Battery module with delamination of a refractory coating to

Abstract

The battery module according to the present invention comprises: a battery cell assembly comprising a plurality of battery cells stacked on each other; a module case which accommodates the battery cell assembly in an internal space and has a vent hole; and a cover member covering the exhaust hole, provided on an outer surface of the module case and having a refractory coating layer coated with a refractory coating layer material and delaminated by a pressure of the exhaust gas when the exhaust gas is generated inside the module case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module, and more particularly to a battery module in which a fire-resistant coating applied to a grid plate at the top of the module is partially peeled off so that a vent hole is opened.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0030912 filed in Korea on March 9, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Semi-permanent batteries that convert electrical energy into chemical energy and can be repeatedly charged and discharged are called secondary batteries, as distinguished from primary batteries that cannot be reused after use.

[0004] Secondary batteries include lithium secondary batteries, nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, zinc-air batteries, and alkaline manganese batteries. Among them, lead-acid batteries and lithium secondary batteries are the most widely commercially available secondary batteries.

[0005] In particular, lithium secondary batteries have the advantages of high energy storage density, light weight structure, miniaturization, high safety, low discharge rate, long life, etc., and are currently widely used in electric vehicle batteries. For reference, lithium secondary batteries are generally classified into cylindrical, prismatic and pouch types according to their manufacturing type, and their use ranges from electric vehicle batteries to ESS batteries and other electrical devices.

[0006] Currently, the operating voltage of one lithium secondary battery cell is about 2.5 V to 4.5 V. Therefore, in order to apply the secondary battery to the energy source of electric vehicles, a plurality of lithium-ion battery cells are connected in series and / or in parallel to produce a battery module, and then the battery modules are connected in series and / or in parallel to produce a battery pack.

[0007] Meanwhile, since secondary batteries involve chemical reactions during charging and discharging, their performance may deteriorate when used at temperatures higher than the appropriate temperature, and failure of thermal control to the appropriate temperature may cause unexpected fire or explosion. In addition, since the battery module has a structure in which secondary batteries are centrally stored in a module housing, if any one secondary battery becomes a trigger cell due to heat propagation, heat and flames may be quickly transferred to surrounding secondary batteries, making it more likely that the secondary batteries will catch fire in succession.

[0008] In particular, since a large number of battery modules must be accommodated in a limited space to achieve high integration, there is not enough free space inside the battery module. For example, a battery pack including one or more battery modules may have a narrow space between a module housing and a pack housing.

[0009] Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the exhausted exhaust gas from entering other modules even in such a narrow space while quickly exhausting the exhaust gas, thereby delaying or suppressing TP (heat propagation). Summary of the invention

[0010] Technical issues

[0011] The present disclosure is intended to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is intended to provide a battery module having an improved structure capable of alleviating internal pressure by discharging exhaust gas generated inside the battery module and preventing flames emitted from other adjacent battery modules from flowing in.

[0012] The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above problems, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand other problems not mentioned above from the following description of the present invention.

[0013] Technical Solution

[0014] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, which includes: a cell assembly, which includes a plurality of battery cells stacked on each other; a module shell, which is configured to store the cell assembly in its internal space and has exhaust holes formed on the module shell; and a covering member, which is arranged on the outer surface of the module shell so as to cover the exhaust holes and includes a refractory coating coated with a refractory coating material, and when exhaust is generated inside the module shell, the refractory coating material falls off by the pressure of the exhaust gas.

[0015] The exhaust hole may be formed at an upper side of the module case.

[0016] The cover member may further include a base layer coupled to an upper surface of the module case so as to face the upper surface and having the fire-resistant coating layer bonded thereto.

[0017] The fire resistant coating may be provided over the entire area of ​​the base layer, and may be bonded to some or all sections of the base layer in a thickness direction of the base layer.

[0018] The base layer may include: at least one mesh plate having a plurality of mesh members and a plurality of holes; and a support frame disposed at an edge of the mesh plate so as to support the mesh plate.

[0019] The refractory coating may be configured by bonding the refractory coating material to the mesh member to block the holes.

[0020] The refractory coating may include one or more inorganic materials selected from the group consisting of ceramics, silicon, silica aerogel, and silica-based inorganic fibers.

[0021] The particle size of the inorganic material is smaller than the particle size of the pores.

[0022] The base layer may include a recessed guide portion disposed to face the exhaust hole and guide introduction of the exhaust gas.

