Pressure release mechanism

Abstract

To provide a technique which can smoothly release a pressure in a battery case when the pressure is released while preventing an on-off valve from getting wet with water.SOLUTION: A pressure release mechanism may include: an on-off valve which opens or closes a gas discharge port; and a cover member which covers the on-off valve, is formed of a waterproof filter or a waterproof film, and can discharge a gas inside a battery case which is discharged from the gas discharge port when the on-off valve is open to the outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to pressure relief mechanisms. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a pressure release valve for a battery pack that is attached to an opening formed in a pack case of a battery pack. The pressure release valve for a battery pack in Patent Document 1 includes a case having a vent hole that communicates with the opening of the pack case and a valve mechanism capable of opening and closing the vent hole, and a cover that, when attached to the case, forms a passage between the cover and the case for discharging gas discharged from the vent hole. The valve mechanism includes a valve member that can close the vent hole, and a biasing portion that biases the valve member to a closed position that closes the vent hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-194719 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the pressure relief valve of Patent Document 1, gas discharged from the exhaust hole passes through a passage between the case and the cover and is discharged to the outside, which creates a problem in that the air flow resistance increases when the pressure is released, making it impossible to smoothly release the pressure inside the pack case.

[0005] The present specification provides a technique that can smoothly release the pressure inside a battery case while preventing the on-off valve from becoming wet with water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present technology relates to a pressure release mechanism attached to a gas exhaust port of a battery case in order to release pressure inside the battery case. The pressure release mechanism may include an on-off valve that opens and closes the gas exhaust port, and a covering member made of a waterproof filter or waterproof film that covers the on-off valve, and the covering member can discharge to the outside the gas inside the battery case that is discharged from the gas exhaust port when the on-off valve is open.

[0007] According to this configuration, the waterproof covering member can prevent the on-off valve from getting wet. In addition, the covering member is made of a filter or film, and can discharge the gas inside the battery case that is discharged from the gas exhaust port when the on-off valve is open to the outside of the covering member. This reduces the airflow resistance when the pressure is released, and allows the pressure inside the battery case to be released smoothly.

[0008] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the covering member may be broken by the opening operation of the on-off valve, so that the gas discharged from the gas discharge port can be discharged to the outside of the covering member. With this configuration, the pressure inside the battery case can be smoothly released with a simple configuration.

[0009] In a third aspect, in the first aspect, the covering member made of the waterproof filter or the waterproof film may have breathability. With this configuration, the pressure inside the battery case can be smoothly released with a simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a battery pack equipped with a pressure release mechanism of a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a battery pack including a pressure release mechanism according to the first embodiment (showing an open / close valve in an open state). [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack equipped with a pressure release mechanism according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack including a pressure release mechanism according to a second embodiment (showing an on-off valve in an open state). [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a battery pack including a modified pressure release mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a battery pack including a modified pressure release mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a battery pack including a modified pressure release mechanism. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a battery pack including a modified pressure release mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (First embodiment) A battery pack 100 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the battery pack 100 of the first embodiment includes a battery case 10 and a pressure release mechanism 2 attached to the battery case 10.

[0012] The battery case 10 is made of, for example, metal or resin. The battery case 10 houses a battery 90, such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. The type of the battery 90 is not particularly limited. The battery case 10 includes an upper surface member 12 and a gas exhaust port 14 provided in the upper surface member 12. In this battery pack 100, gas inside the battery case 10 can be exhausted to the outside of the battery case 10 through the gas exhaust port 14. The position where the gas exhaust port 14 is formed is not particularly limited. For example, the gas exhaust port 14 may be provided in a side surface member 19 of the battery case 10.

[0013] The pressure release mechanism 2 will be described. The pressure release mechanism 2 includes an on-off valve 30 that opens and closes the gas discharge port 14 of the battery case 10, and a covering member 20 that covers the on-off valve 30. The on-off valve 30 includes a valve body 32 that opens and closes the gas discharge port 14, and a hinge member 34 connected to the valve body 32. The valve body 32 seals the gas discharge port 14 when the on-off valve 30 is in a closed state. The valve body 32 abuts against the upper surface member 12 of the battery case 10 when the valve is closed. The upper surface member 12 functions as a valve seat for the on-off valve 30.

