KR102722680B1 - Battery module and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a battery module includes a battery cell stack having a plurality of battery cells stacked thereon, a bus bar frame connected to the battery cell stack, cell terraces each protruding from neighboring battery cells included in the battery cell stack, electrode leads each protruding from the cell terraces and having the same polarity, and a partition formed in the bus bar frame and disposed between neighboring electrode leads among the electrode leads.

Description

BATTERY MODULE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

The present invention relates to a battery module and a method for manufacturing the same, and more specifically, to a battery module having improved assembly properties of a busbar frame and a method for manufacturing the same.

Secondary batteries, which have high applicability according to product group and electrical characteristics such as high energy density, are widely used in portable devices as well as electric or hybrid vehicles driven by electric power sources, and power storage devices. These secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source for environmental friendliness and energy efficiency enhancement, not only because they can drastically reduce the use of fossil fuels, but also because they do not generate any by-products from energy use.

The battery pack applied to the above electric vehicles, etc., has a structure in which a plurality of cell assemblies including a plurality of unit cells are connected in series to obtain high output. In addition, the unit cell can be repeatedly charged and discharged by electrochemical reactions between components including positive and negative electrode current collectors, separators, active materials, electrolytes, etc.

Meanwhile, as the need for large-capacity structures, including utilization as an energy storage source, has increased recently, the demand for battery packs with a multi-module structure that collects a number of battery modules in which a number of secondary batteries are connected in series and/or parallel, is increasing.

Meanwhile, when configuring a battery pack by connecting multiple battery cells in series/parallel, it is common to first configure a battery module composed of at least one battery cell, and then configure a battery pack by adding other components using at least one battery module.

A conventional battery module is configured to include a plurality of battery cells that are mutually stacked and a busbar assembly that electrically connects electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells. Here, the busbar assembly is configured to include a busbar frame having lead slots through which the electrode leads of each battery cell individually pass, and a busbar that is mounted on the busbar frame and has busbar slots corresponding to the number of lead slots, and is connected to the electrode leads passing through the busbar slots by welding or the like.

However, in conventional battery modules, as the number of cell terraces and battery cells increases, the number of electrode leads also increases, and the shapes of the electrode leads and cell terraces become compact, so that neighboring electrode leads and cell terrace edges may come into contact.

Fig. 1 is a drawing showing a busbar frame in a conventional battery module. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of area "A" of Fig. 1. Specifically, Fig. 2a is a cross-sectional view showing a possibility that an electrode lead (40) and an edge of a cell terrace (30) may come into contact, and Fig. 2b is a cross-sectional view showing that an insulating tape (60) is attached to prevent the electrode lead (40) and an edge of a cell terrace (30) from coming into contact.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of battery cells (10) are stacked, and at least one electrode lead (40) protruding from a cell terrace (30) extending from a pouch covering the battery cells (10) meets and passes through one lead slot.

Referring to FIG. 2a, when the gap between neighboring cell terraces (30) has a structure in which it gradually narrows as it gets farther away from the battery cell (10), the electrode lead (40) and the edge of the cell terrace (30) come close and can come into contact. When the electrode lead (40) and the edge of the cell terrace (30) come into contact, the cell terrace (30) may have an electric potential, which may reduce the life of the battery cell (10) or cause corrosion of the pouch.

Referring to Fig. 2b, a separate insulating tape (60) may be attached to prevent contact between the electrode lead (40) and the edge of the cell terrace (30) mentioned above. However, the method of attaching the insulating tape (60) incurs additional costs and processes, and there is still a possibility of contact occurring if the attachment location is not appropriate. In addition, since the adhesive strength of the insulating tape (60) is not permanently maintained, there is also a possibility of the insulating tape (60) being detached.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery module in which an electrode lead does not touch the edge of an adjacent cell terrace.

In addition, the purpose is to provide a method for manufacturing a battery module that can improve the assemblability in the battery module manufacturing process in the process of solving the above problem.

However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the problems described above and can be expanded in various ways within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present invention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a battery module includes a battery cell stack having a plurality of battery cells stacked thereon, a bus bar frame connected to the battery cell stack, cell terraces each protruding from neighboring battery cells included in the battery cell stack, electrode leads each protruding from the cell terraces and having the same polarity, and a partition formed in the bus bar frame and disposed between neighboring electrode leads among the electrode leads.

