CN211789135U

CN211789135U - Battery pack

Info

Publication number: CN211789135U
Application number: CN202020154693.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄镐龙
Original assignee: Samsung SDI Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung SDI Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-21
Filing date: 2020-02-06
Publication date: 2020-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2030-02-06
Also published as: KR20200102186A; KR102663021B1

Abstract

A battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes: a battery module; a first case and a second case coupled to each other such that the first case and the second case face each other with the battery module therebetween; and a sealing member configured to seal a gap between the first housing and the second housing, the sealing member including a sealing protrusion provided at a first position between the first housing and the second housing and a fixing portion provided at a second position outside the gap between the first housing and the second housing. Therefore, the battery pack may have an improved sealing structure with respect to the inner space accommodating the battery modules, thereby improving sealing characteristics.

Description

Battery pack

This application claims priority and benefit of korean patent application No. 10-2019-0020488, filed by the korean intellectual property office on 21/2/2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

One or more embodiments relate to a battery pack.

Background

In general, a secondary battery refers to a battery that can be charged and recharged unlike a primary battery that is not rechargeable. The secondary battery is used as an energy source for devices such as mobile devices, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, electric bicycles, or uninterruptible power supplies. Depending on the type of external device using the secondary batteries, the secondary batteries are used individually or secondary battery modules (packs) each including a plurality of secondary batteries connected as one unit are used.

Unlike small mobile devices such as cellular phones, which are capable of operating for a period of time using a single battery, devices such as electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, which have long operation times and consume a large amount of electric power, may require battery modules (packs) each including a plurality of batteries (battery cells), in view of problems related to power and capacity. The output voltage or current of such battery modules may be increased by adjusting the number of batteries included in each battery module.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

One or more embodiments include a battery pack having an improved sealing structure with respect to an inner space accommodating battery modules.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosed embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, a battery pack includes: a battery module; a first case and a second case coupled to each other such that the first case and the second case face each other and such that the battery module is located between the first case and the second case; and a sealing member configured to seal a gap between the first housing and the second housing, the sealing member including a sealing protrusion provided at a first position between the first housing and the second housing and a fixing portion provided at a second position outside the gap between the first housing and the second housing.

For example, the sealing member may further include a base body forming a common base body portion connecting the sealing protrusion and the fixing portion to each other.

For example, the sealing protrusion may protrude from the flat surface of the base body at the first position in a direction in which one of the first and second housings faces the other of the first and second housings, and the fixing portion may protrude from the base body toward the second position in parallel with the flat surface of the base body.

For example, the sealing member may be fixed to the first housing via the fixing portion, and the sealing protrusion may be in contact with the second housing under the pressure.

For example, a fixing hole may be formed in the fixing portion, and the crimping member protruding from the first housing may be fitted through the fixing hole.

For example, the exposed end portion of the crimping member fitted through the fixing hole may be pressed against the periphery of the fixing hole and may be deformed in a flange shape.

For example, the sealing member may surround the battery module while extending along the gap between the first case and the second case, and the fixing portion may include a plurality of fixing portions protruding at intermittent positions arranged in a direction in which the sealing member extends.

For example, the gap space may be formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of fixing portions.

For example, the first and second cases may face each other and may be combined with each other to provide an inner space for accommodating the battery module, and the first and second positions may correspond to a position outside the inner space and a position inside the inner space, respectively.

For example, the sealing protrusion may form a large contact area with the second housing while being compressed in a first direction in which the first and second housings face each other and expanded in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction by a coupling force between the first and second housings.

For example, the sealing protrusion may be located between a flat base disposed on the first housing and a flat bonding surface of the second housing.

For example, the flat bonding surface of the second housing may not have a concavo-convex shape that restricts expansion of the sealing projection in the second direction.

According to the utility model discloses a battery pack, through improving the seal structure that is used for holding the inner space of battery module, can improve the sealing characteristic of battery pack.

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of some embodiments of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment;

fig. 2 is a view illustrating a first case of the battery pack shown in fig. 1 according to an embodiment; and

fig. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of a portion a in fig. 2, respectively showing states before and after the sealing member is pressure-fixed according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as limited to the description set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are described below in order to explain aspects of the specification by referring to the figures only. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Throughout the disclosure, the expression "at least one of a, b or c" designates all or a variation of a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a, b and c, and c.

A battery pack will now be described according to embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a view illustrating a first case of the battery pack shown in fig. 1 according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of a portion a in fig. 2, respectively showing states before and after the sealing member is pressure-fixed according to the embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1, a battery pack according to an embodiment may include: a battery module CP; a first case 110 and a second case 120, the first case 110 and the second case 120 being coupled to each other such that they face each other and such that the battery modules CP are located between the first case 110 and the second case 120; and a sealing member 150 configured to seal a gap between the first and

second housings

110 and 120.

