TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery pack and a vehicle,
and more particularly, to a battery module having improved safety against thermal
runaway, fire, explosion, or the like.
The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-
10 0113332 filed on September 4, 2020 in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND ART
Recently, with the rapid increase in demand for portable electronic products such
15 as laptop computers, video cameras, and mobile phones and the extensive development of
electric vehicles, accumulators for energy storage, robots and satellites, many studies are
being made on high performance secondary batteries that can be repeatedly recharged.
Currently, commercially available secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium
batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries and
20 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.
3
The lithium secondary battery mainly uses lithium-based oxides and carbon
materials as positive electrode active materials and negative electrode active materials,
respectively. In addition, the lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in
which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate respectively coated with the
5 positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material are disposed
with a separator interposed therebetween, and an exterior, namely a battery case, for
sealing and accommodating the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte.
In addition, according to the shape of the exterior, the lithium secondary battery
may be classified into a cylindrical battery cell in which an electrode assembly is included
10 into 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.
Among them, in the case of the cylindrical battery cell, the metal can in which an
electrode assembly is included may be manufactured in a cylindrical shape. The
cylindrical battery cell may be used to constitute a battery module that includes a module
15 case for accommodating a plurality of secondary batteries and a bus bar configured to
electrically connect the plurality of secondary batteries.
However, the conventional battery module includes a plurality of battery cells, and
if thermal runaway, ignition, or explosion occurs in some of the plurality of battery cells
provided inside the battery module, the generated high-temperature gas or flame or hot
20 internal material may be injected and transferred to adjacent battery cells, which may cause
secondary thermal runaway or secondary fire or explosion. Thus, efforts are being made
to prevent a plurality of battery cells from sequentially causing thermal runaway, ignition,
or explosion.
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DISCLOSURE
Technical Problem
The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and
5 therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module having an
enhanced safety against thermal runaway, fire, explosion or the like.
These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be
understood from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparent
from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, it will be easily
10 understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by the
means shown in the appended claims and combinations thereof.
Technical Solution
In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module,
15 comprising: a plurality of battery cells respectively having electrode terminals and
configured to be erected long in an upper and lower direction; an upper cover configured to
extend in a horizontal direction to cover an upper portion of the plurality of battery cells
and having a plurality of exposing holes formed to expose the upper portion of each of the
plurality of battery cells to the outside at least partially; a lower cover configured to extend
20 in the horizontal direction to cover a lower portion of the plurality of battery cells and
having a plurality of exposing holes formed to expose the lower portion of each of the
plurality of battery cells to the outside at least partially; and a filling member having
electric insulation and filled in the plurality of exposing holes to seal the plurality of
5
exposing holes formed in at least one of the upper cover and the lower cover.
The filling member may be coated to surround at least one of an upper surface of
the upper portion of the plurality of battery cells a lower surface of the lower portion of the
plurality of battery cells, and a part of a side surface of a side portion of the plurality of
5 battery cells.
At least one of the upper cover and the lower cover may include a filling portion
recessed inward in a region where the plurality of exposing holes are formed so as to form
an accommodation space that is filled with the filling member.
A side portion and the lower portion of the plurality of battery cells, except for the
10 upper portion thereof, may be coated with an electrically insulating coating material.
The upper cover may include a plurality of accommodation portions having a tube
shape extending in the upper and lower direction so that the upper portion of each of the
plurality of battery cells is inserted therein, the lower cover may include a plurality of
accommodation portions having a tube shape extending in the upper and lower direction so
15 that the lower portion of each of the plurality of battery cells is inserted therein, and at least
one of the upper cover and the lower cover may include a guide portion configured to
protrude from the accommodation portion toward the side portion of the battery cell
inserted into the accommodation portion to partially surround the side portion of the
battery cell inserted into the accommodation portion.

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A battery module, comprising:
a plurality of battery cells respectively having electrode terminals and configured
5 to be erected long in an upper and lower direction;
an upper cover configured to extend in a horizontal direction to cover an upper
portion of the plurality of battery cells and having a plurality of exposing holes formed to
expose the upper portion of each of the plurality of battery cells to the outside at least
partially;
10 a lower cover configured to extend in the horizontal direction to cover a lower
portion of the plurality of battery cells and having a plurality of exposing holes formed to
expose the lower portion of each of the plurality of battery cells to the outside at least
partially; and
a filling member having electric insulation and filled in the plurality of exposing
15 holes to seal the plurality of exposing holes formed in at least one of the upper cover and
the lower cover.
2. The battery module according to claim 1,
wherein the filling member is coated to surround at least one of an upper surface
20 of the upper portion of the plurality of battery cells a lower surface of the lower portion of
the plurality of battery cells, and a part of a side surface of a side portion of the plurality of
battery cells.
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3. The battery module according to claim 1,
wherein at least one of the upper cover and the lower cover includes a filling
portion recessed inward in a region where the plurality of exposing holes are formed so as
to form an accommodation space that is filled with the filling member.
5
4. The battery module according to claim 1,
wherein a side portion and the lower portion of the plurality of battery cells, except
for the upper portion thereof, are coated with an electrically insulating coating material.
10 5. The battery module according to claim 4,
wherein the upper cover includes a plurality of accommodation portions having a
tube shape extending in the upper and lower direction so that the upper portion of each of
the plurality of battery cells is inserted therein,
the lower cover includes a plurality of accommodation portions having a tube
15 shape extending in the upper and lower direction so that the lower portion of each of the
plurality of battery cells is inserted therein, and
at least one of the upper cover and the lower cover includes a guide portion
configured to protrude from the accommodation portion toward the side portion of the
battery cell inserted into the accommodation portion to partially surround the side portion
20 of the battery cell inserted into the accommodation portion.