Battery module, battery pack including the battery module, and automobile including the battery pack

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell assembly including a plurality of battery cells stacked on one another; a base plate supporting a lower portion of the battery cell assembly; a cover plate spaced apart from the base plate and covering an upper portion of the battery cell assembly; and an elastic bead unit disposed between the cover plate and the battery cell assembly.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle including the battery pack. This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0158075, filed on November 23, 2020, and the entire contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of that application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Secondary batteries, which have high applicability to various products and electrical properties such as high energy density, are widely used not only in portable devices but also in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that are driven by electrical sources. These secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source because they are environmentally friendly and improve energy efficiency as they do not produce any by-products associated with energy use, as well as having the primary advantage of dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels.

[0003] Currently, types of secondary batteries that are widely used include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, and nickel zinc batteries. The operating voltage of such a unit secondary battery cell, i.e., a unit battery cell, is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, when a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack is configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. Also, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in parallel depending on the charge / discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack can be variously set depending on the required output voltage or charge / discharge capacity.

[0004] In addition, when a battery pack is constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series and parallel, a common method is to first construct a battery module consisting of at least one battery cell, and then use this at least one battery module to add other components to construct a battery pack.

[0005] In the case of a conventional battery module, it is important to apply a pressure within a specific range to the battery cells in order to improve the performance of the battery cells, such as their life span, and it is also important to control the expansion of the battery cells, i.e., cell swelling.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a solution to provide a battery module capable of improving the performance of a battery cell and effectively controlling cell swelling, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module that can improve the performance of a battery cell and effectively control cell swelling, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a battery module comprising: a battery cell assembly including a plurality of battery cells stacked on each other; a base plate supporting a lower portion of the battery cell assembly; a cover plate spaced apart from the base plate and covering an upper portion of the battery cell assembly; and an elastic bead unit disposed between the cover plate and the battery cell assembly.

[0009] The battery module may include at least one compression pad disposed between the plurality of battery cells.

[0010] The elastic bead unit may include a contact plate disposed in contact with the battery cell assembly, and an elastic deformation portion disposed between the contact plate and the cover plate.

[0011] The elastic deformation portion may include a first elastic member arranged in at least partial contact with the contact plate, and a second elastic member arranged in at least partial contact with the first elastic member and arranged in at least partial contact with the cover plate.

[0012] The first elastic member and the second elastic member may be provided with a concave-convex shape, with convex portions and concave portions arranged alternately.

[0013] The convex portion of the first elastic member may be disposed in contact with the convex portion of the second elastic member.

[0014] The at least one compression pad may be disposed at a center of the plurality of battery cells in a height direction of the plurality of battery cells.

[0015] The battery cell assembly may include a pair of side beams covering both sides of the battery cell assembly and connected to the base plate and the cover plate.

[0016] The present invention also provides a battery pack, comprising at least one battery module according to any one of the above-described embodiments, and a pack case packaging the at least one battery module.

[0017] The present invention also provides a vehicle, characterized in that it comprises at least one battery pack according to any of the above-described embodiments. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery module capable of improving the performance of a battery cell and effectively controlling cell swelling, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0019] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to further understand the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to only the matters described in the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram for explaining an elastic bead unit of the battery module of FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an elastic bead unit according to another embodiment of the battery module of FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram for explaining a control mechanism for cell swelling in the battery module of FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a diagram illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments described herein are illustrative and are intended to facilitate understanding of the invention, and it should be understood that the present invention can be practiced in various forms different from the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the attached drawings may be drawn not to scale, but with some components exaggerated.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 1 , a battery module 10 may include a battery cell assembly 100 , a base plate 200 , a cover plate 300 , and an elastic bead unit 400 .

[0024] The battery cell assembly 100 may include a plurality of battery cells 105 stacked on top of each other.

[0025] The battery cells 105 are secondary batteries and may be provided as pouch-type secondary batteries, prismatic secondary batteries, or cylindrical secondary batteries. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the battery cells 105 will be described as pouch-type secondary batteries.

[0026] The base plate 200 may support a lower portion of the battery cell assembly 100. Thus, the base plate 200 may have a shape and size capable of supporting the lower portion of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0027] The base plate 200 may be provided with a beam fastening portion 205 for fastening to a side beam 600, which will be described later.

[0028] The cover plate 300 may be disposed apart from the base plate 200 and may cover an upper portion of the battery cell assembly 100. Thus, the cover plate 300 may have a shape and size capable of supporting an upper portion of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0029] The cover plate 300 may be provided with a beam fastening portion 305 for fastening to a side beam 600, which will be described later.

