Fluidic safety valve and battery component equipped therewith

Abstract

Embodiments disclose a fluidic safety valve comprising a valve housing including at least one fluid inlet opening and at least one fluid outlet opening. A closing element, guided in the valve housing, is preloaded by a spring element at a predetermined preloading force toward a closed position of the safety valve. In the closed position, a fluid flow from the at least one fluid inlet opening toward the at least one fluid outlet opening is blocked. When a predetermined fluid pressure is reached, the closing element moves toward an open position of the safety valve, enabling a fluid flow from the at least one fluid inlet opening toward the at least one fluid outlet opening. The valve housing is sealed by a valve housing sealing element comprising an effective fluid pressure force surface coupled to the closing element and configured to carry along the closing element relative to the housing.

Claims

1. A fluidic safety valve, comprising: a valve housing, and a valve housing sealing element configured to seal the valve housing in a fluid-tight manner, the valve housing including: at least one fluid inlet opening; at least one radial fluid outlet opening; and a closing element disposed in a central section of the valve housing preloaded by a spring element at a predetermined preloading force toward a closed position of the safety valve, wherein the closing element includes a piston crown and a piston skirt, the piston skirt extending away from the piston crown, and the closing element is configured to be movably guided between the closed position of the safety valve and an open position of the safety valve when a predetermined fluid pressure has been reached; block a fluid flow in the closed position by the piston skirt; and in the open position, enable the fluid flow from the at least one fluid inlet opening toward the at least one fluid outlet opening, wherein the valve housing sealing element includes: an effective fluid pressure force surface coupled to the closing element and configured to move relative to the valve housing; and a boot section coupling the effective fluid pressure force surface to a circular ring surface of an end face of the valve housing, wherein expansion of the boot section is configured to enable a lifting motion of the effective fluid pressure force surface relative to the valve housing, causing the closing element to be carried within the central section.

2. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein movement of the effective fluid pressure force surface relative to the valve housing creates the lifting motion.

3. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve housing sealing element is at least partially elastic.

4. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the valve housing sealing element is disposed on an end face of the valve housing which faces away from a fluid pressure chamber.

5. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the effective fluid pressure force surface is coupled to the closing element by a connecting element.

6. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the closing element is configured to be force-neutral with respect to a fluid pressure force.

7. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the closing element is disposed relative to the at least one fluid inlet opening such that a fluid pressure force acts on the closing element both in the direction of the closed position and in the direction of the open position.

8. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the spring element is a tension spring.

9. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid inlet opening is one of a plurality of fluid inlet openings.

10. The safety valve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid outlet opening is one of a plurality of fluid outlet openings.

11. A fluidic safety valve of a vehicle battery component, comprising: a valve housing and a valve housing sealing element configured to seal the valve housing in a fluid-tight manner, the valve housing including: at least one fluid inlet opening; at least one radial fluid outlet opening; and a closing element disposed in a central section of the valve housing preloaded by a spring element at a predetermined preloading force toward a closed position of the safety valve, wherein the closing element includes a piston crown and a piston skirt, the piston skirt extending away from the piston crown, and the closing element is configured to be movably guided between the closed position of the safety valve and an open position of the safety valve when a predetermined fluid pressure has been reached; block a fluid flow in the closed position by the piston skirt; and in the open position, enable the fluid flow from the at least one fluid inlet opening toward the at least one fluid outlet opening, wherein the valve housing sealing element includes: an effective fluid pressure force surface coupled to the closing element and configured to move relative to the valve housing; and a boot section coupling the effective fluid pressure force surface to a circular ring surface of an end face of the valve housing, wherein expansion of the boot section is configured to enable a lifting motion of the effective fluid pressure force surface relative to the valve housing, causing the closing element to be carried within the central section.

12. The safety valve according to claim 11, wherein movement of the effective fluid pressure force surface relative to the valve housing creates the lifting motion.

13. The safety valve according to claim 11, wherein the valve housing sealing element is at least partially elastic.

14. The safety valve according to claim 11, wherein the valve housing sealing element is disposed on an end face of the valve housing which faces away from a fluid pressure chamber.

