Patent Description:
The secondary battery is drawing attentions as a new energy source for enhancing energy efficiency and environment friendliness in that the use of fossil fuels can be reduced greatly and no byproduct is generated during energy consumption.

5V to <NUM>. An example of battery pack is disclosed in <CIT>.

Meanwhile, when a plurality of battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to configure a battery pack, it is common to configure a battery module composed of at least one battery cell first, and then configure a battery pack or a battery rack by using at least one battery module and adding other components. Here, an energy storage system may be configured to include at least one battery rack, which includes at least one battery module, according to various voltage and capacity requirements.

In the case of the battery pack, recently, as the demand for a large-capacity battery pack increases, the demand for a battery pack having a slimmer and compact size and a greater energy density is increasing. Moreover, in the case of a large-capacity battery pack, cooling performance is also important, so it is also important to have high cooling efficiency.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a battery pack capable of improving both cooling efficiency and energy density, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery pack, which may improve both cooling efficiency and energy density, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

In addition, the present disclosure is also directed to providing a battery pack, which may prevent a coolant from flowing into a battery module when the coolant is leaked, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery pack, comprising: a plurality of battery modules having at least one battery cell and having heatsink units respectively provided to upper and lower sides thereof, the heatsink unit having a cooling channel through which a coolant flows; at least one crush beam provided between the plurality of battery modules; a pack tray configured to support the at least one crush beam and the plurality of battery modules; and a plurality of drain holes provided in the pack tray to discharge the coolant out of the battery pack when the coolant leaks.

The plurality of drain holes are formed in a bottom portion of a space between each battery module and the at least one crush beam.

In the space between each battery module and the at least one crush beam, a guide channel for guiding the coolant toward the plurality of drain holes when the coolant of the heatsink unit provided to the upper side of each battery module leaks is formed.

The heatsink unit may include: a lower heatsink configured to support a lower side of the at least one battery cell and having a cooling channel formed therein so that the coolant flows therethrough; and an upper heatsink disposed opposite to the lower heatsink to support an upper side of the at least one battery cell and having a cooling channel formed therein so that the coolant flows therethrough.

Each of the plurality of battery modules may include: the at least one battery cell; the heatsink unit having the lower heatsink and the upper heatsink; and a pair of side plates disposed between the lower heatsink and the upper heatsink so that at least one of the pair of side plates faces the at least one crush beam.

At least one drain guide slit may be formed at the pair of side plates to face the plurality of drain holes.

The at least one drain guide slit may be elongated along a height direction of the pair of side plates.

The at least one drain guide slit may be formed to have a predetermined length along a length direction of the pair of side plates.

The drain guide slit may be provided in plural, and the plurality of drain guide slits may be provided in a number corresponding to the plurality of drain holes.

In addition, the present disclosure also provides a vehicle, comprising at least one battery pack according to the former embodiments.

According to various embodiments as above, it is possible to provide a battery pack, which may improve both cooling efficiency and energy density, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

In addition, according to various embodiments as above, it is possible to provide a battery pack, which may prevent a coolant from flowing into a battery module when the coolant is leaked, and a vehicle including the battery pack.

<FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is a plan view showing the battery pack of <FIG>, <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a main part of the battery pack of <FIG>, and <FIG> is a sectional view showing a main part of the battery pack of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, a battery pack <NUM> may include a battery module <NUM>, a crush beam <NUM>, a pack tray <NUM>, a drain hole <NUM>, and a guide channel <NUM>.

The battery module <NUM> may be provided in plural.

Each of the plurality of battery modules <NUM> may include a battery cell <NUM>, a heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM>, and a pair of side plates <NUM>.

The battery cell <NUM> is a secondary battery and may be provided as a pouch-type secondary battery, a rectangular secondary battery, or a cylindrical secondary battery. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the battery cell <NUM> will be described as a pouch-type secondary battery.

At least one battery cell <NUM> or a plurality of battery cells <NUM> may be provided. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it will be described that the battery cell <NUM> is provided in plural.

The heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> cools the plurality of battery cells <NUM> and may cover upper and lower sides of the plurality of battery cells <NUM>. Here, the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> may directly cover the upper and lower sides of the plurality of battery cells <NUM>, respectively, without any additional member.

In this embodiment, since the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> directly covers the upper and lower sides of the battery cells <NUM> without a separate member, the battery module <NUM> may be designed slimmer, and the energy density of the battery module <NUM> may be improved.

