Cooling device and battery cell stack including same

Abstract

A battery cell stack according to various embodiments comprises: a plurality of battery cells; one or more cooling devices in contact with at least one of the plurality of battery cells; and a case accommodating the plurality of battery cells and the one or more cooling devices, wherein each of the one or more cooling devices includes a refrigerant flow path therein, is configured to cool at least one of the battery cells by means of a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path, and may include a first surface and a second surface having different thermal conductivities. Various other embodiments are possible.

Description

Cooling device and battery cell stack including same

[0001] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a cooling device and a battery cell stack including the same.

[0002] Secondary batteries, capable of being recharged and discharged, are widely used in portable mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and laptops. Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used not only in small devices like portable electronic devices but also in medium- to large-sized devices such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS) for power and energy storage.

[0003] These secondary batteries can be electrically connected in multiple units and housed together within a module case to form a single battery module. Furthermore, multiple battery modules can be connected to form a single battery pack.

[0004] However, when multiple secondary battery (battery cell) stacks or multiple secondary battery modules are densely packed in a narrow space, they may become vulnerable to thermal events. For example, if an event such as thermal runaway occurs in one battery cell, the event may spread to other battery cells. If such a thermal transfer phenomenon occurs, it may cause serious problems such as fire or explosion. In addition, when multiple secondary battery modules are included in a higher-level device such as a battery pack, battery rack, or power storage device, the problem such as fire or explosion may significantly spread to other secondary battery modules included in the higher-level device.

[0005] Meanwhile, in the past, a method was considered in which a cooling device for cooling a secondary battery was placed on the outside of a secondary battery module or at the bottom of a module case, but recently, as a way to further improve the cooling performance of a secondary battery, a method in which the cooling device is placed in direct contact with the surface of a battery cell so that a refrigerant flows inside the cooling device and directly exchanges heat with the surface of the battery cell is being examined.

[0006] These cooling devices are usually manufactured using metals with high thermal conductivity to increase heat exchange efficiency.

[0007] When applying a cell surface direct water cooling method that cools by interposing a cooling device between battery cells and allowing the cooling device to directly contact the battery cell surface, it may be excellent in terms of cooling efficiency, but if an event such as thermal runaway occurs in a specific battery cell, the cooling devices formed of materials with high thermal conductivity are placed between each battery cell, which may accelerate heat transfer and increase the possibility of serious problems such as fire or explosion.

[0008] Various embodiments of the present disclosure have been made to solve at least some of the problems of the prior art as described above, and provide a cooling device that is arranged to be in direct contact with the surface of a battery cell in a secondary battery module (or, a battery cell stack) and cools the battery cell according to the flow of a coolant, thereby improving cooling performance while effectively preventing heat transfer by forming a cooling device using two members formed of different materials having different thermal conductivities, and a battery cell stack including such a cooling device.

[0009] A battery cell stack according to various embodiments includes a plurality of battery cells; one or more cooling devices arranged to be in contact with at least one of the plurality of battery cells; and a case accommodating the plurality of battery cells and the one or more cooling devices, each of the one or more cooling devices including a coolant passage therein and configured to cool at least one of the plurality of battery cells by a coolant flowing through the coolant passage, and including a first surface and a second surface forming the other surface of the first surface, wherein the first surface and the second surface may be formed of materials having different thermal conductivities.

[0010] A cooling device used for cooling a secondary battery according to various embodiments includes a first surface having different thermal conductivities and a second surface facing the first surface, the first surface being in contact with a first battery cell, the second surface being in contact with a second battery cell adjacent to the first battery cell, and including a coolant passage therein, and configured to cool the first battery cell and the second battery cell by a coolant flowing through the coolant passage.

[0011] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a cooling device and a battery cell stack having improved cooling efficiency can be provided.

[0012] In addition, even if an event such as thermal runaway occurs in a specific battery cell, safety can be improved by minimizing heat transfer to surrounding battery cells or other battery modules (or other battery cell stacks).

