Battery pack and device including the same

Abstract

A battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of battery cell units each including at least one battery cell and a battery cell cover surrounding and supporting the at least one battery cell; and a battery pack case that accommodates and supports the plurality of battery cell units in an inner space thereof, in which the battery cell cover includes: a pair of side cover portions that cover one side surface and the other side surface of at least one battery cell; and a cover portion connecting the pair of side cover portions and covering an upper portion of at least one battery cell, and the battery cell cover further includes a gas blocking portion disposed adjacent to the cover portion at an end portion of the battery cell cover in a length direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0110389 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on August 31, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0113516 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on August 29, 2023, the entire contents of the foregoing Korean patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack and a device including the battery pack, and more particularly, to a battery pack capable of suppressing exhaust gas from moving toward the top of the battery pack when a thermal event occurs, and a device including the battery pack. Background Art

[0004] Generally, a secondary battery refers to a battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, and a nickel zinc battery.

[0005] Recently, as secondary batteries have been applied to devices requiring high power voltage and large charging capacity (e.g., electric vehicles or energy storage systems (ESS)), battery packs manufactured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series or parallel to form a battery module and connecting a plurality of battery modules in series or in parallel have been widely used.

[0006] In the case of an electric vehicle, the number of lithium secondary batteries included in one battery module may be increased or the number of battery modules included in one battery pack may be increased according to power or capacity of a battery pack required for the electric vehicle.

[0007] Meanwhile, as an example, a battery module of a battery pack of an electric vehicle may include a battery cell, a busbar frame electrically connecting the battery cell, and a module housing that can accommodate the battery cell and the busbar frame as a whole, and is installed in a battery pack housing. Typically, the battery pack housing includes a plurality of beam frames to ensure durability against impact or vibration. Here, the beam frame may extend from one wall surface of the battery pack housing and may be combined with another wall surface to suppress degradation or deformation of the battery pack housing. The battery module is disposed on the inner surface of the battery pack housing separated by the beam frame and may be firmly combined with the battery pack housing with bolts or the like.

[0008] However, in the case of a battery pack including the battery modules described above, when the battery modules are assembled into the battery pack housing, due to the structure, the battery modules cannot be arranged in completely close contact with each other, so there may be a spatial gap between the battery modules. In particular, since the module housing of the battery module serves as a factor in reducing the energy density per unit volume of the battery pack, there is a limitation in increasing the energy capacity of the battery pack.

[0009] Therefore, as a part of increasing the energy capacity of a battery pack, a CTP (Cell-to-Panel (CTP)) type battery pack has been studied and developed.

[0010] However, in the battery pack of an electric vehicle, when a thermal event such as an internal fire occurs, the degree of danger to passengers may vary depending on the direction in which the flame or exhaust gas jet may be directed. For example, the battery pack of an electric vehicle is generally arranged below the front and rear seats of the vehicle. However, if a thermal event occurs in the battery pack and the exhaust gas is discharged vertically in the upward direction of the battery pack, the possibility of the vehicle passengers inhaling the exhaust gas is very high, which may be fatal in terms of safety. Summary of the invention

[0011] Technical issues

[0012] The present disclosure aims to provide a battery pack and a device including the battery pack that can accommodate soft-pack type battery cells in a battery pack housing in a space-saving manner, reduce the overall weight and volume, while maintaining a high energy density compared to battery packs in the related art, simplify the assembly process, and in the event of a thermal event, suppress the movement of exhaust gas in an upward direction and guide the exhaust gas in a specific direction, while increasing the energy density.

[0013] However, problems to be solved by exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and other problems not described may be extended to a degree that can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the present disclosure.

