Patent Publication Number: US-2021184307-A1

Title: Battery module

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priory to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0169021, filed on Dec. 17, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     One or more aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a battery module. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Generally, an electronic device such as a laptop computer, a mini laptop computer, a netbook, a mobile computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), or a portable multimedia player (PMP) uses a battery pack, which is configured such that a plurality of battery cells are connected to each other in series and/or in parallel, as a portable power source. 
     In recent years, in order to prevent or reduce environmental contamination (e.g., via vehicle emissions), interest in electric vehicles and electric hybrid vehicles has increased. Accordingly, a battery module having a number of battery cells generally connected in series may be applied to a vehicle. In the battery module, a spacing gap between the battery cells may be increased so as to reduce the influence of swelling of the battery cells, which is caused while the battery cells are repeatedly charged and discharged. Increasing the spacing gap may decrease heat-insulating performance between the battery cells or excessively increase the size of the battery module. 
     The above information disclosed in this Background Art is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology, and therefore it may contain information that is not described in the related art. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is directed towards a battery module, in which a heat-insulating sheet of a heat-insulating partition wall has pores (e.g., many pores) and is made of a material having a high restoring force and a high compression rate to improve a heat-insulating and a cooling efficiency of battery cells without being influenced by swelling of the battery cells. 
     According to one or more embodiments, a battery module includes: battery cells arranged along a longitudinal direction of the battery module with respective long side surfaces of adjacent ones of the battery cells facing each other; and heat-insulating partition walls interposed between the respective long side surfaces of the adjacent ones of the battery cells, wherein a heat-insulating partition wall of the heat-insulating partition walls comprises a heat-insulating sheet and a frame around an edge of the heat-insulating sheet, the heat-insulating sheet having a plate shape and including pores therein, and wherein the heat-insulating sheet is coupled between the respective long side surfaces of the adjacent ones of the battery cells. 
     The heat-insulating sheet may be made of a ceramic paper or a foam sheet. 
     The heat-insulating sheet may further include aerogel or an oxide, the oxide being SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , ZrO, CaO, MgO, or TiO 2 . 
     The heat-insulating sheet may further include a fiber to connect the aerogel or the oxide. 
     The frame may be made of a metal or plastic. 
     A first surface of the heat-insulating sheet and a second surface of the heat-insulating sheet opposite to the first surface may be in contact with the respective long side surfaces of the adjacent ones of the battery cells. 
     The frame may include a first area horizontally extending from the edge of the heat-insulating sheet and a second area protruding from an end of the first area towards both of the adjacent ones of the battery cells, and wherein the second area may be greater in thickness than the first area. 
     The heat-insulating partition wall may include a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a recess area at the first surface or the second surface due to a protrusion of the second area of the frame, and wherein a partial area of one of the adjacent ones of the battery cells that is adjacent to one of the long side surfaces of the one of the adjacent ones of the battery cells may be in the recess area. 
     The frame may include a protrusion protruding from the first area towards one of the adjacent ones of the battery cells, and wherein the protrusion may be in contact with one of the long side surfaces of the one of the adjacent ones of the battery cells. 
     The first surface of the heat-insulating partition wall may be spaced from the one of the long side surfaces of the one of the adjacent ones of the battery cells to provide an air flow path. 
     The heat-insulating sheet is the ceramic paper and has a compression rate of about 46.9% to about 83% in response to a pressure of about 1.5 kN to about 40 kN applied between first and second surfaces of the heat-insulating sheet. 
     The heat-insulating sheet is the foam sheet and has a compression rate of about 7.9% to about 65.1% in response to a pressure of about 1.5 kN to about 40 kN applied between first and second surfaces of the heat-insulating sheet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the present disclosure. In the drawings: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment, respectively; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially longitudinal cross-sectional view of the battery module, taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a battery cell of the battery module, taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are a perspective view, an exploded perspective view, and a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment, respectively; and 
         FIGS. 5A-5C  are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to another embodiment, respectively 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that those skilled in the art thoroughly understand the present disclosure. In other words, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. 
