Battery release system for a vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a battery release system for a vehicle. A system for preventing combustion of a vehicle or personal injury caused by a fire spreading from a battery to the vehicle in the event of a fire occurring in the battery is provided. The battery release system includes a controller that outputs a control signal to release a battery pack from the vehicle to separate the battery pack from the vehicle when the controller determines that a fire occurs in the battery pack. A mounting structure is rotatably mounted to a main body frame and supports the battery pack. A locking device is mounted to the main body frame, and the locking device locks the mounting structure supporting the battery pack to the main body frame, and releases the locked state of the mounting structure in response to the control signal of the controller.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery release system for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a battery release system in which a battery is automatically released from a vehicle and separated from the vehicle in an emergency. BACKGROUND

[0002] Due to environmental regulations worldwide, the popularity of environmentally-friendly vehicles driven by electric motors is increasing. Such environmentally-friendly vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), etc. A plug-in HEV (PHEV) is referred to as a hybrid electric vehicle, and PHEVs and BEVs are electric vehicles in which electric power is received from the outside to charge a battery. These environmentally-friendly vehicles have a common feature in that they are provided with an electric motor as a driving device and a battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor.

[0003] When a fire occurs in a battery of an environmentally-friendly vehicle, the fire can rapidly spread due to the internal structure of the battery and components thereof. It is difficult to extinguish a fire occurring in a battery of an environmentally-friendly vehicle by using an existing fire extinguishing device used in an internal combustion engine vehicle. To briefly explain the existing fire extinguishing method of an internal combustion engine vehicle, in an internal combustion engine vehicle, fuel, which is a flammable material, is used, and there are a plurality of heat sources, and various electric wires are entangled, and thus there is always a risk of fire.

[0004] For example, since an engine room is equipped with a high-temperature engine and various electrical devices, if the engine and the electrical devices are damaged and if a malfunction occurs due to a vehicle collision, a fire can occur. In addition, there is a risk of a fire in the engine room due to overheating of the engine during vehicle travel or during exhaust aftertreatment. As a method in response to a fire in a vehicle, to some extent, a response method of providing a fire extinguisher is well known. If the driver fails to use the fire extinguisher in time, initial fire extinguishing can fail, and the fire can spread throughout the vehicle.

[0005] Further, a public transportation vehicle such as a bus has many passengers on board, and thus fire prevention management for passenger safety is necessary, and a failure in initial response to a fire can result in a major disaster. In addition, since the driver is inside the vehicle while driving the vehicle, when a fire occurs inside the engine room, it is often not possible to quickly notice the fire before a large amount of smoke is generated. Unlike a passenger vehicle, the engine room of a bus is located at the rear thereof, and thus it is difficult for the driver to notice a fire occurring in the engine room of the bus. Therefore, at an early stage of the fire, the driver cannot perform rapid fire extinguishing, and the fire can spread, which will result in an increased risk of burning of the vehicle and personal injury.

[0006] In addition, even when a driver or a passenger inside the vehicle promptly recognizes the occurrence of a fire, it is difficult to promptly extinguish the fire at an early stage using only a small fire extinguisher provided in the vehicle. Therefore, a fire extinguishing system is known in which, when a fire is detected in an engine room of a vehicle, a fire extinguishing agent is automatically injected toward a fire point to promptly extinguish the fire at an early stage.

[0007] In the known engine room fire extinguishing system, when a fire occurs in the engine room, a fire detection signal is transmitted to the engine room, and high-pressure nitrogen gas charged in a nitrogen gas tank is supplied to a cylinder filled with a fire extinguishing agent through a hose. Therefore, in the cylinder, when a piston is operated by the high-pressure nitrogen gas, the internal fire extinguishing agent is supplied to an injection line at high pressure by the thrust of the piston, and finally the fire extinguishing agent is injected to the fire point through a nozzle of the injection line to extinguish the fire.

[0008] However, although the above-described fire extinguishing system can be used to automatically extinguish a fire by automatically injecting a fire extinguishing agent in an engine room of a vehicle or other spaces of the vehicle, it is difficult to apply the system to extinguish a fire occurring in a battery pack of an eco-friendly vehicle. In general, in the case of a battery pack, it is known that it is almost impossible to extinguish a fire by simply injecting water or a fire extinguishing agent thereto when a fire occurs.

