JP-7855800-B1 - Battery packs and automobiles containing them

Abstract

A battery pack and an automobile including the same are disclosed. A battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, a pack case in which the plurality of battery modules are housed and which has a vent portion formed therein, and a protective cover member which is coupled to the pack case at the portion in which the vent portion is located in order to protect the vent portion. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

• イ，ジュヒョン
• キム，クァンモ

Assignees

• エルジー エナジー ソリューション リミテッド

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241112

Priority Date

20240226

Claims (15)

1. Multiple battery modules, each consisting of multiple battery cells stacked on top of each other, A pack case containing the aforementioned multiple battery modules and having a vent section formed therein, A battery pack comprising: a protective cover member that is coupled to the pack case at the portion where the vent portion is located in order to protect the vent portion , and which has a gas transfer hole formed therein that is inclined toward the vent portion for the movement of vent gas.
2. The aforementioned vent section is, A vent hole through which vent gas generated from the aforementioned battery cell is discharged, The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized by including a vent valve that closes the vent hole and is opened when the internal pressure of the pack case exceeds a preset value.
3. The battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that the protective cover member is formed to cover at least a portion of the vent portion.
4. The protective cover member, The top cover section located at the top, The upper cover portion is connected to the side cover portion located on the side, It includes the upper cover portion and the front cover portion which are connected to the side cover portion, The battery pack according to claim 3, characterized in that the gas transfer hole is formed in at least one of the top cover portion, the side cover portion, and the front cover portion.
5. The aforementioned front cover portion includes a plurality of rod portions, The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that each of the plurality of rod portions is inclined and connected to the side cover portion, and the gas transfer holes are formed between the plurality of rod portions.
6. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that each of the plurality of rod portions has its lower portion connected to the end of the side cover portion and its upper portion connected to the inside of the side cover portion.
7. The battery pack according to claim 6, characterized in that the gas transfer hole is formed between one of the plurality of rod portions and an adjacent rod portion, such that the vent gas moves upward along the gas transfer hole.
8. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that each of the plurality of rod portions has its upper portion connected to the end of the side cover portion and its lower portion connected to the inside of the side cover portion.
9. The battery pack according to claim 8, characterized in that the gas transfer hole is formed between one of the plurality of rod portions and an adjacent rod portion, such that the vent gas moves downward along the gas transfer hole.
10. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that the inclination angles of all the aforementioned rod portions are formed to be the same.
11. The battery pack according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one of the inclination angles of the plurality of rod portions is formed differently.
12. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that a fastening coupling portion is formed on the upper cover portion so that the protective cover member is coupled to the pack case.
13. The battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that the protective cover member further includes a lower cover portion located at the bottom so as to be coupled to the lower parts of the side cover portion and the front cover portion.
14. The battery pack according to claim 13, characterized in that a gas transfer hole for the movement of vent gas is formed in the lower cover portion.
15. An automobile comprising at least one battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Description

This invention relates to a battery pack and an automobile including the same, and more particularly, to a battery pack and an automobile including the same that protects the vent area and facilitates the discharge of vent gas. This application claims priority under Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0027391, filed on February 26, 2024, and all information disclosed in the specification and drawings of said application is incorporated herein. Generally, a secondary battery refers to a battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged, such as lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, and nickel-zinc batteries. The most basic secondary battery cells can provide an output voltage of approximately 2.5V to 4.2V. Recently, as such battery cells have been applied to devices requiring high output voltage and large charging capacity, such as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS), battery modules, which are constructed by connecting multiple battery cells in series, parallel, or a combination of series and parallel, and battery packs, which are constructed by further connecting such battery modules in series, parallel, or a combination of series and parallel, are becoming widely used. Lithium-ion batteries have gained attention due to their advantages, such as high operating voltage and significantly higher energy density. However, because they use organic electrolytes, overcharging can induce overcurrent and overheating, potentially leading to explosions and fires. Various types of rechargeable batteries include battery modules, which are equipped with a module case capable of protecting the battery cells and in which multiple battery cells are stacked and placed in the module case, and battery packs, which include multiple battery modules. Here, if a flame occurs in at least one battery cell inside the battery module's module case, generating vent gas, the internal pressure of the battery module will rise rapidly. This can cause the battery module to explode, spreading the flame to other adjacent battery modules and potentially leading to a chain reaction. Alternatively, if a flame originating from any battery module propagates to an adjacent battery module, a chain reaction of flames can damage, completely destroy, or explode the battery module or battery pack, making it difficult to ensure the safety of the battery module or battery pack. Furthermore, vent gases are generated from the battery cells inside the battery module, and if these vent gases are released in an unintended direction, various problems can arise. To address these issues, and particularly to facilitate the smooth discharge of vent gases, vents may be formed in the battery pack case. However, since the vents of conventional battery packs are exposed to the outside, a problem arises when a thermal event occurs and high-temperature particles are generated by the flames; these high-temperature particles can travel to the vents and damage them. This is a perspective view of a battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention.This figure shows a protective cover member that protects a vent portion formed in the pack case of a battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention; the battery module is not shown.This figure shows the protective cover member separated from Figure 2.This is a magnified view of the vent hole in the vent section shown in Figure 3.This is a perspective view of a protective cover member in a battery pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention.This is a front view of a protective cover member in a battery pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention.This is a cross-sectional view along line A-A' in Figure 5.This is a perspective view of a protective cover member in a battery pack according to a second embodiment of the present invention.This is a cross-sectional view along line B-B' in Figure 8.This is a perspective view of a protective cover member in a battery pack according to a third embodiment of the present invention.This is a perspective view of a protective cover member in a battery pack according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.This is a perspective view of a protective cover member in a battery pack according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.This is a diagram illustrating an automobile including a battery pack according to each embodiment of the present invention. The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in this specification and the claims should not be interpreted in their ordinary or dictionary sense, but rather in accordance with the principle that the inventor himself can appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe the invention, and in accordance with the meaning and concepts of