Battery housing for electric vehicles with fire protection function

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery housing for housing a battery unit for an electric vehicle, comprising: a lower support frame; a side frame installed in the form of a side wall on the lower support frame to form a housing space for the battery unit; and a fire-retardant having fire-retardant properties at a predetermined fire risk temperature, wherein the side wall frame comprises a plurality of frame members manufactured by extrusion molding of an aluminum material and assembled together, and at least some of the frame members have a fire-retardant receiving portion formed along the longitudinal direction to receive the fire-retardant, and an outflow opening through which the fire-retardant within the fire-retardant receiving portion can flow out into the housing space. According to this, by utilizing the structure of an aluminum extrusion frame to prevent fire in the battery unit, cost and design efficiency are increased, and a battery housing capable of rapid and effective fire extinguishing can be provided by concentrating available fire-retardant at the point of ignition.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery housing for housing a battery unit for an electric vehicle, and a battery housing capable of preventing fire in the battery unit. Background Technology

[0002] If a fire in an electric vehicle battery unit is not properly addressed, a rapid rise in temperature can lead to thermal runaway and explosion, and it may take several hours to completely extinguish the fire.

[0003] Although various fire prevention devices have been introduced to address these risks, they suffer from poor cost and design efficiency due to the development costs and the need to allocate separate space for installation. Furthermore, even if installed, these devices often become useless because their effectiveness in extinguishing actual fires is minimal. The problem to be solved

[0004] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a battery housing capable of quickly and effectively extinguishing a fire in a battery unit. means of solving the problem

[0005] The objective of the present invention described above can be achieved by a battery housing for accommodating a battery unit for an electric vehicle, comprising: a lower support frame; a side frame installed in the form of a side wall on the lower support frame to form a accommodating space for the battery unit; and a fire-retardant material having fire-retardant properties at a predetermined fire hazard temperature, wherein the side wall frame comprises a plurality of frame members manufactured by extrusion molding of an aluminum material and assembled together, and at least some of the frame members have a fire-retardant material receiving portion formed along the longitudinal direction to accommodate the fire-retardant material and an outflow opening through which the fire-retardant material within the fire-retardant material receiving portion can flow out into the accommodating space.

[0006] The above-mentioned discharge opening is provided on the lower side of the fire retardant receiving section. Accordingly, in the event of a fire in the battery unit, the fire retardant is rapidly discharged into the receiving space by its own weight, thereby allowing the fire to be extinguished more effectively.

[0007] The above-described battery unit for an electric vehicle further includes an opening blocking member that is configured to close the outlet opening and changes state at the fire hazard temperature to open the outlet opening. Accordingly, since the fire retardant does not leak at the heat generation temperature caused by normal charging and discharging, but leaks in response to the fire hazard temperature caused by the occurrence of a fire, the fire can be extinguished more effectively.

[0008] The above-described at least some frame members further include a discharge-promoting member provided behind the fire retardant with respect to the discharge opening within the fire retardant receiving portion, which promotes the discharge of the fire retardant by increasing in volume at the fire hazard temperature and pushing the fire retardant toward the discharge opening. Accordingly, when a fire occurs, the fire retardant is discharged more rapidly into the receiving space due to the increase in volume of the discharge-promoting member, thereby allowing the fire to be extinguished more effectively.

[0009] At least some of the above-mentioned frame members include a discharge-promoting member made of a shape memory alloy, provided behind the fire retardant with respect to the discharge opening within the fire retardant receiving portion, which promotes the discharge of the fire retardant by deforming its shape at the fire hazard temperature to push the fire retardant toward the discharge opening. Accordingly, not only is the discharge of the fire retardant rapid, but the rigidity of the frame members can also be improved by the discharge-promoting member made of a metal material. Effects of the invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a battery housing capable of rapid and effective fire extinguishing can be provided by utilizing the structure of an aluminum extrusion frame to prevent fire in a battery unit, thereby increasing cost and design efficiency, and allowing available fire retardant to be concentrated at the point of ignition. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a battery housing according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a cross-section of a frame member of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which a fire-retardant is accommodated in a portion of the vertically separated space within the frame member of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which a fire-retardant material is accommodated in a portion of the horizontally separated space within the frame member of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a leakage-promoting member provided within a frame member. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This description is intended to be detailed enough for a person skilled in the art to easily practice the invention, and it should be noted that the technical scope and concept of the present invention are not limited thereby.

