Battery pack and vehicle including the same

Abstract

According to the present invention, a battery pack having improved internal pressure resistance is disclosed. A battery pack according to one aspect of the present invention comprises at least one battery module and a battery pack case accommodating the battery module in a space therein, in which the battery pack case comprises: a case body having an internal space therein, the housing main body is provided with an opening portion on at least one of one side and the other side facing the one side; and a case coupled to the case main body and sealing the opening portion to prevent the opening portion from being exposed outside the pack case.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack and a vehicle including the same, and more particularly, to a battery pack having improved resistance of the battery pack to internal pressure, and a vehicle including the same.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0183750 filed in Korea on December 23, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0083037 filed in Korea on June 27, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used in medium and large devices such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS), and small devices such as portable electronic devices for driving or energy storage. These secondary batteries can be electrically connected and stored in a module housing to form a battery module, and these battery modules can be electrically reconnected in a narrow space to increase energy density, thereby forming a battery pack.

[0004] However, in the case where a large number of battery modules are densely stored in a small space, they may be susceptible to accidents such as fire or explosion. For example, if an event such as thermal runaway occurs in any one battery module, high-temperature exhaust gas may be discharged from the battery module. If such high-temperature exhaust gas is not properly discharged or if the internal pressure increases significantly, the battery pack may explode, or gas or flames may be discharged in an unintended direction, causing casualties.

[0005] To address this issue, although a venting device is used to discharge gas or flame in the intended direction to minimize damage, if leakage occurs due to deformation of the battery casing before the internal pressure allowed by the venting device is reached, venting will occur at random locations, which will pose a safety risk. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the prior art, and therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a battery pack configured to have high resistance to internal pressure of the battery pack, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0008] The present disclosure also provides a battery pack configured to ensure air tightness, water tightness, and ease of assembly by restricting an assembly position, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides a battery pack configured to adjust a structure to comply with a point in time when exhaust must occur due to internal pressure, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0010] However, the technical problems that the present disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to the above problems, and those skilled in the art will be able to clearly understand other unmentioned problems from the following description of the present invention.

[0011] Technical Solution

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack is provided, comprising: at least one battery module; and a battery pack housing configured to accommodate the battery module in its internal space, wherein the battery pack housing comprises: a housing body configured to have an internal space disposed therein and an opening disposed on at least one of one side and another side opposite to the one side; and an outer shell configured to seal the opening by being coupled to the housing body to prevent the opening from being exposed to the outside of the battery pack housing.

[0013] The shell may include a protrusion protruding from an outer surface of the shell coupled to the case body toward an inner surface of the case body, and the case body may include a recessed portion formed on the inner surface of the case body to correspond to the protrusion.

[0014] The housing may include a cover portion configured to cover the opening, and the protrusion may be formed on at least one of both end portions of the cover portion to protrude toward an inner surface of the case body.

[0015] The protrusion may be formed at each of both end portions of the cover portion, and may extend to protrude from both one end portion and the other end portion of the cover portion toward the inner surface of the case body by a predetermined length.

[0016] The protrusion may be formed at at least one end portion of the cover portion to be gradually tapered toward an inner surface of the case body.

[0017] The protrusion may have a V-shaped cross-section.

[0018] The housing may have a plate shape and may be coupled to the case body on one side and the other side, and the protrusion may be provided on each of one edge and the other edge of the housing.

[0019] Two pairs of protrusions may be provided such that a pair of protrusions are provided on each of one edge and the other edge of the housing, and a pair of protrusions provided on each of the one edge and the other edge are arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the width direction of the housing.

[0020] The battery pack may include a sealing member interposed between the outer casing and the case body.

[0021] The sealing member may be arranged between a pair of protrusions provided on each of the one edge and the other edge.

[0022] The battery pack may include an exhaust device provided in the housing and configured to discharge gas generated from the battery module to the outside of the battery pack case.

[0023] Furthermore, a vehicle according to the present disclosure may include the battery pack according to the above-described embodiments.

