Title of invention: battery module
Technical field
[One]
This application is an application for claiming priority for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0122132 filed on October 12, 2018, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated herein by reference.
[2]
The present invention relates to a battery including a secondary battery, and more particularly, to a battery module with improved charging performance and/or heat control performance, and a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle.
Background
[3]
Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydride batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries, among which lithium secondary batteries have little memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, so charging and discharging are free. The self-discharge rate is very low and the energy density is high.
[4]
These lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, respectively. A lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate to which a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material are applied, respectively, are disposed with a separator therebetween, and an exterior material that seals and accommodates the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte solution, that is, a battery case.
[5]
In general, a lithium secondary battery may be classified into a can-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a metal can and a pouch-type secondary battery in which the electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch of an aluminum laminate sheet, depending on the shape of the exterior material.
[6]
Typically, when the secondary battery is used in an environment at a temperature higher or lower than an appropriate temperature, performance may be deteriorated. For example, when the secondary battery is charged at a temperature lower than an appropriate temperature, charging performance may deteriorate. Moreover, in recent years, in order to shorten the time required for charging the battery, the demand for rapid charging is increasing. At this time, when the ambient temperature is lower than the appropriate temperature, it is difficult to properly express this fast charging performance.
[7]
In addition, the secondary battery may generate more heat during discharge than during charging. During such discharge, if heat is not properly removed from the secondary battery, performance of the secondary battery may be degraded due to a temperature higher than an appropriate temperature, and in severe cases, ignition or explosion of the battery and problems may occur. Moreover, in recent years, secondary batteries are widely used not only for small devices such as portable electronic devices, but also for medium and large devices such as automobiles and energy storage systems (ESS) for driving or energy storage. In this case, in order to increase the capacity and output of the battery module, a large number of secondary batteries are included in the battery module and are electrically connected to each other. Here, a plurality of secondary batteries may be accommodated in one module case to form one battery module. In such a situation, cooling of the battery module is more important due to heat generated from the plurality of secondary batteries. In addition, in the case of a medium- to large-sized battery module, a thermal imbalance between secondary batteries may occur in one module depending on the location. In addition, even in one secondary battery, thermal imbalance may occur depending on the portion. As such, when a thermal imbalance occurs between several secondary batteries or between several parts of a single secondary battery, the performance or safety of the battery module or pack, or the secondary battery may be deteriorated.
Detailed description of the invention
Technical challenge
[8]
Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module capable of improving the performance of a secondary battery through effective heat control, a battery pack including the same, and a vehicle.
[9]
Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by examples of the present invention. In addition, it will be easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means shown in the claims and combinations thereof.
Means of solving the task
[10]
The battery module according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes one or more secondary batteries; A module case having an empty space formed therein to accommodate the one or more secondary batteries in the internal space; And disposed to face the secondary battery in the inner space of the module case, and absorbs and holds heat when the pressure applied from the secondary battery is less than or equal to the reference value, and held when the pressure applied from the secondary battery exceeds the reference value. And one or more heat pressure exchange members configured to dissipate heat.
[11]
Here, a plurality of the secondary batteries may be included, and the heat pressure exchange member may be interposed between the secondary batteries.
[12]
In addition, the secondary battery, as a pouch-type secondary battery, is arranged in a horizontal direction in a form erected in an inner space of the module case, and the heat pressure exchange member is configured in a plate shape to be erected in a space between the secondary batteries. Can be placed.
[13]
In addition, the heat pressure exchange member may include a ceramic material that absorbs and holds heat when pressure is not applied and releases retained heat when pressure is applied.
[14]
In addition, the heat pressure exchange member may include a heat exchange unit made of a material that absorbs and releases heat according to whether or not pressure is applied, and a body portion made of a material different from the heat exchange unit and supports the heat exchange unit.
[15]
In addition, the main body may be configured in an erect plate shape.
[16]
In addition, the heat exchanger may have an erect plate shape, and a lower end may be coupled to the upper end of the main body in parallel.
[17]
In addition, the body portion may be configured to surround the heat exchange portion by being positioned at an outer peripheral portion of the heat exchange portion.
[18]
In addition, the heat exchange part may be formed in a form coated on at least a part of a surface of the body part.
[19]
In addition, the heat exchange part may be configured to protrude toward the secondary battery rather than the main body part.
[20]
In addition, the heat exchange part may be configured such that a portion having a different thickness in one heat pressure exchange member exists.
[21]
In addition, at least a portion of the heat exchange part may be configured to decrease in thickness from a central portion of the secondary battery to an edge portion.
[22]
In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a battery module according to the present invention.
[23]
In addition, a vehicle according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a battery module according to the present invention.
Effects of the Invention
[24]
According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively control heat in a battery module including one or more secondary batteries.
[25]
In particular, the secondary battery may change in volume during charging and discharging, and the present invention may absorb heat from the secondary battery or dissipate heat to the secondary battery by using the volume change of the secondary battery.
[26]
Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, the performance of the secondary battery can be improved. In particular, during rapid charging of the secondary battery, heat is supplied to the secondary battery, so that charging performance may be further improved. In addition, although the charging performance of the secondary battery may be deteriorated in a low temperature situation such as in winter, when the present invention is applied, the charging performance of the secondary battery may be secured at a certain level or higher even in a low temperature situation.
[27]
Moreover, according to this aspect of the present invention, even if separate energy is not supplied, since heat is absorbed, retained and released by itself, there is no need to provide a separate configuration for heat control, and related costs can also be reduced. have.
[28]
In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of secondary batteries are included in the battery module, thermal imbalance between the secondary batteries may be reduced or resolved.
[29]
In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of thermal imbalance for each part based on one secondary battery.
Brief description of the drawing
[30]
The following drawings attached to the present specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical idea of ​​the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention to be described later, so the present invention is described in such drawings. It is limited to and should not be interpreted.
[31]
1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[32]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a combination of some of the components of FIG. 1.
[33]
3 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[34]
4 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration in which a heat pressure exchange member emits or absorbs heat in response to pressure application by a secondary battery.
[35]
5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[36]
6 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module including a plurality of heat pressure exchange members of FIG. 5.
[37]
7 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[38]
FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a heat flow state that may occur in the heat pressure exchange member of FIG. 7 and the secondary battery when the secondary battery is discharged.
[39]
9 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[40]
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a heat flow state that may occur in the heat pressure exchange member of FIG. 9 and the secondary battery when the secondary battery is discharged.
[41]
11 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[42]
12 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of only the body portion of the heat pressure exchange member of FIG. 11.
[43]
13 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a body portion of a heat pressure exchange member according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[44]
14 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a heat pressure exchange member and a secondary battery according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[45]
15 and 16 are front cross-sectional views schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[46]
17 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Mode for carrying out the invention
[47]
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventors appropriately explain the concept of terms in order to describe their own invention in the best way. Based on the principle that it can be defined, it should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention.
[48]
Accordingly, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all the technical spirit of the present invention, and thus various It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.
