Self-activated draining system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9293792-B2
Application number	US-201313891580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2013
Priority date	May 10, 2013
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A method of managing leakage of liquid inside a battery system comprises: containing leaking liquid in a non-liquid sensitive region of the battery system so as to protect internal electrical components of the battery system from coming in contact with the leaking liquid; and in direct response to the leakage, expunging the leaking liquid from the battery system. A drain device includes: a body with a port therethrough, the body configured to be positioned in a wall of a container; means for opening the port in response to a first liquid contacting the drain device on an inside of the container; and means for resisting ingress into the container by a second liquid that contacts the drain device on an outside of the container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drain device comprising:
a body with a port therethrough, the body configured to be positioned in a wall of a container;
means for opening the port in response to a first liquid contacting the drain device on an inside of the container; and
means for resisting ingress into the container by a second liquid that contacts the drain device on an outside of the container;
wherein the means for opening the port and the means for resisting ingress comprise:
a valve member extending at least partly through the port, the valve member configured to assume at least a first position in which the port is closed, and a second position in which the port is open;
a biasing element that biases the valve member toward the second position;
a dissolvable element that prevents the valve member from assuming the second position, wherein when the first liquid contacts the dissolvable element, the first liquid at least partly dissolves the dissolvable element and the valve member assumes the second position; and
a deformable member, wherein the dissolvable element causes elastic deformation of the deformable member to block the valve member from assuming the second position, and wherein when the first liquid at least partly dissolves the dissolvable element the elastic deformation is reversed so that the valve member assumes the second position.

2. The drain device of claim 1 , further comprising an O-ring on at least one of the valve member and the body, wherein in the first position the O-ring seals between the valve member and the body, and in the second position the O-ring does not seal between the valve member and the body.

3. The drain device of claim 1 , further comprising threads for threading the body to the wall.

4. The drain device of claim 1 , wherein the body has an opening facing toward an outside of the wall, the opening having an undulating shape and being larger than the means for resisting ingress.

5. The drain device of claim 1 , wherein the valve member comprises a disc and an opposing end connected to each other by a stem.

6. The drain device of claim 5 , wherein the opposing end and the stem are connected to each other by a threaded connection.

7. The drain device of claim 5 , wherein the body has an annular projection surrounding the port, the annular projection forming a pocket that holds the biasing element.

8. The drain device of claim 7 , further comprising an O-ring that seals between the stem and an inside of the annular projection.

9. The drain device of claim 5 , wherein the stem is narrower than the disc and the opposing end.

10. The drain device of claim 1 , wherein the valve member comprises a cap that partially surrounds the deformable member and the dissolvable element.

11. The drain device of claim 10 , wherein the cap is configured to abut the body when the valve member assumes the second position.

12. The drain device of claim 11 , further comprising openings in the cap.

13. The drain device of claim 1 , wherein the valve member extends through the dissolvable element.

14. A system comprising:
a battery system;
a cooling system configured to cool at least part of the battery system with a liquid coolant; and
a self-activating drain device in an exterior wall of the system, the self-activating drain device comprising:
a body with a port therethrough;
a valve member configured to assume at least open and closed positions, the valve member biased toward the open position;
a dissolvable element that prevents the valve member from assuming the open position, wherein when the liquid coolant contacts the dissolvable element, the liquid coolant at least partly dissolves the dissolvable element and the valve member assumes the open position; and
a deformable member, wherein the dissolvable element causes elastic deformation of the deformable member to block the valve member from assuming the open position, and wherein when the liquid coolant at least partly dissolves the dissolvable element the elastic deformation is reversed so that the valve member assumes the open position.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising an O-ring on at least one of the valve member and the body, wherein in the closed position the O-ring seals between the valve member and the body, and in the open position the O-ring does not seal between the valve member and the body.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the system is configured to have a dry zone and a wet zone, with the battery system being located in the dry zone and the cooling system and the self-activating drain device being located in the wet zone.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the cooling system being located in the wet zone comprises points of the cooling system that are vulnerable to crash abuse being located in the wet zone.

18. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a detector configured to detect activation of the self-activating drain device.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the detector comprises a switch that closes or is opened by movement of a component of the self-activating drain device.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the detector comprises a chemically or electrically sensitive component that registers presence of the liquid coolant.

21. A method of managing leakage of liquid inside a battery system, the method comprising:
containing leaking liquid in a non-liquid sensitive region of the battery system so as to protect internal electrical components of the battery system from coming in contact with the leaking liquid; and
in direct response to the leakage, expunging the leaking liquid from the battery system;
wherein the leaking liquid is expunged using a self-activating drain device comprising:
a body with a port therethrough;
a valve member configured to assume at least open and closed positions, the valve member biased toward the open position;
a dissolvable element that prevents the valve member from assuming the open position, wherein when the leaking liquid contacts the dissolvable element, the leaking liquid at least partly dissolves the dissolvable element and the valve member assumes the open position; and
a deformable member, wherein the dissolvable element causes elastic deformation of the deformable member to block the valve member from assuming the open position, and wherein when the leaking liquid at least partly dissolves the dissolvable element the elastic deformation is reversed so that the valve member assumes the open position.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
generating a leakage detection signal in direct response to the leakage.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
performing at least one action in response to the leakage detection signal.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the action is performed in the battery system.

Assignees

• Tesla Motors Inc

Inventors

• Grace Dustin
• Goldman Mark
• Phillips Woodruff
• West Dorian W
• Guerra Paul
• Rittenburg Angus W
• Singh Ganesh
• Anderson Kevin
• Horton Adam
• How Peter
• Stoffel Christopher J

Classifications

• H01M50/60

  Arrangements or processes for filling or topping-up with liquids; Arrangements or processes for draining liquids from casings · CPC title

• Y10T137/5762

  With leakage or drip collecting · CPC title

• H01M10/6567 Primary

  Liquids · CPC title

• H01M10/4228 Primary

  Leak testing of cells or batteries · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title