     Also, in the drawing figures, the dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. In this specification, it will also be understood that when a member A is referred to as being “on,” “coupled to,” or “connected to” a member B, the member A can be “directly on,” “directly coupled to,” or “directly connected to” the member B or “indirectly on,” “indirectly coupled to,” or “indirectly connected to” the member B with a member B therebetween. When an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly coupled to,” or “directly connected to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. The terms used herein are for illustrative purposes of the present disclosure only and should not be construed to limit the meaning or the scope of the present disclosure. 
     As used in this specification, a singular form may, unless definitely indicating a particular case in terms of the context, include a plural form. For example, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, the expressions “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” used in this specification specify the presence of the mentioned shapes, numbers, steps, operations, members, elements, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other shapes, numbers, steps, operations, members, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of,” “one of,” and “selected from,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. 
     Further, the use of “may” when describing embodiments of the present disclosure refers to “one or more embodiments of the present disclosure”. 
     As used herein, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc. are used to describe various members, components, regions, layers, and/or portions. However, it is obvious that the members, components, regions, layers, and/or portions should not be defined by these terms. The terms do not refer to a particular order, up and down, or superiority, and are used only for distinguishing one member, component, region, layer, or portion from another member, component, region, layer, or portion. Thus, a first member, component, region, layer, or portion which will be described may also refer to a second member, component, region, layer, or portion, without departing from the teaching of the present disclosure. 
     Spatially relative terms, such as “below”, “beneath”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. These spatially relative terms are intended for easy comprehension of the present disclosure according to various process states or usage states of the present disclosure, and thus, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” or “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the term “below” may encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly. 
     As used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and similar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent deviations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein. 
       FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment, and  FIG. 1B  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating a portion of the battery module of  FIG. 1A . In addition,  FIG. 2  is a partially longitudinal cross-sectional view of the battery module, taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1A , and  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a battery cell, taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1A . Hereinafter, the battery module  100  will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3 , the battery module  100  may include a plurality of battery cells  110  and a plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  120 . Furthermore, the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  120  may be disposed to alternate with each other. For example, each of the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  120  may be between two adjacent ones of the plurality of battery cells  110 . The battery module  100 , in which the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  120  are sequentially stacked alternately along one side direction thereof, may be further provided with end plates for fixing the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  120  at both ends thereof. 
     The battery cell  110  includes an electrode assembly  114 , which is constituted by a positive electrode plate  111 , a negative electrode plate  112 , and a separator  113  interposed between the positive electrode plate  111  and the negative electrode plate  112 , a case  115  having a space (e.g., an internal volume), in which the electrode assembly is accommodated, a cap plate  116  coupled to the case to seal the case, and positive and negative electrode terminals  117  and  118  connected (e.g., electrically connected) to the positive and negative electrode plates  111  and  112  and protruding towards the outside of the cap plate  116 . 
     The positive electrode plate  111  is provided by applying a positive electrode active material such as a transition metal oxide on a positive electrode collector made of metal foil such as aluminum, and includes a positive electrode non-coating portion, on which the positive electrode active material is not applied. The positive electrode non-coating portion is disposed on a side surface of the positive electrode plate  111  along a longitudinal direction of the positive electrode plate  111  to serve as a passage through which current flows between the positive electrode plate  111  and the positive electrode terminal  117 . Here, the positive electrode non-coating portion may protrude towards an upper end (side end—depending the orientation) of the electrode assembly  114 , but the protrusion direction of the positive electrode non-coating portion is not limited thereto. 
     The negative electrode plate  112  is provided by applying a negative electrode active material such as graphite or carbon on a negative electrode collector made of metal foil such as nickel or copper, and includes a negative electrode non-coating portion, on which the negative electrode active material is not applied. The negative electrode non-coating portion is disposed on a side surface of the negative electrode plate  112  along a longitudinal direction of the negative electrode plate  112  to serve as a passage through which current flows between the negative electrode plate  112  and the negative electrode terminal  118 . Here, the negative electrode non-coating area may protrude towards an upper (or lower) end (side end—depending the orientation) of the electrode assembly  114 , but the protrusion direction of the positive electrode non-coating portion is not limited thereto. 
