Battery module and battery pack including same

Abstract

The battery module according to the present invention comprises: a cell stack provided with stacked pouch-shaped battery cells; a bus bar frame assembly for electrically connecting the battery cells; a module case accommodating the battery cells; and an exhaust guide member attached to the cell halfpace of the heat-sealed pouch case of the battery cell and arranged to form an aperture in the cell halfpace.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same, and more particularly, to a battery module having good safety against thermal events and a battery pack including the same.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0168018 filed in Korea on December 5, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0043133 filed in Korea on March 31, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] As technology develops and demand for various mobile devices, electric vehicles, energy storage systems (ESS), etc. has increased significantly, interest in and demand for secondary batteries as energy sources have also increased rapidly. Although nickel-cadmium batteries or nickel-metal hydride batteries have been widely used as secondary batteries in the past, lithium secondary batteries are widely used today because they have the following advantages over nickel-based secondary batteries: free charging and discharging due to almost no memory effect, extremely low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0004] These lithium secondary batteries generally use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as positive and negative active materials, respectively. The lithium secondary battery includes: an electrode assembly in which a positive plate and a negative plate coated with a positive and negative active materials, respectively, are arranged with a separator interposed therebetween; and an outer casing (i.e., a battery casing) that seals and stores the electrode assembly and the electrolyte.

[0005] In general, secondary batteries may be classified into can-type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is accommodated in a metal can and pouch-type secondary batteries in which an electrode assembly is accommodated in a pouch of an aluminum laminate sheet, depending on the shape of an outer case.

[0006] At present, the operating voltage of the widely used lithium secondary battery cells is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, in the case of electric vehicles or power storage devices that require large capacity and high output, a battery module or battery pack is constructed by connecting a plurality of lithium secondary batteries in series and / or in parallel and used as an energy source. Specifically, in order to meet the output or capacity required for electric vehicles, the battery module or battery pack includes a large number of lithium secondary batteries.

[0007] Furthermore, if a thermal event occurs in a battery module containing multiple battery cells, causing heat to continue to accumulate inside the battery module, thermal runaway may spread rapidly between the battery cells. This may result in severe damage such as battery module explosion.

[0008] Therefore, for user safety, the battery module or battery pack needs to be designed to suppress fire or delay its spread in the early stages of a thermal event.

[0009] As we all know, the three elements of combustion are fuel, oxygen and heat. When a thermal event occurs, it is almost impossible to remove the battery cell corresponding to the fuel. Therefore, in order to suppress the thermal event or delay its spread, oxygen must be prevented from flowing into the battery module or the heat source must be removed. Summary of the invention

[0010] Technical issues

[0011] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and thus the present disclosure aims to provide a battery module that can effectively disperse or relieve heat and pressure before a thermal event in the battery module intensifies.

[0012] The technical problems that the present disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the present disclosure described below.

[0013] Technical Solution

[0014] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module can be provided, comprising: a cell stack including stacked pouch-shaped battery cells; a busbar frame assembly configured to electrically connect the battery cells; a module shell configured to accommodate the battery cells; and an exhaust guide member attached to the cell ladder of the heat-melted pouch shell in the battery cells and configured to form holes in the cell ladder.

[0015] The exhaust guide member may be configured to form a hole in a cell terrace of the battery cell when a temperature or an internal pressure of the battery cell to which the exhaust guide member is attached exceeds a predetermined value.

[0016] The exhaust guide member may be a film heater configured to generate heat when a temperature or an internal pressure of a battery cell to which the film heater is attached exceeds a predetermined value.

[0017] The film heater may be configured to stop generating heat if a hole is formed in the cell terrace.

[0018] The film heater may be attached to the cell terrace of each battery cell, and the film heater attached to the battery cell in contact with a specific battery cell in which thermal runaway occurs among the battery cells may be configured to generate heat.

[0019] The battery module may further include a control unit configured to monitor a change in temperature or internal pressure of the battery cells and control an operation of the exhaust guide member.

[0020] The module case may have a gas discharge hole provided on a bottom plate supporting the cell stack at the bottom of the cell stack.

[0021] The gas discharge holes may be provided in a lower region corresponding to the position of the cell steps of the battery cells.

[0022] The battery module may further include a barrier member configured to partition the interior of the module case so that a predetermined number of battery cells are respectively located in the partitioned spaces within the module case.

