Battery module and battery pack

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module having improved anti-swelling stability is disclosed. A battery module according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a battery cell assembly comprising a plurality of battery cells stacked in at least one direction; a module housing which accommodates the battery cell assembly in an internal space thereof; and a heat conducting member interposed between the cell assembly and the module case to transfer heat, and having a partial bonding force difference.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0161479 filed on November 20, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to battery technology, and more particularly, to a battery module having improved anti-swelling stability, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the battery module. Background Art

[0003] As demand for portable electronic products such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and smart watches has significantly increased, and as electric vehicles have become popular, active research on batteries mounted thereon (particularly secondary batteries capable of repeated charge and discharge) is underway.

[0004] Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries, etc. Among them, lithium secondary batteries have attracted much attention due to their advantages of free charge and discharge, as they have almost no memory effect, very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density compared to nickel-based secondary batteries.

[0005] These lithium secondary batteries use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as positive and negative electrode active materials, respectively. A lithium secondary battery comprises an electrode assembly, comprising positive and negative electrode plates coated with the positive and negative electrode active materials, respectively, with a separator disposed therebetween; and an outer casing (i.e., a battery housing) that stores the electrode assembly with an electrolyte in a sealed manner.

[0006] Generally, lithium secondary batteries can be classified into can-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is stored in a metal can, and pouch-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is stored in a pouch of aluminum laminate, based on the shape of the outer casing. Furthermore, can-type secondary batteries can be further classified into cylindrical batteries and prismatic batteries based on their shape. Currently, secondary batteries, especially lithium secondary batteries, have three representative battery types: pouch-type batteries, prismatic batteries, and cylindrical batteries.

[0007] Secondary batteries are widely used in medium- and large-scale equipment such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS) for driving and storing energy, as well as small devices such as portable electronic devices. Furthermore, with the significant growth of the electric vehicle-related industry in recent years, interest in batteries, which are considered a core technology, has also increased.

[0008] A plurality of secondary batteries can be electrically connected and stored inside a module housing to form a battery module. In addition, a battery pack can be configured by including various electronic components such as a BMS (battery management system) and fuses for controlling its charging and discharging operations in addition to one or more battery modules.

[0009] To ensure cooling performance and structural stability, battery modules may have a thermally conductive adhesive such as thermal resin interposed between the battery cells (secondary batteries) and the module housing. However, in the case of this type of battery module, the adhesive may cause problems when expansion occurs.

[0010] For example, when multiple pouch cells are stacked inside a module or battery pack housing and expand, forces may act between the battery cells, pushing them apart. This force may be greater for cells located on the outside. In this case, if one side of the battery cell adheres to the module housing, the pressure caused by the expansion could damage some of the cells or disrupt the arrangement of the battery cell assembly.

[0011] For example, when multiple pouch cells are stacked and stored in the interior space of a module housing with their bottoms bonded by thermal resin, if expansion occurs in the battery stack, the pouch cells located on the outside may be excessively pushed due to the expansion. Furthermore, during this process, the pouch cells located on the outside may be exposed to damage such as cracks or tears.

[0012] Furthermore, even in the case of square or cylindrical battery cells, if the cell stack expands beyond a certain level, the outer cells may be pushed outward. Furthermore, during this process, the battery cells may separate from the thermal resin, which may reduce the heat dissipation performance of the battery cells. Furthermore, since the cured thermal resin is damaged when the battery cells are pushed, the cell stack or battery device may experience partial or complete structural collapse. Summary of the Invention

[0013] Technical issues

[0014] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and thus the present disclosure aims to provide a battery module having an improved structure capable of ensuring stability even when swelling occurs, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the battery module.

[0015] However, the technical problems that the present disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to the above problems, and other problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the present invention described below.

[0016] Technical Solution

[0017] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery module is provided, comprising: a cell assembly having a plurality of battery cells stacked in at least one direction; a module housing configured to accommodate the cell assembly in an internal space; and a heat-conducting member interposed between the cell assembly and the module housing and configured to transfer heat and have a partial bonding force difference.

[0018] Here, the thermally conductive member may be interposed between all the battery cells provided in the battery cell assembly and the module case.

[0019] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member may have a portion having a difference in joining force along a stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells.

[0020] Furthermore, the heat conductive member may be at least partially configured such that a portion located outside in a stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells has a lower bonding force than a portion located inside.

[0021] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member may be configured such that a portion of the cell assembly where the outermost battery cell is located has the lowest joining force.

[0022] In addition, the thermally conductive member may include two or more thermally conductive unit members having different coupling forces, and the two or more thermally conductive unit members may be disposed along a stacking direction of the battery cell assembly.

[0023] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member may be configured to have partially different degrees of solidification.

[0024] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member may include a cured thermally conductive portion and a non-cured thermally conductive portion.

[0025] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member may be configured to have a difference in joining force in two or more directions.

[0026] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member may have portions having a varying joining force with respect to both a stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells provided in the cell assembly and a longitudinal direction of each battery cell.

[0027] Furthermore, the heat conduction member may be configured to have a lower joining force at longitudinal end side portions of the battery cell than at a center side portion.

[0028] In addition, the thermally conductive member may include a central member and an external member, wherein the external member has a lower joining force than the central member and is positioned further outward than the central member in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly, and the width of the external member in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly may be configured to be partially different.

[0029] In addition, the central member may have a portion whose width gradually changes in a stacking direction of the battery cell assembly.

[0030] In addition, the battery module according to the present disclosure may further include a cooling member provided outside or inside the module housing and configured to allow a coolant to move through the cooling member.

[0031] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack is provided. The battery pack includes the battery module according to the present disclosure.

[0032] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes the battery module according to the present disclosure.

[0033] Beneficial effects

[0034] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to ensure anti-swelling stability of a battery device (ie, a battery module or a battery pack) including battery cells.

[0035] In particular, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a battery module or battery pack including a plurality of stacked battery cells, the stacking state of the cells can be stably maintained in a normal state. Furthermore, when swelling occurs, at least some of the cells (particularly the outermost cells) can be prevented from being damaged.

[0036] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent or suppress the structure of the battery device from collapsing due to damage to the cured adhesive when expansion occurs.

[0037] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the problem of battery cells separating from the thermally conductive adhesive due to expansion, thereby reducing heat dissipation, can be solved. Therefore, the cooling performance of the battery device can be continuously maintained.

[0038] Therefore, according to these aspects of the present disclosure, the cycle performance of the battery device can be improved. That is, according to various aspects of the present disclosure, a battery device with improved service life can be provided, which can be used stably for a long time.

[0039] Furthermore, the present disclosure may have various other effects, and these will be described in the respective embodiments, or descriptions of effects that can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art will be omitted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the above disclosure, are used to provide further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Exploded perspective view of the battery module.

[0043] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a partial configuration of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a thermally conductive member included in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 7 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 8 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 9 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a heat conduction member included in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a partial configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 11 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 12 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 13 and Figure 14 yes Figure 12 A zoomed-in view of some of the configurations in .

[0054] Figure 15is a diagram schematically illustrating a coating form of a thermally conductive member on a battery cell included in a cell assembly of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 16 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] Figure 17 yes Figure 16 Magnified view of section B6.

[0057] Figure 18 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] Figure 19 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 21 yes Figure 20 Magnified view of section B8.

[0061] Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] Figure 24 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration in which a plurality of cylindrical battery cells are stacked on one another in a battery cell assembly of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] Figure 25 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] Figure 26 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to 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 being limited to the general and dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted according to the meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure based on the principle of allowing the inventor to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation.

[0067] Therefore, the descriptions set forth herein are merely preferred examples for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and it should be understood that other equivalent substitutions and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0068] 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 to which the present disclosure belongs that these terms are only for convenience of explanation with reference to the relevant drawings and may vary depending on the position, arrangement or rotation of the target object or the position of the observer.

[0069] In addition, the present disclosure may include various embodiments. For substantially the same or similar configurations, redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted from the corresponding embodiments.

[0070] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Exploded perspective view of the battery module. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 3 Can be along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1' in FIG. Figure 4 Can be Figure 3 An enlarged cross-sectional view of portion B1 in FIG.

[0071] Reference Figures 1 to 4 , a battery module according to the present disclosure includes a battery cell assembly 100 , a module housing 200 and a thermally conductive member 300 .

[0072] The battery cell assembly 100 may include one or more battery cells 110, in particular, a plurality of battery cells 110. Here, each battery cell 110 may represent a secondary battery, or may represent a battery pack of a plurality of secondary batteries. In this specification, it will be described assuming that the battery cell 110 represents a secondary battery.