[0009] The battery pack contains an ignition substance in its closed internal space, and a battery cell forming the battery pack contains a substance having a large amount of oxygen inside thereof. Therefore, due to the oxygen remaining inside the battery pack, when a fire occurs in the battery pack, it is difficult to completely extinguish the fire by using water or injecting a fire extinguishing agent (e.g., fire extinguishing powder or fire extinguishing liquid) as in a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle.

[0010] Therefore, when a fire occurs in a battery of a vehicle, the fire can not be completely extinguished, and the fire can spread to the vehicle after a certain period of time. Recently, as the use of eco-friendly vehicles has increased, the risk of a fire has increased due to an external impact or an internal short circuit in a battery or a surrounding high-voltage wire. However, so far, there has been no technology to prevent a fire occurring in a battery from spreading to the entire vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a burning vehicle or personal injury. SUMMARY

[0011] Accordingly, the disclosure provides a technology that can prevent a fire of a vehicle or personal injury caused by a fire occurring in a battery. According to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a battery release system for a vehicle can include a controller configured to output a control signal to release a battery pack from the vehicle so that the battery pack is separated from the vehicle when the controller determines that a fire occurs in the battery pack, a mounting structure rotatably mounted to a body frame and disposed to support the battery pack, the mounting structure being rotated with respect to the body frame by a weight of the battery pack during release of the battery pack, and a locking device mounted to the body frame, the locking device locking the mounting structure supporting the battery pack to the body frame to maintain the mounting structure on the body frame and being operated to release a locked state of the mounting structure in response to the control signal of the controller to perform rotation of the mounting structure and release of the battery pack.

[0012] The battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure can further include a fire detection sensor configured to detect a fire occurring in the battery pack. The controller can be configured to determine whether a fire occurs in the battery pack based on a signal of the fire detection sensor. In addition, the mounting structure can include a support supporting the battery pack and disposed to release the battery pack from the support by rotation when a state of the support locked by the locking device is released, a first mounting portion rotatably coupling a lower portion of the support to the body frame, and a second mounting portion maintaining an upper portion of the support on the body frame while being locked to the locking device and allowing a state of the support maintained on the body frame to be released during release of the state of the support locked by the locking device.

[0013] In detail, the support can be an L-shaped support in which a horizontal member having a plate shape and a vertical member having a plate shape are integrally connected to each other, the battery pack being seated on the horizontal member. In addition, a lower portion of the vertical member can be rotatably coupled to the body frame through the first mounting portion, an upper portion of the vertical member being maintained on the body frame while being locked to the locking device or releasing a state of the upper portion maintained on the body frame when a state of the upper portion locked by the locking device is released.

[0014] Further, the mounting structure can further include a belt connected between the support and the locking device and disposed to surround the battery pack, the belt maintaining the battery pack on the support while being locked to the locking device by being combined with the locking device and releasing a state of the battery pack maintained on the support while the belt is separated from the locking device when a state of the belt locked by the locking device is released. In detail, a plurality of belts can be provided, and a first end portion of each of the belts can be coupled to the support and a second end portion of each of the belts can be coupled to the locking device to lock the belts to the locking device.

[0015] In addition, the second mounting portion can include a seating portion provided at an upper portion of the support member to protrude rearward from the upper portion of the support member and coupled to the locking device to be locked thereto, and a bracket portion fixed to the main body frame and supporting the seating portion, the seating portion being seated on the bracket portion. The seating portion can include a jaw portion provided thereon to be held by a hook of the locking device, the hook of the locking device being combined with the jaw portion of the seating portion by being held, thereby thus locking the seating portion to the locking device.

[0016] In addition, a lower surface of the seating portion can be formed as a curved surface, and an upper surface of the bracket portion can be formed as a curved surface engaged with the lower surface of the seating portion, and thus, when the seating portion is seated on the bracket portion, the curved surfaces of the seating portion and the bracket portion can be engaged with each other. In addition, the locking device can include a hook rotatably mounted to the main body frame and through which a jaw portion provided in the mounting structure is held to be locked to the main body frame, and an actuator fixedly mounted to the main body frame and forcibly rotating the hook maintaining a locked state of the jaw portion to a position of the hook releasing the locked state of the jaw portion by using a control signal output from a controller.

