CN117999696A - Battery pack with improved safety - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a unit module assembly including a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked and each of which stands in a vertical direction; a plate-shaped blocking member disposed between adjacent battery cells and standing in a vertical direction; a battery pack case configured to accommodate the unit module assembly and open at a top surface thereof; and a fire box located above the cell module assembly and covering a top surface of the battery pack case, wherein the blocking member includes a plurality of openings at an upper end thereof, and an interior of the blocking member includes an empty space connected to the plurality of openings.

Description

Battery pack with improved safety

Technical Field

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefits of korean patent application No. 10-2021-0188506, filed by the korean intellectual property office at 2021, 12, 27 and korean patent application No. 10-2022-0169562, filed at 2022, 12, 7, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a battery, and more particularly, to a battery pack or the like configured to ensure safety even when a thermal event occurs.

Background

The secondary batteries that are widely used at present include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries, and the like. Among them, the lithium secondary battery has been the focus of attention because it has advantages, for example, it shows little memory effect compared to a nickel-based secondary battery, and thus can be freely charged and discharged, and has a very low self-discharge rate and a high energy density.

Such lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbonaceous materials as positive electrode active materials and negative electrode active materials, respectively. The lithium secondary battery includes: an electrode assembly in which positive and negative electrode plates each coated with a positive and negative electrode active material are arranged with a separator interposed therebetween; and an exterior material (i.e., a battery case) that seals and accommodates the electrode assembly together with the electrolyte solution.

Generally, lithium secondary batteries can be classified into can-type secondary batteries, in which an electrode assembly is mounted in a metal can, and pouch-type secondary batteries, in which an electrode assembly is mounted in a pouch of an aluminum laminate sheet, according to the shape of an external material.

Such secondary batteries are widely used not only for small-sized devices such as portable electronic devices but also for medium-and large-sized devices such as electric vehicles and Energy Storage Systems (ESS), and the degree of use thereof is rapidly increasing. Further, in recent years, there is an increasing trend to use a household battery pack as an application for storing electric power.

Various battery packs, including household battery packs, include a plurality of battery cells (secondary batteries) to increase capacity and/or output. In particular, in order to increase the energy density of the battery pack, a plurality of battery cells are often densely placed in a very narrow space.

In such a battery pack configuration, one of the typical important issues is safety. In particular, when a thermal event occurs in any one of a plurality of battery cells included in a battery pack, it is necessary to suppress the propagation of such event to other battery cells. If the heat propagation between the battery cells is not properly suppressed, this results in thermal events in several battery cells included in the battery pack, which may lead to greater problems such as ignition or explosion of the battery pack. In addition, fire or explosion generated in the battery pack may cause great damage to lives or properties of surrounding people. In particular, in the case of a home battery pack, if ignition or explosion occurs, it may damage the safety of people living in a house and develop a house fire to cause greater damage.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been designed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery pack or the like, the structure of which is improved so as to suppress transfer between cells when a thermal event occurs inside the battery pack.

However, the technical problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described problems, and additional other problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the appended claims.

Technical proposal

To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack including: a plurality of battery cells; a blocking member configured to be interposed between adjacent battery cells to block heat; a battery pack case accommodating the plurality of battery cells and the blocking member in the inner space; and a fire box storing the fire extinguishing agent and placed on an upper portion of the cell assembly.

Wherein the blocking member may be configured in the form of a thermally insulating material interposed between the metal plates.

The metal plate may be made of an aluminum material.

The thermally insulating material may be mica flakes or compressed paper.

The fire box may be configured to expel fire suppressant toward the cell assembly when heat is applied from the cell assembly.

The blocking member may be configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent discharged from the fire box to flow therein.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an energy storage system comprising a battery pack according to the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack including: a unit module assembly including a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked and each of which stands in a vertical direction; a plate-shaped blocking member disposed between adjacent battery cells and standing in a vertical direction; a battery pack case accommodating the unit module assembly, the upper surface of the battery pack case being open; and a fire box located above the cell module assembly and covering an upper surface of the battery pack case, wherein the blocking member includes a plurality of openings at an upper end thereof, and an interior of the blocking member includes an empty space connected to the plurality of openings.

When a thermal event occurs in the battery cell, the fire extinguishing agent supplied from the fire box may flow into the empty space inside the blocking member through the plurality of openings of the blocking member.

The blocking member may include a support plate and a pair of expansion pads disposed on both surfaces of the support plate.

The support plate includes a plurality of first through holes formed by penetrating the support plate from the plurality of openings in one direction, and an inside of the plurality of first through holes may be an empty space inside the blocking member.

The first through holes may extend in a vertical direction of the support plate, and the plurality of first through holes may be arranged in parallel to each other in a row.

The lower ends of the plurality of first through-holes may be open at the lower end of the support plate, and the lower end of the support plate is placed in close contact with or adhered to the lower surface of the battery pack case, or the lower end of the plurality of first through-holes has a blocking shape such that the fire extinguishing agent stays inside the plurality of first through-holes.

The support plate further includes a plurality of second through holes, the plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second through holes extend in mutually different directions and intersect each other, and an inside of the plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second through holes may be an empty space inside the blocking member.

Both end portions of the plurality of second through holes may each have a blocking shape.

The first through holes may extend in a vertical direction of the support plate, the plurality of first through holes may be arranged in parallel to each other in a row, and the second through holes may extend in a longitudinal direction of the support plate, the plurality of second through holes may be arranged in parallel to each other in a row.