[0030] The elastic bead unit 400 is for controlling cell swelling of the battery cell 105 of the battery cell assembly 100, and may be disposed between the cover plate 300 and the battery cell assembly 100. Specifically, the elastic bead unit 400 may be disposed between the cover plate 300 and the uppermost battery cell 105 of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0031] The elastic bead unit 400 will be described in detail below.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an elastic bead unit of the battery module of FIG.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 2 , the elastic bead unit 400 may include a contact plate 410 and an elastic deformation portion 430 .

[0034] The contact plate 410 may have a substantially flat plate shape and may be disposed in contact with the battery cell assembly 100. Specifically, the contact plate 410 may be disposed in contact with the uppermost battery cell 105 of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0035] The elastic deformation portion 430 may be disposed between the contact plate 410 and the cover plate 300 .

[0036] In addition, the elastic deformation portion 430 may include a first elastic member 431 and a second elastic member 435 .

[0037] The first elastic member 431 may be disposed in at least partial contact with the contact plate 410. The first elastic member 431 may have a concave-convex shape, with convex portions 433 and concave portions 434 arranged alternately. The convex portions 433 of the first elastic member 431 may be disposed in elastic contact with convex portions 437 of a second elastic member 435 described below.

[0038] The second elastic member 435 may be disposed in at least partial contact with the first elastic member 431 and in at least partial contact with the cover plate 300 .

[0039] In addition, the second elastic member 435 may be provided with a concave-convex shape, and convex portions 437 and concave portions 438 may be alternately arranged. The convex portions 437 of the second elastic member 435 may be arranged in elastic contact with the convex portions 433 of the first elastic member 431.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an elastic bead unit according to another embodiment of the battery module of FIG.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, the elastic bead unit 405 may include a contact plate 410 and an elastic deformation portion 440 .

[0042] The contact plate 410 is substantially the same as or similar to the above-described embodiment, and therefore, a duplicated description will be omitted below.

[0043] The elastic deformation portion 440 may be provided as one member, unlike the above-described embodiment. The elastic deformation portion 440 may be disposed in at least partial contact with the cover plate 300 of the above-described embodiment. The elastic deformation portion 440 may be provided in a concave-convex shape, with convex portions and concave portions alternately arranged.

[0044] In this manner, the elastic deformation portion 440 may be provided as a plurality of elastic members 431, 435 like the elastic deformation portion 430 of the above-described embodiment, or may be provided as a single member as in this embodiment.

[0045] With further reference to FIG. 1 , the battery module 10 may include a compression pad 500 and a side beam 600.

[0046] The compression pad 500 may be made of an elastic material having a certain elasticity and may be disposed between the plurality of battery cells 105 of the battery cell assembly 100 .

[0047] The compression pad 500 may be disposed at the center of the battery cells 105 in the height direction of the battery cells 105. The compression pad 500 may provide a predetermined pressure to the battery cells 105 between the base plate 200 and the cover plate 300 to improve the life of the battery cell assembly 100.

[0048] The side beams 600 may be provided in pairs.

[0049] The pair of side beams 600 may cover both sides of the battery cell assembly 100 and be connected to the base plate 200 and the cover plate 300.

[0050] The pair of side beams 600 may each include a beam bolt 610 and a beam nut 630 .

[0051] The beam bolt 610 may be formed to a predetermined length and may be fastened to the beam fastening portion 205 of the base plate 200 and the beam fastening portion 305 of the cover plate 300 by penetrating through them.

[0052] The beam nut 630 may be fastened to the beam bolt 610 to stably fix the beam bolt 610 between the base plate 200 and the cover plate 300 .

[0053] Hereinafter, a control mechanism for cell swelling of the battery module 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0054] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a control mechanism for cell swelling in the battery module of FIG.

[0055] 4, in the battery module 10, a cell swelling phenomenon may occur due to expansion of the battery cell 105 of the battery cell assembly 100. In this case, if the cell swelling causes damage such as breakage of the base plate 200 or the cover plate 300, there is a problem that it may cause further danger.

[0056] In this embodiment, when cell swelling occurs, the elastic bead unit 400 can buffer the expansion of the battery cell 105. Therefore, in this embodiment, the elastic bead unit 400 can minimize pressure applied to the base plate 200 and the cover plate 300 during the cell swelling phenomenon.

[0057] In other words, according to this embodiment, the elastic bead unit 400 absorbs the compressive force of the battery cell 105 during the cell swelling, thereby minimizing the risk of damage, such as breakage, of the base plate 200 and the cover plate 300.