The above electrode leads are inserted into lead slots formed in the busbar frame, and the electrode leads connected to one end of the ends of the neighboring cell terraces and the other end can be separated from each other by the partition wall.

A straight line distance from the end of the partition wall to the end of the battery cell may be equal to or shorter than a shorter straight line distance between a starting point where each of the first electrode lead and the second electrode lead, which are adjacent to each other with the partition wall interposed therebetween, protrudes from the cell terrace and the end of the battery cell.

The cell terraces from which the electrode leads having the same polarity protrude may have their spacing narrowed along the direction in which the electrode leads protrude.

The electrode leads, which are adjacent to each other with the above-mentioned bulkhead in between, can pass through the lead slot formed in the busbar frame and meet and be welded at the rear side of the busbar frame.

The above busbar frame is formed with a plurality of pass guides that separate the electrode leads, and at least one partition wall may be formed between adjacent pass guides among the plurality of pass guides.

One electrode lead is placed between the above-described pass guide and the baffle, and when at least two of the baffles are formed, one electrode lead can be placed between adjacent baffles.

The above electrode leads having the same polarity may be cathodes.

The busbar frame includes a first lead slot and a second lead slot having a narrower width than the first lead slot, and the partition wall is formed in the first lead slot, so that the negative electrode leads can pass through the first lead slot and the positive electrode leads can pass through the second lead slot.

The above busbar frame includes a first busbar frame and a second busbar frame arranged on different sides, and the arrangements of the first lead slot and the second lead slot in the first busbar frame and the second busbar frame can correspond to each other so as to be misaligned.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a battery module includes the steps of forming a battery cell laminate by stacking a plurality of battery cells, and the step of connecting a busbar frame to the battery cell laminate so that a partition is arranged between cell terraces protruding from each of the battery cells, wherein the partition is formed in the busbar frame, and electrode leads protruding from each of the cell terraces adjacent to each other with the partition interposed therebetween can have the same polarity.

The step of forming the battery cell stack includes a step of alternately stacking cell blocks and at least one battery cell to form a plurality of cell blocks and the battery cell stack, and the step of connecting the busbar frame to the battery cell stack includes a step of arranging a top cover having the busbar frame mounted on both ends so as to cover the battery cell stack, a step of removing the plurality of cell blocks from a space between the battery cell stack and the busbar frame, and a step of rotating the busbar frame so that the busbar frame is mounted to the battery cell stack, and the step of forming the plurality of cell blocks and the battery cell stack may be such that the electrode leads are interposed between cell blocks that are adjacent to each other among the plurality of cell blocks.

In the step of mounting the busbar frame to the battery cell stack, the electrode lead can be inserted into a lead slot formed in the busbar frame.

Among the plurality of cell blocks, the electrode leads, which are positive electrodes, can be arranged so that a plurality of them extend between adjacent cell blocks, and the electrode leads, which are negative electrodes, can be arranged so that one extends between them.

The above battery module manufacturing method may further include a step of rotating the busbar frame within an acute angle range prior to the step of removing the cell block.

In the step of mounting the busbar frame to the battery cell stack, the electrode lead can be inserted into a lead slot formed in the busbar frame.

The cell terraces from which the electrode leads having the same polarity protrude are formed so that the intervals between them become narrower along the direction in which the electrode leads protrude, and the shape of the cell terrace can be implemented by the shape of the cell lead block.

An impregnation structure is formed on one side of the cell block facing the cell terrace, and the cell terrace can be arranged on the impregnation structure.

The above busbar frame is formed with a plurality of pass guides that separate the electrode leads, and at least one partition wall may be formed between adjacent pass guides among the plurality of pass guides.

One electrode lead is placed between the above-described pass guide and the baffle, and when at least two of the baffles are formed, one electrode lead can be placed between adjacent baffles.

According to embodiments, a battery module is implemented in which a partition is formed inside a busbar frame to prevent electrode leads from touching the edges of adjacent cell terraces, thereby preventing pouch corrosion and reduction in cell lifespan, and in order to resolve process difficulties due to inserting electrode leads into narrow gaps, the assemblability of the busbar frame can be improved by inserting an insulating block into the electrode leads during a battery cell stacking process.

