Battery pack case and battery pack comprising same

Abstract

A battery pack case according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a bottom plate; the side plates are arranged along the periphery of the bottom plate, and the lower sides of the side plates are connected to the bottom plate; the cover plate is used for covering the upper sides of the side plates so as to form an accommodating space in the bottom plate; the partition plates are arranged in the accommodating space so as to divide the accommodating space into a plurality of spaces; the top plate is arranged on the upper side of the cover plate, so that a channel is formed between the cover plate and the top plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0117480 filed on September 16, 2022 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0120686 filed on September 11, 2023, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery pack case and a battery pack comprising the battery pack case. Background Art

[0003] Generally, secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion polymer batteries. Such secondary batteries are being used in small products (such as digital cameras, P-DVDs, MP3Ps, mobile phones, PDAs, portable game devices, power tools, electric bicycles, etc.) and large products that require high power (such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, power storage devices for storing surplus power or renewable energy, and backup power storage devices).

[0004] Generally, in order to manufacture a secondary battery, an electrode active material slurry is first applied to a positive electrode collector and a negative electrode collector to manufacture a positive electrode and a negative electrode. Then, the electrodes are stacked on both sides of a separator to form an electrode assembly. In addition, the electrode assembly is housed in a battery case, and then the battery case is sealed after an electrolyte is injected into the battery case.

[0005] According to the material of the shell containing the electrode assembly, such secondary batteries are divided into pouch-type secondary batteries and can-type secondary batteries. In the pouch-type secondary battery, the electrode assembly is contained in a bag made of a flexible polymer material. In addition, in the can-type secondary battery, the electrode assembly is contained in a shell made of a metal or plastic material.

[0006] The secondary battery may be provided in plural, and then, the plurality of secondary batteries may be integrally housed to form a battery module, and the plurality of battery modules may again be housed in a specific battery pack case to manufacture a battery pack.

[0007] In the process of manufacturing battery packs for facilities and devices, there are cases where the battery modules contained in the battery pack are damaged to discharge high-temperature heat and gas. Gases that are not discharged to the outside and are therefore trapped in the internal storage space may cause secondary damage, such as exploding the battery pack or further damaging the battery modules. Alternatively, when a plurality of battery modules are respectively contained in a plurality of containing spaces, the gas generated from a specific battery module diffuses to other battery modules in other spaces, and therefore, the damage caused by the gas may be transferred to other battery modules, resulting in the spread of the damage.

[0008] Therefore, even if gas is generated from the battery modules, a battery pack having a structure that allows the generated gas to be discharged more efficiently and prevents it from spreading to other spaces is required. Summary of the invention

[0009] Technical issues

[0010] An object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems is to provide a battery pack in which gas and heat generated from a battery module are cooled and discharged through a flow path structure.

[0011] Technical Solution

[0012] A battery pack housing according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a bottom plate; a side plate, which is arranged along the periphery of the bottom plate and has a lower side connected to the bottom plate; a cover plate, which is configured to cover the upper side of the side plate and define a storage space inside the bottom plate; a partition plate, which is arranged in the storage space to divide the storage space into a plurality of spaces; and a top plate, which is configured to define a flow path together with the cover plate and is arranged above the cover plate.

[0013] The cap plate may include: a first plate connected to an upper side of the side plate; and a second plate connected to the upper side of the first plate and having a melting point lower than that of the first plate.

[0014] The cover plate may be configured to block communication between a plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate.

[0015] The cover plate may be configured to define a plurality of coverage areas above the plurality of spaces corresponding to positions of the plurality of spaces.

[0016] The first plate may include a plurality of holes.

[0017] The plurality of holes may be defined in the coverage area.

[0018] The second plate may have a melting point lower than a melting point of the top plate.

[0019] The cover plate may further include a fixing pin configured to fix the first plate to the partition plate.

[0020] A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a shell having a storage space defined therein; and a battery module, the battery module including a plurality of secondary batteries and being arranged in the storage space, wherein the shell may include: a bottom plate; a side plate, the side plate being arranged along the periphery of the bottom plate and having a lower side connected to the bottom plate; a cover plate, the cover plate being configured to cover the upper side of the side plate and defining a storage space inside the bottom plate; a partition plate, the partition plate being arranged in the storage space to divide the storage space into a plurality of spaces; and a top plate, the top plate being configured to define a flow path together with the cover plate and the top plate being arranged above the cover plate.

[0021] The cap plate may include: a first plate connected to an upper side of the side plate; and a second plate connected to the upper side of the first plate and having a melting point lower than that of the first plate.

[0022] The cover plate may be configured to block communication between a plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate.

[0023] The cover plate may be configured to define a plurality of coverage areas above the plurality of spaces corresponding to positions of the plurality of spaces.

