阅读说明：本技术 具有增强的电连接稳定性的电池模块 (Battery module with enhanced electrical connection stability ) 是由 金炅模 文祯晤 池昊俊 崔恒准 于 2018-10-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种电池模块。根据本发明的电池模块是这样一种电池模块,其包括袋型电池单体,所述袋型电池单体层压/布置在彼此之上,并且串联/并联电连接。其它袋型电池单体的电极引线朝向一个袋型电池单体的电极引线偏置,使得电极引线在其每个的一端处重叠。每个袋型电池单体可以包括R弯曲部,在该R弯曲部中,在平台和电极引线之间的边界部在电极引线被偏置的方向上被处理成弯曲形状。(The invention provides a battery module. The battery module according to the present invention is a battery module including pouch type battery cells that are laminated/arranged on each other and are electrically connected in series/parallel. The electrode leads of the other pouch type battery cells are biased toward the electrode lead of one pouch type battery cell such that the electrode leads overlap at one end of each thereof. Each pouch type battery cell may include an R-bent part in which a boundary part between the stage and the electrode lead is processed into a bent shape in a direction in which the electrode lead is biased.)

1. A battery module including pouch-type battery cells stacked one on another and electrically connected in series and/or parallel,

wherein, for the electrode lead of any one pouch-type battery cell, the electrode leads of the other pouch-type battery cells are offset toward the electrode lead of the any one pouch-type battery cell such that one ends of the electrode leads overlap, and

wherein each of the pouch type battery cells has an R bending part where a boundary region between a stage and the electrode lead is bent in a direction in which the electrode lead is offset.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the R-bend has a circular shape, and the platform is bent such that a front end of the platform is located at a most recessed area at the R-bend.

3. The battery module of claim 1, comprising:

a positive electrode lead group in which one ends of at least two positive electrode leads overlap and extend straight; and

a negative electrode lead group in which negative electrode leads are provided in the same number as the positive electrode leads, and one ends of at least two of the negative electrode leads overlap and extend straight in the same direction as the positive electrode lead group,

wherein, based on the first cathode electrode lead and the first anode electrode lead facing each other at the cathode electrode lead group and the anode electrode lead group at the shortest distance, the other cathode electrode leads are offset toward the first cathode electrode lead, and the other anode electrode leads are offset toward the first anode electrode lead.

4. The battery module of claim 3, further comprising:

a bus bar assembly configured to electrically connect the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group,

wherein the bus bar assembly includes:

a fixed bus bar provided in the form of a bar-shaped conductor;

a pair of movable bus bars disposed between the pair of movable bus bars and disposed to be spaced apart from each other at both sides of the fixed bus bars to form a fitting space between the movable bus bars and the fixed bus bars such that the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group are inserted into the fitting space, respectively; and

an attaching member configured to move the pair of movable bus bars close to the fixed bus bars in a state where the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group are located in the fitting space, so that the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group are attached to the fixed bus bars.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the adhesion member is a leaf spring, both ends of which are coupled to the pair of movable bus bars to move the pair of movable bus bars in a direction facing each other by an elastic restoring force of the leaf spring.

6. The battery module of claim 4, wherein each of the pair of movable bus bars comprises:

an attachment portion disposed in parallel with the fixed bus bar; and

a gap adjusting part extending at both ends of the attaching part to be bent and connected to the attaching member,

wherein the pair of movable bus bars are disposed symmetrically to each other based on the fixed bus bar to surround the fixed bus bar.

7. A battery pack comprising the battery module defined in any one of claims 1 to 6.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a battery module, and more particularly, to a battery module that: the battery module can prevent electrical contact between electrode leads and pouch exterior parts in pouch-type battery cells connected in parallel inside the battery module, and improve the coupling stability of a plurality of electrode leads and bus bars overlapped in several layers at a parallel connection structure.

