Battery inspection device

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery inspection device capable of diagnosing a fault or an inspection device capable of diagnosing a fault in the battery inspection device. According to one aspect of the present invention, the battery inspection device includes: a contact probe; a power supply module; a power cable that provides a path for supplying power generated by the power supply module to the contact probe; a voltage measurement module; a measurement cable configured to measure a voltage applied to the contact probe through the voltage measurement module; a switching module configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module to the power cable or the measurement cable; and a control module configured to: based on the connection state of the switching module and based on the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module, determine whether there is a fault in at least one of the contact probe and the power cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0135361, filed in Korea on October 19, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a battery inspection technology, and more particularly, to a failure verification technology for a device for inspecting a battery. Background Art

[0003] Recently, portable devices such as smartphones and laptops, transportation devices such as electric vehicles, electric scooters, and electric two-wheelers, and devices for stably supplying and managing electric power such as an energy storage system (ESS) have been widely used. Therefore, batteries have attracted more attention, and batteries are being developed more actively.

[0004] A battery is a component for supplying electric power to a device or system. In this case, the battery can be used in the following forms: a form in which a single secondary battery supplies electric power as a battery cell; or a form in which a plurality of secondary batteries form a battery module or a battery pack to supply electric power.

[0005] Batteries can include non-rechargeable primary batteries and rechargeable secondary batteries. In particular, since secondary batteries are recharged and thus can be reused repeatedly for a long time, secondary batteries have been widely used in various fields in recent years. These secondary batteries can include various types of batteries, but among them, lithium secondary batteries have attracted more attention, and the usage rate of lithium secondary batteries is increasing rapidly because lithium secondary batteries have a larger capacity and a higher energy density per unit weight compared to nickel-cadmium batteries or nickel-metal hydride batteries. Lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material, respectively. A lithium secondary battery includes: an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate coated with a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material, respectively, are disposed with a separator interposed therebetween; and an exterior member for sealing and accommodating the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte.

[0006] Meanwhile, according to the shape of the battery case, secondary batteries can be classified into can-type secondary batteries in which the electrode assembly is included in a metal can and pouch-type secondary batteries in which the electrode assembly is included in a pouch of an aluminum laminate. Secondary batteries are generally manufactured through the following process: injecting a liquid electrolyte (i.e., an electrolyte solution) in a state where the electrode assembly is accommodated in the battery case, and then sealing the battery case.

[0007] In such a lithium secondary battery, various types of failures may occur due to various reasons during the manufacturing process or use. In particular, some of the manufactured secondary batteries may exhibit a voltage drop behavior greater than the self-discharge rate, which is referred to as a low voltage failure.

[0008] The phenomenon of low voltage failure in a secondary battery may be caused by several reasons. For example, if a part of the separator is damaged or punctured during the manufacturing process of the secondary battery, or if the separator is folded, a low voltage failure may occur. Alternatively, when there are metal foreign substances such as iron or copper on the positive electrode plate of the electrode assembly, such metal foreign substances may grow into dendrites at the negative electrode, which may cause an internal short circuit of the secondary battery and result in a low voltage failure.

[0009] Such a low voltage failure may cause a failure or damage when the secondary battery is in use, and in severe cases may lead to a fire. Thus, in order to pre-detect a secondary battery having problems such as a low voltage failure, various techniques for checking a low voltage failure and the like have been proposed or attempted.

[0010] As an example of a low voltage failure inspection technique, there is an inspection by the 4-terminal method. The 4-terminal method is a technique for inspecting a low voltage failure of a secondary battery by measuring the voltage at both ends while supplying current to both ends of the secondary battery and then calculating the internal resistance. However, in this inspection technique, if an abnormality occurs in the cable for supplying current or the contact portion at both ends of the secondary battery, the low voltage failure may not be detected properly. For example, even if there is actually no problem in the secondary battery but an abnormality exists in the cable or the contact portion, it may be determined that there is a problem in the secondary battery based on the inspection result. Therefore, in this case, the accuracy of the inspection may be reduced. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0012] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the prior art, and thus the present disclosure aims to provide a battery inspection device capable of diagnosing its own failure, or a verification device capable of diagnosing the failure of a battery inspection device.

[0013] These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be understood from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved by the means shown in the appended claims and their combinations.

[0014] TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0015] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery inspection device for inspecting the state of a battery. The battery inspection device includes: a contact probe configured to contact a terminal of the battery; a power supply module configured to generate and supply power; a power cable located between the power supply module and the contact probe to provide a path for supplying the power generated by the power supply module to the contact probe; a voltage measurement module configured to measure voltage; a measurement cable located between the voltage measurement module and the contact probe and configured to measure the voltage of the contact probe through the voltage measurement module; a switching module configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module to the power cable or the measurement cable; and a control module configured to control the switching module and, based on the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module according to the connection state of the switching module, the control module determines whether at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal.

[0016] Here, the battery inspection device according to the present disclosure may further include a pressing module configured to press the battery. And in a state where the battery is pressed by the pressing module, when power is supplied to the battery by the power supply module, the control module may be configured to: in a state where the switching module is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module and the measurement cable, based on the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module, the control module detects an internal short circuit of the battery.

[0017] In addition, the contact probe may be configured to contact an electrode lead of a pouch-type secondary battery.

[0018] In addition, the control module may be configured to determine whether at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal by comparing the voltage measurement value with a previously stored standard voltage value.

[0019] In addition, the standard voltage value to be compared with the voltage measurement value may be set for each temperature.

[0020] In addition, the control module may be configured to: in a state where the switching module is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module to the power cable, based on a first voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module, the control module determines whether at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal.

[0021] In addition, the control module may be configured to: in a state where the switching module is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module to the measurement cable, based on a second voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module, the control module determines whether the contact probe is abnormal.

[0022] In addition, when it is determined based on the first voltage value that at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal, the control module may be configured to distinguish which one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal based on the second voltage value.

[0023] In addition, the control module may be configured to: control the switching module to first connect the voltage measurement module and the power cable, and then control the switching module to connect the voltage measurement module and the measurement cable only when it is determined that at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal.

[0024] In addition, the battery inspection device according to the present disclosure may further include a test kit, which is configured to have a predetermined resistance value and contact the contact probe instead of the battery.

[0025] In another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a battery inspection unit abnormality verification device, which verifies whether a battery inspection unit is abnormal. The battery inspection unit includes a contact probe, a power supply module, a power cable, a voltage measurement module, and a measurement cable and is configured to inspect the state of a battery. The battery inspection unit abnormality verification device includes: a switching module, which is configured to be connectable to the voltage measurement module, the power cable, and the measurement cable, and selectively connect the voltage measurement module to the power cable or the measurement cable; and a control module, which is configured to control the switching module, and based on the connection state of the switching module and the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module, the control module determines whether at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal.

