Battery Pack Channel Layout for Thermal Runaway Pressure Relief

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current thermal runaway protection schemes for large cylindrical power batteries are complex, occupy excessive space, and exacerbate thermal runaway due to shared space for pressure relief channels and electric parts, leading to high-voltage short circuits.

Innovation Solution

A battery pack design featuring separate thermal runaway pressure relief channels, electric part mounting channels, and pressure relief channels at the bottoms of battery cells, with a pressure relief valve and fire-resistant components to prevent aggravation of thermal runaway and optimize internal space usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If pressure relief channels and electric parts share the same space in conventional battery pack designs, then the device complexity is reduced and space occupation is minimized, but thermal runaway aggravates due to high-voltage short circuit caused by contact between high-temperature gas or burning materials and electric parts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal runaway protectionVSAvoidchannel separation structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The battery pack structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: a first cavity for battery cells, a second cavity for electric parts, and a third cavity for the pressure relief channel. This spatial segmentation prevents contact between high-temperature gas and electric parts during thermal runaway, eliminating the short circuit risk while maintaining structural organization and managing complexity through functional zoning.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pressure relief channel is extracted from the shared space and relocated to a dedicated third cavity. This extraction separates the pressure relief function from the electric part accommodation space, ensuring that high-temperature gas discharged during thermal runaway cannot contact electric parts, thereby preventing short circuits while maintaining a compact overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If pressure relief channels and electric parts share the same space, then space occupation is reduced, but thermal runaway aggravates due to short circuit risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshort circuit preventionVSAvoidbattery pack internal space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The battery pack employs a nested cavity structure where the first cavity (battery cells), second cavity (electric parts), and third cavity (pressure relief channel) are arranged in a space-efficient nested configuration. This nesting approach creates separate functional zones while minimizing the overall volume occupied by the battery pack, achieving both short circuit prevention and space optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The design transitions from a two-dimensional planar layout to a three-dimensional multi-cavity structure. By utilizing vertical and lateral spatial dimensions to create stacked or adjacent cavities, the design achieves functional separation of battery cells, electric parts, and pressure relief channels while maintaining compact overall dimensions, effectively preventing short circuits without excessive space occupation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4492549A1Battery pack
Publication Date: 2025.01.15 EVE ENERGY CO LTD
  • EP4492549A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4492549A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4492549A1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A battery pack, including: a case, wherein the case includes a bottom protection plate, a frame, and an upper cover, the frame is located on the bottom protection plate, the upper cover is located on the frame, and the bottom protection plate, the frame, and the upper cover enclose to form an accommodation cavity; and a plurality of battery cells disposed on the bottom protection plate and located in the accommodation cavity. A pressure relief valve is disposed on the frame. A first channel and a second channel are provided in the frame. The first channel and the second channel are independent of each other, and the first channel is communicated with the pressure relief valve. A plurality of pressure relief holes is provided on a side of the bottom protection plate facing the accommodation cavity. A plurality of third channels is provided in the bottom protection plate. The pressure relief holes are communicated with a third channel, and the third channel is communicated with the first channel. The first channel and the third channel is configured as pressure relief channels, and the second channel is configured as an electric part accommodation channel.