The present application claims priority from korean patent application No. 10-2017-0158519, filed in korea at 24.11.2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background

In general, lithium secondary batteries may be classified into can type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is included in a metal can and pouch type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is included in a pouch made of an aluminum sheet, according to the shape of external parts.

Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used not only in small-sized devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in electric vehicles that require driving power by using an internal combustion engine and/or an electric motor. Electric vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and electric-only vehicles powered by an electric motor and a battery without an internal combustion engine.

In an electric vehicle, a large number of secondary batteries are electrically connected to increase capacity and power. In particular, since the pouch-type secondary battery can be easily stacked, it is widely used for medium-or large-sized devices. For example, generally, a battery module of a middle-or large-sized device is implemented by stacking pouch-type secondary batteries and connecting electrode leads in series and/or parallel.

Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 1, when the pouch type battery cells 1, 2, 3 are connected in parallel, the electrode leads 1a, 2a, 3a of the same polarity are overlapped and the ends thereof are bent and contacted on the top surface of the bus bar 4, and then the ends are welded together to be combined in this state.

However, when the pouch type battery cells are connected in parallel as described above, as shown in fig. 2, the positive electrode lead 1a of one pouch type battery cell 1 often interferes with the stage front end 2b of the pouch exterior part of the other pouch type battery cell 2 adjacent thereto. The bag exterior member has a layered structure where an outer insulating layer 7, an aluminum layer 6, and an inner adhesive layer 5 are laminated in this order. The electrode lead is allowed to contact the outer insulating layer 7 of the pouch exterior member, but when the electrode lead contacts the stage leading end 2b (where the aluminum layer 6 may be exposed) an electrical short may occur. That is, in a state where the insulation of the pouch exterior member is broken, if the positive electrode lead 1a contacts the aluminum layer 6 of the pouch exterior member, a short circuit may occur, which greatly increases the possibility of fire.

In other words, the pouch type secondary battery is vulnerable to external physical impacts to some extent due to the shape of the pouch type secondary battery. Therefore, if the thermal bonding is not precisely performed during the sealing process, the vulnerability may become more serious, so that cracks or damage may occur in the internal attachment layer 5 only with a small physical impact, thereby converting the aluminum layer 6 into an electrode. That is, if the internal adhesive layer 5 is damaged, the aluminum layer 6 may be polarized because the aluminum layer 6 is in direct contact with the electrode assembly. Generally, since the negative electrode plate is disposed at the outermost side of the electrode assembly, the aluminum layer 6 becomes a negative electrode. In a state where the aluminum layer 6 becomes the negative electrode, if the positive electrode lead 1a is in contact with the stage front end 2b of the pouch exterior member as shown in fig. 2, a short circuit may occur, which may cause the pouch type secondary battery to catch fire.

Therefore, particularly when several pouch-type secondary batteries are connected in parallel, it is necessary to provide an insulating device for isolating the electrode lead from the front end of the stage of the pouch exterior part. For example, in a conventional battery module process, an additional insulation sheet or tape is applied between adjacent pouch-type battery cells, or an injection-molded member is additionally assembled. However, these solutions cause new problems such as increased cost and complicated assembly process.

In addition, in the conventional art, a large number of manual operations are required to weld the electrode leads to the bus bars, and the electrode leads and the bus bars are not easily attached to each other due to elastic restoring force of the electrode leads made of a metal material. In particular, when three or more electrode leads are connected in parallel, a plurality of electrode leads will be overlapped on the bus bar, which makes the welding work more difficult and deteriorates the welding quality.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module that may prevent electrical contact between electrode leads in adjacent pouch type battery cells among a plurality of pouch type battery cells connected in parallel inside and a platform front end of a pouch exterior part, and also improve bonding stability of a plurality of electrode leads and bus bars overlapped in several layers at a parallel connection structure.

Technical solution

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module including pouch-shaped battery cells stacked on each other and electrically connected in series and/or parallel, wherein, for an electrode lead of any one pouch-shaped battery cell, electrode leads of other pouch-shaped battery cells are offset toward the electrode lead of the any one pouch-shaped battery cell such that one ends of the electrode leads overlap, and wherein each of the pouch-shaped battery cells has an R-bent portion at which a boundary region between a stage and the electrode lead is bent in a direction in which the electrode lead is offset.

