Battery pack

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack accommodating a battery module, comprising: a pack case including a module area in which a battery module is seated; the pack case including a base plate having a hollow shape with an open interior, and a side wall coupled along an edge of the base plate; and the base plate is characterized in that a high-pressure vaporized gas is filled in the hollow interior.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack that houses a battery module, and more specifically, the battery pack of the present invention is characterized in that when thermal runaway occurs in the housed battery module, it can vaporize a vaporized gas filled at high pressure to rapidly cool the battery module.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0117231 dated September 16, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Currently, types of secondary batteries that are widely used include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, and nickel zinc batteries. The operating voltage of such a unit secondary battery cell, i.e., a unit battery cell, is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, when a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. Also, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a number of battery cells in parallel according to the charge / discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to the required output voltage or charge / discharge capacity.

[0004] When constructing a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series / parallel, a common method is to first construct a battery module including at least one battery cell, and then use this at least one battery module to add other components to construct the battery pack.

[0005] FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of a conventional battery pack 10, which contains multiple battery modules M, and is characterized in that the top and sides of the battery modules M are surrounded and protected by a top cover 20 and side walls 30, respectively.

[0006] In the battery pack 10 of the above type, since the battery module M is accommodated in a closed space, there is a risk that the internal space may become hot during repeated charging and discharging. Therefore, in the conventional battery pack 10, as shown in Fig. 2, the coolant supplied through the coolant supply pipe 40 is connected to the cooling pipe inlet 50 so that the coolant continuously cools the bottom of the battery module M. This cooling method is considered to be efficient because most of the heat generated inside the battery pack 10 is transferred to the bottom by conduction.

[0007] However, even if cooling is performed in this manner, it is practically difficult to prevent a fire or explosion caused by a thermal runaway phenomenon occurring in any one of the battery modules M. In other words, since the above-mentioned thermal runaway is a phenomenon that occurs rapidly in a relatively short period of time, there is a limit to controlling the above-mentioned thermal runaway using existing cooling systems. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-1916429 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Therefore, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and has an object to quickly cool the battery pack when thermal runaway occurs in a battery module contained in the battery pack.

[0010] Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and will become more clearly understood from the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it is easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof as claimed in the claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a battery pack for accommodating a battery module, comprising: a pack case including a module area in which the battery module is seated; the pack case including a base plate having a hollow shape with an open interior, and a side wall coupled along an edge of the base plate; and the base plate is characterized in that a high-pressure vaporized gas is filled in the hollow interior.

[0012] The base plate may further include an open hole communicating with the hollow interior, and a sealing member coupled to an inlet of the open hole to seal the hollow interior.

[0013] The battery pack may include at least one of a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, and a pressure sensor inside the pack case, and the sealing member may be removed from the open hole in response to detection by the sensor.

[0014] The open hole may be formed in a side surface of the base plate.

[0015] The base plate may include a plurality of partition walls formed to extend along a longitudinal direction of the pack case within the hollow interior and coupled to the base plate at intervals along a width direction of the pack case to partition the hollow interior, and a plurality of hollow holes formed by being partitioned by the partition walls, and the open holes may be formed at positions communicating with each of the hollow holes.

[0016] The pack case may further include a main partition wall formed across the center and coupled to the base plate, the module regions being formed at symmetrical positions on both sides of the main partition wall, and the hollow may include a first hollow formed on one side of the main partition wall within the base plate, and a second hollow formed on the other side of the main partition wall.

[0017] The vaporized gas may be in a gaseous state at room temperature.

[0018] The vaporized gas may be filled in a liquid state into the hollow interior of the base plate.

[0019] The vaporized gas may include carbon dioxide.

[0020] The base plate may include a plurality of cooling pipes formed within a hollow interior and extending along the longitudinal direction of the pack case. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, when a thermal runaway phenomenon occurs in a housed battery module, the battery pack can be rapidly cooled to prevent a larger explosion and fire. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional battery pack. [Diagram 2] This shows a portion of the battery pack of Figure 1 above. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a pack case included in a battery pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] This is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 shows a cooling water supply pipe connected to the cooling pipe inlet of the pack case of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] The cooling tube inlets and open holes included in the base plate are shown. [Figure 7] A pair of hollows contained within the base plate are shown. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery pack of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pack case included in a battery pack according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. [Figure 11] 10 shows a cooling water supply pipe connected to the cooling pipe inlet of the pack case of FIG. [Figure 12] The cooling tube inlets and open holes included in the base plate are shown. [Figure 13] 1 shows a plurality of hollow holes contained within a base plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Before that, the terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that are consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to best describe his own invention.

