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, the battery pack can rapidly cool the battery module by vaporizing a vapor gas filled at high pressure.

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

[0003] Currently widely used types of secondary batteries 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 approximately 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series. Alternatively, a battery pack may be configured by connecting a number of battery cells in parallel depending on the required charge / discharge capacity of the battery pack. Therefore, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set depending on the required output voltage or charge / discharge capacity.

[0004] When a battery pack is constructed by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series / parallel, a battery module including at least one battery cell is first constructed, and then other components are added to the at least one battery module to construct the battery pack.

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

[0006] In the battery pack 10 configured as described above, the battery modules M are housed in a closed space, so 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, coolant supplied through a coolant supply pipe 40 is connected to a coolant pipe inlet 50 so that the coolant continuously cools the bottom of the battery modules 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 due to a thermal runaway phenomenon occurring in any one of the battery modules M. In other words, because the above-mentioned thermal runaway is a phenomenon that occurs rapidly in a relatively short period of time, there are limitations 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-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to quickly cool a battery pack when thermal runaway occurs in a battery module housed in the battery pack.

[0010] Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and become more apparent 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. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a battery pack for accommodating a battery module, the battery pack including a pack case including a module area in which the battery module is mounted, 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 has a hollow interior filled with high-pressure vaporized gas.

[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 opening hole in response to detection by the sensor.

[0014] The open hole may be formed on 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 may be formed at symmetrical positions on both sides of the main partition wall, and the hollow may be composed of 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 in a hollow interior thereof and extending along the longitudinal direction of the pack case. [Effects 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 explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional battery pack. [Figure 2] This shows a portion of the battery pack shown in Figure 1 above. [Figure 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. 3. [Figure 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 pipe inlets and open holes included in the base plate are shown. [Figure 7] 1 shows a pair of hollows contained within the base plate. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery pack of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 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. 9. [Figure 11] 10 shows a cooling water supply pipe connected to the cooling pipe inlet of the pack case of FIG. 9. [Figure 12] The cooling pipe inlets and open holes included in the base plate are shown. [Figure 13] 1 shows a plurality of hollow holes contained within the base plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying 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 concepts of the terms to best describe his own invention.

[0024] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments 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] Furthermore, in the description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related publicly known structures or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0026] The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and therefore the shapes and sizes of components in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or illustrated schematically 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 the 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 110 shape with an open interior.

[0034] The battery pack of the present invention may include a cooling pipe 130 through which cooling water flows from the outside 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 pipe 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 through which cooling water supplied from the outside flows in, 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] 5 shows a cooling water supply pipe 300 connected to the cooling pipe inlets 131 of the pack case 1000 of FIG. 3. Specifically, a connecting member 310 may be attached to an end of the cooling water supply pipe 300, the connecting member 310 being 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.

[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 the edge of the base plate 100 to support the 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 external impacts applied to the sides 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 symmetrically 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 side by side on both sides of the main partition wall along the longitudinal direction d1 of the pack case 1000.

[0043] The battery pack of the present invention is characterized in that the hollow 110 of the base plate 100 not only has the cooling pipe 130 located therein but also 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, the pressure is preferably applied to a degree that the vaporized gas can be liquefied, and the vaporized gas fills the hollow 110 of the base plate 100 in a liquid state.

[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 released 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, generating high-temperature gas and causing the temperature of the entire battery pack to rise, the vaporized gas filled in the liquid state is released to the outside and absorbs heat from the battery pack. Due to the heat absorption phenomenon, the battery pack of the present invention can be rapidly cooled in the event of thermal runaway 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 or 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 tightly coupled to the open hole 112 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 detection sensor is preferably provided inside the pack case 1000, and more specifically, is provided in the module area A of the pack case 1000.

[0053] The battery pack of the present invention can be rapidly cooled by removing the sealing member 140 coupled to the open hole 112 of the base plate 100 at the same time as 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 jump out of the opening hole 112 upon detection by the 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 released 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 includes 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 hollow 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 that is connected to 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 taken along the longitudinal direction d1 of the 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 released 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 is a known technology, 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 separate hollows 110 so as to be independent from each other, and each separated hollow 110 may have an open hole 112 that communicates with it individually.

[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 110 shape with an open interior.

[0070] The battery pack of the present invention may include a cooling pipe 130 through which cooling water flows from the outside 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 pipe 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 through which cooling water supplied from the outside flows in, 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, the connecting member 310 being 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 the edge of the base plate 100 to support the 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 external impacts applied to the sides 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 symmetrically 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 side by side on both sides of the main partition wall along the longitudinal direction d1 of the pack case 1000.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 10, the battery pack of the present invention has a cooling pipe 130 located inside a hollow 110 of a base plate 100, and is also filled with 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, the pressure is preferably applied to a degree that the vaporized gas can be liquefied, and the vaporized gas fills the hollow 110 of the base plate 100 in a liquid state.

[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 released 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, generating high-temperature gas and causing the temperature of the entire battery pack to rise, the vaporized gas filled in the liquid state is released to the outside and absorbs heat from the battery pack. Due to the heat absorption phenomenon, the battery pack of the present invention can be rapidly cooled in the event of thermal runaway 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 or 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 detection sensor is preferably provided inside the pack case 1000, and more specifically, is provided in the module area A of the pack case 1000.

[0089] The battery pack of the present invention can be rapidly cooled by removing the sealing member 140 coupled to the open hole 112 of the base plate 100 at the same time as 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 jump out of the opening hole 112 upon detection by the 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 released 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 a plurality of hollow holes 111 formed by partitioning by the partition walls 120.

[0094] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, 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 to partition the hollow 110 space.

[0095] FIG. 13 shows a plurality 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 re-dividing the interiors of the first hollow 110a and the second hollow 110b included in the battery pack according to the first embodiment with a plurality of separation walls 120. One open hole 112 may be formed in one hollow hole 111, and a sealing member 140 may be coupled to each open hole 112 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 shown in the drawings or embodiments 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: (Prior Art) Battery Pack 20: (Prior Art) Top Cover 30: (Prior Art) Sidewall 40: (Prior Art) Cooling water supply pipe 50: (Prior Art) 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 containing a battery module, a pack case including a module area in which a battery module is mounted, The pack case is 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 an open hole communicating with the interior of the hollow shape; a sealing member coupled to an entrance of the open hole to seal the interior of the hollow shape, A battery pack in which a high-pressure vaporized gas is filled inside the hollow shape.

2. The battery pack includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a gas sensor, and a pressure sensor inside the pack case, The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member is removed from the open hole upon detection by the detection sensor.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the open hole is formed in a side surface of the base plate.

4. The base plate is a plurality of separation walls formed in the hollow interior along a longitudinal direction of the pack case, spaced apart along a width direction of the pack case and connected to the base plate to partition the hollow interior; a plurality of hollow holes formed by being partitioned by the separation walls; The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the open holes are formed at positions communicating with the hollow holes.

5. 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.

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

7. 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.

8. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vaporized gas includes carbon dioxide.

9. A battery pack that houses a battery module, a pack case including a module area in which a battery module is mounted, The pack case is 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 high-pressure vaporized gas is filled in the hollow interior, The base plate includes a plurality of cooling pipes formed in a hollow interior thereof and extending along the longitudinal direction of the pack case.

Images