Fire extinguishing structure of a battery box

Abstract

The invention is a fire extinguishing structure for a battery box, which has a box body, and a plurality of side panels of the box body are framed to form at least one first space for accommodating and positioning at least one battery core module and at least one fire extinguisher, wherein any of the fire extinguishers has a valve, and the valve is connected to at least one injection port, and the at least one injection port is located above the at least one battery core module, and the injection direction of the at least one injection port is toward the top of the at least one battery core module; at least one sensor is located above the at least one battery core module, and the at least one sensor is connected to the valve, so that when the high temperature in the battery box is sensed, the valve can be automatically opened to allow the fire extinguishing agent in the at least one fire extinguisher to be ejected outward through the at least one injection port, so as to immediately perform the fire extinguishing action.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a fire extinguishing structure for a battery box, particularly one that can automatically spray fire extinguishing agent to immediately extinguish a fire when a high temperature is detected inside the battery box. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Currently used battery boxes mainly consist of multiple battery cells connected in parallel or series inside a box. The battery cells are electrochemically synthesized. The outside of the box has a positive electrode post and a negative electrode post, which, after being connected to conductive terminals, output a fixed current or voltage. When multiple battery boxes are assembled vertically or horizontally into an energy storage system, they can provide sufficient DC power to mobile equipment such as electric vehicles or stationary equipment such as large machinery. For safety reasons, current fire extinguishing methods involve placing a fire extinguisher around the battery box. This allows for manual activation of the fire extinguisher to spray extinguishing agent in the event of a fire caused by thermal runaway due to a short circuit in the lithium battery cells.

[0003] However, multiple battery cells are arranged in parallel or series inside the box. When a lithium battery cell catches fire due to a short circuit and generates high temperature, the fire extinguisher outside the battery box cannot directly extinguish the fire at the ignition point of the battery cell. Instead, it can only spray the extinguishing agent on the outer surface of the box and wait for the multiple battery cells to burn out. As a result, it is not only impossible to extinguish the flames immediately when the lithium battery cell starts to catch fire to prevent further spread of the fire, but there is also a risk that all the battery cells will be completely burned and that the fire will further spread to mobile equipment such as electric vehicles or fixed equipment such as large machinery. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] In view of this, in order to provide a structure that is different from conventional technology and to improve the above-mentioned shortcomings, the creator has accumulated many years of experience and continuous research and development, resulting in this creation.

[0005] One purpose of this invention is to provide a fire extinguishing structure for a battery box, which can solve the problem that conventional fire extinguishers can only spray extinguishing agents manually onto the outer surface of the battery box, and cannot extinguish the flames inside the battery box in time, thus preventing all battery cells from being completely burned or the fire from spreading. The invention can accommodate at least one fire extinguisher and at least one battery cell module in a box, with at least one nozzle pointing towards the top of the battery cell module, and a sensor positioned above the battery cell module. When the sensor detects a high temperature, a valve can be automatically opened, allowing the extinguishing agent in the fire extinguisher to be sprayed through at least one nozzle onto the burning battery cell module, immediately covering and extinguishing the flames, thus ensuring safe use.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the fire extinguishing structure of the battery box in this invention mainly includes a box body, at least one fire extinguisher, and at least one sensor. The box body has a plurality of side plates, which enclose at least one first space for accommodating and positioning at least one battery cell module. At least one fire extinguisher is correspondingly housed in at least one first space. Each fire extinguisher has a valve that is connected to at least one nozzle. The at least one nozzle is located above the at least one battery cell module, and the spray direction of the at least one nozzle is towards the top of the at least one battery cell module. At least one sensor is located above the at least one battery cell module and is connected to the valve to sense high temperature to open the valve, allowing the extinguishing agent in the at least one fire extinguisher to be sprayed outward through the at least one nozzle.

[0007] In implementation, the box is rectangular, with the opposite ends of the box along its length defined as the front end and the rear end, respectively. The box has four side panels, which surround the front end and the rear end to form at least one first space. Each first space includes a second space and a third space, which are arranged along the length of the box. The second space contains any battery cell module, and the third space contains at least one fire extinguisher.

