Battery module, battery pack including the same, and motor vehicle

Abstract

A battery module, a battery pack including the battery module, and a vehicle including the battery module are disclosed. The battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells, a case in which the plurality of battery cells are accommodated, a cover coupled to the case, at least one cooling block coupled to the cover and in contact with the case to cool the battery cells, and a cooling pipe coupled to the cooling block, and the cooling block has a variable coupling position on the cover.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0001137, filed on January 4, 2022, and all of the contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the said application are incorporated into this application.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle, and more particularly, to a battery module having a cooling block that can be variably arranged, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle.

Background Art

[0003] The demand for secondary batteries as an energy source has been rapidly increasing with the development of technology and the increasing demand for mobile devices. Conventionally, nickel-cadmium batteries and hydrogen-ion batteries have been used as secondary batteries, but recently, lithium secondary batteries, which have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, can be freely charged and discharged, have a very low self-discharge rate, and have a high energy density, are widely used.

[0004] Such lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material, respectively. A lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, each coated with such a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, are arranged with a separator interposed therebetween, and an exterior material, that is, a battery case, in which the electrode assembly is enclosed together with an electrolytic solution.

[0005] A lithium secondary battery is composed of a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between them, and an electrolyte. Depending on what materials are used as the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material, it can be classified into a lithium ion battery (LIB), a polymer lithium ion battery (PLIB), etc. Usually, the electrodes of these lithium secondary batteries are formed by applying a positive electrode active material or a negative electrode active material onto a current collector such as an aluminum or copper sheet, mesh, film, foil, etc., and then drying. And various types of secondary batteries include a battery module that has a case capable of protecting battery cells, includes a plurality of stacked battery cells enclosed in the case, and a battery pack that has a plurality of battery modules.

[0006] On the other hand, a cooling pipe through which water or air passes may be provided in the battery module to cool the battery cells. Here, there are various ways to stack the battery cells and ways to accommodate them in the case. Depending on the stacking method of the battery cells and the accommodation method in the case, although there are differences in the heat generation locations, since the cooling pipes for cooling are fixed, there is a problem that it is not easy to cope with this fixed cooling pipe.

[0007] Also, electrical components related to electricity may be mounted on the battery module. In the case of electrical components, heat is generated. Conventionally, there was a problem that the cooling efficiency was low because no cooling device was provided or simply a cooling fan was used for cooling.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a battery module capable of cooling battery cells and electrical components even when the arrangement position of the battery cells or the arrangement position of the electrical components is changed, a battery pack including the same, and an automobile.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, there may be provided a battery module including a plurality of battery cells, a case in which the plurality of battery cells are accommodated, a cover coupled to the case, at least one cooling block coupled to the cover and contacting the case to cool the battery cells, and a cooling pipe coupled to the cooling block, wherein the coupling position of the cooling block to the cover is variable.

[0010] In one aspect, at least one block coupling groove to which the cooling block is coupled may be formed in the cover.

[0011] Preferably, the block coupling groove may be formed by a first partition wall protruding upward in a lateral direction from the bottom of the cover and a second partition wall protruding upward in a vertical direction so as to intersect the first partition wall.

[0012] Preferably, the first partition wall and the second partition wall may be configured to be orthogonal to each other.

[0013] Preferably, a plurality of the first partition walls and a plurality of the second partition walls are provided, and the plurality of first partition walls and the plurality of second partition walls intersect each other to form a plurality of block coupling grooves, and the cooling block may be coupled to at least one of the plurality of block coupling grooves.

[0014] In another aspect, the cooling pipe may include a first pipe portion located outside the cooling block and a second pipe portion extending from the first pipe portion and located inside the cooling block.

[0015] Preferably, the second pipe portion may be formed in a shape close to a "U" shape.

[0016] On the one hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery module including a plurality of battery cells, a case in which the plurality of battery cells are housed, an electrical component member coupled to the case, an electrical component cooling block disposed on the electrical component member for cooling electrical components, and an electrical component cooling pipe coupled to the electrical component cooling block, wherein the coupling position of the electrical component cooling block on the electrical component member is variable.