[0014] The valve body 32 includes a main body 32a and a sealing member 32b fixed to the main body 32a. The sealing member 32b is fixed to the surface of the main body 32a facing the battery case 10. The sealing member 32b seals the gas discharge port 14 when the on-off valve 30 is in a closed state.

[0015] The hinge member 34 of the on-off valve 30 is configured to be rotatable relative to the battery case 10. The hinge member 34 is connected to the main body 32a of the valve body 32 and the top member 12 of the battery case 10. The hinge member 34 rotates the valve body 32 relative to the battery case 10. The rotation of the hinge member 34 opens or closes the on-off valve 30. The on-off valve 30 opens, for example, when the pressure inside the battery case 10 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold pressure. When the pressure inside the battery case 10 is lower than the threshold pressure, the on-off valve 30 does not open.

[0016] Next, the covering member 20 will be described. The covering member 20 is, for example, a waterproof filter or a waterproof film. An example of a waterproof filter is a fluororesin porous film (for example, TEMISH (registered trademark) manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation). The covering member 20 is disposed so as to cover the entire on-off valve 30. An outer peripheral end 22 of the covering member 20 is fixed to the upper surface member 12 of the battery case 10. The outer peripheral end 22 of the covering member 20 is bonded to the upper surface member 12 of the battery case 10 by, for example, an adhesive. The covering member 20 prevents the on-off valve 30 from getting wet. In addition, the covering member 20 prevents dust from adhering to the on-off valve 30.

[0017] Next, the operation of the pressure release mechanism 2 will be described. In the above pressure release mechanism 2, when the pressure inside the battery case 10 becomes equal to or higher than a threshold pressure, the on-off valve 30 opens (see FIG. 2). When the on-off valve 30 opens, gas inside the battery case 10 is discharged from the gas discharge port 14 to the outside of the battery case 10.

[0018] Furthermore, in the pressure release mechanism 2, when the on-off valve 30 opens, the covering member 20 covering the on-off valve 30 breaks. The opening operation of the on-off valve 30 presses the covering member 20, causing the covering member 20 to break. When the covering member 20 breaks, the gas inside the battery case 10 that is discharged from the gas discharge port 14 is discharged to the outside of the covering member 20 through the broken portion of the covering member 20. This releases the pressure inside the battery case 10.

[0019] (effect) The first embodiment has been described above. As described above, the pressure release mechanism 2 of the first embodiment includes the on-off valve 30 that opens and closes the gas discharge port 14 of the battery case 10, and the covering member 20 made of a waterproof filter or waterproof film that covers the on-off valve 30. The covering member 20 can discharge to the outside the gas inside the battery case 10 that is discharged from the gas discharge port 14 when the on-off valve 30 is open. The covering member 20 is broken by the opening operation of the on-off valve 30, so that the gas discharged from the gas discharge port 14 can be discharged to the outside of the covering member 20.

[0020] According to this configuration, by providing the waterproof covering member 20, it is possible to prevent the on-off valve 30 from getting wet with water. In addition, the covering member 20 is made of a filter or film, and is capable of discharging the gas inside the battery case 10 from the gas exhaust port 14 to the outside, so that it is possible to reduce the resistance to ventilation when releasing pressure, and it is possible to smoothly release the pressure inside the battery case 10. With this simple configuration, it is possible to smoothly release the pressure inside the battery case 10.

[0021] Although the first embodiment has been described above, the aspect of the battery pack 100 is not limited to the above embodiment. In the following description, detailed description of the same configuration as in the above description may be omitted.

[0022] (Second Example) In the above-described first embodiment, the covering member 20 is broken by the opening operation of the on-off valve 30, but in the second embodiment, the covering member 20 may not be broken. As shown in Fig. 3, in the second embodiment, the covering member 20 made of a waterproof filter or a waterproof film has breathability.

