Battery module, method of manufacturing same, and battery pack comprising same

1. A battery module comprises:

a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked,

a U-shaped frame accommodating the battery cell stack and having an opened upper portion,

an upper plate covering the battery cell stack on the opened upper portion of the U-shaped frame,

a thermally conductive layer located between the U-shaped frame and the battery cell stack, and

a structural adhesive layer located between the upper plate and the battery cell stack,

wherein the thermally conductive layer is formed of a silicon-based thermally conductive paste, a liquid heat radiation material, or a thermally conductive compression pad, and the structural adhesive layer is formed of an epoxy-based material,

wherein the thermally conductive layer has a lower adhesive strength than the structural adhesive layer,

wherein the structural adhesive layer is applied on an upper end of the battery cell stack, and one end of each of the plurality battery cells included in the battery cell stack and the upper plate are coupled to each other in a direction perpendicular to a stacked direction of the plurality of battery cells.

2. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein

the U-shaped frame comprises a bottom portion and two side surface portions facing each other,

the bottom portion having two ends based on a longitudinal direction and comprising a first part and a second part, the first part being located at at least one of the two ends and the second part being located inside the first part relative to the two ends, and a thickness of the first part being thinner than that of the second part.

3. The battery module according to claim 2 ,

further comprising a busbar frame connected to the battery cell stack,

wherein the U-shaped frame is opened at both sides opposite to each other based on a direction in which electrode leads of the battery cell stack protrude, and the busbar frame is connected to the battery cell stack at the opened sides of the U-shaped frame, and

the busbar frame comprises a main frame arranged perpendicular to a direction in which the electrode leads protrude and a bent portion extending from a lower portion of the main frame.

4. The battery module according to claim 3 ,

wherein the bent portion is located on the first part of the bottom portion.

5. The battery module according to claim 4 ,

wherein a total thickness of the bent portion and the first part is thinner than a thickness of the second part.

6. The battery module according to claim 5 ,

wherein the battery cell comprises a protrusion part formed in a width direction, wherein the protrusion part is located on the bent portion.

7. The battery module according to claim 1 ,

wherein a lower surface of the battery cell stack perpendicular to a stacked direction of the plurality of battery cells is mounted on a bottom portion of the U-shaped frame.

8. The battery module according to claim 1 ,

further comprising an end plate coupled to each opened side of the U-shaped frame,

the opened both sides of the U-shaped frame facing each other based on a direction in which the electrode leads of the battery cell stack protrude.

9. A battery pack comprising the battery module of claim 1 .

10. A method of manufacturing a battery module comprising the steps of:

forming a thermally conductive layer on a bottom portion of a U-shaped frame having an opened upper portion,

mounting a battery cell stack such that it is accommodated into the U-shaped frame on the thermally conductive layer,

applying a structural adhesive layer onto the battery cell stack,

mounting an upper plate such that it covers the battery cell stack on the opened upper portion of the U-shaped frame, and

coupling the upper plate and the U-shaped frame,

wherein the battery cell stack is joined to the upper plate by the structural adhesive layer, and wherein the thermally conductive layer has a lower adhesive strength than the structural adhesive layer.

11. The method of manufacturing the battery module, according to claim 10 ,

further comprising coupling an end plate to each opened side of the U-shaped frame,

wherein the battery cell stack is mounted on the bottom portion of the U-shaped frame while being moved along a direction perpendicular to the bottom portion of the U-shaped frame.

12. The method of manufacturing the battery module, according to claim 11 ,

further comprising connecting the battery cell stack and a busbar frame while the busbar frame is moved in a direction opposite to a direction in which electrode leads of the battery cells included in the battery cell stack protrude, before the battery cell stack is mounted on the bottom portion of the U-shaped frame.

13. The method of manufacturing the battery module, according to claim 10 ,

wherein the thermally conductive layer is formed of a thermally conductive compression pad.