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a battery housing (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a cross-section of a frame member (10) of FIG. 1.

[0014] An electric vehicle receives power necessary for operation through a battery unit (1). Here, the battery unit (1) may include battery cells, modules, packs, etc. However, the following description assumes that it is a battery module formed by combining multiple battery cells. Multiple battery units (1) are required depending on the performance and size of the electric vehicle. Since the battery unit (1) poses a risk of fire or explosion even from a small external impact, it is housed in a battery housing (100) and placed in the electric vehicle. The battery housing (100) surrounds the battery unit (1) to protect it from external impacts, thereby ensuring the safety of the electric vehicle.

[0015] The battery housing (100) according to the present embodiment includes a lower support frame (1) and a side frame composed of a plurality of frame members (10 to 40). These may be made of a non-ferrous metal composite material including aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), etc., which is lightweight yet has high strength. As another example, they may be made of a carbon fiber composite material frame. Carbon fiber composite materials include carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), carbon fiber reinforced ceramic (CFRC), carbon fiber reinforced metal (CFRM), etc. However, below, the lower support frame (1) and the side frame are described as being made of aluminum material.

[0016] The lower support frame (1) is provided in the shape of a plate parallel to the XY axis direction and can support the lower surface of the battery unit (1) by forming the bottom surface of the battery housing (100). An adhesive is applied to the lower support frame (1) to more firmly fix the battery unit (1) to the lower support frame (1). The adhesive prevents the battery unit (1) from detaching from the lower support frame (1) even if the electric vehicle shakes or vibrates in all directions while in operation. The adhesive may be made of silicone material, but is not limited thereto.

[0017] The side frame is installed in the form of a side wall on the lower support frame (2) to form a receiving space (S) for the battery unit (1). The side frame can be provided by assembling a plurality of frame members (10 to 40) together. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed below that the lower support frame (2) has four sides in the form of a plate parallel to the XY axis direction. In this case, the side frame (10 to 40) can be composed of, for example, a first frame member (10), a second frame member (20), a third frame member (30), and a fourth frame member (40) so as to be parallel to the Z-axis direction with respect to the four sides of the lower support frame (2). However, the lower support frame (2) may have more than four sides, and the frame members may be provided in a number corresponding to the sides of the lower support frame (2).

[0018] A plurality of frame members (10 to 40) can be formed to extend along the longitudinal direction through extrusion molding. The frame members (10 to 40) can be formed as tubular bodies having an internal hollow space through extrusion molding. A shape with an internal hollow space is more advantageous for weight reduction than a shape without an internal space, and can efficiently secure rigidity relative to weight.

[0019] According to the present embodiment, the internal space of the frame members (10 to 40) is utilized to have a fire-retardant receiving portion (4). A fire-retardant material (3) having fire-retardant properties at a predetermined fire hazard temperature is received or filled in the fire-retardant receiving portion (4).

[0020] For example, the fire retardant (3) exists as a solid at temperatures below the fire hazard temperature, such as room temperature or the heat generated by the normal charging and discharging of the battery unit (1), but when the frame members (10 to 40) are heated by the ignition of the battery unit (1) placed in the receiving space (S) and reach the fire hazard temperature, it may liquefy and have fire retardant properties. The fire hazard temperature may be set higher than room temperature, and considering the temperature caused by the ignition of the battery unit (1), it may reach, for example, 200 degrees Celsius, but is not limited thereto.

[0021] To this end, the fire retardant (3) can be implemented using a polymer, calcium hydrate (Ca(OH)2), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), etc. A polymer is a large molecule composed of smaller molecules called monomers that are repeatedly connected (connected in a linear, branched, cross-linked, or network chain manner, etc.). Synthetic polymers are generally made from petroleum and include various plastic materials such as polyethylene, rubber, and nylon. The fire retardant (3) implemented as a polymer may further include a surfactant. The surfactant also liquefies at a fire hazard temperature and can improve fluidity by removing the surface tension of the liquid polymer. The liquefaction temperature of these can be varied by adjusting the combination ratio of at least one of the synthetic polymer, calcium hydrate, sodium hydroxide, or resin, or by adding a property modification accelerator or a retardant.

