Battery monitoring device, battery monitoring method, battery pack, and electric vehicle

Abstract

A battery monitoring apparatus according to the present application includes a first air quality sensor for generating a first detection signal indicative of a concentration of a first substance present in an internal space of a battery assembly in which at least one battery cell is arranged, a second air quality sensor for generating a second detection signal indicative of a concentration of a second substance present in the internal space, and a control unit that executes a first monitoring mode for collecting the first detection signal in a time series manner in response to an operation start command. The control unit executes a second monitoring mode for collecting the second detection signal in a time series manner in response to the concentration of the first substance indicated by the first detection signal exceeding a first threshold value during execution of the first monitoring mode. The first substance is a gas substance generated from a reactant required for a charge / discharge reaction of the battery cell. The second substance is a gas substance generated as a byproduct of the charge / discharge reaction of the battery cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a technique for monitoring whether a battery is damaged.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0117920, filed on September 14, 2020, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Technology

[0003] Recently, demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, cameras and mobile phones has increased rapidly, and with the widespread development of electric vehicles, energy storage devices, robots and satellites, there is a lot of research being done on high-performance batteries that can be repeatedly recharged.

[0004] Currently, commercially available batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium batteries. Among them, lithium batteries have little or no memory effect, and therefore they receive more attention than nickel-based batteries because lithium batteries have the advantages of being easily rechargeable at any time, having a very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0005] The battery pack includes a housing and at least one battery cell located within the interior space of the housing. The battery cell is manufactured by housing electrode stacks and electrolyte within the housing and sealing the housing. Because the housing isolates the electrode assembly and electrolyte from the external environment, the battery cell remains safe.

[0006] In the event of damage to the battery cell casing, various hazardous materials contained within the casing may leak out. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] This disclosure is designed to address the aforementioned problems, and therefore relates to an apparatus and method for directly monitoring whether the casing of a battery cell is damaged based on detection values ​​from different types of air quality sensors located in the battery pack, a battery pack including the apparatus, and an electric vehicle including the battery pack.

[0009] This disclosure also relates to an apparatus and method for identifying the cause of damage to the casing of a battery cell based on detection values ​​from different types of air quality sensors, a battery pack including the apparatus, and an electric vehicle including the battery pack.

[0010] This disclosure also relates to an apparatus and method for selectively operating any one of different types of air quality sensors based on the detection value of another air quality sensor to reduce power consumption compared to when the different types of air quality sensors are always running, a battery pack including the apparatus, and an electric vehicle including the battery pack.

[0011] These and other objects and advantages of this disclosure will be understood from the following description and will be apparent from embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of this disclosure can be achieved by the means set forth in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

[0012] Technical solution

[0013] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a battery monitoring device for a battery assembly has an internal space in which at least one battery cell is positioned. The battery monitoring device includes: a first air quality sensor configured to generate a first detection signal indicating the concentration of the first material in the internal space; a second air quality sensor configured to generate a second detection signal indicating the concentration of the second material in the internal space; and a control unit configured to execute a first monitoring mode in response to an operation start command, the first monitoring mode collecting the first detection signal in a time sequence. The control unit is configured to execute a second monitoring mode in response to the concentration of the first material indicated by the first detection signal exceeding a first threshold during the execution of the first monitoring mode, the second monitoring mode collecting the second detection signal in the time sequence. The first material is a gaseous material generated by evaporating reactants required for the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell. The second material is a gaseous material generated as a byproduct of the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell.

[0014] The control unit can be configured to determine that the battery cell casing is damaged in response to the concentration of the first material, as indicated by the first detection signal, exceeding the first threshold during the execution of the first monitoring mode.

[0015] The battery monitoring device may also include a power supply circuit configured to generate the power supply voltage required for the operation of the first air quality sensor and the second air quality sensor.

[0016] The control unit can be configured to control the power circuit to supply power voltage to the first air quality sensor in response to the operation start command.