[0026] Advantageous Effects

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a battery inspection device capable of diagnosing its own faults can be provided.

[0028] Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the detection accuracy of the battery detection device can be further improved.

[0029] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, by diagnosing whether the cable or the contact probe is abnormal, it is possible to prevent the battery from being diagnosed as faulty even when there is no abnormality in the battery.

[0030] In addition, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an abnormality verification device can be provided, which can be applied to a device for inspecting a battery using the existing four-terminal method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, are used to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 2 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration in which a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to a battery.

[0034] Figure 3 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a battery inspection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 4 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in which a voltage measurement module in a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to a power cable.

[0036] Figure 5 is shown using a simpler equivalent circuit Figure 4 of the circuit configuration.

[0037] Figure 6 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in which a voltage measurement module in a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to a measurement cable.

[0038] Figure 7 is shown using a simpler equivalent circuit Figure 6 of the circuit configuration.

[0039] Figure 8 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a positive electrode switching module is connected to a power cable and a negative electrode switching module is connected to a measurement cable.

[0040] Figure 9 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in a battery inspection device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a positive electrode switching module is connected to a measurement cable and a negative electrode switching module is connected to a power cable.

[0041] Figure 10 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a battery inspection unit verification device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0042] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to the general and dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that allows the inventor to appropriately define the terms for the best interpretation.

[0043] Therefore, the descriptions presented in this document are only preferred examples for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, it should be understood that other equivalent and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a battery inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration in which the battery inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to a battery 10.

[0045] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the battery detection device 100 according to the present disclosure includes a contact probe 110, a power supply module 120, a power cable 130, a voltage measurement module 140, a measurement cable 150, a switching module 160, and a control module 170.

[0046] As Figure 2 shown in Figure 2 , the battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure can be connected to the battery 10 and is configured to inspect the state of the battery 10. Here, the battery 10 can be one or more secondary batteries. That is, the battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure can be configured to inspect one or more secondary batteries. For example, the battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure can be a device configured to inspect a pouch-type secondary battery, as

[0047] shown in

[0048] The contact probe 110 can be configured to be able to contact the terminals of the battery 10. Here, the terminals of the battery 10 refer to the configuration set to allow power to flow into and out of the battery 10, and can be, for example, the electrode leads 11 of a pouch-type secondary battery. Alternatively, in the case of a battery pack, the terminals of the battery 10 can refer to the battery pack terminals of the battery pack.

[0049] In particular, as Figure 2As shown, when the battery 10 to be tested is a pouch-type secondary battery, the contact probe 110 can be configured to be able to contact the electrode lead 11 of the pouch-type secondary battery. In addition, the contact probe 110 can be configured in various forms to facilitate contact with the terminals of the battery 10. For example, the contact probe 110 can be configured in a shape such as a clamp or a pin.

[0050] Meanwhile, the terminals of the battery 10 generally include a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal. Thus, the contact probe 110 can include two unit probes 111, 112 to contact these two different types of terminals respectively. The unit probes can be referred to as a positive electrode probe 111 and a negative electrode probe 112. In this case, the positive electrode probe 111 can be configured to contact the positive electrode terminal of the battery 10 (e.g., the positive electrode lead 11a of the pouch-type secondary battery), and the negative electrode probe 112 can be configured to contact the negative electrode terminal of the battery 10 (e.g., the negative electrode lead 11b of the pouch-type secondary battery).

[0051] The power supply module 120 can be configured to generate power and supply the generated power. In particular, the power supply module 120 can supply current as a power source. In this case, the power supply module 120 can be configured to supply a current of a constant magnitude. The power supply module 120 can adopt various power supply configurations known at the time of filing this application.

[0052] The power cable 130 can be located between the power supply module 120 and the contact probe 110. In addition, both ends of the power cable 130 can be connected to the power supply module 120 and the contact probe 110 respectively to electrically connect the power supply module 120 and the contact probe 110. In particular, the power cable 130 can provide a path for supplying the power generated by the power supply module 120 to the contact probe 110. For example, the power cable 130 can supply the current generated by the power supply module 120 to the contact probe 110. In addition, the power transmitted through the power cable 130 as described above can be supplied to the battery 10, such as a pouch-type secondary battery, through the contact probe 110.

[0053] Since the power cable 130 can be connected between the power supply module 120 and the positive electrode probe 111 and between the power supply module 120 and the negative electrode probe 112 respectively, a positive electrode power cable 131 and a negative electrode power cable 132 can be provided. Here, the positive electrode power cable 131 can connect the power supply module 120 and the positive electrode probe 111 to each other, and the negative electrode power cable 132 can connect the power supply module 120 and the negative electrode probe 112 to each other. In this case, the power supply module 120, the positive electrode power cable 131, the positive electrode probe 111, the battery 10, the negative electrode probe 112, and the negative electrode power cable 132 can form a closed circuit, so that power can be supplied from the power supply module 120 to the battery 10.

[0054] The power cable 130 can be configured in the form of a wire, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to this form and can be configured in various forms capable of transmitting power.

[0055] The voltage measurement module 140 can be configured to measure voltage. For example, the voltage measurement module 140 can be used as a voltage sensor and measure the voltage across the battery cells (e.g., pouch secondary batteries). The voltage measurement module 140 can employ various voltage sensors known at the time of filing this application, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific form or type of the voltage measurement module 140.

[0056] The measurement cable 150 can be configured to be located between the voltage measurement module 140 and the contact probe 110. Both ends of the measurement cable 150 can be connected between the voltage measurement module 140 and the contact probe 110, so that the voltage measurement module 140 can be configured to measure the voltage of the contact probe 110. For example, when the contact probe 110 contacts the electrode lead 11 of the pouch secondary battery, the voltage measurement module 140 can be configured to measure the voltage across the pouch secondary battery.

[0057] The measurement cable 150 can include a positive electrode measurement cable 151 and a negative electrode measurement cable 152 to be connected between the voltage measurement module 140 and the positive electrode probe 111 and between the voltage measurement module 140 and the negative electrode probe 112. That is, the positive electrode measurement cable 151 can be connected between the voltage measurement module 140 and the positive electrode probe 111, and the negative electrode measurement cable 152 can be connected between the voltage measurement module 140 and the negative electrode probe 112.

[0058] Like the power cable 130, the measurement cable 150 can be configured in the form of a wire, but can also be configured in various other forms.

[0059] The switching module 160 may be configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130 or the measurement cable 150. That is, the switching module 160 may be configured to select whether to connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the measurement cable 150 or to connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130.

