BATTERY MODULE AND BATTERY PACK INCLUDING SAME
20220393270 · 2022-12-08
Inventors
- Jongpil Jeon (Daejeon, KR)
- Junyeob SEONG (Daejeon, KR)
- Myungki PARK (Daejeon, KR)
- Jonghwa CHOI (Daejeon, KR)
Cpc classification
H01M10/6556
ELECTRICITY
Y02E60/10
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
H01M2220/20
ELECTRICITY
H01M10/6551
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H01M10/6551
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
A battery module including: a battery cell stack including a plurality of battery cells, a housing for the battery cell stack, a heat sink on a bottom portion of the housing, and a cooling port for supplying a refrigerant to the heat sink, wherein the housing includes a housing protrusion portion on the bottom portion of the housing, and the housing protrusion portion includes a first housing protrusion portion and a second housing protrusion portion that are located to be spaced apart from each other on one side of the housing. The cooling port includes a refrigerant injection port and a refrigerant discharge port, and each of the refrigerant injection port and the refrigerant discharge port is disposed on the first housing protrusion portion and the second housing protrusion portion, respectively.
Claims
1. A battery module comprising: a battery cell stack comprising a plurality of battery cells, a housing for the battery cell stack, a heat sink formed on a bottom part of the housing, and a cooling port for supplying a refrigerant to the heat sink, wherein the housing comprises a housing protrusion portion formed at the bottom portion of the housing, wherein the housing protrusion portion comprises a first housing protrusion portion and a second housing protrusion portion that are spaced apart from each other on one side of the housing, and wherein the cooling port comprises a refrigerant injection port and a refrigerant discharge port, and the refrigerant injection port and the refrigerant discharge port are disposed on the first housing protrusion portion and the second housing protrusion portion, respectively.
2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the bottom part of the housing comes into contact with the refrigerant.
3. The battery module according to claim 2, wherein the heat sink comprises a heat sink protrusion portion that protrudes from the heat sink to be positioned under the housing protrusion portion.
4. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein an inlet and an outlet corresponding to each of the refrigerant injection port and the refrigerant discharge port, respectively, are formed on the heat sink protrusion portion.
5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the refrigerant injection port and the refrigerant discharge port have a shape protruding upward from an upper surface of the housing protrusion portion.
6. The battery module according to claim 1, further comprising end plates for covering front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack, wherein the housing protrusion portion extends to pass through the end plate.
7. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the heat sink comprises a protruding pattern, and the protruding pattern comprises a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the bottom portion of the housing.
8. A battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules comprises: a battery cell stack comprising a plurality of battery cells, a housing for the battery cell stack, a heat sink formed on a bottom part of the housing, and a cooling port comprising a refrigerant injection port for supplying a refrigerant to the heat sink and a refrigerant discharge port for discharging the refrigerant from the heat sink; and a pack refrigerant tube comprising a pack refrigerant supply tube and a pack refrigerant discharge tube connected to the refrigerant injection port and the refrigerant discharge port, respectively, and spaced apart from each other, wherein the pack refrigerant tube is disposed between battery modules adjacent to each other.
9. The battery pack according to claim 8, further comprising: a space between adjacent battery modules, wherein cooling ports of battery modules adjacent to each other and the pack refrigerant tube are disposed in the space between the battery modules.
10. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein the refrigerant injection port of a first battery module is positioned to face the refrigerant discharge port of a second battery module facing the first battery module.
11. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of battery modules comprises a first battery module and a second battery module, wherein the first battery module comprises a first plurality of battery modules arranged in a row in a direction in which the battery cells are stacked, and the second battery module comprises a second plurality of battery modules arranged in a row in a direction in which the battery cells are stacked, and wherein the first plurality of battery modules and the second plurality of battery modules face each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the battery cells are stacked, and wherein the refrigerant injection port and the refrigerant discharge port are disposed between the first battery module and the second battery module.
12. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein: the battery module further comprises end plates that cover front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack and are coupled to the housing, the housing protrusion portion extends to pass through the end plate, and the housing protrusion portion is located in a space between adjacent battery modules in which the pack refrigerant tube is disposed.
13. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the pack refrigerant supply tube and the pack refrigerant discharge tube overlap in an area where the pack refrigerant supply tube and the pack refrigerant discharge tube are extended.
14. The battery pack according to claim 13, wherein a height of the pack refrigerant supply tube and a height of the pack refrigerant discharge tube are different from each other.
15. The battery pack according to claim 8, which further comprises a pack refrigerant housing for the pack refrigerant tube.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. The present disclosure may be modified in various different ways, and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
[0048] Portions that are irrelevant to the description will be omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.
[0049] Further, in the figures, the size and thickness of each element are arbitrarily illustrated for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to those illustrated in the figures. In the figures, the thickness of layers, regions, etc. are exaggerated for clarity. In the figures, for convenience of description, the thicknesses of some layers and regions are shown to be exaggerated.
[0050] In addition, it will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or plate is referred to as being “on” or “above” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, it means that other intervening elements are not present. Further, the word “on” or “above” means disposed on or below a reference portion, and does not necessarily mean being disposed on the upper end of the reference portion toward the opposite direction of gravity.
[0051] Further, throughout the specification, when a portion is referred to as “including” a certain component, it means that the portion can further include other components, without excluding the other components, unless otherwise stated.
[0052] Further, throughout the specification, when referred to as “planar”, it means when a target portion is viewed from the upper side, and when referred to as “cross-sectional”, it means when a target portion is viewed from the side of a cross section cut vertically.
[0053]
[0054] As illustrated in
[0055] First, the battery cell 110 may be a pouch-type battery cell. Such a pouch-type battery cell may be formed by housing an electrode assembly in a pouch case of a laminate sheet including a resin layer and a metal layer, and then thermally fusing the sealing portion of the pouch case. At this time, the battery cell 110 may be formed in a rectangular sheet-like structure.
[0056] The battery cells 110 may be composed of a plurality of cells, and the plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked so as to be electrically connected to each other, thereby forming a battery cell stack 120. In particular, as illustrated in
[0057] The housing 200 for the battery cell stack 120 may include an upper cover 220 and a U-shaped frame 210.
[0058] The U-shaped frame 210 may include a bottom part 210a and two side parts 210b extending upward from both end parts of the bottom part 210a. The bottom part 210a may cover the lower surface of the battery cell stack 120, and the side surface parts 210b may cover both side surfaces of the battery cell stack 120.
[0059] The upper cover 220 may be formed in a single plate-shaped structure that surrounds the lower surface wrapped by the U-shaped frame 210 and the remaining upper surface (z-axis direction) excluding the two side surfaces. The upper cover 220 and the U-shaped frame 210 can be joined by welding or the like in a state in which the corresponding corner portions are in contact with each other, thereby forming a structure that covers the battery cell stack 120 vertically and horizontally. The battery cell stack 120 may be physically protected through the upper cover 220 and the U-shaped frame 210. For this purpose, the upper cover 220 and the U-shaped frame 210 may include a metal material having a predetermined strength.
[0060] Meanwhile, although not specifically shown, the housing 200 according to a modified embodiment may be a mono frame in the form of a metal plate in which the upper surface, the lower surface, and both sides are integrated. That is, this is not a structure in which the U-shaped frame 210 and the upper cover 220 are coupled with each other, but a structure in which the upper part, the lower part, and both sides are integrated by being manufactured by extrusion molding.
[0061] The end plate 400 may be located at each of the two open sides (y-axis direction) of the housing 200, so that it covers the battery cell stack 120. The end plate 400 may physically protect the battery cell stack 120 and other electronic instruments from external impact.
[0062] Meanwhile, although not specifically shown, a busbar frame on which a busbar is mounted and an insulating cover for electrical insulation may be located between the battery cell stack 120 and the end plate 400.
