Improved safety of battery packs

Abstract

The present invention discloses a battery pack configured to ensure safety even when a thermal event occurs. The battery pack according to one aspect of the present invention includes a battery module having one or more battery cells, a control module connected to the battery module and configured to manage the battery module, and a fire extinguishing tank that stores a fire extinguishing agent and is coupled to at least one of the battery module and the control module.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to batteries, and more particularly to battery packs and the like that are configured to ensure safety even in the event of a thermal event.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0147382, filed on October 29, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety in the specification and drawings of that application. [Background technology]

[0003] Currently, commercial secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries. Of these, lithium secondary batteries are in the spotlight due to their advantages over nickel-based secondary batteries, such as almost no memory effect, freedom to charge and discharge, a very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0004] Such lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as positive and negative active materials, respectively, and include an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, each coated with a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, are arranged with a separator sandwiched therebetween, and an exterior material, i.e., a battery case, that seals and houses the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte.

[0005] Depending on the shape of the exterior material, lithium secondary batteries can be divided into can-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a metal can, and pouch-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet.

[0006] Such secondary batteries are widely used not only in small devices such as portable electronic devices but also in medium and large devices such as automobiles and energy storage systems (ESS), and their usage is rapidly increasing. Furthermore, residential energy storage systems have been widely used recently to store and supply power for use in buildings such as houses and buildings. The core component of such residential energy storage systems is the battery pack.

[0007] Various battery packs, including battery packs used in residential ESSs, include multiple battery cells (secondary batteries) to increase capacity and / or output. In particular, to increase the energy density of the battery pack, the multiple battery cells are often densely arranged in a very small space.

[0008] In such a battery pack configuration, one of the most important issues is safety. In particular, when a thermal event occurs in one of the battery cells included in the battery pack, it is necessary to suppress the propagation of the event to other battery cells. Furthermore, a battery cell in which thermal runaway or the like occurs may emit vent gas, which may cause thermal runaway or the like in other battery cells, resulting in thermal propagation.

[0009] In addition, a plurality of battery cells included in the battery pack may be grouped into two or more battery modules, and in this case, it is necessary to suppress the propagation of thermal runaway generated in a specific battery module to other battery modules.

[0010] If the heat transfer between battery cells or battery modules is not properly suppressed, a thermal event may spread to all of the battery cells or all of the battery modules included in the battery pack, causing larger problems such as a fire or explosion of the entire battery pack. Furthermore, a fire or explosion in the battery pack may cause damage to the lives and property of the surrounding people. In particular, in the case of a battery pack for use in a home, if a fire or explosion occurs, it may endanger the safety of the people living in the home and may spread to a fire in the home, causing significant damage. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a battery pack or the like having an improved structure for appropriately controlling thermal events that occur internally.

[0012] However, the technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to the problems described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention below. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, a battery pack according to one aspect of the present invention includes a battery module having one or more battery cells, a control module connected to the battery module and configured to manage the battery module, and a fire extinguishing tank for storing a fire extinguishing agent and coupled to at least one of the battery module and the control module.

[0014] Here, the fire extinguishing tank may be provided between the battery module and the control module.

[0015] In addition, the control module may be configured to be detachable from at least one side of the battery module.

[0016] The fire tank may further include tank fastening parts at an upper end and a lower end, the tank fastening parts being configured to be connectable to the control module and the battery module, respectively.

[0017] The fire extinguisher tank may also include a connection member that electrically connects the battery module and the control module.

[0018] Also, the fire extinguishing tank may be located above the battery module and configured so that the fire extinguishing agent falls freely toward the battery module.

[0019] The fire extinguishing agent may include at least one of antifreeze, salt water, and insulating oil.

[0020] The fire extinguishing tank may further include a rupturable member configured to be rupturable under a predetermined condition and to allow the extinguishing agent to flow out when ruptured.

[0021] Also, the rupture member may be embodied as a glass bulb.

[0022] Also, the battery module may have an opening formed therein to communicate with an internal space, and the rupture member may be configured such that at least a portion of the rupture member is inserted into the opening of the battery module.

[0023] In addition, the fire tank may be formed with a vent path through which the discharged vent gas moves when the vent gas is discharged from the opening.

[0024] Also, the battery pack may include two or more battery modules, and the fire extinguishing tank may be configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent to be separately dispensed into each of the two or more battery modules.

[0025] In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, an energy storage system includes a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery pack with improved safety can be provided.

[0027] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, even if a thermal event occurs inside the battery pack, the thermal event can be quickly controlled.

[0028] Furthermore, if vent gas or the like is generated in some of the battery cells among the multiple battery cells included in the battery pack due to thermal runaway or the like, the temperature of the battery cell can be quickly reduced by injecting a fire extinguishing agent.

[0029] Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the spread of thermal runaway or fire to other battery cells or other battery modules due to heat or vent gas.

[0030] According to one aspect of the present invention, even if a fire occurs inside the battery pack, a fire extinguishing agent, for example, a liquid fire extinguishing agent, can be injected to immediately extinguish the fire.

[0031] Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent or reduce personal and property damage caused by the spread of fire.

[0032] In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to stably ensure the fire suppression performance of the fire extinguishing agent even when used under various external environments such as temperature, humidity, etc. For example, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the fire extinguishing liquid is not easily frozen even when exposed to sub-zero temperatures for a long period of time, so that the battery pack can be installed and used outdoors.

