Battery Modules and Battery Packs

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery module and a battery pack including the same. More specifically, the battery module of the present invention includes a plurality of stacked cells, and includes a pair of reinforcing plates coupled to both sides of the battery module to support the sides of the battery module, and the reinforcing plates include a plurality of reinforcing ribs protruding from the reinforcing plates and extending along a longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plates.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module and a battery pack.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0059707, filed May 16, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Types of secondary batteries 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 approximately 2.5V to 4.2V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. Alternatively, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a number of battery cells in parallel depending on the required charge / discharge capacity of the battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set depending on the required output voltage or charge / discharge capacity.

[0004] For example, when a battery pack is constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series / parallel, a battery module made up of the plurality of battery cells is first constructed.

[0005] Figure 1 shows one form of commonly used battery module 10. As shown in the figure, a conventional battery module 10 has end plates 12 attached to the front and rear ends, and its sides are surrounded and protected by a module frame 11.

[0006] A common method is to use a plurality of such battery modules 10 and add other components to form a battery pack.

[0007] 2 shows a pack case 20 in a typical battery pack that provides a space for accommodating battery modules 10. In the pack case 20 shown in FIG. 2, each battery module 10 is supported at its lower part by a base plate 21 in a space partitioned by side walls 22 and partition walls 23, and is electrically connected to other battery modules 10 in series or parallel.

[0008] Meanwhile, abnormal phenomena may occur in the battery modules included in the battery pack during charging and discharging processes, one of which is swelling. The swelling phenomenon occurs when a battery cell expands due to gas generated inside the battery cell. The swelling phenomenon may progress to each battery cell housed in the battery module, ultimately affecting the battery module.

[0009] In particular, the swelling phenomenon may occur in the center of the battery module, i.e., throughout the entire module frame. However, since the module frame portion is not a particularly fixed portion in each battery module housed in a pack case, if the swelling phenomenon occurs severely, it may affect adjacent battery modules.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need for a new method that can minimize deformation of the battery modules even when swelling occurs in each battery module housed in the pack case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0113906 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] Therefore, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure capable of reinforcing the side surfaces of a battery module.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to suppress the swelling phenomenon of a battery module housed in a pack case.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and will become more apparent from the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof as claimed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] According to the present invention, there is provided a battery module including a cell stack in which a plurality of cells are stacked, the battery module including a pair of reinforcing plates respectively coupled to both sides and supporting the sides of the battery module, the reinforcing plates including a plurality of reinforcing ribs protruding and extending along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plates.

[0016] The reinforcing ribs may be formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate.

[0017] The reinforcing plate may include a reinforcing groove recessed between a pair of reinforcing ribs spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate.

[0018] The shape of the reinforcing groove may correspond to the shape of the reinforcing rib so that the reinforcing rib can engage with and be inserted into the reinforcing rib.

[0019] The reinforcing ribs and reinforcing grooves may be formed alternately along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate.

[0020] The reinforcing rib may have at least one of a trapezoidal shape and a parabolic shape.

[0021] The reinforcing ribs may be formed at predetermined intervals along a height direction of the reinforcing plate.

[0022] The reinforcing plate may include a first reinforcing plate included on one side of the battery module and a second reinforcing plate included on the other side of the battery module, and reinforcing ribs included on the first reinforcing plate and the second reinforcing plate may be formed at the same height based on the height direction of the reinforcing plate.

[0023] The reinforcing plate may include a through-hole drilled so as to pass vertically through the reinforcing rib.

[0024] The reinforcing plate may further include a reinforcing bar extending perpendicularly through the reinforcing rib.

[0025] The reinforcing bar may include a reinforcing hole drilled therein for a bolt to pass perpendicularly therethrough.

[0026] According to the present invention, there is provided a battery pack including the above-mentioned battery module and a pack case including a module area in which the battery module is accommodated, wherein the reinforcing plate includes a first reinforcing plate included on one side of the battery module and a second reinforcing plate included on the other side of the battery module, and the first reinforcing plate included in one battery module of a pair of battery modules arranged adjacent to the module area of ​​the pack case is combined with the second reinforcing plate of the other battery module.

