Battery Pack Case with Gas Discharge Communicating Portion
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Solution Overview
Problem
In battery packs with stacked modules, heat from abnormal batteries can shorten the lifespan of adjacent batteries due to emitted gas, as existing designs do not effectively manage the discharge of high-temperature gas.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack design includes a lower case with a bottom wall and upward sidewalls and an upper case with a top wall and downward sidewalls, creating communicating portions between the cases to allow high-temperature gas from an abnormal battery to be discharged outside, preventing heat transfer to adjacent modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If battery modules are stacked on top of each other to increase energy density, then productivity and space utilization are improved, but heat from abnormal batteries can transfer to adjacent modules causing safety issues and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The case is divided into lower and upper portions with a communicating portion between them, creating separate zones for gas discharge and battery protection. This segmentation allows the lower case to handle gas emission while protecting the upper battery module from thermal damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The communicating portion acts as an intermediary channel between the lower and upper cases. It provides a controlled path for gas to escape from the lower case while preventing direct thermal contact between the abnormal battery in the lower module and the battery in the upper module.
2Reliability
If gas emission paths are provided for abnormal batteries, then reliability is improved by preventing thermal interference, but device complexity increases due to additional structural components
Solution Approach 1:
The communicating portion serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a gas discharge path, provides thermal isolation, and maintains the structural integrity of the case. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas discharge function is merged into the case structure itself rather than being a separate component. The communicating portion is integrated into the case design, combining the protective function with the existing case geometry.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively prevents heat from high-temperature gas from influencing other battery modules, thereby extending their lifespan by ensuring proper gas discharge and reducing thermal interference.
Implementation Method 1
When gas is emitted from a battery which is accommodated in a case of a battery module situated in lower part because of battery abnormalities, heat of the gas emitted from the battery situated in the lower part influences batteries of the other battery modules located in upper part
Data Source
AI summary
A battery including plural unit cells stacked on top of each other in the up-and-down direction is accommodated in a case to constitute each battery module. The plural battery modules are stacked on top of each other in the up-and-down direction to constitute a battery module stack. The case includes a lower case and an upper case. A sidewall portion of the lower case is situated outside of a sidewall portion of the upper case, and an upper end of the sidewall portion is situated above a lower end of the sidewall portion. Between the sidewall portion of the lower case and the sidewall portion of the upper case, a communicating portion to discharge high-temperature gas generated within the case to the outside is formed.