Apparatus and method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery of an electric vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery of an electric vehicle. The apparatus includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series through a high voltage (HV) line and a battery module including the plurality of battery cells. A plurality of main sense lines are electrically connected to the HV line between the plurality of battery cells to measure a voltage of each battery cell. A plurality of auxiliary sense lines are respectively connected to the HV line as an input line of the battery module and the HV line as an output line of the battery module to measure a voltage of the battery module.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0158502, filed on November 24, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, and more specifically, to such an apparatus and method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, which can quickly detect thermal runaway of a battery installed in an electric vehicle in order to notify the occupants of the thermal runaway. Background Technology

[0004] Electric vehicles are vehicles that utilize a battery-powered engine, which operates using electrical energy output from the battery. Because such electric vehicles use a battery pack composed of multiple rechargeable and dischargeable secondary batteries as their primary power source, they offer the advantages of zero emissions and minimal noise. Furthermore, as an intermediate vehicle between vehicles using internal combustion engines and electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles utilize two or more power sources (e.g., both an internal combustion engine and a battery-powered engine).

[0005] In electric vehicles as described above, battery management systems are needed to effectively manage the charging and discharging of each battery cell by measuring the voltage of each cell, as well as the current and voltage of all cells, and to ensure optimal cell performance by determining whether each cell is degrading. In recent years, the use of lithium-ion batteries in such electric vehicles has been increasing. A lithium-ion battery is a rechargeable battery with a multilayer structure, comprising: a positive electrode activated by various mixed oxides or olivine, a negative electrode activated by specific carbons, and a separator immersed in an organic electrolyte.

[0006] In its normal operating state, during charging, electrical energy is converted and stored as chemical energy, and during discharging, the stored chemical energy is converted back into electrical energy. Specifically, during charging, lithium in the positive electrode is ionized and moves layer by layer towards the negative electrode. During discharging, the ions move to the positive electrode to revert to their original compounds. In such lithium-ion batteries, under extreme conditions of overvoltage, overcurrent, or overheating, a state known as self-heating may occur. Due to self-heating, lithium-ion batteries may enter a state of thermal runaway. Self-heating refers to the state in which the internal temperature of the battery cell rises due to the electrochemical structure within the battery cell.

[0007] Thermal runaway inside a battery module can cause extremely severe damage. During thermal runaway, even a minimal amount of oxygen may be produced, and internal temperatures can rise above 800 degrees Celsius. This can lead to a fire inside the vehicle, the production of excessive gases, or damage to the casing housing the lithium-ion battery cells. Specifically, a fire could cause very serious injury to the driver or occupants of the vehicle.

[0008] The information disclosed in this section is only intended to enhance the understanding of the background of the present invention, and therefore the information it may contain does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art in this country. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention provides a device for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, which can detect thermal runaway of the battery in an electric vehicle and warn the occupants of the danger.

[0010] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, comprising: a plurality of battery cells, a battery module, a plurality of main sensing lines, and a plurality of auxiliary sensing lines. The plurality of battery cells are connected in series via high voltage (HV) lines. The battery module includes a plurality of battery cells. The plurality of main sensing lines are electrically connected to the HV lines between the plurality of battery cells to measure the voltage of each battery cell. The plurality of auxiliary sensing lines are respectively connected to the HV lines serving as input lines and output lines of the battery module to measure the voltage of the battery module.

[0011] The voltage of all battery cells can be detected by summing the voltages of the individual battery cells detected by the main sensing line; the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line can be detected; and the system can further include a controller configured to compare the voltages of all battery cells with the voltage of the battery module to determine whether a battery cell is abnormal.

[0012] The controller can be configured to determine that all battery cells in the battery module are working normally when the voltage of all battery cells is the same as the voltage of the battery module. The controller can also be configured to determine whether a battery cell is malfunctioning by comparing the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line with the normal module voltage when the voltage of all battery cells is different from the voltage of the battery module.

