Battery pack having a structure for increasing ease of movement and assembly and a structure for improving safety

Abstract

A battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a pair of battery modules, which have at least one pair of first gripping grooves and have at least one connector, and the at least one pair of first gripping grooves and the at least one connector are formed at the top end; a support plate, which is connected to the lower ends of the pair of battery modules and is fixed to the ground; and a BMS assembly, which has a guide protrusion, which is inserted into the first gripping groove and is connected to the pair of battery modules in a plug-in method with the aid of the connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack having a structure for improving convenience of carrying and assembling and improving safety, and more particularly, to a battery pack having a structure for fastening a plurality of battery modules by using a module fastening plate and a BMS assembly and a structure for preventing a flame generated at a battery cell disposed therein from leaking out of the battery pack.

[0002] This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0027900 filed in Korea on March 5, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] A battery pack used as an energy storage system is an energy storage system that is configured to eliminate risks caused by external physical factors during use and to operate normally in consideration of the installation environment and usage conditions. The battery pack used as an energy storage system may have a form in which a plurality of battery modules are coupled to a BMS assembly electrically connected to the battery modules.

[0004] Among various battery packs used as energy storage systems, in particular, household battery packs often need to be moved through narrow stairs and / or passages. Battery packs used as energy storage systems are relatively large in size and heavy in weight in many cases, so convenience of carrying and installation should be considered when making the battery pack. In addition, since the battery pack used as an energy storage system includes a plurality of battery cells to ensure sufficient capacity and output, the battery pack needs to be designed to ensure the safety of the user in the event of an abnormality during use. Summary of the invention

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and thus the present disclosure aims to provide a battery pack having a structure that improves convenience in carrying and installation and improves safety during use.

[0007] However, the technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above contents, and those skilled in the art will understand other purposes not mentioned herein through the following description.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack is provided, comprising: a pair of battery modules, the pair of battery modules having at least one pair of first gripping grooves and at least one connector, the at least one pair of first gripping grooves and the at least one connector being formed at the top of the pair of battery modules; a support plate, the support plate being connected to the bottom of the pair of battery modules and being fixed to the ground; and a BMS assembly, the BMS assembly having a guide protrusion, the guide protrusion being inserted into the first gripping groove and being connected to the pair of battery modules in a plug-in manner by means of the connector.

[0010] The battery module may include: a cell stack having a plurality of battery cells; a module housing configured to accommodate the cell stack; a lower cover configured to cover a bottom opening of the module housing; and an upper cover assembly configured to cover a top opening of the module housing.

[0011] The upper cover assembly may include: an upper cover, which is configured to cover the top opening of the module housing so that the connector is formed at one longitudinal side of the upper cover, and the upper cover has an upper cover groove, which is formed to be recessed downward at the center of the upper cover; a fuse, which is fixed in the upper cover groove and is electrically connected to the battery cell; a fuse cover, which is configured to cover the fuse inside the upper cover groove; and a cover plate, which is configured to cover the top of the upper cover groove and is connected to the upper cover.

[0012] The cover plate may have at least one pair of cover plate holes and be formed to be spaced apart from the fuse cover such that the first catching groove is formed between the cover plate and the fuse cover.

[0013] The BMS assembly may include: a BMS body coupled to the pair of battery modules; and a BMS cover coupled to an upper portion of the BMS body.

[0014] The battery pack may have second catching grooves respectively formed at both longitudinal sides of the BMS cover.

[0015] The guide protrusion may be formed at a lower surface of the BMS body and inserted into the first catching groove through the cap plate hole to guide coupling between the BMS assembly and the battery module.

[0016] The battery pack may further include a gasket interposed between the guide protrusion and an inner surface of the cap plate hole.

[0017] A gas passage may be formed between the cell stack and the module housing.

[0018] The lower cover may have lower cover holes respectively formed at both longitudinal sides of the lower cover to communicate with the gas passage.

[0019] A mesh filter may be inserted into the lower cover hole.

[0020] The lower cover may include a plurality of first barriers configured to extend downward.

[0021] The support plate may include: a plurality of second barriers formed to extend upward; and a gas discharge hole formed at a longitudinal center of the support plate.

[0022] The first barrier and the second barrier formed at positions corresponding to each other may be configured to cross each other.

