Battery Module Having an Improved Electrode Lead Connection Structure, and Battery Pack and Vehicle Including Same

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a cell stack including a plurality of battery cells each including a pair of electrode leads; a fastening bar frame including a pair of lead slits through which electrode leads of adjacent battery cells are passed through; and a fastening bar including an insertion slit through which a pair of electrode leads passing through the pair of adjacent lead slits pass, the fastening bar being coupled to the fastening bar frame.

Claims

1. A battery module comprising: a cell stack comprising a plurality of battery cells each comprising a pair of electrode leads; a fastening bar frame comprising a pair of lead slits through which electrode leads of adjacent battery cells are passed and extended out; and a fastening bar comprising an insertion slit through which a pair of electrode leads passing through the pair of adjacent lead slits pass, the fastening bar being coupled to the fastening bar frame.

2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the fastening bar is coupled to the fastening bar frame in a state where the pair of electrode leads passing through the insertion slit are wound.

3. The battery module of claim 2, wherein a lead assembly comprising the pair of electrode leads contacts the fastening bar frame by winding using the fastening bar.

4. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the fastening bar frame comprises a pair of first fixed portions provided on both sides in a width direction of the fastening bar frame, and the fastening bar comprises second fixed portions provided on opposing end portions in a longitudinal direction of the fastening bar and respectively coupled to the pair of first fixed portions.

5. The battery module of claim 4, wherein the pair of first fixed portions are respectively located on opposing sides in a longitudinal direction of the pair of lead slits.

6. The battery module of claim 4, wherein the pair of second fixed portions are respectively located on opposing sides in a longitudinal direction of the insertion slit.

7. The battery module of claim 4, wherein each of the pair of first fixed portions comprises a first fastening hole, and each of the pair of second fixed portions comprises a second fastening hole formed to have a shape and a position corresponding to the first fastening hole.

8. The battery module of claim 7, wherein the fastening bar is fixed to the fastening bar frame by a fixing member passing through both the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole.

9. The battery module of claim 8, wherein the fixing member is a bolt.

10. The battery module of claim 4, wherein each of the pair of first fixed portions comprises a first fastening hole, and each of the pair of second fixed portions comprises a snap-fit protrusion formed to have a position and a shape corresponding to the first fastening hole.

11. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1.

12. A vehicle comprising the battery module according to claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and thus, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the drawing.

[0026] FIGS. 1 and 2 are views illustrating a conventional battery module structure.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a cell stack of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a fastening bar frame of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state where the cell stack and the fastening bar frame of the present disclosure are coupled.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a fastening bar according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a state before a pair of electrode leads passing through a lead insertion slit are wound by using a fastening bar of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a state after the pair of electrode leads passing through the lead insertion slit are wound by using the fastening bar of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a coupling structure between the fastening bar and the fastening frame, particularly illustrating a fastening structure according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

BEST MODE

[0035] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation. Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] Referring to FIGS. 3 through 9, a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cell stack 10, a fastening bar frame 20, and a fastening bar 30.

[0037] The cell stack 10 includes a plurality of battery cells 11 each including a pair of electrode leads 11a. The battery cell 11 may be, for example, a pouch-type battery cell, and in this case, a pair of electrode leads 11a having different polarities are drawn out. The plurality of battery cells 11 constituting the cell stack 10 are stacked so that a first electrode lead 11a is provided in a first battery cell 11 and a second electrode lead 11a is provided in a second battery cell 11 adjacent to the first battery cell 11 and extended out in the same direction as the first electrode lead 11a of the first battery cell 11 while having a different polarity than the first electrode lead.

[0038] Such a stacked arrangement of the cell stack 10 is to connect the plurality of battery cells 11 in series. That is, the first electrode lead 11a and the second electrode lead 11a having different polarities are electrically connected to each other, so that adjacent battery cells 11 are connected in series.

[0039] The fastening bar frame 20 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is located on one side and the other side in a longitudinal direction (direction parallel to a Y-axis) of the cell stack 10. It is preferable that the fastening bar frame 20 is formed of a non-conductive material. A pair of fastening bar frames 20 are provided to connect the plurality of battery cells 11 constituting the cell stack 10 in series.

[0040] The fastening bar frame 20 includes at least one lead connection area S, and when a plurality of lead connection areas S are provided, the plurality of lead connection areas S are spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal direction (direction parallel to an X-axis) of the fastening bar frame 20.

