A system controlling a battery containing vacuum

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system (1) for controlling a pump (3) which allows the gas contained in the battery pack, to be discharged when thermal propagation and / or runaway occurs on battery packs (2).

Description

[0001] A SYSTEM CONTROLLING A BATTERY CONTAINING VACUUM

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a system for controlling a pump which allows the gas contained in the battery pack, to be discharged when thermal propagation and / or runaway occurs on battery packs.

[0004] Background of the Invention

[0005] During the use of electric vehicles, thermal runaway occurs and then leads to thermal propagation due to overheating, overcharging / discharging, mechanical damage and / or internal defects on lithium-based batteries they have. The thermal propagation occurring on the said battery leads to a fire on the battery and due to the fact that the battery is manufactured on a chemical basis, it also causes the fire to spread rapidly and the vehicle to catch fire in a very short time. Therefore, it is crucial to detect thermal runaway and / or thermal propagation occurring on a battery and then to respond it early. In current applications, there are systems which provide thermal insulation by means of heat-insulated foam inserted between battery cells and enable the thermal leakage occurring on the battery to be discharged passively by means of air ducts located on the battery. However, in the said systems, there is no active system which reduces the pressure increase occurring on the cell based on the thermal leakage generated in the battery and / or prevents the occurrence of fire.

[0006] Therefore, there is need for a system which detects thermal leakage and / or propagation on battery cells, allows to reduce the pressure on the battery cells and to prevent fire occurrence by ensuring that the air included in the battery is discharged by means of a vacuum that is connected to the battery when thermal leakage and / or propagation is detected, in the state of the art.

[0007] The Chinese utility model document no. CN218414728U, an application included in the state of the art, discloses a mechanism for discharging flammable gases accumulated inside lithium-ion batteries safely in order to increase safety in electric vehicles and portable devices. The utility model comprises a lithium-ion battery and an explosion venting mechanism fixed to the battery. The explosion venting mechanism is used to release the heat of the battery and is fixed with a backfire device in order to prevent thermal runaway by moving it to one end of the manifold when the resulting thermal runaway fumes get out of control. The ignition device includes an air inlet for letting in air to mix with the thermal runaway fume. The thermal runaway fume is carried from the single cell to the manifold by adjusting the air outlet of the explosion venting mechanism in a specific direction. The explosion venting mechanism is fixed to the pressure valve or connection pipe placed on the box. The ignition device is placed away from the box in order to prevent thermal runaway fume from burning and damaging the battery during ignition. The manifold uses a fixed backfire device in order to prevent thermally uncontrolled fumes from igniting and burning back towards the manifold. It is fixed to the buffer device in order to ignite the thermal runaway fumes carried by the manifold and the buffer device comprises the pressure relief valve. When the thermal runaway fumes are collected in the buffer device through the manifold and reach to a certain pressure, the thermal runaway fumes reach the ignition device through the pressure relief valve by the opening of the pressure relief valve. When the thermal runaway fumes produced by the box are carried from the manifold to the ignition device, they go into the air to mix with the thermal runaway fumes by being discharged from the air inlet. In this way, fire is prevented by timely intervention to the thermal runaway fumes.

[0008] Summary of the Invention An object of the present invention is to realize a system for controlling a pump which allows the gas contained in the battery pack, to be discharged when thermal propagation and / or runaway occurs on battery packs.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to realize a system for reducing the pressure that occurs on the cells by discharging the gas inside the battery during the occurrence of thermal propagation and / or runaway on a battery pack, preventing fire occurrence by removing the oxygen included in the battery from the environment.

[0010] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0011] “A System Controlling a Battery Containing Vacuum” realized to fulfd the objectives of the present invention is shown in the figures attached, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 is a general view of the components of the inventive system controlling a battery containing vacuum.

[0013] Figure 2 is close-up view of the components of the inventive system controlling a battery containing vacuum.

[0014] Figure 3 is a schematic drawing showing the intercommunication of the components of the inventive system stopping the thermal propagation in batteries.

[0015] The components illustrated in the figures are individually numbered, where the numbers refer to the following:

[0016] 1. System

[0017] 2. Battery pack

[0018] 3. Pump

[0019] 4. Connection element

[0020] 5. Communication unit 6. Control unit

[0021] A: Battery management unit

[0022] The inventive system (1) for discharging the air included in the environment during the realization of thermal propagation and / or runaway comprises at least one battery pack (2) which comprises at least one cell for storing the energy required for the operation of electric vehicles, and / or using the stored energy; at least one pump (3) which enables the gas, that is included in the battery pack (2), to be discharged by being vacuumed; and at least one connection element (4) which enables the gas, that is included in the battery pack (2), to be vacuumed by means of the pump (3) inside the battery pack (2) by carrying out a physical connection between the battery pack (2) and the pump (3); at least one communication unit (5) which enables communication to be established with the battery management unit (A); and at least one control unit (6) which is in connection with the communication unit (5); realizes data exchange with the battery management unit (A) by means of the communication unit (5); receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data generated in the battery pack (2), through the battery management unit (A); and enables the pump (3) to be operated, by being triggered when it receives thermal propagation and / or runaway data.

[0023] The battery pack (2) included in the inventive system (1) is an energy storage unit for storing electrical energy and / or using the stored electrical energy, in order to enable the operation of any electrically powered vehicle and / or device such as electric vehicle, electronic device, storage system and / or watercraft. The battery pack (2) consists of at least one cell used for enabling the electrical energy to be stored and at least one body for protecting the cell from the external environment. The battery pack (2) enables each cell, that is located in thereof in order to enable the electrical energy to be stored, to be connected in series and / or parallel. The pump (3) included in the inventive system (1) is in communication with the control unit (6) and is configured to be controlled by the control unit (6) for its operation. The pump (3) enables a physical connection to be established with the battery pack (2) by means of the connection element (4). The pump (3) is a vacuum pump that enable the gas inside the battery pack (2) to be pumped and then discharged when it is operated by the control unit (6) by using the physical connection established with the battery pack (2) by means of the connection element (4). Thereby, the pump (3) operated by being triggered via the control unit (6) prevents fire occurrence by enabling the flammable gas in the form of oxygen in the battery pack (2) to be vacuumed and then discharged, and the pressure on the cells is reduced due to the withdrawal of ambient gas.

[0024] The connection element (4) included in the inventive system (1) is an element in the form of hose, pipe comprising an aperture that is fixed by realizing its connection with the battery pack (2) from one end and with the pump (3) from the other end thereof and that allows gas pass through it.

[0025] The communication unit (5) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to establish communication with the battery management unit (A) physically over any communication protocol included in the state of the art and / or so as to be in a wired way. The communication unit (5) is in connection with the control unit (6) and is configured to receive thermal propagation and / or runaway data over the battery management unit (A) and then to transmit it to the control unit (6).

[0026] The control unit (6) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to receive the thermal propagation and / or runaway data generated on the battery pack (2) by using the communication it establishes with the battery management unit (A) over the communication unit (5). The control unit (6) is configured to enable the gas included in the battery pack (2) to be vacuumed and then discharged, by ensuring that the pump (3) with which it is in communication is operated when it receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data. The control unit (6) is configured to stop the vacuum (3) in operation when it receives the data that the thermal propagation and / or runaway data received from the battery management unit (A) is terminated. Thereby, the control unit (6) controls the operation of the pump (3) by being triggered when it receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data over the battery management unit (A) and enables the gas included in the battery pack (2) to be vacuumed and then discharged.

[0027] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the pump (3) is manufactured by being integrated into the battery pack (2) and it is ensured that the energy required for its operation is provided from the battery.

[0028] The converter (7) included one preferred embodiment of the invention is a DC - DC converter configured to reduce and / or raise the battery voltage while the energy required for the operation of the pump (3) -that is produced by integrating it into the battery pack (2)- is received over the battery.

