KR102074308B1 - Circuit-closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a circuit closing apparatus for quickly discharging energy to prevent battery explosion and fire by closing a battery circuit. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the circuit closing apparatus comprises: a fixing contact for applying circuit power; a case for fixing a fixing contact; a movable contact capable of moving to be in contact with the fixing contact; a spring for applying pressure to the movable contact; at least one movable contact fixing line for fixing the movable contact so that the fixing contact and the movable contact are placed to be spaced apart from each other; and a cover for fixing the movable contact, wherein the movable contact fixing line surrounds at least a part of the movable contact.

Description

Circuit closure device {CIRCUIT-CLOSING DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a circuit-closing device usable for battery modules and electrical circuit fire protection devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a circuit closing device for quickly releasing and consuming energy of a battery to prevent battery fire or explosion.

In general, a lithium ion battery is known to accelerate heat generation and deterioration when over-discharge occurs when the voltage exceeds 4.2V or 2.8V or less during discharge. Accordingly, cases of explosion or ignition due to overdischarge, overcharge, or overcurrent during use of lithium ion batteries are rapidly increasing in energy storage systems.

For example, a battery pack device used for an energy storage system and an electric vehicle may be composed of a lithium battery. Here, the battery module is configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells consisting of a negative electrode, an electrolyte, and a positive electrode in series and in parallel, and connects the battery module in series and in parallel to form a battery pack.

A battery management system (BMS) that monitors the battery's condition can monitor the battery's temperature, voltage, and current. When an abnormality occurs in the battery, for example, the lithium battery has an increased gas pressure inside, causing swelling and detecting overheating. If this situation persists, the battery may be extended to fire and explosion failures. In order to prevent such a battery fire and explosion in this state, a device for quickly discharging the battery energy is required.

In addition, the battery circuit closing device can be used as a magnetic contactor (contact device) or a DC relay, but when the voltage of the battery is low, the contactor or relay can be changed from a closed state to an open state. There is a need for a device that can prevent this from occurring.

Republic of Korea Patent Application Publication No. 10-2017-0025805 (Application Date: 2015.08.31)

An object of the present invention is to provide a circuit closing device and a switch contact device using the same to close the battery circuit to release all the energy quickly to prevent battery explosion and fire.

Batteries immediately before an explosion present a risk of fire and explosion and therefore should not be activated again. The present invention uses an elastic force of the spring to prevent the reversible phenomenon from the closed state to the open state in the electromagnetic contactor, relay, PTC PTC (Positive Thermostatic Coefficient Thermistor) element, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a circuit closing apparatus having a.

Since a large amount of battery is required in an energy storage system, the present invention aims to provide a reliable circuit closing device with a small and light weight device having a simple structure and minimizing a manufacturing cost.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned contents, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a fixed contact for applying circuit power, a case for fixing the fixed contact, a movable contact movable to contact the fixed contact, a spring for applying pressure to the movable contact, a fixed contact And at least one movable contact fixing line for fixing the movable contact so that the movable contact is spaced apart from each other, and a cover for fixing the movable contact, wherein the movable contact fixing line surrounds at least a portion of the movable contact. In addition, a circuit closing device can be provided.

In addition, the circuit closing device may further include a trigger device that can be controlled so that the movable contact is released from the movable contact fixed line so that the movable contact is in contact with the fixed contact.

The trigger device may be configured to disconnect the movable contact fixing line based on an electrical signal applied thereto, and the fixed contact point and the movable contact point are contacted by the pressure of the spring as the movable contact fixing line is broken, thereby closing the circuit. Can be maintained irreversibly.

The movable contact fixing line may include a plastic resin, and the trigger device may release the movable contact by melting the movable contact fixing line based on an electrical signal applied thereto.

The circuit closing device may further include a movement display unit configured to penetrate at least a portion of the movable contact and display a movement state of the movable contact in accordance with the movement of the movable contact.

The movable contact fixing line may surround the moving display unit together with the movable contact.

The circuit closing device may further include an insulator cover for fixing the movable contact, and the insulator cover may include a first protrusion for fixing the movable contact fixing line.