     The separator  113  is disposed between the positive electrode plate  111  and the negative electrode plate  112  to function to prevent or substantially prevent a short-circuit and to allow movement of lithium ions. The separator  113  may be made of polyethylene, polypropylene, or a composite film of the polyethylene and the polypropylene. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the material of the separator  113  may be any suitable material. 
     In the electrode assembly  114 , the positive electrode plate  111 , the negative electrode plate  112 , and the separator  113  interposed between the positive electrode plate  111  and the negative electrode plate  112  to insulate (e.g., electrically insulate) the positive electrode plate  111  from the negative electrode plate  112  are wound in a jelly-roll shape or stacked. 
     The case  115  is made of a conductive metal such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or nickel-plated steel, and has a substantially hexahedral shape having an opening in which the electrode assembly  114 , the positive electrode terminal  117 , the negative electrode terminal  118 , and an electrolyte are accommodated. The case  115  may include a bottom surface  115   a , two long side surfaces  115   b  extending upward from long sides of the bottom surface  115   a , and short side surfaces  115   c  extending upward from short sides of the bottom surface  115   a . Although the opening is not illustrated because the case  115  and the cap plate  116  are illustrated as being coupled to each other, a circumferential portion of the cap plate  116  substantially defines a substantially opened portion of the case  115 . An inner surface of the case  115  is insulated to be electrically insulated from the electrode assembly  114 , the positive electrode terminal  117 , and the negative electrode terminal  118 . 
     The cap plate  116  seals the opening of the case  115 , and may be made of the same material as the case  115 . In addition, the cap plate  116  may include a safety vent  116   b  and a plug  116   a  that blocks an electrolyte injection hole. 
     The positive electrode terminal  117  is connected (e.g., electrically connected) to the positive electrode plate  111 , and protrudes to the outside of the cap plate  116 . Also, the negative electrode terminal  118  is connected (e.g., electrically connected) to the negative electrode plate  112 , and protrudes to the outside of the cap plate  116 . 
     In addition, the positive electrode terminals  117  and the negative electrode terminals  118  of the plurality of battery cells  110  may be connected (e.g., electrically connected) to adjacent positive electrode terminals  117  and adjacent negative electrode terminals  118  of the battery cells  110  through busbars, respectively. That is, the plurality of battery cells  110  may be connected to each other in series and/or in parallel. 
     The heat-insulating partition wall  120  has a flat plate shape (e.g., a plate shape in the form of a sheet) and may include a heat-insulating sheet  121  and a frame  122  surrounding (e.g., around) an edge of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . Here, the heat-insulating partition wall  120  may have a shape corresponding to one surface of the case  115  of the battery cell  110 . Furthermore, one surface of the heat-insulating partition wall  120  may be in contact with a surface (e.g., one surface) of the battery cell  110 , and an opposite surface of the heat-insulating partition wall  120 , which is opposite to the one surface of the heat-insulating partition wall  120 , may be in contact with a surface (e.g., one surface) of another battery cell  110 . That is, the heat-insulating partition wall  120  may be interposed between the long side surface  115   b  of the case  115  of one battery cell  110  and the long side surface  115   b  of the case  115  of another battery cell  110 . 
     The heat-insulating partition wall  120  may include a first surface  120   a  and a second surface  120   b , which is opposite to the first surface  120   a , and each of the first surface  120   a  and the second surface  120   b  may have shapes corresponding to that of the long side surface  115   b  of the battery cell  110 . For example, the heat-insulating partition wall  120  may have a rectangular plate shape. 
     The heat-insulating sheet  121  may have a rectangular plate shape having a plurality of pores therein. In addition, the heat-insulating sheet  121  may be made of an insulation material, which has high heat-insulating performance as well as high restoring force. A ceramic paper or a foam sheet, which has a high porosity, may be used as the heat-insulating sheet  121 . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, the heat-insulating sheet  121  may further include at least one of aerogel or oxide that has high heat-insulating performance. Here, the oxide having the high heat-insulating performance may include at least one of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , ZrO, CaO, MgO, or TiO 2 . 
     As described above, when the heat-insulating sheet  121  includes aerogel, the porosity may be further increased to improve the heat-insulating performance. In addition, when the heat-insulating sheet  121  includes the oxide having the high heat-insulating performance, the heat-insulating performance may be improved. 
     Furthermore, the heat-insulating sheet  121  may further include a fiber to connect aerogel or an oxide (e.g., to secure/reinforce the aerogel or the oxide). The heat-insulating sheet  121  may secure more pores through the fiber to improve the heat-insulating performance, the compression rate, and the restoring force of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . 
     Referring to Table.  1 , results obtained by measuring the compression rate of the heat-insulating sheet  121  according to a pressure applied on both surfaces of the heat-insulating sheet  121  are shown. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 kN 
                 1140F 
                 1150S 
                 BSFP 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 1.5 
                 20.8% 
                 7.9% 
                 46.9% 
               