[0060] Specifically, the switching module 160 may include a positive electrode switching module 161 and a negative electrode switching module 162. At this time, the positive electrode switching module 161 may be configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the positive electrode power cable 131 or the positive electrode measurement cable 151, and the negative electrode switching module 162 may be configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the negative electrode power cable 132 or the negative electrode measurement cable 152.

[0061] As a more specific example, the switching module 160 may be configured in the form of a three-contact switch, as Figure 2 shown. For example, referring to Figure 2 the positive electrode switching module 161 in, the positive electrode switching module 161 has three contacts c1, c3, and c4. In addition, the positive electrode switching module 161 may connect the contact c1 to the contact c3 or connect the contact c1 to the contact c4 through a switching operation. Here, the contact c1 may be a contact at the voltage measurement module 140, the contact c3 may be a contact at the positive electrode power cable 131, and the contact c4 may be a contact at the positive electrode measurement cable 151. If the switching module 160 is configured as shown such that the contact c1 is connected to the contact c4, the voltage measurement module 140 may be connected to the positive electrode measurement cable 151. At the same time, if the switching module 160 is configured such that the contact c1 is connected to the contact c3, the voltage measurement module 140 may be connected to the positive electrode power cable 131.

[0062] In addition, referring to Figure 2 the negative electrode switching module 162 in, the negative electrode switching module 162 has three contacts c2, c5, and c6. In addition, the negative electrode switching module 162 may connect the contact c2 to the contact c5 or connect the contact c2 to the contact c6 through a switching operation. Here, the contact c2 may be a contact at the voltage measurement module 140, the contact c5 may be a contact at the negative electrode power cable 132, and the contact c6 may be a contact at the negative electrode measurement cable 152. If the switching module 160 is configured as shown such that the contact c2 is connected to the contact c6, the voltage measurement module 140 may be connected to the negative electrode measurement cable 152. At the same time, if the switching module 160 is configured such that the contact c2 is connected to the contact c5, the voltage measurement module 140 may be connected to the negative electrode power cable 132.

[0063] Meanwhile, the above-described embodiments have been described based on the case where the switching module 160 is configured in the form of a three-contact switch, but the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to this form. That is, the switching module 160 may be configured in various forms capable of selectively connecting the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130 or the measurement cable 150.

[0064] The control module 170 may be configured to control the switching module 160. For example, the control module 170 may control the positive electrode switching module 161 to connect the contact c1 to the contact c4, and control the negative electrode switching module 162 to connect the contact c2 to the contact c6, so as to connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the measurement cable 150. Alternatively, the control module 170 may control the positive electrode switching module 161 to connect the contact c1 to the contact c3, and control the negative electrode switching module 162 to connect the contact c2 to the contact c5, so as to connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130.

[0065] The control module 170 may be electrically connected to the voltage measurement module 140 to send and receive signals. In particular, the control module 170 may receive the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module 140 from the voltage measurement module 140. In addition, the control module 170 may determine whether internal components of the battery inspection device 100 are abnormal based on the voltage measurement value received in this way.

[0066] In particular, the control module 170 may perform self-diagnosis on the battery detection device 100 based on the connection state of the switching module 160 and the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module 140. For example, in a state where the switching module 160 connects the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130, the control module 170 may receive the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module 140 as a first voltage value. In addition, in a state where the switching module 160 connects the voltage measurement module 140 to the measurement cable 150, the control module 170 may receive the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module 140 as a second voltage value. In addition, the control module 170 may determine whether the battery detection device 100 is abnormal based on the first voltage value and the second voltage value.

[0067] In addition, the control module 170 may be configured to determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal based on whether the battery inspection device 100 is abnormal. That is, when a problem occurs in the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130, the control module 170 may detect the occurrence of such a problem.

[0068] With this configuration according to the present disclosure, it is possible to self-diagnose whether there is a problem with the battery inspection device 100 itself. In particular, according to this embodiment, when there is an abnormality in the part in contact with the battery (contact probe 110) or the power supply path (power cable 130), the battery inspection device 100 can easily detect the abnormality.

[0069] Thus, in this case, the accuracy of the battery inspection device 100 can be further improved. In particular, it is possible to prevent the secondary battery from being misdiagnosed as having a problem due to an abnormality in the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130 even though the battery 10 itself (for example, the pouch secondary battery itself) has no problem.

[0070] Meanwhile, the control module 170 may optionally include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a chipset, a logic circuit, registers, a communication modem, a data processing device, etc., known in the art to execute various control logics performed in the present disclosure, or these terms may be used to represent it. Additionally, when the control logic is implemented in software, the control module 170 may be implemented as a set of program modules. In this case, the program modules may be stored in the memory and executed by the control module 170. The memory may be provided inside or outside the processor 130 and may be connected to the control module 170 in various well-known ways. Meanwhile, in this specification, the term "configured to..." regarding the control module 170, etc. may include the meaning of "programmed to...".

[0071] The battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure may further include a pressing module 183. This will be described in Figure 3 more detail.

[0072] Figure 3 is a view schematically showing the configuration of the battery inspection device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0073] Referring to Figure 3 , the battery inspection device 100 further includes a pressing module 183, and the pressing module 183 may be configured to press the battery. The pressing module 183 may press the battery such that the electrode assembly can receive the pressure in the battery. For example, a pouch secondary battery may include: a receiving portion in which the electrode assembly and the electrolyte are received; and a sealing portion formed to surround the receiving portion. In this case, the pressing module 183 may be configured to press the receiving portion of the pouch secondary battery such that the electrode assembly received in the receiving portion is pressed.

[0074] In addition, the control module 170 may control the pressing module 183 to press the battery by the pressing module 183. In addition, the control module 170 may control the power supply module 120 to supply power to the battery 10 while the battery 10 is being pressed as described above.

[0075] In addition, the control module 170 may control the switching module 160 so that the voltage measurement module 140 and the measurement cable 150 are directly connected. For example, in Figure 2 the embodiment, the control module 170 connects the contact c1 to the contact c4 and connects the contact c2 to the contact c6 for the positive electrode switching module 161 and the negative electrode switching module 162, respectively, so that the voltage measurement module 140 and the measurement cable 150 are directly connected.

[0076] In addition, if the voltage measurement module 140 measures the voltage while the voltage measurement module 140 and the measurement cable 150 are connected as described above, the measured voltage value may be transmitted to the control module 170. Then, the control module 170 may be configured to detect an internal short circuit of the battery 10 based on the transmitted voltage measurement value. That is, the control module 170 may check whether there is an internal short circuit in the battery 10 based on the voltage measurement value between both ends of the battery 10.

[0077] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, it is possible to more effectively detect whether the battery 10 has an internal short circuit. For example, if a part of the separator of the electrode assembly inside the battery 10 is damaged or torn, an internal short circuit may occur when the battery 10 is pressed even if no internal short circuit occurs when the battery 10 is not pressed. That is, since the battery 10 is pressed, the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate of the electrode assembly become closer, so that the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate can easily contact each other through the damaged part of the separator. Therefore, in this case, it is easier to detect the battery 10 in which an internal short circuit may occur.

[0078] Meanwhile, in Figure 3 the pressing module 183 is shown in the form of pressing a single battery cell (i.e., a single pouch secondary battery), but the pressing module 183 may also be configured to press a plurality of battery cells, such as a plurality of pouch secondary batteries. In addition, the pressing module 183 may be configured to press in the form of a battery module or a battery pack.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, if it is determined that the battery 10 has an internal short circuit, the control module 170 may be configured to determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal. That is, if it is not determined that the battery 10 has an internal short circuit, the control module 170 may not determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal. Additionally, the control module 170 may be configured to control the switching module 160 to determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal only when it is determined that the battery 10 has an internal short circuit.

[0080] In this case, since unnecessary fault self-diagnosis is prevented, the self-diagnosis efficiency of the battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure can be further improved.

[0081] Preferably, the control module 170 may be configured to compare the voltage measurement value with a standard voltage value. Here, the standard voltage value is a reference value to be compared with the voltage measurement value and may be stored in advance. In particular, the standard voltage value may be set to a specific value or a specific range for determining normal or faulty with respect to the voltage measurement value.

[0082] Additionally, the control module 170 may be configured to determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal by comparing the voltage measurement value and the standard voltage value.

[0083] For example, if the voltage measurement value exceeds the range set as the standard voltage value, it may be determined that at least one of the contact probe 110 and the power cable 130 is abnormal. Alternatively, if the voltage measurement value is higher or lower than the number set as the standard voltage value, it may be determined that there is an error in the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130.

[0084] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, faults of the battery inspection device 100 can be more easily diagnosed by comparing the voltage measurement value with the standard voltage value.

[0085] The battery inspection device according to the present disclosure may further include a memory module 181 as shown in Figure 1 . In particular, the memory module 181 may be configured to store the standard voltage value. Additionally, the standard voltage value stored in the memory module 181 in this way may be configured to be accessible by the control module 170. That is, the control module 170 may be connected to the memory module 181, read the standard voltage value stored in the memory module 181, and compare the standard voltage value with the voltage measurement value measured by the voltage measurement module 140.

[0086] In addition, the control module 170 may store data necessary for executing the functions of at least some components of the battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure. The type of the memory module 181 is not particularly limited as long as it is a known information storage device capable of writing, erasing, updating, and reading data. As an example, the information storage device may include a RAM, a flash memory, a ROM, an EEPROM, a register, etc. In addition, the memory module 181 may store program codes defining processes that can be executed by the control module 170.

[0087] In addition, a standard voltage value may be set for each temperature. For example, the memory module 181 may store a standard voltage value table in which the standard voltage values are individually set according to the temperature. In this case, the temperature may be set for each interval. For example, a plurality of temperature intervals such as 0 °C or below, 10 °C to 20 °C, 20 °C to 30 °C, 30 °C to 40 °C, 40 °C to 50 °C... may be set, and the standard voltage values corresponding to each temperature interval may be preset and stored.

[0088] As a more specific example, the memory module 181 may prestorage the standard voltage values corresponding to each of the plurality of temperature intervals as follows:

[0089] 0 °C or below: R1,

[0090] 10 °C to 20 °C: R2,

[0091] 20 °C to 30 °C: R3,

[0092] 30 °C to 40 °C: R4,

[0093] 40 °C to 50 °C: R5,

[0094] 50 °C or above: R6

[0095] In addition, the control module 170 may select the standard voltage value corresponding to the current temperature and compare the standard voltage value with the voltage measurement value.

[0096] For example, when the current temperature is 35 °C, it can be considered that this temperature is included in the temperature range of 30 °C to 40 °C. Therefore, the control module 170 may select R4 as the standard voltage value corresponding to this temperature. In addition, the control module 170 may perform self-fault diagnosis by comparing the reference voltage value R4 with the voltage measurement value. As another example, when the current temperature is 15 °C, it can be considered that this temperature is included in the temperature range of 10 °C to 20 °C. Therefore, the control module 170 may select R2 as the standard voltage value corresponding to this temperature. In addition, the control module 170 may compare the standard voltage value R2 with the voltage measurement value.

[0097] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, abnormal diagnosis can be performed more accurately. In particular, resistance components such as the battery 10, the power cable 130, and the contact probe 110 may vary according to temperature. According to the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure, since the standard voltage value is appropriately set for each temperature, abnormalities in the battery, the contact probe 110, and / or the power cable 130 can be diagnosed more accurately.

[0098] In particular, as Figure 1 shown, the battery detection device 100 according to the present invention may further include a temperature measurement module 182. The temperature measurement module 182 is a component for measuring the ambient temperature and may employ various temperature sensors and the like known at the time of filing this application. In addition, the temperature measurement module 182 may be connected to the control module 170 to transmit the measured temperature information from the temperature measurement module 182 to the control module 170. Then, based on the received temperature information, the control module 170 may find the standard voltage value corresponding to the temperature information.

[0099] In addition, the control module 170 may be configured to determine whether at least one of the contact probe 110 and the power cable 130 is abnormal based on the first voltage value. Here, the first voltage value is the voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module 140 in a state where the switching module 160 is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130. For example, in Figure 2 the embodiment of, the voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module 140 in a state where the contact c1 is connected to the contact c3 of the positive electrode switching module 161 and the contact c2 is connected to the contact c5 of the negative electrode switching module 162 may be the first voltage value. Reference will be made to Figure 4 and Figure 5 for a more detailed description of the configuration for measuring the first voltage value.

[0100] Figure 4 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in which the voltage measurement module 140 is connected to the power cable 130 in the battery inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Figure 4 for ease of explanation, only the power supply module 120, the voltage measurement module 140, and the power cable 130 are shown in the battery inspection device 100, and other components are not shown. In addition, Figure 5 is a view showing the circuit configuration of Figure 4 using a simpler equivalent circuit.

[0101] First, referring to Figure 4, both ends of the voltage measurement module 140 are directly connected to the power cable 130. In this state, only the power cable 130 is connected to the contact probe 110, and the measurement cable 150 is not connected, which can be regarded as a two-terminal state. Additionally, in the attached drawing, the nodes where the voltage measurement module 140 and the power cable 130 are connected are indicated by N11 and N12. In this case, the voltage measurement module 140 can measure the voltage between node N11 and node N12, and the voltage measured at this time is indicated by V1. That is, when the power supply module 120 supplies a certain amount of current to the battery as indicated by Is, the voltage between both ends of the voltage measurement module 140 (the voltage between node N11 and N12) can be measured as the first voltage value V1. At this time, there may be several resistance components between both ends of the voltage measurement module 140. These resistance components include the internal resistance of the battery 10 indicated by Rb, the resistances of the positive electrode power cable 131 and the negative electrode power cable 132 indicated by Rc1 and Rc2, and the resistances of the positive electrode probe 111 and the negative electrode probe 112 indicated by Rp1 and Rp2.