[0033] Therefore, this aspect of the present invention can be advantageously applied to battery packs used outdoors, particularly battery packs for residential use.

[0034] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a battery pack including multiple battery modules, if a thermal event occurs in a specific battery module, a fire extinguishing agent can be injected only into that battery module.

[0035] Therefore, according to this aspect of the present invention, it is possible to centrally and effectively control a battery module in which an event has occurred among a plurality of battery modules, and it is also possible to continuously use a battery module in which no event has occurred, thereby enabling a continuous power supply above a certain level.

[0036] In addition, various additional effects may be achieved by various embodiments of the present invention. Such various effects of the present invention will be described in detail in each embodiment, and the description of the effects that can be easily understood by a person skilled in the art will be omitted.

[0037] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to further understand the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to only the matters described in the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the configuration of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration in which a fire extinguishing tank is removed from a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration in which a fire tank is assembled in the battery pack configuration of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a control module according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a fire extinguishing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a fire extinguishing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a portion of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is an enlarged front view of a partial cross-sectional configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a top view of a partial cross-sectional configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a side view illustrating a schematic cross-sectional configuration of a portion of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, 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 having meanings and concepts according to the technical ideas of the present invention, in accordance with the principle that the inventor himself can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe the invention.

[0040] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown 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 that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can be substituted for them at the time of this application.

[0041] In addition, although terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are used in this specification, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art of the present invention that such terms indicate relative positions and are used only for convenience of explanation, and may change depending on the position of the target object, the position of the observer, etc.

[0042] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the configuration of FIG.

[0043] 1 and 2, a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery module 100, a control module 200, and a fire extinguishing tank 300.

[0044] The battery module 100 may include one or more battery cells. Here, each battery cell may refer to a secondary battery. The secondary battery may include an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, and a battery case. Furthermore, the battery cells included in the battery module 100 may be pouch-type secondary batteries. However, other types of secondary batteries, for example, cylindrical batteries and prismatic batteries, may also be used in the battery module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Also, the battery module 100 may include a module case for accommodating the battery cells. In particular, the module case may have a space therein and accommodate a plurality of battery cells in the space. For example, as shown in FIG 1, the module case may be formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and configured to stand in a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the ground.

[0046] The control module 200 may control the overall operation of the battery pack. In particular, the control module 200 may be electrically connected to the battery module 100. The control module 200 may be configured to manage the battery module 100. In particular, the control module 200 may be configured to control a charging operation or a discharging operation of the battery module 100. The control module 200 may be configured to measure, calculate, receive, or control various electrical, physical, and chemical characteristics of the battery module 100, the battery cells included therein, or the surrounding environment. For example, the control module 200 may measure, calculate, or control the voltage, current, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), SOH (State Of Health), and internal resistance of the battery cells or the battery module 100.

[0047] The control module 200 may be supplied with operating power from the battery module 100 in order to manage the battery module 100. In addition, the control module 200 may exchange various data with the battery module 100 or other external devices through a wired or wireless communication network.

[0048] The control module 200 may include various electrical components such as a BMS (Battery Management System), a relay, a current sensor, etc. The control module 200 may also include a control housing for accommodating such electrical components.

[0049] The control module 200 may also include a pack terminal. Such a pack terminal may be configured to connect the battery pack to an external charging device or discharging device. For example, the pack terminal may include an outlet, plug, connector, or the like for connecting to a utility power source or a load. In this case, the control module 200 may include a power supply path for transmitting and receiving a charging power source and a discharging power source to and from the battery module 100. Such a power supply path may function as a path for transmitting and receiving a charging and discharging power source between the pack terminal and the battery module 100.

[0050] The fire extinguishing tank 300 may store a fire extinguishing agent. Here, various materials that suppress or suppress a fire or lower a temperature may be used as the fire extinguishing agent. Also, the fire extinguishing tank 300 may include a tank housing for storing the fire extinguishing agent in an internal space.

[0051] The fire tank 300 may be coupled to at least one of the battery module 100 and the control module 200. For example, the fire tank 300 may be coupled to the battery module 100. Also, the fire tank 300 may be coupled to the control module 200.

[0052] In particular, the fire tank 300 may be configured to be detachable. For example, a tank housing of the fire tank 300 may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from a module case of the battery module 100. In addition, the tank housing of the fire tank 300 may be configured to be attachable to and detachable from a control housing of the control module 200.

[0053] According to this embodiment of the present invention, the fire extinguishing tank 300 is attached to the battery pack including the battery module 100 and the control module 200, thereby significantly improving safety. In particular, if an abnormal situation occurs in the battery pack, for example, if thermal runaway occurs inside the battery module 100 or if a fire occurs in the battery module 100 or the control module 200, the fire can be suppressed or extinguished by the fire extinguishing agent. In addition, the temperature of the battery module 100 or the control module 200 can be lowered to prevent thermal runaway or overheating. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase in the risk of fire or other damage to other parts outside the battery pack due to an abnormal situation such as a fire or overheating situation in the battery pack.

[0054] The fire tank 300 may be installed between the battery module 100 and the control module 200. In particular, the battery module 100 may be located below the control module 200. In this case, the fire tank 300 may be located above the battery module 100 and below the control module 200.