[0017] The control unit can be configured to control the power circuit to supply the power voltage to the second air quality sensor in response to the concentration of the first material, as indicated by the first detection signal, exceeding the first threshold.

[0018] The control unit can be configured to determine that the battery cell casing is damaged due to external causes in response to the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal being equal to or less than a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode.

[0019] The control unit can be configured to determine that the battery cell casing is damaged due to internal causes in response to the concentration of the second material, as indicated by the second detection signal, exceeding a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode.

[0020] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the battery pack includes a battery monitoring device.

[0021] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an electric vehicle includes a battery pack.

[0022] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a battery monitoring method uses a first air quality sensor and a second air quality sensor. The first air quality sensor is configured to generate a first detection signal indicating the concentration of a first material in the internal space of a battery assembly, wherein at least one battery cell is positioned in the internal space of the battery assembly. The second air quality sensor is configured to generate a second detection signal indicating the concentration of a second material in the internal space. The battery monitoring method includes the steps of: executing a first monitoring mode in response to an operation start command, the first monitoring mode being used to collect the first detection signal in a time series; and executing a second monitoring mode in response to the concentration of the first material indicated by the first detection signal exceeding a first threshold during the execution of the first monitoring mode, the second monitoring mode being used to collect the second detection signal in a time series. The first material is a gaseous material generated by evaporating reactants required for the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell included in the battery assembly. The second material is a gaseous material generated as a byproduct of the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell.

[0023] The battery monitoring method may further include determining that the battery cell casing is damaged due to external causes in response to the concentration of a second material indicated by the second detection signal being equal to or less than a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode.

[0024] The battery monitoring method may further include determining that the battery cell casing is damaged due to internal causes in response to the concentration of a second material indicated by the second detection signal exceeding a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode.

[0025] Beneficial effects

[0026] According to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the damage to the casing of a battery cell can be directly monitored based on detection values ​​from different types of air quality sensors located in the battery pack.

[0027] In addition, according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the cause of damage to the battery cell casing can be identified based on detection values ​​from different types of air quality sensors.

[0028] Furthermore, according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, power consumption can be reduced by selectively operating any of the different types of air quality sensors based on the detection value of another air quality sensor, rather than when different types of air quality sensors are always running.

[0029] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand these and other effects based on the appended claims. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are used together with the detailed description of the present disclosure described below to provide a further understanding of the technical aspects of the present disclosure, and therefore the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the drawings.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an electric vehicle according to the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment is shown that can be made by... Figure 1 A flowchart of the battery monitoring method performed by the battery monitoring device.

[0033] Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment is shown that can be made by... Figure 1 A flowchart of the battery monitoring method performed by the battery monitoring device.

[0034] Figure 4 An exemplary embodiment is shown that can be made by... Figure 1 A flowchart of the battery monitoring method performed by the battery monitoring device. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms or words used in the specification and appended claims should not be construed as limited to their general and dictionary meanings, but rather as interpreted based on their meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure, based on the principle that the inventors are permitted to properly define terms for the best interpretation.

[0036] Therefore, the embodiments described herein and the illustrations shown in the accompanying drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of this disclosure, but are not intended to fully describe the technical aspects of this disclosure. It should be understood that various other equivalents and modifications may be made thereto at the time of filing the application.

[0037] Terms that include ordinal numbers (such as "first", "second" etc.) are used to distinguish one element from another among various elements, but are not intended to limit elements by the terms.

[0038] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it will be understood that the term "comprising" as used in this specification specifies the presence of the stated elements, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements. Additionally, the term "control unit" refers to a processing unit that performs at least one function or operation, and this can be implemented by hardware and software, individually or in combination.

[0039] Furthermore, as will be further understood throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, or there may be an intermediate element present.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the electric vehicle 1 according to the present disclosure.

[0041] refer to Figure 1 The electric vehicle 1 includes an advanced controller 2, a battery pack 3, a switch 30, an inverter 40, and an electric motor 50.

[0042] Battery pack 3 includes battery module 5 and battery management system 100.