[0023] In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, when the on-off valve 30 is opened, gas inside the battery case 10 is discharged from the gas discharge port 14 to the outside of the battery case 10. In the second embodiment, the covering member 20 is not broken even when the on-off valve 30 is opened. In the second embodiment, the gas inside the battery case 10 that is discharged from the gas discharge port 14 is discharged to the outside of the covering member 20 through the breathable covering member 20. This releases the pressure inside the battery case 10.

[0024] (effect) As described above, in the second embodiment, the covering member 20 made of a waterproof filter or waterproof film has breathability. With this simple configuration, the pressure inside the battery case 10 can be smoothly released.

[0025] (Modification) (1) In a modified example, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the pressure release mechanism 2 may include a seat member 50. The seat member 50 is attached to the top member 12 of the battery case 10. The seat member 50 includes an outer member 52 and an insertion member 54 fixed to the outer member 52.

[0026] The outer member 52 is disposed on the top member 12 of the battery case 10. The insert member 54 is inserted into the gas exhaust port 14 of the battery case 10. A second gas exhaust port 56 is provided in the insert member 54. A seal member 58 is disposed between the insert member 54 and the top member 12 of the battery case 10. The seal member 58 provides a seal between the insert member 54 and the top member 12.

[0027] The covering member 20 is fixed to the base member 50. The outer peripheral end 22 of the covering member 20 is fixed to the outer member 52 of the base member 50. The outer peripheral end 22 of the covering member 20 is bonded to the outer member 52 of the base member 50 by, for example, an adhesive.

[0028] In the pressure release mechanism 2 of the modified example, when the on-off valve 30 is opened, the gas inside the battery case 10 is discharged to the outside of the battery case 10 through the second gas discharge port 56 of the seat member 50 .

[0029] (2) In another modified example, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the pressure release mechanism 2 may include a first check valve 61 and a second check valve 62. The first check valve 61 and the second check valve 62 are provided, for example, in the valve body 32 (see Figure 7). In a modified example, the first check valve 61 and the second check valve 62 may be provided in the upper member 12 of the battery case 10 (see Figure 8). The first check valve 61 and the second check valve 62 are sometimes called duckbill valves.

[0030] The first check valve 61 allows gas to flow from the inside of the battery case 10 to the outside of the battery case 10. On the other hand, the first check valve 61 prohibits gas from flowing from the outside of the battery case 10 to the inside of the battery case 10.

[0031] The second check valve 62 allows gas to flow from the outside of the battery case 10 to the inside of the battery case 10. On the other hand, the second check valve 62 prohibits gas from flowing from the inside of the battery case 10 to the outside of the battery case 10.

[0032] According to the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first check valve 61 and the second check valve 62 can adjust the pressure inside the battery case 10.

[0033] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described above in detail, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 2: pressure release mechanism, 10: battery case, 12: upper surface member, 14: gas exhaust port, 20: covering member, 22: outer peripheral end, 30: on-off valve, 32: valve body, 34: hinge member, 50: base member, 52: upper surface member, 54: insertion member, 56: gas exhaust port, 58: sealing member, 61: first check valve, 62: second check valve, 90: battery, 100: battery pack

Claims

1. A pressure relief mechanism attached to a gas exhaust port of a battery case for relieving pressure inside the battery case, an on-off valve for opening and closing the gas exhaust port; A pressure release mechanism comprising: a covering member made of a waterproof filter or waterproof film that covers the on-off valve, the covering member being capable of discharging to the outside the gas inside the battery case that is discharged from the gas exhaust port when the on-off valve is open.

2. 2. The pressure relief mechanism of claim 1, A pressure release mechanism in which the covering member is broken by the opening operation of the on-off valve, thereby enabling the gas discharged from the gas discharge port to be discharged to the outside of the covering member.

3. 2. The pressure relief mechanism of claim 1, The covering member made of the waterproof filter or the waterproof film has breathability. A pressure release mechanism.

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