[0024] Beneficial Effects

[0025] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the airtightness of the battery pack case may be ensured by sealing the opening, thereby effectively preventing gas or flame from accidentally leaking out of the battery pack case during a thermal event of a battery module.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the battery pack can have high resistance to its internal pressure. Even if the internal pressure of the battery pack increases, it can provide high resistance to shear stress caused by the internal pressure. Therefore, the air tightness and water tightness of the battery pack can also be enhanced.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the height and / or thickness of the protrusions and recesses may be adjusted according to the degree of resistible internal pressure, thereby designing a battery pack structure that meets the time point when exhaust must occur according to the internal pressure.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the connection area between the shell body and the shell can be further increased, thereby improving the connection force. In addition, in the case where exhaust occurs due to an increase in the internal pressure of the battery pack, even if the connection between the shell body and the shell in the portion adjacent to the inner side of the battery pack is temporarily loosened, due to the increase in the gas movement path between the shell body and the battery pack shell, the gas can also be discharged through another path (such as a path through the exhaust hole) to be described later, so that the shell body and the shell can be reconnected. That is, the resistance of the battery pack to internal pressure can be further improved.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the case body and the housing may be easily coupled.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, due to the addition of the sealing member, the coupling force between the shell body and the shell can be increased. Specifically, the gap between the shell body and the shell caused by production errors may reduce the water tightness and air tightness of the battery pack, but the sealing member can prevent such problems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 2 is an exploded view showing elements of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a coupling relationship between a case body and an outer casing included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of the.

[0035] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a housing included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 6 is a diagram showing some elements included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 7 is a diagram showing some elements included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 8 is a diagram showing some elements of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of some components included in a battery pack.

[0040] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating a coupling relationship between a case body and an outer casing included in a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Fig.11 is a diagram showing a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description of the present invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and therefore, the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals represent the same elements. In addition, the thickness, ratio, and size of the elements in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated to effectively explain the technical features of the present disclosure.

[0043] 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 should be interpreted based on the meaning and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle allowing the inventor to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation.

[0044] Although terms indicating directions such as upward and downward are used in the present specification, it is apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains that these terms are merely for convenience of explanation and may vary depending on the position of a target object or the position of an observer.

[0045] Therefore, the embodiments of this specification and the configurations proposed in the drawings only indicate the most preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, but do not represent all technical ideas of the present disclosure, and therefore it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be made thereto when an application is filed.

[0046] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a battery pack 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is an exploded view showing elements of the battery pack 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a battery pack 10 according to the present disclosure may include a battery module 100 and a battery pack case 200 .

[0048] Although the battery module 100 is not shown in detail, the battery module 100 may include a battery cell. A plurality of battery cells may be provided. A battery cell may indicate a secondary battery. A battery cell may include an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, a battery housing for accommodating the electrode assembly and the electrolyte, and a pair of electrode leads connected to the electrode assembly and extending outside the battery housing. The battery cell may be, for example, a pouch-type secondary battery. However, other types of secondary batteries, such as cylindrical batteries or square batteries, may also be used as battery cells in the present disclosure.

[0049] The pack case 200 may provide an internal space. The pack case 200 may accommodate the battery module 100 in the internal space. The pack case 200 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0050] The battery pack case 200 may include a case body 210 and an outer shell 220 .

[0051] The housing body 210 may provide an internal space. The housing body 210 may have an opening on at least one of one side and another side opposite to the one side. Figure 2, the housing body 210 may be substantially in the shape of a hollow rectangular column and may include four plates. In this case, at least some of the plates constituting the housing body 210 may be configured to be integrated with each other. Alternatively, the corresponding four plates may be manufactured separately and then connected to each other by welding, bolting, etc. In this case, the opening may be arranged in both the positive X-axis direction and the negative X-axis direction.

[0052] The housing 220 may be configured to prevent the opening from being exposed to the outside of the battery pack housing 200. The housing 220 may be coupled to the housing body 210. The housing 220 may be configured to seal the opening. Figure 2 , the housing 220 may be positioned at openings respectively provided along the positive X-axis direction and the negative X-axis direction of the housing body 210 , thereby being coupled to the housing body 210 .

[0053] The airtightness of the pack case 200 may be ensured by sealing the opening using the housing 220 of the present disclosure, thereby effectively preventing gas or flame from accidentally leaking out of the pack case 200 during a thermal event of the battery module 100 .

