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US-12627005-B2 - Battery pack including connection plate

US12627005B2US 12627005 B2US12627005 B2US 12627005B2US-12627005-B2

Abstract

A battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules arranged in a front and rear direction, and each of the plurality of battery modules includes a plurality of cylindrical battery cells; a module housing having a plurality of hollows in which the plurality of cylindrical battery cells are accommodated; and a connection plate having a body portion at the upper portion or the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal at one of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a connection portion to protrusively extend in a left direction or a right direction from the body portion so that the protrusively extending portion is bent upward or downward from the body portion and the bent end is in contact and connection with a portion of another connection plate.

Inventors

  • Jin-oh Yang
  • Seog-jin Yoon

Assignees

  • LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240416
Priority Date
20181004

Claims (18)

  1. 1 . A battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules arranged in a front and rear direction, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules includes: a plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in a horizontal direction and having electrode terminals formed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof, respectively; a module housing having a plurality of hollows in which the plurality of cylindrical battery cells are accommodated; and a connection plate having a body portion at the upper portion or the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal at one of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a connection portion configured to protrusively extend in a left direction or a right direction from the body portion so that the protrusively extending portion is bent upward or downward from the body portion and the bent end is in electrical contact and connection with a portion of a connection plate of an adjacent one of the battery modules; wherein the connection plate includes: a first connection plate having a second body portion at the upper portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and having a second connection portion protrusively extending from the body portion and bent downward; and a second connection plate having a second body portion at the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and having a second connection portion protrusively extending from the body portion and bent upward, wherein the first connection portion of the first connection plate is in electrical contact and connection with the second connection portion of the second connection plate provided at another battery module, and wherein the connection portion of the first connection plate does not extend beyond a rear surface of the respective battery module in the front and rear direction.
  2. 2 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein a rib is at an outer wall of the module housing to protrusively extend in a horizontal direction from an outer surface thereof.
  3. 3 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the module housing includes fixing tubes at left and right outer sides thereof and having a hollow structure projecting from an upper surface of the module housing in a vertical direction.
  4. 4 . The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the fixing tubes has a vertical terminal protrusively extending in a vertical direction from the upper surface of the module housing, and wherein the first body portion of the first connection plate has a guide hole perforated in a vertical direction so that the vertical terminal of the at least one of the fixing tubes protruding in the vertical direction is inserted through the guide hole.
  5. 5 . The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein the connection portion of the connection plate faces left and right outer sides of the fixing tube.
  6. 6 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the module housing includes a protection plate ridged outward from left and right outer walls thereof and having a plate shape with a predetermined thickness.
  7. 7 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of battery modules further includes a protection member at least partially inserted and fixed in an outer wall of the module housing facing the connection portion and having a plate shape with a predetermined thickness.
  8. 8 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the second connection portion has a bent structure at which an end thereof is bent upward or downward folded over.
  9. 9 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of other battery modules above the plurality of battery modules, wherein a connection bus bar having an electrically conductive material electrically connects at least two first connection plates, or at least two second connection plates, or a first connection plate and a second connection plate, respectively included in the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of other battery modules above the plurality of battery modules, wherein the connection bus bar includes: a first contact portion in contact with any one of the first connection plate and the second connection plate; a second contact portion in contact with the other of the first connection plate and the second connection plate; and a detouring portion having both ends respectively connected to the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the detouring portion being stepped outward from the first contact portion and the second contact portion.
  10. 10 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of battery modules; a plurality of other battery modules above or below the plurality of battery modules; and a third connection plate configured to electrically connect the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of other battery modules above or below the plurality of battery modules, wherein the third connection plate includes: a body portion at the upper portion or the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and having a plurality of connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal at one of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; and a second connection portion configured to be bent and extending upward or downward from a left or right end of the body portion to be in contact and connection with a portion of a connection plate of another battery module mounted to an upper side.
  11. 11 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein a hook structure is at left and right outer walls of the module housing to protrusively extend outward from the outer walls of the module housing so that the connection portion of the connection plate is closely fixed to the outer wall of the module housing.
  12. 12 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the connection portion of the second connection plate does not extend beyond the front surface of the respective battery module in the front and rear direction and does not extend beyond the rear surface of the respective battery module in the front and rear direction.
  13. 13 . An electronic device, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1 .
  14. 14 . A vehicle, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1 .
  15. 15 . A battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules arranged in a front and rear direction, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules includes: a plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in a horizontal direction and having electrode terminals formed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof, respectively; a module housing having a plurality of hollows in which the plurality of cylindrical battery cells are accommodated; and a connection plate having a body portion at the upper portion or the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal at one of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a connection portion configured to protrusively extend in a left direction or a right direction from the body portion so that the protrusively extending portion is bent upward or downward from the body portion and the bent end is in electrical contact and connection with a portion of a connection plate of an adjacent one of the battery modules; wherein the connection plate includes: a first connection plate having a second body portion at the upper portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and having a second connection portion protrusively extending from the body portion and bent downward; and a second connection plate having a second body portion at the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and having a second connection portion protrusively extending from the body portion and bent upward, wherein the first connection portion of the first connection plate is in electrical contact and connection with the second connection portion of the second connection plate provided at another battery module, and wherein at least one of the first connection portion and the second connection portion has an expanded structure protrusively extending forward further to a foremost terminal of the module housing or protrusively extending rearward further to a rearmost terminal of the module housing.
  16. 16 . The battery pack according to claim 15 , wherein the connection portion of the other one of the first connection plate and the second connection plate does not extend further forward than a foremost terminal of the module housing and does not extend further rearward than a rearmost terminal of the module housing.
  17. 17 . A battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules arranged in a front and rear direction, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules includes: a plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in a horizontal direction and having electrode terminals formed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof, respectively; a module housing having a plurality of hollows in which the plurality of cylindrical battery cells are accommodated; and a connection plate having a body portion at the upper portion or the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal at one of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a connection portion configured to protrusively extend in a left direction or a right direction from the body portion so that the protrusively extending portion is bent upward or downward from the body portion and the bent end is in electrical contact and connected with a portion of a connection plate of an adjacent one of the battery modules; wherein the module housing includes fixing tubes at left and right outer sides thereof and having a hollow structure projecting from an upper surface of the module housing in a vertical direction, wherein the connection portion of the connection plate faces an outer side of one of the fixing tubes, wherein the one of the fixing tubes has a vertical terminal protrusively extending in a vertical direction from the upper surface of the module housing, and wherein the body portion of the connection plate has a guide hole perforated in a vertical direction so that the vertical terminal of the one of the fixing tubes protruding in the vertical direction is inserted through the guide hole.
  18. 18 . The battery pack according to claim 17 , wherein the connection plate includes: a first connection plate having a first body portion at the upper portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of first connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminals at the upper portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a first connection portion configured to protrusively extend from a left end or a right end of the first body portion so that the first connection portion is bent downward from the first body portion, wherein the first connection portion extends beyond a front surface of the respective battery module in a front-rear direction and does not extend beyond a rear surface of the respective battery module in the front-rear direction; and a second connection plate having a second body portion at the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of second connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminals at the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a second connection portion configured to protrusively extend from a left end or a right end of the second body portion so that the second connection portion is bent upward from the second body portion, wherein the second connection portion does not extend beyond the front surface of the respective battery module in the front-rear direction and does not extend beyond the rear surface of the respective battery module in the front-rear direction, and wherein the first connection portion of the respective one of the battery modules is in contact and connection with the second connection portion of the adjacent one of the battery modules.