[0017] In addition, in the exemplary embodiment, when the controller determines that a fire occurs in the battery pack while the controller determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state, the controller can be configured to output a control signal to release the battery pack from the vehicle to separate the battery pack from the vehicle. The battery release system for a vehicle according to the present disclosure, in which a battery in which a fire occurs can be automatically released from the vehicle to be separated from the vehicle and removed, thus it is possible to prevent the fire occurring in the battery from spreading to the vehicle and thus it is possible to safely protect the vehicle and the driver from the battery fire. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating a battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 is a side view illustrating a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion, and a hook provided in a battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4is a perspective view illustrating a battery pack mounted to a body frame through a battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 5 is a side view illustrating a battery pack mounted to a body frame through a battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating an operating state of a battery release system when a battery pack is released from the battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0025] Figure 7 is a side view illustrating an operating state of a battery release system when a battery pack is released from the battery release system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "of a vehicle" or other similar terms as used herein generally includes motor vehicles such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including various boats and ships, aircraft, etc., and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuel derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, for example, both a gasoline powered vehicle and an electric powered vehicle.

[0027] Although the exemplary embodiments are described as performing exemplary processes using a plurality of units, it should be understood that the exemplary processes can also be performed by one or more modules. In addition, it should be understood that the term controller / control unit refers to a hardware device including a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store modules and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes described further below.

[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0029] As used herein, the term "about" is understood not to be limiting in any way, unless specifically indicated or otherwise evident from context. "About" can be understood to be within 2 standard deviations of the mean, for example. "About" can be understood to be within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the stated value. Unless otherwise clear from context, all numerical values provided herein are modified by the term "about."

[0030] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can effectively perform the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments thereof and can be implemented in various forms.

[0031] The present disclosure aims to propose a technology that can prevent the combustion of a vehicle or personal injury caused by a fire of a battery installed in an eco-friendly vehicle. As described above, in the case where a fire occurs in a battery pack in an eco-friendly vehicle, the fire is limited by spraying a fire extinguishing agent to the ignition portion. Therefore, in order to prevent the fire from spreading to the vehicle, a method of separating the ignition portion from the vehicle can be considered, and the separation of the ignition portion from the vehicle can protect the vehicle and the driver from the fire.

[0032] When a fire occurs in a battery pack of a vehicle, the battery pack can be automatically released from the vehicle to be separated from the vehicle and removed. Therefore, the present disclosure relates to a system that operates in response to a control signal of a controller configured to detect a fire of a battery and release a state of the battery installed to a vehicle body to release the battery from the vehicle body to be separated from the vehicle and removed.

[0033] In the present disclosure, a battery can refer to a battery in a battery pack unit, i.e., a battery pack. In addition, the battery release system of the present disclosure can be applied to general passenger vehicles, but is useful when applied to eco-friendly commercial vehicles, particularly to a battery electric truck or a hydrogen electric truck equipped with a fuel cell. For a truck, since a battery pack can be installed in a main body frame exposed to the outside, not installed in the interior of a vehicle, when the battery release system of the present disclosure is applied, the battery pack can be separated and removed from the vehicle by removing the battery pack having a fire from the vehicle.

[0034] When initial fire extinguishing fails in the case where a fire occurs in a battery, personal injury can occur. Therefore, when there is difficulty in initial fire extinguishing, it can be more effective to separate the battery from the vehicle to prevent the fire from spreading to the vehicle than to extinguish the fire of the battery. In other words, since the battery, which can be the source of the fire of the vehicle, can be separated from the vehicle, it is possible to reliably prevent more dangerous situations, such as the burning of the vehicle or personal injury.

[0035] Hereinafter, the configuration of the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the main configuration of the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 3 is a side view illustrating the first mounting portion 34, the second mounting portion 40, and the hook 53 of the locking device 50 provided in the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the battery pack 1 mounted to the main body frame 2 and the mounting structure locked by the locking device 50. Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the battery pack 1 mounted to the main body frame 2 by the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 5 is a side view illustrating the battery pack 1 mounted to the main body frame 2.

[0037] Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating the operating state of the battery release system when the battery pack is released from the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 7 is a side view illustrating the operating state of the battery release system when the battery pack is released from the battery release system. The battery release system according to the present disclosure can be configured to integrally perform the function of mounting the battery pack 1 to the main body frame 2 and the function of releasing the mounting of the battery pack 1 to the main body frame 2 and removing the battery pack 1 from the vehicle to separate and remove the battery pack 1 from the vehicle.

[0038] In other words, the battery release system according to the present disclosure can include a controller 20 configured to determine whether a fire occurs in the battery pack 1, a mounting structure 30 provided to support and hold the battery pack 1 therein and rotatably mounted to the main body frame 2 for releasing the battery pack, and a locking device 50 mounted to the main body frame 2, which locks the mounting structure 30 supporting the battery pack 1 to the main body frame 2 so that the mounting structure 30 is held on the main body frame 2 and is operated to release the locking state of the mounting structure 30 to release the battery pack 1 in response to a control signal of the controller 20. In addition, the battery release system according to the present disclosure can further include a fire detection sensor 10 configured to detect a fire of the battery pack 1.