[0022] As another example, the fire retardant (3) may be provided with potassium carbonate (K2CO3) or potassium nitrate (KNO3), which have fire retardant properties and exist as a solid at temperatures below the fire hazard temperature, such as room temperature, and then vaporize at the fire hazard temperature, or with fluorinated ketone (CF3CF2OCF(CF3)2), which has fire retardant properties and exists as a liquid at temperatures below the fire hazard temperature, such as room temperature, and then vaporizes at the fire hazard temperature. The vaporization temperature of these may be set to correspond to the fire hazard temperature by adjusting the combination ratio of at least one of potassium carbonate, potassium nitrate, or fluorinated ketone.

[0023] The fire retardant (3) described above can be encapsulated so that it can be stably received in the fire retardant receiving part (4). The capsule may melt or vaporize at a fire hazard temperature.

[0024] At least some of the frame members (10 to 40) have a fire-retardant receiving portion (4) formed along the longitudinal Y-axis direction to receive a fire-retardant (3), and an outflow opening (5) through which the fire-retardant (3) within the fire-retardant receiving portion (4) can flow out into a receiving space (S). As previously described, the fire-retardant (3), which undergoes a change of state at a fire-hazardous temperature, flows into the receiving space (S) by passing through the outflow opening (5) that penetrates toward the receiving space (S). The fire-retardant (3) can flow into the receiving space (S) and extinguish the fire.

[0025] An outflow opening (5) may be provided for each frame member (10 to 40). For example, if the point of ignition is adjacent to the first frame member (10), the fire retardant (3) may be discharged through the outflow opening (5) of the first frame member (10). That is, not only the fire retardant (3) contained in the fire retardant receiving portion (4) of the first frame member (10), but also the fire retardant (3) contained in the fire retardant receiving portion (4) of the second frame member (20) adjacent to the first frame member (10) may be dissolved and discharged into the receiving space (S) through the outflow opening (5) of the first frame member (10).

[0026] In this way, by utilizing the structure of the aluminum extrusion frame of the frame members (10 to 40) to accommodate the fire retardant (3) in the fire retardant receiving section (4), there is no need to invest in developing a separate fire retardant device, and there is no need to provide space to install the fire retardant device, thus increasing cost and design efficiency. In addition, since the available fire retardant (3) can be concentrated at the point of ignition, rapid and effective fire extinguishing is possible.

[0027] According to various embodiments, a plurality of frame members (10 to 40) may be interconnected by a corner connecting member (50). The corner connecting member (50) connects a pair of adjacent frame members among the plurality of frame members (10 to 40) that intersect each other. For example, the corner connecting member (50) is provided between an adjacent first frame member (10) and a second frame member (20) that intersect each other to connect the first frame member (10) and the second frame member (20). Of course, the corner connecting member (50) is provided between the second frame member (20) and the third frame member (30), between the third frame member (30) and the fourth frame member (40), and between the fourth frame member (40) and the first frame member (10), so as to connect the second frame member (20) and the third frame member (30), between the third frame member (30) and the fourth frame member (40), and between the fourth frame member (40) and the first frame member (10). The corner connecting member (50) can easily and firmly form the corners of the battery housing (100).

[0028] For convenience of explanation, the corner connecting member (50) is described mainly in the case where it connects the first frame member (10) and the second frame member (20). The corner connecting member (50) includes a corner main body part (53) provided between a pair of frame members (10, 20), and a pair of protruding insertion parts (51, 52) that protrude from the corner main body part (53) and are respectively inserted into the end opening (12) of each frame member (10, 20). The pair of protruding insertion parts (51, 52) can mutually connect the fire retardant receiving parts (4) of the pair of frame members (10, 20). To this end, the corner connecting member (50) has a connecting channel (P) formed to communicate with at least one of the end openings (12) of a pair of frame members (10, 20) within the corner main body (53) and the protruding insertion parts (51, 52). For example, the connecting channel (P) includes a channel space within the corner main body (53) and a channel provided within the protruding insertion parts (51, 52), and is connected to the end openings (12) of a pair of frame members (10, 20).