The battery module CP may include: a plurality of battery cells 10; a cell holder 20 configured to structurally fix the battery cell 10; a lead plate 15 configured to electrically connect the battery cells 10 to each other; and a circuit board 50 configured to control the charging operation and the discharging operation of the battery cell 10.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the battery modules CP may be received in an inner space S formed by the first and

second cases

110 and 120 coupled to each other and facing each other with the battery modules CP therebetween, and the sealing member 150 may be disposed between the first and

second cases

110 and 120 such that the inner space S receiving the battery modules CP may be sealed from the outside. The first and

second housings

110 and 120 may be coupled to each other using a fastening member (not shown) such as a screw or a bolt, and for this, a coupling portion C may be formed on the first and

second housings

110 and 120 to provide a coupling position for the fastening member (not shown).

The sealing member 150 may extend along the coupling surface 110a of the first case 110 and the coupling surface 120a of the second case 120 to completely surround the battery module CP. In this case, the sealing member 150 may extend while bypassing the coupling portion C corresponding to the coupling position of the first and

second housings

110 and 120. That is, the sealing member 150 may extend while bypassing the coupling portion C of the first and

second housings

110 and 120 to avoid a position overlapping the coupling portion C. In an embodiment, a coupling portion C providing a coupling position between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 may be formed at the outside of the sealing member 150, the sealing member 150 may extend while surrounding the inside of the coupling portion and bypassing the coupling portion C, and may include a plurality of bent portions 150C for bypassing the coupling portion C in the extending direction of the sealing member 150. As described above, in the embodiment, a fastening member (not shown) for coupling the first and

second housings

110 and 120 to each other may not penetrate the sealing member 150 or may not be coupled to the sealing member 150. This will be described later.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4 together, the sealing member 150 may include a sealing protrusion 151 at a first position P1 and a fixing portion 152 at a second position P2. In an embodiment, the sealing member 150 may be disposed on the first housing 110. For example, in a state where the sealing member 150 is fixed to the first housing 110, when the second housing 120 is coupled to the first housing 110 to face the first housing 110, the sealing member 150 may be in contact with the second housing 120 by pressure, so that a gap between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 may be sealed. In this case, the sealing member 150 may be fixed to the first housing 110 using the fixing portion 152, and the sealing protrusion 151 of the sealing member 150 may be in contact with the second housing 120 under pressure, so that a gap between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 may be sealed. In this case, the sealing protrusion 151 and the fixing portion 152 may be disposed at different positions (i.e., the first position P1 and the second position P2) of the sealing member 150.

The sealing protrusion 151 and the fixing portion 152 may be connected to each other through a base (or referred to as a base) 155 forming a common base portion, and the sealing protrusion 151 and the fixing portion 152 may be located at different positions: i.e., a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 may be a position between the first case 110 and the second case 120, for example, a position between the

coupling surfaces

110a and 120a of the first case 110 and the second case 120 facing each other.

The sealing protrusion 151 may be disposed at the first position P1 between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 to seal the gap between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 so that moisture or foreign substances do not permeate through the gap between the first and

second housings

110 and 120. The sealing protrusion 151 may be disposed between the

coupling surfaces

110a and 120a of the first and

second housings

110 and 120 facing each other, and may be brought into contact with the coupling surface 110a of the first housing 110 or the coupling surface 120a of the second housing 120 by pressure. In an embodiment, the base 155 of the sealing member 150 may be disposed on the first case 110, and the sealing protrusion 151 protruding from the base 155 toward the second case 120 may be brought into contact with the bonding surface 120a of the second case 120 by pressure. In this case, the sealing protrusion 151 may form a large contact area with the second housing 120 in a state in which the sealing protrusion 151 is elastically compressed according to the coupling force between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120. For example, the sealing protrusion 151 may form a large contact area with the second housing 120 while being compressed by the coupling force between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120. For example, while the sealing protrusion 151 is compressed in the first direction Z1 in which the first and

second housings

110 and 120 face each other, the sealing protrusion 151 may be expanded in the second direction Z2 perpendicular to the first direction Z1, and thus the sealing protrusion 151 may form a large contact area with the bonding surface 120a of the second housing 120. In this case, a structure that hinders the expansion of the sealing protrusion 151 in the second direction Z2 may not be around the sealing protrusion 151, for example, a concavo-convex shape such as a groove and a rib that may hinder the expansion of the sealing protrusion 151 in the second direction Z2 may not be on the bonding surface 120a of the second case 120 that forms a contact area with the sealing protrusion 151. The sealing protrusion 151 may be disposed between the base 155, which is flat and disposed on the first housing 110, and the flat coupling surface 120a of the second housing 120, and a structure that may hinder the expansion of the sealing protrusion 151 in the second direction Z2 may not be formed around the sealing protrusion 151.