[0014] Technical Solution

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, a battery pack includes: a plurality of battery cell units, each of the plurality of battery cell units includes at least one battery cell and a battery cell cover surrounding and supporting the at least one battery cell; and a battery pack housing, the internal space of which accommodates and supports the plurality of battery cell units, wherein the battery cell cover includes: a pair of side cover portions, the pair of side cover portions covering one side surface and another side surface of the at least one battery cell; and a cover portion, the cover portion connecting the pair of side cover portions and covering an upper portion of the at least one battery cell, and the battery cell cover further includes a gas cutoff portion, the gas cutoff portion being arranged to be adjacent to the cover portion at an end portion in a length direction of the battery cell cover.

[0016] An upper edge portion of at least one battery cell and the cover portion may be spaced apart from each other to form a gas moving channel extending in a length direction.

[0017] The gas moving passage may communicate with a vertical moving passage from the gas shutoff portion toward the bottom of the battery cell.

[0018] The gas cutoff portion may include a gas direction changing portion which guides the gas moving through the gas moving channel to flow toward the vertical moving channel.

[0019] The battery pack case may include an exhaust safety passage for exhausting gas to the outside, and the vertical movement passage may be in communication with the exhaust safety passage.

[0020] The gas direction changing portion may be one surface of the gas cutoff portion facing the inside of the battery cell cover.

[0021] The gas direction changing portion may be an arc-shaped curved surface facing the inside of the battery cell cover.

[0022] The gas direction changing portion may be a slope connecting an upper surface and a side surface of the gas cutoff portion and facing the inside of the battery cell cover.

[0023] The gas cutoff portion may further include an extending portion extending from the gas direction changing portion toward a bottom of the battery cell.

[0024] The battery cell cover may include stainless steel (SUS).

[0025] The gas shutoff portion may be provided integrally with the battery cell cover.

[0026] The gas shutoff portion may be provided in the form of a block separate from the battery cell cover.

[0027] The gas shut-off may comprise a fire resistant material.

[0028] According to example embodiments, a device may include at least one battery pack.

[0029] Beneficial Effects

[0030] According to the present disclosure, a battery pack and a device including the battery pack can be provided that can accommodate battery cells in a battery pack case in a space-saving manner, maintain high energy density compared with a battery pack in the related art, simplify the assembly process, and guide exhaust gas to flow in a safe direction.

[0031] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating a battery cell unit of a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of a battery cell unit is shown in FIG.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the Figure 2 A diagram of a cross section taken along line AA'.

[0036] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the combination Figure 4 A diagram showing the state of the battery pack housing.

[0037] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a gas shutoff portion according to a modified example.

[0038] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the embodiments. The present disclosure can be modified in various different ways and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.

[0040] In order to clearly describe the present disclosure, parts irrelevant to the description will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout the description to denote the same or similar elements.

[0041] In addition, in the drawings, for the convenience of description, the size and thickness of each element are shown as arbitrarily enlarged or reduced, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to those sizes and thicknesses shown in the drawings. In the drawings, for the sake of clarity, the thickness of layers, regions, etc. is magnified. In the drawings, for the convenience of description, the thickness of some layers and regions is expanded.

[0042] In addition, it will be understood that when an element, such as a layer, film, region, or plate, is referred to as being "on" or "above" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, this means that there are no other intermediate elements. In addition, the term "on" or "above" means being disposed on or below a reference portion, and does not necessarily mean being disposed at the upper end of the reference portion in the opposite direction of gravity. At the same time, similar to being described as being "on" or "above" another portion, being described as being "below" or "below" another portion will also be understood with reference to the above.

[0043] Furthermore, throughout the description, when a part is referred to as “including” or “comprising” specific components, it means that the part may also include other components, and other components are not excluded unless otherwise specified.

[0044] In the following, reference is made to Figure 1 A battery pack 1000 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0045] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the battery pack 1000 of the present disclosure may include: a plurality of battery cell blocks 11 , a battery pack case 20 , and an upper cover 30 .

[0047] The battery cell block 11 may include a plurality of battery cell units 10, and the plurality of battery cell units may be stacked in one direction. As described again below, each battery cell unit 10 may include at least one battery cell and a battery cell cover that partially surrounds and supports the outside of at least one battery cell. In this case, at least one battery cell may include a soft pack type battery cell.