[0024] Therefore, the embodiment described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of this application.

[0025] In addition, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related publicly known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0026] Since the embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, the shapes and sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or illustrated roughly for clearer explanation. Therefore, the sizes and proportions of each component do not completely reflect the actual sizes and proportions.

[0027] The present invention relates to a battery pack that houses a battery module, and the battery pack of the present invention is characterized in that when thermal runaway occurs in the housed battery module, the battery pack can rapidly cool the battery module by vaporizing a vaporized gas filled at high pressure.

[0028] The battery pack of the present invention includes a pack case including a module area in which a battery module is mounted, and an upper cover coupled to the pack case to cover an upper portion of the mounted battery module.

[0029] 3 to 7 relate to a battery pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 8 to 11 relate to a battery pack according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Hereinafter, embodiments of the battery pack of the present invention will be described with reference to the above drawings.

[0031] (First embodiment) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pack case 1000 included in the battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG.

[0032] The pack case 1000 of the present invention includes a base plate 100 and a side wall 200, as shown in FIG.

[0033] The base plate 100 supports the lower portion of the battery module M mounted in the pack case 1000, and has a hollow shape 110 with an inside space.

[0034] The battery pack of the present invention may include a cooling pipe 130 through which cooling water flows from the outside in order to continuously cool the pack case 1000 in which the battery module M is mounted by suppressing an increase in temperature. The cooling pipe 130 is included in the base plate 100 in which the battery module M is mounted.

[0035] The cooling tube 130 is contained within the hollow 110 of the base plate 100 .

[0036] More specifically, the cooling pipes 130 are formed to extend along a longitudinal direction d1 of the pack case 1000 and are spaced apart at predetermined intervals along a width direction d2 of the pack case 1000.

[0037] One side of the base plate 100 includes a cooling pipe inlet 131 into which cooling water supplied from the outside flows, and the cooling pipe inlet 131 is formed corresponding to the position of the cooling pipe 130 so as to communicate with each cooling pipe 130.

[0038] Fig. 5 shows a cooling water supply pipe 300 connected to the cooling pipe inlet 131 of the pack case 1000 of Fig. 3. Specifically, a connecting member 310 inserted into the cooling pipe inlet 131 may be attached to an end of the cooling water supply pipe 300 so that cooling water can be supplied to each cooling pipe inlet 131. The connecting member 310 connects the cooling water supply pipe 300 and the cooling pipe inlet 131 so that the cooling water supply pipe 300 and the cooling pipe 130 communicate with each other.

[0039] Therefore, the cooling water flowing in from the outside can flow through the cooling pipe 130 to cool the battery module M mounted on the upper part of the base plate 100.

[0040] The side wall 200 is coupled along an edge of the base plate 100 to support sides of all the battery modules M mounted in the module area A of the pack case 1000. Therefore, the side wall 200 can protect the accommodated battery modules M from an external impact applied to the side of the battery pack.

[0041] The pack case 1000 of the present invention may further include a main partition formed across the center and coupled to the base plate 100 .

[0042] The module areas A may be formed at symmetrical positions on both sides of the main partition wall, and a plurality of module areas A may be formed on each side of the main partition wall. The battery modules M accommodated in the battery pack of the present invention may be seated in a row along the longitudinal direction d1 of the pack case 1000 on both sides of the main partition wall.

[0043] The battery pack of the present invention is characterized in that not only the cooling pipe 130 is located inside the hollow 110 of the base plate 100, but also the hollow 110 is filled with vaporized gas.

[0044] 4, a cooling pipe 130 may be installed inside the hollow 110 of the base plate 100, and a vaporized gas may be filled at high pressure in the space excluding the cooling pipe 130. At this time, it is preferable that the pressure is applied to a degree that the vaporized gas can be liquefied, and the vaporized gas is filled in a liquid state inside the hollow 110 of the base plate 100.