[0024] The first plate may include a plurality of holes, and the plurality of holes may be defined in the cover area.

[0025] The second plate may have a melting point lower than a melting point of the top plate.

[0026] Beneficial Effects

[0027] According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, gas and heat generated from the battery module can be cooled and discharged through the flow path structure to prevent the battery pack from being exploded or damaged due to the gas and heat in advance.

[0028] Furthermore, effects that are obvious to those skilled in the art can be predicted from the configuration according to the embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and are used to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention as well as the detailed description of the present invention, and therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to a comparative example.

[0031] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which gas and heat are generated from a battery pack according to a comparative example.

[0032] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack case according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 4 is a bottom view illustrating a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which gas and heat are generated from a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 8 1 is a plan view of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily perform the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in several different forms and is not limited or constrained by the following examples.

[0039] In order to explain the present invention clearly, detailed descriptions of parts related to the known technology that may unnecessarily obscure the main points of the present invention or parts that are irrelevant to the description are omitted, and in this specification, reference numerals are added to the components in each drawing. In this case, the same or similar reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0040] Furthermore, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be restrictively interpreted as ordinary meanings or dictionary-based meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the scope of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms in order to best describe and explain his or her invention.

[0041] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack 2 according to a comparative example, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which gas and heat are generated from the battery pack 2 according to the comparative example.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the battery pack 2 according to the comparative example may include: a case C which defines its appearance and has an accommodation space; a partition wall W which is disposed inside the case C to partition the accommodation space into a plurality of spaces; and a plurality of battery modules M which are disposed in the plurality of spaces.

[0043] In a state where the battery pack 2 accommodates the battery modules M therein, when a specific battery module M discharges gas and high-temperature heat due to internal damage or external factors, pressure may increase in a specific space accommodating the specific battery module M. As the pressure in the specific space increases, a specific portion of the case C may be damaged. In particular, the bonding force between the case C and the partition wall W may be weakened, and a coupling portion of the case C and the partition wall W may be damaged.

[0044] According to this phenomenon, high temperature heat and gas generated from a specific battery module M may flow into other spaces to affect other adjacent battery modules M. As a result, gas and heat generated from a specific battery module M may not only damage the case C but also spread to other battery modules M to cause the spread of damage.

[0045] Therefore, there is a need for a battery pack that can more effectively exhaust such gas and heat to prevent other battery modules from being damaged and to prevent the damage from spreading.

[0046] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack case 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Reference Figure 3 , the battery pack housing 10 may form a receiving space therein to receive the battery module 11, which will be described later. In other words, in a state where the battery module 11 is received in the battery pack housing 10, the battery pack housing 10 may block the communication between the internal space and the external space to protect the battery module 11. For example, the battery pack housing 10 may protect the battery module 11 from the external environment such as high temperature and climate to prevent the battery module 11 from being damaged by external force.

[0048] In addition, the battery pack case 10 can divide the internal accommodation space into a plurality of spaces so that a plurality of battery modules 11 are respectively disposed in the plurality of spaces. The upper portion of the battery pack case 10 can have a double structure, and the battery pack case 10 can effectively discharge gas and heat generated from a specific battery module 11.

[0049] However, the battery module 11 may not necessarily be housed inside the battery pack housing 10, and the battery pack housing 10 may be used for a cell to pack (CTP) structure, i.e., a structure in which a module is not applied. In other words, the battery pack housing 10 may house a battery cell (not shown) including an electrode assembly in a plurality of internal spaces. That is, the battery cell (not shown) may be disposed inside the battery pack housing 10. The battery cell (not shown) may include a pouch-type secondary battery or a prismatic secondary battery.

[0050] Specifically, the battery pack case 10 may include a bottom plate 100 , a side plate 101 , a cover plate 102 , and a partition plate 103 .

[0051] The bottom plate 100 may define the bottom surface of the battery pack housing 10. In other words, the bottom plate 100 may be disposed at the lowest end. The side plate 101 may be disposed along the periphery of the bottom plate 100. The lower side of the side plate 101 may be connected to the bottom plate 100. In addition, the cover plate 102 may cover the upper side of the side plate 101 to define a storage space inside the bottom plate 100. In addition, a partition plate 103 may be disposed in the storage space to separate the storage space into a plurality of spaces. Finally, a top plate 104 may be disposed on the upper side of the cover plate 102 to provide a flow path F between the top plate 102 and the cover plate 102.

[0052] The cover plate 102 may block the communication between the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate 103. In other words, the cover plate 102 may be connected to the upper side of the side plate 101 and the upper side of the partition plate 103 to block the communication between the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate 103.

