TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a battery pack 5 and a vehicle including the same,
and more particularly, a battery pack having improved stability against thermal runaway of
a plurality of battery modules.
The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-
0084320 filed on July 8, 2020 in the Republic of Korea, the disclosures of which are
10 incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND ART
Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel cadmium batteries,
nickel hydride batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and lithium batteries. Among them, lithium
15 secondary batteries are in the spotlight because they have almost no memory effect compared
to nickel-based secondary batteries, and thus have advantages of free charge/discharge, very
low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.
A lithium secondary battery mainly uses a lithium-based oxide and a carbon material
as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, respectively.
20 The lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode
plate and a negative electrode plate to which the positive electrode active material and the
negative electrode active material are respectively applied are located with a separator
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therebetween, and a casing, that is, a battery pouch casing, for sealing and accommodating
the electrode assembly along with an electrolytic solution.
Recently, secondary batteries have been widely used not only in small devices such
as portable electronic devices but also in medium and large devices such as vehicles or power
storage devices. When used in a medium or large device, 5 a large number of secondary
batteries are electrically connected to increase capacity and output. In particular, pouchtype
secondary batteries are widely used in medium and large devices because they are easily
stacked.
As the need for large capacity structures that may be used as energy storage sources
10 has recently increased, the demand for a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells
that are electrically connected in series and/or in parallel, a plurality of battery modules each
accommodating a plurality of battery cells therein, and a battery management system (BMS)
has increased.
However, battery packs of the prior art have problems in that thermal runaway may
15 occur in some of a plurality of battery modules, the temperature of the battery modules may
be increased, heat or flame may be transferred to other adjacent battery modules, and
secondary thermal runaway or ignition may occur, thereby leading to bigger accidents.
DISCLOSURE
20 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 having improved
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stability against thermal runaway of a plurality of battery modules.
These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be understood
from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparent from the
exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, it will be easily understood that
the objects and advantages of the 5 present disclosure may be realized by the means shown in
the appended claims and combinations thereof.
Technical Solution
In an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack including: a
10 plurality of battery modules; a pack housing in which the plurality of battery modules are
accommodated; and an energy consumption unit accommodated inside the pack housing,
connected to at least one of the plurality of battery modules, and configured to convert
electrical energy stored in the battery module into thermal energy as a temperature inside the
pack housing increases and dissipate the thermal energy through at least one of the pack
15 housing and a heat sink.
The energy consumption unit may include: a resistor unit electrically connected to
the battery module as the temperature inside the pack housing increases; a heat insulating
member surrounding at least a part of the resistor unit; and a heat dissipating unit configured
to connect the heat insulating member to the pack housing.
20 The heat dissipating unit may include: an upper plate having a plate shape extending
in a horizontal direction, and including a portion contacting an inner ceiling of the pack
housing or the heat sink; a pillar portion having a pillar shape extending in a vertical direction,
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and including an upper end coupled to a lower portion of the upper plate and a receiving
space in which the resistor unit and the heat insulating member are accommodated; and a
lower plate having a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction, and including a portion
coupled to a lower end of the pillar portion and another portion contacting a bottom surface
5 of the pack housing or the heat sink.
The heat dissipating unit may further include: a first extending plate configured to
connect an upper end of an outer surface of the pillar portion to a bottom surface of the upper
plate; and a second extending plate configured to connect a lower end of the outer surface of
the pillar portion to a top surface of the lower plate.
10 Any one of the upper plate and the lower plate may contact the heat sink, and the
plate contacting the heat sink may have a larger area than the other plate.
The heat insulating member may further surround the pillar portion.
The battery pack may further include at least one heat insulating wall located
between the heat dissipating unit and the battery module.
15 The heat insulating member may include a phase change material and a receiving
portion in which the phase change material is accommodated, wherein the phase change
material is configured to, when the resistor unit converts electrical energy of the battery
module into thermal energy, be vaporized by receiving the thermal energy from the resistor
unit, wherein an outlet configured to discharge the vaporized phase change material to
20 outside is provided in the receiving portion.