[0073] The battery cell 110 may include an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, and a battery case. In this case, the battery case may be configured in various shapes, and the battery cell 110 may be classified as a pouch-type cell, a cylindrical cell, and a square cell according to the shape of the battery case. Since the types of the battery cells 110 are well known at the time of filing this disclosure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The present disclosure is applicable to all types of secondary batteries known at the time of filing this disclosure and is not limited to a specific type of secondary battery.

[0074] In the battery cell assembly 100, a plurality of battery cells 110 may be configured to be stacked in at least one direction. Figure 2 As shown, the plurality of battery cells 110 may be stacked to be arranged side by side in a horizontal direction (particularly in a left-right direction (X-axis direction)). In addition, the plurality of battery cells 110 provided in the battery cell assembly 100 may be electrically connected in series and / or in parallel to each other via bus bars (not shown) or the like.

[0075] Meanwhile, in this specification, unless otherwise specified, the X-axis direction in which the plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked will be referred to as the left-right direction, the Y-axis direction, which is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the cell stacking direction, will be referred to as the front-back direction, and the Z-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the XY plane, will be referred to as the up-down direction (vertical direction). Furthermore, the left-right direction, the front-back direction, and the up-down direction may be expressed as a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction, respectively.

[0076] The module housing 200 may have an empty space formed therein and is configured to accommodate multiple battery cell assemblies 100 within the interior space. For example, the module housing 200 may include an upper plate 210, a lower plate 220, a left plate 230, a right plate 240, a front plate 250, and a rear plate 260 to define an interior space. Furthermore, the battery cell assemblies 100 may be positioned within the defined interior space. The module housing 200 may be at least partially made of metal and / or plastic.

[0077] At least some of the various plate members constituting the module housing 200 may be configured in an integrated form. Figure 2As shown, the module housing 200 may have a main body in the form of a U-shaped frame in which the lower plate 220, the left plate 230 and the right plate 240 are integrated with each other, and the upper plate 210, the front plate 250 and the rear plate 260 may be configured to cover or seal the upper opening, the front opening and the rear opening of the main body. In this case, the upper plate 210, the front plate 250 and the rear plate 260 and the main body may be connected by various fastening methods such as welding, joining, bolting and hooking. Alternatively, at least a portion of the module housing 200 may be manufactured as a single frame in which the upper plate 210, the lower plate 220, the left plate 230 and the right plate 240 are integrated with each other. Alternatively, the individual plates may be manufactured separately and then connected to each other by welding to form the module housing 200. However, the present disclosure is not limited to a specific material or form of the module housing 200.

[0078] The heat conducting member 300 may be interposed between the cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200. For example, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The thermally conductive member 300 may be disposed between one side (eg, the bottom) of the battery cell assembly 100 and the lower plate 220 of the module housing 200 .

[0079] In addition, the thermally conductive member 300 can be configured to transfer heat between the battery cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200. The battery cell 110 may generate heat during use. If this heat is not released properly, the performance of the battery cell 110 cannot be stably guaranteed, and in the worst case, it may cause thermal runaway, fire or explosion of the battery cell. In this regard, the heat generated by the battery cell 110 needs to be properly discharged to the outside through the module housing 200. In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 can promote heat transfer between the battery cell 110 and the module housing 200, thereby ensuring stable cooling performance of the battery module.

[0080] The thermally conductive member 300 may be provided with a material capable of transferring heat. In particular, the thermally conductive member 300 may be made of a resin material, in which case the thermally conductive member 300 may be referred to as a thermal resin. The thermally conductive member 300 may include various materials such as polyurethane, silicone resin, and epoxy resin. The thermally conductive member 300 may be expressed as other terms such as TIM (thermal interface material), potting resin, etc., and various thermal resins or TIMs known at the time of filing this disclosure may be used as the material of the thermally conductive member 300 of the battery module according to the present disclosure.

[0081] In addition, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to bond the cell assembly 100 to the module housing 200. To this end, the thermally conductive member 300 may include an adhesive component. Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in a case where the thermal conductive member 300 is located at the bottom of the battery cell assembly 100 , the thermal conductive member 300 may engage and fix the bottom of the battery cell assembly 100 to the lower plate 220 of the module housing 200 .

[0082] In particular, in the battery module according to the present disclosure, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to bond at least a portion of the cell assembly 100 to the module housing 200 with a bonding force that differs across the portion. Here, the bonding force may refer to a fixing force or a fixing strength between the cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200 by the thermally conductive member 300.

[0083] In this regard, refer to Figure 3 In the embodiment of FIG, the thermal conductive member 300 may be interposed between the bottom of the cell assembly 100 and the lower plate 220 of the module housing 200 so that the bottom of the cell assembly 100 may be joined to the lower plate 220 of the module housing 200. In this case, the joining force of the thermal conductive member 300 may be configured differently at the bottom of the cell assembly 100. For example, in Figure 3 In the bottom portion of the battery cell assembly 100 included in one battery module, the thermally conductive member 300 may have a coupling force configured to be different between a portion indicated as B1 and a portion indicated as B2 .

[0084] The difference in joining force between the various portions of the thermally conductive member 300 can be identified in various ways. For example, the difference in joining force between the various portions of the thermally conductive member 300 can be identified by measuring the force required to separate the battery cell assembly 100 from the module housing 200 for each portion. As another example, the difference in joining force between the various portions of the thermally conductive member 300 can also be identified based on the state or shape of the thermally conductive member 300.

[0085] According to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure, the battery module's expansion response performance can be improved by partially varying the bonding force of the thermally conductive member 300. Furthermore, different parts of a battery module may have different expansion vulnerabilities. According to the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, the distribution of bonding force can be appropriately controlled based on the local expansion vulnerabilities, thereby enabling an adaptive response to the expansion of each part. Therefore, the battery module according to the present disclosure can ensure stability and safety, preventing expansion.

[0086] The heat conducting member 300 may be interposed between all the battery cells 110 provided in the battery cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200. For example, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3In the embodiment configuration, when the cell assembly 100 is configured so that a plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked in the left-right direction, the thermally conductive member 300 may be provided at the bottom of the cell assembly 100. In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to be in direct contact with all the battery cells 110 included in the cell assembly 100. That is, in Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, the thermal conductive member 300 may be provided in direct contact with the bottoms of all the battery cells 110 from the leftmost battery cell 110 to the rightmost battery cell 110. As a more specific example, when 24 battery cells 110 are provided in the battery module, the thermal conductive member 300 may be provided in contact with all 24 battery cells 110.

[0087] According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, heat can be dissipated from all battery cells 110 included in the battery module through the heat conduction member 300. Therefore, the overall cooling performance of the battery module can be further improved.

[0088] The thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to have different bonding forces along a direction (first direction) in which the plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked in the cell assembly 100 .

[0089] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the configuration implemented in the embodiment, the plurality of battery cells 110 can be stacked in the left-right direction (X-axis direction). In addition, the heat conductive member 300 can be arranged to extend in the left-right direction at the bottom of the plurality of battery cells 110 stacked in the left-right direction, while the bonding force is different in the left-right direction. As a more specific example, in Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the thermally conductive member 300 may have different bonding forces between a portion indicated as B1 and a portion indicated as B2 .

[0090] If expansion occurs in the cell assembly 100 having a plurality of stacked battery cells 110, the battery cells 110 may move in the stacking direction, potentially causing damage or breakage of the cell assembly 100 or structural collapse. However, as described in the above embodiment, when the bonding force of the thermally conductive member 300 is configured to differ in the cell stacking direction, it is possible to more effectively respond to the expansion of the cell assembly 100.

[0091] In particular, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured such that, at least partially, along the direction in which the plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked in the battery cell assembly 100, a portion located on the outside has a lower bonding force than a portion located on the inside. Here, the inside may refer to an area located in a direction toward the center of the battery cell assembly 100, and the outside may refer to a direction opposite to the inside and indicate a direction located toward the outside of the battery cell assembly 100. The inside and outside may be relative positions.

[0092] For example, in Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, referring to B1 and B2, B1 may be the inner portion due to its proximity to the center of the battery cell assembly 100, while B2 may be the outer portion. Here, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured such that the outer portion B2 has a lower bonding force than the inner portion B1. That is, the thermally conductive member 300 may more securely bond the battery cell 110 to the module housing 200 in the inner portion B1 than in the outer portion B2.

