Battery module and battery pack including the battery module

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells; a housing for accommodating the plurality of battery cells; and a cooling unit disposed on an outer surface of the housing. The battery module comprises a first heat transfer unit formed on an inner surface of the housing to contact one side of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the housing may have a curved portion corresponding to a curved shape of the plurality of battery cells.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0001978 filed on January 7, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same, and more particularly, to a battery module having improved cooling performance and a battery pack including the same. Background Art

[0004] In modern society, with the daily use of portable devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, camcorders, and digital cameras, the development of technologies in the field related to the above mobile devices has become increasingly active. In addition, in order to solve the problems of air pollution caused by existing gasoline vehicles using fossil fuels, rechargeable secondary batteries are used as power sources for electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEV), etc., and therefore, the demand for the development of secondary batteries is increasing.

[0005] In the case of a secondary battery used in small home appliances, two to three battery cells are arranged therein, but in the case of a secondary battery used in a medium or large-sized device such as an automobile, a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected to each other is used.

[0006] In the case of a battery module used in such medium or large-sized equipment, a plurality of battery cells are electrically connected in series and used in order to provide a capacity exceeding a specific value required by the equipment. In this case, the stability of the secondary battery itself varies depending on the method of connecting the plurality of battery cells, the method of fixing them, etc.

[0007] In particular, in a secondary battery having a larger capacity as described above, a method of cooling the battery to prevent problems caused by overheating of the battery is important. It is necessary to efficiently dissipate the heat inside the battery, and as a method of dissipating the heat in the secondary battery, a method of applying a thermal interface material (TIM) on a surface coupled to the secondary battery is mentioned.

[0008] Thermal interface material (TIM), also known as thermal surface material, refers to a material that is filled between various surfaces in the heat transfer path to adjust the contact area of ​​the heat transfer surfaces and ultimately adjust the heat transfer path, thereby adjusting thermal resistance.

[0009] As described above, in order to prevent problems caused by overheating of a secondary battery, it is necessary to develop a technology for efficiently dissipating heat inside the battery to the outside of the battery. Summary of the invention

[0010] Technical issues

[0011] The embodiments of the present disclosure are designed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and therefore an object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery module and a battery pack including the battery module: the battery module improves the cooling efficiency of the secondary battery by minimizing thermal resistance by adjusting the contact portion in the heat transfer path in the process of transferring the heat generated inside the secondary battery to the cooling portion arranged outside the battery.

[0012] However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and various extensions can be made within the scope of the technical ideas included in the present disclosure.

[0013] Technical Solution

[0014] According to the features of the present disclosure for achieving the above-mentioned objectives, there is provided a battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells; a shell accommodating the plurality of battery cells; and a cooling portion arranged on an outer surface of the shell, wherein the battery module comprises a first heat transfer portion formed on an inner surface of the shell to contact one side of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the shell has a curved portion consistent with a curved shape of the plurality of battery cells.

[0015] At least one of the inner surface and the outer surface of the housing may have a curved portion.

[0016] The first heat transferring portion formed to contact the bent portion of the case may have a bent portion formed along a curve of the case.

[0017] The battery module may further include a second heat-transfer portion disposed between the outer surface of the case and the cooling portion to contact the outer surface of the case.

[0018] The second heat transferring portion may have a planar shape.

[0019] By the curve of the outer surface of the housing, the second heat transfer portion may be formed inside a groove formed by the curve.

[0020] The second heat transferring portion may have a rod shape.

[0021] The second heat transfer portion is composed of a plurality of parts, and the plurality of parts of the second heat transfer portion are spaced apart from each other while being respectively inserted into a plurality of grooves formed by the curved lines.

[0022] The housing located between the first heat transfer portion and the second heat transfer portion may be formed such that both the inner surface and the outer surface are curved.

[0023] The first heat transferring portion may have a curved shape.

[0024] The first heat transfer portion may be a thermally conductive adhesive.

[0025] The second heat transfer portion may be one of heat dissipation grease, heat conductive adhesive and heat dissipation pad.

[0026] In addition, according to another feature of the present disclosure for achieving the above-mentioned objectives, a battery pack including a battery module is provided, wherein the battery module includes: a plurality of battery cells; a shell for accommodating the plurality of battery cells; and a cooling portion arranged on an outer surface of the shell, wherein the battery module includes a first heat transfer portion formed on an inner surface of the shell so as to contact one side of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the shell has a curved portion consistent with a curved shape of the plurality of battery cells.

