Battery module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9543555-B2
Application number	US-201213593236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2012
Priority date	Mar 23, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A battery module including a plurality of unit cells, a plurality of bus bars electrically connecting the plurality of unit cells, a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that are electrically connected and in contact with two ends of the plurality of unit cells, a battery housing accommodating the plurality of unit cells and the bus bars, and detection terminals that are respectively electrically connected to the plurality of bus bars, wherein the detection terminals are exposed outside the battery housing. Accordingly, voltage balancing between the unit cells may be controlled without disassembling the battery module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery module comprising:
a plurality of unit cells each having a top surface that defines a plane, a bottom surface and a side surfaces;
a plurality of bus bars that electrically connect the plurality of unit cells and extend over the top surfaces of the plurality of unit cells;
a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that are electrically connected and in contact with two ends of the plurality of unit cells wherein the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of each of the plurality of unit cells extend outward from the top surface of the plurality of unit cells;
a battery housing accommodating the plurality of unit cells and the plurality of bus bars; and
detection terminals that are each electrically connected to the plurality of bus bars,
wherein the detection terminals comprise elongate members that extends in a direction perpendicular outward to and upward from the plane of the top surface of the plurality of unit cells when the bottom surface of the plurality of unit cells are positioned on a bottom surface of the battery housing which is positioned on a flat surface and have a first end that contacts the bus bar and a second end spaced from the first end so as to be exposed outside the battery housing, wherein the battery housing comprises a case having an opening formed thereon, and a cover portion that covers the opening wherein the cover portion is planar and is positioned over the top surfaces of the plurality of unit cells so as to cover the top surfaces of the plurality of unit cells, wherein the detection terminals extend outward from the top surfaces of the plurality of unit cells and through the cover portion to be exposed outside by penetrating the cover portion and wherein the detection terminals include an insertion portion that is positioned outside of the cover, a support portion that contacts both an inner and an outer wall of the cover portion of the housing.

2. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are exposed outside the battery housing, and a voltage of a unit cell or unit cells among the plurality of unit cells disposed between two selected terminals from among the positive electrode terminal, the negative electrode terminal, and the detection terminals is measurable via the selected terminals.

3. The battery module of claim 2 , wherein charge or discharge of the unit cell or the unit cells disposed between the two selected terminals is performed via the two randomly selected terminals.

4. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of unit cells form at least one unit cell modules by connecting at least some of the plurality of cells in parallel to each other.

5. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the detection terminals are each connected to bus bars having potentials different from one another among the plurality of bus bars.

6. A battery module comprising:
a plurality of battery cells having top and bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces that are connected together to define a plurality of nodes between selected ones of the plurality of battery cells including a first end node and a second end node wherein the top surface of the plurality of battery cells define a plane;
a positive and negative electrode terminals that are electrically connected and in contact with the first end node and a second end node respectively wherein the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of each of the plurality of unit cells extend out of the top surface of the plurality of unit cells;
a battery housing that receives the plurality of units cells;
a plurality of terminals including a positive terminal and a negative terminal that are coupled to the first and second end nodes and at least one detection terminal coupled to at least one of the nodes of the plurality of batteries wherein the positive and negative electrode terminals and the at least one detection terminal extend outwards and upward of the battery housing when the bottom surface of the plurality of unit cells are positioned on a bottom surface of the battery housing which is positioned on a flat surface and wherein an electrical characteristic of the battery cells located between a selected set of the terminals that includes at least one detection terminal is measurable outside of the battery housing wherein the at least one detection terminal is elongate and includes a first end that is connected to a bus bar attached to at least one of the plurality of battery cells the at least one detection terminal extends in a direction perpendicularly outward from the plane of top the surfaces of the plurality of unit cells to a second end that spaced from the first end so as to extend outward of the battery housing wherein the battery housing comprises a case having an opening formed thereon, and a cover portion that covers the opening wherein the cover portion is planar and is positioned over the top surfaces of the plurality of unit cells, wherein the detection terminals extend outward from the top surfaces of the case and through the cover portion to be exposed outside the case by penetrating the cover portion and wherein the detection terminals include an insertion portion that is positioned outside of the cover, a support portion that contacts both an inner and an outer wall of the cover portion of the housing.

7. The battery module of claim 6 , wherein the at least one detection terminal comprises a plurality of detection terminals.

8. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the unit cell or unit cells disposed between the two selected terminals are chargeable via the two selected terminals.

9. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of battery cells are interconnected by a plurality of bus bars and the plurality of detection terminals are respectively coupled to the plurality of bus bars.

10. The battery module of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of bus bars and the plurality of cells are arranged so as to couple two sets of battery cells in parallel with each other between the first and second end nodes.

Assignees

• Park Seong-Joon
• Ju Ri-A
• Kim Suk-Kyum
• Kim Hyun
• Lim Ji-Hong
• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Seong-Joon
• Ju Ri-A
• Kim Suk-Kyum
• Kim Hyun
• Lim Ji-Hong

Classifications

• H01M10/48 Primary

  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

• H01M50/209

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/512

  Connection only in parallel · CPC title

• H01M50/271

  Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings · CPC title

• H01M50/569

  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 title