Battery cell voltage balancing device

• US 8,384,350 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Inchul, Yoon, Jongmoon, Jang, Minchul, Yoo, Eun Ji, Yeo, Jaeseong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US12/858,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20110062915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/110, 320/113, 320/126, 320/162
• US Class Current: 320/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0481 Compression means other than compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/512 Connection only in parallel
• 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: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a battery cell voltage balancing device for connecting two or more battery cells to one another in parallel so as to minimize a voltage difference between the respective battery cells, the battery cell voltage balancing device including an insulative main body having partitions, between which the two or more battery cells are mounted, respectively, configured in a structure in which the partitions are open upward, terminal connection parts disposed at opposite ends of the insulative main body for connecting cathodes and anodes of the battery cells mounted at the insulative main body to cathodes and anodes of neighboring battery cells mounted at the insulative main body, and an interval adjustment unit for variably adjusting an interval between the partitions in a state in which the battery cells are mounted between the partitions to achieve secure mounting of the battery cells between the respective partitions and electrical connection of electrode terminals of the respective battery cells to the terminal connection parts.

Claims

1. A battery cell voltage balancing device for connecting two or more battery cells to one another in parallel so as to minimize a voltage difference between the respective battery cells, the battery cell voltage balancing device comprising:

an insulative main body having partitions, between which the two or more battery cells are mounted, respectively, configured in a structure in which the partitions are open upward;

terminal connection parts disposed at opposite ends of the insulative main body for connecting cathodes and anodes of the battery cells mounted at the insulative main body to cathodes and anodes of neighboring battery cells mounted at the insulative main body; and

an interval adjustment unit for variably adjusting an interval between the partitions in a state in which the battery cells are mounted between the partitions to achieve secure mounting of the battery cells between the respective partitions and electrical connection of electrode terminals of the respective battery cells to the terminal connection parts,

wherein the partitions are disposed on a base plate, and

the interval adjustment unit comprises at least one bar extending through the partitions in a state in which opposite ends of the at least one bar are fixed to the base plate, compression springs fitted on the at least one bar such that the compression springs are disposed between the respective partitions, and a handle fixed to one side of the base plate for adjusting a distance between the base plate and an outermost one of the partitions.

2. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the battery cells is a plate-shaped or prismatic battery cell configured in a structure in which a cathode and an anode are disposed at opposite ends of the battery cell.

3. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 2, wherein each of the battery cells is configured in a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is contained in a battery case formed of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer together with an electrolyte.

4. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 1, wherein the insulative main body comprises mounting parts for surrounding opposite sides of lower parts of the respective battery cells when the battery cells are mounted between the respective partitions at positions where the electrode terminals of the respective battery cells correspond to the terminal connection parts and side parts extending upward from opposite ends of the respective mounting parts such that the terminal connection parts are mounted at the side parts.

5. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 4, wherein the terminal connection parts comprise first connection parts mounted to the side parts of the insulative main body such that the first connection parts contact the electrode terminals of the respective battery cells and second connection parts for electrically connecting the first connection parts to corresponding first connection parts of the neighboring terminal connection parts.

6. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 5, wherein the first connection parts are conductive strips, and the second connection parts are conductive wires.

7. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 6, wherein the conductive strips are configured in a structure in which electrode terminal facing portions of the conductive strips facing the electrode terminals of the respective battery cells are bent such that the conductive strips contact the electrode terminals of the respective battery cells in a state in which the conductive strips are elastically pressed against the electrode terminals of the respective battery cells.

8. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 6, wherein the conductive strips and the conductive wires are coupled to the side parts of the insulative main body by means of conductive screws.

9. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 6, wherein two conductive wires, electrically interconnecting the terminal connection parts of the side parts located at opposite sides of each of the conductive strips, are coupled to each of the conductive strips.

10. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a fixed plate extending upward from the base plate, the fixed plate having a through hole, a movable plate mounted to an outside of the outermost partition, the movable plate having a threaded through hole, at an inside of which is formed a thread part, and a screw bar fixed to the fixed plate such that the screw bar extends through the through hole of the fixed plate and the threaded through hole of the movable plate, the screw bar having a thread part formed at an outside thereof.

11. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection/display unit for measuring voltage of the respective battery cells and displaying the measured voltage of the respective battery cells and balancing time.

12. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 11, wherein the detection/display unit comprises a voltage measuring instrument, detection terminals mounted to the side parts of the insulative main body, conductive wires for connecting the detection terminals to the voltage measuring instrument, and a monitor for displaying detected voltage and balancing time.

13. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 12, wherein cathode detection terminals of the detection terminals are mounted to the respective side parts, and an anode detection terminal of the detection terminals is mounted to one of the side parts.

14. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 13, wherein the anode detection terminal is connected to the conductive strip of a corresponding one of the anode terminal connection parts of the side parts.

15. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 13, wherein two anode terminal connection parts are mounted to each of the side parts.

16. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 11, further comprising a controller for controlling voltage balancing between the respective battery cells based on a result obtained from the detection/display unit.

17. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 16, wherein the voltage balancing is controlled such that voltages of the respective battery cells equalized through parallel connection between the respective battery cells coincide with each other to within 0.001 V.

18. The battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 16, wherein the controller is a personal computer (PC).

19. A battery module comprising at least two battery cells, between which a voltage difference is minimized using the battery cell voltage balancing device according to claim 1.