[0013] In addition, a similar effect can be obtained without additionally providing a separate member such as an insulating sheet to prevent heat transfer phenomenon, thereby providing a secondary battery module (or battery cell stack) with improved energy density.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a secondary battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a secondary battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the structure of a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the flow of refrigerant inside a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 5b is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 5c is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 5d is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a secondary battery module (10) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Before going into the detailed description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted with meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of ​​the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his own invention in the best way. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of this application.

[0024] The same reference numbers or symbols used in each drawing attached to this specification represent parts or components that perform substantially the same functions. For convenience of explanation and understanding, the same reference numbers or symbols may be used in different embodiments. In other words, even if components with the same reference numbers are depicted in multiple drawings, they do not necessarily represent a single embodiment.

[0025] In the following description, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms such as "comprises" or "comprises" should be understood to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0026] In addition, in the description below, expressions such as top, upper, lower, lower, side, front, and rear are expressed based on the direction shown in the drawing, and it is noted in advance that they may be expressed differently if the direction of the object in question changes.

[0027] Additionally, terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first," "second," etc., may be used in this specification and claims to distinguish between components. These ordinal numbers are used to distinguish identical or similar components from each other, and the use of these ordinal numbers should not be interpreted in a limited manner. For example, components associated with these ordinals should not be interpreted in a restricted manner, such as in the order of use or arrangement, based on their numbers. If necessary, each ordinal number may be used interchangeably.

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the presented embodiments. For example, those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention may propose other embodiments within the spirit of the present invention by adding, modifying, or deleting components, etc., but such embodiments will also be considered to be within the spirit of the present invention. The shapes and sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a secondary battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a secondary battery module (10) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a secondary battery module (10) according to various embodiments may include a plurality of battery cells (100), one or more cooling devices (300), and a case (200) that accommodates these components in an inner space.

[0031] Battery cells (100) (e.g., secondary batteries) may be arranged in a form in which they are stacked side by side along one direction (e.g., a direction parallel to the Y-axis of FIGS. 1 and 2) as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0032] Each battery cell (100) may include, for example, a pouch-type battery cell.

[0033] For example, a pouch-shaped battery cell can be formed by housing an electrode case in a pouch case made of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer, and then heat-welding the sealing portion of the pouch case. For example, the battery cell (100) can have a substantially rectangular sheet-shaped structure.

[0034] However, the secondary battery cell (100) included in the secondary battery module (10) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to a pouch-type battery cell, and it goes without saying that various types of battery cells, such as square battery cells and cylindrical battery cells, can be applied within the applicable scope of the embodiments described in this specification.

[0035] Although not specifically illustrated in the drawing, the battery cell (100) may include at least an electrode assembly including a first electrode (e.g., a positive electrode), a second electrode (e.g., a negative electrode), and a separator, a battery case (e.g., a pouch case), and an electrolyte. For example, each of the battery cells (100) may be electrically connected in series or in parallel with other electrode cells (100) through a configuration such as a bus bar.

[0036] Meanwhile, a cooling device (300) (e.g., a cooling jacket) may be interposed between each battery cell (100) and / or between the battery cell (100) and the case (200) located at the outermost end of the secondary battery module (10).

[0037] For example, a plurality of battery cells (100) and cooling devices (300) may be arranged in a cross-layered manner within a case (200). Alternatively, a plurality of battery cells (100) and cooling devices (300) may be arranged in a stacked manner to form a battery pack without being accommodated within the case (200).

[0038] In an embodiment, the cooling device (300) and the plurality of battery cells (100) may have an arrangement according to a surface cooling method. For example, the cooling device (300) may be stacked to face a wide surface of the battery cell (100) and may exchange heat with the battery cell (100) in direct contact with the wide surface of the facing specific battery cell (100).

[0039] Meanwhile, in FIG. 1, it is illustrated that the battery cells (100) and the cooling devices (300) are alternately provided one-to-one, but if necessary, a plurality of battery cells (100) may be provided as predetermined units, and the battery cell units may be configured to be provided between two cooling devices (300). For example, each battery cell unit interposed between two cooling devices (300) may be defined as having a predetermined battery capacity (e.g., 150 Ah to 350 mA) by a combination of two or more battery cells (100). In another example, the battery cell units may be defined to have a predetermined size (length, width, etc.).