[0017] On one side, the electrical component member includes an electrical component case in which the electrical components are housed and an electrical component cover coupled to the electrical component case, and at least one electrical component block coupling groove to which the electrical component cooling block is coupled may be formed in the electrical component cover.

[0018] On another side, the electrical component cooling pipe may include a first pipe portion located outside the electrical component cooling block and a second pipe portion extending from the first pipe portion and located inside the cooling block.

[0019] Preferably, the second pipe portion may be formed in a shape close to a "U" shape.

[0020] On the one hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack including the above battery module, and also an automobile including the battery module can be provided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] In the embodiments of the present invention, since the cooling block is variably configured, the battery cells or electrical components can be cooled even when the arrangement position of the battery cells is changed or the arrangement position of the electrical components is changed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

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Figure 2

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Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms and words used in this specification and the claims are not to be construed as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. The inventor himself interprets them in accordance with the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention in accordance with the principle that he can appropriately define the concept of the terms in order to explain the invention in the best way. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. At the time of this application, there can be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them.

[0024] In the figures, the sizes of the respective components or specific portions forming those components are exaggerated, omitted, or shown schematically for ease of explanation and clarity. Therefore, the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size. When it is recognized that a detailed description of related known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0025] As used herein, the terms "coupled" or "connected" include not only cases where one member is directly coupled or directly connected to another member, but also cases where one member is indirectly coupled or indirectly connected to another member via a joining member.

[0026] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cooling block in the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Referring to these figures, a battery module 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell 100, a case 200, a cover 300, a cooling block 400, and a cooling pipe 500.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of battery cells 100 are housed and protected within the case 200. Here, the battery cells 100 can be diverse. For example, the battery cells 100 may be provided as pouch-type battery cells 100 or may be provided as cylindrical battery cells 100.

[0029] The battery cell 100 is provided with an electrode lead, and the electrode lead provided on the battery cell 100 is a type of terminal connected to an external device and can be made of a conductive material.

[0030] The electrode leads may include a positive electrode lead and a negative electrode lead. The positive electrode lead and the negative electrode lead may be arranged in opposite directions with respect to the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 100, or the positive electrode lead and the negative electrode lead may be arranged in the same direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 100.

[0031] The positive electrode lead and the negative electrode lead may be made of various materials. For example, the positive electrode lead may be made of aluminum and the negative electrode lead may be made of copper.

[0032] The electrode leads may be electrically coupled to the bus bar. The battery cell 100 may have a structure in which a plurality of unit cells arranged in the order of positive electrode plate - separator - negative electrode plate, or a bi - cell arranged in the order of positive electrode plate - separator - negative electrode plate - separator - positive electrode plate - separator - negative electrode plate are stacked according to the capacity of the battery.

[0033] The plurality of battery cells 100 may be housed inside the case 200 in various ways. For example, the plurality of battery cells 100 may be housed in the form of a battery cell stack formed by stacking them on top of each other. Here, the battery cell 100 may have various structures, and the plurality of battery cells 100 may be stacked in various ways.

[0034] The battery cell stack may include a plurality of cartridges (not shown) for housing each battery cell 100. Each cartridge (not shown) may be manufactured by injection molding of plastic, and a plurality of cartridges (not shown) formed with accommodation portions capable of housing the battery cell 100 may be stacked.

[0035] A cartridge laminate formed by laminating a plurality of cartridges (not shown) may include a connector element or a terminal element. The connector element may include various forms of electrical connection components or connection members for connecting to, for example, a battery management system (BMS) (not shown) that can provide data regarding the voltage or temperature of the battery cell 100.

[0036] Also, the terminal element includes a positive terminal and a negative terminal as main terminals connected to the battery cell 100.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the case 200 houses a plurality of battery cells 100, for example, a battery cell laminate or a cartridge laminate in which a battery cell laminate is housed.

[0038] The case 200 can be configured in various ways. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it can be configured to include an upper case 200 and a lower case 200. However, this is only one embodiment, and the case 200 can be configured in more diverse ways.

[0039] Here, the case 200 can be provided so as to surround the battery cell laminate formed by the battery cells 100 or the cartridge laminate in which the battery cell laminate is housed. That is, the case 200 surrounds the entire battery cell 100, thereby protecting the battery cell 100 from external vibration and impact.

