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EP-4152495-B1 - BATTERY MODULE, BATTERY PACK, AND VEHICLE

EP4152495B1EP 4152495 B1EP4152495 B1EP 4152495B1EP-4152495-B1

Inventors

  • YANG, JIN-OH
  • CHOI, HAE-WON

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20210915

Claims (9)

  1. A battery module (100), comprising: a plurality of battery cells (110); a module case (130) having an inner space formed therein and configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells (110) in the inner space; a polymer member (140) configured to be filled in at least a part of the inner space of the module case (130) accommodating the plurality of battery cells (110); and a filler (150) at least partially located inside the polymer member (140) and interposed in at least one space of a space between at least one of the plurality of battery cells (110) and the module case (130) and a space between the plurality of battery cells (110), wherein the filler (150) includes a plurality of particles, wherein the particles have an empty space formed therein, and wherein the filler (150) further includes: a fire-extinguishing material (151a) therein; a plurality of pellets (151) having an outer wall (W) surrounding an empty space (S) and containing a flame-retardant liquid (151b) therein; a plurality of pellets (151) having at least one flow hole (151c) and configured such that the polymer member (140) is partially inserted therein; or a plurality of particles that respectively have an outer layer (151e) and a porous inner layer (151f).
  2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the polymer member (140) includes a silicon resin.
  3. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the polymer member (140) is cured after being filled in at least a part of the inner space of the module case (130).
  4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the filler (150) includes a plurality of particles and is dispersed inside the polymer member (140).
  5. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the filler (150) includes a plastic material or a ceramic material.
  6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the filler (150) includes a plurality of particles with different sizes.
  7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the filler (150) has an empty space (S) formed therein.
  8. A battery pack, comprising at least one battery module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
  9. A vehicle, comprising at least one battery module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery pack, and a vehicle, and more particularly, to a battery module, a battery pack, and a vehicle with reduced manufacturing cost and improved safety against fire. BACKGROUND ART Currently, commercially available secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries and the like, and among them, lithium secondary batteries have little or no memory effect, and thus they are gaining more attention than nickel-based secondary batteries for their advantages that recharging can be done whenever it is convenient, the self-discharge rate is very low and the energy density is high. In addition, depending on the shape of the exterior, the lithium secondary battery may be classified into a cylindrical battery cell in which an electrode assembly is included in a metal can and a pouch-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is included in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet. In particular, the demand for large-capacity battery modules applied to electronic devices, vehicles, and the like is increasing recently. Such a large-capacity battery module may include a plurality of battery cells, for example a plurality of cylindrical battery cells. However, in the battery module, when thermal runaway, fire, explosion, or the like occurs in some of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, high-temperature heat, fragments, flame, gas, or the like of the electrode assembly may be discharged to raise the temperature of other adjacent battery cells. Accordingly, there is a problem in that thermal runaway, fire, or the like is propagated to other adjacent battery cells, resulting in a larger secondary fire or explosion, thereby exacerbating the damage. Moreover, the space between the plurality of cylindrical battery cells or between the module case and the battery cell is very narrow in many cases, but this structure is very vulnerable to the propagation of heat or flame between the plurality of battery cells. In addition, due to such a narrow space, there are many restrictions in providing a separate member for preventing heat or flame propagation. Further, in the case of the conventional battery module, a configuration in which a specific material is input to prevent the propagation of internal heat or flame is also attempted, but there is a problem that the cost of the specific material is high. Accordingly, the conventional battery module has many difficulties in efficiently securing safety against heat or fire. The document KR 102 139 491 B1 discloses a battery module including a resin layer filler. The document US 2018/375 076 A1 discloses a multi-core lithium-ion battery including a support member having a plurality of cavities in which a plurality of lithium-ion core members are disposed. The document US2012/003 508 A1 discloses a battery container structure filled with a flame-retardant foam having closed porosity and formed of an electrically insulating material. DISCLOSURE Technical Problem The present invention is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present invention is directed to providing a battery module capable of efficiently securing safety against heat or fire, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the battery module. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention may be understood from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Technical Solution The present invention is a battery module according to independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in dependent claims 2 to 9. According to independent claim 1, a module case is having an inner space formed therein and configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells in the inner space; a polymer member configured to be filled in at least a part of the inner space of the module case accommodating the plurality of battery cells; and a filler at least partially located inside the polymer member and interposed in at least one space of a space between at least one of the plurality of battery cells and the module case and a space between the plurality of battery cells, wherein the filler (150) includes a plurality of particles, wherein the particles have an empty space formed, and wherein the filler further includes at least one of the configurations defined in claim 1 on file. The polymer member may include a silicon resin. The polymer member may be cured after being filled in at least a part of the inner space of the module case. The filler may include a plurality of particles and is dispersed inside the polymer member. The filler may include a plastic material or a ceramic material. The filler may include a plurality of particles with different sizes. The filler has an empty space formed therein. The filler contains a fire-extinguishing mater