[0093] In the case where a plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked in one direction, for example, in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), the battery cells 110 located on the outside in the left-right direction may be pushed more than the battery cells 110 located on the inside. Therefore, if the battery cells 110 are joined with the same joining force, the battery cells on the outside are more likely to be damaged due to expansion. However, according to the configuration implemented above, since the joining force of the heat-conductive member 300 is configured so that the battery cells on the outside are lower than the battery cells on the inside, a certain level of freedom of movement of the battery cells 110 can be granted. Therefore, when expansion occurs, damage to the outer battery cells or collapse of the entire battery cell assembly 100 can be suppressed.

[0094] Meanwhile, in this specification, unless otherwise specified, a direction toward the center of the battery module will be referred to as an inward direction, and a direction toward the outside of the battery module will be referred to as an outward direction.

[0095] Furthermore, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to have the lowest bonding force at the portion where the outermost battery cell 110 in the battery cell assembly 100 is located. The thermally conductive member 300 may be applied to the entire area from the outermost battery cell 110 to the innermost battery cell 110 in the stacking direction. In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 may bond the outermost battery cell of all the battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100 to the module housing 200 with the lowest bonding force.

[0096] For example, Figure 3 The battery cells 110 indicated as BCL and BCR may be the outermost cells of the cell assembly 100. In addition, portions indicated as B2 and B2' are portions of the thermally conductive member 300 disposed at the bottom of the outermost cells and may have the lowest bonding force among all portions of the thermally conductive member 300.

[0097] Here, the lowest engagement force may include an engagement force lower than that of other parts and a bonding force of 0, i.e., no engagement force is applied. For example, compared with the central part indicated as B1, the lowest engagement force may be set at Figure 3The thermally conductive members 300 at the bottom of the outermost cells, designated B2 and B2', can bond the outermost cells BCL and BCR to the module housing 200 with less force, thereby releasing the bonding force even with relatively weak force. Alternatively, the thermally conductive members 300 provided at the outer portions designated B2 and B2' may simply function to transfer heat, rather than bonding the outermost cells to the module housing 200.

[0098] According to the configuration implemented above, the damage prevention effect of the outermost cells in the entire configuration of the battery cell assembly 100 can be more stably ensured. That is, when the battery cell assembly 100 expands, the outermost cells may be most likely to be damaged, but the configuration implemented above can prevent the problem of damage to the outermost cells by applying the lowest bonding force to the outermost cells.

[0099] The above-mentioned heat conducting member 300 may have two or more heat conducting unit members with different bonding strengths. Figures 5 to 7 Describe in more detail.

[0100] Figure 5 Schematically shows a partial configuration of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 5 It can be a diagram of a configuration viewed from above, in which the heat conducting member 300 is placed on the module housing 200, in particular, Figure 2 The separated configuration is on the bottom surface of the U-shaped frame. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a thermally conductive member 300 included in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 1 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100. In particular, for ease of explanation, the thermally conductive member 300 is depicted transparently, and the battery cells 110 outside the thermally conductive member 300 are not shown. Figure 7 Depicted with dotted lines.

[0101] Reference Figures 5 to 7 The thermally conductive member 300 may include a first unit member 310 and a second unit member 320. More specifically, one first unit member 310 may be provided, and two second unit members 320 may be provided. Here, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 may be thermally conductive unit members, i.e., unit elements of the thermally conductive member 300, and may have different bonding forces. Furthermore, these thermally conductive unit members (310 and 320) may be formed of different types of materials.

[0102] In addition, the heterogeneous heat-conducting unit components (310 and 320) can be arranged along the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100. For example, Figure 7As shown, in the case where a plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) in the cell assembly 100 , the first unit member 310 and the second unit members 320L and 320R may be disposed in parallel in the left-right direction.

[0103] In particular, the heat conducting member 300 provided on one side of the battery cell assembly 100 may be configured in the form of a plate. In this case, the heterogeneous unit members constituting the heat conducting member 300, i.e., two or more heat conducting unit members, may be configured in the form of plates respectively so that their side surfaces are in parallel contact with each other on the same plane, thereby forming a single plate. For example, referring to Figures 5 to 7 In the configuration shown, one first unit member 310 and two second unit members 320 may be configured in the form of a flat plate and may be arranged parallel along the X-axis on the same XY plane to form a single integrated board.

[0104] like Figure 7 As shown, with multiple battery cells 110 arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320, which are heterogeneous thermally conductive unit members, can be disposed at the bottom of the battery cell assembly 100 in the left-right direction. In this case, the first unit member 310 can be located at the bottom of the interior of the battery cell assembly 100, and the second unit member 320 can be disposed at the bottom of the portion of the battery cell assembly 100 located further outward than the first unit member 410. Since the two second unit members 320L and 320R are disposed on the left and right sides of the first unit member 310, the first unit member 310 can be referred to as a center member, and the two second unit members 320L and 320R can be referred to as a left member and a right member, respectively.

[0105] In this implementation, the second unit member 320 can be configured to have a lower bonding force than the first unit member 310. That is, the first unit member 310 can secure the battery cells 110 stacked in the center region to the module housing 200 with a relatively strong bonding force, while the second unit member 320 can secure the battery cells 110 stacked on the outside to the module housing 200 with a relatively weak bonding force. Unless otherwise specified, other embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described assuming that the first unit member 310 has a higher bonding force and the second unit member 320 has a lower bonding force.

[0106] With the above-described configuration, the battery module according to the present disclosure can be configured with a simple structure. Furthermore, with the above-described configuration, the battery module according to the present disclosure can be manufactured more easily. In particular, with the above-described configuration, the problem of the battery cells 110 disposed on the outside being easily damaged by expansion can be more effectively prevented.

[0107] The thermally conductive member 300 can be configured to have partially different degrees of curing. In particular, to provide the thermally conductive member 300 during the battery module manufacturing process, a thermally conductive paste comprising a fluid and viscous thermally conductive material can be applied or filled between the cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200. Furthermore, this thermally conductive paste can be at least partially cured to provide a bonding force for securing the cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200 to each other.

[0108] In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 can be configured to have a different degree of curing of the thermally conductive paste across the portion, thereby providing different bonding forces. In particular, under the same conditions, such as at room temperature, a thermally conductive paste with a high degree of curing can have a higher bonding force (fixing force) than a thermally conductive paste with a low degree of curing.

[0109] The thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to have different curing degrees along the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100. The curing degree may indicate a degree of hardening, and since a technique for measuring or determining the curing degree is well known at the time of filing this disclosure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0110] For example, in Figures 5 to 7 In the embodiment configuration, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 can be configured to have different degrees of solidification. In addition, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 can be arranged along the stacking direction (X-axis direction) of the battery cell assembly 100. In addition, the second unit member 320 can be arranged more outward than the first unit member 310 in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100. In particular, the second unit member 320 can be in direct contact with the outermost battery cell of the battery cell assembly 100, such as Figure 3 As shown in BCL or BCR.

[0111] In this configuration, the second unit member 320 can be configured to have a lower degree of solidification than the first unit member 310. That is, in a normal state after battery module manufacture, the first unit member 310 can remain harder than the second unit member 320, thereby more strongly suppressing the movement of the battery cells 110 located in the central area. On the other hand, the second unit member 320 can remain softer than the first unit member 310, thereby allowing a certain degree of movement of the battery cells 110 located on the outer sides.

[0112] According to the above-described implementation configuration in which the thermally conductive member 300 has partially different degrees of curing, it is possible to more easily implement a configuration in which the bonding force between the battery cell assembly 100 and the module case 200 is different across the portions.

[0113] Meanwhile, if the thermal paste applied or filled between one side of the cell assembly 100 and the module case 200 is cured, the thermally conductive member 300 may have a sheet or pad shape. In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 may be referred to as a thermally conductive sheet or a thermally conductive pad.

[0114] The thermally conductive member 300 may have a cured thermally conductive portion and a non-cured thermally conductive portion.

[0115] Here, the cured heat conductive portion may refer to a specific portion of the heat conductive member 300 that remains in a cured solid state under typical conditions for using the battery module (such as room temperature). In particular, even if a fluid thermal conductive paste is applied or filled between the battery cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200 during the manufacturing stage of the battery module, the thermal conductive paste may cure and remain in a cured state after a predetermined period of time, thereby providing a cured heat conductive portion.