[0008] In implementation, at least one battery cell module includes a first battery cell module and a second battery cell module arranged in parallel, and at least one injection port is located above the first battery cell module and the second battery cell module respectively, and the injection direction of the at least one injection port is respectively towards the top of the first battery cell module and the second battery cell module.

[0009] In practice, the fire extinguisher includes a body and a valve, one end of the body having an outlet end; the valve includes an adapter and a switching element, the adapter having a pipe for connecting the outlet end and at least one spray port; the switching element is movably positioned in the pipe for switching the pipe to a closed or connected state with at least one spray port.

[0010] In implementation, the adapter includes a valve body and a sleeve. One end of the valve body is connected to the outlet end, and the other end of the valve body has a first connecting part. One end of the sleeve has a second connecting part for connecting the first connecting part. The other end of the sleeve has at least one pipe joint and a limiting space. The at least one pipe joint is correspondingly connected to at least one injection port. The limiting space is connected to a pipeline, and the switching component is positioned in the limiting space in a movable manner.

[0011] In practice, the invention further includes a cap, one end of which is connected to the other end of the sleeve, the other end of which has a perforation and a support; the sensor is an elongated temperature-sensing glass tube, the support supports the positioning sensor, one end of which presses against the perforation; the sleeve has a blocking part inside one end; the switching member includes a piston and an elastic member, one end of which has a piston rod that passes through the perforation and one end of which presses against one end of the sensor; one end of the elastic member presses against the other end of the piston and the other end of the elastic member presses against the blocking part, so that the switching member is positioned in a movable manner within the limiting space.

[0012] In practice, at least one side of the adapter is connected to at least one long pipe fitting, and the at least one long pipe fitting has at least one injection port.

[0013] In implementation, the battery cell module includes a plurality of battery cells arranged in parallel, and any long tube has a plurality of injection ports arranged at intervals in the axial direction, with the plurality of injection ports respectively disposed above the plurality of battery cells.

[0014] To further understand this invention, the following preferred embodiments are provided, along with figures and figure numbers, to explain in detail the specific composition and effects achieved by this invention:

Implementation Method

[0015] This invention mainly includes a housing, at least one fire extinguisher, and at least one sensor. The housing has a plurality of side panels, which enclose at least one first space to accommodate and position at least one battery cell module. At least one fire extinguisher is correspondingly housed in the at least one first space. Each fire extinguisher has a valve that is connected to at least one nozzle. The at least one nozzle is located above the at least one battery cell module, and the spray direction of the at least one nozzle is towards the top of the at least one battery cell module. At least one sensor is located above the at least one battery cell module and is connected to the valve to sense the high temperature inside the housing to open the valve, allowing the extinguishing agent inside the at least one fire extinguisher to be sprayed outward through the at least one nozzle to perform an immediate fire extinguishing action.

[0016] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a preferred embodiment of the fire extinguishing structure 1 of the battery box of this invention, mainly including a box body 2, two fire extinguisher sets (3,3') and two sensors (4,4'). The box body 2 is a rectangular cube, with the opposite ends of the box body 2 along its length defining the front end and the rear end, respectively. Four side panels 21 surround the front end and the rear end. The two ends of a partition 22 are respectively connected to the inner sides of the front end and the rear end side panels 21, thereby dividing the interior of the box body 2 into two first spaces (23,23'). Each first space (23, 23') includes a second space (231, 231') and a third space (232, 232'). The two second spaces (231, 231') and the two third spaces (232, 232') are arranged to extend along the length of the box 2, and the two second spaces (231, 231') are formed at the front ends of the two third spaces (232, 232'). Among them, the second space 231 of the first space 23 accommodates and positions a first battery cell module 24, and the third space 232 accommodates and positions a fire extinguisher assembly 3; the second space 231' of the other first space 23' accommodates and positions a second battery cell module 24', and the third space 232' is used to accommodate and positions another fire extinguisher assembly 3'; in addition, the first battery cell module 24 and the second battery cell module 24' are arranged side by side, and the first battery cell module 24 and the second battery cell module 24' each include a plurality of battery cells (25, 25') arranged side by side, and each battery cell (25, 25') has a pressure relief port (251, 251') on its top surface.

