Title of the invention: Battery module, battery rack and power storage device comprising such battery module
technical field
[One]
The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery rack comprising such a battery module, and a power storage device.
[2]
This application is an application for priority claiming Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0136958 filed on October 30, 2019, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated herein by reference.
background
[3]
Secondary batteries that are easy to apply according to product groups and have electrical characteristics such as high energy density are not only portable devices, but also electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid vehicles (HEVs) driven by an electric drive source. It is universally applied. These secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source for improving eco-friendliness and energy efficiency in that not only the primary advantage of being able to dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels but also the fact that no by-products are generated from the use of energy.
[4]
The types of secondary batteries currently widely used include a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydride battery, a nickel zinc battery, and the like. The unit secondary battery cell, that is, the operating voltage of the unit battery cell is about 2.5V ~ 4.5V. Accordingly, when a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells are connected in series to form a battery pack. In addition, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in parallel to form a battery pack according to the charge/discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Accordingly, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to a required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity.
[5]
On the other hand, when configuring a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/parallel, a battery module including at least one battery cell is first configured, and other components are added using the at least one battery module. It is common to configure battery packs or battery racks.
[6]
In the case of a conventional battery module, a water-cooled or air-cooled cooling unit may be provided for cooling the battery module. Here, the cooling unit of the battery module of the air-cooled structure is generally configured to include a cooling air supply unit and a cooling air discharge unit. Meanwhile, when a high-temperature situation occurs due to abnormal heat generation of at least one of the battery cells, high-temperature gas and flame may be generated inside the battery module.
[7]
However, in the case of a battery module having a conventional air-cooling structure, there is a problem in that it is difficult for high-temperature gas to smoothly escape out of the battery module. In this case, there is a problem in that thermal runaway of any one battery cell inside the module propagates to adjacent battery cells inside the module, leading to explosion of the entire battery module, etc., thereby causing great damage.
[8]
In addition, in the case of a battery module having a conventional air-cooled structure, when a flame is generated inside the module, when the internal flame is leaked to the outside, there is a problem in that the risk of fire spreading to the surrounding battery module increases.
[9]
Therefore, in the battery module of the air-cooled structure, when high-temperature gas and internal flame are generated due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery cell inside the module, the high-temperature gas can be rapidly discharged to the outside while preventing the external leakage of the internal flame. A solution is requested.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
technical challenge
[10]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a battery module capable of rapidly discharging high-temperature gas to the outside when high-temperature gas is generated inside the module case due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery cell, and a battery rack including such a battery module and to provide a power storage device.
[11]
In addition, another object of the present invention, when a flame is generated inside the module case due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery cell, a battery module capable of preventing external leakage of the internal flame, a battery rack and power comprising such a battery module This is to provide a storage device.
means of solving the problem
[12]
In order to solve the above object, the present invention, as a battery module, a plurality of battery cells; a module case accommodating the plurality of battery cells and having internal cooling passages provided on both sides of the plurality of battery cells; venting openings provided on both sides of the module case; a sheet member mounted on both sides of the module case so as to cover the venting opening and opening the venting opening while melting at a predetermined temperature or higher; and blocking brackets spaced apart from the sheet member by a predetermined distance and mounted on inner walls of both sides of the module case.
[13]
The venting openings may be provided in plurality, and may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the longitudinal direction of the module case.
[14]
The sheet member is provided with a predetermined length along the longitudinal direction of the module case, and may have a size to cover all venting openings provided on each side surface of the module case.
[15]
The venting opening may be provided in a mesh shape.
[16]
The blocking bracket may include: a bracket base mounted on both inner walls of the module case; and a bracket block extending from the bracket base and spaced apart from the venting opening by a predetermined distance.
[17]
The bracket block may have a size to cover the venting opening.
[18]
The bracket block may be disposed to face the plurality of battery cells.
[19]
The sheet member may be mounted on the inner wall of both side surfaces of the module case.
[20]
And, the present invention, as a battery rack, at least one battery module according to the above-described embodiments; and a rack case accommodating the at least one battery module; provides a battery rack comprising a.
