Battery pack including fire suppression device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack including a device for preventing fire or heat from spreading to adjacent battery cells when an abnormal phenomenon such as fire or heat occurs in a battery cell, the battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery cells; a casing for accommodating the plurality of battery cells; an energy discharge device for discharging energy of the battery pack when an abnormal phenomenon occurs; and a fire extinguishing device for discharging aerosol at an operating temperature or higher to extinguish a flame generated in the battery pack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 2020-0057035, filed on May 13, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery pack including an energy discharge device and a fire extinguishing device, thereby improving the stability of the battery pack. Background Art

[0003] With the technological development of mobile devices (such as smartphones, laptops and digital cameras) and the increase in demand for them, research on secondary batteries that can be charged and discharged has been actively carried out. In addition, secondary batteries as energy sources to replace fossil fuels that cause air pollution have been applied to electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs) and energy storage systems (ESSs).

[0004] An energy storage system (ESS) stores large amounts of excess electricity in batteries, allowing it to be used when needed. Energy storage systems are used to uniformly maintain power quality with respect to new renewable energy generation, and increase power efficiency by storing power when usage is low and using it when demand is high. ESSs can be broadly categorized as grid systems, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), or home systems.

[0005] As secondary batteries widely used at present, there are lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries and nickel-zinc batteries. The operating voltage of a unit secondary battery cell (i.e., a unit battery cell) is about 2.0V to 5.0V. Therefore, in the case where an output voltage higher than the above operating voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells can be connected in series with each other to form a single module assembly. In addition, depending on the required output voltage or charge and discharge capacity, the single module assemblies can be connected in series or in parallel with each other to form a battery module. Typically, a battery pack is manufactured using at least one battery module by adding additional components.

[0006] However, because lithium secondary batteries have the risk of explosion and fire due to heat generation, an important issue is to ensure their safety. If no appropriate measures are taken first when an abnormal phenomenon occurs, the temperature of the secondary battery will suddenly increase due to heat generation, and thermal runaway will occur due to this sudden increase in temperature, whereby the secondary battery may explode, and the heat will spread to another secondary battery adjacent to the secondary battery, and the battery pack may be seriously damaged. Methods of cooling or thermally insulating the lithium secondary batteries in the battery pack can be used to ensure the safety of the battery pack. However, when an abnormal phenomenon occurs, there is a problem by using only these methods: the heat energy generated in the lithium secondary battery with a high energy density cannot be dissipated. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack in which an energy discharge device and a fire extinguishing device are provided.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] A battery pack according to the present invention for achieving the above purpose is a battery pack including a device configured to prevent the fire or heat from spreading to another battery cell adjacent to the battery cell when an abnormal phenomenon such as a fire outbreak or heat generation occurs in the battery cell. The battery pack includes: a plurality of battery cells; a housing configured to receive the plurality of battery cells; an energy discharge device configured to discharge energy of the battery pack when an abnormal phenomenon occurs; and a fire extinguishing device configured to discharge aerosol at an operating temperature or higher to extinguish a flame generated in the battery pack.

[0011] Also, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the plurality of battery cells may be received in the battery pack in a state of being divided into two or more sections.

[0012] Furthermore, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the energy discharge device may include: a resistor having a high resistance; and an operation switch.

[0013] Furthermore, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the energy discharge device may be installed in only one of the sections.

[0014] Furthermore, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the energy discharge device may be installed to each segment.

[0015] Also, the battery pack according to the present invention may further include a controller configured to perform overall management of the battery pack and control the operation of the energy discharge device.

[0016] Moreover, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the fire extinguishing device can be provided adjacent to the resistor of the energy discharge device, and when an abnormal heat generation phenomenon occurs, the temperature of the fire extinguishing device can reach the operating temperature using the heat energy generated from the resistor.

[0017] Also, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the fire extinguishing device may include fire extinguishing chemicals, a cooling portion, and a nozzle.

[0018] Also, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the fire extinguishing chemical may be an aerosol foaming compound (AFC) configured to be solid at a temperature lower than an operating temperature and to be sprayed in the form of aerosol at the operating temperature or higher.

[0019] Also, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the AFC may include at least one of potassium nitrate, strontium nitrate, and magnesium nitrate.

[0020] Furthermore, in the battery pack according to the present invention, the energy discharge device and the fire extinguishing device may be located in the housing.

[0021] Furthermore, a device according to the invention comprises at least one battery according to the invention.