[0116] In addition, the non-cured heat-conductive portion may refer to a specific portion of the thermal member 300 that is not cured under normal conditions of use of the battery module but maintains a certain degree of fluidity or viscosity. In particular, a thermally conductive paste in a fluid state may be applied or filled between the battery cell assembly 100 and the module housing 200, and may not be cured into a solid state to maintain a gel or sol state, thereby providing a non-cured heat-conductive portion. In addition, even after a certain period of time, the non-cured heat-conductive portion may remain in a viscous state with a certain level or higher viscosity. The non-cured heat-conductive portion may have a higher bonding force or fixing force than the cured heat-conductive portion.

[0117] For example, in Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the embodiment of the present invention, the first unit member 310 located in the center region may be a cured heat-conducting portion, and the second unit member 320 located on the outside may be a non-cured heat-conducting portion. As a more specific example, a solid polyurethane-based thermal resin may be used for the first unit member 310, and a gel-like silicone-based thermal resin may be used for the second unit member 320. In this case, the gel state of the second unit member 320 can be maintained during use or distribution of the battery module or at room temperature. Here, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 may be referred to as a thermal pad and thermal gel, respectively, based on their respective states.

[0118] According to the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure, the portion of the thermally conductive member 300 that contacts the outer side of the battery cell 110 can remain uncured, allowing the outer battery cell 110 to move sufficiently when the battery cell assembly 100 expands. Therefore, in this case, damage to the outer battery cell 110 can be minimized.

[0119] Since the cured heat conductive portion remains in a cured state, even if the battery cell assembly 100 is separated therefrom, the portion in contact with each battery cell 110 may have an uneven surface having a shape similar to that of the battery cell 110. On the other hand, since the non-cured heat conductive portion has fluidity, if the battery cell assembly 100 is separated therefrom, its shape may be at least partially deformed. Even in the case of the non-cured heat conductive portion, when the battery cell assembly 100 is separated, the shape of the battery cell 110 may remain unchanged due to the viscosity. Figure 6 The accompanying drawings illustrate differences in the shape of the uneven surfaces between the first and second unit members 310, 320 to illustrate differences in adhesion or curing. However, this is for ease of explanation and does not necessarily mean that there must be differences in structure or shape between the first and second unit members 310, 320. That is, when the battery cell assembly 100 is assembled or separated, the first and second unit members 310, 320 can have similar shapes or structures.

[0120] The fact that the thermal conductive member 300 has partially different degrees of curing can be expressed as having partially different states. Here, different states can include a solid state (a completely elastic body), a gel state, a sol state, and so on. In other words, partial differences in the degree of curing of the thermal conductive member 300 can lead to differences in elasticity, viscosity, fluidity, and so on. Specifically, the thermal conductive member 300 can have portions in a solid state and portions in a gel state. For example, the first unit member 310, which is a cured resin, can be in a completely elastic state, while the second unit member 320, which is an uncured resin, can be in a gel state.

[0121] Figure 8 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100. For example, Figure 8 It can be shown Figure 7 Modifications to the implementation methods in .

[0122] Reference Figure 8 The heat conducting member 300 includes a first unit member 310 and a second unit member 320, such that the widths (lengths in the left-right direction) of the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 are different from each other. Figure 7 More specifically, the width of the two second unit members 320 may be greater than Figure 7 In particular, the second unit member 320 may be configured to cover only the bottoms of the outermost battery cells BCL on the left and BCR on the right of the battery cell assembly 100. In addition, the width of the first unit member 310 may be increased by the same amount as the reduced width of the second unit member 320 to achieve a width greater than Figure 7The value of the width of the implementation in.

[0123] In this case, the first unit member 310 may be in contact with the remaining portion of the battery cell 110 in the battery cell assembly 100, excluding the outermost battery cells BCL and BCR. Furthermore, the second unit member 320 may be in contact with the outermost battery cells BCL and BCR. In this case, similar to the aforementioned embodiment, the first unit member 310 may have a higher bonding force than the second unit member 320.

[0124] According to the above-described configuration, only the outermost cells BCL and BCR can be moved, while almost all the remaining battery cells 110 can be fixed. This configuration can ensure the damage protection effect of the outermost cells while improving the overall fixing force of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0125] Apart from Figure 7 and Figure 8 In addition to the configuration in which the heat conductive member 300 provided on at least one side of the battery cell assembly 100 has a bonding force that varies depending on the portion, the configuration can be implemented in various forms. Representatively, the width (length in the X-axis direction) of the first unit member 310 and / or the second unit member 320 can be configured to be equal to Figure 7 and Figure 8 For example, the width of the second unit member 320 can be configured to be greater than Figure 8 Width shown and smaller than Figure 7 Thickness shown.

[0126] The width of the first unit member 310 and / or the width of the second unit member 320 can be designed in various ways according to various conditions. For example, the width of the first unit member 310 and / or the width of the second unit member 320 can be designed to have appropriate values ​​according to various factors such as the shape, type, size, number or arrangement of the battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100, or the type, property, composition, size or form of the thermally conductive member 300.

[0127] As a more specific example, in Figure 6 In the embodiment, the width of the left unit member 320L of the second unit member 320 is expressed as W2, and the width of the right unit member 320R is expressed as W2'. In this case, the width W2 of the left unit member 320L can be designed according to the following formula.

[0128] W0≤W2≤(n / 3)W0.

[0129] Here, W0 represents the width of one battery cell 110 , and n represents the total number of battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0130] According to the above formula, the width W0 of the left unit member 320L may be at least the width of one battery cell 110 or greater, and may be up to the sum of the widths of the battery cells 110 corresponding to 1 / 3 of the total number of the battery cells 110. For example, if 24 battery cells 110 are provided in the battery cell assembly 100, the left unit member 320L may be configured to have a width capable of covering the bottom of at least one battery cell 110 of up to eight battery cells 110.

[0131] In addition, the left unit member 320L is located at the left end of the thermally conductive member 300 and can be in direct contact with at least the leftmost battery cell 110. For example, the left unit member 320L can be configured to be in contact only with the outermost left battery cell BCL, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 Alternatively, the left unit member 320L may be configured to contact the outermost left battery cell BCL, extending to the battery cell 110 positioned slightly inward, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 For example, the left unit member 320L may be configured to directly contact the bottoms of a total of eight battery cells 110 from the outermost left cell BCL to the eighth battery cell 110 located on the right.

[0132] In addition, in addition to being located on the right side of the thermally conductive member 300, the right unit member 320R can be configured to be symmetrical in size and shape with the left unit member 320L. Therefore, the description of the width W2 of the left unit member 320L can be applied in a similar manner to the width W2' of the right unit member 320R. For example, the right unit member 320R can be configured to contact only the outermost right battery cell BCR, such as Figure 8 Alternatively, the right unit member 320R may directly contact the bottoms of two or more battery cells including the outermost right cell BCR (eg, a total of eight battery cells 110 from the outermost right cell BCR to the eighth battery cell 110 located on the left).

[0133] At the same time, the first unit member 310 can be appropriately designed based on the width of the second unit member 320. In particular, since the first unit member 310 is disposed between the two second unit members 320 and the entire width of the thermally conductive member 300 is configured to cover all battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100, the width of the first unit member 310 can be determined based on the design of the width of the second unit member 320. For example, if the width of the second unit member 320 is designed to be narrower, the width of the first unit member 310 can be designed to be wider. On the other hand, if the width of the second unit member 320 is designed to be wider, the width of the first unit member 310 can be relatively narrow.

[0134] Figure 9 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a thermally conductive member 300 included in a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0135] Reference Figure 9 , three or more different types of heat-conducting unit components may be provided. More specifically, the heat-conducting component 300 may have a first unit component 310, a second unit component 320, and a third unit component 330 as heat-conducting unit components. These heterogeneous unit components may be arranged in parallel in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) of the battery cell assembly 100. Here, the first unit component 310 may be located in the center area, and the second unit component 320 may be located at the outermost side along the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100, which may be similar to Figure 6 However, in Figure 9 In the embodiment, the third unit member 330 may be interposed between the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 .

[0136] The joining force of the third unit member 330 may be configured differently from the joining force of the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320. The joining force of the third unit member 330 may fall within a range between the joining force of the first unit member 310 and the joining force of the second unit member 320. In particular, the joining force of the first unit member 310 may be configured to be greater than the joining force of the second unit member 320. In this case, the third unit member 330 may have a joining force that is less than the joining force of the first unit member 310 and greater than the joining force of the second unit member 320.

[0137] In this case, when the coupling force of the first unit member 310 is D1 , the coupling force of the second unit member 320 is D2 , and the coupling force of the third unit member 330 is D3 , the following relationship may be established.

[0138] D1>D3>D2.

[0139] In particular, in this implementation configuration, for the battery cells 110 included in the cell assembly 100 , the joining force may gradually decrease from the center area toward the outside.