[0045] The vaporized gas preferably includes a gas that is in a gaseous state at room temperature, and more preferably includes carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0046] The vaporized gas filled inside the hollow 110 in the liquid state can be discharged to the outside when an event occurs in the battery module M housed in the battery pack. For example, when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module M, high-temperature gas is generated and the temperature of the entire battery pack rises, the vaporized gas filled in the liquid state is discharged to the outside and absorbs heat of the battery pack. Due to the above-mentioned heat absorption phenomenon, the battery pack of the present invention can be rapidly cooled in the thermal runaway situation of the housed battery module M.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, one side of the base plate 100 further includes an open hole 112 that is opened to communicate with the inside of the hollow 110 together with the cooling pipe inlet 131 .

[0048] The open hole 112 may be an inlet for filling the vaporized gas and an outlet for discharging the filled vaporized gas. A sealing member 140 for sealing the filled vaporized gas at high pressure may be coupled to the open hole 112.

[0049] FIG. 6 shows the cooling pipe inlet 131 and the open hole 112 included in the base plate 100, and the sealing member 140 is coupled to the open hole 112 without any gaps as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, and seals the vaporized gas filled in the internal hollow 110 communicating with the open hole 112.

[0050] The sealing member 140 is removed when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module M housed in the battery pack.

[0051] The battery pack of the present invention includes a detection sensor (not shown) inside the pack case 1000, and the detection sensor detects an event such as a thermal runaway phenomenon of the battery module M.

[0052] The above-mentioned detection sensor is preferably provided inside the pack case 1000, and more specifically, is provided within the module area A of the pack case 1000.

[0053] The battery pack of the present invention may be rapidly cooled by removing the sealing member 140 coupled to the open hole 112 of the base plate 100 at the same time that the detection sensor detects an event.

[0054] The detection sensor includes at least one of a temperature detection sensor that detects a change in temperature inside the module area A, a gas detection sensor that detects a gas generated inside the module area A, and a pressure detection sensor that detects a change in pressure inside the module area A.

[0055] The sealing member 140 may burst or fly out of the opening hole 112 upon sensing the pressure sensor, and may be separated.

[0056] Therefore, when the sealing member 140 is removed, the vaporized gas filled in a liquid state due to high pressure is discharged through the open holes 112, and heat absorption occurs in all areas of the base plate 100.

[0057] The hollows 110 may be formed in pairs, one on each side of the center of the base plate 100 .

[0058] FIG. 7 shows a pair of cavities 110 contained within the base plate 100 .

[0059] 7, the hollow 110 is composed of a first hollow 110a formed on one side of the main partition wall inside the base plate 100 and a second hollow 110b formed on the other side of the main partition wall. Therefore, the vaporized gas can be filled into the first hollow 110a located on one side of the base plate 100 and the second hollow 110b located on the other side.

[0060] Each of the hollows 110 may be connected to at least one open hole 112 .

[0061] The hollow 110 included in the battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention is formed as a space on one side of the center of the base plate 100, and the filled vaporized gas is released by removing the sealing member 140 that seals the open hole 112 communicating with the hollow 110.

[0062] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack of the present invention, showing a partial cross section of the battery pack cut along the longitudinal direction d1 of pack case 1000.

[0063] The arrows in FIG. 8 indicate the direction in which the vaporized gas in liquid state moves and is released when the sealing member 140 of the open hole 112 is removed.

[0064] The vaporized gas is discharged in the direction shown in FIG. 8, and can rapidly cool the module area A located at the top of the hollow 110 and the battery module M seated in the module area A.

[0065] The upper cover 400 of the present invention corresponds to a known technique, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] Second embodiment In the battery pack of the present invention, the hollows 110 inside the base plate 100 may be separated into a plurality of parts so as to be independent from each other, and each separated hollow 110 may have an open hole 112 that communicates with each other.

[0067] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a pack case 1000 included in a battery pack according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 shows a cooling water supply pipe 300 connected to a cooling pipe inlet 131 of the pack case 1000 of FIG. 9.

[0068] The pack case 1000 of the present invention includes a base plate 100 and a side wall 200, as shown in FIG.

[0069] The base plate 100 supports the lower portion of the battery module M mounted in the pack case 1000, and has a hollow shape 110 with an inside space.