[0013] The controller can be configured to determine an anomaly in the main sensing line when the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line is the same as the voltage of the normal module. The controller can also be configured to determine an anomaly in the battery cell when the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line differs from the voltage of the normal module by a predetermined voltage.

[0014] An apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle may further include: a warning component configured to notify the occupant of an anomaly in the main sensing line or in the battery cell.

[0015] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle includes a battery module having a plurality of battery cells connected in series via a high-voltage (HV) line, the method comprising: detecting the voltage of each battery cell via a plurality of main sensing lines electrically connected to the HV line; detecting the voltage of all battery cells by summing the voltages of the individual battery cells; detecting the voltage of the battery module via a plurality of auxiliary sensing lines electrically connected to the HV line; and determining anomalies in the battery cells and main sensing lines by comparing the voltages of all battery cells with the voltage of the battery module.

[0016] The method for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery may further include: determining that the battery cells and the main sensing line are functioning normally when the voltages of all battery cells are the same as the voltage of the battery module. The method may further include: in response to determining that the voltages of all battery cells are different from the voltage of the battery module, comparing the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line with the normal module voltage.

[0017] A method for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery may further include: determining an anomaly in the main sensing line in response to determining that the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line is the same as the voltage of a normal module. The method for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery may further include: determining an anomaly in the battery cell in response to determining that the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line differs from the voltage of the normal module by a predetermined voltage or more. The method for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery may further include notifying the occupants of the anomaly in the main sensing line or the anomaly in the battery cell.

[0018] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle. The apparatus includes: a plurality of main sensing lines, a plurality of auxiliary sensing lines, a battery management system, and a controller. The plurality of main sensing lines are electrically connected to high-voltage (HV) lines between a plurality of battery cells to measure the voltage of the series-connected battery cells. The plurality of auxiliary sensing lines are respectively connected to HV lines serving as input lines and HV lines serving as output lines of a battery module to measure the voltage of the battery module. The battery management system is configured to detect the voltage of each battery cell using the main sensing lines and to detect the voltage of the battery module using the auxiliary sensing lines. The controller is configured to determine whether the main sensing lines are abnormal by comparing the voltage of each battery cell with the voltage of the battery module. The controller may be configured to execute a series of instructions, including: detecting the voltage of all battery cells by adding the voltages of each battery cell, and determining abnormalities in the battery cells and the main sensing lines by comparing the voltages of all battery cells with the voltage of the battery module.

[0019] The controller can be configured to determine that the battery cells and main sensing line are functioning normally when the voltage of all battery cells is the same as the voltage of the battery module. The controller can be further configured to compare the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line with the normal module voltage when the voltage of all battery cells differs from the voltage of the battery module.

[0020] In response to determining that the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line is the same as the voltage of the normal module, the controller can be configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the main sensing line. In response to determining that the voltage of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line differs from the voltage of the normal module by more than a predetermined voltage, the controller can be configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the battery cell.

[0021] According to the apparatus and method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle based on an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, abnormalities in the battery cells (e.g., thermal runaway) and abnormalities in the main sensing line can be detected by comparing the voltages of all battery cells detected by the main sensing line with the voltages of the battery module detected by the auxiliary sensing line. Furthermore, since a separate temperature sensor for detecting thermal runaway is not required, the manufacturing cost of the vehicle can be reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0022] These accompanying drawings are for reference only when describing exemplary embodiments of the invention, and therefore the technical concept of the invention should not be limited to the drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 A block diagram of an apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a battery for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 A perspective view of the casing of a battery for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Figure 5 A graph showing the voltage of a battery cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 6 A graph showing the voltage of a battery module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The invention will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

[0030] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "of a vehicle" or other similar terms as used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger cars including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, and various commercial vehicles, vessels including various boats and ships, aircraft, etc., and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., vehicles derived from non-petroleum fuels). As mentioned herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle with two or more power sources, such as both gasoline and electric power.

