KR-102962229-B1 - Fire extinguishing system for battery of vehicle

KR102962229B1KR 102962229 B1KR102962229 B1KR 102962229B1KR-102962229-B1

Abstract

A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle is disclosed, comprising: a gas discharge unit installed in a battery pack to discharge gas inside the battery pack; a gas passage unit provided to allow gas generated in the battery pack and discharged through the gas discharge unit to flow when a fire occurs; a catalytic converter installed in the gas passage unit to convert carbon monoxide in the gas flowing along the gas passage unit into carbon dioxide; a fire extinguishing agent tank provided to store a fire extinguishing agent and connected to the gas passage unit so that carbon dioxide converted by the catalytic converter can be introduced; and a fire extinguishing agent supply passage unit connected between the fire extinguishing agent tank and the battery pack, wherein the introduced gas and the stored fire extinguishing agent are supplied from the fire extinguishing agent tank to the battery pack through the fire extinguishing agent supply passage unit to suppress the fire, due to the pressure inside the fire extinguishing agent tank that rises while the gas passing through the catalytic converter is introduced into the fire extinguishing agent tank.

Inventors

신현기

Assignees

현대자동차주식회사
기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20211130

Claims (18)

A gas discharge unit installed in a battery pack and configured to discharge gas from inside the battery pack; A gas passage provided to allow gas generated from the battery pack and discharged through the gas discharge section to flow in the event of a fire; A catalytic converter installed in the above gas passage to convert carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide in the gas flowing along the gas passage; A fire extinguishing agent tank configured to store a fire extinguishing agent and connected to the gas passage so that carbon dioxide converted by the catalytic converter can be introduced; and It includes a fire extinguishing agent supply passage connected between the fire extinguishing agent tank and the battery pack, and A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized in that the gas passing through the catalytic converter is introduced into the fire extinguishing agent tank, and the pressure inside the fire extinguishing agent tank rises, thereby supplying the introduced gas and the stored fire extinguishing agent from the fire extinguishing agent tank to the battery pack through the fire extinguishing agent supply passage to suppress the fire.
In claim 1, A first gas detector installed in the above gas passage to detect a fire occurring in the battery pack; A controller that outputs a control signal for fire suppression when a fire in the battery pack is detected by the first gas detector; and A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by including valves installed in the above-mentioned gas passage and fire extinguishing agent supply passage, the opening and closing operation of which is controlled according to a control signal output by a controller.
In claim 2, It further includes a second gas detector installed in a second passage, which is a gas passage on the downstream side of the catalytic converter, for detecting the concentration of carbon monoxide in the gas that has passed through the catalytic converter. A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized in that the first gas detector is installed in a first passage section, which is a gas passage section upstream of the catalytic converter, and is configured to detect the concentration of carbon monoxide in the gas discharged through the gas discharge section.
In claim 3, A third passage section branching off from the second passage section connecting the catalytic converter and the fire extinguishing agent tank is installed, and The above third passage section is connected to the inlet of a buffer tank where gas that has passed through the catalytic converter from the second passage section can be collected and stored. A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by having a fourth passage section connected from the outlet of the buffer tank to the first passage section.
In claim 4, The valves whose opening and closing operations are controlled according to the control signal output by the above controller are, A first valve installed at a location between the branch point where the third passage of the second passage is branched and the fire extinguishing agent tank; and A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by including a third valve installed in the third passage section.
In claim 5, A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized in that, in normal circumstances when no fire occurs, the first valve is kept in a closed state and the third valve is kept in an open state.
In claim 5, When the concentration of carbon monoxide detected by the first gas detector is greater than or equal to the first set concentration, and the concentration of carbon monoxide detected by the second gas detector is greater than or equal to the second set concentration, A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized in that, by the above controller, the first valve is maintained in a closed state and the third valve is maintained in an open state.
In claim 5, If the concentration of carbon monoxide detected by the first gas detector is greater than or equal to the first set concentration, and the concentration of carbon monoxide detected by the second gas detector is less than the second set concentration, A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized in that, by the above controller, the first valve is controlled to an open state and the third valve is controlled to a closed state so that the gas passing through the catalytic converter is supplied to the fire extinguishing agent tank through the second passage.
In claim 2, The valves whose opening and closing operations are controlled according to the above control signal include a second valve installed in the fire extinguishing agent supply passage, and A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized in that the controller is configured to output a control signal to open the second valve when a fire in the battery pack is detected by the first gas detector.
In claim 4, A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by having a check valve installed at a location between the branch point where the third passage branch off from the second passage and the fire extinguishing agent tank to prevent backflow of gas flowing into the fire extinguishing agent tank after passing through the catalytic converter.
In claim 1, It further includes a vent valve installed to be connected to the above-mentioned gas discharge part and equipped with a connection port that opens by gas discharged through the gas discharge part in the event of a fire, and A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by the fact that the gas passage section is connected to the connection port of the above-mentioned ventilation valve, so that in the event of a fire, gas discharged through the gas discharge section flows into the gas passage section through the open connection port.
In claim 11, The above gas release part is a pressure balancing element that provides a passage for gas to enter and exit between the inside and outside of the battery case of the battery pack, and The above pressure balancing element is, A vent portion provided in a shape protruding from the battery case and having a vent hole formed for the entry and exit of the gas; A connector coupled to the vent portion, wherein the internal space communicates with the internal space of the vent portion and the internal space of the battery case through the vent hole; and A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized by including a venting passage portion coupled to the connector, wherein the internal passage communicates with the internal space of the connector and the venting valve is connected thereto.
In claim 12, A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by having a vent hole in the vent section installed with a vent waterproof membrane member that allows gas to pass through while blocking the inflow of moisture into the battery case.
In claim 11, The above ventilation valve is, It has a ventilation port connected to the above-mentioned gas discharge part, an atmosphere port that opens toward the atmosphere to allow gas to enter and exit with the atmosphere, and a connection port connected to the above-mentioned gas passage part, A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by being configured such that, in the event of a fire in the battery pack, the standby port is closed by gas generated inside the battery case and introduced through the gas discharge part.
In claim 14, The above ventilation valve is, Valve housing having the above ventilation port, standby port and connection port; A valve body installed in the internal space of the valve housing and moved to close the atmosphere port by gas introduced through the gas discharge part; and It includes a spring installed to support a valve body in the internal space of the valve housing, and A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized in that the connection port in the above valve housing is provided as a port that is always open regardless of the position of the valve body.
In claim 15, It further includes an auxiliary fire detector installed in the above-mentioned vent valve to detect the occurrence of a fire in the battery pack, and A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized in that the controller is configured to determine whether a fire has occurred in the battery pack and which battery pack has a fire based on signals from a first gas detector and an auxiliary fire detector.
In claim 16, The above auxiliary fire detector is, A first magnetic resistor installed in the above valve body; A second magnetic resistor fixedly installed in the valve housing so that the first magnetic resistor can be attached when the above valve body is moved to a position that closes the standby port; and A vehicle battery fire suppression device characterized by including wiring that connects the second magnetic resistor and the controller to enable electrical conduction.
In claim 17, The above controller is, It is configured to detect the current flowing through the wiring while applying current to the wiring, and A battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized by being configured to determine that a fire has occurred in the battery pack when the detected current value becomes less than or equal to a set value, or when the amount of change in the detected current value becomes greater than or equal to a set amount.