The R-bend may have a circular shape, and the platform may be bent such that a front end thereof is located at a most recessed area at the R-bend.

The battery module may include: a positive electrode lead group in which one ends of at least two positive electrode leads are overlapped and straightly extended; and a negative electrode lead group, wherein negative electrode leads are provided in the same number as the positive electrode leads, and one ends of at least two of the negative electrode leads overlap and extend straight in the same direction as the positive electrode lead group, wherein other positive electrode leads may be offset toward the first positive electrode lead and other negative electrode leads may be offset toward the first negative electrode lead based on the first positive electrode lead and the first negative electrode lead facing each other at the shortest distance at the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group.

The battery module may include a bus bar assembly configured to electrically connect the positive electrode lead set and the negative electrode lead set, wherein the bus bar assembly may include: a fixed bus bar provided in the form of a bar-shaped conductor; a pair of movable bus bars disposed between the pair of movable bus bars and disposed to be spaced apart from each other at both sides of the fixed bus bars to form a fitting space between the movable bus bars and the fixed bus bars such that the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group are inserted into the fitting space, respectively; and an attaching member configured to move the pair of movable bus bars close to the fixed bus bars in a state where the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group are located in the fitting space, so that the positive electrode lead group and the negative electrode lead group are attached to the fixed bus bars.

The attaching member may be a leaf spring, both ends of which are coupled to the pair of movable bus bars to move the pair of movable bus bars in a direction facing each other by an elastic restoring force thereof.

Each of the pair of movable bus bars may include: an attachment portion disposed in parallel with the fixed bus bar; and a gap adjusting part extended at both ends of the attaching part to be bent and connected to the attaching member, wherein the pair of movable bus bars may be disposed symmetrically to each other based on the fixed bus bar to surround the fixed bus bar.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a battery pack including the above battery module.

Advantageous effects

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent electrical contact between the electrode lead at the adjacent pouch type battery cell among the plurality of pouch type battery cells coupled in parallel and the stage front end of the pouch exterior member, thereby improving safety.

In particular, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, high efficiency is ensured since there are no problems such as an increase in cost and a complicated assembly process, as compared to the case where a separate member or an insulating tape is used to prevent an electrical short between the electrode lead and the pouch exterior part.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, since all the electrode leads may be welded in a mechanically compressed state, electrical connection reliability and mechanical bonding strength may be improved regardless of the number of the electrode leads in the parallel connection structure.

In addition, since a manual process for bending the terminal part of the electrode lead is removed, the automation rate of the battery module production line can be improved.

Effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above, and effects not mentioned herein can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view schematically showing several pouch type battery cells connected in parallel according to the related art.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a portion a of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a pouch type battery cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 and 5 are a perspective view and a sectional view schematically illustrating a parallel connection of several pouch type battery cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing a portion B of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 to 9 are views for illustrating each step of connecting electrode leads of pouch-type battery cells according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to a bus bar assembly.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation.

Accordingly, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The embodiments disclosed herein are provided to explain the present disclosure more perfectly, and thus the shape, size, etc. of components may be exaggerated, omitted, or simplified in the drawings for better understanding. Accordingly, the dimensions and proportions of the elements in the drawings are not intended to be purely reflective of actual dimensions and proportions.