[49]
[50]
1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a combined perspective view in which some components of FIG. 1 are combined. In addition, FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, FIG. 3 may be a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of line A1-A1' of FIG. 2.
[51]
1 to 3, the battery module according to the present invention may include a secondary battery 100, a module case 200, and a heat pressure exchange member 300.
[52]
The secondary battery 100 is a component capable of holding and discharging electrical energy by repeatedly performing charging and discharging, and may include an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, and an exterior material. Here, the electrode assembly is an assembly of an electrode and a separator, and may be configured in a form in which at least one positive electrode plate and at least one negative electrode plate are disposed with the separator interposed therebetween. Further, each electrode plate of the electrode assembly may be provided with an electrode tab to be connected to the electrode lead. In particular, in the case of a pouch-type secondary battery, one or more electrode tabs may be connected to the electrode lead, and the electrode lead may function as an electrode terminal by interposing one end between the pouch packaging material and exposing one end to the outside. The exterior material includes an empty space therein to accommodate the electrode assembly and the electrolyte, and may be configured in a sealed form. The exterior material may be formed of a metal material in the case of a can-type secondary battery, and may include an outer insulating layer, a metal layer, and an inner adhesive layer in the case of a pouch-type secondary battery. The configuration of such a secondary battery is obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs, and thus a more detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, various secondary batteries known at the time of filing of the present invention may be employed in the battery module according to the present invention.
[53]
One or more secondary batteries 100 may be included in a battery module. In particular, in order to increase the output and/or capacity of the battery module, a plurality of secondary batteries 100 may be provided in the battery module. In addition, between the plurality of secondary batteries 100 may be electrically connected in series and/or parallel to each other.
[54]
The module case 200 has an empty space formed therein, and one or more secondary batteries 100 may be accommodated in this empty space, that is, an internal space. The module case 200 may be configured to have at least one side open in order for some components (body, 201) to accommodate the secondary battery 100. For example, the main body 201 of the module case 200 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape, and may be configured in a form in which the front side and/or the rear side are open. In addition, the module case 200 may further include a cover 202 that is coupled to the opening of the main body 201 to seal the inner space of the module case 200.
[55]
Meanwhile, the module case 200 may be made of various materials such as plastic or metal. However, the present invention is not limited by the specific material or shape of the module case 200, and various module cases 200 known at the time of filing of the present invention may be employed in the present invention.
[56]
One or more heat pressure exchange members 300 may be included and disposed to face the secondary battery 100 in the inner space of the module case 200. That is, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be disposed so that at least one surface thereof faces the surface of the secondary battery 100. For example, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured in a plate shape or a sheet shape having two wide surfaces. In addition, the secondary battery 100, in particular, a pouch-type secondary battery may have a substantially plate shape or a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this case, the heat pressure exchange member 300 is disposed in parallel with the secondary battery 100, so that one or two surfaces of the heat pressure exchange member 300 are wide of the secondary battery 100 located on one or both sides. It may be configured to face the surface (the surface of the housing).
[57]
The heat pressure exchange member 300 may absorb or release heat according to whether or not pressure is applied by the secondary battery 100 or the degree of pressure applied. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4 in addition to FIG. 3.
[58]
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration in which the heat pressure exchange member 300 emits or absorbs heat according to the application of pressure by the secondary battery 100. However, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the direction of movement of the row indicated by the arrow and the direction of expansion of the secondary battery are indicated only for some targets for simple illustration.
[59]
First, when the pressure applied from the secondary battery 100 is less than or equal to a reference value, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured to absorb and hold surrounding heat. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when pressure is not applied from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300, heat generated from the secondary battery 100 is transferred to the heat pressure exchange member 300 ) And can be absorbed (dotted arrow). And, the heat absorbed in this way may be retained in the heat pressure exchange member 300.
[60]
Next, when the pressure applied from the secondary battery 100 exceeds a reference value, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured to discharge heat previously held to the surroundings. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when pressure is applied from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300 (solid arrow), the heat held in the heat pressure exchange member 300 is It may be supplied to the secondary battery 100 (dotted arrow).
[61]
The heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured to absorb or release heat according to whether the applied pressure exceeds a reference value. Here, the reference value is variously designed according to the type of material constituting the heat pressure exchange member 300, the shape of the heat pressure exchange member 300, the distance between the heat pressure exchange member 300 and the secondary battery 100, etc. Can be. For example, the reference value may be 0. In this case, the heat pressure exchange member 300 absorbs and holds surrounding heat when pressure is not applied from the secondary battery 100, and releases heat to the surrounding when pressure is applied from the secondary battery 100. can do. Alternatively, the reference value may be set to a value higher than 0, such as 10 MPa. In this case, the heat pressure exchange member 300 absorbs and holds surrounding heat when the pressure applied from the secondary battery 100 is less than 10 MPa, and the pressure applied from the secondary battery 100 exceeds 10 MPa. If so, the retained heat can be released to the surroundings.
[62]
Furthermore, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured such that at least one surface faces the surface of the secondary battery 100. Therefore, in a state in which no pressure is applied from the secondary battery 100 or only a pressure below the reference value is applied, the heat pressure exchange member 300 cools the secondary battery 100 by absorbing heat from the secondary battery 100. I can make it. Then, when a pressure is applied from the secondary battery 100 or a pressure exceeding the reference value is applied thereafter, heat may be supplied to the secondary battery 100 to heat the secondary battery 100.
[63]
In particular, in the present invention, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured to absorb or release heat according to the state of charge and discharge of the secondary battery 100. The secondary battery 100 may expand in volume during charging and decrease in volume during discharge. For example, the configuration shown in FIG. 3 may be referred to as a diagram illustrating a situation when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, and the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a situation when the secondary battery 100 is charged. It can be called a drawing.
[64]
In the battery module of the present invention, in consideration of the properties of the secondary battery 100, when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, pressure is not applied from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300, and the secondary battery When charging 100, it may be configured to apply pressure from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300. For example, the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, the secondary battery 100 and the heat pressure exchange member 300 do not contact each other and are spaced apart by a predetermined distance. have. In addition, in the battery module according to this embodiment of the present invention, when the secondary battery 100 is charged, the secondary battery 100 and the heat pressure exchange member 300 are in close contact with each other, thereby preventing the expansion of the secondary battery 100. The resulting pressure may be configured to be applied to the heat pressure exchange member 300.
[65]
Alternatively, in the battery module of the present invention, when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, a pressure equal to or less than the reference value is applied from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300, and when the secondary battery 100 is charged, It may be configured to apply a pressure exceeding the reference value from the battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300. For example, in the battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, even when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, the secondary battery 100 and the heat pressure exchange member 300 contact each other, but a pressure less than a preset reference value is It may be configured to be applied from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300. Here, the reference value may be referred to as a minimum value of a temperature at which the heat pressure exchange member 300 dissipates heat. In addition, the battery module according to this embodiment may be configured such that when the secondary battery 100 is charged, the secondary battery 100 expands and a pressure applied to the heat pressure exchange member 300 exceeds a reference value.