[21]
In addition, the present invention provides a power storage device comprising a; at least one battery rack according to the above-described embodiment as a power storage device.
Effects of the Invention
[22]
According to various embodiments as described above, when high-temperature gas is generated inside the module case due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery cell, a battery module capable of rapidly discharging high-temperature gas to the outside, including such a battery module Battery racks and power storage can be provided.
[23]
In addition, according to various embodiments as described above, when a flame is generated inside the module case due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery cell, a battery module capable of preventing external leakage of the internal flame, and a battery including such a battery module Racks and power storage can be provided.
Brief description of the drawing
[24]
The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention to be described later, so that the present invention is described in such drawings should not be construed as being limited only to
[25]
1 is a view for explaining a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[26]
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[27]
3 is a view for explaining the main part of the outer part of the module case of the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[28]
4 is a view for explaining the main part of the inner part of the module case of the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[29]
5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining a state when the battery module of FIG. 1 is cooled.
[30]
7 is a view for explaining a state when high-temperature gas and an internal flame are generated according to an abnormal situation in the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[31]
8 is a view for explaining a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[32]
9 is a view for explaining a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[33]
10 is a diagram for explaining a power storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Modes for carrying out the invention
[34]
The present invention will become more apparent by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are illustratively shown to aid understanding of the invention, and the present invention may be implemented with various modifications different from the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to help the understanding of the invention, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, but dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.
[35]
1 is a view for explaining a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery module of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the main part of the outer part of the module case of the battery module of FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the main part of the inner part of the module case of the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[36]
1 to 4 , the battery module 10 includes a battery cell 100 , a module case 200 , a cooling air supply unit 300 , a cooling air discharge unit 400 , a venting opening 500 , and a seat. It may include a member 600 and a blocking bracket 700 .
[37]
The battery cell 100 is a secondary battery, and may be provided as a pouch-type secondary battery, a prismatic secondary battery, or a cylindrical secondary battery. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the battery cell 100 will be described as being limited to a pouch-type secondary battery.
[38]
A plurality of such battery cells 100 may be provided. The plurality of battery cells 100 may be disposed to be stacked on each other so as to be electrically connected to each other.
[39]
The module case 200 may accommodate the plurality of battery cells 100 . To this end, an accommodation space for accommodating the plurality of battery cells 100 may be provided in the module case 200 .
[40]
The module case 200 may include an internal cooling passage 250 .
[41]
The internal cooling passage 250 may be provided on both sides of the plurality of battery cells 100 inside the module case 200 . The internal cooling flow path 250 may be disposed in communication with a cooling air supply unit 300 and a cooling air discharge unit 400 provided in an air cooling type to be described later.
[42]
The cooling air supply unit 300 is provided on one side of the module case 200 , specifically, in front of the module case 200 , and may provide the cooling air toward the internal cooling passage 250 .
[43]
The cooling air supply unit 300 may be provided with a cooling supply fan unit for facilitating the supply of cooling air to the internal cooling passage 250 inside the module case 200 .
[44]
The cooling air discharge unit 400 is provided on the other side of the module case 200 , specifically, at the rear of the module case 200 , and supplies the cooling air inside the internal cooling passage 250 to the module case. (200) can be discharged outside.
[45]
The cooling air discharge unit 400 may be provided with a cooling discharge fan unit for facilitating discharge of cooling air from the inner cooling passage 250 side inside the module case 200 .
[46]
The cooling air discharge unit 400 may be disposed in a diagonal direction from the cooling air supply unit 300 in the front-rear direction of the module case 200 . Accordingly, the cooling air may flow more smoothly throughout the inside of the module case 200 .
[47]
The venting opening 500 faces the internal cooling passage 250 of the module case 200 , and may be provided on both side surfaces of the module case 200 . The venting opening 500 is provided in plurality, and may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the longitudinal direction of the module case 200 .
[48]
Here, the plurality of venting openings 500 may be provided in a mesh shape. This is to guide the prevention of such flame leakage when an internal flame occurs inside the module case 200 .