[0027] The reinforcing ribs are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate, and the reinforcing plate includes a reinforcing groove having a recessed shape between a pair of reinforcing ribs spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate, and the reinforcing ribs and the reinforcing grooves are alternately formed along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate, so that the reinforcing rib included in the first reinforcing plate of any one of the pair of coupled battery modules can be inserted into and engaged with the reinforcing groove included in the second reinforcing plate of the other battery module.

[0028] The reinforcing plate further includes a reinforcing bar extending vertically through the reinforcing rib, the reinforcing bar including a reinforcing hole drilled to allow a bolt to pass vertically therethrough, the pack case including a coupling groove formed at a bottom of the module area corresponding to a position of the reinforcing hole, and the battery module may be coupled to the pack case by a bolt passing through the reinforcing hole and inserted into the coupling groove.

[0029] The reinforcing plate includes through holes drilled to vertically penetrate the reinforcing rib, and the pack case includes coupling grooves formed at a bottom of the module area corresponding to positions of the through holes, and the battery module may be coupled to the pack case by bolts that pass through the through holes and are inserted into the coupling grooves.

[0030] The pack case includes a base plate corresponding to a bottom portion, and side walls vertically coupled to ends of the base plate and extending along edges of the base plate. The reinforcing plate has auxiliary coupling holes drilled at both ends to allow bolts to pass horizontally through. The side walls have auxiliary coupling grooves formed to correspond to positions of the auxiliary coupling holes of battery modules arranged in the module area. The battery modules may be coupled to the pack case by bolts that pass through the auxiliary coupling holes and are inserted into the auxiliary coupling grooves. [Effects of the Invention]

[0031] According to the present invention, the swelling phenomenon of a battery module housed in a pack case can be effectively suppressed.

[0032] Furthermore, the present invention can improve assembly efficiency of the pack case by eliminating a separate side wall structure that separates the battery modules from the pack case. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] 1 shows a conventional battery module. [Figure 2] 1 shows a conventional pack case. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 shows that bolts are inserted into the through holes and auxiliary coupling holes of the reinforcing plate included in the battery module of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a pack case included in a battery pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a plan view of a pair of battery modules arranged adjacent to each other according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a pair of battery modules shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view of a pair of coupled battery modules according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 1 shows a battery pack according to the first embodiment in which a battery module according to the first embodiment is housed. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12]12 shows that bolts are inserted into the reinforcing holes and auxiliary coupling holes of the reinforcing plate included in the battery module of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a pair of adjacently arranged battery modules according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a pair of coupled battery modules according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 10 shows a battery pack according to a second embodiment in which a battery module according to a second embodiment is housed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before that, the terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms to best describe his own invention.

[0035] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of this application.

[0036] Furthermore, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related publicly known structures or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0037] The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and therefore the shapes and sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or illustrated schematically for clearer explanation. Therefore, the sizes and proportions of each component do not completely reflect the actual sizes and proportions.

[0038] The present invention relates to a battery module including a cell stack in which a plurality of cells are stacked, and a battery pack including the same.

[0039] Figures 3 to 10 relate to a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a battery pack including the same, and Figures 11 to 15 relate to a battery module according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a battery pack including the same.

[0040] Hereinafter, a battery module and a battery pack according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] (First embodiment) <Battery module 100> FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery module 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3(a), the battery module 100 of the present invention includes a cell stack and end plates 120 respectively coupled to the front and rear of the cell stack, and includes a pair of reinforcing plates 130 respectively coupled to both sides. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the battery module 100 may further include a module frame 110 surrounding the side and top and bottom surfaces of the cell stack.

[0043] (The battery module 100 according to the first embodiment will be described below with the basic structure being the form shown in FIG. 3(a) above.)

[0044] The reinforcing plate 130 supports the side surfaces of the battery module 100 and serves to fix the battery module 100 to the pack case 200 when the battery module 100 is housed in the battery pack.