15. The safety valve according to claim 11, wherein the effective fluid pressure force surface is coupled to the closing element by a connecting element.

16. The safety valve according to claim 11, wherein the closing element is configured to be force-neutral with respect to a fluid pressure force.

17. The safety valve according to claim 11, wherein the closing element is disposed relative to the at least one fluid inlet opening such that a fluid pressure force acts on the closing element both in the direction of the closed position and in the direction of the open position.

18. A fluidic safety valve, comprising: a valve housing including: at least one fluid inlet opening; at least one radial fluid outlet opening; and a closing element disposed in a central section of the valve housing preloaded by a spring element at a predetermined preloading force toward a closed position of the safety valve, wherein the closing element includes a piston crown and a piston skirt, the piston skirt extending away from the piston crown, the closing element is movably guided between the closed position of the safety valve and an open position of the safety valve when a predetermined fluid pressure has been reached; the closing element blocks a fluid flow in the closed position by the piston skirt, and in the open position, the closing element enables the fluid flow from the at least one fluid inlet opening toward the at least one fluid outlet opening; and a valve housing sealing element that includes: an effective fluid pressure force surface coupled to the closing element, wherein the effective fluid pressure force surface moves relative to the valve housing; and a boot section coupling the effective fluid pressure force surface to a circular ring surface of an end face of the valve housing, wherein expansion of the boot section lifts the effective fluid pressure force surface relative to the valve housing and carries the closing element within the central section, wherein the valve housing is configured to be sealed in a fluid-tight manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

(1) Further details and related advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereafter with reference to the figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective top view onto an exemplary safety valve, which is disposed on a wall element having an interior chamber side and an exterior chamber side;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an exemplary safety valve as an individual part in a perspective top view.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration of an exemplary safety valve in a perspective view.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a sectional side view of an exemplary safety valve.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a top view onto an exemplary safety valve.

(7) The figures are only schematic representations and are provided only to explain the present disclosure. Like elements are uniformly denoted by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) FIG. 1 shows a perspective top view onto a safety valve 1 according to the present disclosure. The safety valve 1 is intended to protect a substantially sealed fluid pressure chamber D, in which a varying fluidic pressure p.sub.i is present, against an impermissibly high rise in fluid pressure (i.e. against a predetermined fluidic overpressure) by timely opening. At the same time, in the closed position, the safety valve 1 protects the fluid pressure chamber D from the ingress of environmental influences from outside the fluid pressure chamber D.

(9) The safety valve 1 can be used in a battery system (not shown) or in a battery component of a vehicle (not shown). Accordingly, the fluid pressure chamber D can be the interior of a battery system or of a battery component.

(10) FIG. 1 shows that the safety valve 1 is disposed on or in a wall element 2, which separates the fluid pressure chamber D from a surrounding area U of the same, in which a fluidic ambient pressure p.sub.U is present, in a manner that is at least substantially fluid-tight with respect to the fluid pressure chamber D. The wall element 2 can be a battery housing, for example. So as to dispose the safety valve 1 in the wall element 2, the wall element 2 includes a through-passage 3 through which the safety valve 1 extends when installed. In this way, the safety valve 1 is flange-mounted on the wall element 2.

(11) FIG. 2 shows the safety valve 1 as an individual component without the wall element 2 in a perspective top view. In FIG. 2, the safety valve 1 comprises a valve housing 4 having a substantially cylindrical basic shape. The valve housing 4 can be injection-molded from a plastic material, for example, wherein the plastic material is suited for use in batteries. On a first end face 5, the valve housing 4 comprises a sealing groove 6, in which a sealing ring 7 is disposed so as to be seated against the wall element 2, sealing the through-passage 3. The sealing ring 7 can be made of a suitable rubber material, for example. For attaching the safety valve 1 to the wall element 2, the valve housing 4 comprises a plurality of molded-on retaining clips 8, which can be brought into engagement with the wall element 2.

