Battery module with flame propagation blocking structure and battery pack including the same

Abstract

The battery module according to the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells, a module case that accommodates the plurality of battery cells therein and has a gas vent hole on at least one side, and a gas vent panel that is formed in a plate shape and has a gas exhaust passage therein that guides a gas flow along a predetermined path, the gas exhaust passage being coupled to the outside of the module case so that the gas exhaust passage communicates with the gas vent hole.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module, and more particularly to a battery module that can discharge gas generated in the event of an internal fire of the battery module to the outside while preventing flames, high-temperature particles, etc. from escaping to the outside, thereby preventing or delaying as much as possible chain fire of other adjacent battery modules.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0021343, filed on February 18, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety in the specification and drawings thereof. [Background technology]

[0003] Secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source for improving energy efficiency, not only because they have the main advantage of dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels, but also because they are environmentally friendly in that they do not produce any by-products from energy use.

[0004] This has led to an expansion of the application of secondary batteries to various devices. For example, they are widely used as energy sources for wireless mobile devices and wearable devices, which are small, multi-functional products, and also as energy sources and energy storage systems (ESS) for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, which are presented as alternatives to conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles.

[0005] The lithium secondary batteries that are widely used these days have an operating voltage of approximately 2.5 V to 4.5 V. Therefore, in the case of electric vehicles and power storage devices that require large capacity and high output, a battery module in which a plurality of lithium secondary batteries are connected in series and / or parallel, and a battery pack in which the battery modules are connected in series and / or parallel are configured and used as an energy source.

[0006] Depending on the output and capacity of the battery pack required for an electric vehicle, the number of lithium secondary batteries included in one battery module may increase, or the number of battery modules included in one battery pack may increase.

[0007] However, in the case of a battery pack including such a large number of lithium secondary batteries, the damage caused by a fire or explosion is even greater.

[0008] For example, if an event such as a short circuit between lithium secondary batteries or an abnormal temperature rise occurs in some battery modules, a large amount of vent gas is generated in the lithium secondary batteries, and as degradation worsens, flames or high-temperature particles containing electrode active material, aluminum particles, etc. may be generated, and the flames or high-temperature particles may be ejected outside the corresponding battery module along with the vent gas. Such ejected flames or high-temperature sparks may cause thermal damage to other battery modules adjacent to the ignited battery module and promote the ignition of the other battery modules.

[0009] Therefore, in the case of vehicle battery packs, for which ensuring fire safety is particularly important, it is important to design the battery pack so that flames, high-temperature sparks, etc. cannot be easily released from the first ignited battery module to the outside of the battery module, in order to prevent or delay as much as possible the risk of chain fires and explosions of the battery modules. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module that can discharge gas generated when a fire occurs inside the battery module to the outside, but prevents flames and high-temperature particles from easily escaping to the outside, and a battery pack including the same.

[0011] The technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those described above, and other problems not mentioned here will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] According to the present invention, a battery module can be provided that includes a plurality of battery cells, a module case that houses the plurality of battery cells and has a gas vent hole on at least one side, and a gas vent panel that is formed in a plate shape and has a gas discharge passage therein that guides gas flow along a predetermined path, and is coupled to the outside of the module case so that the flow path communicates with the gas vent hole.

[0013] The module case includes a rectangular tubular case body having an upper plate, a lower plate, both side plates, and an open end formed by opening at least one end along the longitudinal direction, the case body accommodating the plurality of battery cells therein, and a case cover covering the open end of the case body and coupled to the case body, and the gas vent hole may be provided in an edge region of the upper plate of the case body that intersects with the open end.

[0014] The case cover may include an extension plate portion formed to extend higher than the upper plate of the case body, and the vent panel may cover the entire upper plate of the case body and be coupled to the extension plate portion.

[0015] The gas vent panel may include a gas exhaust passage formed extending longitudinally therein, a duct portion formed in the shape of a plate having a size corresponding to the upper plate of the case body, a gas inlet portion provided on one side of the duct portion facing the case body, and a gas outlet portion provided on the other side of the duct portion opposite to the one side of the duct portion.

[0016] The gas inlet portion may be provided at a center portion along the longitudinal direction of the duct portion, and the gas outlet portion may be provided at an end portion along the longitudinal direction of the duct portion.

[0017] The duct portion may include a plurality of partition plates that divide the interior space.

