KR20170011212A - Battery Pack with Expandable Structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an expandable battery pack and, more specifically, relates to a battery pack electrically connected with a plurality of battery cells. First and second frames, having an inner surface structure corresponding to the outer appearance of the battery cells, are combined with each other to form hollow storage parts. Each of the hollow storage parts is equipped with the battery cells to form a unit module. At least unit modules are combined, while being electrically connected by a bus bar, in order to form a module structure. A sub frame, equipped with at least one additional battery cell, and a battery management system (BMS) case, equipped with a battery management system to control the operation of the battery pack, are combined with the outer surface of the module structure.

Description

A battery pack with an expandable structure {Battery Pack with Expandable Structure}

The present invention relates to a battery pack having an expandable structure.

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 attracting attention as an energy source for electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and the like, which is proposed as a solution for air pollution in existing gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles using fossil fuels. Therefore, 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.

The secondary battery is classified into a cylindrical battery and a prismatic battery in which the electrode assembly is housed in a cylindrical or rectangular metal can according to the shape of the battery case, and a pouch-shaped battery in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch-shaped case of an aluminum laminate sheet .

The secondary battery may be used in the form of a single battery or in the form of a battery pack in which a plurality of unit cells are electrically connected to each other depending on the type of external equipment to be used. For example, a small device such as a cell phone can operate for a predetermined time with a single battery output and capacity, while a medium or large device such as a notebook computer, an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, etc., The use of packs is required.

The battery pack is a battery structure in which a plurality of unit cells are arranged in series and / or in parallel and sequentially electrically connected. It is important to maintain a structure for fixing and arranging the unit cells. Particularly, A cylindrical secondary battery used as a battery has many difficulties in maintaining an array structure due to its external characteristics.

1 is a schematic view of a conventional battery pack.

Referring to FIG. 1, cell frames constituting battery packs of different sizes are shown. A different number of cylindrical rechargeable batteries 10 are mounted in each of the cell frames 11, 12, and 13. (13 serials, 4 parallel), a cell frame of 13S4P (13 serial 3 parallel), a cell frame of 13S4P (13 serial 4 parallel), and a cell frame of 13S4P And the number of battery cells included therein is also different.

Thus, conventional battery packs have a problem in that the design and manufacturing processes are complicated because they must be individually designed and manufactured when the standard, capacity, and the like are changed.

In addition, since conventional battery packs are not compatible with each other, frames of other battery packs can not be used, and when battery packs of different capacities are manufactured, they are manufactured separately. Therefore, costs such as a mold cost and a labor cost increase .

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.

More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack having a structure that can be easily expanded without forming additional molds in order to construct battery packs of various sizes, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery pack, Thereby providing a battery pack.

Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery pack which is easy to apply to various devices by allowing a plurality of battery cells as well as one battery cell to be mounted and detached.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack having an expandable structure,

A battery pack in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected,

The first frame and the second frame having an inner surface structure corresponding to the outer shape of the battery cell form hollow holders by mutual engagement;

A battery module is mounted on each of the hollow accommodation portions to form a unit module;

Wherein at least two unit modules are combined to form a module structure while being electrically connected by a bus bar,

The module structure has a structure in which an auxiliary frame capable of additionally mounting one or more battery cells and a BMS case equipped with a battery management system (BMS) for controlling the operation of the battery pack are coupled to the outer surface of the module structure.

That is, an expandable battery pack according to the present invention provides a battery pack that can be easily expanded by a simple structure and applicable to a standard required by various devices, thereby significantly reducing manufacturing cost.

According to the present invention, the battery cell may be a cylindrical battery.

In one specific example, the first frame and the second frame may be structured to form two or more hollow receivers by mutual engagement.

In addition, the first frame and the second frame may have a structure in which two or more cell mounting portions having a structure for covering the outer surface of one end of the battery cell are formed.

In this case, in the first frame and the second frame, the cell mount positioned at the outer surface of the frame may be an open structure that partially encloses the outer surface of one end of the battery cell.

In this case, the first frame and the second frame may have a structure in which first fitting portions of a fitting structure are formed on the inner surface in a direction of mutual coupling.

In this case, the first coupling member may have a hook structure.

In addition, the outer periphery of the first coupling hole may have a cross-shaped support portion formed with respect to the central axis of the coupling holes.

In one specific example, the outer surface of the BMS case may have a structure in which a first frame of the module structure and a second hook coupled to the second frame are formed.

In this structure, hooks for fastening the second hook of the BMS case may be formed on the outer surfaces of the first frame and the second frame.

In other cases, the BMS case may be coupled across more than one unit module.

