic resin such as a plastic injection mold and forming a conductive material through a plating process. In an implementation, a pattern for functioning as a bus bar on a plane of the cell holder H may be formed and plated through LSD, thereby forming the first conductive line B.
In some embodiments, when compared to other battery packs where a bus bar is attached to the cell holder H using an adhesive member, the battery pack including the first conductive line B formed by being directly plated and patterned on the plane of the cell holder H may simplify an assembling process between the cell holder H and the bus bar. In some embodiments, in comparison to other battery packs where the bus bar is inserted and injected together with injection of the cell holder H, the battery pack including the first conductive line B formed by being directly plated and patterned on the plane of the cell holder H may prevent deformation from occurring due to a difference in a shrinkage rate between metal and plastic.
Referring to
The first conductive line B may extend in a zigzag pattern between the first group of battery cells G1 and the second group of battery cells G2 in the second direction Z2. In an implementation, the first conductive line B may extend between the first group of battery cells G1 and the second group of battery cells G2, which are adjacent to each other, in the first direction Z1, and may extend in a zigzag direction while forming a curved portion BC surrounding outer circumferential surfaces of the adjacent groups of battery cells 10 in the first direction Z1.
In each first conductive line B, the outer circumferential surfaces of the first group of battery cells G1 and the outer circumferential surfaces of the second group of battery cells G2, surrounded by any one first conductive line B, may be formed on opposite positions. In an implementation, the outer circumferential surface of the first group of battery cell G1 surrounded by any one first conductive line B may mean an outer circumferential surface at a rear position 10R in the first direction Z1, and the outer circumferential surface of the second group of battery cell G2 surrounded by the first conductive line B may mean an outer circumferential surface at a front position 10F in the first direction Z1. As such, when any one first conductive line B surrounds the opposite outer circumferential surfaces of the first and second groups of battery cells G1 and G2, it may mean that the first conductive line B surrounds the outer circumferential surface at a rear position 10R of the battery cell G1 of the first group at the rear position or the outer circumferential surface at a front position 10F of the battery cell G1 of the first group at the front position and surrounds the outer circumferential surface at a front position 10F of the battery cell G2 of the second group at the front position or the outer circumferential surface at a rear position 10R of the battery cell G2 of the second group at the rear position.
The battery cell 10 may be arranged to be surrounded by a front curved portion BCF of the first conductive line B at the front position and a rear curved portion BCR of the first conductive line B at the rear position.
When the first conductive line B surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the battery cell 10, it may include a case where the first conductive line B surrounds an outer circumferential surface of the first electrode E1 formed at the center position of the battery cell 10 while extending across the outer circumferential surface of the battery cell 10. In an implementation, the curved portion BC of the first conductive line B may surround the outer circumferential surface of the battery cell 10 or the outer circumferential surface of the first electrode E1 formed at the center position of the battery cell 10. In some embodiments, the curved portion BC of the first conductive line B may surround the outer circumferential surface of the first electrode E1 formed at the center position of the battery cell 10 while extending across the second electrode E2 formed at an edge position of the battery cell 10 to surround the first electrode E1.
Referring to
The connection member C may be connected to the first conductive line B at an end position and to the battery cell 10 at the other end position. In an implementation, the first conductive line B may be electrically connected to the first electrode E1 of the battery cell 10 through the connection member C extending between the first electrode E1 of the battery cell 10 and the first conductive line B and may be electrically connected to the second electrode E2 of the battery cell 10 through the connection member C extending between the second electrode E2 of the battery cell 10 and the first conductive line B.
In some embodiments, the first electrode E1 may be formed at the center position of the battery cell 10 at an end of the battery cell 10, and the second electrode E2 may be formed at an edge position surrounding the center position of the battery cell 10. In an implementation, the first electrode E1 and the second electrode E2 formed at the end position of the battery cell 10 may be exposed from the cell holder H through a first electrode hole EH1 and a second electrode hole EH2 of the cell holder H where the first conductive line B is arranged, and may be connected to the first conductive line B through the connection member C.