[0045] The reinforcing plate 130 may have both ends connected to end plates connected to the front and rear of the battery module 100, respectively, and contact and support the entire side of the battery module 100. In this case, the reinforcing plate 130 may be fixed to the side of the end plate 120 by being screwed using a separate bolt B or the like, or may be fixed by an adhesive.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing plate 130 includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs 131 formed to protrude.

[0047] The reinforcing rib 131 has a shape extending along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130, and may preferably have a trapezoidal shape with inclined surfaces formed on both sides, or may have a parabolic shape (not shown).

[0048] The reinforcing ribs 131 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130. The reinforcing plate 130 also includes reinforcing grooves 132 formed by inclined surfaces of the reinforcing ribs 131 between adjacent reinforcing ribs 131 along the longitudinal direction d. At this time, it is preferable that the reinforcing grooves 132 correspond to the shape of the reinforcing ribs 131 so that the reinforcing ribs 131 can be engaged with and inserted into the reinforcing grooves 132. For example, if the reinforcing ribs 131 are trapezoidal, the reinforcing grooves 132 also have a trapezoidal shape.

[0049] The reinforcing ribs 131 and the reinforcing grooves 132 are preferably formed alternately along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130 .

[0050] 3, the reinforcing ribs 131 are formed at predetermined intervals along the height direction of the reinforcing plate 130. That is, the reinforcing ribs 131 are formed at predetermined intervals along the length direction d and height direction of the reinforcing plate 130 on the side of the battery module 100.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the battery module 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] The reinforcing plates 130 respectively coupled to both sides of the battery module 100 of the present invention include a first reinforcing plate 130 included on one side of the battery module 100 and a second reinforcing plate 130b included on the other side of the battery module 100, as shown in FIG. 4 above.

[0053] The reinforcing ribs 131 formed on the first reinforcing plate 130a and the second reinforcing plate 130b are formed at heights that are symmetrical with respect to each other with respect to the height direction of the reinforcing plate 130, but are formed at positions that are offset from each other with respect to the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130. For example, the reinforcing rib 131 of the first reinforcing plate 130a and the reinforcing groove 132 of the second reinforcing plate 130b are positioned symmetrical with each other.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 3, the battery module 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes through-holes 131h that are drilled to vertically penetrate the reinforcing ribs 131.

[0055] The through holes 131h are formed at the same position in each reinforcing rib 131. For example, the through holes 131h included in each reinforcing rib 131 formed along the height direction of the reinforcing plate 130 at the same position based on the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130 are formed at positions corresponding to each other.

[0056] A bolt B may be inserted into each through hole 131h formed at the same position based on the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130, and the reinforcing plate 130 may be screwed to the bolt B inserted into the through hole 131h.

[0057] The battery module 100 of the present invention can be primarily supported by the reinforcing plate 130 attached to the side, and the side can be triple-supported by the reinforcing rib 131 formed on the reinforcing plate 130 and the bolt B inserted into the through-hole 131h of the reinforcing rib 131.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing plate 130 includes protrusions 134 protruding upward from both ends, and auxiliary coupling holes 134h drilled to penetrate the protrusions 134 in the horizontal direction.

[0059] A bolt B may be inserted into the auxiliary coupling hole 134h, and the reinforcing plate 130 may be screw-coupled to the bolt B inserted into the auxiliary coupling hole 134h.

[0060] 5 shows that bolts B are inserted into the through-holes 131h and auxiliary coupling holes 134h of the reinforcing plates 130 coupled to both sides of the battery module 100 shown in FIG. 3. (However, for convenience, the specific structure of the bolts B, such as the threads, is omitted from the illustration.)

[0061] Referring to FIG. 5, one bolt B is inserted into and coupled to the through-hole 131h of each reinforcing rib 131 formed at the same position in the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130.

[0062] Further, a bolt B is inserted horizontally into an auxiliary coupling hole 134h formed at the end of the reinforcing plate 130 and coupled thereto.

