Battery module

• US 10,644,276 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Yong-Joon, Kang, Tae-Young, Kim, Do-Hyeon, Kim, Hwa-Joong, Moon, Duck-Hee, Seong, Jun-Yeob, Yu, Sung-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Haroon S.
• Application Number:
  US15/759,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20190189979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0472 Vertically superposed cells with vertically disposed plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/291 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/507 comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/55 on the same side of the cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/553 Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a battery module capable of stably maintaining contact of electrode leads while having a simple structure and high assemblability. The battery module of the present disclosure includes: a cell assembly including a plurality of secondary batteries and a plurality of cartridges, the secondary batteries being vertically arranged and including electrode leads, the cartridges being vertically stacked to accommodate the secondary batteries in an inner space thereof; and a sensing assembly mounted on a front side of the cell assembly and including an insulation housing formed of an electrically insulative material and a sensing bus bar formed of an electrically conductive material, the sensing assembly being coupled to the electrode leads to sense voltages of the secondary batteries, wherein the insulation housing includes a plurality of penetration holes vertically spaced apart from each other to receive the electrode leads therethrough, and a plurality of housing slant portions arranged in the penetration holes and sloped at a predetermined angle from a horizontal direction.

Claims

1. A battery module comprising:

a cell assembly comprising a plurality of secondary batteries and a plurality of cartridges, the secondary batteries being vertically arranged and comprising electrode leads, the cartridges being vertically stacked to accommodate the secondary batteries in an inner space thereof; and

a sensing assembly mounted on a front side of the cell assembly and comprising an insulation housing formed of an electrically insulative material and a sensing bus bar formed of an electrically conductive material, the sensing assembly being coupled to the electrode leads so as to sense voltages of the secondary batteries,

wherein the insulation housing comprises a plurality of penetration holes vertically spaced apart from each other to allow the electrode leads to penetrate therethrough, and a plurality of housing slant portions arranged in the penetration holes and sloped at a predetermined angle from a horizontal direction, and

wherein the cartridges overlap the insulation housing in the vertical direction.

2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the housing slant portions have a height decreasing in an inward direction toward the cell assembly.

3. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the insulation housing further comprises outer horizontal portions extending from lower ends of the housing slant portions in an outward horizontal direction.

4. The battery module of claim 3, wherein the outer horizontal portions protrude outward with respect to the sensing bus bar.

5. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the sensing bus bar is located outside the housing slant portions to form an empty space between the sensing bus bar and the housing slant portions.

6. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of penetration holes, the plurality of housing slant portions, and a plurality of sensing bus bars are vertically arranged in two columns in a horizontal direction.

7. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the insulation housing further comprises an inner horizontal portion extending toward the cell assembly from a lower end of each of the housing slant portions such that an inner end portion of the inner horizontal portion extends in an inward horizontal direction toward the cell assembly.

8. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the cartridges comprise cartridge slant portions formed on end portions of the cartridges facing the cell assembly and sloped at a predetermined angle from the horizontal direction.

9. A battery pack comprising the battery module of claim 1.

10. An automobile comprising the battery module of claim 1.

11. The battery module of claim 8, wherein an angle of inclination of the cartridge slant portions is less than an angle of inclination of the housing slant portions.

12. The battery module of claim 8, wherein the insulation housing includes a plurality of horizontal portions, and

wherein the cartridge slant portions contact a bottom surface of the horizontal portions.

13. The battery module of claim 8, further comprising a horizontally bent portion extending from each of the cartridge slant portions, the horizontally bent portion protruding outwardly passed the sensing bus bar.

14. The battery module of claim 8, wherein the cartridge slant portions have two different angles of inclination.

15. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the insulation housing extends outwardly passed the electrode leads.

16. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the cartridges extend outwardly to overlap the insulation housing when view in the vertical direction.