Battery module, battery pack including the battery module, energy storage device including the battery pack, and automobile

Abstract

To provide a battery module, a battery pack including the battery module, and an energy storage device and a vehicle including the battery pack.SOLUTION: A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of battery cells; at least one cooling channel which is provided on at least one side of the plurality of battery cells and through which coolant flows for cooling the plurality of battery cells; and at least one cooling fin unit which is arranged in contact with the at least one cooling channel and comprises at least one support rib for supporting the at least one cooling channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the battery module, an energy storage device including the battery pack, and a vehicle.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0189011 filed on December 27, 2021, and all the contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated into this application.

Background Art

[0003] Secondary batteries with high applicability for each product group and having electrical characteristics such as high energy density are widely used not only in portable devices but also in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) driven by an electric drive source. Such secondary batteries have not only the first advantage of significantly reducing the use of fossil fuels but also attract attention as a new environmentally friendly and highly energy-efficient energy source because no by-products are generated by energy use.

[0004] Currently widely used types of secondary batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and the like. The operating voltage of these unit secondary battery cells, that is, unit battery cells, is about 2.5 to 4.5V. Therefore, when a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in series to form a battery pack. Also, depending on the charge / discharge capacity required for the battery pack, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in parallel to form a battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack can be set variously according to the required output voltage and charge / discharge capacity.

[0005] On the other hand, when configuring a battery pack by connecting multiple battery cells in series or parallel, it is common practice to first configure a battery module containing at least one battery cell, and then use that at least one battery module to add other components and configure a battery pack or battery rack.

[0006] Conventional battery modules generally consist of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other and a module housing that accommodates the multiple battery cells. In such conventional battery modules, if overheating occurs in a specific battery cell due to an abnormal condition, the heat generated in the overheated battery cell is directly transferred to the adjacent battery cells, causing thermal runaway and leading to greater dangers such as the explosion of the battery module.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to explore ways to provide a battery module that prevents thermal runaway in the event of abnormal battery cell conditions, a battery pack including the battery module, an energy storage device including the battery pack, and an automobile. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module that prevents thermal runaway in the event of abnormal conditions of a battery cell, a battery pack including the battery module, an energy storage device including the battery pack, and an automobile. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells; at least one cooling channel provided on at least one side of the plurality of battery cells, through which cooling water flows for cooling the plurality of battery cells; and at least one cooling fin unit disposed in contact with the at least one cooling channel and comprising at least one support rib for supporting the at least one cooling channel.

[0010] Preferably, the cooling channels are provided in multiple locations, and these multiple cooling channels may be provided on the upper and lower sides of the multiple battery cells.

[0011] Preferably, the at least one cooling fin unit may be positioned in contact with cooling channels provided on the upper and lower sides of the plurality of battery cells.

[0012] Preferably, the cooling fin units are provided in multiple locations, and the multiple cooling fin units may be arranged between the multiple battery cells.

[0013] Preferably, at least one cooling fin unit can communicate with the plurality of cooling channels.

[0014] Preferably, at least one cooling fin unit may be provided with a fin channel through which the cooling water flows, connected to the plurality of cooling channels.

[0015] Preferably, the at least one support rib may include a channel support portion extending from the end of the at least one cooling fin unit and supporting the at least one cooling channel, and a cell support portion extending from the channel support portion and supporting the plurality of battery cells.

[0016] Preferably, the cell support portion can be bent at a predetermined angle from the channel support portion.

[0017] Preferably, the at least one support rib can be integrally formed with the at least one cooling fin unit.

[0018] Preferably, a plurality of support ribs are provided, and the plurality of support ribs may be arranged facing each other at at least one end of the cooling fin unit.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention provides a battery pack characterized by comprising at least one battery module according to the above-described embodiment and a pack case for housing the at least one battery module.

[0020] Furthermore, the present invention provides an energy storage device characterized by including at least one battery pack according to the embodiments described above.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention provides an automobile characterized by including at least one battery pack according to the embodiments described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the various embodiments described above, the present invention provides a battery module that prevents thermal runaway in the event of an abnormal condition of a battery cell, a battery pack including the battery module, an energy storage device including the battery pack, and an automobile.

[0023] The drawings accompanying this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the present invention described later, are intended to further illustrate the technical concept of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be construed as being limited only to what is shown in the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0024] [Figure 1] This is a diagram for explaining a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a diagram for explaining the main part of the battery module of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] This is a diagram for explaining the cooling fin unit of the battery module of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cooling fin unit of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] This is a diagram for explaining the cooling mechanism of the battery module of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] This is a diagram for explaining the thermal runaway prevention mechanism in the abnormal situation of the battery module of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] This is a diagram for explaining a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0025] The present invention will become more apparent by explaining preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described here are shown exemplarily to assist in understanding the present invention, and it must be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various modifications different from the embodiments described here. Note that, to assist in understanding the present invention, some components in the accompanying drawings may be shown exaggeratedly, not at an actual scale.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the main part of the battery module of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the cooling fin unit of the battery module of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the cooling fin unit of FIG. 3.