[0048] The battery pack case 20 has a placement structure in which the battery cell block 11 is directly placed without a separate case, and may be configured to accommodate and support a plurality of battery cell blocks 11 in a separate internal space. The upper cover 30 may be configured in the form of a cover covering the upper opening portion of the battery pack case 20. Here, the upper cover 30 may be configured in the form of a box having an open bottom.

[0049] Meanwhile, in order to accommodate the plurality of battery cell blocks 11 , the pack case 20 may include a lower plate 21 on which the battery cell blocks 11 are seated and a side wall 22 combined with the lower plate 21 to form an inner space S1 accommodating the battery cell blocks.

[0050] On the outer surface of the side wall 22, a gas valve (not shown) may be provided to discharge the internal gas of the battery pack 1000, and on the inner surface of the side wall 22 adjacent to the internal space S1, the gas generated in the battery cell block 11 is introduced through the gas inlet. In addition, a side gas channel may be provided in the side wall 22. One end of the side gas channel may be connected to the gas inlet and extend along the inside of the side wall 22, and the other end of the side gas channel may be connected to the gas valve.

[0051] In this case, exhaust paths and gas valves leading to the gas inlet and the side gas channel of the side wall 22 may be separately provided for each battery cell block. That is, the gas exhausted from the first battery cell block may be exhausted through the first exhaust path leading to the first gas inlet, the first side gas channel, and the first gas valve, and the gas exhausted from the second battery cell block may be exhausted through the second exhaust path leading to the second gas inlet, the second side channel, and the second gas valve provided separately from the first gas inlet, the first side gas channel, and the first gas valve.

[0052] Meanwhile, the pack case 20 may further include a partition 24 that divides the internal space S1 into a plurality of spaces. In addition, the pack case 20 may have an accommodation space S2 that accommodates various electrical components required for the battery pack 1000.

[0053] The lower plate 21 may include a heat sink 23 in thermal contact with the battery cell block 11. The heat sink 23 may be configured to be in thermal contact with the battery cell block 11 to cool the battery cell block 11, and may be disposed on the inner side or the outer side of the lower plate 21. In addition, in order to have cooling performance, the heat sink 23 may be formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity and heat resistance. In addition, although not shown, a thermal resin layer 40 may be formed below the battery cell block 11 (see Figure 5 ). The thermal resin layer 40 may transfer heat to the heat sink 23 so that the heat generated in the battery cells may be discharged through the heat sink 23. In addition, since the thermal resin layer 40 has adhesiveness, the standing state of the battery cell units 10 included in the battery cell unit block 11 may be more stably maintained.

[0054] Next, refer to Figures 2 to 5 , the configuration of the battery cell unit 10 is described in more detail.

[0055] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a battery cell unit of a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 3 It is shown Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of a battery cell unit is shown in FIG. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the combination Figure 4 A diagram showing the state of the battery pack housing.

[0056] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the battery cell unit 10 may include at least one battery cell 100 and a battery cell cover 200 partially covering the outside of the battery cell 100. The battery cell cover 200 may cover both sides and the top of at least one battery cell 100, and may have a structure open to the front side, rear side, and bottom side of the battery cell 100.

[0057] Reference Figure 3 The battery cell unit 10 may include at least one battery cell 100 , a battery cell cover 200 , and a bus bar assembly 300 .

[0058] The battery cell 100 of the battery cell unit 10 corresponds to a basic unit of charge and discharge, and can be manufactured by accommodating an electrode assembly and an electrolyte material inside a soft pack case and sealing the soft pack case. In this case, the electrode assembly can be manufactured by inserting a separator between an anode and a cathode.