[0023] The recessed guide portion may have an axially inclined surface formed to gradually narrow in a thickness direction of the base layer when viewed upward from the exhaust hole.

[0024] The fire resistant coating may be partially formed on a surface of the base layer facing the exhaust hole.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack including one or more of the above-mentioned battery modules may be provided.

[0026] Beneficial Effects

[0027] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module having an improved structure capable of relieving internal pressure by discharging exhaust gas to the outside and preventing flames emitted from other adjacent battery modules from entering the battery module when exhaust gas is generated in an internal space of the battery module may be provided.

[0028] In particular, even when the battery module is stored inside the battery pack case and the space between the battery module and the battery pack case is narrow, the fire-resistant coating can fall off due to the gas pressure, so that the exhaust hole is opened, thereby ensuring a sufficient exhaust path for the exhaust. Therefore, since the exhaust gas can be quickly discharged to the outside, heat accumulation and thermal explosion of the battery module can be effectively prevented.

[0029] Furthermore, since a separate gap or space for opening the exhaust hole is not required, it is possible to prevent the energy density of the battery pack from being reduced.

[0030] In addition, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, since the exhaust holes of the modules adjacent thereto remain closed due to the fire-resistant coating, foreign matter, exhaust gas discharged to the outside of the battery module, or flames or sparks contained in such exhaust gas can be prevented from flowing into other exhaust holes. Therefore, chain fire or thermal runaway in a normal battery cell or battery module due to exhaust gas or flame can be delayed to the greatest extent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 2yes Figure 1 Exploded perspective view of the main components of the battery module.

[0033] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a covering member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 5 is a diagram of a modified example of the cover member of the battery module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, schematically illustrating a state in which the fire-resistant coating layer is bonded to another portion of the base layer in the thickness direction.

[0035] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a battery pack including a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of .

[0037] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a cover member in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a path through which exhaust gas is discharged through a cover member in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Fig.10 is a perspective view of a cover member in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general and dictionary meanings, but are interpreted based on the principle that the inventor is allowed to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation, based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] Therefore, the configurations proposed in the embodiments of this specification and the drawings only indicate the most preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than representing all technical ideas of the present disclosure, and therefore it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be made thereto when the present application is filed.

[0042] For ease of explanation and clarity, the size of each element or a specific part of each element shown in the drawings is enlarged, omitted or simplified. Therefore, the size of each element does not fully reflect its actual size. The description of related known functions or configurations that may obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure will be omitted.

[0043] Figure 1is a perspective view schematically showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Exploded perspective view of the main components of the battery module.

[0044] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a battery module 10 according to the present disclosure includes a battery cell assembly 100 , a module case 200 , and a cover member 300 .

[0045] The battery cell assembly 100 may include one or more battery cells 110. Here, each battery cell 110 may indicate a secondary battery. Figure 2 The battery cell 110 includes an electrode assembly, a housing for accommodating the electrode assembly, and a pair of electrode leads 112 connected to the electrode assembly and extending outside the housing, the electrode leads 112 serving as electrode terminals. The pair of electrode leads 112 extend from both ends of the battery cell 110 (ie, in the longitudinal direction).

[0046] If necessary, the battery cell 110 may have an electrode lead 112 located only at one end of the battery cell 110. Meanwhile, the present disclosure is not limited to a specific type or form of battery cells 110, and various battery cells 110 known at the time of filing the present disclosure may be used to constitute the cell assembly 100 of the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure will be described based on a pouch-type secondary battery having high energy density and being easily stacked, a cylindrical or prismatic secondary battery may also be applied to the battery cell 110.

[0047] The battery cells 110 may be arranged to be stacked in at least one direction. Figure 2 , the battery cells 110 may be arranged to be stacked in a horizontal direction (a width direction of the battery module 10 ) when standing upright.

[0048] The cell assembly 100 is a collection of battery cells 110 obtained by stacking a plurality of battery cells 110. That is, the cell assembly 100 may be a group of a plurality of pouch-type battery cells 110 stacked in one direction so that their wide sides stand upright, such as Figure 2 shown.

[0049] The module case 200 may be configured to have an inner space accommodating the battery cell 110. The module case 200 of the present embodiment may include a case body 210 and end plates 220 provided on the front and rear sides of the case body 210.

[0050] The housing body 210 may be configured in the shape of a square tube of a hollow structure having open ends O at both ends in the longitudinal direction and having an empty space therein. For example, the housing body 210 may be configured in the form of a tube having upper, lower, left and right surfaces and having openings formed at the front and rear ends, respectively.