[0023] Beneficial effects

[0024] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a battery pack having a structure that improves convenience in carrying and installation and improves safety during use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, are used to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not interpreted as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a battery pack in an assembled state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a battery pack.

[0028] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery module applied to the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 4 It is along Figure 2 Cross-sectional view taken along line XX.

[0030] Figure 5 It is along Figure 2 Cross-sectional view taken along line YY.

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a coupling relationship between a pair of battery modules and a BMS assembly applied to the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 7 It is along Figure 1Cross-sectional view taken along line ZZ.

[0033] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 It is shown Figure 7 Magnified view of area A.

[0034] Fig.10 The figure shows the movement path of the flame and gas generated inside the battery module.

[0035] Fig.11 It is along Figure 1 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line ZZ of , which shows the detailed structure of the coupling area between the battery module and the support plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general meaning and dictionary meaning, but are interpreted based on the meaning and concept corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure based on the principle of allowing the inventor to appropriately define the terms to obtain the best interpretation. Therefore, the description proposed herein is only a preferred example for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalent schemes and modifications may also be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0037] First, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 A schematic structure of a battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a coupling relationship between its respective components are described.

[0038] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of battery modules 100, a support plate 200, and a BMS assembly 300. The battery pack 1 may be, for example, an energy storage system (ESS) battery pack for energy storage.

[0039] The bottom of the battery module 100 is inserted / fixed to the support plate 200 , and the BMS assembly 300 is coupled to the top of the battery module 100 .

[0040] The support plate 200 may be fixed to the ground, thereby functioning as a bracket for fixing the plurality of battery modules 100. Here, the ground refers to a floor surface where the battery pack 1 is used for energy storage.

[0041] The BMS assembly 300 includes at least one BMS (Battery Management System), and the BMS assembly 300 may be coupled to the top of the plurality of battery modules 100 in a plug-in manner to mechanically fasten the plurality of battery modules 100 to each other and control charging and discharging of the plurality of battery modules 100. In addition, the BMS assembly 300 may realize electrical connection between the plurality of battery modules 100.

[0042] The battery module 100 and the BMS assembly 300 can be connected by combining the first connector C1 and the second connector C2 (see Figure 7 ), the first connector C1 is provided at the upper surface of the battery module 100, and the second connector C2 is provided at the lower surface of the BMS assembly 300. In addition, a plurality of first gripping grooves G1 may be formed in the upper surface of the battery module 100, and a plurality of guide protrusions 311 (see Figure 8 ) may be formed at the lower surface of the BMS assembly 300 to guide the connection between the battery module 100 and the BMS assembly 300, and the plurality of guide protrusions 311 are arranged in a shape and number corresponding to the plurality of first grasping grooves G1 and are inserted into the first grasping grooves G1.

[0043] Next, we will refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 A detailed structure of the battery module 100 is described.

[0044] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The battery module 100 includes a cell stack 110 , a module housing 120 , a lower cover 130 and an upper cover assembly 140 .

[0045] The cell stack 110 may include a plurality of battery cells electrically connected to each other, and may include additional components for mechanically and / or electrically coupling the plurality of battery cells. As a battery cell for configuring the cell stack 110 , for example, a pouch-type battery cell may be applied.

[0046] The module housing 120 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, with openings formed at the top and bottom thereof, respectively, and accommodates the cell stack 110 in its inner space. The module housing 120 may have a form in which a front plate 121 and a rear plate 122 are combined. However, the structure of the module housing 120 is not limited thereto, and the module housing 120 may have an integrated structure instead of a structure in which a plurality of parts are combined, and alternatively, the module housing 120 may have a form in which three parts or more parts are combined.

[0047] The lower cover 130 covers the bottom opening of the module housing 120 and supports the cell stack 110. The lower cover 130 has a special structure to facilitate downward discharge of gas when internal gas and flame are generated due to abnormality of the battery pack 1, and also to minimize external discharge of flame. Fig.10 and Fig.11 This structure and the specific structure of the support plate 200 are described in detail.

[0048] The upper cover assembly 140 covers the top opening of the module case 120 and ensures airtightness of the top opening of the module case 120 so that gas and flame generated due to abnormality of the battery pack 1 are not discharged upward.

[0049] The upper cover assembly 140 may include an upper cover 141 , a fuse 142 , a fuse holder 143 , a fuse cover 144 and a cover plate 145 .