[0140] According to the configuration of the above embodiment, it is possible to prevent the bonding force between adjacent battery cells from changing rapidly between different heat-conducting unit members. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to respond more accurately to the expansion of the battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100. In particular, for the multiple battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100, the pressure caused by expansion can gradually change from the center area to the outside to increase. Therefore, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, if the bonding force between adjacent battery cells 110 gradually changes, it is possible to respond more effectively to the continuous expansion pressure changes in the battery cell stacking direction. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively suppress damage to the multiple battery cells 110 and maintain the structural rigidity of the battery module. In addition, the heat-conducting member 300 can be provided with four or more types of heat-conducting unit members with different bonding forces. In this case, the bonding force between the heat-conducting unit modules can change more smoothly.

[0141] At the same time, two or more types of heat-conducting unit components can be configured in a semi-solid or fluid state, such as gel or sol. In this case, the heterogeneous heat-conducting unit components can be configured to have different viscosities.

[0142] For example, in Figure 9 In the illustrated embodiment, both the second unit member 320 and the third unit member 330 can be configured in a fluid state, particularly a gel or sol state, but can also be configured to have different viscosity coefficients. In particular, the second unit member 320, which is positioned relatively outward in the cell stacking direction, can have a lower viscosity coefficient than the third unit member 330, which is positioned relatively inward.

[0143] According to the configuration implemented above, when expansion occurs in the battery cell assembly 100, the external battery cell 110 (second battery cell) in contact with the second unit member 320 can be more movable than the internal battery cell 110 (third battery cell) in contact with the third unit member 330. That is, when the battery cell 110 expands, both the second battery cell and the third battery cell can move, but the third battery cell can move a smaller distance than the second battery cell. Since the third battery cell has a lower pressure than the second battery cell due to expansion, even if it moves a small distance, the possibility of damage may not be high. In addition, according to the above configuration, the third battery cell can absorb the expansion of the battery cell assembly 100 to a certain extent or more, and can prevent the third battery cell from moving excessively, thereby further increasing the pressure on the second battery cell.

[0144] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a partial configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 10 Can be along Figure 2 An example of a cross-sectional configuration taken along line A2-A2' in the exploded perspective view of FIG.

[0145] Reference Figure 10 , the module housing 200 may have a separation protrusion indicated as P1 on the portion to which the heat-conducting member 300 is attached. In particular, in the case where the heat-conducting member 300 is applied to the upper surface of the lower plate 220 forming the bottom of the module housing 200, the separation protrusion P1 may be provided on the upper surface of the lower plate 220 of the module housing 200. In particular, the separation protrusion P1 may protrude from the inner surface of the module housing 200 toward the internal space. In addition, the separation protrusion P1 may be configured to extend in the horizontal direction. In particular, the extension direction of the separation protrusion P1 may be the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110, that is, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the stacking direction of the battery cell 110. For example, Figure 10 The illustrated separation protrusion P1 may be configured to extend in the Y-axis direction.

[0146] In addition, the separation protrusion P1 can be inserted between different heat conduction unit components. Figure 10 As shown, if the first unit member 310, the third unit member 330, and the second unit member 320 as the heat-conducting unit members are arranged sequentially, the separation protrusion P1 can be provided between the first unit member 310 and the third unit member 330 and / or between the third unit member 330 and the first unit member 310. In such an implementation configuration, adjacent heat-conducting unit members can be configured so that at least a portion is spaced apart in the battery cell stacking direction, rather than being configured so that they are in direct contact with each other. For example, as Figure 10 As shown, adjacent heat conduction unit members may be spaced apart in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) by the separation protrusions P1.

[0147] According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, when the fluid thermal paste is applied or filled to provide the thermal conductive member 300 on the surface of the module housing 200, the thermal paste can be well retained in a fixed position. In addition, in this case, the thermal paste can be effectively prevented from being separated to another position. In particular, as Figure 2 As shown, when the module housing 200 includes a main body in the form of a U-shaped frame, thermal paste can be applied to the upper surface of the lower plate 220 of the U-shaped frame, and then the battery cell assembly 100 can be seated thereon to manufacture a battery module. In this case, the separation protrusion P1 can guide the application position of the thermal paste of each heat-conducting unit component. In addition, the separation protrusion P1 can divide the space of the module housing 200 to which the heat-conducting member 300 is attached into multiple parts, so that multiple heat-conducting unit components can be easily divided and arranged. In addition, the separation protrusion P1 can prevent the thermal paste of each heat-conducting unit component from flowing or moving from a predetermined position to another position. Therefore, in this case, the coating or filling process of the heat-conducting member 300 can be performed more easily, and the productivity and structural stability of the battery module can be improved.

[0148] Furthermore, according to the configuration implemented above, even during use of the battery module, changes in the shape or position of the heat-conducting unit components, such as those made of uncured resin, can be minimized by separation protrusions P1. In particular, even in situations where the battery module (such as a battery module for a vehicle) is frequently exposed to environmental conditions such as vibration or acceleration, each heat-conducting unit component can maintain its position consistently. Thus, heat dissipation performance of the battery cell assembly 100 can be continuously and stably ensured by heat-conducting member 300.

[0149] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, by appropriately positioning heat-conducting unit components with different engagement or fixing forces, effective expansion response can be achieved. In this case, according to the configuration implemented above, since the arrangement of these heat-conducting unit components can be maintained, expansion response performance can also be continuously and stably ensured.

[0150] like Figure 10 As shown, the separation protrusion P1 may have a portion whose width narrows toward its end. Specifically, the separation protrusion P1 may have a sharpened end, thereby forming an inclined surface. This configuration allows thermal paste to easily reach the inner surface of the module housing 200 when applied. Consequently, the thermally conductive member 300 can be securely interposed between the battery cells 110 and the module housing 200, ensuring stable cooling performance of the thermally conductive member 300. Furthermore, the separation protrusion P1 may have various other forms.

[0151] Although the above various embodiments have shown that a heat conducting member 300 has a bonding force that varies discontinuously at a specific portion, the bonding force may also be configured to vary continuously. Figures 6 to 8 In the embodiment described in

[15] , the bonding force varies based on the left and right sides of the contact between the first and second unit members 310 and 320. However, the bonding force can be configured to gradually vary from the center to the ends of the thermally conductive member 300 in the cell stacking direction. For example, different types of thermal paste can be applied to the inner surface of the module housing 200 so that they mix in the contact area, rather than clearly distinguishing between the applied areas, thereby achieving a sequential change in the bonding force.

[0152] Figure 11 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100. For example, Figure 11 It can be shown Figure 7 Another modification of the embodiment in .

[0153] Reference Figure 11, the thermally conductive member 300 can be applied to one side of the battery cell assembly 100, particularly the bottom thereof. In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 may not be applied to the central portion of the battery cell 110 in its longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction), as shown in E1. Furthermore, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to be in direct contact with all of the battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100, but may not be applied to the central portion of all of the battery cells 110.

[0154] According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the economic feasibility and portability of the battery module can be improved through the efficient arrangement of the thermally conductive member 300. In particular, the central portion of the battery cell assembly 100, such as portion E1, can be shielded from significant heat generation. Therefore, while the cooling performance of the battery module will not be significantly reduced if the thermally conductive member 300 is not applied to the central portion as in the above-described embodiment, the reduced amount of thermally conductive member 300 may be advantageous in terms of cost or weight reduction.

[0155] The heat conductive member 300 may be configured to have different bonding forces in two or more directions. That is, the previous embodiment has described the configuration of the heat conductive member 300 having a bonding force that varies in one direction (particularly in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110). However, the heat conductive member 300 may also be configured to have a bonding force that varies in two or more different directions. This will be referred to Figure 12 and other figures are described in more detail.

[0156] Figure 12 is a bottom view schematically showing a configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100. In addition, Figure 13 and Figure 14 yes Figure 12 A partial magnified view of some configurations in . Specifically, Figure 13 yes Figure 12 An enlarged view of part B4 in FIG. Figure 14 yes Figure 12 Magnified view of section B5.

[0157] Reference Figures 12 to 14 , the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 may be configured to have different joining forces from each other and may be arranged in the left-right direction which is the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100. In this case, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 may have a curved portion formed at a boundary therebetween. For example, Figure 12In the portion shown in B3, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 may each have a curved portion formed at the boundary, and these curved portions may be arranged to fit each other. In addition, this curved shape enables the thermally conductive member 300 to have a bonding force that varies in two or more different directions.