[0040] The case 200 can be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the battery cell 100, for example, a battery cell laminate or a cartridge laminate. For example, when the battery cell laminate or the cartridge laminate is formed in a hexahedron shape, the case 200 can also be formed in a corresponding hexahedron shape.

[0041] The cover 300 is coupled to the case 200. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 300 can be coupled to the lower side of the case 200. However, the coupling portion of the cover 300 can be configured in various ways.

[0042] At least one block coupling groove 310 to which the cooling block 400 is coupled can be formed in the cover 300. Here, the block coupling groove 310 can be formed in various ways. For example, the block coupling groove 310 can be formed by a first partition wall 311 and a second partition wall 312.

[0043] Here, the first partition wall 311 can protrude upward in the lateral direction from the bottom of the cover 300. And the second partition wall 312 can protrude upward in the longitudinal direction so as to intersect the first partition wall 311. That is, the block coupling groove 310 can be formed by the intersection of the lateral first partition wall 311 and the longitudinal second partition wall 312. Referring to FIG. 2, the first partition wall 311 and the second partition wall 312 are configured to be orthogonal to each other, but it is not limited thereto.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of first partition walls 311 and a plurality of second partition walls 312 are provided respectively, and a plurality of block coupling grooves 310 can be formed by the intersection of the plurality of first partition walls 311 and the plurality of second partition walls 312. And the cooling block 400 is provided with one or more and can be coupled to at least one of the plurality of block coupling grooves 310.

[0045] In this way, since the cooling block 400 can be arranged in any of the plurality of block coupling grooves 310, it can be provided to correspond to the arrangement shape of the battery cells 100 stacked in the case 200, and thus, it has the effect of being able to sufficiently cool the battery cells 100 arranged in various manners.

[0046] On the other hand, as another embodiment of the block coupling groove 310, the block coupling groove 310 can be formed by being drawn inward from the bottom of the cover 300.

[0047] The cooling block 400 is composed of one or more blocks and can be variably coupled to any of the plurality of block coupling grooves 310 formed in the cover 300. Then, the cooling block 400 contacts the case 200 in a state of being coupled to the block coupling groove 310 to cool the battery cell 100. A cooling pipe 500 is coupled to the cooling block 400, and air or water flows through the cooling pipe 500, so that when the cooling block 400 contacts the case 200, the heat of the battery cell 100 accommodated in the case 200 can be transferred.

[0048] Since the cooling block 400 can be arranged in any of the plurality of block coupling grooves 310 formed in the cover 300, the coupling position in the cover 300 is variable. That is, the cooling block 400 can be variably configured in various ways to correspond to the arrangement position and stacking shape of the battery cell 100.

[0049] The cooling block 400 may be configured to be inserted into the block coupling groove 310, and the shape of the cooling block 400 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the block coupling groove 310. For example, the shape of the cooling block 400 may be a hexahedron, but is not limited thereto.

[0050] The cooling block 400 can transfer the cold air of the fluid flowing through the cooling pipe 500 to the battery cell 100 to cool the battery cell 100. The cooling block 400 may be made of a plastic injection product or may be made of aluminum.

[0051] When the cooling block 400 is made of a plastic injection product, the second pipe described later can be located inside the cooling block 400. Alternatively, when the cooling block 400 is made of, for example, an aluminum die-cast, a pipe-shaped connection groove can be formed inside the cooling block 400. However, this is only one embodiment.

[0052] The cooling pipe 500 is coupled to the cooling block 400, and a fluid such as water or air passes through the inside of the cooling pipe 500. The fluid such as water or air cools the battery cell 100 through the cooling block 400 and the case 200 while moving within the cooling pipe 500. However, the fluid for cooling the battery cell 100 is not limited to water or air.

[0053] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cooling pipe 500 may include a first pipe portion 510 and a second pipe portion 520. The first pipe portion 510 is located outside the cooling block 400. Also, the second pipe portion 520 extends from the first pipe portion and is located inside the cooling block 400. As shown in FIG. 4, the second pipe portion 520 may be formed in a shape close to a "U-shape", but the shape of the second pipe portion 520 is not limited thereto.

