Battery module, battery pack and energy storage system

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a cell assembly having several stacked battery cells; a thermistor configured to detect the temperature of the battery cells; a substrate portion having the thermistor attached to one side and configured to transmit to the outside the battery cell temperature information detected by the thermistor; and a thermistor plate on which the substrate portion is disposed, and which is arranged between the several battery cells and has a guide slot in which the thermistor is housed.

Description

Battery module, battery pack and energy storage system Technology sector This disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery pack, and an energy storage system, and more specifically to a battery module, a battery pack, and an energy storage system that can be managed safely and efficiently. This application claims priority over Korean patent application No. 10-2022-0030829, filed on March 11, 2022, in the Republic of Korea. Background of the Invention Secondary batteries currently on the market include nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, nickel-zinc, and lithium-ion batteries. Among these, lithium-ion batteries are particularly noteworthy because they exhibit virtually no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, thus offering advantages such as unrestricted charging and discharging, a very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density. Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used not only in small devices, such as portable electronics, but also in medium and large devices, such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS).For example, when used in an electric vehicle or energy storage system, a cell array can be configured in which a large number of secondary batteries are connected in series and / or parallel to increase energy capacity and power output. A battery pack is then formed by connecting multiple such cell arrays. Furthermore, to operate the battery pack safely and efficiently, it is necessary to accurately monitor the charge / discharge voltage and temperature of the rechargeable batteries. To this end, the battery pack may include a voltage sensing device to detect the voltage of the rechargeable batteries and a temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the secondary batteries. The voltage sensing device and temperature sensors can be installed within the cell housing along with the secondary batteries. Additionally, the battery pack may include various electrical components to control the charging and discharging of the secondary batteries, such as a battery management system (BMS), a relay, a current sensor, and a fuse. These various electrical components can be housed separately in the electrical component housing, independent of the secondary batteries. There are several methods for monitoring battery pack temperature. One widely used method is thermistor. In such a method, the thermistor can be placed in a predetermined location within the battery pack. A control device connected to the thermistor, such as a battery management system (BMS), can then monitor the battery cell temperature via a signal transmitted from the thermistor. For example, the thermistor might include an element whose resistance value varies with temperature, such as an NTC (negative temperature coefficient). Consequently, the voltage input to the control device might vary due to a change in the NTC's resistance value as it changes temperature. Furthermore, the control device could evaluate the battery cell temperature detected by the thermistor based on the input voltage using a pre-stored reference table or similar dataset. On the other hand, in the case of a conventional battery pack, the temperature of a battery cell is measured by covering the thermistor with a housing of the battery pack, or the temperature of the battery cell is measured by providing a thermistor in a busbar frame. In the case of a conventional battery pack of this type, it is difficult to measure the temperature of the central part of the cell stack where multiple battery cells are arranged, and it is difficult to measure the temperature regardless of the cell's position. Furthermore, there is the problem that the battery cell and thermistor suffer localized damage when the battery cell swells. Document DE 102013021553 refers to a high-voltage battery with a plurality of individual battery cells, which are stacked and reinforced to form one or more cell blocks, and with at least one temperature sensor and signal lines arranged in a component located between the individual battery cells and which are at least partially recessed into the component. Document CN 113418624 refers to a flexible temperature sensor that features specific windows for mounting a thermistor and connecting flexible cables of the related technology. Explanation of the invention Technical problem This disclosure is designed to solve problems in the related art and, therefore, this disclosure aims to provide a battery module, battery pack, and energy storage system that can be managed safely and efficiently. However, the technical problem to be solved by this disclosure is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other unmentioned problems from the following description. Technical solution In one aspect of this disclosure, a battery module is provided as defined in the appended claims. In addition, a battery pack and energy storage system are also provided according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Advantageous effects According to the implementation of this disclosure, the temperature measurement can be freely performed at an arbitrary position of the cell assembly depending on the arrangement position of the thermistor plate with respect to the cell assembly and the arrangement position of the thermistor on the thermistor plate. Furthermore, according to the implementation of this disclosure, the temperature of the central part of the cell assembly, which is the hottest point inside the battery module, can be detected based on the position of the thermistor plate relative to the cell assembly and the position of the thermistor on the thermistor plate. Consequently, the battery module can be managed more safely and efficiently. Additionally, thanks