The support plate is made of metal or stainless steel and the expansion pad may be made of a silicone material or a soft plastic material.

The support plate may be formed by coupling a pair of support plate members formed bilaterally symmetrically at a cross section in the longitudinal direction of the support plate.

The support plate may be integrally formed.

The fire suppressant may be a liquid fire suppressant.

The fire box may include: an interior space containing a fire extinguishing agent; and a plurality of fragile parts where the thickness of the base plate of the fire box is relatively thin so as to be melted and opened by a thermal event of the battery cell.

The fragile part has a linear shape and is arranged in parallel with one edge of the fire box, the fragile parts are arranged in parallel with each other, and a longitudinal direction of the fragile part and a longitudinal direction of the battery cell may be orthogonal to each other.

The single module assembly may include: a pair of bus bar housings disposed on front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack; and a pair of end plates disposed parallel to the battery cells at both side end portions of the battery cell stack, wherein the pair of end plates may be connected between the pair of bus bar housings.

A plurality of battery packs are provided and may be stacked in a vertical direction and coupled to each other by mechanical or electrical connection.

To achieve the above object, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an energy storage system including one or more of the battery packs according to the present disclosure.

Advantageous effects

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack having improved safety may be provided.

In particular, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, if a thermal event occurs inside the battery pack, a fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) supplied from a fire box flows into an empty space inside the blocking member through an opening at an upper end portion of the blocking member and stays in the space inside the blocking member, so that propagation of the thermal event between the cells can be effectively suppressed.

Further, when a problem such as thermal runaway or ignition occurs in some of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery pack, it is possible to effectively prevent such a problem from being spread to other battery packs.

Further, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a battery pack having a simple structure and enhanced in thermal safety may be provided.

In particular, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, since a new part for injecting a fire extinguishing agent does not need to be added, a battery pack excellent in manufacturability and economic efficiency can be provided.

Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is not necessary to design a special waterproof and dustproof structure or the like.

Further, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the same type of battery pack is stacked by a plurality of numbers, thereby enabling to provide products having various voltage ranges and/or electrical storage capacities.

Further, several other additional effects may be achieved by the various embodiments of the present disclosure. Such various effects of the present disclosure will be described in detail in each embodiment, or a description of effects that can be easily understood by those skilled in the art will be omitted.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description provided below, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure should not be construed as limited to those drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the construction of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a partial construction of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating the construction of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the construction of a fire box included in the battery pack of fig. 4;

fig. 6 is a top view illustrating the construction of a fire box included in the battery pack of fig. 4;

Fig. 7 and 8 are a perspective view and a plan view illustrating the construction of a unit module assembly included in the battery pack of fig. 4;

Fig. 9 and 10 are sectional views of battery packs according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the construction of a battery pack according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 12 is a perspective view of a cell module assembly included in the battery pack of fig. 11;

fig. 13 is a perspective view of a blocking member included in the battery pack of fig. 11;

fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the blocking member of fig. 13;

FIG. 15 is a top view of the blocking member of FIG. 13;

Fig. 16 and 17 each show a modification of the blocking member of fig. 13 as a further embodiment of the blocking member of fig. 13;

fig. 18 is a perspective view of a battery pack case included in the battery pack of fig. 11;

fig. 19 and 20 are views explaining the case in which the unit module assembly of fig. 18 is received in the battery pack case;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a fire box included in the battery pack of FIG. 11;

FIG. 22 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the fire box of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a top cross-sectional view of the lower coolant tank of the fire box as viewed from above;

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a battery pack in which all the components of the battery pack described above with reference to fig. 11 to 23 are combined together;

fig. 25 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the battery pack of fig. 1 to 24; and

Fig. 26 and 27 are diagrams illustrating embodiments in which battery cases illustrated in fig. 25 are stacked in different numbers from each other.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it is to be understood that terms and words used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as having ordinary and dictionary meanings, but interpreted as having meanings and concepts corresponding to technical ideas of the present disclosure in view of the fact that the inventors can correctly define the concepts of the terms and words in order to properly describe their own disclosed principles in the best manner.

Accordingly, the description set forth herein is merely for purposes of illustration of the preferred embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalent processes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Portions irrelevant to the description will be omitted to clearly describe the present disclosure, and like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the description.

Further, in the drawings, for convenience of description, the size and thickness of each element are arbitrarily illustrated, and the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to those illustrated in the drawings. In the drawings, the thickness of layers, regions, etc. are exaggerated for clarity. In the drawings, the thickness of portions and regions are exaggerated for convenience of description.

Furthermore, it will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region or plate is referred to as being "on" or "over" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, it means that there are no other intervening elements present. Furthermore, a certain portion being "above" or "on" a reference portion means that the certain portion is located above or below the reference portion, and does not particularly mean that the certain portion is "above" or "on" toward the opposite direction of gravity. Meanwhile, similarly to the case where it is described as being disposed "on" or "over" another portion, the case where it is described as being disposed "under" or "under" another portion will also be understood with reference to the above-mentioned matters.

Furthermore, throughout the description, when a portion is referred to as "comprising" or "including" a certain component, this means that the portion may also include other components without excluding other components, unless otherwise specified.

Further, throughout the description, when it is referred to as a "plane", it means when the target portion is viewed from the upper side, and when it is referred to as a "cross section", it means when the target portion is viewed from one side of a vertically sectioned cross section.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the construction of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating a partial construction of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, it can be said that fig. 3 shows an example of a cross-sectional configuration taken along the line A1-A1' in a state in which the battery pack of fig. 1 is assembled.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, a battery pack according to the present disclosure may include a battery cell, a blocking member 200, a battery pack case 300, and a fire box 400.