In addition, the fixed contact may include a hole, and the insulator cover may include a second protrusion for preventing separation of the fixed contact.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a circuit closing device and a switch contact device using the same by closing all battery circuits to quickly discharge all energy to prevent battery explosion and fire.

In addition, the battery immediately before the explosion presents a risk of fire and explosion and the battery should not be activated again. According to the present invention, in order to prevent the reversible phenomenon from the closed state to the open state in the electromagnetic contactor, the relay, the PTC thermistor (Positive Thermostatic Coefficient thermistor) element, etc. It is possible to provide a circuit closure device having a reverse mechanism.

In addition, recent energy storage systems require large amounts of batteries. Accordingly, the present invention can provide a reliable circuit closing device with a small and lightweight structure having a simple structure and minimizing the manufacturing cost.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned matters, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a view for explaining the configuration of a PTC device for preventing a battery explosion according to the prior art.
2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the open state of the circuit closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the closed state of the circuit closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining a configuration in which the insulator cover and the movable contact are coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a configuration in which the insulator cover, the movable contact and the fixed contact are disposed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining a configuration in which the insulating case and the fixed contact is coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase.

As used herein, “comprises”, “comprising” refers to the presence of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements, or Does not exclude additional

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second used in the present invention may be used to describe components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the components shown in the embodiments of the present invention are shown independently to represent different characteristic functions, and do not mean that each component is made of a separate structural unit. That is, each component may be described by listing each component for convenience of description, and at least two of the components may be combined to form one component, or one component may be divided into a plurality of components to perform a function. The integrated and separated embodiments of each of these components are also included within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The construction of the present invention and the effects thereof will be clearly understood through the following detailed description.

1 is a view for explaining a configuration of a PTC thermistor (Positive Thermostatic Coefficient thermistor) device for preventing a battery explosion according to the prior art.

In the case of a lithium ion battery, the battery voltage increases during charging, and when the battery is overcharged, decomposition of an internal solvent occurs, such that there is a risk of fire or rupture. In addition, when the terminals are brought into contact with each other by a conductive material such as a noble metal or when a short occurs due to a failure of the connecting device when the battery is stored or carried, there is a risk of ignition or bursting of the battery due to overcurrent. To solve this problem, a battery uses a PTC thermistor (Positive Thermostatic Coefficient Thermistor) device as a protection circuit to prevent safety accidents caused by overcharge, overdischarge, overcurrent, and the like.

Positive thermostatic coefficient thermistors are connected to the battery cells, and the resistance value increases as the temperature of the battery cells increases, thereby blocking the current flowing in the charge / discharge path of the battery cells. .

The PTC device has a structure as shown in FIG. 1, and when the battery generates heat, the circuit 12 is driven by pushing the movable element 13 of the thermal element 12. When the temperature of the battery decreases, the thermal element 12 returns to its original state, so that the mover 13 is connected to the circuit and maintains the performance of the battery again.

Such a PTC device can open and close a circuit repeatedly, causing a dangerous situation again. Therefore, there is a need for a circuit closing device having a mechanism in which a reversible phenomenon does not occur in order to prevent a reversible state from a closed state to an open state as in a PTC element when a dangerous situation occurs.

2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the open state of the circuit closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The circuit closing device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a fixed contact 21, a movable contact 22, a compression spring 23, an insulator cover 24, an insulation case 25, a movement indicator 26, and a movable contact. It may include a fixed line (27).

The fixed contact 21 is a contact for applying a circuit power, and may exist in two (one pair), for example, on both sides, and may be configured in various numbers and forms. The movable contact 22 is a movable contact to be in contact with the fixed contact, and may be disposed to face the fixed contact 21 and face each other. A compression spring 23 for applying pressure to the movable contact 22 can be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the movable contact 22, one end of the compression spring 23 being supported by an insulator cover 24. And the other end may be supported by the movable contact 22.

In addition, the one or more movable contact fixing lines 27 are for fixing the movable contact 22 so that the fixed contact 21 and the movable contact 22 are spaced apart from each other in the open state of the circuit. May be arranged to surround at least a portion of the movable contact 22.