[66]
In this configuration, when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, the pressure applied from the secondary battery 100 to the heat pressure exchange member 300 is less than or equal to the reference value, and when the secondary battery 100 is charged, the secondary battery 100 The configuration in which the pressure applied from the heat pressure exchange member 300 exceeds the reference value by appropriately designing or selecting the type and shape of the secondary battery 100 and the material and shape of the heat pressure exchange member 300. Can be implemented.
[67]
In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may absorb heat from the secondary battery 100 and hold it therein when the secondary battery 100 is discharged. In addition, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may supply retained heat to the secondary battery 100 when charging the secondary battery 100.
[68]
In particular, in the case of the lithium secondary battery 100, a reaction internally performed during charging may be an endothermic reaction, and a reaction internally performed during discharge may be an exothermic reaction. In addition, the lithium secondary battery 100 may expand in volume during charging and decrease in volume when discharging, as mentioned above. Accordingly, according to an aspect of the present invention, when the secondary battery 100 is being charged, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be pressurized while the volume expands (solid arrow in FIG. 4 ). And, due to this pressurization, the heat pressure exchange member 300 can supply the retained heat to the secondary battery 100 (dotted arrow in FIG. 4 ). Then, in the secondary battery 100 receiving heat, a charging process, which is an endothermic reaction, is further activated, and charging performance may be further improved. In particular, taking these effects into consideration, the present invention can be said to be more advantageously applied to rapid charging of a battery module.
[69]
In addition, when the secondary battery 100 is discharging, a pressure for pressing the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be released or may fall below a reference value while the volume decreases. Accordingly, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be converted to a state capable of absorbing heat. Here, since the secondary battery 100 may generate an exothermic reaction during discharge, heat generated inside the secondary battery 100 may be transferred to and absorbed by the heat pressure exchange member 300 (dotted arrow in FIG. 3 ). Therefore, due to this, the discharge performance of the secondary battery 100 may be further improved.
[70]
Furthermore, inside the battery module, heat generated from not only the secondary battery 100 but also various other components existing inside or outside the battery module may exist. For example, heat may be generated from a battery management system (BMS), a bus bar, and various integrated circuit (IC) chips located inside or outside the battery module. Alternatively, when the external temperature is high, such as in summer, the temperature inside the battery module may increase due to heat supplied from the atmosphere or geothermal heat. In particular, when the battery module is mounted on a vehicle, the temperature inside the battery module may increase due to heat supplied from other components inside the vehicle such as a motor or an engine, vehicle body heat by sunlight, and heat from a road. In addition, when the temperature inside the battery module is higher than an appropriate level, the performance of the secondary battery 100 deteriorates, and in severe cases, a problem such as ignition occurs in the secondary battery 100 may occur. However, in the case of the battery module according to the present invention, if no pressure is applied to the heat pressure exchange member 300 or even if only a pressure of a certain level or less is applied, the heat pressure exchange member 300 absorbs heat inside the battery module. Thus, the temperature inside the battery module can be lowered. Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, the performance of the secondary battery 100 can be more stably secured, and the safety of the battery module can be improved.
[71]
In particular, the battery module is often preferable to absorb heat during discharge rather than during charging. Typically, in the case of a battery mounted in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle, it is often operated mainly on a road during discharge. At this time, the temperature inside the battery module is likely to increase due to heat generated by the secondary battery 100, heat generated by a motor or other electronic equipment provided in the vehicle, external temperature, and geothermal heat. According to an aspect of the present invention, since the heat pressure exchange member 300 absorbs heat inside the battery module when the battery module is discharged, the performance and cooling efficiency of the battery module may be further improved. On the other hand, when charging, there are many cases in which the operation of the vehicle is terminated. In this case, since the source for supplying heat into the battery module is reduced, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may dissipate heat and supply heat to the secondary battery 100 unlike during discharge. Accordingly, in this case, the charging performance of the secondary battery 100 may be further improved.
[72]
The heat pressure exchange member 300 may include a material that absorbs and holds heat when pressure is not applied and releases retained heat when pressure is applied. In particular, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may include a ceramic material having such characteristics.
[73]
Typically, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may include trititanium-pentoxide (Ti 3 O 5 ) as a heat storage material that absorbs, retains, and releases heat according to pressure . In particular, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may include lambda-trititanium-pentoxide (λ-Ti 3 O 5 ) as a heat storage material. Such lambda trititanium pentoxide can absorb and release heat energy of about 230 kJ/L. In particular, when the lambda trititanium pentoxide is subjected to a pressure of about 60 MPa, it can phase transition to beta-trititanium-pentoxide (β-Ti 3 O 5 ) and release thermal energy. In addition, when the pressure is released below a certain level, the beta trititanium pentoxide absorbs thermal energy while being phase-transferred to lambda trititanium pentoxide again, thereby retaining heat energy capable of being released during a phase transition.
[74]
One or more heat pressure exchange members 300 may be included in the battery module. In particular, the heat pressure exchange member 300, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, may be included in a plurality of the inside of the module case 200.
[75]
Preferably, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be interposed between the secondary batteries 100. That is, a plurality of secondary batteries 100 may be included in the battery module. In this case, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be interposed between the secondary batteries 100.
[76]
For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when a plurality of secondary batteries 100 are disposed to be stacked in a horizontal direction (the x-axis direction of the drawing), the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be a secondary battery ( 100) can be placed between. In particular, when three or more secondary batteries 100 are arranged in a stacked form, two or more heat pressure exchange members 300 are included, and a heat pressure exchange member 300 is interposed between each secondary battery 100 It can be configured to be. For example, when three or more secondary batteries 100 are stacked in one direction, one heat pressure exchange member 300 may be interposed between each secondary battery 100.
[77]
As such, when the heat pressure exchange member 300 is interposed in the space between the secondary batteries 100, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be applied with pressure from the secondary batteries 100 located at both sides. Accordingly, pressure application and release due to volume expansion and reduction of the secondary battery 100 may be more clearly transmitted to the heat pressure exchange member 300. Accordingly, heat dissipation and heat absorption of the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be reliably generated during charging and discharging of the secondary battery 100. Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, improvement in charging performance and/or cooling performance of the battery module by the heat pressure exchange member 300 can be more effectively expressed.
[78]
Meanwhile, the secondary battery 100 is preferably a pouch-type secondary battery, as shown in the drawing. In the case of such a pouch-type secondary battery, it can be said that the degree of volume change during charging and discharging is greater than that of a can-type secondary battery. Accordingly, heat absorption and release of the heat pressure exchange member 300 by whether or not the secondary battery 100 is pressed may be formed more effectively.
[79]
In particular, the secondary battery 100 may be disposed in a horizontal direction in a form erected in an inner space of the module case 200. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in the battery module according to the present invention, a plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries are arranged in a horizontal direction in a vertical direction (z-axis direction in the drawing). I can. Here, the vertical direction may be referred to as a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the module case 200 or the ground when the module case 200 of the battery module is placed on the ground. On the other hand, in the present specification, the horizontal direction may be referred to as a direction parallel to the bottom surface of the module case 200 or the ground.
