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EP-3605647-B1 - BATTERY MODULE COMPRISING HOUSING WITH CONNECTOR

EP3605647B1EP 3605647 B1EP3605647 B1EP 3605647B1EP-3605647-B1

Inventors

  • JEON, HYUN WOOK
  • Yun, Youngsun

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20181113

Claims (8)

  1. A battery module (1) comprising: a lower housing (2) in which a plurality of secondary battery cells (110) are housed; an upper housing (3) coupled to a cover of the lower housing to cover the plurality of secondary replaceable cells; a female connector (20) detachably installed in at least one of the lower housing (2) and the upper housing (3); and a wiring harness (22) electrically connected to the connector (20) and the plurality of secondary battery cells (110), characterised in that : the connector (20) includes a body (20b) provided with a plurality of terminals (20a), a bottom surface of the body is spaced apart from an outer surface of the at least one housing such that a space is formed between the outer surface of the at least one housing and the bottom surface, and both side surfaces of the body are fixed to the outer surface of the at least one housing, in that the at least one housing is the upper housing (3), and in that an entire surface of the bottom surface of the connector (20) is spaced apart from the outer surface of the upper housing (3).
  2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the connector (20) is supported by a protruding portion (30a) disposed on the outer surface of the upper housing (3).
  3. The battery module of claim 2, wherein a plurality of the protruding portions are disposed at an arbitrary interval.
  4. The battery module of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein when an inspecting jig provided with a pin being inserted into the terminal is connected to the connector (20), a bottom plate of the inspecting jig is inserted into the space, and the protruding portion (30a) is inserted into a recess portion disposed on the bottom plate.
  5. The battery module of claim 4, wherein the protruding portion (30a) is straight.
  6. The battery module of claim 1, wherein a first groove portion (23a) forming a first catching jaw (22a) is disposed on a first side surface of the body (20b), and a first catching protrusion (32a) that is supported by the first catching jaw (22a) and prevents the connector (20) from moving in one direction and a second catching protrusion (34a) that is supported by a corner of the connector and prevents movement of the connector (20) with respect to another direction perpendicular to the one direction are disposed on the outer surface of the upper housing (3).
  7. The battery module of claim 1 or claim 6, wherein a second groove portion (25a) that forms a second catching jaw (24a) to which an elastic hook (36a) protruding from the outer surface of the upper housing (3) is coupled is formed in a second side surface of the body (20b).
  8. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the at least one housing is provided with a concave portion (34) disposed between convex portions (32), and the wiring harness (22) is fitted and coupled to the concave portion (34).

Description

Cross-reference to related application(s) This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0153330 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 16, 2017. The present invention relates to a battery module including a housing with a connector, according to the preamble of claim 1 (see for example WO 2015/029619 A). [Background Art] Generally, a battery module is provided with a plurality of electrical wires electrically connected to a secondary battery. These wires may typically be provided as a form of a wiring harness connected to a connector. Here, the connector may be electrically connected to an external device so as to provide electrical energy generated by the battery module to the external device, and the battery module may be electrically connected to an inspecting device during a manufacturing process in order to detect secondary battery characteristics of the battery module. Such a connector is required to be stably fixed to the battery module. [DISCLOSURE] [Technical Problem] The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a battery module including a housing with a connector that may be firmly fixed to the housing while minimizing a contact area with the housing of the battery module. [Technical Solution] An embodiment of the present invention provides a battery according to claim 1, including: a lower housing in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are housed; an upper housing coupled to a cover of the lower housing to cover the plurality of secondary replaceable cells; a female connector detachably installed in at least one of the lower housing and the upper housing; and a wiring harness electrically connected to the connector and the plurality of secondary battery cells. The connector may include a body provided with a plurality of terminals. A bottom surface of the body may be spaced apart from an outer surface of the at least one housing such that a space may be formed between the outer surface of the at least one housing and the bottom surface, and both side surfaces of the body may be fixed to the outer surface of the at least one housing. According to this first aspect of the present invention, the at least one housing is the upper housing, and an entire surface of the bottom surface of the connector is spaced apart from the outer surface of the upper housing. The bottom surface of the connector may be supported by a protruding portion disposed on the outer surface of the upper housing, and a plurality of the protruding portions may be disposed at an arbitrary interval. When an inspecting jig provided with a pin inserted into the terminal is connected to the connector, a bottom plate of the inspecting jig may be inserted into the space, and the protruding portion may be inserted into a recess portion disposed on the bottom plate. The protruding portion may be straight. A first groove portion forming a first catching jaw may be disposed on a first side surface of the body, and a first catching protrusion that is supported by the first catching jaw and prevents the connector from moving in one direction and a second catching protrusion that is supported by a corner of the connector and prevents movement of the connector with respect to another direction perpendicular to the one direction may be disposed on the outer surface of the upper housing. A second groove portion that forms a second catching jaw to which an elastic hook protruding from the outer surface of the upper housing is coupled may be formed in a second side surface of the body. The at least one housing may be provided with a concave portion disposed between convex portions, and the wiring harness may be fitted and coupled to the concave portion. [Advantageous Effects] According to the embodiment, a connector may be stably fixed to a housing while minimizing the contact area with the housing without a separate fastening member. According to the embodiment, it is possible to insert a jig necessary for inspecting a battery module into a space formed between a connector and a housing, thereby realizing automated inspection. [Description of the Drawings] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a cell assembly housed in the battery module shown in FIG. 1.FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of a part III shown in FIG. 1.FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an upper housing for explaining a portion in which a connector is coupled to the upper housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 5 illustrates a partial perspective view for explaining a catching protrusion of an upper housing at a portion in which a connector is coupled to the upper housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 6 illustrates a partial perspective view for explaining an elastic hook of an upper housing at a portio