[0023] The barrier member may be configured in the form of a plate which is made of a material having flame retardant properties and insulating properties and has a length and a width corresponding to a length and a height of the module case.

[0024] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack including the battery module may also be provided.

[0025] Beneficial Effects

[0026] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when a thermal event occurs inside a battery module, the heat and pressure of the battery cells can be effectively discharged or dispersed, thereby preventing a chain explosion of the battery cells. This can prevent the flame from spreading rapidly inside and outside the battery module.

[0027] Furthermore, the present disclosure may have various other effects, and these will be described in each embodiment, or description of effects that can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art will be omitted.

[0028] Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present disclosure, exhaust gas generated from the battery cells may be directionally discharged to the outside of the battery module, thereby releasing the internal pressure of the battery module more safely and efficiently.

[0029] Furthermore, the present disclosure may have various other effects, and these will be described in each embodiment, or description of effects that can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art will be omitted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the battery module in FIG.

[0032] Figure 3 The battery module is shown as viewed from below after the end cap is removed. Figure 1 Figure 2 shows a portion of a battery module in FIG.

[0033] Figure 4is a diagram illustrating a pouch-shaped battery cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 6 is an illustration of a bus bar frame assembly observed from another angle after being removed from a battery module Figure 3 Figure 2 shows a portion of a battery module in FIG.

[0036] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Magnified view of area A in FIG.

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

[0038] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 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 meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation. Therefore, the embodiments of this specification and the configurations proposed in the accompanying drawings only represent the most preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and do not represent all technical concepts of the present disclosure, so it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be made to the present disclosure when the application is submitted.

[0040] For the sake of convenience of explanation and clarification, the size of each element or a specific part of each element shown in the drawings is exaggerated, omitted or simplified. Therefore, the size of each element does not fully reflect their actual size. The description of the related known functions or structures that may cover the subject of the present disclosure will be omitted.

[0041] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a battery module in FIG. Figure 3 The battery module is shown as viewed from below after the end cap is removed. Figure 1 Figure 2 shows a portion of a battery module in FIG.

[0042] Reference Figures 1 to 3, a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cell stack 100 composed of battery cells 110 , a bus bar frame assembly 200 , a module case 300 , and an exhaust guide member 400 .

[0043] The battery cell 110 is a pouch-shaped battery cell 110, and includes an electrode lead 111, an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, and a pouch housing for sealing the electrode assembly and the electrolyte. For example, the pouch housing may be composed of two pouch sheets, and at least one of the two pouch sheets may have a recess formed therein. The electrode assembly and the electrolyte are housed in the recess, and the edges of the two pouch sheets are heat-melted. In this pouch-shaped battery cell 110, the portion where the pouch sheet is heat-melted to seal is referred to as a sealing portion. The electrode lead 111 has one end connected to the electrode assembly in the pouch housing and the other end protruding to the outside of the pouch housing, and when the pouch sheet is heat-melted, the portion between one end and the other end is fixed to the sealing portion. The portion of the electrode lead 111 exposed to the outside of the pouch housing can be used as an electrode terminal of the pouch-shaped battery cell 110.

[0044] The pouch-shaped battery cell 110 obtained by using two pouch sheets to encapsulate the electrode assembly may have four sealing portions (the front edge, the rear edge, and two side edges intersecting the front and rear edges from which the electrode lead 111 protrudes), and the pouch-shaped battery cell 110 obtained by folding one pouch sheet to encapsulate the electrode assembly may include three sealing portions (the front edge, the rear edge, and the side edges intersecting the front and rear edges and located on the opposite side of the folded portion from which the electrode lead 111 protrudes). Hereinafter, among the sealing portions, the sealing portion from which the electrode lead 111 protrudes will be referred to as the cell terrace 113. In addition, the cell stack 100 represents an element obtained by vertically standing the pouch-shaped battery cell 110 relative to the ground and stacking the pouch-shaped battery cells 110 in the horizontal direction.

[0045] The bus bar frame assembly 200 is a device for connecting the pouch-shaped battery cells 110 in series and / or in parallel. Figure 2 As shown, a bus bar frame 210 and a plurality of bus bars 220 may be included and may be disposed on the front and back sides of the battery cell stack 100 .