Figure 1 is a drawing illustrating a busbar frame in a conventional battery module.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of area “A” of Figure 1.
FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a busbar frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a plurality of battery cells and a bus bar frame included in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a plurality of battery cells and a busbar frame of Figure 4 combined.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a battery cell included in the battery module of Figure 5.
FIGS. 7 to 16 are drawings showing a method for manufacturing a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 17 is an enlarged view of area “B” of Figure 16.
FIG. 18 is a plan view illustrating a busbar frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 19 is a front view of a portion of the plan view of Figure 18.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. The present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used for identical or similar components throughout the specification.

In addition, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawing are arbitrarily shown for the convenience of explanation, so the present invention is not necessarily limited to what is shown. In the drawing, the thickness is shown enlarged to clearly express several layers and regions. And in the drawing, the thickness of some layers and regions is shown exaggeratedly for the convenience of explanation.

Also, when we say that a part such as a layer, film, region, or plate is "over" or "on" another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly over" the other part, but also cases where there is another part in between. Conversely, when we say that a part is "directly over" another part, it means that there is no other part in between. Also, when we say that a part is "over" or "on" a reference part, it means that it is located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily mean that it is located "over" or "on" the opposite direction of gravity.

Additionally, throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

Additionally, throughout the specification, when we say "in plan", we mean when the target portion is viewed from above, and when we say "in cross section", we mean when the target portion is viewed from the side in a cross-section cut vertically.

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a busbar frame according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a busbar frame (500) according to one embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of lead slots (510) formed therein. The lead slots (510) may be openings into which electrode leads, which will be described later, are inserted. The lead slots (510) include a first lead slot (510a) and a second lead slot (510b), and the second lead slot (510b) may have a narrower width than the first lead slot (510a). A partition wall (530) is formed in the first lead slot (510a). The partition wall (530) may be formed with one or more, and FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which two partition walls are formed.

A negative electrode lead may be inserted into the first lead slot (510a), and a positive electrode lead may be inserted into the second lead slot (510b). The negative electrode lead may be formed of copper, and the positive electrode lead may be formed of aluminum. The number of positive electrode leads inserted into one second lead slot (510b) may be plural, and the number of negative electrode leads inserted into one first lead slot (510a) may also be plural, but the plurality of electrode leads may be separated and inserted by a partition wall (530) formed in the first lead slot (510a). In the busbar frame (500) structure, the first lead slot (510a) and the second lead slot (510b) may be alternately arranged along one direction. However, this arrangement structure may be modified according to a design change in the series and parallel connection structures of the battery cells.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a plurality of battery cells and a busbar frame included in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a plurality of battery cells and a busbar frame of FIG. 4 combined. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a battery cell included in the battery module of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a battery module (1000) according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of battery cells (100) and a busbar frame (500). The battery module (1000) includes a top cover (400) that covers a plurality of battery cell stacks, and a busbar frame (500) is mounted on both ends of the top cover (400). A compression pad (200) may be positioned on the outside of the battery cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells (100). An electrode tab (not shown) protruding from each of the plurality of battery cells (100) extends and is connected to an electrode lead (160), and the electrode lead (160) may be inserted into a lead slot (510) formed in the busbar frame (500). The busbar frame (500) includes a first busbar frame and a second busbar frame that are arranged on different sides. At this time, the arrangement of the first lead slot (510a) and the second lead slot (510b) illustrated in FIG. 3 in the first busbar frame and the second busbar frame may correspond to each other so as to be misaligned. This is because the positive lead and the negative lead are respectively positioned at both ends of the battery cell (100) described later, and therefore, the first lead slot (510a) into which the negative lead is inserted and the second lead slot (510b) into which the positive lead is inserted are positioned at corresponding portions. Accordingly, the arrangement structure of the first lead slot (510a) and the second lead slot (510b) in the second busbar frame may be the same as the arrangement structure of the first lead slot (510a) and the second lead slot (510b) when the first busbar frame is rotated 180 degrees.

Referring to Figure 6 below, the configuration of one battery cell (100) will be examined.

The battery cell (100) is a secondary battery and may be configured as a pouch-type secondary battery. The battery cell (100) may be configured in multiple pieces, and the multiple battery cells (100) may be electrically connected to each other and may be stacked to form a battery cell stack.

Each of these multiple battery cells (100) may include an electrode assembly (110), a battery case (130), and an electrode lead (160) protruding from the electrode assembly (110).