[0054] Hereinafter, the housing 220 of the present disclosure will be described in more detail.

[0055] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a coupling relationship between a case body and an outer casing included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] Reference Figure 3 The housing 220 may have a protrusion 222 . The housing body 210 may have a recess 211 .

[0057] The housing 220 may have a protrusion 222 protruding from an outer surface coupled to the housing body 210 toward an inner surface of the housing body 210. For example, the protrusion 222 may be formed to protrude from an outer surface of the housing 220 facing the negative Z-axis direction toward an inner surface of the housing body 210 in the negative Z-axis direction.

[0058] The housing body 210 may have a recessed portion 211 formed on the inner surface to correspond to the protrusion 222. The recessed portion 211 may receive the protrusion 222. For example, the recessed portion 211 may be formed to be recessed from the inner surface of the housing body 210 facing the positive Z-axis direction in the negative Z-axis direction, thereby receiving the protrusion 222.

[0059] When the protrusion 222 of the housing 220 is inserted into the recess 211 of the housing body 210 , the housing body 210 and the housing 220 may be coupled to each other.

[0060] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, the resistance of the battery pack 10 to internal pressure can be significantly improved. During the above-mentioned thermal event in the battery module 100, the pressure in the internal space of the battery pack case 200 of the battery pack 10 may increase due to gas or flame. Even if the internal pressure of the battery pack 10 increases, the present disclosure can provide high resistance to shear stress caused by internal pressure through a coupling structure that can ensure the airtightness between the outer shell 220 and the shell body 210. In addition, this configuration of the present disclosure can also improve the water tightness and air tightness of the battery pack 10. In addition, the elements of the protrusion 222 and the recessed portion 211 can increase the coupling area between the shell body 210 and the outer shell 220, thereby improving the coupling force between them.

[0061] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of the.

[0062] Reference Figure 4 , the housing 220 may include a cover portion 221 and a protrusion 222 .

[0063] The cover portion 221 may be configured to cover the opening. The cover portion 221 may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the opening.

[0064] The protrusion 222 may be formed on at least one of the two ends (oriented in the negative Z-axis direction) of the cover portion 221. The protrusion 222 may protrude toward the inner surface of the housing body 210. Specifically, the protrusion 222 may extend to protrude toward the inner surface of the housing body 210 by a predetermined length. The housing 220 and the housing body 210 may be coupled to each other at at least one end (oriented in the negative Z-axis direction) where the protrusion 222 is formed.

[0065] Here, the protrusion length and / or thickness of the protrusion 222 can be determined according to a predetermined degree of resistance to internal pressure. Similarly, the concave length or concave thickness of the concave portion 211 coupled to the protrusion 222 can also be determined according to a predetermined degree of resistance to internal pressure.

[0066] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, since the height and / or thickness of the protrusion 222 and the recess 211 are adjusted according to the degree of resistance to internal pressure, the structure of the battery pack 10 can be designed to meet the time point when exhaust must occur according to the internal pressure.

[0067] The protrusion 222 may be formed to be gradually tapered from at least one end portion (oriented in the negative Z-axis direction) of the cover portion 221 toward the inner surface of the housing body 210. For example, the protrusion 222 may be configured to have a substantially V-shaped cross section.

[0068] According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, an area where each protrusion 222 is coupled with the case body 210 may be increased, thereby improving a coupling force between the case body 210 and the housing 220 .

[0069] Reference Figure 3 , the protrusions 222 may be respectively formed at both ends (the end oriented in the positive Z-axis direction and the end oriented in the negative Z-axis direction) of the cover 221. The housing 220 may be coupled to the housing body 210 at both ends of the housing body 210 where the protrusions 222 are formed. If the protrusions 222 are formed at both ends, the resistance to internal pressure may be more enhanced compared to a case where the protrusions 222 are formed at only one end.