[0050] The upper cover 141 covers the top opening of the module housing 120 and extends in the longitudinal direction (parallel to Figure 3 A first connector C1 is formed at one side of the upper cover 141 (in the direction of the X-axis in the upper cover 141). In addition, the upper cover 141 has an upper cover groove 141a formed at the center of the upper cover 141 to be recessed downward. The upper cover groove 141a is communicated with the accommodation space in the module housing 120 for accommodating the cell stack 110 through a hole formed in the upper cover 141. This is for electrical connection between the cell stack 110 accommodated in the module housing 120 and the fuse 142 installed in the cover groove 141a.

[0051] The fuse holder 143 is fixed in the upper cover groove 141a, and fixes the fuse 142. However, in the present disclosure, the fuse holder 143 may not be included, in which case the fuse 142 may be directly fixed to the inner surface of the upper cover groove 141a by using an adhesive member, or fixed inside the upper cover groove 141a using a fixing structure formed integrally with the upper cover 141.

[0052] The fuse cover 144 has a length and a width corresponding to the upper cover groove 141 a and covers the fuse 142 and the fuse seat 143 inside the upper cover groove 141 a .

[0053] The cover plate 145 covers the top of the upper cover groove 141a and is connected to the upper cover 141. The cover plate 145 has at least one pair of cover plate holes 145a and is installed to be spaced apart from the fuse cover 144 so that a first gripping groove G1 is formed between the cover plate 145 and the fuse cover 144. The cover plate holes 145a and the first gripping groove G1 provide space for workers to grip the battery module 100 by inserting fingers or gripping devices when transporting the battery module 100, thereby providing convenience in transporting the battery module 100. In addition, in addition to the above functions, as described above, the cover plate holes 145a and the first gripping groove G1 also provide guide protrusions 311 (see Figure 8 ) provides an insertion space to guide the connection between the BMS assembly 300 and the battery module 100.

[0054] That is, Figures 6 to 8 As shown, in the connection between the battery module 100 and the BMS assembly 300, if the guide protrusion 311 (see Figure 8 ) and the cover plate hole 145a are aligned and coupled, the first connector C1 of the battery module 100 and the second connector C2 of the BMS assembly 300 are naturally coupled.

[0055] At the same time, refer to Figure 8 and Fig.10 The guide protrusion 311 has a size and shape corresponding to the cover plate hole 145a, thereby preventing gas and / or flame generated from the cell stack 110 located at the lower portion of the upper cover assembly 140 from leaking toward the BMS assembly 300 through the upper portion of the battery module 100.

[0056] In addition, refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The gasket 400 may be placed between the guide protrusion 311 and the inner surface of the cap plate hole 145a. This is to further increase the airtightness so as to more reliably prevent the gas and / or flame generated from the cell stack 110 from leaking toward the BMS assembly 300 through the upper portion of the battery module 100.

[0057] Reference Figures 5 to 7 , the BMS assembly 300 includes a BMS body 310 and a BMS cover 320 .

[0058] The BMS body 310 includes at least one BMS and has at least two second connectors C2, which are provided at the lower surface of the BMS body 310 and are electrically connected to the BMS. Each of the second connectors C2 is coupled to a first connector C1 provided on top of a plurality of battery modules 100 in a one-to-one relationship, so that each battery module 100 is electrically connected to the BMS. In addition, according to the circuit configuration of the BMS, the battery modules 100 may be electrically connected to each other in series and / or in parallel.

[0059] The BMS cover 320 is coupled to the upper portion of the BMS body 310. The BMS cover 320 may be used as a handle of the BMS assembly 300. That is, the longitudinal direction (parallel to the longitudinal direction) of the BMS cover 320 is Figure 5 One side and the other side in the direction of the X-axis in the BMS cover 320 are spaced apart from the upper surface of the BMS body 310 by a predetermined distance, and thus, second gripping grooves G2 are respectively formed at both longitudinal sides of the BMS cover 320. The second gripping grooves G2 provide a space for a worker to insert fingers or a gripping device to move the BMS assembly 300 and / or transport the battery pack 1.

[0060] Next, we will refer to Fig.10 and Fig.11 The specific structure of the bottom of the battery module 100 and the specific structure of the support plate 200 are described.

[0061] A structure capable of smoothly discharging gas generated from the cell stack 110 to the outside and preventing flame from being discharged to the outside is formed at the bottom of the battery module 100 .

