EP-4742400-A1 - BATTERY MODULE

EP4742400A1EP 4742400 A1EP4742400 A1EP 4742400A1EP-4742400-A1

Abstract

A battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a module case including an upper frame having a venting hole formed therein; a plurality of battery cells stored in the module case; a protective cover including an opening/closing member provided at a position corresponding to the venting hole; and a middle cover located between the upper frame and the protective cover and including a venting unit provided between the opening/closing member and the venting hole.

Inventors

PARK, WON-KYOUNG
CHOI, HAE-WON
KIM, YOUNG-GIL

Assignees

LG Energy Solution, Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20250212

Claims (12)

A battery module comprising: a module case comprising an upper frame having a venting hole formed therein; a plurality of battery cells stored in the module case; a protective cover comprising an opening/closing member provided at a position corresponding to the venting hole; and a middle cover located between the upper frame and the protective cover and comprising a venting unit provided between the opening/closing member and the venting hole.
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the opening/closing member is configured to open when a thermal event occurs in the battery cell.
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the venting unit is configured to physically support a lower portion of the opening/closing member and comprises a mesh structure that allows gas discharged through the venting hole to pass therethrough.
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the venting unit comprises a bone frame having a plurality of mesh holes formed therein.
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the bone frame has a concave groove formed in a downward direction from an upper surface.
The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the concave groove is formed to extend along a central portion of the bone frame.
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the bone frame comprises an inclined structure for directional venting.
The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the bone frame comprises the inclined structure formed asymmetrically.
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the bone frame has a V-shaped cross section.
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the bone frame has a through-hole formed therein.
A battery pack comprising a battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
A vehicle comprising a battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0032232, filed on March 06, 2024, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The present disclosure relates to a battery module and, more specifically, to a battery module with enhanced safety through structural improvements for the discharge of venting gases or the like. BACKGROUND ART As the demand for portable electronic products such as laptop PCs, video cameras, and mobile phones that use electricity as power increases rapidly, and as mobile robots, drones, electric bicycles, electric carts, and electric vehicles become widely commercialized, active researches on high-performance secondary batteries capable of being repeatedly charged and discharged are underway. Commercialized secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium-ion secondary batteries. Among these, lithium-ion secondary batteries have advantages of flexible charging and discharging due to almost no memory effect, compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, a very low self-discharge rate, a high energy density, and a high operating voltage, so the lithium-ion secondary batteries are being studied more intensively than other types of secondary batteries, and are being applied more widely to actual products. Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used not only in small devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in medium and large-sized devices such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESSs). In this case, a battery module in which multiple electrically connected secondary batteries are stored inside a module case is mainly applied, and furthermore, in cases where high power or large capacity is required, a battery pack in which a plurality of battery modules above are electrically connected is also applied. Recently, cell-to-pack-type battery packs in which multiple battery cells are directly stored in a pack housing, instead of being modularized, have been manufactured. Although secondary batteries with such advantages are being used in various forms, thermal runaway may occur due to swelling, rush current application, and Joule overheating according to the characteristics of secondary batteries. In addition, an event such as a short circuit between secondary batteries or excessive temperature rise may occur, or venting gas may be generated due to an oxidation and reduction decomposition reaction of the electrolyte, and if it worsens, not only flames but also high-temperature particles including electrode plate fragments, active material fragments, or aluminum particles may be released out in the form of sparks or the like, so it is very important to secure the safety of battery modules or battery packs comprised of multiple battery modules. Battery modules or battery packs may be more vulnerable to thermal events because multiple secondary batteries (battery cells) or multiple cell assemblies are densely packed in a space thereof. In particular, if thermal runaway occurs inside the battery module, high-temperature gas, flame, and heat are generated, and if these are not quickly controlled, a thermal chain reaction may occur in adjacent battery cells or battery modules due to thermal propagation or the like. In the case of medium and large battery packs applied to vehicles such as electric vehicles that users ride, a large number of battery cells and battery modules are installed more intensively to increase output and capacity, which may cause not only large-scale fires but also human casualties. Therefore, there is a great need to fundamentally suppress and control thermal events that may occur in the battery modules or the like from the initial stage. Conventional battery modules are also equipped with basic structures or devices such as venting holes to discharge venting gas or flame to the outside. However, as discussed above, thermal events occurring in the battery cells or battery modules may cause fatal safety issues. Therefore, structural improvements are needed to more accurately and quickly discharge venting gas and effectively suppress the chain propagation of thermal events to adjacent battery cells. DISCLOSURE Technical Problem The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module with enhanced safety by effectively suppressing the chain propagation of thermal events occurring in battery cells through simple structural improvements while inducing rapid discharge of the venting gas to the outside. The technical problems that the present disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention des