The present disclosure relates to a battery pack having an improved fixing structure and gas exhausting structure, and an electronic device and a vehicle including the battery pack, and more specifically, to a battery pack having a structure in which an excellent bonding strength may be secured between a battery module and a tray and a structure capable of preventing secondary explosion or thermal runaway from occurring, and an electronic device and a vehicle including the battery pack.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and thus, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the drawing.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation.
Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Referring to
Specifically, the battery module 200 may include a plurality of secondary batteries 100. The secondary battery 100 may be a pouch-type secondary battery 100 including an electrode assembly (not shown), an electrolyte (not shown), and a pouch case 116 for accommodating them therein. For example, as shown in
Also, as shown in
In addition, the secondary battery 100 may be provided in a form in which a body is vertically upright with respect to a horizontal plane (X-Y plane in
Therefore, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, in the present disclosure, when an abnormal behavior occurs in the plurality of secondary batteries 100, a gas may be discharged in one longitudinal direction or the other longitudinal direction, so that the gas discharge direction may be induced to a intended direction (toward an exhaust port, explained later) inside the battery module 200. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce gas stagnant inside the battery module 200, thereby effectively preventing a secondary explosion of the secondary battery 100 from occurring inside the battery module 200 or preventing a fire from becoming larger.
However, in the battery pack 300 according to the present disclosure, not only the pouch-type battery cell 100 described above is applied, but various types of battery cells known at the time of filing of this application may be employed.
The battery pack 300 may include at least one bus bar (not shown) configured to electrically interconnect the plurality of secondary batteries 100 to each other. Specifically, the bus bar may include a conductive metal, for example, copper, aluminum, nickel, or the like.
Further, the battery pack 300 may include a wire-type bus bar (not shown) for electrically connecting the plurality of battery modules 200 to each other.
Meanwhile, each of the plurality of battery modules 200 may include an exhaust port 215. The exhaust port 215 may be provided as an opening to discharge the gas generated inside the battery module 200 to the outside. The exhaust port 215 is preferably formed only at one side of the battery module 200. The exhaust port 215 is preferably formed only in a direction toward the outer side of the battery pack 300 among both ends of the battery module 200 in the longitudinal direction (a direction parallel to the Y axis in
That is, in the battery pack 300 according to the present disclosure, a pair of battery module 200 are arranged to face each other along the width direction (a direction parallel to the Y axis) of the battery pack 300 on the tray 320, and at least two battery modules 200 are successively arranged the longitudinal direction (a direction parallel to the X axis) of the battery pack 300. In the battery pack 300, if the battery modules 200 facing each other have a structure for discharging a high-temperature gas toward each other, this may cause the temperature inside the battery pack 300 to rise. Thus, the exhaust port 215 is formed only at the outer side of the battery pack 300 so that the high-temperature gas may be discharged toward the outside of the battery pack 300.
Meanwhile, the exhaust port 215 may have a tube shape protruding toward the side cover 330. The exhaust port 215 may be configured such that an end of the tube shape is connected to an entrance E1 to communicate with the inside of the side cover 330.
In addition, the tray 320 may be configured such that the plurality of battery modules 200 are mounted thereon. The tray 320 may include a mounting plate 323 extending in a horizontal direction (a direction parallel to the X-Y plane). Further, the tray 320 may have a base plate 324 coupled to a lower portion of the mounting plate 323. The tray 320 may include a front frame 325 and a rear frame 326 in the form of an upright plate in an upper and lower direction (a direction parallel to the Z axis). The front frame 325 may be coupled to one end of the mounting plate 323 in the longitudinal direction (a direction parallel to the X axis). The rear frame 326 may be coupled to the other end of the mounting plate 323 in the longitudinal direction (a direction parallel to the X axis).
Moreover, the tray 320 may have an exhaust hole E2 for discharging a gas to the outside. For example, as shown in
In addition, the upper cover 310 may be coupled to an upper portion of the tray 320. The upper cover 310 may have a size capable of covering the plurality of battery modules 200 mounted on the tray 320.
Referring to
Further, the side cover 330 may be positioned at one end and the other end of the mounting plate 323 of the tray 320 in the width direction (a direction parallel to the Y axis), respectively. For example, as shown in
In addition, the side cover 330 may have an entrance E1 formed by opening a part thereof. For example, the entrance E1 may be formed by opening a part of a gas exhaust portion 335, explained later. The entrance E1 may be configured so that the inside of the side cover 330 may communicate with the outside. Each of a plurality of entrances E1 may be connected to the exhaust port 215. That is, the entrance E1 may be configured to face the opening of the exhaust port 215 so that the gas exhaust portion 335 and the exhaust port 215 communicate with each other.