[0054] The cooling pipe 500 may be configured to connect all of the plurality of cooling blocks 400. In FIG. 8 corresponding to the second embodiment, an electrical component cooling pipe 650 for cooling the electrical component 600 is shown. Since this is also common to the cooling pipe 500 of the first embodiment for cooling the battery cell 100, reference can also be made to FIG. 8 for the cooling pipe 500 of the first embodiment.

[0055] The material of the cooling pipe 500 may be various. For example, it may be made of silicon or may be made of rubber. However, the material of the cooling pipe 500 is not limited thereto.

[0056] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the operation and effects of the battery module 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0057] A case 200 in which a plurality of battery cells 100 are accommodated is coupled to a cover 300. A block coupling groove 310 is formed in the cover 300, and one or more cooling blocks 400 can be coupled to an arbitrary position of the plurality of block coupling grooves 310.

[0058] Furthermore, a cooling pipe 500 is coupled to the cooling block 400, and a cooling fluid flows through the cooling pipe 500. The cooling block 400 contacts the case 200 and cools the plurality of battery cells 100 housed in the case 200.

[0059] Here, the plurality of battery cells 100 can be arranged or stacked in the case 200 in various ways. If the arrangement of the plurality of battery cells 100 changes, the position of the cooling block 400 coupled to the block coupling groove 310 also changes. As a result, there is an effect that the battery cells 100 with the changed arrangement can also be efficiently cooled.

[0060] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of electrical components provided in the battery module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6 and 7 are plan views of cooling blocks arranged in various ways on the electrical components of the battery module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the bottom surface of the electrical components provided in the battery module according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0061] Hereinafter, the cooling of the electrical components 600 provided in the battery module 10 will be described. For parts common to the cooling method of the battery cells 100 in the first embodiment described above, the above description will be substituted.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 5, the electrical component 600 refers to a member including electrical components 630 related to electricity, such as relays and bus bars, and heat is generated by electricity. Therefore, the electrical component 600 also needs to be cooled.

[0063] The description of the plurality of battery cells 100 and the case 200 in which the plurality of battery cells 100 are housed is substituted with the description of the first embodiment above. However, the structure for cooling the battery cells 100 according to the second embodiment may be the same as that of the first embodiment described above, or may be configured to cool the battery cells 100 by other methods.

[0064] The electrical component 600 is coupled to various parts of the case 200. For example, the electrical component 600 may be coupled to the outer side surface of the case 200 as shown in FIG. 1. Also, although not shown, the electrical component 600 may be coupled inside the case 200.

[0065] The electrical component 600 may include an electrical case 610 and an electrical cover 620. The electrical case 610 houses various electrical components 630, thereby protecting the electrical components 630 from external impacts. Further, the electrical cover 620 is coupled to the electrical case 610. At least one electrical block coupling groove 621 to which an electrical cooling block 640 is coupled is formed in the electrical cover 620.

[0066] The electrical component cooling block 640 of the second embodiment is different from the cooling block 400 of the first embodiment that cools the battery cells 100 in that it cools the electrical components 630. However, the basic configurations of the electrical cover 620, the electrical component cooling block 640, and the electrical component block coupling groove 621 are common to the descriptions of the cover 300, the cooling block 400, and the block coupling groove 310 described in the first embodiment, so the above description is replaced.

[0067] However, similar to the cooling block 400 in the first embodiment being coupled to the block coupling groove 310 at various positions according to various arrangement forms of the plurality of battery cells 100, the electrical cooling block 640 in the second embodiment can be coupled to the electrical component block coupling groove 621 at various positions according to the arrangement form of the electrical components 630 provided in the electrical component 600. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the electrical component cooling block 640 is coupled to any one of the plurality of electrical component block coupling grooves 621, whereby the arrangement of the electrical component cooling block 640 can vary diversely.

[0068] The object of cooling, i.e., in the first embodiment, the cooling block 400 cools a plurality of battery cells 100, while in the second embodiment, the electrical equipment cooling block 640 cools the electrical equipment 630 of the electrical equipment member 600. Although there is a difference in this regard, the other basic configurations are common.

[0069] Here, the electrical equipment cooling block 640 is arranged on the electrical equipment cover 620 of the electrical equipment member 600 to cool the electrical equipment 630, and the coupling position on the electrical equipment cover 620 is configured to be variable.