[0018] The gas discharge passage may be provided between each of the plurality of partition plates and may extend from the gas inlet portion to the gas outlet portion.

[0019] The duct portion may be configured to form a gas flow space between one surface of the duct portion and the upper plate of the case body when attached to the upper plate of the case body.

[0020] The duct portion may be configured such that both corner regions along the width direction are expanded in the thickness direction more than other portions, and when attached to the top plate of the case body, one face of the duct portion is spaced a predetermined distance from the top plate of the case body.

[0021] The gas inlet portion and the gas vent hole may be configured not to be aligned vertically, but to be positioned at the furthest positions from each other horizontally.

[0022] The vent panel covers the upper plate of the case body, and both ends along the longitudinal direction can be welded to the extension plate portion of the case cover.

[0023] The gas vent panel may further include a rupture membrane formed from a material that is ruptured by a predetermined pressure and provided to cover the gas outlet portion.

[0024] At least one of the gas vent hole, the gas inlet portion, and the gas outlet portion may be covered with a mesh net.

[0025] The battery cells may be pouch-type battery cells and may be provided in a stacked form in one direction.

[0026] The gas vent hole may be provided above a region of the pouch-type battery cell where an electrode lead is located.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, a battery pack can be provided that includes one or more of the battery modules described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to one aspect of the present invention, when a fire occurs inside a battery module, gas can be discharged to the outside, preventing flames, high-temperature particles, and the like from escaping to the outside.

[0029] Therefore, the battery module of the present invention can prevent the spread of fire due to flames or high-temperature sparks spreading to other battery modules or structures adjacent to the ignited battery module.

[0030] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main components of the battery module of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a view of the battery module of FIG. 1 with the gas vent panel separated. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a venting panel according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the K region in FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a bottom-up view of the vent panel of FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 7]1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the structure of a module case and a gas vent panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the gas exhaust flow when a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention is ignited. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic perspective view of a vent panel of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view showing a gas vent panel separated from a battery module according to still another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] 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 claims should not be construed as being limited to their ordinary and dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical ideas of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventors themselves can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the configurations shown in the embodiments described in this specification are merely the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical ideas of the present invention, and therefore various equivalents and modifications that can be substituted therefor may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main components of the battery module of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view of the battery module of FIG. 1 with the vent panel separated.

[0034] 1 to 3, a battery module 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a cell assembly 100 formed by stacking battery cells 111, a module case 200 for accommodating the cell assembly 100, and a gas vent panel 300 for discharging gas in the event of a fire.

[0035] The battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can smoothly discharge gas to the outside in the event of an internal fire by including the gas vent panel 300. By discharging gas to the outside in the event of an internal fire in the battery module 10, a sudden increase in the internal pressure of the battery module 10 can be prevented, thereby preventing an explosion of the battery module 10 or destruction of the module case 200.

[0036] In addition, as will be described in detail later, the gas vent panel 300 has a gas exhaust passage 311 therein through which flames and high-temperature particles cannot easily escape. This reduces the thermal impact of an internal fire of the battery module 10 of the present invention on other battery modules (not shown) or structures adjacent to the battery module 10 of the present invention when a battery pack is constructed (here, the high-temperature particles refer to active material detached from electrodes inside the battery cells 111, molten aluminum particles, etc.).

[0037] Among the main components of the battery module 10 according to the present invention, the cell assembly 100 will be first considered. The cell assembly 100 includes a cell stack 110, a bus bar frame 120, and a plurality of bus bars .

[0038] The cell stack 110 is an assembly of battery cells 111 formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells 111. That is, as shown in Fig. 2, the cell stack 110 may be composed of a plurality of pouch-type battery cells 111 stacked in one direction (X direction) with their wide surfaces standing upright.

[0039] The pouch-type battery cell 111 includes an electrode assembly, a pouch case that houses the electrode assembly, and a pair of electrode leads 112 that are connected to the electrode assembly and extend to the outside of the pouch case to function as electrode terminals. The pair of electrode leads 112 are extended in opposite directions in the longitudinal direction (±Y direction) of the battery cell 111.

[0040] If necessary, the pouch-type battery cell 111 may have a shape in which the electrode lead 112 is located only at one end in the Y-axis direction, that is, only at the end in the +Y-axis direction. Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the specific type or shape of such a battery cell 111, and various battery cells 111 known at the time of filing of the present invention may be used to configure the cell stack 110 of the present invention.

