KR20150036897A - Battery Module Having Metal Printed Circuit Board - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module having a metal printed circuit board. The battery module includes: two or more battery cells which are stacked and can be charged or discharged, and cartridges which fixes the battery cells and forms a battery cell laminate. The cartridge includes a cooling pin which is interposed between the battery cells and has at least one end part protruding to the outside of the cartridge, and a cartridge frame which fixes the cooling pin. The protruding end part of the cooling pin is in thermal contact with a metal printed circuit board to conduct heat from the cooling pin.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a battery module including a metal PCB,

The present invention relates to a battery module including a metal PCB.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] In recent years, rechargeable secondary batteries have been widely used as energy sources for wireless mobile devices. In addition, the secondary battery is an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), and the like, which are proposed as solutions for air pollution of existing gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles using fossil fuels (Plug-In HEV) and the like.

In a small mobile device, one or two or more battery cells are used per device, while a middle- or large-sized battery module such as an automobile is used as a middle- or large-sized battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected due to the necessity of a large-

Since the middle- or large-sized battery module is preferably manufactured in a small size and weight, a prismatic battery, a pouch-shaped battery, or the like, which can be charged with a high degree of integration and has a small weight to capacity, is mainly used as a battery cell have. In particular, a pouch-shaped battery using an aluminum laminate sheet or the like as an exterior member has recently attracted a lot of attention due to its advantages such as small weight, low manufacturing cost, and easy shape deformation.

Since the battery cells constituting such a middle- or large-sized battery module are constituted by a rechargeable secondary battery, such a high-output large-capacity secondary battery generates a large amount of heat in the charging and discharging process. Particularly, since the laminate sheet of the pouch-type battery widely used in the battery module is coated with a polymer material having a low thermal conductivity, it is difficult to effectively cool the entire battery cell.

If the heat of the battery module generated during the charging and discharging process can not be effectively removed, heat accumulation may occur, thereby accelerating the deterioration of the battery module and possibly causing ignition or explosion. Therefore, a cooling system for cooling the battery cells built in the high-power, large-capacity battery pack is required.

The battery module mounted on the middle- or large-sized battery pack is generally manufactured by stacking a plurality of battery cells at a high density, and adjacent battery cells are stacked at a predetermined interval so as to remove heat generated during charging and discharging. For example, the battery cells themselves may be sequentially stacked while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined space, or in the case of a battery cell having low mechanical rigidity, one or a combination of two or more batteries may be built in a cartridge or the like. The battery module can be configured. The stacked battery cells or the battery modules are structured such that a flow path of the coolant is formed between the battery cells or the battery modules so as to effectively remove accumulated heat.

However, this structure has a problem that the total size of the battery module is increased because a plurality of refrigerant flow paths must be secured corresponding to a plurality of battery cells.

In addition, as the number of battery cells is increased, a number of components are added in relation to the cooling structure, thereby increasing the volume of the battery module, complicating the manufacturing process, and increasing the manufacturing cost.

Therefore, there is a high need for a battery module that can be manufactured in a simple and compact structure while providing high power, large capacity power, and has excellent life characteristics and safety due to high cooling efficiency.

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

Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery module having a compact structure that can effectively remove heat generated from the battery cells without using many members.

According to an aspect of the present invention,

A battery module comprising: at least two battery cells stacked and arranged to be chargeable and dischargeable; and cartridges each for fixing the battery cells to form a battery cell stack,

Wherein the cartridge includes: a cooling fin interposed between battery cells, at least one end of the cartridge protruding outside the cartridge; and a cartridge frame fixing the cooling fin;

The protruding end of the cooling fin may be formed in a structure in which a metal printed circuit board is thermally contacted so that heat from the cooling fin can be conducted.

In the present invention, the metal PCB includes a printed circuit board, for example, a structure in which a circuit is formed in an insulating resin layer, or a safety element is coupled. In this structure, a metal layer having a high thermal conductivity may be added to improve the efficiency of heat generation.

Therefore, in the battery module of the present invention, the heat of the battery cells is conducted to the metal PCB through the cooling fins and is discharged to the outside. Therefore, A cooling configuration can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components required for the cooling configuration, thereby making it possible to construct a more compact structure, and to improve manufacturing processability, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

The metal PCB may have a structure in which a metal layer is formed on at least a surface connected to the cooling fin to improve the efficiency of thermal contact with the cooling fin. The metal material forming the metal layer is not particularly limited and may be formed of one or more materials selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, and alloys containing one of the metals.

The battery cell may have a structure in which positive and negative terminals are protruded on one side of the outer circumferential surface or a positive terminal is protruded on one side of the outer circumferential surface and a negative terminal is protruded on the opposite side.