[0051] In addition, the housing body 210 may be configured so that the battery cell 110 can be inserted thereinto in the longitudinal direction. That is, the housing body 210 may be configured to insert the battery cell 110 thereinto using a sliding or press-fitting method. For press-fitting, there may be almost no gap between the upper and lower surfaces of the housing body 210 and the upper and lower ends of the battery cell 110, and there may also be almost no gap between the two side surfaces of the housing body 210 and the two side portions of the battery cell 110. The housing body 210 may be made of a metal material having rigidity and heat resistance so as to physically or chemically protect the contained battery cell 110.

[0052] The end plate 220 may be coupled to the open end O of the housing body 210 to face the side of the cell assembly 100 where the electrode lead 112 of the battery cell 110 is located, so that the portion of the busbar on the busbar frame where the electrode lead 112 is fixedly connected is not exposed to the outside. For example, the end plate 220 may be made of an insulating material on the inside and a metal material on the outside, and may be coupled to the housing body 210 by welding. Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings for convenience, the end plate 220 may be partially provided with holes or slits to expose components that need to be exposed to the outside, such as the positive and negative terminals or connectors of the battery module 10.

[0053] The module housing 200 in this configuration may have a vent hole H1 formed on at least one side thereof. Figure 2 As shown in H1 in FIG. 1 , a plurality of exhaust holes H1 may be formed near the left and right edges on the upper surface of the module housing 200. The exhaust holes H1 may be configured to exhaust the exhaust gas generated and discharged from the battery cell assembly 100 stored in the internal space to the external space of the module housing 200. For example, the module housing 200 may be configured to be sealed except for the exhaust holes H1. In addition, the exhaust holes H1 may be formed to be fully opened to penetrate the module housing 200 in the internal and external directions.

[0054] The cover member 300 may be disposed on the outside of the module housing 200 and is configured to close the exhaust hole H1 formed on the module housing 200 in a normal state. In the present embodiment, the cover member 300 may be disposed on the upper surface of the module housing 200, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3Therefore, it may be configured to cover the exhaust hole H1 formed on the upper surface of the module case 200 .

[0055] The cover member 300 may be configured to selectively open the exhaust hole H1 when exhaust gas is generated from at least one battery cell 110 in the cell assembly 100 stored inside the module case 200 .

[0056] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a covering member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 5 is a diagram of a modified example of the covering member of the battery module 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, schematically showing a state in which the fire-resistant coating is bonded to another portion of the base layer in the thickness direction.

[0057] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The covering member 300 includes a base layer 310 coupled to the upper surface of the module housing 200 so as to face the upper surface of the module housing 200 and a refractory coating 320 coated with a refractory coating material 321. When exhaust gas is generated inside the module housing 200, the refractory coating material 321 falls off by the pressure of the exhaust gas.

[0058] The base layer 310 may be coupled to the upper surface of the module case 200 so as to face the upper surface of the module case 200 , and may have substantially the same size as the upper surface of the module case 200 .

[0059] The base layer 310 may be at least one mesh plate 311 having a plurality of mesh members 312 and holes 313. The base layer 310 may be configured to block high temperature flames and sparks that may travel with the exhaust gas. The base layer 310 may be configured to completely cover the exhaust hole H1, thereby preventing the generated flames or sparks from entering and leaving the exhaust hole H1. Therefore, the flames or sparks accompanying the exhaust gas may be fully filtered and blocked and prevented from being discharged to the outside of the battery pack, thereby minimizing the risk of fire in the surrounding structure of the battery pack or other battery packs.

[0060] Furthermore, the base layer 310 may include a support frame 314 disposed at an edge of the mesh panel 311 to support the mesh panel 311. Even if the mesh panel 311 is exposed to high temperature, the support frame 314 may firmly hold the mesh panel, thereby preventing the panel from being twisted, deformed, or damaged.

[0061] Meanwhile, a venting structure is required to quickly and effectively release the exhaust gas generated inside the battery module 10. In particular, a selective opening / closing structure is required to maintain the closed state of the exhaust hole H1 in a normal state, but open the exhaust hole H1 when exhaust gas is generated due to a thermal event.

[0062] Therefore, the present embodiment may provide the refractory coating 320 coated with the refractory coating material 321 , and when exhaust gas is generated inside the module case 200 , the refractory coating material 321 is peeled off by the pressure of the exhaust gas.