The electrode assembly (110) may be composed of a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, a separator, etc. The battery case (130) is for packaging the electrode assembly (110) and may be made of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer. The battery case (130) may include a case body (132) and a cell terrace (135).

The case body (132) can accommodate the electrode assembly (110). For this purpose, the case body (132) is provided with an accommodation space capable of accommodating the electrode assembly (110). The cell terrace (135) extends from the case body (132) and can be sealed so as to seal the electrode assembly (110). An electrode lead (160) can protrude as a part on one side of the cell terrace (135), specifically, on the front (+X-axis direction) of the cell terrace (135).

The electrode leads (160) can be electrically connected to the electrode assembly (110). These electrode leads (160) can be provided as a pair. A portion of the pair of electrode leads (160) can protrude out of the cell terrace (135) at the front (+X-axis direction) and the rear (-X-axis direction) of the battery case (130), respectively.

The configuration of the battery cell (100) described above is an example, and the shape of the battery cell (100) for forming the battery cell laminate can be modified in various ways.

Referring again to FIGS. 4 and 5, the busbar frame (500) is not shown, but is included in the busbar assembly as a component, and the busbar assembly can cover a plurality of battery cells (100) so as to electrically connect the electrode leads (160) of the plurality of battery cells (100). This busbar assembly can cover the plurality of battery cells (100) in the protruding direction (X-axis direction) of the electrode leads (160).

The above busbar assembly may be provided as a pair. The pair of busbar assemblies may cover electrode leads (160) protruding in the front (+X-axis direction) of the plurality of battery cells (100) and electrode leads (160) protruding in the rear (-X-axis direction) of the plurality of battery cells (100) so as to electrically connect them, respectively.

Each of these pairs of busbar assemblies may include a busbar (not shown) and a cell connection board (not shown) in addition to a busbar frame (500).

The busbar frame (500) can cover the front (+X-axis direction) or the rear (-X-axis direction) of the plurality of battery cells (100). To this end, the busbar frame (500) can be provided to have an area corresponding to the front (+X-axis direction) or the rear (-X-axis direction) of the plurality of battery cells (100).

The lead slot (510) is for passing electrode leads (160) of a plurality of battery cells (100), and may be formed long along the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) of the bus bar frame (500). A negative lead (160a) may be inserted into the first lead slot (510a), and a positive lead (160b) may be inserted into the second lead slot (510b). The negative lead (160a) may be formed of copper, and the positive lead (160b) may be formed of aluminum.

The second lead slot (510b) formed by a single opening can allow the positive leads (160b) of three adjacent battery cells (100) to pass through together. That is, in the present embodiment, the positive leads (160b) of three adjacent battery cells (100) are extended to form a single positive lead (160b) group, and the positive leads (160b) included in this positive lead (160b) group can be electrically connected to a bus bar through laser welding after passing through the second lead slot (510b).

The first lead slots (510a) and the second lead slots (510b) adjacent to each other can pass electrode leads (160) of different polarities, respectively. In other words, when the second lead slot (510b) of one of the adjacent lead slots (510) allows the positive leads (160b) to pass through, the other first lead slot (510a) of the adjacent lead slots (510) can allow the negative leads (160a) to pass through. In the present embodiment, the negative leads (160a) inserted into one first lead slot (510a) are separated by a partition wall (530) formed in the first lead slot (510a) and can be inserted into the opening of the first lead slot (510a) partitioned by the partition wall (530). The electrode leads inserted into the first lead slot (510a) in which the partition wall (530) is formed can have the same polarity.

In this embodiment, the electrode lead arrangement structure of the battery cell (100) appearing on one side of the battery cell stack adjacent to one busbar frame (500) may be an alternating arrangement structure of negative electrode leads (160a) and positive electrode leads (160b). However, this alternating arrangement structure is only one example, and this lead arrangement structure may be modified according to changes in the design of the series and parallel connection structures of the battery cells.

A plurality of lead slots (510) may be provided, and the plurality of lead slots (510) may be arranged at a predetermined distance from each other along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the bus bar frame (500).