[0046] The busbar frame 210 may be configured in the form of a plate having a size capable of covering the front side (-Y axis direction) or the back side (+Y axis direction) of the battery cell stack 100. In addition, the busbar frame 210 may have a plurality of slits, and may be configured so that a plurality of busbars 220 can be assembled to its outer surface, and the electrode leads 111 of the pouch-shaped battery cell 110 pass through the plurality of slits in the +Y axis or -Y axis direction. In addition, the busbar frame 210 may be made of, for example, a plastic material having electrical insulation properties.

[0047] The plurality of bus bars 220 may be configured in the form of bars made of a conductive material (eg, a metal such as copper, aluminum, or nickel). Figure 3 As shown, the electrode leads 111 of the pouch-shaped battery cells 110 may pass through the slits of the bus bar frame 210 to extend to the outside of the bus bar frame 210, and the extended portions may be connected to the surface of the bus bar 220 by welding. For example, by connecting the positive electrode leads of one or more pouch-shaped battery cells 110 and the negative electrode leads of one or more other pouch-shaped battery cells 110 to the same bus bar 220, the stacked pouch-shaped battery cells 110 may be connected to each other in series and / or in parallel.

[0048] The module housing 300 may be composed of a housing body configured as a square tube and a pair of end caps 350 and 360 covering the open ends of the housing body. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The shell body may include a top plate 310 covering the top surface of the cell stack 100 , a bottom plate 320 covering the bottom surface of the cell stack 100 , and a pair of side plates 330 and 340 covering the two side surfaces of the cell stack 100 , respectively.

[0049] Here, the bottom plate 320 and the pair of side plates 330 and 340 may be integrally formed. The unit in which the bottom plate 320 and the pair of side plates 330 and 340 are integrated is also referred to as a U-shaped frame. The housing of the present embodiment may be obtained by welding the U-shaped frame and the top plate 310. Different from the present embodiment, the housing body may also be provided by integrally constructing the top plate 310, the bottom plate 320 and the pair of side plates 330 and 340.

[0050] The cell stack 100 and the bus bar frame assembly 200 may be disposed in an inner space of the case body, and a pair of end covers 350 and 360 may be respectively coupled to open ends of the case body by welding or the like.

[0051] The thermal resin TR having adhesiveness may be applied between the bottom plate 320 and the battery cell stack 100. According to the above configuration, the fixation of the battery cell 110 in the module housing may be strengthened. In addition, the heat transfer rate between the battery cell 110 and the bottom plate 320 may be increased, so that the heat of the battery cell 110 may be more effectively dissipated to the outside during charging and discharging.

[0052] In addition, the bottom plate 320 may have a gas discharge hole 321 formed thereon, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 Specifically, the gas discharge hole 321 may be disposed in the area below the cell terrace 113 of the battery cell 110 to correspond to its position, as shown in FIG. Figures 5 to 7 shown.

[0053] Specifically, refer to Figure 2, Figure 3 as well as Figures 5 and 6 , a plurality of gas discharge holes 321 may be provided at positions close to both ends of the bottom plate 320 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the left / right direction (X-axis direction). Figure 2 or Figure 5 As shown, the above-mentioned thermal resin TR is configured to be distributed only at a position adjacent to the gas discharge hole 321 on the bottom plate 320 so that the gas discharge hole 321 is not blocked. Preferably, the gas discharge hole 321 is provided at a position corresponding to the lower area of ​​the cell terrace 113 (front sealing portion or rear sealing portion) in the pouch-shaped battery cell 110.

[0054] Secondary batteries may generate gas due to side reactions during charging and discharging. Specifically, if a large amount of gas is generated during overcharging and discharging, the internal pressure rises significantly, resulting in an expansion phenomenon, and if the situation worsens, the bonding strength of the hot melt sealing portion may decrease, causing the corresponding portion to rupture and discharge gas. At this time, in the pouch-shaped battery cell 110, the sealing portion of the cell ladder 113 to which the electrode lead 111 is bonded has a lower bonding force and a higher temperature than other sealing portions. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the pouch-shaped battery cell 110 increases, the cell ladder 113 is most likely to be damaged. Therefore, the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has a gas discharge hole 321, which is arranged in the lower region of the cell ladder 113 corresponding to the position of the cell ladder 113, so that the gas released due to the damage of the cell ladder 113 can be directly discharged to the outside of the battery module 10.

