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EP-4738583-A2 - BATTERY MODULE, AND BATTERY PACK AND VEHICLE INCLUDING SAME

EP4738583A2EP 4738583 A2EP4738583 A2EP 4738583A2EP-4738583-A2

Abstract

A battery module according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery cells, a cell frame configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells, and a filler filled between the plurality of battery cells, wherein the at least a portion of the cell frame may be recessed to form a leakage prevention groove for receiving the filler, wherein the cell frame may include a frame wall forming a perimeter of the cell frame and a cell accommodation portion provided inside the frame wall to accommodate the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the leakage prevention groove may be provided between the frame wall and the cell accommodation portion. According to the present invention, leakage of the filler may be prevented when the filler is injected. Additionally, in the case where the cell frames that accommodate the upper and lower portions of the battery cell are coupled to each other, it is possible to prevent the filler from leaking between the cell frames. In addition, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs, increase energy density, and prevent the leakage of the filler.

Inventors

  • LIM, JONG-MIN

Assignees

  • LG Energy Solution, Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230911

Claims (19)

  1. A battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells; a cell frame configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells; and a filler filled between the plurality of battery cells, wherein the at least a portion of the cell frame is recessed to form a leakage prevention groove for receiving the filler, wherein the cell frame comprises: a frame wall forming a perimeter of the cell frame; and a cell accommodation portion provided inside the frame wall to accommodate the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided between the frame wall and the cell accommodation portion and is provided in a shape surrounded by the cell accommodation portion and the frame wall.
  2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided along the frame wall.
  3. The battery module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cell accommodation portion comprises: a plurality of cell accommodation holes arranged side by side such that the plurality of battery cells is respectively inserted into the same; and a cell accommodation wall formed along the outermost perimeter of the cell accommodation holes, and wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided between the cell accommodation wall and the frame wall.
  4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the cell accommodation wall is inclined toward the leakage prevention groove.
  5. The battery module according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the plurality of cell accommodation holes is provided in a cylindrical shape, and wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided between adjacent cell accommodation holes among the plurality of cell accommodation holes and the frame wall.
  6. The battery module according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of leakage prevention groove is provided to be spaced apart from each other, and wherein the plurality of the leakage prevention grooves is provided to be connected to each other.
  7. The battery module according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the leakage prevention groove comprises: a plurality of first grooves formed between the adjacent cell accommodation holes among the plurality of cell accommodation holes; and second grooves formed between adjacent first grooves among the plurality of first grooves so as to communicate with the adjacent first grooves, and wherein the first groove and the second groove have different depths.
  8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the leakage prevention groove comprises an inclined surface that is provided to be inclined toward the first groove between the first groove and the second groove, thereby guiding the flow of the filler.
  9. The battery module according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the height of the cell accommodation wall and the depth of the leakage prevention groove are configured to correspond to the height of the frame wall.
  10. The battery module according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the cell frame comprises: a cell top frame configured to accommodate the upper portions of the plurality of battery cells; and a cell bottom frame coupled to the bottom of the cell top frame and configured to accommodate the lower portions of the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided in the cell bottom frame.
  11. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein the cell bottom frame comprises a coupling portion to which the cell top frame is coupled, and wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided on the inner side of the coupling portion.
  12. The battery module according to claim 11, wherein the cell bottom frame comprises: a first wall defined as the outer wall of the cell bottom frame; and a second wall spaced inward from the first wall, and wherein the coupling portion is provided between the first wall and the second wall such that a portion of the cell top frame is inserted into the same.
  13. The battery module according to claim 12, wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided on the inner side of the second wall.
  14. The battery module according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the filler is provided as a potting resin.
  15. A battery pack comprising at least one battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
  16. A vehicle comprising at least one battery pack according to claim 15.
  17. A cell frame comprising: a frame wall forming a rectangular frame; a cell accommodation portion provided inside the frame wall and configured to accommodate a plurality of battery cells; and a leakage prevention groove provided between the frame wall and the cell accommodation portion and provided in a shape surrounded by the cell accommodation portion and the frame wall.
  18. The cell frame according to claim 17, wherein the cell accommodation portion comprises: a plurality of cylindrical cell accommodation holes arranged side by side such that the plurality of battery cells is respectively inserted into the same; and a cell accommodation wall formed along the outermost perimeter of the cell accommodation holes, and wherein the leakage prevention groove is provided between the cell accommodation wall and the frame wall.
  19. The cell frame according to claim 18, wherein the leakage prevention groove comprises: a plurality of first grooves formed between the adjacent cell accommodation holes among the plurality of cell accommodation holes; and second grooves formed between adjacent first grooves among the plurality of first grooves so as to communicate with the adjacent first grooves, and wherein the first groove and the second groove have different depths.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a battery module, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a battery module capable of preventing leakage of a filler, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0181620 filed on December 22, 2022 in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0073840 filed on June 08, 2023 in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND ART Secondary batteries, which are easy to apply depending on the product group and have electrical characteristics such as high energy density and the like, are generally used in electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that are driven by an electric drive source, as well as in portable devices. These secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source for improving eco-friendliness and energy efficiency in that they have the primary advantage of being able to dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels and in that no byproduct is generated due to energy use. Types of current secondary batteries widely used include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and the like. The operating voltage of this unit secondary battery cell, that is, the unit battery cell, is approximately 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, when an output voltage higher than this is required, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. In addition, a battery pack may be configured by connecting multiple battery cells in parallel depending on the charge/discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Accordingly, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be set in various ways depending on the required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity. Meanwhile, in the case of configuring a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/parallel, a common method is to preferentially configure a battery module including at least one battery cell and then add other components using the at least one battery module, thereby configuring a battery pack or battery rack. The conventional battery module is configured to include a plurality of battery cells and a cell frame. Here, the conventional battery module is configured to further include a filler filled between the battery cells to prevent heat diffusion and secure cooling performance. However, the conventional battery module has a problem in which the filler leaks out of the cell frame. In particular, in the case of a structure in which the cell frame is configured by coupling separate upper and lower parts, there is a problem in which the filler may leak through the gap formed in the portion where the parts are coupled to each other. To solve this problem, in the conventional battery module, there was an attempt to fill the gap between the upper and lower parts of the cell frame with gaskets or glue, thereby preventing the filler from leaking out of the cell frame. However, in the conventional battery module, the addition of separate gaskets or glue increases the manufacturing cost and the size of the entire battery module, which is disadvantageous to energy density. Therefore, there is a need to provide a battery module capable of reducing manufacturing costs and increasing energy density while preventing leakage of the fillers, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. DISCLOSURE TECHNICAL PROBLEM Accordingly, the present disclosure has been designed to solve the problems of the related art, and is directed to providing a battery module capable of preventing leakage of the filler, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. In addition, the present disclosure is also to provide a battery module capable of reducing manufacturing costs and increasing energy density, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems described above, and other technical problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the present disclosure. TECHNICAL SOLUTION In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module including: a plurality of battery cells; a cell frame configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells; and a filler filled between the plurality of battery cells, wherein the at least a portion of the cell frame is recessed to form a leakage prevention groove for receiving the filler, wherein the cell frame includes: a frame wall forming a perimeter of the cell frame; and a cell accommodation po