[0031] While the exemplary embodiments are described as using multiple units to perform the exemplary process, it should be understood that the exemplary process can also be performed by one or more modules. Furthermore, it should be understood that the term controller / control unit refers to a hardware device including a memory and a processor, specifically programmed to perform the processes described herein. The memory is configured to store modules, and the processor is specifically configured to execute the modules to perform one or more processes further described below.

[0032] Furthermore, the control logic of the present invention can be implemented as a non-volatile computer-readable medium on a computer-readable medium, comprising executable program instructions that are executed by a processor, controller / control unit, etc. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, optical disc (CD)-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash drive, smart card, and optical data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium can also be distributed across a network-connected computer system, such that the computer-readable medium is stored and executed in a distributed manner, for example, via a telematics server or controller area network (CAN).

[0033] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of the stated features, values, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or inclusion of one or more other features, values, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated enumerations.

[0034] Unless otherwise stated or obvious from the context, the term "about" as used herein is understood to mean within the normal tolerance range in the field, such as within 2 standard deviations of the mean. "About" can be understood as within 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01% of the specified value. All numerical values ​​provided herein are modified by the term "about" unless clearly stated from the context.

[0035] To clearly describe the invention, components irrelevant to the description have been omitted, and identical or similar components are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the specification. Furthermore, since the dimensions and thicknesses of each construction shown in the figures are arbitrarily illustrated for ease of description, the invention is not necessarily limited to the constructions shown in the figures, and increased thicknesses are shown to clearly illustrate several parts and regions.

[0036] In the following, an apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 A block diagram of an apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Additionally, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a battery for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an apparatus 100 configured to detect thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include: a plurality of battery cells 200, a main sensing line 220, an auxiliary sensing line 230, a battery management system 300, a controller 400, and a warning component 500.

[0038] refer to Figure 2 Multiple battery cells 200 are stacked along a predetermined direction (e.g., left-right or up-down), and each battery cell 200 is connected in series with each other. The multiple battery cells 200 connected in series constitute a battery module 100. The multiple battery cells 200 are connected in series via a high voltage (HV) line 210, and the HV line 210 can be implemented as a bus.

[0039] A main sensing line 220 for measuring the voltage of each battery cell 200 is disposed among the plurality of battery cells 200. The main sensing line 220 can be configured to measure the voltage of each battery cell 200 by branching from an HV line 210 that connects the plurality of battery cells 200 in series. The number of main sensing lines 220 is one more than the number of plurality of battery cells 200. The main sensing lines 220 are electrically connected to a battery management system 300, and the battery management system 300 can be configured to determine the voltage of each battery cell 200 by the voltage transmitted by the main sensing lines 220.

[0040] Auxiliary sensing lines 230 branch off from various ends (e.g., input and output lines) of the battery module 100, which includes multiple battery cells 200. The auxiliary sensing lines 230 are electrically connected to multiple battery management systems 300, and the battery management systems 300 can be configured to determine the overall voltage of the battery module 100 by the voltage transmitted via the auxiliary sensing lines 230.

[0041] For example, such as Figure 2 As shown, when the number of battery cells 200 is 6 (from the first battery cell (#1) to the sixth battery cell (#6)), each battery cell 200 is connected in series via HV line 210. In other words, HV line 210 may include: a first HV line 211 serving as the input line (or input line of the battery module) of the first battery cell 200; a second HV line 212 connecting the first battery cell 200 and the second battery cell 200; a third HV line 213 connecting the second battery cell 200 and the third battery cell 200; a fourth HV line 214 connecting the third battery cell 200 and the fourth battery cell 200; a fifth HV line 215 connecting the fourth battery cell 200 and the fifth battery cell 200; a sixth HV line 216 connecting the fifth battery cell 200 and the sixth battery cell 200; and a seventh HV line 217 serving as the output line of the sixth battery cell 200.