[0070] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a housing included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] Reference Figure 5 , the protrusions 222 may be respectively provided on one edge (oriented in the negative Z-axis direction) and the other edge (oriented in the positive Z-axis direction) of the housing 220. In addition, two pairs of protrusions 222 (222a to 222d) may be provided so that a pair of protrusions are provided on each of one edge and the other edge of the housing 220. The pair of protrusions 222 provided on each of the one edge and the other edge may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the housing 220. For example, a pair of protrusions 222 (222c and 222d) provided on one edge (an edge of the outer surface facing the negative Z-axis direction) may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the X-axis direction, and a pair of protrusions 222 (222a and 222b) provided on the other edge (an edge of the outer surface facing the positive Z-axis direction) may also be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the X-axis direction.

[0072] This configuration of the present disclosure can facilitate the coupling of the case body 210 and the outer shell 220. If the protrusion 222 is located on the inside instead of the edge, the protrusion 222 must be assembled to the case body 210, but if the protrusion 222 is located on the edge, only the protrusion 222a or 222c provided on the inner edge located inside the battery pack 10 must be assembled, and the protrusion 222b or 222d located on the outer edge can be caught by the recessed portion 211, so that the case body 210 and the outer shell 220 can be coupled.

[0073] Figure 6 is a diagram showing some elements included in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] Reference Figure 6 and the previous Figure 2, the battery pack 10 may include a sealing member 300 .

[0075] The sealing member 300 may be interposed between the housing 220 and the housing body 210. The sealing member 300 may be provided in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the housing body 210. The sealing member 300 may be disposed between a pair of protrusions 222 provided on each of one edge (oriented in the negative Z-axis direction) and the other edge (oriented in the positive Z-axis direction).

[0076] The housing 220 may have a sealing groove 223 in which the sealing member 300 is received. The sealing groove 223 may have a shape recessed from the inner surface of the housing 220 to correspond to the shape of the sealing member 300.

[0077] According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, the coupling force between the case body 210 and the outer shell 220 can be increased by the sealing member 300. In particular, the gap between the case body 210 and the outer shell 220 caused by a production error may deteriorate the water tightness and air tightness of the battery pack 10, but the sealing member 300 can prevent such a problem.

[0078] Figure 7 is a diagram showing some elements included in a battery pack 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] Reference Figure 7 , the sealing member 300 may also be disposed between the end of each protrusion 222 and the housing body 210. For example, the sealing member 300 may include a sealing member 300a disposed between a pair of protrusions 222 disposed on each of one edge and the other edge as described above, a sealing member 300b disposed at an end of the protrusion 222 close to the inside of the battery pack 10, and a sealing member 300c disposed at an end of the protrusion 222a close to the outside of the battery pack 10.

[0080] The present disclosure may further ensure water tightness and air tightness while increasing the coupling force between the case body 210 and the housing 220 through the plurality of sealing members 300 a to 300 c .

[0081] Figure 8 is a diagram showing some elements of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 9 The picture is Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of some components included in a battery pack.

[0082] Reference Figure 8 and Fig. 9 , the battery pack 10 may include an auxiliary sealing member 400 .

[0083] The auxiliary sealing member 400 may be disposed between the housing 220 and the housing body 210, particularly along the height direction (Z-axis direction) of the housing body 210. The housing body 210 may have a sealing groove 212 in which the auxiliary sealing member 400 is received. The sealing groove 212 may have a shape recessed from the inner surface of the housing body 210 to correspond to the shape of the auxiliary sealing member 400 of the housing.

[0084] The sealing member 300 and the auxiliary sealing member 400 may be configured to be coupled so as to substantially surround the entire housing 220 .

[0085] According to such a configuration of the present disclosure, water tightness and air tightness of the battery pack 10 may be improved at all four edges between the case body 210 and the outer case 220 by the plurality of sealing members 300 and 400 .

[0086] Return to the above Figures 1 to 5 , the battery pack 10 may include an exhaust device 500. The exhaust device 500 may be provided in the housing 220. The exhaust device 500 may be configured to discharge gas generated from the battery module 100 to the outside of the battery pack housing 200. The exhaust device 500 may be configured so that it remains closed in a normal state and opens according to changes in pressure or temperature.