[0041] The bus bar frame 120 is injection molded from an electrically insulating material and is provided in the shape of a plate having a size that can cover the front (+Y direction) or rear (-Y direction) of the cell stack 110.

[0042] In addition, the bus bar frame 120 has a plurality of lead slots through which the electrode leads 112 of the pouch-type battery cells 111 can pass in the +Y-axis or −Y-axis direction. The plurality of lead slots may be provided along the stacking direction (X-direction) of the battery cells 111.

[0043] The bus bar frame 120 of this embodiment is configured to be able to fix multiple bus bars 130, and although not shown, additional components such as connectors and other printed circuit boards (PCBs) can be provided in the space above the bus bars 130, and the bus bar frame 120 can be configured to have a support plate for supporting and fixing the additional components.

[0044] The plurality of bus bars 130 are made of an electrically conductive material, for example, a metal such as copper, aluminum, or nickel, and the electrode leads 112 of a predetermined number of battery cells 111 are fixed to the surface of a predetermined bus bar 130 by welding and electrically connected. The bus bar 130 of this embodiment is provided in the shape of a hollow rectangular rod through which the electrode leads 112 can pass, and is arranged in the bus bar frame 120 so that the hollow portions communicate with the lead slots of the bus bar frame 120.

[0045] In addition, the bus bar 130 is disposed on the bus bar frame 120 in the same direction as the stacking direction of the battery cells 111. The electrode leads 112 of a predetermined battery cell 111 are overlapped and pass through the bus bar frame 120 back and forth through lead slots at corresponding positions, and are pulled out to the front of the bus bar 130. The pulled-out portion may be bent and welded to be fixed to the surface of the bus bar 130.

[0046] The module case 200 is a component for protecting the cell assembly 100 from external impacts and is preferably made of a material with excellent mechanical rigidity. The module case 200 according to this embodiment includes a case body 210 and a case cover 220, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0047] The case body 210 has an upper plate 211, a lower plate 212, both side plates 213 and 214, and open ends O that are open at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and is formed in a hollow square tube shape so that the cell assembly 100 can be inserted inside along the longitudinal direction. In other words, the case body 210 can be configured so that the cell assembly 100 can be inserted inside it by sliding or by interference fit.

[0048] A battery module 10 using such a case body 210 can be configured so that there is almost no gap between the upper plate 211 of the case body 210 and the upper end of the cell stack 110, there is almost no gap between the lower plate of the case body 210 and the lower end 212 of the cell stack 110, and there is almost no gap between both side plates 213, 214 of the case body 210 and both sides of the cell stack 110.

[0049] The case body 210 also includes gas vent holes 211a and 211b. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the gas vent holes 211a and 211b may be provided in an edge region of the upper plate 211 of the case body 210 that intersects with the open end O of the case body 210. In the case of a pouch-type battery cell 111, gas is generated inside the battery cell 111 during thermal runaway, causing it to expand. If this expansion becomes severe, the sealed side may break, releasing gas and high-temperature particles. In particular, the electrode lead 112, which generates a lot of heat during charging and discharging, is likely to ignite, generating a lot of gas in this region. Therefore, to facilitate gas discharge, it is preferable to provide the gas vent holes 211a and 211b above the region where the electrode lead 112 is located. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the gas vent holes 211a and 211b are provided in the upper plate 211 of the case body 210 near the open end O of the case body 210.

[0050] Case cover 220 may be provided to shield the portion where electrode lead 112 and bus bar 130 are electrically connected, to cover open end O of case body 210, and to be connectable to case body 210. Case cover 220 may be made of, for example, an insulating material on the inside and a metal material on the outside, and therefore may be provided to be weldable to open end O of case body 210.

[0051] 3, the case cover 220 of the battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an extension plate portion 221 that is extended higher than the upper plate 211 of the case body 210. The extension plate portion 221 is used as a part for sealing the gas flow space G by welding or bolting a vent panel 300, which will be described later.

[0052] The gas vent panel 300 is a component attached to the outside of the module case 200 to discharge gas when a fire occurs inside the battery module 10, but to block flames and high-temperature particles from escaping to the outside.

[0053] The gas vent panel 300 is in the form of a plate having a gas exhaust passage 311 therein that guides the flow of gas along a predetermined path, and can be arranged on the outside of the module case 200, i.e., on the upper plate 211 of the case body 210, so as to communicate with the gas vent holes 211a, 211b.