Description

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/767,748, filed May 28, 2020, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0118477 filed on Oct. 4, 2018, in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a battery pack including a connection plate, and more particularly, to a battery pack including a plurality of battery modules in a slimmer design and having an improved energy density. BACKGROUND ART Secondary batteries are highly applicable to various products and has electrical characteristics with high energy density. The secondary battery is applied not only to portable electronic devices but also to electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, power storage devices, and the like, driven by an electric driving source. The secondary battery is attracting attention as a new energy source for improving eco-friendliness and energy efficiency since the use of fossil fuels is significantly reduced and no by-product is generated during the use of energy. A battery pack applied to an electric vehicle has a structure in which a plurality of battery modules, each having a plurality of battery cells, are connected to obtain a high output. In addition, each battery cell is an electrode assembly including positive and negative electrode current collectors, a separator, an active material, an electrolyte, and the like to be repeatedly charged and discharged by an electrochemical reaction between the components. Recently, as the necessity for a large capacity structure increases along with application as an energy storage source, there is an increasing demand for a battery pack having a multi-module structure, in which a plurality of battery modules, each having a plurality of secondary batteries in series and/or in parallel, are aggregated. In this case, a plurality of battery modules are arranged in close contact in a front and rear direction so that a large number of battery modules are accommodated in a limited space inside the battery pack. In addition, the conventional battery pack has a metal plate configured to electrically connect a plurality of battery modules to each other and to electrically connect a plurality of cylindrical battery cells provided in each battery module. However, if a plurality of battery modules are closely arranged in the front and rear direction, a separate space for welding metal plates should be separately provided in a module housing of the battery module in order to connect a metal plate mounted to one battery module with a metal plate of another battery module. For this reason, the conventional battery module has a dead space formed in the module housing and thus has a limitation in including a larger number of cylindrical battery cells, and thus, the energy density of the battery pack greatly deteriorates. DISCLOSURE Technical Problem The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery pack, which may include a plurality of battery modules in a slimmer design and have an improved energy density. These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be understood from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, it will be easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by the means shown in the appended claims and combinations thereof. Technical Solution In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules arranged in a front and rear direction,wherein each of the plurality of battery modules includes:a plurality of cylindrical battery cells arranged in a horizontal direction and having electrode terminals formed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof, respectively;a module housing having a plurality of hollows in which the plurality of cylindrical battery cells are inserted and accommodated; anda connection plate having a body portion located at the upper portion or the lower portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and provided with a plurality of connection terminals respectively in electrical contact and connection with the electrode terminal formed at one of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and a connection portion configured to protrusively extend in a left direction or a right direction from the body portion so that the protrusively extending portion is bent upward or downward from the body portion and the bent end is in contact and connection with a portion of another connection plate. Also, the connection plate may include a first connection plate having the body portion located at the upper portion of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells and having the connection portion protrusively exten