Coolant activated rechargeable energy storage system drain plug

Abstract

The present invention relates to a coolant activated rechargeable energy storage system drain plug. A battery pack with a drain plug. The drain plug includes a carrier defining a cavity internal to the carrier, an inlet disposed on a first surface of the carrier and an outlet disposed on a second surface of the carrier where the first surface and the second surface fluidly displaced from one another and coupled to the cavity. A soluble plug may be disposed within the cavity of the carrier; the soluble plug is configured to at least partially dissolve when fluidly coupled with a coolant allowing a portion of the coolant to flow between the inlet and the outlet and out of the battery pack. A first lead and a second lead are configured to signally connect an impedance element that is cooperative with the carrier, to a circuit such that when the continuity of the circuit is interrupted, the circuit provides notification of the activation of the drain plug to the on-board computer systems.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to temperature management of battery-based power systems, and more particularly to draining coolant in the event of a coolant leak within such a system. Background technique [0002] Lithium-ion and related batteries, collectively referred to as Rechargeable Energy Storage Systems (RESS), are used in automotive applications as a supplementary means in the case of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), or in pure Electric Vehicles (EV) , as an alternative in the case of a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE). The ability to passively store energy from stationary and portable sources, as well as from recaptured kinetic energy provided by the vehicle and its components, makes batteries particularly suitable for use as propulsion systems for platforms used in automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and related vehicles a part of. In this context, a battery cell is a single electrochemical unit, while a battery c...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, in the event of internal failure of one or more battery cells due to a crash event, component wear, or manufacturing defect, the same cooling system that provides the necessary heat removal results in coolant leaking into sensitive electrical components in and around individual battery cells. on a component (such as a circuit board or the like)

Such leakage may provide an effective and unintended path for the transfer of electrical current generated by the battery such that, in an undesired form, the leaking coolant may cause a short circuit of these sensitive system components

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