Eco-friendly power source such as battery module for a transportation vehicle and method of manufacturing battery module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024297385-A1
Application number	US-202418663096-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 14, 2024
Priority date	Oct 13, 2022
Publication date	Sep 5, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An eco-friendly power source, such as a battery module provided for a transportation vehicle includes a first sub-module and a second sub-module disposed in a first direction, the first sub-module and the second sub-module respectively including a plurality of battery cells stacked in a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction, and a lower cover coupled to the first sub-module and the second sub-module. The first sub-module and the second sub-module are disposed to be rotationally symmetrical to each other about a central axis, which is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery module, comprising:
a first sub-module and a second sub-module disposed to face each other in a first direction with a central axis in between, and each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module includes a plurality of battery cells; and a sub-sensing module disposed in each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module and configured to sense the states of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the first sub-module and the second sub-module are configured to be rotationally symmetrical to each other about the central axis, wherein the sub-sensing module is disposed closer to the central axis in the first direction than to one side edge of the first sub-module and the second sub-module.

2 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of battery cells are stacked in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and
wherein the central axis is an axis parallel to a direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions.

3 . The battery module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a terminal portion disposed in each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module and electrically connected to the plurality of battery cells.

4 . The battery module of claim 3 , wherein the terminal portion disposed closer to side edges of the battery module in the first direction,
wherein the sub-sensing module disposed to a central region of the battery module.

5 . The battery module of claim 3 , wherein the terminal portion is disposed closer to the one side edge of the first sub-module and the second sub-module in the first direction than to the central axis.

6 . The battery module of claim 3 , wherein the sub-sensing module includes:
a first sub-sensing module disposed to the first sub-module and sense the states of the plurality of battery cells of the first sub-module; and a second sub-sensing module disposed to the second sub-module and sense the states of the plurality of battery cells of the second sub-module, wherein each of the first sub-sensing module and the second sub-sensing module are disposed closer to the central axis than the terminal portion.

7 . The battery module of claim 3 , wherein each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module include a busbar assembly electrically connected to the plurality of battery cells,
wherein the busbar assembly includes a first busbar assembly equipped with the terminal portion and a second busbar assembly not equipped with the terminal portion, and the first and the second busbar assembly face each other in the first direction, wherein the sub-sensing module disposed closer to the second busbar assembly than the first busbar assembly.

8 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module are includes:
an end cover disposed closer to the one side edge of the first sub-module and the second sub-module; and a center cover disposed between the plurality of battery cells and the central axis in the first direction, wherein the sub-sensing module disposed closer to the center cover than the end cover.

9 . The battery module of claim 8 , each of the center cover of the first sub-module and the center cover of the second sub-module include an insertion protrusion and an insertion groove, the insertion protrusion and the insertion groove interlock with each other along the first direction,
wherein the insertion protrusion and the insertion groove are configured to be rotationally symmetrical to each other about the central axis.

10 . The battery module of claim 8 , further comprising:
an upper cover configured to cover top of the first sub-module and the second sub-module; and a lower cover configured to support bottom of the first sub-module and the second sub-module, wherein the upper cover includes an opening in a central region of the battery module through which the sub-sensing module is exposed.

11 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the first sub-module and the second sub-module have same structure so that rotationally overlap each other about the central axis.

12 . A battery module, comprising:
a first sub-module and a second sub-module disposed to face each other in a first direction with a central axis in between, and each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module includes a plurality of battery cells; and a lower cover supports bottom of the first sub-module and the second sub-module; wherein the first sub-module and the second sub-module are configured to be rotationally symmetrical to each other about the central axis, wherein the lower cover includes a refrigerant inlet port disposed on one side of the battery module and a refrigerant outlet port disposed on the other side of the battery module, and wherein the refrigerant inlet port and the refrigerant outlet port are configured to be rotationally symmetrical to each other about the central axis.

13 . The battery module of claim 12 , wherein the lower cover further includes a heat sink having a flow path which a refrigerant flow,
wherein the first sub-module and the second sub-module are configured to expose at least a portion of a lower portion of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the heat sink disposed between the plurality of battery cells and the lower cover.

14 . The battery module of claim 12 , wherein the refrigerant inlet port and the refrigerant outlet port face each other in the first direction.

15 . The battery module of claim 12 , wherein the refrigerant inlet port is disposed to side edge of the first sub-module and the refrigerant outlet port is disposed to side edge of the second sub-module.

16 . A method of manufacturing a battery module, the method comprising:
a sub-module manufacturing operation of manufacturing a first sub-module and a second sub-module respectively including a plurality of battery cells; an arrangement operation of arranging the first sub-module and the second sub-module in a first direction; and a casing operation of coupling an upper cover or a lower cover to the first sub-module and the second sub-module, wherein, in the arrangement operation, the first sub-module and the second sub-module are arranged to be rotationally symmetrical to each other about a central axis, perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the battery module includes a sub-sensing module disposed in each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module and configured to sense the states of the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the sub-sensing module is disposed closer to the central axis in the first direction than to one side edge of the first sub-module and the second sub-module.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein each of the first sub-module and the second sub-module include:
a cell stack including the plurality of battery cells stacked in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction; an end cover disposed to be adjacent to an edge of the upper cover or the lower cover; a center cover disposed to be spaced apart from the end cover in the first direction; and a plurality of side covers respectively coupled to the end cover and the center cover.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein, in the casing operation, the center cover of the first sub-module and the center cover of the second sub-module are in contact with each other in the first direction.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first sub-module and the second sub-module further include a first sub-sensing module and a s

Assignees

• Sk On Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Gang U
• Kim Ho Yeon
• An Sang Tae
• Yoon Hwa Kyoo
• Han Jeong Woo

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M10/48

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H01M50/507

  comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/6551

  Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings · CPC title