BATTERY CELL HAVING IMPROVED THERMAL STABILITY AND MIDDLE OR LARGE-SIZED BATTERY MODULE EMPLOYED WITH THE SAME

• US 20110008665A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Hee Soo, Lee, Jin Kyu, Jinushi, Shinichi, Yoon, Jongmoon, Kang, Dal Moh
• Granted Patent: US 9,343,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/653 characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6562 with free flow by convection only
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/105 Pouches or flexible bags
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/119 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/121 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/124 having a layered structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/186 characterised by the disposition of the sealing members
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/191 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a battery cell constructed in a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a battery case formed of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer while the electrode assembly is connected to electrode terminals extruding out of the battery case, wherein the battery case is provided at an outer circumferential end thereof with a sealing part formed by thermally welding upper and lower parts of the laminate sheet, and a sheet-type member (‘a thermally conductive sheet’) to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell extends to the sealing part while the thermally conductive sheet partially covers the battery cell.

Claims

1. A battery cell constructed in a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a battery case formed of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer while the electrode assembly is connected to electrode terminals extruding out of the battery case, wherein the battery case is provided at an outer circumferential end thereof with a sealing part formed by thermally welding upper and lower parts of the laminate sheet, and a sheet-type member (‘

a thermally conductive sheet’

) to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell extends to the sealing part while the thermally conductive sheet partially covers the battery cell.

2. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the laminate sheet includes an inner resin layer, which is thermally weldable, an isolation metal layer, and an outer resin layer exhibiting excellent durability.

3. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive sheet is formed of a metal or carbon plate or a polymer film containing metal powder or carbon powder.

4. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive sheet is formed of a metal plate which is bent according to an external shape of the battery cell to maximize a contact area between the metal plate and the battery cell.

5. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive sheet is attached to an outer surface of the battery cell by an adhesive.

10. The battery cell according to claim 1, wherein the battery case is provided at at least one side sealing part thereof with a member to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell (‘

a heat exchange member’

).

13. The battery cell according to claim 10, wherein the heat exchange member is a thermally conductive member having a heat exchange medium channel through which a heat exchange medium flows.

14. The battery cell according to claim 13, wherein the heat exchange member includes a pair of metal or carbon bars each having the heat exchange medium channel formed therein, the metal or carbon bars being mounted to a top and bottom of the sealing part.

15. The battery cell according to claim 14, wherein the heat exchange member has a height equal to or greater than a height of the battery cell when the heat exchange member is mounted to the sealing part.

16. A middle- or large-sized battery module having a high power and large capacity, wherein the battery module includes battery cells according to claim 1 as unit cells.

17. The middle- or large-sized battery module according to claim 16, wherein heat exchange members of a predetermined height are mounted at opposite side sealing parts of the respective battery cells, and the stacked state of the battery cells is maintained by the heat exchange members.

18. The middle- or large-sized battery module according to claim 17, wherein the battery module is used as a power source for electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles.

6. A battery cell constructed in a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a battery case formed of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer while the electrode assembly is connected to electrode terminals extruding out of the battery case, wherein the laminate sheet includes an inner resin layer, an isolation metal layer, and an outer resin layer, and the isolation metal layer has a predetermined thickness sufficient to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell or is made of a material to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell (‘

a thermally conductive accelerating material’

).

7. The battery cell according to claim 6, wherein the thermally conductive accelerating material is copper or carbon.

11. The battery cell according to claim 6, wherein the battery case is provided at at least one side sealing part thereof with a member to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell (‘

a heat exchange member’

).

8. A battery cell constructed in a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a battery case formed of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer while the electrode assembly is connected to electrode terminals extruding out of the battery case, wherein the battery case is provided at an outer circumferential end thereof with a sealing part formed by thermally welding upper and lower parts of the laminate sheet, and at least some of the sealing part of the battery case where the electrode terminals are not formed extends such that the at least some of the sealing part is longer than the remaining sealing part.

9. The battery cell according to claim 8, wherein the extending sealing part has an extension length equivalent to 150 to 400% of the width of the remaining sealing part.

12. The battery cell according to claim 8, wherein the battery case is provided at at least one side sealing part thereof with a member to accelerate the dissipation of heat from the battery cell (‘

a heat exchange member’

).