[0063] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the fire-resistant coating 320 may be disposed on the entire surface of the base layer 310 .

[0064] refer to Figure 4 , the refractory coating 320 may be configured such that the refractory coating material 321 is bonded to the mesh member 312 to block the hole 313. Here, the refractory coating 320 may include one or more inorganic materials selected from ceramics, silicon, silica aerogel, and silica-based inorganic fibers. In addition, the particle size of the inorganic material may be smaller than the hole 313.

[0065] In addition, the fire-resistant coating 320 may further include an adhesive 322 and various additives that bond the fire-resistant coating material 321 to the mesh member 312. The adhesive 322 may be a metal-friendly resin, such as a polyvinyl acetal resin, an acrylic resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polyolefin resin, an epoxy resin, etc. The adhesive 322 includes the fire-resistant coating material 321 and facilitates attachment to the mesh member 312. In addition, the additives may include an adhesion enhancer, a dispersant, a release agent, a heat stabilizer, an antioxidant, etc.

[0066] The fire-resistant coating 320 may be bonded to some portions in the thickness direction of the base layer 310. For example, Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the fire resistant coating 320 may be disposed on an upper portion of the base layer 310 (with a predetermined thickness) in a thickness direction of the base layer 310 .

[0067] Alternatively, as another variation, Figure 5 As shown in (a), the refractory coating 320 may be provided over the entire section of the base layer 310 in the thickness direction. Figure 4 or Figure 5 Compared with (b), the refractory coating 320 is set to be equal to the thickness of the base layer 310, so if the exhaust gas is ejected from the exhaust hole H1 at a higher pressure, the refractory coating 320 can fall off. That is, the pressure range of the exhaust gas when the exhaust hole H1 is fully opened can be increased.

[0068] In addition, if Figure 5 As shown in (b), the refractory coating 320 may be disposed at the lower portion of the base layer 310. In this case, the refractory coating 320 may directly cover the exhaust hole H1 of the module housing 200 without any gap therebetween, thereby Figure 4In comparison, the sealing degree of the exhaust hole H1 can be improved, thereby better blocking the inflow of foreign matter, flames and sparks. As described above, the placement position of the fire-resistant coating 320 on the base layer 310 can be varied according to the pressure of the exhaust gas, the sealing degree or other design factors.

[0069] Various methods of applying the refractory coating 320 to the base layer 310 may be considered. For example, the coating solution may be prepared by dissolving the refractory coating material 321 in a binder solvent and then spraying it in a coating process. The number of spraying times may vary depending on the viscosity of the coating solution, and the time and temperature in post-processing (such as drying) may also be controlled in various ways. The above-mentioned spraying process for forming the refractory coating 320 may be advantageous in the process of applying the refractory coating 320, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 as shown in (b).

[0070] Alternatively, the coating process may be performed by immersing the base layer 310 in a coating solution tank. This may be effective for forming the refractory coating 320 over the entire section of the base layer 310 in the thickness direction, such as Figure 5 As shown in (a).

[0071] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a battery pack including a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of .

[0072] In the following, the configuration in which the refractory coating 320 is provided on the entire section of the base layer 310 in the thickness direction (eg, Figure 5 The exhaust operation is described as shown in (a)).

[0073] The exhaust hole H1 is covered by the fire-resistant coating 320 and remains closed in a normal state.

[0074] If a battery cell catches fire and generates a large amount of exhaust gas in a certain event, the gas is ejected toward the exhaust hole H1 formed at the top.

[0075] At this time, if Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the fire-resistant coating 320 is separated from the grid member 312 and falls off upward due to the pressure (high pressure) of the exhaust gas. At the same time, the grid plate 311 formed with the hole 313 is exposed. The exhaust gas is discharged to the outside of the shell body through the hole 313 of the grid plate 311. At the same time, the grid member 312 of the grid plate 311 prevents flames or sparks from escaping to the outside of the shell body.

[0076] The exhaust gas discharged from the battery module where the event occurred may move in the internal space 430 of the battery pack housing and pass over the top of another adjacent battery module 10, such as Figure 6 As shown. Since the fire-resistant coating 320 of the cover member 300 in the adjacent battery module 10 remains closed instead of falling off from the base layer 310, the adjacent battery module 10 may not be damaged by the heat of the exhaust gas. In addition, since the exhaust gas moving in the internal space 430 passes over the top of another battery module at a lower pressure than when discharged from the event battery module, the fire-resistant coating 320 in the other battery module will not fall off from the base layer 310 due to the exhaust gas. Therefore, the exhaust gas can be prevented from entering the adjacent battery module 10.