As described later, the sealing member 150 may be fixed using the fixing portion 152 provided at the second position P2, in which case, since the sealing protrusion 151 is provided at the first position P1 separated from the second position P2 and substantially unaffected by the position fixing force of the sealing member 150, the sealing protrusion 151 may form a large contact area with the second housing 120 while freely expanding without restriction in the second direction Z2.

The fixing portion 152 serves to fix the sealing member 150, and may be formed at a second position P2 different from the first position P1 at which the sealing protrusion 151 is formed. Unlike the first position P1, the second position P2 may be a position outside the gap between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120, for example, the second position P2 may not be between the facing

bonding surfaces

110a and 120a of the first housing 110 and the second housing 120.

In an embodiment, the sealing protrusion 151 may protrude from the flat surface of the base 155 at a first position P1 where the first and

second housings

110 and 120 face each other and may be in contact with the bonding surface 120a of the second housing 120 under pressure, and the fixing portion 152 may protrude parallel to the flat surface of the base 155 and may be located at a second position P2 such that the fixing portion 152 may be away from the first position P1 where the first and

second housings

110 and 120 face each other. For example, the sealing member 150 or the base 155 may surround the battery module CP along the coupling surface 110a of the first case 110 and the coupling surface 120a of the second case 120, and the fixing parts 152 may include a plurality of fixing parts 152, the plurality of fixing parts 152 protruding from the sealing member 150 or the base 155 and being intermittently arranged in a length direction of the sealing member 150 or the base 155 surrounding the battery module CP. For example, the gap space (g) may be between adjacent ones of the fixing portions 152, and the fixing portions 152 may protrude at positions separated from each other in a length direction of the sealing member 150 or the base 155, so that each fixing portion 152 may be isolated in a state where the fixing portion 152 is surrounded by the gap space (g). As described above, since the fixing portion 152 is isolated in a state where the fixing portion 152 is surrounded by the gap space (g), the fixing force applied to the fixing portion 152 can be effectively blocked and thus not transmitted to the sealing protrusion 151 through the base 155.

Fixing holes 150 'are respectively formed in the fixing portions 152, and the crimping member 115 may be fitted into the fixing holes 150'. In addition, the end of the crimp member 115 fitted into the fixing hole 150' may be exposed through the fixing hole 150', and heat and pressure may be applied to the exposed end of the crimp member 115, so that the exposed end of the crimp member 115 may be pressed against the periphery of the fixing hole 150' and may be deformed in a laterally expanded flange shape. As described above, since the crimping member 115 fitted into the fixing hole 150 'is pressed against the periphery of the fixing hole 150', the fixing portion 152 can be firmly fixed to the first housing 110, and thus the sealing member 150 can be completely fixed due to the fixing portion 152. The crimping member 115 may be formed as one piece with the first housing 110, and may protrude from the first housing 110 to penetrate the fixing hole 150' of the fixing portion 152. In an embodiment, the crimp member 115 may protrude from the pillar member 111 of the first housing 110 that is disposed at an intermittent position (or referred to as an intermittent position) corresponding to the fixing portion 152. The pillar member 111 may be provided at a position corresponding to the fixing portion 152 to support the fixing portion 152 from below. In this case, a gap space (g) may be formed between the pillar members 111 of the first case 110 to reduce the space occupied by the pillar members 111, so that the internal space S accommodating the battery modules CP may be increased.

As described above, the sealing member 150 including the fixing portion 152 may be fixed to the first housing 110 by pressing the crimping member 115 fitted in the fixing hole 150 'against the circumference of the fixing hole 150', and the gap between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 may be sealed by bonding the second housing 120 to the first housing 110 in a direction facing the first housing 110 to press the sealing protrusion 151 of the sealing member 150 between the bonding surface 110a of the first housing 110 and the bonding surface 120a of the second housing 120.

In the embodiment, the sealing protrusion 151 for sealing between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 and the fixing portion 152 for fixing the sealing member 150 including the sealing protrusion 151 are disposed at the first and second positions P1 and P2 separated from each other, and thus the deterioration of the sealing property caused by the position fixing can be fundamentally prevented.

In a comparative example for comparison with the present disclosure, the sealing member 150 may be fixed using a fastening member penetrating a sealing protrusion 151 placed between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 while being coupled to the first and

second housings

110 and 120, so that both position fixing and sealing may be achieved by the sealing protrusion 151. In this case, since the sealing member 150 and the fastening member are placed between the first and

second housings

110 and 120, the sealing characteristics may inevitably deteriorate due to the fastening member having relatively poor elasticity or flexibility characteristics.