FIGS. 7 to 16 are drawings showing a method for manufacturing a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a compression pad (200) is prepared, and a first cell block (300) is mounted on both ends of the compression pad (200). At this time, the heights of the cell block (300) mounted on one end of the compression pad (200) and the cell block (300) mounted on the other end may be different from each other. The compression pad (200) may be formed using a polyurethane series material. The compression pad (200) may absorb thickness deformation due to swelling of the battery cell (100) described above and changes in the battery cell (100) due to external impact. The cell block (300) may be formed of an insulating material to prevent short circuiting between adjacent positive and negative electrode leads. In other words, the cell block (300) may be an insulating block. For example, the cell block (300) may use a peek material.

Referring to FIG. 8, battery cells (100) can be sequentially stacked on a compression pad (200). At this time, a group of positive leads (160b) formed by extending a positive lead (160b) protruding from one side of a battery cell (100) as shown in FIG. 6 may be positioned on a cell lead block (300) at one end of the compression pad (200), and a group of negative leads (160a) formed by extending a negative lead (160a) protruding from the other side of the battery cell (100) may be positioned on a cell lead block (300) at the other end of the compression pad (200). Here, one group of positive leads (160b) may be formed by extending positive leads (160b) protruding from each of three battery cells (100) and contacting each other. In contrast, a group of one negative lead (160a) can be formed by extending negative leads (160a) protruding from each of three battery cells (100) and being spaced apart at a predetermined interval by a partition (shown in FIG. 3) formed in the first lead slot (510a). To this end, on one end of the compression pad (200), the extensions of three positive leads (160b) are positioned and then the next cell block (300) is mounted, whereas on the other end of the compression pad (200), on one cell block (300), the extensions of one negative lead (160a) are positioned and then the next cell block (300) is mounted, then again, the extensions of one negative lead (160a) are positioned and then the next cell block (300) is mounted, then again, the extensions of one negative lead (160a) are positioned and then the next cell block (300) is mounted. In other words, when one cell lead block (300) is mounted on one end of the compression pad (200) where the positive lead (160b) is positioned, three cell lead blocks (300) can be mounted on the other end of the compression pad (200) where the negative lead (160a) is positioned. In order for three cell lead blocks (300) to be mounted on the other end of the compression pad (200) where the negative lead (160a) is positioned, three battery cells (100) are stacked on the compression pad (200). At this time, on the end of the compression pad (200) where the positive lead (160b) is positioned, three positive leads (160b) are positioned so as to be in close contact with the initially mounted cell lead blocks (300). In this way, the manner in which the cell lead block (300) is mounted at one end and the other end of the compression pad (200) can be changed depending on the arrangement of the positive lead (160b) and the negative lead (160a) of the battery cell (100).

A pair of electrode leads (160) may be arranged in the form of electrode leads (160) having different polarities at both ends of the compression pad (200). In the present embodiment, it has been described that the electrode leads (160) protruding from each of three battery cells (100) are extended to form one electrode lead (160) group, but this is only an example, and the connection relationship of the battery cells (100) may be variously changed depending on the arrangement of the battery cells (100) connected to the positive and negative leads. Accordingly, the number of battery cells (100) from which the electrode leads (160) are extended to form one electrode lead (160) group is not limited to three and may be variously modified.

Referring to FIG. 9, a second cell lead block (300) is mounted on one end of a compression pad (200), and a fourth cell lead block (300) is mounted on the other end. The second cell lead block (300) is mounted on one end of the compression pad (200) so as to be arranged on a group of positive leads (160b), and the fourth cell lead block (300) is mounted on the other end of the compression pad (200) so as to be arranged on a group of negative leads (160a). At this time, a group of electrode leads (160) may be interposed between the first cell lead block (300) and the second cell lead block (300) that are adjacent to each other at one end of the compression pad (200), and one electrode lead (160) may be interposed between the first cell lead block (300) and the second cell lead block (300) that are adjacent to each other at the other end of the compression pad (200).

Referring to FIG. 10, battery cells (100) can be sequentially stacked on pre-stacked battery cells (100). At this time, the battery cells (100) can be stacked so as to have a different polarity arrangement from the polarity arrangement of the positive lead (160b) group located between the first cell lead block (300) and the second cell lead block (300) at one end of the compression pad (200) described in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the negative lead (160a) group located between the first cell lead block (300) and the fourth cell lead block (300) at the other end of the compression pad (200). In other words, unlike the polarity arrangement of a pair of positive lead (160b) groups and a negative lead (160a) group, the polarity arrangement of a pair of electrode lead (160) groups of the battery cells (100) laminated in this step may be a negative lead (160a) group and a positive lead (160b) group. That is, the positive lead (160b) group and the negative lead (160a) group located on the same side of the compression pad (200) may overlap each other.

