Battery module, battery rack including the battery module, and energy storage device

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a battery cell assembly including a plurality of battery cells stacked on one another; end plates respectively disposed on the front side and the rear side of the battery cell assembly; buffer plates disposed on the end plates and respectively disposed on the front side and the rear side of the battery cell assembly; and pressing plates disposed between the buffer plates and between the battery cells of the battery cell assembly, wherein in a view along the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly, each of the buffer plates and the pressing plates has a flat front surface and a flat rear surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery rack, and an energy storage system including the battery module.

[0002] This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0008780, filed in Korea on January 22, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Secondary batteries can be highly applicable to various products and exhibit excellent electrical characteristics such as high energy density. Such secondary batteries are generally used not only for portable devices but also for electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) driven by power sources. Since secondary batteries can significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels and do not generate by-products during energy consumption, secondary batteries are attracting attention as new energy sources for improving environmental friendliness and energy efficiency.

[0004] Currently widely used secondary batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, etc. The operating voltage of a single secondary battery cell, i.e., a single cell, is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, multiple battery cells can be connected in series to construct a battery pack. In addition, according to the charge / discharge capacity required for the battery pack, multiple battery cells can be connected in parallel to construct a battery pack or a battery rack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack or the battery rack can be set differently according to the required output voltage or the required charge / discharge capacity.

[0005] Meanwhile, when multiple battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to construct a battery pack, a battery module including at least one battery cell is generally constructed first, and then the battery pack or the battery rack is constructed by using at least one battery module and adding other components.

[0006] Conventional battery modules are generally constructed to include at least one pressing plate between battery cells, so as to minimize damage to the battery module when cell swelling occurs. The at least one conventional pressing plate is generally an EPP foam-type member and includes a plurality of protruding structures having a corrugated shape.

[0007] However, in a conventional battery module, when cell swelling occurs at a battery cell, due to uneven pressing caused by the pressing plate including such a corrugated structure, a pressing deviation may be generated between the battery cells.

[0008] If cell swelling occurs in a conventional battery module, the structural stability of the battery module is weakened due to the pressing deviation caused by the pressing plate, and the life performance of the battery is also deteriorated.

[0009] Therefore, a method is needed to provide a battery module, a battery rack, and an energy storage system including the battery module, which can minimize the pressure deviation between battery cells when monomer bulging occurs, enhance structural stability, and improve battery life performance. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Technical Problem

[0011] The present disclosure aims to provide a battery module that can minimize the pressure deviation between battery cells, and a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery module.

[0012] In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide a battery module that can enhance structural stability, and a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery module.

[0013] In addition, the present disclosure aims to provide a battery module that can improve battery life performance, and a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery module.

[0014] Technical Solution

[0015] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, which includes: a battery cell assembly having a plurality of battery cells stacked on each other; a pair of end plates disposed at the front side and the rear side of the battery cell assembly; a pair of buffer plates disposed on the pair of end plates and at the front and rear sides of the battery cell assembly; and at least one pressing plate disposed between the pair of buffer plates and between the battery cells of the battery cell assembly, wherein the pair of buffer plates and the at least one pressing plate are configured such that the front surfaces and the rear surfaces of the pair of buffer plates and the at least one pressing plate in the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly have a flat shape.

[0016] The pressing plates may be provided in a plurality, and the plurality of pressing plates may be respectively disposed between the battery cells to form surface contact with the battery cells facing the pressing plates.

[0017] At least one of the pair of buffer plates may be configured to form surface contact with the battery cells of the battery cell assembly facing the buffer plate.

[0018] The battery module may further include a support plate disposed between the battery cell assembly and any one of the buffer plates.

[0019] The support plate may be configured such that the front surface and the rear surface of the support plate in the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly have a flat shape.

[0020] The support plate may be configured to make surface contact with the battery cells facing each other in the battery cell assembly.

[0021] The pair of buffer plates may be made of an insulating material.

[0022] The pair of buffer plates and the at least one pressing plate may be provided as foamed polypropylene members.

[0023] In addition, the present disclosure also provides a battery rack, which includes: at least one battery module according to the above-described embodiment; and a battery rack housing configured to accommodate the at least one battery module.

[0024] In addition, the present disclosure also provides an energy storage system, which includes at least one battery rack according to the above-described embodiment.

[0025] Advantageous Effects

[0026] According to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery module.

[0027] In addition, according to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery module that can enhance structural stability, and a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery module.

[0028] In addition, according to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery module that can improve battery life performance, and a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, are used to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 is a view for showing a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing Figure 1 the battery module without including the module housing.

[0032] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing Figure 2 the main part of the battery module.

[0033] Figure 4 is for showingFigure 3 View of the front buffer member of the buffer plate used at the battery module.

[0034] Figure 5 Is used to show at Figure 3 View of the rear buffer member of the buffer plate used at the battery module.