[0040] In various embodiments, the cooling device (300) is positioned so as to be in direct contact with the battery cells (100) (e.g., inside the case (200) of the secondary battery module (10) or inside the pack case of the battery pack), thereby allowing at least one adjacent battery cell (100) to be cooled more effectively based on the coolant flowing inside the cooling device (300).

[0041] For example, when a cooling device (300) is interposed between two adjacent battery cells (100) (e.g., a first battery cell and a second battery cell), the cooling device (300) may include a first surface and a second surface facing in an opposite direction to the first surface, and may contact the first battery cell through the first surface and the second battery cell through the second surface. For example, the second surface may form the other surface of the first surface.

[0042] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooling device (300) may be configured such that the thermal conductivities of the materials constituting the first side and the second side are different from each other.

[0043] For example, in one cooling device (300), the thermal conductivity of a material constituting one side (i.e., the first side) may be less than a specified size (e.g., less than 5 W / m·K, in particular 0.0001 W / m·K or more and less than 5 W / m·K), and the thermal conductivity of a material constituting the other side (i.e., the second side) may be greater than a specified size (e.g., 10 W / m·K or more, in particular 10 W / m·K or more and less than 10000 W / m·K).

[0044] In one example, the first side of the cooling device (300) may be made of a non-metallic material, and the second side opposite the first side may be made of a metallic material.

[0045] For example, the first side may be composed of a thermally conductive resin. For example, the first side may be composed of a material that has relatively lower thermal conductivity than the second side but also has adhesive properties. For example, the first side may be composed of a thermally conductive adhesive material having adhesive properties, such as at least one of silicone, urethane, and acrylic.

[0046] A cooling device (300) according to various embodiments can be formed by combining a first member (310) and a second member (320) formed of materials having different thermal conductivities.

[0047] For example, the cooling device (300) may be formed by joining a first member (310) made of a non-metallic material and a second member (320) made of a metallic material. In this case, a first surface may be formed of a material having relatively low thermal conductivity by the first member (310), and a second surface may be formed of a material having relatively high thermal conductivity by the second member (320).

[0048] In general, the cooling device (300) can cool the battery cell (100) by allowing heat exchange between the coolant flowing through the inner space (i.e., the coolant passage) and the adjacent battery cell (100). For example, in order to better allow heat exchange between the coolant and the battery cell (100), the cooling device (300) can be formed of a material with high thermal conductivity in the entire area facing the battery cell (100).

[0049] Meanwhile, when a cooling device (300) with high thermal conductivity is interposed between battery cells (100), the contact area between the cooling device (300) and the battery cells (100) is maximized, which is advantageous in terms of heat exchange for cooling. However, when an event such as thermal runaway occurs from a specific battery cell (100), the thermal propagation phenomenon may be further promoted by the cooling device (300) with high thermal conductivity.

[0050] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, by configuring the thermal conductivities of the materials constituting one side (first side) and the other side (second side) of a specific cooling device (300) interposed between battery cells (100) (or, between the outermost, i.e., the outermost battery cell (100) and the case (200)) to be different, even if a thermal runaway event occurs from one battery cell in contact with one side of the cooling device (300), the heat transfer to another battery cell in contact with the other side of the cooling device (300) can be minimized.

[0051] For example, the cooling device (300) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can simultaneously obtain a cooling effect and a heat transfer prevention effect for the battery cell (100) without having a separate insulating sheet.

[0052] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 2, each battery cell (100) can be in contact with two cooling devices (300) (e.g., a first cooling device and a second cooling device) on one side and the other side facing each other.

[0053] At this time, the thermal conductivities of the materials constituting one side (e.g., the first side of the first cooling device) of a specific cooling device (e.g., the first cooling device) that comes into contact with one side of the battery cell (100) and one side (e.g., the second side of the second cooling device) of another cooling device (e.g., the second cooling device) that comes into contact with the other side of the battery cell (100) may be different from each other.