to the thermistor assembly design described herein, damage to the thermistor and battery cells can be avoided even when the thermistor assembly is placed between the battery cells, and the substrate containing the thermistor is always in close contact with the battery cells, thus improving the accuracy of battery temperature monitoring. In addition, various other effects may be achieved through various implementations of this disclosure. The various effects of this disclosure will be described in detail in each implementation, or descriptions of effects that are readily understood by those skilled in the art will be omitted. Brief description of the drawings The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing description, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure and, therefore, should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing, as an example, the general shape of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an assembly of thermistors included in the battery module of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the thermistor assembly of FIG. 2. FIG.4 is an enlarged view showing in detail a part of the battery module of FIG.1. FIG.5 is a cross-sectional view in direction AA of FIG.4. FIG.6 is an enlarged view of part B of FIG.5. FIG.7 is a diagram showing a state in which the battery cell casing body of FIG.5 and the thermistor plate are in close contact. FIG.8 is an enlarged view of part H of FIG.2. FIG.9 is an enlarged view of part L of FIG.2. FIG.10 is a diagram showing an array of thermistors according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Preferred embodiment of the invention The preferred embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before proceeding with this description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and in the accompanying claims should not be interpreted as limited to their general, dictionary meanings, but rather based on the meanings and concepts relevant to the technical aspects of this disclosure, on the principle that the inventor is entitled to define the terms as appropriate for the best explanation. Therefore, the description proposed in this document is only a preferred example for purely illustrative purposes, without the intention of limiting the scope of disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made without departing from the scope of disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing, as an example, the general shape of a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an assembly 200 of thermistors included in the battery module 10 of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the thermistor assembly 200 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing in detail a portion of the battery module 10 of FIG. 1; and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in the AA direction of FIG. 4. (In detail, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the cross-section of the battery module 10 of FIG. 4 along line AA with respect to the XZ plane). In the making of this disclosure, the X-axis direction shown in the drawing may refer to the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110 described below, the Y-axis direction may refer to the width direction of the battery cell 110 perpendicular to the X-axis direction and to the horizontal plane (XY plane), and the Z-axis direction may refer to the stacking direction of the battery cell 110, perpendicular to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. With reference to FIGS.1 to 5, battery module 10 may include a set of 100 cells and a set of 200 thermistors. The 100-cell assembly may include a plurality of 110-cell batteries. In this case, each battery cell may refer to a sub-battery. The 110-cell battery may be provided as a pouch-type battery cell, a cylindrical battery cell, or a prismatic battery cell. As an example, the 110-cell battery may be a pouch-type battery cell. The 110 battery cells can be arranged so that they are stacked in plurality in one direction and electrically connected to each other. That is, the plurality of 110 battery cells can be stacked in one direction to form a 100 cell assembly. A busbar frame F for sensing the voltage of the cell assembly 100 can be attached to either side of the cell assembly 100 in the longitudinal direction. The busbar frame F can support either side of the cell assembly 100 in the longitudinal direction. The 200 thermistor array can be arranged within the 100 cell array. In particular, the 200 thermistor array can be arranged between the plurality of 110 stacked battery cells. The 200 thermistor set may include a 210 thermistor, a 220 substrate, and a 230 thermistor plate. Thermistor 210 can be configured to detect the temperature of battery cell 110. For example, thermistor 210 can include an element whose resistance value varies with temperature, and the temperature of battery cell 110 can be detected by a change in the element's resistance value. Thermistor 210 can be attached to one side of substrate 220 (for example, to the underside of substrate 220). Furthermore, substrate 220 can be configured to transmit the temperature information from battery cell 110, detected by thermistor 210, to the outside. For example, substrate 220 can be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). In the implementation of this disclosure, the thermistor 210 can be soldered to one side of the substrate 220. Consequently, the thermistor 210 can be stably coupled to the substrate 220. The thermistor plate 230 can be arranged between the plurality of battery cells 110. The thermistor plate 230 can include a guide groove 231 in which the substrate 220 is disposed and in which the thermistor 210 is housed. In this way, the thermistor 210 can be housed within the thermistor plate 230 via the guide groove 231. Consequently, the thermistor 210 and the cell assembly 100 do not come into direct contact with each other, and in particular, the charge from the cell assembly 100 is prevented from being transmitted directly to the thermistor 210. In particular, the thermistor plate 230 can be arranged between the battery cells 110 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 to be arranged in an arbitrary position of the cell set 100. The thermistor plate 230 can be inserted between the battery