[0063] The battery module 100 of the present invention can be fixed to the pack case 200 included in the battery pack by the bolts B inserted and coupled to the through holes 131h and the auxiliary coupling holes 134h.

[0064] <Battery pack> The battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a battery module 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a pack case 200 including a module area A in which the battery module 100 is housed.

[0065] FIG. 6 shows a pack case 200 included in the battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] The pack case 200 includes a base plate 210 corresponding to the bottom, and a side wall 220 vertically coupled to the base plate 210.

[0067] The side wall 220 includes a main side wall 221 that is perpendicularly coupled to the base plate 210 at an edge of the base plate 210, and a sub-side wall 222 that is perpendicularly coupled to the base plate 210 so as to cross a center of the base plate 210. Therefore, the module region A included in the pack case 200 of the present invention may be roughly divided into two regions by the sub-side wall 222, and the battery modules 100 arranged in any one of the module regions A may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction d2 of the pack case 200 between the sub-side wall 222 and the main side wall 221 facing the sub-side wall 222.

[0068] A coupling groove 211h may be formed in the lower part of the base plate 210 so that a bolt B can be inserted thereinto for screw coupling, and an auxiliary coupling groove 220h may be formed in the side wall 220 so that a bolt B can be inserted thereinto for screw coupling.

[0069] The battery modules 100 are arranged adjacent to one another among the plurality of battery modules 100 housed in the module area A of the pack case 200, and the reinforcing plates 130 of one side of the battery modules 100 are coupled to each other. More specifically, the first reinforcing plate 130a included in one of the pair of battery modules 100 arranged adjacent to one another in the module area A of the pack case 200 is coupled to the second reinforcing plate 130b of the other battery module 100.

[0070] FIG. 7 shows a pair of battery modules 100 arranged adjacent to each other, FIG. 8(a) is a perspective view of the pair of battery modules 100 shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8(b) is a perspective view of the pair of coupled battery modules 100, and FIG. 9 shows the pair of battery modules 100 shown in FIG. 8(b) from another angle.

[0071] 7 to 9, a pair of battery modules 100 arranged adjacent to each other in the module area A of the pack case 200 are arranged such that the reinforcing rib 131 of one battery module 100 faces the reinforcing groove 132 of the other battery module 100, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0072] Specifically, one of the adjacent battery modules 100 is arranged such that the first reinforcing plate 130a included on one side thereof faces the second reinforcing plate 130b included on one side of the other battery module 100.

[0073] 7 and 8(a), a pair of battery modules 100 are coupled to each other such that a reinforcing rib 131 included on one side of the battery module 100 is inserted into and engages with a reinforcing groove 132 included on one side of the opposing battery module 100. Thus, a plurality of battery modules 100 coupled together as shown in FIG. 8(b) can be inserted into the module region A of the pack case 200 of FIG. 6.

[0074] 8(b) and 9, the reinforcing ribs 131 between a pair of coupled battery modules 100 are engaged with each other's reinforcing grooves 132 to form a strip shape extending along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130. That is, the reinforcing rib 131' formed on one side of one battery module 100 is inserted into the reinforcing groove 132 formed on one side of the other adjacent battery module 100 to press and support the reinforcing rib 131 and reinforcing plate 130 on the opposite side. Therefore, the cell stack included in each battery module 100 may have its sides supported by the reinforcing ribs 131, which form a strip shape due to the combination of the first reinforcing plate 130a and the second reinforcing plate 130b.

[0075] FIG. 10 shows the battery pack according to the first embodiment in which the battery module 100 is housed in the module area A of the pack case 200. As shown in FIG.

[0076] A plurality of battery modules 100 are accommodated in the module area A such that the through-holes 131h formed in the reinforcing ribs 131 of each reinforcing plate 130 correspond to the coupling grooves 211h of the base plate 210 shown in FIG. 6. The battery modules 100 may be fixedly coupled to the base plate 210 by bolts B that vertically pass through the through-holes 131h and are inserted into the coupling grooves 211h. The bolts B may be screwed to positions where the reinforcing ribs 131 are formed along the side of the battery module 100 at a predetermined interval, and the side of the battery module 100 may be supported by the bolts B. The bolts B inserted into the through-holes 131h fix the reinforcing plates 130 coupled to both sides of the battery module 100 to the base plate 210. Therefore, even if gas is generated inside any one of the battery modules 100, the swelling phenomenon in which the battery module 100 expands can be suppressed by the bolt B connected to the side and the reinforcing plate 130 connected to the base plate 210 by the bolt B.