[0035] Figure 6 Is used to show at Figure 3 View of the pressure plate used at the battery module.

[0036] Figure 7 Is used to show at Figure 3 View of the support plate used at the battery module.

[0037] Figures 8 to 13 Is used to show at Figure 1 View of the mechanism used at the battery module to eliminate the pressure deviation between battery cells when a cell bulge occurs at a battery cell of the battery cell assembly.

[0038] Figure 14 View of a battery rack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 15 View of an energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0040] The present disclosure will become more apparent by referring to the embodiments of the present disclosure described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative only for better understanding of the present disclosure and that the present disclosure may be modified in various ways. In addition, for ease of understanding of the present disclosure, the drawings are not drawn to actual scale and the dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.

[0041] Figure 1 View of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Perspective view of the battery module without including the module housing, Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 Exploded perspective view of the main part of the battery module, Figure 4 Is used to show at Figure 3 View of the front buffer member of the buffer plate used at the battery module. Figure 5 Is used to show at Figure 3 View of the rear buffer member of the buffer plate used at the battery module. Figure 6 Is used to show at Figure 3 View of the pressure plate used at the battery module, and Figure 7 Is used to show atFigure 3 View of the support plate used at the battery module.

[0042] Referring to Figures 1 to 7 , the battery module 10 may include a module housing 100, a battery cell assembly 200, end plates 300, buffer plates 400, pressing plates 500, and a support plate 600.

[0043] The module housing 100 forms the exterior of the battery module 10 and may accommodate the battery cell assembly 200, end plates 300, buffer plates 400, pressing plates 500, and support plate 600, which will be explained later.

[0044] The battery cell assembly 200 is accommodated in the module housing 100 and may include a plurality of battery cells 210 stacked on one another. The battery cell assembly 200 may include a plurality of battery cells 210, a plurality of cell cases 230, and a substrate 250.

[0045] The plurality of battery cells 210 are secondary batteries and may be configured as pouch-type secondary batteries, prismatic secondary batteries, or cylindrical secondary batteries. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the case where the plurality of battery cells 210 are configured as pouch-type secondary batteries will be described.

[0046] The plurality of cell cases 230 may support the plurality of battery cells 210. The plurality of cell cases 230 may support one or more battery cells 210 and may be stacked on one another along the stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells 210.

[0047] The substrate 250 may support the plurality of cell cases 230. To this end, the substrate 250 may have an area capable of supporting all of the cell cases among the plurality of cell cases 230.

[0048] The end plates 300 may be provided in pairs. A pair of end plates 300 may be respectively provided at the front and rear sides of the battery cell assembly 200.

[0049] The buffer plates 400 may be provided in pairs. A pair of buffer plates 400 are provided to a pair of end plates 300 and may be provided at the front and rear sides of the battery cell assembly 200.

[0050] The pair of buffer plates 400 may be formed such that a quite large area of the front and rear surfaces of the buffer plates has a flat shape in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 200, that is, the front and rear directions of the battery cell assembly 200. Here, at least one of the pair of buffer plates 400 may be in surface contact with the battery cells 210 of the battery cell assembly 200 facing the buffer plates.

[0051] The pair of buffer plates 400 can be made of an insulating material. The pair of buffer plates 400 can be provided as expanded polypropylene (EPP) members.

[0052] The pair of buffer plates 400 can include a front buffer member 410 and a rear buffer member 430.

[0053] The front buffer member 410 can be provided on the rear surface of the end plate 300 provided at the front portion among the pair of end plates 300.

[0054] The rear buffer member 430 can be provided on the front surface of the end plate 300 provided at the rear portion among the pair of end plates 300. Meanwhile, the rear buffer member 430 can include a cable passage 435 through which cable members such as electrical cables or sensing cables for connecting electrical components of the battery module 10 can pass.

[0055] The pressing plate 500 is provided between the pair of buffer plates 400 and can be provided between the battery cells 210 of the battery cell assembly 200.

[0056] The pressing plate 500 can be formed such that a considerably large area of the front surface and the rear surface in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 200, that is, the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly 200, has a flat shape.

[0057] Here, the pressing plate 500 can be respectively provided between the battery cells 210 to form surface contact with the battery cells 210 facing the pressing plate 500.

[0058] At least one pressing plate 500 or a plurality of pressing plates 500 can be provided. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the case where the pressing plates 500 are provided in plurality will be described.

[0059] The plurality of pressing plates 500 can be made of an insulating material. The plurality of pressing plates 500 can be provided as expanded polypropylene (EPP) members.

[0060] The support plate 600 can be provided between the battery cell assembly 200 and any one of the buffer plates 400. Specifically, the support plate 600 can be provided between the battery cell assembly 200 and the rear buffer member 430 of the buffer plate 400.

[0061] The support plate 600 can be configured such that in the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly 200, the front surface and the rear surface of the support plate have a flat shape. The support plate 600 can form surface contact with the battery cells 210 of the battery cell assembly 200 facing the support plate 600.