[0027] Beneficial effects

[0028] The battery module according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may improve cooling performance by using a bent shape and efficiently dissipate heat inside a secondary battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a view showing a cross section of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 2 is a view showing a heat transfer portion arranged in a battery module according to a comparative example.

[0031] Figure 3 is a view illustrating a first heat transfer portion in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4 is a view illustrating a first heat transfer portion in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 5 is a view illustrating a second heat transfer portion in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 6 is a view illustrating a second heat transfer portion in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 7 is a view showing a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement these embodiments. The present disclosure can be modified in various different ways and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0037] Parts irrelevant to the description will be omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and the same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the specification.

[0038] In addition, in the drawings, the size and thickness of each element are arbitrarily shown for the convenience of description, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to those sizes and thicknesses shown in the drawings. In the drawings, the thickness of layers, regions, etc. are exaggerated for clarity. In the drawings, the thickness of some layers and regions are exaggerated for the convenience of description.

[0039] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as “comprising” a specific component, it means that it can further include other components without excluding its component parts unless otherwise specified.

[0040] Figure 1 is a view showing a cross section of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown in , a battery module 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a plurality of battery cells 100; a housing 200 accommodating the plurality of battery cells 100; and a cooling portion 300, which is arranged on the outer surface of the housing 200 and in which a coolant 310 flows, wherein the battery module 10 includes a first heat transfer portion 400, which is formed on the inner surface of the housing 200 to contact one side of the plurality of battery cells 100, and the housing 200 may have a curved portion consistent with the curved shape of the plurality of battery cells 100. In addition, the battery module of the present disclosure may further include a second heat transfer portion 500, which is arranged between the outer surface of the housing 200 and the cooling portion 300 to contact the outer surface of the housing 200.

[0042] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, both the inner surface and the outer surface of the housing 200 have a curved shape, but are not limited thereto. At least one of the inner surface and the outer surface of the housing 200 of the present disclosure may have a curved portion along the curve of the plurality of battery cells 100, thereby forming at least one of the first heat transfer portion 400 and the second heat transfer portion 500 arranged to contact the curved portion of the housing 200 along the curve of the housing 200.

[0043] The following will refer to Figures 2 to 6 Describe in detail.

[0044] Figure 2 is a view showing a heat transfer portion arranged in a battery module according to a comparative example, Figure 3 is a view illustrating a first heat transfer portion in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , it can be confirmed that the inner surface of the housing 200 in the battery module according to the comparative example has a flat shape. In this case, between the lower surface of the plurality of battery cells 100 and the inner surface of the flat housing 200, the first heat transfer portion 400 may be shaped as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the enlarged view, when observing the transfer process and direction of heat generated in the battery cell 100, according to the shape of the bent battery cell 100, the shape of the first heat transfer portion 400 contacting the battery cell 100, and the shape of the portion where the first heat transfer portion 400 and the housing 200 are in contact, the battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure described below is shown. Figure 3 In contrast, the efficiency of the area and direction of heat transfer from the inside of the battery cell 100 to the outside is not high.

[0046] Figure 3 For illustrating the first heat transfer portion 400 of the present disclosure, it can be confirmed that Figure 2 The difference is that the inner surface of the housing 200 has a curved shape along the curve of the battery cell 100. Figure 2 Differently, the first heat transfer portion 400 formed between the first side of the battery cell 100 and the inner surface of the case 200 is thinly arranged along the curve of the battery cell 100 .

[0047] Since the first heat transfer portion 400 is formed in a thin and curved shape in this way, when the heat generated in the battery cell 100 is transferred to the outside of the housing 200 through the first heat transfer portion 400, the thermal resistance becomes low. Figure 2 Compared with the battery module shown in , the heat transfer path from the battery cell 100 to the first heat transfer portion 400 has been reduced compared with the previous example. In addition, it can be confirmed that since the first heat transfer portion 400 has the same shape as the curve of the battery cell 100, the effect of expanding the heat transfer area can also be obtained.

[0048] Figure 4 is a view illustrating a first heat transfer portion in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] refer to Figure 4 , and only the inner surface of the housing 200 is bent Figure 3 The battery modules shown are different and can be confirmed. Figure 4 In the embodiment, both the inner and outer surfaces of the housing 200 are curved along the curve of the battery cell 100 .