The trigger device (not shown) is configured to release the movable contact 22 from the movable contact fixing line 27 based on the control signal applied so that the movable contact 22 is applied to the elastic force of the compression spring 23. Thereby controlling the contact with the fixed contact 21. For example, the trigger device may include a heating device or a heating device configured to melt and break the movable contact fixing line 27 based on the applied electrical signal, and the compression spring 23 as the movable contact fixing line 27 is broken. The fixed contact 21 and the movable contact 22 are quickly brought into contact with each other by pressure, so that the circuit closing state can be operated irreversibly. At this time, unless the elastic force of the compression spring 23 is extinguished, the problem of reversibly returning from the closed state to the open state does not occur.

For example, the movable contact fixing line 27 may be made of a material including a plastic resin, wherein the trigger device breaks the movable contact 22 by melting the movable contact fixing line 27 based on an electrical signal applied thereto. It is possible to release from the movable contact fixing line 27. When the movable contact 22 and the fixed contact 21 come into contact with and energize, the circuit is changed from the open state to the closed state.

In addition, the circuit closing device may further include a movement display unit 26 configured to penetrate at least a portion of the movable contact 22 and display a child state in accordance with the movement of the movable contact 22. The movement display unit 26 serves to visually confirm the movement state of the movable contact 22. The movable contact fixing line 27 may be arranged to surround the movement display unit 26 together with the movable contact 22.

Unlike the characteristics of the PTC of FIG. 1, the circuit closing device according to the present invention is a circuit closing device that consumes all the energy stored in the battery by combining the device and a resistor in series with the (+) and (-) terminals of the battery module. By preventing the fire and explosion of the battery, by utilizing the spring force of the spring can provide a circuit closing device of a compact, lightweight, low-cost reliable irreversible structure. Accordingly, the device can be used to effectively prevent a battery explosion and fire by releasing all the energy without closing the battery circuit once and returning again.

3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the closed state of the circuit closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the movable contact fixing line 27 is melted and broken based on the electrical signal applied through the triggering device, thereby releasing the movable contact 22 from the movable contact fixing line 27, and thus actuating accordingly. When the contact 22 and the fixed contact 21 are in contact and energized, the circuit may be changed from the open state of FIG. 2 to the closed state of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 3, the movable contact fixing line 27 is broken so that the movable contact 22 comes into contact with the pair of fixed contacts 21 by the compression spring 23 so that the circuit is closed. As the moving display unit 26 moves together, the user can visually confirm the change to the closed state. For example, the movement state 26a can be displayed by the generation of space caused by the movement of the movement display unit 26 through the center of the insulator cover 24.

4 is a view for explaining a configuration in which the insulator cover and the movable contact are coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The insulator cover 24 serves to fix and support the movable contact. For example, the insulator cover 24 includes a movable contact support 24a for supporting the movable contact 22, and also includes a fixing part (first protrusion) 24b for fixing the movable contact fixing line 27. It may also include, and may have a departure prevention portion (second projection) (24c) for preventing the separation of the fixed contact (21). The movable contact fixing line fixing part 24b and the leaving prevention part 24c may have a protrusion shape, and may have other shapes for performing the fixing and the leaving prevention function, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 4, a movable contact 22 may be disposed on the insulator cover 24, and a compression spring 23 may be disposed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the movable contact 22.

In addition, a movement indicator 26 having a structure that makes a hole in the center of the movable contact 22 and penetrates through the hole may be disposed (see cross-sectional views of FIGS. 2 and 3), and FIG. At least one, for example, a pair of movable contact fixing lines 27 may be moved between the movable contact 22 and the movement indicator 26 so that the movable contact fixing lines 27 are positioned on the flat portion of the movement indicator 26 located on 22. It can be wound to surround it. In this case, the movable contact fixing line 27 may be arranged in an annular shape, and the movable contact fixing line 27 passes through two lines on the plane of the movement display unit 26, and thus, on the movable contact 22 and the movable contact 22. The movement indicator 26 can be fixed together in the open state. Both ends of the movable contact fixing line 27 may be fixed by the projection form of the movable contact fixing line fixing part 24b or may be fixed to the insulator cover 24 by another method. Here, the compression spring 23 pushes the movable contact 22 by the contact pressure, but in the open state, the movable contact 22 may be fixed by being surrounded by the movable contact fixing line 27 together with the movement indicator 26.