[0077] According to this implementation configuration, when an event occurs, the fire-resistant coating 320 blocking the exhaust hole H1 can fall off by the pressure of the exhaust gas, so that the exhaust hole H1 is opened, thereby ensuring a sufficient path for exhaust gas to be discharged from the inside of the battery module to the outside. Therefore, the exhaust gas can be quickly discharged to the outside, thereby effectively preventing heat accumulation and thermal explosion of the battery module 10.

[0078] In addition, according to this embodiment, due to the fire-resistant coating 320, the exhaust holes H1 in the battery modules adjacent thereto can be kept closed, thereby preventing foreign matter from outside, exhaust gas discharged outward from the battery module 10 where the event occurred, or flames or sparks contained in the exhaust gas from flowing into other exhaust holes H1. Therefore, chain fire or thermal runaway in the normal battery cell 110 or battery module 10 due to exhaust gas or flame can be delayed to the greatest extent.

[0079] Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the energy density of the battery module 10 or the battery pack from being reduced in order to ensure a wide inner space 430 for discharging exhaust gas or flame.

[0080] Next, we will refer to Figures 7 to 9 Other embodiments of the battery module in the present disclosure are briefly described.

[0081] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a cover member in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a path through which exhaust gas is discharged through a cover member in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] The same reference numerals as in the aforementioned drawings denote the same components, and redundant description of the same components will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0083] Compared with the above embodiment, the battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with an additional configuration of the base layer 310 of the cover member 300A. That is, the base layer 310 may include a recess guide 330 disposed to face the exhaust hole H1 and guide the inflow of exhaust gas.

[0084] The recessed guide portion 330 may be disposed on the lower surface of the base layer 310, such as Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The recessed guide portion 330 may be disposed to directly face the exhaust hole H1. The recessed guide portion 330 may be provided by partially pressing or partially cutting the lower surface of the base layer 310.

[0085] The recess guide portion 330 may have an axially inclined surface 331 formed to be gradually narrowed in the thickness direction of the base layer 310 when viewed upward from the exhaust hole H1 .

[0086] The axially inclined surface 331 may be formed to open to the exhaust hole H1 so that its inner diameter is reduced. Thus, the exhaust gas may be easily guided into the cover member 300 . In particular, the exhaust gas entering the exhaust hole H1 may easily move upward along the axially inclined surface 331 in the thickness direction of the base layer 310 .

[0087] In addition, as the inner diameter is reduced due to the axial inclined surface 331 , the flow rate of the exhaust gas may be increased, thereby locally increasing the pressure of the exhaust gas and promoting the shedding of the refractory coating 320 .

[0088] In addition, compared with the first embodiment, the recessed guide 330 can reduce the thickness of the refractory coating 320, so the ratio of the refractory coating 320 to the base layer 310 can be adjusted by adjusting the recessed depth of the recessed guide 330. In addition, the refractory coating 320 can be more easily peeled off due to the pressure of the exhaust gas.

[0089] According to this embodiment, even if the space between the battery module and the module housing 200 is narrow, the fire-resistant coating 320 can fall off due to the gas pressure, so that the exhaust hole H1 is opened, thereby ensuring a sufficient exhaust path for the exhaust gas. Therefore, the exhaust gas can be quickly discharged to the outside, and the heat accumulation and thermal explosion of the battery module can be effectively prevented.

[0090] In addition, according to this embodiment, since the exhaust holes H1 of the modules adjacent thereto remain closed due to the fire-resistant coating 320, foreign matter from outside, exhaust gas discharged to the outside of the battery module, or flames or sparks contained in such exhaust gas can be prevented from flowing into other exhaust holes H1. Therefore, chain fire or thermal runaway in the normal battery cells 110 or battery modules due to exhaust gas or flames can be delayed to the greatest extent.

[0091] Fig.10 is a perspective view of a cover member in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] Reference Fig.10 , the fire-resistant coating layer 320 of the battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may be partially disposed on the surface of the base layer 310 facing the exhaust hole H1 .

[0093] In this case, the covering member 300B can be manufactured at lower cost and man-hours, and a so-called selective opening / closing configuration can be realized, in which the refractory coating 320 falls off when exhaust is generated while performing the function of the refractory coating 320 to block and close the exhaust hole H1 under normal conditions.