[0102] Additionally, when Rc1 and Rc2, which are the resistances of the power cable 130, are represented by an equivalent resistance Rc and Rp1 and Rp2, which are the resistances of the measurement cable 150, are represented by another equivalent resistance Rp, it can be as Figure 5 shown in.

[0103] Thus, based on Figure 5 the construction, the first voltage value V1 measured by the voltage measurement module 140 can be expressed as Equation 1 below.

[0104] (Equation 1)

[0105] V1 = Is × (Rc + Rp + Rb)

[0106] Here, Is is the magnitude of the current supplied by the power supply module 120, Rc is the resistance of the power cable 130, Rp is the resistance of the contact probe 110, and Rb is the resistance of the battery 10.

[0107] In this construction, the control module 170 can be configured to determine whether at least one of the contact probe 110 and the power cable 130 is abnormal based on the first voltage value V1 measured by the voltage measurement module 140.

[0108] That is, in Equation 1, V1 can be transmitted from the voltage measurement module 140. Additionally, Is can be transmitted from the power supply module 120, or Is can be a value pre-known to the control module 170. Thus, the control module 170 can determine whether (Rc + Rp + Rb) is an appropriate value. Further, if Rb, which is the internal resistance of the battery, is pre-known, the control module 170 can determine whether "Rc + Rp" is an appropriate value. Therefore, the control module 170 can determine whether the resistance (Rc) of the power cable 130 and the resistance (Rp) of the contact probe 110 are appropriate to determine whether the power cable 130 or the contact probe 110 is abnormal.

[0109] In particular, the control module 170 can compare the first voltage value V1 with a specific standard voltage value (first standard voltage value). In this case, the first standard voltage value can be a reference value to be compared with Figure 5 the first voltage value V1 in the configuration of. The first standard value can be pre-stored in the memory module 181 or the like. In this case, the control module 170 can read the first standard value from the memory module 181 and compare the read first standard value with the first voltage value V1 measured by the voltage measurement module 140.

[0110] Additionally, the control module 170 can be configured to determine whether at least one of the contact probe 110 and the power cable 130 is abnormal based on whether the first voltage value V1 differs from the first standard value by a predetermined level or more. For example, if the first voltage value V1 exceeds the range of the first standard value, the control module 170 can determine that the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130 is abnormal. As in Equation 1 above, if Is is determined, the factors that can affect V1 are Rc, Rp, and Rb. Further, if Rb is predetermined or known in advance, the factors that can affect V1 are Rc and Rp. Therefore, by determining whether Rc or Rp is abnormal from V1, it is possible to determine whether the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130 is abnormal. Meanwhile, if the first voltage value V1 does not exceed the range of the first standard value, the control module 170 can determine that neither the contact probe 110 nor the power cable 130 is abnormal.

[0111] Meanwhile, when the switching module 160 is connected to the power cable 130, the switching module 160 can be configured to be connected as close as possible to the power supply module 120 from the power cable 130, so that as many resistance components of the power cable 130 are included as possible. For example, in Figure 2 the embodiment of, the contact c3 and the contact c5 can be provided at one end of the power cable 130 close to the power supply module 120 among the two ends of the power cable 130, or as close as possible to the one end of the power cable 130 close to the power supply module 120.

[0112] In this configuration, the control module 170 can be configured to determine whether the contact probe 110 is abnormal based on the second voltage value. Here, the second voltage value is the voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module 140 in a state where the switching module 160 is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the measurement cable 150. For example, in Figure 2 the embodiment of, in a state where the contact c4 to which the contact c1 is connected for the positive electrode switching module 161 and the contact c6 to which the contact c2 is connected for the negative electrode switching module 162, the voltage measured by the voltage measurement module 140 can be the second voltage value. Reference will be made to Figure 6 and Figure 7 for a more detailed description of the configuration for measuring the second voltage value.

[0113] Figure 6 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in which the voltage measurement module 140 in the battery inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to the measurement cable 150. In Figure 6 , only the power supply module 120, the voltage measurement module 140, the power cable 130, and the measurement cable 150 are also shown. Moreover, Figure 7 is a view showing the circuit configuration of Figure 6 using a simpler equivalent circuit.

[0114] First, referring to Figure 6 , both ends of the voltage measurement module 140 are directly connected to the measurement cable 150. In addition, the measurement cable 150 can be connected to the contact probe 110 at the nodes indicated by N21 and N22. Thus, different from the configuration of Figure 4 , in the configuration of Figure 6 , four cables are connected to the contact probe 110, which can be referred to as four-terminal connection. At the same time, although there may be resistance in the measurement cable 150 in the configuration of Figure 6 , its magnitude can be very small compared to the power cable 130. In particular, in the case of a conventionally known battery inspection device such as a battery short-circuit inspection device, a battery leakage current inspection device, and a low-voltage inspection device, the resistance of the measurement cable 150 is very small compared to the resistance of the power cable 130 that supplies current, and thus can be ignored. Therefore, the resistance of the measurement cable 150 is not even indicated in Figure 6 .

[0115] In this configuration, the voltage measurement module 140 can measure the voltage between node N21 and node N22, and the measured voltage is indicated by V2 at this time. That is to say, if the power supply module 120 supplies a certain amount of current to the battery 10 as indicated by Is, the voltage between the two ends of the voltage measurement module 140 (the voltage between nodes N21 and N22) can be measured as the second voltage value V2. In this case, between the two ends of the voltage measurement module 140, the internal resistance of the battery 10 indicated by Rb and the resistance of the contact probes 110 indicated by Rp1 and Rp2 can be included together. In addition, since the voltage measurement module 140 is not connected to the power cable 130, different from the Figure 4 embodiment of measuring the first voltage value V1 above, when measuring the second voltage value V2, the resistances Rc1 and Rc2 of the power cable 130 can be excluded.

[0116] In addition, as Figure 7 shown, Rp1 and Rp2, which are the resistances of the measurement cable 150, are represented as an equivalent resistance Rp.

[0117] Therefore, based on Figure 7 this configuration, V2 can be expressed as Equation 2 below.

[0118] (Equation 2)

[0119] V2 = Is × (Rp + Rb)

[0120] Here, Is is the magnitude of the current supplied by the power supply module 120, Rp is the resistance of the contact probes 110, and Rb is the resistance of the battery 10.