[0054] 1 to 3, the vent panel 300 according to this embodiment covers the entire upper plate of the case body 210 and can be fixed to the extension plate 221 by welding or bolting. In particular, the vent panel 300 covers the upper plate of the case body 210 and both ends along the longitudinal direction are welded to the extension plate 221 of the case cover 220, thereby ensuring a sealed gas flow space G surrounded by the upper plate of the case body 210, the extension plate 221 of the case cover 220, and the vent panel 300.

[0055] More specifically, considering the vent panel 300 according to this embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7, the vent panel 300 includes a duct portion 310, a gas inlet portion 320, and a gas outlet portion 330.

[0056] The duct part 310 has a gas discharge passage 311 formed therein and extending along the longitudinal direction (±Y direction), and may be provided in the shape of a hollow plate having a size corresponding to the upper plate of the case body 210. That is, the length and width of the duct part 310 correspond to the length and width of the upper plate of the case body 210, and has an empty space therein through which gas can flow.

[0057] The space is partitioned by a plurality of partitions 312 that are spaced apart in the width direction (±X direction) of the gas vent panel 300 and extend from one end of the duct portion 310 to the other in the length direction (±Y direction). The spaces partitioned by the partitions in this manner form a plurality of elongated gas discharge passages 311. Therefore, a plurality of gas discharge passages 311 are provided between the plurality of partitions 312, and each gas discharge passage 311 extends in a partitioned and separated form from the gas inlet portion 320 to the gas outlet portion 330.

[0058] With the above-described configuration of the duct unit 310, high-temperature particles or flames traveling with the gas may be restricted in movement or may be extinguished because they are likely to become bottlenecked or trapped while traveling through the plurality of elongated gas discharge passages 311. Although omitted in the configuration of this embodiment, a metal mesh may be added to at least one of the gas discharge passage 311, the gas inlet unit 320, and the gas outlet unit 330 as a means for suppressing the movement of high-temperature particles or flames.

[0059] The gas inlet portion 320 is provided on one surface 310b of the duct portion 310 facing the case body 210, and the gas outlet portion 330 is provided on the other surface 310a of the duct portion 310 opposite to the one surface 310b of the duct portion 310. That is, as shown in Fig. 6, the gas inlet portion 320 is provided on the bottom surface 310b of the duct portion 310, and the gas outlet portion 330 is provided on the top surface of the duct portion 310, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, according to the vent panel 300 of this embodiment, gas can enter the center of the bottom surface of the vent panel 300 and exit from both ends of the top surface of the vent panel 300.

[0060] In particular, the gas inlet 320 may not be vertically aligned with the gas vent holes 211a and 211b, but may be configured to be located at the furthest position horizontally from each other. For this reason, in this embodiment, the gas inlet 320 is provided at the center along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface 310b of the duct part 310. By positioning the gas inlet 320 at the furthest position horizontally from the gas vent holes 211a and 211b provided at both end regions of the upper plate 211 of the case body 210, high-temperature particles or flames are prevented from easily entering the gas inlet 320.

[0061] In addition, two gas outlets 330(A) and 330(B) are provided at both longitudinal ends of the upper surface of the duct unit 310. As described above, by positioning the gas outlets 330(A) and 330(B) at positions furthest horizontally from the gas inlet unit 320, the length of the gas discharge passage 311 is extended as much as possible until the gas is discharged to the outside. This prevents high-temperature particles or flames from easily reaching the gas outlets 330(A) and 330(B) even if they enter the duct unit 310 through the gas inlet unit 320.

[0062] In addition, the duct portion 310 according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured so that, when attached to the upper plate of the case body 210, a predetermined gap or gas flow space G is formed between one surface 310b of the duct portion 310 and the upper plate 211 of the case body 210.

[0063] That is, as shown in Figures 1, 6 and 8, the duct portion 310 is formed such that both corner regions 310c and 310d along the width direction are expanded in the thickness direction more than other portions, and when attached to the upper plate of the case body 210, one side of the duct portion 310 is configured to be spaced a predetermined distance from the upper plate of the case body 210.

[0064] When attaching the gas vent panel 300 to the module case 200, both corner regions 310c, 310d along the width direction of the duct portion 310 are welded along the edge line of the long side of the upper plate 211 of the case body 210, and both ends along the length direction of the duct portion 310 can be welded along the edge line of the extension plate portion 221 of the case cover 220. As a result, a predetermined gap or gas flow space G through which gas can flow is provided between the upper plate 211 of the case body 210 and the bottom surface 310b of the duct portion 310, and the front, rear, left and right directions of the gas flow space G can be shielded by the extension plate portion 221 of the case cover 220 and both corner regions 310c, 310d of the duct portion 310.