[0022] Beneficial effects

[0023] The battery pack according to the present invention has the following advantages: it includes an energy discharge device and a fire extinguishing device, so that when an abnormal phenomenon such as heat generation or fire outbreak occurs in a specific battery cell in the battery pack, the energy of the battery cell is quickly discharged and the fire is suppressed, thereby preventing the thermal runaway phenomenon from spreading to battery cells adjacent to the battery cell.

[0024] In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention has an advantage that when an abnormal phenomenon occurs, the fire extinguishing device operates using heat energy generated from the energy discharge device, thereby eliminating the need for any separate equipment configured to operate the fire extinguishing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3is a schematic diagram showing the energy discharge device of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing a fire extinguishing device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In this application, it should be understood that the terms "include", "have", "include", etc. specify the existence of the stated features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or their combinations, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts or their combinations.

[0030] In addition, in all drawings, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to parts that perform similar functions or operations. In the specification, when a part is said to be connected to another part, the part can be directly connected to the other part and the part can also be indirectly connected to the other part via another part. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the inclusion of a specific element does not mean that other elements are excluded, but rather means that such elements may be further included.

[0031] Hereinafter, a battery pack according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery pack including an energy discharge device and a fire extinguishing device according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] When reference Figure 1 When describing the battery pack 10, the battery pack 10 according to the present invention is configured such that a plurality of battery cells 100 are housed in a battery pack housing 200 in a state of being divided into two or more sections. A partition wall 500 is located between the respective sections, and is configured to separate the sections from each other. As required, the partition wall 500 may include a heat insulating plate configured to provide thermal insulation between the sections, or a heat dissipation plate or cooling plate configured to discharge heat generated by the battery cells 100 to the outside.

[0034] At the same time, as in Figure 1 As shown in FIG, an energy discharge device 300 and a fire extinguishing device 400 are provided in each section, and a plurality of battery cells 100 are received in each section.

[0035] Here, when abnormal heat generation occurs in a specific battery cell 100 of the battery pack 10 , the energy discharge device 300 serves to discharge the energy of the battery cell 100 as heat energy, thereby suppressing a thermal runaway phenomenon caused by the abnormal heat generation, thereby improving the safety of the battery pack 10 .

[0036] In addition, the fire extinguishing device 400 is provided adjacent to the energy discharge device 300, and when an abnormal heat generation phenomenon occurs, the temperature of the fire extinguishing device reaches an operating temperature by using the heat energy discharged by the energy discharge device 300, thereby being able to quickly extinguish the fire in the battery pack 10.

[0037] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a battery pack including an energy discharge device and a fire extinguishing device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] and Figure 1 Compared with the battery pack 10 of FIG. 1 , except that the energy discharge device 300 and the fire extinguishing device 400 are only provided in the middle section among the plurality of divided sections, Figure 2 The battery pack 10 with Figure 1 The battery pack 10 is the same.

[0039] At the same time, when referring to Figure 3 Describing the energy discharge device 300 in detail, the energy discharge device 300 includes a resistor 310 having a high resistance and an operation switch 320 configured to turn on / off electrical connection with the battery cells 100 in a specific section.

[0040] The resistor 310 may be selected from well-known resistors as long as the resistance of the resistor can quickly discharge the energy of the battery cell 100 as heat energy and the heat energy can provide a temperature that allows the fire extinguishing device 400 located adjacent to the battery cell to operate.

[0041] In addition, the operation switch 320 can be Figure 3 (a) is provided in only one direction of the circuit, or may be provided as in Figure 3 The circuit is arranged in two directions as shown in (b).

[0042] In the energy discharging device 300 described above, when abnormal heat generation occurs, the operating switch 320, which is off when the battery pack 10 is operating normally, is turned on, thereby electrically connecting the battery cell 100 and the resistor 310 to each other. As a result, the electrical energy of the battery cell 100 is discharged as heat energy by the resistor 310 having a high resistance, thereby suppressing the abnormal heat generation from propagating to the battery cell 100 adjacent to the battery cell.

[0043] In addition, the battery pack 10 may further include a controller (not shown) to perform overall management of the battery pack 10 and control the operation of the energy discharge device 300 when an abnormal heat generation phenomenon occurs.

[0044] When reference Figure 4 When describing the fire extinguishing device 400 , the fire extinguishing device 400 may be a solid aerosol fire extinguishing device including a fire extinguishing chemical 410 , a cooling portion 420 , and a nozzle 430 .