[0121] In this configuration, the control module 170 can be configured to determine whether the contact probes 110 are abnormal based on the second voltage value V2 measured by the voltage measurement module 140.

[0122] That is, in Equation 2, V2 can be transmitted from the voltage measurement module 140, and Is can be transmitted from the power supply module 120, or Is can be a value known in advance to the control module 170. Therefore, the control module 170 can determine whether (Rp + Rb) is a suitable value. In addition, if Rb, which is the internal resistance of the battery, is known in advance, the control module 170 can determine whether "Rp" is a suitable value. Therefore, the control module 170 can determine whether the resistance Rp of the contact probes 110 is suitable, thereby determining whether the contact probes 110 are abnormal.

[0123] Moreover, the control module 170 may compare the second voltage value V2 with a specific standard voltage value (second standard voltage value) to diagnose whether the contact probe 110 is abnormal. In this case, the second standard voltage value is a value to be compared with the second voltage value V2, and may be a value related to the sum of Rp and Rb in the structure of Figure 7 or a value related to a single Rp value. The second standard value may be pre-stored in the memory module 181 or the like. In this case, the control module 170 may read the second standard value from the memory module 181, and compare the read second standard value with the second voltage value V2 measured by the voltage measurement module 140.

[0124] In addition, the control module 170 may be configured to distinguish whether the contact probe 110 is abnormal based on whether the second voltage value V2 differs from the second standard value by a predetermined level or more. For example, if the second voltage value V2 exceeds the range of the second standard value, the control module 170 may determine that the contact probe 110 is abnormal. Meanwhile, if the second voltage value V2 does not deviate from the range of the second standard value, the control module 170 may determine that the contact probe 110 is normal.

[0125] In this embodiment, if it is determined based on the first voltage value that the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal, the control module 170 may be configured to distinguish which one of the contact probe 110 and the power cable 130 is abnormal based on the second voltage value.

[0126] For example, as described above in Figure 4 and Figure 5 in the embodiment, the control module 170 may determine that at least one of the power cable 130 and the contact probe 110 has a problem by comparing the first voltage value V1 with the first standard value. However, it may not be possible to distinguish which one of the power cable 130 or the contact probe 110 has a problem through the first voltage value V1. In this case, as described above in Figure 6 and Figure 7 in the embodiment, the control module 170 may determine whether the contact probe 110 has a problem by comparing the second voltage value V2 with the second standard value. If it is determined that the contact probe 110 has no problem by using the second voltage value V2 but a problem is determined by using the first voltage value V1, it may be determined that the power cable 130 is abnormal rather than the contact probe 110.

[0127] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, whether there is a problem with the power cable 130 or the contact probe 110 can be easily determined only through relatively simple comparisons, especially voltage comparisons. And if there is a problem, it can also be easily determined which one of the power cable 130 or the contact probe 110 has the problem. Therefore, in this case, rapid self-fault diagnosis of the battery inspection device 100 can be achieved. In addition, the configuration with such a diagnostic function is not complicated and the cost is not high.

[0128] Meanwhile, although the embodiments have been described based on the configuration for comparing the voltage measurement value and the standard voltage value, it is also possible to compare the resistance value obtained by calculating the above equation with the standard resistance value. For example, the memory module 181 can pre-store the resistance values corresponding to Rc+Rp+Rb, Rc+Rp, and / or Rp as the standard resistance values. In addition, the control module 170 can compare the standard resistance value with the measured resistance value obtained by the above equation to determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal.

[0129] The control module 170 can control the switching module 160 to first connect the voltage measurement module 140 and the power cable 130 to each other. Then, only when it is determined that at least one of the contact probe 110 and the power cable 130 is abnormal, the control module 170 can control the switching module 160 to connect the voltage measurement module 140 and the measurement cable 150 to each other. That is, the control module 170 can control the switching module 160 to perform 2-terminal connection, and then only when it is determined that there is a problem, control the switching module 160 to perform 4-terminal connection.

[0130] For example, in Figure 2 the embodiment, the control module 170 can control the switching module 160 to connect the contact c1 to the contact c3 and the contact c2 to the contact c5 in a 2-terminal mode. In addition, as described in Figure 4 and Figure 5 the embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130 is abnormal. In addition, if it is determined during the determination process that the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130 is abnormal, then in Figure 2 the embodiment, the control module 170 can control the switching module 160 to connect the contact c1 to the contact c4 and the contact c2 to the contact c6 in a 4-terminal mode. In addition, as described in Figure 6 and Figure 7 the embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the contact probe 110 is abnormal. If it is determined in the configuration provided in Figure 4 and Figure 5 the embodiment that the contact probe 110 or the power cable 130 is not abnormal, the control module 170 can be configured such that no connection is formed as in Figure 6 andFigure 7 The configuration in the embodiment of

[0131] According to this embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the waste of resources or time caused by performing unnecessary control on the switching module 160 or further abnormal judgment in a situation where there is a high possibility of no abnormality. Therefore, in this case, more efficient self-diagnosis of the battery inspection device 100 can be achieved.

[0132] The battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure may further include a test kit 184. Here, the test kit 184 may be configured to have a predetermined resistance value. In addition, the test kit 184 may be configured to contact the contact probe 110 instead of the battery 10. For example, the test kit 184 may be considered an analog battery having a shape similar to that of a pouch secondary battery, so it can replace the pouch secondary battery. In particular, the shape of the electrode leads of the test kit 184 may be similar to the shape of the electrode leads of the pouch secondary battery. Therefore, when the battery inspection device 100 inspects the pouch secondary battery, the test kit 184 may be configured such that the contact probe 110 contacts in a manner similar to that of the pouch secondary battery.

[0133] The resistance value of the test kit 184 is a predetermined resistance value, and the corresponding information may be transmitted to the control module 170. For example, the resistance value of the test kit 184 may be stored in the memory module 181, and the control module 170 may access the memory module 181 to obtain the resistance value of the test kit 184.

[0134] In particular, the resistance value of the test kit 184 may be considered the same as Figures 4 to 7 the resistance value indicated by Rb in the embodiment of

[0135] Therefore, according to the above embodiment, since Rb is constant and does not change, it is possible to more clearly and quickly determine whether there is a problem with the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 and which one of them has a problem.

[0136] The test kit 184 can be configured to have a variable resistance. For example, the test kit 184 can include a variable resistor or can be configured as a variable resistor. Additionally, the changed resistance value of the variable resistor can be transmitted to the control module 170 or stored in the memory module 181, such that the control module 170 can obtain the changed resistance value. In particular, the control module 170 can determine an abnormality based on the change in the resistance value of the test kit 184 and the change in the voltage measurement value.