[0054] For example, if one side of a first cooling device that comes into contact with one side of a specific battery cell (100) is formed of a first member (310) having relatively low thermal conductivity, one side of a second cooling device that comes into contact with the other side of the specific battery cell (100) may be formed of a second member (320) having relatively high thermal conductivity.

[0055] Specifically, each of the entire battery cells (100) constituting the secondary battery module (10) may be arranged to be in contact with at least one surface of a cooling device (300) formed by a second member (320) having high thermal conductivity. Accordingly, each of the battery cells (100) may be able to effectively exchange heat with a coolant through the second member (320) having high thermal conductivity.

[0056] For example, a cooling device (300) including at least one surface formed by a first member (310) having low thermal conductivity may be arranged on each of both sides of each of the battery cells (100) constituting the secondary battery module (10). For example, even if thermal runaway occurs from any of the battery cells (100), based on the first member (310) having low thermal conductivity, heat transfer in either direction of the two sides of the battery cell (100) can be prevented to a minimum.

[0057] The case (200) accommodates a plurality of battery cells (100) and cooling devices (300) inside, and can form the exterior of the secondary battery module (10). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the case (200) can be configured to have a main body frame (210) having a storage space inside and having open ends on both sides, and an end frame (220) covering the open ends of the main body frame (210) coupled thereto.

[0058] For example, the case (200) may further include a venting hole (202) provided so that the venting gas generated from a specific battery cell (100) can be smoothly discharged to the outside of the secondary battery module (10). The number, position, and shape of the venting holes (202) may be variously applied within a range that can be easily designed and changed by a person skilled in the art. For example, in FIG. 2, an embodiment in which the venting hole (202) is formed above the case (200) so that the venting gas can be discharged upward of the secondary battery module (10) is illustrated; however, an embodiment in which the venting hole (202) is formed on the side or bottom of the case (200) so that the venting gas can be discharged downward or laterally of the secondary battery module (10) is also possible.

[0059] For example, when a battery pack includes a secondary battery module (10) (or a battery cell stack) housed within a battery pack case, a space through which a venting gas can flow can be provided in an area between one side of the secondary battery module (10) (or a battery cell stack) in the direction in which the venting hole (202) is formed and the battery pack case.

[0060] For example, if a venting hole (202) is formed in the lower surface of the case (200) so that venting gas can be discharged downward of the secondary battery module (10) (or, battery cell stack), a certain space is provided between the lower surface of the secondary battery module (10) (or, battery cell stack) and the lower surface of the battery pack case, which can serve as a space for the flow of the venting gas.

[0061] Meanwhile, in the structure configured to discharge venting gas downward of the secondary battery module (10) (or, battery cell stack) as described above in the embodiment, the inlet and outlet of each cooling device (300) may be configured to be connected to a cooling pipe arranged at the lower end of a space provided to allow the venting gas to flow. For example, the cooling pipe may supply the coolant to a coolant passage inside the cooling device (300) through each inlet, and discharge the heated coolant to the outside of the cooling device (300) through each outlet as it flows through the coolant passage.

[0062] As above, the cooling pipe connected to the inlet and outlet of the cooling device (300) and the venting gas flow space of the secondary battery module (10) (or battery cell stack) are arranged in adjacent positions, thereby securing freedom in the spatial design of the battery pack.

[0063] Meanwhile, unlike those illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in one embodiment, a secondary battery module (10) may be configured such that the case (200) is omitted as part of a battery pack, and a stack (assembly) of a plurality of battery cells (100) and a cooling device (300) is directly mounted on the pack case.

[0064] For example, when a plurality of secondary battery modules (10) are mounted inside a pack case to form a single battery pack, each of the secondary battery modules (10) may be mounted inside the pack case with the module exterior formed by the case (200), but alternatively, the secondary battery module (10) may be mounted directly inside the pack case in the form of a battery cell stack without being surrounded by the case (200) (or surrounded by a four-sided case that does not cover the upper / lower sides of the secondary battery module (10).

[0065] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the structure of a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the flow of refrigerant inside a cooling device (300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 5A to 5D are schematic side cross-sectional views of cooling devices (300) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5d, a cooling device (300) according to various embodiments may be formed by combining two members (e.g., a first member (310) and a second member (320)) formed of different materials.