[0059] In addition, the electrode lead 110 may be disposed at the front end and the rear end of the battery cell 100, may be electrically connected to the electrode assembly, and may be led out to the outside of the soft pack housing. These battery cells may be configured in the form of a soft pack. One battery cell unit 10 may include more than one battery cell 100, and when a plurality of battery cells 100 are included, the plurality of battery cells 100 may be stacked in at least one direction. For example, referring to Figure 3 , a plurality of battery cells 100 may be stacked in the y-axis direction in the drawing, and the electrode leads 110 may be aligned at the ends in the x-axis direction. Various types of battery cells 100 known at the time of filing this disclosure may be used as the battery cell 100, and therefore, a detailed description of the configuration of the battery cell 100 is omitted.

[0060] The battery cell cover 200 may be configured to partially surround and support the outer side of at least one battery cell 100. In this case, the battery cell cover may be configured to support at least one pouch type battery cell in an upright position.

[0061] For example, Figure 3As shown, the battery cell cover 200 can be configured to partially cover the outside of the three soft-pack-shaped battery cells 100 and support the corresponding battery cells 100 in an upright position. Therefore, the battery cell 100 can be directly placed and accommodated inside the battery pack housing 20 without the need for a module housing. In particular, in the housing of the battery cell 100, the shell is formed of a soft material, so the shell may be easily affected by external impacts and have low hardness. Therefore, without accommodating the battery cell 100 in the module housing, the battery cell 100 itself may not be easily accommodated inside the battery pack housing 20. However, in the case of this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of battery cells 100 can be combined with the battery cell cover 200 in a state where at least a portion is surrounded by the battery cell cover 200, and directly accommodated inside the battery pack housing 20, so that the stacked state can be stably maintained.

[0062] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery pack 1000 does not need to be additionally provided with a module housing, a stacking frame, or a fastening member such as a bolt for maintaining the stacking state of the battery cells. Therefore, the space occupied by other components such as the module housing or the stacking frame or the space generated to ensure the tolerance can be eliminated. Therefore, the battery cells can occupy as much space as the removed space, and the energy density of the battery pack can be further improved.

[0063] In addition, according to this aspect of the present disclosure, since a module case, a stacking frame, bolts, etc. are not provided, the volume and weight of the battery pack can be reduced, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

[0064] In addition, according to this aspect of the present disclosure, the handling of the battery cell 100 can become easier. For example, when a plurality of battery cells 100 are accommodated inside the battery pack housing, the battery cells 100 can be clamped by a clamp or the like. In this case, the clamp can clamp the battery cell cover 200 surrounding the battery cell 100 without directly clamping the battery cell 100. Therefore, damage or rupture of the battery cell 100 due to the clamp can be prevented.

[0065] In addition, according to this aspect of the present disclosure, the battery cell cover 200 may be combined with the battery cell 100 so that the battery cell 100 may be effectively protected even without a module case.

[0066] In an exemplary embodiment, the battery cell cover 200 may include a pair of side cover parts 210 covering one side and another side of at least one battery cell 100 and a cover part 220 covering the top of at least one battery cell 100 while connecting the pair of side cover parts 210. That is, with the battery cell 100 as a reference, the battery cell cover 200 may be configured to cover the remaining three sides except the front side, the rear side and the bottom side from which the electrode lead 110 protrudes. Here, the cover part 220 may be configured to be spaced apart from the pair of side cover parts 210 and the battery cell 100 inserted into the side cover part 210 by a predetermined distance to form a gas movement channel P. In addition, the pair of side cover parts 210 may be configured to be in close contact with the outermost large surface of the battery cell 100, and if necessary, a tape or the like may be provided and fixed between the battery cell 100 and the side cover part 210.

[0067] For example, the battery cell cover 200 may be configured to cover three sides of at least one battery cell 100, and may be configured to have an “n” shape, a “u” shape, or a The overall cross-section of the shape.