[0062] Hereinafter, a mechanism for eliminating the pressure deviation between battery cells 210 when a cell bulge occurs at the battery cell 210 of the battery cell assembly 200 of the battery module 10 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail.

[0063] Figures 8 to 13 is for showing at Figure 1 the battery module adopted, a view of the mechanism for eliminating the pressure deviation between battery cells when a cell bulge occurs at the battery cell of the battery cell assembly.

[0064] Referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9 In the battery module 10, a cell bulge phenomenon may occur at the battery cell 210 of the battery cell assembly 200. According to the cell bulge phenomenon, cell expansion may occur in the front - rear direction of the battery cell 210, and the front - rear direction is the stacking direction of the battery cells 210.

[0065] When a cell bulge occurs, a plurality of pressing plates 500 according to this embodiment can uniformly squeeze the front and rear surfaces of the facing battery cell 210 while making surface contact with the battery cell 210 facing the pressing plate.

[0066] Referring to Figure 10 and Figure 11 When a cell bulge occurs at the battery cell 210 of the battery cell assembly 200 of the battery module 10, the front buffer member 410 of the buffer plate 400 can also uniformly squeeze the front surface of the facing battery cell 210 while making surface contact with the battery cell 210 facing the front buffer member 410.

[0067] Referring to Figure 12 and Figure 13 When a cell bulge occurs at the battery cell 210 of the battery cell assembly 200 of the battery module 10, the rear buffer member 430 of the buffer plate 400 can also, together with the support plate 600, uniformly squeeze the rear surface of the facing battery cell 210 while making surface contact with the battery cell 210 facing the rear buffer member 430. In particular, the support plate 600 can supplement the surface contact extrusion force near the cable passage 435 of the rear buffer member 430.

[0068] As described above, in this embodiment, since when a cell bulge occurs at the battery cell 210, the battery cell 210 can be more effectively squeezed by the buffer plate 400, the pressing plate 500, and the support plate 600, the pressure deviation between the battery cells 210 can be effectively minimized.

[0069] In this embodiment, since the pressure deviation between the battery cells 210 is eliminated, the structural stability of the battery module 10 can be further enhanced, and the life performance of the battery module 10 can be further improved.

[0070] Figure 14 It is a view for showing a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] Referring to Figure 9 , the battery rack 1 may include a plurality of battery modules 10 of the foregoing embodiments and a battery rack housing 50 for accommodating the plurality of battery modules 10.

[0072] Since the battery rack 1 of this embodiment includes the battery module 10 of the foregoing embodiment, the battery rack 1 may have all the advantages of the battery module 10 of the foregoing embodiment.

[0073] Figure 15 It is a view for showing an energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] Referring to Figure 15 , the energy storage system E may be used as an energy source for households or industries. The energy storage system E may include at least one battery rack 1 of the foregoing embodiment or a plurality of battery racks 1 in this embodiment and a battery rack container C for accommodating the plurality of battery racks 1.

[0075] Since the energy storage system E of this embodiment includes the battery rack 1 of the foregoing embodiment, the energy storage system E may have all the advantages of the battery rack 1 of the foregoing embodiment.

[0076] According to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery module 10 that can improve manufacturing efficiency, ensure product reliability, and control single-cell swelling, and provide a battery rack 1 and an energy storage system E including the battery module 10.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described, and those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure, and these modifications should not be understood separately from the technical concept and view of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: a battery cell assembly having a plurality of battery cells stacked on one another; a pair of end plates disposed at the front and rear sides of the battery cell assembly; a pair of buffer plates disposed on the pair of end plates and at the front and rear sides of the battery cell assembly, at least one of the pair of buffer plates including a cable channel through which a cable member for connecting electrical components of the battery module can pass; at least one pressing plate disposed between the pair of buffer plates and between the battery cells of the battery cell assembly, and a support plate disposed between the battery cell assembly and any one of the buffer plates to supplement the surface contact pressing force near the cable channel of the buffer plate, wherein the pair of buffer plates and the at least one pressing plate are configured such that front and rear surfaces in the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly of the pair of buffer plates and the at least one pressing plate have a flat shape.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the pressing plates are provided in plurality and are respectively disposed between the battery cells to form surface contact with the battery cells facing the pressing plates.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of buffer plates is configured to form surface contact with the battery cells of the battery cell assembly facing the buffer plate.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is configured such that front and rear surfaces in the front-rear direction of the battery cell assembly of the support plate have a flat shape.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the support plate is configured to form surface contact with the battery cells of the battery cell assembly facing the support plate.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the pair of buffer plates are made of an insulating material.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the pair of buffer plates and the at least one pressing plate are provided as foamed polypropylene members.

8. A battery rack, comprising: at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1-7; and a battery rack housing configured to accommodate the at least one battery module.

9. An energy storage system, comprising: at least one battery rack according to claim 8.

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