[49]
The sheet member 600 may be provided as a pair and mounted on both sides of the module case 200 to cover the venting opening 500 . Specifically, the pair of sheet members 600 may be mounted on inner walls of both side surfaces of the module case 200 .
[50]
The pair of sheet members 600 are provided with a predetermined length along the longitudinal direction of the module case 200 and cover all of the venting openings 500 provided on each side of the module case 200 . can
[51]
The pair of sheet members 600 may open the venting opening 500 while melting at a predetermined temperature or higher. Specifically, the pair of sheet members 600 seals at least one of the plurality of venting openings 500 at or below a predetermined temperature, and in this embodiment, the plurality of venting openings 500 while melting at a predetermined temperature or higher. The venting opening 500 of at least one of the openings 500 may be at least partially opened.
[52]
To this end, the pair of sheet members 600 may be made of a film or foam material that is vulnerable to high temperatures above a predetermined temperature. The pair of sheet members 600 may melt at a high temperature above a predetermined temperature.
[53]
The blocking bracket 700 is spaced apart from the seat member 600 by a predetermined distance, and may be mounted on inner walls of both side surfaces of the module case 200 . The blocking bracket 700 may be provided in plurality.
[54]
The plurality of blocking brackets 700 may include a bracket base 710 and a bracket block 730 , respectively.
[55]
The bracket base 710 may be mounted on both inner walls of the module case 200 . The bracket base 710 may be fixed to the module case 200 by welding or screwing to both inner walls of the module case 200 .
[56]
The bracket block 730 may extend from the bracket base and be spaced apart from the venting opening 500 and the seat member 600 by a predetermined distance. The bracket block 730 may have a size to cover the venting opening 500 .
[57]
The bracket block 730 may be disposed in the internal cooling passage 250 inside the module case 200 , and may be disposed to face the plurality of battery cells 100 and the sheet member 600 , respectively. .
[58]
Hereinafter, the appearance of the battery module 10 according to this embodiment in a cooling and high temperature situation will be looked at in more detail.
[59]
5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining a state when the battery module of FIG. 1 is cooled.
[60]
5 and 6 , when the battery module 10 is cooled, the cooling air supply unit 300 supplies cooling air for cooling the battery cells 100 from the outside of the module case 200 to the module. It can be introduced into the case 200 .
[61]
The cooling air introduced into the module case 200 may then cool the battery cells 100 while flowing through the internal cooling passage 250 of the module case 200 . At this time, the cooling air may flow in the space between the seat member 600 and the blocking bracket 700 on the internal cooling passage 250 and the space between the battery cells 100 and the blocking bracket 700 . there is. Thereafter, the cooling air that has cooled the battery cells 100 may escape out of the module case 200 through the cooling air discharge unit 400 .
[62]
7 is a view for explaining a state when high-temperature gas and an internal flame are generated according to an abnormal situation in the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[63]
Referring to FIG. 7 , in the case of the battery module 10 , abnormal heat symptoms may occur in at least one of the battery cells 100 . When these abnormal heat symptoms persist, a high temperature situation may occur inside the module case 200 , and high temperature gas (G) and flame (F) may be generated inside the module case 200 .
[64]
In the present embodiment, when high-temperature gas (G) and flame (F) are generated inside the module case 200 according to such a high-temperature situation, the sheet member 600 melts and the plurality of venting openings 500 may be exposed outside the module case 200 .
[65]
Accordingly, since the high-temperature gas G can be quickly discharged toward the plurality of venting openings 500 , it is possible to effectively block problems that may lead to explosion of the entire battery module 10 in advance.
[66]
On the other hand, in the case of the flame (F), when it leaks out of the venting opening (500), damage by the flame (F) may occur outside the battery module (10) due to the leaked flame (F). .
[67]
In this embodiment, since the blocking bracket 700 is disposed between the battery cells 100 and the venting opening 500 , in the case of the flame F, the venting opening is formed by the blocking bracket 700 . (500) The outflow to the outside can be effectively prevented. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, it is possible to effectively prevent the outflow of the internal flame (F) that may occur inside the module case 200 by the blocking bracket 700 .
