Battery module, battery pack, and vehicle including same

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery module with improved stability against fire or explosion, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. The battery module includes a 5 plurality of battery cells, each having electrode terminals respectively formed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof; a module case configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells and having a plurality of exposure holes configured to expose the upper portion or the lower portion of the battery cell; and a screen member located at any one or more of an upper portion and a lower portion of the module case and having a plate 10 shape, the screen member being configured to have a ventilation hole with a smaller size than the exposure hole.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery pack and a vehicleincluding the same, and more particularly, to a battery module with improved stabilityagainst fire or explosion, a battery pack and a vehicle including the same.The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0121768 filed on September 21, 2020 in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND ARTIn recent years, the demand for portable electronic products such as notebooks,video cameras, mobile phones, or the like is rapidly increasing, and the development ofelectric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, satellites, or the like is in earnest. Forthis reason, high-performance secondary batteries enabling repeated charging anddischarging are being actively researched.Secondary batteries commercialized at the present include nickel cadmiumbatteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries.Among them, lithium secondary batteries are in the spotlight due to advantages such asfree charging and discharging by little memory effect compared to nickel-based secondarybatteries, and very low self-discharge rate and high energy density.The lithium secondary battery mainly uses a lithium-based oxide and a carbonmaterial as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material,respectively. Also, the lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in whicha positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate respectively coated with thepositive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material are disposedwith a separator being interposed therebetween, and an exterior, namely a battery case, forhermetically storing the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte.In addition, the lithium secondary battery may be classified depending on theexterior shape into a can-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is includedin a metal can and a pouch-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly isincluded in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet.In particular, the demand for large-capacity battery modules applied to electricvehicles or the like is increasing recently. Such a large-capacity battery module includesa plurality of battery cells. Thus, when a fire or explosion occurs in a part of the pluralityof battery cells, high-temperature fragments of the electrode assembly, flames, and hightemperature gas are discharged to adjacent other battery cells to increase the temperaturethereof. Accordingly, thermal runaway, fire, or the like may be propagated to adjacentother battery cells to cause a secondary explosion, thereby increasing the damage.DISCLOSURETechnical ProblemThe present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, andtherefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module with improvedstability against fire or explosion, a battery pack and a vehicle including the same.These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure may beunderstood from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparentfrom the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, it will be easilyunderstood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by themeans shown in the appended claims and combinations thereof.Technical SolutionIn one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module,comprising:a plurality of battery cells, each having electrode terminals respectively formed atan upper portion and a lower portion thereof;a module case configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells and havinga plurality of exposure holes configured to expose the upper portion or the lower portion ofthe battery cell; anda screen member located at any one or more of an upper portion and a lowerportion of the module case and having a plate shape, the screen member being configuredto have a ventilation hole with a smaller size than the exposure hole.Also, two or more ventilation holes may be provided in a region of the screenmember that faces the exposure hole.In addition, the ventilation hole may be configured to have a diameter graduallydecreasing in an outward direction.Also, the ventilation hole may be shaped so that the screen member is perforatedin a zigzag form.Moreover, the battery module may further comprise a connection plate interposedbetween the screen member and the module case and having electric conductivity, theconnection plate including a body portion having a plate shape extending in a horizontaldirection, a connection portion extending from the body portion to contact the electrodeterminal, and a connection hole formed by opening a part of the body portion so that theconnection portion is located in the opening thereof.In addition, the connection plate may include an extension portion configured toprotrusively extend in a horizontal direction from an outer circumference of the connectionhole to hide a part of the connection hole.Further, the module case may include a plurality of cover portions configured toprotrude toward the connection plate from an outer circumference of the plurality ofexposure holes, respectively, the