EP-4742406-A1 - BATTERY PACK AND VEHICLE COMPRISING BATTERY PACK

EP4742406A1EP 4742406 A1EP4742406 A1EP 4742406A1EP-4742406-A1

Abstract

A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plurality of battery cells; and a pack case formed of a plurality of frames and configured to store the plurality of battery cells in its inner space, wherein the pack case may include a venting unit configured to discharge venting gas generated from the battery cell to the outside, and a trap portion protruding inward from the venting unit and configured to suppress sparks included in the venting gas from moving to the venting unit.

Inventors

CHANG, Hyuk-Kyun
KIM, SOO-YOUL

Assignees

LG Energy Solution, Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20250507

Claims (14)

A battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery cells; and a pack case formed of a plurality of frames and configured to store the plurality of battery cells in its inner space, wherein the pack case comprises a venting unit configured to discharge venting gas generated from the battery cell to an outside, and a trap portion protruding inward from the venting unit and configured to suppress sparks included in the venting gas from moving to the venting unit.
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the venting unit has a venting path formed inside one or more of the plurality of frames and configured such that the venting gas flows therethrough.
The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the venting unit has an inlet hole configured to communicate the inner space of the pack case with the venting path, and an outlet hole configured to discharge venting gas flowing into the venting path through the inlet hole to the outside of the pack case.
The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the inlet hole and the outlet hole are provided at positions that are staggered in a direction from an inside to an outside of the pack case.
The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the pack case comprises a base frame on which the plurality of battery cells are seated, and a side frame extending upward from the base frame and having the venting unit provided therein.
The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the inlet hole is provided on an inner surface of the side frame, wherein the outlet hole is provided on an outer surface of the side frame, and wherein the outlet hole is configured to be spaced apart from the inlet hole in an extension direction of the side frame.
The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the venting unit comprises a guide member provided inside the venting path and configured to guide the venting gas to the outlet hole.
The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the trap portion is provided to a side of the inlet hole.
The battery pack according to claim 8, wherein the trap portion comprises a first cover configured to protrude from a perimeter of the inlet hole toward the inner space.
The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein the first cover is provided on at least one of upper, left, and right sides of the inlet hole.
The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein the trap portion comprises a second cover extending from the first cover and being bent to face the pack case.
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the second cover is provided at an upper side of the inlet hole.
The battery pack according to claim 1, further including a module case configured to store the plurality of battery cells in a storage space and having a venting hole formed on an upper side to communicate with the storage space.
A vehicle comprising a battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a battery pack and a vehicle including the same. This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0069296, filed on May 28, 2024, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. BACKGROUND ART Secondary batteries, which offer high applicability across product categories and possess electrical characteristics such as high energy density, are widely applied not only to portable devices but also to electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that are driven by electric power sources. Such secondary batteries are gaining attention as a new energy source for enhancing environmental sustainability and energy efficiency not only due to their primary advantage of significantly reducing the use of fossil fuels, but also because they generate no by-products from energy usage. Secondary batteries that are currently widely used include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, and nickel-zinc batteries. The operating voltage of this unit secondary battery cell, that is, the unit battery cell, is approximately 2.5V to 4.5V. When high output voltage is required, multiple battery cells may be connected in series to form a battery pack. In addition, multiple battery cells may be connected in parallel to configure a battery pack depending on charge/discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Accordingly, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be set in various ways depending on the required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity. A common method for configuring a battery pack by connecting multiple battery cells in series/parallel is performed by preferentially configuring a battery module including one or more battery cells and then by adding other components to one or more battery modules to configure a battery pack or battery rack. Recently, cell-to-pack-type battery packs in which multiple battery cells are directly stored in a pack housing or the like, instead of being modularized, have been manufactured. If a thermal event such as thermal runaway occurs inside the battery pack, gas may be emitted from the battery cells included inside the battery pack, and this gas may include flames or the like. In the case of conventional battery packs, when an abnormal situation occurs in a specific battery cell or battery module, high-temperature gas or the like is often discharged to the outside of the pack case through a venting unit provided in the pack case. In addition, when gas is generally emitted from the battery cell, electrode plate particles or active material particles heated to a high temperature may be discharged from the battery cell to the outside, and these high-temperature particles may appear in the form of sparks. At this time, if the sparks are exposed to the outside of the pack case together with the gas through the venting unit, they may react with oxygen outside the battery pack, causing a flame or fire outside the battery pack. Furthermore, if a flame or fire occurs outside a specific battery pack, the fire or the like may spread to other adjacent battery packs or a device equipped with the battery pack, causing a bigger problem. Therefore, a technology is required to prevent sparks or flames from being exposed to the outside of the battery pack through the venting unit, thereby suppressing the occurrence or spread of flames or fires outside the battery pack. DISCLOSURE Technical Problem The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery pack capable of ensuring safety and reliability in the event of an abnormality in a battery cell or battery module, and a vehicle including the same. However, the technical problems that the present disclosure seeks to solve are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below. Technical Solution In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack including: a plurality of battery cells; and a pack case formed of a plurality of frames and configured to store the plurality of battery cells in its inner space, wherein the pack case may include a venting unit configured to discharge venting gas generated from the battery cell to the outside, and a trap portion protruding inward from the venting unit and configured to suppress sparks included in the venting gas from moving to the venting unit. The venting unit may have a venting path formed inside one or more of the plurality of frames and configured such that the venting gas flows therethrough. The venting unit may have an inlet hole configured to communicate the inner space of the pack cas