[0068] Meanwhile, the battery cell cover 200 may be configured such that the lower edge portion of the battery cell 100 is exposed toward the battery pack case 20. According to this implementation configuration, Figure 5 As shown, the lower edge portion of the battery cell 100 can be in direct contact with the thermal resin layer 40 provided on the bottom surface of the battery pack housing 20, so that the cooling performance of the battery pack 1000 can be more effectively ensured. That is, the heat emitted from each battery cell 100 can be directly transferred to the battery pack housing 20, thereby improving the cooling performance. In addition, in this case, since no additional cooling structure is required between the soft-pack type battery cell 100 and the battery pack housing, effective cooling performance can be achieved. At the same time, in the battery pack 1000 according to the present disclosure, a thermal interface material (TIM) may be inserted to increase the heat transfer performance between different components. For example, the TIM may be provided between the battery cell 100 and the battery cell cover 200, between the battery cell cover 200 and the battery pack housing 1000, and / or between the battery cell 100 and the battery pack housing 1000. In this case, the cooling performance of the battery pack 1000 can be further improved.

[0069] In this way, the battery cell cover 200 with a simplified structure can be formed of a metal material having a higher rigidity than the shell of the battery cell 100, and at least one battery cell 100 covered by the battery cell cover 200 can be protected from external impact or vibration. For example, the battery cell cover 200 can be formed of a material containing stainless steel (SUS) that is easy to process and has high corrosion resistance. In this way, when the battery cell cover 200 is formed of a stainless steel material, the battery cell cover 200 can have excellent mechanical strength and rigidity, so the stacking state of the battery cell 100 can be supported more stably. In addition, in this case, the battery cell 100 can be effectively prevented from being damaged or broken by an external impact (e.g., a needle-shaped body). In addition, in this case, the handling of the battery cell can become easier.

[0070] In addition, as in the above exemplary embodiment, when the battery cell cover 200 is formed of a stainless steel material, if a flame occurs in the battery cell 100, the overall structure can be stably maintained due to the high melting point of the stainless steel material. In particular, since the melting point of the stainless steel material is higher than that of the aluminum material, even in the case of a flame emanating from the battery cell 100, the battery cell cover 200 does not melt and stably maintains its shape. Therefore, an excellent flame propagation prevention and delay effect, exhaust control effect, etc. between the battery cells 100 can be ensured.

[0071] Meanwhile, the bus bar assembly 300 is combined with the electrode lead exposed to the side not covered by the battery cell cover 200. The bus bar assembly 300 includes a bus bar frame 310 and a bus bar 320 combined therewith. That is, the bus bar 320 may be electrically connected to the electrode lead of at least one battery cell 100 covered by the battery cell cover 200, and the bus bar frame 310 may be configured to support the bus bar 320. In addition, the bus bar assembly 300 may be configured to connect a plurality of battery cells 100 to each other. For example, the bus bar assembly 300 may be combined with the electrode leads of a plurality of battery cells 100 to be electrically connected in series and / or in parallel with a plurality of battery cells 100. The bus bar assembly 300 may be combined with the battery cell cover 200 in various ways. For example, the bus bar assembly 300 may be combined and fixed to the battery cell cover 200 by various fastening methods such as combining, welding, assembling, hooking, bolting, and riveting.

[0072] The insulating cover 330 may be configured to prevent short circuit of the electrode lead or the bus bar 320. To this end, the insulating cover 330 may be formed of a polymer synthetic resin having insulating properties, prevent the bus bar assembly 300 from being exposed to the outside, and ensure and maintain electrical insulation.

[0073] Despite Figure 2 and Figure 3Although not shown in the figure, the battery cell unit 10 may further include a clamping member configured to clamp the battery cell cover 200. The clamping member may be configured to clamp the battery cell cover 200 having at least one battery cell 100 inserted therein to prevent both ends of the battery cell cover 200 (ends of the side cover portion 210 and ends of the side cover portion 210) from opening or to prevent the inserted battery cell 100 from being separated from the battery cell cover 200. The clamping member may be formed of a band, or may be formed of an elastic metal material.