In another comparative example for comparison with the present disclosure, the sealing protrusion 151 disposed between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 may be locked in a groove or between ribs to achieve position fixing and sealing by the sealing protrusion 151. In this case, the deformation of the sealing protrusion 151 is restricted by the structure of the groove or the rib, and thus a contact area between the sealing protrusion 151 and the first housing 110 or between the sealing protrusion 151 and the second housing 120 may be relatively small, resulting in deterioration of sealing characteristics.

In the embodiment, the sealing protrusion 151 for sealing and the fixing portion 152 for position fixing are provided at different positions (i.e., the first position P1 and the second position P2), and thus the sealing property of the sealing protrusion 151 and the fixing property of the fixing portion 152 do not affect each other. For example, the sealing protrusion 151 may be freely deformed in the second direction Z2 by a coupling force acting between the first case 110 and the second case 120 in the first direction Z1, and thus a contact area between the sealing protrusion 151 and the first case 110 or between the sealing protrusion 151 and the second case 120 may be increased, thereby improving sealing characteristics.

The first position P1 may be a position where the first case 110 and the second case 120 face each other, and the second position may be a position away from the first case 110 and the second case 120. In an embodiment, the first position P1 may be a relatively outer position and the second position P2 may be a relatively inner position. For example, the sealing protrusion 151 may be disposed at a first position P1 relatively close to the outside, and the fixing portion 152 may be disposed at a second position P2 as a relatively inner position. For example, the fixing part 152 may be disposed in the inner space S accommodating the battery module CP, and the sealing protrusion 151 may be disposed outside the inner space S. As described above, the fixing portion 152 is inside the sealing protrusion 151, thereby preventing external moisture or dirt from penetrating along the fixing portion 152 and removing a protruding structure such as the fixing portion 152 from the appearance of the battery pack. Here, the expression that the sealing protrusions 151 are disposed outside the inner space S accommodating the battery modules CP does not mean that the sealing protrusions 151 are disposed outside the first and

second cases

110 and 120, which are coupled to each other and face each other with the cell modules CP therebetween, but means that the sealing protrusions 151 are disposed in the inner space S outside the inner space S, not together with the battery pack CP.

According to the embodiment, in the sealing member 150 for sealing the inner space S accommodating the battery modules CP, the sealing protrusion for sealing and the fixing portion for position fixing are provided at different positions (i.e., the first position P1 and the second position P2), and thus the sealing property of the sealing protrusion 151 and the fixing property of the fixing portion 152 do not affect each other. For example, the sealing protrusion 151 may be freely deformed by a coupling force between the first and

second housings

110 and 120 to increase a contact area between the sealing protrusion 151 and the first housing 110 or between the sealing protrusion 151 and the second housing 120, thereby improving sealing characteristics.

It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are to be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should generally be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. Although one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A battery pack, characterized in that the battery pack comprises:

a battery module;

a first case and a second case coupled to each other such that the first case and the second case face each other with the battery module therebetween; and

and a sealing member configured to seal a gap between the first and second housings, the sealing member including a sealing protrusion disposed at a first position between the first and second housings and a fixing portion disposed at a second position outside the gap between the first and second housings.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1,

the sealing member further includes a base body forming a common base body portion connecting the sealing protrusion and the fixing portion to each other.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the sealing protrusion protrudes from the flat surface of the base body at the first position in a direction in which one of the first case and the second case faces the other of the first case and the second case,

the fixing portion protrudes from the base toward the second position in parallel with the flat surface of the base.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is fixed to the first case via a fixing portion, and the sealing protrusion is in contact with the second case under the pressure.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a fixing hole is formed in the fixing portion, and the crimp member protruding from the first case is fitted through the fixing hole.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the exposed end of the crimping member fitted through the fixing hole is pressed against the periphery of the fixing hole and deformed in a flange shape.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member surrounds the battery modules while extending along the gap between the first case and the second case,

the fixing portion includes a plurality of fixing portions that protrude at intermittent positions arranged in a direction in which the seal member extends.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein a gap space is formed between adjacent fixing portions of the plurality of fixing portions.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first case and the second case face each other and are combined with each other to provide an inner space for accommodating the battery module, and

the first position and the second position correspond to a position outside the interior space and a position inside the interior space, respectively.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the sealing protrusion is compressed in a first direction in which the first and second cases face each other and forms a large contact area with the second case while expanding in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction by a bonding force between the first and second cases.

11. The battery according to claim 10, wherein the sealing protrusion is located between a flat base disposed on the first case and a flat coupling surface of the second case.

12. The battery pack according to claim 11, wherein the flat bonding surface of the second case does not have a concavo-convex shape that restricts expansion of the sealing protrusion in the second direction.