[0027] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the battery module 10 may include a plurality of battery cells 100, a cooling channel 200, and at least one cooling fin unit 300.

[0028] The plurality of battery cells 100 are secondary batteries, and may be pouch-type secondary batteries, prismatic secondary batteries, or cylindrical secondary batteries. In this embodiment, the description will be limited to the case where the plurality of battery cells 100 are provided as pouch-type secondary batteries.

[0029] Each of the plurality of battery cells 100 may include a battery case that houses the electrode assembly and an electrode lead 150 that protrudes from the battery case and connects to the electrode assembly.

[0030] The cooling channel 200 may be provided on at least one of the upper and lower sides of the plurality of battery cells 100. Cooling water C (see Figure 5) for cooling the plurality of battery cells 100 flows through such a cooling channel 200.

[0031] Multiple such cooling channels 200 may be provided. These multiple cooling channels 200 may be provided both above and below the multiple battery cells 100.

[0032] The at least one cooling fin unit 300 may be positioned in contact with the at least one cooling channel 200. Specifically, the at least one cooling fin unit 300 may be positioned in contact with cooling channels 200 provided above and below the plurality of battery cells 100. Furthermore, the at least one cooling fin unit 300 may be in communication with the plurality of cooling channels 200.

[0033] At least one of the cooling fin units 300 may be provided in multiples. The multiple cooling fin units 300 may be arranged between the multiple battery cells 100.

[0034] The following describes the aforementioned multiple cooling fin units 300 in more detail.

[0035] Each of the aforementioned multiple cooling fin units 300 may include a fin body 310, a fin channel 330, and a support rib 350.

[0036] The fin body 310 may be positioned between the plurality of battery cells 100, extending along the vertical direction of the plurality of battery cells 100. Such a fin body 310 may be made of a metal material having high thermal conductivity.

[0037] The fin channel 330 may be formed inside the fin body 310, extending along the length of the fin body 310. Such a fin channel 330 may communicate with the plurality of cooling channels 200. As a result, the cooling water can flow into the fin channel 330. The inflow of cooling water through the fin channel 330 further improves the cooling efficiency of the plurality of battery cells 100.

[0038] The support rib 350 extends from the end of the at least one cooling fin unit 300, specifically from the end of the fin body 310, and is capable of supporting the at least one cooling channel and at least one of the plurality of battery cells 100.

[0039] Such a support rib 350 may be a component that is attached to the at least one cooling fin unit 300 as a separate member, or it may be integrally formed with the at least one cooling fin unit 300. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the explanation will be limited to the case where the support rib 350 is an integrally formed component with the at least one cooling fin unit 300. Specifically, the support rib 350 may be integrally formed with the fin body 310 of the at least one cooling fin unit 300.

[0040] Multiple support ribs 350 may be provided.

[0041] The plurality of support ribs 350 may be arranged facing each other at one end of the cooling fin unit 300. Specifically, the plurality of support ribs 350 may be arranged facing each other at at least one end of the cooling fin unit 300, more specifically at at least one end of the upper and lower ends of the fin body 310.

[0042] Such a plurality of support ribs 350 may include channel support portions 352 and cell support portions 354.

[0043] The channel support portion 352 extends from the end of the at least one cooling fin unit 300, more specifically from the end of the fin body 310, and more specifically from the upper end of the fin body 310, and is capable of supporting the at least one cooling channel 200.

[0044] Such channel support portion 352 extends from the end of at least one cooling fin unit 300, specifically from the upper end of the fin body 310, and is capable of supporting at least one cooling channel 200.

[0045] The cell support portion 354 extends from the channel support portion 352 and can support the plurality of battery cells 100. Such the cell support portion 354 can be bent at a predetermined angle from the channel support portion 352. Specifically, the cell support portion 354 can be bent at a predetermined angle in the direction toward the battery cells 100 from the channel support portion 352.

[0046] The battery module 10 may include a channel connection section 400.

[0047] The channel connection portion 400 can be connected to the cooling channel 200 between the cooling channel 200 and the cooling fin unit 300. Such a channel connection portion 400 may, at least partially, melt or separate from the cooling channel 200, or detach from the cooling channel 200, due to external impact or temperature rise in abnormal situations.

[0048] The channel connection portion 400 may include at least one connection hole 450 that can supply the cooling water into the fin flow path 330 of the cooling fin unit 300. In this embodiment, the description will be limited to cases where there are multiple connection holes 450.

[0049] The cooling mechanism of the battery module 10 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail below.

[0050] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the cooling mechanism of the battery module shown in Figure 1.

[0051] Referring to Figure 5, the cooling channel 200 can cool the battery cell 100 by circulating cooling water C for cooling the battery cell 100. Here, the cooling water C of the cooling channel 200 flows into the fin flow path 330 of the cooling fin unit 300 through the connection hole 450 of the channel connection part 400. In this way, the cooling efficiency of the battery cell 100 is further improved by the cooling water C also flowing into the cooling fin unit 300.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cooling channel 200 through which the cooling water C flows is supported even more stably by the support ribs 350 of the cooling fin unit 300.