[0017] The two fire extinguisher sets (3,3') and the two sensors (4,4') have the same structure. The two fire extinguisher sets (3,3') are respectively housed in two third spaces (232,232'), and the two sensors (4,4') are respectively located above the first battery cell module 24 and the second battery cell module 24'. The following is an example of a fire extinguisher set 3 paired with a sensor 4.

[0018] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the fire extinguisher assembly 3 mainly includes a body 31, a valve 32, and two long pipe fittings (33, 33'); the body 31 includes four parallel canister-shaped fire extinguishers 310, each fire extinguisher 310 having an outlet end 311 at its top for filling or spraying extinguishing agent. In practice, the body 31 may also include one canister-shaped fire extinguisher 310; the valve 32 mainly includes a connector 34, a cap 35, and a switching component 36, the connector 34 having a pipe 3 inside. 41, and the adapter 34 includes a valve body 342 and a sleeve portion 343. The valve body 342 is connected to the outlet end 311 around its periphery. A switch knob 344 is locked to the top of the valve body 342 so that after rotation, the bottom end of the switch knob 344 blocks the connection of the pipe 341, or allows the fire extinguishing agent to pass through the pipe 341. A pressure gauge 345 is locked to one side of the valve body 342 so as to sense the pressure inside the body 31. The other side of the valve body 342 has an external helical tube, which serves as the first connecting portion 346.

[0019] One end of the sleeve portion 343 has an internal threaded hole for locking the external threaded tube of the valve body 342. In implementation, the internal threaded hole serves as the second connecting portion 347. The other end of the sleeve portion 343 has a limiting space 348 and two pipe fittings (349, 349'). The limiting space 348 is a circular groove inside the sleeve portion 343. The limiting space 348 connects to the pipe 341 of the adapter 34. One axial end of the limiting space 348 has a radially inwardly protruding inner ring, which serves as a stop. The stop portion 340; two pipe joints (349, 349') are respectively connected to the radial sides of the sleeve portion 343, so that one end of the two pipe joints (349, 349') is respectively connected to the limiting space 348; one end of the cap 35 is locked to the other end of the sleeve portion 343, and the other end of the cap 35 has a through hole 351 and a bracket portion 352; the sensor 4 is an elongated temperature-sensing glass tube, the sensor 4 is supported and positioned by the bracket portion 352, and one end of the sensor 4 is pressed against the position of the through hole 351.

[0020] The switching member 36 includes a piston 361 and an elastic member 362. One end of the piston 361 has a piston rod 363. One end of the piston rod 363 passes through the through hole 351 of the cap 35 and presses against one end of the sensor 4. The elastic member 362 is a compression spring. One end of the elastic member 362 presses against the other end of the piston 361, and the other end of the elastic member 362 presses against the blocking part 340 inside the sleeve part 343, so that the switching member 36 is positioned in a movable manner within the limiting space 348 of the sleeve part 343.

[0021] One end of each of the two long tubes (33, 33') is locked and connected to the other end of each of the two pipe joints (349, 349'). The two long tubes (33, 33') have a plurality of spray nozzles (331, 331') arranged at intervals along their axial direction. The plurality of spray nozzles (331, 331') are respectively disposed above the plurality of battery cells 25 of the first battery cell module 24, and the spray direction of the plurality of spray nozzles (331, 331') is respectively directed toward the pressure relief port 251 on the top surface of the first battery cell module 24.

[0022] Accordingly, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, when one of the battery cells 25 in the first battery cell module 24 catches fire due to a short circuit and generates high temperature, when the sensor 4 detects a temperature above a predetermined temperature (e.g., 90°C), the temperature-sensing glass tube will automatically burst. Through the elastic force of the elastic member 362, the piston rod 363 will pass through the perforation 351 of the cap 35, and the piston 361 will move linearly within the limiting space 348. This allows the extinguishing agent to pass through the limiting space 348 and then be sprayed downwards from the multiple nozzles (331, 331') of the two long tubes (33, 33') onto the top of the multiple battery cells 25. The extinguishing agent will cover the top surface of the multiple battery cells 25 and seep into the interior of the battery cell 25 through the pressure relief port 251 of the battery cell 25, thereby instantly covering and extinguishing the flames. When one of the battery cells 25' in the second battery cell module 24' catches fire due to a short circuit, and the sensor 4' detects a high temperature of over 90°C and automatically explodes, the extinguishing agent from another fire extinguisher group 3' can be sprayed downwards onto the multiple battery cells 25', which can also immediately cover and extinguish the flames generated by the second battery cell module 24'.