[0077] The battery modules 100 may be accommodated in the module area A such that the auxiliary coupling holes 134h of each reinforcing plate 130 correspond to the auxiliary coupling grooves 220h of the side walls 220 shown in Figure 6. In this case, the battery modules 100 may be fixedly coupled to the side walls 220 by bolts B that horizontally pass through the auxiliary coupling holes 134h and are inserted into the auxiliary coupling grooves 220h. Therefore, each battery module 100 accommodated in the module area A of the pack case 200 may be fixedly coupled to not only the base plate 210 but also the side walls 220 by the reinforcing plate 130 and supported.

[0078] The battery pack of the present invention may further include an upper cover (not shown) coupled to the pack case 200 to cover the upper portion of each battery module 100 accommodated in the module area A of the pack case 200.

[0079] The upper cover is a well-known technology, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] (Second embodiment) <Battery module 100> FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a battery module 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 11(a), the battery module 100 of the present invention includes a cell stack and end plates 120 respectively coupled to the front and rear of the cell stack, and a pair of reinforcing plates 130 respectively coupled to both sides of the cell stack. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 11(b), the battery module 100 may further include a module frame 110 surrounding the side and top and bottom surfaces of the cell stack.

[0082] (The battery module 100 according to the second embodiment will be described below with the basic structure being the form shown in FIG. 11(a) above.)

[0083] The reinforcing plate 130 supports the side surfaces of the battery module 100 and serves to fix the battery module 100 to the pack case 200 when the battery module 100 is housed in a battery pack.

[0084] The reinforcing plate 130 may have both ends connected to end plates connected to the front and rear of the battery module 100, respectively, and contact and support the entire side of the battery module 100. In this case, the reinforcing plate 130 may be fixed to the side of the end plate 120 by being screwed using a separate bolt B or the like, or may be fixed by an adhesive.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 11, the reinforcing plate 130 includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs 131 formed to protrude therefrom.

[0086] The reinforcing rib 131 has a shape extending along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130, and may preferably have a trapezoidal shape with inclined surfaces formed on both sides, or may have a parabolic shape (not shown).

[0087] The reinforcing ribs 131 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130. The reinforcing plate 130 also includes reinforcing grooves 132 formed by inclined surfaces of the reinforcing ribs 131 between adjacent reinforcing ribs 131 along the longitudinal direction d. At this time, it is preferable that the reinforcing grooves 132 correspond to the shape of the reinforcing ribs 131 so that the reinforcing ribs 131 can be engaged with and inserted into the reinforcing grooves 132. For example, if the reinforcing ribs 131 are trapezoidal, the reinforcing grooves 132 also have a trapezoidal shape.

[0088] The reinforcing ribs 131 and the reinforcing grooves 132 are preferably formed alternately along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130 .

[0089] 11, the reinforcing ribs 131 are formed at predetermined intervals along the height direction of the reinforcing plate 130. That is, the reinforcing ribs 131 are formed at predetermined intervals along the length direction d and height direction of the reinforcing plate 130 on the side of the battery module 100.

[0090] The reinforcing plates 130 coupled to both sides of the battery module 100 respectively include a first reinforcing plate 130a included on one side of the battery module 100 and a second reinforcing plate 130b included on the other side of the battery module 100.

[0091] The reinforcing ribs 131 formed on the first reinforcing plate 130a and the second reinforcing plate 130b are formed at heights that are symmetrical with respect to each other with respect to the height direction of the reinforcing plate 130, but are formed at positions that are offset from each other with respect to the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130. For example, the reinforcing rib 131 of the first reinforcing plate 130a and the reinforcing groove 132 of the second reinforcing plate 130b are positioned symmetrical with each other.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 11, the battery module 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention further includes a reinforcing bar 133 extending vertically through the reinforcing rib 131.