The pack housing includes a receiving groove in which at least a part of the resistor
unit is accommodated, wherein the heat insulating member surrounds the at least part of the
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resistor unit accommodated in the receiving groove.
The heat dissipating unit may have a plate shape extending in a horizontal direction
on the heat insulating member, and include both end portions extending to a side wall of the
pack housing to be connected to an inner surface of the pack housing.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, 5 there is also provided a vehicle including
the battery pack.
Advantageous Effects
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, because an energy consumption
10 unit includes a resistor unit configured to convert electrical energy into thermal energy when
thermal runaway occurs in at least one of a plurality of battery modules, a heat insulating
member located to surround at least a part of the resistor unit, and a heat dissipating unit
configured to connect the heat insulating member to a pack housing to conduct the thermal
energy received from the resistor unit to the pack housing, propagation of the thermal
15 runaway between the plurality of battery modules may be effectively prevented. That is,
electrical energy (power) of the battery module in which thermal runaway occurs is
consumed as thermal energy, and thus the battery module is prevented from causing thermal
runaway any more, thereby preventing the thermal runaway from propagating to other
adjacent battery modules.
20
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present
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disclosure and together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide further understanding
of the technical features of the present disclosure, and thus, the present disclosure is not
construed as being limited to the drawing.
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the inside of a battery pack according to
5 Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of the
battery pack according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of a
battery pack according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.
10 FIG. 4 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of a
battery pack according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of a
battery pack according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a part of the energy consumption
15 unit of the battery pack according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the inside of a battery pack according to
Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a part of the battery pack taken
along line C-C’ of FIG. 7.
20 FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
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BEST MODE
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should be
understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be
construed as limited to general and dictionary 5 meanings, but interpreted based on the
meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the
basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best
explanation.
Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the
10 purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, so it
should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the inside of a battery pack according to
Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a partial side view illustrating a part of
15 an energy consumption unit of the battery pack according to Embodiment 1 of the present
disclosure. For convenience of explanation, a ceiling of a pack housing is not shown so
that the inside of the battery pack is exposed to the outside in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery pack 1000 according to Embodiment 1 of the
present disclosure includes a plurality of battery modules 100 electrically connected to one
20 another, a pack housing 200, and an energy consumption unit 300.
First, the pack housing 200 may be configured to accommodate the plurality of
battery modules 100 thereinside. For example, the pack housing 200 may have a sealed
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quadrangular box shape. That is, the pack housing 200 may have an inner space in which
the plurality of battery modules 100 may be accommodated. Also, the pack housing 200
may include an upper wall, a lower wall, and a side wall in a horizontal direction. In this
case, the pack housing 200 may include an electrically insulating material, or a metal having
an electrically 5 insulating coating on a surface.
Furthermore, the plurality of battery modules 100 may include a plurality of battery
cells 110, and a module case 120. For example, the battery cell 110 may be a pouch-type
battery cell. The pouch-type battery cell is a battery cell in which an electrode assembly is
accommodated in a -known general pouch case. The plurality of battery cells 110 may be
10 stacked in one direction, and may be accommodated in the module case 120. The battery
module 100 may include an external positive electrode terminal T and an external negative
electrode terminal E electrically connected to the plurality of battery cells 110.
The battery pack 1000 may further include a bus bar 400 configured to electrically
connect the plurality of battery modules 100. One end of the bus bar 400 may be connected
15 to the external positive electrode terminal T or the external negative electrode terminal E of
one battery module 100, and the other end of the bus bar 400 may be connected to the
external positive electrode terminal T or the external negative electrode terminal E of another
battery module 100. The bus bar 400 may include an electrically conductive metal. The
metal may be a metal such as aluminum, copper, or nickel, or an alloy including at least one
20 of the metals.