The battery cell 110 may mean a secondary battery. The secondary battery may include an electrode assembly, an electrolyte, and a battery case. In particular, the battery cell 110 may be a pouch-type secondary battery. However, other forms of secondary batteries, such as cylindrical batteries or prismatic batteries, may also be used as the battery cells 110. A battery pack according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery cells 110. The plurality of battery cells 110 may be stacked on each other in at least one direction. At this time, the plurality of battery cells 110 may be arranged side by side in the horizontal direction in a form of being erected in the vertical direction.

The plurality of secondary batteries may form the unit module assembly 100 in a form of being stacked one on another (i.e., in a form of a battery cell stack). For example, in a state in which each of the battery cells 110 stands in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing), a plurality of battery cells 110 may be stacked in a form arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction in the drawing). Each of the battery cells 110 may include electrode leads, wherein the electrode leads may be located at both end portions or at one end portion of each of the battery cells 110. A secondary battery in which an electrode lead protrudes in two directions may be referred to as a bi-directional cell, and a secondary battery in which an electrode lead protrudes in one direction may be referred to as a uni-directional cell. In fig. 1, a bi-directional monomer is shown. However, the present disclosure is not limited to a specific type or form of the secondary battery, and various forms of secondary batteries known at the time of filing the present disclosure may be employed in the cell module assembly 100 of the present disclosure.

The blocking member 200 may be configured to be interposed between adjacent battery cells 110 to block heat. For example, in a state in which a plurality of battery cells 110 are stacked, when a thermal event occurs in some battery cells 110 to generate heat or high Wen Tongqi gas, the generated heat or gas may be inhibited or blocked from being transferred to adjacent battery cells 110 by the blocking member 200. In addition, the blocking member 200 may have a function of blocking flames or sparks sprayed from a specific battery cell 110.

The blocking member 200 may be configured in a substantially plate-like shape, in particular an upstanding plate-like shape. Further, the blocking member 200 may be configured to have a height similar to or higher than that of the battery cell 110 placed in the vertical shape in the horizontal direction. A plurality of blocking members 200 may be included according to the number of battery cells 110. Further, the blocking member 200 may constitute a Cell Module Assembly (CMA) in a stacked form together with the battery cells 110.

According to such a configuration of the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the battery pack including the plurality of battery cells 110, thermal runaway propagation or the like between the cells can be effectively prevented by the blocking member 200.

The battery pack case 300 may be configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells 110 and the blocking member 200 in the inner space thereof. That is, the battery pack case 300 has an empty space formed therein, and may house a cell module assembly, which is a laminate of the battery cells 110 and the blocking member 200. The battery pack case 300 may be constructed in a box-shaped shape having an open upper end, but may be constructed in various other shapes. Further, the battery pack case 300 may further include an upper coolant tank cover coupled to the upper end opening. The box-shaped battery pack case 300 may be integrally molded or may be manufactured in such a manner that at least one surface is coupled with an adjacent surface.

Fire box 400 may store fire suppression agent. In particular, the fire box 400 may have an interior space and store a fire extinguishing agent in the interior space. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the fire box 400 may include a lower coolant box as a coolant box and an upper coolant box cover as a coolant box cover. Here, the coolant tank is configured in a box shape having an opened upper portion, and may provide a space capable of storing the fire extinguishing agent. Also, the coolant tank cover may be configured to cover an open upper portion of the coolant tank and seal a fire extinguishing agent storage space of the coolant tank.

The fire box 400 may be accommodated inside the battery pack case 300. In particular, the fire box 400 may be placed on the upper side of the cell module assembly in the inner space of the battery pack case 300.

According to such a configuration of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the fire extinguishing agent is discharged from the fire box 400 located on the upper side of the unit module assembly, so that the thermal event of the unit module assembly can be more easily controlled. In particular, the fire extinguishing agent discharged from the fire box 400 can be easily moved downward by gravity. Thus, heat and fire in the single module assembly may be more easily inhibited by the fire suppressant.

In particular, in the case where the cell module assembly includes a plurality of battery cells 110 arranged horizontally (i.e., in the left-right direction, as shown in fig. 1), if the fire extinguishing agent is discharged from the fire box 400 located at the upper portion, the fire extinguishing agent can be easily supplied to the entire battery cells 110. Thus, according to such embodiments, thermal event suppression of the entire unitary module assembly may be more effectively achieved.

As shown in fig. 3, the blocking member 200 may be constructed in a form in which a thermal insulation material is interposed between metal plates.

Here, the metal plate may be made of an aluminum material. That is, the metal plate may be an aluminum plate.

In addition, the thermal insulation material may be mica flakes or compressed paper (board).

According to such a configuration of the embodiment, the blocking member 200 may serve as heat diffusion and cooling to further improve the heat/flame blocking effect between the monomers.

Fire box 400 may be configured to expel fire suppression agent toward the unitary module assembly when heat is applied from the unitary module assembly. In particular, fire box 400 may be configured such that at least a portion thereof is melted by heat applied from the monomer assembly. Further, the fire box 400 may be configured to be melted by the ventilation gas sprayed from the battery cells 110 or the temperature of the battery cells 110.

In addition, fire box 400 may store fire extinguishing agent in a liquid state. For example, fire box 400 may store water, brine, cooling water, insulating oil, and the like as fire extinguishing agents.