Moreover, the gas exhaust portion 335 may have a shape extending in one direction to transport the gas introduced from the entrance E1 to the exhaust hole E2. The gas exhaust portion 335 may be formed inside the body portion 333. That is, the gas exhaust portion 335 may have a shape extending inward from an inner wall surface of the body portion 333. The gas exhaust portion 335 may have a tube shape extending in the front and rear direction and having an empty inside by an extrusion method. For example, as shown in
In addition, the gas exhaust portion 335 may be positioned above a pipe accommodation portion 339, explained later. Accordingly, the gas exhaust portion 335 may utilize the empty space in the upper and lower direction (Z-axis direction) of the battery pack 300, so that a greater number of battery modules 200 may be mounted on the tray 320. That is, the energy density of the battery pack 300 may be increased.
As described above, in the present disclosure, the pair of side covers 330a, 330b include body portions 333 configured to elongate in one direction and respectively positioned at one side and the other side of the tray 320, a plurality of entrances E1 formed by opening a part of the body portion 333 and respectively connected to the exhaust port 215, and a gas exhaust portion 335 configured to transport the gas introduced from the entrance E1 to the exhaust hole E2. Therefore, in the battery pack 300 according to the present disclosure, the high-temperature gas generated by abnormal behavior such as fire or thermal runaway in any one of the plurality of battery modules 200 may be discharged to the outside through the gas exhaust portion 335 without raising the temperature of adjacent battery modules 200, thereby increasing the safety of the battery pack 300.
That is, according to the present disclosure, the high-temperature gas generated from the battery module 200 may be transported to the side cover 330 positioned opposite to the location where other battery modules 200 are located, thereby minimizing the influence of the high-temperature gas. Accordingly, when a fire or thermal runaway occurs in one battery module 200, it is possible to effectively prevent the thermal runaway or fire from successively propagating to other adjacent battery modules 200.
Moreover, since the side cover 330 is positioned at one widthwise side or the other widthwise side of the tray 320, it is possible to protect the plurality of battery modules 200 from impacts in the front and rear direction and in the left and right direction. Accordingly, the stability of the battery pack 300 may be improved.
Referring to
Accordingly, regarding the internal pressure of the gas exhaust portion 335A, the internal pressure at a portion close to the exhaust hole E2 may be smaller than that at a portion far from the exhaust hole E2. Accordingly, the gas introduced into the gas exhaust portion 335A may be induced to move toward the exhaust hole E2 of the gas exhaust portion 335A where a relatively low pressure is formed.
According to this configuration of the present disclosure, gas may be discharged smoothly, thereby improving the safety of the battery pack 300 in use.
Meanwhile, referring again to
The reinforcing rib R1 may have a shape extending from a front end of the body portion 333 to a rear end thereof. The reinforcing rib R1 may be provided not only to the body portion 333 of the side cover 330 but also to the gas exhaust portion 335, a mounting portion 337, explained later, and a pipe accommodation portion 339. That is, the gas exhaust portion 335, the mounting portion 337 and the pipe accommodation portion 339 are components of the side cover 330, and when an external shock of the battery pack 300 occurs, additional rigidity may be secured through the reinforcing rib R1, thereby protecting the battery modules 200 and other components in the battery pack 300.
As described above, in the present disclosure, it is possible to effectively increase the mechanical rigidity of the side cover 330 by forming the reinforcing rib R1 in the inner space of the side cover 330. Accordingly, the battery pack 300 may safely protect the plurality of battery modules 200 and other components from external impacts in the left and right direction and the front and rear direction.
Meanwhile, referring to
A coupling hole H3 is formed in the fixing portion 217. A fastening hole H1 is formed in the side cover 330 at a location corresponding to the coupling hole H3. Specifically, the fastening hole H1 is formed in the gas exhaust portion 335 of the side cover 330. That is, a plurality of fastening holes H1 and entrances E1 are provided in an upper surface of the gas exhaust portion 335 to be spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction (a direction parallel to the X axis) of the gas exhaust portion 335.
A pair of outer fixing portions 217 respectively provided to a pair of battery modules 200 facing each other may be coupled to the gas exhaust portion 335 by a fastening bolt (not shown) inserted into the fastening hole H1 and the coupling hole H3. Meanwhile, in order to fix a pair of inner fixing portions 217 respectively provided to the pair of battery modules 200 facing each other, namely a pair of fixing portions 217 facing each other, to the tray 320, a separate structure is additionally required on the tray 320.
To this end, at the center of the tray 320 in the width direction (a direction parallel to the Y axis), a module fixing bar 328 shaped to extend across the upper surface of the tray 320 along the longitudinal direction (a direction parallel to the X axis) of the tray 320 and having the same height as the gas exhaust portion 355 is additionally provided. A pair of fastening holes H1 are provided in the upper surface of the module fixing bar 328 along the width direction (a direction parallel to the Y axis) of the module fixing bar 328, and the pair of fixing portions 217 respectively provided to the pair of battery modules 200 facing each other are fastened to the fastening holes H1.
