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JP-2026514321-A - Battery modules, battery packs containing them, and automobiles

JP2026514321AJP 2026514321 AJP2026514321 AJP 2026514321AJP-2026514321-A

Abstract

A battery module, a battery pack including the same, and an automobile are disclosed. A battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, a module case in which the battery cell stack is housed and which has a discharge hole formed therein for discharging gas, and a reverse inflow prevention member coupled to the module case for preventing discharges generated from the battery cells from flowing out of the module case and then flowing back into the module case. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3

Inventors

  • チャン，ヒョクギュン
  • パク，ギチャン
  • パク，ジュフン

Assignees

  • エルジー エナジー ソリューション リミテッド

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20241113
Priority Date
20240226

Claims (16)

  1. A battery cell stack in which multiple battery cells are stacked, A module case in which the aforementioned battery cell stack is housed and which has an exhaust hole formed therein for releasing gas, A battery module comprising a reverse inflow prevention member coupled to the module case, which prevents discharge generated from the battery cell from flowing back into the module case after it has flowed out to the outside of the module case.
  2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that the reverse inflow prevention member has a movable hole communicating with the discharge hole, and a slanted portion is formed to prevent the reverse inflow of the discharged material that has moved through the movable hole.
  3. The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that the inclined portion is formed to be located above at least a portion of the movable hole.
  4. The battery module according to claim 3, characterized in that the inclination angle of the inclined portion is formed to have a range in which the discharged material, having moved through the moving hole, strikes the inclined portion and is reflected in a direction different from the direction in which the moving hole is located.
  5. The aforementioned module case includes the upper case, The discharge hole is formed in the upper case. The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that the reverse inflow prevention member is coupled to the upper case.
  6. The battery module according to claim 5, characterized in that the reverse inflow prevention member is connected to the upper case by a screw, bolt, or pin.
  7. The aforementioned reverse inflow prevention member is A lower surface portion having a movable hole that communicates with the aforementioned discharge hole, The side portion connected to the lower portion, It includes an upper surface that is connected to the side surface and separated from the lower surface so that a space is formed between it and the lower surface, The battery module according to claim 2, characterized in that the inclined portion is connected to the lower portion and the upper portion, respectively, and is formed to be inclined from the lower portion toward the upper portion.
  8. The battery module according to claim 7, characterized in that the inclined portion connects the side portion and the top portion of the movable hole.
  9. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that the reverse inflow prevention member has at least one of its front and rear portions open to allow gas to move.
  10. A plurality of battery modules according to any one of claims 1 to 9, A battery pack including a pack case that houses the aforementioned multiple battery modules.
  11. The aforementioned pack case includes an upper frame, The battery pack according to claim 10, characterized in that the reverse inflow prevention member is in contact with the inside of the upper frame.
  12. The backflow prevention member has a movable hole that communicates with the discharge hole, and an inclined portion is formed to prevent the backflow of the discharged material that has moved through the movable hole. The battery pack according to claim 11, characterized in that the first inclined portion of the first reverse inflow prevention member of the first battery module and the second inclined portion of the second reverse inflow prevention member of the second battery module adjacent to the first battery module are formed in opposite directions to each other.
  13. The battery pack according to claim 10, characterized in that a vent portion is formed in the pack case.
  14. The aforementioned vent section is, A vent hole through which gas generated from the aforementioned battery cell is discharged, The battery pack according to claim 13, further comprising a vent valve that closes the vent hole and is opened when the internal pressure of the pack case exceeds a preset value.
  15. The battery pack according to claim 13, characterized in that the gas discharged from the discharge hole is discharged from the vent portion.
  16. An automobile comprising at least one battery module as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Description

This invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack containing the same, and an automobile, and more particularly, to a battery module, a battery pack containing the same, and an automobile capable of preventing the backflow or propagation of high-temperature discharges. This application claims priority under Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0027465, filed on 26 February 2024, and all disclosures in the specification and drawings of said application are incorporated herein by reference. Generally, a secondary battery refers to a battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged, such as lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, and nickel-zinc batteries. The most basic secondary battery cells can provide an output voltage of approximately 2.5V to 4.2V. Recently, as such battery cells have been applied to devices requiring high output voltage and large charging capacity, such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS), battery modules, which are constructed by connecting multiple battery cells in series, parallel, or a combination of series and parallel, and battery packs, which are constructed by further connecting such battery modules in series, parallel, or a combination of series and parallel, are becoming widely used. Lithium-ion batteries have gained attention due to their advantages, such as high operating voltage and significantly higher energy density. However, because they use organic electrolytes, overcharging can induce overcurrent and overheating, potentially leading to explosions and fires. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional battery module, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack including the conventional battery module shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, if a thermal event such as flame generation occurs in any one of the battery cells 3 housed in the battery module 1, a high-temperature ejecta may be discharged to the outside of the module case 2 of the battery module 1. However, the high-temperature discharged material may move in various directions within the pack case 4 of the battery pack 5 (see arrows in Figure 2), and may either flow back into the module case 2 through other outlets where the thermal event occurred, or into other battery modules 1 where no thermal event has occurred. Thus, when a thermal event occurs, the high-temperature discharged material from battery module 1 diffuses inside pack case 4 and can propagate to battery module 1 where no thermal event has occurred, potentially causing a thermal runaway phenomenon. If such a thermal runaway phenomenon causes flames to escape to the outside, there is a problem that the driver of the electric vehicle could be burned or put in a dangerous situation. Alternatively, there is a problem in that the battery module 1 or battery pack 5 may be damaged or completely burned due to a chain reaction of flames caused by flame propagation, making it difficult to ensure the safety of the battery module 1 or battery pack 5. Furthermore, there is a problem in that the gas generated inside battery module 1 is not released, leading to an increase in internal pressure, which increases the likelihood of explosion of battery module 1 or battery pack 5. This is a perspective view of a conventional battery module.Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack including a conventional battery module.This is a perspective view of a battery module coupling according to one embodiment of the present invention.Figure 3 shows the reverse inflow prevention member separated from the module case.This is a front view of a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.This is a perspective view showing the bottom surface of the reverse current prevention member in a battery module according to one embodiment of the present invention.This figure shows a partially cut section of the backflow prevention member shown in Figure 3.This is an enlarged view of part A in Figure 7.This is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention.This diagram shows the vent portion of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention.This is a diagram illustrating an automobile including a battery pack according to each embodiment of the present invention. The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in this specification and the claims should not be interpreted in their ordinary or dictionary sense, but rather in accordance with the principle that the inventor himself can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe the invention, and in accordance with the meaning and concepts of the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described herein and the configurations shown in the drawings repres