[0043] Switch 30 is electrically connected in series to battery assembly 5 through the power path connecting battery assembly 5 to converter 40. Switch 30 is controlled to switch on and off in response to a switching signal from battery management system 100. Switch 30 may be a mechanical relay that is opened / closed by the electromagnetic force of a coil or semiconductor switch 30 (such as a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)).

[0044] The converter 40 is configured to convert direct current (DC) power from the cell pack 10 into alternating current (AC) power in response to a command from the battery management system 100.

[0045] The electric motor 50 operates using AC power from the converter 40. The electric motor 50 can be, for example, a three-phase AC motor 50.

[0046] The battery assembly 5 includes a cell pack 10 and a housing 20. The housing 20 defines the overall shape of the battery assembly 5 and provides internal space for housing the cell pack 10. The housing 20 is bolted and fastened to a battery compartment disposed in the electric vehicle 1.

[0047] Cell assembly 10 is positioned (received) within an internal space provided from housing 20 and includes at least one battery cell 11. When cell assembly 10 has multiple battery cells 11, the multiple battery cells 11 can be connected in series, in parallel, or in both parallel and series. Battery cell 11 can be, for example, a lithium-ion battery cell. Battery cell 11 is not limited to a particular type and can include any battery cell that can be repeatedly recharged. Battery cell 11 includes an electrode stack, an electrolyte, and a housing. The electrode stack includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator. The housing provides an hermetically sealed environment for the electrode stack and the electrolyte to prevent leakage of reactants and byproducts from battery cell 11. Reactants can generally refer to materials that participate in the charge / discharge reaction of battery cell 11, such as positive and negative electrode active materials coated on the electrode stack and / or the electrolyte. Byproducts can generally refer to materials that do not participate in the charge / discharge reaction but are incidentally generated by the charge / discharge reaction.

[0048] The battery management system 100 includes a battery monitoring device 200 and an interface unit 110.

[0049] The battery monitoring device 200 includes a first air quality sensor 210, a second air quality sensor 220, and a control unit 230. The battery monitoring device 200 may also include at least one of a power supply circuit 240, a voltage sensor 250, a current sensor 260, or a temperature sensor 270. The battery monitoring device 200 is provided to monitor whether the battery cells 11 included in the cell assembly 10 are damaged. The battery monitoring device 200 is configured to determine, in response to detecting damage to the battery cell 11, whether the damage to the battery cell 11 is caused by an external or internal cause.

[0050] Power supply circuit 240 is configured to use power supplied from an auxiliary power source (e.g., a lead-acid battery) disposed in battery cell assembly 10 or electric vehicle 1 to generate the power voltage required for activation of the first air quality sensor 210 and the second air quality sensor 220. Power supply circuit 240 may include, for example, voltage regulators and DC-DC converters well known in the art. Power supply circuit 240 may be configured to selectively supply power voltage only to the first air quality sensor 210 in response to a first command from control unit 230. Power supply circuit 240 may be configured to selectively supply power voltage only to the second air quality sensor 220 in response to a second command from control unit 230. Alternatively, at least one of the first air quality sensor 210 or the second air quality sensor 220 may be configured to always operate using power from an embedded power source (e.g., a coin cell battery).

[0051] A first air quality sensor 210 is positioned within the interior space of the housing 20. The first air quality sensor 210 is configured to detect a first material present in the interior space and generate a first detection signal indicating the concentration of the first material.

[0052] The second air quality sensor 220 is positioned within the interior space of the housing 20. The second air quality sensor 220 is configured to detect a second material present in the interior space and generate a second detection signal indicating the concentration of the second material.

[0053] When the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged for a specific reason, the first material and the second material are different types of gaseous materials generated in the internal space of the casing 20.