[0055] According to the above configuration, for example, in the case where a high-temperature gas or the like is ejected from a triggering battery cell 110 in which a thermal event has occurred among the battery cells 110, the high-temperature gas or the like can be discharged in the downward direction of the module housing 300 through the gas discharge hole 321. In this case, other battery cells 110 adjacent to the triggering battery cell 110 can be prevented from being seriously damaged due to heat. That is, the propagation of heat energy between the battery cells 110 can be delayed. In addition, a large amount of gas can be quickly discharged to the outside of the battery module 10, thereby preventing an explosion or collapse caused by a rapid increase in the internal pressure of the battery module 10.

[0056] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a degassing guide member 400 that is attached to the cell terrace 113 of the battery cell 110 and forms a hole in the cell terrace 113 of the battery cell 110 if the temperature or internal pressure of the battery cell 110 exceeds a predetermined value. That is, the battery module 10 is configured such that when a thermal abnormality is detected in the battery cell 110, the degassing guide member 400 forms a hole in the cell terrace 113 of the battery cell 110 so that gas and heat energy can escape from the interior of the battery cell 110 as early as possible.

[0057] In detail, if gas, flame, particles, etc. are explosively released from a battery cell 110 in which a thermal event occurs under high temperature and high pressure conditions, other battery cells 110 around the battery cell 110 may be thermally damaged in a large area. The exhaust guide member 400 is a device to prevent this and is used to discharge gas or heat energy from the battery cell 110 in advance under low temperature and low pressure.

[0058] When thermal abnormality is detected in the battery cell 110, the exhaust guide member 400 operates. The thermal abnormality of the battery cell 110 may be determined by whether the temperature or the internal pressure of the battery cell 110 exceeds a predetermined value. Here, the predetermined value may represent the highest value within a normal range of the temperature or the internal pressure of the battery cell 110 when the battery cell 110 is charged and discharged. The predetermined value may be configured to be lower than the temperature or the internal pressure at which the battery cell 110 explodes. For reference, the predetermined value may be determined to be different depending on the capacity or size of the battery cell 110 included in the battery module 10.

[0059] As described above, when thermal anomalies are detected in the battery cell 110, the exhaust guide member 400 may operate to form a hole in the cell terrace 113, and thermal energy including gas may be slowly dissipated while the battery cell 110 is maintained at a relatively low temperature and a low pressure. As a result, the triggering battery cell 110 may be prevented from exploding, and thermal damage to other battery cells 110 adjacent to the triggering battery cell 110 may be significantly reduced.

[0060] In this embodiment, a film heater may be used as the exhaust guide member 400. The film heater may include a resistance pattern 410 and an insulating film 420. For example, the film heater may be configured as an insulating film 420 on which the resistance pattern 410 is printed using conductive ink. Here, the insulating film 420 may be a PET film or a PI film.

[0061] Specifically, the film heater can be manufactured by printing the resistance pattern 410 with silver nano ink on the base film, attaching the cover film thereto, and then drying by heating. Although schematically shown for ease of drawing, wiring can be connected to the film heater, and current can be supplied to the resistance pattern 410 of the film heater through the wiring. In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, although the film heater is used as the exhaust guide member 400, any mechanical or electronic structure can be used as the exhaust guide member 400 as long as it can form a hole in the battery cell ladder 113.

[0062] A film heater may preferably be attached to each battery cell 110. For example, Figure 4 As shown, the film heater may be attached to the lower region of the cell terrace 113 on both sides of the protruding electrode leads 111 of the battery cell 110. If the battery cells 110 to which the film heater is attached are stacked and stored in the module case 300, the gas discharge hole 321 is located in the region below the film heater, as shown in FIG. Figures 5 to 7 As shown. According to this configuration, if a thermal abnormality is detected in the battery cell 110, the film heater can generate heat to form a hole in the cell terrace 113 of the battery cell 110, and gas or the like can be exhausted through the hole, so that the exhaust gas or the like can be discharged in the downward direction of the bottom plate 320 through the gas exhaust hole 321 located directly below it, thereby performing directional exhaust. Therefore, the path for exhausting gas or the like to the outside of the battery module 10 can be significantly shortened, so that the gas can not spread into the internal space of the module housing 300.