In this way, by repeating the process of sequentially stacking the cell blocks (300) and the battery cells (100), a total of 24 battery cells (100) can be stacked to form a battery cell stack (105) as illustrated in FIG. 11. At this time, the cell blocks (300) used can be 34 in total, with 17 at each end of the compression pad (200). The number of battery cells (100) and the number of cell blocks (300) are just examples, and can be modified in various ways in consideration of the performance and design of the battery module to be designed.

Referring to Fig. 11, after forming the battery cell stack (105), a compression pad (200) can be additionally formed on top of the lastly stacked battery cell (100). In addition, in order to enhance the effect of preventing external impact, a compression pad (200) can be further formed in the middle of the battery cell stack (105). The compression pad (200) can be formed using a polyurethane series material. The compression pad (200) can absorb the thickness deformation caused by swelling of the battery cell (100) described above and the change in the battery cell (100) caused by external impact.

However, instead of using a compression pad (200), a plurality of cell blocks (300) and at least one battery cell (100) may be alternately laminated to form a plurality of cell blocks and battery cell laminates (105).

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, a structure in which a cell block (300) is mounted on a battery cell stack (105) will be described in more detail. The upper left drawing of FIG. 12 is a plan view from above of a structure in which a cell block (300) is mounted on a battery cell stack (105), the lower left drawing is a front view of the structure, and the right drawing is an enlarged view of a portion of the front view.

Referring to FIG. 12, a cell terrace (135) is formed in which the gap between the electrode leads (160) of each of a plurality of battery cells (100) narrows along the protruding direction. The cell terrace (135) may be an extended portion of the battery case body (132). An impregnation structure (DE) is formed on one side of the cell lid block (300) facing the cell terrace (135). The shape of the cell terrace (135) can be created due to the impregnation structure (DE). That is, by placing the cell terrace (135) in the impregnation (DE) structure, the shape of the cell terrace (135) can be implemented by the shape of the cell lid block (300).

As the electrode leads (160) move away from the battery cells (100) along the protruding direction, the spacing between the cell terraces (135) becomes narrower, and eventually a plurality of electrode leads (160) meet each other to form a group of electrode leads (160). As can be seen in Fig. 12, a plurality of positive leads (160b) are inserted between two adjacent cell lead blocks (300), and a single negative lead (160a) is inserted between two adjacent cell lead blocks (300).

Referring to FIG. 13, a top cover (400) having busbar frames (500) mounted on both ends can be placed on a battery cell stack (105). When placing the top cover (400), an orthogonal robot and a pneumatic cylinder are used to attach the top cover (400) to the battery cell stack (105), thereby integrating the battery cell (100) stacking process and the busbar frame mounting. As illustrated in FIG. 18, an adsorption pad (420) is formed on the top cover (400), and a plurality of lead slits (510) and a rotating rod (520) are formed on the busbar frame (500). The rotating rods (520) can be respectively mounted on the corners of the busbar frame (500). The suction pad (420) is a component required to pneumatically move the busbar frame (500) and the top cover (400) to the battery cell stack (105), and multiple suction pads (420) can be attached to the busbar frame (500) and the top cover (400) at the same time. The rotating rod (520) can rotate the busbar frame (500) so that the busbar frame (500) can be mounted to the battery cell stack (105). At this time, air in the suction pad (420) attached to the busbar frame (500) can be removed for the rotation of the busbar frame (500).

Referring to Fig. 14, the busbar frame (500) can be rotated in an acute angle range so as to be adjacent to the cell block (300). The acute angle range can be 30 to 60 degrees. At this time, an end of the electrode lead (160) can be partially inserted into the lead slot (510) of the busbar frame (500) rotated in an acute angle range.

Referring to FIG. 15, the cell lead block (300) of FIG. 14 can be removed from the space between the battery cell stack (105) and the busbar frame (500). Thereafter, the busbar frame (500) can be additionally rotated to mount the busbar frame (500) on the battery cell stack (105) positioned between the compression pads (200), thereby forming a battery module (1000) as in FIG. 5. At this time, an end of the electrode lead (160) can be inserted into a lead slot (510) formed in the busbar frame (500). An end of the electrode lead (160) can be inserted into the lead slot (510) and protrude outward.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, the structure in which the busbar frame (500) is mounted on the battery cell stack (105) will be described in more detail. The upper left drawing of FIG. 16 is a plan view from above of the structure in which the busbar frame (500) is mounted on the battery cell stack (105), the lower left drawing is a front view of the structure as seen from the front, and the right drawing is an enlarged view of a portion of the front view. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the “B” area of FIG. 16.