[0070] The electrical equipment cooling pipe 650 is coupled to the electrical equipment cooling block 640. Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, the electrical equipment cooling pipe 650 includes a first pipe portion 651 located outside the electrical equipment cooling block 640 and a second pipe portion 652 extending from the first pipe portion and located inside the electrical equipment cooling block 640. Since the second pipe portion 652 is formed in a shape close to a "U shape" and is common to the cooling pipe 500 of the first embodiment, reference is made to FIG. 4 and the above description is replaced.

[0071] That is, in the case of the second embodiment, the electrical equipment 630 of the electrical equipment member 600 can be arranged in the electrical equipment case 610 in various ways. However, when the arrangement of the electrical equipment 630 is changed, the position of the electrical equipment cooling block 640 coupled to the electrical equipment block coupling groove 621 can also be changed. Therefore, even if the position of the electrical equipment 630 is changed, there is an effect that the electrical equipment 630 can be efficiently cooled.

[0072] On the other hand, a battery pack (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include one or more battery modules 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above. In addition to such a battery module 10, the battery pack (not shown) may further include a housing for accommodating such a battery module 10, various devices for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module 10, for example, a BMS, a current sensor, a fuse, and the like.

[0073] On the one hand, an automobile (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include the aforementioned battery module 10 or a battery pack (not shown), and the battery pack (not shown) may include the battery module 10. And the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a predetermined automobile (not shown) that runs using electricity, such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, etc.

[0074] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to limited embodiments and drawings. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs within the equivalent scope of the technical idea and claims of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0075] The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the same, and an automobile, and is particularly applicable in industries related to secondary batteries.

Claims

1. A plurality of battery cells, a case in which the plurality of battery cells are housed, a cover coupled to the case, at least one cooling block coupled to the cover and in contact with the case to cool the battery cells, A battery module comprising: The coupling position of the cooling block on the cover is variable, At least one block coupling groove to which the cooling block is coupled is formed in the cover, The block coupling groove is formed by a first partition wall protruding upward in a lateral direction from the bottom of the cover and a second partition wall protruding upward in a vertical direction so as to intersect the first partition wall. Battery module.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the first partition wall and the second partition wall are configured to be orthogonal to each other.

3. A plurality of the first partition walls and the second partition walls are provided, A plurality of the first partition walls and a plurality of the second partition walls intersect each other to form a plurality of block coupling grooves, The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the cooling block is coupled to at least one of the plurality of block coupling grooves.

4. A plurality of battery cells, a case in which the plurality of battery cells are housed, a cover coupled to the case, at least one cooling block coupled to the cover and in contact with the case to cool the battery cells, A battery module comprising: The coupling position of the cooling block on the cover is variable, The battery module further includes a cooling pipe coupled to the cooling block, The cooling pipe, A first pipe portion located outside the cooling block, A second pipe portion extending from the first pipe portion and located inside the cooling block. Battery module.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the second pipe portion is formed in a shape close to a "U" shape.

6. A plurality of battery cells, a case in which the plurality of battery cells are housed, an electrical component coupled to the case, an electrical component cooling block disposed on the electrical component to cool electrical components, A battery module comprising: The coupling position of the electrical component cooling block on the electrical component is variable, The electrical component, an electrical case in which the electrical components are housed, including an electrical component cover coupled to the electrical component case; A battery module, wherein at least one electrical component coupling groove to which the electrical component cooling block is coupled is formed in the electrical component cover. **Claim 7** a plurality of battery cells; a case in which the plurality of battery cells are accommodated; an electrical component coupled to the case; an electrical component cooling block disposed on the electrical component and cooling electrical components; A battery module comprising: the coupling position of the electrical component cooling block in the electrical component is variable; the battery module further includes an electrical component cooling pipe coupled to the electrical component cooling block; the electrical component cooling pipe includes a first pipe portion located outside the electrical component cooling block; and a second pipe portion extending from the first pipe portion and located inside the electrical component cooling block. **Claim 8** The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the second pipe portion is formed in a shape close to a "U" shape. **Claim 9** A battery pack including the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 8. **Claim 10** A motor vehicle including the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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