Furthermore, the energy consumption unit 300 may be configured to, when thermal
runaway occurs in at least one of the plurality of battery modules 100, discharge the specific
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battery module 100 and convert electrical energy stored in the battery module 100 into
thermal energy. Also, the energy consumption unit 300 dissipates the thermal energy
through the pack housing 200. To this end, the energy consumption unit 300 is connected
between the pack housing 200 and at least one of the plurality of battery modules 100. For
example, the energy consumption unit 300 may 5 be configured to, when it is detected that
thermal runaway occurs inside the battery pack 1000, generate external short circuit in the
battery module 100, and convert electrical energy of the battery module 100 into resistive
thermal energy so that a state of charge (SOC) of the battery module 100 becomes 20% or
less within about 5 minutes. The energy consumption unit 300 may be connected to each
10 battery module 100, or may be connected to only one or some battery modules 100 in
consideration of energy density and/or the amount of thermal energy converted due to the
operation of the energy consumption unit 300.
In detail, the energy consumption unit 300 may include a resistor unit 310, a heat
insulating member 320, and a heat dissipating unit 330. The energy consumption unit 300
15 may be accommodated inside the pack housing 200. The resistor unit 310 may include a
resistor 311 electrically connected to the external positive electrode terminal T and the
external negative electrode terminal E of the battery module 100 and having a specific
resistance equal to or greater than a certain level to convert electrical energy into thermal
energy, and a resistor case 312 in which the resistor 311 is accommodated. The resistor
20 unit 310 may include only the resistor 311, and may not include the resistor case 312.
Also, the heat insulating member 320 may be located to surround at least a part of
the resistor unit 310. For example, the heat insulating member 320 may surround an upper
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portion, a lower portion, and a side portion of the resistor case 312 of the resistor unit 310.
The heat insulating member 320 may include a material having very low thermal
conductivity. For example, the heat insulating member 320 may include silica sand,
feldspar, and limestone. The heat insulating member 320 may be manufactured by melting,
for example, silica sand, feldspar, and limestone 5 at a temperature of 1500°C to 1600°C,
fiberizing them by using a centrifugation method, and curing them by adding a binder. The
heat insulating member 320 lowers a great amount of heat generated in the resistor unit 310
to a level at which there is no structural damage to the heat dissipating unit 330 and transfers
the heat. When the heat insulating member 320 includes, for example, an aluminum
10 material, in consideration of the above function of the heat insulating member 320, the heat
insulating member 320 may be configured to limit a heat transfer rate so that the heat
dissipating unit 330 does not rise above about 500°C due to heat conducted from the resistor
unit 310.
The heat dissipating unit 330 may be configured to connect the heat insulating
15 member 320 to the pack housing 200 to conduct thermal energy received from the resistor
unit 310 to the pack housing 200. For example, the heat dissipating unit 330 may be located
so that a portion of the heat dissipating unit 330 surrounds the heat insulating member 320.
The heat dissipating unit 330 may be located so that a portion of the heat dissipating unit
330 contacts an inner surface of an upper portion and/or a lower portion of the pack housing
20 200. The heat dissipating unit 330 may include a material having high thermal conductivity.
For example, the heat dissipating unit 330 may include a metal such as aluminum or copper.
The heat dissipating unit 330 may have a receiving space in which the resistor unit
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310 and the heat insulating member 320 may be accommodated. The heat dissipating unit
330 may have a shape extending upward and/or downward with respect to the resistor unit
310. When the heat dissipating unit 330 extends both upward and downward with respect
to the resistor unit 310 and contacts both inner surfaces of the upper portion and the lower
portion of the pack housing 200, heat dissipation effect 5 using the pack housing 200 may be
maximized.
Further, the energy consumption unit 300 may include electric wires 313 each
having one end connected to the external positive electrode terminal T and the external
negative electrode terminal E of the battery module 100 and the other end connected to the
10 resistor 311 of the resistor unit 310, and a switch 314 configured to turn on/off an electrical
connection to at least one of the electric wires 313. That is, the switch 314 may be
configured to allow or block electrical connection between the resistor 311 of the resistor
unit 310 and the battery module 100.
