阅读说明：本技术 电池模块、包括电池模块的电池架以及包括电池架的蓄能系统 (Battery module, battery rack comprising battery module, and energy storage system comprising battery rack ) 是由 李珍圭 于 2019-08-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：根据本发明的实施例,一种电池模块包括：电池单体；模块壳体,其容纳电池单体,并且具有形成在电池单体的两侧处的内部冷却通道；至少一个开口,其面向模块壳体的内部冷却通道,并且被设置在模块壳体的两侧上；以及一对膜构件,其被安装在模块壳体的两侧上,以覆盖所述至少一个开口,在预定温度或以上的情况下,所述一对膜构件熔化,以打开所述至少一个开口。(According to an embodiment of the present invention, a battery module includes: a battery cell; a module case accommodating the battery cells and having internal cooling channels formed at both sides of the battery cells; at least one opening facing the internal cooling channel of the module housing and arranged on both sides of the module housing; and a pair of film members installed on both sides of the module case to cover the at least one opening, the pair of film members being melted to open the at least one opening at a predetermined temperature or more.)

1. A battery module, comprising:

a plurality of battery cells;

a module case configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells and having internal cooling channels formed at both sides of the plurality of battery cells;

at least one opening provided at both side surfaces of the module case to face the internal cooling passage of the module case; and

a pair of film members installed at both side surfaces of the module case to cover the at least one opening, the pair of film members being melted when a predetermined temperature is exceeded to open the at least one opening.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided in plurality, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along a longitudinal direction of the module case.

3. The battery module of claim 2, wherein the pair of membrane members are sized to cover all of the plurality of openings.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the openings are provided in pairs, wherein the pairs of openings are provided to both side surfaces of the module case, respectively.

5. The battery module of claim 4, wherein the pair of openings are provided in a mesh shape.

6. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the pair of film members have a size that covers the pair of openings, respectively.

7. The battery module of claim 1, further comprising:

a cooling unit provided to the module case to supply and discharge cooling air toward and from the internal cooling passage.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, wherein the cooling unit comprises:

a cooling air supply part provided at one side of the module case to supply the cooling air toward the internal cooling passage; and

a cooling air discharge part provided at the other side of the module case to discharge the cooling air in the inner cooling passage to the outside of the module case.

9. A battery stand, comprising:

at least one battery module according to claim 1; and

a battery holder housing configured to enclose the at least one battery module.

10. An energy storage system comprising at least one battery holder according to claim 9.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a battery module, a battery rack including the battery module, and an energy storage system including the battery rack.

The present application claims priority to korean patent application No. 10-2018-0122133, filed in korea, 12.10.2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background

The secondary battery is highly suitable for various products and exhibits excellent electrical properties such as high energy density, and thus is often used not only for portable devices but also for Electric Vehicles (EV) or Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) driven by an electric power source. Since the secondary battery can greatly reduce the use of fossil fuels and does not generate byproducts during power consumption, the secondary battery is receiving attention as a new energy source for improving environmental friendliness and energy efficiency.

The secondary batteries currently in widespread use include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and the like. The operating voltage of the unit secondary battery cell, i.e., the unit battery cell, is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in series to construct a battery pack. In addition, a battery pack may be constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in parallel according to a charge/discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to a required output voltage or a required charge/discharge capacity.

Meanwhile, when a battery pack is constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series or in parallel, it is general to first construct a battery module including at least one battery cell and then construct a battery holder by using at least one battery module and adding other elements. When constructing the battery stand, a plurality of battery stands may be used to construct the energy storage system.

In the conventional battery module, a cooling unit of a water cooling type or an air cooling type may be provided to cool the battery module. Here, the cooling unit of the battery module having the air cooling structure generally includes a cooling air supply part and a cooling air discharge part. Meanwhile, when a high temperature condition occurs due to abnormal heat generation of at least one of the battery cells, high temperature gas and flames may be generated inside the battery module.

However, in the conventional battery module having the air cooling structure, when such a high temperature situation occurs, high-temperature gas and flames inside the battery module may be discharged from the battery module only through the cooling air supply part and the cooling air discharge part of the cooling unit. Therefore, high-temperature gas and flames may not be smoothly discharged from the battery module.

In this case, the thermal runaway of any one battery cell may propagate to an adjacent battery cell, causing the entire battery module to explode, thereby causing great damage.

Therefore, it is necessary to find a method: when a high temperature condition occurs due to abnormal heat generation in the battery module having the air cooling structure, high temperature gas and flame are more rapidly discharged to the outside.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery module that can rapidly discharge high-temperature gas and flame to the outside when a high-temperature condition occurs due to abnormal heat generation in a battery module having an air cooling structure, a battery holder including the battery module, and an energy storage system including the battery holder.

Technical solution

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery module including: a plurality of battery cells; a module case configured to accommodate a plurality of battery cells and having internal cooling channels formed at both sides of the plurality of battery cells; at least one opening provided at both side surfaces of the module case to face the internal cooling channel of the module case; and a pair of film members mounted on both side surfaces of the module case to cover the at least one opening, the pair of film members being melted when a predetermined temperature is exceeded to open the at least one opening.