[0054] Specifically, the first material is a gaseous material generated by the evaporation of reactants (e.g., electrolyte) directly required for the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell 11. For example, the first material can be a volatile organic compound (VOC). The second material is not a reactant of the battery cell 11, but a gaseous material generated as a byproduct of the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell 11. For example, the second material can be carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0055] Damage to battery cell 11 occurs due to at least one of external or internal causes. External causes generally refer to reasons unrelated to the charging / discharging reaction of battery cell 11. For example, external causes may include vibrations transmitted from the body of electric vehicle 1 to battery cell 11 and the adsorption of corrosive materials onto the casing of battery cell 11. Internal causes generally refer to reasons related to the charging / discharging reaction of battery cell 11. For example, internal causes may include casing expansion caused by carbon dioxide accumulation in the casing of battery cell 11.

[0056] When external factors cause more severe damage to battery cell 11 than internal factors, the reactants in battery cell 11 leak from the casing. Consequently, the concentration of the first material in casing 20 increases rapidly, but the concentration of the second material remains uniform or shows very little change between before and after the damage.

[0057] In contrast, when internal causes lead to more severe damage to the battery cell 11 than external causes, even the second material, which is a byproduct of the charging / discharging reaction and has accumulated in the casing, leaks out of the casing along with the electrolyte. Therefore, the concentrations of both the first and second materials present in the internal space of the casing 20 increase rapidly.

[0058] In other words, when battery cell 11 is damaged, regardless of the cause, the concentration of the first material in the casing 20 increases rapidly, and the concentration of the second material increases rapidly due to the higher contribution of internal causes. Therefore, the damage to the casing of battery cell 11 can be monitored based on the measured concentration value of the first material, and the contribution (high or low contribution) of each of the external and internal causes of the damage to the casing of battery cell 11 can be predicted based on the detected concentration value of the second material.

[0059] Voltage sensor 250 is electrically connected to both ends of battery cell 11 via a voltage sensing channel. Voltage sensor 250 is configured to measure the cell voltage at both ends of battery cell 11 and output a signal indicating the battery voltage of cell 11 to control unit 230.

[0060] The current sensor 260 is connected in series to the battery cell assembly 10 via a power path. For example, the current sensor 260 may include a shunt resistor or a Hall effect device. The current sensor 260 is configured to measure the current flowing through the battery cell assembly 10 and output a signal indicating the measured current to the control unit 230.

[0061] Temperature sensor 270 is located within the interior space of housing 20. For example, temperature sensor 270 may include a thermocouple. Temperature sensor 270 is configured to measure the temperature of battery cell assembly 10 and output a signal indicating the measured temperature to control unit 230.

[0062] The control unit 230 is operatively connected to the first air quality sensor 210 and the second air quality sensor 220. The control unit 230 may also be operatively connected to at least one of the power supply circuit 240, voltage sensor 250, current sensor 260, or temperature sensor 270.

[0063] The control unit 230 can be implemented in hardware using at least one of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a digital signal processing device (DSPD), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a microprocessor, or an electrical unit for performing other functions. The control unit 230 may include embedded memory. The memory may include at least one type of storage medium, such as flash memory, hard disk, solid-state drive (SSD), silicon disk drive (SDD), multimedia card micro, random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or programmable read-only memory (PROM). The memory may pre-store programs and data required for performing the battery management method according to the embodiments described below.

[0064] Interface unit 110 is configured to support wired or wireless communication between the advanced controller 2 (e.g., electronic control unit (ECU)) of electric vehicle 1 and control unit 230. Wired communication may be, for example, Controller Area Network (CAN) communication, and wireless communication may be, for example, Zigbee or Bluetooth communication. The communication protocol is not limited to a specific type and may include any communication protocol that supports wired / wireless communication between control unit 230 and advanced controller 2. Interface unit 110 may include output devices (e.g., a display, a speaker) to provide information received from control unit 230 and / or advanced controller 2 in a recognizable format.