[0039] Referring to Figure 1 , a fire detection sensor 10 configured to detect occurrence of a fire in the battery pack 1, a controller 20 configured to receive a signal of the fire detection sensor 10 to determine whether a fire occurs in the battery pack 1, and an actuator of a locking device 50 configured to operate in response to a control signal of the controller 20 are shown. In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the fire detection sensor 10 can be a temperature sensor 10 configured to measure a temperature of the battery pack 1 and output a signal according to the measured value.

[0040] The fire detection sensor 10 can be connected to the controller 20 to transmit a signal to the controller 20, and the controller 20 can be configured to receive a signal output from the fire detection sensor 10 and determine whether a fire exists in the battery pack 1 based on a temperature of the battery pack indicated by the signal. In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 20 can be provided to determine that a fire exists in the battery pack 1 when a temperature of the battery pack measured by the fire detection sensor 10 is at least a preset reference temperature (e.g., about 170C to 190C).

[0041] In addition, when the controller 20 determines that a fire has occurred in the battery pack 1, the controller 20 can be configured to output a control signal for releasing the battery pack, and the actuator 55 of the locking device 50 can be configured to perform an operation for releasing the battery pack in response to the control signal of the controller 20. When the controller 20 determines that a fire exists in the battery pack based on the signal of the fire detection sensor 10, and when a vehicle speed satisfies a reference speed or lower, the controller 20 can be configured to output a control signal for releasing the battery pack. Specifically, the reference speed can be determined as a stationary vehicle speed at which the vehicle can be determined to be stopped, for example, 0 km / h. Accordingly, in a fire detection state of the battery pack and a stopped state of the vehicle, release of the battery pack 1 can be performed.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the mounting structure 30 can include a support 31 that is a structure to mount the battery pack 1 to a side surface of the main body frame 2, the support being provided to support the battery pack 1 with the battery pack 1 seated thereon, and to release the battery pack 1 from the support by rotation during release of the state of the support locked by the locking device 50, a first mounting portion 34 to rotatably couple a lower portion of the support 31 to the main body frame 2, and a second mounting portion 40 to hold an upper portion of the support 31 on the main body frame 2 while being locked to the locking device 50, and to allow release of the state of the support 31 held on the main body frame 2 during release of the state of the support locked by the locking device 50.

[0043] The support 31 can be rotatably coupled to the main body frame 2 through the first mounting portion 34, can be mounted to the main body frame 2 through the second mounting portion 40, and can be locked or unlocked by the locking device 50 mounted to the main body frame 2. In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the support 31 can be a support having a plate shape as shown in FIG. 1, and specifically, can be an L-shaped support in which a horizontal member 32 having a plate shape and a vertical member 33 having a plate shape are integrally connected to each other. Figure 2

[0044] In such a support 31, the battery pack 1 can be seated on the horizontal member 32, and the first mounting portion 34 and the second mounting portion 40 can be mounted to the vertical member 33. Specifically, the first mounting portion 34 is an assembly to rotatably couple and mount a lower portion of the vertical member 33 to the main body frame 2, and the second mounting portion 40 is an assembly to couple an upper portion of the vertical member 33 to the main body frame 2 and the locking device 50. As described above, when the support 31 is an L-shaped support 31, the mounting structure 30 can further include a belt 44 mounted thereon to surround the battery pack 1 seated on the support 31, and the belt 44 connects the support 31 of the mounting structure 30 to the locking device 50 between the support 31 of the mounting structure 30 and the locking device 50.

[0045] ​In the example embodiment, the first end of the belt 44 can be coupled to the front end of the support 31 (specifically, to the front end of the horizontal member 32 of the support 31), and the second end of the belt 44 along with the second mounting portion 40 of the mounting structure 30 can be coupled to the locking device 50 to be locked to and unlocked from the locking device 50. When the belt 44 is locked to the locking device 50, the belt 44 holds the battery pack 1 on the support 31, and when the belt 44 is released from the locked state by the locking device 50, the belt 44 can be separated from the locking device and can release the state of holding the battery pack 1 on the support 31. In the example embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of belts 44 can be provided to surround the battery pack 1, and all of the plurality of belts 44 surrounding the battery pack 1 function to hold the battery pack 1 on the support 31 to prevent the battery pack 1 from moving on the support 31.