[0045] Here, the solid aerosol fire extinguishing equipment is a fire extinguishing system that interrupts the chain reaction of combustion through a negative catalyst effect, in which free radicals of aerosol generated when a solid compound including special components burns react with active free radicals such as O, H and OH around the fire to interrupt the chain reaction, thereby suppressing the fire.

[0046] Specifically, when the fire extinguishing chemical 410 burns at an operating temperature or higher, an aerosol serving as a fire extinguishing material is generated. The generated aerosol is cooled to an appropriate temperature that is harmless to a human body or facilities while passing through the cooling portion 420. The cooled aerosol is ejected as aerosol particles A through the nozzle 430, and the ejected aerosol suppresses the fire through the above-mentioned negative catalyst effect.

[0047] Any of various well-known fire extinguishing chemicals can be used as the fire extinguishing chemical 410 of the fire extinguishing device 400. In particular, it is preferable to use an aerosol foaming compound (AFC) that is solid at a temperature lower than the operating temperature and is sprayed in the form of an aerosol at the operating temperature or higher.

[0048] Preferably, the AFC includes at least one of potassium nitrate, strontium nitrate, and magnesium nitrate as a main component. Because the decomposition and combustion temperatures vary depending on the composition of the AFC, the size and specifications of the resistor to be used in the energy discharge device 300 need to be set in consideration of the operating temperature of the AFC.

[0049] The operating temperature may have various temperature ranges depending on the components included in the AFC. In particular, in consideration of the types of AFC and resistor 310 generally used, a temperature range of 300° C. to 1100° C. is preferable.

[0050] In addition, the battery pack including the energy discharge device 300 and the fire extinguishing device 400 according to the present invention may be applied to electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEVs), or energy storage systems (ESSs).

[0051] Although the specific details of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the detailed description of the present invention only discloses the preferred embodiments of the present invention and therefore does not limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope and technical ideas of the present invention, and it will be apparent that such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0052] Description of Reference Numerals

[0053] 10: Battery pack

[0054] 100: Battery cell

[0055] 200: Shell

[0056] 300: Energy emission device

[0057] 310: Resistor

[0058] 320: Operation switch

[0059] 400: Fire extinguishing device

[0060] 410: Fire Fighting Chemicals

[0061] 420: Cooling unit

[0062] 430: Nozzle

[0063] A: Aerosol particles

[0064] 500: Partition wall

Claims

1. A battery pack (10) comprising a device configured to prevent fire or heat from spreading to another battery cell (100) adjacent to the battery cell when an abnormality occurs in the battery cell (100), the battery pack (10) comprising: a plurality of battery cells (100); a housing (200) configured to receive the plurality of battery cells (100); an energy discharge device (300) configured to discharge energy of the battery pack (10) when the abnormal phenomenon occurs; as well as a fire extinguishing device (400) configured to discharge aerosol at an operating temperature or higher to extinguish a fire generated in the battery pack (10), The energy discharge device (300) includes: a resistor (310) having a high resistance; and an operating switch (320). The fire extinguishing device (400) is provided adjacent to the resistor (310) of the energy discharge device (300), and when an abnormal heat generation phenomenon occurs, the temperature of the fire extinguishing device reaches the operating temperature using the heat energy generated by the resistor (310).

2. The battery pack (10) according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of battery cells (100) are received in the battery pack (10) in a state of being divided into two or more sections.

3. The battery pack (10) according to claim 2, wherein: The energy discharge device (300) is installed in only one of the sections.

4. The battery pack (10) according to claim 2, wherein: The energy discharge device (300) is installed in each section.

5. The battery pack (10) according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to perform overall management of the battery pack (10) and control the operation of the energy discharge device (300).

6. The battery pack (10) according to claim 1, wherein: The fire extinguishing device (400) includes fire extinguishing chemicals (410), a cooling portion (420), and a nozzle (430).

7. The battery pack (10) according to claim 6, wherein: The fire extinguishing chemical (410) is an aerosol foaming compound (AFC) configured to be solid at a temperature lower than the operating temperature and to be sprayed in the form of an aerosol at the operating temperature or higher.

8. The battery pack (10) according to claim 7, wherein: The aerosol foaming compound includes at least one of potassium nitrate, strontium nitrate, and magnesium nitrate.

9. The battery pack (10) according to claim 1, wherein: The energy discharge device (300) and the fire extinguishing device (400) are located in the housing (200).

10. A device comprising a battery pack (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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