Battery pack and apparatus including the battery pack

Abstract

A battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are mounted; and a discharge member electrically connected to the battery module, wherein the discharge member includes: a frame member having an open upper portion and containing coolant; a top cover for covering the upper portion of the frame member; and a resistor mounted in the frame member, wherein both ends of the resistor are exposed to the outside of the discharge member and electrically connected to the battery module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0056634, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on April 30, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] This disclosure relates to battery packs and devices including the battery packs, and more specifically, to battery packs and devices including the battery packs for preventing self-heating of battery modules. Background Technology

[0004] With technological advancements and increasing demand for mobile devices, the need for secondary batteries as an energy source is rapidly growing. In particular, secondary batteries have attracted considerable attention as an energy source for electric drive devices (such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles) and for mobile devices (such as mobile phones, digital cameras, laptops, and wearable devices).

[0005] Small mobile devices use one or more battery cells per device, while medium or large devices such as vehicles require high power and large capacity. Therefore, medium or large battery modules with multiple battery cells electrically connected to each other are used.

[0006] Medium or large battery modules are preferably manufactured to have the smallest possible size and weight. Therefore, prismatic cells, pouch cells, etc., which are stacked with high integration and have low weight relative to capacity, can be mainly used as battery cells for medium or large battery modules.

[0007] However, conventional battery packs consist of multiple battery modules, and if thermal runaway occurs in some cells within each module, causing a fire or explosion, the heat or flame can be transferred to adjacent secondary batteries, leading to secondary explosions. Therefore, greater efforts are underway to prevent secondary fires or explosions.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need to develop a battery pack and a device including the battery pack that can prevent the battery modules in the heat transfer path from generating heat when some of the battery modules in the battery pack catch fire or explode and the heat is transferred to the adjacent battery modules. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Technical issues

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide a battery pack that prevents the battery module from self-heating and an apparatus including the battery pack.

[0011] The purpose of this disclosure is not limited to the foregoing purposes, and other purposes not described herein should be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0012] Technical solution

[0013] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a battery pack is provided, the battery pack comprising: a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are mounted; and a discharge member electrically connected to the battery module, wherein the discharge member comprises: a frame member having an open upper portion and containing a coolant, a top cover for covering the upper portion of the frame member, and a resistor mounted in the frame member, wherein both ends of the resistor are exposed to the outside of the discharge member, and the resistor is electrically connected to the battery module.

[0014] The resistor can be bent at least twice in the frame member.

[0015] The resistor includes a busbar and an insulating layer, and the insulating layer may be formed on the outer surface of the busbar.

[0016] An insulating layer may be formed on the outer surface of the busbar at the center of the resistor, and an electrical connection portion may be formed at the end of the resistor, with the outer surface of the busbar exposed to the electrical connection portion.

[0017] Busbars can be made of copper (Cu) with a resistance of 3mΩ to 50mΩ.

[0018] The top cover may have a first hole and a second hole formed therein, and the two ends of the resistor pass through the first hole and the second hole, respectively, and are exposed to the outside.

[0019] The first hole and the second hole can be formed on both sides of the upper cover, respectively.

[0020] The top cover may have a third hole that can be opened and closed.

[0021] The discharge member can be configured such that the coolant is injected into the frame member through the third hole.

[0022] The discharge member can be configured such that water vapor generated by the heating of the resistor is discharged through the third hole.

[0023] The coolant may be cooling water.

[0024] The discharge component includes a first discharge component and a second discharge component, and the first discharge component and the second discharge component can be connected in parallel with each other.

[0025] The discharge component includes a first discharge component and a second discharge component, and the first discharge component and the second discharge component can be connected in series with each other.

[0026] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, an apparatus including the above-described battery pack is provided.

[0027] Beneficial effects

[0028] According to an embodiment, the battery pack and apparatus including the battery pack of this disclosure include a discharge member electrically connected to the battery module, and thus can prevent the battery module from self-heating.

[0029] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand from the description of the appended claims other additional effects not described above. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the circuitry of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 2 Is included Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the discharge components in the battery pack;

[0032] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional view of the discharge component;

[0033] Figure 4 It is shown that it includes Figure 2 A diagram of the resistor in the discharge component;

[0034] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 2 A diagram showing the connection method of the discharge components; and

[0035] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a discharge member according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Various embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, enabling those skilled in the art to readily implement them. This disclosure can be modified in various different ways and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0037] For clarity in describing this disclosure, parts irrelevant to the description will be omitted, and throughout the description, the same reference numerals denote the same elements.

