KR20230119546A - Battery module and battery pack including the same and vehicle including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery module, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle are disclosed. A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; a case in which a battery cell stack is accommodated and a first outlet through which gas is discharged is formed; an exhaust path member mounted on the case to provide a gas exhaust path and to discharge the gas but prevent the outflow of flame; and a cover coupled to the case to cover the exhaust passage member and having a second outlet through which gas moved through the exhaust passage member is discharged, and the exhaust passage member is provided to be adjustable in length.

Description

Battery module, battery pack and vehicle including the same

The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle, and more particularly, relates to a battery module in which gas is discharged but flame is not emitted when a battery cell is ignited, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle. .

As the technology development and demand for mobile devices increase, the demand for secondary batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing. Conventionally, nickel cadmium batteries or hydrogen ion batteries have been used as secondary batteries, but recently, compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, they have a memory effect. Lithium secondary batteries, which are free to charge and discharge, have very low self-discharge rates, and have high energy densities, are widely used.

These lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as positive electrode active materials and negative electrode active materials, respectively. A lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate coated with such a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material are disposed with a separator therebetween, and an exterior material that seals and houses the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte, that is, a battery case.

A lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator and electrolyte interposed therebetween. Depending on which positive electrode active material and negative active material are used, a lithium ion battery (LIB) or a lithium polymer battery (Polymer Lithium Ion Battery) is used. , PLIB), etc. In general, the electrodes of these lithium secondary batteries may be formed by coating a positive electrode or negative electrode active material on a current collector such as an aluminum or copper sheet, mesh, film, or foil and then drying it. .

Lithium secondary batteries are currently in the limelight due to their advantages such as high operating voltage and extremely high energy density. However, since organic electrolytes are used, overcharging of lithium secondary batteries causes overcurrent and overheating, which in severe cases can lead to explosions or fires due to ignition. There is a problem that causes

Various types of secondary batteries include a battery module in which a case capable of protecting the battery cell is provided and a plurality of battery cells are stacked and inserted into the case, and a battery pack including a plurality of battery modules.

Here, when a flame is generated in at least one of the battery cells inside the case of the battery module, when the flame leaks out of the case of the battery module, it may propagate to other battery modules and may cause a dangerous situation to a user. For example, when a battery module or battery pack is installed in an electric vehicle and a battery cell catches fire and the flame leaks out, a driver driving the electric vehicle may get burned or be in a dangerous situation.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0020234 (published date: February 23, 2016)

Accordingly, a technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a battery module, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle that can prevent the outflow of the flame while discharging gas to the outside of the case when a flame is generated in the battery cell.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; a case accommodating the battery cell stack and having a first outlet through which gas is discharged; an exhaust path member mounted on the case to provide an exhaust path for the gas, and to discharge the gas but prevent the outflow of flame; and a cover coupled to the case to cover the exhaust passage member and having a second outlet through which gas moved through the exhaust passage member is discharged, wherein the exhaust passage member is provided to be adjustable in length. A characterized battery module may be provided.

In addition, the first outlet formed in the case and the second outlet formed in the cover are formed in opposite directions, and the gas is guided from the first outlet to the second outlet while being guided by the exhaust passage member. may spill out.

The case may include a lower cover in which the battery cell laminate is accommodated; It is coupled to the lower cover, includes a plurality of mounting grooves in which the exhaust passage member is mounted, and an upper cover in which the first outlet is formed, the cover is coupled to the upper cover, and the exhaust passage member is coupled to the cover and It may be located between the upper cover.

Also, one exhaust path member among the plurality of exhaust path members and another exhaust path member adjacent to the exhaust path member may be arranged in a zigzag pattern.

And, the exhaust path member, a pair of partition members provided to be adjustable in length; and a support to which the pair of partition members are respectively coupled.

In addition, the partition member may be rotatably coupled to the support.

Also, the pair of partition members may be configured to be unfolded or folded with respect to the support.

In addition, the partition member is coupled to the support, the main body is formed with a guide groove on the inside; and a moving rod coupled to the guide groove of the main body and moving along the guide groove.

In addition, a plurality of first fastening holes are formed in the main body at preset intervals, and a plurality of second fastening holes are formed on the moving rod at preset intervals to correspond to the main body, and the first fastening holes and the first fastening holes are formed at predetermined intervals. 2 may include a fixing pin inserted into the fastening hole to fix the moving rod.

In addition, a stopper inserted into the first fastening hole may be included.

Meanwhile, according to another aspect of the present invention, a battery pack including the battery module described above may be provided, and a vehicle including the battery module may be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention, when a flame occurs in the battery cell, the gas is discharged to the outside of the case by the exhaust path member mounted on the case, but there is an effect of preventing the outflow of the flame.