[0158] Specifically, refer to Figure 12 Part B4 and Figure 13 In the configuration, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 can be arranged along the left-right direction (X-axis direction) as the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100, so that the bonding force of the thermally conductive member 300 can be configured to vary along the left-right direction in this portion. Figure 12 Part B5 and Figure 14 In the configuration, the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 may be disposed in a direction different from the stacking direction (X-axis direction) of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0159] In this embodiment, the bonding force is configured to be partially different in two or more different directions between different heat-conducting unit members. In this case, in addition to the bonding force being different between adjacent battery cells 110, the bonding force can also be partially changed by the heat-conducting member 300 even in one battery cell 110. For example, referring to Figure 13 In the configuration, the bonding force between adjacent battery cells 110 may be different. Figure 14 , the joining force may vary across various portions within a battery cell 110 .

[0160] In particular, the thermally conductive member 300 may have a portion having different bonding forces in both the stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells 110 arranged in the battery cell assembly 100 and the longitudinal direction of a single battery cell 110. That is, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to have different bonding forces in two directions orthogonal to each other. In this case, the thermally conductive member 300 may have both a portion having different bonding forces in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 and a portion having different bonding forces in the longitudinal direction of each battery cell 110.

[0161] For example, refer to Figures 12 to 14 In the embodiment of the configuration, a plurality of battery cells 110 can be arranged side by side in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) in the battery cell assembly 100, and each battery cell 110 can be configured to extend in the front-back direction (Y-axis direction). In this case, the heat conducting member 300 can include both Figure 12 The portion B4 in the embodiment, that is, the portion where the engagement force is configured to be different in the left and right directions, as shown Figure 13 As shown, it also includes Figure 12The portion B5 in the embodiment, that is, the portion where the joining force is configured to be different in the front-rear direction, as Figure 14 shown.

[0162] In this case, when expansion occurs, the joining force can be more appropriately different depending on the deformation form of the battery cell assembly 100. In particular, the pressure due to expansion may be different between different battery cells 110, and may also be different between parts in a single battery cell 110. Alternatively, the damage caused by expansion may be different between different battery cells 110, and may also be different depending on the parts in a single battery cell 110. According to the configuration implemented above, the mobility of the battery cells 110 can be provided differently according to the intensity of the pressure due to expansion and the possibility of damage to each cell and / or each part, thereby effectively reducing the possibility of damage to specific cells and / or specific parts.

[0163] In addition, the thermally conductive member 300 may be configured to have a lower bonding force at the longitudinal end portions of the battery cell 110 than at the central portion. This will be further described with reference to Figure 15 Describe in more detail.

[0164] Figure 15 Schematically illustrates a coating form of a thermally conductive member 300 on a battery cell 110 included in a battery cell assembly 100 of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 15 Can be Figure 14 The battery cell 110 is represented as C3 in FIG.

[0165] Reference Figure 15 , the battery cell 110 may be formed to extend in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction). In particular, the battery cell 110 may be a pouch cell, and the cell assembly 100 of the battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured so that a plurality of pouch cells are stacked in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) while standing upright in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). In this case, the individual pouch cells may be arranged so that the wide surfaces of the storage portion are arranged in the left-to-right direction to face each other, and so that the sealing portions on the edges of the storage portion are arranged in the front-to-back direction and the up-down direction. In particular, the electrode lead 111 may protrude from the sealing portion of the pouch cell arranged in the front-to-back direction.

[0166] Such battery cells 110 may be included in the battery cell assembly 100, and different joining forces in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) may be applied to some of the battery cells 110. That is, Figure 15The illustrated pouch-type battery cell C3 may have a first unit member 310 disposed in the center region indicated by G1 along the longitudinal direction, and a second unit member 320 disposed at the longitudinal end side indicated by G2. Specifically, the second unit member 320 may be configured to have a lower bonding force than the first unit member 310. For example, a non-curing thermal resin having a lower bonding force may be used for the second unit member 320, while a curing thermal resin having a higher bonding force may be used for the first unit member 310.

[0167] When the cell assembly 100 expands, the pouch cells included in the cell assembly 100 may experience more damage, such as tearing, at the longitudinal end portions indicated by G2 than at the longitudinal center portion indicated by G1. Furthermore, when the pouch cells are bonded at their bottoms and subjected to pressure due to expansion, the lower edge portions of the platform where the electrode leads 111 are located may be susceptible to damage, such as cracks or tears. However, according to the configuration of the embodiment described above, taking into account the aforementioned characteristics, the thermally conductive member 300 can be configured to have a lower bonding force at the vulnerable end portions, allowing for a certain degree of movement of the end portions, thereby more effectively preventing damage to the end portions. Furthermore, by suppressing movement of the central portion of the pouch cell, movement of the entire pouch cell can be prevented. Consequently, pressure caused by expansion can be prevented from increasing on the battery cells 110 positioned further outward than the corresponding pouch cells, and the expansion can be absorbed to a certain extent. Furthermore, in this case, maintaining the overall structure of the cell assembly 100 may be more advantageous.

[0168] At the same time, including Figure 15 The previous figures, including FIG, show that the heat conductive member 300 is not applied to the entire side (e.g., the bottom) of the battery cell 110, nor is it applied to both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell. However, this is merely an example, and the heat conductive member 300, particularly the second unit member 320, may be applied to both end portions of each battery cell 110.

[0169] The heat conducting member 300 may include a core member and an outer member. Here, the core member may be a heat conducting unit member positioned in the center region of the battery cell assembly 100 in the stacking direction. In addition, the outer member may be a heat conducting unit member positioned further outward than the core member in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100. In particular, the outer member may have a lower bonding force than the core member. For example, in the case of a battery cell assembly comprising Figure 12 In the configuration of the previous implementation, the first unit member 310 may be a central member and the second unit member 320 may be an outer member.

[0170] In this case, the external member may be configured to have a width that is different across portions in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly 100. In particular, the external member may have a width that is different across portions in the longitudinal direction of the plurality of battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100. For example, referring to Figure 12 In the embodiment of the present invention, the second unit member 320 located on the left side of the first unit member 310 is an outer member and may have a width W21 of the center portion and a width W22 of the end portion in the longitudinal direction. In this case, W21 and W22 may have different values. In particular, the outer member may be configured such that the width W22 of the end portion is greater than the width W21 of the center portion, as shown in FIG. Figure 12 shown.

[0171] In addition, if Figure 12 As shown, when observed from above or below, the thermally conductive member 300 can be configured as a square as a whole. In this case, the second unit component 320 as an external component located on the left side can be configured so that the central portion of the right side is recessed to the left. In addition, the second unit component 320 as an external component located on the right side can be configured so that the central portion of the left side is recessed to the right. In addition, the first unit component 310, i.e., the central component, located between the two external components can be configured to conform to the concave shape of the external component. That is, the central component can have a convex shape in the central portion so as to fit into the recess of the external component. For example, the central component can be configured so that the central portion of the left side protrudes convexly in the left direction, and the central portion of the right side protrudes convexly in the right direction.

[0172] In the configuration of the above embodiment, the battery cells 110 included in the cell assembly 100 may be in contact with the heat conducting member 300 in various ways. Figure 12 The battery cells 110 in the portion indicated as J1 in FIG. 1 may be in contact with only the first unit member 310 (center member) so as to be securely fixed to the module housing 200. Figure 12 The battery cells 110 in the portion indicated as J2 may be in contact with only the second unit member 320 (external member) so as to be movable. In particular, the portion indicated as J2 may include the outermost battery cells 110. Next, the battery cells 110 provided in the Figure 12 The battery cell 110 in the portion indicated as J3 in FIG. 1 may be in contact with both the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320. Specifically, Figure 15 Like the battery cell 110 shown, the battery cell 110 disposed in the portion indicated by J3 may contact a first unit member 310 having a high joining force at a center portion to be fixed to the module housing 200, and may contact a second unit member 320 having a low joining force at an end portion to be partially movable.

[0173] In this case, the battery cell assembly 100 may include battery cells 110 that are in contact with only a single type of heat-conducting unit member, or may include battery cells 110 that are in contact with different types of heat-conducting unit members. Specifically, the battery cell assembly 100 may include battery cells 110 that are in contact with only the first unit member 310, battery cells 110 that are in contact with only the second unit member 320, and battery cells 110 that are in contact with both the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320.

[0174] According to this embodiment configuration of the present disclosure, the thermally conductive member 300 can provide different joining forces according to the stacking position of the battery cells 110 within the battery cell assembly 100, thereby improving the overall structural stability of the battery cell assembly 100 under normal conditions and improving the effect of preventing damage to individual battery cells when expansion occurs.