[0042] Specifically, the main sensing line 220 may include: a first main sensing line 221 branching from the first HV line 211, a second main sensing line 222 branching from the second HV line 212, a third main sensing line 223 branching from the third HV line 213, a fourth main sensing line 224 branching from the fourth HV line 214, a fifth main sensing line 225 branching from the fifth HV line 215, a sixth main sensing line 226 branching from the sixth HV line 216, and a seventh main sensing line 227 branching from the seventh HV line 217. Additionally, the auxiliary sensing line 230 may include: a first auxiliary sensing line 231 branching from the first HV line 211 and a second auxiliary sensing line 232 branching from the seventh HV line 217.

[0043] refer to Figure 3 The main sensing line 220 is electrically connected to the battery management system 300 via a main connector 240 disposed in the housing 110 housing the battery module 100. Additionally, the auxiliary sensing line 230 is electrically connected to the battery management system 300 via an auxiliary connector 250 disposed in the housing 110. The main connector 240 and the auxiliary connector 250 can be implemented separately, and, if necessary, can be implemented as a single integrated connector.

[0044] The battery management system (BMS) 300 can be configured to measure the voltage of the battery cells 200 and the voltage of the battery module 100 transmitted via main sensing lines 220 and auxiliary sensing lines 230, and to manage each battery cell 200 and the battery module 100 to remain in an optimal state. In other words, the battery management system 300 can be configured to detect the voltage of each battery cell 200 via the main sensing lines 220 branching among the multiple battery cells 200, and to detect the voltage of the battery module 100 (e.g., the voltage of all battery cells 200) via the auxiliary sensing lines 230 branching from the input / output lines of the battery module 100.

[0045] Additionally, the battery management system 300 can be configured to measure the remaining battery charge, maintain the battery's state of charge (SOC) at an appropriate level, and measure and manage the battery temperature. The controller 400 is electrically connected to the battery management system 300 and can be configured to compare the voltage of each battery cell 200 transmitted from the battery management system 300 with the voltage of the battery module 100 to determine if a battery cell 200 is in thermal runaway. In the event of thermal runaway, the controller 400 can be configured to generate an alarm to the vehicle occupants via a warning component 500.

[0046] Therefore, the controller 400 can be configured as at least one processor executed by a predetermined program, and the predetermined program is configured to perform the various steps of a method for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle's battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The warning component 500 can be implemented via a central dashboard or speaker located in the vehicle.

[0047] In the following, the operation of the apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of the battery of an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The battery management system 300 may be configured to detect the voltage of each battery cell 200 via the main sensing line 220, and to detect the voltage of all battery cells 200 by adding the voltages of the plurality of battery cells 200 (step S10).

[0048] Specifically, the voltage of each battery cell 200 can be detected by electrically connecting to the main sensing line 220 of the HV line 210. For example, the voltage of the first battery cell 200 can be measured as the voltage difference between the first main sensing line 221 branching from the first HV line 211 and the second main sensing line 222 branching from the second HV line 212. Alternatively, the voltage of the second battery cell 200 can be measured using the voltage difference between the second main sensing line 222 branching from the second HV line 212 and the third main sensing line 223 branching from the third HV line 213. Therefore, the voltage of each battery cell 200 can be measured, and the voltage of all battery cells 200 (or the voltage of the battery module 100) can be measured by adding the voltages of the individual battery cells 200.

[0049] Additionally, the battery management system 300 can be configured to detect the voltage of the battery module 100 (the voltage of all battery cells 200) via the auxiliary sensing line 230 (step S20). Specifically, the voltage of the battery module 100 can be detected via the auxiliary sensing line 230 electrically connected to the HV line 210. For example, the voltage of the battery module 100 can be detected by the voltage difference between the first auxiliary sensing line 231 branching from the first HV line 211 and the second auxiliary sensing line 232 branching from the seventh HV line 217.

[0050] The voltage of each battery cell 200 and the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the battery management system 300 are sent to the controller 400. The controller 400 can be configured to compare the voltage of all battery cells 200 detected by the main sensing line 220 with the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230 (step S30).