cells 110 in the longitudinal direction of the battery cells 110 at an arbitrary position within the cell assembly 100, in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. The thermistor plate 230 can be inserted between the battery cells 110 in the longitudinal direction of the battery cells 110 through a hole G formed on one side of the busbar frame F. That is, the thermistor plate 230 can be arranged between the battery cells 110 so that the thermistor 210 is located in an arbitrary position of the cell set 100 with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 whose temperature is to be measured. Likewise, the thermistor 210 can be provided in an arbitrary position of the cell assembly 100 on the thermistor plate 230. Consequently, the thermistor 210 can detect the temperature of battery cell 110 at an arbitrary position of the cell set 100. In one embodiment, the thermistor plate 230 can be provided between the battery cells 110 arranged in the center in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110, to be located in the center of the cell assembly 100. In this case, the thermistor 210 can be provided in a position corresponding to the center of the cell assembly 100 on the thermistor plate 230. In this case, thermistor 210 can detect the temperature of the central part of the cell assembly 100, which is the hottest point within the battery module 10. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part B of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the battery cell housing body 1162 of FIG. 5 and the thermistor plate 230 are in close contact. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the thermistor plate 230 can be placed in close contact with the battery cells 110 oriented towards each other in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. For example, the upper surface M1 and the lower surface M2 of the thermistor plate 230 can be in close contact with the battery cells 110 oriented towards each other. According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the thermistor 210 provided within the thermistor plate 230 can be placed adjacent to the battery cells 110, so that the temperature of the battery cells 110 can be detected more easily. The implementation mentioned above will be described in more detail below. Specifically, the plurality of battery cells 110 may include an electrode assembly 112, an electrode conductor 114, and a cell casing 116, respectively. The electrode assembly 112 may include a first electrode plate with a first polarity, a second electrode plate with a second polarity, and a separator interposed between the first and second electrode plates. For example, the first electrode plate may be a positive or negative electrode plate, and the second electrode plate may have the opposite polarity to the first electrode plate. Electrode conductor 114 may be electrically connected to electrode assembly 112. Electrode conductor 114 may be formed on either side of the longitudinal direction of battery cell 110. Additionally, electrode conductor 114 may be connected to a busbar (not shown) provided in busbar frame F. The cell housing 116 has a recess to accommodate the electrode assembly 112, and may include a housing body 1162 and a housing projection 1164. Additionally, the electrode conductor 114 may project a predetermined length from the cell housing 116. The housing body 1162 may have a housing space to accommodate the electrode assembly 112. The housing protrusion 1164 extends from the housing body 1162 and allows the electrode cable 114 to protrude outwards. The housing protrusion 1164 can be sealed to seal the housing space. In carrying out the present disclosure, the thermistor plate 230 described above may be in close contact with the housing bodies 1162 of the battery cells 110 oriented towards each other. According to this embodiment, the thermistor 210 provided within the thermistor plate 230 can be placed adjacent to the housing body 1162 in which the electrode assembly 112 is housed, so that the temperature of the battery cell 110 can be detected more easily. In particular, the thermistor plate 230 can be formed so that it is longer than the housing body 1162 in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110. According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, in a state where the cell stack 100 is compressed with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110, a uniform charge can be transmitted to the thermistor plate 230 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. That is, the concentration of localized voltages on the thermistor plate 230 can be avoided. Furthermore, the thermistor 210 can be more stably mounted on the thermistor plate 230. The set of 200 thermistors described above will now be described in more detail. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part H of FIG. 2. For now, the illustration of the substrate 220 described above and the joining element 250, which will be described later, will be omitted from FIG. 8. With reference to FIGS.2 to 8, the guide groove 231 can be formed to correspond to the shape of the substrate 220 on the thermistor plate 230. Additionally, the guide slot 231 can be provided to extend along the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110. Consequently, the guide slot 231 can guide the stable arrangement of the substrate 220 with respect to the thermistor plate 230. In particular, the guide groove 231 can be formed in the thermistor plate 230 by means of a notch at a predetermined depth relative to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. Consequently, in a state where the substrate 220 is positioned in the guide groove 231, the other side of the substrate 220 (e.g., the top of the substrate 220) and the upper end of the guide groove 231 can be located in the same horizontal plane. According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, voltage concentration in the thermistor 210 coupled to one side of the substrate 220 can be avoided when the cell assembly 100 is compressed. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the voltage can be distributed across the entire thermistor plate 230, and damage to the battery cell 110 in contact with the thermistor plate 230 can also be avoided. Returning to FIGS.2 to 8, the thermistor plate 230 also includes a 233 slot for housing. The housing slot 233 is formed by a notch at a predetermined depth from the guide slot 231 with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. At this point, the thermistor 210 is housed in the housing slot 233. Consequently, thermistor 210 can be placed more stably inside thermistor plate 230. With reference to FIG. 6, the depth (d) of the housing slot 233 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 may be greater than the length (h) of the thermistor 210 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. Furthermore, the thermistor 210 can be arranged within the housing slot 233 to be separated from an inner lower end of the housing slot 233 by a predetermined interval. That is, the thermistor 210 can be separated from the inner lower end of the housing slot 233 by a predetermined distance with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 while being attached to one side of the substrate 220. At this time, the distance between the lower inner end of the housing slot 233 and the thermistor 210 can be the difference between the depth (d) of the housing slot 233 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 and the length (h) of the thermistor 210 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. Consequently, the thermistor 210 may not make direct contact with the lower inner end of the housing groove 233 with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. Therefore, voltage transmission to thermistor 210 during compression of the cell stack 100 can be minimized. In the implementation of this disclosure, the forming position of the housing groove 233 on the thermistor plate 230 may be arbitrarily modified. That is, the housing slot 233 can be formed in the thermistor plate 230 so that the thermistor 210 is located in an arbitrary position of the cell assembly 100 whose temperature is to be measured. Also, as described above, the thermistor plate 230 can be provided between the battery cells 110 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 to be arranged in an arbitrary position of the cell assembly 100. Consequently, the thermistor 210 can detect the temperature of battery cell 110 at an arbitrary position of the cell set 100. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing groove 233 can be formed in the thermistor plate 230 at a position corresponding to the center of the cell assembly 100. That is, the housing groove 233 can be formed in the thermistor plate 230 at a position corresponding to the center of the cell assembly 100 in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the battery cell 110. Also, as described above, the thermistor plate 230 can be provided between the battery cells 110 arranged in the center in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 to be located in the center of the cell assembly 100. In this case, thermistor 210 can detect the temperature of the central part of the cell assembly 100, which is the point with the highest temperature within the battery module 10. Furthermore, although not shown in detail, the edges of the guide groove 231 and the housing groove 233 in a horizontal plane can have an aerodynamic shape. Consequently, when the cell assembly 100 is compressed, localized stress concentration on the thermistor plate 230 can be prevented. Additionally, damage to the battery cell 110 in contact with the thermistor plate 230 can also be suppressed. Returning to FIGS. 2 to 8, the thermistor assembly 200 may also include an elastic pad 240 and a bonding element 250. The substrate 220 described above is configured to make close contact with the battery cell 110 as it is positioned in the guide slot 231. Consequently, the thermistor 210 attached to one side of the substrate 220 is also positioned as close as possible to the battery cell 110, so that the accuracy of the temperature measurement can be improved. The substrate 220 can come into close contact with the battery cell 110 by means of an elastic pad 240 described below. The elastic pad 240 is provided in the housing slot 233 and is separated from both sides of thermistor 210 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110 in a horizontal plane. The elastic pad 240 can be separated from thermistor 210 to avoid direct contact with it. Likewise, the elastic pad 240 can be attached to one side of the substrate 220 (e.g., a bottom portion of the substrate 220) with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. In particular, the elastic pad 240 can be configured to elastically support the substrate 220 towards a battery cell 110 oriented towards it with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate 220 to which the thermistor 210 is coupled can always be in close contact with the battery cells 110 due to the elastic restoring force of the elastic pad 240. The implementation mentioned above will be described in more detail below. Specifically, the elastic pad 240 may have a length greater than the depth (d) of the housing groove 233 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. For example, the length of the elastic pad 240 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 may be greater than the depth (d) of the housing groove 233 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 by approximately 20%, but this is not limited to this. In particular, the elastic pad 240 can be attached to one side of the substrate 220 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110, and the substrate 220 can be attached to the guide slot 231 of the thermistor plate 230 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. Thus, since the length of the elastic pad 240 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 is greater than the depth (d) of the housing groove 233 in the stacking direction of the battery cells 110, in the state of FIGS.6 and 8, the elastic pad 240 can be in a compressed state with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110 between the substrate 220 and the lower inner end of the housing groove 233. Since the elastic pad 240 is compressed in the state shown in Figures 6 and 8, elastic energy can be stored in the pad. Consequently, the elastic pad can elastically support the substrate 220 towards the battery cell 110, oriented towards it in the stacking direction of the battery cells. According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate 220 to which the thermistor 210 is coupled can always be in close contact with the battery cell 110 due to the elastic restoring force of the elastic pad 240. Consequently, the accuracy of the temperature measurement by the thermistor 210, and therefore the accuracy of the battery temperature monitoring, can be maximized. The joining element 250 can attach the substrate 220 to the guide groove 231. Likewise, the joining element 250 can attach the elastic pad 240 to the substrate 220. For example, the joining element 250 can be a double-sided adhesive tape, but this is not the only possibility. FIG.9 is an enlarged view of part L of FIG.2. With reference to FIGS.2 to 9, the 200 thermistor set may also include a 260 connector. Connector 260 can be provided at one end of substrate 220 in the longitudinal direction of battery cell 110. For example, connector 260 can be connected to a separate connection line (not shown) and linked to a control device (e.g., a BMS) located outside battery module 10. In this case, substrate 220 can transmit the temperature information of battery cell 110, detected by thermistor 210, to the external control device via connector 260. With reference to FIGS. 2 to 9, the thermistor plate 230 may further include a connector arrangement part 235 and a connector fixing part 237. Part 235 of the connector arrangement can be formed at one end of the thermistor plate 230 in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110. Consequently, connector 260 can be easily connected to the external control device. Furthermore, the connector fixing part 237 can be attached to the connector arrangement part 235 with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells 110. The connector 260 can be attached to the connector fixing part 237. Consequently, the connector 260 can be securely attached to the thermistor plate 230. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS.4 and 5, the connector 260, the connector arrangement part 235 and the connector fixing part 237 can be located near the aforementioned hole G of the busbar frame F. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an assembly 202 of thermistors according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this case, the illustration of the thermistor 210, substrate 220, elastic pad 240, bonding element 250, and connector 260 described above is omitted from Figure 10. Since the thermistor assembly 202 according to this embodiment is similar to the thermistor assembly 200 of the prior embodiment, the redundant description of components substantially the same or similar to those of the prior embodiment will be omitted, and attention will then be focused on the differences with respect to the prior embodiment. With reference to FIG.10, the thermistor assembly 202 includes a thermistor plate 230 having a guide slot 231 and a housing slot 234. The housing slot 234 can be formed at any position on the thermistor plate 230. For example, the housing slot 234 can be formed on the thermistor plate 230 at a position that does not correspond to the center of the cell assembly 100. Thus, the position in which the housing slot 234 is formed on the thermistor plate 230 can be freely modified. Consequently, the thermistor 210 can detect the temperature of the battery cell 110 at any arbitrary position within the cell assembly 100. As described above, according to the implementation of this disclosure, the temperature measurement can be freely performed at an arbitrary position of the cell assembly 100 according to the arrangement position of the thermistor plate 230 with respect to the cell assembly 100 and the arrangement position of the thermistor 210 on the thermistor plate 230. Furthermore, according to the implementation of this disclosure, the temperature of the central portion of cell stack 100, which is the hottest point within battery module 10, can be detected based on the position of thermistor plate 230 relative to cell stack 100 and the position of thermistor 210 on thermistor plate 230. Consequently, battery module 10 can be managed more safely and efficiently. Furthermore, thanks to the structures of the thermistor assemblies 200 and 202 of the present disclosure, damage to the thermistor 210 and the battery cell 110 can be avoided even when the thermistor assemblies 200 and 202 are placed between the battery cells 110, and the accuracy of battery temperature monitoring can also be improved by allowing the substrate 220 equipped with the thermistor 210 to always be in close contact with the battery cell 110. Returning to FIGS.1 to 10, the battery module 10 described above may also include a module housing 300. The module housing 300 can accommodate the battery module 10. For this purpose, a recess can be provided within the module housing 300 to house the battery module 10. In addition, at least one battery module 10, as per this disclosure, may be provided as a power source to configure a battery pack. Furthermore, the battery pack according to this disclosure may additionally include, besides the battery module 10, various devices for controlling the charging and discharging of the cell assembly 100, such as a battery management system (BMS), a current sensor, and a fuse. In addition, at least one battery pack may be provided as per this disclosure as a power source to configure an energy storage system (ESS). This disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are provided for illustrative purposes only, as various changes and modifications within the scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. Furthermore, this disclosure uses terms that indicate directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back, but these terms are used only for the convenience of explanation, and it is obvious to those skilled in the subject matter of this disclosure that the terms may vary depending on the location of the reference object or the location of the observer. Explanation of reference signs 10: battery module 100: set of cells 110: battery cell 112: electrode assembly 114: electrode conductor 116: cell casing 1162: housing body 1164: housing protrusion 200, 202: thermistor set 210: thermistor 220: substrate 230: thermistor plate 231: guide slot 233, 234: housing slot 240: elastic pad 250: joining element 260: connector 300: module housing