(12) In the vicinity of the first end face 5, the valve housing 4 has a plurality of fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b in the form of apertures or cutouts. The fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b extend substantially in the axial direction of the valve housing 4 through the same. On the circumference, the valve housing 4 additionally includes a plurality of fluid outlet openings 10 in the form of fluid channels. The fluid outlet openings 10 extend in the radial direction of the valve housing 4 through the same.

(13) On a second end face 11 located opposite the first end face 5, a valve housing sealing element 12 is attached to the valve housing 4. The valve housing sealing element 12 is designed to be at least partially flexible and substantially (i.e. to the greatest extent possible) seals the valve housing 4 in a fluid-tight manner. A flow path is therefore defined for a fluid to be discharged from the fluid pressure chamber D, the path extending through the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b, into the valve housing 4, and beyond the fluid outlet openings 10 into the surrounding area U. FIG. 2 shows that the valve housing sealing element 12 is designed in a boot-like, in particular a bellows-like, manner at least in some sections. This is achieved by a boot section 13, adjoined by the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 (discernible only partially here, see FIG. 4). For low forces of inertia, the boot section 13 can be made of a comparatively lightweight, flexible material. For example, this can be a rubber material. The effective fluid pressure force surface 14 can be made either of the same material or of a rigid material. The more detailed configuration of the valve housing sealing element 12 is described below.

(14) Within the valve housing 4, a closing element 15 is disposed, which is guided therein for a translatory back and forth movement and preloaded by a spring element 16, which is described in greater detail below.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration of the safety valve 1 in a perspective view. The valve housing 4 includes a central section 17. The central section 17 includes a conical spring chamber 18, which receives the spring element 16. In this exemplary embodiment, the spring chamber 18 protrudes over the first end face 5 of the safety valve. In addition, the central section 17 includes a cylinder section 19, which adjoins the spring chamber 18 and is used to receive and guide the closing element 15. In the cylinder section 19, the fluid outlet openings 10 extend in the radial direction from the inside to the outside. The spring chamber can also take on another shape that allows the spring to be mounted.

(16) As shown in FIG. 3, the closing element 15 has a substantially piston crown-shaped design, which is achieved by providing a piston crown 20 with a top surface 21 and a bottom surface 22 and a piston skirt 23 adjoining the piston crown 20. The piston skirt 23 is shaped and dimensioned such that it can be guided by the cylinder section 19 of the valve housing 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the piston skirt 23 is dimensioned such that it can selectively close the fluid outlet openings 9a, 9b by overlapping with the same, or release them by way of a relative displacement. In this way, the closing element 15 can be moved between a closed position, in which a fluid flow from the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b toward the fluid outlet openings 10 is blocked, and an open position directed counter to the closed position, in which a fluid flow from the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b toward the at least one fluid outlet opening 10 is enabled. The closing element 15 is preloaded by the spring element 16 toward the closed position of the safety valve 1, wherein the spring element 16 may be a spiral spring configured as a tension spring.

(17) The boot section 13 of the valve housing sealing element 12 is connected to a circular ring surface (not denoted) of the second end face 11, by a bonded joint, for example. By expanding, the boot section 13 makes a lifting motion of the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 relative to the valve housing 4 possible, in particular to the second end face 11. The effective fluid pressure force surface 14 may have a substantially circular design.

(18) As shown in FIG. 3, the closing element 15 and the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 of the valve housing sealing element 12 are coupled to each other, or connected to each other, by way of a plurality of connecting elements 24. In this exemplary embodiment, the connecting elements 24 are screws, which are made of a metal or a plastic material. Serving as a counter-element for the connecting elements 24, the closing element 15 comprises respective receptacles 25, which cooperate with the connecting elements 24 and thereby form a screw joint in this exemplary embodiment. At the same time, the receptacles 25 also act as a kind of spacer, by way of which the valve housing sealing element 12 (which is at least partially designed to be elastic) is disposed at a distance from the valve housing 4, in particular from the second end face 11. If multiple connecting elements 24 are present, uniform guidance is ensured. However, a single connecting element would also be sufficient, if necessary.