[0029] According to this, the fire-resistant material receiving portions (4) of a pair of frame members (10 to 40) are connected by a corner connecting member (50), so, for example, as described above, the fire-resistant material (3) contained in the fire-resistant material receiving portion (4) of the second frame member (20) adjacent to the first frame member (10) can also move through the connecting channel (P) and be discharged into the receiving space (S) through the discharge opening (5) of the first frame member (10).

[0030] According to various embodiments, each frame member (10, 20) may have a plurality of ribs (11) protruding along the longitudinal direction in a mutually parallel manner on the inner wall surface of the internal space. In this case, the protruding insertion portion (51, 52) of the corner connecting member (50) may have a rib receiving portion (56, 57) on its outer surface that is coupled with the ribs (11) of each frame member (10, 20), and the rib receiving portion (56, 57) may have a shape corresponding to the ribs (11).

[0031] By forming ribs (11) on the inner wall surface, the rigidity can be efficiently strengthened relative to the weight of each frame member (10, 20), and when a corner connecting member (50) is connected to each frame member (10, 20) to form the corner of the battery housing (100), the contact area with the corner connecting member (50) is increased, so the corner can be formed more firmly.

[0032] According to various embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the outflow opening (5) is provided on the lower side of the fire extinguishing material receiving section (4). Accordingly, in response to a fire in the battery unit (1), the fire extinguishing material (3) is rapidly discharged into the receiving space (S) by its own weight, so the fire can be extinguished more effectively.

[0033] The location, shape, size, number, etc. of the fire retardant receiving section (4) and the outflow opening (5) can be varied according to the design method. This will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0034] According to various embodiments, at least some of the frame members (10 to 40) are provided to close the outflow opening (5) and further include an opening blocking member (6) that changes state at a fire hazard temperature to open the outflow opening (5). The opening blocking member (6) maintains a solid state at room temperature or a normal heat generation temperature to close the outflow opening (5), and can open the outflow opening (5) by liquefying or vaporizing at a fire hazard temperature. As an example, the opening blocking member (6) may be made of the same material as the fire retardant (3) which has fire retardant properties at a fire hazard temperature.

[0035] According to this, the fire extinguishing agent (3) does not leak at room temperature or normal heating temperature, but leaks in response to the fire hazard temperature caused by the fire, so the fire can be extinguished more effectively.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which a fire-retardant (3) is accommodated in a portion of a vertically separated space within the frame member (10 to 40) of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which a fire-retardant (3) is accommodated in a portion of a horizontally separated space within the frame member (10 to 40) of FIG. 1.

[0037] For convenience of explanation, the first frame member (10) is described below, but the same can be applied to the remaining frame members (20 to 40).

[0038] First, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the internal space of the first frame member (10) may have upper and lower spaces separated in the Z-axis direction by a horizontal space separation partition (7). In this case, the fire retardant receiving section (4) may be formed in the upper space to receive the fire retardant (3), and the outflow opening (5) may be provided on the lower side of the fire retardant receiving section (4). According to various embodiments, the outflow opening (5) may be provided in the form of a slit so that the fire retardant (3) can reach a point of ignition spaced apart from the outflow opening (5).

[0039] According to this, the fire extinguishing agent (3) can be allowed to flow out to the top of the battery unit (1), thereby inducing the fire extinguishing agent (3) to flow down the battery unit (1), so that the fire can be extinguished more effectively.

[0040] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the internal space of the first frame member (10) may each have a space separated in the X-axis direction by a vertical space separation partition (8). In this case, the fire retardant receiving portion (4) may be formed in the space on the receiving space (S) side to receive the fire retardant (3), and the outflow opening (5) may be provided on the lower side of the fire retardant receiving portion (4).

[0041] According to this, even if a portion of the internal space of the first frame member (10) is utilized as a fire extinguishing material receiving section (4), the fire extinguishing material (3) is quickly discharged into the receiving space (S) due to its own weight, so the fire can be extinguished more effectively.

[0042] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a discharge promoting member (9) provided within a frame member (10 to 40).