According to one specific example, in the auxiliary frame, the outer surface of the auxiliary frame coupled to the module structure may have a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the battery cell.

In this case, the auxiliary frame may be an open structure that encloses a part of the outer surface of the battery cell so that the battery cells can be individually mounted and detached.

According to the present invention, one or more holes may be formed on the central outer surface of the first frame, and bosses may be formed on the central outer surface of the second frame to be coupled with the holes of the other unit modules.

An insulating double-sided adhesive or cover plate may be attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the unit module positioned between the unit modules.

The first fittings, holes and bosses according to the present invention may be located in the spaces formed between the battery cells.

In one specific example, the bus bar is attached to the outer periphery of the first frame and the second frame in a protruding manner in the direction of coupling unit modules, and can serve as a guide when the unit modules are coupled.

In some cases, the first frame and the second frames may further include a screw coupling part for coupling and disassembling when the unit modules are coupled.

The connecting member may be composed of two or more connecting members having different structures for connecting the battery cells.

The present invention provides a device including a battery pack.

The device according to the present invention can be used in a group of computers, mobile phones, wearable electronic devices, wireless cleaners, power tools, unmanned aerial vehicles, electric bicycles, electric vehicles (EV) Can be selected.

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 pack of the expandable structure according to the present invention has a simple, compact structure and is easy to expand because it is a block structure that can be connected without forming additional molds to construct battery packs of various sizes. The present invention provides an effect of providing a battery pack having a small size.

Further, the present invention provides the effect of providing a battery pack which can be easily attached to various devices by additionally mounting and removing the battery cells.

1 is a schematic view of a conventional battery pack;
FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic diagrams of unit modules including a battery pack of an expandable structure and a plurality of battery cells constituting a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
5 to 7 are schematic views of a first frame, a second frame, and a subframe constituting a battery pack of an expandable structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a coupling structure of a first frame, a second frame, an auxiliary frame and a BMS case constituting a battery pack of an expandable structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the side of Fig. 8; Fig.
10 is a front schematic view of Fig. 8. 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.

2 to 4 are schematic diagrams of unit modules including a battery pack having an expandable structure and a plurality of battery cells constituting a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4 together, the coupling structure of the unit modules 131, 132, and 133 is shown. The battery module assemblies 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, and 126 each have three or four unit modules 131, 132, and 133, respectively. The battery module assemblies 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, and 126 may be formed by removing the battery cells 101 from the unit modules 131, 132, and 133 or by changing the serial or parallel connection structure .

The battery cells 101 of the first unit module 131 are electrically connected by the connecting members 160. The connecting members 160 are composed of two or more connecting members 160 having different structures for connecting the battery cells 101.

The unit modules 131, 132, and 133 are electrically coupled to each other by the bus bar 161 to form a module structure.

The insulating adhesive tape 180 is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the second unit module 132 located between the unit modules 131, 132 and 133 to prevent electric leakage, .

The coupling of the unit modules 131, 132 and 133 is achieved by coupling the bosses 118 of the second unit module 132 to the holes 117 of the first unit module 131. The expansion of the battery module is performed in the direction in which the holes 117 and the bosses 118 of the unit modules 131, 132, and 133 are coupled. The holes 117 and the bosses 118 are located in the spaces formed between the battery cells 101.

FIG. 4A shows a unit module having a 3S4P (3-serial 4-parallel) structure. FIG. 4B shows a unit module of a 4S3P (4-serial 3-parallel) structure, and FIG. 4C shows a unit module of a 4S4P (4-serial 4-parallel) structure.

The battery module assemblies of FIGS. 3 (e) and 3 (f) have only one battery cell, and the two battery module assemblies are easily changed when one battery cell is mounted or removed.

(A) BL17 13S3P, (b) BL17 10S4P, (c) 14S3P, (d) 15S3P, (e) 19S3P, f) Construct a battery module assembly of 13S4P structure. In the case of the BL17 10S4P battery module assembly of FIG. 3 (b), it is possible to construct the 13S4P battery module assembly of FIG. 3 (f) by connecting another unit module.

5 to 7 are schematic views of a first frame, a second frame, and a subframe constituting a battery pack of an expandable structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 7, the first frame 111 and the second frame 112 have an inner surface structure corresponding to the outer shape of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells.

The first frame 111 and the second frame 112 are formed with hollow holders 114a and 114b for holding a plurality of battery cells by mutual engagement. The battery cells are mounted on the hollow storage portions 114a and 114b of the first frame 111 and the second frame 112, respectively.