[80]
As described above, when the pouch-type secondary battery is erected, the wide outer surfaces of the storage unit 110 are directed in the left and right directions (the x-axis direction in the drawing), and the sealing units 120 are disposed at the top, bottom, front and rear sides. It can be configured in a form erected to be positioned. In addition, the pouch-type secondary battery erected in this way may be arranged in parallel in the left and right directions in a form in which wide surfaces face each other.
[81]
When the pouch-type secondary batteries are erected and arranged in a horizontal direction as described above, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be arranged in a form erected in a space between the secondary batteries 100. In particular, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured in a plate shape. In this case, both large surfaces of the heat pressure exchange member 300 are located on the left and right sides, and face the wide surface of the receiving portion 110 of the secondary battery 100 disposed on the left and right sides of the heat pressure exchange member 300 Can be.
[82]
According to this configuration of the present invention, when the volume of the pouch-type secondary battery is expanded or reduced, the change in volume can be reliably transmitted to the heat pressure exchange member 300. That is, in the case of a pouch-type secondary battery, the storage unit 110 is often expanded in a horizontal outward direction (the x-axis direction in the drawing) during expansion, and the degree of expansion is also the largest in the storage unit. Therefore, when the plate-shaped heat pressure exchange member 300 is erected and interposed between the pouch-type secondary batteries, the effect of the volume change by the secondary battery 100 can be most greatly received during charging and discharging of the secondary battery 100. Therefore, the heat absorption and release effect by the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be further increased. Moreover, since the heat pressure exchange member 300 is formed in a plate shape, it is possible to prevent the volume of the battery module from unnecessarily increasing in the stacking direction of the secondary battery 100 (the x-axis direction in the drawing).
[83]
In addition, as shown in the drawing, when a plurality of heat pressure exchange members 300 are interposed between a plurality of secondary batteries 100, the stacking direction of the pouch-type secondary battery and the heat pressure exchange member 300 is a horizontal direction. Can be According to this configuration of the present invention, it is possible to apply pressure to each of the plurality of heat pressure exchange members 300 as uniformly as possible. Accordingly, heat absorption and dissipation by each of the heat pressure exchange members 300 can be made as uniformly as possible for the entire secondary battery 100 in the battery module.
[84]
Meanwhile, when a plurality of secondary batteries 100 are stacked, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be positioned outside the secondary battery 100 stacked at the outermost side. For example, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be stacked on the right side of the secondary battery 100 stacked on the rightmost side. Also, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be stacked on the left side of the secondary battery 100 stacked on the leftmost side. According to this configuration of the present invention, even for the secondary battery 100 located at the outermost side of the stack of the secondary battery 100, it is possible to equalize the absorption and emission of heat due to expansion with the other secondary batteries 100. .
[85]
The heat pressure exchange member 300 may be entirely made of the same material. For example, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be entirely made of a ceramic material. In particular, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be composed of only trititanium pentoxide (Ti 3 O 5 ). However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this embodiment, and the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured in various other forms.
[86]
5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 6 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a battery module including a plurality of heat pressure exchange members 300 of FIG. 5.
[87]
5 and 6, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may include a heat exchange part 310 and a body part 320.
[88]
The heat exchange part 310 may be made of a material that absorbs and releases heat according to whether or not pressure is applied. That is, when the heat exchange unit 310 absorbs and holds heat from the surrounding (for example, the secondary battery 100) and is pressurized by expansion of the secondary battery 100 or the like, the surrounding (secondary battery ( 100)) can be composed of a material that emits heat. For example, the heat exchange part 310 may be made of a heat storage ceramic material such as trititanium pentoxide. Furthermore, the heat exchange unit 310 may be provided at a position in which the heat pressure exchange member 300 transmits a volume change according to charging and discharging of the secondary battery 100 well.
[89]
The body part 320 may be configured to support the heat exchange part 310. In particular, the body part 320 may be configured to supplement the mechanical rigidity of the heat exchange part 310 and stably locate the heat exchange part 310 in an appropriate position inside the module case 200. In particular, the main body 320 may be configured such that the heat exchanger 310 is positioned at a position where the volume change of the secondary battery 100 is most likely.
[90]
The body part 320 may be made of a material different from that of the heat exchange part 310. In particular, unlike the heat exchange unit 310, the main body 320 may be configured to not retain heat storage performance according to a volume change of the secondary battery 100. On the other hand, the main body 320 may be formed of a material having excellent strength or hardness, or excellent formability. For example, the main body 320 may be made of a metal or plastic material that is advantageous in securing mechanical rigidity.
[91]
Moreover, the main body 320 may be made of a foam material. For example, the main body 320 may be made of a urethane foam material. Such a foam material may have elasticity. Accordingly, the foam material can be reduced and deformed when pressure is applied, and can be easily returned to its original shape when pressure is released. Therefore, according to this embodiment of the present invention, when the pressing force of the secondary battery 100 is transmitted to the heat exchange unit 310 due to the expansion of the secondary battery 100, the pressure transfer effect is prevented by the main body 320. Can be prevented or reduced.
[92]
In the configuration in which the body part 320 is included in the heat pressure exchange member 300 as described above, the body part 320 may be configured in an erect plate shape. That is, the main body 320 may be configured in a plate shape, but not laid down, and may be erected so that two wide surfaces face a horizontal direction, such as a left and right direction (the x-axis direction of the drawing).
[93]
In particular, in the case of such an embodiment, it may be more useful for configuring a cell assembly in which a pouch-type secondary battery is erected and stacked in a horizontal direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pouch-type secondary battery is erected and disposed in the left and right direction, the plate-shaped main body 320 is provided with a space between each pouch-type secondary battery and/or a pouch-type secondary battery. It may be arranged in an erect shape outside the stack of batteries.
[94]
In this configuration, the heat exchange unit 310 may have an erect plate shape, and the lower end may be coupled to the upper end of the main body 320 in parallel. For example, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may include a body plate made of polyurethane and a heat exchange plate made of ceramic, such as trititanium pentoxide. In this case, the lower edge of the heat exchanger plate may be coupled and fixed to the upper edge of the main body plate. Moreover, the heat exchanger 310 located at the upper part and the body part 320 located at the lower part may be combined in parallel with the corners in contact with each other to form a single plate.
[95]
According to this configuration of the present invention, the space occupied by the configuration for exchanging heat with the secondary battery 100 (the heat exchange unit 310) and the configuration supporting the heat exchange configuration (the main body 320) inside the battery module You can make it not big. Accordingly, even if the heat pressure exchange configuration is introduced into the battery module, it is possible to prevent the volume of the battery module from being greatly increased.