[0067] For example, the cooling device (300) can be formed by combining a first member (310) made of a material having relatively low thermal conductivity and a second member (320) made of a material having relatively high thermal conductivity.

[0068] For example, the cooling device (300) may be formed by bonding a first member (310) made of a non-metallic material and a second member (320) made of a metallic material. For example, the first member (310) may be formed of a urethane material, and the second member (320) may be formed of an aluminum material.

[0069] The first member (310) and the second member (320) can be bonded together by an adhesive material having chemical resistance properties (e.g., an adhesive tape). For example, the adhesive material can be applied to a portion corresponding to a partition wall (330) protruding toward the inside of the cooling device (300) in at least one of the first member (310) and the second member (320), thereby bonding the first member (310) and the second member (320). The adhesive material can be formed by a material having thermosetting properties. For example, the adhesive layer (240) can be formed by a material having excellent adhesive properties, electrical insulation properties, and watertight performance.

[0070] Meanwhile, at least one of the first member (310) or the second member (320) may be composed of a material that has adhesive properties of its own. For example, the first member (310) made of a non-metallic material may be composed of a thermally conductive resin. For example, the first member (310) made of a non-metallic material may include a thermally conductive adhesive material.

[0071] For example, the thermally conductive material (or thermally conductive adhesive material) may include at least one of a silicone material, a urethane material, or an acrylic material.

[0072] In another embodiment, either the first member (310) or the second member (320) may be formed of a material having insulating properties. For example, the first member (310) may be formed of a non-metallic material (or a metallic material) having excellent insulating properties, and the second member (320) may be formed of a metallic material having relatively excellent electrical and thermal conductivity.

[0073] Meanwhile, the cooling device (300) may have a space (i.e., a refrigerant passage) formed inside by a bulkhead (330) through which refrigerant can flow.

[0074] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the cooling device (300) may be configured such that the refrigerant flows into the inside of the cooling device (300) through the space between the partition walls (330), flows in the direction of the arrow, and then flows out to the outside. However, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the shape of the partition walls of the cooling device (300) is not limited to the structure illustrated in FIG. 4, etc., and various partition structures corresponding to various design conditions of the secondary battery module (10), such as the flow rate of the refrigerant, may be applied.

[0075] For example, the partition wall (330) may be configured so that the refrigerant introduced into the cooling device (300) moves in the + Y-axis direction of FIG. 4, then moves again in the - Y-axis direction, and then moves again in the + Y-axis direction, repeating the process. For example, unlike what is illustrated in FIG. 4, the cooling device (300) may be configured so that the inlet and outlet are positioned adjacent to each other, or may be configured to include a plurality of inlets or outlets therein.

[0076] In various embodiments, at least one of the first member (310) or the second member (320) may include an outer wall (312, 322) in the shape of a flat plate facing the battery cell (100) or the case (200), and a partition wall (330) (e.g., a first partition wall (315), a second partition wall (325)) protruding from the outer wall (312, 322) toward the inside of the cooling device (300).

[0077] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, the first member (310) and the second member (320) may each have outer walls (312, 322) and partition walls (330) (315, 325), and an inner space formed by joining the first partition wall (315) of the first member (310) and the second partition wall (325) of the second member (320) may serve as a passage for the refrigerant. In this case, according to one embodiment, the first member (310) and the second member (320) may be formed of materials having different thermal conductivities, but their shapes may be configured to be substantially symmetrical.

[0078] For another example, as illustrated in FIGS. 5b and 5c, the cooling device (300) may include a partition wall (330) only in one of the first member (310) and the second member (320). For example, the cooling device (300) may be provided with a partition wall (330) (i.e., the first partition wall (315)) only in the first member (310) formed of a material having low thermal conductivity, and the second member (320) formed of a material having high thermal conductivity may not be provided with a separate partition wall other than the outer wall (322). Conversely, the cooling device (300) may be provided with a partition wall (330) (i.e., the second partition wall (325)) only in the second member (320) formed of a material having high thermal conductivity, and the second member (320) formed of a material having low thermal conductivity may not be provided with a separate partition wall.

[0079] For example, when the first member (310) is formed of a non-metallic material and the second member (320) is formed of a metallic material, as shown in FIG. 5b, the partition wall (330) of the cooling device (300) is formed only by the first member (310), and the second member (320) does not include a protruding portion such as the partition wall (330), it is possible to form a cooling device (300) that is relatively light in weight while implementing substantially the same function as FIG. 5a or FIG. 5c in terms of forming a coolant flow path, thereby providing a secondary battery module (10) with improved energy density.

[0080] Meanwhile, in the embodiment, the cooling device (300) may be configured such that one of the first member (310) and the second member (320) is configured to have only an outer wall (e.g., 312, 322), and the other includes an outer wall (e.g., 312, 322), a partition wall (330) (e.g., 315, 325), and an inner wall (e.g., 323), as illustrated in FIG. 5d. For example, the first member (310) may be formed of a non-metallic material (e.g., thermally conductive resin), and the second member (320) may be formed of a metallic material. In this case, the contact area between the first member (310) and the second member (320) is increased compared to the structures illustrated in FIGS. 5a to 5c, so that the coupling or assembly of the first member (310) and the second member (320) is easier and structural stability is secured, which may have the advantage of being secured.

[0081] In one embodiment, when the cooling device (300) includes an inner wall (e.g., 323), the thickness of the inner wall may be configured to be smaller than the thicknesses of the other outer walls.

[0082] In one embodiment, when the cooling device (300) includes an inner wall (e.g., 323), the thickness of the outer wall (e.g., 322) of the member including the inner wall (e.g., the second member (320)) may be configured to be greater than the thickness of the outer wall (e.g., 312) of the member not including the inner wall (e.g., the first member (310)).

[0083] For example, in a structure in which only the second member (320) is provided with an inner wall and a bulkhead, the thickness of the outer wall (322) of the second member (320) may be configured to a size corresponding to the sum of the thickness of the outer wall (312) of the first member (310) and the thickness of the inner wall (323) of the second member (320).

[0084] FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of a secondary battery module (10) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 6, a secondary battery module (10) according to one embodiment may include a cooling device (300) positioned between battery cells (100) located at the outermost portion and a case (200).

[0086] The cooling device (300) located at the outermost part of the secondary battery module (10) (i.e., the cooling device (300) directly interposed between the battery cell (100) and the case (200)) is formed by bonding a first member (310) having relatively low thermal conductivity and a second member (320) having relatively high thermal conductivity, but unlike what is shown in FIG. 2, one side (e.g., the second side) of the cooling device (300) formed by the second member (320) having high thermal conductivity in each cooling device (300) may be configured to face the adjacent battery cell (100), and one side (e.g., the first side) of the cooling device (300) formed by the first member (310) having low thermal conductivity may be configured to face the adjacent case (200).

[0087] For example, the first member (310) may be composed of a thermally conductive resin having a predetermined adhesive performance, and the second member (320) may be composed of a metal material having better thermal conductivity properties than the thermally conductive resin. In this case, the first member (310) may also function to mutually bond the second member (320) and the case (200).

[0088] Meanwhile, although not shown, in a secondary battery module (10) according to another embodiment, at least one cooling device (300) may include a first portion interposed between battery cells (100) and a second portion extending from the first portion. For example, the first portion may extend in a direction parallel to the Z-axis with reference to FIG. 6, and the second portion may extend in a direction other than the Z-axis.

[0089] In an embodiment, the second portion may be formed by joining a first member (310) having low thermal conductivity and a second member (320) having high thermal conductivity, similar to the first portion, and may be configured to allow or prevent coolant from flowing through the space inside. For example, the second portion may at least partially cover one side of the battery cell (100) (e.g., the upper side of the battery cell (100) facing the venting hole (202). For example, the second portion may be positioned so as to guide the venting gas to be discharged through the venting hole (202) rather than being transmitted to other battery cells (100) when venting gas is generated from a specific battery cell (100) due to an event such as thermal runaway.