[0094] According to this embodiment, even if the space between the battery module and the module housing 200 is narrow, the fire-resistant coating 320 can fall off due to the gas pressure to open the exhaust hole H1, thereby ensuring a sufficient exhaust path for the exhaust gas. Therefore, the exhaust gas can be quickly discharged to the outside, thereby effectively preventing heat accumulation and thermal explosion of the battery module 10.

[0095] In addition, according to this embodiment, due to the fire-resistant coating 320, the exhaust holes H1 in the battery modules adjacent thereto can be kept closed, thereby preventing foreign matter from outside, exhaust gas discharged outward from the battery module 10 where the event occurred, or flames or sparks contained in the exhaust gas from flowing into other exhaust holes H1. Therefore, chain fire or thermal runaway in the normal battery cell 110 or battery module 10 due to exhaust gas or flame can be delayed to the greatest extent.

[0096] The battery pack according to the present disclosure may include one or more battery modules according to the present disclosure as described above. In particular, in order to increase capacity and / or output, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery modules according to the present disclosure. In this case, the various configurations described above may be applied to the corresponding battery modules. For example, each battery module may include a battery cell assembly 100, a module housing 200, and a covering member 300. In addition, these multiple battery modules may be housed in a battery pack housing. In addition, in the case of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, even if other battery modules are located on the front or rear side thereof, the propagation of thermal runaway between modules can be effectively prevented.

[0097] The battery pack according to the present disclosure may include various other components in addition to the battery module or the battery pack case in the internal space of the battery pack case, for example, components of the battery pack such as BMS (battery management system), bus bars, relays, current sensors, fuses, etc., which are known when submitting the present disclosure.

[0098] The battery module according to the present disclosure or the battery pack according to the present disclosure can be applied to vehicles such as electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles. That is, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may include the battery module according to the present disclosure or the battery pack according to the present disclosure. In addition, in addition to the battery module or the battery pack, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may also include various other components included in the vehicle. For example, in addition to the battery module according to the present disclosure, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may also include a body, a motor, and a control device, such as an ECU (electronic control unit).

[0099] In addition, the battery module according to the present disclosure or the battery pack according to the present disclosure may be applied to an energy storage system (ESS). That is, the energy storage system according to the present disclosure may include the battery module according to the present disclosure or the battery pack according to the present disclosure.

[0100] As described above, although the present disclosure has been described with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical concept of the present disclosure and the equivalent scope of the claims to be described below.

[0101] At the same time, although terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front and back are used in this specification, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these terms are only for convenience of explanation and may vary depending on the position of the target object or the position of the observer.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: A battery cell assembly, the battery cell assembly comprising a plurality of battery cells stacked on top of each other; a module housing, the module housing being configured to store the battery cell assembly in an inner space thereof and having a vent hole formed therein; as well as A covering member is provided on an outer surface of the module housing so as to cover the exhaust hole and includes a refractory coating coated with a refractory coating material, and when exhaust gas is generated inside the module housing, the refractory coating material falls off by the pressure of the exhaust gas.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The exhaust hole is formed at an upper side of the module housing.

3. The battery module according to claim 2, in, The cover member further includes a base layer which is coupled to an upper surface of the module case so as to face the upper surface and to which the fire-resistant coating is bonded.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, in, The fire resistant coating is provided over the entire area of ​​the base layer, and is bonded to some or all sections of the base layer in a thickness direction of the base layer.

5. The battery module according to claim 3, in, The base layer comprises: at least one mesh plate having a plurality of mesh members and a plurality of holes; and A supporting frame is arranged at an edge of the grid plate so as to support the grid plate.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, in, The refractory coating is configured by bonding the refractory coating material to the grid member to block the holes.

7. The battery module according to claim 5, in, The refractory coating includes one or more inorganic materials selected from ceramics, silicon, silica aerogel and silica-based inorganic fibers.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, in, The particle size of the inorganic material is smaller than the pores.

9. The battery module according to claim 4, in, The base layer includes a recessed guide portion disposed to face the exhaust hole and guide introduction of the exhaust gas.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, in, The recessed guide portion has an axially inclined surface formed to gradually narrow in a thickness direction of the base layer when viewed upward from the exhaust hole.

11. The battery module according to claim 3, in, The fire-resistant coating is partially formed on a surface of the base layer facing the exhaust hole. 12 . A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1 .

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