[0074] exist Figure 3 In the embodiment, two battery cells 100 are covered by one battery cell cover 200 , but the number of battery cells 100 covered by the battery cell cover 200 may be changed in various ways according to the size of the battery cell cover 200 .

[0075] At the same time, if Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the battery cell unit 10 according to the exemplary embodiment may further include a gas cutoff portion 400 arranged at the upper end of the battery cell cover 200 in the front-to-back direction. That is, in the accompanying drawings, the gas cutoff portion 400 may be arranged to correspond to the gap between a pair of side cover portions 210 (corresponding to the gap in the y-axis direction), and at the end of the battery cell cover 200 in the x-axis direction, adjacent to the cover portion 220 at the upper end in the z-axis direction.

[0076] The gas cutoff portion 400 may be integrally provided with the battery cell cover 200 or separately provided using a flame retardant material so as to be separately coupled to a corresponding portion in the form of a block.

[0077] For example, the gas cutoff portion 400 may be provided in the form of a block having a width corresponding to the gap between the pair of side cover portions 210, such as Figure 4 The gas cutoff portion 400 may be used to block gas from escaping through the open upper end portion of the battery cell cover 200 in the front-rear direction.

[0078] In addition, the gas cutoff portion 400 may include a gas direction changer 410 capable of changing the flow direction of the exhaust gas. The gas direction changer 410 is preferably configured to guide the gas to flow in a downward direction (ie, in a downward direction of the z-axis direction in the drawing).

[0079] For example, in the gas direction changing portion 410, the surface of the gas cutoff portion 400 facing the inward direction of the battery cell cover 200 is formed in an arc shape or a curved surface. Figure 4 In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the flow of exhaust gas flowing in the front-rear direction of the battery cell cover 200 in the gas moving passage P at the upper inner side of the battery cell cover 200 may be changed to a downward direction.

[0080] More specifically, refer to Figure 5 In the soft-pack-shaped battery cell 100, the hot-melt seal portion may be located at the upper edge portion adjacent to the side protruding from the cover portion 220 and the electrode lead 110, and the lower edge portion that is not covered by the battery cell cover 200 and exposed may be a non-sealed portion. Such a battery cell 100 may be prepared by arranging an electrode assembly, etc. on a single soft-pack sheet, folding the single soft-pack sheet in half, and hot-melting the edges of the three sides. In particular, the upper edge portion may be a double-sided folded (DSF) seal portion. Here, DSF refers to a portion where the hot-melt portion is folded more than twice and overlapped. The unsealed lower edge portion may have a flat surface, may be in stable contact with the bottom surface of the battery pack housing 20, and may also be conducive to heat dissipation through a thermal resin layer 40, etc.

[0081] In the soft pack type battery cell 100, the upper edge portion used as a sealing portion may be relatively easier to discharge high temperature gas or flame than the lower edge portion used as a non-sealing portion. Thus, for example, when the internal pressure of the battery cell 100 increases, the sealing portion of the upper edge portion may tear, and exhaust gas or electrode fragments or active materials separated from the electrode assembly may be ejected through the torn portion.

[0082] In order to prepare for the above situation and ensure a gas movement channel in an emergency, in the battery pack 1000 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the cover portion 220 of the battery cell cover 200 may be configured to be spaced apart from the upper edge portion of the battery cell 100 by a predetermined distance, thereby forming a gas movement channel P.

[0083] In addition, the battery pack 1000 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a heat sink 23. Here, the heat sink 23 refers to an object that absorbs heat from another object through direct or indirect thermal contact and dissipates the heat. In particular, Figure 5 As shown, in the battery pack 1000 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the heat sink 23 including a flow path through which the refrigerant may flow may be provided in the lower plate 21 of the pack case 20 to reduce weight and simplify components.