The metal PCB may be mounted between the cover plate and the battery cell stack to cover the surface of the battery cell stack body where the positive terminal or the negative terminal protrudes.

The cover plate is formed in a structure that covers the surface of the battery cell stack body on which the positive and negative terminals are formed and the metal PCB to protect the electrode terminals and the metal terminals of the battery cells, Through holes may be formed so as to penetrate the external connection terminals of the external connection terminals to protrude to the outside.

The electrode terminals may be connected to each other in series or in parallel between the battery cells. In some cases, electrode terminals may be directly connected to adjacent battery cells.

A pair of end plates may be mounted on both ends of the battery cell stack to maintain a laminated structure. The pair of end plates are coupled to each other by a fastening member that interconnects the pair of end plates, The laminated structure can be maintained while being pressurized.

As a specific example, a coupling hole for coupling the coupling member may be formed at one end or both ends of the end plates, and the coupling member may be coupled to the coupling hole.

On the other hand, the protruding end of the cooling fin protruding outwardly of the cartridge may extend vertically to surround the outer end of the cartridge. For example, the protruding end of the cooling fin is vertically bent so as to surround the outer surface of the cartridge, or the protruding end of the cooling fin extends vertically in a 'T' shape, And the outer surface of the outer circumferential surface.

A thermal pad may be interposed between the protruding end of the cooling fin and the metal PCB to improve thermal contact to efficiently transmit heat. The thermal pad may extend to an external input / output terminal of the battery module.

The outer circumferential surface of the cooling fin may be fixedly coupled to the cartridge frame, and such a coupling structure may be formed by various methods such as assembly, attachment, fusion, and the like. Preferably, the outer circumferential surface of the pulse pin may be integrally coupled with the cartridge by insert injection molding.

The structure of the cooling fin is not particularly limited as long as it is a thin member having thermal conductivity. For example, the cooling fin can be made of a sheet of metal material. The metal material may be aluminum or aluminum alloy having high thermal conductivity and light weight among metals, but is not limited thereto.

In one specific example, the battery cell laminate structure may be formed in a structure in which two battery cells are mounted between one cartridge and an adjacent cartridge. That is, one side of the battery cell of one of the adjacent two battery cells contacts with the cartridge, and one side of the other battery cell contacts with the adjacent cartridge. May be formed in a tangent structure.

The structure of the battery cell is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a plate-shaped battery cell having a width wider than a width of a rectangular shape. Specifically, the plate-shaped battery cell may be a pouch-shaped battery cell having a thin thickness and a low weight, in which an outer peripheral surface of the cell case is sealed with an electrode assembly in a cell case of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer.

The battery cell may be, for example, a lithium ion secondary battery or a lithium ion polymer secondary battery having a large energy storage amount per volume.

The present invention also provides a battery pack including the battery module as a unit module.

The battery pack may be suitably used as a power source for an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device in consideration of cooling efficiency and structural stability, but is not limited thereto .

Accordingly, the present invention provides a device comprising the battery pack as a power source, and the device may specifically be 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, the battery module according to the present invention has a structure in which the heat of the battery cells is conducted to the metal PCB through the cooling fins and is discharged to the outside. Therefore, a separate heat dissipating member to be in contact with the cooling fin is added An efficient cooling configuration can be formed with a simple configuration without necessity. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of components required for the cooling configuration, thereby making it possible to construct a more compact structure, and to improve manufacturing processability, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

1 is a perspective view of a battery cell according to the present invention;
2 is a perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view showing a vertical section of FIG. 2;
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the B site in Fig. 3; Fig.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a battery cell constituting a unit cell in the battery pack of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a battery cell 10 is a plate-shaped battery cell 10 having electrode terminals (a positive electrode terminal 11 and a negative electrode terminal 12) formed at one end. Specifically, the plate-shaped battery cell 10 includes an electrode assembly (not shown) in a pouch case 13 of a laminate sheet including a metal layer (not shown) and a resin layer (not shown) , And a sealing part 14 is formed by thermal fusion, and this is commonly referred to as a 'pouch type battery cell'.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a vertical section of FIG.

2 and 3, the battery module 100 includes a structure including the battery cells 110, the cartridges 120 for fixing the battery cells 110, and the metal PCB 130 have.

The battery cells 110 are charge / dischargeable secondary battery cells 110, and are formed in a plate-like structure in which positive and negative terminals protrude from one side as shown in FIG. 1, and are fixed to the cartridges 120 Thereby forming a battery cell laminate. Specifically, the battery cell stack has two battery cells 110 mounted between two adjacent cartridges 120, and one of the two adjacent battery cells 110a and 110b A cartridge-battery cell-a battery-cell-cartridge-type battery is formed by a structure in which one side is in contact with the cartridge 120 and one side of the other battery cell 110b is in contact with the adjacent cartridge 120, Thereby forming a continuous structure of the battery cell, the battery cell, and the cartridge.