[0038] Furthermore, the dimensions and thicknesses of each element are arbitrarily shown in the accompanying drawings for ease of description, and this disclosure is not limited to those shown in the drawings. The thicknesses of layers, regions, etc., are exaggerated in the accompanying drawings for clarity. The thicknesses of some layers and regions are exaggerated in the accompanying drawings for ease of description.

[0039] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as “comprising” or “including” a component, it means that the part may further include other components, but does not exclude other components, unless otherwise stated.

[0040] Furthermore, throughout the instruction manual, when referred to as a "plane," it means the target portion viewed from above, and when referred to as a "section," it means the target portion viewed from the side of a vertically cut section.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the circuitry of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a battery pack may include a battery module 10 and a discharge member 100, wherein a plurality of battery cells are installed in the battery module 10 and the discharge member 100 is electrically connected to the battery module 10.

[0043] Here, the battery module 10 is not specifically shown in the figure, but it can be configured such that multiple battery cells (not shown) are stacked in a predetermined direction and then mounted on a module frame (not shown). Here, the type of the multiple battery cells (not shown) is not specifically limited, so they can be pouch-type secondary batteries or prismatic secondary batteries, but pouch-type secondary batteries are preferred.

[0044] Therefore, in this embodiment, when some battery modules catch fire or explode, the battery cells (not shown) in the adjacent battery modules 10 discharge through the discharge member 100, which can suppress the temperature rise of the battery modules 10.

[0045] The discharge component 100 will now be described in more detail.

[0046] Figure 2 Is included Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the discharge components in a battery pack. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional view of the discharge component.

[0047] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3In one embodiment of the invention, the discharge member 100 includes: a frame member 150 having an open upper portion and containing coolant; a cover 170 for covering the upper portion of the frame member 150; and a resistor 110 mounted in the frame member 150, wherein the two ends of the resistor 110 are exposed to the outside of the discharge member 100 and electrically connected to the battery module 10.

[0048] Here, the frame member 150 and the cover 170 can be connected to each other. As an example, the surfaces of the frame member 150 and the cover 170 that come into contact with each other can be joined together by a method such as welding. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and any method capable of stably connecting and securing the frame member 150 and the cover 170 to each other may be included in this embodiment.

[0049] For example, the frame member 150 and the top cover 170 can be made of materials such as plastic or metal. Therefore, the frame member 150 and the top cover 170 are made of the aforementioned materials, and thus the effects of fire or combustion in the battery modules 10 within the battery pack can be minimized.

[0050] Furthermore, the top cover 170 may have a first hole 171 and a second hole 175 formed therein, respectively. More specifically, the two ends of the resistor 110 mounted within the frame member 150 may be exposed to the outside through the first hole 171 and the second hole 175, respectively. Here, the dimensions of the first hole 171 and the second hole 175 may be equal to or greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the resistor 110.

[0051] For example, the first hole 171 and the second hole 175 can be formed on both sides of the top cover 170, respectively. However, the positions of the first hole 171 and the second hole 175 are not limited to this, and the first hole 171 and the second hole 175 can be formed in various positions.

[0052] Thus, in the discharge member 100, the two ends of the resistor 110 are exposed to the outside through the first hole 171 and the second hole 175, respectively, so that the discharge member 100 can be easily electrically connected to the battery module 10.

[0053] Furthermore, the top cover 170 may have an openable and closable third hole 179. Here, the discharge member 100 may be configured to allow coolant to be injected into the frame member 150 through the third hole 179. The discharge member 100 may be configured to allow water vapor generated by the heating of the resistor 110 to be discharged through the third hole 179. More specifically, the discharge member 100 may be configured to allow coolant to be injected into the frame member 150 through the third hole 179, and then seal the third hole 179. For example, the coolant may be cooling water. Furthermore, the discharge member 100 may be configured to open the third hole 179 when the resistor 110 generates heat.

[0054] In other words, after the coolant is injected through the third hole 179 of the top cover 170, the third hole 179 can be properly sealed. However, when resistive heating occurs in the resistor 110 in the frame member 150, the third hole 179 can be opened, and the water vapor generated by the resistive heating of the resistor 110 can be discharged to the outside of the discharge member 100.

[0055] For example, a third hole 179 may be formed in the central portion of the top cover 170. In other words, the third hole 179 may be located between the first hole 171 and the second hole 175. However, the location of the third hole 179 is not limited to this, and the third hole 179 may be formed in various locations.