[0175] At the same time, if Figure 12 As shown, the width of the outer member may be configured to change in a step-like manner according to the position. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto, and the width of the outer member or the inner member may be configured to change in various ways.

[0176] Figure 16 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 17 yes Figure 16 Magnified view of section B6.

[0177] Reference Figure 16 and Figure 17 , at least a portion of the central member may be configured to have a width that gradually changes in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell. Figure 16 As shown, the central member as the first unit member 310 can be configured to have a width that changes from the front end to the rear end in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), that is, the longitudinal direction of the battery cell. In particular, the first unit member 310 can be configured to have a width that gradually increases from the end portion to the center portion along the front-to-back direction, so that the center portion has the maximum width. In this case, the second unit member 320 as an external member can be formed to narrow from the end portion to the center portion in the front-to-back direction in response to the shape of the first unit member 310. That is, the second unit member 320 as an external member can be formed to have a larger width at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell.

[0178] In this case, if Figure 17As shown, at least some of the battery cells 110 may have boundaries between different heat-conducting unit components formed in oblique lines or curves. Figure 16 In the case of the region indicated as J4 in FIG, the contact area of ​​the first unit member 310 having a high bonding force can decrease in the outward direction (-X axis direction), and the contact area of ​​the second unit member 320 having a low bonding force can increase. In particular, the pouch-type battery cells arranged in the above region can move in front of and behind the second unit member 320, and the contact area of ​​the second unit member 320 can gradually increase toward the outward direction.

[0179] Figure 18 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0180] Reference Figure 18 ,and Figure 16 , the second unit member 320, which serves as an outer member, can be formed so that the width of the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110 is larger, and the first unit member 310, which serves as a central member, can be formed so that the width of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110 is larger. Furthermore, the second unit member 320 and the first unit member 310 can be configured so that the concave portion and the convex portion fit together, and so that the boundary therebetween is formed as an oblique line, such as the portion shown in B7.

[0181] According to the configuration of the above embodiment, at least some of the battery cells 110 included in the battery cell assembly 100 are, for example, arranged Figure 18 The battery cells 110 in the region indicated by J5 in FIG. 3 can be arranged so that the contact area of ​​the first unit member 310 and / or the second unit member 320 in the cell stacking direction changes at a constant ratio. Therefore, the bonding force between the plurality of battery cells 110 stacked in the corresponding region can be stably and gradually changed.

[0182] Figure 19 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery module in which a thermally conductive member 300 is provided at the bottom of a battery cell assembly 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0183] Reference Figure 19 , all of the battery cells 110 included in the cell assembly 100 may be in contact with the first unit member 310 having a high bonding force. However, at least some of the battery cells 110 may be configured to have different contact areas with the first unit member 310 .

[0184] For example, the battery cells 110 arranged in the center region in the cell stacking direction, such as in the region indicated by J6, may be in full contact with the first unit member 310 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction). On the other hand, the battery cells 110 arranged on the outer sides in the cell stacking direction, such as in the region indicated by J7 on the right, may be in contact with the first unit member 310 only in the center portion in the longitudinal direction and may be in contact with the second unit member 320 in the longitudinal end portions. In particular, the outermost cells are included in region J7, and may be in contact with the first unit member 310 in the center portion and may be in contact with the second unit member 320 in the end portions.

[0185] Furthermore, in the outer region indicated by J7 , the contact area of ​​the first unit member 310 may gradually decrease, and the contact area of ​​the second unit member 320 may gradually increase toward the outer side in the cell stacking direction.

[0186] According to the above-mentioned embodiment configuration of the present disclosure, since the joining force is provided to all the battery cells 110 through the first unit member 310, the structural rigidity and structural stability of the entire battery cell assembly 100 can be improved. In particular, since the outermost cells are also partially joined, the overall structure of the battery cell assembly 100 can be prevented from being deformed due to vibration or expansion. However, the battery cells 110 located on the outside (including the outermost cells) can be in contact with the second unit member 320 with a lower bonding force in the longitudinal end portion, so that partial movement can be allowed during the expansion process. Therefore, the problem of the longitudinal end portion of the battery cell (especially the pouch-type battery cell) being easily damaged can be prevented. In addition, in Figure 19 In the illustrated embodiment, the outermost cell may have the largest contact area with the second unit member 320 among all the battery cells 110 included in the cell assembly 100. Therefore, the possibility of damage to the outermost cell due to expansion may be more reliably reduced.

[0187] In addition, if Figure 16 、 Figure 18 and Figure 19 As shown in the embodiment described above, when the boundary between the first unit member 310 and / or the second unit member 320 is configured as a diagonal line or a curved line, it is easier to achieve a configuration in which the bonding force of the thermally conductive member 300 gradually changes along the battery cell stacking direction. In particular, in order to gradually change the bonding force according to the position of the thermally conductive member 300, a process is required to sequentially change the composition of the thermally conductive member 300 across the positions, or to arrange various types of thermally conductive materials with different compositions according to the positions, but this process is not easy to implement. However, according to the configuration implemented above, a gradual change in the bonding force depending on the position of the thermally conductive member 300 can be easily achieved without performing complex processes.

[0188] Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 20 It can be shown Figure 3 In addition, Figure 21 yes Figure 20 Magnified view of section B8.

[0189] Reference Figure 20 and Figure 21 In addition to the battery cells 110, the battery cell assembly 100 may further include a barrier 120. One or more barriers 120, in particular, a plurality of barriers 20, may be provided in one battery cell assembly 100. Furthermore, the barrier 120 may be provided between adjacent battery cells 110 in the battery cell assembly 100, or may be provided at the outermost side of the battery cell assembly 100 in the stacking direction. The barrier 120 may be configured in the form of a plate and may be in contact with the surface of the battery cell 110, in particular, in contact with the outer surface of the storage portion of the pouch-type battery cell. Furthermore, the barrier 120 may be attached to the outer surface of the storage portion of the pouch-type battery cell.

[0190] The barrier 120 can be configured to absorb expansion of the battery cell assembly 100. To this end, the barrier 120 can be provided with an elastic material such as polyurethane or rubber. In particular, for a plurality of stacked battery cells 110, the barrier 120 can effectively absorb expansion of the central portion in the height direction (Z-axis direction).

[0191] Furthermore, the barrier 120 may be configured to block heat and / or flame between adjacent battery cells 110 in the cell assembly 100. To this end, the barrier 120 may be provided with a material such as silicon, mica, GFRP (glass fiber reinforced plastic), or CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic).

[0192] Additionally, barrier 120 may be configured to perform various other functions and may include various other materials.

[0193] In the configuration of the above embodiment, the barrier 120 may be provided at the boundary of the parts having different bonding forces. Figure 20 In the configuration, the battery module may include a first unit member 310 and a second unit member 320 as heterogeneous thermally conductive unit members having different bonding forces. In this case, as Figure 21 As shown, the barrier 120 may be interposed between the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 in the cell stacking direction (X-axis direction). That is, the barrier 120 may be a boundary between the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320.

[0194] Specifically, the fluid first and second unit members 310 and 320 can be applied as thermal paste to the inner surface of the module housing 200. In this case, the barrier 120 can retain different types of thermal paste in designated areas and prevent it from flowing to other unintended areas. Consequently, with this configuration, the bonding force of the thermally conductive member 300 can be precisely distributed according to a pre-set design.

[0195] Furthermore, the end of the barrier 120 may be inserted into the module housing 200. For example, as in Figure 21 In the portion indicated by B9, a downward groove can be formed on the inner surface (upper surface) of the lower plate 220, and the lower end of the barrier 120 can be inserted into the groove. In this case, the barrier 120's separation performance between the first unit member 310 and the second unit member 320 can be further improved. Furthermore, since the barrier 120 remains positioned within the battery module, it can also absorb the expansion of the battery cell assembly 100. Furthermore, this can improve the structural stability and assembly efficiency of the battery module.

[0196] Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 22 It can be shown Figure 3 Another modification of the embodiment in .

[0197] Reference Figure 22 The battery module according to the present disclosure may further include a cooling member 400. The cooling member 400 may be configured to allow a coolant to flow through the cooling member. For example, the cooling member 400 may have a hollow space formed therein, such as Figure 22 As shown in H in FIG, a cooling path is provided. In addition, a coolant may flow through the cooling path H. Here, the coolant may include not only a cooling liquid such as cooling water but also a cooling gas. The cooling member 400 may be represented by other terms such as a radiator or may be implemented in other structures.