[68]
8 is a view for explaining a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[69]
Since the battery module 20 according to this embodiment is similar to the battery module 10 of the previous embodiment, redundant descriptions of components substantially the same as or similar to those of the previous embodiment will be omitted, and hereinafter, the previous embodiment The difference between and will be explained.
[70]
Referring to FIG. 8 , a plurality of venting openings 550 may be provided in the module case 200 of the battery module 20 . The same sheet member 600 as in the previous embodiment covering the venting opening 550 may be mounted on the inner wall of the module case 200 .
[71]
In the present embodiment, the venting opening 550 may be provided as an opening having a predetermined size, approximately, a rectangular shape, not a mesh shape as in the previous embodiment. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, when the sheet member 600 is melted in the same gas discharge situation as in the previous embodiment, the opening area of ​​the venting opening 550 can be further secured, so that the gas is more can get out of there quickly.
[72]
9 is a view for explaining a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[73]
Referring to Figure 9, the battery rack (1), the plurality of battery modules (10, 20) and the plurality of battery modules (10, 20) of the previous embodiment may include a rack case 50 for accommodating. .
[74]
The battery rack (1) according to this embodiment, including the battery module (10, 20) of the previous embodiment, the battery rack (1) including all the advantages of the battery module (10, 20) of the previous embodiment ) can be provided.
[75]
10 is a diagram for explaining a power storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[76]
Referring to FIG. 10 , the power storage device E may be used as an energy source for home or industrial use. The power storage device (E), at least one of the preceding embodiment, in the case of this embodiment, a plurality of battery racks (1) and a rack container (C) for accommodating the plurality of battery racks (1) may include .
[77]
The power storage device (E) according to this embodiment, including the battery rack (1) of the previous embodiment, the power storage device (E) including all the advantages of the battery rack (1) of the previous embodiment can provide
[78]
According to various embodiments as described above, when a high-temperature gas is generated inside the module case 200 due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery cell 100, a battery module capable of rapidly discharging the high-temperature gas to the outside ( 10, 20), it is possible to provide a battery rack (1) and a power storage device (E) including these battery modules (10, 20).
[79]
In addition, according to various embodiments as described above, when a flame is generated inside the module case 200 due to abnormal heating of at least one battery cell 100 , the battery module 10 capable of preventing the internal flame from leaking to the outside , 20), it is possible to provide a battery rack (1) and a power storage device (E) including these battery modules (10, 20).
[80]
In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it is common in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications may be made by those having the knowledge of, of course, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.
Claims
[Claim 1]
A battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells; a module case accommodating the plurality of battery cells and having internal cooling passages provided on both sides of the plurality of battery cells; venting openings provided on both sides of the module case; a sheet member mounted on both sides of the module case so as to cover the venting opening and opening the venting opening while melting at a predetermined temperature or higher; and blocking brackets spaced apart from the sheet member by a predetermined distance and mounted on inner walls of both sides of the module case.
[Claim 2]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the venting openings are provided in plurality, and are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a longitudinal direction of the module case.
[Claim 3]
The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the sheet member has a predetermined length along the longitudinal direction of the module case and has a size to cover all venting openings provided on each side of the module case.
[Claim 4]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the venting opening is provided in a mesh shape.
[Claim 5]
The method of claim 1, wherein the blocking bracket comprises: a bracket base mounted on both inner walls of the module case; and a bracket block extending from the bracket base and spaced apart from the venting opening by a predetermined distance.
[Claim 6]
The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the bracket block has a size to cover the venting opening.
[Claim 7]
The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the bracket block is disposed to face the plurality of battery cells.
[Claim 8]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the sheet member is mounted on inner walls of both sides of the module case.
[Claim 9]
at least one battery module according to claim 1; and a rack case accommodating the at least one battery module.
[Claim 10]
The power storage device comprising a; at least one battery rack according to claim 9.