[0065] The following Figure 2 and Figure 3 The method can begin when the battery monitoring device 200 changes from a sleep state to a wake-up state. The sleep state can be a state where the switch 30 is turned off to stop charging / discharging the cell pack 10 in response to an operation stop command from the advanced controller 2. In the sleep state, the control unit 230 monitors the state of the cell pack 10 at predetermined intervals (e.g., once per second) while awaiting input of an operation start command from the advanced controller 2. The wake-up state can be a state where the switch 30 is turned on to charge / discharge the cell pack 10 in response to an operation start command. In the wake-up state, the control unit 230 monitors the state of the cell pack 10 at predetermined intervals that are shorter than those in the sleep state (e.g., 1000 times per second).

[0066] Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment is shown that can be made by... Figure 1 A flowchart of the battery monitoring method performed by the battery monitoring device 200.

[0067] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2In step S210, the control unit 230 executes a first monitoring mode for collecting a first detection signal from the first air quality sensor 210 in a time sequence. During the execution of the first monitoring mode, the control unit 230 may record the detection values ​​of the first air quality sensor 210 in a memory in a time sequence.

[0068] In step S220, the control unit 230 determines whether the concentration of the first material indicated by the first detection signal exceeds a first threshold. The first threshold (e.g., 2.0 ppm) is a reliable reference value for damage to the battery cell 11. The first threshold can be preset by taking into account the number of battery cells 11 included in the cell assembly 10 and the area of ​​the internal space of the casing 20. When the value of step S220 is "yes", step S230 or S240 is executed. When the value of step S220 is "no", step S220 can be executed again.

[0069] In step S230, the control unit 230 outputs a notification message indicating the damage status of the battery cell 11. The notification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110. Optionally, it can be sent from... Figure 2 Step S230 is omitted in the method.

[0070] In step S240, the control unit 230 executes a second monitoring mode for collecting second detection signals from the second air quality sensor 220 in a time sequence. The first monitoring mode may be stopped during the execution of the second monitoring mode, or it may be executed in parallel with the second monitoring mode. During the execution of the second monitoring mode, the control unit 230 may record the detection values ​​of the second air quality sensor 220 in a time sequence in its memory.

[0071] In step S250, the control unit 230 determines whether the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal exceeds a second threshold. The second threshold (e.g., 100.0 ppm) is a reliable reference value for damage to the battery cell 11. The second threshold can be preset considering the number of battery cells 11 included in the cell assembly 10 and the area of ​​the internal space of the outer 20. When the value of step S250 is "No", step S260 is executed. When the value of step S250 is "Yes", step S270 is executed.

[0072] In step S260, the control unit 230 outputs a first classification message indicating that the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged due to external causes. The first classification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110.

[0073] In step S270, the control unit 230 outputs a second classification message indicating that the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged due to internal reasons. The second classification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110.

[0074] Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment is shown that can be made by... Figure 1 A flowchart of the battery monitoring method performed by the battery monitoring device 200.

[0075] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 In step S300, the control unit 230 outputs a first command to the power supply circuit 240. In response to the first command, the power supply circuit 240 outputs a power supply voltage to the first air quality sensor 210. The first air quality sensor 210 changes from an inactive state to an active state based on the power supply voltage and begins detecting the first material.

[0076] In step S310, the control unit 230 executes a first monitoring mode for collecting a first detection signal from the first air quality sensor 210 in a time sequence. During the execution of the first monitoring mode, the control unit 230 may periodically record the detection values ​​of the first air quality sensor 210 in a memory.

[0077] In step S320, the control unit 230 determines whether the concentration of the first material indicated by the first detection signal exceeds a first threshold. When the value of step S320 is "yes", step S330 or S332 is executed. When the value of step S320 is "no", step S320 can be executed again.

[0078] In step S330, the control unit 230 outputs a notification message indicating the damage status of the battery cell 11. The notification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110. Optionally, it can be sent from... Figure 3 Step S330 is omitted in the method.

[0079] In step S332, the control unit 230 outputs a second command to the power supply circuit 240. In response to the second command, the power supply circuit 240 outputs a power supply voltage to the second air quality sensor 220. The second air quality sensor 220 changes from an inactive state to an active state based on the power supply voltage and begins detecting the second material.

[0080] In step S340, the control unit 230 executes a second monitoring mode for collecting second detection signals from the second air quality sensor 220 in a time sequence. The first monitoring mode may be stopped during the execution of the second monitoring mode, or it may be executed in parallel with the second monitoring mode. During the execution of the second monitoring mode, the control unit 230 may record the detection values ​​of the second air quality sensor 220 in a time sequence in its memory.

[0081] In step S350, the control unit 230 determines whether the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal exceeds a second threshold. The second threshold (e.g., 100.0 ppm) is a reliable reference value for damage to the battery cell 11. The second threshold can be preset considering the number of battery cells 11 included in the cell assembly 10 and the area of ​​the internal space of the casing 20. When the value of step S350 is "No", step S360 is executed. When the value of step S350 is "Yes", step S370 is executed.

[0082] In step S360, the control unit 230 outputs a first classification message indicating that the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged due to external causes. The first classification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110.

[0083] In step S370, the control unit 230 outputs a second classification message indicating that the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged due to internal reasons. The second classification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110.

[0084] Figure 4 An exemplary embodiment is shown that can be made by... Figure 1 A flowchart of the battery monitoring method performed by the battery monitoring device 200.

[0085] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 In step S400, the control unit 230 determines the temperature of the battery pack 10 based on the signal from the temperature sensor 270.

[0086] In step S402, the control unit 230 determines a first threshold and a second threshold based on the temperature of the cell assembly 10. In contrast to the first and second embodiments, the first and second thresholds in the third embodiment can be variable values ​​based on the temperature of the cell assembly 10. Even if the battery cells 11 are damaged to the same degree, the concentration of each of the first and second materials detected as present in the casing 20 will increase due to the higher temperature of the cell assembly 10. This is because reactants are more prone to evaporation at high temperatures, and byproducts are generated in greater quantities as the temperature increases. The memory can pre-store functions or data tables defining a first correlation between the temperature of the cell assembly 10 and the first threshold, and a second correlation between the temperature of the cell assembly 10 and the second threshold.

[0087] In step S410, the control unit 230 executes a first monitoring mode for collecting a first detection signal from the first air quality sensor 210 in a time sequence. During the execution of the first monitoring mode, the control unit 230 may record the detection values ​​of the first air quality sensor 210 in a memory in a time sequence.

[0088] In step S420, the control unit 230 determines whether the concentration of the first material indicated by the first detection signal exceeds a first threshold. When the value of step S420 is "yes", step S430 or S440 is executed. When the value of step S420 is "no", step S420 can be executed again.

[0089] In step S430, the control unit 230 outputs a notification message indicating the damage status of the battery cell 11. This notification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110. Optionally, it can be sent from... Figure 2 Step S430 is omitted in the method.

[0090] In step S440, the control unit 230 executes a second monitoring mode for collecting second detection signals from the second air quality sensor 220 in a time sequence. The first monitoring mode may be stopped during the execution of the second monitoring mode, or it may be executed in parallel with the second monitoring mode. During the execution of the second monitoring mode, the control unit 230 may record the detection values ​​of the second air quality sensor 220 in a time sequence in its memory.

[0091] In step S450, the control unit 230 determines whether the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal exceeds a second threshold. If the value of step S450 is "No", step S460 is executed. If the value of step S450 is "Yes", step S470 is executed.

[0092] In step S460, the control unit 230 outputs a first classification message indicating that the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged due to external causes. The first classification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110.

[0093] In step S470, the control unit 230 outputs a second classification message indicating that the casing of the battery cell 11 is damaged due to internal reasons. The second classification message can be sent from the control unit 230 to the advanced controller 2 via the interface unit 110.

[0094] The above is for reference only. Figures 2 to 4 The first category message describes a cause that is more strongly attributable to external factors than to internal factors, leading to damage to the casing of battery cell 11. In contrast, the second category message indicates that an internal cause is more strongly attributable to internal factors than to external factors, leading to damage to the casing of battery cell 11.

[0095] The embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented not only by devices and methods, but also by programs that perform functions corresponding to the configuration of the embodiments of the present disclosure or by recording media having such programs, and such implementation can be readily implemented by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the previously described embodiments.