(19) As shown in FIG. 3, the closing element 15 may be shaped and disposed within the valve housing 4 in such a way that, when a fluid flows in through the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b, said fluid flows around the closing element both on the side facing the first end face 5 and on the side facing the second end face 11 of the valve housing 4. Because the bottom surface 22 in FIG. 3 and the top surface 21 in FIG. 3 of the closing element 15 are approximately the same size, an equilibrium of forces develops at the closing element 15. As a result, one single effective surface is created for a force resulting from a fluid pressure, namely the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 of the valve housing sealing element 12.

(20) FIG. 4 shows a sectional side view of the safety valve 1. The effective fluid pressure force surface 14 and an end of the piston skirt 23 of the closing element 15 which faces away from the piston crown 20 at the bottom side of the closing element 15 are spaced apart from each other by the receptacles 25 such that fluid can flow around the closing element 15 both from beneath and from above. The closing element 15 may be shaped and disposed such that it carries out a lifting motion relative to the valve housing 4.

(21) FIG. 5 shows a top view onto the safety valve 1 according to the present disclosure. The effective fluid pressure force surface 14 of the valve housing sealing element 12 has a comparatively large dimension in relation to the top surface 21 of the piston crown 20 of the closing element 15. Moreover, the arrangement of the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b and of the retaining clips 8 is discernible here, which is provided only by way of example.

(22) Based on FIG. 3, which shows a sectional illustration of the safety valve 1 in a perspective view, an exemplary operation of the safety valve 1 shall be described hereafter.

(23) The starting situation is a normal operation of a battery component (not shown), serving as the fluid pressure chamber D in which a fluidic pressure p.sub.i is present. During normal operation, said pressure p.sub.i corresponds at least approximately to the fluidic pressure of the surrounding area U of the fluid pressure chamber D in which a fluidic ambient pressure p.sub.U is present. Therefore, approximately the following applies: p.sub.i=p.sub.U.

(24) During said normal operation, the closing element 15 is preloaded or compressed by the predetermined preloading force of the spring element 16 into the closed position of the safety valve 1, whereby a fluid flow from the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b toward the fluid outlet openings 10 is blocked by the closing element 15, and in particular by the piston skirt 23 thereof.

(25) In the event of overpressure (for example, caused by a battery cell becoming damaged), the pressure p.sub.i is higher than the ambient pressure p.sub.U. When the pressure p.sub.i of the fluid pressure chamber D exceeds a value that is predetermined by the spring constant of the spring element 16 and/or the dimensioning of the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 of the valve housing sealing element 12, a fluid pressure force F.sub.pi resulting from the fluid pressure p.sub.i acts on the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 of the valve housing sealing element 12. The fluid pressure force F.sub.pi is approximately determined as: F.sub.pi=p.sub.i.Math.A.sub.14.

(26) When the fluid pressure force F.sub.pi reaches and/or exceeds the preloading force of the spring element 16 in this case, the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 is moved out of the closed position away from the valve housing 4 by the expansion of the boot section 13 of the valve housing sealing element 12. The effective fluid pressure force surface 14 in FIG. 3 moves downward away from the valve housing 4. As a result of the coupling to the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 by way of the connecting elements 24, the closing element 15, around which otherwise fluid flows in a force-neutral manner, consequently also moves, together with the effective fluid pressure force surface 14, out of the closed position into the open position of the safety valve 1. After the closing element 15 leaves the closed position, but at the latest after it reaches the open position, the fluid can flow from the fluid inlet openings 9a, 9b toward the fluid outlet openings 10 until the fluid pressure p.sub.i has dropped enough that the preloading force of the spring element 16 is greater than the fluid pressure force F.sub.pi resulting from the fluid pressure p.sub.i.

(27) The embodiments described above are merely exemplary, and the safety valve 1 according to the present disclosure may be modified in a variety of ways.

(28) In some embodiments, the boot section 13 is not attached to the valve housing 4 by way of a bonded joint, but by way of a form-locked connection. It is also possible to provide fewer or more than the shown connecting elements 24 and/or receptacles 25 for coupling the effective fluid pressure force surface 14 to the closing element 15.

(29) While the present disclosure is illustrated and described in detail according to the above embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and additional embodiments may be implemented. Further, other embodiments and various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of one or more embodiments disclosed herein, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.