[0043] At least some of the frame members (10 to 40) further include a discharge promoting member (7) which is provided behind the fire retardant (3) with respect to the discharge opening (4) in the fire retardant receiving portion (4) and promotes the discharge of the fire retardant (3) by increasing in volume at a fire hazard temperature and pushing the fire retardant (3) toward the discharge opening (4).

[0044] For convenience of explanation, a portion of the first frame member (10) is described in detail. The outflow promoting member (7) is received together with the fire retardant (4) in the fire retardant receiving portion (4), but can be received so as to be positioned further away in the X-axis direction than the fire retardant (3) with respect to the outflow opening (4). The outflow promoting member (7) is in a contracted state below the fire hazard temperature and becomes in an expanded state above the fire hazard temperature, so that it can pressurize the fire retardant (3) as its volume increases. The outflow of the fire retardant (3) through the outflow opening (5) can be accelerated by the pressurization of the outflow promoting member (7). The outflow promoting member (7) can be implemented with expandable polyurethane foam, expandable latex, etc., which can contract or expand depending on a specific temperature such as the fire hazard temperature, but is not limited thereto.

[0045] According to this, compared to the case where the fire retardant (3) is discharged through the discharge opening (5) by its own weight at a fire hazard temperature, the fire retardant (3) can be discharged more quickly into the receiving space (S), so the fire can be extinguished more effectively.

[0046] According to various embodiments, at least some of the frame members (10 to 40) further include a flow-promoting member (7) made of shape memory alloy, which is provided behind the fire retardant (3) with respect to the outflow opening (5) within the fire retardant receiving portion (4) and is shaped to push the fire retardant (3) toward the outflow opening (5) to promote the outflow of the fire retardant (3).

[0047] The outflow promoting member (7) in this embodiment is similar to the outflow promoting member (7) described above in that it can contract and expand according to the fire hazard temperature, but it differs in that it is made of a metal material such as a shape memory alloy. The shape memory alloy can be implemented as a nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) alloy.

[0048] Since the nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) alloy has superior rigidity compared to expandable polyurethane foam, expandable latex, etc., according to this embodiment, not only can the rapid discharge of the fire retardant (3) be improved, but the rigidity of the frame members (10 to 40) can also be improved. Explanation of the symbols

[0049] 1: Battery unit 2: Lower support frame 3: Fire retardant 4: Fire retardant receiving section 5: Outflow opening 6: Opening blocking member 7: Horizontal space separating bulkhead 8: Vertical space separation bulkhead 9: Absence of outflow facilitation 10: First frame member 11: Liv 12: End opening 20: Second frame member 30: Third frame member 40: 4th frame member 50: Corner connecting member 51, 52: Protruding insert part 53: Corner main body 56, 57: Relief Department 100: Battery housing

Claims

Claim 1 A battery housing for accommodating a battery unit for an electric vehicle, comprising: a lower support frame; and a side frame installed in the form of a side wall on the lower support frame to form an accommodation space for the battery unit. and includes a fire-retardant material having fire-retardant properties at a predetermined fire hazard temperature, wherein the side frame comprises a plurality of frame members assembled together and manufactured in the form of a tubular body having an internal hollow space by extrusion molding of an aluminum material, wherein the frame member comprises a fire-retardant receiving portion formed along the longitudinal direction to accommodate the fire-retardant material, which is formed throughout the internal hollow space, and an outflow opening through which the fire-retardant material within the fire-retardant receiving portion can flow out into the receiving space, wherein the outflow opening is provided on the lower side of the fire-retardant receiving portion and is provided to close the outflow opening, and further comprises an opening blocking member that changes state at the fire hazard temperature to open the outflow opening, and wherein the frame member further comprises an outflow promoting member provided behind the fire-retardant material with respect to the outflow opening within the fire-retardant receiving portion, which promotes the outflow of the fire-retardant material by increasing in volume at the fire hazard temperature to push the fire-retardant material toward the outflow opening, and wherein the outflow promoting member is made of a shape memory alloy A battery housing characterized by being provided behind the fire retardant with respect to the outflow opening within the fire retardant receiving portion, and by being deformed at the fire hazard temperature to push the fire retardant toward the outflow opening to promote the outflow of the fire retardant. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete

Images