Also, the switch 314 may operate in an active manner or a passive manner. For
15 example, when the switch 314 operates in an active manner, the battery pack 1000 may
include a controller 500 configured to determine whether thermal runaway occurs in at least
some of the plurality of the battery modules 100. The controller 500 may include a
temperature sensor 510 for sensing a temperature of the battery module 100. The controller
500 outputs a switching control signal with reference to the temperature sensed by the
20 temperature sensor 510. When the temperature of the battery module 100 rises above a
certain temperature (e.g., 200°C), the controller 500 may transmit an on-signal to the switch
314, so that the switch 314 is turned on to pass electricity through the electric wires 313.
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Also, the switch 314 may operate in a passive manner. For example, the switch
314 may include a temperature switch including a bimetal. The temperature switch may
be configured to be turned on when the air temperature inside the pack housing 200 rises
above a certain temperature.
The temperature sensor 510 may be an 5 element included in the controller 500, or
may be an element that is separately provided. That is, when the temperature sensor 510 is
included in the controller 500, for example, the controller 500 may be understood as a
member including both a sensing unit and a control signal output unit for outputting a control
signal with reference to a measurement value sensed by the sensing unit. In contrast, when
10 the temperature sensor 510 is an element separately provided from the controller 500, the
temperature sensor 510 is not only functionally separated from the controller 500 but also
physically separated from the controller 500.
For example, the temperature sensor 510 may be attached to each of the battery
modules 100 in a one-to-one manner, or may be located at a position adjacent to each battery
15 module 100 in a one-to-one manner. In this case, even when an abnormality occurs in only
at least some battery modules 100 in the battery pack 100, the abnormality may be rapidly
detected and rapidly coped with. In contrast, a smaller number of temperature sensors 510
than the battery modules 100 may be provided. Even in this case, when it is detected that
a temperature inside the battery pack 1000 rises above a certain level, an abnormality may
20 be detected and may be coped with.
As such, according to the present disclosure, because a structure capable of
converting electrical energy into thermal energy when thermal runaway occurs in at least
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some of the plurality of battery modules 100 may be provided, when an abnormality occurs
in some battery modules 100 in the battery pack 1000, thermal runaway may be effectively
prevented from propagating between the plurality of battery modules 100. That is, because
electrical energy (power) of the battery module 100 in which thermal runaway occurs may
be consumed as thermal energy, and thus 5 the battery module 100 is prevented from causing
thermal runaway any more, the thermal runaway may be prevented from propagating to other
adjacent battery modules 100. Also, according to the battery pack 1000 according to the
present disclosure, because electrical energy converted into thermal energy may be
efficiently dissipated and/or discharged, heat may be prevented from being accumulated
10 inside the battery pack 1000.
FIG. 3 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of a
battery pack according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIG. 1, a battery pack 1000A according to
Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure may further include a heat sink 340 and/or a first
15 extending plate 334 and/or a second extending plate 335. Also, elements of the heat
dissipating unit 330 of the battery pack 1000A according to Embodiment 2 may be different
from elements of the heat dissipating unit 330 of the battery pack 1000 of Embodiment 1 of
FIG. 2. However, other elements of the battery pack 1000A according to Embodiment 2
may be substantially the same as those of the battery pack 1000 of Embodiment 1.
20 In detail, the heat sink 340 may include an inlet (not shown) through which a cooling
fluid is injected, a cooling fluid passage (not shown) through which the injected cooling fluid
moves, and an outlet (not shown) through which the cooling fluid having moved along the
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cooling fluid passage is discharged to the outside. However, the heat sink 340 is not limited
to the above elements, and various known cooling members may be applied to the heat sink
340.
Also, the heat sink 340 may be configured to receive heat from the heat dissipating
unit 330 and transfer the heat to the pack housing 5 200. To this end, the heat sink 340 may
be accommodated inside the pack housing 200 to contact a lower wall of the pack housing
200. In contrast, the heat sink 340 may be located outside the pack housing 200. In this
case, the heat sink 340 may contact a bottom surface and/or a top surface of the pack housing
200.
