Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack capable of suppressing the formation of a heat path between adjacent battery cells.SOLUTION: A battery pack includes: battery cells; a heat insulating material disposed between adjacent battery cells; a housing for housing a laminate comprising the battery cells and the heat insulating materials; and a seal member made of thermosetting resin or ceramics, the seal member being disposed below the heat insulating material in the housing. The seal member is provided within a range where the bottom of the battery cell comes into contact with the housing, the range being between the bottom of the heat insulating material and the bottom of the battery cell.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack including a laminate in which a heat insulating material is provided between adjacent battery cells, and a housing that houses the laminate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, heat may be transferred across the heat insulating material. As a result, the metal (such as aluminum, etc.) of the electrolytic cell of the battery cell may melt and condense at the bottom portion, and there is a possibility of forming a heat path (heat transfer path) between adjacent battery cells.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a battery pack capable of suppressing the formation of a heat path between adjacent battery cells.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The battery pack according to the present disclosure includes a battery cell, a heat insulating material disposed between a plurality of adjacent battery cells, a housing that houses a laminate including the battery cell and the heat insulating material, and a sealing member made of a thermosetting resin or ceramics disposed below the heat insulating material in the housing, and the sealing member is provided in a range where the bottom of the battery cell contacts the housing and in a range between the bottom of the heat insulating material and the bottom of the battery cell.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, even if the metal in the electrolytic cell melts due to, for example, thermal runaway of the battery cell, the molten metal can be blocked by a seal member made of a thermosetting resin or ceramics. As a result, the formation of a heat path between battery cells due to condensation of the molten metal is suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced and are easy for those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] The battery pack according to the embodiment is used as a battery for vehicles such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and a battery electric vehicle (BEV).

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery pack 1 according to the embodiment includes a plurality of battery cells 11, a plurality of heat insulating materials 12, a plurality of seal members 13, and a housing 14. Note that the battery pack 1 also includes, for example, a restraint member (such as an end plate or a restraint band) that applies a restraint load in the stacking direction of the battery cells 11 (see FIG. 2) in addition to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0012] The battery cell 11 is a liquid-based battery such as a lithium-ion secondary battery. This battery cell 11 has an electrolytic cell (metal electrolytic cell) made of a metal such as aluminum. Further, the battery cell 11 includes a pair of electrodes 111 corresponding to the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

[0013] The heat insulating material 12 is for restraining between a plurality of battery cells 11 and insulating heat between the plurality of battery cells 11. This heat insulating material 12 is disposed between adjacent plurality of battery cells 11.

[0014] The seal member 13 is for suppressing the formation of a heat path between adjacent plurality of battery cells 11. This seal member 13 is made of, for example, a heat-curable resin, ceramics, etc., which is a material that does not melt even at high temperatures. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the seal member 13 is continuously provided in the width direction (lateral direction) of the battery cell 11. Further, the seal member 13 is provided at a place where the metal of the melted electrolytic cell (for example, aluminum etc.) accumulates when the battery cell 11 undergoes thermal runaway.

[0015] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seal member 13 is disposed below the heat insulating material 12 within the housing 14. Further, the seal member 13 is provided in the same range as the width of the battery cell 11 (see FIG. 1). Further, the seal member 13 is provided in the range where the bottom of the battery cell 11 contacts the housing 14 (see range A in FIG. 1), which is the range between the bottom of the heat insulating material 12 and the bottom of the battery cell 11 (see range B in FIG. 2). The seal member 13 is provided in the range where the bottom of the battery cell 11 contacts the housing 14 (see range A in FIG. 1) because, for example, when the battery cell 11 undergoes thermal runaway, the metal of the melted electrolytic cell accumulates at the bottom of the battery cell 11.

[0016] The housing 14 is for accommodating a laminate composed of a plurality of battery cells 11 and a plurality of heat insulating materials 12, and the seal member 13. In FIGS. 1 and 2, for convenience of explanation, only a part (bottom) of the housing 14 is illustrated.

[0017] Here, for example, when one of the battery cells undergoes thermal runaway, heat is transferred to the adjacent battery cell 11. If the adjacent battery cell further undergoes thermal runaway, other battery cells in the battery pack will also undergo thermal runaway in a chain reaction, leading to a very dangerous mode. To suppress this, a common method is to sandwich a heat insulating material between the battery cells to prevent heat transfer between adjacent battery cells.

[0018] However, even if a heat insulating material is sandwiched between the battery cells, heat may still transfer across it. For example, the metal battery case (such as aluminum, etc.) of the battery cell may melt and condense at the bottom of the housing, and a metal heat path may be formed between adjacent battery cells.

[0019] Therefore, in the battery pack 1, in order to suppress the formation of such a heat path, a seal member 13 is provided to prevent the melted metal battery case from condensing at the bottom of the housing 14. The material used for this seal member 13 is a thermosetting resin, ceramics, etc. that can maintain its shape even at the high temperature during thermal runaway.

[0020] In the battery pack 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the seal member 13 is provided in the same range as the width of the battery cell 11. However, the range where the seal member 13 is provided may be changed according to the structure of the housing 14. For example, in the battery pack 1A shown in FIG. 3, only a part of the bottom of the housing 14A is in contact with the bottom (a part) of the battery cell 11.

[0021] In this case, for example, when the battery cell 11 undergoes thermal runaway and the metal battery case of the battery cell 11 melts, the melted metal will accumulate in the range where the bottom of the battery cell 11 is in contact with the housing 14A (see the range C in FIG. 3). Therefore, in the case of the battery cell 11 provided with such a housing 14A, the seal member 13A is provided only in the range where the bottom of the battery cell 11 is in contact with the housing 14A (see the range C in FIG. 3). In this way, when there is no structure where the melted metal accumulates under the battery cell 11, the range where the seal member 13A is provided may be partially limited.

[0022] According to the battery pack according to the embodiment described above, even if the metal (such as aluminum, etc.) in the electrolytic cell melts due to thermal runaway of the battery cell 11, for example, the molten metal can be blocked by the seal members 13 and 13A made of thermosetting resin or ceramics. As a result, the formation of a heat path between the battery cells 11 due to the condensation of the molten metal is suppressed.

[0023] Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments expressed and described as above. Accordingly, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0024] 1, 1A Battery pack 11 Battery cell 111 Electrode 12 Heat insulating material 13, 13A Seal member 14, 14A Housing

Claims

【Claim 1】 A battery cell, a heat insulating material disposed between a plurality of adjacent battery cells, a housing for housing a laminate composed of the battery cell and the heat insulating material, a sealing member made of a thermosetting resin or ceramics disposed below the heat insulating material in the housing, and the sealing member is provided in a range where the bottom of the battery cell contacts the housing and in a range between the bottom of the heat insulating material and the bottom of the battery cell, a battery pack.

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