Moreover, in this embodiment, since the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> is respectively provided to the upper and lower sides of the battery cells <NUM> and directly covers the upper and lower sides of the battery cells <NUM>, the cooling efficiency of the battery cells <NUM> may also be significantly improved.

The heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> may include an upper heatsink <NUM> and a lower heatsink <NUM>.

The upper heatsink <NUM> is disposed opposite to the lower heatsink <NUM>, and may directly cover and support the upper side of the at least one battery cell <NUM>, or the plurality of battery cells <NUM> in case of this embodiment. A cooling channel <NUM> through which a coolant for cooling the battery cells <NUM> flows may be provided in the upper heatsink <NUM>.

The lower heatsink <NUM> may be disposed on a pack tray <NUM>, explained later, to directly cover and support the lower side of the at least one battery cell <NUM>, or the plurality of battery cells <NUM> in case of this embodiment. A cooling channel <NUM> through which a coolant for cooling the battery cells <NUM> flows may be provided in the lower heatsink <NUM>.

The pair of side plates <NUM> are disposed between the upper heatsink <NUM> and the lower heatsink <NUM> and may be coupled to the upper heatsink <NUM> and the lower heatsink <NUM> to package the battery cells <NUM>.

At least one of the pair of side plates <NUM> may be disposed to face the crush beam <NUM>, explained later, and may be disposed to be spaced apart from the crush beam <NUM>, explained later, by a predetermined distance.

The crush beam <NUM> is provided between the plurality of battery modules <NUM> and, specifically, may be disposed to face the side plates <NUM> of the plurality of battery modules <NUM>. At least one crush beam <NUM> or a plurality of crush beams <NUM> may be provided.

When an impact occurs at the outside of the battery pack <NUM>, the crush beam <NUM> may prevent the impact from being transferred to the battery module <NUM> or to buffer the impact.

The pack tray <NUM> may support the plurality of battery modules <NUM> and the at least one crush beam <NUM>. The pack tray <NUM> may be mounted to a vehicle <NUM>, explained later.

The drain hole <NUM> is provided in the pack tray <NUM>, and when a coolant or the like leaks out of the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM>, the drain hole <NUM> may discharge the coolant out of the battery pack <NUM>.

According to the invention, the drain hole <NUM> is provided in plural. The plurality of drain holes <NUM> is formed in a bottom portion of the space between each battery module <NUM> and the at least one crush beam <NUM>.

According to the invention, the guide channel <NUM> is formed in the space between each battery module <NUM> and the at least one crush beam <NUM>. The guide channel <NUM> guides the coolant toward the plurality of drain holes <NUM> when the coolant of the heatsink unit <NUM> provided at the upper side of each battery module <NUM>, namely the upper heatsink <NUM>, leaks.

Hereinafter, the drain structure for preventing the leaked coolant from flowing toward the battery cells <NUM> inside the battery module <NUM> when the coolant of the battery pack <NUM> according to this embodiment leaks will be described in more detail.

<FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a drain structure for preventing a leaked coolant from flowing into a battery module when the coolant leaks in the battery pack of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in the battery pack <NUM>, when an external shock or the like occurs, specifically, when the external shock or the like occurs in a portion not covered by the crush beam <NUM>, in particular, the upper heatsink <NUM> of the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> may be damaged.

When the upper heatsink <NUM> is damaged, the coolant in the cooling channel <NUM> inside the upper heatsink <NUM> may leak out of the upper heatsink <NUM>. In this case, if the leaked coolant flows into the battery cells <NUM> inside the battery module <NUM>, the entire battery pack <NUM> including the battery module <NUM> may be damaged, so it is important to quickly discharge the leaked coolant out of the battery pack <NUM>.

In this embodiment, if the coolant in the cooling channel <NUM> of the upper heatsink <NUM> leaks out of the upper heatsink <NUM>, the coolant may be quickly guided toward the drain hole <NUM> through the guide channel <NUM> and discharged out of the battery pack <NUM>.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, even if the coolant of the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> is leaked through the guide channel <NUM> and the drain hole <NUM>, the leaked coolant may be quickly discharged out of the battery pack <NUM>, so it is possible to effectively prevent the battery module <NUM> or the entire battery pack <NUM> from being damaged due to the coolant.

<FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is a plan view showing the battery pack of <FIG>, <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a main part of the battery pack of <FIG>, and <FIG> is a sectional view showing a main part of the battery pack of <FIG>.