[0093] The reinforcing plate 130 is formed at a predetermined interval based on the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130, and preferably at the same position as the reinforcing rib 131.

[0094] The reinforcing bar 133 includes a reinforcing hole 133h drilled vertically.

[0095] A bolt B may be inserted into the reinforcing hole 133h of the reinforcing bar 133, and the reinforcing plate 130 may be screwed together with the bolt B inserted into the reinforcing hole 133h.

[0096] The battery module 100 of the present invention can be primarily supported by the reinforcing plate 130 attached to the side, and can be quadruple supported by the reinforcing rib 131 formed on the reinforcing plate 130, the reinforcing bar 133 extending vertically, and the bolt B inserted into the reinforcing hole 133h of the reinforcing bar 133.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 11, the reinforcing plate 130 includes protrusions 134 protruding upward from both ends, and auxiliary coupling holes 134h drilled to penetrate the protrusions 134 in the horizontal direction.

[0098] A bolt B may be inserted into the auxiliary coupling hole 134h, and the reinforcing plate 130 may be screw-coupled to the bolt B inserted into the auxiliary coupling hole 134h.

[0099] 12 shows that bolts B are inserted into the reinforcing holes 133h and auxiliary coupling holes 134h of the reinforcing plates 130 coupled to both sides of the battery module 100 shown in FIG. 11. (However, for convenience, the specific structure of the bolts B, such as the threads, is omitted from the illustration.)

[0100] Referring to FIG. 12, one bolt B is inserted into and coupled to the reinforcing hole 133h of each reinforcing rib 131 formed at the same position in the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130.

[0101] Further, a bolt B is inserted horizontally into an auxiliary coupling hole 134h formed at the end of the reinforcing plate 130 and coupled thereto.

[0102] The battery module 100 of the present invention can be fixed to the pack case 200 included in the battery pack by the bolts B inserted and coupled to the reinforcing holes 133h and the auxiliary coupling holes 134h.

[0103] <Battery pack> The battery pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a battery module 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention and a pack case 200 including a module area A in which the battery module 100 is housed.

[0104] The pack case 200 according to FIG. 6 can be included in the battery pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0105] The pack case 200 includes a base plate 210 corresponding to the bottom, and a side wall 220 vertically coupled to the base plate 210.

[0106] The side wall 220 includes a main side wall 221 that is perpendicularly coupled to the base plate 210 at an edge of the base plate 210, and a sub-side wall 222 that is perpendicularly coupled to the base plate 210 so as to cross a center of the base plate 210. Therefore, the module region A included in the pack case 200 of the present invention may be roughly divided into two regions by the sub-side wall 222, and the battery modules 100 arranged in any one of the module regions A may be arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction d2 of the pack case 200 between the sub-side wall 222 and the main side wall 221 facing the sub-side wall 222.

[0107] A coupling groove 211h may be formed in the lower part of the base plate 210 so that a bolt B can be inserted thereinto for screw coupling, and an auxiliary coupling groove 220h may be formed in the side wall 220 so that a bolt B can be inserted thereinto for screw coupling.

[0108] The battery modules 100 are arranged adjacent to one another among the plurality of battery modules 100 housed in the module area A of the pack case 200, and the reinforcing plates 130 of one side of the battery modules 100 are coupled to each other. More specifically, the first reinforcing plate 130a included in one of the pair of battery modules 100 arranged adjacent to one another in the module area A of the pack case 200 is coupled to the second reinforcing plate 130b of the other battery module 100.

[0109] FIG. 13(a) is a perspective view of a pair of adjacently arranged battery modules 100, FIG. 13(b) is a perspective view of a pair of coupled battery modules 100, and FIG. 14 shows the pair of battery modules 100 shown in FIG. 13(b) from a different angle.