Further, the fire box 400 may be configured such that the thickness of the base plate is different for each location. Further, the fire box 400 may be located at a central portion between the cells, in which fragile portions having a relatively thin thickness are stacked in a horizontal direction.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating the construction of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the construction of a fire box included in the battery pack of fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a top view illustrating the construction of a fire box included in the battery pack of fig. 4. Further, fig. 7 and 8 are perspective and top views illustrating the construction of a unit module assembly included in the battery pack of fig. 4. Further, fig. 9 and 10 are sectional views of battery packs according to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 4 to 10, a fire box 400 may be placed in an upper portion of the cell module assembly including the battery cell 110 and the blocking member 200. In particular, as shown in fig. 8, the blocking member 200 may include an insulating pad and an expansion pad.

Further, as shown in fig. 9, the upper fire box 400 and the battery cell 110 may be orthogonally positioned. Therefore, even if an event such as ventilation gas or spark occurs in any portion of the battery cell 110, a fire extinguishing agent (e.g., coolant) can be easily injected.

Further, the blocking member 200 may be configured to allow the fire extinguishing agent discharged from the fire box 400 to flow therein. For example, when water is discharged from the fire box 400, the discharged water may flow into the blocking member 200. At this time, the blocking member 200 may have a space into which the fire extinguishing fluid can be injected, or may include a material capable of absorbing the fire extinguishing fluid. Further, the blocking member 200 may be configured in various shapes into which the fire extinguishing fluid may flow.

For example, as shown in fig. 10, the blocking member 200 may be configured such that an upper fire extinguishing agent (e.g., coolant) fills the gap of the insulation pad to maximize insulation performance when an event occurs.

According to such a configuration of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the effect of preventing heat/flame propagation between the monomers by the blocking member 200 may be further increased.

Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating the construction of a battery pack according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 11, the battery pack includes a cell module assembly 100, a blocking member 200, a battery pack case 300, a fire box 400, an outer cover 500, and an electrical connection unit 600.

Even in fig. 11, the cell module assembly 100 may be configured such that each of the plurality of battery cells 110 is stacked in a form arranged along a horizontal direction (e.g., an X-axis direction in the drawing) in a state of being erected in a vertical direction (e.g., a Z-axis direction in the drawing). At this time, the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110 is, for example, the Y-axis direction in the drawing.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a unit module assembly 100 included in the battery pack of fig. 11.

For reference, fig. 12 illustrates the remaining components except for the plurality of battery cells 110 in order to more clearly illustrate the components included in the cell module assembly 100. The plurality of battery cells 110 may be conventional pouch-type battery cells or prismatic battery cells.

Referring to fig. 12, a pair of bus bar housings 130 are disposed on the front and rear surfaces of the stack of the plurality of battery cells 110. Each of the bus bar housings 130 is disposed in a direction (e.g., an X-axis direction in the drawing) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 110.

A pair of end plates 120 are respectively disposed at both side ends of the stack of the plurality of battery cells 110. The end plate 120 is disposed in parallel with the battery cells 110. A pair of end plates 120 are respectively connected between a pair of bus bar housings 130.

Each of the upper and lower sides between the pair of end plates 120 may include at least one strap 140 connected between the pair of end plates 120. The straps 140 strengthen the bond of the unitary module assembly 100. More specifically, it reinforces the coupling of the pair of end plates 120 and the stack of the plurality of battery cells 110 disposed therebetween. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misalignment of the stacks of the battery cells 110.

Further, the descriptions for the unitary module assembly 100 overlap those described in fig. 1, and therefore, for details, reference is made to those described above in connection with fig. 1.

Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 11, a plurality of battery cells 110 may be grouped and accommodated in a predetermined number. Further, as shown in fig. 11 to 17, the blocking member 200 is disposed between a group of a plurality (predetermined number) of battery cells 110 and a group of a plurality (predetermined number) of adjacent battery cells 110.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a blocking member 200 included in the battery pack of fig. 11. Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the blocking member 200 of fig. 13. Fig. 15 is a top view of the blocking member 200 of fig. 13. Fig. 16 and 17 each show a modification of the blocking member 200 of fig. 13. The cross-sectional view is a cross-sectional view taken along line A3-A3' in fig. 15.

The blocking member 200 may be configured to be interposed between adjacent battery cells 110 to block heat. For example, when a thermal event occurs in some of the battery cells 110 to generate heat or high Wen Tongqi gas, the generated heat or gas may be inhibited or blocked from being transferred to an adjacent battery cell 110 by the blocking member 200. In addition, the blocking member 200 may serve to block flames or sparks ejected from a specific battery cell 110.

The blocking member 200 has a substantially plate-like shape. The blocking member 200 may be configured in a plate shape erected in a vertical direction. Further, the blocking member 200 may also have a height equal to or similar to the height of the battery cell 110 erected in the vertical direction. The height of the blocking member 200 may be less than or greater than the height of the battery cell 110.

A plurality of blocking members 200 may be included according to the number of battery cells. Also, as described above, the blocking member 200 may constitute the cell module assembly 100 together with the battery cells 110 in a stacked form.

According to such a configuration of the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the battery pack including the plurality of battery cells 110, thermal runaway propagation or the like between the cells can be effectively prevented by the blocking member 200.