[0055] According to such an embodiment of the present invention, in a battery pack including the battery module 100 and the control module 200, the fire extinguishing tank 300 may be disposed adjacent to both the battery module 100 and the control module 200. This allows for a rapid and effective response when a thermal event occurs in the battery module 100 and the control module 200.

[0056] Here, the control module 200 may be configured to be detachable from at least one side of the battery module 100. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

[0057] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration in which the fire tank 300 is removed from the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a view showing a configuration in which the fire tank 300 is assembled to the battery pack configuration of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view showing a configuration of the control module 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] 3, unlike the configuration shown in FIG 1, the fire tank 300 may not be interposed between the control module 200 and the battery module 100. Furthermore, the control module 200 may be directly mounted on the top of the battery module 100 without the fire tank 300 located below. Furthermore, the control module 200 may be configured to be detachable after being mounted on the top of the battery module 100.

[0059] To this end, the battery module 100 and the control module 200 may be provided with configurations for electrically and mechanically coupling to each other.

[0060] For example, the battery module 100 may have a module connector for electrical connection provided at its upper portion, as indicated by E1 in FIG. 4. And the control module 200 may have a control connector provided at its lower portion, as indicated by E2 in FIG. 5. In this case, the control connector E2 may be configured to be directly connectable to the module connector E1. In particular, the module connector E1 and the control connector E2 may be electrically connected to each other, and may transmit charging / discharging power, electrical signals (data), and the like. In particular, the battery module 100 and the control module 200 may each have a power connector for transmitting and receiving charging / discharging power, and a communication connector for transmitting and receiving electrical signals, which are separately provided.

[0061] Also, the battery module 100 may have a module fastening part formed at an upper portion, as indicated by C1 in FIG. 4. And, the control module 200 may have a control fastening part formed at a lower portion, as indicated by C2 in FIG. 5. Here, the control fastening part C2 and the module fastening part C1 may be configured to be coupled and fixed to each other. For example, the module fastening part C1 and the control fastening part C2 may be configured to be coupled to each other by bolt fastening. And, by fastening or releasing the module fastening part C1 and the control fastening part C2, the control fastening part C2 may be directly attached to or separated from the module fastening part C1.

[0062] In this manner, the battery module 100 and the control module 200 may be configured to be directly coupled to each other mechanically and electrically. In particular, the control module 200 may be coupled to the battery module 100 in a plug-in manner in which the control module 200 is mounted on the battery module 100 and electrically connected to the battery module 100. However, in the case of a battery pack according to one aspect of the present invention, a fire extinguishing tank 300 may be interposed in the space between the battery module 100 and the control module 200, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4.

[0063] In particular, even if the battery pack is manufactured for use in the form shown in FIG. 3, the battery pack according to one aspect of the present invention may be embodied such that the fire extinguishing tank 300 is inserted and installed between the battery module 100 and the control module 200.

[0064] According to this embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to maximize the use of existing battery pack structures and production lines while ensuring safety by the fire tank 300. In particular, according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a battery pack configuration in which the battery module 100 and the control module 200 are directly mounted, the fire tank 300 is configured to be interposed between the battery module 100 and the control module 200, so that safety against thermal events can be ensured.

[0065] The fire tank 300 may be configured to be mechanically coupled to the battery module 100 and / or the control module 200. To this end, the fire tank 300 may include a tank fastening portion, which will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0066] 6 and 7 are perspective views each showing a top view and a bottom view of a fire tank 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional configuration taken along line A1-A1' in FIG. 1.

[0067] First, referring to FIG. 6, the fire tank 300 may have a tank fastening part for coupling to the control module 200 at its upper end, as indicated by C32. The tank fastening part C32 is a fastening part configuration provided on the tank housing of the fire tank 300, and may be configured to be coupled to the control module 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the control fastening part C2 is provided at the lower end of the control module 200, the tank fastening part C32 formed at the upper end of the fire tank 300 may be configured to be coupled to the control fastening part C2. More specifically, the upper tank fastening part C32 may be configured to be bolted to the control fastening part C2. For example, as indicated by A2 in FIG. 8, the upper tank fastening part C32 and the control fastening part C2 may be bolted to each other. The control module 200 and the fire tank 300 may be fixed to each other by bolting the control fastening part C2 to the upper tank fastening part C32.

[0068] In particular, as described in the above embodiment, the control module 200 may be provided so as to be directly mounted on the battery module 100. In this case, the control fastening part C2 may be originally configured to be coupled to the module fastening part C1 of the battery module 100. However, in a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, the tank fastening part C32 provided in the fire tank 300 may be configured so as to be coupled to the control fastening part C2. To this end, the tank fastening part C32 may have the same shape and horizontal position as the module fastening part C1. That is, the upper tank fastening part C32 may be configured to have compatibility with the control fastening part C2 to replace the module fastening part C1.

[0069] In addition, the fire tank 300 may have a tank fastening part at a lower end thereof for coupling with the battery module 100. For example, referring to Fig. 7, the tank fastening part may be provided at an edge of the lower end of the fire tank 300 as shown in C31 and configured to be coupled with the battery module 100. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, when a module fastening part C1 is formed at an upper end of the battery module 100, the tank fastening part C31 at the lower end of the fire tank 300 may be configured to be coupled with the module fastening part C1.