[0084] In addition, the battery pack housing 20 may be further provided with an exhaust safety passage 20P having a path designed to guide exhaust gas from the battery pack 1000 to be discharged in a specific direction. One side of the exhaust safety passage 20P (the entrance 20I of the safety passage) may be configured to communicate with the internal space of the battery pack housing 20, and the other side (the exit of the safety passage) may be configured to communicate with the outside air. In addition, the thermal resin layer 40 may not be located at the entrance 20I of the safety passage.

[0085] Referring to the exhaust path of the battery pack 1000 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when the exhaust gas is ejected to the upper edge portion of the battery cell 100, because the vertical direction of the battery cell cover 200 is blocked, the exhaust gas can move in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) of the battery cell cover along the gas movement channel P inside the battery cell cover 200. In addition, the exhaust gas reaching the upper end of the battery cell cover 200 in the front-to-back direction first hits the gas cutoff portion 400, and the additional movement of the exhaust gas in the front-to-back direction is restricted. For reference, in the absence of the gas cutoff portion 400, the exhaust gas can escape forward or backward through the gap between the bus bar frame 300 and the battery cell cover 200, and in particular, the bus bar frame as an injection molded product may be easily hot-melted to form holes over time. At the same time, the gas cutoff portion 400 is formed of stainless steel, ceramic, silicon, and other materials with excellent fire resistance, and therefore, the gas cutoff portion 400 can protect the bus bar frame 300 from the heat of the high-temperature exhaust gas and block the forward and backward movement of the exhaust gas.

[0086] In addition, the exhaust gas may flow downward through the gas direction changing portion 410 of the gas cutoff portion 400. Here, the lead seal between the protrusion of the electrode lead 110 provided in the battery cell 100 and the main body of the battery cell 100 is located below the gas cutoff portion 400. The lead seal refers to a portion that integrally seals the sheet and the electrode lead 110 that form the soft package shell. Since the lead seal exists at both ends of the battery cell cover 200 in the front-to-back direction, a hollow space may exist, and the hollow space may be used as a vertical movement path for the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas that has been changed to a downward direction through the gas direction changing portion 410 moves along the vertical movement channel. At this time, if the gas direction changing portion 410 is not provided, and the gas cutoff portion 400 is configured to block only the end of the gas movement channel P, the exhaust pressure acting on the gas cutoff portion 400 itself may increase, and the gas cutoff portion 400 may be damaged before the flow of the gas is properly guided. Meanwhile, since the gas direction changing portion 410 for guiding the gas to flow downward is provided to reduce the pressure acting on the gas cutoff portion 400, leakage of the gas in the front-rear direction is prevented, and the gas is safely guided to flow downward.

[0087] In addition, the inlet 20I of the safety passage of the aforementioned battery pack housing 1000 is configured to communicate with the vertical moving passage. The exhaust gas can be changed to flow downward through the gas direction changing portion 410 of the gas cutoff portion 400, and flow into the exhaust safety passage 20P, that is, the main body of the battery pack housing 20, through the vertical moving passage. The exhaust safety passage 20P of the battery pack housing 20 can be configured so that the exhaust gas introduced into the interior of the battery pack housing 20 is discharged to the outside of the battery pack 1000 from a safer position (rather than in the upward direction of the battery pack housing 200). For example, the outlet of the exhaust safety passage 20P can face the downward direction of the battery pack housing 20, or a pipe can be used to connect to the device (that is, the exhaust port of the vehicle) so that the exhaust gas can be discharged to the rear of the vehicle through the exhaust port of the vehicle.

[0088] As described above, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include the above components, so the battery cells can be accommodated in the battery pack housing in a space-saving manner, the energy density can be higher than that of the battery pack of the related art, and the assembly process can be simplified. In addition, the battery pack according to the present disclosure can limit the movement of the exhaust gas in the upward direction and guide the exhaust gas to flow in a specific direction, thereby achieving excellent fire safety.

[0089] In the following, reference is made to Figure 6 A gas shutoff portion 400 according to a modified example of the present disclosure is described.

[0090] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a gas shutoff portion according to a modification.