In addition, the blocking member 200 may be formed mainly of a triple structure. For example, a pair of expansion pads 220 are provided on each of both surfaces of the support plate 210. The support plates 210 maintain the shape and rigidity of the blocking member 200 and block flames or sparks sprayed from the battery cells 110 between the battery cells 110. The support plate 210 may be made of, for example, metal or stainless steel. The expansion mat 220 reduces the pressure applied to the battery cell 110 due to the support plate 210 during the expansion of the battery cell 110. The expansion pad 220 may be made of, for example, a silicone material or a soft plastic material.

The length of the expansion pad 220 may be less than or equal to the length of the support plate 210. Here, the length means, for example, the Y-axis direction in the drawing.

Meanwhile, the blocking member 200 according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of openings 231 at an upper end portion. Further, the inside of the blocking member 200 includes an empty space connected to the plurality of openings 231. When the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) is injected into the single module assembly 100 from the fire box 400 located in the upper portion of the single module assembly 100, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) enters the empty space inside the barrier member 200 through the plurality of openings 231. That is, since the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) stays in the empty space inside the blocking member 200, the battery cells 110 in which a thermal event has occurred can be cooled and extinguished more effectively.

Further, the blocking member 200 includes a plurality of through holes 230 arranged in one direction.

In the embodiment according to fig. 13 to 17, the support plate 210 has a plurality of through holes 230 formed by penetrating the support plate 210 in a vertical direction (i.e., in a height direction (e.g., a Z-axis direction in the drawings) as shown in detail in fig. 14 and 15), and the plurality of through holes 230 are disposed along a longitudinal direction (e.g., a Y-axis direction in the drawings) of the support plate 210. That is, the uppermost end portions of the plurality of through holes 230 become a plurality of openings 231. The inside of the plurality of through holes 230 becomes an empty space inside the blocking member 200.

When the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) is injected into the single module assembly 100 from the fire box 400 located in the upper portion of the single module assembly 100, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) even enters the plurality of through holes 230. That is, since the extinguishing agent (extinguishing fluid) stays in the plurality of through holes 230, the battery cells 110 in which a thermal event has occurred can be cooled and extinguished more effectively.

As shown in fig. 14, a plurality of through holes 230 may be formed to be open on both upper and lower surfaces of the support plate 210. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 16, the plurality of through holes 230 are opened only on the upper surface thereof, and the lower surface thereof may have a blocking shape, so that the extinguishing agent (extinguishing fluid) may stay in the through holes 230 for a longer time. When the battery pack is assembled, in the former case, if the support plate 210 of the blocking member 200 is placed to closely contact or adhere to the inner lower surface of the battery pack case 300, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) may stay in the through-hole 230 for a longer time as in the latter case.

Meanwhile, when the blocking member 200 is manufactured, as shown in the left drawing of fig. 14, the support plate 210 may be manufactured by a method of coupling a pair of support plate members 210-1 and 210-2. At this time, the pair of support plate members 210-1 and 210-2 are formed by coupling the pair of support plate members 210-1 and 210-2 formed bilaterally symmetrically at a section in the longitudinal direction of the support plate 210. Alternatively, the support plate 210 may be integrally molded and manufactured from the beginning, as shown in the right-hand drawing in fig. 14.

As shown in the left drawing in fig. 14, when a pair of support plate members 210-1 and 210-2 are manufactured and coupled, a plurality of through holes 230 may be easily formed. A support plate fastening member 211 may be further included to more firmly couple the pair of support plate members 210-1 and 210-2. The support plate fastening member 211 may include a female support plate fastening member 211a and a male support plate fastening member 211b. However, the present disclosure is not limited to those shown in the drawings, and it is sufficient to be able to couple the shapes of the pair of support plate members 210-1 and 210-2.

Fig. 17 shows a case where a plurality of through holes 230 are not formed in one direction but are formed in two directions and intersect each other.

For example, one embodiment of fig. 17 shows a case where a plurality of first through holes 230a extending in a first direction and a plurality of second through holes 230b extending in a second direction orthogonally intersect. The plurality of first through holes 230a are formed in a first direction (up-down direction, i.e., a height direction (e.g., Z-axis direction in the drawing)) of the support plate 210. The plurality of first through holes 230b are formed in the second direction (longitudinal direction (e.g., Y-axis direction in the drawing)) of the support plate 210. When a thermal event occurs in the battery cell 110, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) injected from the fire box 400 flows into the plurality of first through holes 230a of the support plate 210, and then flows into the plurality of second through holes 230b intersecting therewith.

The plurality of second through holes 230b may not penetrate to both side surfaces of the support plate 210. That is, both ends of the plurality of second through holes 230b are spaced apart from both side surfaces of the support plate 210 by a predetermined distance, and both ends of the plurality of second through holes 230b may be blocked. Accordingly, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) flowing into the plurality of second through holes 230b may not escape to both side surfaces of the support plate 210, but stay in the through holes 230. Alternatively, there may be a case where a plurality of second through holes 230b penetrate to both side surfaces of the support plate 210. In order to prevent the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) flowing into the plurality of second through holes 230b from escaping to both sides of the support plate 210, both side surfaces of the support plate 210 may be assembled to closely contact or adhere to the bus bar housing 130 shown in fig. 12.

For example, the modification of fig. 17 is achieved by a case where the plurality of first through holes 230a extending in the first direction and the plurality of second through holes 230b extending in the second direction are orthogonal to each other such that the plurality of first through holes 230a and the plurality of second through holes 230b extend in the diagonal direction of the support plate 210 (e.g., inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the upper end portion of the blocking member 400).

Meanwhile, the present disclosure is not limited to those shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes may be made, such as, for example, a case in which a plurality of through holes 230 are formed in three directions and intersect each other.

