Rechargeable battery pack including pack cover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627663-B2
Application number	US-201314091883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2013
Priority date	Apr 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A battery pack includes at least one unit cell with a top end, the unit cell including a vent hole, and a pack cover over the top end of the unit cell. The pack cover includes a discharge part having a bottom member that is sloped with respect to the top end of the unit cell. The bottom member of the pack cover including an aperture corresponding to the vent hole of the unit cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack, including;
at least one unit cell with a top end, the at least one unit cell including a vent hole, and the at least one unit cell including a plurality of unit cells;
a pack cover over the top end of the unit cell, the pack cover including a discharge part having a bottom member that is sloped with respect to the top end of the unit cell, the bottom member of the pack cover including an aperture corresponding to the vent hole of the unit cell; and
a housing receiving the plurality of unit cells,
wherein the bottom member includes:
a first portion that is spaced apart from the top end of the unit cell in a direction oriented away from the unit cell, and
a second portion extending from the first portion beyond an outermost edge of the pack cover outward of the housing, the second portion becoming lower relative to the first portion as a distance from the first portion increases, and

wherein the bottom member is inclined to have a greatest distance from the top end of one of the unit cells at a center of the plurality of unit cells in a first direction.

2. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vent hole of the unit cell is sealed by a vent plate, the vent plate being openable in response to a predetermined internal pressure being exceeded in the unit cell.

3. The battery pack as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the vent hole and vent plate are at the top end of the unit cell.

4. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the bottom member is spaced from the vent hole.

5. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aperture provides fluid communication between the vent hole and the discharge part.

6. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pack cover is spaced apart from the top end of the unit cell.

7. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aperture includes a plurality of apertures, each of the apertures corresponding to the vent hole of a respective one of the unit cells.

8. The battery pack as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the second portion gradually and continuously becoming lower relative to the first portion from the center of the plurality of unit cells to the outermost edge of the pack cover.

9. The battery pack as claimed in claim 7 , wherein:
the pack cover further includes a flat plate covering the discharge part and a sidewall extending in a first direction, the sidewall connecting the flat plate and the bottom member.

10. The battery pack as claimed in claim 9 , wherein,
the discharge part further includes a cell barrier member extending from the bottom member and extending in the first direction between the apertures and the sidewall, the cell barrier member being spaced apart from the flat plate such that a fluid flow path is between the cell barrier member and the sidewall, the fluid flow path being in fluid communication with the apertures.

11. The battery pack as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the pack cover further includes a lateral plate at respective ends of the pack cover in the first direction, the lateral plate being spaced apart from the housing by a gap.

12. The battery pack as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the bottom member extends into the gap such that a fluid exit path is provided in the gap between the bottom member and the lateral plate.

13. The battery pack as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each of the apertures is partially surrounded by a lip in an upper portion at a lateral side of the apertures in a sloping direction, the lip surrounding at least half of a circumference of each aperture.

14. The battery pack as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the pack cover further includes an upper member connected to an inner surface of the flat plate and extending in a direction toward the bottom member.

15. The battery pack as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the upper member is positioned to correspond in a vertical direction to a space between adjacent apertures.

16. The battery pack as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the upper member includes a bottom end.

17. The battery pack as claimed in claim 7 ,
wherein the housing is connected to the pack cover by coupling members, and
wherein a cross-section of the bottom member has a shape of a single inverted “V”, as viewed from a side view, the single inverted “V” covering simultaneously the plurality of unit cells.

18. The battery pack as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the coupling members include coupling protrusions that engage the housing and the pack cover and separation parts that maintain a separation between the pack cover and the housing.

19. The battery pack as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the pack cover and the housing include coupling holes that receive the coupling protrusions.

20. The battery pack as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the coupling holes are at corners of the housing and the pack cover.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyung-Ho

Classifications

• H01M50/262 Primary

  with fastening means, e.g. locks · CPC title

• H01M50/367

  Internal gas exhaust passages forming part of the battery cover or case; Double cover vent systems · CPC title

• H01M50/209

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

• H01M50/147 Primary

  Lids or covers · CPC title

• H01M50/271

  Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings · CPC title