[0063] The exhaust guide member 400 may be configured to be operated by a control unit (not shown). Hereinafter, the control of the exhaust guide member 400 by the control unit will be described. However, unlike the present embodiment, it should be noted that the exhaust guide member 400 may be configured to include a sensor capable of detecting the temperature or pressure of the battery cell 110, detect an abnormality of the battery cell 110 by itself, and operate in cooperation with the sensor.

[0064] That is, the battery module 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a control unit (not shown). The control unit may be configured to be integrated into a battery management system (BMS) as a general element included in the battery module 10, and may be provided inside or outside the module housing 300.

[0065] The control unit may be configured to measure, calculate, receive or control various electrical, physical and chemical characteristics of the battery cell 110 or its surroundings. For example, the control unit may measure, calculate or control the voltage, current, temperature, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), internal resistance, etc. of the battery cell 110.

[0066] Additionally, the control unit may be configured to monitor changes in the temperature or internal pressure of the pouch-shaped battery cell 110 and send an operation signal to the degassing guide member 400. The control unit may be configured to monitor abnormalities of the battery cell 110 and control the degassing guide member 400 to operate if the temperature or internal pressure of the battery cell 110 is outside a normal range.

[0067] For example, if the temperature or internal pressure of all monitored battery cells 110 falls within the normal range, the control unit cuts off the power supply to all film heaters. However, if the temperature or internal pressure of a specific battery cell 110 falls outside the normal range, or remains outside the normal range for a predetermined period of time without returning to the normal range, the control unit controls the power supply to the film heater attached to the specific battery cell 110 (i.e., the triggering battery cell 110). Then, the film heater generates heat to form a hole in the cell terrace 113 of the triggering battery cell 110.

[0068] If a hole is formed in the cell terrace 113, the film heater may stop generating heat. For example, the time taken from when the film heater starts operating to when a hole is formed in the cell terrace 113 is predetermined as the operating time through experiments or the like. Based on the determined operating time, if the operating time has elapsed, the control unit may cut off the power supply to the film heater so that the film heater stops generating heat.

[0069] Furthermore, unlike the present embodiment, an electronic circuit switch having a timer function is built into the film heater so that power is supplied only during the operation time, thereby causing the film heater to generate heat, and stops generating heat when a hole is formed in the cell terrace 113. Alternatively, a film heater may be employed in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the resistance pattern 410 is designed so that the resistance pattern 410 is broken when the cell terrace 113 reaches the melting temperature.

[0070] According to the above-described implementation configuration, the film heater may generate only enough heat to form holes in the cell terrace 113 , thereby preventing the battery cell 110 from catching fire due to continuous heat generation by the film heater.

[0071] In addition, the battery module 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to operate the film heater attached to the battery cell 110 adjacent to the triggering battery cell 110. In other words, among the battery cells 110 stored in the module case 300, the film heater of the specific battery cell 110 where thermal runaway or gas release occurs and the film heater of the battery cell 110 in contact with the battery cell 110 on one side may be configured to operate. Here, the battery cell 110 in contact with the specific battery cell 110 may be configured so that the film heater attached thereto operates even if the temperature and pressure are normal.

[0072] For example, since the control unit monitors the temperature and pressure of each battery cell 110, it is possible to identify the positions of the battery cell 110 that has caught fire and the battery cells 110 that are in contact therewith. Therefore, the operation of the film heater attached to the battery cell 110 that is in contact with the battery cell 110 that has caught fire can be controlled by the control unit.

[0073] According to the above-described implementation configuration, holes are pre-formed in the cell steps 113 of the battery cell 110 adjacent to the triggering battery cell 110 that is in a severely deteriorated state or has caught fire. In this case, even if heat is transferred from the triggering battery cell 110 to the adjacent battery cell 110, gas or the like can be slowly discharged at low temperature and low pressure through the holes pre-formed in the cell steps 113 of the adjacent battery cell 110. Therefore, this implementation configuration has the effect of preventing chain explosions of the battery cells 110.

[0074] As described above, according to the configuration and operation of the battery module 10 according to the present disclosure, when a thermal event occurs inside the battery module 10, the heat and pressure of the battery cells 110 can be effectively dispersed and discharged to the outside. Therefore, the battery cells 110 can be prevented from chain explosion.