1 is a combined perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a state in which a cover is removed from a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 to 9 are diagrams illustrating a process of unfolding an exhaust path member from a folded state in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of FIG. 3, in which the length of the exhaust path member is shortened.
FIG. 11 is a view showing another embodiment of FIG. 3, in which the number of exhaust path members is reduced.

Hereinafter, it will be described in detail according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to explain his or her invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that there is. Therefore, since the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, various alternatives can be made at the time of this application. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

In the drawings, the size of each component or a specific part constituting the component is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity of explanation. Therefore, the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size. If it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, such description will be omitted.

As used herein, the term 'coupling' or 'connection' refers to the case where one member and another member are directly coupled or directly connected, as well as when one member is indirectly coupled to another member through a joint member, or indirectly Including cases connected to

1 is a combined perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention 4 to 9 are perspective views of a state in which the cover is removed, and FIGS. 4 to 9 are views showing a process of unfolding an exhaust path member from a folded state in a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is another embodiment of FIG. 3 As a drawing showing an example, it is an embodiment in case the length of the exhaust path member is shortened, and FIG. 11 is a view showing another embodiment of FIG. 3, which is an embodiment in case the number of exhaust path members is reduced.

Referring to the drawings, a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell stack 100, a case 200, an exhaust passage member 300, and a cover 400. .

The battery cell stack 100 is formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells equipped with electrode leads. A battery cell may have various structures, and a plurality of battery cells may be stacked in various ways. An electrode lead provided in the battery cell is a type of terminal exposed to the outside and connected to an external device, and a conductive material may be used.

The electrode lead may include a positive electrode lead and a negative electrode lead. The positive electrode lead and the negative electrode lead may be disposed in opposite directions with respect to the length direction of the battery cell, or the positive electrode lead and negative electrode lead may be disposed in the same direction with respect to the length direction of the battery cell.

The positive electrode lead and the negative electrode lead may be made of various materials. For example, the positive electrode lead may be made of aluminum and the negative electrode lead may be made of copper.

The electrode lead may be electrically coupled to a bus bar (not shown). Battery cells are unit cells arranged in the order of positive plate-separator-negative plate or bi-cells arranged in the order of positive plate-separator-negative plate-separator-positive plate-separator-negative plate according to the battery capacity. It may have a structure in which a plurality of layers are stacked.

The battery cell stack 100 may include a plurality of cartridges (not shown) accommodating each battery cell. Each cartridge (not shown) may be manufactured by injection molding of plastic, and a plurality of cartridges (not shown) formed with a storage unit capable of accommodating battery cells may be stacked.

A cartridge assembly in which a plurality of cartridges (not shown) are stacked may include a connector element or a terminal element. The connector element may include, for example, various types of electrical connection parts or connection members to be connected to a battery management system (BMS) capable of providing data on voltage or temperature of a battery cell.

And, the terminal element is a main terminal connected to the battery cell and includes a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and the terminal element is provided with a terminal bolt to be electrically connected to the outside. Meanwhile, battery cells may have various shapes.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the battery cell stack 100 is accommodated in the case 200 and a first outlet 221 through which gas is discharged is formed. For example, the case 200 may be provided to surround the battery cell stack 100 . The case 200 surrounds the entire battery cell stack 100 and thereby protects the battery cell stack 100 from external vibration or impact.

The case 200 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the battery cell stack 100 . For example, when the battery cell stack 100 is provided in a hexahedral shape, the case 200 may also be provided in a hexahedral shape to correspond thereto.

The case 200 may be manufactured by, for example, bending a plate made of metal, and may be manufactured integrally or separately. Here, the case 200 may be made of a steel material that can withstand flame, but the material of the case 200 is not limited to steel and may include various metals.

In addition, the case 200 may include a mica plate formed of mica having heat insulation properties and heat resistance to prevent outflow of flame. Here, the mica plate may include not only a flat mica plate but also a mixed shape of a flat surface and a curved surface.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the case 200 may include a lower cover 210 and an upper cover 220 . The battery cell stack 100 is accommodated in the lower cover 210 .

The upper cover 220 is coupled to the lower cover 210, and referring to FIG. 2, the upper cover 220 has a plurality of mounting grooves 222 to which the exhaust passage member 300 is mounted, and a first outlet 221 ) is formed. The exhaust path member 300 may be coupled to the mounting groove 222 . In addition, gas generated in the battery cell stack 100 inside the case 200 is provided to move toward the exhaust passage member 300 through the first outlet 221 of the upper cover 220 .

Case 200 may be formed with a through portion (not shown) through which the aforementioned connector element or terminal element may be exposed to the outside. That is, the connector element or terminal element may be electrically connected to a predetermined external part or member, and a through portion may be formed in the case 200 so that the electrical connection is not hindered by the case 200 .