[0065] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the flow of gas exhausted when the battery module 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention catches fire.

[0066] As described above, due to the configuration in which the gas vent panel 300 is connected to the upper plate 211 and the extension plate portion 221 of the module case 200, in a situation in which gas and flames occur inside the battery module 10, the gas can move along the gas flow space G and the gas vent panel 300 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 8 and exit to the outside of the battery module 10 through the two gas outlet portions 330(A) and 330(B).

[0067] However, as shown in FIG. 8, the flames and high-temperature particles are difficult to release to the outside because the gas flow space G and the gas discharge passage 311 have a double-layer structure, and the path they take to reach the gas outlet sections 330(A) and 330(B) is long and complex.

[0068] More specifically, because the vertically upper portions of the gas vent holes 211a and 211b are blocked by the gas vent panel 300, even if flames or high-temperature particles are discharged vertically upward from the gas vent holes 211a and 211b, they may initially collide with the gas vent panel 300 and then fall, thereby restricting their movement. Furthermore, because the gas inlet portion 320 is located at the center of the bottom surface 310b of the duct portion 310, flames and particles do not easily flow into the gas inlet portion 320. Furthermore, by making the size of the gas inlet portion 320 as small as possible or significantly reducing the width of the gas inlet portion 320, unlike the present embodiment, flames and high-temperature particles are further prevented from flowing into the gas inlet portion 320. Although not shown, for example, a mesh with fine holes may be applied to the gas inlet portion 320 of FIG. 6 to further restrict the flames and high-temperature particles from entering the gas vent panel 300.

[0069] Even if it is assumed that flames and high-temperature particles pass through the gas flow space G and flow into the inside of the gas vent panel via the gas inlet section 320, the flames are trapped and extinguished inside the gas vent panel 300, and the high-temperature particles lose heat by repeatedly colliding with the wall surface of the elongated gas discharge passage 311, and their temperature decreases as they move, ultimately significantly reducing the amount of particles discharged to the outside through the gas outlet.

[0070] As described above, the configuration of the battery module 10 and its application structure according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent flames, high-temperature particles, etc. from escaping to the outside when a fire occurs inside the battery module 10, and can discharge gas to the outside. This can prevent the flames or high-temperature sparks from spreading to other battery modules 10 or structures adjacent to the ignited battery module 10, thereby preventing the fire from spreading.

[0071] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIGS.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a venting panel 300A of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a view of the venting panel 300 separated from a battery module according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] The same reference numerals as those in the above-described drawings indicate the same components, and duplicated descriptions of the same components will be omitted, with differences from the above-described embodiment being mainly described.

[0074] A battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a vent panel 300A as shown in Fig. 9. That is, the battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention differs from the above embodiment in the vent panel 300A.

[0075] 9 is characterized in that the gas outlet portions 330(A) and 330(B) are provided with rupturable membranes 400. The rupturable membranes 400 are made of a material that can be ruptured by gas pressure and can be detachably provided to cover the gas outlet portions 330(A) and 330(B). For example, the rupturable membranes 400 can be provided in the form of a thin plate of about 1 mm made of aluminum or plastic.

[0076] According to the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent moisture or foreign matter from penetrating into the interior of the battery module 10 under normal circumstances, and in the event of an internal fire in the battery module 10, the rupture membrane 400 is opened to allow gas to be discharged to the outside of the battery module 10.

[0077] Meanwhile, the battery module 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention differs from the battery module 10 according to the embodiment of Figure 1 in that at least one of the gas vent holes 211a, 211b, the gas inlet portion 320, and the gas outlet portion 330 is covered with mesh netting 217, 340.

[0078] 10, the gas vent holes 211a and 211b may be covered with a first mesh net 217, and the gas outlet portions 330(A) and 330(B) may be covered with a second mesh net 340. The first mesh net 217 and the second mesh net 340 may be made of a metal that does not easily melt due to heat.

[0079] By applying the first mesh netting 217 and the second mesh netting 340 to the gas vent holes 211a, 211b and the gas outlet portions 330(A), 330(B) respectively in this manner, flames and high-temperature particles along with the gas can be prevented from passing through the gas vent holes 211a, 211b and the gas outlet portions 330(A), 330(B) as easily as in the above embodiment.