[0070] The battery pack of the present invention may include a cooling pipe 130 through which cooling water flows from the outside in order to continuously cool the pack case 1000 in which the battery module M is mounted by suppressing an increase in temperature. The cooling pipe 130 is included in the base plate 100 in which the battery module M is mounted.

[0071] The cooling tube 130 is contained within the hollow 110 of the base plate 100 .

[0072] More specifically, the cooling pipes 130 are formed to extend along a longitudinal direction d1 of the pack case 1000 and are spaced apart at predetermined intervals along a width direction d2 of the pack case 1000.

[0073] One side of the base plate 100 includes a cooling pipe inlet 131 into which cooling water supplied from the outside flows, and the cooling pipe inlet 131 is formed corresponding to the position of the cooling pipe 130 so as to communicate with each cooling pipe 130.

[0074] A connecting member 310 may be attached to an end of the cooling water supply pipe 300, which is inserted into the cooling pipe inlets 131 so as to supply cooling water to each cooling pipe inlet 131. The connecting member 310 connects the cooling water supply pipe 300 and the cooling pipe inlets 131 so that the cooling water supply pipe 300 and the cooling pipe 130 communicate with each other.

[0075] Therefore, the cooling water flowing in from the outside can flow through the cooling pipe 130 to cool the battery module M mounted on the upper part of the base plate 100.

[0076] The side wall 200 is coupled along an edge of the base plate 100 to support sides of all the battery modules M mounted in the module area A of the pack case 1000. Therefore, the side wall 200 can protect the accommodated battery modules M from an external impact applied to the side of the battery pack.

[0077] The pack case 1000 of the present invention may further include a main partition formed across the center and coupled to the base plate 100 .

[0078] The module areas A may be formed at symmetrical positions on both sides of the main partition wall, and a plurality of module areas A may be formed on each side of the main partition wall. The battery modules M accommodated in the battery pack of the present invention may be seated in a row along the longitudinal direction d1 of the pack case 1000 on both sides of the main partition wall.

[0079] In the battery pack of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10, not only is a cooling pipe 130 located inside a hollow 110 of a base plate 100, but the hollow 110 is also filled with a vaporized gas.

[0080] 10, a cooling pipe 130 may be installed inside the hollow 110 of the base plate 100, and a vaporized gas may be filled at high pressure in the space excluding the cooling pipe 130. At this time, it is preferable that the pressure is applied to a degree that the vaporized gas can be liquefied, and the vaporized gas is filled in a liquid state inside the hollow 110 of the base plate 100.

[0081] The vaporized gas preferably includes a gas that is in a gaseous state at room temperature, and more preferably includes carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0082] The vaporized gas filled inside the hollow 110 in the liquid state can be discharged to the outside when an event occurs in the battery module M housed in the battery pack. For example, when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module M, high-temperature gas is generated and the temperature of the entire battery pack rises, the vaporized gas filled in the liquid state is discharged to the outside and absorbs heat of the battery pack. Due to the above-mentioned heat absorption phenomenon, the battery pack of the present invention can be rapidly cooled in the thermal runaway situation of the housed battery module M.

[0083] As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, one side of the base plate 100 further includes an open hole 112 that is opened to communicate with the inside of the hollow 110 together with the cooling pipe inlet 131 .

[0084] The open hole 112 may be an inlet for filling the vaporized gas and an outlet for discharging the filled vaporized gas. A sealing member 140 for sealing the filled vaporized gas at high pressure may be coupled to the open hole 112.

[0085] FIG. 12 shows the cooling pipe inlet 131 and the open hole 112 included in the base plate 100, and the sealing member 140 is coupled to the open hole 112 without any gaps as shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, and seals the vaporized gas filled in the internal hollow 110 communicating with the open hole 112.

[0086] The sealing member 140 is removed when thermal runaway occurs in the battery module M housed in the battery pack.

[0087] The battery pack of the present invention includes a detection sensor (not shown) inside the pack case 1000, and the detection sensor detects an event such as a thermal runaway phenomenon of the battery module M.

[0088] The above-mentioned detection sensor is preferably provided inside the pack case 1000, and more specifically, is provided within the module area A of the pack case 1000.