cover portion having a hollow and being shaped to havean open top end.Also, the cover portion may include a bending part bent at the open top end toextend in a horizontal direction to hide a part of the connection hole of the connection plate.In addition, in another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided abattery pack, comprising at least one battery module as above.Moreover, in another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided avehicle, comprising at least one battery module as above.Advantageous EffectsAccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery moduleaccording to the present disclosure includes the screen member. This structure mayphysically block the movement of a high-temperature active material discharged from theexploded battery cell to adjacent battery cells while maintaining the function of ejectingthe gas and flame generated when the battery cell is ignited. By doing so, when any oneof the plurality of battery cells behaves abnormally (electric short, thermal runaway), if thebattery cell explodes to eject the internal material to the outside, gas and flame are ejectedthrough the exposure hole, but the movement of the high-temperature active material issuppressed by the screen member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ejected internalmaterial from moving to other adjacent battery cells through other adjacent exposure holes.That is, by forming the ventilation hole to be smaller than the exposure hole, the screenmember may allow the high-temperature gas ejected through the exposure hole to passthrough the ventilation hole, but prevents the ejected fragments of the electrode assemblyfrom passing through the ventilation hole. Accordingly, in the present disclosure, it ispossible to prevent chain ignition, such as propagating of thermal runaway, fire orexplosion to other battery cells, thereby greatly improving the safety.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the presentdisclosure and together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide furtherunderstanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and thus, the presentdisclosure is not construed as being limited to the drawing.FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a battery module according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the battery moduleaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing a battery cell of the batterymodule according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a screen member of a battery moduleaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a screen member of abattery module according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a screen member of abattery module according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view schematically showing a connection plate ofthe battery module according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a part of the batterymodule, taken along the line C-C' of FIG. 1.FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a part of the batterymodule according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.BEST MODEHereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should beunderstood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not beconstrued as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on themeanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on thebasis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the bestexplanation.Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for thepurpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it shouldbe understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure.FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a battery module according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective viewschematically showing the battery module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Also, FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing a battery cell of thebattery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a battery module 100 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a plurality of battery cells 110, a module case 130, and a screenmember 140.Specifically, the battery cell 110 may include an electrode assembly 116, a batterycan 112, and a cap assembly 113. For example, the battery cell 110 may be a cylindricalbattery cell. In addition, the battery cell 110 may include electrode terminals 111respectively located at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof. The plurality ofbattery cells 110 may be electrically connected by a connection plate 120 having a metalmaterial. The plurality of battery cells 110 may be electrically connected in series, inparallel, or in series and in parallel, through the connection plate 120.The electrode assembly 116 may have a wound structure with a separator beinginterposed between a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate. A positiveelectrode tab 114 may be attached to the positive electrode plate and connected to the capassembly 113, a negative electrode tab 115 may be attached to the negative electrode plateand connected to a lower end of the battery can 112.The battery can 112 may have an empty space so that the electrode assembly 116may be accommodated therein. In particular, the battery can 112 may be configured in acylindrical shape with an open top end. In addition, the battery can 112 may be made of ametal material such as steel or aluminum to secure rigidity. In addition, the negativeelectrode tab may attached to the bottom of the battery can 112, such that not only thelower portion of the battery can 112 but also the battery can 112 itself may function as anegative electrode terminal.The cap assembly 113 may be coupled to the open top end of the battery can 112to seal the open top end of the battery can 112. The cap assembly 113 may have acircular or rectangular shape depending