[96]
In addition, according to this configuration of the present invention, it may be advantageous to eliminate heat imbalance inside the battery module. For example, as shown in the configuration of FIG. 6, a cooling configuration may exist under the battery module as indicated by C. Here, the cooling configuration is formed in the form of a pipe having a hollow, so that a cooling fluid such as air or water flows through the internal hollow. Alternatively, the cooling configuration provided under the battery module may be configured in a form in which air or the like directly contacts without a separate member such as a pipe. In particular, in the case of a battery module mounted on a vehicle, there is a case where the battery module is mounted on a lower portion of the vehicle body so that the lower portion of the battery module is naturally cooled by air or the like.
[97]
In this way, when the lower portion of the battery module is configured to be cooled, the temperature of the upper portion of the battery module may be formed relatively higher than that of the lower portion of the battery module adjacent to the cooling configuration. In this case, a thermal imbalance may occur between several secondary batteries 100 as well as a thermal imbalance may occur for each portion of a single secondary battery 100. That is, the temperature of the upper side of the secondary battery 100 may be relatively higher than the lower side of the secondary battery 100. In addition, such thermal imbalance may cause performance degradation of the secondary battery 100 or the battery module. In addition, if the temperature of a specific part of the battery module becomes too high, there is a possibility of a fire.
[98]
However, according to the above configuration of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the temperature of a specific portion of the battery module from being excessively high in a non-uniform state. For example, as shown in the configuration of FIG. 6, due to the heat exchange member configured to position the heat exchange unit 310 on the battery module, the upper side of the battery module can be effectively cooled. That is, although the upper side of the battery module is located relatively far from a cooling component such as a cooling pipe, heat may be additionally absorbed by the heat exchange member. Accordingly, cooling of the upper side of the secondary battery 100 having a high temperature may be additionally performed.
[99]
Furthermore, in the case of the heat exchange unit 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention, heat of the secondary battery 100 may be absorbed when the secondary battery 100 is discharged. Therefore, when the battery module is installed in the vehicle, the upper side of the secondary battery 100, which may have relatively weak cooling performance, is located in the heat exchange unit 310 during operation of the vehicle in which the secondary battery 100 is mainly discharged. Cooling performance can be supplemented by this.
[100]
7 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a heat flow state that may occur in the heat pressure exchange member 300 of FIG. 7 and the secondary battery 100 when the secondary battery 100 is discharged. For reference, in FIG. 8, only one secondary battery 100 and one heat pressure exchange member 300 are shown for convenience of description. In addition, it can be said that the arrows in FIG. 8 generally indicate heat flow paths. For these embodiments, parts that differ from the previous embodiments will be mainly described, and detailed descriptions will be omitted for parts to which the description of the preceding embodiments can be commonly applied.
[101]
First, referring to FIG. 7, the heat pressure exchange member 300 includes a heat exchange part 310 and a body part 320, but the body part 320 of the heat pressure exchange member 300 is a heat conduction part 321 and a heat shielding part 322 may be provided.
[102]
Here, the heat conductive part 321 is a part made of a heat conductive material and may be configured to transmit heat by itself. For example, the thermally conductive part 321 may be made of a metal material, such as aluminum, copper, or iron.
[103]
In addition, the heat shielding part 322 may be formed of a material that has substantially no thermal conductivity or has a relatively low thermal conductivity compared to the thermal conduction part 321. For example, the heat shielding part 322 may be formed of a material having a thermal conductivity of 0.1 W/mK or less based on room temperature. In particular, the heat shielding part 322 may be made of a material having a thermal conductivity of 0.05 W/mK or less based on room temperature. As a more specific example, the heat shielding part 322, polyethylene foam, XPS foam (Extruded Polystyrene Sheet foam), EPS foam (Expanded Polystyrene foam), polyurethane foam (Polyurethane Foam), aqueous soft foam and It may be composed of at least one or more materials of urea foam, or may include at least one or more of these materials.
[104]
In this configuration, the heat exchange part 310 and the heat conduction part 321 may be configured to be spaced apart from each other in the heat shield part 322. That is, the heat exchange part 310 and the heat conduction part 321 may not be in direct contact with each other in the entire portion, but may be configured to contact only the heat shielding part 322, respectively. For example, referring to the configuration of FIG. 7, in the heat pressure exchange member 300, the heat exchange part 310, the heat shield part 322, and the heat conduction part 321 are all formed in a plate shape, but the heat exchange part 310 , The heat shield part 322 and the heat conduction part 321 may be configured to be sequentially positioned in one direction. In addition, the heat exchange part 310, the heat shield part 322, and the heat conduction part 321 may be configured to form one plate. As an example, as shown in the drawing, the heat exchange part 310 is located at the top and the body part 320 is located at the bottom, but in the body part 320, the heat shielding part 322 is located at the top and the heat conduction part 321 ) May be configured to be located at the bottom. In this configuration, it can be said that the heat exchange part 310 and the heat conduction part 321 do not directly contact at any part, but are spaced apart from each other.
[105]
According to this configuration of the present invention, heat exchange may not be performed between the heat exchange part 310 and the heat conduction part 321. In particular, in this case, the heat absorbed by the heat exchange unit 310 may not be discharged to the outside through the heat conductive part 321. In this regard, referring to FIG. 8 in more detail, first, heat from the lower side of the secondary battery 100 may be absorbed by the heat conduction part 321 of the adjacent heat pressure exchange member 300. In addition, the heat absorbed by the heat conduction part 321 in this way is conducted downward from the inside of the heat conduction part 321, as indicated by the arrow d1 in FIG. Can be discharged as. At this time, the heat absorbed by the heat conduction part 321 may not be transferred to the heat exchange part 310 by the heat shield part 322.
[106]
On the other hand, heat from the upper side of the secondary battery 100 may be absorbed by the heat exchange unit 310 of the adjacent heat pressure exchange member 300. In addition, heat absorbed by the heat exchange part 310 is not transferred to the heat conduction part 321 by the heat shield part 322, and may be retained inside itself, as indicated by arrow d2 in FIG. 8. However, in the drawings, for convenience of explanation, as indicated by arrow d2, heat is circulated inside the heat exchange unit 310, but this is not transmitted to the heat transfer part by the heat shield part 322. It only indicates that it does not, but does not necessarily mean that heat is circulated.
[107]
In addition, the heat retained in the heat exchange unit 310 may be used to supply heat to the secondary battery 100 when the secondary battery 100 is charged later, for example, when pressure is applied. That is, according to the above configuration of the present invention, heat absorbed from the secondary battery 100 to the heat exchange unit 310 may be retained in the heat exchange unit 310 without being discharged to the outside through the heat conduction part 321. Therefore, according to this configuration, energy efficiency may be increased, and the performance of the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be more stably secured. Particularly, according to the above configuration of the present invention, a part of the heat pressure exchange member 300 allows heat to be discharged to the cooling configuration outside the battery module, and the other part of the heat pressure exchange member 300 retains heat by itself. I can.