As described above, in the present disclosure, the battery module 200 and the tray 320 are fastened not by directly fastening the bottom surface of the tray 320, namely the mounting plate 323, and the battery module 200, but by indirectly fastening the battery module 200 using a separate structure installed on the mounting plate 323. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a stress from concentrating on the bottom surface of the tray 320 for fastening the battery module 200 and the tray 320, and thus it is possible to prevent that a coolant flowing through a cooling channel formed at the bottom surface of the tray 320 is lost due to an external impact to impair the cooling performance. That is, the battery pack 300 according to the present disclosure may include a coolant inlet 323b and a coolant outlet 323c formed at the mounting plate 323 serving as the bottom surface of the tray 320, and the bottom surface of the battery module 200 may be connected to the coolant inlet 323b and the coolant outlet 323c to receive and discharge a coolant. That is, the coolant inlet 323b and the coolant outlet 323c communicate with a coolant channel (not shown) formed at the mounting plate 232 serving as the bottom surface of the tray 320, and the coolant channel communicates with a cooling pipe 350, explained later.
Meanwhile, referring to
In addition, the side cover 330 includes a pipe accommodation portion 339 for accommodating the cooling pipe 350 therein. The pipe accommodation portion 339 may have an outer wall shape formed to surround the cooling pipe 350. For example, as shown in
As described above, in the present disclosure, since the side cover 330 includes the pipe accommodation portion 339 for accommodating the cooling pipe 350 therein, it is possible to prevent the cooling pipe 350 from being damaged by an external impact.
Meanwhile, referring to
In addition, one longitudinal end 323a of the mounting plate 323 is spaced apart from the body portion 333 of the side cover 330 to give a passage through which the leaked coolant may flow into the temporary storage portion 327. That is, when a coolant leaks from the cooling pipe 350, the leaked coolant may flow into the temporary storage portion 327 through the gap between the end 323a of the mounting plate 323 and the side cover 330.
As described above, since the tray 320 includes the temporary storage portion 327 configured to allow the leaked coolant to flow therein when a coolant leaks out from the cooling pipe 350, it is possible to to prevent the leaked coolant from flowing into the battery module 200, thereby preventing a short circuit from occurring at battery module 200 by the coolant.
Meanwhile, referring to
As described above, since the present disclosure further includes the mounting portion 337, it is possible to stably fix the battery pack 300 to an external device such as a vehicle body.
Moreover, the mounting portion 337 may be configured to protect the plurality of battery modules 200 positioned therein from external impact. To this end, the mounting portion 337 may have a shape protruding out of the body portion 333. The mounting portion 337 may have an empty inside. That is, the mounting portion 337 may have a shape protruding outward to absorb an impact or protect the battery pack 300 when an impact is applied to the left and right sides of the battery pack 300.
Referring to
As described above, since the battery module 200B of the present disclosure includes the plug 360 configured to seal the exhaust port 215 below the predetermined temperature and to be melted and lost over the predetermined temperature to open the exhaust port 215, a high-temperature gas of the battery module 200B caused by fire or thermal runaway melts the plug 360 to be lost, and thus, the exhaust port 215 may be opened so that the high-temperature gas is discharged to the outside. In normal use where the internal temperature is maintained below the predetermined temperature, the exhaust port 215 may be sealed to prevent external substances (especially, conductive substances) from entering the battery module 200B.
Moreover, in the battery module 200B of the present disclosure, since the plug 360 is applied, when a high-temperature gas is discharged from a battery module 200B where a fire or thermal runaway occurs, the gas moving to the gas exhaust portion 335 may be prevented from flowing through an exhaust port 215 of another adjacent battery module 200B and flowing into the battery module 200B.
Meanwhile, the battery pack 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include various devices (not shown) for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery module 200, for example, a BMS (Battery Management System), a current sensor, a fuse, and the like..
Meanwhile, an electronic device (not shown) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least one battery pack 300 described above. The electronic device may further include a device housing (not shown) having an accommodation space for accommodating the battery pack 300 and a display unit through which a user may check the state of charging of the battery pack 300.
In addition, the battery pack 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be included in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle. That is, in the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery pack 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above may be mounted inside a vehicle body. At this time, the side cover 330 may be configured to be coupled to the vehicle body of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, in this specification, terms indicating directions such as upper, lower, left, right, front and rear are used, but these terms are for convenience of explanation only, and may vary depending on the position of an object or the position of an observer, as being obvious to those skilled in the art.
The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2020-0052832 | Apr 2020 | KR | national |
The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0052832 filed on Apr. 29, 2020 in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/KR2021/004903 | 4/19/2021 | WO |