The first frame 111 and the second frame 112 are formed with a cell mounting portion 115 that covers the outer surface of one end of the battery cell. The cell mounting portion 115 located on the outer surfaces of the first frame 111 and the second frame 112 includes open structures 115a and 115b that partially surround the outer surface of one end of the battery cell.

The first frame 111 and the second frame 112 are respectively formed with first fitting portions 151 of a hook fitting structure on the inner surface in the direction of mutual coupling. The first coupling members 151 are located in the spaces formed between the first frame 111 and the battery cells 101 of the second frame 112.

The first frame 111 and the second frame 112 are coupled to each other to form a unit frame assembly 110. When the unit frame assembly 110 is coupled by the holes 118 and the bosses 118, ).

Supports 153 are formed on the outer periphery of the first coupling member 151 in a cross shape with respect to the central axis of the coupling members 151.

In the auxiliary frame 113, the outer surface of the auxiliary frame 113 coupled to the module structure 130 has a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the battery cell.

The auxiliary frame 113 comprises an opening structure 115c that partially encloses the battery cell together with the first frame 111 and the second frame 112 and has an outer surface 115c that allows the battery cells to be separately mounted and removed, And an opening structure 115d that surrounds a part of the open structure.

The auxiliary frame 113 is attached to the outer surface of the module structure 130 in a sliding manner so as to be parallel to the coupling direction of the frames 111 and 112 so as to be electrically connected by the bus bar, So that the bonding force is enhanced.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a combined structure of a first frame, a second frame, an auxiliary frame, and a BMS case constituting a battery pack of an expandable structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a side view and a schematic front view of Fig. 8, respectively.

Referring now to Figures 8-10, frames are shown in which first and second frames are combined by holes and bosses.

A first frame 111 constituting the module structure 130 and a second hook 155 coupled to the second frame 112 are formed on the outer surface of the BMS case 150. [

Hook fastening portions 111a are formed on the outer surfaces of the first frame 111 and the second frame 112 so that the second hooks 155 of the BMS case 150 are inserted and fixed.

The BMS case 150 is coupled over two or more frames 111 and 112 and the BMS case 150 is equipped with a BMS 157 for controlling the operation of the battery pack.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims (20)

A battery pack in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected,
The first frame and the second frame having an inner surface structure corresponding to the outer shape of the battery cell form hollow holders by mutual engagement;
A battery module is mounted on each of the hollow accommodation portions to form a unit module;
Wherein at least two unit modules are combined to form a module structure while being electrically connected by a bus bar,
Wherein an outer frame of the module structure is combined with a BMS case equipped with a battery management system (BMS) for controlling the operation of the battery pack, and an auxiliary frame capable of additionally mounting one or more battery cells. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell is a cylindrical battery. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first frame and the second frame form two or more hollow receivers by mutual engagement. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first frame and the second frame has at least two cell mounting portions that surround the outer surface of one end of the battery cell. 5. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein in the first frame and the second frame, the cell mounting portion located on the outer surface of the frame has an opening structure that partially surrounds the outer surface of one end of the battery cell. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first frame and the second frame are formed with first fitting portions of a fitting structure on the inner surface in a direction of mutual coupling. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein the first coupling member has a hook structure. [8] The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein support parts are formed on the outer periphery of the first coupling hole in a cross shape with respect to the center axis of the coupling holes. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a second hook is coupled to the first frame and the second frame of the module structure on an outer surface of the BMS case. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein hooks are formed on outer surfaces of the first frame and the second frame such that a second hook of the BMS case is inserted and fixed. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein the BMS case is coupled to two or more unit modules. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the subframe coupled to the module structure in the subframe has a shape corresponding to an outer surface of the battery cell. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary frame comprises an open structure that surrounds a part of an outer surface of the battery cell so that the battery cells can be separately mounted and detached. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein one or more holes are formed on a central outer surface of the first frame, and bosses are formed on a central outer surface of the second frame, the bosses being coupled with holes of other unit modules. 15. The battery pack according to claim 5 or 14, wherein the first coupling means, the holes and the bosses are located in spaces formed between the battery cells. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the bus bar is attached to the outer periphery of the first frame and the second frame so as to protrude in the direction of coupling the unit modules, and serves as a guide when the unit modules are coupled. . The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first frame and the second frames further include a screw coupling part for coupling and separation when the unit modules are coupled. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is composed of two or more connecting members having different structures for connecting the battery cells. A device comprising a battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 18. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein the device is a computer, a mobile phone, a wearable electronic device, a wireless cleaner, a power tool, an unmanned aerial vehicle, an electric bicycle, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle, ≪ / RTI >

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