[0051] When the voltages of all battery cells 200 detected by the main sensing line 220 are the same as the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230, the controller 400 can be configured to determine that each battery cell 200 constituting the battery module 100 and the main sensing line 220 are operating normally (step S31). When the voltages of all battery cells 200 detected by the main sensing line 220 are different from the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230, the controller 400 can be configured to determine whether the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230 is the same as the normal module voltage (step S40).

[0052] When the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230 is the same as the normal module voltage, the controller 400 can be configured to determine that each battery cell 200 constituting the battery module 100 is operating normally (step S41). Specifically, the battery cell 200 is operating normally, but since an error has occurred in the main sensing line 220, the controller 400 can be configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the main sensing line 220, and the controller can be configured to output a warning to the occupants of the vehicle via the warning component 500 that an abnormality has occurred in the main sensing line 220.

[0053] For example, when each battery cell 200 is operating normally and an anomaly occurs in the seventh main sensing line 227, the voltage of the sixth battery cell 200 detected by the sixth main sensing line 226 and the seventh main sensing line 227 differs from its normal voltage. Therefore, when the voltage of the battery cell 200 is measured only by the main sensing line 220, a discrepancy occurs. However, in this case, when the voltage of the battery module 100 is detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230, the voltage of the battery module 100 is detected as the same as the normal module voltage. Therefore, the controller 400 can be configured to determine that the battery cell 200 is operating normally and that the anomaly only occurs in the main sensing line 220 (e.g., a connection problem between the HV line 210 and the main sensing line 220 or a problem with the main sensing line 220 itself).

[0054] When the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230 differs from the normal module voltage by a predetermined voltage (e.g., by more than 25%), the controller 400 can be configured to determine that an abnormal condition (e.g., thermal runaway) has occurred in the battery cell 200 (step S43). This situation could be one in which an abnormal condition such as thermal runaway occurs in the battery cell 200, causing the voltage of the battery module 100 to drop rapidly.

[0055] When thermal runaway occurs in battery cell 200, the voltage of battery cell 200 drops rapidly (see [reference]). Figure 5Furthermore, when thermal runaway occurs in one battery cell 200 constituting the battery module 100, thermal runaway will also occur in the adjacent battery cells 200. For this reason, the voltage of the battery module 100 becomes lower than the normal module voltage (see [link]). Figure 6 When thermal runaway occurs in battery cell 200, the battery expands, and in extreme cases, gas may be generated from the battery, potentially causing a fire. A cascade of fires in a vehicle caused by a battery fire can pose a very dangerous situation for the occupants.

[0056] Therefore, when thermal runaway is detected in a battery cell 200 by comparing the voltage of all battery cells 200 detected by the main sensing line 220 with the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230, the controller 400 can be configured to output a notification to the vehicle occupants through a warning component 500 for this situation, thereby protecting the occupants from thermal runaway of the battery cell 200 and the resulting vehicle fire.

[0057] According to the apparatus and method for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery based on an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, the voltages of all battery cells 200 detected by the main sensing line 220 can be compared with the voltage of the battery module 100 detected by the auxiliary sensing line 230 to detect abnormalities in the battery cells 200 (e.g., thermal runaway) and abnormalities in the main sensing line 220. Furthermore, since a separate temperature sensor for detecting thermal runaway is not required, the manufacturing cost of the vehicle can be reduced.

