KR101782984B1 - Battery Module Comprising Battery Cells or Unit Modules Having Multi- Directional Connection Structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a battery module including at least two battery cells or unit modules, wherein the battery cells or the unit modules each have at least two positive and negative terminals formed at one end thereof, Wherein the battery module is connected in series or parallel in a state where the electrode terminals are laminated or side-arranged so as to face the same direction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a battery module including battery modules or unit modules having a multi-directional connection structure,

The present invention relates to a battery module including battery cells or unit modules having a multi-directional connection structure.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] In recent years, rechargeable secondary batteries have been widely used as energy sources for wireless mobile devices. The secondary battery is also attracting attention as an energy source for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, which are proposed to solve air pollution of existing gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles using fossil fuels. Accordingly, the types of applications using secondary batteries are diversifying due to the advantages of secondary batteries, and it is expected that secondary batteries will be applied to many fields and products in the future.

As the application fields and products of the secondary battery are diversified, the type of the battery is also diversified to provide an appropriate output and capacity. In addition, there is a strong demand for various shapes and miniaturization and weight reduction of cells applied to the field and products.

For small mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, notebook computers, etc., one or a few small and lightweight battery cells are used per device corresponding to the tendency to miniaturize the products. On the other hand, middle- or large-sized devices, such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, etc., are required to have large-capacity large-capacity batteries.

Since the size and weight of the battery module are directly related to the accommodation space and output of the mid- to large-sized device in which the battery module is mounted, manufacturers are trying to manufacture battery modules of various shapes and shapes as light as possible.
However, in the conventional battery module, the unit modules constituting the conventional battery module are electrically connected to each other using a separate connecting member, thereby increasing the number of parts, reducing the degree of freedom of connection configuration, output and capacity of the battery, There were problems that were difficult to accept.

Accordingly, there is a great need for a battery module capable of freely configuring an output and a capacity required by a device while being able to be accommodated in various accommodation spaces while solving the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and the technical problems required from the past.

Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module that can simplify a manufacturing process, improve battery configuration, increase the degree of freedom of capacity, and can be accommodated in various accommodating spaces by electrically connecting battery cells or unit modules without a separate connecting member And a battery module.

According to an aspect of the present invention,

A battery module comprising at least two battery cells or unit modules,

Wherein at least one positive electrode and a negative electrode terminal are formed on one end of the battery cell or the unit module,

The battery cells or the unit modules may be connected in series or parallel in a state in which the electrode terminals are stacked or side-arranged so as to face the same direction.

That is, since the battery module according to the present invention includes a structure in which the electrode terminals are directly connected without using a separate connection member, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the connection member and simplify the manufacturing process of the battery module Provides a possible effect.

As an example of the direct connection structure of the electrode terminals, the battery cells or the unit modules may have a structure in which electrode terminals are directly connected to each other in a bent state. That is, the electrode terminals may be bent and connected to each other in the direction of the electrode terminals of adjacent battery cells or unit modules.

In this structure, since the electrode terminals are directly connected to each other, the resistance of the connection portion can be reduced, and the battery module according to the present invention can be used in a device requiring a high current.

The unit module according to the present invention may have a structure in which two or more battery cells are embedded in a cell case in an electrically connected state.

The battery cell may be a battery cell having a plate-like structure capable of providing a high deposition rate in a limited space. For example, a pouch type battery having a structure in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a battery case of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer It may be a battery cell.

Specifically, the battery cell is a pouch-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly having a positive electrode / separator / negative electrode structure is sealed inside a battery case together with an electrolyte, and the battery cell may be a plate-shaped battery cell having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure. The pouch-shaped battery cell may include a pouch-shaped battery case, and the battery case may include an outer coating layer made of a polymer resin having excellent durability; A barrier layer made of a metal material exhibiting barrier properties against moisture, air, and the like; And an inner sealant layer composed of a polymer resin that can be heat-sealed.

The case of the pouch-shaped battery cell may have a variety of structures. For example, the case may be a two-unit member, which houses the electrode assembly in a housing portion formed on the top and / or bottom inner surface, Structure and the like. A pouch-shaped battery cell having such a structure is disclosed in PCT International Application No. PCT / KR2004 / 003312 of the present applicant, which application is incorporated herein by reference.