Description

Fire extinguishing system for vehicle battery The present invention relates to a battery fire suppression device for a vehicle, and more specifically, to a battery fire suppression device for a vehicle capable of rapidly and accurately detecting a fire occurring inside a battery pack and effectively suppressing the fire immediately upon detection. Recently, with increasing interest in issues such as energy efficiency, environmental pollution, and the depletion of fossil fuels, the development of eco-friendly vehicles capable of practically replacing internal combustion engine cars is underway. Examples of eco-friendly vehicles include Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) that use batteries as a power source, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) that use fuel cells as the primary power source, and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) that use both an engine and a motor as power sources to drive the vehicle. These eco-friendly vehicles (xEVs) all share the common characteristic of driving by powering a motor with electricity stored in a battery, and they can all be classified as electric vehicles in a broad sense. These electric vehicles are equipped with a high-voltage battery pack that supplies power to the motor; the high-voltage battery pack repeatedly charges and discharges during operation, supplying power to electrical components within the vehicle, such as the motor. A battery pack for an electric vehicle typically comprises a battery case, battery modules placed inside the battery case, and a Battery Management System (BMS) that collects information such as voltage, current, and temperature of the cells constituting the battery modules and controls the operation of the cells. In addition, the battery pack is equipped with a configuration that prevents fire by blowing a fuse or disconnecting a relay connected to an inverter when an internal short circuit occurs or an overcurrent flows. In electric vehicles, fires can occur inside the battery pack during driving due to various causes, such as collisions or component malfunctions. If a fire in the battery pack is not properly extinguished, it can lead to the complete destruction of the vehicle, resulting in significant material and human casualties. With the recent increase in the use of electric vehicles, the risk of fires occurring in batteries or surrounding high-voltage electrical wiring due to external impacts or internal short circuits is rising. In particular, battery fires can spread rapidly due to internal and external structures and components; since public transportation vehicles such as buses carry a large number of passengers, a rapid fire response is essential for passenger safety, and failure in the initial response can lead to a major disaster. Nevertheless, the most commonly known method for responding to vehicle fires currently is to keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Even in this case, if the driver fails to use the extinguisher in a timely manner, initial suppression may fail, allowing the fire to spread throughout the entire vehicle. Furthermore, in the case of a fire originating in the battery, complete extinguishment is extremely difficult using only a small extinguisher or spraying extinguishing agents due to the internal materials. Furthermore, since the driver is inside the vehicle while it is in motion, it is difficult to easily detect a fire in the battery before a large amount of smoke is produced; and unlike passenger cars, it is even more difficult to determine whether a fire has occurred in a bus due to its large and long body. Moreover, depending on the vehicle type, such as large buses, there are external protective structures, such as cases covering battery cells in battery packs mounted on the vehicle roof. Therefore, even if the driver detects the fire in time, it is difficult to spray fire extinguishing agents into the battery case, and even if sprayed, the agents cannot properly reach the battery cells inside the battery case, making effective extinguishing impossible. In particular, conventionally, when multiple battery packs are installed in large buses or similar vehicles, there is a problem of significantly increased costs because expensive fire detectors are installed for each battery pack to identify the one where a fire has occurred. Furthermore, even if an expensive gas detector (gas concentration sensor) is installed for each battery pack to detect gas concentration as a fire detector, there is a possibility of false positives. FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a known pressure balancing element is installed in a battery case. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a known pressure balancing element. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of a fire suppression device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a sensing element, a control element, and an operating element in a fire suppression device according to an embodiment of the present invention.