[108]
Meanwhile, in the present specification, when expressed as an upper side and a lower side of a specific object, this may be said to mean a term referring to an upper portion and a lower portion when the specific object is divided in the vertical direction. Accordingly, unless otherwise specified, the upper side and the lower side of a specific object are for distinguishing each position within a specific object, and are not intended to distinguish a location outside of a specific object. For example, the lower side of the secondary battery 100 does not mean a position below the secondary battery 100, but when the secondary battery 100 itself is divided into upper and lower parts, the lower part is It can be said that it means.
[109]
9 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a heat flow state that may occur in the heat pressure exchange member 300 of FIG. 9 and the secondary battery 100 when the secondary battery 100 is discharged. In FIG. 10, only one secondary battery 100 and one heat pressure exchange member 300 are shown for convenience of description. In addition, the present embodiment will be described mainly in terms of differences from the previous embodiment.
[110]
First, referring to FIG. 9, the heat pressure exchange member 300 includes a heat exchange part 310 and a body part 320, but the body part 320 is located at the outer periphery of the heat exchange part 310 to heat exchange It may be configured to surround the edge of the portion 310. For example, when the heat exchange part 310 is formed in a square plate shape, the body part 320 may be formed in a square ring shape to surround the four corners of the heat exchange part 310. In particular, in this configuration, the body portion 320 may wrap the outer side of the entire edge portion excluding both surfaces of the heat exchange portion 310, that is, the surface facing the secondary battery 100. In this case, the heat exchange unit 310 may directly face the secondary battery 100 through a central portion excluding a corner portion. That is, according to the above configuration, the heat exchange unit 310 faces the receiving portion of the secondary battery 100 at the central portion of the secondary battery 100, and the body portion 320 is a peripheral portion of the secondary battery 100 It may face the edge sealing portion of the secondary battery 100.
[111]
In particular, in this configuration, the main body 320 may be made of a material having a low thermal conductivity. For example, the body part 320 may be formed of a material having a thermal conductivity of 0.1 W/mK or less based on room temperature. In particular, the main body 320 may be made of a material having a thermal conductivity of 0.05 W/mK or less based on room temperature. As a more specific example, the main body 320, polyethylene foam, XPS foam (Extruded Polystyrene Sheet foam), EPS foam (Expanded Polystyrene foam), polyurethane foam (Polyurethane Foam), aqueous flexible foam and urea It may be composed of at least one or more materials of the foam (Urea Foam) or may include at least one or more of these materials.
[112]
According to this configuration of the present invention, since the heat exchange unit 310 and the secondary battery 100 are directly facing each other, heat is directly exchanged from the secondary battery 100 in a state where there is no pressing force by the secondary battery 100. It may be absorbed by the portion 310. In addition, when the secondary battery 100 is expanded, the expansion force may be directly transmitted to the heat exchange unit 310. In addition, when the secondary battery 100 is expanded as described above, the heat of the heat exchange unit 310 may be directly transferred to the secondary battery 100. For example, in the configuration of FIG. 10, heat may be directly transferred in the x-axis direction.
[113]
On the other hand, the heat absorbed by the heat exchange unit 310 is only retained in the inside of the heat exchange unit 310, and the outside of the heat pressure exchange member 300, in particular, the heat pressure exchange member 300 by the body part 320 May not be discharged to the edge of the. For example, referring to FIG. 10, when the secondary battery 100 is discharged, heat may be discharged from the secondary battery 100. This heat is absorbed by the heat exchange unit 310 and is retained only therein. , It may not be easily discharged to the upper or lower side of the heat exchange part 310 (arrow d3). In addition, when the heat held in the heat exchange unit 310 is discharged by applying pressure to the heat stored in the heat exchange unit 310, the left and right directions in which the secondary battery 100 is located, that is, the stacking direction of the secondary battery 100 (x-axis in the drawing) Direction), and may not be easily discharged in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the secondary battery 100 (y-axis direction and z-axis direction in the drawings). In other words, since the body portion 320 made of a material having low thermal conductivity is present in the upper, lower, front and rear portions based on the heat exchange unit 310, heat from the heat exchange unit 310 is mainly discharged in the left and right directions. Can be. Therefore, according to this configuration of the present invention, the heat dissipation performance of the heat exchange unit 310 to the secondary battery 100 is improved, and the charging performance of the secondary battery 100 due to an increase in temperature may be further improved. Moreover, in this case, the heat retention performance of the heat exchange unit 310 is improved, so that excellent effects can be achieved in terms of energy efficiency.
[114]
Meanwhile, in the case of the heat pressure exchange member 300 according to the foregoing various embodiments, the heat exchange unit 310 has been described mainly in the form of a plate shape, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this embodiment. In addition, the main body 320 may also be configured in various forms different from the previous embodiment.
[115]
11 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is only the main body 320 with respect to the heat pressure exchange member 300 of FIG. It is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration. Also in the present embodiment, parts that are different from the previous embodiments will be mainly described.
[116]
11 and 12, the heat exchange part 310 may be formed in a form coated on at least a part of the surface of the body part 320. For example, the main body 320 is configured in a substantially plate shape, and is configured to be erected between the secondary batteries 100 or outside the secondary battery 100, but the heat exchange unit 310 is It may be configured in a form coated on at least some surfaces.
[117]
According to this configuration of the present invention, the mechanical strength of the heat pressure exchange member 300 can be stably secured. In particular, unlike the heat exchange unit 310 in which the performance of absorbing, retaining and discharging heat is important, the body unit 320 may employ a material having superior mechanical rigidity compared to the heat exchange unit 310. For example, the main body 320 may be made of a material such as polymer or metal. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the body portion 320 having excellent mechanical rigidity constitutes the basic skeleton of the heat pressure exchange member 300, and a material that exchanges heat by pressure is coated on the surface of the body portion 320. By doing so, the mechanical strength of the heat pressure exchange member 300 can be stably secured.
[118]
In particular, the main body 320 may have a concave groove formed in at least a portion. In addition, the heat exchange part 310 may be coated on the surface of the body part 320 in such a manner that the heat exchange part 310 is filled in the groove of the body part 320. For example, the main body 320 may have a concave groove formed in a central portion in a horizontal direction, as indicated by G1 in FIG. 12. In addition, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured in a form in which the heat exchanger 310 is filled in the concave groove G1 of the body 320. According to this configuration of the present invention, the coating process of the heat exchange part 310 can be easily performed, and a bonding force between the heat exchange part 310 and the body part 320 can be secured more stably. In addition, since the heat exchange unit 310 is blocked in the front, rear, up and down directions by the concave groove G1, heat dissipation in these directions is prevented, so that the heat retention performance by the heat exchange unit 310 is more stable. Can be secured.
[119]
13 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the body part 320 of the heat pressure exchange member 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of FIG. 13 may be a modified form of the main body 320 shown in FIG. 12. Also in the present embodiment, parts that are different from the previous embodiments will be mainly described.
[120]
Referring to FIG. 13, the main body 320 of the heat pressure exchange member 300 is formed in an approximately ring shape, and the central portion of the ring may be formed in a mesh shape. For example, the main body 320 may include an edge part R1 formed in a rectangular ring shape and a mesh part M1 formed in a net shape in a central empty space of the edge part R1. In this configuration of the body part 320, the heat exchange part 310 may be configured to be filled in the mesh part M1.