[0056] Therefore, in the discharge member 100, the third hole 179 can be opened and closed in some cases, which has the advantage of improving the sealing performance of the discharge member 100 and also improving safety.

[0057] Figure 4 It is shown that it includes Figure 2 A diagram of the resistor in the discharge component.

[0058] refer to Figure 4 Resistor 110 may include busbar 111 and insulating layer 119. More specifically, in such... Figure 4 On the outer surface of the busbar 111 extending in one direction as shown in (a), it is possible to... Figure 4 As shown in (b), an insulating layer 119 is formed.

[0059] Here, an insulating layer 119 is formed on the outer surface of the busbar 111 at the center of the resistor 110, and electrical connection portions 113 and 115 are formed at the ends of the resistor 110, with the outer surface of the busbar 111 exposed to the electrical connection portions 113 and 115. Furthermore, the electrical connection portions 113 and 115 can be electrically connected to the battery module, respectively.

[0060] Therefore, in this embodiment, due to the insulating layer 119 formed on the outer surface of the resistor 110, the coolant in the busbar 111 and the frame member 150 will not come into direct contact with each other, thereby preventing a short circuit between the busbar 111 and the coolant.

[0061] For example, the insulating layer 119 may be made of a material such as ordinary rubber, silicone resin, or tape. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and any material capable of preventing short circuits between the coolant in the frame member 150 and the resistor 110 may be included in this embodiment.

[0062] Furthermore, the central portion of resistor 110 may be located within frame member 150, but may be immersed in coolant contained within frame member 150. More specifically, except for electrical connections 113 and 115, resistor 110 may be immersed in coolant contained within frame member 150.

[0063] Therefore, the central portion of resistor 110 is immersed in coolant in frame member 150, so that the heat generated by resistance heating in resistor 110 can be cooled by coolant. That is, even when resistance heating occurs in resistor 110, resistor 110 is cooled by coolant, thereby improving the current carrying performance of resistor 110 and the discharge performance of battery module 10.

[0064] refer to Figure 3 and 4 Resistor 110 may be bent at least twice within frame member 150. More specifically, resistor 110 may be bent multiple times according to dimensions corresponding to the internal dimensions of frame member 150. Here, resistor 110 may be bent multiple times in an S-shape. For example, resistor 110 may be a flexible busbar.

[0065] Therefore, in this embodiment, the discharge member 100 includes a resistor 110 with a small cross-sectional area, but may include a resistor 110 with a relatively long length, thereby providing the advantage of having a compact size while reducing the resistance of the resistor 110.

[0066] Furthermore, the busbar 111 included in the resistor 110 can be made of copper (Cu) with a resistance of 3 mΩ or more to 50 mΩ or less. More specifically, the busbar 111 can be made of copper (Cu) with a resistance of 3.5 mΩ or more to 47.5 mΩ or less. For example, the busbar 111 can be made of copper (Cu) with a resistance of 4 mΩ or more and 45 mΩ or less.

[0067] Therefore, resistor 110 includes a busbar 111 made of copper, which has a resistance within the range described above, and thus is able to ensure sufficient power-carrying performance while maintaining a compact size.

[0068] In contrast, when resistor 110 includes a busbar 111 made of copper with a resistance of less than 3 mΩ, there is a problem that the resistance value is very small, making the manufacturing process difficult. In addition, when resistor 110 includes a busbar 111 made of copper with a resistance of greater than 50 mΩ, there is a problem that the discharge speed may be too slow, and as the size of resistor 110 becomes relatively large, the space efficiency of discharge member 100 decreases.

[0069] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 2 A diagram showing the connection method of the discharge components.

[0070] See Figure 5 (a) The discharge member 100 may include a first discharge member and a second discharge member, and the first discharge member and the second discharge member may be connected in parallel with each other.

[0071] Therefore, by connecting at least two discharge components in parallel, the discharge component 100 can achieve a lower resistance than the resistor 110 included in each discharge component 100.

[0072] In addition, see Figure 5 (b) The discharge member 100 may include a first discharge member and a second discharge member, and the first discharge member and the second discharge member may be connected in series with each other.

[0073] Therefore, by connecting at least two discharge elements in series, discharge element 100 can achieve a higher resistance than the resistor 110 included in each discharge element 100.

[0074] With the above-described structure, in this embodiment, the discharge component 100 can be extended in parallel or in series according to the discharge level of the battery module 10. The advantage of doing so is that the resistance value of the discharge component 100 can be adjusted in various ways.