For example, the electrode assembly may have a structure in which an anode and a cathode are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween. The electrode assembly may be a jelly-roll type, a stack type, or a stack / folding type . ≪ / RTI > The positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrode assembly may have a shape in which the electrode tab protrudes directly out of the battery, or the electrode tab may be connected to a separate lead to protrude to the outside of the battery. The electrode tabs of the electrode tabs or the electrode leads may be formed such that both the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal protrude from one side of the battery cell or the positive electrode terminal protrudes to one side of the battery cell and the negative electrode terminal protrudes to the opposite side And the like.

The battery cell is not particularly limited as long as it is a secondary battery capable of providing high voltage and high current when the battery module and the battery pack are constructed, but may be a lithium secondary battery having a large energy storage amount per unit volume.

In one specific example, the battery cell or the unit module may include two positive electrode terminals and two negative electrode terminals at one end, and may be a prismatic structure. Specifically, the battery cell or the unit module may have a rectangular shape in a plan view, and electrode terminals may be positioned at four corners of the rectangular shape. At this time, terminals of the same electrode may be positioned at diagonal corners with respect to the center of the rectangle.

The battery cells or the unit modules may be connected in series in a state in which terminals of different electrodes are arranged adjacent to each other in a corner portion.

In addition, the battery cells or the unit modules may be arranged in parallel with each other in a state where terminals of the same electrode are arranged adjacent to each other at corner portions.

At this time, the array of battery cells or unit modules may include two or more rows and two or more species.

Meanwhile, the battery module may have a structure in which the battery cells or unit modules having different heights include two or more rows and two or more species and connected in series or parallel. That is, the battery cells or the unit modules arranged in each row may have a predetermined height difference as compared with the battery cells or the unit modules arranged in different rows. Similarly, the battery cells or unit modules arranged in each column may be configured to have a predetermined height difference as compared to battery cells or unit modules arranged in different columns. One end surface of the battery cells or the unit modules, on which the electrode terminals are formed, are formed on the same plane so that the electrode terminals can be directly connected to each other in a bent state.

With this arrangement, the degree of freedom of the battery connection structure and the capacity can be improved, and a battery module that can be accommodated in various accommodating spaces can be constructed.

In addition, the terminals not used for the serial or parallel connection may be electrically connected to a control unit such as a battery management system (BMS) for voltage detection. Specifically, the terminals not used for the serial or parallel connection may be connected to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), and the PCB may be electrically connected to the control unit. By doing so, it is possible to freely select the mounting position of the control unit and the PCB for voltage detection.

The present invention also provides a device comprising the battery module as a power source, the device being specifically an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or a power storage device.

The structure and manufacturing method of such a device are well known in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

As described above, according to the present invention, the battery cells or the unit modules each having at least two positive and negative terminals formed at one end thereof are directly connected to each other without a separate connection member, It is possible to construct a battery module that can be accommodated in various accommodating spaces.

In addition, since the number of parts can be reduced compared to a conventional battery module, the battery module can be manufactured by a simple process, and manufacturing cost can be reduced, and a battery module with a more stable structure can be manufactured.

1 is a schematic view of a battery cell according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells of FIG. 1 are connected in parallel; FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells of FIG. 1 are connected in parallel in the row direction and the longitudinal direction;
4 is a plan schematic diagram of battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells of FIG. 1 are connected in series in a row direction and a longitudinal direction;
5 is a schematic plan view of a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells in Fig. 1 are connected in parallel including two or more row directions and two or more longitudinal directions;
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells of FIG. 1 are connected in series including two or more row directions and two or more longitudinal directions;
7 is a schematic view of a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells having different heights are connected in series or in parallel including two or more row directions and two or more longitudinal directions.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings according to the embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells of FIG. 1 are connected in parallel.

Referring to FIG. 1, a battery cell 100a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The battery cell 100a has two positive terminals 102 and 104 and two negative terminals 101 And 103, respectively. One end of the battery cell 100 in which the anode terminals 102 and 104 and the two anode terminals 101 and 103 are located is rectangular in plan view and has terminals 101 and 102 at four corners, , 103, 104). The terminals of the same electrode are located at the diagonal corners with respect to the center of the rectangle.

