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EP-4742402-A1 - BATTERY MODULE, BATTERY PACK AND VEHICLE COMPRISING SAME

EP4742402A1EP 4742402 A1EP4742402 A1EP 4742402A1EP-4742402-A1

Abstract

A battery module of the present disclosure may include a cell assembly including a plurality of battery cells; and a module case that accommodates the cell assembly and includes a side cover assembly covering one side surface of the cell assembly, wherein the side cover assembly may include a first plate including at least one first venting hole configured to discharge venting gas, and the venting gas may be discharged in a first direction perpendicular to the first plate and may be configured to be bent in a second direction roughly parallel to the first plate and move.

Inventors

  • CHANG, Hyuk-Kyun
  • KIM, SOO-YOUL
  • KIM, SO-YOUNG
  • PARK, GI-CHAN
  • PARK, JU-HUN

Assignees

  • LG Energy Solution, Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250522

Claims (17)

  1. A battery module comprising: a cell assembly comprising a plurality of battery cells; and a module case that accommodates the cell assembly and comprises a side cover assembly covering one side surface of the cell assembly, wherein the side cover assembly comprises a first plate comprising at least one first venting hole configured to discharge venting gas, and the venting gas is discharged in a first direction perpendicular to the first plate and is configured to be bent in a second direction roughly parallel to the first plate and move.
  2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the first plate further comprises at least one first protrusion extending in an outward direction from a first surface of the first plate facing the first direction.
  3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the at least one first protrusion is formed to surround at least a part of the at least one first venting hole, and the at least one first protrusion comprises at least one curved surface bent in the second direction.
  4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first venting hole is disposed in plurality along the stacking direction of the battery cells.
  5. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the curved surface is configured to discharge the venting gas in the second direction.
  6. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the side cover assembly further comprises a refractory member disposed on an inner side of the first plate.
  7. The battery module according to claim 6, wherein the refractory member comprises at least one venting portion in which at least a part thereof is formed at a position corresponding to the first venting hole.
  8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the refractory member is configured such that the at least one venting portion is closed in a normal state, and at least a part of the at least one venting portion is opened when the venting gas is discharged from the battery cell.
  9. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the at least one venting portion has a preliminary fracture part configured to be broken when the venting gas is discharged from the battery cell.
  10. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the side cover assembly further comprises: a second plate that comprises at least one second venting hole formed at a position corresponding to the at least one first venting hole and is disposed between the first plate and the cell assembly.
  11. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein the second plate further comprises at least one second protrusion extending in an outward direction from a second surface of the second plate facing the first direction.
  12. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein the side cover assembly further comprises: a third plate that is disposed on an outer side of the first plate and comprises at least one fourth venting hole formed at a position corresponding to the at least one first venting hole.
  13. The battery module according to claim 12, wherein the third plate further comprises at least one third protrusion extending in an outward direction from a third surface of the third plate facing the first direction.
  14. The battery module according to claim 1, further comprising: a busbar frame disposed between the side cover assembly and the plurality of battery cells.
  15. The battery module according to claim 14, wherein the busbar frame comprises at least one third venting hole formed at a position corresponding to the at least one first venting hole.
  16. A battery pack comprising a battery module according to claims 1 to 15.
  17. A vehicle comprising a battery pack according to claim 16.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a battery module, and a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0078461, filed on June 17, 2024, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. BACKGROUND ART Secondary batteries having high applicability according to product groups and electrical characteristics such as high energy density are commonly applied not only to portable devices but also to an electric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) driven by electric power sources. Such secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source to improve eco-friendliness and energy efficiency in that they have not only a primary advantage of dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels, but also no by-products generated from the use of energy. Secondary batteries widely used at present include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and the like. When a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in series to form a battery module or a battery pack. Additionally, in order to increase the charging and discharging capacity, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in parallel to form a battery module or a battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery module or battery pack may be variously set according to the required output voltage or the charging and discharging capacity. When configuring a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/parallel, it is common to first configure a battery module including at least one battery cell, and then configure a battery pack or a battery rack by adding other components using this at least one battery module. Alternatively, in recent years, a battery pack in the form of cell to pack, in which a plurality of battery cells are directly accommodated in a pack housing or the like without being modularized, has also been manufactured. However, when multiple battery modules are included inside the battery pack this way, the battery modules may be vulnerable to thermal chain reactions therebetween. For example, when an event such as thermal runaway occurs inside any one battery module, such thermal runaway may be propagated to other battery modules. If the propagation of thermal runaway between battery modules is not properly suppressed, an event occurring in a specific battery module may cause a chain reaction in multiple battery modules, which may lead to major problems such as explosions or fires. When a venting hole is formed in the case covering the upper direction, during the occurrence of a thermal event in the battery cell, high-temperature gas or flame moving upward may collide with the pack cover covering the upper side and then flow back into the battery module or flow into adjacent battery modules, causing a problem of the propagation and acceleration of thermal runaway. Additionally, discharges moving toward the upper side of the battery module may spread in random directions, increasing the likelihood of heat transfer to adjacent battery modules. Therefore, even if a thermal event occurs in the battery cell within the battery module, there is a need to develop a structure that may suppress and delay heat propagation in order to prevent gas or flame from being transferred to other cells within the battery module or to adjacent battery modules to cause thermal runaway. Additionally, when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module, there is a need to develop a structure that may quickly discharge high-temperature gas or flame generated in the battery module to the outside to alleviate heat accumulation within the battery module. DISCLOSURE Technical Problem Therefore, the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module that may quickly discharge high-temperature gas or flame generated in the battery module to the outside when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module, thereby alleviating heat accumulation within the battery module. The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module capable of solving the problem that high-temperature gas or flame discharged from the battery cell flow back into the battery module or flow into adjacent battery modules to cause the propagation of thermal runaway when a thermal event occurs in the battery cell. The present disclosure is also directed to providing a battery pack and a vehicle including such a battery module. However, technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described problems, and other problems not mentioned herein may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the present disclosure. Technical Solution In order to solve the above pr