CN-122003769-A - Battery module

CN122003769ACN 122003769 ACN122003769 ACN 122003769ACN-122003769-A

Abstract

A battery module is disclosed. The battery module includes a module case in which each of a plurality of battery packs accommodates one or more battery cells, and a top plate covering an upper portion of the module case, the top plate being provided with long sides and short sides. The battery module includes a vent slit group including a plurality of vent slits arranged in a short side direction on both sides of a long side direction of a top plate, and at least one vent hole group arranged between the vent slit groups and including a plurality of vent holes, wherein a short side direction width of the vent slits in the vent slit group is formed to be narrower than a short side direction width of the vent holes in the vent hole group.

Inventors

XU CANHUI
Zheng Qizhai
Cui Wanxie
Pu Donggao
Pu Zhengzai

Assignees

株式会社LG新能源

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20241011
Priority Date: 20231012

Claims (10)

1. A battery module including a module case provided with a plurality of battery packs respectively accommodating one or more battery cells therein, and a top plate provided with long sides and short sides and covering an upper portion of the module case, the battery module further comprising: A pair of exhaust slit groups respectively arranged on both sides of the long side direction of the top plate, each of the pair of exhaust slit groups including a plurality of exhaust slits arranged in the short side direction, and At least one vent hole group disposed between the pair of vent slit groups in a long side direction, each of the at least one vent hole group including a plurality of vent holes, Wherein a width in a short side direction of each of the plurality of exhaust slits in the pair of exhaust slit groups is narrower than a width in a short side direction of each of the exhaust holes in the at least one exhaust hole group.
2. The battery module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vent slits of the pair of vent slit groups and the plurality of vent holes of the at least one vent hole group are arranged in series along a long-side direction of the top plate.
3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, within the pair of exhaust slit groups, a length in a longitudinal direction of an outermost exhaust slit in a short side direction of the top plate is longer than a length in a longitudinal direction of at least one exhaust slit arranged between the outermost exhaust slits.
4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, within the pair of exhaust slit groups, a length in a longitudinal direction of an outermost exhaust slit in a short side direction of the top plate is longer than a length in a longitudinal direction of a plurality of exhaust slits arranged between the outermost exhaust slits.
5. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, within the at least one vent group, a length in a long-side direction of an outermost vent hole in a short-side direction of the top plate is longer than a length in a long-side direction of at least one vent hole arranged between the outermost vent holes.
6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein, within the at least one vent group, a length in a long-side direction of an outermost vent hole in a short-side direction of the top plate is longer than a length in a long-side direction of a plurality of vent holes arranged between the outermost vent holes.
7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein an outermost interval section defined by an interval portion extending in the long-side direction between an outermost exhaust slit and an outermost exhaust hole arranged on both sides in the short-side direction of the top plate and an inner interval section defined by an interval portion extending in the long-side direction between an exhaust slit and an exhaust hole arranged between the outermost exhaust slit and the outermost exhaust hole do not overlap each other in the long-side direction.
8. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of series exhaust portions including the plurality of exhaust slits in the pair of exhaust slit groups and the plurality of exhaust holes in the at least one exhaust hole group are arranged in series in a long-side direction of the top plate, are arranged in the short-side direction of the top plate.
9. The battery module of claim 8, wherein one serial vent corresponds to one battery pack.
10. The battery module of claim 8, wherein two or more series vents correspond to one battery pack.

Description

Battery module Technical Field The present application claims the benefit of priority based on korean patent application No.10-2023-0136131 filed on 10/12 of 2023, the entire contents of the disclosure of which are included as part of the present specification. The present invention relates to a battery module capable of preventing structural collapse when thermal runaway or thermal runaway propagation occurs and ensuring rigidity for withstanding vibration or shock while allowing smooth gas and flame discharge. Background Generally, a secondary battery includes an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte, and generates electric energy using a chemical reaction. The use of secondary batteries is gradually increasing due to the advantage of being able to charge and discharge. Since the energy density per unit weight of a lithium secondary battery among such secondary batteries is high, the lithium secondary battery is widely used as a power source of an electronic communication device or as a driving source of high-output hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. Regarding the shape of these secondary batteries, demands for prismatic battery cells and pouch-shaped battery cells, which are applicable to products such as mobile phones, are increasing because of their thinner thickness. As for materials of battery cells, demands for lithium battery cells (e.g., lithium ion batteries and lithium ion polymer batteries) having high energy density, discharge voltage, and output stability are increasing. The types of secondary batteries that are widely used at present include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, and nickel zinc batteries. The operating voltage of these battery cells may be about 2.5V to 4.2V. When a high output voltage is required, a battery module is constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. In addition, a plurality of battery modules are connected in series to form a battery pack. Further, the battery pack is constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in parallel according to the charge and discharge capacities required for the battery pack. The number of battery cells and the electrical connection structure of the battery pack may be selected in various ways according to the desired output voltage or charge and discharge capacity. In the battery pack, terminals of a plurality of battery modules are mounted at a module frame so as to be exposed, and terminals of adjacent battery modules are electrically connected by terminal bus bars. The plurality of battery cells expand when the battery module is charged and contract when the battery module is discharged. The expansion amount of the battery cell varies according to the position in the length direction of the battery cell. That is, the expansion amount of the longitudinal center of the battery cell is relatively large as compared with the expansion amount of the longitudinal end of the battery cell. The top plate is mounted in the battery module to cover the upper portion of the battery case. The bus bar terminal is mounted at the front of the battery case so as to be exposed. A plurality of exhaust holes are provided in the top plate. The plurality of exhaust holes provided in the top plate have the same width. When thermal runaway and thermal runaway propagation of the battery module occur, gas and flame are generated, and the gas and flame are discharged out of the battery module through the plurality of vent holes. When thermal runaway occurs in the battery module, the fluidity of the gas and flame in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the battery module is relatively increased as compared to the fluidity in the vicinity of the both longitudinal direction ends. It can be seen that in the exhaust holes at the center of the long side direction of the top plate, the amounts of the discharged gas and flame relatively increase. However, since almost all of the exhaust holes in the top plate generally have the same width uniformly, the rigidity of the top plate may be relatively lowered. That is, although the amounts of gas and flame discharged near both longitudinal ends of the top plate are relatively small, the exhaust holes near both ends are unnecessarily large, so that the rigidity of the top plate may be relatively lowered. In addition, when thermal runaway or thermal runaway propagation of the battery module occurs, flames may be discharged out of the battery module through the exhaust holes near both ends of the top plate. In this case, since the flame discharged to the outside deteriorates the battery module, the possibility of structural collapse of the battery module may increase. When a plurality of battery modules are mounted in a battery pack, flames released from both lengthwise ends of the top plate may move to adjacent battery modules. In this case, the battery modules near both lengthwise ends of the top plate m