[121]
According to this configuration of the present invention, the mechanical rigidity of the edge part R1 may be supplemented by the mesh part M1. In addition, according to this configuration of the present invention, the coupling force between the heat exchanger 310 and the body 320 may be improved by the mesh part M1. In particular, when the heat exchange part 310 is made of a ceramic material, the ceramic material may be well bonded to the mesh part M1 of the body part 320 during a manufacturing process. In addition, according to this configuration of the present invention, due to the penetrating portion of the mesh part M1 in the horizontal direction (the x-axis direction of the drawing), the heat exchange part 310 may be completely filled in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it may be more advantageous because the heat absorption, retention, and release performance by the heat exchange unit 310 is stably secured.
[122]
14 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member 300 and a secondary battery 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, parts that are different from the previous embodiments will be mainly described.
[123]
Referring to FIG. 14, in the heat pressure exchange member 300, the heat exchange part 310 may be configured to protrude toward the secondary battery 100 than the body part 320. That is, looking at the left part of the heat pressure exchange member 300 in the drawing as a reference, the heat exchange part 310 is in the direction in which the secondary battery 100 is located, that is, as indicated by e1 in the left direction compared to the main body part 320. It can be configured to be more protruding. Accordingly, the heat exchange unit 310 may be configured closer to the secondary battery 100 than the body unit 320. In addition, the secondary battery 100 may be located on the right side of the heat pressure exchange member 300. To this end, the heat exchange part 310 may also be configured to protrude from the main body 320 in the right direction.
[124]
According to this configuration of the present invention, it is possible to improve the absorption, retention and/or dissipation performance of heat by the heat exchange unit 310. For example, when the secondary battery 100 absorbs heat, the heat exchanger 310 is configured closer to the secondary battery 100 than the body 320, so that the heat of the secondary battery 100 is transferred to the body 320 ) Than can be transferred to the heat exchange unit 310. In addition, by making the material of the heat exchange unit 310 present in a sufficient amount in the heat pressure exchange member 300, the heat retention performance by the heat exchange unit 310 may be secured at a certain level or higher. In addition, according to this configuration, as the heat exchanger 310 protrudes toward the secondary battery 100 rather than the main body 320, the secondary battery 100 does not receive interference from the main body 320 when the secondary battery 100 expands. The expansion force of the battery 100 may be smoothly transmitted to the main body 320. Therefore, the heat dissipation performance of the heat exchange unit 310 by pressurization can be reliably guaranteed. In addition, since the heat exchange unit 310 is located close to the secondary battery 100, heat can be more easily transferred to the secondary battery 100 when heat is released.
[125]
15 and 16 are front cross-sectional views schematically showing the configuration of a heat pressure exchange member 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, parts that are different from the previous embodiments will be mainly described.
[126]
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, in one heat pressure exchange member 300, the heat exchange unit 310 may be configured such that portions having different thicknesses exist. Here, the thickness of the heat exchange part 310 may mean the length or width of the heat exchange part 310 in the stacking direction of the secondary battery 100.
[127]
For example, referring to FIG. 15, the heat exchange unit 310 is in one direction on a plane (yz plane) perpendicular to the stacking direction (x-axis direction) of the secondary battery 100, for example, in a vertical direction (z-axis direction). It can be configured such that a step is formed. That is, the heat exchange part 310 may have a plurality of stages so that the left and right thicknesses partially change from the top to the bottom. In particular, in the configuration of FIG. 15, the heat exchange part 310 may be said to be formed in a portion having a thickness of f1, f2 and f3, and each stage is formed. At this time, it can be said that the values ​​of f1, f2 and f3 are all different.
[128]
As another example, referring to FIG. 16, the heat exchange unit 310 may include an inclined portion in a shape whose thickness gradually changes as it goes in the vertical direction. That is, due to such an inclined configuration, the heat exchange unit 310 may be configured to have different thicknesses in the vertical direction as indicated by f4 and f5 in the drawing.
[129]
According to this configuration of the present invention, it is possible to more effectively achieve the performance of absorbing, retaining, and/or discharging heat in the heat exchange unit 310. Therefore, if there is a portion that requires more cooling or heating for one secondary battery 100, the heat can be intensively absorbed and/or released through the heat pressure exchange member 300 for that portion. have.
[130]
In particular, the heat exchange part 310 may be configured such that at least a portion thereof decreases in thickness from a central portion of the secondary battery 100 to an edge portion.
[131]
For example, as shown in the configuration of FIG. 15, the thickness of the portion (stage) located at the center portion in the vertical direction of the heat exchange unit 310 is f1, and the thickness of each stage increases from the center portion toward the outside. Is referred to as f2 and f3, and a relationship such as f1>f2>f3 may be established.
[132]
In addition, referring to the configuration of FIG. 16, the thickness of the portion located at the center portion in the vertical direction of the heat exchange unit 310 is referred to as f4, and the thickness of the end portion of the heat exchange unit 310 in the vertical direction (outward direction) is referred to as f5. When doing so, a relationship such as f4>f5 can be established.
[133]
According to this configuration of the present invention, performance of absorbing, retaining, and/or discharging heat for the secondary battery 100 may be further improved. In particular, in the case of a pouch-type secondary battery, it can be said that in general, the volume change at the center portion is the most severe compared to the edge portion. In addition, when a plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries are accommodated in the battery module, a lot of heat is often discharged from the central portion of each secondary battery 100. In addition, when the secondary battery 100 is charged, if a chemical reaction is actively performed in a portion where the receiving unit is located, charging performance may be further improved. Therefore, according to the above configuration, when the pouch-type secondary battery is expanded, the expansion force can be well transmitted to the heat exchange unit 310, and thus, the heat generation performance of the heat exchange unit 310 can be improved. In addition, heat generated from the secondary battery 100 can be easily transferred to the heat exchange unit 310, and conversely, the heat generated by the heat exchange unit 310 can be easily transferred to the secondary battery 100.
[134]
Meanwhile, in the battery module according to the present invention, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be fixedly coupled to the module case 200 at least in part.
[135]
For example, the upper and lower ends of the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be coupled and fixed to the inner surface of the module case 200. More specifically, protrusions may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the inner space of the module case 200 in the form of a stopper that prevents horizontal movement with respect to the upper and lower ends of the heat pressure exchange member 300. As another example, insertion grooves are formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the inner space of the module case 200, so that the upper and lower ends of the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be inserted and fastened.
[136]
According to this configuration of the present invention, the position of the heat pressure exchange member 300 inside the module case 200 can be stably fixed. In addition, when the secondary battery 100 is expanded, a pressing force due to expansion may be smoothly transmitted to the heat pressure exchange member 300. Therefore, heat dissipation of the heat pressure exchange member 300 by pressure may be made more reliably. In addition, even when the secondary battery 100 is reduced, the position of the heat pressure exchange member 300 may maintain its original position.