[0053] The thermal runaway prevention mechanism of the battery module 10 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail below.

[0054] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the thermal runaway prevention mechanism in the event of an abnormal condition in the battery module shown in Figure 1.

[0055] Referring to Figure 6, at least one of the battery cells 100 of the battery module 10 may experience a dangerous situation that could lead to a fire, such as overheating due to an abnormal condition.

[0056] If the battery cell 100 overheats, its temperature may rise, causing it to expand. In such abnormal situations, external impacts or temperature increases may cause the channel connection portion 400 to melt or separate from the cooling channel 200, or to detach from the cooling channel 200.

[0057] As a result, the cooling channel 200 is opened, allowing the cooling water C to flow out of the cooling channel 200 and function as a fire extinguishing agent to suppress thermal runaway or fire in the battery cell 100 where the abnormal condition occurred.

[0058] On the other hand, the support ribs 350 of the cooling fin unit 300 can support the battery cell 100 and maintain the arrangement of the battery cell 100 to the greatest extent possible when the channel connection portion 400 and the cooling channel 200 detach or deform in position.

[0059] If the channel connection portion 400 and the cooling channel 200 become detached or deformed, the support configuration of the battery cell 100 may collapse, which could lead to the structural collapse of the entire battery module 10, greatly increasing the likelihood of thermal runaway and other dangerous situations. In this embodiment, the support rib 350 can support the battery cell 100 even in such abnormal situations, thereby significantly preventing the risk of structural collapse of the entire battery module 10.

[0060] Furthermore, the support rib 350 can also function as a barrier between adjacent battery cells 100, thereby effectively preventing flames or sparks that may originate from a battery cell 100 experiencing an abnormal condition from spreading to adjacent battery cells 100.

[0061] Thus, the battery module 10 according to this embodiment, with its cooling channel 200, cooling fin unit 300, and channel connection portion 400, significantly reduces the dangerous situation that could lead to thermal runaway of the entire battery module 10 in the event of an abnormal condition.

[0062] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Referring to Figure 7, the battery pack 1 may include at least one or more battery modules 10 as described above, and a pack case 50 for housing the at least one battery module 10.

[0064] Such battery packs 1 may be provided as an energy storage device or an energy source for an automobile, with at least one or more of them. It goes without saying that the battery packs 1 may also be provided in other devices, equipment, and facilities that use secondary batteries, in addition to energy storage devices and automobiles.

[0065] Thus, devices, instruments, and equipment such as energy storage devices and automobiles that include the battery pack 1 according to this embodiment can realize devices, instruments, and equipment such as energy storage devices and automobiles that have all the advantages of the battery module 10 described above.

[0066] According to the various embodiments described above, a battery module 10 that prevents thermal runaway in the event of an abnormal condition of the battery cell 100, a battery pack 1 including the battery module 10, an energy storage device including the battery pack 1, and an automobile are provided.

[0067] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited in any way to the specific embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made by persons with ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains without departing from the gist of the invention claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospects of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 Battery Pack 10 Battery Modules 50 pack case 100 battery cells 150 electrode leads 200 cooling channels 300 Cooling Fin Unit 310 fin body 330 fin channel 350 Support Ribs 352 Channel support section 354 Cell support section 400 channel connection section 450 connection holes C Cooling water

Claims

1. Multiple battery cells, Multiple cooling channels are provided above and below the multiple battery cells, through which cooling water flows to cool the multiple battery cells, A cooling fin unit comprising at least one or more cooling fin units arranged in contact with a plurality of cooling channels and having support ribs for supporting the plurality of cooling channels, Includes, Multiple cooling channels, They are provided on the upper and lower sides of multiple battery cells, Multiple cooling fin units, The cooling channels provided on the upper and lower sides of the multiple battery cells are arranged in contact with each other. In a battery module, The fin flow path of at least one of the cooling fin units is A battery module communicating with multiple cooling channels.

2. The aforementioned cooling fin unit is Multiple units are provided. Multiple cooling fin units, The battery module according to claim 1, which is arranged between a plurality of the battery cells.

3. At least one of the cooling fin units includes: The battery module according to claim 1, which is connected to a plurality of the cooling channels and is provided with the fin channel into which the cooling water flows.

4. At least one of the support ribs is A channel support portion extending from the end of at least one of the cooling fin units and supporting at least one of the cooling channels, The battery module according to claim 1, further comprising: a cell support portion extending from the channel support portion and supporting a plurality of the battery cells.

5. The cell support portion is, The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the channel support portion is bent at a predetermined angle.

6. At least one of the support ribs is The battery module according to claim 1, which is integrally formed with at least one of the cooling fin units.

7. The aforementioned support rib is Multiple units are provided. The multiple support ribs are, The battery module according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of the cooling fin unit is arranged facing each other.

8. A battery module according to at least one claim 1, A pack case housing at least one of the aforementioned battery modules, A battery pack, including the battery pack.

9. An energy storage device comprising at least one battery pack according to claim 8.

10. An automobile comprising at least one battery pack according to claim 8.

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