The battery module according to the present disclosure includes: a cell stack having pouch-type battery cells 10 stacked in one direction and electrically connected in series and/or parallel; the voltage sensing assembly is used for being electrically connected with the single stack and sensing the voltage of the single stack; a module housing for accommodating the cell stack to protect the cell stack from external influences and to provide mechanical support to the cell stack; and various devices for controlling the charge and discharge of the pouch type battery cell 10, such as a Battery Management System (BMS), a current sensor, a fuse, and the like. In the following disclosure, any configuration that may obscure the gist of the present disclosure will not be explained, but characteristic features of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

Fig. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a pouch type battery cell 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, referring to fig. 3, a pouch-type battery cell 10 applied to a battery module according to the present disclosure includes an electrode assembly 13, a pouch exterior member, and an electrode lead having one end connected to the electrode assembly 13 and the other end extending outside the pouch exterior member. For reference, a portion of the electrode lead is thermally bonded to the pouch exterior member. Here, since the heat bonding layer of the pouch exterior member is made of a resin layer and the electrode lead is a metal, the heat bonding between the electrode lead and the pouch exterior member may be insufficient. To supplement this, an adhesive tape 16 may be used. The electrode lead may be thermally bonded to the bag exterior part in a state where the outer circumference of the electrode lead is adhered with the adhesive tape 16.

Although not shown in detail for convenience of explanation, the electrode assembly 13 may include a positive electrode plate, a separator, and a negative electrode plate, and the electrode assembly 13 is configured such that the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate coated with the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material, respectively, are repeatedly laminated with the separator interposed therebetween. Generally, the size of the negative electrode plate is slightly larger than that of the positive electrode plate, and thus the negative electrode plate is located at the top and bottom ends of the electrode assembly 13. The electrode assembly 13 may be accommodated in a sealed state in the pouch exterior part together with the electrolyte.

The bag exterior member has a multilayer structure in which a polyolefin resin layer, which is a heat-bonding layer serving as a sealing material, a substrate, an Aluminum Layer (AL), and a nylon layer are laminated; the substrate is used for maintaining mechanical strength; the aluminum layer is a metal layer for blocking moisture and oxygen; the nylon layer serves as a protective layer. Cast polypropylene (CPP) is commonly used as the polyolefin resin layer as the thermal bonding layer.

The bag outer member is arranged such that: after the electrode assembly 13 is put into the pouch exterior part and the electrolyte is injected therein, the edges thereof are sealed. For example, the bag exterior member includes a first bag sheet 11a and a second bag sheet 11 b. Here, the first pouch sheet 11a may be formed to accommodate the electrode assembly 13 in a central region thereof, and the second pouch sheet 11b may be disposed to face the first pouch sheet 11a such that edges thereof are thermally bonded to each other. Hereinafter, the heat-bonded edge region of the bag outer member is defined as the platform 12.

In particular, referring to fig. 3 and 4 to 6 together, each pouch-type battery cell 10 of the battery module according to the present disclosure may further include an R-bent portion 17. The R-bent portion 17 is a portion prepared by bending a boundary region between the stage 12 of the pouch exterior member and the electrode lead. When a plurality of pouch type battery cells 10 are connected in parallel, the R-bent portion 17 allows the electrode lead and the stage front end 12a of the pouch exterior member not to interfere with or contact each other.

More specifically, referring to the R-fold 17, the platform front end 12a of the pouch exterior member is located at a position where the R-fold 17 sharply bends, as compared with other portions, so as to deviate from a straight line along which the electrode lead extends from the platform 12 of the pouch exterior member.

In this embodiment, the R-bend 17 may have a circular or arc shape in regions before and after the boundary region between the platform 12 of the pouch exterior member and the electrode lead. At this time, the platform front end 12a of the bag exterior member is preferably located at the most recessed region of the R-folded portion 17.

In addition, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the R-bent portion 17 is formed in the same direction as the following direction, that is: when a plurality of pouch type battery cells 10 are connected in parallel, the electrode leads of the other pouch type battery cells 10 are deviated from the direction with respect to the electrode lead of any one pouch type battery cell 10.