[0046] Reference Figure 2 Two belts 44 are provided, and in the example embodiment shown, two belts 44 are used for illustrative purposes. The battery release system of the present disclosure is not limited to having two belts, and the number of belts can vary. The first end of each of the belts 44 can be rotatably coupled to the front end of the support 31 (specifically, to the front end of the horizontal member 32 of the support 31). Specifically, each of the belts 44 can be provided in an L shape bent perpendicularly at the middle portion thereof.

[0047] In addition, each of the belts 44 can include a holding end 45 provided at the second end thereof. The holding end 45 is a portion held locked to the hook 53 of the locking device 50, and can have a shape bent upward from the second end of the belt 44. In the mounting structure 30, the first mounting portion 34 can include a mounting member 35 mounted to the rear surface of the lower portion of the support 31 (specifically, to the rear surface of the lower portion of the vertical member 33 of the support 31), and a mounting bracket 38 fixed to the main body frame 2 to be coupled to the mounting member 35.

[0048] The mounting member 35 of the first mounting portion 34 mounted to the support 31 can be rotatably coupled to the mounting bracket 38 mounted to the main body frame 2. Accordingly, the entire support 31 can be rotated with respect to the mounting member 35. The mounting member 35 is a member serving as a hinge shaft as a center of rotation of the support 31, and can be mounted on the rear surface of the lower portion of the vertical member 33 of the support 31 in the shape of a shaft extending longitudinally in a direction parallel to the main body frame 2.

[0049] In detail, the mounting member 35 can include a shaft portion 36 formed in a long cylindrical shape having a predetermined length or a rod shape having a circular cross-section of a predetermined length, and a support portion 37 provided at opposite end portions of the shaft portion 36, the support portion being fixed to the rear surface of the vertical member 33 and supporting the shaft portion 36, the shaft portion 36 being spaced apart from the rear surface of the vertical member 33. The shaft portion 36 can be arranged to longitudinally extend in a direction parallel to the main body frame 2 to serve as a hinge shaft that is a rotation center of the support 31.

[0050] In addition, a first side of the mounting bracket 38 can be fixed to the main body frame 2, and a circular coupling portion 39 can be provided at a second side of the mounting bracket 38, the circular coupling portion being coupled to the shaft portion 36, the shaft portion 36 of the mounting member 35 being surrounded by the circular coupling portion. The first side of the mounting bracket 38 can be fixed to the main body frame 2 by screwing or welding, and the shaft portion 36 of the mounting member 35 can be inserted and coupled to the circular coupling portion 39 so that the shaft portion 36 of the mounting member 35 is rotatable in the coupling portion 39 of the mounting bracket 38. In the exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of mounting brackets 38 can be fixed to the main body frame 2, and the shaft portion 36 of the mounting member 35 arranged longitudinally in a direction parallel to the main body frame 2 can be inserted into the coupling portion 39 of each of the mounting brackets 38 and can be rotatably coupled thereto.

[0051] Referring to Figure 6 , two mounting brackets 38 can be fixed to the main body frame 2, and the shaft portion 36 of the mounting member 35 mounted to the support 31 can be coupled to each of the two mounting brackets 38. Although Figure 6 two mounting brackets 38 are shown in FIG. 1, the battery release system of the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of mounting brackets 38 can vary. The first mounting portion 34 is a structure provided to bear the weight of the battery pack 1 acting in the direction of gravity on the support 31 and the battery pack 1 seated on the support 31, and can be configured to prevent the support 31 from moving upward, downward, leftward, and rightward (e.g., vertical and horizontal movement).

[0052] Further, the first mounting portion 34 can support the support 31, and thus the support 31 can be rotated with respect to the main body frame 2, and when a state in which the support is locked by the locking device 50 is released, the support 31 can be rotated downward by the weight of the support 31 and the battery pack 1. Specifically, while the shaft portion 36 of the mounting member 35 is rotated in the coupling portion 39 of the mounting bracket 38, the support 31 can be rotated. Meanwhile, the second mounting portion 40 can include a seating portion 41 provided on a rear surface of an upper portion of the support 31 (specifically, on a rear surface of an upper portion of the vertical member 33 of the support 31) to protrude rearward from the upper portion of the support 31, and a bracket portion 43 mounted to be fixed to the main body frame 2 and to support the seating portion 41 seated thereon.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a plurality of seating portions 41 can be mounted on the rear surface of the upper portion of the vertical member 33, and as shown in Figure 6 each of the two seating portions 41 can be mounted on opposite sides of the vertical member 33 of the support 31. A claw portion 42 having a shape protruding upward can be provided at a front end portion of each of the seating portions 41, and the claw portion 42 along with a holding end portion 45 of the belt 44 can be locked to the hook 53 of the locking device 50 by being held.