[0090] The secondary battery module (10) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can be widely applied to green technology fields such as electric vehicles, battery charging stations, and other battery-powered solar and wind power generation. Furthermore, it can also be applied to eco-friendly electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, which aim to prevent climate change by suppressing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0091] Meanwhile, although terms indicating directions such as up and down are used in this specification, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these terms are only for convenience of explanation and may vary depending on the location of the target object or the location of the observer.

[0092] As used herein, "electrically connected" may refer to a state in which, when objects to be connected are connected by a connecting means, an electrical circuit is formed, allowing current to flow between each connected object. The connecting means is not particularly limited as long as it allows for electrical connection, but may include direct contact between the objects to be connected or a wire capable of carrying current.

[0093] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention as set forth in the claims. Furthermore, the embodiments described above may be implemented by deleting some components, and the embodiments may be implemented in combination with each other.

Claims

1. Multiple battery cells; One or more cooling devices arranged to be in contact with at least one of the plurality of battery cells; and A case comprising a plurality of battery cells and one or more cooling devices, One or more of the cooling devices, A device comprising a refrigerant passage inside and configured to cool at least one of the plurality of battery cells by a refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage, Comprising a first side and a second side forming the other side of the first side, A battery cell laminate, wherein the first side and the second side are composed of materials having different thermal conductivities.

2. In paragraph 1, The above first side is composed of a non-metallic material, A battery cell laminate, wherein the second surface is composed of a metal material.

3. In paragraph 2, A battery cell laminate, wherein the first surface is composed of thermal resin.

4. In paragraph 3, A battery cell laminate, wherein the first surface is composed of at least one of a silicone material, a urethane material, or an acrylic material.

5. In paragraph 3, A battery cell laminate, wherein the first side is configured to mutually bond the second side and one of the plurality of battery cells.

6. In paragraph 1, The above one or more cooling devices are plural, At least some of said plurality of cooling devices, Interposed between two adjacent battery cells among the above plurality of battery cells, At least some other of said plurality of cooling devices, A battery cell laminate interposed between a battery cell positioned at the outermost end among the plurality of battery cells and one surface of the case adjacent to the battery cell.

7. In paragraph 6, A battery cell stack, wherein the second surface is bonded to one of the two adjacent battery cells or to one surface of the case by the first surface.

8. In paragraph 1, One or more of the cooling devices, A battery cell laminate formed by bonding a first member made of a non-metallic material and a second member made of a metallic material.

9. In paragraph 8, A battery cell stack, wherein the refrigerant passage is formed by a space between the first member and the second member.

10. In paragraph 8, At least one of the first absence or the second absence, an outer wall facing one of the plurality of battery cells or the case; and A battery cell stack, comprising a baffle protruding from the outer wall toward the inner side to form the coolant passage.

11. In Article 10, At least one of the first absence or the second absence, A battery cell stack further comprising an inner wall connected to the bulkhead.

12. In paragraph 8, The first member and the second member each include an outer wall facing one of the plurality of battery cells or the case, Either the first member or the second member includes a baffle protruding from the outer wall toward the inner side to form the refrigerant passage, A battery cell stack, wherein either the other of the first absence or the second absence does not include the bulkhead.

13. In paragraph 8, A battery cell laminate, wherein the first member is formed of at least one of silicone, urethane, or acrylic materials.

14. In paragraph 1, The material constituting the first surface has a thermal conductivity of at least 5 W / m K, A battery cell laminate, wherein the material constituting the second surface has a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m·K.

15. In paragraph 1, A battery cell stack, wherein each of the plurality of battery cells and the one or more cooling devices are cross-stacked within the case.

16. In paragraph 1, At least one of the above one or more cooling devices, The first surface is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity less than a specified size, and faces the case, A battery cell stack, wherein the second side faces the battery cell and is composed of a material having a thermal conductivity greater than or equal to the above-mentioned size.

17. In paragraph 1, The material constituting the first surface has a thermal conductivity less than a specified size, The material constituting the second surface has a thermal conductivity greater than the above-specified size, At least one of the above one or more cooling devices, The above first surface is in contact with the first battery cell, A battery cell stack, wherein the second surface is in contact with a second battery cell adjacent to the first battery cell.

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