[0087] The exhaust device 500 can be opened at a predetermined allowable internal pressure of the battery pack housing 200 or a greater pressure to discharge the flame or gas inside the battery pack housing 200 to the outside. The mutual connection structure of the protrusion 222 of the shell 220 and the recessed portion 211 of the shell body 210 can prevent accidental flame or gas leakage that may occur before the allowable internal pressure is reached. As described above, since the protrusion 222 of the shell 220 is double-assembled to the edge of the shell body 210, even if the shell 220 is deformed due to expansion before the allowable internal pressure is reached, the gas or flame inside the battery pack housing 200 can be effectively blocked at the edge of the shell body 210. Therefore, even if the shell 220 is deformed before the allowable internal pressure is reached, the leakage of flame or gas, especially the leakage from the edge of the shell body 210, can be effectively prevented by the double connection structure of the protrusion 222.

[0088] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating a coupling relationship between a case body and an outer casing included in a battery pack according to the present disclosure.

[0089] Reference Fig.10 , a plurality of protrusions 222 may be provided. For example, three protrusions 222 may be provided at each of the two ends of the housing 220.

[0090] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, the connection area between the shell body 210 and the shell 220 can be further increased, thereby improving the connection force. In addition, in the case where exhaust occurs due to an increase in the internal pressure of the battery pack 10, even if the connection between the shell body 210 and the shell 220 is temporarily loosened in the portion adjacent to the inner side of the battery pack 10, due to the increase in the gas movement path between the shell body 210 and the shell 220, the gas can also be discharged through another path (such as a path passing through the exhaust device), so that the shell body 210 and the shell 220 can be reconnected. That is, the resistance of the battery pack 10 to internal pressure can be further improved.

[0091] Fig.11 is a diagram showing a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

[0092] Reference Fig.11 , the vehicle 1 according to the present disclosure may include a battery pack 10. The vehicle 1 may be a hybrid vehicle 1 or an electric vehicle 1. In addition to the battery pack 10, the vehicle 1 according to the present disclosure may further include various other elements included in the vehicle 1. For example, in addition to the battery pack 10 according to the present disclosure, the vehicle 1 according to the present disclosure may further include a vehicle body, a motor, a control device such as an electronic control unit (ECU), and the like.

[0093] As described above, although the present disclosure has been described based on the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various obvious modifications are feasible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted according to the described claims to include various modifications.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising: at least one battery module; as well as a battery pack housing configured to accommodate the battery module in an inner space of the battery pack housing, Wherein, the battery pack housing comprises: a case body configured to have the internal space and an opening, the internal space being provided in the battery pack case, the opening being provided on at least one of one side and another side opposite to the one side; and A housing is configured to seal the opening by being coupled with the case body to prevent the opening from being exposed to the outside of the battery pack case.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, in, The housing comprises: a protrusion that protrudes from an outer surface of the housing coupled to the housing body toward an inner surface of the housing body, and Wherein, the housing body comprises: A recessed portion is formed on the inner surface of the housing body to correspond to the protruding portion.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, in, The housing comprises: a cover configured to cover the opening, and The protrusion is formed on at least one of both end portions of the cover portion to protrude toward the inner surface of the housing body.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, in, The protrusion is formed at each of both end portions of the cover portion, and is configured to protrude from both one end portion and the other end portion of the cover portion toward the inner surface of the case body by a predetermined length.

5. The battery pack according to claim 3, in, The protrusion is formed at at least one end portion of the cover portion to be gradually tapered toward the inner surface of the housing body.

6. The battery pack according to claim 4, in, The protrusion has a V-shaped cross section.

7. The battery pack according to claim 2, in, The housing has a plate shape and is coupled to the housing body on one side and the other side, and The protrusion is arranged on each of one edge and another edge of the housing.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, in, Two pairs of protrusions are provided so that one pair of protrusions is provided on each of one edge and another edge of the housing, and wherein the pair of protrusions provided on each of the one edge and the other edge are arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a width direction of the housing. 9 . The battery pack according to claim 8 , comprising a sealing member interposed between the outer case and the case main body.

10. The battery pack according to claim 9, in, The sealing member is arranged between a pair of protrusions provided on each of the one edge and the other edge. 11 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , comprising an exhaust device provided in the outer casing and configured to discharge gas generated from the battery module to the outside of the battery pack case.

12. A vehicle comprising the battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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