[0137] For example, when the different resistance values of the test kit 184 are Rb1 and Rb2, the control module 170 can use the result value obtained when the resistance value is Rb1 and the result value obtained when the resistance value is Rb2 together to determine whether the contact probe 110 and / or the power cable 130 is abnormal.

[0138] In particular, the control module 170 can be configured to diagnose an abnormality when the determination result when the resistance value is Rb1 is the same as the determination result when the resistance value is Rb2. For example, if the determination result when the resistance value is Rb1 is that there is a problem with the contact probe 110 and the determination result when the resistance value is Rb2 is also that there is a problem with the contact probe 110, then the control module 170 can determine that there is a problem with the contact probe 110 as the final diagnosis result. At the same time, if the determination result when the resistance value is Rb1 is that there is a problem with the contact probe 110 while the determination result when the resistance value is Rb2 is that there is no problem with the contact probe 110 but there is a problem with the power cable 130, then the control module 170 can suspend the determination of the final diagnosis result. Additionally, in this case, the control module 170 can change the resistance value of the test kit 184 to different values to perform the diagnosis again at different resistance values.

[0139] According to this configuration of the present disclosure, the accuracy and reliability of diagnosing whether the components of the battery detection device 100 are abnormal can be further improved. In particular, in the case of a general battery 10, due to the internal resistance components and capacitor components contained therein, the characteristics of the battery 10 may change sensitively with temperature, so it is difficult to ensure accurate measurement. However, when using the test kit 184 as described above, it is not necessary to consider such characteristic changes, which can ensure a more accurate diagnosis.

[0140] At the same time, when changing several resistance values as described above and using these resistance values as the resistance values of the test kit 184, the standard value (such as the standard voltage value or the standard resistance value) of each resistance value can be separately stored in the memory module 181 or the like. For example, the memory module 181 can separately store the first standard voltage value and the second standard voltage value when the resistance value is Rb1 and the first standard voltage value and the second standard voltage value when the resistance value is Rb2.

[0141] Meanwhile, if the test suite 184 does not exist or the internal resistance Rb of the battery 10 cannot be obtained, it is possible to determine whether the battery inspection device 100 is abnormal by performing inspections on multiple batteries 10 or performing a number of inspections on a single battery 10.

[0142] In addition, when determining whether the power cable 130 is abnormal, the battery inspection device 100 according to the present disclosure can be configured to determine which one of the positive electrode power cable 131 and the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal.

[0143] In particular, as described above, the switching module 160 may include at least two unit switching modules 160, that is, a positive electrode switching module 161 and a negative electrode switching module 162. In this case, the control module 170 can be configured to connect the positive electrode switching module 161 and the negative electrode switching module 162 to different cables among the power cable 130 and the measurement cable 150. For example, the control module 170 can perform a switching control operation of connecting the positive electrode switching module 161 to the power cable 130 and connecting the negative electrode switching module 162 to the measurement cable 150, or can perform a switching control operation of connecting the positive electrode switching module 161 to the measurement cable 150 and connecting the negative electrode switching module 162 to the power cable 130. In addition, the circuit configuration when the switching module 160 is connected as described above is as Figure 8 and Figure 9 shown.

[0144] Figure 8 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in the battery inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when the positive electrode switching module 161 is connected to the power cable 130 and the negative electrode switching module 162 is connected to the measurement cable 150. Moreover, Figure 9 is a view schematically showing the circuit configuration in the battery inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when the positive electrode switching module 161 is connected to the measurement cable 150 and the negative electrode switching module 162 is connected to the power cable 130.

[0145] For example, in the Figure 2 configuration, when the control switching module 160 is switched such that the contact c1 is connected to the contact c3 in the positive electrode switching module 161 and the contact c2 is connected to the contact c6 in the negative electrode switching module 162, this is referred to as the Figure 8 configuration. In addition, in the Figure 2 configuration, when the control switching module 160 is switched such that the contact c1 is connected to the contact c4 in the positive electrode switching module 161 and the contact c2 is connected to the contact c5 in the negative electrode switching module 162, this can be referred to as the Figure 9configuration. It will also be described mainly based on features different from those of the foregoing embodiments Figure 8 and Figure 9 .

[0146] First, referring to Figure 8 , only the positive electrode power cable 131 is connected to both ends of the voltage measurement module 140, and the negative electrode power cable 132 is not connected. Therefore, the voltage V3 measured by the voltage measurement module 140 can be calculated as the value obtained by multiplying the total resistance of the resistance Rc1 of the positive electrode cable 131, the resistance Rp1 of the positive electrode probe, the battery resistance Rb, and the resistance Rp2 of the negative electrode probe by the current Is, which can be expressed as the following equation.

[0147] (Equation 3)

[0148] V3 = Is × (Rc1 + Rp1 + Rb + Rp2)

[0149] In addition, referring to Figure 9 , only the negative electrode power cable 132 is connected to both ends of the voltage measurement module 140, and the positive electrode power cable 131 is not connected. Therefore, the voltage V4 measured by the voltage measurement module 140 can be calculated as the value obtained by multiplying the total resistance of the resistance Rp1 of the positive electrode probe, the battery resistance Rb, the resistance Rp2 of the negative electrode probe, and the resistance Rc2 of the negative electrode power cable 132 by the current Is, which can be expressed as the following equation.

[0150] (Equation 4)

[0151] V4 = Is × (Rp1 + Rb + Rp2 + Rc2)

[0152] Based on the above Equations 3 and 4, the control module 170 can determine whether the positive electrode power cable 131 and / or the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal.

[0153] For example, the control module 170 can determine whether the positive electrode power cable 131 is abnormal based on the result of Equation 3. Since Equation 3 includes a factor related to the positive electrode power cable 131 called "Rc1", it is possible to determine whether the positive electrode power cable 131 is abnormal based on the voltage measurement value called the third voltage value V3. In this case, the standard value (i.e., the standard voltage value) to be compared with V3 can be pre-stored in a memory module or the like. More specifically, as a comparison result between the third voltage value V3 of Equation 3 and the standard voltage value, if the third voltage value V3 is outside the range of the standard voltage value, the control module 170 can determine that the positive electrode power cable 131 is abnormal.

[0154] In addition, the control module 170 may determine whether the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal based on the result of Equation 4. Since Equation 4 includes a factor related to the negative electrode power cable 132 called "Rc2", if a voltage measurement value called the fourth voltage value V4 is measured, it is possible to determine whether the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal based on this. In this case, the standard value to be compared with V4 may be pre-stored in a memory module or the like. More specifically, as a comparison result between the fourth voltage value V4 of Equation 4 and the standard voltage value, if the fourth voltage value V4 is outside the range of the standard voltage value, the control module 170 may determine that the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal.