on the shape of the battery can 112, and mayinclude sub-components such as a top cap C1, a vent unit C2, and a gasket C3.Here, the top cap C1 may be located at an uppermost portion of the cap assembly113 and configured to protrude upward. In particular, the top cap C1 may function as apositive electrode terminal in the battery cell 110. Accordingly, the top cap C1 may beelectrically connected to an external device, for example another battery cell 110 or acharging device, through the connection plate 120 or the like. The top cap C1 may bemade of, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel or aluminum. If a severeexplosion or fire occurs at the battery cell 110, at least a part of the top cap C1 may be tornor detached from the battery can 112, thereby opening the battery can 112.In addition, the vent unit C2 may be configured to be deformed (ruptured) whenthe internal pressure of the battery cell 110, namely the internal pressure of the battery can112, increases over a predetermined level, so that the gas inside the battery can 112 may bedischarged to the outside through an opening D of the top cap C1. Here, thepredetermined level of the internal pressure may be 5 to 10 atmospheres. At this time,when the battery cell 110 explodes due to an abnormal behavior, the cap assembly 113may be detached from the battery can 112. In addition, when gas explodes in the batterycell 110, the gas generated therein and fragments of the electrode assembly 116 or the likemay be ejected to the outside.Moreover, the gasket C3 may be made of a material with electrical insulation sothat edge portions of the top cap C1 and the vent unit C2 may be insulated from the batterycan 112.Meanwhile, the cap assembly 113 may further include a current interrupt deviceC4. The current interrupt device C4 is also called CID. When the internal pressure ofthe battery increases due to gas generation so that the shape of the vent unit C2 is reversed,the contact between the vent unit C2 and the current interrupt device C4 may be broken, orthe current interrupt device C4 may be damaged, thereby blocking the electrical connectionbetween the vent unit C2 and the electrode assembly 116.The above configuration of the battery cell 110 is widely known to those skilled inthe art at the time of filing of this application, and thus will not be described in more detail.In addition, although an example of the cylindrical battery cell 110 is illustrated in FIG. 3,the battery module 100 according to the present disclosure is not limited to theconfiguration of the battery cell 110 having a specific shape. That is, various types ofbattery cells known at the time of filing of this application may be employed in the batterymodule 100 according to the present disclosure.In addition, the module case 130 may be configured to accommodate the pluralityof battery cells 110 therein. The module case 130 may include an upper frame 133 and alower frame 134. Each of the upper frame 133 and the lower frame 134 may include aplurality of hollows 135 configured so that the plurality of battery cells 110 are partiallyinserted therein.Moreover, the module case 130 may have a plurality of exposure holes 131.Each of the plurality of exposure holes 131 may be formed by perforating a part of themodule case 130 so that the upper portion and the lower portion of each of the plurality ofbattery cells 110 may be exposed to the outside. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, aplurality of exposure holes 131 may be provided in each of the upper surface of the upperframe 133 and the lower surface of the lower frame 134 so that the electrode terminals 111respectively provided to the upper portion and the lower portion of the plurality of batterycells 110 are exposed to the outside. The exposure hole 131 may be formed at a positioncorresponding to the vent unit C2 of the battery cell 110. For example, in the battery cell110 of FIG. 3, the vent unit C2 is located at a top end of the battery cell 110, and thus theexposure hole 131 may be provided at the top end of the battery cell 110. Morespecifically, the exposure hole 131 may be provided at a position adjacent to the opening Dof the top cap C1 through which the gas discharged from the vent unit C2 is discharged tothe outside of the battery can 112.Preferably, the exposure hole 131 may be formed in a size that may cover theentire opening D of the battery can 112. For example, referring to FIG. 3 as an example,the top cap C1 of the battery can 112 may have a ring-shaped opening D. At this time,the exposure hole 131 may be configured to have a diameter greater than or equal to thediameter of the ring-shaped opening D.In addition, the screen member 140 may be located in any one or more of theupper portion and the lower portion of the module case 130. For example, as shown inFIG. 1, each of the two screen members 140 may be located at the upper portion and thelower portion of the module case 130. The screen member 140 may be made of amaterial having high thermal conductivity while being electrically insulating. Forexample, the screen member 140 may include a silicone resin.The screen member 140 may have a plate shape as a whole. For example, thescreen member 140 may have a plate shape extending in a horizontal direction to cover aportion of the module case 130 where the plurality of exposure holes 131 are formed.Each screen member 140 may have a ventilation hole 141 having a smaller size than theexposure hole 131. The ventilation hole 141 may have a size of 10% to 80% based on thesize of the exposure hole 131, for example. In addition, when the battery cell 110 isconfigured to open a specific part by an explosion, the ventilation hole 141 may beconfigured to have a smaller size than the opening size of the opened portion.Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, the batterymodule 100 according to the present disclosure includes the screen member 140. Thisstructure may physically block the movement of a high-temperature active materialdischarged from the exploded battery cell to adjacent battery cells while maintaining thefunction of ejecting, namely venting, the gas and flame generated when the battery cell isignited. By doing so, when any one of the plurality of battery cells 110 behavesabnormally, if the battery cell 110 explodes to eject the internal material to the outside, gasand flame are ejected through the exposure hole 131, but the movement of the hightemperature active material is suppressed by the screen member 140. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent the ejected internal material from moving to other adjacent battery cells110 through other adjacent exposure holes 131. That is, by forming the ventilation hole141 to be smaller than the exposure hole 131, the screen member 140 may allow the high10 temperature gas ejected through the exposure hole 131 to pass through the ventilation hole141, but prevents the ejected fragments of the electrode assembly from passing through theventilation hole 141. Accordingly, in the present disclosure, it is possible to preventchain ignition, such as propagating of thermal runaway, fire or explosion to other batterycells 110, thereby greatly improving the safety.FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing a screen member of a battery moduleaccording to another embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 4 along with FIG. 2, in a battery module 100 according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure, two or more screen members 140 may beprovided in a region A where the ventilation hole 141 faces the exposure hole 131. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, the screen member 140 may have six regions A facing sixexposure holes 131. At this time, approximately six ventilation holes 141 may be locatedin six regions A of the screen member 140 respectively facing the six exposure holes 131.Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, since thescreen member 140 of the present disclosure has two or more ventilation holes 141 atpositions corresponding to the exposure holes 131, when the battery cell 110 explodes, theejected gas is effectively discharged, and fragments of the electrode assembly may bescreened not to pass through the ventilation hole 141. That is, a part of the plurality ofventilation holes 141 may be formed at positions spaced apart not to face the opening ofthe battery cell 110 that is generated in the battery cell 110 when the battery cell 110explodes, thereby preventing the scattered solid materials from passing through theventilation hole 141.FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a screen member of abattery module according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 5 along with FIG. 2, in the screen member 140 of the batterymodule 100 according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the ventilationhole 141 may be configured to have a diameter gradually decreasing in an outwarddirection (a direction away from the battery cell 110, an upper direction in thisembodiment). That is, a tapered structure K may be provided on the inner surface of theventilation hole 141. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, an inlet of the ventilation hole141 at an inner side close to the battery cell 110 may be larger than an outlet at an outerside. Moreover, the ventilation hole 141 may have an inclined inner surface that isinclined toward the diameter center of the opening from the inlet at an inner side to theoutlet at an outer side.Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, in the presentdisclosure, since the ventilation hole 141 is configured to have a diameter graduallydecreasing in an outward direction, when the battery cell 110 explodes, it is possible toeffectively discharge the ejected gas G but prevent the accompanying fragments of theelectrode assembly from passing by being blocked by the inclined inner surface of theventilation hole 141. That is, if the ventilation hole 141 has an inner surface of thetapered structure K so that its diameter gradually decreases in an outward direction, thearea capable of screening the fragments of the electrode assembly may be further increased,thereby more effectively preventing the scattered solid materials from passing through theventilation hole 141.FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a screen member of abattery module according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 6 along with FIG. 2, in the screen member 140 of the batterymodule 100 according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the ventilationhole 141 may be shaped so that the screen member 140 is perforated in a zigzag formalong the thickness direction of the screen member 140. For example, the ventilation hole141 may be shaped so that the ventilation hole 141 is perforated to be inclined in onedirection from an inlet formed close to the battery cell 110, and the penetrating direction ischanged to be inclined in the other direction at the other side.Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, since thescreen member 140 of the present disclosure has the ventilation hole 141 of a zigzag form,when the battery cell 110 explodes, the ejected gas may pass through the ventilation hole141, but accompanying fragments of the electrode assembly may be blocked by theinclined inner surface of the ventilation hole 141 not to pass. Accordingly, in the presentdisclosure, the high-temperature fragments of the electrode assembly do not move to otheradjacent battery cells 110 due to the explosion of the battery cell 110, thereby preventingthermal runaway or fire from occurring due to the moved fragments of the electrodeassembly.Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 2 again, the battery module 100 of the presentdisclosure may further include a connection plate 120. The connection plate 120 may beinterposed between the screen member 140 and the module case 130. The connectionplate 120 may have electrical conductivity. For example, the connection plate 120 mayinclude a metal such as aluminum, copper, or nickel.In addition, the connection plate 120 may include a body portion 121, a connectionportion 122, and a connection hole 123. The body portion 121 may have a plate shapeextending in a horizontal direction. The body portion 121 may be mounted to the upperportion or the lower portion of the module case 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 2,the two connection plates 120 may be mounted to the upper portion and the lower portionof the module case 130, respectively.Moreover, the connection portion 122 may be formed to extend from the bodyportion 121 to contact the electrode terminal 111. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, theconnection portion 122 may have a bifurcated structure protrusively extending from thebody portion 121. The connection portion 122 may be welded to the electrode terminal111. At this time, as a welding method, resistance welding may be used, for example.In addition, the connection hole 123 may be configured such that a part of thebody portion 121 is opened and the connection portion 122 is located inside the opening.The connection hole 123 may have an approximately circular shape. The connection hole123 may be configured to face the exposure hole 131 of the module case 130.FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view schematically showing a connection plate ofthe battery module according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 7, the connection plate 120 may include an extension portion124 configured to cover a part of the connection hole 123. The extension portion 124may have a shape protrusively extending from an edge of the connection hole 123 in ahorizontal direction. The extension portion 124 may be a portion protruding toward theconnection portion 122 from the edge of the connection hole 123. For example, as shownin FIG. 7, the connection plate 120 may be configured such that five extension portions124 protrude from the edge of the connection hole 123 toward the connection portion 122.FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a part of the batterymodule, taken along the line C-C' of FIG. 1.Referring to FIG. 8 along with FIGS. 1 and 2, in the battery module 100 accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of cover portions 132 may beprovided to the upper surface or the lower surface of the module case 130. The pluralityof cover portions 132 may have a rib shape protruding toward the connection plate 120from an outer circumference of each of the plurality of exposure holes 131. The coverportion 132 may be formed with a hollow penetrating in a vertical direction. The coverportion 132 formed on the upper surface of the module case 130 may have an open top end.For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the module case 130 may include six cover portions 132protruding from the upper surface of the module case 130 toward the connection plate tocover the six exposure holes 131.In addition, the connection plate 120 may be mounted on the top end of the coverportion 132. That is, the top surface of the cover portion 132 may be in contact with thelower surface of the connection plate 120. In addition, the screen member 140 may bemounted to the upper surface of the connection plate 120. The exposure hole 131, theconnection hole 123 and the ventilation hole 141 may be configured to communicate witheach other. Therefore, ultimately, the vent unit C2 of the battery cell 110, the opening Dof the top cap C1, the exposure hole 131, and the ventilation hole 141 may all bepositioned on the same line. Accordingly, the path for discharging gas is minimized, sothat the gas may be smoothly discharged to the outside of the battery cell 110. The spacebetween the upper surface of the upper frame 133 and the connection plate 120 may serveas a venting space in front of the battery cell 110.Moreover, when an abnormal behavior of the battery cell 110 occurs so that theinternal material is ejected to the outside, the cover portion 132 may be configured toprevent the internal material from moving to other adjacent battery cells 110 through otheradjacent exposure holes 131. The cover portion 132 may have a cylindrical shape tosurround the exposure hole 131.Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, the modulecase 130 included in the battery module 100 according to the present disclosure includesthe cover portion 132 protruding from the outer circumference of the exposure hole 131toward the connection plate 120. This structure may physically block the movement of ahigh-temperature active material discharged from the exploded battery cell to adjacentbattery cells while maintaining the function of ejecting, namely venting, the gas and flamegenerated when the battery cell is ignited. By doing so, when the battery cell 110 behavesabnormally to explode so that the internal material is ejected, gas and flame are ejectedthrough the exposure hole 131, but the movement of the high-temperature active materialis suppressed by the cover portion 132. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the internalmaterial from moving to other adjacent battery cells 110 through other exposure holes 131,thereby preventing chain ignition, such as propagating of thermal runaway, fire orexplosion to other battery cells 110. Accordingly, the present disclosure may greatlyimprove the safety.In the present disclosure, since the top surface of the cover portion 132 is incontact with the lower surface of the connection plate 120, even if an explosion occurs insome of the plurality of battery cells 110, it is possible to prevent the high-temperatureactive material, gas and flame from moving to adjacent battery cells 110 through the emptyspace between the connection plate 120 and the module case 130. The space between theupper surface of the upper frame 133 and the connection plate 120 serves as a ventingspace in front of the battery cell 110, and the cover portion 132 maintains the venting spacein an upward direction of the battery cell 110, while making the venting space maintainingthe venting space to be independent for each battery cell 110 in a lateral direction of thebattery cell 110. Accordingly, the cover portion 132 may suppress that the high15 temperature active material is discharged to move to adjacent battery cells 110, whilemaintaining the function of ejecting the gas and flame generated during ignition. Thecover portion 132 constitutes an isolated mechanism structure for each battery cell 110 soas to suppress the scattering of an active material mass. In this way, chain ignition maybe suppressed, thereby greatly improving the safety of the battery module 100 of thepresent disclosure.FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a part of the batterymodule according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.Referring to FIG. 9, in the battery module 100 according to still anotherembodiment of the present disclosure, when compared with the cover portion of FIG. 8,the cover portion 132 may further include a bending part 132a. The bending part 132amay be configured to hide a part of the exposure hole 131 of the module case 130. Thebending part 132a may be a portion bent to extend in a horizontal direction from an end ofthe cover portion 132 protruding upward. The bending part 132a may be configured tohide a part of the open end formed by the hollow of the cover portion 132. For example,the bending part 132a may be configured to be bent toward the central from the open endof the upper portion of the cover portion 132 so that the opening of the open end is morenarrowed.Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, in the presentdisclosure, even if an explosion occurs in some of the plurality of battery cells 110 to ejectan internal material (e.g., an active material), the amount of material discharged to theoutside of the module case 130 may be effectively reduced by the bending part 132a.Accordingly, it is possible to effectively reduce the movement of the internal materialejected from the exploded battery cell 110 to other adjacent battery cells 110. Ultimately,in the present disclosure, it is possible to provide the battery module 100 with greatlyimproved safety.Meanwhile, a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosuremay include at least one battery module 100 as described above and a battery managementsystem (BMS) electrically connected to the battery module 100. The BMS may includevarious circuits or elements to control charging and discharging of the plurality of batterycells.Meanwhile, a vehicle (not shown) according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may include at least one battery module 100 as described above and a vehiclebody having an accommodation space for accommodating the battery module 100. Forexample, the vehicle may be an electric vehicle, an electric scooter, an electric wheelchair,or an electric bike.Meanwhile, even though the terms indicating directions such as upper, lower, left,right, front and rear directions are used in the specification, it is obvious to those skilled inthe art that these merely represent relative locations for convenience in explanation andmay vary based on a location of an observer or an object.

Claims

1. A battery module, comprising: a plurality of battery cells, each having electrode terminals respectively formed at an upper portion and a lower portion thereof; a module case configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells and having a plurality of exposure holes configured to expose the upper portion or the lower portion of the battery cell; and a screen member located at any one or more of an upper portion and a lower portion of the module case and having a plate shape, the screen member being configured to have a ventilation hole with a smaller size than the exposure hole.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein two or more ventilation holes are provided in a region of the screen member that faces the exposure hole.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation hole is configured to have a diameter gradually decreasing in an outward direction.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation hole is shaped so that the screen member is perforated in a zigzag form.

5. The battery module according to claim 1, further comprising: a connection plate interposed between the screen member and the module case and having electric conductivity, the connection plate including a body portion having a plate shape extending in a horizontal direction, a connection portion extending from the body portion to contact the electrode terminal, and a connection hole formed by opening a part of the body portion so that the connection portion is located in the opening thereof.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the connection plate includes an extension portion configured to protrusively extend in a horizontal direction from an outer circumference of the connection hole to hide a part of the connection hole.

7. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the module case includes a plurality of cover portions configured to protrude toward the connection plate from an outer circumference of the plurality of exposure holes, respectively, the cover portion having a hollow and being shaped to have an open top end.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the cover portion includes a bending part bent at the open top end to extend in a horizontal direction to hide a part of the connection hole of the connection plate.

9. A battery pack, comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle, comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 8.