Battery Module Having Improved Cooling Structure

Abstract

A battery module includes a module housing having a lower housing, a pair of side housings, front and rear housings, and an upper housing, for respectively covering a lower portion, both side portions, front and rear portions, and an upper portion of a cell stack. The lower housing includes a base plate configured to cover an entire lower surface of the cell stack and having a hole region forming a channel in at least one side of the base plate along a longitudinal direction; and a plurality of spacers disposed at predetermined intervals along the base plate and configured to support the cell stack apart from a surface of the base plate to form an empty space between the cell stack and the base plate. The hole region communicates with the empty space so that a cooling medium can be supplied to the empty space.

1 . A battery module, comprising:
 a cell stack defined by a stack of a plurality of battery cells, the plurality of battery cells in the cell stack collectively defining a lower surface of the cell stack; and   a module housing configured to accommodate the cell stack, the module housing having a lower housing, a pair of side housings, a front housing, a rear housing, and an upper housing, for respectively covering a lower portion, a left and right side portion, a front portion, a rear portion, and an upper portion of the cell stack,   wherein the lower housing includes:
 a base plate configured to entirely cover the lower surface of the cell stack, the base plate having a hole region defining a channel in at least one side of the base plate along a longitudinal direction of the base plate; and 
 a plurality of spacers disposed at predetermined intervals along the base plate and configured to support the cell stack so as to space the cell stack away from a surface of the base plate, such that an empty space is defined between the cell stack and the base plate, 
 wherein the hole region communicates with the empty space such that a cooling medium can be supplied to the empty space, and 
 wherein the cooling medium in the empty space comes into direct contact with the plurality of battery cells via the lower surface of the cell stack exposed to the empty space. 
   
     
     
         2 . The battery module according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the plurality of spacers include a first spacer and a second spacer provided at a first end and a second end of the base plate, respectively, in the longitudinal direction, the first spacer and the second spacer extending along a width direction of the base plate so that both opposing ends of each of the first and second spacers are in contact with both respective sides of the base plate.   
     
     
         3 . The battery module according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the plurality of spacers further include at least one third spacer spaced apart from the first spacer and the second spacer and provided between the first spacer and the second spacer.   
     
     
         4 . The battery module according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the at least one side of the base plate along the longitudinal direction comprises a first side and a second side, which correspond to respective sides of the base plate opposite to each other, and   wherein the hole region includes:
 a first region formed in the first side to communicate from an exterior of the base plate to a first empty space positioned between the first spacer and the third spacer; 
 a second region formed in the second side to communicate from the first empty space to a second empty space positioned between the third spacer and the second spacer; and 
 a third region formed in the first side to communicate from the second empty space to the exterior of the base plate. 
   
     
     
         5 . The battery module according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the third spacer has a third spacer channel formed therethrough so that the cooling medium passes through the third spacer.   
     
     
         6 . The battery module according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the first spacer and the second spacer have a first spacer channel and a second spacer channel respectively formed therethrough, and   wherein the battery module further comprises:
 a first cooling pipe configured to connect the hole region and the first spacer channel; and 
 a second cooling pipe configured to connect the hole region and the second spacer channel. 
   
     
     
         7 . The battery module according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the at least one side of the base plate along the longitudinal direction comprises a first side and a second side, which correspond to respective sides of the base plate opposite to each other, and   wherein the first and second sides each have a coupling groove configured to engage a coupling protrusion protruding downwardly from a lower end of the respective side housing.   
     
     
         8 . The battery module according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the first and second sides each include a leakage prevention protrusion protruding towards the cell stack and coming into contact with a respective outermost cell of the cell stack.   
     
     
         9 . The battery module according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein an adhesive is interposed between the cell stack and the plurality of spacers to prevent the cooling medium from leaking between the cell stack and the plurality of spacers.   
     
     
         10 . The battery module according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a supply tube and a discharge tube connected to a first end and a second end of the hole region of the base plate, respectively, so that the cooling medium can flow into or out of the empty space.   
     
     
         11 . A battery pack, comprising a plurality of battery modules according to  claim 1  connected together. 
     
     
         12 . A vehicle, comprising the battery pack defined in  claim 11 . 
     
     
         13 . The battery module according to  claim 1 , wherein the base plate has a planar surface and a first sidewall and a second side wall projecting upwardly from the planar surface in a height direction, the first and second side walls extending parallel to one another along the longitudinal direction and being positioned on opposite sides of the base plate in a width direction, the width direction being orthogonal to the longitudinal direction;
 wherein the plurality of spacers are positioned on the planar surface of the base plate and elongated so as to extend across the base plate in the width direction, each of the plurality of spacers having opposing first and second ends in the width direction in contact with the respective first and second side walls, the plurality of spacers being disposed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal dimension of the base plate so as to define respective ones of the plurality of empty spaces therebetween, the plurality of spacers being configured to support the cell stack so as to space the cell stack away from the planar surface of the base plate, such that each of the plurality of empty spaces is defined: between the cell stack and the planar surface of the base plate in the height direction, between the first and second side walls in the width direction, and between two successive ones of the plurality of spacers in the longitudinal direction; wherein the plurality of spacers includes a first spacer, a second spacer, and a third spacer, with a first empty space of the plurality of empty spaces being defined between the first spacer and the second spacer, and with a second empty space of the plurality of empty spaces being defined between the second spacer and the third spacer; and   wherein the first side wall defines a first channel therein extending along the longitudinal direction, and wherein the second side wall defines a second channel therein extending along the longitudinal direction, the first channel having an upstream end in communication with an inlet and a downstream end in communication with the first empty space via a first opening through the first side wall in the width direction, and the second channel having an upstream end in communication with the first empty space via a second opening through the second side wall in the width direction and having a downstream end in communication with the second empty space via a third opening through the second side wall in the width direction.   
     
     
         14 . The battery module according to  claim 13 , wherein a cooling liquid can be supplied from the inlet to the second empty space via a flow path passing sequentially through the first channel, the first opening, the first empty space, the second opening, the second channel, and the third opening, and wherein the cooling liquid in the first and second empty spaces comes into direct contact with the plurality of battery cells via the lower surface of the cell stack exposed to the first and second empty spaces. 
     
     
         15 . The battery module according to  claim 13 , wherein the first side wall defines a third channel therein extending along the longitudinal direction, the third channel having a downstream end in communication with an outlet and an upstream end in communication with the second empty space via a fourth opening through the first side wall in the width direction. 
     
     
         16 . The battery module according to  claim 13 , wherein the inlet includes an inlet opening connected to a supply tube, the inlet opening extending through a face of the first side wall, the face extending transverse to the planar surface of the base plate so that the inlet opening extends through the face in the longitudinal direction, and the first opening being spaced apart from the inlet opening along the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         17 . The battery module according to  claim 1 , wherein a seal is positioned between each of the plurality of battery cells of the cell stack such that the cooling medium in direct contact with the lower surface of the cell stack is prevented from penetrating into any space between the plurality of battery cells.