[0053] In this case, the cover plate 102 may define a plurality of coverage areas on the upper side of the plurality of spaces corresponding to the positions of the plurality of spaces. In other words, when viewed from above, the area on which the plurality of spaces are defined and the plurality of coverage areas may be arranged to correspond to each other. Specifically, a portion of the cover plate 102 arranged on the upper side of each of the plurality of spaces may be a coverage area.

[0054] Figure 4 is a bottom view of a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the cover plate 102 may include a first plate 1020 and a second plate 1021 .

[0056] The first plate 1020 may be connected to an upper side of the side plate 101. In addition, the first plate 1020 may be connected to an upper side of the partition plate 103. The first plate 1020 may define a bottom surface of the cover plate 102.

[0057] The first plate 1020 may include a plurality of holes H. For example, the plurality of holes H may be defined in the cover region. That is, when viewed from above, the cover region and the region defining the plurality of holes H may overlap with each other. In addition, the region where the cover region is not formed may be a region where the cover plate 102 and the partition plate 103 are coupled to each other. In addition, the region where the cover region is not formed may be a region where the cover plate 102 and the side plate 101 are coupled to each other.

[0058] The second plate 1021 may be connected to the upper side of the first plate 1020. Unlike the first plate 1020, the second plate 1021 may include a plate structure in which no hole H is defined. In other words, the second plate 1021 may be provided to cover the plurality of holes H defined in the first plate 1020. Specifically, in a state in which the plurality of holes H of the first plate 1020 are provided on the upper side of the accommodation space, the second plate 1021 may block the plurality of holes H to seal the accommodation space, thereby sealing the accommodation space by the second plate 1021.

[0059] In this case, the melting point of the second plate 1021 may be lower than that of the first plate 1020. In addition, the melting point of the second plate 1021 may be lower than that of the top plate 104.

[0060] The cover plate 102 may further include a fixing pin 105 fixing the first plate 1020 to the partition plate 103. Specifically, the fixing pin 105 may have a pin shape and may pass through the first plate 1020 to connect the top surface of the partition plate 103 to the bottom surface of the first plate 1020. In other words, the fixing pin 105 may pass through the first plate 1020 from the upper side to the lower side and may be inserted and coupled to the partition plate 103 to connect and fix the cover plate 102 to the partition plate 103.

[0061] As a result, when high-temperature heat and gas are generated in the battery module 11, the second plate 1021 may be melted preferentially rather than the first plate 1020 and the top plate 104, and thus, the gas may flow through the flow path F between the cap plate 102 and the top plate 104. Since relatively cool gas compared to the gas exists in the flow path F, the gas moving into the flow path F may come into contact with the cool gas and thus be cooled.

[0062] In this case, the fixing pins 105 may fix the partition plate 103 to the cap plate 102 to prevent the cap plate 102 from being separated from the partition plate 103 , and thus, the gas generated from the battery module 11 may move to the flow path F without propagating to other adjacent battery modules 11 .

[0063] Hereinafter, a battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Contents overlapping with the above-described battery pack case 10 will be omitted.

[0064] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which gas and heat are generated from the battery pack 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7The battery pack 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a housing 10 and a battery module 11, and the battery module 11 is provided inside the housing 10 to accumulate electric energy according to design and then output the accumulated electric energy. Here, each battery module 11 may include a plurality of secondary batteries, and each battery module 11 may be accommodated in the internal space of the housing 10.

[0066] The housing 10 may include a bottom plate 100 , a side plate 101 , a cover plate 102 , and a partition plate 103 .

[0067] The bottom plate 100 may define the bottom surface of the battery pack housing 10. In other words, the bottom plate 100 may be disposed at the lowest end. The side plate 101 may be disposed along the periphery of the bottom plate 100. The lower side of the side plate 101 may be connected to the bottom plate 100. In addition, the cover plate 102 may cover the upper side of the side plate 101 to define a storage space inside the bottom plate 100. In addition, a partition plate 103 may be disposed in the storage space to separate the storage space into a plurality of spaces. Finally, a top plate 104 may be disposed on the upper side of the cover plate 102 to provide a flow path F between the top plate 102 and the cover plate 102.

[0068] The cover plate 102 may block communication between the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate 103. In addition, the cover plate 102 may define a plurality of cover areas on upper sides of the plurality of spaces corresponding to positions of the plurality of spaces.

[0069] Specifically, the cover plate 102 may include a first plate 1020 and a second plate 1021. The first plate 1020 may be connected to upper sides of the side plate 101 and the partition plate 103. The first plate 1020 may include a plurality of holes H. For example, a plurality of holes H may be defined in the cover region.

[0070] The second plate 1021 may be connected to the upper side of the first plate 1020. The melting point of the second plate 1021 may be lower than that of the first plate 1020. In addition, the melting point of the second plate 1021 may be lower than that of the top plate 104.

