Battery Pack Venting Unit With Protective Cover for Spark Containment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges in ensuring safety and reliability during abnormal situations, such as thermal runaway, which can lead to sparks and flames being exposed outside the pack, potentially causing fires or explosions.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design that includes a venting unit with a protection cover to prevent sparks from being emitted outside the pack case, while allowing venting gases to be discharged smoothly, thereby suppressing the spread of flames and ensuring safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a venting device is provided to discharge gas from battery cells, then gas discharge capability is improved, but sparks and flames may be emitted outside the pack case causing safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
A protection cover is introduced as an intermediary component between the venting device and the external environment. The protection cover includes a discharge hole that allows gas to pass through while blocking sparks and flames, thus mediating between the need for gas discharge and the need to prevent harmful emissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The venting device is nested within the protection cover structure. The protection cover encompasses the venting device, with the discharge hole positioned to allow gas flow while providing protective coverage. This nested arrangement enables the smaller venting device to function within the larger protective structure.
2Reliability
If a protection cover is added to block sparks, then safety is improved, but the structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protection cover is designed as a shell structure with a discharge hole. This shell provides protective coverage while maintaining a relatively simple and lightweight construction. The cover can be made from materials that provide adequate protection without excessive complexity.
3Reliability
If the venting device is fully covered to block sparks, then safety is improved, but gas discharge capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protection cover is not completely sealed but has a specifically positioned discharge hole that provides local opening for gas flow. This local quality approach allows the cover to provide protection in most areas while maintaining gas discharge capability at the specific discharge hole location.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge hole acts as an intermediary passage that allows gas to pass through the protection cover. It mediates between the protective function of the cover and the discharge function of the venting device, enabling both functions to coexist.
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
The solution effectively prevents sparks and flames from being exposed outside the battery pack, thereby enhancing safety and reliability during abnormal situations, and preventing the spread of thermal runaway across battery cells or modules.
Implementation Method 1
a venting device that discharges a gas generated in the plurality of battery cells to an outside of the pack case
Implementation Method 2
a protection cover that covers at least a portion of the venting device... the protection cover may cover an upper end portion of the venting device in order to block sparks emitted from the plurality of battery cells
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes: a plurality of battery cells; a pack case that accommodates the plurality of battery cells; and a venting unit mountable in the pack case, and provided with a venting device that discharges a gas generated in the plurality of battery cells to an outside of the pack case, and a protection cover that covers at least a portion of the venting device.