10 Referring to FIG. 3, like in the battery pack 1000 according to Embodiment 1, in the
battery pack 1000A according to Embodiment 2, the heat dissipating unit 330 may include
an upper plate 331, a pillar portion 332, and a lower plate 333. In detail, the upper plate
331 may have a plate shape extending in a horizontal direction. A top surface of the upper
plate 331 may contact an inner ceiling of the pack housing 200 or the heat sink 340. A
15 bottom surface of the upper plate 331 may be connected to an upper portion of the pillar
portion 332.
Furthermore, the pillar portion 332 may have a pillar shape extending in a vertical
direction. An upper end of the pillar portion 332 may be coupled to a lower portion of the
upper plate 331. The pillar portion 332 may have a receiving space in which the resistor
20 unit 310 and the heat insulating member 320 are accommodated. That is, the pillar portion
332 may surround the resistor unit 310 and the heat insulating member 320.
Also, the lower plate 333 may have a plate shape extending in the horizontal
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direction. A portion of the lower plate 333 may be coupled to a lower end of the pillar
portion 332. The lower plate 333 may contact a bottom surface of the pack housing 200 or
the heat sink 340.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat dissipating unit 330 of the battery pack
1000A according to Embodiment 2 of 5 the present disclosure may include the upper plate 331
contacting the inner ceiling of the pack housing 200 or the heat sink 340, the pillar portion
332 coupled to the upper plate 331 and having the receiving space in which the heat
insulating member 320 and the resistor unit 310 are accommodated, and the lower plate 333
coupled to the pillar portion 332 and having a bottom surface contacting the bottom surface
10 of the pack housing 200 or the heat sink 340.
Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, because the
heat dissipating unit 330 contacts the heat sink 340 in at least one of a direction toward the
inner ceiling of the pack housing 200 and a direction toward the bottom surface of the pack
housing 200, resistive heat generated in the resistor unit 310 may be effectively transferred
15 to the pack housing 20 and/or the heat sink 340. Accordingly, the amount of resistive heat
conducted to the battery module 100 in which thermal runaway does not occur may be
reduced, thereby preventing propagation of thermal runaway.
Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIG. 1, the heat dissipating unit 330 of the energy
consumption unit 300A of the battery pack 1000A according to Embodiment 2 of the present
20 disclosure may further include the first extending plate 334 and/or the second extending plate
334, when compared to the heat dissipating unit 330 of the battery pack 1000 according to
Embodiment 1 of FIG. 2. In detail, the first extending plate 334 may be configured to
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increase the transfer efficiency and the amount of heat transferred from the pillar portion 332
to the upper plate 331. Accordingly, the first extending plate 334 may be provided to
connect an upper end of an outer surface of the pillar portion 332 to a bottom surface of the
upper plate 331. That is, the first extending plate 334 may be configured to increase a heat
5 transfer area between the pillar portion 332 and the upper plate 331.
Also, the second extending plate 335 may be provided to connect a lower end of the
outer surface of the pillar portion 332 to a top surface of the lower plate 333. That is, the
second extending plate 335 may be configured to increase a heat transfer area between the
pillar portion 332 and the lower plate 333.
10 As such, according to the present disclosure, because the first extending plate 334
and/or the second extending plate 335 is further included, the amount of heat transferred
from the heat dissipating unit 330 to the pack housing 200 and/or the heat sink 340 may be
increased. Accordingly, resistive heat generated in the resistor unit 310 may be effectively
dissipated and/or discharged.
15 Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIG. 1, in the heat dissipating unit 330 of the
battery pack 1000A according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, any one of the
upper plate 331 and the lower plate 333 may contact the heat sink 340, and the other one
may contact the inner ceiling or the bottom surface of the pack housing 200. In this case,
the plate contacting the heat sink 340 may be formed to have a larger area than the other
20 plate. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat dissipating unit 330 may be provided so
that the upper plate 331 contacts the inner ceiling of the pack housing 200 and the lower
plate 333 contacts the top surface of the heat sink 340. In this case, the heat dissipating
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unit 330 may be configured so that the amount of resistive heat generated in the resistor unit
310 and transferred to the lower plate 333 is greater than that transferred to the upper plate
331. To this end, a size of the lower plate 333 extending in the horizontal direction may be
greater than a size of the upper plate 331 extending in the horizontal direction.