[0063] The housing 200 according to the embodiment of the disclosure includes a housing protrusion portion 211 formed so that the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 is extended and passes through the end plate 400. The refrigerant inflowing into and discharged by the cooling port 500 connected to the upper surface of the housing protrusion portion 211 may be supplied to the heat sink 300 via the housing protrusion portion 211 and discharged from the heat sink 300. The cooling port 500 according to the embodiment of the disclosure includes a refrigerant injection port 500a and a refrigerant discharge port 500b, and the refrigerant injection port 500a and the refrigerant discharge port 500b may be respectively connected to a pack refrigerant supply tube and a pack refrigerant discharge tube described later. The housing protrusion portion 211 includes a first housing protrusion portion and a second housing protrusion portion on one side of the housing 200, the refrigerant injection port 500a is disposed on the first housing protrusion portion, and the refrigerant discharge port 500b is disposed on the second housing protrusion portion.
[0064] A protruding pattern 340D may be formed in the lower plate 310 of the heat sink 300 according to the embodiment of the disclosure. In the case of a large-area battery module in which the number of stacked battery cells increases significantly compared to a conventional case, as in the battery cell stack 120 according to the present embodiment, the width of the refrigerant flow passage may be wider and thus, the temperature deviation may be more severe. The large-area battery module may include a case in which about 32 to 48 battery cells are stacked in one battery module as compared with a conventional case in which about 12 to 24 battery cells are stacked in one battery module. In such a case, because the protruding pattern 340D according to the embodiment of the disclosure may substantially reduce the width of the cooling flow passage, the pressure drop can be minimized, and at the same time, the temperature deviation between the widths of the refrigerant flow passage can be reduced. Therefore, a uniform cooling effect can be achieved.
[0065] Hereinafter, the heat sink according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to
[0066] As illustrated in
[0067] Specifically, a heat sink 300 may be formed at a lower portion of the housing 200, and the heat sink 300 may include a lower plate 310 that forms a skeleton of the heat sink 300 and makes contact with the bottom part of the housing 200, an inlet 320 that is formed on one side of the heat sink 300 to supply a refrigerant from the outside to the interior of the heat sink 300, an outlet 330 that is formed on one side of the heat sink 300 and allows a refrigerant flowing inside the heat sink to be discharged to the outside of the heat sink, and a recessed portion 340 that connects the inlet 320 and the outlet 330 and allows the refrigerant to flow. The inlet 320 and the outlet 330 may be formed at positions corresponding to the housing protrusion portions 211 so that they are connected to lower surface parts of the housing protrusion portions 211. For this purpose, the inlet 320 and the outlet 330 may be formed on the heat sink protrusion portion 300P protruding from one side of the heat sink 300 to a portion where the housing protrusion portion 211 is located. The heat sink protrusion portion 300P and the housing protrusion portion 211 may be directly joined to each other by a method such as welding.
[0068] The recessed portion 340 of the heat sink 300 corresponds to a portion in which the lower plate 310 is recessed and formed on the lower side. The recessed portion 340 may have a structure in which a cross section cut perpendicularly to the xz plane with respect to the direction in which the refrigerant flow passage extends is a U-shaped tube, and the bottom portion 210a may be located on the open upper side of the U-shaped tube. When the heat sink 300 comes into contact with the bottom portion 210a, the space between the recessed portion 340 and the bottom portion 210a becomes a region through which the refrigerant flows, that is, a refrigerant flow passage. Thereby, the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 may come into direct contact with the refrigerant.
[0069] The method of manufacturing the recessed portion 340 of the heat sink 300 is not particularly limited, but a U-shaped recessed portion 340 with an open upper side may be formed by providing a structure formed by being recessed and formed with respect to a plate-shaped heat sink 300.
[0070] Meanwhile, although not shown, a thermally conductive resin layer containing a thermal resin may be located between the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 and the battery cell stack 120 in
[0071] The thermally conductive resin may include a thermally conductive adhesive material, and specifically, may include at least one of a silicone material, an urethan material, and an acrylic material. The thermally conductive resin is a liquid during application but is cured after application, so that it can fix one or more battery cells 110 constituting the battery cell stack 120. Further, since the thermally conductive resin has excellent heat transfer properties, heat generated from the battery cell 110 can be quickly transferred to the lower side of the battery module.