[0058] As a result, according to this embodiment, the cell swelling, which is an irreversible deformation of the battery cell 105, can be controlled by the elastic bead unit 400. Also, according to this embodiment, the reversible deformation of the battery cell 105 can be controlled by the compression force and repulsion force of the compression pad 500.

[0059] As a result, in this embodiment, both reversible and irreversible deformations of the battery cells 105 can be efficiently controlled by the elastic bead units 400 and the compression pads 500.

[0060] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the elastic bead unit 400 and the compression pad 500 can improve the performance of the battery cell 105 and significantly reduce the risk of damage to the base plate 200 and the cover plate 300 when the battery cell 105 swells.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] Since the battery module 20 according to this embodiment is similar to the battery module 10 according to the previously described embodiment, redundant descriptions of configurations that are substantially the same or similar to those of the previously described embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the differences from the previously described embodiment.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 5 , the battery module 20 may include a battery cell assembly 100 , a base plate 200 , a cover plate 300 , an elastic bead unit 400 , a side beam 600 , and a pair of compression pads 700 .

[0064] The battery cell assembly 100 may include a plurality of battery cells 105.

[0065] The battery cells 105 are substantially the same as or similar to those in the above-described embodiment, and therefore, a duplicated description will be omitted below.

[0066] The base plate 200, the cover plate 300, and the elastic bead unit 400 are substantially the same as or similar to those in the above-described embodiment, and therefore, a duplicated description will be omitted below.

[0067] The side beam 600 may include a beam bolt 610 and a beam nut 630 .

[0068] The beam bolt 610 and the beam nut 630 are substantially the same as or similar to those in the above-described embodiment, and therefore, a duplicated description will be omitted below.

[0069] The pair of compression pads 700 may be provided to be stacked on each other in the height direction of the battery cell 105.

[0070] In this embodiment, since a plurality of compression pads 700 are provided, the compression force and repulsion force of the compression pads 700 can be further increased.

[0071] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] 6 and 7, a battery pack 1 may include at least one battery module 10 (20) according to the above-described embodiments, and a pack case 50 that packages the at least one battery module 10 (20).

[0073] The battery pack 1 is an energy source for the vehicle and may be provided in the vehicle V. For example, the battery pack 1 may be provided in the vehicle V in an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or in any other manner in which the battery pack 1 may be used as an energy source.

[0074] In addition to the automobile V, the battery pack 1 can of course be provided in other devices, equipment, and facilities such as an energy storage system using a secondary battery.

[0075] As described above, the battery pack 1 according to the present embodiment and devices, instruments, and equipment equipped with the battery pack 1, such as the automobile, include the battery module 10 (20) described above, and therefore it is possible to embody devices, instruments, and equipment, such as the battery pack 1 and the automobile V equipped with the same, which have all the advantages of the battery module 10 (20).

[0076] Through the various embodiments as described above, it is possible to provide a battery module 10, 20 capable of improving the performance of the battery cell 105 and effectively controlling cell swelling, a battery pack 1 including the battery module 10, 20, and a vehicle V including the battery pack 1.

[0077] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the specific preferred embodiments described above, and that various modifications can be made by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical ideas and perspectives of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 10 Battery Module 100 Battery cell assembly 105 Battery Cells 200 Base Plate 300 cover plate 400 Elastic Bead Unit,

Claims

1. A battery module, a battery cell assembly including a plurality of battery cells stacked on one another; a base plate supporting a lower portion of the battery cell assembly; a cover plate spaced apart from the base plate and covering an upper portion of the battery cell assembly; an elastic buffer unit disposed between the cover plate and the battery cell assembly; a compression pad disposed at a center of the battery cells in a height direction of the battery cells and applying a pressure to the battery cells; Including, The elastic buffer unit is a contact plate disposed in contact with the battery cell assembly; a first elastic member disposed in at least partial contact with the contact plate; a second elastic member disposed in at least partial contact with the first elastic member and in at least partial contact with the cover plate; The first elastic member and the second elastic member are provided in a concave-convex shape, and convex portions and concave portions are alternately arranged, The battery module, wherein the compression pad is a pair of compression pads stacked on each other in a height direction of the battery cell.

2. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the convex portion of the first elastic member is disposed in contact with the convex portion of the second elastic member.

3. The battery module according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a pair of side beams covering both sides of the battery cell assembly and connected to the base plate and the cover plate.

4. At least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a pack case that packages the at least one battery module; A battery pack comprising:

5. A vehicle comprising at least one battery pack according to claim 4.

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