The opening may be provided in plurality, and the plurality of openings may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along a longitudinal direction of the module case.

The pair of film members may have a size covering all of the plurality of openings.

The openings may be provided as a pair, and the pair of openings may be provided to both side surfaces of the module case, respectively.

The pair of openings may be arranged in a mesh shape.

The pair of film members may have a size to cover the pair of openings, respectively.

The battery module may further include a cooling unit provided to the module case to supply cooling air to the internal cooling passage and to discharge the cooling air out of the module case.

The cooling unit may include: a cooling air supply part provided at one side of the module case to supply cooling air to the inner cooling passage; and a cooling air discharge part provided at the other side of the module case to discharge the cooling air in the inner cooling passage to the outside of the module case.

In addition, this disclosure still provides a battery rack, includes: at least one battery module according to the above embodiment; and a battery holder housing configured to enclose the at least one battery module.

In addition, the invention also provides an energy storage system which comprises at least one battery rack according to the embodiment.

Advantageous effects

According to various embodiments as described above, a battery module, a battery rack including the battery module, and an energy storage system including the battery rack can be provided as follows: when a high temperature condition occurs due to abnormal heat generation in the battery module having the air cooling structure, the battery module can rapidly discharge high-temperature gas and flame to the outside.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to further understanding technical features of the present disclosure, and therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a view for illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the battery module of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating the battery module of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view for illustrating the form of the battery module shown in fig. 1 when cooled.

Fig. 5 and 6 are views for illustrating the form of the battery module of fig. 1 in the case of a high temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature.

Fig. 7 is a view for illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a side view illustrating the battery module of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view for illustrating the form of the battery module of fig. 7 in the case of a high temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature.

Fig. 10 is a view for illustrating a battery holder according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings. It is to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary only for the purpose of promoting an understanding of the present disclosure, which may be modified in various ways. Additionally, the figures are not drawn to scale and the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated in order to facilitate an understanding of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a view for illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the battery module of fig. 1, and fig. 3 is a side view illustrating the battery module of fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the battery module 10 may include a battery cell 100, a module case 200, a cooling unit 300, an opening 400, and a film member 500.

The battery cell 100 is a secondary battery, which may be a pouch type secondary battery, a cubic type secondary battery, or a cylindrical type secondary battery. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the battery cell 100 is described as a pouch-type secondary battery.

The battery cell 100 may be provided in plurality. A plurality of battery cells 100 may be stacked to be electrically connected to each other.

The module case 200 may accommodate a plurality of battery cells 100. For this, the module case 200 may have an accommodation space for accommodating the plurality of battery cells 100.

The module housing 200 may include internal cooling channels 250.

The internal cooling channels 250 may be disposed at both sides of the plurality of battery cells 100 inside the module case 200. The internal cooling passage 250 may be arranged to communicate with a cooling unit 300, which will be explained later.

The cooling unit 300 serves to cool the battery cells 100, and may be provided in an air cooling type. The cooling unit 300 is provided to the module case 200, and may supply and discharge cooling air toward and from the internal cooling passage 250.

The cooling unit 300 may include a cooling air supply part 310 and a cooling air discharge part 330.

The cooling air supply part 310 may be disposed at one side of the module case 200, and particularly, the cooling air supply part 310 may be disposed at a front side of the module case 200, and may provide cooling air toward the inner cooling passage 250.

The cooling air supply part 310 may have a cooling supply fan for smoothly supplying cooling air toward the internal cooling passage 250 of the module case 200.

The cooling air discharge part 330 is disposed at the other side of the module case 200, specifically, the cooling air discharge part 330 is disposed at the rear side of the module case 200, and may discharge the cooling air in the inner cooling passage 250 to the outside of the module case 200.

The cooling air discharge part 330 may have a cooling exhaust fan for smoothly discharging the cooling air of the internal cooling passage 250 in the module case 200.

The cooling air discharge part 330 may be disposed diagonally to the cooling air supply part 310 in the front-rear direction of the module case 200. Therefore, the cooling air can flow more smoothly in the entire interior of the module case 200.

The openings 400 may be provided at both side surfaces of the module case 200 to face the internal cooling channel 250 of the module case 200.

The opening 400 may be provided in plurality.

The plurality of openings 400 may be respectively provided at both side surfaces of the module case 200, and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the longitudinal direction of the module case 200.

The film members 500 are provided in pairs, and the pair of film members 500 may be respectively provided at both side surfaces of the module case 200 to cover at least one opening 400, or to cover a plurality of openings 400 respectively provided at both sides of the module case 200 in the present embodiment.

The pair of film members 500 may have a size to cover all of the plurality of openings 400 respectively provided at both sides of the module case 200. The pair of film members 500 seal the at least one opening 400 or the plurality of openings 400 in this embodiment below a predetermined temperature and may be melted to at least partially open the at least one opening 400 of the plurality of openings 400 when the predetermined temperature is exceeded.