Referring to
The first conductive line B may connect different battery cells 10 in parallel by connecting the same polarities of the different battery cells 10 through the connection member C. In an implementation, the first conductive line B may connect the different battery cells 10 in parallel by connecting the first electrodes E1 or the second electrodes E2 of the different battery cells 10. Similarly, the first conductive line B may connect the different battery cells 10 in series by connecting the different polarities of the different battery cells 10 through the connection member C. In an implementation, the first conductive line B may connect the different battery cells 10 in series by connecting the first electrodes E1 of the different battery cells 10 to the second electrodes E2 of the different battery cells 10.
In some embodiments, the plurality of battery cells 10 included in the battery pack may be electrically connected to each other such that they are connected in parallel in the second direction Z2 and in series in the first direction Z1. In an implementation, in the first conductive line B arranged between the first and second groups of battery cells G1 and G2 arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction Z1 and between the first and second groups of battery cells G1 and G2 in the second direction Z2, the first electrode E1 or the second electrode E2 may be connected to the first conductive line B in each battery cell 10 of the first group of battery cells G1 and the second electrode E2 or the first electrode E1 may be connected to the first conductive line B in each battery cell 10 of the second group of battery cells G2. In an implementation, with respect to any one first conductive line B, in the first group of battery cells G1 located at the front, the first conductive line B and the first electrode E1 may be connected through the connection member C, and in the second group of battery cells G2 located at the rear, the first conductive line B and the second electrode E2 may be connected through the connection member C, such that the battery cells G1 and G2 may be connected in parallel in the second direction Z2 and in series in the first direction Z1.
If the number of parallel battery cells 10 of the battery pack matches physical arrangement of the actual battery cells 10, the first conductive line B may be formed as a l-shape structure. In an implementation, if the plurality of battery cells 10 included in the battery pack are arranged in parallel in the second direction Z2 and in series in the first direction Z1, the first conductive line B may be formed as a l-shape structure extending in a zigzag pattern in the second direction Z2. In comparison to a bus bar having a fishbone shape, a lower current may flow through the bus bar of the l-shape structure, reducing the amount of heat emission, and the bus bar of the l-shape structure may be implemented as a thinner bus bar. Thus, in the battery pack according to embodiments, the first conductive line B of the l-shape structure may be formed in the cell holder H through LDS, thus functioning as a bus bar.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the BMS 20 and the second conductive line may be arranged on the cell holder H. The BMS 20 may be arranged at a side in the second direction Z2 on the cell holder H, e.g., at a side on a top surface of the cell holder H where an end of the first conductive line B is arranged. In
The voltage sensing line VL according to embodiments may sense a voltage of the battery cell 10 and transmit the same to the BMS 20. The voltage sensing line VL may include a plurality of voltage sensing lines VL for connection to each first conductive line B. In some embodiments, the voltage sensing line VL may include a main line VL1 connected to the BMS 20 and a branch line VL2 connected to each first conductive line B. In an implementation, one end of the main line VL1 of the voltage sensing line VL may be connected to the BMS 20 to extend in the second direction Z2, and the other end thereof may be connected to the branch line VL2 so as to be connected to each first conductive line B. Each voltage sensing line VL may connect an end of the first conductive line B to the BMS 20 on the cell holder H to transmit voltage information about the first conductive line B to the BMS 20.
The temperature sensing line TL according to some embodiments may sense the temperature of the battery cell 10 to transmit the same to the BMS 20. The temperature sensing line TL may be arranged on the cell holder H and connected to a thermistor TH for detecting the temperature of the battery cell 10 to transmit the temperature of the battery cell 10 to the BMS 20. In an implementation, the thermistor TH may be arranged at a certain position of the cell holder H including a central portion to measure the temperature of the battery cell 10, and the temperature sensing line TL may be connected to the thermistor TH to transmit the measured temperature of the battery cell 10 to the BMS 20. In an implementation, as shown in
The second conductive line may be formed by being plated and patterned on the cell holder 11. In an implementation, the voltage sensing line VL and the temperature sensing line TL may be formed on the cell holder H through LDS. Some other battery packs may require a separate connection structure for connection to the BMS 20 to measure a voltage and a temperature of the battery cell 10. However, the battery pack including the voltage sensing line V. and the temperature sensing line TL formed by being directly plated and patterned on a plane of the cell holder H may be implemented through LDS without a separate component for connection to the first conductive line B or the BMS 20. In an implementation, an aluminum block and a printed circuit board (PCB, or a flexible PCB (FPCB)) for connecting the bus bar to the BMS 20 through wirebonding may be omitted. Thus, designing integrally with the cell holder H may be possible, and a separate connection process may be omitted.