[0075] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a discharge member according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] refer to Figure 2 and 6 , can be with Figure 2 The discharge member 200 according to this embodiment will be described in the same manner as the discharge member 100, and only the resistor 210 will be further described. Here, Figure 2 Resistor 110 is described as the first resistor 110, while Figure 6 Resistor 210 is described as a second resistor 210.

[0077] Here, the cross-sectional areas of the busbars included in the second resistor 210 and the first resistor 110 can be the same, but the lengths of the first resistor 110 and the second resistor 210 can be different. As an example, the cross-sectional areas of the busbars included in the second resistor 210 and the first resistor 110 can be the same, but the length of the second resistor 210 can be longer than the length of the first resistor 110.

[0078] Thus, for reference Figure 2 and Figure 6Resistors 110 and 210 can have their lengths and the cross-sectional area of ​​the busbars included therein adjusted according to the target resistance value. In this case, resistors 110 and 210 can be bent relatively few or relatively many times according to the dimensions corresponding to the internal dimensions of the frame member 150.

[0079] More specifically, the first resistor 110 may include a busbar with the same cross-sectional area, but the length of resistor 110 may be relatively reduced to have a relatively smaller resistance value than that of the second resistor 210. In this case, when comparing... Figure 2 and 6 At this time, the first resistor 110 bends less than the second resistor 210. Therefore, the first resistor 110 can have a relatively low resistance value, and thus the discharge speed can be relatively fast.

[0080] Furthermore, the second resistor 210 may include a busbar with the same cross-sectional area, but the length of resistor 210 may be relatively increased, thus having a relatively larger resistance value than the first resistor 110. In this case, when comparing... Figure 2 and Figure 6 At this time, the second resistor 210 bends more times than the first resistor 110. Therefore, the second resistor 210 can have a relatively high resistance value, and thus the discharge rate can be relatively slow.

[0081] Therefore, in this embodiment, if needed, the length of the busbar 111 can be adjusted by the discharge member 100, thereby adjusting the resistance of the resistor 110. That is, the resistance of the resistor 110 can be adjusted relatively easily by the discharge member 100, which therefore has the advantage of being able to easily adjust the discharge time and discharge performance of the discharge member 100 according to the battery capacity required in various environments.

[0082] Additionally, an apparatus according to another embodiment of this disclosure may include the aforementioned battery pack. Such an apparatus can be applied to vehicle devices such as electric bicycles, electric vehicles, or hybrid vehicles, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various devices that can use battery modules and battery packs including battery modules, which also fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0083] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] 10: Battery Module

[0085] 100: Discharge component

[0086] 110: Resistor

[0087] 150: Frame component

[0088] 170: Top Cover

Claims

1.A battery pack, the battery pack comprising: a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are installed; and a discharge member electrically connected to the battery module, wherein, when an adjacent battery module adjacent to the battery module catches fire or explodes, the battery cells in the battery module are discharged through the discharge member, thereby suppressing a temperature rise of the battery module, wherein the discharge member comprises: a frame member having an upper portion of which is open and containing a coolant, an upper cover for covering the upper portion of the frame member, and a resistor installed in the frame member, wherein both ends of the resistor are exposed to the outside of the discharge member, and both ends of the resistor are electrically connected to the battery module, wherein the resistor comprises a busbar and an insulating layer, wherein both ends of the resistor are formed with two power connection portions, an outer surface of the busbar is exposed to the power connection portions, the busbar is electrically connected to the battery module via the two power connection portions, and wherein the insulating layer is formed on the outer surface of the busbar. 2.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: the resistor is bent at least twice in the frame member. 3.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: a central portion of the resistor is formed with the insulating layer on the outer surface of the busbar. 4.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: the busbar is made of copper Cu having an electrical resistance of 3 mΩ or more to 50 mΩ or less. 5.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: the upper cover has a first hole and a second hole formed therein, respectively, and both ends of the resistor pass through the first hole and the second hole, respectively. 6.The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein: the first hole and the second hole are formed at both sides of the upper cover, respectively. 7.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: the upper cover is formed with a third hole which is openable and closable. 8.The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: the discharge member is configured such that the coolant is injected into the frame member through the third hole. 9.The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: the discharge member is configured such that water vapor formed by heat generation of the resistor is discharged through the third hole. 10.The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein: the coolant is cooling water. 11.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: the discharge member comprises a first discharge member and a second discharge member, and the first discharge member and the second discharge member are connected in parallel to each other. 12.The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: the discharge member comprises a first discharge member and a second discharge member, and the first discharge member and the second discharge member are connected in series to each other. 13.An apparatus comprising the battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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