[0072] In the conventional battery module 10 shown in
[0073] On the other hand, the battery module 100 according to the embodiment of the disclosure can realize an integrated type cooling structure of the housing 200 and the heat sink 300 to further improve cooling performance The bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 can perform the role of corresponding to the upper plate of the heat sink 300, thereby realizing the integrated type cooling structure. The cooling efficiency due to direct cooling can be increased, and through a structure in which the heat sink 300 is integrated with the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200, the space utilization rate of the battery module and the battery pack equipped with the battery module can be further improved.
[0074] Specifically, the heat generated from the battery cell 110 can pass through a thermally conductive resin layer (not shown) located between the battery cell stack 120 and the bottom portion 210a, the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200, and the refrigerant, and then can be transferred to the outside of the battery module 100. By removing the unnecessary cooling structure one of the conventional battery, the heat transfer passage can be simplified and an air gap between respective layers can be reduced, so that the cooling efficiency or performance can be enhanced. In particular, since the bottom portion 210a is configured as an upper plate of the heat sink 300, and the bottom portion 210a comes into contact with the refrigerant, there is an advantage that more direct cooling through the refrigerant can be performed. This can be distinguished from a conventional structure in which, as illustrated in
[0075] Further, the height of the battery module 100 is reduced through the removal of the unnecessary cooling structure, so that cost can be reduced and space utilization rate can be increased. Furthermore, since the battery module 100 can be disposed in a compact manner, the capacity or output of the battery pack including a plurality of battery modules 100 can be increased.
[0076] Meanwhile, the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 can be joined by welding to a portion of the lower plate 310 in which the recessed portion 340 is not formed among the heat sink 300. Since the embodiment of the disclosure has the integrated type cooling structure of the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 and the heat sink 300, it can exhibit the effects of not only improving the cooling performance described above, but also supporting the load of the battery cell stack 120 housed in the housing 200 and reinforcing the rigidity of the battery module 100. In addition, the lower plate 310 and the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200 are sealed through welding or the like, so that the refrigerant can flow without leakage in the recessed portion 340 formed inside the lower plate 310.
[0077] For effective cooling, as illustrated in
[0078] Through an inlet 320 from the pack refrigerant supply tube described later, the refrigerant inflows between the bottom part 210a and the recessed part 340, and the inflowing refrigerant moves along a refrigerant flow passage, and then can be discharged to a pack refrigerant discharge tube through the outlet 330. As the refrigerant moves from the start point to the end point of the refrigerant flow passage formed over the entire region corresponding to the bottom portion 210a of the housing 200, efficient cooling can be performed over the entire region of the battery cell stack 120.
[0079] Meanwhile, the refrigerant is a medium for cooling, and may be, but not particularly limited to, a cooling water.
[0080]
[0081] As illustrated in
[0082] As illustrated in
[0083] In the embodiment of the disclosure, the pack refrigerant pipe 600 is disposed between the battery modules 100 adjacent to each other. In a space between the battery modules 100 adjacent to each other in which the pack refrigerant pipe 600 is disposed, all of the cooling ports 500 of the battery modules 100 adjacent to each other may be disposed. At this time, a refrigerant injection port 500a formed in one of the battery modules 100 and a refrigerant discharge port 500b formed in another battery module 100 adjacent to the one battery module 100 may be disposed while facing each other.
[0084] As illustrated in
[0085] The housing protrusion portion 211 included in the battery module 100 illustrated in
[0086]
[0087] As illustrated in
[0088] As illustrated in
[0089] One of the plurality of battery modules included in the battery pack according to the exemplary embodiments described above includes about 32 to 48 battery cells, and 10 or less of battery modules may be included in one battery pack. In this way, the battery pack according to the embodiment of the disclosure includes a large-area battery module.
[0090] Hereinafter, the structure of a battery pack according to a comparative example will be described with reference to
[0091]
[0092] As illustrated in
[0093] As illustrated in
[0094] The above-mentioned battery module or the battery pack including the same can be applied to various devices. Such devices can be applied to transportation means such as an electric bike, an electric vehicle, and a hybrid electric vehicle, and may be applied to various devices capable of using a battery module and a battery pack including the same, without being limited thereto.
[0095] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the part by using the basic concept of the present disclosure, which are defined in the following claims, also belong to the scope of the present disclosure.