5 is a view for explaining a configuration in which the insulator cover, the movable contact and the fixed contact are disposed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the trigger device 28, the movable contact 22 is released from the movable contact fixing line 27 so that the movable contact 22 is fixed by the elastic force of the compression spring 23. It controls the contact with That is, the trigger device 28 serves to trigger a change in one direction from the open state to the closed state. As shown in FIG. 5, the trigger device 28 may be configured as a heating device or a heating device configured to melt and break the movable contact fixing line 27 based on an applied electrical signal. By enclosing the trigger device 28 such as a heating wire in the movable contact fixing line 27, if the circuit is to be closed through the apparatus, an electrical signal is applied to the trigger device 28 so that the movable contact fixing line 27 is melted and broken. can do. At this time, the movable contact 22 is released from the movable contact fixing line 27 and connected to the fixed terminal 21, and the electric circuit reaches a closed state. At this time, the movable contact 22 is moved to a closed state can be represented by the movement state 26a of the movement display unit 26.

At this time, as the movable contact fixing line 27 is broken, the movable contact 22 can be quickly contacted with the fixed contact 21 by the pressure of the compression spring 23, so that the circuit closing state can be operated irreversibly. . By the operation mechanism as described above, the present invention prevents the reversible phenomenon from being mechanically generated by using the elastic force of the spring to prevent the reversible phenomenon from the closed state to the open state. It is possible to provide a low cost circuit closure device.

In addition, referring to FIG. 5, in order to prevent separation of the fixed contact 21, the separation prevention part (second protrusion) 24c of the insulator cover 24 passes through the fixed contact 21, and the fixed contact ( The specific coupling structure of 21 will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

6 is a view for explaining a configuration in which the insulating case and the fixed contact is coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pair of fixed contacts 21 may include holes 21a for connecting external power sources, respectively.

In addition, the insulating case 25 has a structure for supporting the fixed contact 21, and the fixed contact 21 includes a plurality of fixed contact release preventing parts 21b for preventing the separation from the insulating case 25. The fixed contact detachment preventing part 21b may have a hole shape. In addition, the insulator cover 24 of the insulated case 25 passes by the movable contact escape preventing portion 24c of the projection shape of the insulator cover 24 passes through the fixed contact release preventing portion 21b of the fixed contact 21. Combination with the coupling portion 25a may prevent separation of the fixed contact 21.

Embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present invention are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The scope of the present invention should be construed by the claims below, and all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto will be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Fixed contacts (21)
Movable Contact (22)
Compression Springs (23)
Insulator Cover (24)
Insulation Case (25)
Movement indicator (26)
Movable Contact Fixed Line (27)
Trigger device (28)

Claims (8)

At least a pair of fixed contacts for applying circuit power;
A case for fixing the fixed contact;
A movable contact movable to be in contact with the fixed contact;
A spring for applying pressure to the movable contact;
One or more movable contact fixing lines for fixing the movable contact such that the fixed contact and the movable contact are spaced apart from each other; And
A cover for fixing the movable contact
Wherein the movable contact fixing line surrounds at least a portion of the movable contact,
A trigger device that is controllable to release the movable contact from the movable contact fixed line so that the movable contact is in contact with the fixed contact;
The trigger device is configured to disconnect the movable contact fixing line based on an electrical signal applied thereto, and the circuit closing state is not closed by contacting the fixed contact and the movable contact by the pressure of the spring as the movable contact fixing line is disconnected. A circuit closing device, which can be maintained in reverse.
delete delete 2. The circuit closing device according to claim 1, wherein the movable contact fixing line includes a plastic resin, and the triggering device releases the movable contact by melting the movable contact fixing line based on an electrical signal applied.
The circuit closing device according to claim 1, further comprising a movement display portion penetrating at least a portion of the movable contact portion and configured to display a movement state of the movable contact in accordance with the movement of the movable contact.
6. The circuit closing device according to claim 5, wherein the movable contact fixing line surrounds the movement indicator with the movable contact.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cover is an insulator cover,
And the insulator cover includes a first protrusion for fixing the movable contact fixing line.
The circuit closing device according to claim 7, wherein the fixed contact includes a plurality of holes, and the insulator cover includes a second protrusion for preventing the fixed contact from being separated.

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