[0041] Each of the lead connection areas S includes a pair of lead slits 21 and a pair of first fixed portions 22. The pair of lead slits 21 extend in a width direction (direction parallel to a Z-axis) of the fastening bar frame 20, and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (direction parallel to the X-axis) of the fastening bar frame 20.

[0042] The electrode lead 11a passes through the lead slit 21. The first electrode lead 11a of the first battery cell 11 is drawn out and passed through any one of the pair of lead slits 21, and the second electrode lead 11a of the second battery cell 11 is drawn out and passed through the remaining one lead slit 21. The first electrode lead 11a and the second electrode lead 11a have different polarities, and are in close contact with each other by the fastening bar 30 described below, to connect adjacent first battery cell 11 and second battery cell 11 in series.

[0043] The pair of first fixed portions 22 may be provided on both sides in the width direction (direction parallel to the Z-axis) of the fastening bar frame 20, and may protrude from a surface of the fastening bar frame 20. The pair of first fixed portions 22 are respectively located on both sides in a longitudinal direction (direction parallel to the Z-axis) of the lead slits 21. The first fixed portion 22 may have a first fastening hole 22a.

[0044] The fastening bar 30 includes an insertion slit 31 extending in a longitudinal direction (direction parallel to the Z-axis) and a pair of second fixed portions 32 respectively located on both sides in longitudinal direction of the insertion slit 31. The fastening bar 30 is fastened to the fastening bar frame 20 in a state where the pair of electrode leads 11a passing through the insertion slit 31 are wound.

[0045] In detail, in a state where the pair of electrode leads 11a respectively passing through the pair of adjacent lead slits 21 pass through the insertion slit 31 at once, the fastening bar 30 rotates in a direction marked by an arrow in FIG. 8 or in the opposite direction about a central axis parallel to the longitudinal direction (direction parallel to the Z-axis) to wind the pair of electrode leads 11a. This winding process is performed until a lead assembly including the pair of electrode leads 11a is in close contact with the fastening bar frame 20. Because the fastening bar 30 is fastened to the fastening bar frame 20 in a state where the lead assembly is pressed onto the fastening bar frame 20, the pair of electrode leads 11a may be in close contact with each other, thereby maintaining a stable electrical connection state. That is, because the fastening bar 30 enables the pair of electrode leads 11a to be in close contact with each other by using a winding method, a stable electrical connection between the pair of electrode leads 11a may be made even without welding.

[0046] The pair of second fixed portions 32 are respectively provided on both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the fastening bar 30 (direction parallel to the Z-axis), and each second fixed portion 32 is coupled to the first fixed portion 22. The second fixed portion 32 may have a second fastening hole 32a formed to have a position and a shape corresponding to the first fastening hole 22a. In this case, the fastening bar 30 may be fixed to the fastening bar frame 20 by a fixing member B passing through both the first fastening hole 22a and the second fastening hole 32a. The fixing member B may be a bolt.

[0047] As described above, the fastening bar 30 may be a tool for performing winding to make the pair of electrode leads 11a constituting the lead assembly in close contact with each other, and does not function as an electrical medium for electrically connecting the electrode leads 11a. Accordingly, the fastening bar 30 may be formed of a non-conductive material.

[0048] A method of fastening the fastening bar 30 to the fastening bar frame 20 of the present disclosure may be different from a method of inserting the fixing member B into the first and second fastening holes 22a and 32a described above.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 10, the first fastening hole 22a may be formed in the first fixed portion 22 of the fastening bar frame 20 as in the above embodiment, and a snap-fit protrusion 32b may be provided on the second fixed portion 32 of the fastening bar 30 unlike in the above embodiment.

[0050] The snap-fit protrusion 32b is formed to have a position and a size corresponding to the first fastening hole 22a. In order for the snap first protrusion 32 to be inserted into the first fastening hole 22a and naturally fixed, a cross-sectional area of an end portion in an extending direction is greater than a cross-sectional area of the remaining portion. Accordingly, the snap-fit protrusion 32b is inserted into the first fastening hole 22a by using an interference-fitting method, and then is fixed to the fastening bar frame 20 due to the shape of the end portion having a large cross-sectional area.

[0051] According to the battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above, electrical connection between the plurality of battery cells 11 may be made without welding, and a component such as a bus bar formed of a conductive material may be omitted. That is, electrical connection between the battery cells 11 may be made simply by using a process of winding the pair of electrode leads 11 by using the fastening bar 30 and fixing the fastening bar 30 to the fastening bar frame 20 in a state where the winding is tightly maintained.

[0052] A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least one battery module according to the present disclosure. Also, a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least one battery module according to the present disclosure or at least one battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this detailed description.