[0050] exist Figure 3 In the heat transfer process from the first heat transfer part 400 to the housing 200, the heat transfer path is reduced, while the heat transfer area is increased, and Figure 4 In the heat transfer process from the first heat transfer part 400 to the housing 200 and from the housing 200 to the outside of the housing 200, the heat transfer path is reduced and the heat transfer area is increased, which is consistent with Figure 3 Different. That is, Figure 4 As shown in , when the inner and outer surfaces of the shell 200 and the first heat transfer portion 400 arranged between one side of the battery cell 200 and the shell 200 are bent like the battery cell 100, the thermal resistance during heat transfer from the battery cell 100 toward the outside of the shell 200 can be minimized.

[0051] Figure 5 is a view showing a second heat transfer portion in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 6 is a view illustrating a second heat transfer portion in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 5 (a) is a view showing an embodiment in which only the inner surface of the housing 200 is Figure 3 In this case, the second heat transfer part 500 disposed between the outer surface of the housing 200 and the cooling part 300 may be formed in a flat plane shape, such as Figure 5 As shown in (b).

[0053] at the same time, Figure 6 (a) shows another embodiment in which both the inner and outer surfaces of the housing 200 have a shape that is curved in accordance with the curved shape of one side of the battery cell 100. That is, it can be confirmed that Figure 6 In the embodiment, the second heat transfer portion 500 is arranged along a curve formed on the outer surface of the housing 200 and is Figure 5 The shape of the flat surface shown in is different.

[0054] exist Figure 6 In the housing 200, the groove 210 parallel to the curve can be formed by the curve of the outer surface of the housing 200. Figure 6As shown in (a), the second heat transfer portion 500 is formed inside the groove 210 formed by the above-mentioned curve. Figure 6 As shown in (b), the second heat transfer portion 500 has a rod shape, and a plurality of second heat transfer portions 500 may be respectively formed inside a plurality of grooves 210 formed by the curve. The plurality of second heat transfer portions 500 thus formed may be spaced apart from each other.

[0055] like Figure 6 As shown in (a), the housing 200 may be formed to be bent in a shape having a specific thickness between the first heat transfer portion 400 and the second heat transfer portion 500. In the case of the housing 200 having both the inner and outer surfaces having a bent shape in this manner, the area cooled by the cooling portion 300 disposed outside the housing 200 may be increased.

[0056] That is, it can be said that the above structure reduces the thermal resistance (K / W) in the heat transfer process from the battery cell 100 to the cooling portion 300, thereby improving the cooling efficiency through the cooling portion 300. The thermal resistance (K / W) is proportional to the length (m) of the heat transfer path, and is proportional to the thermal conductivity (W / m / K) and area (m 2 ). Therefore, the object of the present invention is to minimize the Figure 4 and Figure 6 The structure shown lengthens the heat transfer path and increases the heat transfer area, thereby ultimately minimizing thermal resistance.

[0057] Figure 7 is a view showing a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] like Figure 7 As shown in , it can be confirmed that Figure 7 The second heat transfer portion 500 is not Figure 5 The same flat shape as in Figure 6 The same shape as that formed inside the groove 210 formed outside the housing 200. However, due to Figure 7 and Figure 6 As a difference between the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , it can be confirmed that the shape of the second heat transfer portion 500 formed inside the groove 210 and the shape of the cooling portion 300 disposed on one side of the second heat transfer portion 500 are different.

[0059] first, Figure 7The cooling portion 300 shown in FIG. 1 is arranged on the outer surface of the housing 200, and may have a curved shape that conforms to the shape of the groove 210 on the outer surface of the housing 200. Therefore, when the cooling portion 300 has a shape that protrudes in an outwardly convex manner toward the groove 210 of the housing 200 at a position corresponding to the groove 210 formed on the outer surface of the housing 200, the shape of the second heat transfer portion 500 formed inside the groove 210 of the housing 200 may be different due to the arrangement of the cooling portion 300. That is, the second heat transfer portion 500 is arranged in a space between the groove 210 having a concave shape and the cooling portion 300 having a convex shape protruding at a position corresponding to the groove, and may be arranged to have a certain thickness along the space between the groove 210 and the cooling portion 300.