[0080] Meanwhile, a battery pack (not shown) according to the present invention may include one or more of the above-described battery modules. The battery pack according to the present invention may further include a master BMS (Battery Management System) for integrally controlling the charging and discharging of the one or more battery modules, a current sensor, a fuse, etc., and a pack case for accommodating the above-described components.

[0081] The battery pack according to the present invention can be applied to an energy storage device or to an automobile such as an electric scooter, an electric vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle.

[0082] The present invention has been described above based on limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these, and it goes without saying that various changes and modifications can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains within the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims described below.

[0083] In addition, when terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc. are used in this specification, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art of the present invention that these terms are used for convenience of explanation and may change depending on the position of the object in question, the position of the observer, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10 Battery Module 100 Cell Assembly 110 Cell stack 111 Battery Cells 112 Electrode Lead 120 Busbar Frame 130 Busbar 200 Module Case 210 Case body 211 Upper Plate 211a hole 211b hole 212 Lower end, lower plate 213 Both side panels 214 Both side panels 217 First mesh net 220 Case Cover 221 Extension plate 300 panels 300A Gas Vent Panel 310 Duct section 310a Other side 310b bottom 310c, 310d both corner areas 311 Gas exhaust passage 312 Partition plate 320 Gas inlet 330 Gas Outlet 340 Second mesh net 400 Rupture membrane A Gas outlet section B Gas outlet section

Claims

1. a plurality of battery cells; a module case that accommodates the plurality of battery cells therein and has a gas vent hole on at least one side; a gas vent panel having a plate-like shape and including a gas discharge passage therein that guides the flow of gas along a predetermined path, the gas vent panel being coupled to the outside of the module case so that the gas discharge passage communicates with the gas vent hole; Including, The module case includes: a rectangular tubular case body having an upper plate, a lower plate, both side plates, and an open end portion formed by opening at least one end along the longitudinal direction, the case body accommodating the plurality of battery cells therein; a case cover that covers the open end of the case body and is coupled to the case body, The battery module, wherein the gas vent hole is provided in an edge region of the upper plate of the case body that intersects with the open end.

2. The case cover has an extension plate portion formed to be higher than the upper plate of the case body, The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the vent panel covers the entire upper plate of the case body and is coupled to the extension plate.

3. The gas vent panel comprises: a duct portion formed in the shape of a plate having a size corresponding to the upper plate of the case body and including the gas discharge passage formed to extend along the longitudinal direction; a gas inlet portion provided on one surface of the duct portion facing the case body; The battery module according to claim 1 , further comprising: a gas outlet portion provided on another surface of the duct portion opposite to the one surface of the duct portion.

4. 4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the gas inlet portion is provided at a center portion along a longitudinal direction of the duct portion, and the gas outlet portion is provided at an end portion along the longitudinal direction of the duct portion.

5. The battery module according to claim 3 , wherein the duct portion includes a plurality of partitions that divide an internal space.

6. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the gas discharge passage is provided between each of the plurality of partition plates and extends from the gas inlet portion to the gas outlet portion.

7. 4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the duct portion is configured to form a gas flow space between one surface of the duct portion and the upper plate of the case body when attached to the upper plate of the case body.

8. 4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the duct portion is formed such that both corner regions along the width direction are expanded in the thickness direction more than other portions, and one surface of the duct portion is configured to be spaced apart from the upper plate of the case body by a predetermined distance when attached to the upper plate of the case body.

9. The battery module according to claim 3 , wherein the gas inlet portion and the gas vent hole are not aligned in the vertical direction and are positioned at positions furthest apart from each other in the horizontal direction.

10. The battery module according to claim 2 , wherein the gas vent panel covers the upper plate of the case body, and both ends along the longitudinal direction of the gas vent panel are welded to the extension plate portion of the case cover.

11. The gas vent panel comprises:

4. The battery module according to claim 3, further comprising a rupture membrane formed from a material that is ruptured by a predetermined pressure and provided to cover the gas outlet portion.

12. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the gas vent hole, the gas inlet portion, and the gas outlet portion is covered with a mesh net.

13. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the battery cells are pouch-type battery cells stacked in one direction.

14. The battery module according to claim 13, wherein the gas vent hole is provided above an area where an electrode lead of the pouch-type battery cell is located.

15. A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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