               
                   
                 5 
                 48.6% 
                 32.4% 
                 63.6% 
               
               
                   
                 10 
                 58.1% 
                 47.0% 
                 71.5% 
               
               
                   
                 15 
                 61.4% 
                 52.4% 
                 75.4% 
               
               
                   
                 20 
                 63.1% 
                 55.0% 
                 77.9% 
               
               
                   
                 25 
                 64.2% 
                 56.7% 
                 79.7% 
               
               
                   
                 30 
                 64.7% 
                 57.8% 
                 81.1% 
               
               
                   
                 35 
                 65.0% 
                 58.5% 
                 82.2% 
               
               
                   
                 40 
                 65.1% 
                 59.1% 
                 83.0% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     As shown in Table 1, when the heat-insulating sheet  121  is provided as a ceramic paper, such as a bio-soluble fiber paper (BSFP), containing an alkali earth metal, if a pressure of about 1.5 kN to about 40 kN is applied between the first surface  120   a  and the second surface  120   b , the heat-insulating sheet  121  may have a corresponding compression rate of about 46.9% to about 83%. Furthermore, when the heat-insulating sheet  121  is provided as the foam sheets  1140 F and  1150 S, if a pressure of about 1.5 kN to about 40 kN is applied between the first surface  120   a  and the second surface  120   b , the heat-insulating sheet  121  may have a corresponding compression rate of about 7.9% to about 65.1%. 
     In one or more embodiments, the heat-insulating sheet  121  may be pressed by a pressure of about 1.5 kN to about 10 kN due to the battery cells  110  which are in contact with both the first and second surfaces  120   a  and  120   b , respectively, and the heat-insulating sheet  121  may be fixed between the battery cells  110 . The heat-insulating partition wall  120  may also be additionally compressed by a pressure exceeding about 10 kN due to swelling caused when the battery cells  110  are charged and discharged. As described above, if a battery cell  110  increases in temperature, the heat-insulating sheet  121  may block heat transfer to adjacent battery cells  110 . In addition, pores may be provided in the heat-insulating sheet  121  to improve the cooling efficiency of the battery cells  110 . 
     The frame  122  may surround (e.g., be around) at least one side of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1B , the frame  122  may be in a rectangular ring shape or a substantially rectangular ring shape, which surrounds four sides of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The frame  122  may be made of a plastic and/or a metal. The compression rate and the restoring force of the frame  122  may be less than the compression rate and the restoring force of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . In addition, the frame  122  may have a thickness less than that of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . Here, the thickness of the heat-insulating sheet  121  may be (or substantially be) a distance in a direction from the first surface  120   a  to the second surface  120   b , and the thickness of the frame  122  may be a distance in the same direction. 
     The above-configured heat-insulating partition wall  120  may be pressed and attached or fixed to the long side surface  115   b  of the battery cell  110  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  when the battery module  100  is coupled and fixed by the end plate because the compression rate and the restoring force of heat-insulating partition wall  120  are high, even though the thickness of the heat-insulating sheet  121  increases. Here, the pressed heat-insulating sheet  121  may have the same thickness as the frame  122 . In addition, the heat-insulating partition wall  120 , which is pressed between and in contact (e.g., close contact) with the battery cells  110 , may be fixed between the battery cells  110  without an adhesive (e.g., a separate adhesive). That is, in the battery module  100 , the heat-insulating sheet  121  is closely attached and fixed through the pressing while the thickness of the heat-insulating sheet  121  increases to improve the heat-insulating performance and also protect the battery cell  110  against an external impact. In addition, the heat-insulating partition wall  120  may not be influenced by the swelling, which may be caused when the battery cells  110  are charged and discharged, because the restoring force of the heat-insulating partition wall  120  is high. 
       FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a battery module according to another embodiment,  FIG. 4B  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating a portion of the battery module of  FIG. 4A , and  FIG. 4C  is a partially longitudinal cross-sectional view of the battery module, taken along the line  4   c - 4   c  of  FIG. 4A . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-4C , a battery module  200  may include a plurality of battery cells  110  and a plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  220 . Furthermore, the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  220  may be disposed to alternate with each other. For example, each of the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  220  may be between two adjacent ones of the plurality of battery cells  110 . In addition, the battery module  200 , in which the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  220  are stacked (e.g., sequentially stacked) alternately along one direction, may be further provided with end plates for fixing the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  220  at both ends of the battery module  200 . 