[0060] That is, the difference is that Figure 6 The second heat transfer portion 500 in the embodiment has a shape arranged to fill the groove 210, and Figure 7 The second heat transfer portion 500 in the embodiment has a shape arranged to fill only the space between the groove 210 and the cooling portion 300 arranged along the curve of the groove 210. Due to this structural difference, Figure 6 compared to, Figure 7 This has the following effects: the second heat transfer portion 500 is minimized, and the area in which the second heat transfer portion 500 and the cooling portion 300 contact each other is increased, thereby improving cooling efficiency due to the increase in the cooling area.

[0061] The first heat transfer part 400 in the present disclosure is made of a material capable of fixing the battery cell 100 and conducting heat, and may be made of a thermally conductive adhesive; the second heat transfer part 500 may be made of heat dissipation grease, a thermally conductive adhesive or a heat dissipation pad, but is not limited thereto.

[0062] In addition, a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a battery module 10, wherein the battery module 10 includes: a plurality of battery cells 100; a shell 200 accommodating the plurality of battery cells 100; and a cooling portion 300, which is arranged on an outer surface of the shell 200, wherein the battery module 10 includes a first heat transfer portion 400 formed on an inner surface of the shell 200 to contact one side of the plurality of battery cells 100, and wherein the shell 200 may have a curved portion consistent with a curved shape of the plurality of battery cells 100.

[0063] As described above, the technical significance of the present disclosure lies in that, during the heat transfer process between the interior of the secondary battery and the cooling part arranged outside the secondary battery, the thermal resistance is reduced by increasing the heat transfer area of ​​the contacted part and reducing the heat transfer path, thereby improving the cooling performance of the battery module and efficiently dissipating the heat inside the secondary battery.

[0064] The battery module may be included in a battery pack. The battery pack may have a structure in which one or more battery modules according to the present embodiment are assembled and then packaged by adding a battery management system (BMS) and a cooling device that manages the temperature or voltage of the battery.

[0065] The battery pack can be applied to various devices. Such devices can be applied to vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and can be applied to various devices that can use battery modules, which also belongs to the scope of the present disclosure.

[0066] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present disclosure defined in the following claims also belong to the scope of the claims.

[0067] Description of Reference Numerals

[0068] 10: Battery module

[0069] 100: Battery cell

[0070] 200: Shell

[0071] 210: Groove

[0072] 300: Cooling section

[0073] 310: Refrigerant

[0074] 400: First heat transfer section

[0075] 500: Second heat transfer section

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: Multiple battery cells; a housing for accommodating the plurality of battery cells, the housing extending around outer edges of the plurality of battery cells so that the plurality of battery cells are disposed in an inner space defined by the housing; a cooling portion disposed on an outer surface of the housing; and a first heat transfer portion formed on an inner surface of the housing and contacting an end portion of each of the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the inner surface of the housing has a curved portion, the curved portion having a curved shape consistent with a curved shape of the end portion of each of the plurality of battery cells, wherein an inner surface of the first heat transfer portion has a curved shape that conforms to a curved shape of the end portion of each of the plurality of battery cells, Wherein, an outer surface of the first heat transfer portion has a curved shape that is consistent with a curved shape of an inner surface of the housing.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The first heat transfer portion is formed to contact the bent portion of the housing, and has a bent portion formed along a curve of the housing.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The battery module further includes a second heat transfer portion disposed between the outer surface of the case and the cooling portion to contact the outer surface of the case.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein: The second heat transfer portion has a planar shape.

5. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein: By the curve of the outer surface of the housing, the second heat transfer portion is formed inside a groove formed by the curve.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein: The second heat transferring portion has a rod shape.

7. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein: The second heat transfer section is composed of a plurality of sections, and The plurality of portions of the second heat transfer portion are spaced apart from each other while being respectively inserted into a plurality of grooves formed by the curved line.

8. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein: The housing between the first heat transfer portion and the second heat transfer portion is formed such that both the inner surface and the outer surface are curved, and The outer surface of the housing has a curved shape that is consistent with the curved shapes of the end portions of the plurality of battery cells.

9. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein: The first heat transfer portion is a thermally conductive adhesive.

10. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein: The second heat transfer part is one of heat dissipation grease, heat conductive adhesive and heat dissipation pad.

11. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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