[0070] More specifically, the lower end tank fastening portion C31 may be configured to be bolted to the module fastening portion C1. For example, as shown by A2' in Fig. 8, the lower end tank fastening portion C31 and the module fastening portion C1 may be bolted to each other. The battery module 100 and the fire tank 300 may be fixed to each other by the bolting between the module fastening portion C1 and the lower end tank fastening portion C31.

[0071] Furthermore, as described in the above embodiment, the battery module 100 may be configured to be directly coupled to the control module 200. In this case, the module fastening part C1 may be originally configured to be coupled to the control fastening part C2 of the control module 200. However, in the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, the tank fastening part C31 provided in the fire tank 300 may have the same shape and horizontal position as the control fastening part C2 so that it can be coupled to the module fastening part C1. That is, the lower tank fastening part C31 may be configured to have compatibility to replace the control fastening part C2 with respect to the module fastening part C1.

[0072] According to this embodiment of the present invention, in a battery pack in which the battery module 100 and the control module 200 are directly coupled to each other, a configuration in which the fire tank 300 is assembled in the space between them can be easily realized. In particular, in this case, the fire tank 300 can be used interchangeably without changing the configurations of the conventional battery module 100 and control module 200.

[0073] In addition, in the case of a battery pack according to one aspect of the present invention, the battery module 100, the fire extinguishing tank 300 and the control module 200 may be configured to be stacked sequentially upward, and according to the above embodiment, such stacked state can be stably maintained.

[0074] Meanwhile, for stable connection and ease of assembly, the fire tank 300 may have various types of fasteners for mechanically connecting to the battery module 100 and / or the control module 200. For example, the fire tank 300 may be mechanically connected to the battery module 100 and / or the control module 200 in various ways, such as hook connection, insertion connection, rivet connection, etc.

[0075] 8, the fire tank 300 may include a connection member 330. Here, the connection member 330 is a component that electrically connects the battery module 100 and the control module 200. In particular, the connection member 330 may be configured to be interposed between a module connector E1 provided in the battery module 100 and a control connector E2 provided in the control module 200 and connect them. Furthermore, the connection member 330 may be coupled at both ends to the module connector E1 and the control connector E2, thereby transmitting charge / discharge power and / or electrical signals.

[0076] In a specific example, the connection member 330 may be configured in the form of a cable that extends long in one direction so that power or an electrical signal can be transferred. The connection member 330 may have tank connectors at both ends of the cable. For example, the connection member 330 may have a tank connector at its lower end, as shown by E31 in FIGS. 7 and 8. Such a lower end tank connector E31 may be connected to the module connector E1 of the battery module 100. The connection member 330 may also have a tank connector at its upper end, as shown by E32 in FIGS. 6 and 8. Such an upper end tank connector E32 may be connected to the control connector E2 of the control module 200.

[0077] The fire tank 300 may include an inner tank 310 and an outer tank 320, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 6, and FIG. 8. Here, the inner tank 310 may have a space therein and directly accommodate the extinguishing agent in the space. In particular, the inner tank 310 may be configured in a sealed form to accommodate the extinguishing agent. For example, the inner tank 310 may be configured to have an airtight performance of IP grade 55 or more so that the extinguishing liquid does not leak in a steady state. The outer tank 320 may be configured to be larger than the inner tank 310 and accommodate the inner tank 310 in the space therein. As a result, the fire tank 300 may be at least partially configured as a double tank.

[0078] Furthermore, the inner tank 310 and the outer tank 320 may be configured to be at least partially separated from each other. In particular, referring to the embodiment of Fig. 8, the inner tank 310 and the outer tank 320 may be configured to be at least partially separated from each other in the left-right direction. For example, a space may be formed between the side wall of the inner tank 310 and the side wall of the outer tank 320, as shown by A5.

[0079] In this case, the extinguishing agent can be stored more safely inside the fire tank 300. In particular, even if an impact is applied from the side of the fire tank 300, the impact transmission is mitigated by the dual structure of the external tank 320 and the internal tank 310 and the space formed therebetween. This prevents the fire tank 300, especially the internal tank 310, from being damaged by impact or vibration, thereby preventing abnormal leakage of the extinguishing agent.

[0080] In such an embodiment of the fire extinguishing tank 300, the connecting member 330 may be located in the space between the inner tank 310 and the outer tank 320. For example, in the embodiment of Fig. 8, a space may be formed between the right side wall of the inner tank 310 and the right side wall of the outer tank 320. The connecting member 330 may be located in this separated space. Also, a similar space may be formed between the left side wall of the inner tank 310 and the left side wall of the outer tank 320, and the connecting member 330 may be located therein.

[0081] According to this embodiment, the connection member 330 does not come into direct contact with the extinguishing agent inside the fire tank 300. This can prevent problems such as corrosion of the connection member 330 by the extinguishing agent or leakage of current.

[0082] 1 and 2, the fire tank 300 may be located on the upper part of the battery module 100. The fire extinguishing agent discharged from the fire tank 300 may be configured to freely fall toward the battery module 100.

[0083] That is, the fire extinguishing tank 300 can rapidly inject the extinguishing agent without requiring a separate power source to move the extinguishing agent to the battery module 100. For example, referring to the embodiment of FIG. 2, the extinguishing agent is injected to the battery module 100 as shown by the arrow A3, and this injection process can occur naturally by a free fall method. Therefore, according to this embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently control the thermal state of the battery cell whose temperature has increased due to thermal runaway or the like.