For example, in this embodiment, it is assumed that three pouch type battery cells 10 are respectively connected in parallel among a total of six pouch type battery cells 10. In this case, the positive electrode leads 14 of the first and second pouch type battery cells 10 at the left side of fig. 5 may be shifted to the right to overlap with the positive electrode lead 14 of the third pouch type battery cell 10 as a base. At this time, the R-bent portions 17 of the three pouch-shaped battery cells 10 are oriented rightward, which is the same direction in which the positive electrode lead 14 is offset. In contrast, the negative electrode leads 15 of the fifth and sixth pouch type battery cells 10 at the left side of fig. 5 may be offset to the left to overlap with the negative electrode lead 15 of the fourth pouch type battery cell 10 as a base. At this time, the R-bent portions 17 of the three pouch-shaped battery cells 10 face leftward.

If the R-bent portion 17 of the pouch type battery cell 10 is provided, when the pouch type battery cells 10 are connected in parallel, as shown in fig. 6, even if the electrode lead of any one pouch type battery cell 10 is offset at any angle, the electrode lead does not interfere with or contact the stage front end 12a of another adjacent pouch type battery cell 10. Therefore, when the pouch type battery cells 10 are connected in parallel, the R-bent portion 17 according to the present invention, unlike the prior art, can effectively eliminate possible electrical contact between the electrode lead and the metal layer of the pouch exterior member even if a separate member or insulating tape is not provided.

Meanwhile, the pouch-type battery cell 10 of the battery module according to the present disclosure has a positive electrode lead group 18 in which one ends of at least two positive electrode leads 14 extend straightly, and a negative electrode lead group 19; in the negative electrode lead group 19, the same number of negative electrode leads as the positive electrode leads 14 extend straight in the same direction as the positive electrode lead group 18.

With respect to the first cathode electrode lead 14 and the first anode electrode lead 15 facing each other at the cathode electrode lead group 18 and the anode electrode lead group 19 at the shortest distance, the other cathode electrode leads 14 may be offset toward the first cathode electrode lead 14, and the other anode electrode leads 15 may be offset toward the first anode electrode lead 15. Although only one direction of the pouch type battery cells 10 connected in parallel is shown in the drawings for reference, opposite sides of the pouch type battery cells 10 have the same structure although the polarities thereof are different, and thus, will not be described in detail.

For example, in the pouch type battery cell 10 shown in fig. 4 and 5, the first positive electrode lead 14 may correspond to the positive electrode lead 14 of the third pouch type battery cell 10 at the left side in the drawing, and the first negative electrode lead 15 may correspond to the negative electrode lead 15 of the fourth pouch type battery cell 10. In this configuration, the gap between the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 can be minimized, which makes it easier to connect the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 to the bus bars in the future.

The positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 according to the present disclosure may be coupled to a bus bar assembly 20 described later in a form of extending straight.

Fig. 7 to 9 are views for illustrating each step of connecting the electrode lead of the pouch type battery cell 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure to the bus bar assembly 20.

Referring to fig. 7 to 9, the battery module of the present disclosure may further include a bus bar assembly 20 for electrically connecting the positive electrode lead set 18 and the negative electrode lead set 19.

The bus bar assembly 20 may include: a fixed bus bar 21; a pair of movable bus bars 22; and an attaching member 25 for allowing the pair of movable bus bars 22 to be movable relative to the fixed bus bar 21.

As will be described in more detail below, according to the present disclosure, the positive electrode lead set 18 and the negative electrode lead set 19 may be directly inserted into the assembly space S of the bus bar assembly 20 and then clamped and welded thereto. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the bending process of the electrode lead as in the related art, thereby improving the automation rate of the production line. Also, according to the present disclosure, the electrode lead set may be welded under mechanical compression. Therefore, even when two or more electrode leads are coupled in parallel, reliability of electrical connection and mechanical bonding strength can be maintained.

Hereinafter, the bus bar assembly 20 according to the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

The fixed bus bar 21 may be made of a bar-shaped material having conductivity, such as copper, silver, and tin-plated copper. Therefore, if the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 are in contact with the fixed bus bar 21, the current of the battery module may be stably applied.