For this, the pair of film members 500 may be made of a film or foam material that is susceptible to high temperature if a predetermined temperature is exceeded. The pair of film members 500 may be melted at a high temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature.

Hereinafter, the form of the battery module 10 in a cooled state and a high temperature condition according to this embodiment will be described in more detail.

Fig. 4 is a view for illustrating the form of the battery module of fig. 1 when cooled.

Referring to fig. 4, when the battery module 10 is cooled, the cooling air supply part 310 of the cooling unit 300 may introduce cooling air for cooling the battery cells 100 into the module case 200 from the outside of the module case 200.

Then, the cooling air introduced into the module case 200 may cool the battery cells 100 while flowing through the internal cooling channels 250 of the module case 200.

Then, the cooling air cooling the battery cells 100 may be discharged out of the module case 200 through the cooling air discharge part 330 of the cooling unit 300.

Fig. 5 and 6 are views for illustrating the form of the battery module of fig. 1 in the case of a high temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, in the battery module 10, abnormal heat generation may occur in at least one of the battery cells 100 among the battery cells 100. If the abnormal heat generation continues, a high temperature condition may occur inside the module case 200, and high temperature gas and flames may be generated inside the module case 200.

When such high-temperature gas and flame are generated, the high-temperature gas and flame may not be smoothly discharged from the module case 200 only by the cooling air supply part 310 and the cooling air discharge part 330.

In this case, the thermal runaway of any one battery cell may propagate to an adjacent battery cell, causing the entire battery module to explode, thereby causing great damage.

However, in this embodiment, when high-temperature gas and flame are generated in the module case 200 due to a high-temperature condition, the pair of film members 500 are melted, so that the plurality of openings 400 are exposed from the module case 200.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since high-temperature gas and flame can be rapidly discharged through the plurality of openings 400, any problem that may cause explosion of the entire battery module 10 can be prevented in advance.

As a result, in the battery module 10 according to the present embodiment, under normal operating conditions, the plurality of openings 400 and the pair of film members 500 may guide and form a cooling path for cooling the battery cells 100; the plurality of openings 400 and the pair of film members 500 may also rapidly discharge high-temperature gas and flame inside the module case 200 to the outside under abnormal operating conditions such as thermal runaway.

Therefore, the battery module 10 according to the present embodiment can ensure the reliability and stability of the battery module 10 under normal and abnormal operating environments.

Fig. 7 is a view for illustrating a battery module according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, fig. 8 is a side view illustrating the battery module of fig. 7, and fig. 9 is a view for illustrating a form of the battery module of fig. 7 in a case of a high temperature exceeding a predetermined temperature.

Since the battery module 20 according to the present embodiment is similar to the battery module 10 of the foregoing embodiment, hereinafter, repeated description of the same or similar features as those of the foregoing embodiment will be omitted, and differences from the foregoing embodiment will be mainly described.

Referring to fig. 7 to 9, the battery module 20 may include a battery cell 100, a module case 200, a cooling unit 300, a pair of film members 500, and an opening 600.

The battery cell 100, the module case 200, the cooling unit 300, and the pair of film members 500 are substantially the same as or similar to those of the previous embodiment, and thus repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The openings 600 may be provided in pairs, and the pairs of openings 600 may be provided to both side surfaces of the module case 200, respectively. The pair of openings 600 may be provided in a mesh shape. Meanwhile, the pair of film members 500 may have a size to cover the pair of openings 600, respectively.

In this embodiment, the opening 600 may be provided in a mesh shape, rather than in a plurality. When an abnormal condition such as thermal runaway occurs, the mesh-shaped openings 600 may also be exposed through the melted film member 500 to rapidly discharge high-temperature gas and flame inside the module case 200 to the outside.

Fig. 10 is a view for illustrating a battery holder according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 10, the battery holder 1 may include at least one battery module 10, 20 according to the foregoing embodiment and a battery holder case 50 for enclosing the at least one battery module 10, 20.

Furthermore, the battery holder 1 may be provided in other equipment, instruments, or facilities, such as vehicles, secondary batteries, in addition to the energy storage system.

As described above, the battery holder 1 of the present embodiment and the apparatus, equipment, facility, or the like, such as an energy storage system or a vehicle, having the battery holder 1 include the battery modules 10, 20 as described above, and therefore, it is possible to realize the battery holder 1 having all the advantages of the above-described battery modules 10, 20, or the apparatus, equipment, facility, or the like, such as an energy storage system or a vehicle, having the battery holder 1.

According to various embodiments as described above, there may be provided: a battery module 10, 20; a battery holder 1 including battery modules 10, 20; and an energy storage system including the battery holder 1, the battery modules 10, 20 having an air cooling structure, which can rapidly discharge high-temperature gas and flame to the outside when a high-temperature situation occurs in the battery modules 10, 20 due to abnormal heat generation.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described, and that various changes and modifications can be made by one skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure, and that these modifications should be individually understood without departing from the technical concept and viewpoint of the present disclosure.