[0155] As another example, the control module 170 may be configured to determine whether the positive electrode measurement cable 151 and / or the negative electrode measurement cable 152 is abnormal by comparing the third voltage value V3 obtained in the state as in Figure 8 with the fourth voltage value V4 obtained in the state as in Figure 9 .

[0156] In particular, the control module 170 may compare the third voltage value V3 obtained in Equation 3 with the fourth voltage value V4, and if the difference between the two exceeds the error range, determine that the positive electrode power cable 131 or the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal. In addition, in a case where the resistance of the positive electrode power cable 131 and the resistance of the negative electrode power cable 132 may be similar to each other, if a difference occurs between the third voltage value V3 and the fourth voltage value V4, it is possible to determine that there is a problem with the positive electrode power cable 131 or the negative electrode power cable 132. In addition, the control module 170 may determine whether the positive electrode power cable 131 or the negative electrode power cable 132 is abnormal by comparing which of the third voltage value V3 and the fourth voltage value V4 deviates from the standard value.

[0157] Figure 10 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a battery inspection unit abnormality verification device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0158] Referring to Figure 10 , the battery inspection unit abnormality verification device according to the present disclosure may include a switching module 160 and a control module 170.

[0159] Here, the battery inspection unit to be diagnosed by the battery inspection unit abnormality verification device according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include a contact probe 110, a power supply module 120, a power cable 130, a voltage measurement module 140, and a measurement cable 150. The contact probe 110, the power supply module 120, the power cable 130, the voltage measurement module 140, and the measurement cable 150 may be constructed the same as or similarly to the components of the battery inspection device 100 according to the aspect of the present disclosure described above.

[0160] The switching module 160 is configured to be connectable to the voltage measurement module 140, the power cable 130, and the measurement cable 150, and may be configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130 or the measurement cable 150.

[0161] In addition, the switching module 160 may be configured to be connectable to the voltage measurement module 140, the power cable 130, and the measurement cable 150, and may be configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module 140 to the power cable 130 or the measurement cable 150. In particular, the switching module 160 may include a connector such that the voltage measurement module, the power cable, and the measurement cable provided in a battery inspection unit (such as a conventional battery pressurization short-circuit tester, a battery leakage current tester, and a battery low-voltage tester) can be connected.

[0162] Since the construction or operation of the switching module 160 and the control module 170 of the battery inspection device 100 according to an aspect of the present disclosure described above can be applied in the same or similar manner, the construction or operation of the switching module 160 and the control module 170 will not be described in detail here.

[0163] According to this construction of the present disclosure, a device capable of effectively diagnosing a failure of a conventional battery inspection unit can be provided. That is, when the voltage measurement module, the power cable, and the measurement cable are connected to the switching module and the control module is operated in a conventional battery inspection unit, it is possible to quickly and accurately diagnose which one of the power cable or the contact probe has a problem.

[0164] The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, although indicating the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, are given only by way of illustration, since various modifications and variations within the scope of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

[0165] Reference numerals

[0166] 100: Battery inspection device

[0167] 110: Contact probe

[0168] 111: Positive electrode probe, 112: Negative electrode probe

[0169] 120: Power supply module

[0170] 130: Power cable

[0171] 131: Positive electrode power cable, 132: Negative electrode power cable

[0172] 140: Voltage measurement module

[0173] 150: Measurement cable

[0174] 151: Positive electrode measurement cable, 152: Negative electrode measurement cable

[0175] 160: Switching module

[0176] 161: Positive electrode switching module, 162: Negative electrode switching module

[0177] 170: Control module

[0178] 181: Memory module

[0179] 182: Temperature measurement module

[0180] 183: Extrusion module

[0181] 184: Test kit

[0182] 10: Battery

[0183] 11: Electrode lead

[0184] 11a: Positive electrode lead, 11b: Negative electrode lead

Claims

1. A battery inspection device for inspecting the state of a battery, comprising: Contact probes configured to contact the terminals of the battery; A power supply module configured to generate and supply power; A power cable located between the power supply module and the contact probes to provide a path for supplying the power generated by the power supply module to the contact probes; A voltage measurement module configured to measure voltage; A measurement cable located between the voltage measurement module and the contact probes and configured to measure the voltage of the contact probes through the voltage measurement module; A switching module configured to selectively connect the voltage measurement module to the power cable or the measurement cable; and A control module configured to control the switching module and, based on the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module according to the connection state of the switching module, the control module determines whether at least one of the contact probes and the power cable is abnormal.

2. The battery inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A squeezing module configured to squeeze the battery, wherein, in a state where the battery is squeezed by the squeezing module, when power is supplied to the battery by the power supply module, the control module is configured to: in a state where the switching module is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module and the measurement cable, based on the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module, the control module detects an internal short circuit of the battery.

3. The battery inspection device according to claim 1, wherein, The contact probes are configured to contact the electrode leads of a pouch-type secondary battery.

4. The battery inspection device according to claim 1, wherein, The control module is configured to determine whether at least one of the contact probes and the power cable is abnormal by comparing the voltage measurement value with a previously stored standard voltage value.

5. The battery inspection device according to claim 4, wherein, The standard voltage value to be compared with the voltage measurement value is set for each temperature.

6. The battery inspection device according to claim 1, wherein, The control module is configured to: in a state where the switching module is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module to the power cable, based on a first voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module, the control module determines whether at least one of the contact probes and the power cable is abnormal.

7. The battery inspection device according to claim 6, wherein, The control module is configured to: in a state where the switching module is controlled to connect the voltage measurement module to the measurement cable, based on a second voltage value measured by the voltage measurement module, the control module determines whether the contact probes are abnormal.

8. The battery inspection device according to claim 7, wherein, When it is determined that at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal based on the first voltage value, the control module is configured to distinguish which one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal based on the second voltage value.

9. The battery inspection device according to claim 8, wherein, the control module is configured to: control the switching module to first connect the voltage measurement module and the power cable, and then control the switching module to connect the voltage measurement module and the measurement cable only when it is determined that at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal.

10. The battery inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a test kit, the test kit being configured to have a predetermined resistance value and contacting the contact probe instead of the battery.

11. A battery inspection unit abnormality verification device, the battery inspection unit abnormality verification device verifying whether a battery inspection unit is abnormal, the battery inspection unit including a contact probe, a power supply module, a power cable, a voltage measurement module, and a measurement cable and being configured to inspect the state of a battery, the battery inspection unit abnormality verification device comprising: a switching module, the switching module being configured to be connectable to the voltage measurement module, the power cable, and the measurement cable, and selectively connecting the voltage measurement module to the power cable or the measurement cable; and a control module, the control module being configured to control the switching module, and based on the connection state of the switching module and the voltage measurement value of the voltage measurement module, the control module determines whether at least one of the contact probe and the power cable is abnormal.

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