[0075] Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a battery module 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of .

[0076] Next, we will refer to Figure 8 and Fig. 9 A battery module 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is described. The same reference numerals as those of the above-described embodiment denote the same elements, redundant descriptions of the same elements will be omitted, and description will be made based on differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0077] Compared with the battery module 10 according to the above embodiment, the battery module 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a barrier member 500 partitioning the inside of the module case 300 so that a predetermined number of battery cells 110 are respectively located in partitioned spaces within the module case 300 .

[0078] The barrier member 500 may be configured in the form of a plate made of an insulating material, and may be provided in the module case 300 in a preassembled form, or may be installed between specific battery cells 110 when the battery cells 110 are stacked.

[0079] The barrier member 500 may be provided in the form of a plate having a length and a width corresponding to the length and the height of the module case 300. Figure 8In the embodiment, the lower end of the barrier member may be in contact with the bottom plate 320, and the upper end thereof may be in contact with the top plate 310. In addition, the barrier member 500 may be made of a material having flame retardant and insulating properties such as mica to block heat transfer between the battery cells 110 and prevent movement of flames or gas within the module housing 300.

[0080] Specifically, refer to Figure 8 , when a specific battery cell 110 experiences thermal runaway, heat may spread from the specific battery cell 110 to several surrounding battery cells 110. However, the heat is not easily transferred to the battery cell 110 disposed in another space partitioned by the barrier member 500.

[0081] In addition, before a particular battery cell 110 reaches a high temperature and a high voltage, such as Fig. 9 As shown, a hole K1 can be formed on the cell terrace 113 of a specific battery cell by the exhaust guide member 400 so that gas or particles can be released through the hole K1. At this time, the released gas is blocked by the barrier member 500 and cannot move to the battery cells 110 arranged in other partitioned spaces. The blocked gas can be discharged in the downward direction of the battery module 10 through the gas discharge hole 321 located below the cell terrace 113 of the specific battery cell 110 for directional exhaust. Therefore, even if a thermal event occurs in a specific battery cell 110, thermal damage to the surrounding battery cells 110 can be minimized, thereby significantly delaying the propagation of thermal runaway between the battery cells 110.

[0082] In addition, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include one or more of the above-mentioned battery modules. Additionally, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may be applied to vehicles such as electric vehicles. In other words, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may include at least one or more battery packs according to the present disclosure.

[0083] 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 those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs may make various modifications and variations within the technical concept of the present disclosure and the equivalent scope of the claims to be described below.

[0084] In addition, although terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, forward, and backward 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 stack, the battery cell stack comprising stacked pouch-shaped battery cells; a bus bar frame assembly configured to electrically connect the battery cells; a module housing configured to accommodate the battery cell; as well as A degassing guide member is attached to a cell step of a heat-fused pouch case in the battery cell and is configured to form a hole in the cell step.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The exhaust guide member is configured to form a hole in the cell terrace of the battery cell when a temperature or an internal pressure of the battery cell to which the exhaust guide member is attached exceeds a predetermined value.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The exhaust guide member is a film heater configured to generate heat when a temperature or an internal pressure of the battery cell to which the film heater is attached exceeds a predetermined value.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, in, The film heater is configured to stop generating heat if a hole is formed in the cell terrace.

5. The battery module according to claim 3, in, The membrane heater is attached to the cell terrace of each battery cell, and Wherein, the film heater attached to the battery cell in contact with the specific battery cell in which thermal runaway occurs among the battery cells is configured to generate heat.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, The battery module further includes a control unit configured to monitor a change in temperature or internal pressure of the battery cells and control an operation of the exhaust guide member.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The module case has a gas discharge hole provided on a bottom plate supporting the cell stack at the bottom of the cell stack.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, in, The gas discharge hole is provided in a lower region corresponding to the position of the cell terrace of the battery cell.

9. The battery module according to claim 1, The battery module further includes a barrier member configured to partition the interior of the module case so that a predetermined number of battery cells are respectively located in the partitioned spaces within the module case.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, in, The barrier member is configured in the form of a plate made of a material having flame retardant and insulating properties and having a length and a width corresponding to a length and a height of the module case. 11 . A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1 .

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