The battery cell 100b has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes two positive electrode terminals 111 and 113 and two negative electrode terminals 112 and 114 at one end of the battery cell 100b Respectively. One end of the battery cell 100b in which the two positive electrode terminals 111 and 113 and the two negative electrode terminals 112 and 114 are located is rectangular in plan view and has terminals 111 , 112, 113, 114). The terminals of the same electrode are located at the diagonal corners with respect to the center of the rectangle.

Referring to FIG. 2, the three battery cells 100a, 100b and 100a have positive terminal terminals 102, 104, 111 and 114 and negative terminal terminals 101, 103, 112 and 113, The battery modules 200 are connected to each other in parallel with each other while being arranged in adjacent structures. The battery cells 100a, 100b and 100a are directly connected to each other in a state where some of the electrode terminals 101, 102, 103, 104, 111, 112, 113 and 114 are bent.

In addition, the battery cells are connected in series (not shown) in a state in which terminals of different electrodes at the corners are arranged in an adjacent structure. These battery cells are directly connected to each other with their electrode terminals bent (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the battery modules 300a, 300b and 300c in which a plurality of battery cells 100a and 100b of FIG. 1 are connected in parallel in the row direction and the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the battery modules 400a, 400b and 400c in which a plurality of battery cells 100a and 100b of FIG. 1 are connected in series in the row direction and the longitudinal direction.

3 and 4, some of the electrode terminals 301 and 401 are directly connected to each other in a bent state together with some electrode terminals of the battery cells 100a and 100b of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a battery module 500 in which the battery cells 100a and 100b of FIG. 1 are connected in parallel including two or more row directions and two or more longitudinal directions.

FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing a battery module 600 in which the battery cells 100a and 100b of FIG. 1 are connected in series including two or more row directions and two or more longitudinal directions. At this time, the electrode terminals not used for series connection are connected to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which is electrically connected to the control unit (BMS) (not shown).

7 is a schematic view of a battery module 700 in which battery cells 710a and 710b having different heights are connected in series or in parallel including two or more row directions and two or more longitudinal directions.

In Fig. 7, the battery cells 710a arranged in the first row have a structure different in height h from the battery cells 710b arranged in the second row. One side surfaces of the battery cells 710a and 710b where the electrode terminals are formed are formed on the same plane, and the electrode terminals are directly connected to each other in a bent state by the method shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 Not).

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (17)

A battery module comprising at least two unit modules,
Wherein the unit module has at least two positive and negative terminals formed at one end thereof,
The unit modules are directly or indirectly connected to each other in a serial or parallel structure in a state in which the electrode terminals are stacked or side-arranged so as to face the same direction,
The unit module includes two anode terminals and two anode terminals at one end,
One end of the unit module in which the positive and negative terminals are located is rectangular in plan view, the terminals are located at each of the four corners,
Wherein the unit modules are directly connected to each other in a state where electrode terminals are bent,
Terminals of the same electrode are positioned at diagonal corners with respect to the center of the quadrangle,
The unit modules are connected in series with each other in a state where terminals of different electrodes are arranged adjacent to each other at corners,
Wherein terminals not used for the series connection are electrically connected to a control unit for voltage detection. [2] The battery module of claim 1, wherein the unit module includes at least two battery cells electrically connected to each other in a cell case. delete The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the battery cell is a pouch-shaped battery cell in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a case of a laminate sheet including a metal layer and a resin layer. delete  The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the unit module is square. delete delete delete The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the unit modules are connected in parallel with each other in a state where terminals of the same electrode are arranged adjacent to each other at corners. 11. The battery module of claim 10, wherein the array of unit modules comprises at least two rows and at least two species. 12. The battery module according to claim 11, wherein the unit modules arranged in one row or in the longitudinal direction are formed to have a predetermined height difference with respect to the unit modules arranged in other rows or columns. delete The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the controller is a BMS. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the terminals are connected to a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), and the PCB is electrically connected to the control unit. A device comprising a battery module according to claim 1. 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, and a power storage device.

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