When compared to the first conductive line B, the voltage sensing line VL and the temperature sensing line TL may be implemented in a fine pattern on the cell holder H. In an implementation, a width of the first conductive line B may be related to a resistance and the amount of heat emission and thus may be large, and the second conductive line may be formed to have a narrow width. The battery pack including the voltage sensing line VL and the temperature sensing line TL that are implemented in a fine pattern through LDS may be formed integrally on the cell holder H without a separate connection member, and thus may have a less size of the BMS 20 than the other battery pack, allowing free designing thereof.
According to embodiments, the bus bar electrically connecting the plurality of battery cells 10 may be formed as the first conductive line B through LDS, thus providing the battery pack where the cell holder H and the bus bar are integrally formed. In the battery pack according to embodiments, the battery cells 10 may be connected to the l-shape first conductive line B such that the number of parallel cells of the module/pack matches arrangement of the actual physical battery cells 10. In the battery pack according to embodiments where the first conductive line B may be directly formed on the cell holder H through the LDS process, separate attachment component and attachment process may be omitted and deformation may be prevented from occurring due to a difference in a shrinkage rate between metal and plastic.
In the battery pack according to embodiments, the second conductive line for transmitting the state information about the battery, such as a voltage, a temperature, etc., to the BMS 20 may be provided by being formed integrally with the cell holder H. According to embodiments, the cell holder H, the voltage sensing line VL, and the temperature sensing line TL may be integrally formed, such that a separate connection component may be omitted and the size of the BMS 20 may be implemented as being small, enabling free designing.
Certain executions described here are embodiments, not limiting the scope of the present disclosure in any way. For the brevity of the specification, the description of conventional electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of the systems may be omitted. Connections of lines or connection members between components shown in the drawings are illustrative of functional connections and/or physical or circuit connections, and in practice, may be represented as alternative or additional various functional connections, physical connections, or circuit connections. In addition, when there is no specific mentioning, such as “essential” or “important”, it may not be a necessary component for the application of the present disclosure. An expression such as “comprising”, “including”, etc., used herein has been used to be understood as terms of an open end of the description.
In the specification (especially, claims) of the present disclosure, the use of the term “the” and similar indicators thereof may correspond to both the singular and the plural. In addition, when the range is described in the present disclosure, the range includes the disclosure to which an individual value falling within the range is applied (unless stated otherwise), and is the same as the description of an individual value constituting the range in the detailed description of the present disclosure. Finally, when there is no apparent description of the order of operations constituting the method according to the present disclosure or a contrary description thereof, the operations may be performed in an appropriate order. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited according to the describing order of the operations. The use of all examples or exemplary terms (for example, etc.) in the present disclosure are to simply describe the present disclosure in detail, and unless the range of the present disclosure is not limited by the examples or the exemplary terms unless limited by the claims. In addition, it would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and changes may be easily made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
According to the present disclosure, a battery pack may be provided in which by replacing a bus bar electrically connecting a plurality of battery cells to each other with a conductive pattern on a cell holder, the cell holder formed integrally with the bus bar may be provided and a part for sensing a voltage and a temperature of the battery cell may be replaced with the conductive pattern on the cell holder, thereby simplifying a manufacturing process without a separate connection component.
By way of summation and review, small mobile devices such as mobile phones may operate for a certain amount of time based on the output and capacity of a single battery, whereas for devices requiring long-term driving and high-power operations such as electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., consuming a lot of power, a secondary battery of a module type including a plurality of batteries may be preferred due to output and capacity issues. The output voltage or output current may be increased with the number of built-in batteries.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a battery pack in which, by replacing a bus bar electrically connecting a plurality of battery cells to each other with a conductive pattern on a cell holder, the cell holder may be formed integrally with the bus bar and a component for sensing a voltage and a temperature of the battery cell may be replaced with the conductive pattern on the cell holder, thereby simplifying a manufacturing process without a separate connection component.
Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In some instances, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art as of the filing of the present application, features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment may be used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwise specifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0039404 | Mar 2023 | KR | national |
| 10-2023-0089090 | Jul 2023 | KR | national |