[0084] The extinguishing agent may include a liquid substance. That is, the extinguishing tank 300 may accommodate a liquid substance as an extinguishing agent in the inner space of the inner tank 310. For example, the extinguishing agent may be water, a mixture of water and one or more additives, or a liquid containing the same.

[0085] The liquid extinguishing agent can be easily injected into the battery module 100 located at the bottom by a free-fall method. In addition, the liquid extinguishing agent can lower the temperature of the battery module 100, which can be advantageous for suppressing a fire. In addition, in this configuration, the extinguishing liquid can quickly and smoothly flow into the inside of the battery module 100, particularly to the bottom of the module. In addition, since the extinguishing agent is in a liquid state, it is possible to suppress the inflow of oxygen into the inside of the battery module, particularly to a battery cell where a thermal event has occurred.

[0086] Furthermore, the extinguishing agent may include at least one of antifreeze liquid, salt water, and insulating oil. That is, the fire extinguishing tank 300 may store antifreeze liquid, salt water, and / or insulating oil as the extinguishing agent, or may further store other substances together with such liquid substances.

[0087] This embodiment may be advantageous for outdoor installation of the battery pack. In particular, the battery pack may be used outdoors in the case of a battery pack used in a residential ESS or an industrial ESS. In this case, when antifreeze, salt water, or insulating oil is used as the extinguishing agent as in the above embodiment, the extinguishing agent may not freeze even at low temperatures and may remain in a liquid state. This prevents a problem in which the extinguishing agent cannot be added to the battery module 100 due to freezing. In addition, this prevents a change in volume due to the external temperature, thereby preventing a problem in which the extinguishing tank 300 or the like freezes and breaks. Furthermore, in the case of insulating oil, the insulating oil may have insulation resistance performance even when added to the battery module 100. Therefore, this embodiment of the present invention may be advantageously applied to a residential battery pack or a residential energy storage system (ESS).

[0088] The fire extinguishing tank 300 may include a rupturable member 340. The rupturable member 340 may be ruptured under a predetermined condition, and may be configured to allow the extinguishing agent to flow out when ruptured.

[0089] For this purpose, the rupture member 340 may be configured to communicate with the internal space of the fire tank 300. In particular, when the fire tank 300 includes the internal tank 310 and the external tank 320, the rupture member 340 may be configured to communicate with the internal space of the internal tank 310. For example, the internal tank 310 may be formed in a substantially sealed form and may have an input hole formed therein. The input hole may be closed by inserting the rupture member 340 into the input hole. When the rupture member 340 ruptures, the input hole is opened, and the extinguishing agent stored in the internal tank 310 may be discharged to the outside.

[0090] The rupturable member 340 may be located at a lower portion of the fire tank 300. In this case, when the rupturable member 340 ruptures, the fire extinguishing agent may be more smoothly injected toward the battery module 100. In particular, the fire extinguishing agent may be injected into the battery module 100 in a free fall manner.

[0091] At least one rupture member 340 may be provided in one fire tank 300. For example, as shown in FIG.

[0092] In addition, the rupture member 340 may be configured to rupture according to conditions such as temperature, pressure, etc. For example, the rupture member 340 may be configured to rupture when the temperature exceeds a certain level and / or the pressure exceeds a certain level.

[0093] In particular, the rupture member 340 may be configured to be rupturable by vent gas. That is, when a thermal event such as thermal runaway occurs in the battery module 100, vent gas may be generated and discharged from the battery module 100. In this case, the rupture member 340 may be configured to be ruptured by the heat or pressure of the vent gas.

[0094] The rupture member 340 may be embodied as a glass bulb. For example, an input hole may be formed in the fire tank 300, and the glass bulb may be inserted and fastened into the input hole. The glass bulb may be ruptured when it comes into contact with the vent gas, so that the extinguishing agent inside the fire tank 300 may be sprayed to the outside, particularly to the battery module 100.

[0095] According to this embodiment, the fire tank 300 is simply configured, and the configuration for injecting the fire extinguishing agent into the battery module 100 can be more smoothly performed. Also, according to this embodiment, the configuration for rupturing the rupture member 340 by the vent gas generated from the battery module 100 can be more easily provided.

[0096] In addition, the rupturable member 340 may be implemented in various materials or shapes that can be ruptured by a change in conditions such as heat, pressure, etc. For example, the rupturable member 340 may be implemented in the form of a vinyl material or an injection molding.

[0097] The battery module 100 may have an opening formed therein to communicate with an internal space thereof. For example, as shown by O1 in Fig. 2, the battery module 100 may have an opening formed at an upper end thereof. The opening O1 may communicate with an internal space of a module case in which a battery cell is located.

[0098] Here, the rupture member 340 may be configured to be at least partially inserted into the opening O1 of the battery module 100. For example, as shown by A4 and A4' in FIG. 8, the rupture member 340 may be inserted into the internal space of the battery module 100 through the opening O1.

[0099] According to this embodiment of the present invention, the extinguishing agent can flow into the internal space of the battery module 100. This makes it possible to more effectively respond to a thermal event that occurs inside the battery module 100, such as thermal runaway, gas emission, or fire. Furthermore, the internal space of the battery module 100 may include battery cells that are directly subject to a thermal event. Thus, according to this embodiment, the extinguishing agent is directly injected into the battery cells, which is more advantageous in suppressing or preventing fires and the like.