Referring to FIG. 16, a cell terrace (135) is formed in which the gaps between the electrode leads (160) of each of a plurality of battery cells (100) narrow along the protruding direction. The busbar frame (500) includes a path guide (260). The path guide (260) is formed on one side of the busbar frame (500) to guide the electrode leads (160) to pass through the lead slot (510) before forming the cell terrace (135) that allows the electrode leads (160) of each of three adjacent battery cells (100) to extend. Specifically, the busbar frame (500) may be provided with the path guide (260) on the inside of the rear surface of the busbar frame (500) positioned spaced apart from the battery cells (100).

The pass guide (260) can form a predetermined guide space at the rear of the busbar frame (500) so that the three electrode leads (160) and the extensions of the case body (132) including the leads can come closer to each other before passing through the lead slot (510). To this end, referring to the XYZ coordinates illustrated in FIG. 4, the width of the guide space can become narrower from the rear (-X-axis direction) of the busbar frame (500) to the front (+X-axis direction) of the busbar frame (500) having the lead slot (510).

The pass guide (260) may be provided in multiple numbers. Here, the multiple pass guides (260) may be provided corresponding to the number of the multiple lead slots (510). Accordingly, the adjacent electrode leads (160) among the multiple battery cells (100) may be paired in groups of three and then the electrode leads (160) may pass through the lead slots (510) through each pass guide (260) to form a group of electrode leads (160). At this time, a partition wall (530) is formed in the first lead slot (510a) in which the negative lead (160a) is inserted among the lead slots (510). At least one partition wall (530) may be formed between adjacent pass guides (260). One negative lead (160a) is placed between the pass guide (260) and the partition wall (530), and one negative lead (160a) can also be placed between the neighboring partition walls (530). According to the present embodiment, the separation between the electrode lead (160) connected to one end of the neighboring cell terraces (135) and the other end can be maintained by the partition wall (530).

Referring to FIG. 17, a straight line distance (d1) from the end of the partition wall (530) to the end of the battery cell (100) may be equal to or shorter than a shorter straight line distance (d2) between the starting point where each of the first electrode lead (160a1) and the second electrode lead (160a2), which are adjacent to each other with the partition wall (530) interposed therebetween, protrudes from the cell terrace (135) and the end of the battery cell (100).

The number of electrode leads (160) forming the electrode lead group (160) is not limited to three and may be modified depending on the arrangement of the positive and negative electrode leads of the battery cell (100).

Fig. 18 is a plan view illustrating a busbar frame according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 19 is a front view of a portion of the plan view of Fig. 18.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the top cover (400) can be placed on the side of the battery cell stack using an orthogonal robot or the like. At this time, the air pressure of the left and right bus bar frames (500) can be removed, and the air pressure of the top cover (400) can be maintained. Next, the rotating rod (520) can be moved to rotate the bus bar frame (500) in an acute angle range (60 degrees), and a part of the end of the electrode lead (160) can be inserted into the lead slot (510) of the bus bar frame (500). Next, the cell lead block (300) can be moved backward from the space between the battery cell stack (105) and the bus bar frame (500). Next, the bus bar frame (500) can be additionally rotated to mount the bus bar frame (500) on the battery cell stack (105). At this time, the rotating rod (520) can be moved in a diagonal direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the busbar frame is assembled by integrating with the battery cell lamination process and using an orthogonal robot, etc., a separate busbar frame assembly manual is not required and assembly automation can be implemented.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims also fall within the scope of the present invention.