In general terms, a blocking member 200 according to the present disclosure generally has an opening at an upper end of the blocking member 200. When a thermal event occurs in the battery cell 110, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) in the fire box 400 located above the cell module assembly 100 passes through the opening located at the uppermost end of the blocking member 200 through the plurality of through holes 230, and may stay in the inner space of the support plate 210 for a longer time. Accordingly, the fire extinguishing agent (fire extinguishing fluid) may stay between the battery cells 110 for a longer time, and the battery cells 110 may be cooled or extinguished more effectively.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a battery pack case 300 included in the battery pack of fig. 11. Fig. 19 is a view explaining a case in which the battery cell module assembly 100 of fig. 18 is received in the battery pack case 300.

Referring to fig. 18, the battery pack case 300 may be constructed in a box shape. The box-shaped battery pack case 300 may be integrally molded or may be manufactured in such a manner that at least one surface is coupled with an adjacent surface.

The battery pack case 300 includes at least one vent hole 320. The filter is mounted on the vent 320.

When a thermal event occurs in the battery cells 110 received in the inside of the battery pack case 300, the vent gas generated from the corresponding battery cells 110 may be discharged through the vent holes 320. The ventilation gas discharged from the ventilation holes 320 may pass through the space between the battery case 300 and the outer cover 500 (see fig. 11) and be discharged to the outside of the outer cover 500.

Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 19 and 20, the unit module assembly 100 shown in fig. 12 may be received in the inner space of the auxiliary case 310 and then mounted on the battery pack case 300. The cell module assembly 100 is mainly received in the inner space of the auxiliary case 310 and then is finally received in the battery pack case 300, so that it is possible to supplement the rigidity of the cell module assembly 100 and prevent misalignment of the stacks of the plurality of battery cells 110 in the cell module assembly 100. The auxiliary case 310 may be made of, for example, metal, stainless steel, or the like.

Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a fire box 400 included in the battery pack of fig. 11. Fig. 22 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the fire box 400 of fig. 21, and shows a cross-section taken along line A1-A1' in fig. 11. Fig. 23 is a top cross-sectional view of the lower coolant tank 410 of the fire box 400 as viewed from above.

As described above in fig. 1, fire box 400 includes a lower coolant box 410 and an upper coolant box cover 420. The lower coolant tank 410 and the upper coolant tank cover 420 may be manufactured separately and coupled hermetically, or may be manufactured integrally. The upper coolant tank cover 420 may also include an inlet port 430 capable of injecting a fire suppression agent. The inlet port 430 may be closed with a plug to seal the fire box 400.

The portion of the base plate 411 of the lower coolant tank 410 formed to be thin may function as the fragile portion 411 a. That is, when a thermal event occurs in the battery cells 110 of the cell module assembly 100, the fragile part 411a having a relatively thin thickness may be broken first. When the fragile portions 411a are broken to form an opening in the base plate 411, the fire extinguishing agent stored inside the fire box 400 may be discharged toward the unit module assembly 100 through the corresponding fragile portions 411 a.

A plurality of frangible portions 411a may be provided. The fragile portion 411a may have a shape, for example, having a narrow width and a long length. That is, it may have a linear shape (which is a linear shape arranged parallel to one end of the fire box 400), and the fragile portions 411a may be arranged parallel to each other.

Meanwhile, according to the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction in the drawing) of the battery cell 110 and the longitudinal direction (e.g., the X-axis direction in the drawing) of the fragile part 411a may be orthogonal to each other. That is, the plurality of fragile parts 411a are placed to intersect the longitudinal direction of the corresponding battery cell 110. Accordingly, the fire extinguishing agent can be simultaneously supplied through the plurality of open fragile parts 411a extending over the battery cells 110 in the longitudinal direction of the battery cells 110 where the thermal event has occurred, and the battery cells 110 where the thermal event has occurred can be extinguished more efficiently and rapidly.

Further, referring to fig. 22, the base plate 411 of the lower coolant tank 410 has a step difference. More specifically, the substrate 411 is mainly classified as follows. It is composed of a portion A7 where the fragile part 411a is located, a portion A8 abutting on the strap 140 of the battery pack case 100, and a portion A9 located on the side of the electrical connection unit 600. Wherein the height of the base plate 411 at the portion A7 where the fragile portion 411a is located is lowest.

The fragile part 411a of the lower coolant tank 410 is disposed nearest to the battery cell 110 as much as possible. Therefore, when an overheat or ignition condition has occurred in some of the battery cells 110, it is possible to perform rapid initial suppression, thereby more effectively preventing the occurrence of dangerous conditions such as secondary explosion due to heat or flame transfer to the adjacent battery cells 100.

In other words, as shown in fig. 12 with respect to the cell module assembly 100, the height of the cell module assembly 100 is not constant due to the portion where the strap 140 is located or the portion where the bus bar housing 130 is located, etc. Nonetheless, if the height of the base plate 411 of the lower coolant tank 410 of the fire box 400 is constant as a whole, an empty space is relatively formed between the base plate 411 of the fire box 400 and the upper surface of the unit module assembly 100. In this case, heat transfer from the battery cell 110, the temperature of which has been raised, to the fragile part 411a is blocked by the empty space, so that fire extinguishing is delayed.

When the battery cell 110 is overheated, the fragile part 411a is placed next to the battery cell 110 whose temperature has been raised, so that the fragile part 411a is immediately broken, and the battery cell 110 can be rapidly cooled and extinguished.