[0091] like Figure 6 As shown in (a), the gas cutoff portion 401 according to the modified example may have a chamfered shape instead of a curved shape as the gas direction changing portion. That is, the inclined surface of the gas cutoff portion 401 connected from the upper surface to the side surface may be used as the gas direction changing portion 410'. In this case, as Figure 6 As shown in (a), the shape of the front of the gas cutoff portion 401 can be a right triangle.

[0092] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown in (b), the gas cutoff portion 402 according to another modified example may further include an extension portion 411 further extending downward from the gas direction changing portion 410. Therefore, the area of ​​the protective busbar frame 300 can be increased, and thus, the gas can be blocked more reliably, and the flow of the gas can be guided downward. At the same time, the configuration of the gas cutoff portion is not limited thereto, and can be modified into various forms.

[0093] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0094] like Figure 7 As shown, the device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be a vehicle 2 , and such device includes at least one battery pack 1000 (according to any one of the various exemplary embodiments described above).

[0095] In this way, the battery pack 1000 provided in the vehicle 2 can provide electric energy required for various operations of the vehicle 2 .

[0096] For reference, of course, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may be applied to an energy storage system (ESS) or various devices other than vehicles.

[0097] Meanwhile, although terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, and right have been used herein, these terms are merely for convenience of description, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that these terms may change depending on the position of the target object or observer.

[0098] As described above, although the present disclosure has been described with limited exemplary embodiments and drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0099] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0100] 10: Battery monomer unit

[0101] 11: Battery cell block

[0102] 20: Battery pack housing

[0103] 30: Upper cover

[0104] 100: Battery cell

[0105] 110: Electrode lead

[0106] 200: Battery cell cover

[0107] 210: Side cover

[0108] 220: Cover

[0109] 300: Busbar assembly

[0110] 330: Insulation cover

[0111] 400, 401, 402: Gas cutoff section

[0112] 400, 410': Gas direction changing unit

[0113] 1000: Battery Pack

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery cell units, each of the plurality of battery cell units comprising at least one battery cell and a battery cell cover surrounding and supporting the at least one battery cell; as well as a battery pack housing, wherein the plurality of battery cells are accommodated and supported in an inner space of the battery pack housing, Wherein, the battery cell cover comprises: a pair of side cover parts covering one side surface and another side surface of the at least one battery cell; and a cover portion connecting the pair of side cover portions and covering an upper portion of the at least one battery cell, and The battery cell cover further includes a gas cutoff portion, and the gas cutoff portion is disposed adjacent to the cover portion at an end portion of the battery cell cover in a length direction.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: An upper edge portion of the at least one battery cell and the cover portion are spaced apart from each other to form a gas moving passage extending in the length direction.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The gas movement passage communicates with a vertical movement passage extending from the gas blocking portion toward a bottom of the battery cell.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein: The gas cutoff portion includes a gas direction changing portion that guides the gas moving through the gas moving passage to flow toward the vertical moving passage.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein: The battery pack housing includes an exhaust safety channel for exhausting gas to the outside, and The vertical moving channel is communicated with the exhaust safety channel.

6. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein: The gas direction changing portion is one surface of the gas shutoff portion facing the inside of the battery cell cover.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein: The gas direction changing portion is an arc-shaped curved surface facing the interior of the battery cell cover.

8. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein: The gas direction changing portion is a slope connecting an upper surface and a side surface of the gas cutoff portion and facing the inside of the battery cell cover.

9. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein: The gas cutoff portion further includes an extending portion extending from the gas direction changing portion toward the bottom of the battery cell.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The battery cell cover includes stainless steel, ie, SUS.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein: The gas shutoff portion is integrally provided with the battery cell cover.

12. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The gas shutoff portion is provided in the form of a block separated from the battery cell cover.

13. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein: The gas shutoff portion includes a fireproof material.

14. A device comprising the battery pack of claim 1.

Images