The exhaust passage member 300 is mounted on the case 200 to provide a gas discharge path, and is provided to discharge the gas but prevent the outflow of flame. Here, the exhaust path member 300 is provided to be adjustable in length to correspond to the size of the case 200 for gas discharge.

Referring to FIG. 3, the number of exhaust path members 300 may be plural, and one exhaust path member 300a among the plurality of exhaust path members 300 and another exhaust path member 300b adjacent thereto may be They can be arranged in a zigzag pattern.

That is, when one exhaust passage member (300a) is spaced apart from the first circumferential portion 223 of the case 200, the other exhaust passage member 300b adjacent thereto is the second circumferential portion of the case 200. (224).

Here, the gas moves from the first outlet 221 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 and is discharged through the second outlet 410, but the flame is blocked by the exhaust passage member 300 and cannot move.

The exhaust path member 300 may include a pair of partition members 310 and a support 320 . Each of the pair of partition members 310 is provided to be adjustable in length in various ways. For example, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the partition member 310 may include a main body 311 and a moving rod 312 . Here, the main body 311 is coupled to the support 320, and a guide groove 313 is formed on the inside. Also, the moving rod 312 is coupled to the guide groove 313 of the main body 311 and configured to move along the guide groove 313 . In this way, while the moving rod 312 moves along the guide groove 313 of the main body 311, the length of the partition member 310 can be adjusted.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the guide groove 313 formed inside the body 311 may have a “+” shape, but is not limited thereto.

Then, after the moving rod 312 is moved, it can be fixed with a fixing pin 330. For example, referring to FIG. 9 , a plurality of first fastening holes 314 are formed in the main body 311 at preset intervals, and a plurality of first fastening holes 314 are formed in the moving rod 312 at preset intervals corresponding to the main body 311. A second fastening hole 315 of may be formed. In addition, the fixing pin 330 may be inserted into the first fastening hole 314 and the second fastening hole 315 to fix the moving rod 312 .

Here, the stopper 340 may be inserted into the first fastening hole 314 in which the fixing pin 330 is not inserted among the plurality of first fastening holes 314 . In this way, when the stopper 340 is inserted into the first fastening hole 314, it is possible to prevent the flame from moving through the first fastening hole 314.

The stopper 340 may be made of various materials, and may be made of rubber, for example. However, the material of the stopper 340 is not limited thereto, and may be made of various materials capable of preventing flames, for example, a metal material.

4 to 9, a pair of partition members 310 are coupled to the support 320, respectively. Here, the partition member 310 is rotatably coupled to the support 320 and may be configured to be unfolded or folded with respect to the support 320 .

In the case of FIG. 4 , the pair of partition members 310 are rotated with respect to the support 320 so as to be folded, and then fixed by the fixing pin 330 . To store the exhaust passage member 300, the exhaust passage member 300 may be folded in the form shown in FIG. 4 and fixed with a fixing pin 330.

And, when the exhaust path member 300 stored in the form of FIG. 4 is inserted into the mounting groove 222 of the upper cover 220, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the fixing pin 330 is removed, and FIG. 6 And as shown in FIG. 7, the pair of partition members 310 are rotated to unfold with respect to the support 320, and the length is adjusted by moving the moving rod 312 as shown in FIG. 8, and then fixed as shown in FIG. 9. The moving rod 312 is fixed with the pin 330.

Then, the stopper 340 is inserted into the first fastening hole 314 of the main body 311 . Here, the stopper 340 may be inserted into the first fastening hole 314 even in the form of FIG. 4 , and the stopper 340 may be separated from the first fastening hole 314 as needed.

2 and 3, the cover 400 is coupled to the case 200 so as to cover the exhaust passage member 300, and the cover ( 400) is formed with a second outlet 410. Here, the cover 400 is coupled to the upper cover 220, and the exhaust passage member 300 is positioned between the cover 400 and the upper cover 220.

That is, the gas generated inside the case 200 moves to the exhaust passage member 300 through the first outlet 221 of the upper cover 220, and from the exhaust passage member 300 to the second outlet of the cover 400. It is discharged to the outside through the outlet 410.

Here, the first outlet 221 formed in the case 200 and the second outlet 410 formed in the cover 400 are formed in opposite directions. Since the flame basically moves upward, according to the above structure, even if the flame rises upward through the first discharge port 221, it cannot move because it is blocked by the exhaust passage member 300, and therefore, the flame moves through the first discharge port ( 221) and cannot move to the second outlet 410 formed in the opposite direction.

As a result, the gas may flow from the first outlet 221 to the second outlet 410 while being guided by the exhaust passage member 300, but the flame cannot be discharged through the second outlet 410.

Hereinafter, actions and effects of the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the battery cell stack 100 is accommodated in the case 200 . Referring to FIG. 3 , a first outlet 221 is formed in the upper cover 220 of the case 200, and the exhaust passage member 300 is mounted in the mounting groove 222 of the upper cover 220.

And, referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 , the second outlet 410 of the cover 400 is formed in an opposite direction away from the first outlet 221 of the upper cover 220 .

The length of the exhaust passage member 300 is adjustable while the moving rod 312 moves along the guide groove 313 formed in the main body 311 . After the length of the exhaust path member 300 is adjusted to correspond to the size of the case 200, the exhaust path member 300 is installed in the mounting groove 222 of the upper cover 220 of the case 200 as shown in FIG. is fitted Here, the flame is blocked by the exhaust path member 300 and cannot move, but the gas can be discharged through the same path as in FIG. 3 .

Here, the case 200 may be formed of a plate made of metal or a mica plate, and since the first outlet 221 and the second outlet 410 are located in opposite directions, the battery inside the case 200 The flame generated by ignition of the cell cannot be extinguished.

Accordingly, when a flame is generated in the battery cell, the gas is discharged to the outside of the case 200, but the leakage of the flame can be prevented.

10 and 11, the exhaust passage member 300 may be provided in various ways. Referring to FIG. 10 , compared to FIG. 3 , when the number of battery cells or battery cell stacks 100 is small or the length of the battery cells or battery cell stacks 100 is short, the size of the case 200 is small. The length of the member 300 can be adjusted to be short. And, referring to FIG. 11 , when the explosive power of the battery cell is weak compared to FIG. 3 , a low rigidity structure can be applied, and thus cost can be reduced by reducing the number of exhaust path members 300 .

However, each of FIGS. 10 and 11 is one modified embodiment, and the battery module 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention can be modified more than this.

Meanwhile, a battery pack (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include one or more battery modules 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above. In addition, the battery pack (not shown) includes, in addition to the battery module 10, a housing for accommodating the battery module 10 and various devices for controlling charging and discharging of the battery module 10, such as a BMS, current Sensors, fuses, and the like may be further included.

Meanwhile, a vehicle (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include the above-described battery module 10 or a battery pack (not shown), and the battery module 10 may be included in the battery pack (not shown). this may be included. In addition, the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the vehicle (not shown), for example, a predetermined vehicle (not shown) prepared to use electricity such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. can

Although the present invention has been described above with limited examples and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto and will be described below along with the technical spirit of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the claims.

10: battery module 100: battery cell laminate
200: case 210: lower cover
220: upper cover 221: first outlet
222: mounting groove 223: first circumference
224: second peripheral portion 300: exhaust path member
310: partition member 311: main body
312: moving rod 313: guide groove
314: first fastening hole 315: second fastening hole
320: support 330: fixing pin
340: stopper 400: cover
410: second outlet

Claims (12)

a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked;
a case accommodating the battery cell stack and having a first outlet through which gas is discharged;
an exhaust path member mounted on the case to provide an exhaust path for the gas, and to discharge the gas but prevent the outflow of flame; and
A cover coupled to the case to cover the exhaust passage member and having a second outlet through which gas moved through the exhaust passage member is discharged,
The battery module, characterized in that the length of the exhaust path member is provided to be adjustable. According to claim 1,
The first outlet formed in the case and the second outlet formed in the cover are formed in opposite directions to each other,
The battery module, characterized in that the gas is discharged from the first outlet to the second outlet while being guided by the exhaust path member. According to claim 2,
The case is
a lower cover in which the battery cell stack is accommodated; and
It is coupled to the lower cover, and includes a plurality of mounting grooves in which the exhaust path member is mounted, and an upper cover in which the first outlet is formed,
The battery module, characterized in that the cover is coupled to the upper cover, and the exhaust path member is located between the cover and the upper cover. According to claim 1,
A battery module, characterized in that one exhaust passage member among the plurality of exhaust passage members and the other exhaust passage member adjacent thereto are arranged in a zigzag pattern. According to claim 1,
Exhaust path member,
A pair of partition members provided to be adjustable in length; and
The battery module, characterized in that it comprises a support to which the pair of partition members are coupled to each other. According to claim 5,
The battery module, characterized in that the partition member is rotatably coupled to the support. According to claim 6,
The battery module, characterized in that the pair of partition members are configured to be unfolded or folded with respect to the support. According to claim 5,
The partition member,
a main body coupled to the support and having a guide groove formed therein; and
A battery module comprising a moving rod coupled to the guide groove of the main body and moving along the guide groove. According to claim 8,
A plurality of first fastening holes are formed in the main body at preset intervals,
A plurality of second fastening holes are formed in the moving rod at predetermined intervals to correspond to the main body,
and a fixing pin inserted into the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole to fix the moving rod. According to claim 9,
A battery module comprising a stopper inserted into the first fastening hole. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A vehicle comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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