[0054] The claw portion 42 can be formed on an upper surface of the seating portion 41 to have a shape protruding upward perpendicular to the upper surface thereof, and the holding end portion 45 of the belt 44 can also have a shape bent at an end portion thereof perpendicular to the end portion of the belt 44. Thus, the claw portion 42 of the seating portion 41 and the holding end portion 45 of the belt 44 can be combined with each other while the claw portion 42 and the holding end portion 45 are in close or abutting contact with each other. Thus, the claw portion 42 and the holding end portion 45 can be locked to the hook 53 of the locking device 50 by being held at the same time while the claw portion 42 of the seating portion 41 and the holding end portion 45 of the belt 44 are in contact with each other.

[0055] The bracket portion 43 can be fixed to the main body frame 2, and can support the seating portion 41 of the support 31 seated on an upper surface of the bracket portion 43 at a lower side of the seating portion 41, and as shown in Figure 6 each of the two bracket portions 43 in total can be mounted to opposite sides of the main body frame 2. In an exemplary embodiment, a lower surface of the seating portion 41 can be formed as a curved surface, and an upper surface of the bracket portion 43 can be formed to correspond to or match the curved surface of the lower surface of the seating portion 41 to which the lower surface of the seating portion 41 is joined.

[0056] Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5Each of the lower surface of the seating portion 41 and the upper surface of the bracket portion 43 can be formed as a curved surface having a wavy cross-section. While the lower surface of the seating portion 41 is seated on the upper surface of the bracket portion 43, the curved surfaces thereof can engage with each other while being in close contact with each other in a larger area than when the lower surface of the seating portion 41 and the upper surface of the bracket portion 43 are flat surfaces.

[0057] As shown in the drawings, each surface of the seating portion 41 and the bracket portion 43 at which the seating portion 41 and the bracket portion 43 engage with each other can have the shape of a curved surface having a wavy cross-section. Thus, when the seating portion 41 is seated on the upper surface of the bracket portion 43, the seating portion 41 can be more stably supported by the bracket portion 43, and the second mounting portion 40 can secure the mounting strength to withstand the weight of the support 31 and the battery pack 1. In addition, when the support 31 is rotated due to the unlocking of the support 31 by the locking device 50, the seating portion 41 can be more easily and effectively separated from the upper surface of the bracket portion 43 without interruption.

[0058] Thus, in the present disclosure, the support 31 can be more stably supported and mounted by the first mounting portion 34 of the lower side of the main body frame 2 and the second mounting portion 40 of the upper side thereof. The above-described first mounting portion 34 and second mounting portion 40 allow sufficient mounting strength to be secured, and allow the support 31 to be effectively rotated without interruption when the support 31 is unlocked by the locking device 50, and thus, the battery pack 1 can be reliably released from the vehicle.

[0059] The configuration of the mounting structure has been described above, and the locking device will be described in detail below. The locking device 50 can be mounted to the main body frame 2 and can hold the mounting structure 30 by locking the mounting structure 30 supporting the battery pack 1 to the main body frame 2. The locking device 50 can be configured to lock the mounting structure 30 to the main body frame 2, and maintain the state of the battery pack 1 mounted to the main body frame 2 through the mounting structure 30. Thus, when a fire occurs in the battery pack, the battery release system of the present disclosure can release the battery pack from the vehicle, and normally mount and fix the battery pack 1 to the main body frame 2 using the mounting structure 30 and the locking device 50.

[0060] In addition, the locking device 50 can be configured to unlock the mounting structure 30 in response to a control signal of the controller 20. When the mounting structure 30 is unlocked by the locking device 50, as described above, the mounting structure 30 supporting the battery pack 1 (specifically, the support 31 of the mounting structure 30 supporting the battery pack 1) can be rotated downward, and thus, the battery pack 1 can be released from the support 31.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking device 50 that locks or unlocks the mounting structure 30 can be rotatably mounted to the main body frame 2, and can include a hook 53 by which the jaw portion 42 of the mounting structure 30 is held to be locked to the main body frame, and an actuator 55 fixedly mounted to the main body frame 2 and forcibly rotating the hook 53 that maintains the locked state of the jaw portion 42 to a position of the hook that can release the locked state of the jaw portion.