[0058] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments that are now considered practical, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but rather is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, comprising: Multiple battery cells are connected in series via high-voltage lines; A battery module, which includes multiple battery cells; Multiple main sensing lines are electrically connected to high-voltage lines between multiple battery cells to measure the voltage of each battery cell; as well as Multiple auxiliary sensing lines are connected to the high-voltage line that serves as the input line of the battery module and the high-voltage line that serves as the output line of the battery module, respectively, to measure the voltage of the battery module. The voltage of all battery cells is detected by summing the voltages of each battery cell detected by the main sensing line. Detect the voltage of the battery module as detected by the auxiliary sensing line; The device also includes a controller configured to determine whether a battery cell has experienced thermal runaway without a separate temperature sensor based on the voltage of all battery cells and the voltage of the battery module, and to determine whether an anomaly has occurred in the main sensing line. The controller is further configured as follows: Compare the voltage of all battery cells with the voltage of the battery module; When the voltage of all battery cells is different from the voltage of the battery module, determine whether the voltage of the battery module is the same as the voltage of the normal module. When the voltage of the battery module differs from the normal module voltage by more than a predetermined voltage, it is determined that thermal runaway has occurred in the battery cell.

2. The apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to determine that all battery cells of the battery module are working normally when the voltage of all battery cells is the same as the voltage of the battery module.

3. The apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of an electric vehicle battery according to claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to determine that an anomaly has occurred in the main sensing line when the voltage of the battery module is the same as that of the normal module.

4. The apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising: Warning components are configured to notify occupants of an anomaly in the main sensor line or thermal runaway in the battery cell.

5. A method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, wherein, The electric vehicle includes a battery module, the battery module comprising multiple battery cells connected in series via high-voltage lines, and the method includes: The controller detects the voltage of each battery cell by using multiple main sensing lines electrically connected to high-voltage lines. The controller detects the voltage of all battery cells by summing the voltages of each individual battery cell. The voltage of the battery module is detected by the controller using multiple auxiliary sensing lines electrically connected to the high-voltage line; Based on the voltage of all battery cells and the voltage of the battery module, the controller determines whether a battery cell has thermal runaway without a separate temperature sensor, and determines whether an anomaly has occurred in the main sensing line. The controller compares the voltage of all battery cells with the voltage of the battery module. When the voltage of all battery cells is different from the voltage of the battery module, the controller determines whether the voltage of the battery module is the same as the voltage of the normal module. When the voltage of the battery module differs from the normal module voltage by more than a predetermined voltage, the controller determines that thermal runaway has occurred in the battery cell.

6. The method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising: When the voltage of all battery cells is the same as the voltage of the battery module, the controller determines that the battery cells and the main sensing line are working normally.

7. The method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising: When the voltage of the battery module is the same as that of the normal module, the controller determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main sensing line.

8. The method for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 5 or 7, further comprising: Notify occupants of an anomaly in the main sensor line or thermal runaway in the battery cell.

9. An apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle, comprising: Multiple main sensing lines, electrically connected to high-voltage lines between multiple battery cells, are used to measure the voltage of multiple battery cells connected in series. Multiple auxiliary sensing lines are connected to the high-voltage line that serves as the input line of the battery module and the high-voltage line that serves as the output line of the battery module, respectively, to measure the voltage of the battery module. A battery management system configured to detect the voltage of each battery cell by a main sensing line and the voltage of the battery module by an auxiliary sensing line; as well as The controller is configured to detect the voltage of all battery cells by summing the voltages of the individual battery cells, determine whether a battery cell has thermal runaway without a separate temperature sensor based on the voltage of all battery cells and the voltage of the battery module, and determine whether an anomaly has occurred in the main sensing line. The controller is further configured as follows: Compare the voltage of all battery cells with the voltage of the battery module; When the voltage of all battery cells is different from the voltage of the battery module, determine whether the voltage of the battery module is the same as the voltage of the normal module. When the voltage of the battery module differs from the normal module voltage by more than a predetermined voltage, it is determined that thermal runaway has occurred in the battery cell.

10. The apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein, The controller is configured to determine that the battery cells and main sensing line are working normally when the voltage of all battery cells is the same as the voltage of the battery module.

11. The apparatus for detecting thermal runaway of a battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein, When the voltage of the battery module is the same as that of the normal module, the controller is configured to determine that an anomaly has occurred in the main sensing line.

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