In general, the lower surface of the base plate 411 of the fire box 400 and the upper surface of the unit module assembly 100 have shapes that substantially match each other. Accordingly, since the fire box 400 is disposed in closer contact with the cell module assembly 100, it is possible to more effectively cool the battery cells 110 having an increased temperature and more rapidly inject the fire extinguishing agent into the battery cells 110 having been overheated or ignited. In addition, it is possible to efficiently contain the fire extinguishing agent in the fire box 400. That is, if the height of the base plate 411 of the lower coolant tank 410 of the fire box 400 is constant as a whole, the fire box 400 contains as little fire extinguishing agent as the corresponding empty space.

The fire extinguishing agent disposed in the fire box 400 may be in the form of, for example, a fire extinguishing fluid, and redundant description is omitted. For details, please refer to the above.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a battery pack in which all the components of the battery pack described above with reference to fig. 11 to 23 are combined together.

Further, for the portions where the descriptions about the battery packs of fig. 11 to 24 overlap with the descriptions about the battery packs of fig. 1 to 10, reference is made to those described above in fig. 1 to 10.

Meanwhile, a plurality of battery packs 300 may be provided and configured to be stacked in the vertical direction. This will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 25.

Fig. 25 is a perspective view schematically illustrating at least a portion of the construction of the battery pack of fig. 1 to 24 of the present disclosure. In addition, fig. 26 and 27 are diagrams illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of battery packs 300 shown in fig. 25 are stacked.

Referring to fig. 25, the battery pack case 300 may include a bottom portion and a sidewall portion. The cell module assembly 100 may be received in the inner space of the battery pack case 300, and the upper surface of the cell module assembly 100 is covered with the fire box 400 to form a battery pack. For reference, in fig. 25, the height of the upper side of the battery pack case 300 is shown to be greater than the height of the upper surface of the fire box 400. However, fig. 25 is merely a schematic diagram and one exemplary embodiment, and the present disclosure is not limited to those shown in fig. 25. That is, on the contrary, various modifications and changes may be made, for example, the height of the upper surface of the fire box 400 may be greater than the height of the upper side of the battery pack case 300, and the height of the upper surface of the fire box 400 and the height of the upper side of the battery pack case 300 may be equal.

The battery pack case 300 as shown in fig. 25 may be formed in a plurality of numbers, so that a stacked structure of the battery pack may be formed as shown in fig. 26 or 27. At this time, the battery pack of fig. 25 may be one unit pack. Further, since such a unit group is formed in a plurality of numbers, it is possible to construct the entire battery pack of the module stack type as shown in fig. 26 or 27.

More specifically, for example, in the configuration of fig. 26, a shape in which three cell groups D are stacked in the vertical direction is illustrated. Also, in the configuration of fig. 27, a shape in which five cell groups D are stacked in the vertical direction is illustrated. The present disclosure is not limited to those illustrated, and may be implemented by changing the number of the cell groups D in various ways to suit the environment in which the present invention is implemented.

For example, if the battery pack of the present disclosure is implemented as an Energy Storage System (ESS), the number of cell battery packs is adjusted so that the voltage range and/or electrical storage capacity of the energy storage system can be implemented as appropriate for its environment.

According to such a configuration of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the single cell groups having a common structure are stacked in various ways, which makes it possible to cope with products of various voltage ranges and/or electric storage capacities according to the number of stacks. For example, by adjusting the number of stacks of the same cell group, a low-pressure product as shown in fig. 26 or a high-pressure product as shown in fig. 27 can be realized. Therefore, it is possible to improve economic efficiency or compatibility as compared with a standard product limited to a specific voltage range. Further, according to such a configuration of the embodiment, products having various capacities can be realized.

In other words, if the cell groups to be stacked are connected in series, products having various voltage ranges can be realized according to the number of stacks. Further, when the cell groups to be stacked are connected in parallel, products having various capacities (electric storage capacities) can be realized according to the number of stacks.

In particular, each cell group D may have a single module assembly 100 therein. In addition, each cell group D includes connectors 610 to electrically connect each individual module assembly 100 to each other during stacking, as described above. In particular, since the upper and lower portions of each cell group D are stacked, these connectors 610 may be configured to be coupled to each other.

Further, in this configuration of the embodiment, the fire box 400 may be accommodated in each unit group D together with the unit module assembly 100. That is, as described above, each unit group D includes the fire box 400 on the upper portion of the unit module assembly 100. The plurality of stacked battery packs have a stacked structure of fire box 400-cell module assembly 100-fire box 400-cell module assembly 100 from top to bottom. The stacked battery pack of the present disclosure having such a structure allows the battery pack to be constructed by increasing (expanding) the number of unit module assemblies 100 in order to increase various voltage ranges and/or electrical storage capacities, and also can safely cope with thermal events such as fires of the unit module assemblies 100. Therefore, according to this embodiment of the present disclosure, the safety of the battery pack may be further improved.

In another example of the coupling method between vertically stacked battery packs (battery pack case 300), referring again to fig. 25, the details are as follows. At the upper end of the sidewall part of the battery pack case 300, there may be a step formed concavely inward, such as a step C1 for coupling. For example, the thickness of the sidewall portion of the battery pack case 300 becomes a thin portion. Further, although not shown in fig. 25, a concave portion for coupling may be formed at the bottom of the battery pack case 300 so as to insert the stepped portion C1 for coupling the sidewall portion. That is, when the battery pack cases 300, which are different from each other, are stacked in the vertical direction, the battery pack case 300 may be constructed such that the coupling stepped parts C1 formed on the upper side of the sidewall parts of the lower battery pack case 300 are inserted into the coupling concave parts formed on the bottom of the upper battery pack case 300. Therefore, when a plurality of battery cases 300 are stacked and coupled in the vertical direction, the outer surface of the battery case 300 may have a flat shape as a whole.