[0062] Further, the hook 53 can be rotatably coupled to a base bracket 51 fixed to the main body frame 2. Specifically, the actuator 55 can also be fixedly mounted to the base bracket 51. In other words, the hook 53 and the actuator 55 can be mounted on the main body frame 2 via the base bracket 51. In addition, the base bracket 51 can be integrally provided to the bracket portion 43 of the second mounting portion 40, and as shown, each of the total two bracket portions 43 can be formed on opposite sides of the front surface of the base bracket 51 in a shape protruding forward from the bracket portion. Figure 6

[0063] In addition, the hook 53 that locks the jaw portion 42 formed on the seating portion 41 of the second mounting portion 40 can be rotatably mounted at the upper portion of the base bracket 51, and each of the total two hooks 53 can also be mounted on opposite sides of the front surface of the base bracket 51. Accordingly, the hook 53, the seating portion 41, and the bracket portion 43 can all be mounted in the same number. As shown in the drawings, each of the two hooks, the seating portion, and the bracket portion can be mounted on the corresponding opposite sides. The base bracket 51, the hook 53, the actuator 55, and the bracket portion 43 can all be modularized and simultaneously mounted on the main body frame.

[0064] Each of the hooks 53 can be formed longitudinally with a predetermined length, and can be longitudinally arranged along the upper portion of the base bracket 51. Specifically, the hinge pin 54 arranged at the opposite end portion of each of the hooks 53 protruding from the opposite end portion of the hook can be rotatably coupled to the support body 52 arranged at the upper portion of the base bracket 51 protruding from the upper portion of the base bracket. When each of the hooks 53 can be rotated downward with respect to the hinge pin 54, the jaw portion 42 of the mounting structure 30, that is, the jaw portion 42 arranged on the seating portion 41 of the second mounting portion 40 protruding upward from the seating portion of the second mounting portion, along with the holding end portion 45 of the belt 44 can be held by the hook 53 to lock the mounting structure 30 to the hook. However, while the hook 53 locks the mounting structure 30, when the hook 53 is forcibly rotated upward with respect to the hinge pin 54 to separate the hook 53 from the jaw portion 42, the mounting structure 30 can be unlocked.

[0065] ​One actuator 55 can be installed for each hanger 53, and the actuator can be connected to the corresponding hanger 53 to transmit power to the hanger, and the actuator 55 is fixedly installed to the upper portion of the base bracket 51. In the exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the actuator 55 can be a motor, and can perform its operation in response to a control signal of the controller 20. Specifically, the actuator 55 can be a servo motor. In this case, the driving shaft of the motor 55 can be connected to the hinge pin 54 of the hanger 53, and during the operation of the motor, the rotational force of the motor can be transmitted to the hinge pin 54 of the hanger 53 via the driving shaft, so as to thus rotate the hanger 53.

[0066] The motor 55 can be driven by the controller 20 configured to detect a fire occurring in the battery pack 1, and the motor 55 can be configured to forcibly rotate the hanger 53 in its unlocking direction. Accordingly, a state in which the mounting structure 30 is locked to the main body frame 2 can be released. When the mounting structure 30 is unlocked, the support 31 of the mounting structure 30 supporting the battery pack 1 can be rotated in a downward direction with respect to the first mounting portion 34 by the weight of the support 31 and the battery pack 1. Next, the battery pack 1 can be released from the vehicle by falling down from the vehicle due to the weight of the battery pack 1.

[0067] When the support 31 of the mounting structure 30 supporting the battery pack is rotated downward due to the heavy weight of the battery pack 1, the battery pack 1 can be released from the vehicle by falling to the ground. Specifically, accessories such as electric wires connected to the battery pack can be automatically separated from the battery pack or the accessories together with the battery pack can be released from the vehicle, the accessories being connected to the battery pack 1.

[0068] Accordingly, the configuration of the battery release system according to the exemplary embodiment of the disclosure has been described. Although the operating state of the battery release system has been described in connection with the above configuration, the operating state will be again outlined hereinafter. First, the controller 20 can be configured to detect the occurrence of a fire of the battery pack 1 by using a signal of the fire detection sensor 10, and output a control signal for removing the battery pack 1 from the vehicle when the vehicle stops. Next, the servo motor 55, which is an actuator of the locking device 50, can be driven in response to the control signal of the controller 20 and forcibly rotate the hanger 53 upward. The mounting structure 30 locked by the locking device 50 can then be unlocked.