135: Cell terrace 160: Electrode lead
400: Top cover 500: Busbar frame
510: Lead slot 530: Bulkhead

Claims (20)

A battery cell stack in which multiple battery cells are stacked,
A busbar frame connected to the above battery cell stack,
Among the battery cells included in the above battery cell stack, cell terraces protruding from each neighboring battery cell,
Electrode leads each protruding from the above cell terraces and having the same polarity, and
A partition wall is formed between adjacent electrode leads among the above electrode leads and is formed on the bus bar frame,
The electrode leads are inserted into the lead slots formed in the busbar frame, and the electrode leads connected to one end of the ends of the neighboring cell terraces and the other end are separated from each other by the partition walls.
The above electrode leads having the same polarity are cathodes,
The above busbar frame includes a first lead slot and a second lead slot having a narrower width than the first lead slot,
A battery module in which the partition wall is formed in the first lead slot, the negative electrode leads pass through the first lead slot, and the positive electrode leads pass through the second lead slot. delete In paragraph 1,
A battery module in which a straight line distance from the end of the partition wall to the end of the battery cell is equal to or shorter than a shorter straight line distance between a starting point where each of the first electrode lead and the second electrode lead, which are adjacent to each other with the partition wall interposed therebetween, protrudes from the cell terrace and the end of the battery cell. In paragraph 1,
A battery module in which the cell terraces from which the electrode leads having the same polarity protrude are spaced apart from each other along the direction in which the electrode leads protrude. In paragraph 1,
A battery module in which the electrode leads, which are adjacent to each other with the above-mentioned bulkhead in between, pass through the lead slot formed in the above-mentioned busbar frame and meet and are welded at the rear side of the above-mentioned busbar frame. In paragraph 1,
A battery module in which a plurality of pass guides for spacing apart the electrode leads are formed on the bus bar frame, and at least one partition wall is formed between adjacent pass guides among the plurality of pass guides. In Article 6,
A battery module wherein one electrode lead is disposed between the pass guide and the bulkhead, and when at least two of the bulkheads are formed, one electrode lead is disposed between adjacent bulkheads. delete delete In paragraph 1,
The above busbar frame includes a first busbar frame and a second busbar frame arranged on different sides,
A battery module wherein the arrangements of the first lead slot and the second lead slot in the first busbar frame and the second busbar frame are misaligned with each other. A step of forming a battery cell laminate by stacking multiple battery cells, and
A step of connecting a busbar frame to the battery cell stack such that a bulkhead is arranged between the cell terraces protruding from each of the battery cells,
The above-mentioned bulkhead is formed on the above-mentioned busbar frame, and the electrode leads protruding from the adjacent cell terraces with the above-mentioned bulkhead in between have the same polarity,
The step of forming the battery cell laminate includes the step of alternately stacking cell blocks and at least one battery cell to form a plurality of cell blocks and the battery cell laminate,
The step of connecting the busbar frame to the battery cell stack includes the step of arranging a top cover having the busbar frame mounted on both ends to cover the battery cell stack, the step of removing the plurality of cell blocks from the space between the battery cell stack and the busbar frame, and the step of rotating the busbar frame so that the busbar frame is mounted on the battery cell stack.
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein the step of forming the plurality of cell lead blocks and the battery cell laminate is such that the electrode lead is interposed between adjacent cell lead blocks among the plurality of cell lead blocks. delete In Article 11,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein, in the step of mounting the busbar frame to the battery cell laminate, the electrode lead is inserted into a lead slot formed in the busbar frame. In Article 11,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein a plurality of positive electrode leads are arranged to extend between adjacent cell blocks among the plurality of cell blocks, and a single negative electrode lead is arranged to extend between the adjacent cell blocks. In Article 11,
A method for manufacturing a battery module further comprising a step of rotating the busbar frame within an acute angle range prior to the step of removing the cell block. In Article 15,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein, in the step of mounting the busbar frame to the battery cell laminate, the electrode lead is inserted into a lead slot formed in the busbar frame. In Article 11,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein the cell terraces, from which the electrode leads having the same polarity protrude, are formed so that the gap between them narrows along the direction in which the electrode leads protrude, and the shape of the cell terraces is implemented by the shape of the cell lead blocks. In Article 11,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein an impregnation structure is formed on one side of the cell block facing the cell terrace, and the cell terrace is arranged on the impregnation structure. In Article 11,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein a plurality of pass guides that separate the electrode leads are formed on the bus bar frame, and at least one partition wall is formed between adjacent pass guides among the plurality of pass guides. In Article 19,
A method for manufacturing a battery module, wherein one electrode lead is placed between the pass guide and the bulkhead, and when at least two of the bulkheads are formed, one electrode lead is placed between adjacent bulkheads.