[0029] Industrial Application of the Invention

[0030] The battery pack (2) included in the inventive system (1) ensures to store the energy required to operate any electrically powered vehicle, and / or enable the stored energy to be used by the vehicle and it consists of at least one cell used for enabling the electrical energy to be stored and at least one body for protecting the cell from the external environment. The pump (3) is placed on the battery pack (2) and enables connection to be established with the battery pack (2) physically by means of at least one connection element (4) and the gas included in the battery pack (2) to be vacuumed through the connection realized and then discharged. The control unit (6) is in connection with the communication unit (5) and receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data generated in the battery pack (2), over battery management unit (A) by means of the communication unit (5). When the control unit (6) receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data, it controls the operation of the vacuum (3) and then ensures that the gas included in the battery pack (2) to be vacuumed and then discharged. The vacuum (3) is integrated onto the battery pack (2) and ensures that the energy required for its operation is received from the cell included in the battery pack (2). The converter (7) enables the battery voltage to be reduced and / or raised in order to ensure that the energy required for the operation of the vacuum (3) is received over the battery pack (2) and then used.

[0031] Within these basic concepts; it is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive “A System (1) Controlling a Battery Containing Vacuum”; the invention cannot be limited to examples disclosed herein and it is essentially according to claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A system (1) for discharging the air included in the environment during the realization of thermal propagation and / or runaway; comprising at least one battery pack (2) which comprises at least one cell for storing the energy required for the operation of electric vehicles, and / or using the stored energy; and characterized by at least one pump (3) which enables the gas, that is included in the battery pack (2), to be discharged by being vacuumed; and at least one connection element (4) which enables the gas, that is included in the battery pack (2), to be vacuumed by means of the pump (3) inside the battery pack (2) by carrying out a physical connection between the battery pack (2) and the pump (3); at least one communication unit (5) which enables communication to be established with the battery management unit (A); and at least one control unit (6) which is in connection with the communication unit (5); realizes data exchange with the battery management unit (A) by means of the communication unit (5); receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data generated in the battery pack (2), through the battery management unit (A); and enables the pump (3) to be operated, by being triggered when it receives thermal propagation and / or runaway data.

2. A system (1) according to Claim 1; characterized by the battery pack (2) which is an energy storage unit for storing electrical energy and / or using the stored electrical energy, in order to enable the operation of any electrically powered vehicle and / or device such as electric vehicle, electronic device, storage system and / or watercraft.

3. A system (1) according to Claim 1 or 2; characterized by the battery pack (2) which consists of at least one cell used for enabling the electrical energy to be stored and at least one body for protecting the cell from the external environment.

4. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the battery pack (2) which enables each cell, that is located in thereof in order to enable the electrical energy to be stored, to be connected in series and / or parallel.

5. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the pump (3) which is in communication with the control unit (6) and is configured to be controlled by the control unit (6) for its operation; and pump (3) which enables a physical connection to be established with the battery pack (2) by means of the connection element (4).

6. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the pump (3) which is a vacuum pump that enables the gas inside the battery pack (2) to be pumped and then discharged when it is operated by the control unit (6) by using the physical connection established with the battery pack (2) by means of the connection element (4).

7. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the connection element (4) which is an element in the form of hose, pipe comprising an aperture that is fixed by realizing its connection with the battery pack (2) from one end and with the pump (3) from the other end thereof and that allows gas pass through it.

8. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication unit (5) which is configured to establish communication with the battery management unit (A) physically over anycommunication protocol included in the state of the art and / or so as to be in a wired way.

9. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the communication unit (5) which is in connection with the control unit (6) and is configured to receive thermal propagation and / or runaway data over the battery management unit (A) and then to transmit it to the control unit (6).

10. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the control unit (6) which is configured to receive the thermal propagation and / or runaway data generated on the battery pack (2) by using the communication it establishes with the battery management unit (A) over the communication unit (5).

11. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the control unit (6) which is configured to enable the gas included in the battery pack (2) to be vacuumed and then discharged, by ensuring that the pump (3) with which it is in communication is operated when it receives the thermal propagation and / or runaway data.

12. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the control unit (6) which is configured to stop the vacuum (3) in operation when it receives the data that the thermal propagation and / or runaway data received from the battery management unit (A) is terminated.

13. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the pump (3) which is manufactured by being integrated into the battery pack (2) and it is ensured that the energy required for its operation is provided from the battery.

14. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the converter (7) which is a DC - DC converter configured to reduce and / or raise the battery voltage while the energy required for the operation of the pump (3) -that is produced by integrating it into the battery pack (2)- is received over the battery.

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