[0071] Figure 8 1 is a plan view of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

[0072] Reference Figure 8 , the housing 10 may further include a discharge channel 106 communicating with the flow path F and an exhaust port 107 communicating with the discharge channel 106. For example, the gas generated in the battery module 11 may be discharged to the melting portion of the second plate 1021 through the plurality of grooves of the first plate 1020 to move to the discharge channel 106 along the flow path F. The gas moved to the discharge channel 106 may be discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 107.

[0073] Here, the exhaust port 107 may include a pump and a fan to exhaust the gas to the outside in various ways. In addition, the exhaust channel 106 may be provided along the outer surface of the housing 10. That is, the exhaust channel 106 may be provided along the periphery of the housing 10.

[0074] In addition, a vehicle (not shown) according to another embodiment of the present invention may include the battery pack 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. That is, the vehicle (not shown) may use the electric energy stored in the battery pack 1 as driving power. The vehicle may include a railway vehicle and any transportation machinery traveling on the road. For example, the vehicle may include a car, a motorcycle, a train, etc.

[0075] The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0076] Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments.

[0077] Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

[0078] [Description of symbol]

[0079] 1: Battery Pack

[0080] 10: Shell

[0081] 11: Battery module

[0082] 100: Base plate

[0083] 101: Side Plank

[0084] 102: Cover

[0085] 103: Divider

[0086] 104: Top plate

[0087] 105: Fixed pin

[0088] 106: Exhaust channel

[0089] 107: Exhaust port

[0090] 1020: First Board

[0091] 1021: Second board

[0092] F: Flow path

[0093] H: Hole

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising: a housing, wherein a receiving space is defined in the housing; as well as a battery module including a plurality of secondary batteries and disposed in the accommodation space, Wherein, the housing comprises: Base plate; a side panel disposed along a periphery of the bottom panel and having a lower side connected to the bottom panel; a cover plate configured to cover an upper side of the side plate and define a receiving space inside the bottom plate; a partition plate disposed in the accommodation space to partition the accommodation space into a plurality of spaces; and A top plate is configured to define a flow path together with the cover plate and is disposed above the cover plate.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein: The cover plate comprises: a first plate connected to an upper side of the side plate; and A second plate is connected to an upper side of the first plate and has a melting point lower than that of the first plate.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The cover plate is configured to block communication between the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein: The cover plate is configured to define a plurality of coverage areas above the plurality of spaces corresponding to positions of the plurality of spaces.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein: The first plate includes a plurality of holes, and the plurality of holes are defined in the cover area.

6. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein: The second plate has a lower melting point than the top plate.

7. A battery pack, comprising: a housing, wherein a receiving space is defined in the housing; as well as a battery cell, the battery cell comprising an electrode assembly and disposed in the accommodation space, Wherein, the housing comprises: Base plate; a side panel disposed along a periphery of the bottom panel and having a lower side connected to the bottom panel; a cover plate configured to cover an upper side of the side plate and define a receiving space inside the bottom plate; a partition plate disposed in the accommodation space to partition the accommodation space into a plurality of spaces; and A top plate is configured to define a flow path together with the cover plate and is disposed above the cover plate.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: The cover plate comprises: a first plate connected to an upper side of the side plate; and A second plate is connected to an upper side of the first plate and has a melting point lower than that of the first plate.

9. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein: The cover plate is configured to block communication between the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate.

10. A battery pack housing, comprising: Base plate; a side panel disposed along a periphery of the bottom panel and having a lower side connected to the bottom panel; a cover plate configured to cover an upper side of the side plate and define a receiving space inside the bottom plate; a partition plate, the partition plate being arranged in the accommodation space to divide the accommodation space into a plurality of spaces; as well as A top plate is configured to define a flow path together with the cover plate and is disposed above the cover plate.

11. The battery pack housing according to claim 10, wherein: The cover plate comprises: a first plate connected to an upper side of the side plate; and A second plate is connected to an upper side of the first plate and has a melting point lower than that of the first plate.

12. The battery pack housing according to claim 11, wherein: The cover plate is configured to block communication between the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition plate.

13. The battery pack housing according to claim 12, wherein: The cover plate is configured to define a plurality of coverage areas above the plurality of spaces corresponding to positions of the plurality of spaces.

14. The battery pack housing according to claim 13, wherein: The first plate includes a plurality of holes.

15. The battery pack housing according to claim 14, wherein: The plurality of holes are defined in the coverage area.

16. The battery pack housing according to claim 11, wherein: The second plate has a lower melting point than the top plate.

17. The battery pack housing according to claim 11, wherein: The cover plate further includes a fixing pin configured to fix the first plate to the partition plate.

18. A vehicle comprising the battery pack according to claim 1.

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