[137]
17 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here too, the parts that differ from the previous embodiments will be mainly described.
[138]
Referring to FIG. 17, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured to be replaceable with respect to the module case 200. More specifically, as shown in the drawing, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be configured to be drawn in or drawn in the upper direction of the module case 200. To this end, the module case 200 may have at least one side, for example, an entrance O for the withdrawal of the heat pressure exchange member 300 at an upper side.
[139]
According to this configuration of the present invention, when the performance of the heat pressure exchange member 300 is deteriorated, it is replaced with a new heat pressure exchange member 300, so that the heat control performance by the heat pressure exchange member 300 is stable for a long time. Can be maintained. In addition, in some cases, it may be necessary to change the performance of the heat pressure exchange member 300, but it may be replaced with a heat pressure exchange member 300 having a different amount of heat retaining material such as a heat storage ceramic material. . For example, when an already manufactured battery module is used in a low-temperature polar region, it may be replaced with a heat pressure exchange member 300 having high heat absorption, retention, and release performance. Alternatively, since the temperature distribution inside the battery module may vary depending on the location where the battery module is mounted, the heat pressure exchange member 300 may be replaced with a heat pressure exchange member 300 having a different location of the heat exchange unit 310. have. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it may be possible to provide a battery module capable of optimizing the performance of the heat pressure exchange member 300 by more adaptively coping with the surrounding situation or environment.
[140]
In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, the secondary battery 100 is a lithium secondary battery 100, and the negative electrode plate therein may include a silicon-based material. That is, the secondary battery 100 included in the battery module according to the present invention may use a silicon-based material as a negative active material. As described above, when a silicon-based material is used as the negative active material, the capacity may be greatly increased compared to the case in which a carbon-based material is used. Moreover, in the case of the secondary battery 100 to which such a silicon-based material is applied, the volume expansion coefficient is very large. Accordingly, the effect of the present invention in which heat is released and absorbed by expansion and contraction of the secondary battery 100 during charging and discharging may be further increased.
[141]
Here, the silicon-based material is, for example, silicon, an alloy of silicon, SiB4, SiB6, Mg2Si, Ni2Si, TiSi2, MoSi2, CoSi2, NiSi2, CaSi2, CrSi2, Cu5Si, FeSi2, MnSi2, NbSi2, TaSi2, VSi2, WSi2 , ZnSi2, SiC, Si3N4, Si2N2O, SiOv (0.5≤v≤1.2), LiSiO, SiO, etc., but the present invention is not limited by a specific type of such a silicon-based material. Further, since the secondary battery 100 to which such a silicon-based material is applied as a negative active material is already known at the time of filing of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the battery module of the present invention may include a secondary battery 100 in which various silicon-based materials known at the time of filing of the present invention are employed as a negative active material.
[142]
Meanwhile, although not shown in the various drawings described above, the battery module according to the present invention may further include other components in addition to the secondary battery 100, the module case 200, and the heat pressure exchange member 300.
[143]
For example, the battery module according to the present invention may further include a stacking frame. The stacking frame is provided to facilitate stacking of pouch-type secondary batteries, is configured to be stackable, and accommodates pouch-type secondary batteries in an internal space formed by stacking. The stacking frame may be formed in a substantially rectangular ring shape, and may further include a component such as a cooling plate at a central portion. Such a stacking frame may also be referred to as a cartridge. Since such a stacking frame is already known at the time of filing of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[144]
The battery pack according to the present invention may include one or more battery modules according to the present invention. In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention, in addition to such a battery module, includes a pack case for accommodating such a battery module, various devices for controlling charge/discharge of the battery module, such as BMS (Battery Management System), a current sensor, a fuse, etc. It may further include.
[145]
The battery module according to the present invention can be applied to a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. That is, the vehicle according to the present invention may include the battery module according to the present invention. In particular, in the case of a vehicle that obtains driving power from a battery, such as an electric vehicle, the cooling performance and/or charging performance of the battery module is very important. Therefore, when the battery module according to the present invention is applied to such a vehicle, a battery module having an effective cooling performance and/or charging performance, stable and safe, and excellent charging performance, particularly fast charging performance, can be provided.
[146]
In this specification, terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, before, and after are used, but these terms are for convenience only and may vary depending on the location of the object or the location of the observer. Is apparent to those skilled in the art of the present invention.
[147]
[148]
As described above, although the present invention has been described by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention and the following by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. It goes without saying that various modifications and variations are possible within the equivalent range of the claims to be described.
[149]
[150]
[Explanation of code]
[151]
100: secondary battery
[152]
200: module case
[153]
201: main body, 202: cover
[154]
300: heat pressure exchange member
[155]
310: heat exchange part, 320: body part
[156]
321: heat conduction part, 322: heat shielding part
Claims
[Claim 1]
One or more secondary batteries; A module case having an empty space formed therein to accommodate the one or more secondary batteries in the internal space; And disposed to face the secondary battery in the inner space of the module case, and absorbs and holds heat when the pressure applied from the secondary battery is less than or equal to the reference value, and held when the pressure applied from the secondary battery exceeds the reference value. A battery module comprising at least one heat pressure exchange member configured to dissipate heat.
[Claim 2]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the secondary batteries are included, and the heat pressure exchange member is interposed in a space between the secondary batteries.
[Claim 3]
The method of claim 2, wherein the secondary battery is a pouch-type secondary battery, which is arranged in a horizontal direction in an erected form in an inner space of the module case, and the heat pressure exchange member is formed in a plate shape to provide a space between the secondary batteries. Battery module, characterized in that arranged in the erected form.
[Claim 4]
The battery module of claim 1, wherein the heat pressure exchange member comprises a ceramic material that absorbs and holds heat when pressure is not applied and releases retained heat when pressure is applied.
[Claim 5]
The method according to claim 1, wherein the heat pressure exchange member comprises a heat exchange part made of a material that absorbs and releases heat according to whether pressure is applied, and a body part made of a material different from the heat exchange part and supports the heat exchange part. Battery module.
[Claim 6]
The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the main body has an erect plate shape.
[Claim 7]
The battery module of claim 6, wherein the heat exchange part has an erect plate shape, and a lower end is coupled to the upper end of the main body in parallel.
[Claim 8]
The battery module of claim 5, wherein the main body is positioned at an outer circumference of the heat exchanger to surround the heat exchanger.
[Claim 9]
The battery module of claim 5, wherein the heat exchange part is formed in a form coated on at least a part of a surface of the body part.
[Claim 10]
The battery module of claim 5, wherein the heat exchange part is configured to protrude toward the secondary battery rather than the main body part.
[Claim 11]
The battery module according to claim 5, wherein the heat exchange part is configured such that portions having different thicknesses exist in one heat pressure exchange member.
[Claim 12]
12. The battery module of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the heat exchange unit is configured to decrease in thickness from a central portion of the secondary battery to an edge portion.
[Claim 13]
A battery pack comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
[Claim 14]
A vehicle comprising the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 12.