[0110] As shown in Figures 13 and 14 above, a pair of battery modules 100 arranged adjacent to each other in the module area A of the pack case 200 are arranged so that the reinforcing rib 131 and reinforcing bar 133 of one battery module 100 face the reinforcing groove 132 of the other battery module 100.

[0111] Specifically, one of the adjacent battery modules 100 is arranged such that the first reinforcing plate 130a included on one side thereof faces the second reinforcing plate 130b included on one side of the other battery module 100.

[0112] 13(a), a pair of battery modules 100 are coupled to each other such that the reinforcing ribs 131 and reinforcing bars 133 included on one side are inserted into and engaged with the reinforcing grooves 132 included on one side of the opposing battery module 100. Thus, a plurality of battery modules 100 coupled together as shown in FIG. 13(b) can be inserted into the module region A of the pack case 200.

[0113] 13(b) and 14, the reinforcing ribs 131 between a pair of coupled battery modules 100 are engaged with and coupled to each other's reinforcing grooves 132, thereby forming a strip shape extending along the longitudinal direction d of the reinforcing plate 130. That is, the reinforcing rib 131 formed on one side of one battery module 100 is inserted into the reinforcing groove 132 formed on one side of the other coupled battery module 100, and presses and supports the reinforcing rib 131 and reinforcing plate 130 on the opposite side. Therefore, the cell stack included in each battery module 100 may have its sides supported by the reinforcing ribs 131, which form a strip shape due to the coupling of the first reinforcing plate 130a and the second reinforcing plate 130b.

[0114] FIG. 15 shows a battery pack according to a second embodiment in which a battery module 100 is housed in a module area A of a pack case 200. As shown in FIG.

[0115] A plurality of battery modules 100 are accommodated in the module area A such that the reinforcing holes 133h formed in the reinforcing bars 133 of each reinforcing plate 130 correspond to the coupling grooves 211h of the base plate 210 shown in FIG. 6. At this time, the battery modules 100 may be fixedly coupled to the base plate 210 by bolts B that vertically pass through the reinforcing holes 133h and are inserted into the coupling grooves 211h. The bolts B may be screwed at predetermined intervals to positions where the reinforcing bars 133 are formed along the sides of the battery modules 100, and the sides of the battery modules 100 may be supported by the vertically extending reinforcing bars 133 and the bolts B inserted into the reinforcing bars 133. The bolts B inserted into the reinforcing holes 133h fix the reinforcing plates 130 coupled to both sides of the battery modules 100 to the base plate 210. Therefore, even if gas is generated inside any one of the battery modules 100, the swelling phenomenon in which the battery module 100 expands can be suppressed by the reinforcing bar 133 screwed to the bolt B connected to the base plate 210 and the reinforcing plate 130 including the reinforcing bar 133.

[0116] The battery modules 100 may be accommodated in the module area A such that the auxiliary coupling holes 134h of each reinforcing plate 130 correspond to the auxiliary coupling grooves 220h of the side walls 220 shown in Figure 6. In this case, the battery modules 100 may be fixedly coupled to the side walls 220 by bolts B that horizontally pass through the auxiliary coupling holes 134h and are inserted into the auxiliary coupling grooves 220h. Therefore, each battery module 100 accommodated in the module area A of the pack case 200 may be fixedly coupled to not only the base plate 210 but also the side walls 220 by the reinforcing plate 130 and supported.

[0117] The battery pack of the present invention may further include an upper cover (not shown) coupled to the pack case 200 to cover the upper portion of each battery module 100 accommodated in the module area A of the pack case 200.