[0100] Also, according to this embodiment of the present invention, the rupture member 340 such as a glass bulb can react to the vent gas more quickly. That is, when the vent gas is generated in the internal space of the battery module 100, the vent gas can be discharged to the outside of the battery module 100 through the opening O1. In other words, the opening O1 can serve as an outlet for the vent gas in the battery module 100. Furthermore, when the opening O1 is located on the upper side of the battery module 100, a large amount of the vent gas can be discharged to the opening O1 located on the upper side.

[0101] In this case, if the glass bulb is located in the area where the vent gas is discharged, the glass bulb can burst quickly when the vent gas is generated. Therefore, when a thermal event occurs, the extinguishing agent can be injected more quickly. In addition, in this case, the extinguishing agent is directly injected into the discharged vent gas, so that the temperature of the vent gas can be lowered and the emission of external ignition sources such as flames and sparks contained in the vent gas can be suppressed.

[0102] Meanwhile, the opening O1 formed in the battery module 100 does not necessarily have to be provided for the purpose of discharging vent gas, etc. For example, the opening O1 prepared at the upper end of the battery module 100 shown in FIG. 2 and the like may be provided for the purpose of transporting the battery module 100. That is, the opening O1 may be configured to provide a space into which an operator or a transport device can insert a finger or a gripping tool to grip the battery module 100 when transporting the battery module 100. Alternatively, the opening O1 may be provided as a configuration for inserting the control module 200 or the fire extinguishing tank 300.

[0103] A vent path configured to allow the vent gas to move may be formed in the fire tank 300. That is, when the vent gas is discharged from the opening O1 of the battery module 100, a vent path may be formed inside and / or outside the fire tank 300 so that the vent gas is discharged to a specific portion. Such a vent path may be formed in the fire tank 300 alone or together with other components. This will be described further with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 in addition to FIG. 8.

[0104] Fig. 9 is an enlarged front view of a cross-sectional configuration of a part of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, Fig. 9 can be said to be an enlarged view of part A4 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a top view of a cross-sectional configuration of a part of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A6-A6' of Fig. 1.

[0105] First, referring to FIG. 9, when the fire tank 300 is mounted on the upper part of the battery module 100, the fire tank 300 and the battery module 100 may be configured to be partially separated from each other. The separated space may communicate with the opening O1 of the battery module 100 and function as a vent path. For example, as shown by A7 in FIG. 9, a space may be formed between the upper end of the battery module 100 and the lower end of the fire tank 300. The vent gas discharged from the opening O1 may be discharged to the outside through the separated space A7 between the battery module 100 and the fire tank 300 as shown by an arrow A8. That is, in this embodiment, the separated space A7 between the battery module 100 and the fire tank 300 may be provided as a vent path. The vent path formed between the battery module 100 and the fire tank 300 may be connected to the outside of the battery pack, and the vent gas inside the battery pack may be discharged to the outside.

[0106] Also, the vent path may be formed inside the fire tank 300. In particular, when the fire tank 300 includes the internal tank 310 and the external tank 320, a space may be formed between the internal tank 310 and the external tank 320. For example, as shown by A5 in Fig. 8, the internal tank 310 and the external tank 320 may be separated from each other, and the separated space may function as the vent path.

[0107] The separated space A5 between the internal tank 310 and the external tank 320 may be in communication with the opening O1 of the battery module 100. In addition, a vent path formed between the internal tank 310 and the external tank 320 may be connected to the outside of the battery pack, so that vent gas inside the battery pack may be discharged to the outside.

[0108] In addition, a vent path may be formed between the fire tank 300 and the battery module 100 as shown by A8 in Fig. 9, and between the external tank 320 and the internal tank 310 as shown by A5 in Fig. 8. Such vent paths may communicate with each other and be connected to the opening O1 and the external space.

[0109] In this embodiment, the vent gas discharged from the inside of the battery module 100 toward the opening O1 may rupture the rupture member 340, for example, a glass bulb, located at the opening O1, so that the extinguishing agent may flow into the inside of the battery module 100. Then, as shown by arrows A9 and A9' in FIG. 10, the vent gas may be discharged to the outside of the battery module 100 through the space between the fire tank 300 and the battery module 100 and the vent path formed between the external tank 320 and the internal tank 310. More specifically, referring to the embodiment of FIG. 10, the vent gas may move left and right (X-axis direction) in the internal space of the fire tank 300 and further move rearward (+Y-axis direction) to be discharged to the outside of the battery pack. In this case, the outlet of the vent path in the battery pack may be located at the rear of the battery pack.

[0110] According to this embodiment, a vent gas discharge configuration is provided by the fire extinguishing tank 300 attached to the battery module 100, so that the vent gas inside the battery module 100 can be smoothly discharged to the outside, thereby preventing explosions due to an increase in internal pressure of the battery module 100.

[0111] Also, according to this embodiment, the direction of the vent gas discharged from the battery module 100 can be effectively controlled by the fire tank 300. In particular, in this embodiment, the vent gas can be guided to flow toward the rupture member 340. This allows the rupture member 340 to rupture quickly when the vent gas is generated. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vent gas can move toward the rear side of the battery pack as shown in FIG. 10. This prevents the user and other components located at the front side of the battery pack from being directly exposed to the vent gas.