As such, according to the present disclosure, because 5 the area of the lower plate 333
contacting the heat sink 340 is greater than the area of the upper plate 331, resistive heat of
the resistor unit 310 may be rapidly discharged to the outside. Accordingly, the safety of
the battery pack 1000A may be more effectively improved.
FIG. 4 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of a
10 battery pack according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 4 together with FIG. 1, a battery pack 1000B according to
Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure may be different from the battery pack 1000
according to Embodiment 1, in elements of the heat insulating member 320. Other
elements are substantially the same as those of Embodiment 1.
15 In detail, a heat insulating member 320B of an energy consumption unit 300B of the
battery pack 1000B according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure may be located to
further surround the pillar portion 332 of the heat dissipating unit 330 in addition to at least
a part of the resistor unit 310. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat insulating member
320B may include a portion 320a surrounding the resistor unit 310 and a portion 320b
20 extending to surround an outer surface of the pillar portion 332 in a horizontal direction.
That is, the heat insulating member 320B may minimize the effect of heat radiated from the
outer surface of the pillar portion 332 on the battery module 100 adjacent to the heat
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insulating member 320B.
As such, because the heat insulating member 320B is provided to further surround
the pillar portion 332 of the heat dissipating unit 330, the transfer of resistive heat generated
from the resistor unit 310 to another adjacent battery module 100 through the pillar portion
332 may be minimized. Accordingly, the safety of the battery 5 pack 1000B may be more
effectively improved.
Referring back to FIG. 1, the battery pack 1000 according to Embodiment 1 of the
present disclosure may further include a heat insulating wall 350. The heat insulating wall
350 may be located to face at least a side of the energy consumption unit 300. For example,
10 as shown in FIG. 1, the heat insulating wall 350 may be located between the heat dissipating
unit 330 of the energy consumption unit 300 and the other battery module 100. That is, the
heat insulating wall 350 may be configured to block resistive heat generated in the resistor
unit 310 from being transferred to the other battery module 100. The heat insulating wall
350 may include, for example, a material having heat resistance and heat insulating
15 properties. Examples of the material having heat resistance and heat insulating properties
may include silica sand, feldspar, and limestone.
Accordingly, according to this configuration of the present disclosure, because the
heat insulating wall 350 located on at least a side of the energy consumption unit 300 is
further included, resistive heat generated in the resistor unit 310 may be prevented from
20 increasing a temperature of the other battery module 100. Accordingly, the safety of the
battery pack 1000 may be effectively improved.
FIG. 5 is a partial side view illustrating a part of an energy consumption unit of a
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battery pack according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a partial crosssectional
view illustrating a part of the energy consumption unit of the battery pack according
to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a battery pack 1000C according to Embodiment 4 of the
present disclosure may be different from t 5 he battery pack 1000 of Embodiment 1 of FIG. 1,
in elements of the heat insulating member 320. However, other elements are substantially
the same as those of the battery pack 1000 of Embodiment 1.
In detail, the heat insulating member 320 of an energy consumption unit 300C of
the battery pack 1000C according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure may include a
10 receiving portion 323 in which a phase change material 322 is accommodated. The phase
change material 322 whose phase varies according to a temperature may be, for example,
water. The phase change material 322 may be configured to, when the resistor unit 310
converts electrical energy of the battery module 100 into thermal energy, be vaporized by
receiving the thermal energy from the resistor unit 310.