[0089] The battery pack of the present invention may be rapidly cooled by removing the sealing member 140 coupled to the open hole 112 of the base plate 100 at the same time that the detection sensor detects an event.

[0090] The detection sensor includes at least one of a temperature detection sensor that detects a change in temperature inside the module area A, a gas detection sensor that detects a gas generated inside the module area A, and a pressure detection sensor that detects a change in pressure inside the module area A.

[0091] The sealing member 140 may burst or fly out of the opening hole 112 upon sensing the pressure sensor, and may be separated.

[0092] Therefore, when the sealing member 140 is removed, the vaporized gas filled in a liquid state due to high pressure is discharged through the open holes 112, and heat absorption occurs in all areas of the base plate 100.

[0093] In particular, the battery pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a plurality of partition walls 120 that partition a hollow 110 inside the base plate 100 in the width direction d2 of the pack case 1000, and includes a plurality of hollow holes 111 formed by partitioning the partition walls 120.

[0094] The separation wall 120 can be disposed at the cooling pipe position and between a pair of cooling pipes 130 formed adjacent to each other, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, to partition the hollow 110 space.

[0095] FIG. 13 shows a number of hollow holes 111 contained within the base plate 100 .

[0096] The hollow holes 111 are formed at predetermined intervals as shown in Fig. 13. More specifically, the hollow holes 111 included in the battery pack according to the second embodiment are formed by repartitioning the insides of the first hollow 110a and the second hollow 110b included in the battery pack according to the first embodiment with a plurality of partition walls 120, and one hollow hole 111 may have one corresponding open hole 112, and each open hole 112 may be coupled with a sealing member 140 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

[0097] Therefore, the battery pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of hollow holes 111 filled with vaporized gas, and by selectively removing the sealing members 140 corresponding to the hollow holes 111, it is possible to rapidly cool more compact areas.

[0098] The present invention has been described in more detail above with reference to the drawings and embodiments, etc. However, the configurations described in the drawings or embodiments, etc. in this specification are merely one embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 10: (Conventional technology) Battery pack 20: (Prior Art) Top Cover 30: (Prior Art) Sidewall 40: (Prior Art) Cooling water supply pipe 50: (Conventional technology) Cooling pipe inlet 1000: Pack case 100: Base plate 110:Hollow 110a: 1st hollow 110b: 2nd hollow 111: Hollow Hall 112: Open Hall 120: Separation wall 130: Cooling pipe 131: Cooling pipe inlet 140: Sealing member 200: Side wall 300: Cooling water supply pipe 310: Connecting member 400: Top cover A: Module area M: Battery module d1: Longitudinal direction d2: Width direction

Claims

1. A battery pack housing a battery module, a pack case including a module area in which a battery module is mounted, The pack case includes: A base plate having a hollow shape with an open interior; a sidewall coupled along an edge of the base plate; The base plate is A battery pack in which high-pressure vaporized gas is filled inside the hollow shape.

2. The base plate is an open hole communicating with the interior of the hollow shape; The battery pack of claim 1 , further comprising: a sealing member coupled to an inlet of the open hole to seal the interior of the hollow shape.

3. The battery pack includes at least one of a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, and a pressure sensor inside the pack case, The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein the sealing member is removed from the open hole upon detection by the detection sensor.

4. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein the open hole is formed in a side surface of the base plate.

5. The base plate is a plurality of partition walls formed to extend along a longitudinal direction of the pack case in the hollow interior, the partition walls being spaced apart along a width direction of the pack case and coupled to the base plate so as to partition the hollow interior; a plurality of hollow holes formed by being partitioned by the partition walls; The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein the open holes are formed at positions communicating with the respective hollow holes.

6. the pack case further includes a main partition wall formed across a center portion and coupled to the base plate, The module regions are formed at positions symmetrical to each other on both sides of the main partition wall, 2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the hollow interior comprises a first cavity formed on one side of the main partition wall inside the base plate, and a second cavity formed on the other side of the main partition wall.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the vaporized gas is in a gaseous state at room temperature.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the vaporized gas is filled in a liquid state in the hollow interior of the base plate.

9. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vaporized gas includes carbon dioxide.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the base plate includes a plurality of cooling pipes formed in a hollow interior thereof and extending along a longitudinal direction of the pack case.

Images