[0069] Specifically, the clamping jaw portion 42 of the mounting structure 30 can also be separated from the hook 53 while the holding end portion 45 of the belt 44 is separated from the hook 53. Finally, when the support member 31 is rotated in the downward direction with respect to the first mounting portion 34 by the weight of the battery pack 1, the battery pack 1 can be released from the vehicle by falling from the support member 31. As described above, after the battery pack in which the fire has occurred has been released from the vehicle, the motor of the vehicle can be operated by the power of another battery pack in which the fire has not occurred, and thus, the vehicle can move away from the released battery pack. Therefore, even when the fire occurs in the battery pack, the fire does not spread to the vehicle, and the vehicle and the driver can be safely protected from the fire.

[0070] While example embodiments of the present disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A battery release system for a vehicle, comprising: A controller is configured to output a control signal to release the battery pack from the vehicle in response to the controller determining that a fire has occurred in the battery pack, thereby separating the battery pack from the vehicle. The mounting structure is rotatably mounted to the main frame and configured to support the battery pack, the mounting structure rotating relative to the main frame by the weight of the battery pack during the release of the battery pack; as well as A locking device is mounted to the main frame, which locks the mounting structure supporting the battery pack to the main frame to hold the mounting structure on the main frame, and the locking device is operated to release the locked state of the mounting structure in response to the control signal of the controller to perform the rotation of the mounting structure and the release of the battery pack. The mounting structure includes: A support member that supports the battery pack, and the support member is configured to release the battery pack from the support member by rotation when the state of the support member being locked by the locking device is released; The first mounting portion is capable of rotatably coupling the lower part of the support member to the main frame; and The second mounting part, while being locked to the locking device, holds the upper part of the support member on the main frame, and allows the support member held on the main frame to be released during the release of the state of the support member locked by the locking device.

2. The battery release system according to claim 1, further comprising: A fire detection sensor is configured to detect the fire occurring in the battery pack. The controller is configured to determine whether a fire has occurred in the battery pack based on the signal from the fire detection sensor.

3. The battery release system according to claim 1, wherein, The support is an L-shaped support, in which a plate-shaped horizontal member and a plate-shaped vertical member are integrally connected to each other, and the battery pack is mounted on the horizontal member.

4. The battery release system according to claim 3, wherein, The lower part of the vertical member can be rotatably coupled to the main frame via the first mounting part, and the upper part of the vertical member is held on the main frame while locked to the locking device, or the upper part held on the main frame is released when the state of the upper part locked by the locking device is released.

5. The battery release system according to claim 1, wherein, The mounting structure also includes: A belt, connected between the support and the locking device and surrounding the battery pack, wherein the belt holds the battery pack on the support while being locked to the locking device by engaging with the locking device, and releases the state of the belt locked by the locking device while the belt separates from the locking device, releasing the state of the battery pack held on the support.

6. The battery release system according to claim 5, wherein, Multiple belts are provided, with a first end of each belt coupled to the support and a second end of each belt coupled to the locking device to lock the belt to the locking device.

7. The battery release system according to claim 1, wherein, The second mounting part includes: A mounting portion is disposed on the upper part of the support member to project rearward from the upper part of the support member and coupled to the locking device to lock into the locking device. The support portion is configured to be fixed to the main frame and support the mounting portion, which is mounted on the support portion.

8. The battery release system according to claim 7, wherein, The placement portion includes a gripper portion disposed on the placement portion for being held by the hook of the locking device, wherein the hook of the locking device engages with the gripper portion of the placement portion by being held, thereby locking the placement portion to the locking device.

9. The battery release system according to claim 8, wherein, The lower surface of the mounting portion is formed as a curved surface, and the upper surface of the support portion is formed as a curved surface that engages with the lower surface of the mounting portion, wherein when the mounting portion is mounted on the support portion, the curved surface of the mounting portion and the curved surface of the support portion engage with each other.

10. The battery release system according to claim 1, wherein, The locking device includes: A hook, rotatably mounted to the main frame, and held locked to the main frame by a gripper portion of the hook disposed in the mounting structure; and An actuator is fixedly mounted to the main frame and uses the control signal output from the controller to forcibly rotate the hook that maintains the locked state of the gripper portion to the position that releases the locked state of the gripper portion.

11. The battery release system according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to output the control signal to release the battery pack from the vehicle to detach the battery pack from the vehicle in response to determining that a fire has occurred in the battery pack and that the vehicle is in a stopped state.

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