15 Also, the heat insulating member 320 may include the receiving portion 323 in
which the phase change material 322 is accommodated. The receiving portion 323 may be
an empty space of the heat insulating member 320. Furthermore, an outlet P configured to
discharge the vaporized phase change material 322 to the outside may be provided in the
receiving portion 323. For example, the outlet P may be provided to allow the vaporized
20 phase change material 322 to move between the plurality of battery modules 100. The
outlet P may have, for example, a funnel shape protruding outward.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat insulating member 320 may include the
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receiving portion 323 and the phase change material 322 accommodated in the receiving
portion 323. The phase change material 322 may be configured to be vaporized by
receiving resistive heat of the resistor unit 310. For example, when the phase change
material 322 is water, the phase change material 322 may be vaporized by resistive heat
generated when the resistor unit 310 converts electrical 5 energy of the battery module 100
into thermal energy. Vapor may be discharged between the plurality of battery modules
100 through the outlet P.
As such, according to the present disclosure, because the heat insulating member
320 includes the phase change material 322 and the receiving portion 323 in which the phase
10 change material 322 is accommodated, the phase change material 322 may be vaporized by
thermal energy received from the resistor unit 310, and the amount of thermal energy
transferred from the resistor unit 310 to the heat dissipating unit 330 may be effectively
reduced. Furthermore, the vaporized phase change material 322 may be discharged
between the plurality of battery modules 100, to block heat transfer between the plurality of
15 battery modules 100. Accordingly, propagation of thermal runaway between the plurality
of battery modules 100 may be effectively prevented.
FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the inside of a battery pack according to
Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating
a part of the battery pack taken along line C-C’ of FIG. 7.
20 Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a battery pack 1000D according to Embodiment 5 of the
present disclosure may further include a receiving groove H in the pack housing 200, unlike
the battery pack 1000 according to Embodiment 1. Also, the battery pack 1000D according
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to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure has a difference in elements of an energy
consumption unit 300D. However, other elements of the battery pack 1000D of
Embodiment 5 are the same as those of the battery pack 1000 according to Embodiment 1.
In detail, the pack housing 200 of the battery pack 1000D according to Embodiment
5 may further include the receiving 5 groove H in which at least a part of a resistor unit 310D
is accommodated. Also, a heat insulating member 320D may be located to surround the at
least part of the resistor unit 310D accommodated in the receiving groove H. For example,
as shown in FIG. 7, the resistor unit 310D may be accommodated in the receiving groove H
that longitudinally extends in one direction. The resistor unit 310D may have a shape
10 longitudinally extending in one direction. The heat insulating member 320D may be
located to surround an outer surface of the resistor unit 310D accommodated in the receiving
groove H. The heat insulating member 320D may also be accommodated in the receiving
groove H. The heat insulating member 320D may be configured to prevent damage to the
pack housing 200 due to resistive heat generated in the resistor unit 310D.
15 As such, according to the present disclosure, because the receiving groove H is
provided in the pack housing 200 to accommodate at least a part of the resistor unit 310D
and the heat insulating member 320D is located to surround the at least part of the resistor
unit 310D accommodated in the receiving groove H, a length of a thermal conduction path
through which heat generated in the resistor unit 310D is conducted to the pack housing 200
20 may be minimized. Accordingly, the battery pack 1000D according to the present
disclosure may effectively discharge heat to the outside of the battery pack 1000D, and may
minimize a temperature increase of the other battery module 100 due to resistive heat.
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Referring back to FIGS. 7 and 8, a heat dissipating unit 330D of the battery pack
1000D according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure may have a plate shape
extending in a horizontal direction on the heat insulating member 320D. The heat
dissipating unit 330D may be provided so that an end portion of the heat dissipating unit
330D in the horizontal direction is connected to an inner 5 surface of the pack housing 200.
Both end portions of the heat dissipating unit 330D may extend to a side wall of the pack
housing 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the heat dissipating unit 330D may have a
shape in which both end portions longitudinally extend in the pack housing 200 to contact
the inner surface of the pack housing 200. The heat dissipating unit 330D may be located
10 to surround a top surface of the heat insulating member 320D.
