Apparatus for preventing overheating of battery pack and method for preventing overheating of battery pack

摘要

The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing overheating of a battery pack in which multiple unit battery cells are joined, the apparatus comprising: a thermopile sensor module which detects temperature via a non-contact means by measuring infrared radiation radiated from a unit battery cell, a battery sector or a battery pack; and a battery management system (BMS) which is electrically connected to the thermopile sensor module, and in the case of overheating, determined on the basis of a comparison of the temperature detected at the thermopile sensor module and a pre-determined threshold value, cuts off power to the unit battery cell, the battery sector, or the battery pack, wherein the BMS comprises a control circuit adapted to determine and process digital information regarding the temperature received from the thermopile sensor module, and a self control protector (or self control protecting component, SCP) adapted to cut off power to the unit battery cell, the battery sector or the battery pack according to a command from the control circuit. According to the present invention, by applying the thermopile sensor module to the battery pack, the temperature inside the battery pack may be detected in real-time via a non-contact means so that when abnormal overheating occurs, it is possible to cut off the power to an overheating unit battery cell, battery sector, or battery pack to prevent the occurrence of a fire caused by the battery.