[0096] Although this disclosure has been described above with respect to a limited number of embodiments and accompanying drawings, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to it within the technical aspects of this disclosure and within the equivalent scope of the appended claims.

[0097] Furthermore, without departing from the technical aspects of this disclosure, those skilled in the art can make many substitutions, modifications and changes to the disclosure described above. This disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and drawings, and some or all of these embodiments can be selectively combined to allow for various modifications.

Claims

1. A battery monitoring device for a battery assembly, the battery assembly having an internal space, and at least one battery cell located in the internal space, the battery monitoring device comprising: A first air quality sensor, configured to generate a first detection signal indicating the concentration of a first material in the interior space; A second air quality sensor is configured to generate a second detection signal indicating the concentration of a second material in the interior space; as well as A control unit is configured to execute a first monitoring mode in response to an operation start command, the first monitoring mode being used to collect the first detection signal in a time sequence. The control unit is configured to execute a second monitoring mode in response to the concentration of the first material, indicated by the first detection signal, exceeding a first threshold during the execution of the first monitoring mode. The second monitoring mode is used to collect the second detection signal according to the time series and determine, based on the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal, whether the battery cell casing damage is due to external or internal causes. The first material is a gaseous material produced by evaporating the reactants required for the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell; The second material is a gaseous material produced as a byproduct of the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell, and The external cause refers to a cause that is unrelated to the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell, while the internal cause refers to a cause that is related to the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell.

2. The battery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit is configured to determine that the battery cell casing is damaged in response to the concentration of the first material, as indicated by the first detection signal, exceeding the first threshold during the execution of the first monitoring mode.

3. The battery monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: A power supply circuit configured to generate the power voltage required for the operation of the first air quality sensor and the second air quality sensor. The control unit is configured to control the power circuit to supply the power voltage to the first air quality sensor in response to the operation start command.

4. The battery monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein, The control unit is configured to control the power circuit to supply the power voltage to the second air quality sensor in response to the concentration of the first material, as indicated by the first detection signal, exceeding the first threshold.

5. The battery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit is configured to determine that the battery cell casing is damaged due to external causes in response to the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal being equal to or less than a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode.

6. The battery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit is configured to determine that the battery cell casing is damaged due to internal causes in response to the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal exceeding a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode.

7. A battery pack, the battery pack comprising a battery monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An electric vehicle comprising the battery pack according to claim 7.

9. A battery monitoring method, the battery monitoring method using a first air quality sensor and a second air quality sensor, the first air quality sensor being configured to generate a first detection signal indicating the concentration of a first material in an internal space of a battery assembly, at least one battery cell being located in the internal space of the battery assembly, the second air quality sensor being configured to generate a second detection signal indicating the concentration of a second material in the internal space, the battery monitoring method comprising the steps of: In response to the operation start command, a first monitoring mode is executed, the first monitoring mode being used to collect a first detection signal in a time series; as well as In response to the concentration of the first material indicated by the first detection signal exceeding a first threshold during the execution of the first monitoring mode, a second monitoring mode is executed. The second monitoring mode is used to collect the second detection signal in a time series and determine, based on the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal, whether the battery cell casing damage is due to external or internal causes. The first material is a gaseous material produced by evaporating reactants required for the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cells included in the battery assembly; The second material is a gaseous material generated as a byproduct of the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell, and The external cause refers to a cause that is unrelated to the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell, while the internal cause refers to a cause that is related to the charging / discharging reaction of the battery cell.

10. The battery monitoring method according to claim 9, further comprising the following steps: In response to the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal being equal to or less than a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode, it is determined that the casing of the battery cell is damaged due to external causes.

11. The battery monitoring method according to claim 9, further comprising the following steps: In response to the concentration of the second material indicated by the second detection signal exceeding a second threshold during the execution of the second monitoring mode, it is determined that the casing of the battery cell is damaged due to internal reasons.

Images