Claims

1. A battery module (10), comprising: a cell assembly (100) having a plurality of stacked battery cells (110); a thermistor (210) configured to detect the temperature of the battery cell (110); a substrate (220) having a side to which the thermistor (210) is attached and configured to transmit externally temperature information of the battery cell (110) detected by the thermistor (210); and a thermistor plate (230) in which the substrate (220) is disposed and a guide groove (231) in which the thermistor (210) is housed is formed in the thermistor plate (230), the thermistor plate (230) being disposed between the plurality of battery cells (110); wherein the thermistor plate (230) further includes a housing slot (233) formed by a notch at a predetermined depth from the guide slot (231) with respect to a battery cell (110) stacking direction (Z),so that the thermistor (210) is housed therein, wherein the substrate (220) is configured to be in close contact with the battery cell (110) while being placed in the guide slot (231), and wherein the battery module (10) further comprises an elastic pad (240) provided in the housing slot (233), separated from both sides of the thermistor (210), and configured to elastically support the substrate (220) towards a battery cell (110) oriented thereto with respect to the stacking direction of the battery cells (110).

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the thermistor plate (230) is provided between the battery cells (110) arranged at the center of the stacking direction of the battery cells (110) to be located at the center of the cell assembly (100).

3. The battery module according to claim 1,wherein the thermistor plate (230) is placed in close contact with the battery cells (110) oriented to each other in the battery cell (110) stacking direction.

4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of battery cells (110) includes: an electrode assembly (112); an electrode conductor (114) electrically connected to the electrode assembly (112); and a cell housing (116) including a housing body (1162) having a housing space accommodating the electrode assembly (112), and a housing projection (1164) extending from the housing body (1162) and projecting the electrode conductor (114) outward, wherein the thermistor plate (230) is in close contact with the housing bodies (1162) of the battery cells (110) facing thereon.

5. The battery module according to claim 4,wherein the thermistor plate (230) is formed to be longer than the housing body (1162) in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell (110).

6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove (231) is formed in the thermistor plate (230) to correspond to the shape of the substrate (220) and extends along a longitudinal direction of the battery cell (110).

7. The battery module according to claim 6, wherein the thermistor plate (230) has an upper surface (M1) and a lower surface (M2) with respect to a battery cell (110) stacking direction (Z), and wherein the guide groove (231) is formed in the thermistor plate (230) by a notch at a predetermined depth from the upper surface (M1) with respect to said battery cell (110) stacking direction (Z), and wherein,In a state where the substrate (220) is placed in the guide groove (231) along said stacking (Z) direction, an upper side of the substrate (220) and an upper end of the guide groove (231) are located in the same horizontal plane.

8. The battery module according to claim 6, wherein the thermistor (210) is arranged at a predetermined distance from an inner lower end of the housing groove (233) along said stacking (Z) direction within the housing groove (233).

9. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the housing groove (233) is formed in the thermistor plate (230) in a position corresponding to the center of the cell assembly.

10. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the elastic pad (240) has a length greater than the depth of the housing groove (233) in the stacking direction.

11. A battery pack,comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An energy storage system, comprising at least one battery pack according to claim 11.,

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