[0112] The battery pack may include two or more battery modules 100. In this case, the fire extinguishing tank 300 may be configured to separately supply fire extinguishing agents to each of the two or more battery modules 100. This will be described in detail with further reference to FIG.

[0113] 11 is a side view showing a schematic cross-sectional configuration of a portion of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a cross-sectional view taken along line A10-A10' in FIG.

[0114] 11, the battery pack may include two or more battery modules 100. The fire tank 300 may be configured to be assembled to the two or more battery modules 100. In this case, the fire tank 300 may include at least two rupture members 340, which may be spaced apart from each other in the stacking direction of the battery modules 100. The rupture members 340 may be inserted into the openings O1 of the different battery modules 100, respectively. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 11, the first glass bulb G1 may be inserted into the opening O1 of the first module M1, and the second glass bulb G2 may be inserted into the opening O1 of the second module M2.

[0115] In this configuration, each glass bulb G1, G2 can supply extinguishing agent to different battery modules 100 (M1, M2). For example, when vent gas or flame is generated from the first module M1, the first glass bulb G1 can be broken and the extinguishing agent of the fire tank 300 can be supplied into the inside of the first module M1 as shown by the arrow D1. In another example, when vent gas or flame is generated from the second module M2, the second glass bulb G2 can be broken and the extinguishing agent of the fire tank 300 can be supplied into the inside of the second module M2 as shown by the arrow D2.

[0116] According to such an embodiment of the present invention, in a battery pack including a plurality of battery modules 100, it is possible to directly inject an extinguishing agent into each battery module 100. In particular, according to the embodiment, it is possible to inject an extinguishing agent into only the battery module 100 in which a thermal event has occurred. As a result, it is possible to enable subsequent operation of the other battery modules 100 to which the extinguishing agent has not been injected. For example, when a thermal event occurs in the first module M1, the first glass bulb G1 may burst and an extinguishing agent may be injected only into the first module M1. In this case, the second glass bulb G2 is not burst and an extinguishing agent is not injected into the second module M2, so that the second module M2 can be used continuously. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem in which the entire battery pack is wasted even if a problem occurs in some of the battery modules 100.

[0117] Meanwhile, in Fig. 11, one rupture member 340 is shown inserted into one battery module 100, but two or more rupture members 340 may be inserted into one battery module 100. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the fire tank 300 may include two or more rupture members 340 in each of the front-rear and left-right directions. In this case, two rupture members 340 arranged in the left-right direction may be inserted into one battery module 100.

[0118] In an embodiment in which a battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules 100, a vent path may be configured to be separate between each battery module 100. For example, as shown by W1 in Fig. 11, a protrusion may be formed between the first module M1 and the second module M2. Such a protrusion may be provided in a form that bulges upward from the upper end of the battery module 100 and may contact the lower end of the fire tank 300.

[0119] In this case, the protrusion can prevent the vent gas, etc. from flowing toward the other battery modules 100. For example, when the vent gas is ejected from the opening O1 in the first module M1, the vent gas can flow in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) along the vent path formed between the upper part of the first module M1 and the lower part of the fire extinguishing tank 300, as shown in FIG. 10. However, the vent gas discharged from the first module M1 is prevented from moving toward the second module M2 by the protrusion W1 formed between the first module M1 and the second module M2. That is, the protrusion W1 formed between the first module M1 and the second module M2 can function as a partition that blocks the movement of the vent gas between them. In particular, such a central protrusion W1 can be made of an elastic material such as rubber, silicone, or urethane to ensure sealing performance.

[0120] Such a protrusion W1 may be formed to extend long in a horizontal direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery modules 100. For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the protrusion serving as a partition may be located between the first module M1 and the second module M2 as in the portion indicated by W2, and may be formed to extend long in the left-right direction (X-axis direction).

[0121] According to this embodiment of the present invention, the venting direction of the vent gas can be controlled more reliably. In this case, the vent gas discharged from some battery modules 100 can be prevented from flowing into other battery modules 100, thereby preventing problems such as thermal runaway propagation between modules. In addition, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent a problem in which the rupture member 340 is ruptured by the vent gas discharged from other battery modules 100, causing a fire extinguishing agent to be injected into the inside of a normal battery module 100.

[0122] In addition, the battery modules 100 may also have a partition formed on the outer side thereof. For example, as shown by W3 in Fig. 11, a protrusion (front protrusion) may be provided at the front upper end of the first module M1 located at the front side as a partition structure that contacts the fire tank 200 to seal the vent path. In addition, as shown by W3' in Fig. 11, a protrusion (rear protrusion) may be provided at the rear upper end edge of the second module M2 located at the rear side as a partition structure that contacts the fire tank 200 to seal the vent path. In addition, the front protrusion W3 and the rear protrusion W3' may be made of an elastic material such as rubber, silicone, or urethane to ensure sealing performance.

[0123] According to such an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to ensure the sealing force of the vent path formed between the battery module 100 and the fire tank 300, and to ensure that the vent gas is discharged only in the intended direction. For example, such a partition configuration may allow the vent gas to move only in the directions indicated by the arrows A9 and A9' in FIG. 10, and prevent the gas from moving in other directions, for example, toward the front side of the battery pack.