     Each of the battery cells  110  of the battery module  200  may be the same as the battery cell  110  of the battery module  100 , and a heat-insulating sheet  121  of each of the heat-insulating partition walls  220  may be the same as the heat-insulating sheet  121  of the heat-insulating partition wall  120 . The battery cell  110  of the battery module  100  and the heat-insulating sheet  121  of the heat-insulating partition wall  120  are illustrated in  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3 . Hereinafter, a frame  222  of the heat-insulating partition wall  220  of the battery module  200 , which is different from the battery module  100 , will be described in more detail. 
     The frame  222  may surround at least one side of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4B , the frame  222  may be in a rectangular ring shape or a substantially rectangular ring shape, which surrounds four sides of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the frame  222  may include a first area  222   a  horizontally extending from (or to) an edge of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , and a second area  222   b  protruding from an end of the first area  222   a  towards both of the battery cells  110  (e.g., a portion of the second area  222   b  protrudes towards one of the battery cells  110  and another portion of the second area  222   b  protrudes towards another one of the battery cells  110 ). In one or more embodiments, the first area  222   a  extends from an edge (e.g., an outer edge) of the heat-insulating sheet  121  in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , and the second area  222   b  protrudes from an end (e.g., an outer end) of the first area  222   a  in the thickness direction. Therefore, in the frame  222 , a thickness y of the second area  222   b  may be greater than a thickness x of the first area  222   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 4C . In addition, in the frame  222 , the thickness of the first area  222   a  may be less than that of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , and the thickness of the second area  222   b  may be greater than that of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . Further, the compression rate and the restoring force of the frame  222  may be less than those of the heat-insulating sheet  221 . The frame  222  may be made of a plastic and/or a metal. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-4C , the second area  222   b  of the frame  222  may be in contact with a short side surface  115   c  and a bottom surface  115   a  of the case  115  of the battery cell  110  and a cap plate  116 . That is, the second area  222   b  may surround (or may be around) a partial area of the battery cell  110 . The long side surface  115   b  of the battery cell  110  may be in contact with the first area  222   a  of the frame  222  and the heat-insulating sheet  121 . Here, the heat-insulating partition wall  220  may include a first surface  220   a  and a second surface  220   b  opposite to (e.g., facing oppositely away from) the first surface  220   a . The first surface  220   a  and the second surface  220   b  may be in contact with the long side surfaces  115   b  of corresponding battery cells  110  (e.g., two adjacent battery cells  110 ), respectively. 
     In addition, in the heat-insulating partition wall  220 , recess areas (spaces)  223  may be provided in or at the first surface  220   a  and the second surface  220   b  due to the second area  222   b  protruding from the first surface  220   a  and the second surface  220   b  towards the battery cell  110 . For example, the recess areas  223  may be provided in or at the first surface  220   a  and the second surface  220   b  due to the second area  222   b  protruding away from the first surface  220   a  and the second surface  220   b  in the thickness direction of the heat-insulating sheet  121 . In addition, a partial area that is adjacent to the long side surface  115   b  of the battery cells  110  may be inserted into the recess areas (spaces)  223  at both sides of the heat-insulating partition wall  220 . That is, the heat-insulating partition wall  220  is provided with the second area  222   b , and a partial area of the battery cell  110  may be inserted into and coupled to the heat-insulating partition wall  220  to increase coupling force between the battery cell  110  and the heat-insulating partition wall  220 . 
       FIG. 5A  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating a battery module according to an embodiment,  FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  5   b - 5   b  in a state in which the battery module of  FIG. 5A  is coupled (e.g., components of the battery module such as the battery cells  110  and heat-insulating partition walls  320  are coupled to each other or fixed by an end plate), and  FIG. 5C  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  5   c - 5   c  in a state in which the battery module of  FIG. 5A  is coupled. 
     Hereinafter, a battery module  300  will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 5A-5C . 
     First,  FIG. 5A  illustrates one heat-insulating partition wall  320  and two battery cells  110 , but the battery module  300  may include a plurality of battery cells  110  and a plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  320  like the battery module  200  illustrated in  FIG. 4A . Furthermore, the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  320  may be disposed to alternate with each other. For example, each of the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  320  may be between two adjacent ones of the plurality of battery cells  110 . In addition, the battery module  300 , in which the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  320  are stacked (e.g., sequentially stacked) alternately along one direction, may be further provided with end plates for fixing the plurality of battery cells  110  and the plurality of heat-insulating partition walls  320  at both ends of the battery module  300 . 