[0062] The lower cover 130 includes a pair of lower cover holes 130a, a pair of mesh filters M and a plurality of first barriers 131. The lower cover holes 130a are formed in the longitudinal direction (parallel to the longitudinal direction) of the lower cover 130. Fig.11 The lower cover hole 130a is connected to the gas passage P formed between the cell stack 110 and the module housing 120. Therefore, the gas and / or flame generated from the cell stack 110 can be discharged downward (in parallel to the X-axis direction) through the lower cover hole 130a. Fig.11The mesh filter M is inserted / fixed in the lower cover hole 130a. The mesh filter M allows the gas generated in the battery module 100 to pass as it is, but reduces the amount of flame and the flame jet speed discharged downward through the lower cover hole 130a. The first barrier 131 has a shape extending downward from the lower surface of the lower cover 130, and together with the second barrier 210 explained later, increases the movement path of the flame, so that the flame can be extinguished inside the battery pack 1 without being leaked to the outside.

[0063] The support plate 200 is located below the plurality of battery modules 100 and provides a space into which the plurality of battery modules 100 can be inserted. The support plate 200 includes: a plurality of second barriers 210, the plurality of second barriers 210 being formed upward (in parallel to Fig.11 and a gas discharge hole 200a, the gas discharge hole 200a is formed in the longitudinal direction of the support plate 200 (parallel to Fig.11 At the center of the X-axis direction).

[0064] Among the plurality of first barriers 131 and the plurality of second barriers 210, the first barriers 131 and the second barriers 210 formed at positions corresponding to each other cross each other. Therefore, when the flame introduced into the space between the lower cover 130 and the support plate 200 through the mesh filter 24 moves toward the gas discharge hole 200a, its moving path is increased, and thus, the flame can be extinguished without being discharged to the outside through the gas discharge hole 200a. That is, the support plate 200 serves as a component for fixing the battery module 100 and a component for simultaneously providing a structure for extinguishing the flame.

[0065] The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising: a pair of battery modules having at least a pair of first gripping grooves and at least one connector formed at tops thereof; a support plate coupled to bottoms of the pair of battery modules and fixed to the ground; as well as a battery management system assembly having a guide protrusion which is inserted into the first gripping groove and is plug-connected to the pair of battery modules by means of the connector, Wherein, the battery module comprises: A cell stack, wherein the cell stack has a plurality of battery cells; a module housing configured to accommodate the cell stack; and an upper cover assembly, the upper cover assembly being configured to cover the top opening of the module housing, Wherein, the upper cover assembly comprises: an upper cover configured to cover the top opening of the module housing so that the connector is formed at one longitudinal side of the upper cover, the upper cover having an upper cover groove formed at the center of the upper cover to be recessed downward; a fuse fixed in the upper cover groove and electrically connected to the battery cell; a fuse cover configured to cover the fuse inside the upper cover groove; and a cover plate configured to cover the top of the upper cover groove and coupled to the upper cover, The cover plate has at least one pair of cover plate holes, and the cover plate is formed to be spaced apart from the fuse cover so that the first gripping groove is formed between the cover plate and the fuse cover.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The battery module further comprises: A lower cover is configured to cover a bottom opening of the module housing.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The battery management system components include: a battery management system main body coupled to the pair of battery modules; and A battery management system cover is coupled to an upper portion of the battery management system body.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein: The battery pack has second gripping grooves respectively formed at both longitudinal sides of the battery management system cover.

5. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein: The guide protrusion is formed at a lower surface of the BMS body and is inserted into the first catching groove through the cover plate hole to guide coupling between the BMS assembly and the battery module. 6 . The battery pack according to claim 5 , further comprising a gasket interposed between the guide protrusion and an inner surface of the cap plate hole.

7. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: A gas channel is formed between the cell stack and the module housing.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: The lower cover has lower cover holes respectively formed at both longitudinal sides of the lower cover to communicate with the gas passage.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein: A mesh filter is inserted into the lower cover hole.

10. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein: The lower cover includes a plurality of first barriers configured to extend downward.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein: The support plate comprises: a plurality of second barriers formed to extend upward; and A gas discharge hole is formed at a longitudinal center of the support plate.

12. The battery pack according to claim 11, wherein: The first barrier and the second barrier formed at positions corresponding to each other are configured to cross each other.

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