As such, according to the present disclosure, the heat dissipating unit 330D has a
plate shape extending in the horizontal direction on the heat insulating member 320D, and
an end portion of the heat dissipating unit 330D in the horizontal direction contacts the inner
surface of the pack housing 200. That is, because both end portions of the heat dissipating
15 unit 330D extend to contact the side wall of the pack housing 200, heat generated in the
resistor unit 310D may be effectively conducted to the pack housing 200. Accordingly,
according to the present disclosure, heat may be effectively discharged to the outside of the
battery pack 1000D, and a temperature increase of the other battery module 100 due to
resistive heat may be minimized.
20 Any of the battery packs 1000 through 1000D of the present disclosure may further
include various devices (not shown) for controlling charging/discharging of the plurality of
battery modules 100, for example, a BMS, a current sensor, and a fuse.
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FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 9, any of the battery packs 1000 through 1000D of the present
disclosure may be included in a vehicle 2000 such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.
That is, the vehicle according to an embodiment 5 of the present disclosure may mount any of
the battery packs 1000 through 1000D of the present disclosure in a vehicle body.
It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that when terms indicating
directions such as upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear are used, these terms are only for
convenience of explanation and may vary according to a position of a target object, a position
10 of an observer, etc.
The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be
understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred
embodiments of the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various
changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure will become apparent
15 to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS
1. A battery pack comprising: a plurality of battery modules;
a pack housing in which the plurality of battery modules are accommodated; and
an energy consumption unit accommodated 5 inside the pack housing, connected to
at least one of the plurality of battery modules, and configured to convert electrical energy
stored in the battery module into thermal energy as a temperature inside the pack housing
increases and dissipate the thermal energy through at least one of the pack housing and a
heat sink.
10
2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein
the energy consumption unit comprises:
a resistor unit electrically connected to the battery module as the temperature inside
the pack housing increases;
15 a heat insulating member surrounding at least a part of the resistor unit; and
a heat dissipating unit configured to connect the heat insulating member to the pack
housing.
3. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein
20 the heat dissipating unit comprises:
an upper plate having a plate shape extending in a horizontal direction, and
comprising a portion contacting an inner ceiling of the pack housing or the heat sink;
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a pillar portion having a pillar shape extending in a vertical direction, and
comprising an upper end coupled to a lower portion of the upper plate and a receiving space
in which the resistor unit and the heat insulating member are accommodated; and
a lower plate having a plate shape extending in the horizontal direction, and
comprising a portion coupled to a 5 lower end of the pillar portion and another portion
contacting a bottom surface of the pack housing or the heat sink.
4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein
the heat dissipating unit further comprises:
10 a first extending plate configured to connect an upper end of an outer surface of the
pillar portion to a bottom surface of the upper plate; and
a second extending plate configured to connect a lower end of the outer surface of
the pillar portion to a top surface of the lower plate.
15 5. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein
any one of the upper plate and the lower plate contacts the heat sink, and the plate
contacting the heat sink has a larger area than the other plate.
6. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein
20 the heat insulating member further surrounds the pillar portion.
7. The battery pack of claim 2,
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further comprising
at least one heat insulating wall located between the heat dissipating unit and the
battery module.
5 8. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein
the heat insulating member comprises a phase change material and a receiving
portion in which the phase change material is accommodated,
wherein the phase change material is configured to, when the resistor unit converts
electrical energy of the battery module into thermal energy, be vaporized by receiving the
10 thermal energy from the resistor unit,
wherein an outlet configured to discharge the vaporized phase change material to
outside is provided in the receiving portion.
9. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein
15 the pack housing comprises a receiving groove in which at least a part of the resistor
unit is accommodated,
wherein the heat insulating member surrounds the at least part of the resistor unit
accommodated in the receiving groove.
20 10. The battery pack of claim 9, wherein
the heat dissipating unit has a plate shape extending in a horizontal direction on the
heat insulating member, and comprises both end portions extending to a side wall of the pack
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housing to be connected to an inner surface of the pack housing.
11. A vehicle comprising the battery pack according to any one of claims 1
through 10.