The cartridge 120 has a structure including a cartridge frame 122 and a cooling fin 124. The outer periphery of the cooling fin 124 is coupled to the cartridge frame 122. One end of the cooling fin 124 is made of metal And is in thermal contact with the PCB 130.

The metal PCB 130 has a metal layer formed on a surface thereof that is in thermal contact with the cooling fin 124 so that the heat of the cooling fin 124 can be efficiently conducted.

On the other hand, a cover plate 140 is mounted on a surface of the battery cell stack body where the electrode terminals 112 protrude. The cover plate 140 covers the electrode terminals of the battery cell stack and protects the metal PCB and protects the electrode terminals 112 of the battery cell stack 110 and the outside of the metal PCB 130 Through holes 142 and 143 are formed to penetrate the connection terminal 132 so as to protrude to the outside.

A pair of end plates 152 and 156 are attached to both ends of the battery cell stack to maintain a laminated structure. The end plates 152 and 156 are connected to each other by a fastening member (not shown) They are mutually coupled. That is, the end plates 152 and 156 are formed with fastening holes 153 and 157 for fastening the fastening members, and fastening members are fastened to the fastening holes 153 and 157, And the battery cell stack body is pressed and fixed so as to maintain the laminated structure.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the B site in Fig.

Referring to Fig. 4 together with Fig. 3, the cartridge 120 has a structure in which the cooling fin 124 is coupled to the cartridge frame 122 by insert injection molding. The cartridge frame 122 presses and fixes the outer circumferential surface of the battery cell 110 so that the cooling pin 124 contacts the one surface of the battery cell 110 to conduct heat generated by the battery cell 110, 130, respectively.

One end of the cooling fin 124 protrudes outwardly of the cartridge frame 122 and extends vertically in a 'T' shape, and the extended portion of the cooling fin 124 surrounds the outer end 123 of the cartridge frame.

A thermal pad 160 is interposed between the protruding end of the cooling fin 124 and the metal PCB 130 in order to efficiently transfer heat to the thermal pad 160, And extends to the external input / output terminal 170 of the module.

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 (21)

A battery module comprising: at least two battery cells stacked and arranged to be chargeable and dischargeable; and cartridges each for fixing the battery cells to form a battery cell stack,
Wherein the cartridge includes: a cooling fin interposed between battery cells, at least one end of the cartridge protruding outside the cartridge; and a cartridge frame fixing the cooling fin;
And a metal printed circuit board is in thermal contact with the protruding end of the cooling fin so that heat from the cooling fin can be conducted. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell has a structure in which an anode and a cathode terminal are protruded on one side of an outer circumferential surface, or a cathode terminal protrudes on one side of an outer circumferential surface and an anode terminal protrudes on an opposite side Battery module. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a metal layer is formed on at least a surface of the metal PCB connected to the cooling fin. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the metal layer is formed of at least one material selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, and an alloy containing one of the metals. The battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising a cover plate mounted so as to surround a surface of the battery cell stack body on which the positive terminal or the negative terminal protrudes, wherein the metal PCB is mounted between the cover plate and the battery cell stack Wherein the battery module is a battery module. 6. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the cover plate is formed with through-holes through which the electrode terminals of the battery cells and the external connection terminals of the metal PCB are protruded to the outside, module. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a pair of end plates are mounted on both ends of the battery cell stack to maintain a laminated structure, and the end plates are coupled to each other by a fastening member. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein a fastening hole for engaging the fastening member is formed at one end or both end portions of the end plates. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the protruding end of the cooling fin extends vertically to surround an outer end of the cartridge. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a thermal pad is interposed between the protruding end of the cooling fin and the metal PCB. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein the thermal pad extends to an external input / output terminal of the battery module. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fin is attached to the cartridge frame by assembly, attachment, or insert injection molding. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fin is made of a sheet of metal material. The battery module according to claim 13, wherein the metal material is aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein in the battery cell stack, two battery cells are mounted between one cartridge and an adjacent cartridge. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a rectangular plate-shaped battery cell. The battery according to claim 16, wherein the plate-shaped battery cell is a pouch-shaped battery cell having a structure in which an outer circumferential surface of a cell case is sealed in a state where an electrode assembly is embedded in a cell case of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer module. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a lithium secondary battery. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 18 as a unit module. A device, comprising a battery pack according to claim 19. 21. The device of claim 20, wherein the device is an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device.

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