Battery pack, battery management apparatus and vehicle having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12506182-B2
Application number	US-202017130458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2020
Priority date	Jun 24, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A battery pack for a vehicle includes: a case having an air outlet and an air inlet; a battery having a plurality of battery cells and disposed in the case; a first temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the at least one battery cell; a second temperature detector for detecting a temperature of air to be discharged through the air outlet; and a fan inducing a flow of air suctioned through the air inlet to be discharged to the air outlet, and to rotate based on at least one of cell temperature information about the temperature of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector or discharge temperature information about a discharge air temperature detected by the second temperature detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery pack for a vehicle, the battery pack comprising:
a case having an air outlet and an air inlet; a battery composed of a plurality of battery cells, the battery configured to be accommodated in the case; a first temperature detector provided in at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells, the first temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the at least one battery cell, wherein the first temperature detector is disposed on a surface through which suctioned air flows among a plurality of surfaces of the at least one battery cell; a second temperature detector provided on the case, the second temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of air to be discharged through the air outlet, wherein the second temperature detector is disposed on a surface through which the air to be discharged flows among the plurality of surfaces of the at least one battery cell, and the second temperature detector is provided in a rear direction of the first temperature detector based on the battery; a fan provided around at least one of the air outlet or the air inlet of the case, the fan configured to induce a flow of air suctioned through the air inlet to be discharged to the air outlet, and to rotate based on at least one of cell temperature information about the temperature of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector or discharge temperature information about a discharge air temperature detected by the second temperature detector; a controller for controlling the fan; and a third temperature detector positioned around the air inlet and configured to detect a suction air temperature through the air inlet, wherein the controller determines a thermal runaway state of the battery based on at least one of: the temperature of a highest-temperature battery cell among the cell temperature information of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, the temperature of a lowest-temperature battery cell among the cell temperature information of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, or an average temperature of the cell temperature information of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, and wherein the controller is configured to determine that the battery is in the thermal runaway state when, after determining that the temperature of the battery cell is greater than or equal to the suction air temperature, the discharge air temperature is determined to be greater than or equal to the temperature of the battery cell, and the controller is configured to determine that the battery is in a normal state when, after determining that the temperature of the battery cell is greater than or equal to the suction air temperature, the discharge air temperature is determined to be less than the temperature of the battery cell.

2 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the fan so that the fan rotates at predetermined revolutions per minute (RPM) in response to the at least one battery cell being in the thermal runaway state.

3 . The battery pack according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to control the fan so that the fan rotates at predetermined revolutions per minute (RPM) in response to determining that the battery is in the thermal runaway state.

4 . The battery pack according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a switching element configured to supply power to the battery, or to cut off the supply of power to the battery, wherein the controller is configured to control an off operation of the switching element in response to determining that the battery is in the thermal runaway state.

5 . The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the RPM of the fan based on the cell temperature information in response to determining that the battery is in the normal state.

6 . The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein:
the plurality of battery cells comprise at least one first battery cell provided with the first temperature detector, and a second battery cell excluding the first battery cell; and the controller is configured to determine whether the at least one first battery cell is in the thermal runaway state based on the cell temperature information of the at least one first battery cell.

7 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the battery is in the thermal runaway state when, after determining that the temperature of the battery cell is less than the suction air temperature, the discharge air temperature is determined to be greater than or equal to the suction air temperature, and to determine that the battery is in the normal state when, after determining that the temperature of the battery cell is less than the suction air temperature, the discharge air temperature is determined to be less than the suction air temperature.

8 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to transmit notification information to an outputter so that the notification information about thermal runaway is output in response to determining that the battery is in the thermal runaway state.

9 . A vehicle, comprising:
a motor configured to generate a driving force; a battery composed of a plurality of battery cells, the battery configured to supply power to the motor; a first temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the first temperature detector is disposed on a surface through which suctioned air flows among a plurality of surfaces of the at least one battery cell; a second temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of air to be discharged through an air outlet of a case of a battery pack, wherein the second temperature detector is disposed on a surface through which the air to be discharged flows among the plurality of surfaces of the at least one battery cell, and the second temperature detector is provided in a rear direction of the first temperature detector based on the battery; a third temperature detector configured to detect a suction air temperature through an air inlet of the case of the battery pack; a fan configured to induce a flow of air suctioned through the air inlet to be discharged to the air outlet; and a controller configured to: determine whether a battery is in a thermal runaway state based on at least one of cell temperature information about the temperature of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, discharge temperature information about a discharge air temperature detected by the second temperature detector, or suction temperature information about a suction air temperature detected by the third temperature detector, and control the fan so that the fan rotates at predetermined revolutions per minute (RPM) in response to determining that the battery is in the thermal runaway state, wherein the controller determines the thermal runaway state of the battery based on at least one of: the temperature of a highest-temperature battery cell among the cell temperature information of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, the temperature of a lowest-temperature battery cell among the cell temperature information of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, or an average temperature of the cell temperature information of the at least one battery cell detected by the first temperature detector, and wherein the controller is configured to determine that the b

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kim Jinwon
• Choi Jun Seok

Classifications

• H01M10/486

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M10/6563 Primary

  with forced flow, e.g. by blowers · CPC title

• H01M2010/4271

  Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing · CPC title

• H01M50/209 Primary

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title