Meanwhile, the coupling methods for the fastening structure between the vertically stacked battery packs are not limited to those shown in fig. 25 and/or 18, and other various coupling methods may be modified or changed and thus applied to the present disclosure.

Further, the battery pack of the present disclosure may be connected to a battery management system (BMS, not shown). The battery management system monitors and manages the battery pack(s). The battery management system may be located on the uppermost layer of the vertically stacked battery packs. However, the location of the battery management system is not limited to the above-described case, and various modifications or changes may be made according to the method or environment in which the present invention is implemented.

In addition to the above-described components, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may include various other components included in the battery pack. For example, a battery pack according to the present disclosure may include various electrical components for controlling or managing charge and discharge of the battery pack, such as a Battery Management System (BMS), a relay, a fuse, and a current sensor.

The battery pack according to the present disclosure may be a home battery pack. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to this form of battery pack.

An energy storage system according to the present disclosure includes one or more battery packs according to the present disclosure as described above. Further, in addition to including a battery pack, an energy storage system according to the present disclosure may also include general components included in the energy storage system.

Meanwhile, terms indicating directions such as front side, rear side, left side, right side, upper side and lower side have been used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, but it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the terms used are provided for convenience of description only and may become different depending on the position of an object, the position of a viewer, and the like.

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Description of the reference numerals

100 Single module assembly

110 Battery cell

120 End plate

130 Bus bar housing

140 Strip

200 Barrier Member

210 Support plate

210-1,210-2 A pair of support plate members

220 Expansion pad

230 Through hole

230A first through hole

230B second through hole

300 Battery pack case

300A lower shell

300B upper shell

310 Auxiliary shell

320 Vent hole

400 Fire-fighting box

410 Lower coolant tank

411 Substrate

411A fragile portion

412 Side wall

420 Upper coolant tank cover

430 Inlet Port

500 Outer cover

600 Electrical connection unit

610 Connector

Claims (18)

1. A battery pack, comprising:

A cell module assembly including a cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked and each of which stands in a vertical direction;

a plate-shaped blocking member disposed between adjacent battery cells and standing in a vertical direction;

a battery pack case accommodating the unit module assembly, an upper surface of the battery pack case being open; and

A fire box above the single module assembly and covering the upper surface of the battery pack case,

Wherein the blocking member includes a plurality of openings at an upper end thereof, and an interior of the blocking member includes an empty space connected to the plurality of openings.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein:

When a thermal event occurs in the battery cell, the fire extinguishing agent supplied from the fire box flows into the empty space inside the blocking member through the plurality of openings of the blocking member.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein:

the blocking member includes a support plate and a pair of expansion pads disposed on both surfaces of the support plate.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein:

The support plate includes a plurality of first through holes formed by penetrating the support plate from the plurality of openings in one direction, and

The inside of the plurality of first through holes is the empty space inside the blocking member.

5. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein:

the first through holes extend in a vertical direction of the support plate, and the plurality of first through holes are arranged in parallel to each other in a row.

6. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein:

The lower end portions of the plurality of first through holes are open at the lower end portion of the support plate, and

The lower end portions of the support plates are placed in close contact with or adhered to the inner lower surface of the battery pack case, or the lower end portions of the plurality of first through holes have a blocking shape such that the fire extinguishing agent stays inside the plurality of first through holes.

7. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein:

The support plate further includes a plurality of second through holes,

The plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second through holes extend in mutually different directions and intersect each other, and

The interiors of the plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second through holes are the empty spaces inside the blocking member.

8. The battery pack of claim 7, wherein:

the two ends of the plurality of second through holes each have a blocking shape.

9. The battery pack of claim 7, wherein:

The first through holes extend in the vertical direction of the support plate, the plurality of first through holes are arranged in parallel to each other in a row, and

The second through holes extend in the longitudinal direction of the support plate, and the plurality of second through holes are arranged in parallel to each other in a row.

10. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein:

the support plate is made of metal or stainless steel, and

The expansion pad is made of a silicone material or a soft plastic material.

11. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein:

the support plate is formed by coupling a pair of support plate members formed bilaterally symmetrically at a cross section in a longitudinal direction of the support plate.

12. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein:

the support plate is integrally formed.

13. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein:

The fire extinguishing agent is a liquid fire extinguishing agent.

14. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein:

The fire box includes:

An interior space containing the fire extinguishing agent; and

A plurality of fragile parts at which the thickness of the base plate of the fire box is relatively thin so as to be melted and opened by a thermal event of the battery cell.

15. The battery pack of claim 14, wherein:

The fragile portion has a linear shape and is arranged in parallel with one edge of the fire box, the fragile portions are arranged in parallel with each other, and

The longitudinal direction of the fragile part and the longitudinal direction of the battery cell are orthogonal to each other.

16. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein:

The single module assembly includes:

A pair of bus bar housings disposed on front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack; and

A pair of end plates disposed parallel to the battery cells at both side end portions of the battery cell stack,

Wherein the pair of end plates are connected between the pair of bus bar housings.

17. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein:

A plurality of battery packs are provided and can be stacked in a vertical direction and coupled to each other by mechanical or electrical connection.

18. An energy storage system comprising the battery pack of claim 1.