[0198] The cooling member 400 may be provided on the side where the heat conducting member 300 is located. That is, the heat conducting member 300 may be provided on the side where the cooling member 400 is located. For example, the cooling member 400 may be provided as Figure 22 As shown, the thermal conductive member 300 is disposed at the bottom of the battery module. In this case, the thermal conductive member 300 may also be disposed at the bottom of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0199] The cooling member 400 may be provided outside the module housing 200. For example, Figure 22 As shown, the cooling member 400 may be provided on the lower outer side of the module housing 200. However, the position of the cooling member 400 may be configured in various ways.

[0200] Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0201] Reference Figure 23 , the cooling member 400 may be provided inside the module housing 200. For example, a hollow space may be formed in the lower plate 220 of the module housing 200, and the coolant may flow through the hollow space. In this case, the hollow space formed in the module housing 200 serves as the cooling path H.

[0202] In this embodiment, the cooling member 400 can be integrated into at least a portion of the module housing 200. That is, the module housing 200 can be configured to have a cooling function or configuration provided therein. In this embodiment, the thermally conductive member 300 can be in direct contact with the module housing 200 and dissipate heat through the cooling path H, thereby further improving the cooling performance of the battery module.

[0203] Meanwhile, although the above-mentioned previous drawings have illustrated that the battery cells 110 included in the cell assembly 100 are pouch-type cells, the battery cells 110 may be cylindrical cells or square cells.

[0204] Figure 24 is a bottom view schematically illustrating a configuration in which a plurality of cylindrical battery cells are stacked on one another in a battery cell assembly 100 of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0205] Reference Figure 24 , the cell assembly 100 can be configured so that a plurality of cylindrical cells serving as battery cells 110 are stacked in two or more directions on the XY plane. In addition, the thermally conductive member 300 can be disposed on the bottom of the stack of cylindrical cells to provide a partial bonding force difference. For example, in a cell assembly 100 in which a plurality of cylindrical cells 110 are stacked in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) and the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction), the bonding force of the thermally conductive member 300 can be configured to be different between, for example, cylindrical cells disposed relatively inward in region K1 and cylindrical cells disposed relatively outward in region K2.

[0206] For example, the first unit member 310 may be disposed in the region K1, and the second unit member 320 may be disposed in the region K2. In this case, the second unit member 320 may be configured to have a lower bonding force than the first unit member 310. As a more specific example, the second unit member 320 may be a non-curing adhesive, and the first unit member 310 may be a curing adhesive.

[0207] According to this embodiment, when expansion occurs in the battery cell assembly 100, the cylindrical battery cells located on the outside can move to a certain extent, thereby preventing the overall structure of the battery cell assembly 100 from collapsing due to the accumulation of expansion pressure on the outer battery cells. In particular, potting resin can be used as the thermally conductive member 300. According to the above embodiment, damage to the cured resin caused by expansion and the resulting structural collapse can be prevented.

[0208] In addition, the second unit member 320 having a lower engagement force may be configured in the form of a ring surrounding the first unit member 310 having a high engagement force. For example, the second unit member 320 may be formed as a square ring, such as Figure 24 In this case, in the battery cell assembly 100 in which a plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked in two or more directions, the second unit member 320 may be provided in the battery cells 110 located on the outside. In particular, the second unit member 320 may be applied to at least one side of the outermost battery cell 110.

[0209] The direction in which a cylindrical battery cell expands due to expansion is not limited to a specific direction. However, according to the configuration of the above embodiment, regardless of the direction of pressure caused by the expansion of the battery cell assembly 100, the second unit member 320 can be positioned in the cylindrical battery cell arranged outward in the corresponding direction. Therefore, regardless of the direction of expansion, damage to the battery cell 110 or structural collapse of the battery cell assembly 100 can be prevented.

[0210] Meanwhile, although the various figures of this specification illustrate the thermally conductive member 300 as being located at the bottom of the battery module, the thermally conductive member 300 may also be located on another side, such as the top of the battery module. Furthermore, the thermally conductive member 300 may be located on both or more sides of the battery module. For example, the thermally conductive member 300 may be applied to both the top and bottom of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0211] Figure 25 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0212] Reference Figure 25 , the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include one or more battery modules according to the present disclosure, as shown in M. In addition, in addition to the battery module M of the present disclosure, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may also include various components. For example, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may also include components of a battery pack known at the time of filing this disclosure, such as a BMS (battery management system), bus bars, relays, current sensors, etc.

[0213] In addition, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may further include: Figure 25The battery pack housing PC shown in FIG. According to the present disclosure, the battery pack housing PC can provide a space for storing battery modules. In particular, when the battery pack includes multiple battery modules, the battery pack housing PC can be divided into spaces for dividing and storing multiple battery modules using beams or the like.

[0214] Figure 26 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0215] Reference Figure 26 , the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include the battery module according to the present disclosure, and may be configured so that the module housing 200 of the battery module serves as the battery pack housing PC, rather than including a separate battery pack housing. In this case, the various components of the battery pack (such as BMS, bus bars, and relays) can be stored inside the module housing 200. This type of battery pack is also referred to as a cell-to-pack (CTP) type in which the battery cells 110 are directly stored in the battery pack housing PC. Recently, the development of such CTP type battery packs has also been active, and the present disclosure can also be applied to such CTP type battery packs. In particular, the inner surface of the housing (i.e., the battery pack housing PC or the module housing 200), such as the bottom surface, may be provided with a heat-conducting member 300 with different bonding forces, thereby ensuring stability against expansion. In addition, the plurality of battery cells 110 can directly transfer heat to the battery pack housing PC through the heat-conducting member 300, thereby further improving the cooling performance.

[0216] The battery module or 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 can 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 battery pack, the vehicle according to the present disclosure can 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 can also include a vehicle body, a motor, a control device such as an ECU (electronic control unit), etc.

[0217] As described above, although the present disclosure is 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 can make various modifications and variations within the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure and the equivalent scope of the claims to be described below.

[0218] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0219] 100: Battery cell components

[0220] 110: Battery cells

[0221] 111: Electrode lead

[0222] 120: Barrier

[0223] 200: Module housing

[0224] 210: upper plate, 220: lower plate, 230: left plate, 240: right plate, 250: front plate, 260: rear plate

[0225] 300: Thermal conductive components

[0226] 310: first unit component, 320: second unit component, 330: third unit component

[0227] 400: Cooling component

[0228] P1: Separation process

[0229] H: Cooling path

[0230] M: battery module

[0231] PC: Battery pack housing

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: A battery cell assembly having a plurality of battery cells stacked in at least one direction; a module housing configured to accommodate the battery cell assembly in an internal space; as well as A heat conducting member is interposed between the battery cell assembly and the module case and is configured to transfer heat and have a partial bonding force difference.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The heat conductive member is interposed between all battery cells provided in the battery cell assembly and the module case.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The heat conductive member has a portion having a difference in joining force along a stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, in, The heat conducting member is at least partially configured so that a portion located outside the stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells has a lower joining force than a portion located inside.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, in, The thermally conductive member is configured so that a portion of the cell assembly where an outermost battery cell is located has the lowest joining force.

6. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The heat conduction member includes two or more heat conduction unit members having different joining forces, and Wherein, the two or more heat-conducting unit components are arranged along the stacking direction of the battery core assembly.

7. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The thermally conductive member is configured to have partially different degrees of solidification.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, in, The thermally conductive member includes a cured thermally conductive portion and a non-cured thermally conductive portion.

9. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The thermally conductive member is configured to have a difference in joining force in two or more directions.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, in, The heat conductive member has portions having different joining forces in two directions: a stacking direction of the plurality of battery cells provided in the cell assembly and a longitudinal direction of each battery cell.

11. The battery module according to claim 10, in, The heat conduction member is configured to have a lower joining force at a longitudinal end side portion of the battery cell than at a center side portion.

12. The battery module according to claim 1, in, The heat conductive member includes a core member and an outer member, the outer member having a lower joining force than the core member and positioned further outward than the core member in a stacking direction of the battery cell assembly, and The width of the exterior member in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly is configured to be partially different.

13. The battery module according to claim 12, in, The central member has a portion whose width gradually changes in the stacking direction of the battery cell assembly.

14. The battery module according to claim 1, The battery module further includes a cooling member provided outside the module housing or inside the module housing and configured to allow a coolant to move through the cooling member. 15 . A battery pack comprising the battery module according to claim 1 . 16 . A vehicle comprising the battery module according to claim 1 .

Images