[0023] In summary, based on the content disclosed above, this invention can indeed achieve the intended purpose, providing a fire extinguishing structure for a battery box that can automatically open a valve when a sensor detects a high temperature, allowing the fire extinguishing agent in the fire extinguisher to be sprayed through at least one nozzle onto the top of a burning battery cell module, so as to immediately cover and extinguish the flames, thereby ensuring the safe use of the battery box. This structure has great industrial application value, and therefore, an invention patent application is filed in accordance with the law.

[0024] Although the present invention discloses preferred embodiments to achieve the above objectives, it is not intended to limit the structural features of the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art should know that any easily conceivable variations or modifications are possible under the technical spirit of the present invention and are covered by the patent application scope of the present invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0025] [Figure 1] is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] is an exploded view of the fire extinguisher and sensor components of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] is a cross-sectional view of the fire extinguisher and sensor of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] is a schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in use.

Claims

1. A fire extinguishing structure for a battery box, comprising: A housing having a plurality of side panels that frame at least one first space for accommodating and positioning at least one battery cell module. At least one fire extinguisher is correspondingly housed within the at least one first space. Each fire extinguisher includes a body and a valve. One end of the body has an outlet. The valve includes a connector and a switching element. The connector has a conduit for connecting the valve to the outlet and at least one nozzle. The at least one nozzle is located above the at least one battery cell module, and the spray direction of the at least one nozzle is towards the top of the at least one battery cell module. The switching element is movably positioned within the conduit to switch the conduit to a closed or connected state with the at least one nozzle. The connector includes a valve body and a sleeve. One end of the valve body is connected to the outlet end, and the other end of the valve body has a first connecting portion; one end of the sleeve portion has a second connecting portion for connecting the first connecting portion, and the other end of the sleeve portion has at least one pipe joint and a limiting space, the at least one pipe joint being connected to the at least one spray port; the limiting space is connected to the pipeline, and the switching element is movably positioned within the limiting space; and at least one sensor is located above the at least one battery cell module, the at least one sensor is connected to the valve, and is used to sense high temperature to open the valve, allowing the extinguishing agent in the at least one fire extinguisher to be sprayed outward through the at least one spray port.

2. The fire extinguishing structure of the battery box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the box body is rectangular, the opposite ends of the box body along its length are defined as the front end and the rear end, the box body has four side panels, the four side panels surround the front end and the rear end to form the at least one first space; each of the first spaces includes a second space and a third space, the second space and the third space are arranged along the length of the box body, the second space contains and positions any of the battery cell modules, and the third space contains and positions the at least one fire extinguisher.

3. The fire extinguishing structure of the battery box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one battery cell module includes a first battery cell module and a second battery cell module arranged in two rows in parallel, the at least one spray nozzle is located above the first battery cell module and the second battery cell module respectively, and the spraying direction of the at least one spray nozzle is directed toward the top of the first battery cell module and the second battery cell module respectively.

4. The fire extinguishing structure of the battery box as claimed in claim 1 further includes a cap, one end of which is connected to the other end of the sleeve portion, the other end of which has a through hole and a support portion; the sensor is an elongated temperature-sensing glass tube, the support portion supports and positions the sensor, one end of which presses against the through hole; the sleeve portion has a blocking portion inside its end; the switching member includes a piston and an elastic member, one end of which has a piston rod passing through the through hole, and one end of which presses against the end of the sensor; one end of the elastic member presses against the other end of the piston, and the other end of the elastic member presses against the blocking portion, so that the switching member is movably positioned within the limiting space.

5. The fire extinguishing structure of the battery box as claimed in claim 1 or 4, wherein at least one side of the adapter is connected to at least one long pipe, the at least one long pipe having the at least one spray nozzle.

6. The fire extinguishing structure of the battery box as claimed in claim 5, wherein the battery cell module includes a plurality of battery cells arranged side by side, and each of the long tubes has a plurality of spray nozzles spaced apart in the axial direction, the plurality of spray nozzles being respectively disposed above the plurality of battery cells.

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