     The battery cell  110  of the battery module  300  may be the same as the battery cell  110  of the battery module  100 , and a heat-insulating sheet  121  of the heat-insulating partition wall  320  may be the same as the heat-insulating sheet  121  of the heat-insulating partition wall  120 . The battery cell  110  of the battery module  100  and the heat-insulating sheet  121  of the heat-insulating partition wall  120  are illustrated in  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, and 3 . Furthermore, a frame  322  of the heat-insulating partition wall  320  of the battery module  300  may be similar to that of the battery module  200  illustrated in  FIG. 4A-4C . However, the frame  322  of the heat-insulating partition wall  320  of the battery module  300  may be further provided with a protrusion  322   c  on a first area  322   a . The protrusion  322   c  may protrude away from the first area  322   a  and towards the battery cell  110  of the battery module  300 . 
     Hereinafter, a configuration of the protrusion  322   c  of the frame  322  of the heat-insulating partition wall  320  of the battery module  300 , which is different from those of the battery module  100  and the battery module  200 , will be described in more detail. 
     The frame  322  may surround the heat-insulating sheet  121  in a frame form. That is, the frame  322  may be in a rectangular ring shape or a substantially rectangular ring shape. In addition, the frame  322  may include a first area  322   a  horizontally extending from an edge of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , and a second area  322   b  protruding from an end of the first area  322   a  towards both of the battery cells  110  (e.g., a portion of the second area  322   b  protrudes towards one of the battery cells  110  and another portion of the second area  322   b  protrudes towards another one of the battery cells  110 ). In one or more embodiments, the first area  322   a  extends from an edge (e.g., an outer edge) of the heat-insulating sheet  121  in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the heat-insulating sheet  121 , and the second area  322   b  protrudes from an end (e.g., an outer end) of the first area  322   a  in the thickness direction. In addition, at least one protrusion  322   c  protruding toward the battery cell  110  may be disposed on the first area  322   a . For example, at least one protrusion  322   c  (e.g., two protrusions  322   c ) may be disposed on respective areas of the first area  322   a  (e.g., the first area  322   a  having the rectangular ring shape) such that the protrusions  322   c  are symmetrical to each other. For example, the protrusions  322  may be symmetrical to each other on respective upper and lower areas of the first area  322   a . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, at least one protrusion  322   c  (e.g., two protrusions  322   c ) may be disposed on respective areas of the first area  322   a  (e.g., the first area  322   a  having the rectangular ring shape) such that the protrusions  322   c  are symmetrical to each other on respective side areas of the first area  322   a .  FIG. 5A  illustrates a state in which each of the upper area and lower area includes three protrusions  322   c , and each of both the side areas includes two protrusions  322   c , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, any suitable number of protrusions may be present on different areas of the first area  322   a . In one or more embodiments, each of the protrusions  322   c  may be aligned with another one of the protrusions  322   c , and in other embodiments, the protrusions  322   c  may be offset (not aligned) with each other. 
     The heat-insulating partition wall  320  may include the protrusions  322   c  so as to be spaced a set distance (e.g., a predetermined distance) from the long side surface  115   b  of the battery cell  110 . That is, the long side surfaces  115   b  of the battery cell  110  may be in contact with the protrusions  322   c , and may be spaced apart from or spaced from the first surface  320   a  and the second surface  320   b  of the heat-insulating partition wall  320  by a height of each of the protrusions  322   c . In addition, the heat-insulating partition wall  320  may be provided with an air flow path  322   d  between the first surface  320   a  and the long side surface  115   b  of the battery cell and between 110 the second surface  320   b  and the long side surface  115   b  of the battery cell  110  by the protrusions  322   c . That is, the heat-insulating partition wall  320  may include the air flow path  322   d  to more improve heat-insulating performance. 
     In the battery module according to the embodiment, the heat-insulating sheet of the heat-insulating partition wall may have many pores and be made of the material having the high restoring force and the high compression rate, and thus the heat-insulating and the cooling efficiency of the battery cells may be improved without being influenced by the swelling of the battery cells. 
     In addition, in the battery module according to the various embodiments, the compression rate and the restoring force of the heat-insulating sheet may be high compared with those of the frame, and thus the battery cell may be easily fixed by the pressing of the heat-insulating sheet without a separate adhesive component. 
     The above-described embodiments are merely for showing and describing the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various suitable changes or modifications in form and details may be made within the technical spirit of the present disclosure including all ranges of technologies to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the essence of the present disclosure as claimed in the following claims, and equivalents thereof.