[0118] The upper cover is a well-known technology, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0119] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, etc. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments in this specification are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 10: (Prior Art) Battery Module 11: (Conventional technology) Module frame 12: (Prior Art) End Plate 20: (Conventional technology) Pack case 21: (Prior Art) Base Plate 22: (Prior Art) Sidewall 23: (Conventional) Partition 100: Battery module 110: Module frame 120: End plate 130: Reinforcement plate 130a: First reinforcing plate 130b: Second reinforcing plate 131, 131': Reinforcement rib 131h: Through hole 132: Reinforcement groove 133: Reinforcement bar 133h: Reinforcement hole 134:Protrusion 134h: Auxiliary binding hole 200: Pack case 210: Base plate 211h: Binding groove 220: Side wall 220h: Auxiliary coupling groove 221: Main side wall 222: Sub-sidewall A: Module area B: Bolt C: Cell stack d: Longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate d2: Longitudinal direction of pack case

Claims

1. A battery module including a cell stack in which a plurality of cells are stacked, a pair of reinforcing plates respectively coupled to both sides of the battery module to support the side surfaces of the battery module; The reinforcing plate is a plurality of reinforcing ribs formed to protrude and extend along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate; a reinforcing bar extending perpendicularly through the reinforcing rib; Including a battery module.

2. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing ribs are spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals along a longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate.

3. The battery module according to claim 2 , wherein the reinforcing plate includes a reinforcing groove recessed between a pair of the reinforcing ribs spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate.

4. The battery module according to claim 3 , wherein the shape of the reinforcing groove corresponds to the shape of the reinforcing rib so that the reinforcing rib can be engaged with and inserted into the reinforcing groove.

5. The battery module according to claim 4 , wherein the reinforcing ribs and the reinforcing grooves are alternately formed along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate.

6. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing rib has at least one of a trapezoidal shape and a parabolic shape.

7. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing ribs are spaced apart at predetermined intervals along a height direction of the reinforcing plate.

8. The reinforcing plate is a first reinforcing plate included on one side of the battery module; a second reinforcing plate included on the other side of the battery module; The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the reinforcing ribs included in the first reinforcing plate and the second reinforcing plate are formed to have the same height in a height direction of the reinforcing plates.

9. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing plate includes a through-hole drilled to perpendicularly penetrate the reinforcing rib.

10. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing bar includes a reinforcing hole drilled to allow a bolt to pass vertically therethrough.

11. The battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a pack case including a module area in which the battery module is housed, The reinforcing plate is a first reinforcing plate included on one side of the battery module; a second reinforcing plate included on the other side of the battery module, a first reinforcing plate included in one of a pair of battery modules arranged adjacent to each other in a module region of the pack case, the first reinforcing plate being coupled to a second reinforcing plate included in the other battery module.

12. The reinforcing ribs are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate, the reinforcing plate includes a reinforcing groove recessed between a pair of the reinforcing ribs spaced apart along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate, the reinforcing ribs and the reinforcing grooves are alternately formed along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing plate, 12. The battery pack of claim 11, wherein the reinforcing rib included in the first reinforcing plate of one of the pair of coupled battery modules is inserted into and engaged with the reinforcing groove included in the second reinforcing plate of the other battery module.

13. The reinforcing plate is further comprising a reinforcing bar extending perpendicularly through the reinforcing rib; The reinforcing bar includes a reinforcing hole drilled so that a bolt can pass through it vertically; the pack case includes a coupling groove formed in a bottom of the module area corresponding to a position of the reinforcing hole, The battery pack of claim 11 , wherein the battery modules are coupled to the pack case by bolts that pass through the reinforcing holes and are inserted into the coupling grooves.

14. The reinforcing plate includes a through hole drilled to perpendicularly penetrate the reinforcing rib, the pack case includes a coupling groove formed in a bottom of the module area corresponding to a position of the through hole, The battery pack of claim 11 , wherein the battery modules are coupled to the pack case by bolts that pass through the through holes and are inserted into the coupling grooves.

15. The pack case is a base plate corresponding to the bottom; a sidewall perpendicular to the end of the base plate and extending along the edge of the base plate; The reinforcing plate includes auxiliary connection holes at both ends through which bolts are horizontally passed, the sidewall includes an auxiliary coupling groove formed to correspond to a position of the auxiliary coupling hole of the battery module disposed in the module region; The battery pack of claim 11 , wherein the battery modules are coupled to the pack case by bolts that pass through the auxiliary coupling holes and are inserted into the auxiliary coupling grooves.

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