A battery module <NUM> according to this embodiment is similar to the battery module <NUM> of the former embodiment, and thus, hereinafter, features substantially identical or similar to the former embodiment will not be described in detail, and features different from the former embodiment will be described in detail.

Referring to <FIG>, a battery module <NUM> may include a battery module <NUM>, a crush beam <NUM>, a pack tray <NUM>, a drain hole <NUM>, and a guide channel <NUM>.

Each of the plurality of battery modules <NUM> may include a plurality of battery cells <NUM>, a heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM>, and a pair of side plates <NUM>.

The plurality of battery cells <NUM> and the heatsink unit <NUM>, <NUM> are substantially identical or similar to those of the former embodiment and will not be described again.

A drain guide slit <NUM> may be formed in the pair of side plates <NUM>.

The drain guide slit <NUM> is elongated along a height direction of the pair of side plates <NUM>, and may be formed to have a predetermined length along a length direction of the pair of side plates <NUM>.

At least one drain guide slit <NUM> or a plurality of drain guide slits <NUM> may be formed. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it will be described that the drain guide slit <NUM> is formed in plural.

The plurality of drain guide slits <NUM> may be disposed to face a plurality of drain holes <NUM>, explained later, and may be provided in a number corresponding to the plurality of drain holes <NUM>, explained later.

The crush beam <NUM> and the pack tray <NUM> are substantially identical or similar to those of the former embodiment and thus will not be described again.

The drain hole <NUM> is provided in plural and may be formed in the pack tray <NUM>. The plurality of drain holes <NUM> may be provided to a lower side of the plurality of drain guide slits <NUM>, and may be provided in a number corresponding to the plurality of drain guide slits <NUM>.

The guide channel <NUM> is substantially identical or similar to that of the former embodiment, and thus will not be described again.

Hereinafter, the drain structure for preventing the leaked coolant from flowing into the battery cells <NUM> inside the battery module <NUM> when the coolant of the battery pack <NUM> according to this embodiment is leaked will be described in more detail.

Referring to <FIG>, in the battery pack <NUM>, when the upper heatsink <NUM> is damaged, the coolant in the cooling channel <NUM> inside the upper heatsink <NUM> may leak out of the upper heatsink <NUM>, as in the former embodiment.

In this embodiment, if the coolant in the cooling channel <NUM> of the upper heatsink <NUM> leaks out of the upper heatsink <NUM>, the coolant may be guided to flow toward the drain hole <NUM> through not only the guide channel <NUM> but also the drain guide slits <NUM>.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the leaked coolant may be discharged out of the battery pack <NUM> more quickly and effectively through the drain guide slits <NUM> and the guide channel <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a vehicle <NUM> may include at least one battery pack <NUM>, <NUM> of the former embodiment. The vehicle <NUM> may be an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or other vehicles including the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM> as a fuel source.

Since the vehicle <NUM> according to this embodiment includes the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM> of the former embodiment, it is possible to provide the vehicle <NUM> having all advantages of the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM> of the former embodiment. Besides the vehicle <NUM>, the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM> may also be provided to an energy storage system, or other devices or appliances, using the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM> as an energy source.

According to various embodiments as above, it is possible to provide the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM>, which may improve both cooling efficiency and energy density, and the vehicle <NUM> including the battery pack <NUM>, <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A battery pack (<NUM>), comprising:
a plurality of battery modules (<NUM>) having at least one battery cell (<NUM>) and having heatsink units (<NUM>, <NUM>) respectively provided to upper and lower sides thereof, the heatsink unit (<NUM>, <NUM>) having a cooling channel (<NUM>, <NUM>) through which a coolant flows;
at least one crush beam (<NUM>) provided between the plurality of battery modules (<NUM>);
a pack tray (<NUM>) configured to support the at least one crush beam (<NUM>) and the plurality of battery modules (<NUM>); and
a plurality of drain holes (<NUM>) provided in the pack tray (<NUM>) to discharge the coolant out of the battery pack (<NUM>) when the coolant leaks,
wherein the plurality of drain holes (<NUM>) are formed in a bottom portion of a space between each battery module (<NUM>) and the at least one crush beam (<NUM>), and
wherein in the space between each battery module (<NUM>) and the at least one crush beam (<NUM>), a guide channel (<NUM>) for guiding the coolant toward the plurality of drain holes (<NUM>) when the coolant of the heatsink unit (<NUM>, <NUM>) provided to the upper side of each battery module (<NUM>) leaks is formed.