The movable bus bar 22 may also be made of a metal having electrical conductivity, such as copper, silver, tin-plated copper, or copper, similarly to the fixed bus bar 21. However, the main functions of the movable bus bar 22 are: the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 are pressed so as to be attached to the fixed bus bar 21 and clamped. Therefore, the movable bus bar 22 does not necessarily have to be made of a metal material, but may be made of a non-metal material.

The movable bus bars 22 are provided in pairs so as to be movable relative to the fixed bus bars 21 interposed therebetween. In addition, a fitting space S is provided between the movable bus bar 22 and the fixed bus bar 21 to allow the positive electrode lead group 18 or the negative electrode lead group 19 to pass through. For example, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the negative electrode lead group 19 may be disposed in the fitting space S between the left movable bus bar 22 and the fixed bus bar 21, and the positive electrode lead group 18 may be disposed in the fitting space S between the right movable bus bar 22 and the fixed bus bar 21.

Each of the pair of movable bus bars 22 according to the embodiment includes substantiallyThe attachment portion 23 and the gap-adjusting portion 24 are shaped and may be symmetrically disposed around the fixed bus bar 21 to surround the fixed bus bar. The attaching portion 23 may be defined as a portion disposed in parallel with the fixed bus bar 21, and the gap adjusting portion 24 may be defined as a portion bent and extended from both ends of the attaching portion 23 toward the fixed bus bar 21.

The gap adjusting portion 24 of the left movable bus bar 22 and the gap adjusting portion 24 of the right movable bus bar 22 are configured to contact each other. The width of the fitting space S may be designed differently according to the length of the gap adjusting part 24 of the movable bus bar 22 that is in contact.

The attaching member 25 may function to move the pair of movable bus bars 22 close to the fixed bus bar 21. In this embodiment, a leaf spring is applied as the attaching member 25. Both ends of the leaf spring are coupled to the left and right movable bus bars 22 in a state in which the leaf spring is compressed. Therefore, if the left and right movable bus bars 22 are released after being pulled by applying an external force, the left and right movable bus bars 22 are moved to the original state toward the fixed bus bar 21 due to the elastic restoring force of the leaf spring.

Hereinafter, a process of combining the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 connected in parallel to the bus bar assembly 20 will be briefly described with reference to fig. 7 to 9.

First, based on the first cathode electrode lead 14 and the first anode electrode lead 15 adjacent to each other, the cathode electrode lead group 18 and the anode electrode lead group 19 are formed by overlapping one end of the cathode electrode lead(s) 14 and one end of the anode electrode lead(s) 15, respectively.

Then, the left and right movable bus bars 22 of the bus bar assembly 20 are pulled to sufficiently secure the fitting space S, and in this state, the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 are fitted into the corresponding fitting spaces S, respectively.

Thereafter, the left and right movable bus bars 22 of the bus bar assembly 20 are released, so that the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 are attached to the fixed bus bars 21. At this time, the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 may be clamped by the bus bar assembly 20 and coupled to the fixed bus bar 21 in a state of being straightly extended. Then, the welding process may be further used to more firmly couple the positive electrode lead group 18 and the negative electrode lead group 19 to the bus bar assembly 20.

If the bus bar assembly 20 of the present disclosure is used, a process of bending the electrode lead, which is used in the related art, is not required at all when welding the electrode lead (see fig. 1). Accordingly, a manual process for bending the electrode lead may be eliminated to improve the automation rate of the battery module production line. In addition, since all the electrode leads can be welded in a mechanically compressed state, electrical connectivity and mechanical bonding strength reliability can be improved regardless of the number of electrode leads in the parallel connection structure.

A battery pack according to the present disclosure may include at least one battery module of the present disclosure. The battery pack according to the present disclosure may further include a pack case for accommodating the battery modules, various devices for controlling charge and discharge of each battery module, and the like, in addition to the battery modules.

The present disclosure has been described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Meanwhile, when terms indicating up, down, left, and right directions are used in the specification, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these merely represent relative positions for convenience of explanation and may vary based on the position of an observer or an observation object.