[0124] The fire tank 300 may further include a cover portion configured to protrude toward the battery module 100 at an edge portion coupled to the battery module 100. For example, referring to Fig. 7 and Fig. 11, as shown by A11, a cover portion extending downward from an upper end of the battery module 100 may be formed at a lower end of at least a part of the edge portion of the fire tank 300. The cover portion may be configured to surround the outside of the battery module 100 when the fire tank 300 is attached to the battery module 100.

[0125] According to this embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to further improve the connectivity between the fire tank 300 and the battery module 100. Also, according to this embodiment, when the fire extinguishing agent is sprayed from the fire tank 300, it is possible to easily introduce the fire extinguishing agent into the battery module 100 while suppressing leakage of the fire extinguishing agent to the outside of the battery pack.

[0126] In addition, according to the embodiment, it is possible to prevent the vent gas from leaking in an unintended direction. For example, the cover part may be formed at three edge parts, ie, the front, left and right edge parts, at the edge part of the lower part of the fire tank 300. In this case, the vent gas that has flowed between the fire tank 300 and the battery module 100 can be guided to flow out to the rear side of the battery pack, and can be prevented from leaking to the front, left or right side.

[0127] Furthermore, the fire tank 300 may further include a sealing member at an edge portion coupled to the battery module 100 and / or the control module 200. For example, the fire tank 300 may include an upper sealing member and a lower sealing member configured in a ring shape. The upper sealing member may be provided at an upper edge portion of the fire tank 300, and the lower sealing member may be provided at a lower edge portion of the fire tank 300. Such sealing members may be made of an elastic material such as rubber, silicone, or urethane.

[0128] According to this embodiment, the upper and / or lower end of the fire tank 300 can be sealed to the joint with other components (battery module, control module), thereby preventing vent gas from leaking from the joint or foreign matter such as water, moisture, or dust from penetrating the joint.

[0129] In the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention, the fire tank 300, the battery module 100, the control module 200, etc. may be configured to be coupled and fixed to a wall of a building such as a house or a building. For example, the fire tank 300 may be configured to have a fixing hole formed in a rear surface portion, and the fire tank 300 may be fixed to a wall through the fixing hole. Alternatively, the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a fixing unit configured to be coupled to a wall. The fixing unit may be fastened to a component such as the fire tank 300 or the battery module 100 to fix the battery pack to the wall.

[0130] An energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes one or more battery packs according to an embodiment of the present invention described above. In addition, the energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include typical components included in an energy storage system in addition to the battery pack. In particular, the energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a residential (building) energy storage system used to store energy in a house, a building, etc.

[0131] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and variations can be made by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention and the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0132] 100 Battery Module 200 Control Module 300 Fire Tank 310 Inner Tank 320 External Tank 330 Connection parts 340 Bursting Member C1 Module fastening part C2 Control fastening part C31, C32 tank fastening E1 Module Connector E2 Control Connector E31, E32 Tank Connector M1 1st module M2 2nd module

Claims

1. A battery module including one or more battery cells; A control module connected to the battery module and managing the battery module; a fire extinguishing tank configured to store a fire extinguishing agent and coupled to at least one of the battery module and the control module; the fire extinguishing tank is provided between the battery module and the control module, The control module is configured to be detachable from at least one side of the battery module.

2. A battery module including one or more battery cells; A control module connected to the battery module and managing the battery module; a fire extinguishing tank configured to store a fire extinguishing agent and coupled to at least one of the battery module and the control module; the fire extinguishing tank is provided between the battery module and the control module, The fire tank may include tank fastening parts at an upper end and a lower end, the tank fastening parts being configured to be coupled to the control module and the battery module, respectively.

3. A battery module including one or more battery cells; A control module connected to the battery module and managing the battery module; a fire extinguishing tank configured to store a fire extinguishing agent and coupled to at least one of the battery module and the control module; the fire extinguishing tank is provided between the battery module and the control module, A battery pack, characterized in that the fire extinguishing tank is provided with a connection member that electrically connects the battery module and the control module.

4. The battery pack described in claim 2, characterized in that the battery module has at its upper end a module fastening portion configured to be connectable to the fire extinguishing tank, the module fastening portion having the same shape and horizontal position as the tank fastening portion provided at the upper end of the fire extinguishing tank and configured to be connectable to the control module.

5. The battery pack described in claim 4, characterized in that the control module has a control fastening portion at its lower end that is configured to be connectable to the fire extinguishing tank, and the control fastening portion has the same shape and horizontal position as the tank fastening portion provided at the lower end of the fire extinguishing tank and that is configured to be connectable to the battery module.

6. 6. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the fire extinguishing tank is located on an upper portion of the battery module and configured so that the fire extinguishing agent falls freely toward the battery module.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the fire extinguishing agent includes at least one of an antifreeze solution, salt water, and insulating oil.

8. 6. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the fire extinguishing tank is configured to be rupturable under a predetermined condition and includes a rupturable member configured to allow the extinguishing agent to flow out when ruptured.

9. 9. The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the rupture member comprises a glass bulb.

10. an opening is formed in the battery module so as to communicate with an internal space; The battery pack according to claim 8 , wherein the rupture member is configured such that at least a portion of the rupture member is inserted into the opening of the battery module.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the fire tank has a vent path formed therein so that the discharged vent gas moves when the vent gas is discharged from the opening.

12. The battery module includes two or more of the battery modules, 6. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the fire extinguishing tank is configured so that the fire extinguishing agent can be separately added to each of the two or more battery modules.

13. An energy storage system comprising a battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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